Expect Dave to destroy the NCAAs as we look like a well oiled high-low machine. I'm not worried about our front court.
However, we need to hit 3s and we can take the whole thing!
Also, KJ and Charlie can work on their bench choreography. We will have those Agbaji lobs cleaned up and they're going to need to be celebrated properly.
The fact is Dedric is not a complete player. He needs Dave as a rim protector for us to get stops. Once we get stops the offense will flow
Say it with me now.
Big Dave is the Alpha.
Big Dave is the Alpha.
Big Dave is the Alpha.
Why Self didnt bench Dedric for a few minutes and give Dave a chance I'll never understand. Just like the Nova loss in 2016 why kept pounding an ineffective Perry I'll never get.
@kjayhawks That da** Nova game. I referenced it last week too. Scars.
@HighEliteMajor shoot we actually had guys that could shoot the ball on that team. As much as love HCBS and I do sometimes I think he's too stubborn. Like I've always said hitting your thumb with a hammer day after day and expecting different results is silly. Dedric cant handle physicality, that's just the way it is. David was 2-2 early and it wasnt like anyone was playing great defense.
Remember the swag Dave played with against WV? Remember how he passed the ball to the low post? Where did it go against Iowa State? Saved in the "Wrinkle Box" for the tournament. Biggest wrinkle in the box.
That quote by Self ... I wonder ... "We had nothing and we battled our asses off". What does we had nothing mean? Obvious answer is we couldn't shoot... But could it possibly mean "I sent them out there with no game plan and told them to figure it out"?
Only played 8 minutes due to self. Guess he felt going small was the only way to neutralize them. Took away our biggest player, biggest energy guy, developing offensive talent. Sounds smart. Maybe Self learns from that.
@BeddieKU23 I have to believe it was on purpose. I genuinely think he gave two craps about winning this game. It was just his final scrimmage.
Charlie and KJ won't see floor unless a blowout.
Agbaji will dunk at least 2 lobs.
Marcus will get at least 6 points on layups.
Q will attack the rim early to establish his offensive game.
Dotson will seek contact driving the ball early as well, then pop corner 3s. Mitch's first, second and third goal will be to block the sh-- out of the other team.
And Big Dave will roam freely like a giant veloceraptor in the paint, passing to the low post in the high low and popping the mid-range.
DUMP OUT THE WRINKLE BOX ON THE PLAY MAT. HIDE YO KIDZ
Bad shooting night. Nothing special about ISU. This is nowhere close to the team we were supposed to have this year. All things considered, 25-9 is not too bad. Time to survive and advance.
@approxinfinity I really disagree — but I could be wrong. When players speak of goals for the year, winning the Big 12 tourney is one of them. They only get to play for three troohies each season. Heck, what else does this team have? I think this should have been a big deal. This team could win something. I cannot imagine Self downplaying this to the team. Teams that win the conference regular season and have a chance for a national title? I get that. But for this team? Win something. Make your mark. But again, I could be wrong.
I do think Self made a major mistake not playing McCormack yesterday. I just don’t get it. I know every move can have an explanation and I’m sure Self could offer one. But he would be wrong.
Self said this just before the tournament - “ I think we have been better since we’ve been playing two bigs and certainly, with David,” KU coach Bill Self said of inserting 6-foot-10 freshman David McCormack into the starting lineup.
Self actually did explain yesterday. What you’ll see is another instance where we let the opponent dictate our personnel. I wonder, would Self have sat Doke? His explanation — would have put Doke on the bench.
http://m.kusports.com/news/2019/mar/16/benton-smith-jayhawks-not-dwelling-negatives-after/ ↗
Self continues to play Garrett big minutes. Garrett is such a liability on an offensively challenged team. I said that a long time ago. Yesterday was a day where that fact was well apparent. Garrett didn’t lose us the game of course. He had 15 rebounds.
But we need options that score the basketball. Of course, maybe we don’t have a lot (but I won’t let that get in the way of a good rant).
Self said this before the tournament, yet continues to play the worst shooter in recent KU history -“I do think that we’re capable of playing at that high level,” Self said. “But the team that will advance will be the one like our team last year. We made shots. That’s what needs to happen. We need to have some guys step up and make some shots. We’ve shown we’re capable of doing that. We’ve had multiple games where we’ve had double-figure threes.”
Of made shots will win it, Garrett ain’t the guy. I would have rather seen McCormack for 30+ minutes.
Whoever we get in the first game, let's hope it isn't an opponent that forces Self to play small and throw Garrett out there for 38 minutes again... Need to see more Dave.
Ironically Garrett made the team better against WVU.
HighEliteMajor said:
Self continues to play Garrett big minutes. Garrett is such a liability on an offensively challenged team. I said that a long time ago. Yesterday was a day where that fact was well apparent. Garrett didn’t lose us the game of course. He had 15 rebounds.
Rewarding effort with minutes is vital for the development of young guys. It shows young guys what it takes to see the floor. If the young guys dont respond with improved effort than it's on them. It's a tool Self has always used but this team also doesnt have the depth of teams past. I've seen a rise in Grimes effort since Garrett came back from injury. The biggest issue stopping us from peaking is Agbaji hitting a postponed freshman wall. The fact he didnt play games until January just pushed back his freshman wall.
HighEliteMajor said:
But we need options that score the basketball. Of course, maybe we don’t have a lot (but I won’t let that get in the way of a good rant).
That made me laugh out loud. I don't think Self is that hard to understand. He values defense. Effort, toughness, keeping the other team from scoring. As you said, Garrett grabbed 15 rebounds last night! That's huge! Especially from Self's perspective. Garrett does the things that Self values: defense, toughness, grabbing boards. That's why he plays so much. Self cares more about defense than offense.
I've said before, facetiously, that offense is fools gold. I do think that's Self's perspective, to a certain degree. Of course you need to score some points to win. But if he had to make a choice between his player making a bucket vs an opposing player NOT making a bucket, he'd choose the latter. Almost every time.
Self is trying to teach a philosophy, a perspective, to his team that he thinks has the greatest long-term chance of success. Defense is more predictable, less reliant on chance, than offense. That's why he was so strangely happy after last night's loss. He saw his team buying into his philosophy, and playing the way he values. We missed shots because shit happens, and there's nothing we can do about that. That's just probability. But the things his team could so something about, on that night, they did. That made Self happy (whether you can change somebody's shooting form to increase their shot percentage midseason is another discussion). His very young team finally seems to be getting it.
Playing 2 bigs was not the best defense last night. Self will adjust his defense to best match the opponent's offense, even if it hurts his own offense. Because to him, defense is more important than offense.
I realize I'm not saying anything new, and most of us understand Self's preferences inherently. I just get surprised by all the surprise expressed at some of Self's decisions. I don't think it's that surprising when you understand his philosophy. Usually, it works.
I feel like he would have had a big game if Self let him play against ISU.
dylans said:
Ironically Garrett made the team better against WVU.
See, Garrett is usually a guy that DOES make a team better. I really think that the caveat is that with a team that is offensively challenged, situationally, he can be a detriment. We saw that offensively yesterday. My sole solution there was that we needed to focus some effort inside, scoring wise. They does help Dedric. I rarely disagree with Self on his situational adjustments— but I really think we needed to be patient and ride McCormack yesterday.
Instead, we let ISU dictate our scheme, and KU in a 4/1 scheme (with Agbaji in a swoon necessitating Garrett on the court) is simply not as good as ISU.
I’m not saying we win. In fact, the point made before about our scoring differential with Dotson off the court may a more important item.
I just see Dave trending up.
That’s the only real “X” factor we have to improve, and to make a real run, other than Agbaji regaining some early magic.
@HighEliteMajor I usually agree, make them play to our strengths. But I don't think, as poorly as d Lawson plays D, we can match up w/him and Dave on the floor much together. Wigginton was killing us! If Marcus made his layups he would have been great, but dang we were awful!
Lawson was bad yesterday. Just about all of his shots were short which meant his legs were spent. Garrett's rebounding and ability to draw fouls on ISU kept it much closer in the first half than it could have been.
Hindsight being what it is, I think KU's best bet yesterday would've been sitting Lawson and switching between Lightfoot and Garrett at the 4 while playing McCormack as much as possible yesterday.
@Texas-Hawk-10 good pt
Dave is definitely the x factor for this team.
@Texas-Hawk-10 completely agree. Remember Self saying Dedric was a great passer? Dave had some awesome passes against WV!