🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@kjayhawks it wouldn't surprise me if that happened.

@BShark he finally figured out how to hit threes in a game. The key is not to leave him open like what Illinois State is doing.

@BShark yeah Illinois states zone is not good at all.

@JayHawkFanToo hey, quit using stats and facts to back up your argument. You know JB only likes theories. Don't you know that players can't improve their shot?

@BShark they are a good team that is well coached but ISU does not look very good.

This is just the first award to go to Frank. More on the way

@ralster his speed last night in the open court was unbelievable - John Wallesque. I am a little concerned also about that shot he took to the midsection - like you said, didnt seem to bother him late in the game.

KU will always be second to UNC, Duke and Kentucky. That said, I like it that we arent getting much media attention. The teams that have in the past seemed to shrivel under pressure. The 08 and '12 teams were not discussed much by the media - in 08, it was all about Derrick Rose and Tyler Hansbrough. In '12, it was all about the Unibrow and a UNC vs UK championship. Both times KU spoiled their party.

I have serious doubts about this team being able to string together four to six wins in March, but they have as good of a chance as anyone else.

Don' forget Landen. He has been huge in conference play and made some big plays last night.

@Lulufulu thats what it's all about - playing your best ball going into the tournament.

@kjayhawks no I think its Saturday

@cragarhawk he and Landen were superb.

Good job fellas!!!!

@Crimsonorblue22 PHOF

Bad shot by Frank

Nice jumper by vick

Need to cover their shooters!!!!

Last year we were in the same position. And in a similar spot against WVU earlier in the year. Can't let them go on a big run midway through the second half. Have to be tough and make smart decisions.

@kjayhawks I know but they aren't in better shape than our guys

@kjayhawks I disagree - they didn't look tired to me. Ok state didn't play more guys than we did

@cragarhawk that's the issue. They had a good first half against Iowa State then played poorly in the second half. They need to dig deep and find it.

Well, after a terrible ending, at least we are up.

@kjayhawks unsmart play

Great job. Giving them momentum with bad play

Another bad foul by Svi. He just can't get out of his own way

What is wrong with frank?

Wow, that was John Wall speed on that drive by Frank

Again, why are they not cover in shooters?

Man, devonte is so loose with the ball

@dylans yes

Svi with two bad plays already

@mayjay I agree. I still think they should wait for all that until they are done at KU.

@Crimsonorblue22 yep, she is bad news. Our players need to consider staying away from girls during their time at KU. It is just a distraction from the main attraction.

@jaybate-1.0 Ok so you didnt. I didnt think so because if you did your teacher would have told you how to properly construct an argument in your paper and not to use fallacies or just keep saying "I'm right and you're wrong".

@jaybate-1.0 I dont buy this whole "due for a big slump" nonsense. If you have been shooting 200 jumpers every day or every other day for months, the muscle memory should be solid enough that there isnt a great chance of a "big slump". For me as a current player, I have yet to experience one of those. Frank can swish open shots all day. Why? Because we know he has worked very hard all summer and this season to become a great three pointer shooter. The whole idea of "he may never hit another shot this season" is utterly ridiculous. Did you ever play basketball? Can shooters not improve?

@jaybate-1.0 Did you take writing in college and have to write a research paper?

@mayjay that along with what the ku official said about how they were reporting stuff without knowing all the facts. Its important we dont jump to conclusions.

If they win out, they should get a one seed. Overall number one? No. Remember, they didnt even have to play at Florida state or louisville because of the unbalanced schedule. Do they even have a good road win?

@HighEliteMajor I think people don't understand that we have one title in almost thirty years - one. I think Self is the one to lead KU to more tourney success but he needs to figure out how to prevent his teams from playing their worst in the tournament ala 2010 and 2011.

@tis4tim it's true that the more times you play in the tournament the more you lose, but we also haven't won more because of playing in it over twenty consecutive years. That's the heart of the issue. Me, I prefer final fours and titles over participation awards. Roy didn't make the tourney in 2010 after winning the title, but that is something I would be ok with. Why? Because titles are hard to come by and you always take titles when you can get them. Some prefer the participation award I guess and put more emphasis on the regular season. Personally, I think tourney runs are way more exciting than the Big 12 race.

@Hawk8086 nah, players can improve their shot.

Wiscy is in free fall right now.

The real issue, like you said @HighEliteMajor, is Self's performance in the tournament. Outside of 2014, you really cant say injuries are the reason. For some reason, like in 2010 and 2011, Self's teams lose a game where they look nothing like how they played during the season. Turnovers are also an issue, such as last year against Nova (six more than they did) and at the end of the game against Michigan. I dont really think much about the 2014 and 2015 teams because those teams were very young and had a horde of issues, so I normally focus on Self's experienced teams.

To anyone who has actually WATCHED the games, it is clear that the refs have not caused a single KU loss in the tournament - there have always been things that our guys could have done better.

At times, I think Jaybate doesnt even watch the non KU tournament games or else he would see that, oddly enough, sometimes teams just play better than a higher seeded team. Take UConn in 2014, for example. I rewatched segments from their run and was reminded at how smart they played and how well they shot the ball. Did the refs or tournament committee rig the rims so that UConn could shoot better? No.

Nova is also another great example of a team playing great defense and making good decisions. Couple those with hot shooting and you have a title contender. How did the refs help Nova shoot well? The obvious (and correct) answer is: they didnt. They just played better than the other six teams they played.

Now, Jaybate brings up locations, teams and seedings. Lets take a quick look at UConn. 10 seed St. Joes, 2 seed Nova, 3 seed Iowa State, 4 seed Michigan State (which by the way was a fully healthy team at the end of the year and many thought they were much better than a 4), 1 overall seed Florida, and 8 seed Kentucky, a team with multiple 1st round picks that finally adjusted to D1 ball. Thats absolutely brutal.

Now Nova. 15 seed UNC Asheville, 7 seed Iowa (a team that had been in the top ten for a portion of the season), 3 seed Miami (another top ten team), 1 overall seed Kansas (ranked number one at the start of the tourney), 2 seed OU, and 1 seed UNC. So, Nova had to beat three teams that had been ranked number one at some point in the year - THREE!! Again, that's a brutal path to the title.

Hope that puts everything in perspective - locations dont matter, seedings dont matter and the refs dont matter. Its all about how you play.

I do disagree about KU being the best team. The best teams are UCLA and North Carolina. They are the most dynamic and have the potential to have scoring explosions and lock down the other team. KU has a definite case for toughest and most resilient, but their margin of error is smaller than both UCLA and North Carolina.

@DoubleDD I think you are right about perception - many do feel as though a team is only a final four contender if they dominate every game. The tournament is all about toughness and shot making. Matchups are a factor, but former are more important.

Bill said at the beginning of the year about the tournament that if you keep knocking at the door eventually it is going to open up. I dont know if its this year, next year or five years from now, but Bill is eventually going to get his third final four and ultimately a second ring. What he has going for him is his ability to stay flexible and adjust his strategy and plan of action to look for new ways to succeed.

In the end, though, patience and persistence are the keys. No team goes to the final four every year and there will always be disappointments. But the ability to stay positive and thinking about the goal every day is vital.

Just defeated Louisville 88-81. Happy for him - he has had some struggles in a tough conference. On the other hand, the loss does not help Louisville for its tournament seeding.

I agree with you @KUSTEVE - the real enemy is the KU team themselves. They are capable of beating anyone and losing to anyone. Basically, that describes a typical Bill Self coached team going into the tournament. This year is no different than any other year, in my opinion.

@mayjay again, people blame others for a team's poor play. Just like last year and against Michigan.

@JayHawkFanToo won't have the same problem this year. The number 1 overall seed gets to decide where it play.

@drgnslayr it is super dangerous to do that against really anybody in the tournament though. There is a lot of truth to it however, That is exactly what happened at home against Iowa State - great first half then forgot to come out of the locker rooms for the second half.