You know Self is happy about this one. Yeah, there's stuff he will wish would've gone better, but with your star PG with the flu, the refs calling more phantom calls, Tech playing out of their minds, and the fans going crazy, this is a fantastic win for KU.
Other Big XII teams lose these games. Not the Jayhawks. They win. And they win championships.
shit I didn't mean to flag this post
my icons disappeared for some strange reason, hit flag by mistake
I didn't know Frank was sick!
Youre right though, way too many phantom fouls. Refs almost gave that game to Tech after 30 minutes.
I am concerned with our defense though. I mean, in late game crunch time its pretty rock solid. But when you look at the numbers per Kenpom, KU is ranked the lowest a Bill Self team has ever been ranked.
JOSH JACKSON IS A BEAST THO!!
Josh Jackson is a beast. The Kevin Love outlet pass by Jackson to DG and the subsequent pass and jam by Vick might have been the prettiest play I've seen all season.
The simple fact is that good teams win. And we're not beating patsies (I initially typed "pasties", but that would have taken this conversation some other place). @chriz, you are right -- and we all know it. Self loves wins like this. Most of us, I think, would have preferred we coast when we up 10, to an easy 15 win. But what fun would that be?
I just love our ball movement. Best I've seen on any KU team in quite a while.
@KirkIsMyHinrich Yes sir that was special.
I guess that it is tautological that good teams win, but I respectfully disagree that wins like these win championships. Was it a gritty, nerve-wracking win? Yes. But, consistently giving up nearly 50% shooting to average teams, routinely allowing them to score above their season averages, and too often getting handily beat on the glass (in this case by a team that plays 6-8 and 6-6 guys up front) is not a recipe for a title. Yes, you're inevitably going to need to win a couple of close ones in the tournament and this team has demonstrated it is capable of winning the close games. But the evidence is pretty darn compelling that you have to have a good to very good (if not great defense) to win championships. Have made this point elsewhere, but there is no precedent in the last decade for a team to win the title with defensive metrics as mediocre as ours. Always a first time, but that is what it would have to be...
I thought something was wrong with Frank. He wasn't his old self.
I'm just glad Josh plays for us! Wow! He definitely carried us in this one.
@HighEliteMajor To a yooper, or near yooper like I was many years (yooper is nickname for upper peninsula Michiganders) pasties are delicious meat pies, so that's what I though of.
@KirkIsMyHinrich Unless it was the first 8 minutes when did that play happen in the game?
@chriz Your post is why I'm a little miffed at the Badgers 5 seed prediction right now. They're not winning by a wide margin just like KU, but they're winning nonetheless. 22-3 and will probably move to 23-3 tomorrow against depleted Northwestern. Teams that are winners know how to win
@HighEliteMajor Totally agree! Our ball movement is absolutely stellar!! Having 4 very good ball handlers out there helps immensely in that regard. But, as for my concern above...Will said ball movement offset any defensive problems on the other end come march? I freekin hope so. There are no clear cut favorites to make the final four this year. I have to put KU on that list. These guys are so good! We won that game without Frank making a solid contribution. Let that sink in for a moment.
No one is talking about the missed free throws at the end of the game. I know it doesn't do any good to talk or complain about the misses. But, dang it guys: D1 athletes make free throws. Come on now.
Also, we gave up 44 second half points. 44 Geez, Louiz
The late FT misses were indeed nerve-racking. Front ends of 1 & 1 (twice). I actually kept thinking "we're gonna lose this game because of FTs". And the fact I saw Frank coughing many times. It is currently influenza epidemic, no doubt he is 60% of his usual self.
We've been intimately involved in 2 NCs where missed FTs decided it (03, 08). It very well could have been a factor in '12, along with the 3 missed dunks.
I thought TTech was going to win and rush the court, and then with sick Frank, what happens vs WVU on Monday?
This win is good enough in conference play. I guess finding a way to win when your POY candidate is without a doubt signaled out by the refs says something about this team we didn't know. Jackson had IMO the best freshman performance in a very long time.
this is by far becoming the most maddening team late in the season that I can remember. We won but yet we looked like a team full of Swiss cheese. 5 conference games yesterday, 4 comfortable wins except KU.
Frank better be healthy for Monday that's all I gotta say..
Havent had someone put up 30 and 10 in a game since some guy named Thomas Robinson did it back in '11
@chriz said:
You know Self is happy about this one. Yeah, there's stuff he will wish would've gone better, but with your star PG with the flu, the refs calling more phantom calls, Tech playing out of their minds, and the fans going crazy, this is a fantastic win for KU.
Other Big XII teams lose these games. Not the Jayhawks. They win. And they win championships.
How the hell is this a fantastic win? Win against UK are what wins championships! We barely beat Ksuck and we almost let Ttech...that's right..TTech come back and beat us..a tech team that won't even make the tourney let alone the NIT. If we play like this, we won't get past the first weekend. Even with Frank Mason out, we have enough firepower to beat Tech on their home court. Self knows all the big 12 teams inside out and can beat em without preparation either. Just think if the same situation occurs during the tourney against a coach self isn't familiar with...we will get hosed.
We're celebrating moral victories, consistently complaining about the refs, and continuously patting ourselves on the back for things we are supposed to do...its sound more and more like a Ksu message board here.
@elpoyo What moral victories? I only see 3 losses and I don't consider any a moral victory. Also it's hard to be too familiar with Tech's brand new coach...
And yes, that win at Tech is a good win. It's a game that past KU teams let get away (like the 10 loss Wiggins team). It's a sign of maturity to be able to win close games when the team isn't playing at it's peak. It was awesome to see Josh take over. Now we KNOW we have 2 alphas that can and will lead KU to victory.
So just how horrible was this victory? Ask Tech, they're still crying over their loss.
@elpoyo Isn't there a Bill Snyder or Liberace' thread for you to post on somewhere? Like maybe on a different message board? Has just one of your posts EVER sounded like they belonged somewhere besides a ksu board & just ironic as hell you mention ksuck in your comment? Face it-If it quacks, it craps like it too & you sir, consistently talk like a frustrated fine feathered foul from the "little road apple."