🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Newell: KU expects 'jumping' atmosphere in pivotal game vs. Iowa State ↗

AMES, Iowa — Shortly after Kansas’ win over Kansas State, Naadir Tharpe was asked if he was expecting a tough environment when his team traveled to play No. 9 Iowa State.

Dodd: Jayhawks ready for what could be hostile reception at Iowa State ↗

LAWRENCE — First, it was the boos. Then the cursing. Then the noise, angry and earsplitting.

Then there was a man in yellow, stepping onto the floor at Hilton Coliseum, lobbing obscenities past an armed police officer, and trying to scrap with Kansas coach Bill Self.

Bedore: Scene of the crime: Hostile Hilton awaits KU ↗

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self fondly remembers the day a slump-ridden Elijah Johnson exploded for 39 points in an 108-96 overtime victory at Iowa State.

Haskin: KU will be tested again in return to Hilton Coliseum ↗

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State declared Big Monday to be a night its basketball fans unify by dressing in gold and cheering the Cyclones in Hilton Coliseum.

Keegan Column: Defense will be tested by ISU ↗

In a baseball game played in front of a savvy crowd such as the one that packs Yankee Stadium, a triple triggers a much more interesting roar than does a home run.

OUR DAILY THREADS:

• Iowa State - Michigan - the legacy of EJ

Since nobody's really talking about the game, I'll say something...

I feel confident about tonight. KU has momentum going into this game, and Iowa St. just got brought back down to earth from their inflated perch.

Oklahoma beat ISU on the boards with a 6'8" Ryan Spangler snagging 15 rebounds (Deandre Kane led ISU with 9. Another reason for optimism). That bodes well for us. Niang is ISU biggest...big man at 6'7". We have five key players that would stand above their tallest starter (Traylor, Black, Wiggins, Embiid, and Ellis). That also bodes well for us.

Another positive is that ISU isn't exactly the strongest defensive team either.

If we can prevent them from raining threes, dominate the post and the rebound game, and avoid turnovers I think KU can win this game.

How many trifectas will we see from Selden tonight? Has he had a muzzle on himself during non-con? I can't wrap my mind around him (actually I can) only shooting 32 three-pt field goals through 13 games at a decent clip of 37.5%, and now he has shot 15 3pt shots in two games. We've needed this three point threat all year, but it's just now coming on. And I"m not talking about makes; I'm talking about attempts to keep the defense honest. 37.5% is enough to keep the d honest; and now he is shooting at about 41%.

Would Coach Self limit his shots from beyond the arc to more quickly improve our interior play out of necessity? Is this why Selden all of the sudden is happy on the court? Because he is not being restricted, so as to rope-a-dope the big 12 conference? Maybe it seems far fetched, but it has crept into my conscious.

So far, Wiggins has done a fine job of taking advantage of opportunities that have been presented to him. I hope to see him take the next step by creating those opportunities for himself through aggressive play. He his first in minutes, and last in floor burns out of the starters. I will use that as my variable for his aggressiveness going forward, as well as how many times he forces the defense to foul him. I'm really hoping to shake this image I have of him constantly playing with his hands on his hips. Handson Hippins is his new name until he stops. Its very poor body language for a team that should be playing with High Energy to maximize their ceiling.

And finally, are Tarik & Jamari this years glue?

@MoonwalkMafia I think the offense favored Iowa St the last two years because Withey could not keep up with the fast-paced offensive sets ran by Fred. A more fleet footed JoJo might alleviate some of that as well has having a more viable back up, in JamTray

@Blown This might be one of those games where Self is forced to go small, with Wiggins at the 4. Embiid is quicker. So that will help. Certainly something to keep an eye one.

@Blown The way he stands with his hands on his hips looks a little effeminate.....is it just me? I've been wanting to tell him all year not to stand that way, but I thought maybe I'm just being a doofus.

The standing up, hands on hip, is a sprinter recovery method he likely learned from his Mom. Staying upright keeps the diaphragm open and allows better deep breathing, as opposed to the bent over, hands on shorts methods many players use when tired. Lot of coaches insist their players put their hands above their heads. Just my take on the matter after reading many comments on his stance.

@Clydecito but first he needs to sprint to need to recover :-)

@Clydecito That makes sense, but the impression given differs if the hands are in a thumbs-backward more pronated (i.e., palm down) position vs a thumbs-forward supinated (i.e., palm up) position.

The former looks dominant, aggressive, ready to go. The latter, shoulder-shrug display suggests uncertainty or thoughtfulness.

I don't think breathing is affected whether you project dominant aggressiveness or effeminate uncertainty. I'd go for the former over the latter.

@Blown The way Wiggins stands does look a little odd, I agree. It is funny though that we are judging his posture. The guy can run like a deer, can hit his head on the rim and probably has the quickest first step in college. He could probably do hand stands during timeouts if he felt like it.

@HighEliteMajor

Tharpe - Kane,
Selden - Thomas,
Wiggins - Hogue,
Ellis - Ejim,
Embiid - Niang,

I think this is how KU should match up defensively. Niang shot 0-3 from 3 against Oklahoma and is only shooting 30% from 3 on the season. If he starts making them maybe KU will have to go small but I'd rather start the usual 5 and have an advantage in the paint and on the glass.

@KirkIsMyHinrich I think, for this game, we can almost guarantee Niang to hit at least 4 3's. He's just one of those guys.

@KirkIsMyHinrich I would flip Tharpe and Selden if Kane plays. Hoiberg loves to post up smaller guards. He would absolutely love to see Tharpe matched up against the much bigger and stronger Kane, especially if Kane's ankle is less than 100%. Post ups would make it easier for him to play without putting to much pressure on that ankle offensively. I wouldn't want to expose Tharpe to that many possessions in the post. Selden would be able to handle that better IMHO.

@KirkIsMyHinrich I agree, make them match up w/what works for us. Self will adjust. Think we will see some zone w/their smaller line-up?

@Blown let me know if his game is ever 100% to your liking!

I do understand that there is criticism of Wiggins. My first thought when Selden dove for that basketball against OU was .. great, but would Wiggins ever do that? Ok, I did think "why did he call a timeout so quickly instead of passing to an open man right next to him" .. but then I had the Wiggins thought.

Remember, Wiggins is no different than any other freshman .. except that he is more talented. Because of his talent, he's probably been a bit more coddled. Maybe his personality is less aggressive. Whatever.

I have coached many, many seasons of youth sports, and one thing I've noted is the "big kid" phenomenon. What happens is that the big kid is perceived to be more mature, or smarter, or tougher, just because he's big. Just because a 13 year old is 6'1" doesn't mean he's smarter or more mature or tougher than the 5'0" kid. But everyone expects that big kid to be different emotionally than the smaller kid.

I think this happens with elite talents. Their talent is greater, but the rest of their make-up is no different than the average talent.

So, with Wiggins, we judge him because he's has all of the press, he's a high-level talent, he's a superstar in the making. But the guy is a freshman.

We haven't seen him dive hard for a ball. But I bet we will. That hasn't had to be part of his game probably to this point. Same with 100% hustle. He hasn't had to. In fact, he might have been conditioned most of his playing days to be the opposite of what Self is trying to instill.

It may be in part why his family thought Self was the best coach for him.

From the start, I was not a fan of the Wiggins signing. Lots of reasons. I'm reserving final judgment.

But I do think that we are right to expect him to hustle, to expect him to dive, and to be all everything. You don't have to be a high talent to dive on the floor. But I also think that we should not forget that he is still learning how to really play the game. And I think that giving him a bit of rope on that .. for little bit longer perhaps .. is reasonable.

KU would win by 25, if it hadn't shot its trey wad the last two games and Self amped them.

But it did shoot its trey wad, and Self won't amp such a young team two games in a row and suffer a let down the following weekend. He will send them in flat the first half, playing lots of guys and ISU will get cocky because they will open a lead.

KU will be shooting some anemic trey percentage and with an un-amped team that is still learning the English translation of "lock down," that likely ensures a close game till ten to go in the game, when KU makes its move.

I think our sapling KU players will be a little weirded out by the Mayor's offense. It has spooked our last two experienced teams.

I also think Self will play a lot guys the first half to win the energy budget battle and get them fouled up for the last ten minutes of the second half.

Thus, I would not be surprised to see ISU jump out to an early lead, before KU figures out how to guard Fred's offense from Pluto.

Then KU goes off on them down the stretch. Weirdoes start stalking Self. And KU chalks up the second of two away wins against top four teams needed to guaranty the two sweeps needed to win the conference.

Yeeeeee haawwwwwww!

@jaybate 1.0 Ok, now you start with this reverting to the mean thing. The problem is that your logic is right on the money. If we miss our first 3 or 4 threes, it could be a long night outside. What I really want to see is if ISU doubles the post, and if we react like we did vs. SDSU, or like we did after we really worked on it (vs. KSU). This could also be one of those nights where we get in significant foul trouble.

@HighEliteMajor I loved the way we reacted to the double team against KSU. I don't see any reason we don't continue that this evening. ISU is certainly not an elite team defensively and they are pretty small so I assume they will be forced to double. This should lead to a number of open shots and hopefully that translate into made shots. If we shoot as well as we have the last 2 games I think we win. If we don't look go from outside I agree with you guys that it could be a very long night.

To me if KU loses this game it is not a big deal as we are due to lose to this ISU team that should have beaten us twice last year. If we win it is a pretty big win and we move to 3-0 while ISU goes to 1-2.

@joeloveshawks FYI ISU is 2-1 right now.

@RockChalkinTexas OK. 2-2, then...if we win.

This is going to be a fascinating game to watch from a psychological standpoint. First, there's the DeAndre Kane issue. Will he play? If so, how much? Will he burst out of the locker room a la Willis Reed and hype an already overhyped crowd?

Then there's Embiid. After getting tossed Saturday, does he come out tentative? Will someone else have to play the role of aggressor on the boards? Can Black step it up while keeping the foul count down?

As for the way Wiggins stands, well, I'd put Liberace in the lineup if he helped us win.

I can't stand the "if we don't win it's not a big deal" approach.

But really, if we lose this game, and take care of the business we should take care of, we're 15-3 in league.

Win all at home; lose at BU, ISU and OSU on the road. Life could be worse.

I'm not that concerned with whether we win the big 12 or not .. I am most concerned with this team being ready to win a title. Having our bench developed for emergencies. Giving minutes to the best players for that pursuit. Getting our best PG figured out. And most of all, ensuring the development of our most highly talented freshmen (Wigs, Selden, Embiid), so they are ready to win 6 in a row.

@HighEliteMajor I suppose what I mean by "I don't think it is a big deal if we lose" is exactly your point about the games I think we can afford to lose...at ISU, at Baylor and at OSU. Those to me are very acceptable losses to the best teams in our league not called KU while on the road.

I fully agree with you about not being concerned about the Big 12 regular season title. I really don't care about winning another Big 12 title. Like you HEM, I want to win it all. I would be happy having only won 5 of the last 10 Big 12 seasons if we had another National Title during that same period. I would trade that any day of the week. We have the pieces this year as we have had so many times.

@joeloveshawks No, I agree with you and I wasn't meaning to call you out there. I was kind of meaning that I hate that I'm thinking this way .. that a loss here isn't that bad in the scheme of life .. but, if we lose, the world doesn't end.

Iowa st is a 2 1/2 point favorite w Vegas. I think both offenses will beat both defenses, but I think our offense will beat their defense worse than their offense beats our defense. Clear as mud? I'm thinking 94-89 .. the good guys on top.

@Crimsonorblue22 let me know if my comments are ever 100% to your liking.

Whether you agree or disagree with my opinions does not bother me. What bothers me is you bring NOTHING to this board except for comment replies and insults. Can you come up with an opinion or something insightful to share with the rest of us?

My issue with Wiggins has been consistent--and never once a character attack. I simply point out that he appears to put in less effort than his teammates, as well as other top players in the game. My assumption is that you are not really a college basketball fan, but a "Kansas Jayhawk" fan. My assessments are not based only on what is seen on tv, nor is it based on only watching one team all year.

I can appreciate a good piece of constructive criticism or a jab back if I"m out of line on something, but you just reek of being a sourpuss.

So, with Wiggins, we judge him because he's has all of the press, he's a high-level talent, he's a superstar in the making. But the guy is a freshman.

We haven't seen him dive hard for a ball. But I bet we will. That hasn't had to be part of his game probably to this point. Same with 100% hustle. He hasn't had to. In fact, he might have been conditioned most of his playing days to be the opposite of what Self is trying to instill.

@HighEliteMajor Nicely put. I love it when I see opinions that are different than mine, but make me think about things differently and question my own take. Nice job to step back and look at the bigger picture and paint it in a light that I didn't really consider. I definitely do have higher expectations for Andrew due to his hype, but my 'effort' comments would also be directed at anybody who I think lacks it. Effort is mental toughness, imho, and your statement that he may not have ever needed to be so mentally tough is a very solid point.

Great comments and analysis everyone! Based off of last year's games with Iowa State, we were able to score at least 90 points in each one. The reason why Iowa State scored so much is because they were a terrible matchup and took advantage of it. I have not really watched Iowa State play this year, but from what I hear, their defense is not much different than last year. If EVERYONE is aggressive and brings energy on offense, defense and rebounding, there is no reason why they shouldn't be in a great position to win. Just like last year, guarding the three point line will be critical and will be one of the aspects of the game that will determine who wins. Let's see if KU comes out with the right mindset in possibly the second toughest atmosphere in the nation.

BTW, I think that the San Diego St. game was, if there can be, a good loss for them. In the past, some of our better teams never had enough losses to really focus them in the tournament. The '10 and '11 teams come to mind because the both did not meet their expectations of at least a Final Four. A certain exception would be the '08 team, as they had multiple seasons worth of painful losses to instill that aggressiveness they showed in the tournament. I think that this team has had some of the losses that will be good teaching tools for Self to use to get them to play with energy AND be smart.

This is a night we need players like Perry to show up ready to mash. Hopefully, Embiid can take advantage of his height, but it will depend if he can stop fouling.

I'm not counting on our 3s tonight, but it would be nice if we could go out in other people's gym and nail the long ball. Whether or not the 3 is there.... we should start from the middle and give the Mayor a big taste of Self's hi/lo. And then go for the long ball. It's like football.... earn respect with your running game then take to the air.

Here's a good trivia question : How many games did it take for KU to be alone in first place in the Big 12? Answer. 2 games. ISU on the road? We got this. 10 Big 12 crowns in a row? We got this.

@Blown I will let you know. I am a huge jhawk fan, football basketball and track. All the rest of your assumptions are wrong. I'm also a really nice sour puss.

@KUSTEVE - Right, we got this... If we play like we did against the Kitties, it will be a quiet crowd game in Ames. There is no reason why we shouldn't smack down hard on the Mayor.

Live blog here ↗ to join the gang ...

If ISU wants to try to play us with a one legged point guard, I'm all for it.