🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Standing back a bit, removing myself from the emotionally charged debates of playstyle & philosophical adjustment...there is a foreboding feeling I have about this team: This is not a Final 4 team. To lose to a sub-.500 team, this late into the season almost cements that fact--almost because, no, the season isnt done yet, and there's always the glimmer of what this team's A-game can do...but then that hope is tempered by the fact we've only seen a complete game 2-3 times in conf play.

The 'infamy' will be if THESE guys attach their names to the Year-KU-Lost-the-BigXII. All the past Self players that clawed, fought, bruised their way to 10-straight will, naturally, look down on this team. And sports-ribbing/joking amongst the greater ku family of players may be all done without malice and amidst grins & chuckles, but the sting comes when you are alone with your thoughts, with those joke phrases echoing the fact that you failed to get the 11th.

A final point of difference: the 08champs had 5 McDAAs, but they actually played better as a team than as individuals. The current Jayhawks play worse team ball than they would as individuals. This team doesnt lack on raw talent.

Im just worried what these VERY recent, late season facts of 3 straight road losses + losing to (any) sub.500 ballclub means for March...does anyone else have similar foreboding???

As one of the blue collar comedy guys says: "There's yer sign..." But, unfortunately, for this year's KU bball, it ain't funny.

@ralster I've had a bad feeling about this team since, well since the Kentucky game. Yes, I know they're an abnormally good team this year, but 32 points? They've had other games this year that were "down to the wire". Regardless, the Kentucky game wasn't as bad as the last couple of games. We played inferior ball against inferior teams. Plus the games that we've won have, for the most part been ugly.

Not to open a can of worms, and I'm not calling for any heads (as though I had the power to do that), but most of my bad feelings this year revolve around our coach. To me, it just seems that he is either too stubborn or too proud (either way, not good) to change up his "style". I'm not just talking about shooting three pointers either. It's his whole philosophy. There's something different about him this year that I just can't figure out.

I don't like it.

@nuleafjhawk
Totally agree. Bill Self has been out coached on multiple occasions this year and its perplexing. Why, when the whole world knows your intention, do you continue to force the ball into Perry?!?! I know he was having a great game, but even Bruce Weber figured out that he had to deny Perry the ball. One time he was TRIPLE TEAMED and we still forced it in and a horrible shot ensued. Bill Self made Bruce Weber look All-World last night. He made no adjustments, all the while, making it so easy for Bruce to adjust to his bull headed gameplan. I mean, I know you're supposed to ride the hot hand, but you could not have realistically thought PE was going to keep it up all night! Right?

Btw, nuleaf, I owe you an apology, this team doesn't have any heart. And it was on full display last night.

@ZIG I know you're feeling the pain ( like most of us! ) - but you sure as heck don't owe me an apology. I still don't think it's as much the team as the force that's guiding the team. They all look like they're trying their hardest, but it's an impossible task to do what they're being asked to do.

Do you think Self is questioning himself or maybe he just doesn't care?

@nuleafjhawk
I really don't know. I think he's stubborn as all get out, a quality that has helped him get to the point where he is now. But also a quality that is his undoing right now. Maybe losing to confrence champ streak is what he needs to regain some desire. I guess that even the best can get complacent from time to time.

I'll totally agree that if there's any coaching genius that could fix this team, then Self needs to show it. Heck, Self took the 08champs into Bramlage and used the wrong gameplan to allow Beasley, Pullen, and Clemente to beat us. He admitted it publicly, right after that loss. Self did come up with a masterful plan to concede offensive rbds vs IowaSt in AFH, & that worked great. I never thought I'd see Self ditch one of his principles, but he did.

I hope he's got some more ideas...

Not to sound flippant or dredge up old heartbreaks, but what did the title "Conference Champs" get us come tournament time in years past? Sure, we've had some deep runs and a national title, but it seems to me that teams like UConn and a few others, plus the parity in college b-ball (Kentucky notwithstanding), have shown that there is less of a connection between regular season performance and March Madness than I used to think. That doesn't mean that losing to sub-.500 teams and struggling to topple conference bottom feeders is any less disconcerting. But, I don't necessarily think it is foolproof predictor of post-season success.

That said, what makes our run of 10 straight conference championships so amazing, aside from the OAD era and all that, is that EVERYBODY knew at the beginning of the run and now what we were going to do on the court and we simply dared people to stop it. It's one thing for an opponent to know what's coming and quite another to be able to do anything about it. As has been pointed out many, many times during the season we simply don't have the personnel, the experience and maybe the swagger of years past and it's evident that the "this-is-who-we-are-now-what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it?" approach has to change to better suit our strengths. The fact that Self seems unwilling to do that is why I'm upset at what's transpiring lately as I know a few others are too.

Yes, I'll be sad should the streak end, but I wouldn't write this team off for another conference title or a good showing in the Big Dance just yet.

@tis4tim

Yes... sometimes losing conference gets teams fired up with a chip on their shoulders to win in March.

I just don't see it this year happening that way for us. Our defense has potential to play good, but not outstanding. And for that reason, we have to play pretty good ball on offense. Not sure we ever had an identity this year, but we were close to being "a skilled perimeter-shooting team." I have a hard time seeing us reestablish that now. We could get lucky from 3 and luck is what it would be because we aren't taking time to nurture the long ball, we are too entrenched in practice on building the hi/lo. That is already proven a lost cause. We are suddenly an average .500 team now. That is exactly our record, 2-2, since Self labeled the long ball "fool's gold." And we clearly experience a team lost and forced to turn away from their natural being.

Okay.... I'm done being down. We are going to win it all this year! Jamari is going to score 33 points in the championship game against Kentucky! I'm "all in" for the hi/lo! :-)

I'm back (as a delusional fan)!

Gosh... I almost feel like I could support Mizzou now! (barf)

@ralster I wrote the same thing after the Temple game. I got semi ripped for saying it. But that loss was a bad omen to me.

@tis4tim Well said. Of course, that fact that we see we cannot even go 2 or 3 games without an L in conference play simply is hard evidence to reconcile if we are wondering about us putting 4 Ws together to even reach an F4.

I did say we have a glimmer of hope...but consistency, reliability, intensity would all be things we hope to have by this point in the season. Do we possess those qualities? Its almost March, we oughtta know our team by now. Sadly, this year & last yr have not met the lofty standards set by previous ku teams.

The hopeful side of me says well I hope our A game shows up for any given game...

Ok. The loss stung a little bit but I have some insight. First of all everybody that thinks we suck or we have a coach doing a bad job can take off your kansas gear and put on some k state gear. Then u would know what a bad team and bad coach is like. It was their super bowl last night and they brought the entire army to the game ready to avenge their dog crap season. Hostile environment and inspired play from the cats has you guys writing posts that sound as young as our 15th youngest team in the entire country. I'm sick of the way we have played this year as well but goodness we r still tied for 1st in the toughest conference in America with the #1 RPI in the nation. If you want perfect, you have to follow Jesus! If you want a top 15 basketball team every single year in and year out then follow Kansas. I think we missed big time on Myles Turner and lost Joel Embiid when we least expected it and that has trashed our interior. I think we a darn lucky that we haven't fallen off the planet with all these young players and no true center. We haven't lost in the conference at home this year and very rarely do so let's rally for two more home games and then try to go win either outright or atleast a share of our 11th straight title at Oklahoma and no matter what happens, be proud fans and know that we have a huge crop of very good players that will all be battle tested for next year without having to worry about so much youth on the floor not knowing how to play tough on the road. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Put a nail in the coffin this train is derailed.

@Smiley +1 to ya, brother, I get what you are saying, But analytically speaking in several statistical categories, and also with the eye test, this ku team isnt measuring up to past ku teams. When I ask myself, why were other ku teams so dominant, trends and patterns of play differences emerge with this team that arent exemplary.

KU teams oughtta be used to raucous road environments, but letting a team w/SERIOUS flaws (sub500) beat you (wherever, Bramlage, KC, or Africa) is not a good sign at this point in the season, just like losing 3 road games in a row. To me, this is worse than some young team getting blown out by KY in Nov. We've played 25games since then. Its about KUs & Self's own standards that have been set. We are not a mid-major.

I mention words about FFs... but I've stayed focus on winning #11. My pain is there. I feel it slipping away. I never counted on this team going far in March, but thought if we can win #11 and make a decent showing in March, I would be satisfied. This is really right there in our reach. The frustration is in feeling it slip away.