🏀 KuBuckets Archive

!Photo ↗

Wiggins, Jayhawks eager for Devils ↗

Kansas University freshman Andrew Wiggins on Tuesday will play his second game in the United Center, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls...

Keegan: Little guy Naadir Tharpe has big role Tuesday ↗

In basketball, as on the big screen, tall men always seem to look down to the little guy to show them the way. It’s no different with Kansas University’s fifth-ranked basketball squad, a tight group already, according to one of its many talented newcomers...

KU coach Bill Self talks before his team's game against Duke ↗ - mp3
Kansas coach Bill Self talks on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, two days before his team's game against Duke.

KU Buckets discussion: KU vs Duke

If openers any indication, Duke will spank KU ↗
If the Opening Night performances of No. 4-ranked Duke and No. 5 Kansas University mean anything — and that, of course, is debatable — the Blue Devils would have to be given the early nod entering Tuesday’s Champions Classic basketball contest in Chicago...

As I shared with my league of no-brethren at the KU Sports Dot Com website, I think this game is going to come down to who the best coach is and who shoots the highest free throw percentage. Both Coaches have figured out the new competitive advantage to the rule changes is to drive, drive, drive, and drive some more. (After Watching Kentucky dribble drive and dish all weekend, the new rules favor their style, imho). The quickest team with the best charity stripe % will likely put this one way.

If it came down to defense, the Hawks would win hands down, but defense has been removed from the game now. I can't believe I actually thought the other day during the Monroe game that for the first time in a very long time, I"m not enjoying the game anymore. For chrissakes, we didn't even get to see a patented 20-2 KU run, inspired by stellar defense because of the whistles. Long gone now are the days of my comparing basketball to an improvisational jazz piece.

It's very much controlled by the whistle, the tempo. But for how long, because you know what has been perfected is the two hour media window.

Side notes:
1. White should be playing for Selden with short term vision; but the ceiling is higher for Selden so lets keep sticking him out there. In the brave new world, that dude needs to start hitting FT's or he is a liability.
2. Below 75% FT rate is unacceptable. And that's for the team. Coach Self team historically shoot around 65-68% FT. I thought it was essential for KU to climb to 75%, but is it really a big deal? Every 10 FT's is another point. Will it make that big of a difference? We'll see.
3. I'm liking Wiggins, Greene, and Masons play making ability.
4. I'm loving White--he and Ellis look like the best guys on the floor right now from an effort and consistency stand point.
5. Ball reversal is too slow and sticky, and not getting back to the second side fast enough.
6. It's a complete load of crap that defenders are not allowed to maintain position by sliding their feet anymore. Any contact, regardless of who has the position has been whistled in favor of the offense.
7. Tarik isn't as good offensively as I had hoped, so Perry needs to touch the ball every trip down.
8. Coach Self tried playing fair and giving everybody an 'equal opportunity." Good for Frankamp and Greene to get minutes, but the lack of focus on the actual rotation is going to slow the development down. Im for getting the minutes out to see what people can do, but this is a consequence.

It's GAMEDAY eve!!!

I agree it will come down to coaching but I think that Duke has too many veterans & KU is awfully young. I think it will be close but Duke will when this game, which will be good for KU to take their lumps early in the season cause it will make them a better team in march.

Yes, Selden missing all those fee throws is not good. Hopefully that will improve soon as he is a good shooter.
You have to think that Duke is the favorite based on each team's first games. As HEM pointed out, they are not that much "older" than us. However, they seems to have more guys that have contributed more in the past. Hood adds a lot to that team.....I think he's great.

Konkey,

On the subject of FTs, I don't want to belabor the point (yes, I already have), but the argument on the Syracuse game was that with the put backs, or extra possessions (which we wouldn't have had without missed free throws), when added to the FT we did make, add up to not such a bad FT %. I'm sorry that I can't remember the %, but this point was made in a LJW article not all that long ago.
Your last point suggested that if we did not make all 30 we loose the game.........fair enough, but not practical. So, yes a better overall % would have won the game, but due to the points that we made off of missed FTs, our actual % was not that bad.

Our actual free throw percentage was 40%, 12 out of 30. That's bad.

Please, for the love of all things Jayhawks don't bring up the Syracuse game! I've tried to drive it out of my brain, like so much else has been, but I can't. 12 out of 30, those numbers are imprinted as much as 50-50 and 83-79 in 1988 is.

The thought of whistle happy refs while playing Duke reminds me of 1986, the red shirted disaster in Dallas when the refs decided Danny wasn't supposed to be on the floor and ticky tacked him and the rest of the Jayhawks out of the game, while Duke went untainted by the refs scorn. I'm glad we've beaten Duke once or twice since then, but I really have no good memories of KU playing them.

Maui two years ago? That dude is still running with the ball, no whistle. Tyshawn's infamous turnover was actually caused by a Duke guy tripping him with a pro wrestling knee to the thigh, watch the video.

I'm not even sure I'll watch tomorrow night! I know I will.

@wissoxfan83 Don't remember the travel against us, but here's [a good one of Scheyer traveling against Virginia Tech](

Here you go approx:

Watch the travel before the prayer three. And watch Tyshawn get tripped to commit the turnover before Dukes possession.

Not questioning that the foul shooting was bad....it was horrible. I'm only saying when you add in the points we scored off of missed FTs, that it didn't cost us as much as you think...Sorry I brought it up.

@wissoxfan83 - Agree about the ......" S " game. Also, please include Bucknell, Butler, UNI, VCU, Michigan and others.

We are going to see a different Kansas team tomorrow night than what we saw in the opener. These guys are going to be incredibly up for this game and they know all of the Duke players well. I would be shocked if it is not a close contest and a high scoring one at that with the new foul situation.

Another post earlier pointed out that we can't keep referring to our team as "young" and using that as an excuse. I fully agree with that. Freshman and sophomores have been dominating college basketball the last number of years...it just happens most of our studs in the Self era have been upper classmen. I think that Wiggins and Selden and the other Frosh are ready for the challenge and will step up tomorrow. My other bet is that we see a break out game from AWIII. He looks like a beast and is ready to show the country how much he has improved.

I think my two big rants this past week were on the nose...

First... our FT% potential this year looks frightening.

Second... the rule interpretation issue would not only ruin the game, but would punish teams like CS' because Self-ball is built around defense... man-to-man and lock down the biggest threats. Fouls will eat us alive and force us to back off on d because of all the fouls.

We do have a secret weapon this year... and it's not Wiggins, Selden or Embiid. No... not AW3, Black or Naa. No... not Perry, he's a known weapon. Conner... great shooter, but no.

Mark my word... on Veteran's Day drgnslayr made the commitment.

Our secret weapon will be Mason.

Think about it. Mason can drive. Mason likes to drive. Mason is built like a mini-bulldozer. Mason takes good care of the rock. Mason draws fouls! Mason can draw a lot of fouls! Add Mason's drives with Wiggin's drives with Selden's drives..... we can force a lot of fouls ourselves!

See where I'm going with that? Tomorrow will be a lesson. I'm afraid we may be the ones getting the lesson, but that's fine. Anything to push these guys forward. I said this before in my rant, Duke will be driving the ball. Their ball handlers will be dropping their shoulders and pushing for contact. It's the offensive version of flop basketball. And they'll be flopping on defense, too. Defensive flops will have to be done if a team wants to get any charging calls.

Why can't we take advantage of the new rules? Coach K will. He mastered the defensive flop and he'll master the offensive flop. We have to do the same. We have to take advantage of the rules every bit as much as Coach K will.

I did notice that Naa said Self has pressured him to drive more. Was that a clue to what we can expect to see tomorrow night? Naa is such a key this year because of his stability and protection of the rock, but we'll still need our PG to draw fouls this year. Naa has to step up and drive the ball and get the foul call. If he doesn't do it we know Frank will.

It will help us to have Naa back. Tomorrow will be a battle, but not necessarily what we would typically expect. Tomorrow will be a battle of who can survive with the least fouls.

Most likely, this entire season will be a season where we have to go to "foul battle" with every team we face!

I don't know the entire Duke lineup, but I hope we have more depth in comparison, because we will surely need it.

Okay so a few things that make me feel a lot better about this game.

Perusing the stats you see that Davidson's PF put up 24 points, come on PERRY!

Duke only had 3 offensive rebounds, while they didn't have a ton of opportunities since they shot 70% Davidson picked up 18 defensive rebounds. Overall Davidson out rebounded Duke 31-27.

Davidson's defense was horrendous, apparently no one decided that it was a good idea to guard Parker close when he is 15 feet and further away from the basket.

While shooting 70% from the field Duke only shot 68% from the line.

Besides Rasheed Sulaimon (who played 25 minutes), Duke had 10 points off the bench. Compared to our 33

"And I always remember, that whatever I have done in the past, or may do in the future, Duke University is responsible in one way or another."
.
-- Richard M. Nixon, August 17, 1960