🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Aside from those of us on this board?

SI certainly isn't giving KU a chance. Crazy.
!Screenshot_20170313-185028.png ↗

Lady on espn last night did. Mara or something...

Saw ESPN.com in their regional analyses had all the number 1 seeds going to final four except Kansas. They think Iowa State beats us in Sweet 16.

Sure we can lose any game from 2nd game onwards, but I really think Frank and Josh's competitiveness and Devonte showing up for big games and big moments is going to keep us going.

Final Four and Beyond!

Iowa State is hot, but KU is definitely more reliable. Not sure why all the hate. We're on a roll when Josh is in.

Our buddy Fran has an all ACC and P12 Final Four - no love for KU - but we know that... Chalk it up to envy of Self - Fran won exactly one NCAA tournament game in his distinguished career. Did really well in the NIT, however....

@chriz Maybe our players could use an underdog complex. Maybe if they aren't taking us....they are makin' us.

@KUSTEVE I like it! All this said I've got KU in my Final Four but it's kind of a heart pick. I'd be pleasantly surprised if they got a Final Four. But it is ironic that no one else is picking KU with a POTY, a tremendous freshman, and the best backcourt in the country. That's a recipe for success of I've ever seen one.

(I know, I'm talking out if both sides of my mouth. Just go with it!)

Iowa State. A game we missed our regulation jumper from Frank to win it, so went to OT. We dont guard the 3 all game. Missed bunny show.

Like I'm going to change my bet away from Frank, Josh, Devonte. Nope. Talking heads knowledge and opinion on KU is usually superficial, and what-have-u-done-lately. Other than the actual basketball former player analysts, who know better, if they dont let any personal biases get in the way.

I found one!

http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/gallery/kansas-will-win-ncaa-tournament-picks-jayhawks-favorite-odds-kentucky-villanova-duke-brackets-031317 ↗

@chriz cool!

After careful deliberation, I've picked the University of Kansas to win it all. Gonzaga hasnt faced a blueblood, and everybody says their region favors them making the Final 4. Then see what happens...

Villanova very possibly is wearing a target on their back, and we see Frank Mason's eye on that scope. This time he's brought a 50% 3gun...and a few friends...now Nova is the hunted.

UNC, is a balanced team. A great coach. But one who's system of play seems to get specifically exposed by Bill Self's system. In a 6 year span starting in 2008, Self's Jayhawks ended UNC's March Madness run 3 times. But, we are 4+1 with marginal D this year. But we've also played well in big games, mainly because FM3, DG, and JJ have that "primetime" factor...

Almost all of the above comments are outside-the-stats, "intangible" types of stuff. Maybe the kind of things that give 1 team the edge in the mental dept...? We shall see.

@ralster my only comment is that your comparing them with the 1s, whereas I'm more concerned with the 2s.

But I do like KU going to the Final Four. And Seth Davis agrees! http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/03/14/march-madness-cinderella-rankings-upset-picks ↗

Im ok with the talking heads not picking us. I think we play better with a chip on our shoulder

Saw some analysis of the yahoo brackets submitted so far and KU was the most popular pick to get to the FF, but was the 3rd most popular pick to win it behind, as I recall, Nova and UNC.

@wissox Man, my brain keeps coming back to the fact that our guys truly play their best ball in the big games, and Frank always has.

The funny thing, or lets just call it our little 5'11 secret, is that IF KU makes the F4, how could we not bet on Frank just taking over stretches of those games? This is why I desperately want to see him in a F4. I think he'll staightup wreck someone's party...

Great article and video of Devonte - the Forgotten man

https://theringer.com/2017-ncaa-tournament-kansas-jayhawks-devonte-graham-609144aaa7d6#.e8s3p5hzm ↗

@ralster It would help if we could put a Buddy Hield mask on whomever Devonte is guarding...

Here is a list ↗ of the predictions by ESPN analysts...

@JayHawkFanToo said:

Here is a list ↗ of the predictions by ESPN analysts...

Breakdown is interesting. Out of 25 voting:

AZ is selected 15 times for FF, to win 3

Duke FF 13, to win 4

Villanova FF 12, to win 4

UCLA FF 12, to win 1

KU FF 10, to win 3

UNC FF 9, to win 4

Louisville FF 9, to win 0

Gonzaga FF 7, to win 4

UK FF 3, to win 1

Oregon FF 3, to win 0

IState FF 2, to win 0

WVa, Mich, FSU, ND, and Wichita State all selected 1 time each for FF, but only Michigan got a prediction to win.

So, only 16 teams seen by these people who have been following the season are seen as getting to the Final Four, and only 9 as champs. No team garnered more than 4 votes out of 25 for champion, and there were 4 of those, two others getting 3, and 3 getting 1.

Florida, Baylor, Butler, and Purdue all top 4 seeds not seen as getting to the FF by anyone.

Wide open tourney, BIFM comin' through!

@mayjay

Spot on. No clear favorite and as wide open a tournament as we have had in a while.

@mayjay said:

Wide open tourney, BIFM comin’ through!

Yeah, baby! Though it won't be so wide open as time goes on.

For example, UNC and UK are less favored because they are in the same region. UK gets upset and UNC's chances will be perceived much differently.

@mayjay Save that post and let's go back to it April 4th.

@JayHawkFanToo

Yeah.... I noticed my old buddy, Jeff Goodman picks us. He likes KU and always has.

Matt Norlander and Chip Patterson of CBS both pick KU to win it!

http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2017-march-madness-bracket-predictions-ncaa-tournament-picks-winners-upsets/ ↗

The man that cannot stay away from the spot light just picked KU to beat Michigan and he has UNC and Duke in the finals. He jinxed KU when he picked it before so I am glad he picked the two ACC teams this time around.

President Obama? Looks like he picked Kansas over UM.

@Blown

You are correct, my typo...

SI writers like us

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/03/15/2017-ncaa-tournament-march-madness-bracket-expert-picks ↗

You all might get a kick out of this... ↗

I just tried to fill out a bracket without bias... but I just couldn't pick against KU. Anyone else have the same problem picking KU to lose?

@bskeet Yeah. I could only do it if it's Iowa State. Nothing else felt realistic.

@bskeet

I feel your pain. Been there, done that.

I've learned to pick one bracket with KU winning, then another bracket with one of the other teams. That other team is UNC. I was really feeling the UCLA thing, but then those pesky defensive numbers I looked at took me off course there (though UNC is just adequate).