I Like Coach Howard, feel he gets a lot of unnecessary criticism thrown his way for one incident. His recruiting is starting to pay off and he's still young enough to relate to this generation of kids. I see no reason why he won't continue to pull his weight as an Assistant here.
BeddieKU23
31745 posts
This article from January shows the process in case you had other questions
Would this make Virginia possibly going somewhere else? UNC/UVA have played twice already
Teams from the same conference shall not meet prior to the regional final if they played each other three or more times during the regular season and conference tournament.
Teams from the same conference shall not meet prior to the regional semifinals if they played each other twice during the regular season and conference tournament.
I have often looked at how KU has played on the road as the true "eye test" as far as March is concerned. In years past we've seen a Jekyll/Hyde type team on the road. This year the team has shown unbelievable poise/toughness on the road besides the one dude in Morgantown.
And while we lost to Indiana in a neutral setting we played well enough to win, we played great in MSG against Duke, we won the CBE while facing average competition. There's plenty of evidence to suggest this team brings its game wherever it plays. I think a large part of that is the experience Mason/Graham/Lucas bring to the table. It's something I think helps this team going into March
Good thing they are on the "other side of town" if they ended up in the Midwest
If we win 1 game (as the first is a gimmee) we'll be playing in front of a packed house full of KU fans in the Sprint Center for a chance at Phoenix.. Can't think of a bigger advantage for any team going into March.
The ISU game and how it unfolded is definitely a concern going forward, 18 3's is exactly the recipe for beating a Bill Self squad. At least recently in the past 4 games KU's 3 point defense has improved a good bit 29% and the points per game allowed has dropped a good amount into the 60's. Are we seeing defensive improvement over longer stretches of time or just playing offensively challenged teams? And as I understand, 3 point defense is largely a statistic that defenses have no control over but the overall amount of points we give up has been decreasing as we get closer to tournament time which could be a positive sign?
I agree fully that our style is risky, and history suggests in the NCAA tourney a Bill Self team gets tight in situations where they are facing a deficit. I don't know if there is a correlation to this but KU has found ways to do it on the road (not just at home in front of an imposing home court advantage) overcoming deficits @ Rupp, and @ Baylor.
At least as you've pointed out we have a player tough as nails with the ability to proverbially "put the team on his back". Heck we might have 3 of those types on this squad.
LOCK UP this bracket right now. Everyone pack your bags we are going to Phoenix if that bracket comes true
There is also a Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating. Svi ranked 9th in that besting only Frank Mason. Not surprising Doke led that stat when he was playing by a decent margin on Jackson.
So I did happen to find some defensive stats for the team. I'm not sure what it all means and doesn't give the exact detail we are seeking.
In Conference play Svi has a Defensive Rating of 108.9. This is an estimate of how many points allowed per 100 possessions. He ranks 6th (of 7) slightly besting Vick's 109.4 rating. I left out Coleby/Lightfoot because they simply don't play enough to give an accurate and fair assessment. Now having said that Svi is only slightly worse then Frank/Devonte per this rating (107.8, 108.1).
The best defender according to this rating is Josh Jackson allowing just 100.4 points per 100 possessions. That would seem to be an accurate assessment of his defense most nights.
That % is our 3 point FG defense the last 4 games..
Well looks like the Grimes to reclassify thing is dead..
I've got a friend that knows his AAU coach pretty well. I asked about reclassification and the response was "no chance".
Hurt is a good one. The Big-10 will be tough to beat for him but at least KU has really put in the leg work early.
Interesting, they would be salty as well as Seton Hall and others that have been in on him longer. He's skilled, can score on the block and rebound. Small though, Jamari's size..
The answer is definitely Devonte Staying. We've analyzed this situation a ton. Self gave Devonte something to think about right there in the moment, it was a smart move to get him thinking in that mentality that Franks Senior year could be his Senior year.
It was almost like Self was re-recruiting his own player.
But we have to also realize Self did it to recognize him, almost as if it was apart of the plan all along.
We also know that after the season Self will do everything in his power to give Devonte an honest assessment of what he thinks he should do. The combine kind of takes a lot of the guess work out of what used to be an archaic process. Kids relying on their coaches and or a committee of who's? to give these young kids a draft grade. The way the rules are set up today, there's no question Devonte will be going to the Combine at the minimum. It's the smart move to get a real hands on assessment of his chances of getting into the league.
@drgnslayr said
Up until now, Bill had the green light going on recruiting a premiere PG to step in next year
I've been looking at this whole situation as if Devonte has one foot out the door because of that. Self has been looking for Frank's (and or) Devonte's replacement for almost a year. The flow chart of PG misses since that point is getting long. Did Trae Young know something we didn't? That the uncertainty of Devonte played a role in him staying home. Why did so many other top flight PG's look the other way if there was at least (one) perimeter spot open? Maybe he hasn't decided one way or the other, or made his intentions known to the staff. I don't know, I'm willing to keep an open mind, but I also think the writing has been on the wall that he will pursue his professional aspirations after this season. Whatever he decides I'll be happy and respectful. Getting 3 years from any player with NBA potential seems like borrowed time in this day and age. It makes those that stay 4 years + even more gratifying. For KU, the golden age of Seniors is going away. We are slowly seeing less and less that choose to stick around.
He just doesn't reside on the roster currently, unless Devonte sticks around
Saw that. Pressure is on to keep Graham
And a side note on Preston; listening to that last Jerry Meyer podcast Jerry broke it down pretty well on the question about Preston. He said yes there is concern especially from where he went to school before. Oak Hill is the place to go if you want to clean up your academics. He basically made it seem like Oak Hill works miracles and is well versed in figuring out how to help these kids get eligible. Not earth shattering news but he seemed to have some re-assuring information to provide about another kid he knew that was in a similar situation and used Oak Hill to clean up his act. If Preston makes it to campus, we will have Oak Hill to thank
It's why I'm worried about next season. Who's the leader on the team if Devonte leaves as well?
And Devonte, where do you find the kind of spark plug that can make 3 after 3 in the clutch. The West Virginia & Oklahoma games bring out his true value to this team for example..
KU's Defensive Stats BTW over last 8..
First 4 games
W-L 3-1
PPG 80.5
3 pt FG pct 41.2
Last 4 Games
W-L 4-0
PPG 65.7
3 pt FG pct 29.5
Ford might be out of a job again. such a great year at St Louis..10-19, 61 points a game. Sounds about right!
Edit: then again I just saw he's got 3 transfers sitting out that will turn things around next season. We need him to tank next year so that Gordon rethinks what he did.
I didn't notice anything wrong with his defense last night. But I looked for ya and Synergy seems to be the only site that would have that kind of statistics and its not free
He's also a 2019 kid, a few years to work on his athletic ability. Definitely a kid you don't want to see at Wichita, KSU, or any surrounding program. He's a take and develop player, the cornerstone to future years of success.
Kind of summarized exactly the whole situation with Graham. Who will win in the end? Remains to be seen
I also think his shooting plays a big part in his confidence as it trickles down to the rest of his game. When he struggles to shoot he struggles in other area's. Just want to see him giving this team his part because when he makes shots they are often huge momentum plays
Seems like he's been at every big KU game this season. Can't imagine we let him slip by, way too good for that. My hope is that he locks down Harvey and Robinson before next year
Svi for 3 has been cold, how cold? 3-18 last 5 games. Where has he gone?
One nice drive left last night but some bad misses while open.
Vick is starting to really assert himself as a weapon on both sides.. We need to get Svi going again! To valuable to have him struggling. Stillwater would be a nice play to break the slump
McDuff reminds of Cleanthony Early
same format every year
If Iowa State loses at WVU, they are the four seed.
If WVU loses, they are the four seed.
I'd rather see ISU our 4 seed with some revenge on their mind for the Allen loss. Can't imagine we'd let Chucker Burton and company punk us again
Does he? I forget if he has in the past. I did notice he singled out Devonte then Josh. Not Svi.. It definitely felt like he was making a point with DG..
So Self pleaded for Graham to come back next season. Not hard to imagine he's already made his intentions known and that's why he did it..
Mason you are truly one of the greats!
Epic
Rebounding is key
Vick great effort
Bout time they tried
jeez
well this is looking fun
Every possession gets worse
Well we already know bragg can't make free throws so let's hope ou misses for once
When you can make a layup you can't win
Nope just continue to make them look like all Stars
Bragg = LOST
Svi struggling hardcore
Nothings changed
@approxinfinity said:
He's had about 5 missed layup dunks so far. And his free throws look lIke he's shooting blind
@globaljaybird said:
@BeddieKU23 No doubt, bill's rippin butt as we speak...
Best half time ripper there is
I think the 2nd half will be different. Crowd needs to help
@globaljaybird said:
@BeddieKU23 The one that played the radio ??
Maybe holly she found a way to wear 12 rings
So can anyone find a player who played well?
out of control!