🏀 KuBuckets Archive

So everyone, before we embark in the Big Tourney let's have a pick em. Who's everyone feeling in this tournament? Any upsets? Will it be formful or will some madness come a week early? Please share your thoughts..

Wednesday's matchups are okay. I'm glad Texas matched up in the other side.
I'm going with Kansas St in the TCU game. Not because I think K-St is a better team but because they will be playing relatively close to home and should at least have some fans on hand. TCU is probably a better team but I'd rather not face a team we've beat twice already this early because a 3rd time is really hard to do. I think we can use the K-St matchup on Thursday to fuel us to the final especially when we owe them something for that game in Manhattan.

I'm going with Texas against Tech because Tech just isn't that good of a team and I think Texas will be playing for dear life these next 4 days.

Thursday's first game is a great matchup. I'm assuming Huggins rested Staten and Browne for this game and with them back I give them a better chance then they fared in the regular season against BU. Baylor flat out dominated them in both matchups, can they do it again? I'm picking Baylor because I'd rather face the zone then the stupid full court pressure again.

Obviously I'm picking KU against K-St here. Revenge factor.. hopefully a Healthy Ellis & Selden and head screwed on tight Greene will play. It will be a close game but we will pull out a 8-9 pt win in the end.

Oklahoma/Oklahoma St. is crazy that your quarterfinal game might have 2 rivalry games in KU/KSU and this one. OU is clearly the better team and Oklahoma St isn't coming in here on all cylinders. OU wins easily in this one I think.

Texas/ISU. Interesting matchup in the fact that Texas needs to win 2 games to secure a bid and with ISU a highly ranked team gives them that chance. ISU wasn't a good road/neutral squad and like KU relied heavily on the home-court advantage to finish 2nd in the conference. Part of me wants Texas to win so the league gets 7 bids and eliminating ISU early would be a nice haha you suck to their fans. I'm picking Texas in the upset.

Friday's semi's

Baylor/KU. Man a 3rd time against these guys could be trouble as I pointed out beating a team 3 times is hard no matter the opponent. When its a team that's good and played us really tough twice makes it harder. Basically I want BU over WVU because West Virginia would wear out our guys if they were to win, which I hope happens to Baylor so that we have fresher legs late in the game. I also think we play much better out of a zone then a press. I'm picking KU to win because I want to believe in this team going forward and enjoy the ride. We could certainly lose but I think we pull it out.

Texas/OU. I think OU will win this game because Texas having beat ISU gets its signature win to stay off the bubble. OU will shoot well from outside and wear down a Texas squad who will struggle to score from outside. OU to the finals

Finals:
KU/OU. A repeat of last weeks thriller. Can't believe we let another team beat us at the buzzer but heck our guys played a heck of a game to come back at the end. The game was won in the first half where Selden and Graham built a few brick houses shooting the ball. That was last week, Saturday we will have our team back minus Cliff and that's good enough to beat OU this time and claim the crown.

@BeddieKU23 I hope Kstate gets beat in the first round by TCU, badly. We can beat either team, it doesnt matter which one we face in our first game. Texas will probly beat Tech, although Id like to see Tech beat Texas.

Baylor is peaking but WVU is tough as nails. I'll say Baylor wins. That guy they have that should be a football player? WVU doesnt have anyone to stop him and if Baylor can beat their press, they'll just feed the big boy inside all game.

Iowa State should win their first game, regardless who they play.

OU should beat Okie state.

Next round --

Baylor against KU. Tough game without Cliff being there and Perry being injured. If Perry is fine then we can win. If not, then it'll be really hard for KU to win. Lucas and Mickelson will both have to be huge again for us. Our guards will need to stay FOCUSED( Brannen) and not turn the ball over and make their average % of treys to win. I think Baylor beats us.

@jaybate-1.0 Hey man, it looks like your 8-10 loss season will happen. You called it. That said, I still think we have the ability to overachieve this season. Noone expected KU to win the conference and we did. Noone expects KU to get past the first round of the NCAA's. Those boys will use that as motivation. Tell them what they can't do and they will.

Iowa state vs OU. My gut says OU will beat them in revenge for their last game.

Baylor Vs OU for the title. OU wins it. Buddy Heild kinda gets to be a prophet. They didnt win the conference but they may win the tourney trophy.

Tournaments are about matchups.

TCU over K-State. Texas over Tech. K-State would need a huge weekend to get into the NCAA's, but I think TCU knocks them off and uses that as a springboard to becoming a middle of the pack team next season. Texas beats Tech soundly to end Tech's season.

Baylor over West Virginia. Baylor always seems to play well in the Big 12 tourney.

Kansas over TCU. Safe win here, although not impressive.

Iowa State over Texas in OT. Wild game here, but ISU holds on.

Oklahoma State over Oklahoma. Bedlam win for the Pokes, chance to move up a seed line.

Baylor over Kansas. Not having frontcourt depth hurts us here and we falter. Does give us an extra day to prep for the NCAAs. Baylor bumps up a seed line.

Iowa State over Oklahoma State. Up and down game that features about a thousand three point attempts and makes. Final score in the high 80s.

Baylor over Iowa State in ISU's third wild game of the tournament.

TCU over KSU....KSU inconsistency bites them again.
Texas over TCU.

Baylor over WVU....bears are playing really well.
ISU over Texas....barely
KU over TCU....we pull away at the end of a tough game.
OSU over OU....Have to pick an upset (and I don't wan it to be us)

KU over Baylor....I'll be worried about this one as it's hard to beat a team 3 times.....Sprint Center is the difference.

ISU over OSU

Championship: KU over ISU in a loud, loud Sprint Center.

I was going to make some predictions then realized they were almost the same as yours Beddie. The only matchup I'm looking forward to watching is against OU.

My only prediction: Kansas will not win the trophy. Too many missing or wobbly wheels. I hope we move on to the Friday game, in order for bench players to glean more experience. Looks as though Cliff is past tense.

@REHawk

We might not make the Friday game if Ellis doesn't play.. He's now questionable after practicing on limited basis Tuesday. Today we will know more if he can go a full practice. Even if he tenderly plays what impact are we expecting if we don't get our normal Perry back. I'm not sure how these sprained MCL's go and the good part was their was no structural damage done which will speed the recovery.
Coach says it shouldn't mentally impact him but we know Perry is fragile dude, he takes missing shots hard and his end of season confidence and high level play has now been taken by an injury. I cautiously hope he's able to play back to that but what's the odds?

@BeddieKU23 I would prefer Ellis to not play. Rest up for the big dance....

@KUSTEVE

I have went back and forth with that scenario. Should we sit him Thursday and possible until next Thursday/Friday. What if he's not ready tomm, but Friday he's able to play assuming we win. I think he should play if he's able to. Our post season success solely relies on his ability to play.

We won't win the Big 12 tourney without him so if we are okay of losing this tourney to rest him for the next then rest him. Right now before we learn how he will do at practice today we are in a similar position as last year with our most important post player in limbo

My hope is for Perry to be able to play well a week from tomorrow. We have won the Big 12 season crown. This league tourney, in my humble opinion, falls way second in importance to the NCAA circus. Perry comes back too quickly, maybe blows out that ACL, O MY!
Bill Self is a tough, very competitive coach, not inclined to give an inch in the W/L column. But I am certain that he is weighing Perry's situation very very carefully. PE represents the focus of current Bill Self Offense...and probably the offense for 2015-16. Bill will strive to protect that crown jewel.