The opening game, and the team is not making a big deal about not being in any top-25 rankings. It isn’t actually a shock. Everyone has this team on the bubble of the NCAA. Last I checked, teams predicted to be on the bubble in the pre-season don’t end up being ranked pre-season. Carl Krauser is looking forward to the season, and speaks of being a teacher to Freshman Levance Fields.

He was referring to a group that includes Krauser, junior Antonio Graves, sophomore Ronald Ramon and Fields, who joins Krauser as the team’s only true point guards.

“I just want to go out there, lead the team and show these guys about hard work and a team commitment and taking care of each other on the court,” Krauser said. “I’ve been an understudy to a great point guard, Brandin Knight. Now, I have an understudy of my own.”

I find that very encouraging that he keeps talking about wanting to make the freshmen better players. Krauser has spoken about this season in terms of the team and improving. He would appear to get that for him to have rising stock and a chance to be drafted, requires him to make the team better.

That’s very important for Krauser, because this year should be a shallow draft. With no high schoolers in the draft and even a few less international players, it increases his chance. Still, despite that, he is not included in an early list from ESPN.com on top 100 draft prospects for 2006 (Insider Subs.). Rudy Gay heads up the list.

This article cribs some tidbits from the game notes.

Then another article on the Peacock’s Keydren Clark.