@jaybate-1.0 Or the short wing /free throw area ball screens that they struggled with in the first half?
DinarHawk
548 posts
@jaybate-1.0 Does it have to do with Baylor's post men driving from the foul line and short wing areas to draw fouls?
@jaybate-1.0 Without all due respect JB, I doubt our thoughts on this team are new to any Division 1 coach who has watched Kansas, so I and others would love to hear what your thoughts are regarding this, knowing that you are not giving away secrets.
@DoubleDD I had a feeling the MSU woke him up and got him thinking outside the box. "Freeing his mind" as @HighEliteMajor would say.
@DoubleDD There is really so much depth and balance and can play so many ways that it is hard to gameplan for everyone.
The most important aspect come tournament time is playing OUR game and Self not "puckering up" and being content to play a slow , grind it out pound it inside game. No, spread the floor, run and gun, high pressure defense game, which we have all discussed on here. But the ultimate test will be a close game at some point in the tournament. Will Self return to what he feels most comfortable with, even though he knows his team does not excel at it? So far, he has done a pretty good job of not reverting, and hopefully that old style will not be seen again this year.
@Lulufulu I actually think North Carolina is the biggest challenger and might be better than Oklahoma.
@jaybate-1.0 I second that!
@drgnslayr Perry I think realizes that this is his last chance for a final four and he needs to bring it every night.
@drgnslayr I was thinking the same thing about Iowa State. Watching Oklahoma this year, they do rely on jump shots to a greater degree than we do.
Like you said, the only way Oklahoma could win tomorrow is they shoot 50 or 60% from three or we play bad defense.
@drgnslayr Going to need that same focus for tomorrow. What seems to happen a lot is there is one really good, focused game followed by a casual one. Hopefully there will be focus tomorrow. Oklahoma won't win if there is.
I agree about the fouls, but half of those were silly fouls by Hunter, which he did a much better job of avoiding in the second half, and a couple more silly ones from Jamari, who really struggled in general.
@KUSTEVE I'll quote you on that! Lol
@KUSTEVE This is reminiscent of 2008. Not to sound overconfident, but this team moves the ball and defends as well as anybody. They need to be ready to go on Monday and have a quick start.
@DinarHawk I agree that C5 is better than Plumlee/Zoubeck/Thomas combo. With the success C5 has had against all sorts of trees and rebounding machines, I'd say we are in good shape.
@wissoxfan83 I agree, but like you said we really do not need Cheick and Carlton, although it would be nice to see improvement. If Mick and Perry play like they did today, plus Lucas against less mobile bigs, we will be fine. Everyone feel free to watch Uconn in 14 and Duke in 10 and how both teams won titles without someone like Jahil Okafor and Karl Anthony Towns.
It was one of the most pleasant games to watch in years. I really liked how Hunter played today - he reminded me of Withey!
Graham, Mason, and Selden are definitely championship caliber guards, and the best three since Chalmers, Rush and Robinson in 08.
Really glad that Self kept an open mind in allowing more dribble drive, run and gun action instead of throwing it inside. Baylor had no way to defend all the action and was helpless. I think the reason they stayed within 15 in the first half was because Hunter got two quick fouls. I know I sound like a broken record, but kudos to Self for making the adjustment and starting Hunter next to Perry. Even though he doesnt have the potential of Diallo, Hunter impacts the game in so many ways and is so much like Withey, only he is faster. I think that we could get to the Final Four with Mickelson, if he stays out of foul trouble.
@Crimsonorblue22 I like it!
@Bwag I am not sure about that. We push it at every opportunity also.
news on greene?
Green!
Hunter playing great. Glad Self is finally playing him.
@DCHawker we are much harder to guard with Perry and Hunter on the floor.
Mari hurting us. Where is perry?
There's Mickelson! 3rd block
@Crimsonorblue22 oh ok no problem. He wasn't bad but we need more rim protection.
@Crimsonorblue22 you mean traylor?
Hunter and Perry need to stay on the floor second half. Things really changed inside without them - Traylor and Bragg are not cutting it today.
@KansasComet I was just thinking about that yesterday - I have no reason to think that MSU is better than us. But that loss I think provides a little motivation for future games.
@Bwag What I am referring to is about Diallo's inability to play solid defense without fouling and proper defense positioning, both of which he struggles with. As others have said, the NCAA did not do him any favors by not allowing him to play in the exhibitions and the first five games, which could have helped him to be more comfortable.
I saw those numbers that HEM posted, but I care more about what I see, and I see him a little slow to react and confused occasionally. Now it isn't bad or something that he can't improve on, but he is not there yet. My point is that Self says he is not there yet, which implies he makes defensive errors in practice also. As the season goes along, like Self said, he will get better and hopefully make an impact for us in the tournament.
@Bwag I'm not either, but I know that from what Coach Self says and what I see in the games, and I see that Diallo and Bragg are not adjusted defensively to what Self wants and Divison 1 ball.
@HighEliteMajor yep, one of these days the light will come on for Diallo. It's only a matter of time.
@Bwag But if they can't do it in practice, how will they ever do well in games?
@HighEliteMajor Could it be that Diallo isn't "getting it" in practice and therefore showing poorly in games, such as committing silly fouls, out of defensive position, etc.?
@drgnslayr yes, this is definitely not a one dimensional team.
@wrwlumpy yes, that is why Diallo is not getting more pt.
Excellent point jb, which brings me to another point. I have been thinking for a while that this year's team is a mirror image of the 2010 Duke title team. A unique aspect of that team is that they had no true back to the basket scorer, only three big guys that were tough, rebounded well, played good defense, and played within themselves. The next year when Zoubeck and Thomas graduated, they didn't have that inside presence.
Really, that is all C5 needs to do this year to win a title, with that Duke team as the example.
Great post slayr. Like you, I had a bad feeling about this game in the first - Northern Iowa and Stanfordesque. But even with a terrible first half and below average trey shooting, we still won by 25.
I was very impressed by how Perry attacked in the second half and took it right to big Mommadou and even drew a foul or two on him.
The urgency they had in the second half is how they need to play all the time.
Ugly and slow first half, but a very good second half. Imagine what the score would have been if they had shot even average from three?
@HighEliteMajor spot on man. Hopefully, Self will start giving them more time in conference play. Remember, Self went with Bragg in the OSU game when they were down double digits. If my memory is correct, it took a while for Cliff last year to get meaningful minutes. I predict Diallo and Bragg each play extended minutes on Tuesday as well as against Baylor.
@jaybate-1.0 eh, not necessarily.
@wissoxfan83 We have two of the best guards in the nation. These two remind me of Napier and Boatright from a couple years ago.
@jayballer54 Merry Christmas! Love talking basketball with you guys and gals
@Texas-Hawk-10 Why don't you go over to the Jokelahoma homer forums instead of here? No one is saying that Oklhoma does not have a good team. Regarding the Villanova game, it sounds like Nova hurt themselves a lot by shooting 32 threes on a cold shooting night - Oklahoma did not look like a great defensive team last night or against Memphis earlier in the season.
Anyway, we may share the conference with Oklahoma, but I highly doubt we will lose on the 4th.
@drgnslayr I can't wait for that game. The guys will be ready
@wrwlumpy agreed
@drgnslayr Excellent point. He has started to play to this team's strengths, but just because you play outside - in doesn't mean you can't throw it inside occasionally and play tough defense. So far, it seems to be one of his best coached seasons.
@DoubleDD All aspects of how they play have improved since last year, and it is fun to watch, and there is still room for improvement.
@Texas-Hawk-10 ah, I knew there was a Paul Harvey to what you said!
@DoubleDD LOL!
@DoubleDD I hear you man, I feel the same way. After watching other top ten teams, there is no one that you can point to and say they are definitively better than us. Watched Oklahoma almost get beat by Hawai'i. We can most certainly give them their first loss in a few weeks.