🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@kjayhawks

Unless he goes something like 12-6 in conference play and beat KU both times nothing will get them in the tournament with that non-conference schedule. It will be in the 300's. The Big-12 should be mad at them for bringing them down as a whole

@ParisHawk

Picked good years to play I believe the projected last place finishers in both the ACC & Pac-12

To say that this is a cream-puff schedule would still be giving it too much credit. Seriously Bruce, you think you can hide your crap team behind a bunch of YMCA clubs.

!upload-5e22e4d1-cf86-4e00-ae1a-d8ee179d5fe3 ↗

@bmensch1

Bringing up Sean Miller is an interesting name because of his ties to Team USA + he has Nike affiliation and that is important to recruiting. Miller would have to show he can get farther in the NCAA's then the Elite 8 but I have no doubt his name might be brought up if he started getting more success in March.

@justanotherfan

Spot on!

@justanotherfan

I feel like we've been waiting for him to establish rotation level player at every stop he's had so far. I wonder if that day ever comes!

@Crimsonorblue22

Crossed my mind.

@chriz

He keeps referencing guys who attended Steph Curry's camp- Malik Newman was one of them

thanks for the laugh guys and gals

Fran has been to practice a few times now. Getting his hate material ready again.

Bet Frank Mason is on his all Big-12 PG list this year :smiley:

@franfraschilla
Like you'd expect from most good teams this time of year, Kansas has made big jump in 2 weeks. Rookies comfortable, Vick & Bragg improving.

@franfraschilla
There may or may not be a better backcourt in country but KU's Mason & Graham but their togetherness is telepathic. Always aware of other.

@franfraschilla
Started to see real Josh Jackson today at KU practice. Less thinking, more instinctive and extremely high hoops IQ. Alpha dog.

@franfraschilla
Always glad to see @StephenCurry30 @UAbasketball Camp alum, @iammaliknewman at KU practice. Bill Self will get a lot out of him. Looks great

@KUSTEVE

Bill probably does think its the best, he is the coach and cannot say anything else if he even wanted to. He's an Oklahoma boy and has grew up on the Big-8 to Big-12 his entire career. So for him having the big job in the Midwest may just be the best thing possible.

@HawkChamp

Seems about right, they have too many questions for me right now. Good program, good coach and he has plenty of young talent this year. Looking to me, 4th best in their own conference.

@jaybate-1.0 said:

I am just talking about the last 5 seasons Self has coached, when Self has won so much even when the top 8-9 players on his rosters appeared to have had sharply less talent than Coach Ks

Recruit better, coach better.

Coaches often gauge the jobs coaches do by taking into account the talent they had

KU consistently get's top talent, again we get no pity party in that aspect

WINNING RINGS MEANS LESS, IF A COACH HAS AN OVERWHELMING SHARE OF THE TALENT IN THOSE SEASONS.

No, no they don't. Championships go in record books, history. There is no book for how they are won or because a team had a team stacked full of NBA talent.

was a young Turk the refs were not apparently bending over backwards to favor.

Something we agree on

One recent ring season Coach K had basically a 1 in 2 chance to win the ring he won, because of how loaded his roster was in the first 9-10 players.

Does that somehow diminish how hard it is to win the tournament, the same one we call a crapshoot, luck driven half the time?

Coach K’s widely fluctuating W&L record and frequency of early exits the last ten years, especially, suggest his inability to win at levels Self does when Coach K has levels of talent that routinely Self has to coach with.

KU has left the tourney early just as well in the last 10 years with some great rosters.

@HawkChamp

Agreed Oregon could be one of the 4 best teams this yr.

Virginia a 2 seed seems really high considering what they lost

@jaybate-1.0

Saying Self has been a better coach then Coach K over the last 5 years is again a homer view. K has won 2 titles in the last 6 years. I'm sure Self may have more wins, conference titles, the minor details that give Self even a chance of being considered a better coach. Then you factor in Coach K won yet another gold medal for team USA and Self just doesn't stack up. It's okay we don't need to compare them to each other because they are both at the top of their profession

But it will be interesting to see if Self is considered by them. He can do everything coach k can and knows how to keep a program at an elite level.

@jayballer54

believe what you want, I'm out of the recruiting side of things with the season now here. The circus that is recruiting is boring now

@Texas-Hawk-10

I agree that Coach K is a once in a lifetime guy for Duke. But saying another coach won't keep the program as good as it is, is a bit pre-mature to say, they will always compete for championships with the right replacement. The system is set to succeed with whoever takes over. Just as the program was set when Roy left for UNC. And the same for when Roy hangs it up and someone replaces him

As far as the OP was about, I agree would love to play Duke annually. Have many friends that are Duke fans and they hate KU for reasons I'll never understand. Probably because we have proven we can beat them even if year in they have more OAD talent then us. Having that East Coast rival such as Duke would be good for business. Recruiting, exposure, media attention it all makes sense.

With the way the Big-12 is, everyone else is just a pretend rival. We haven't been able to elevate anyone to a level that can consistently give us problems so why not make rivalries with one of the programs that can.

Let me ask this question for those who think Duke will suffer after Coach K.

Take a look back when Roy Williams left KU and us fans were in the exact same position Duke fans will find themselves in at some point. Bill Self was not an Elite Coach at the time and if anyone felt that way take the homer glasses off. Roy built KU into a great program, Self elevated the status even further. KU got it right, I'm sure Duke will do the same.

Insert Coach K, he made Duke- his replacement will not elevate what he's built but only hope to maintain it in the post K era. Duke will have their choice with any coach, no coach is untouchable professionally/collegiate from them, even Bill Self. We're talking arguably the top school in the sport. We can whine all we want but in the end the Duke brand is at a level that will not fail. I hope our coach isn't a serious candidate for them when it happens. I'm sure I'll hear the normal responses like " Bill would only leave for a NBA job". That could be correct but even at the level KU has reached with Self, there is always more and Duke is the premiere College in Basketball. That challenge alone could be enough for Self to want to take on.

@Ralph

Why wouldn't he just have taken his official for their Tipoff then. It all points to him going to Bama.

@justanotherfan

This is a top 10 recruit, losing out on another one is a big deal.

@jayballer54

Being reported Sexton will unofficially visit Alabama this weekend and commit after. Anytime you see a recruit going back to visit a school they have already been too means its over for anyone else.

Another one bites the dust!

@justanotherfan

Honestly I do hope my criticism of Newman is wrong because I wanted KU to get him the first time around. He got his bad /growing pains year out of the way, he's humbled and everything he's said, he finally realizes he should have ended up at KU in the first place. The pressure is gone in a sense that he's not trying to be the local star anymore and will be in a system that caters more to his strengths.

He has a chance to get stronger, play with the best damn guards in the country and mold himself after those guys. No doubt he's got 20 pts per game potential if we needed it, the key is unlocking Newman as an all around player.

@kjayhawks

That's what happens when you let coaches vote. The AP poll should provide better clarity.

I know CBS was having a nice drink party when they made that list. Wichita is not a good team this year after losing arguably the 2 best players that have ever come through the program.

@HawkInMizery

Everyone plays down to competition unless you have an elite team.

But I get what your saying, Self's job to create that chip on their shoulder mentality.

@JayHawkFanToo

Yes I cannot actually make this up if I tried. More votes then Baylor, a team that is likely to be ranked during the year.

@Crimsonorblue22

Yeah he'll appeal and serve some phony suspension

Other Big-12 Teams.

West Virginia- 18th

Texas- 22nd

Iowa St- 27th

OU- 31st

Kansas State got 3 votes??? Must be from Manhattan or drunk, likely both

1. Duke

2. KU

Will it be a 1 vs 2 in MSG??

@Crimsonorblue22

Hope so, he's really important to next years squad

@jayballer54

Greene was a lazy defender and he saw the floor. He was also a coaching headache but he still got on the floor. He did make poor decisions, it can happen with kids who just don't fully get it.

Newman has a golden opportunity to change and get back to the dominate player he was coming into College. Usually guys do better with a change of scenery.

I highly suggest anyone youtube pre-draft tape of Newman's freshman year. You'll see some good mixed in with a lot of questionable things. Made me wonder if he was really the right fit in Self's system. I know they love the kid and his scoring ability but as you said it takes a lot more then just scoring to play at KU. Malik needs to be molded in the off-year into a KU guy.

@jayballer54

Waters might impact Troy Brown to consider Georgetown, that was Brown's last visit

You really think Bragg will be back? We shouldn't be that naive to the current culture of College Basketball.

Bragg is exactly the type of forward the NBA wants. He's stepping into a starting role with little competition behind him. As long as he has a pulse, is not injured, and isn't constantly in foul trouble this guy is going to be a possible lottery pick. Bragg will have to severely underachieve to not be in a position to jump to the pro's. Of the 3 guys we are worried about, Carlton is probably the least likely to return because of the situation he's in and the way his game translates to the NBA.

The outlook for next year changes if either Graham, Bragg or Svi return. We are recruiting guards like Devonte is gone. We did recruit Bragg's replacement and failed, and we've been after multiple wings to little avail (with Troy Brown the most likely candidate). Call it contingency recruiting or not, our Coach is aware that a big year means big turnover

@joeloveshawks

Nice, hadn't thought about that! Will be nice if we can win in MSG over Duke. I know without Giles their fans will cry about him being out if we do.

@drgnslayr

I don't doubt for one bit that his enthusiastic personality and hands-on style of coaching can reach these young kids and get them to buy in. The road to getting that kind of consistency at Texas I believe is where he's already running into issues. I know that once Basketball season is the only show in town, some people care but as a whole the state of Texas is about football. Its also a school that can consume you and spit you out if you don't get results fast (ala all the media headlines of Charlie Strong's days being numbered already). He's got a roster more to his liking now with kids he's personally invested in, instead of the loners he had last year. If he doesn't have Texas in the NCAA tourney making noise, fans will start to turn on him.

As I said I think its different to have a style of play that fits the mid-major, underdog team with guys who have chips on their shoulder and are hungry then to do the same thing at a much bigger school with bigger expectations. Some guys he's won over, we recruited the heck out of like Andrew Jones, Jarrett Allen and to some extent Tevin Mack. So he's clearly convincing guys Self was also after. Whether he gets the results with these guys is another story. Some small sliver of me says it would be good for the Big-12 if he does but then I remember his snark comments about his claim to fame win over us and I quickly think about the 40 point drubbing we gave him in Austin and wish that outcome was annual.

@drgnslayr

Well Smart has definitely recruited well since getting to Texas. 6 Top 100 kids not including the 1 that followed him from VCU for this year and next.

Style of play is always something I worry about when translating and going to a better school. You recruit top 100 kids and they can say they like Smart's plan but it's different to actually execute it. I think with Smart it was easier to get underrated kids to buy who had chips on their shoulder then it might be for him to get known national kids to buy in. I think when Smart was becoming a house-hold name that chip he had on his own shoulder rubbed off on his team. Now he goes to a power school where Basketball isn't even a fly on the map and that chip is instantly gone. How does one replicate what was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity he had and now has to reinvent the wheel somewhere else

@wissoxfan83

Interesting that you think the Big-10 is down. I can see that, but I also think the league might be more balanced which could make it exciting. I think Purdue/Wisconsin are at the top followed closely by Indiana. Then you have Michigan St, Michigan, Ohio St, Illinois who should be good enough to contend. Iowa is rebuilding even with Jok likely to put up 20-25 a night. Maryland is rebuilding even with Trimble running point. Penn St has really upped its recruiting efforts but probably is a few years away still from relevance.

@justanotherfan

But what does UCLA do with Hamilton who I thought became their best scorer late in the season? Can they really put him at the SF spot when he's a more natural 2 guard. Holiday was a turnover machine last year but showed promise. Alford is a big shot taker/maker but relies on volume to produce. Something about UCLA some years is just hard to rely on. Last year Alford lost his players, not sure if guys didn't buy in or what.

Agreed about Kentucky's big man Adebayo. He's a man child in the post. Kentucky just has a very unbalanced roster. Guards, no wings, posts, 1 true center type. Who makes perimeter shots for them, Willis? If I was an opposing team playing Kentucky you zone them all game. Force them to make shots outside.

I think Purdue becomes a team that is hard to stop because of their size. Haas showed promise, Swanigan is a classic Inside/Out type who could have been a pro. Edwards is a lengthy wing.

@HawkChamp

UNC gets overshadowed by Duke this year. Brice Johnson is a big miss for them but I think Meeks & Hicks who was crazy efficient for them last year help them anchor the post. I don't think they miss Paige who became one of the most erratic shooters I can remember. The concern for UNC again is perimeter shooting as it looks like Berry will be their only starter who's consistent. Some of their freshman are intriguing.

@justanotherfan

Good point on UCLA, I think the difference maker for them is how much of an impact does Ball have. Does he take the PG spot from the coaches son right off the bat. His style, really unorthodox, but he's a player and can make a whole team better. Seems like they have a lot of players slotted for 2 positions (PG, SG) and not enough depth in the post. Leaf, the top-20 freshman must be good for them as well.

I feel as if a lot of teams have great perimeters and little post presence.

@justanotherfan

Take that lineup and compare it side by side with past starting lineups and take a hard look. We would be putting out what I think would be the least talented starting 5 KU has had in many years, especially under Self. Maybe there has been other years but that lineup doesn't scare me, I don't think it scares anyone.

Now I know we don't have accurate reports right now where Vick, Lightfoot, Udoka & Coleby fit into next year's squad so I could be short-selling the capabilities of them but I see 1 known commodity in Vick, he'll play this year and likely be a star next but it's likely the other 3 will have limited roles this year. Did we really sign Maxwell to play? Did people really miss on this kid from Liberty? Tape doesn't say much. Maybe he can be developed and coached up.

With both Lightfoot & Udoka we have to be patient. Lightfoot has got to get his body right, reports seem to indicate he has some intangibles and a good work ethic so maybe he surprises us. Udoka, is not a skilled player, great potential and its going to take time. His size is only good if he knows how to use it. I think he'll advance his game quicker than some but I'm going to wait on him to prove it. We'll find out whether he's closer to Diallo or Embiid.

With recruits I honestly have no idea now. Missing on Chaundee Brown was a real bummer. Ayton just keeps kicking at us, he was the sure-fire replacement in the post to Bragg. The Sexton momentum seemed promising, he's said its likely us or Alabama. Just get the feeling Avery Johnson slime's one out on us. Sexton a south kid, Bama been on him so long, he can be the face of a terrible team/basketball program. Sexton would keep Newman from being a primary ball-handler. Frank Mason 2.0 type. If we believe the media we haven't had a serious chance at Young for a while but we do get our chance I believe this weekend when he visits. I've thought Troy Brown was likely to end up here, and recent commits at schools he was considering and positions would keep us in the running. Who knows? It's likely going to be a spring recruiting frenzy again for Bill.

@dylans

I'm down for a ring and getting recruits. We'll certainly see where this year takes us

@wissoxfan83

Badgers should be good. Experience as we've seen can be hit and miss. While they return the whole team you have to wonder if some of the experience they have is just that, and the lack of overall talent at certain positions will hurt them. I wasn't sold on Showalter but he wasn't bad. I'm intrigued by their young guys more then the known guys. Happ is a very sound post but lacks athleticism. Hayes looked bound to have a breakout season last year and was kind of up and down. Tried to shoot the 3 way too much, which I get if he wanted to play in the NBA showing off a game similar to Draymond Green would have been his meal ticket. I wonder if Hayes goes back to being what he was earlier in his career, an undersized bruising PF . Koenig is a tough as nails senior lead guard as well. I think they are good enough to win the Big-10 because there was attrition to Michigan St and Maryland. Teams like Michigan & Illinois could be better as well as Ohio St. I see the Big-10 as a deep league with intrigue and unknown qualities to it. Purdue is the main threat I think if they take the big step from last year and continue on with that. Swanigan & Haas are a tough matchup for anyone and Vince Edwards I think becomes the go-to scorer.

Agree the ref's really messed with Wisky in the tournament. 2 years running now

We all know Vitale is just a puppet in the College game at this point. We know his homer-ism for Duke/UNC/UK. He's never shy about it, we know what he is. I saw he released his top 40, KU was 4th which is fair. The rest of his top 25 I had fun laughing at.

Which Got me thinking what does everyone think are the best teams this year not named KU/Duke/UK..?

Here's his list with my quick comments

1. Duke- No Brainer

2. UK- Not even close to having the talent they have had in the past. Not a top-10 team in my mind.

3. Nova- return a bunch, lost a bunch. The Freshman C hurts their size.

4. KU- we know our team's capabilities

5. UNC- Plenty of experience back from runner-up. Would have them 3rd to start (Duke, KU, UNC).

6. Michigan St- no way, will struggle in the post, some exciting freshman though. No Valentine.

7. Louisville- Pitino seems high on his team, Sophomore's have a chance to be good.

8. Virginia- a bit high , they will play solid D but lost so much from last years squad.

9. Xavier- Great Perimeter, little post presence that I see. Could be good again.

10. Indiana- 1 post, solid perimeter, key will be PG play.

11. Oregon- Really underrated, I think they are a Final 4 team if Brooks gets healthy.

12. Wisconsin- Return everything, will be better with coaching stability. Can see them winning Big-10

13. Arizona- Overrated, going to start 3 freshman? Rumors of Trier missing year?

14. West Virginia- seems a bit high given what they lost. Still a solid bunch who will cause havoc.

15. Purdue- imposing front-court again, they could be 10 deep. Freshman G can score. Threat

16. Uconn- Lots of young talent, might be better without that chucker Hamilton.

17. Maryland- Not a chance this is the 17th best team in the country. Return 3 who even played

18. Saint Mary's- dangerous looking squad, could be the Mid-Major darlings

19. Texas- Again seems high when having to replace 4 starters, young talent though.

20. Syracuse- Underrated especially with White on board. They could be good by seasons end.

21. Florida St- Talent is there but they never put it together. No post presence.

22. Gonzaga- Important transfers help them weather losing key guys. Better than 22 I think.

23. San Diego St- The question is can they score? like every year. Have pieces to be ranked all yr

24. Iowa St- On paper 2nd best team in Big-12 but ranked below WVU & texas. SMH

25. Notre Dame- Beacham should be good, Colson solid but what else?

@JayHawkFanToo

I agree the injury label will be attached to him until he proves otherwise. I do believe his injury at KU was his back? Before the draft is when he hurt the leg then re-injured the leg again if I'm correct.

It will be a shame if he never gets to fully realize his potential on the court. Modern medicine/trainers should be glued to him

@Crimsonorblue22

I'm sure his minutes will be monitored as they have been in pre-season. They won't be competitive a lot of nights so there will be plenty of situations where Joel can rest. Just hope he stays together, he's reminded me this pre-season just how special a player he was. The other night he faked Gortat of the Wizards out his pants, Hakeem style.

@justanotherfan

Well said, the Big-12 missed its shot.

@JayHawkFanToo

You could say the Sixers have a huge void at every position but PF/C.

I see the comparison with Oden, valid from an durability concern. They are not similar in how they play the game though. Embiid has shown he can make NBA 3's in pre-season. Guarded John wall on a switched pick and roll situation. Embiid has talent that truly only comes around every so often

@justanotherfan

I guess I just don't see it the same way as you right now but I understand the optimism that it could be status quo as always. I'm fully open to changing my mind especially after seeing how this recruiting class shapes out, as well as the players we will have next year and how they are developing. I mean we have been in situations such as this before where we could lose our entire starting lineup to the draft/graduation and still not miss a beat. I guess at this time I'm seeing what we could lose, and what we'll have back and seeing a talent deficit.

Vick is potentially a really good player next year. Love the potential for him, I believe he'll be our leading scorer next year. How much he's able to contribute this year is very important to next years squad.

Newman should be okay but I have major concerns about him that I think gets lost because of the hype surrounding him. Will he defend, will he be a team player, will he give 100% effort to the coaches satisfaction. Some of those things he did not give at Miss St for whatever reason.

Garrett will be a freshman, can we really expect him to be our PG? Seems like a very talented player, maybe even an underrated sort of prospect because of the lack of AAU exposure. We won't know until he hits campus.

We are looking at a lot of new faces. Where's the leadership going to come from? Leaving will be Frank, Landon, (possibly Devonte) + Draft picks Jackson, Bragg, Svi. Most of the identity of this team will be gone.

Azubuike offers promise but he's a raw player. He'll be a raw player next year. Again I think as a Soph he'll have a chance to be good, but how good is unknown. Coleby, Maxwell, Lightfoot- a lot of unknowns right now. I can't think of an opposing team that would be scared about us trotting out those 4 in the post.

Again if any of the group stays like Devonte it changes things. Svi would give us balance on the perimeter.

The recruiting class looks unsettled as always right now, 1 recruit could change everything. Maybe we check back in a month's time when Sexton/Brown make decisions.

@Crimsonorblue22

you mean Predator, aka McKay