🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Greetings all!

The Chipmaster has returned! lol

I'm feeling very optimistic about our meeting with Nova, and it isn't because of the tragic injury to Justin Moore.

Villanova is the only team that has beat two Self teams ranked #1 and has a 5-3 advantage, including a total beatdown the last time we made it to the Final Four.

Red meat for a huge chip! Our guys have already shown us some chip from time-to-time. I am hopeful we will come out on fire, like we finally did the second half of yesterday's game!

With this much at stake, and our guys realizing what a threat Villanova is and has been in our history, THEN add in the proof that coming out with energy lifts pace and dominates games...

DID WE FINALLY GET THE MESSAGE?

@drgnslayr Pace is definitely going to be a huge factor in this game. We know KU plays best when we push the tempo and according to Kenpom, Villanova is one of the slowest tempo teams in the entire country at 345 in tempo. They won their elite 8 game scoring only 50 points! Don't think that will get it done against KU but they are capable of scoring more than that obviously. I will say I'd take the under on half time score if I were actually someone who placed bets.

With their short bench being cut even shorter, pushing the pace could benefit us that much more. With that said, Wright is as good at preparing his teams to take away what an opponent wants to do as any coach out there. He and Villanova WILL have a plan and it will be a good one. But I'm really hoping that second half of the Miami game was just the start of this team getting rolling like they did through the big 12 tournament. They are hungry. The message I kept hearing after the win was "we aren't done yet."

There are no trap games left, no reason not to be up for the game, no reason to do anything else but leave it all on the floor. Unleash the playbook, dig into the scouting report and this team WILL win the National Title!

I agree pace is a big factor with the Moore injury. I think it was anyway. Nova just grinds, plays slow and that's how they have managed to get this far with basically 6 guys. If we could punch them in the mouth early with pace it will be tough sledding for them to come back.

The biggest key I see Saturday will be points in the paint. Dixon is their only big, they do not have a sub for him. Samuels is like Wilson in that he plays inside out. Dave, Jalen, Mitch. The advantage is use them enough to open the wings to driving to the basket. Pound the paint again on this nova team. No shot blockers, poor rebounding team at both ends.

Yea Nova tempo is 345 out of 358. They will slow the game down as much as possible. But we've prepped for this with the B12 season thankfully. Should be a good game, but Bill owes Wright a double digit spanking.

@Kcmatt7 Sure would be nice if we could jump them from the get go and coast to a quiet double digit win while the circus that will be the second game overshadows it all. Keep us fresh and hungry for the title!

@BeddieKU23 said in Chip and Pace...:

I agree pace is a big factor with the Moore injury. I think it was anyway. Nova just grinds, plays slow and that's how they have managed to get this far with basically 6 guys. If we could punch them in the mouth early with pace it will be tough sledding for them to come back.

The biggest key I see Saturday will be points in the paint. Dixon is their only big, they do not have a sub for him. Samuels is like Wilson in that he plays inside out. Dave, Jalen, Mitch. The advantage is use them enough to open the wings to driving to the basket. Pound the paint again on this nova team. No shot blockers, poor rebounding team at both ends.

Even before Moore's injury, this is why I preferred Villanova over Houston. Houston was far more capable of exploiting KU's weaknesses than Villanova was. Villanova is a good match up for Kansas because a lot of their weaknesses are KU strengths.

@Texas-Hawk-10

The only reason I preferred Houston was because their offense was limited and I think Self with a week to prepare for a team that doesn't have offensive firepower would be have been an advantage to us. Otherwise I agree Villanova is the better matchup overall, especially now.

The speed and urgency we played the second half with was breathtaking. F** yes, Dave, Remy and Jalen!

Thread title reminds me of tortilla chips with Pace salsa 😋

@HawkChamp

Load up this weekend you'll need them both to celebrate!

There were a few defensive rebounds and dribble-ups yesterday seemed faster than I saw all year!

I thought we were more disciplined... not always trying to take it to the rack and get a charge call, and we realized the importance of the secondary break.

I think that was the best half of ball I've seen this team play and it definitely fit my idea of what Self meant by "another gear!"

If we play like that for two games we take it home! Kudos to the guys! Now keep it up!

RCJH

Keeping them off the free throw line will be key imo. Make them make shots because they are automatic from the line

@Oldmanhawk Or we can just take a page out of Miami's book and employ excellent free throw defense.

@Oldmanhawk said in Chip and Pace...:

Keeping them off the free throw line will be key imo. Make them make shots because they are automatic from the line

going for the record. - -they are automatic , you foul them just giving them automatic points. - -A lot depends on how they call the game they call it loose physical then we gonna be ok - -if they call it tight - gonna be a lot of free throws for Villanova won't be nice

@BeddieKU23 said in Chip and Pace...:

I agree pace is a big factor with the Moore injury. I think it was anyway. Nova just grinds, plays slow and that's how they have managed to get this far with basically 6 guys. If we could punch them in the mouth early with pace it will be tough sledding for them to come back.

The biggest key I see Saturday will be points in the paint. Dixon is their only big, they do not have a sub for him. Samuels is like Wilson in that he plays inside out. Dave, Jalen, Mitch. The advantage is use them enough to open the wings to driving to the basket. Pound the paint again on this nova team. No shot blockers, poor rebounding team at both ends.

gonna be even slower Greenberg says they gonna have to turn this game into a crawl

@jayballer67 said in Chip and Pace...:

going for the record. - -they are automatic , you foul them just giving them automatic points. - -A lot depends on how they call the game they call it loose physical then we gonna be ok - -if they call it tight - gonna be a lot of free throws for Villanova won’t be nice

This is just my opinion.... but when we really turn up the pressure and pace... we still foul but the fouls are more distributed evenly throughout the guys.

I'm afraid if we let Nova set the pace and it is at a snail's pace, they will target key players, like Big Dave, and go to work on him.

I feel certain one of Wright's strategies will be to level the depth by attempting to get us in foul trouble. We need to play really smart. Aggressive but not fouling.

We have a week to prep. We need to have them well scouted and defend based on their tendencies. That means, hedging their drives and expecting specific scoring moves and creating space moves. And of course, knowing their play sets.

@drgnslayr Don't forget about the ball fakes...We will here SOOOOO much about the ball fakes.

Boy Nova shoots a ton of trey, hope that their % is low in the game. Our perimeter D has to be A+.

@AsadZ

46% of their shots are from 3 (20th nationally). However that was with Moore who made 80 on the year on 6 attempts per game. Moore was their primary ball handler as they put Gillespie off ball lately to save his knee.

Gillespie - 7.1 attempts pg - 59% of made shots from 3.

Daniels- 4.4 attempts pg - 49% of made shots from 3.

Samuels- 2.75 attempts pg - 19% of made shots from 3.

Slater- 2.5 attempts pg - 29% of made shots from 3.

Also Nova made 10+ 3's in 14 games this year. They made 13 against Delaware but have only made 29% (22/74) in the last 3 games against better competition.

Interesting enough KU gave up 9 or more 3's defensively in 10 games this year and they didn't lose 1 of them.

@BeddieKU23

This game should be a great opportunity for us to play with great energy and be rewarded. Even though Nova is without Moore... consider their mascot as appropriate because they are like an injured Wildcat and you can bet they will come ready to play.

Expect them to play using the entire 30-second clock. This is where we really need our guys coached up to not give up during a possession. Nova is known to give up a good shot in favor of a great shot. This means we can't have players defending in dead space. They need to keep to their man and only give weakside help when appropriate. Largely... in the paint we need Dave and Mitch to step up big.

I fear a hot Nova from trey. But if we stick to playing tough and with energy, they should wear down with their small bench. Keep the pressure on all game and we stand a great chance of outlasting them!

Does Anyone know when then the team departs for New Orleans ? - -would like to see them off from Forbes

@jayballer67

They leave today

Is it Saturday yet?

@BeddieKU23 said in Chip and Pace...:

@jayballer67

They leave today

Dam they do ? - -I was kinda thinking they might. - What time do you know ?

Dam I missed it , they already getting ready to leave , they are at the airport now

@drgnslayr

We have tremendous respect for Wright and his ability to coach up his team. They present a challenge, their tendencies on the court is a bit different then we are used to facing. He outcoached Self in 2016 with how he guarded Perry Ellis. In 2018 that wasn't coaching, we just caught a juggernaut of a team.

This Nova team doesn't have the same talent running up and down its roster and they just lost a significant part of their success to injury. Moore's a complete player on both sides especially defensively where he would have gotten the Agbaji assignment. He was a primary ball handler, a solid rebounder for his position, a skilled playmaker for others and a big shot maker.

I don't think this Nova team can play any slower offensively, they get 30 seconds. It's on defense where I wouldn't be surprised defensively if we saw the soft 3/4 to 1/2 court trap that falls back into their main d just to make KU waste clock. I think that makes the most sense strategically to slow the game on KU's end after made baskets or dead ball situations. If KU's defense is able to key in on their tendencies and force Nova into misses KU is going to run & that's a game they cannot get into. So I think there's a lot of pressure on Nova to muddy the game up while I think if KU is in attack mode when they get the chance and can execute its going to be interesting.

I'm always worried about the 3 ball especially against Nova given the history & knowing they rely so heavily on it. Our defense has been its best in the tournament and I have confidence they can force Nova into misses. KU has survived a good handful of teams making 3's all season long. I really do think these guys are locked in on that end right now. Arguably our best attribute so far in the tourney has been making the other team play poorly. Self's kinda ball.

@BeddieKU23

Excellent post, and I agree.

I think it would be a big mistake for Jay to trap us with any kind of press. First... he should worry about conserving energy with his limited bench. But also... if we are smart we should attack that with Chai and DMac. Stick DMac down low and get him in a 1-on-1... or same with Chai in an opened-up halfcourt with 1-on-1.

A couple things I do really think make us different than many of our past teams that even arguably had more individual talent. First... we are capable of having a very low TO game. Second... we don't panic when tested.

And, for once... we appear to be a team that is peaking at the right time! Seems this isn't where we are in the end of March... normally. We could easily see our best played ball all year this coming weekend (and Monday, hopefully).

WE CAN PLAY LIKE UNDERDOGS!

Yes... we are the only #1 seed left. So what?

I don't think many (or any) of you predicted this team to be a Final Four team in the preseason! I didn't!

So... let's not grind down hard on these guys and just wish them success! Play loose and free, fellas, because you have already exceeded our expectations this year and we think you had an excellent year!

RCJH!

@drgnslayr You should find Landan Lucas's podcast he does with his dad. This week they had Elijah Johnson on. I haven't finished it yet but hearing those guys talk about their experiences in the tournament and how Self is different in March etc. is fascinating. My big takeaway so far is how MUCH these kids care. Landen still hasn't watched any final four since playing at Kansas because it hurts too bad knowing he was on such good teams and could never get there. He and his dad were planning on going but when it came down to it, it's just too hard for him to think he never got to play on that biggest stage when he knows his teams were good enough to be there.

Another interesting point he and EJ (especially EJ) talk about is how Self "leaves them alone" more in the tournament. EJ says it's not like he stops coaching but really just quits bothering them and irritating them and how that helped them have a more free mind and feel like they could just go play. Good stuff.

@benshawks08 said in Chip and Pace...:

@drgnslayr You should find Landan Lucas's podcast he does with his dad. This week they had Elijah Johnson on. I haven't finished it yet but hearing those guys talk about their experiences in the tournament and how Self is different in March etc. is fascinating. My big takeaway so far is how MUCH these kids care. Landen still hasn't watched any final four since playing at Kansas because it hurts too bad knowing he was on such good teams and could never get there. He and his dad were planning on going but when it came down to it, it's just too hard for him to think he never got to play on that biggest stage when he knows his teams were good enough to be there.

Another interesting point he and EJ (especially EJ) talk about is how Self "leaves them alone" more in the tournament. EJ says it's not like he stops coaching but really just quits bothering them and irritating them and how that helped them have a more free mind and feel like they could just go play. Good stuff.

I watch that channel alot. They have a ton of college basketball analysis on there. Loved the EJ interview. Really good stuff.

@drgnslayr

The soft press/trap was a guess but I believe it was one Wright used in 16 on us that slowed the game down and forced turnovers and annoyance. They probably don't have the horses to do that without Moore but we should expect something unexpected since I cannot imagine Wright trying to guard this KU team without trying to take something away we normally like to do. Maybe he doesn't change a thing because their defense has been just as stingy. Not having Moore to defend Agbaji is the most significant advantage I think we gained out of his unfortunate injury. If I'm Agbaji I'm in full assassin mode from the jump. A shark smelling blood, their defense will be adjusting to how they can guard our stuff especially on an individual basis.

I really hope these guys come out swinging from the start.

I don't think I've ever seen Bill so relaxed and happy!

Just caught a sportsbook line from Vegas and we are UNDERDOGS! 4 point underdogs! Nova has a 51% chance of victory!

More fuel for a chip! This is ridiculous. We are the only #1 seed, and their most valuable player is down and out... and we are underdogs!

@drgnslayr Where is this +4? I've been on -3.5 since Sunday.

@drgnslayr said in Chip and Pace...:

Just caught a sportsbook line from Vegas and we are UNDERDOGS! 4 point underdogs! Nova has a 51% chance of victory!

More fuel for a chip! This is ridiculous. We are the only #1 seed, and their most valuable player is down and out... and we are underdogs!

you sure we are 4 point underdogs ? - - I seen where we were 4 point favorites

I saw it on ESPN this morning.

Do I have this wrong?

Kansas -4

I don't follow lines.

But right after this it said Nova has a 51% chance of winning.

@drgnslayr said in Chip and Pace...:

But right after this it said Nova has a 51% chance of winning.

That is based on ESPNs own BPI analytic that absolutely no one else pays attention to. How could it be calculated when they have not previously played without their second leading scorer and best defender? All their calcs are based on Nova playing with him. No one could possibly figure out the math of a difference like him missing.

Felonious misuse of math!

It's always a good sign when Jayhawks are not the public betting favorites.

Just watched CBS March Madness 360... they are ALL about the Heels! It won't even be necessary to play this game because UNC has been declared National Champions! I'm about to puke! They make it sound like beatdown!