Someone suggested so am starting this. What are your upset picks?
I had Dayton over OSU.
I have ND State over OU.
I have Pitt over CO.
I have Oregon over BYU.
I have Harvard over Cincy.
No Dayton or Harvard in 3 of my brackets.
Pitt over CU.
Oregon over BYU.
OU over NDSU.
UF over Albany- wouldn't mind being wrong on this game.
@RockChalkinTexas Lucky you!
I had OSU over Dayton
I had CO over Pitt
I had Cincy over Harvard
I had Iowa in the dance
I still have the following upsets,
Tusla over UCLA (probably not for long)
ASU over Texas
GWashington over Memphis
Tennessee over UMass
OSU over Gonzaga
So I'm now shooting at not to be at the bottom of the heap.
Anyone seen the 3 ks coaches getting together for a pic? I will try to copy it. It's a little awkward.
Is everyone pulling for big 12? Seems like they always let me down this time of year. Have you guys or gals heard of pack line defense? Announcers, pants on backwards, were saying it was pretty common in the Midwest. Duh! Did I miss something?? Ok, I looked it up. Never heard it called that before.
[link text](http://m. ↗
@Crimsonorblue22 I "generally" root for the Big 12.
The Missouri Valley - not so much.
https://vine.co/v/MMqn1tMAW5g ↗
See if this works, game day!!!!
How many had Duke losing? Not me, but great news! Madness for sure!
Insanity! Self needs to mention to our troops games like Duke's before our game. Maybe something about not taking anyone for granted!
@drgnslayr so opinion on nm vs Stan?
@Crimsonorblue22 I'll take Stanford...lol.
@Crimsonorblue22 Stanford over NM? They were really looking to KU. They couldn't focus and thought Stanford was beat.
DOOK...wow
If we lose to Stanford... OMG. They stink. But stinky teams win if they come better prepared than their opponents.
UNM... been to the tourney 12 times in the past 20 years and never once made it to the Sweet 16. I think that was a clue. I'll always remember that big Kirk dude. He was ticked off today and he was ticked off when we played him. Maybe he should have checked his breath...
Glad Frankamp didn't redshirt! What a cool performance! Lyle who?
@approxinfinity what a game! Need a cigarette and I don't smoke, Jaybate you have one for me? Some guys really stepped up today. Way to control 2nd half! Rock chalk!
Well I know there will be lots of hand wringing over Tharpe's play. If he struggles, we will continue to see more of Mason and now Frankamp.
Connor was key (even though he didn't hit a 3!).
Loved the energy and hustle that Jamari brought.
When we went up by 7 early in the 2nd half you felt like....OK this is where we pull away. Then that quick 10-0 run and I thought...Uh oh we've still got a game.
I finally started to breathe when we got back up by 5 again.
Survive and Advance, Baby.
@RockChalkinTexas Good idea. for the record this is my best bracket on KU Buckets out of the two I have.
My upset picks are thus: Harvard over Cincy
Tenn over UMass
NDSU over OU
I picked a couple others that didn't work out so well for me :)
Okie state over Zags
@Crimsonorblue22 He's out of balance.
He's trying to impose his will on the game, or conversely, after screwing up because he's trying to impose his will, then trying to marginalize his influence on the next moment. He needs to just be mentally present, all senses aware, and intuitively recognize the situations and what needs to be done. For all the things that we criticize of his recent performances, I'm sure he's knows all of the specific things he's done wrong and is trying to blacklist bad behaviors. He needs to switch to a nice clean, short whitelist of good behaviors and throw out all the junk he's got piled high in his head, whatever it is.
That being said, I'd imagine seeing Conner play so well is at least a comfort. Conner played significantly better than anyone has backing up Naadir at point in a while, and so that's got to give Naadir some confidence that simple sound basketball plays do in fact get the job done, and that it's also not all on him to do it.
@RockChalkinTexas I'm in 8,578,374th place.
It keeps me humble.
@nuleafjhawk you make me laugh, keep posting, humble guy!
https://vine.co/v/MMqn1tMAW5g ↗
Let's see if this works.
The board doesn't support ! [text] (url ) any more for some reason, so it won't show up as inline video.
@approxinfinity Thanks, Approx! That makes sense.
Watching Michigan blow out Texas. Michigan strikes me as a team that is very jump shot happy that relies on them to win. Their defense is pretty good as well. However, I think they rely on jump shots too much and don't have anyone to drive the lane. Its why they lost to Michigan St. in the Big 10 tournament. Michigan St. guarded the perimeter extremely well and they couldn't score.
Someone remind me next year, don't rely on big 12, happens to me every year!
http://kansas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1623411 ↗ ↗
Getting prepped for Stanford !
From that info I'd say we do what we should do against most of the teams in this tournament... try to win the foul war!
This Stanford team is prone to foul trouble and has really no depth. We need to pound the ball inside, and Andrew needs to become alpha-dog again and drive the ball. When he drives, he gets fouled.
We need to be more cognizant of the foul wars from here on out. Most of the teams we will play have very little depth. Without depth, one or more guys in foul trouble spells doom.
Plus... when we don't get a team in foul trouble, there is a better chance they get us in foul trouble! It is hard for players to play physical and try to draw fouls when they are in foul trouble themselves.
I'm begging our team... begging... PLEASE USE FAKES! BALL FAKES, HEAD FAKES, BODY FAKES... get your defender in the air and then push the contact and draw the foul. It's as easy as taking a Yorkshire terrier for a walk!
And while you are at it, quit falling for fakes. Keep your feet on the ground until the shooter leaves his feet.
Basic basketball...
Lol, bye bye Syracuse and your zone defense.
This sets up nicely. Just need to beat Stanford.
Got to say how impressed I am w/these bb kids, all these reporters in their face. Some dumb-a$$ guy asked Jamari how we stacked up with Stanford, smart-wise. He answered w/his act score. Somebody asked the 3 WSU players if they were recruited by Kentucky. One by one they said no. Pretty impressive kids.
@drgnslayr good stuff! Excited
@Crimsonorblue22 Don't read too much into that.
I didn't say that it would be easy.
Sometimes the path to the final four (or wherever) is made for you.
You couldn't ask for more than to have a 10 and an 11 seed in your path to the Elite 8.
Now....that doesn't mean we will win or that it will be easy. But whatever happens, I still prefer this path than the "chalk" path.
I'm pissed off... I wanted Syracuse. We were going to be the team that exposed how over-rated they were all year.
I'm more worried about playing Dayton.
You have to be careful when these teams come from nowhere and challenge everyone. They are hungry and playing well.
I hope JoJo is back by then... but first things first... I hope we advance that far!
@drgnslayr I wanted them too!
Go Badgers!
Harvards not laying down, crazy games'!
@drgnslayr what a game!
This has been a crazy year! Been enjoying it so far. I'm surprised the refs haven't screwed up more.
Wow... Harvard!
Dumb Duck run amuck.
Badgers move on... one step closer to a game of beat down on Zona!
Actually I wasn't 100% sorry to see them (Syracuse) dropped. I still feel the 2003 sting with Carmello. And Dayton has been a fun Cinderella to watch. Yes it would have been fun to take Syracuse down but we aren't sure we will have Embiid back if we beat Stanford tomorrow (fingers crossed). It seems Dayton doesn't have much inside so if we get past Stanford we just take it to the paint all day long, watch the perimeter and don't worry much about protecting the rim.
Congrats to the Dayton Team for a great run and love the senior depth.
@drgnslayr I can understand wanting Syracuse again. I also understand your point about the lower seeds.
But, at some point these lower seeds run come to an end.
That's why I like the odds of playing the lower seeds.
I still feel the sting, too... that's why I wanted them. I had no doubt we would slaughter the Orange this year.
We often have trouble with those low seeds.... like VCU... UNI...
We could have problems with Dayton from the outside and penetration. If they get our bigs in foul trouble that takes away our inside advantage.
If we can get more stellar play from Bam Bam and Black Death... no problemo!
I wouldn't mind seeing the Gators go down now so we can skip them, too!
One year, we ONLY had to take care of VCU to get to the Championship, but we all know what happened. So I'm not looking at anything beyond Stanford. We need to take care of business, drive at them and get their bigs into foul trouble early.
Come on, Harvard!
Based on all this vast knowledge!!!!!!!! Who do you all pick for hawk to rock? Considering their scouting report and why. I'm going w/wiggins, think he and selden will d up their perimeter guys and I think wigs is the guy to cause them to get into foul trouble. You guys thinking Lucas will get some time?
Dayton reminds me a bit of EKY, only a bit better. KU has to control the boards and reduce TOs. I hope Tharpe comes to play this game.
@truehawk93 don't forget Stanford first!!
@Crimsonorblue22 Not too familiar with Stanford. Didn't follow them much. All the Pac attention was on zona, ucla, and oregon. So, they are a good team or wouldn't be here. I think this will be a relatively well scouted game. I expect a much better game against Stanford than EKY. The EKY game was a good game and a great gut check for KU. I hope Tharpe comes to play both games. Tharpe has to wake up and play. Thankfully CF stepped up for Tharpe.
Wiggins said he needs to come on harder. He usually doesn't make those statements so I'm betting he comes alpha dog!
Wiggins family will be there, including Nick... He's going to come ready to play! The key is we need a PG who will protect the ball and feed it to him.
dragon,
Been reading your posts long enough to
know your knowledge of the game is at a different (higher) level than mine so I trust what you say. I like the idea a low seed took them down (and Duke, etc.) since we've been down that road before, I like that other Blue Chip programs sometime suffer the same fate so it isn't rubbed in our nose.
Anyway the older I get the more I own up to chinks in our armor. If all goes our way let them (Syracuse) say, we we could have beat KU, advanced, Yada, Yada. Yada.
I just hope we can survive and advance,
in 2008 many KSU fans tried to tell me they could and should have beat KU, advanced and would have won it all.
Woulda-coulda-shoulda
We all hate the woulda/coulda/shoulda chatter... especially when it comes from us!
This is a crazy year. The team that comes ready and wants it more wins....
I'm counting on that tomorrow for the shockers. Hoping they spank Cal!
I think it's safe to say that teams have a game plan against KU to draw charges. This is an interesting trend against them. Let's see if Stanford resorts to drawing charges. They can't play defense so they have to stand in the way. Wigs, Selden, and Traylor need to be prepared and watch them set up. They have to make the defense react and not let them set up in the driving lane or simply pull up in front of the extended arms of the defensive player. This is true of Wigs. Teams will try to draw charges on him. There's always a lob option around the rim. I say the "charge" rule has made charging even worse. I think most have been called pretty close at this point. But, charges are still too quickly called in most cases.
@truehawk93 pretty hard to get charges this year, if that goes the wrong way, they're hurting more than we are w/ fouls. Although there were some called against us in the first game. Selden needs to pull up.
Even more than that.... teams scout us and realize ball/head/shoulder fakes get'em to the FT line!
@drgnslayr I thought our bigs handled EKY's fakes fairly well. But they still jumped out of the dome in most cases.
@drgnslayr plus we try to block every shot!
Black has got to stay out of foul trouble!
Down to just the UCONN / VILL game.
If I was God of earth, I'd schedule NIT games in the middle of the night for us hardcore bball nuts!
Everytime Wigs drives, I hold my breath and hope for the best. Then a whistle blows and my heart stops for a milisecond. Then it's usually against the defender. It just bothers me because he's aggressive and gets to the line, but I guess the B12 Smart ordeal is still in my mind.
He needs to lower his dribble and get a better grip on the ball!
[
"Watch this..." -Mario Chalmers I believe the Nova v. KU game clip is the clip when Chalmers dribbled over to Wright and then lobbed to Arthur.
This game is one of my fav KU games, next to '88 and '08...and a few others. I hope they have a game or two like this game.
[
Jay Wright's commercial cracks me up.
According to the Rivals scouting report on Stanford, http://kansas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1623411 ↗ ↗, they have good players, but are very inconsistent. Their bigs tend to have foul troubles. So we need to drive at them and get them into foul trouble. So Wiggins in beast mode will be a great advantage for us. If we make up all the 3s we missed in the first game, we will beat them by 100. :) OK, I will take a 30 point beat down.
@drgnslayr I thought someone made a great observation about WIgs' dribble. It's really high and a bit out of control. That spin move he does in traffic scares the crap out of me too. His dribble takes so long between his hand and the floor. Unfortunately, I've seen him lose the ball too.
@truehawk93 Yes, the charging call is tricky and inconsistent too. Hope the officials forget about the new twist in interpreting the rules. That was too confusing.
And the ball slips out of his hands...
We stand up great on paper... for whatever that is worth. We looked great on paper against VCU and UNI, too.
It's March...... we just need players playing hard and not over-thinking. Tharpe better get his act together because when he is screwing up itt makes all our guys think instead of play. It's called anxiety... minds stumbling and the game unravels.
Imagine how hard it is to stay focused. Seems every human on the planet is watching you play a game. The guys that win are guys that have their heads in tunnelvision... ffocusing only on the game, playing in a rhythm, mind on basketball autopilot. So imagine that and then imagine your PG melting down in front of you. What comes natural is to leave your tunnelvision and address the struggle. Before you know it, the entire team is out of whack!
@drgnslayr stop that talk, now!
@truehawk93 but more times than not, he gets to the ft line.
@Crimsonorblue22 Yep...I just have to trust his talent.
@truehawk93 Saw you were trying to modify the imbedded Youtube video. I think you may try using the link they provide in the "Share",
instead of the one in the address, https://... ↗[
Great memories! Go uconn!
Hey guys! I'm still watching, too, Just wanted you to know you're not alone!
@Crimsonorblue22 Good times and one of the most dominate teams. They suffered a lot too before getting to the '08 NC.
@truehawk93 yeah I picked all the teams that beat us to go far!
I'd like to see North Carolina stick it to Michigan State. They can do it... didn't they already do it to them a few months ago?
We play well against Roy!
So everyone root for Roy.... he's a free advance for us!
" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://cjonline.com/sports/2014-03-22/ku-point-guard-tharpe-good-spirits-following-struggles-against-eku) ↗@Crimsonorblue22
@Crimsonorblue22 I said Naa last game trying to will it to happen...alas we know how that worked out. Wiggs seems too easy a choice...how bout a Selden coming out party!
@drgnslayr Roy hates to play us, didn't he go to our bench one time? I like Roy, should retire while he's still got it.
I loved Roy but am sooooooo glad we got/have HCBS
If I was Self, Tharpe would be my bubblegum. I'd chew his ass in the morning, noon and night! I'd pull a Bobby Knight... chew him up and spit him out... send the kid in shock and see if he can play like a wounded animal. Something has to change in Tharpe to put him in a higher state of mind.
@Crimsonorblue22 Did he score from the field yesterday?
@Crimsonorblue22 Don't get me started on Tharpe. I discussed him with my brother today. I had to shut up. I guess it makes me so frustrated because he is capable but his head is in the wrong place too many times.
Tharpe is overdue. Selden is in cruise control. Wigs was a little off against EKY. It's really hard to say who will show. Ellis had a really quiet and efficient game too. I think the EKY game was a game for everyone to get the cobwebs out. It will be interesting to see who steps up this Stanford game.
Hey Villa, whats the deala? Thought you ate-a Hawk?
Maybe you choked on a feather?!
I just want our guys to know how IMPORTANT every possession is...no lackadaisical passing (Naa) and play like you want to embarrass the other team!
Remember the first half of the UNC game in 08?
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Ok..I like bubble gum. Tharpe just had an interview prior to the EKY game and said he learned from the the Michigan game last year. He then performs like he's never even been to the ncaas. I have no idea what is wrong with this kid. I love the movie "Life" with Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy. Tharpe's new name is "Can't Get Right."
@truehawk93 Funny!
Vill is dead. Good guards won't give away a game at the end. UCONN is a guards school.
@drgnslayr Ollie is doing a great job as Calhoun's replacement. They are clean too.
How did we lose to Nova?
Ollie looks good because of Napier..
Game ova, for nova!
Night all...Rock Chalk Jayhawk
night!
In going over the Stanford roster, I forgot about the KU connection on their roster.
I remember when he committed.
Christian Sanders....son of Brad Sanders from our 75-79 teams.
Doesn't look like he plays as a freshmen, but kind of cool.
As a fan, I consider it my privilege to look ahead and hope for an easier path down the road. I hope Florida loses, just in case it helps us.
Me, or any one of you, looking ahead doesn't affect our chances of winning.
We just need the team to take it one game at a time....and that is Self's job.