Bingo, KU will benefit more from the Champions Classic then playing a road game at "x" school.
Seems as long as the SEC/Big-12 Challege is going on we might get a home/away series against UK. So a perennial game against UK, + Duke or Michigan St plus the rest of the schedule is still going to be better than 95% of all other teams schedules. Factor in any non-conference tournaments and KU will away play a schedule that will challenge them.
I think there was a thread a few months back that showed it has nothing to do with how many fans of Rutgers there are but the market in general and how many tv boxes will have access to the game. Same reason the Big-12 was looking at Houston, or UCONN or Florida etc.. Expanding to area's with big TV markets was the main draw for the Big-10 getting into the NY area.
Adding more teams was about Money. Not adding teams is now about Money.
Well I suppose the Big-12 isn't pulling it's own strings to make its own decisions.
Staff is recruiting like Graham will be gone.
Next year will be a rebuild year if he leaves
The last big one I remember was when we went to Ohio St and kicked their butt in 12-13.
Florida came to town a few years ago, although they weren't the elite Florida teams of the past.
With the SEC Challenge & Champions Classic, makes it hard to schedule true road games or get big named teams to come to AFH with our overwhelming home-court advantage. We have to factor in that KU needs to schedule 1 game in the Sprint Center a year and make enough money off home games. The pool of games is small and with how games are booked years in advance its difficult to know what teams will be good 2-3-4 years from now.
did anyone really say Vick would play the 4? I'm sure while we are at it, we might as well try Frank at center as well
I think he's being for real about going small. To what extent I don't know.
Is he willing to lose defense in order to gain on offense? That's the trade-off of going small in theory. It's possible that when Bragg needs rest, Jackson slides to the 4, and either Svi or Vick come into the game. Or when Lucas needs a rest, Bragg plays the 5 and the same rotation from the wing happens.
It's quite possible that Jackson is already a better defender than Bragg is. We are just hoping Bragg is not a defensive liability, and we hope his length and athleticism bring more to the table then even a Senior Ellis could. His offense has always been ahead of his defense. Speculating that putting Jackson at the 4 with Lucas and bringing another scorer into the game would be better then bringing in Coleby or the freshman. At 6'8 and crazy athletic Jackson has the ability to be that hybrid forward that often works for other teams. In theory we shouldn't lose much, we may even be better for making such a move. Keeping Lucas on the court for his rebounding/smart defense is the smart play.
If we go small with Lucas out of the game, we'll most likely be a really athletic and fast 5 out there. I couldn't predict how well we would defend anyone but offensively we could really be lethal. This lineup could match up well with some of the Big-12 teams that will play small.
I do get drafting best available talent but smarter GM's and organizations would have traded out of those situations and found ways to get better. Look what Boston has done by all of its patience and drafting. Move back, stock draft picks, draft talent to needs. The Sixers have not done that for many years now and they are the laughing stock of a professional league.
The one positive for Joel, where he is does give him the chance to showcase his game for a potential big contract next year. If he proves to stay healthy I can't imagine the price he might command on the open market (if the CBA rules don't prohibit one from cashing out after their rookie deal).
I do believe Wiggins will sign with Minnesota. It will be interesting to see if Kris Dunn is the missing piece they need at the guard position. Lavine has also continued to improve. I've always thought they were 1 veteran scoring threat away from being a wildcard in the playoffs. They made plenty of smart moves this summer, not sold on Thibodeau as an offensive coach as his niche has always been defense but he's an upgrade over what they have had.
With Embiid, if he plays at the level we are seeing in the Pre-Season then he should cash-out to the highest bidder. Honestly you don't want to be stuck in that organization that has Drafted Noel, Saric, Okafor & Simmons for two positions and done nothing to get better around them. It's entirely sad that an organization could be allowed to do this but whatever Sixers fans are the only one's suffering. I could see Joel being loyal to them for what they have put up with for 2 years of him not playing but for his own career he should get out as quick as he can.
Coleman cut KU recently, he canceled his visit.
Oregon getting Bailey & Kigab has to help us.
not much of a rumor anymore
yes
as expected Mom won for Cody Riley.
Love the comment about the Mayor. We know Bill and Fred have a good relationship and I'm sure if he's really considering changing the status quo at KU its because he's seen enough to finally believe in it. Jay Wright might have had a big influence as well when the lasting impression of last season is being beat by a bunch of guards/wings and 1 big, the same one that cut down the nets.
Is Bill finally learning that "adaptability" thing we always talk about here? Time will tell
Do you think the 4 guard possibility will be used based on matchup or because putting the most talented guys on the floor gives KU the best advantage?
I get this feeling based on the comments of going small is that Coleby, Udoka & Lightfoot are not ready to contribute in a fashion that would equal what bringing another guard into the game (Vick or Svi) could do.
If memory serves correct, I believe Udoka in the Mickey D game,had a moment of PG where he got the ball in the open court and was forced to dribble. I'm not sure the outcome was successful but Self must have saw something he liked out of it
Very good point Mason had a hobbled body in March. Unless he finds a way to take less of a punishment while having the same impact on the floor,we are probably at the mercy of his health.
It's his last go-around, he should know that he can be aggressive, get into the lane and not take as much of a punishment as he's taken in the past. Something like a controlled chaos would help him.
Just some other recruiting news since we lost our other threads.
Collin Sexton says KU & Alabama stand out, no surprise there.
Trevon Duval's recruitment is now open for whatever that is worth. Now there's talk of other teams getting involved like Duke who seems to be trying to recruit any PG with a pulse.
Wondering what impact Arizona & Oregon getting commits from multiple guard/wings does to Troy Brown's plans. ESPN has run with Oregon being the leader, others say Arizona. Nobody seems to think Georgetown, Bama & Ohio St who he's also visisted are a serious destination. I've always thought it was a KU, Cal battle myself..
The 4 guard lineup could also be a consideration because of the makeup of the Big-12 this year. Down league for bigs, lots of guard oriented teams.
Maybe he's taking some pointers from what happened to us against Villanova. Beaten by a bunch of guards/wings and 1 post player. He's seen enough of ISU's action to know a guard heavy rotation with the right personnel works. We have that in theory this year.
The other side of it is getting his 5 best players on the court. Jackson & Svi or Jackson & Vick on the court seems like an offensive paradise paired with Bragg! Defensively, eh I'll wait to see if, in fact, it does happen.
He is good, a real bruiser and he was the type of guy that gave us fits last year.
Visited for Late Night. Then visited UCLA where his mom wants him. Not likely coming here.
This year is a struggle for the bigs. Deng Gak visits next Friday (frown). Says he's down to Florida, Miami, KU
Oklahoma is really going to struggle. They cannot replace what Hield, Cousins & Spangler gave them. 6 is probably right, maybe even too high for what they lost.
Iowa St will hang around from their guard play as @HawkChamp said. They are so small, they don't have a guy over 6'8 who is eligible to play (Kasongo is a Transfer, Lard is at JC trying to get grades up). Holden & Bowie weigh the same as Svi & Jackson. Not exactly what I call the 2nd best team in the league but Morris, Thomas & Long will keep them in games.
I think West Virginia & Baylor will fight for 2nd place. I think Baylor's top 7 is the most talented outside of KU. We love to knock Scott Drew but they return enough pieces to be good. West Virginia still has 7 guys who played big minutes last year. Their style of play will keep them in games
It sounds as if Self really is open to playing a 4 guard lineup.
Saying its dictated because of personnel is a reflection of just how far away Coleby & Udoka are from being reliable options in the post. That is the underlying message I got from him being so open about this flexibility in his offense
Going to be an interesting season.
Hard to say he'll probably never be an elite shooter. Just has to keep working at it.
The guy they got could be even better then Tubby. Took a relative nobody team full of new players to the NCAA tourney. They certainly return most of their team besides Gotcher. Will be interesting to see just who can compete with us this year.
I'm projecting 5 losses. Just my gut feeling, I really think 6 but I don't want to downplay how good I think they could be.
I say we beat Indiana & Duke and lose to Kentucky in Rupp.
@ Iowa St, @ Oklahoma St, @ West Virginia are just toss up's with our recent history playing in those gyms. We could possibly lose 1 more in conference play or the Big-12 tourney could give us an unpredictable outcome. I do think this team can run the table in March but I do want to see how all our new pieces come together before making that judgement.
Mitch is not an option at the 3. We have major problems if that is the option we are put into.
I think you nailed it on the %'s. Vick is going to see most of his time at the 2 guard spot and if he's trusted to handle the ball, maybe some PG responsibilities. It seems he has really stepped up during this off-season which I was hoping he would do. I will be shocked if he doesn't have a 20 pt scoring game at some point this season. He is wired to score.
I actually think Svi would be the emergency PG just because he's done it before at KU. I don't anticipate we'll need him to be that guy often but if we have big leads in games I would certainly like to see Svi & Vick getting some minutes with the ball just in case there is ever a situation.
Absolutely agree on their importance. Both of them are in a position to help us win games. Guard play wins in March and we have so many options to throw at teams. It's equally important that Bill Self doesn't lose sight of his strengths this year. Give these guards freedom to make plays, its how this team will succeed. If this isn't an outside to inside team we will fall short of our lofty goals for this season.
Jackson had the job when he signed!
Svi has a role on this team but he has to keep improving because there's considerable reports now that Vick has improved to the point where he will play and may play a lot
Agreed those will never change. Just seems he's on a path where something of importance should be in his future at this rate
Do you think Self will get something named after him at this point if he continues this championship streak? What would it take? Another title or 2? I know its still early and he hasn't been here long enough but is there any question he's not going to go down as arguably the best coach in KU history?
Noticed Wayne Selden started for Grizzlies last night. 8pts in 26 minutes.
Embiid had 13 points in 13 minutes in the same game.
BMAC had 18 on Monday.
Oubre after having 24 in his last game had a quiet 10 with 6 turnovers, ouch!
Perry Ellis was listed as DNP with Sports Hernia..Hope he's okay
Wiggins had 9 off 3-13 shooting.
Tarik Black continues to be a solid role player in LA. T-Rob not getting a lot of burn as usual
They are in town watching KU practice. Some of the tweets. Really giddy about the one's about Vick!!
@KUHoops Udoka Azubuike is a 17 year old mountain masquerading as a man. It will take time but he fits the KU system perfectly.
@SethOnHoops
@KUHoops @Vicklovekicks was very impressive. Active and really shot the ball. He will be an X factor for the Jayhawks.
@SethOnHoops
Was extremely impressed with the manner in which Josh Jackson carried himself. Poised willing learner. Has a little @MKG14 in his game.
@franfraschilla
We know who Bill Self's best players are but it surprised me how much soph @vicklovekicks has improved. Should play huge role this year.
@franfraschilla
Think about this. 7-0 280 lb. Udoka Azubuike just turned 17 years old. Scary. Still learning KU system but major upside. Raw but agile.
@franfraschilla
Great to see @StephenCurry30 Elite Camp alum, @iammaliknewman, today. Sit-out year @ KU will work wonders. Major talent being molded by Self
That's what all the experts are saying. They say we gonna pull in the Porter/Young combo too!
But Isn't Michigan St supposed to be his leader?
they have been considered the favorite all along. KU did get involved and has stayed involved so its all up to the kid at this point whether he wants to play close to home or come here.
Announcing at HoopHall Classic this weekend. I know @drgnslayr really wants this behemoth.
The announcement makes it seem FSU with the timing although they have said January was the plan for a while. FSU guys believe he's going to KU but no info to back it just people's gut feeling. I've asked some of my FSU friends and they were split on answers. Nobody knows for sure but you'd have to believe the home team has the advantage.
Did Self do enough to get this guy??
those seats look awful close for court rushing. hopefully our YMCA squad doesn't come back this yr
That's what happens when the end of the season and the NBA draft are close enough to make it a headache. Unlike Football which eliminates that doubt by having underclassmen declare in January and then the draft isn't for another 5 months.. I don't think there will ever be the perfect model other than forcing kids to stay longer or give the direct to league option.
That very well could happen, that the ones who choose to wait until spring will wait even longer. Would make sense if their decision was contingent on certain programs NBA prospects.
The one major issue is the Spring Signing Period which runs from April until May 18th this yr. The date to withdraw will now be May 25 which is a full week after the signing period ends. So kids potentially miss out on scholarships by not signing early enough
I've already spent enough time explaining how poorly Mason played. He was the ring leader of piss poor play Tuesday. Selden doesn't get a pass for his TO's either. We are living and dying by our guards.
But if we are going to get a total of 4 points in 26 minutes as was the case Tuesday from 2 certain individuals we are going to have some long nights like Tuesday.
He's still a work in progress, mind you a very talented one with an All-Star ceiling. A coach who can maximize his effort is a good place to start. We forget he's got an interim coach after Flip passed away. We know the kid is a sponge and can learn to be better at everything he's struggling with.
Yes its going to hurt a lot of teams. But the rules do give players better decisions to make and more opportunities to get the best information out there.
It's going to potentially be a pain in the butt if we have 3-4 guys in Limbo and we get into this trend where we have open spots and guys waiting on who leaves and stays who we are depending on. For example. Bragg & Diallo have mocks at the end of the 1st round. Or Selden which is being mocked in the 2nd, same with Svi. Those 4 could all test the waters and hope they get good info or have good workouts. Meanwhile they don't have to decide until a much later date now, and potential recruits that might have been waiting on KU's guys now have gone somewhere else where teams don't have that issue. Which is why getting your recruiting done early is important.
Good point about Diallo and the Raw label. Most of it was surrounded around his offense, but I'd take his offense any day over Lucas and Jamari. He's definitely still raw but its more about him reacting and being where he needs to be, and his pension for hacking everything.
But he needs a lot of game time and he's not getting it, and he's likely not going to get it. Dare we say that the best thing that could happen to our mess in the front-court is an injury that gives him a chance to play. Obviously we can't afford Perry to be gone but we know who we could afford to be without.
I thought he played well against West Virginia, I actually think he's played well the past 4 games but he's only getting 1-2 minutes to prove anything before he's sleeping on the bench again. What's the point in playing him so little minutes? Your not maximizing his talents this way.
Its really discouraging to see him sit so much knowing what kind of talent he was before he got here. I've tried to keep an open mind for the sake of things but I think I'm really starting to lose sight of that especially after Tuesday's debacle with our post players.
I don't expect Bolden to land at KU especially if Diallo does the smart thing and comes back to school.
I mean its almost career suicide at this point when your playing 5 minutes a game to leave and expect to be drafted.
The new rule with the draft that just passed, pushing back the date for declaring and staying in the draft is now into May. We're likely going to see him test the waters at the very least, I severely doubt he'll just say he's coming back without dragging it on.
And who knows if Bolden is going to wait it out for who has a starting spot open for him. Some say its now UK, some say its always been Duke. Neither has any guaranteed playing time for him at the moment.
I think one of the biggest shadows following Wiggins still is consistency from game to game. Last week he played Cleveland and he was terrific against them even though the Cavs blew them out. He had 35 points and playing the team that traded him has always gotten him extra amped for the game. The game before the Cavs, he scored 11 points, one of his season lows. So its still the evolution of becoming an All-Star level player or getting to the top of the chain that is going to take time. Curry didn't become what he is now early in his NBA career either. The issue is, Andrew is a laid back guy who shows little emotion on the court and the best players in this league are usually entertaining guys that have just as much personality as their game.
And his supporting cast isn't good enough to help mask some of Andrew's weaknesses. He's a poor 3pt shooter and for his size he's hasn't been a good rebounder either. His #'s in those area's put him at the bottom of the league. Towns has been very good for a rookie and some of the games I've watched he and Andrew have run a 2 man game well, they seem to have developed a bit of chemistry from some of the games I've seen. Minnesota needs to surround these 2 guys with talent and shooting.
Many great points.
There was one glaring weakness last night and that was protecting the rim. Hunter does what he can, Mari has his moments where his athletic ability helps but other than that our only other rim protection is buried on the bench. If there's one thing opposing coaches watch, its get to the rim no matter what and force our defenders to make plays or fouls. I think tape will show that could be a flaw to expose in the future.
Oklahoma St plays some sort of soft press don't they? We really handled that well last year in Stillwater what's the chances we do the same thing on the road against them? I don't know how anyone could answer that with a flat "No" after watching what we saw last night. If a opposing team doesn't press but playing KU and decides well what if we throw this wrinkle into the game, and KU hasn't game-planned for that scenario.
The wound is open, it hurts right now and us fans will need to see much a better team come focused on Saturday and in the coming weeks. Our play got us where we were but we can ill afford another vulnerable game.
Saturday is a great start, TCU at home. Impose all our anger from last night into that game.
Correct and I hope that statement isn't taken as I'm saying the season is over. But 1 game can become the ball barer for specific things that happen during a year. This could certainly be that point, but I'm going to have faith that our guys will respond to being humbled. They are kids, we all have to remember that even 21-22 year old veterans are still going to make mistakes. Last night was a bounty of them.
I would hope Saturday at home will give these guys a chance to get back to the championship team they are. We know Self won't let these guys let 1 game shake everything that's been built.
There probably is no one excuse but I keep thinking this team hasn't gotten over the OU game mentally and physically. We labored in Texas Tech and won but OU didn't labor against K-St regardless of if it was at home or not. So we were at this peak after Baylor and OU, then Tech was a letdown and West Virginia was rock bottom.
We had a bout a 3-4 minutes stretch where the lead went from 13 to 4 but 2 selfish possessions later that momentum was gone. The momentum in the arena was changing but this team went back to Selfish ball and we lost whatever heart we tried to muster up. I believe Hunter was in the game at that time of this comeback and then he was subbed things went downhill again. We had chances to keep the game within a few possessions but our 2 PG missed 3 1 and 1 opportunities seemingly in a row.
We had the perfect storm of bad effort and the other team playing their super bowl. We've seen the script many times.