🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Ok let me say I'm on board as I have my Jayhawk glasses on. However reality, and numbers say playing bad ball will not win you a National championship.

We dream and say if and when, but in reality if a team doesn't have a rhyme or reason then they go home in the tournament. This KU team has neither. Think about it? Every champion that has won the coveted National Championship. They always had something to hang their hat on. Always.

I'm going to root hard, and I'm going to believe because I must as a KU fan. Yet the odds and reality say this KU team is regressing. Think about it we barely beat a bottom dweller in Texas and a team that hangs their hat on applying pressure on defense at home. HCBS's teams have never had problems beating up a team that plays a full court all out game. Never, well until this year.

Maybe the pundits are right and this is HCBS's best coaching job ever and this KU team isn't very good. However as a KU fan and a big fan of HCBS I believe this team isn't peaking like they should. Something is a miss. All I can say it I hope I'm wrong and have a bunch of KU fans reprimanding me for not just believing. I really do.

The team might have a better time peaking if its two best bigs could play and if our 3s started falling.

Excuses made, I too am doing more hoping and less expecting than other years.

The idea that "not having an identity" makes it harder for the other coaches may be true, but it also makes it harder on our coaches...

@DoubleDD

"HCBS's teams have never had problems beating up a team that plays a full court all out game. Never, well until this year."

Look at the VCU game and although we were known to beat down MU's "forty minutes of hell", there were times to where is gave us fits.

To beat the press, Selden can't play extended minutes. It's that simple.

On rewatching the game, it became quite apparent how Kansas won this game. It wasn't by playing 'bad ball,' whatever that means.

They won by shutting down WV's offensive rebounding in the second half. WV is the best offensive rebounding team in the country. They got 15 in the first half and led by 16. Multiple 2nd & 3rd shots. You have to try to shut down what the other team does best.

Without their best scorer (Staten) on the floor, offensive rebounding becomes even more important. In fact, it's their only chance to win. I don't know how we gave up so many in the first half (probably getting out-hustled) but credit Bill for getting into their behinds at halftime about it.

Second half, KU holds them to about 3 or 4 O rebounds. West Virginia scores 19 points. You shouldn't expect to win a game scoring 19 in a half. They're not a good shooting team. They rely on offensive rebounding. That should have been our emphasis from the opening tip. Without Staten, the game probably shouldn't have even been close. Kind of reminded me of the Florida game, when a team comes in shorthanded and somehow has us down 18 points in our own house, Anyway, credit Bill for making the adjustments at halftime, or just tearing into their butts to get the boys on the boards, because that's what won the game for us.

@JhawkAlum Weren't posters saying earlier in the season that Wayne should play point for us? lol

@JhawkAlum

Nothing but respect but I have a different memory than you on those tussles with VCU an MU.

One VCU didn't win because they played great defense or pressure defense. They couldn't miss from three land. That Big can't remember his name but he just ate them alive with his outside shooting. Even thought KU righted the ship and made a comeback.

Second as for the MU games. It had nothing to do with pressure defense. The game at MU? TRob and KU got screwed on that offense charging, or no call (can't remember)(just remember they got screwed). However that MU team wasn't about pressure their strength was the flow of their offense, Man could that team pass the ball and shoot three's. Even has a KU fan I was surprised to see them lose in the first game of the tournament. Ok maybe not they are after all MU.

@DoubleDD You are correct about VCU, but their defense pressured us and took us out of our offense, hints our terrible shooting.

And I'm not talking about the single year of glory for MU basketball. Haith didn't pressure like Anderson did. KU would either blow them away by 30 or fight us tooth and nail because their pressure caused havoc.

@KUinLA Yes my friend lol Now I hope we all see Selden is inadequate (and I am being nice because I like the guy).

I think @jaybate-1.0 is trying to make the point that Bad Ball™ is something you can hang your hat on... That we're the Rembrandt of Bad Ball... and that that counts for something.

@bskeet

Well if anybody could make the concept that bad is good, bad is needed, bad is badge of honor, and bad is something to hang your hat on it is @jaybate-1.0 . :)

However if somebody has to go to deep lengths to convince others something is beautiful then maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be.

I get the playing with heart, when you're back is against the wall finding a win, and the never give up attitude. However in the troughs of history these teams are usually nice stories and not champions, but Hey I'm on aboard let's play some bad ball, hell lets play terrible ball.

@DoubleDD
Oh I beg to differ DD. How do we explain the 1988 Manning and the Miracles? That team was not ranked high or did we expect them to win it all? That team's Heart and Will combined with a little luck did the impossible. It's that "heart vs brain" thing, and we can't overlook the "heart" of this team. My only concern is the injuries and some of our guys are worn out - ie Mason.

@HawksWin

Yes you are correct, but even though that team played with heart it still had something to hang their hat on.

Danny Manning.

@DoubleDD
Based on your argument, Durant UT & Blake OU teams should have won it all. Sorry but we have to agree to disagree.

@HawksWin Durant & Blake didn't have Larry Brown coaching their team.

BOOM!!!

@KUinLA

Larry Brown is a very good coach but sometimes his greatness is exaggerated.

This is his record as head coach:

Professional:

• NBA Career: 1098-904 (.548 )
• ABA Career: 229-107 (.682 )
• Career Total: 1327-1011 (.568 )

College:

• UCLA 42–17 (.712)
• KU 135–44 (.754)
• SMU 64–32 (.667)
• All College 241–93 (.722)

Yes, he has a good record and has won titles at both levels but his records is not at or near the top in the pros or in college. I can think of dozen mores successful coaches at both levels. Roy Williams (.805) and Bill Self (.825) have much better records at KU

Also, remember that in the title game against OU, Brown wanted to play slow and the players took it upon themselves to speed up (and win) the game. Just sayin'

@HawksWin

Well actually I never said that teams with star players always win the national championship. What I said was that teams that play bad ball and have no rhyme or reason are usually nothing more than a side note, a nice story in the history of the game.

I also said that if you look at the previous championships they always had something to hang there hat on. Yes the 88 team was special. It was when I fail in love with KU. See the thing about having something to hang your hat on, is like that team. That team when things weren't going so well and the walls would start to close in. Danny Manning would go do something nobody else could do.

Now hanging you're hat on something doesn't always mean a player. It could be the defense, or the type offense, rebounding. and so on. there is so many things a team can hang there hat on.

In the end I hope you're right and I'm wrong about this team.

@DoubleDD

It was when I fail in love with KU.

Failing in love? That can't be good. :)

@JayHawkFanToo

Sorry Dude was a little drunk when I posted. It happens.

@DoubleDD just don't fall down either!

@Crimsonorblue22

nay haven't done that for decades. Know where my limit is. ;)

@DoubleDD 👀👨🍻