We don't visit Morgantown for 13 more days. We have 3 games coming up first.... including a visit to Ames.
I know it is voodoo to look past immediate games, regardless who we play. But I have my reasons...
First.... I am sick of us getting our butts handed to us in Morgantown. It is obvious we are never prepared when we make that trip, though it requires a great deal of preparation to handle that pressure.
I don't think I have ever cared more about that game than this year. We have all the tools necessary to go in there and change the outcome. Our 4-guard offense has plenty of solid handles to get this job done.
Second... winning a game like this one means a lot more than a single "W." Winning this game proves this team is capable of going beyond where our most recent teams have gone. That should bode well for our confidence in March.
Third... learning the skills and strategy to pull off this victory will help us in other battles. For example, it should help us in Ames, too.
Fourth.... by winning in Morgantown, we change the current narrative there that we will face defeat every year. Win one and put it in question for years to follow. Look at how our own home toughness in AFH has helped us battle opponents. When the game is on the line, you know our opponents (in AFH) realize they are going to lose. When that chimes into their brains... they have already lost. Just like we know we are going to win in AFH, so we maintain our poise through thick and thin.
How can we win in Morgantown this year? How?
I think we first have to look at how we have prepared (or not prepared) for this game in the past. Does it really help playing 5 on 8 (or whatever)?
I think that is about the best we can do if we only prep for a few hours for this game. But if we take more time, there are far better ways to prepare because we can gain a lot by preparing our own press in the process.
In general, the idea of having to play and execute against 7 or 8 players sounds good on paper. But what really counts in this situation is effort, tempo and strategy. Facing 7 or 8 guys that do not have the effort, tempo and strategy is not reflective of what we will face in Morgantown. In other words... the only way to learn how to beat a press is to learn how to run a press.
Look, we are running a 4-guard offense, and we have a very experienced team with plenty of tenacity (under the right circumstances). I know we are worried about our depth. Losing Doke did not hurt us when pertaining to a press. He wouldn't see a minute on the floor in a press. And I am not talking about running a press as our calling card moving forward.
I want us to put some real practice time in on executing (and beating) a press. If you watched the game last night, the sportscasters said we have actually been reducing our full practice time in order to save the bodies of our guys who have been playing too many minutes. I know we need to protect our health. But these guys are in shape. And running a few extra minutes in a game is not going to make a difference with these guys. What makes a difference is using their heads. Look at Frank. Frank has never been anywhere close to this productive in his Kansas career. Yet... he seems to end up flat on his back less now than in previous years. He seems to be more selective on when he takes it to the rack, etc.
We have the talent to do this and do it well. The ability to run a decent press will be a real weapon as we move forward. It helps us change the pace of a game. It helps create new opportunities to win possessions. It helps speed up our opponents. It helps speed us up when we are playing too slow anyways. It helps us beat the press, too. We get used to playing at a higher tempo and executing. We need to be able to execute at many tempos. The more tempos we can execute at, the more chances we have to win games. When we can handle the most severe defensive pressure from a press, we can probably handle the most severe defense, period.
Many of the techniques used in a press help players learn how to defend anyways. I am especially talking about hedging. Also... weakside help on a double-team and how to play the passing lanes (including bluffing). It helps teach our guys how to GET HUNGRY on the defensive side of the ball.
Last night was a solid victory... but we have to look ahead. We have to look at how we are going to get better as a team moving forward. I'm not saying a press is our savior. I'm just saying we have the right players to run a solid press, and we have the players to be able to beat a press, too.
I don't like the fact that we are always vulnerable to being beat by a press. This isn't something we can learn to fight back against in a single practice or two. We have seen where that gets us in the past. It isn't enough.
I think a lot of what we need to learn is being educated in the classroom, in the media room.
We will not become the next West Virginia, nor should we. That doesn't mean we can't beat them in AFH and in Morgantown. By succeeding here, we don't automatically win another Big 12 title, but we sure help our cause considerably!
