@Crimsonorblue22 Are you employed by KU Athletics? I'm just curious.
DanR
13365 posts
How about this guy ↗?
@Crimsonorblue22 The "mule" dig was referring to the Stanford team. I watched the game with a PAC homer, and he was shocked that a KU team of Micky D's and the best player in college BB couldn't whip a mediocre PAC Stanford team that most people on the west coast thought shouldn't have been in the tournament. Anyway, mules are great if you're plodding down a canyon...
@Crimsonorblue22 LOL. Too far with the hyperbole?
@Hawk8086 No empirical evidence other than my own gut, but I actually think Roy's KU teams were tighter in the tournament, especially in the first couple of rounds. Survive and advance rather than destroy and advance.
@justanotherfan It's trademark Bill Self to adjust his lineup to defensively match the opponent rather than the other way around. Look at Withey v. Mizzou... they didn't have a guy over 6-7 that last year in the conference, and Self didn't bother to make offensive adjustments to exploit that advantage. I've all but given up on expecting Self to use an offensive advantage to force an opponent into a bad matchup unless it already fits into the offensive set. Ever see a Self team try to force an opposing player into foul trouble? I can't think of one time, but it happens to us constantly.
Generally, the defensive mindset works, but--after watching most of that game again-- it's really pretty hard to excuse the way Wiggins was used offensively against Stanford. No adjustments were made at the half. It would have totally f-ed Stanford up to move Wigs to the high post where he could drive or pass out of the triple teams. There was no attempt to even use Wigs as a decoy. A total waste of a thoroughbred among a bunch of mules.
I disagree with HEM that 1) Tharpe playing was really much of a problem, and 3) we didn't necessarily need to hit a bunch of threes to bust the zone; but, as for 2) scheming with Wiggins, that was an absolutely abysmal job by the coach.
@justanotherfan You've summed up the Embiid situation pretty well. There really is no rational decision other than to go pro now. So, I would just add one last scenario for Embiid:
5) Be a kid for one more year and stay at KU just for the fun of it.
Did we actually get any points off the press yesterday? I know at one stretch we turned them over twice but we were so rattled ourselves that we missed a couple rushed shots then threw it away and they got a bucket and a foul.
(Probably a good example of why Self needs to use the press a little bit more during the year just so the guys know how to amp up then settle back down.)
We'll probably have a better overall record and go farther in the tournament. If the team stays intact from next year to the year after, we'd have a championship caliber team.
I don't understand the no OAD hard line. Every game this year would have looked a lot like that Stanford game yesterday without this year's OAD's.
It's cloudy in Lawrence, Vail. No sunshine... yet.
Honestly, losing didn't really bother me that much. Going into the tournament KU was just like about 60 other teams, hoping for a miracle run. It wasn't a solid team. I feel bad for Tarik Black, but that's about it.
The highlight of the season was the second game of the year, beating Duke. By the time we got back from the Bahamas, the cracks were exposed, and it was obvious to me that unless the team averaged 85 points, then they would lose a bunch of games. Florida was the low point in how bad the young team could be. Losing the game and Embiid at Okie State was the probably the lowest point overall.
Watching Embiid develop during conference play was the highlight of the season, along with the Black-Traylor punch coming off the bench. The rest of the players rarely seemed to enjoy themselves.
All in all, a rather forgettable season.
If you click on the photos it shows the photog. is, indeed, Nick Krug.
I doubt wiggins is worried about a future job interview (and someone who would base a hire on ink better be getting ready to retire anyway!), but I agree that his bare skin says a lot more about his own self confidence than those dumb 3s Marcus Smart has on the backs of his fat arms.
Of all the OAD's this year, I'm pretty happy with the ones Self landed.
@Wishawk how could you have Tennessee over Umass if you had Iowa playing in?
Midwest looks the toughest to me. I wouldn't trade with Wichita State!
Georges Niang ISU
I'm sure he'll provide some theatrics tonight.
He hasn't been quite as bad this year. But last year in Ames against KU, he was on his back half the game. I think the refs finally got sick of it, resulting in the "no call" at the end of the game on Elijah's drive.
Black won me over. I lived in TN and followed his saga in Memphis, so I didn't expect him to be much of contributor on the court, but his attitude ended up being 180 degrees from what I feared.
So, Iowajayhawk, give Greene a chance. He might have a face you want to punch, but he's a smart kid (4.0 in high school) and a tough competitor.
Interesting difference of opinion between HEM and Jaybate regarding Self's coaching strategy. Although it boggles my mind to think we had three 3-point bombers on the bench then entire game, I've always assumed that Self tried to win EVERY game, playing the players he thought could accomplish that goal. However, last night I really felt like he did not do that. Either he was out coached, or he was trying to make a point to his players: 1) you can win with good defense (almost happened) 2) You don't need to jack threes to win (true, but we clanked some bad ones down the stretch anyway) or 3) You are my top eight guys, and this is the last chance to prove you can function in a close game (fail).
I'm not sure where Self goes from here. Every time I see Mason and Tharpe out there together I want to bang my head on a wall. It's painful to watch, but hopefully the man has a plan!
That's a great photo. I love how Greene has the attitude that he's the best player on the floor, but right there, he knew he screwed up all by himself.
...fists clenched, taunting fans, nowhere to hide. Quite the learning moment if there ever was one.
Hey Apologist, great calm-headed comment. I agree with everything you wrote (loved the "9th year senior Patrick Young" jab especially!). I was encouraged by the second half effort. We have the record I expected at this point, and it's clear we have the athletes/tools to improve, so--yep, let's just enjoy this ride...
Approx, consider yourself lucky to have missed the first half.
I've been concerned since the Duke game that Self seems to be content to score entirely through the point guard spot. In the past, that was a good strategy up until, oh, about 2 minutes of last season, but this year, our PGs are the least effective scorers on the floor. If the PGs aren't CREATING scoring opportunities for the studs, that's going to be a huge problem-- we'll be only as good as the worst players on the floor. I love Mason's attack dog mentality, but his primary job has to be to get the big dogs (Wigs, Ellis and Embiid) involved. Tharpe just needs to pull his head out of his rear and do the same thing.
I'm increasingly becoming less enamored with Tharpe and Mason on the floor at the same time. Selden was terrible tonight, but Tharpe and Mason together offer nothing that one of them alone already does.
Sensing some bad mojo with team chemistry. It's hard to believe we'll have two years in a row without an alpha dog. Greene is one, but has some issues, so it will be interesting to see what happens with him and White.
AXS TV is a Mark Cuban/Ryan Seacrest network that shows the Gene Simmons Family Jewels program 24/7.
Channel 298 in Lawrence on WOW cable
Channel 340 on Direct TV (I sure hope it's part of the package that my in-laws have, otherwise my holiday weekend will be ruined)
I probably went too far with the Axe body spray dig.
Here's my question, Jesse:
Now that you're in Topeka (and closer to being downwind of Manhattan), in your professional opinion, exactly how bad does K-State Basketball stink this year?
a) truck full of manure (chicken)
b) decomposing body
c) raw sewage
d) dog farts
e) elevator packed with teens wearing Axe Body Spray
Just kidding, but I am curious if you will be covering the Wildcats over there at the CJ.
I would not be surprised if Andrew White transfers after this year. (I wouldn't blame him.) The kid is driven and works too hard to be satisfied warming the bench. If Self needs to free up another scholarship, watch the way he treats White this year. If he continues to keep White off the floor (like against Duke), he's probably pushing him toward the door.
Good win. No catastrophic errors, and no unnecessary trickery by Weis (although he should have kicked the field goal instead of going for 4th and 2 in the fourth Q--ultimately it didn't matter). I've been hanging in there and suffering for the past few seasons and I'm really happy for the players and the faithful students who showed up today.
Saw some WVU folks downtown tonight and they seem to be enjoying Lawrence.
Approx, I really appreciate the effort, but this is just a mess. I'd give it a full critique from my graphic designer point of view, but please just go back to the way it was, which was great (crisp, clean and readable). That would solve about 99% of the problems.
Top complaint: Reversed text (white on navy)... that's gotta go.
It's your baby, so take it for what it's worth.
Definitely looks rough on D. On the offensive end, Embiid set some darn good, well-planted, high screens against Duke, so he seems to have that figured out. He also had great position catching the ball a couple times down low, and just didn't take the shot, panicked and dribbled out to the corner (or passed out for an assist!).
I think we'll see him out there as much as Self can handle it.
Black didn't transfer out of Memphis to sit on the bench. I've been pleasantly surprised so far (with his attitude), but still fear that his past personality will surface. Remember, NO ONE was sorry to see him leave Memphis other than--maybe--his Mom. He's my last remaining concern with this team reaching its potential. Fortunately, Coach Self is not Pastner.
I've been too elated to comment. My expectations are already surpassed. My biggest concern with Wiggins was that he was too willing to disappear, but that last 6 minutes showed otherwise.
What do we still need? A center who can rebound and defend the rim.
My dog hides during KU games. That's normal, isn't it? I'm pretty sure it's the "squeaky shoe sounds" from the TV that bug her.
Justanotherfan, that's about as perfect an explanation as I've read about the problem with football at KU, particularly #3.
Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky have the same challenges (although Duke has been slowly building an identity with Cutcliffe at the helm).
Maybe the refs should enforce the carrying/palming the ball already on the books too. That would triple the turnovers on offense to even out the touch fouls on the defense.
Fun read, slayr. Maybe Coach K will adapt by having his players flop on offense instead of D.
The hand check enforcement will be a huge blow to Anrio Adams' career, assuming they call it as closely in Junior College. (Too harsh? Yeah, probably!)
Last night, Perry Ellis looked like the only Jayhawk comfortable playing 1950s-style foot-movement defense, so hopefully the rest of the team will figure it out... comical to see guys practically slapping their own hands away a couple of times.
I can see coaches with a struggling offense change strategy entirely to take advantage of this (e.g., Tyshawn shooting 15-17 FTs against KY in 2011 without the rule change) I won't be surprised to see some teams to shoot over 50 free throws a game. Ought to be interesting. And ugly, if you like hard-nosed D.
Sounds like Wiggins is taking it all in good humor, but it sure seems like it would get really tiresome having people snapping photos of him all the time. Lawrence is a smaller town, so it's not really that unusual to see current and former players around. I've always been impressed with the way most people in Lawrence are respectful of their space.
@Carefulyou Funny you should mention that Weis is "willing to try something different" because that seems like part of the problem with the team being off-balance. Several times Weis has gone to plan B or C when plan A was working just fine. It drives me nuts watching the games, and it must be even more frustrating for the players.
Ted Owens was a little before Kansas was on my radar. What was the deal with the program at that point? It's hard to imagine KU coming off two losing seasons in a row and Missouri having won 5 straight Big 8 conference championships.
It's OK, julian, but it just doesn't quite capture the essence of being "scared". If it could tremble a little bit, that'd be perfect.
JayDoc, you seem even more pessimistic (although we both presumably have them going deep into the NCAA tourney) than I am... care to list your nine losses?
My Eight losses:
Duke
One in the Bahamas (venue sucks/anything can happen)
@ Florida
4 B12 games (@OSU + 3 we play poorly)
1 loss in the B12 tourney or only make it to the final 4.
That would be a legendary season for most schools. :-)
KU, I guess you expect an early exit. Could definitely happen.
?? I counted 13 non-conference, 18 B12, 3 B12 Tourney and 6 NCAA Tourney
Everyone seems to be really over-thinking the redshirt stuff. There is no upside. With top-40 rankings out of high school, I'd be shocked if either Greene or Frankamp would accept a redshirt before transferring out of here, and they are exactly the kind of 30- to 40-ish ranked guys we need to stick around for 3-4 years to keep a solid program (unless we're happy with a Robert Morris NIT loss at the end of every couple of years).
Asking Conner to become a walk-on in order to offer a scholarship to next year's prima donna one and done? Not going to happen to a competitor like Frankamp. And, if Self tries to pull that crap with an in-state kid, there will be some backlash.
A couple of times last night it looked like we had six guys on the floor and none of them knew where they were supposed to be. On the bright side, once they figure it out, it's going to seem like we have eight guys on the floor.
32 - 8
Wiggins "Era" Begins?
Seems more like a 2-day trip to Disney World than an era. Lots of anticipation, waiting in lines for a few short thrills, and before you know it you're waving a tearful goodbye to Mickey out the back window of the station wagon...
I dunno. I'm not quite ready for basketball yet, so I'm probably going to watch a replay of the KU-Baylor football game instead or maybe just hit the sack early and check the box score on Wednesday morning.
Seven ways to be "worried," but not one "scared" for Stupid Michael?
(sweat) This "sweating" might work.
Last year, as a junior, Black was a 2nd string Conference USA center who couldn't make half his free throws. I don't expect much. If that tiger can change his stripes, great. The Memphis-Xavier game from last year is still available on epsn3. It's one of Black's better games if you haven't seen him play.
What do we need from him? 25 mpg, trickling down to 15 mpg over the course of the season, 6 points, 4 rebounds, <2 fouls and <2 TO's would be a bonus. Hopefully Embiid gets up to speed fast, because we're going to miss Withey's 7-foot presence more than Kevin Young's energy.
Slayr, I'm satisfied with your 1 - 5 with Tharpe. How about:
6) ? Be able to hit a clutch shot when you need it? Tharpe had two chances to win that michigan game and clanked them both... that's what worries me--ball stuck in his hands at the last second.
7) ? Defense? Chalmers, Robinson, Miles, Sherron, Vaughn, Taylor... those guys could be pests. I hope Tharpe brings some of that this year.
Haven't seen Tharpe show that he can take it coast-to-coast really much either (not really Self ball anyway), although I like him running the break as he absolutely does not hesitate to make the tough pass. With Selden and Wiggins running, it ought to be fun to watch.
Honestly, I'm already more comfortable with Tharpe out there than a Tyshawn Taylor as a junior.
Hell, the starting point guard spot still concerns me.
It's interesting to watch the social dynamic develop over in the LJW comments, but I'm curious to see how they handle the first real troll or flamewar. There are a couple rather abrasive, thin-skinned wieners already dominating the conversation, so it's just a matter of time before someone gets his little fee-fees hurt. Back in the day, Jaybate would just beat those guys into submission with sheer endurance.