🏀 KuBuckets Archive

You know what? I have none. After those guys wrapped up an NCAA best 14 straight conference championships, I am good.
Literally anything else that happens next is icing on the cake for me. No joke. Im good.

I want to be as realistic and low maintainance about KU's post season as I can this year because of how small a margin for error they have.

There is no point in asking more of this team than they have already given to us. They made the almost impossible, possible.

They broke a HUGE record.

Now, Im going to speculate on KU's NCAA tournament just a bit.

With a 20+ win season and 6 losses so far. I expect that they get a 2 seed. It'll be bonkers if they get a 1 seed with 6, maybe 7 losses heading in.

I am guessing they win the first and quite possibly the second games depending on seeding placement and match ups.

I am doubting they get past the sweet 16. Simply due to lack of depth and historically low margin of error for a Self coached KU team. But hey, if they prove me wrong?? Cool. If they under achieve?? Cool too.

Im a Jayhawk for life either way.

Rock Chalk!

I hope players read KUBuckets. I want them to know there aren't high expectations for them this year. It's not about relieving pressure off of them. It is about putting a chip on their shoulders to want to go prove something.

The chip is what locked up #14 this year... primarily in the mind of Devonte. He wasn't going to captain a team that gives up the streak. He carried us through conference.

I don't think Devonte is done yet. We are going to hear from him after the OSU game on Saturday... maybe after the conference tourney. He wants more!

@Lulufulu

Unless KU collapses in the Big 12 Tournament, it has a high chance of getting a #1 seed. Only UVA and MSU have 3 or less losses and neither has nearly as many 1st and 2nd quadrant wins as KU, no other team does.

I don't have a lot of expectations, either. The NCAA schedule will make it tough for this team because of their depth issues. They have specific matchup issues that aren't just going to magically go away (vulnerable on the boards, struggles with bigger wing scorers, potential for a cold shooting half or game). They also have specific strengths (can play in transition with anybody, incredibly efficient offensively). However, I don't know that a team with very clear weaknesses can win six games in a row. Maybe they can win 2 or 3, depending on the matchups, maybe even make a Final Four run if their bracket breaks right, but it gets dicey because again, we are talking about specific matchups that KU can exploit with their strengths, or that leave them very vulnerable because of their weaknesses.

Maybe that team comes along in the Round of 32. Maybe its the Elite Eight. We won't know until they play the games, but it certainly tempers expectations for me because I already know what the vulnerabilities are. The best bet is that we avoid teams that can exploit them (Villanova, Virginia, Michigan State, Purdue, Duke, Arizona, etc.) for as long as possible.

Devontae and the New Miracles!

I'm hoping for a 2 seed. A little less pressure. I fear the idea of being the first 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed.

I wouldn't want to go up against a team that could potentially have two guys hit 100 threes and another guy who has dunked 100 times. Major chinks in the armor or not it seems like a tough matchup for anyone.

My hope is that we have what I call a good/average season. An average season under Bill Self is a Conference title, 30 wins and a sweet 16 birth. I know I'm a minority in this but making the sweet 16 isn't easy and it's not a bad year. People I think forget that this maybe the toughest tournament to win in all of sports. I break it down as follows:

Bad/below average season: Not winning the conference and/or a first weekend exit

Good/ average season: Winning the conference and close to 30 games while making the sweet 16

Really good/above average season: Winning the conference, more than 30 games and making to the elite 8

Great Season: Making the final four and when that happens the conference and total wins are irrelevant, Big banner > Little banner

Historic season: National title!

Obliviously not all season fall exactly into this (2010, had both conference titles and 30+ wins) but I think its a good guide line.

Hopes? In order -
1. Win the NC.
2. Get to the FF.
3. Don't lose to MU in the tourney.
4. Don't be the first to lose as a #1 seed.
5. Don't lose to WSU in the tourney.
6. Don't lose to a 15 seed as a 2 seed.

It seems like KU/MU as a 1 vs. 8/9 or 2 vs. 7/10 is destiny.

Wow guys! I want it all including, never mind😳

Hopes? NC. No question. Why not hope it?

Expectations? Zero. They have fulfilled them and maybe plus some.

All we have to do is get hot for 6 games.

That's how the NC is decided every year. If it was just talent, it would be teams like UK or Duke every single year.

@drgnslayr what about skill? I think that Scheyer, Nolan, Singler team was the last moderately skilled team Duke has fielded (the year they won over Wisconsin was an assault on the eyes), and really it was just that trio. And the last exceptionally skilled player Duke has had was Redick. Surely, we've fielded a higher skill level year in year out than Duke and Kentucky.

I don't know, I was taken to task the other day after we wrapped up the championship for suggesting that some here were saying exactly what Lulu said in his post.

@wissox did you want to hear it again?

@Crimsonorblue22 I still don't know what I did wrong especially in light of this thread of comments.

@Lulufulu I think we're going to win a national championship. I've only been right about that twice since 1988, but I assure you when we win, I will remind everyone I told you so.

Most likely we will lose at some point in the tourney. The question is how.

Last year it was inferiority to a lengthier and more athletic team (we were the 3rd best team after Oregon IMO). The year prior, we were jobbed at the end of the game by the referees (but ended up losing to the champions). 2015 was a year where Duke was gifted the title game with the ultimate friendly whistle against Wisconsin, who got totally screwed in the last game.

I have been somewhat pessimistic about the tournament since 2015. I think we may lose to a team that plays zone like Texas did the last game.

To me, that’s the question. How are we going to lose?

@approxinfinity

I'd take hot over skill any day of the week. We should all know that from our past March experiences.

KUSTEVE said:

I've only been right about that twice since 1988.....

Correct twice in 30 years... So, for a few weeks, your signature becomes:

"Looking to improve that 6.7% prediction record this year."

Yay, verily, yay!

History says KU will reach the Elite 8 and then crap the bed and score about 55 points against someone that isn't as good as KU.

I hope for a fun run! Final Four would be awesome. I know the Elite 8 games are stressful, it feels so different if we get the extra week to feel connected to our team.

@wissox It is the difference between hope for more, but tempered with realistic subjective expectations, versus hope that says you will feel let down if the team doesn't fulfill your hopes.

As I said in my taking you to task, it is a difference in how you expect you will look back on this team. If we win it all, everyone will be happy and proud. But if we don't, some of us anticipate that we will still be satisfied with the season because of the huge obstacles KU overcame. Others, as we have seen, will call it "crapping out" because they will be satisfied by nothing less than a F4 or NC.

I was just reacting to your tone of putting down the former group as if they won't be cheering KU in the post-season when you really know we will. And I told you the negative tone seemed unusual for you.

I think both types of hopes are fair to have, and neither group should feel superior to the other. I personally think the people who get angry at the team for flaming out early are losing something by not appreciating the positives and focusing on the negative, but people all have their own views of what it takes to make them happy.

So #1 seed depends on us winning the tourney now I’d think. An 8 loss #1 seed would definitely be an anomoly.

Kcmatt7 said:

So #1 seed depends on us winning the tourney now I’d think. An 8 loss #1 seed would definitely be an anomoly.

A blowout loss to a team that may not even be in the tourney probably blew our chances for a one seed, and that's fine. Less pressure for this team.

@HawkChamp Nova and Duke got beat by bad teams this season too. Everyone has. At this point, I think it will be harder to get passed the number of losses more than losses to OK State. Id rather have the 2 seed in Omaha than the 1 seed in LA though anyways.

Are we talking about the 2019 post season itt yet?

Kcmatt7 said:

@HawkChamp Nova and Duke got beat by bad teams this season too. Everyone has. At this point, I think it will be harder to get passed the number of losses more than losses to OK State. Id rather have the 2 seed in Omaha than the 1 seed in LA though anyways.

agreed.

Kcmatt7 said:

So #1 seed depends on us winning the tourney now I’d think. An 8 loss #1 seed would definitely be an anomoly.

I would say a 1 seed is out of KU's control at this point even if they win the Big 12 tournament. KU would be dependent upon others losing to get back to the 1 line, primarily Duke and Xavier.

Don't forget that KU has something neither Duke or Xavier can get, a regular season conference title.

That could matter in the final equation.

@justanotherfan Xavier won the conference didn’t they?

@Kcmatt7 !0_1520135210427_C8B7B4AE-6190-47B2-8F5D-CC252F2CF7E2.jpeg ↗

@dylans thanks for the assist

Villanova’s conference title streak ends at 6, it was the current longest by a team not named KU. When you think about it, it makes the KU streak that much more amazing.

justanotherfan said:

Don't forget that KU has something neither Duke or Xavier can get, a regular season conference title.

That could matter in the final equation.

Xavier did win the Big East regular season title this year and Duke may not have won the ACC title, but the team that did is going to be the overall 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. That's why Duken can get a 1 seed because they'll still be ranked lower than the 1st place team in the ACC.

I'm just hoping for World Peace.

@JayHawkFanToo Serious question, does the Big 12 have a team consistently better than Xavier? I don’t think so. Always wins 20, has made the NCAA tourney all but two seasons since 2004, has 7 Sweet 16s since 2004, and has more Elite Eight appearances (3) than any Big 12 team not named Kansas during the Bill Self era (since 2004).

HighEliteMajor said:

@JayHawkFanToo Serious question, does the Big 12 have a team consistently better than Xavier? I don’t think so. Always wins 20, has made the NCAA tourney all but two seasons since 2004, has 7 Sweet 16s since 2004, and has more Elite Eight appearances (3) than any Big 12 team not named Kansas during the Bill Self era (since 2004).

Besides Kansas no. Xavier is a basketball school.

So considering how easy it is for opponents to generate good offense vs this KU team I really don't expect much in the NCAAT.

BShark said:

So considering how easy it is for opponents to generate good offense vs this KU team I really don't expect much in the NCAAT.

Our defense has sucked major for the majority of the year. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

kjayhawks said:

My hope is that we have what I call a good/average season. An average season under Bill Self is a Conference title, 30 wins and a sweet 16 birth. I know I'm a minority in this but making the sweet 16 isn't easy and it's not a bad year. People I think forget that this maybe the toughest tournament to win in all of sports. I break it down as follows:

Bad/below average season: Not winning the conference and/or a first weekend exit

Good/ average season: Winning the conference and close to 30 games while making the sweet 16

Really good/above average season: Winning the conference, more than 30 games and making to the elite 8

Great Season: Making the final four and when that happens the conference and total wins are irrelevant, Big banner > Little banner

Historic season: National title!

Obliviously not all season fall exactly into this (2010, had both conference titles and 30+ wins) but I think its a good guide line.

Good post. But if next year we don't win the regular season title or Big 12 tourney championship, and don't win 30 games BUT win the NC it would be a great year.
That's what KU basketball players lace them up for every year just like the 1988, 27-10 Kansas Jayhawks!

@jayballer73 It's the worst I can remember in the Self era.

@BShark mine too

It will take all 4 starting guards showing up every game the entire tournament in order to make it far.

Hopefully we can get blessed with the #2 seed in the Midwest and get as much of an advantage as is possible.

@Kcmatt7 I would say the odds of that happening is next to zero, since Vick has been almost non existent for quite some time. I believe we can still make a good showing with three guards playing well and Doke having a decent game. Especially if we get some surprise help from the bench. That scenario is what has gotten us this far, so hopefully it will continue. It would be nice to win 30 games this season. I would call that pretty successful with what has been dealt to us this year. (Preston, thin bench, etc.)

Lets go to San Antonio!!!

BShark said:

So considering how easy it is for opponents to generate good offense vs this KU team I really don't expect much in the NCAAT.

I could see them flipping a switch like last year's team did. Of course, I wouldn't really be surprised if they didn't either. Who know's what to expect or what team will show up night to night.

@HawkChamp I thought the switch had been flipped. Until yesterday....

@HawkChamp But maybe we can switch it back on....

HighEliteMajor said:

@JayHawkFanToo Serious question, does the Big 12 have a team consistently better than Xavier? I don’t think so. Always wins 20, has made the NCAA tourney all but two seasons since 2004, has 7 Sweet 16s since 2004, and has more Elite Eight appearances (3) than any Big 12 team not named Kansas during the Bill Self era (since 2004).

Well, of course it does, it is called KU which last time I checked was still a member of the Big 12. :smile:

I have always maintained that Xavier is a real good program that has had the benefit of very good coaches who all used the position as a springboard to bigger programs including Pete Gillen (Providence, Virginia), Skip Prosser (Wake Forest), Thad Matha (Ohio State) and Sean Miller (Arizona); last time on a thread where a poster (who shall remain nameless lest incurring the risk of a 5,000 word rebuttal ) stated Miller is/was not a good coach and I mentioned his success at Xavier and of course Arizona. Chris Mack has also done very well and this might be his best team.

The Jethro Bracket:

EAST
1. Virgin
2. Sparty
3. Cincy
4. Michigan

SOUTH
1. Nova
2. UNC
3. Auburn
4. Texas Tech

MW
1. Xavier
2. KU
3. WSU
4. Ohio St

WEST
1. DOOK
2. Purdew
3. Tenn
4. Zona

I dropped the Huggy thugs out, and replaced them with THE Ohio St. If Clemson does anything in the ACC tournament, then I'll move them ahead of Bucky.

They can beat anyone and lose to anyone. Size will kill them. Let's hope they match up against small ball till the end of championship Monday.

@Kcmatt7

Good call. Apparently my ability to read conference standings has completely eroded in the last few weeks. I couldn't read the Big 10 standings a couple weeks ago, now apparently can't read the Big East.

I guess the lesson here is to not trust anything I say about conference standings. lol.

KU did win the Big 12 though, right? j/k

I just cheer my heart out for KU come tournament time and hope to survive and advance. I appreciate how hard these young men practice and play. It is not as simple as putting on a uniform that says KANSAS and everything goes their way. It takes effort, teamwork, luck and a few breaks from the officials to pull it off. Regardless of the outcome, I will be back next year, enjoying the ride and cheering for our Kansas Jayhawks!

Ditto everyones sentiments. I love our Jayhawks, always will. But, they just got their asses handed to them by Okie state. I am officially tempering my expectations even further for the remaining guaranteed games. 1 Big 12 tourney game and 1 NCAA tourney game.