🏀 KuBuckets Archive

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That was fun.

More good signs....

Dwight stepped up big. Looks like he has a bit more snap back. Bill said he is still making good gains so he will only get better between now and March Madness. His lateral movement is still very slow, but he stays focused and makes plays.

Devonte is the guy I stay focused on most now to see if he continues to bring more energy to our games. He was solid and our Three Amigos scored 46 of our 77 points. They also made 12 of our 14 assists. Definitely no ball hog on this team!

Congrats to our guys for owning #13 all by themselves!

Good stuff from Coleby. Would have been nice for Bragg to play well after last week's game....but Coleby played so well that he couldn't give Bragg much time. I did see that we had 2 bigs in the game twice during the game....very briefly, though.

The game wasn't prefect bye any stretch but I thought we played well as a whole. Very proud of Coleby, we may need a bench player to step up in March, don't matter who it maybe but encouraging to see the 8 or 9 guy show he can be the difference in a game ( check Grayson Allen in 2015 title game). DG is shooting his way outta a slump, Mason wasn't great but made plays when we needed him too. JJ was his usual self in pissing me of with missed highlight reel dunks. LL had a good outing, Svi has got to start hitting his shots and not having freshman turnovers. Vick and Bragg did decent besides Bragg's silly fouls.

Coleby ... the Jeff Graves of 2017, albeit a bit late?

And Bragg. I am at a loss …

@HighEliteMajor Bragg got 2 quick fouls I believe? Then because of Coleby's play....never got much of a chance. But I sure would like to have seen him follow up last game with at least a decent one.

Bragg got almost no run in this game. 3 minutes...

@Hawk8086

Yep. Coleby got most of the reserve minutes since he played well. Only 40 post minutes with the current system.

Bill tipped his hand.... said we might expect our guys to play really good ball because the pressure is off.

I thought we did look like our guys were loose.

Here is a big one I forgot in my opening post...

How about seeing us go on long runs again? Do you all realize how many games we just grind out because we didn't have our pull away runs?

That may be the best sign for this team moving forward.... our ability to pull away quickly on those runs! Not only does that give us some breathing space, it totally demoralizes our opponents!

If Coleby can consistently provide 10 or so minutes, that would be huge for the guards to get them some rest if Self plays him at the 4 next to Lucas some like he did today. Getting a 3rd big into the mix would be huge for KU in March.

Glass half full...Bragg is rested and insulted for OU and Lonnie in Lawrence.

Self.

He never misses a beat.

Glass half full...Bragg is daisy fresh and properly motivated for OU and Lonnie in Lawrence on Monday.

Self.

Never misses a beat.

@drgnslayr It's coming. It is there. We are much better than advertised. I noticed the yammering ESPN pre-game talking head was dogging us over no presence down low. Boy, does he have an awakening coming. I still say this is the best team since 2008. This is a strong minded, strong willed team that hasn't hit the best cylinders yet. This team refuses to lose. Bill kept them on a tight leash during conference- he played for the next game most of the time, and now he will start to unleash them. We have an amazing group of athletes, a group of athletes that can play any way needed to win. This is a hybrid mix of 2008, and 2012- they can blow people out, and they can grind out wins. I say... let the games begin. This is a national championship team.

@KUSTEVE who was that guy?

@Crimsonorblue22 The guy at the ESPN desk pre-game. I didn't catch his name. He made a big deal out of our "limitations".

@KUSTEVE I saw it, didn't know him.

@KUSTEVE he did. Maybe he's right, maybe he's wrong. We will soon see.

@HighEliteMajor said:

Coleby ... the Jeff Graves of 2017, albeit a bit late?

And Bragg. I am at a loss …

Good comp hope he can make free throws better then Graves if called upon in the tourney

That was the most embarrassing home crowd I've ever seen for KU coming to town. How do you play well consistently when you can hear a pin drop half the game. Texas truly doesn't care how bad their basketball team is

@BeddieKU23 That's good .. because they're pretty bad. Jarrett Allen, though, would have looked mighty nice in a KU uniform.

@drgnslayr And those runs, we see every time, are ignited by defensive strips, steals, rebounds, and transition breaks.

Glad these guys are seeing (with their mind's eye) Bill Self's HOF philosophy...

It wasnt too long ago that we had a dejected Mason and BGreene in a defeated locker room, giving hollow quotes on their March loss: "we got away from our defensive principles". Self is accomplishing his mission with this group of warriors.

@KUSTEVE Laphonso Ellis. Looks like a former player. I'd agree with him simply on the "eye" test for any 1 game, or if you see the season's running stat sheet for our postplayers production, as a group.

But those stats dont tell you anything about Self's guys-who-are-ready, and coached up. Coleby is a perfect example of his knee healing timeline, and the now building practice time starting to pay dividends. Coleby seems to have a little "nasty" in him. And we may forget that he did play 2yrs of college ball prior to transferring and sitting out. He could become a solid role player for this year's Run, and for next season, as we still return 3 experienced bigs (Doke, Bragg, Coleby) and add another 6'9 McDAA (Preston).

@BeddieKU23

Shaka's canned enthusiasm has worn off on a crowd that really isn't hardcore basketball in the first place.

@ralster nasty's what I've been looking for in our bigs!💪😡

@Crimsonorblue22

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@HighEliteMajor

I bet Allen is thinking the same thing...

@HighEliteMajor said:

@BeddieKU23 That's good .. because they're pretty bad. Jarrett Allen, though, would have looked mighty nice in a KU uniform.

Yupp Allen is a stud. Lazy defender but can rebound and protect the rim. He's the OAD we hoped Diallo or Alexander would have been

@drgnslayr said:

@BeddieKU23

Shaka's canned enthusiasm has worn off on a crowd that really isn't hardcore basketball in the first place.

If I'm the AD and witnessed that game.. your getting someone new asap

@drgnslayr I've seen quite a few! Surrounded by guys.

So did everyone enjoy listening to how great the Pac 12 is last night?

@MoonwalkMafia no!

@BeddieKU23 The TX crowd has only been beat down in their expectations by the downward trend of this year's team. Hey, they are fans like any other fans, with a few early wins over top opponents, they could have had Erwin a lot more energized. People pay money to go see their team play. You get tired of seeing not only losses, but lackluster effort levels, lack of poise, and signs of poor coaching, such as shot-clock awareness, etc. TX had several very ugly possessions, right there at home.

So especially if you are a diehard Longhorn fan, looking for signs of life, or even positivity about your own team, it is hard to maintain upbeat energy when you dont see it.

Let the TX fans and the TX AD judge all the things that must be judged about TX basketball. I dont think Shaka gets fired, as its too soon. But next year will be a big test, likely without J.Allen.

And, since no AD judges things in a vacuum, the other 2 TX teams are not helping Shaka's cause at all, since both TCU and TxTech have 1st year coaches and have provided memorable games, close finishes, although neither will make Big68 Tourney, the vibe and feel coming out of those programs is TOTALLY different than the stagnant feel that TX gave their own home crowd last night, and really ever since mid-January. Beard and Dixon are making Shaka look bad. Its all relative. He's a small fish in a Big12 pond, getting exposed. This is not good for the Longhorn Network. How are they going to sell sponsorship and TV ads for Longhorn games nobody wants to watch. The business side of Longhorn Athletics is getting sticky...

@ralster

I don't know how you judge a 10-19 season and soon to be 20+ loss season with anything but starting over. That season wouldn't be allowed at almost any Power 5 school especially one with a brand name as Texas. I'm usually one that likes to give the benefit of a doubt to coaches as often decisions are made hastily and without thought but Texas has to find someone who can win and its not this guy

@BeddieKU23

There is definitely enough talent on their roster to not be at the bottom of this damn league.

@BeddieKU23 Agree totally. Hey, I should add there is nothing to personally dislike about Shaka. He is also allowed to "spin" his win over KU for all its worth, as that honestly is all that got him his fat TX contract. I dont blame him. But what he did, is rile up the entire BigXII list of coaches, riled up the hopes of his own fanbase, and then proceeded to give them the product that we all are seeing.

I only question his coaching cred. I just dont buy it. But, he's going to have to keep digging his own grave, since AD's dont like to admit they were wrong, and obviously the TX AD is hoping Shaka turns things around. As said above, I'm not sure how long the business side of TX Athletics will allow pisspoor TV product or arena product? Saying he's even another Rick Barnes, then makes the Barnes firing look bad. The only W for TX with Shaka, is if he is measurably better than Barnes. Barnes was mostly in the top half of the BigXII almost every year. And Barnes at Tennessee just blew out Mizzou by 20+ last week.

@MoonwalkMafia

I did like how Walton spoke of Kansas. Much of the info he gave we never hear on national TV. But we had to listen to the rest of his stuff which can be pretty painful if you aren't a Walton personality fan.

@BeddieKU23

I think a fair way to view Shaka is with a comparison to Lon and OU. They are both in a rebuilding year and basically have the same record.

Texas basketball has a huge advantage over Oklahoma basketball. Between their Longhorn Network and top notch facilities they should have better results than Oklahoma, if the coaching was the same.

Let's see how these programs compare. My money is on Lon, by a mile.

@drgnslayr OK. So if back in October, preseason, if we switched Shaka Smart and Lon Kruger (send Kruger to TX)--> where do you think Kruger would have TX's talented roster in the league standings right about now? I'd say top 4 or 5.

The way I see it, Bill is proving more and more that the loss to VCU was a fluke and something that Shaka may not be able to replicate. But thats the nature of the tournament - every big upset is remembered.

@drgnslayr

I don't think it is even close, OU is in full rebuilt after losing POY Hield and other key players like Spangler. Smart is in his second year of rebuilding and has several highly ranked and talented players. Like @ralster said, put Kruger Coaching Texas and it is top half of the conference. KU has replaced all 5 starters before under Coach Self and finished where....? That's right, top of the conference. Can't really make excuses for Smart, the results speak for themselves.

@ralster said:

@BeddieKU23 The TX crowd has only been beat down in their expectations by the downward trend of this year's team. Hey, they are fans like any other fans, with a few early wins over top opponents, they could have had Erwin a lot more energized. People pay money to go see their team play. You get tired of seeing not only losses, but lackluster effort levels, lack of poise, and signs of poor coaching, such as shot-clock awareness, etc. TX had several very ugly possessions, right there at home.

So especially if you are a diehard Longhorn fan, looking for signs of life, or even positivity about your own team, it is hard to maintain upbeat energy when you dont see it.

Let the TX fans and the TX AD judge all the things that must be judged about TX basketball. I dont think Shaka gets fired, as its too soon. But next year will be a big test, likely without J.Allen.

And, since no AD judges things in a vacuum, the other 2 TX teams are not helping Shaka's cause at all, since both TCU and TxTech have 1st year coaches and have provided memorable games, close finishes, although neither will make Big68 Tourney, the vibe and feel coming out of those programs is TOTALLY different than the stagnant feel that TX gave their own home crowd last night, and really ever since mid-January. Beard and Dixon are making Shaka look bad. Its all relative. He's a small fish in a Big12 pond, getting exposed. This is not good for the Longhorn Network. How are they going to sell sponsorship and TV ads for Longhorn games nobody wants to watch. The business side of Longhorn Athletics is getting sticky...

UT fans and administration don't give a crap about basketball period. Even during their peak run under Barnes in the 2000's they were never selling out Erwin unless it was KU or UNC or some other national brand and opposing fans filled up the arena. Erwin is bigger than AFH, but UT has never led the league in attendance. Right now, all UT cares about is Tom Herman getting UT football back on top which is something the Big 12 desperately needs right now. The Big 12's downturn in football and as a conference coincides with UT's decline in football.

UT is trying to find a site to build a new basketball arena right now so the site Erwin sits on can be turned into the new nursing school. They've already done a lot of construction around the area, but the new arena is the final piece of the puzzle. UT's administration won't care about basketball until their new arena is built, but Texas fans just don't care about basketball, never have and never will.

@Texas-Hawk-10

I totally agree. It's a cultural thing and basketball is nowhere near football in popularity in Texas.

@Texas-Hawk-10 Totally agree that the majority of TX fans only care about football. But even if they never ever have a sellout crowd in Erwin, there are a few thousand that go to the games, so they do seem to have a core group.

If TX doesnt care about growing that core group, then that's their biz, not mine.

Also, if TX is so apathetic about basketball, why fire Rick Barnes? I mean, really why?

@ralster

Also, if TX is so apathetic about basketball, why fire Rick Barnes? I mean, really why?

That is an excellent question. They traded a known commodity for a flash in the pan and does not seem to be working and now they are stuck with 7 year contract worth $3M per year...OUCH!

@ralster Rick Barnes should've been fired way before he was because UT had veen slipping ever since Durant left. Barnes should've been fired around 2012, but got 4-5 more years because of the apathy surrounding basketball there. 2007-08 when they shared the Big 12 was the last time they played to expectations and also the last time Barnes made it past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.

People were screaming for blood after Self got eliminated in the 1st round twice in a row, UT went 6 straight appearances (along with missing the tournament all together one year) wothout getting past the weekend. No coach at KU survives that level of performance that long.

@Texas-Hawk-10

Make Tejas handegg great again.

@Texas-Hawk-10 said:

People were screaming for blood after Self got eliminated in the 1st round twice in a row

More recently, some people were screaming for blood because he went 4 years in a row without a FF.

This is the worst Texas season in 34 years. Shaka pack your bags

@Texas-Hawk-10

Roles are reversed, Texas doesn't care about Basketball, Kansas only cares about Basketball.

But I would think Texas would want someone who didn't set the program back 30+ years with this season. 2 NBA prospects, 6 Top 100 kids. Barnes would have done more with this talent

Jackson is 50% from 3 over the past 11 games (18 of 36). FT's slightly up to 62% in February.

@BeddieKU23

Really only taking open looks with his feet set now. The Releford approach. Makes a difference for sure.

@BShark

Definitely its smart that he's taking the 3's that are the highest percentage. Spot on with the Releford comp

@BeddieKU23

I agree with your post that Barnes would have done more.

I liked Barnes. He wasn't an "earth shaker" but not many of those out there anyways.

I have my doubts about Shaka performing magic in Austin.

Shaka needed to stick to the same formula Marshall uses at WSU. Be the underdog. Feed off of that. Texas is not an underdog school. Just like I have my doubts if Marshall left for a big school where he couldn't use the underdog bait any longer.

Huggybear works the same way. The Mountaineers will always be underdogs, as well as life in their culture of West Virginia. He is from there and has the ability to push his kids to over-perform.

@BeddieKU23 Shaka isn't setting UT back 30+ years. Did Self set KU back 15 years when KU lost 19 games in 2 years which was KU's worst run since the turn of the century?