🏀 KuBuckets Archive

~Doke got almost as many blocks as rebounds.

~Billy Kennedy won coaching credits from Bill Self today. Kennedy elected not to foul Doke even one time. This apparently could not have been a coincidence. Doke's 0 FTAs tells us Kennedy gave Self and his vulnerable young big man some professional curtesy. With Devonte having another dreadful game from the floor (2-11), and Doke fouled up and sitting 18 minutes of the game, Kennedy could easily have put Doke on the line every possession down the stretch and likely have gotten the Aggies close enough to win it. But Kennedy rightly understood that doing so would likely wreck Doke's confidence for the season and make a permanent enemy of Bill Self. This appears the kind of act that Self will recall and pay back some day, or else, maybe Billy was repaying Self for not blowing one of hist teams out in the past, when Self could have. Either way, this appears part of an unwritten code among some coaches. Expect Doke to get plenty of FTAs the rest of the conference season from those that need to beat Self to keep their jobs.

~Svi Mykaliuk has quietly move into position to challenge for the best three point shooting percentage in KU history. Kirk Hinrich and Frank Mason have set the standard very high though, plus maybe some others I don't recall right now. Svi cannot afford a slump. He has to stay hot the rest of the way. I would be so happy for Svi, who has struggled so long and hard at KU, to go out at the top of the mountain.

~LaCobra finally shown signs of exiting his slump.

~Malik Newman continues to fit snugly into his new role as dedicated creator with 15/7 on a cool trey ball night (2-7). That could of shooting would have sent Malik into lost concentration earlier in the season, but today he just played through and played very well.

~Marcus Garrett was the biggest surprise of the game, because he seemed to have had an offensive memory chip re-flashed this week and shot and drove the ball comfortably. Alas, his rebounding chip seems to have been messed with by Chinese intelligence. Best re-flash it this week.

~Mitch Lightfoot filled 16 minutes exactly the way Self wants: he held his fouls down, and made no TOs. In trying to hold down fouls, however, he eliminated his own blocks.

~De Sousa only saw 2 minutes of action. But the good news is he fouled no one and did not turn it over. Next game Self will reward him with 4 minutes.

~Self clearly told his team after the Oklahoma lost something like: "Boys, we are going back to who we are. Sixty Point take what they give us with half the opponents TOs. Keep them in the sixties. Worry less about blocks and strips this game, guard hard, shoot the trey like we can, and K.I.S.S. Doke, fuggedabout Norman. Think next.

And it all worked against an unskilled TAM team.

In his post game presser Kennedy said he told his guys to foul Doke in the last five minutes, said they didn’t do it hard enough to get the calls. Doke was also fouled on the floor posting up twice, they just weren’t shooting fouls.

kjayhawks said:

In his post game presser Kennedy said he told his guys to foul Doke in the last five minutes, said they didn’t do it hard enough to get the calls. Doke was also fouled on the floor posting up twice, they just weren’t shooting fouls.

Ssshhhhh. Don't detract from the fun narrative.

@jaybate-1.0 Didn't Mitch replace Doke with a few minutes left with us up by 10.....when they still could have made a game of it?

@Hawk8086 Self put Mitch in for Doke
right after TAM committed their first intentional foul, I believe (oddly, on DG). In this instance Self apparently did not feel it would impact Doke’s confidence. Hmmm.

Kennedy should have started fouling Doke at the 5 minute mark. Bone headed miss by the Aggie coach. Am I wrong?

lincase said:

Devonte Graham is tired, in my opinion. Most of you know
more about basketball than I, so could you please tell me why Coach Self cannot give him (and also Svi) a couple of minutes rest in the first half when we are up by 15?

@HighEliteMajor No....If I were an opposing coach, I would have made Doke prove that he could make some FTs.

@Hawk8086

I believe u r right. My thinking was, though implied, not expressed, was that any time a mid pack team like the Aggies falls behind KU by 5 or greater, 1st or 2rd half, they should foul Doke until they close to less than five.

Kennedy did not do this, nor did he ever put Doke on the line, which, since TAM spent much of the game down 10 or more with inferior talent, was essentially sparing Doke an ego shatter and giving KU the game.

I interpret Self taking Doke back out with a 10 point lead, as buying him another game to recover. Sooner or later Kennedy had to foul him intentionally, or not be able to face his players. By waiting, he gave Self a chance gracefully remove him, or so it appeared to me. It was a meaningless scrimmage to work on stuff, not get injured, and not humiate anyone. Classic old coaching fraternity response to the situation, IMHO.

kjayhawks said:

In his post game presser Kennedy said he told his guys to foul Doke in the last five minutes, said they didn’t do it hard enough to get the calls. Doke was also fouled on the floor posting up twice, they just weren’t shooting fouls.

Exactly. I should have said no shooting fouls. That was point: Kennedy didn’t put him on the line.

Regarding Kennedy’s comments, that’s exactly what your supposed to say. You don’t say we avoided putting Doke on the line as professional curtesy; that would be giving your enemies wanting you canned raw 🥩.

@lincase I was wondering that too. The only thing I could think of was maybe he thought it was getting close to half time. Weak, I know! He landed on his wrist pretty hard too, 2nd half.

@jaybate-1.0 A&M only had 4 fouls late in the game. When we got to the bonus Mitch came in.

@Barney

Definitive.

Thanks.

@jaybate-1.0 We sure enjoyed being there for the first time in 10 years.

@Barney

Isn't it great how regenerative it is to be in "the field house" after a number of years away?

Glad you got to go.

Among other things, it helps one understand how "pilgrimages" came to hold such attraction to many human cultures and religions.

@jaybate-1.0 Thanks, there is no place that compares.