🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@bskeet was on YouTube but removed. Not sure when it will be up again.

@Kcmatt7 I thought Billy looked great in the post.

@drgnslayr it was on YouTube but was removed.

@dylans you are allowing your emotional bias to cloud your judgement. These types of big time games rarely happen before the season starts. Getting a head start on our early season competition (UK) is really important. I wouldn't have cared who we played as long as it was a good team. It just so happened to be Missouri, who has a lot of talent and height, which is a tough challenge for our small ball oriented team.

I know everyone is enthralled with the rivalry, but lets just focus on the actual basketball advantages that occurred yesterday. When looked at in that sense instead of an emotional standpoint, the benefits and potential payoffs become clear.

@dylans they looked like a worthy opponent yesterday. Did you not watch the game?

@BeddieKU23 eh probably not worse. But it doesn't need to better than last year. Oregon only scored 74 points on us....

@DoubleDD you keep talking about risk - what risk is there playing a good team before the season starts?

@DoubleDD I think you're getting too hung up on the fact that we played Missouri. Would your response and feelings be the same if we had played Duke, Michigan State or Florida? Today was great in terms of learning about the team and seeing what they can do. There seems to be more cohesion currently than there has been at the beginning of the last few seasons, such as when we lost to Michigan State a couple years ago. This year reminds me more of 08.

@Hawk8086 killed the major momentum we had

@BShark definitely looks like more a banger and a bit tougher mentally. I like it a lot

I know I said this before but it's so nice to have an inside game this year. Billy and Dok can both make back to the basket moves. Love Billys turn around/fade away. What we sorely missed last year.

@DoubleDD it would have sucked in the worst of ways if we lost. But there is risk in everything. This was a risk I was willing to take because of the potential pay off due to the fact that Kentucky is the only real opponent in our non con. It's almost a must win for the resume. If we lose on the 14th, I won't feel any different because it is ALWAYS a good thing to play a top twenty five team, which I believe MU is.

@DoubleDD like others have said, this game is perfect prep for Kentucky. Missouri personnel wise is very similar to them. We would not have had this prep under normal conditions so I will take it every time. Will it pay off? We'll find out on the 14th.

Better question is: would you have preferred to play more head state and win by 30 and not get the experience of playing a good team?

@drgnslayr I think our guys will be more prepared than they will be.

I think playing a talented team in real game pressure will only help for an important early season game like against UK. I mean, their exhibition game is against Morehead State. You don't learn anything from a game like that. Missouri, on the other hand, has some serious talent, length, height and shooters. It also showed that Dok, Billy and Malik can make plays in a high pressure game like this (because honestly, all the pressure was really on KU not to lose).

I don't know why anyone would say this was a bad idea. I saw a lot of good things today.

@jayballer54 Porter was non existent in the second half except for a couple baskets. I thought we did a good job on him. They will probably challenge UK for the top spot in the SEC. Lots of talent and shooters on that team.

@DanR with the way Missouri and other teams will overplay the perimeter because of the three point shooting, those driving lanes will be open all day. Sometimes Malik and Vick took advantage of it - that needs to happen more often

That definitely felt like a sweet sixteen or elite eight game. Loved what I saw the second half when we pushed the lead to 17 then got sloppy. Based on this game, they look farther ahead of where the 2015-16 and 2016-17 teams started the year. Hopefully that bodes well for the first few non con games.

Saw what we could have had last year against Oregon in Dok sigh :( Man he took over the game by himself. He and Preston have the inside ability that was non existent last year. We will definitely need it.

I thought this was a great test. Missouri is arguably the tallest D1 team along with UK and very atheltic and talented to boot. Once again, small ball with a little bit of Dok sprinkled in won out, just like last year when we whooped Purdue. I think this will be a pretty good year.

Yeah fellas!!!!!!

@kjayhawks agreed.

Not bad considering Newman, Vick and Svi were practically non factors the first 20 minutes. Have to rebound much better and lock down defensively. Missouri is really big and its good for our guys to play against such a long and tall team, I think maybe only Kentucky is bigger.

@HighEliteMajor hasn't self talked about starting a traditional lineup with Preston?

@KUSTEVE maybe he should watch the highlights from Buddy and Devontes duel.

I just hope we don't lose. That would suck, even though it's not an official game.

@JayHawkFanToo naivety has no age

Outside of Porter and Tillmon, do they have any decent guards? If not, I think it's a double digit KU win.

Buddy Hields final four team couldnt do it. Not to sound arrogant, but its going to take a whole lot to go right for OU to end it.

@Kcmatt7 bingo!!! We have a winner!

Should be fun. Looking forward to it

@jayballer54 I saw that too. Kind of seems like he has burned the bridge but who knows. I think Self should take a gamble here and not require Robinson to stay for a second year, if hd hasnt already. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

@BShark It does appear as though Robinson has a good outside shot and he is also mufh quicker and more nimble than Dok. It would really depend on who the opponent is and if Robinson moves laterally well defensively. For a tall team like Kentucky or Arizona this would work well.

KU probably was going to help him but he didn't want to commit to a second year if it didn't work out.

Looks like he is visiting new Orleans soon. I don't think he's coming here.

@Statmachine this could get interesting.

Yep not surprising. We could have used him.

@KUSTEVE I agree but the longer this thing drags out with no word from anybody, it looks as though Robinson is going elsewhere.

@HighEliteMajor I agree with your points. There is pretty much nothing that would keep Robinson from getting 25-30 minutes a game. I highly doubt that Mitch would be chosen over him. Besides knowing the system better and stuff like that, what can he do that Robinson cant?

Diallo was much different because he was raw and did not learn the system. Robinson knows the game very well and it probably wouldn't take him very long to learn a good portion of what Self teaches. Plus, he is qualified and eligible to play college basketball, so if he chooses KU, he can start practicing and learning the system even if he has to sit out a year.

Yes, it is exciting to think of the possibilities with adding a player like Robinson. It's been quite a while since we had two legit shotblockers in the post and that much length in general. Our title defense in San Antonio has a much greater chance of occurring with him than without him.

KUSTEVE said:

If Robinson signs with us, and is immediately eligible, we win the national championship this year.

Not an unreasonable prediction. No one would 1. have more size than us 2. there would not be a talent gap between us and any other team 3. the inside outside balance could be just as good if not better than 08 4. we could play a half court game better because we have more height and an additional shot blocker. Even if he only can play for the spring semester, no question he would make a big difference for us and may well be the reason we win it all.

@Kcmatt7 I agree with your reasoning. That would have been a big gamble by Wade and he would have taken some heat if it didn't pay off, whereas KU has nothing to lose.

@BShark yep. No real weaknesses. One can hope!

Has anyone heard about him not having been fully processed at WKU?

@BShark the ceiling for the team is as high as it's ever been if we get him. Wow!

Wow big news guys. Maybe we will land him after all? Imagine what our front court would look like. Robinson brings our ceiling to a whole new level.

What else did it say?

@mayjay I have heard folks talking about that and it is a good idea. Of course, one cant help dream about a scenario where he plays with us this year. Is he versatile enough to play the four? He looks pretty quick from what I've seen. Would be sweet to have him and Dok play at the same time. Thats two legitimate shot blockers and a lot of length on the front line.

How soon will we know if Robinson is eligible to play this coming year?

@HighEliteMajor he probably wouldnt want to. Newman stayed because his stock was lower while Robinson does not have that problem. Maybe we could get him as a partial qualifier for the spring semester? I would certainly take that.

@justanotherfan I think our guards have proved enough over the past several years that it is hard to shoot over a shot blocker when you drive in the lane. I thought they would see not to do that after getting dismantled by Kentucky a few years ago but instead made Bell look like Olajuwon. Did anyone try at least one shot fake to throw Bell off? I dont remember that in either game. People treated Bob Knight like he was a stupid fool for bringing up the shot fake during the games but he is absolutely correct - the shot fake is woefully underutilized.

Would have been nice to see anyone drive the lane, jump stop then shot fake on Bell. No harm in trying it.

@Kcmatt7 I can see that but he could have played a sizeable role here. No one nationally cares at all what happens at Western Kentucky, with all due respect to that program. He would have been the first big off the bench to probably replace Dok, would be on national tv every week and have a chance to play for a title. Sounds like a sweet deal to me.