🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I could have my Self colored glasses on, but I believe his offense flows from his players.

Self has said in the past how he used to be a big "set play guy" but he has changed his offense ever since '06 to be a more free flowing system. All his plays have multiple options based on what the defense does. If we look back to the '08, 12, and 13 seasons, we see those teams burned zones. The players were older and they had a feel for the offense of Self.

Like most offenses, the offense starts with a pass to the wing off a pick from a big man. From that, the point guard cuts and rotates to the other wing, and the other guard or big man pops out to the top of the key. It is all about ball reversal to create angles for the hogs below the basket. But there is not a specific pass that leads to a bucket, rather players flowing on the wing and big men establishing position.

The part that has me pulling my hair out was we did not do what we did before league play, take early shots if they are open. They kept doing past years and thought that enough ball reversals would equal good position for the hoss down low. Instead of attacking with a shot or drive off the second and third pass, we just kept passing the ball around the perimeter, hoping a magical leprechaun would come down for a backside lob.

@JayHawkFanToo

I completely agree when tourney time rolls around. But as for me, I am am more worried about how good OU looks, waiting for UT to fall apart, and hating ISU. But who am I to block the joy of my KU brothers? If scouting UK brings excitement and energizes you for college basketball, then by all means, do so and let me know what you have discovered in early March!
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If you are the same as me, you have been scheming on how to beat the Bears for the last couple days as if you are Bill himself. I would love your thoughts.

We must not change out new style of play. Play fast and take open 3s early in the shot clock. With Oubre playing without thinking, I am predicting a 18-25 point game. The bears do not have a lock down defensive wing to handle the rising play of Oubre. Also, Self notes how well Greene is playing. If his neck is feeling better, expect a couple of treys and a solid, overall game.

With Gathers, our big guys might get manhandled. I don't expect must from Perry this game but I will gladly put my foot in my mouth if he gets his numbers! Also, I have always liked the way Chery plays for Baylor. Thankfully, we won't have Tharpe on him this year and Mason can wear him down

If we can keep Baylor off the offensive glass, and grab a few ourselves, I expect a solid win. I predict we start off sluggish because Baylor is hungry for a conference win. But around the 10 minute mark, KU will get back in a groove and pull ahead by 5 at Half. The second half will have KU controlling the tempo with mini-streaks by both sides. But we will pull away and get a comfortable win.

KU 72-Baylor 59.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a bash on anyone on this site!

I am growing weary of talking about UK. Are they the best team in the nation? Yes. Did they beat us like a red head stepchild? Yes. But right now, the Big 12 conference is the only thing that consumes my thoughts. ESPN already does everything it can to shove UK down our throats so why add to it on a KU basketball sight?

When it comes to time for tourney talk, I love looking at match ups in our division and the future of playing UK in the elite eight, final four, championship, etc. But to focus on them throughout the season when it bares no influence on getting number 11 in a row comes across as little dog syndrome (See KSU chant when they F*** KU during a timeout no matter who they are playing). It's funny to me how MU fans still watch KU games to point out flaws when they are now in a different conference. I refuse to give that treatment to UK. It gives them way to much credit because we are KU, a classic blue blood program in contention year in a year out.

Again, I do not put anyone here in the same breath as MU, My rant is over. Rock Chalk!

KU-UT tie, ISU, KSU, OU, WVU, OSU, BU, TCU, TT.

I got a fever, and the only perscription is more transition 3s!

We will have to get used to this team and how it goes on spurts. It will make us go grey but will be exciting when they make comebacks. Good game and like always, rock chalk!

@MoonwalkMafia I agree with numerous points. But I would be so quick to generalize KU players that didn't make it to the final four.

"numbers and record books mean very little to me when they don't get you to the Final Four." Lafrentz, Pierce, Vaughn, and Simien (Got hurt for the end of the year) all never made it to the final four. Those guys had cojones the size of watermelons. But you are right. For the most part, the players like Robinson, Collison, Taylor, and Jackson always found a way to win.

Good post!

@HighEliteMajor said:
"If Self leaves, I don't think it will be burn-out, but seeking a new challenge."

That is what scares me. Most often, people don't leave jobs because they lost their passion, they switch because an opportunity with an exciting challenge has arrived.

Self was happy at Illinois, but he said what made him come to KU was "I didn't want to say 'What if' and regret it later". Self is a guy that loves a challenge. Which is why he was so amped for the 2011-2012 squad. The NBA is another level.

The pros for college basketball:
1. More control over the talent you have.
2. The fulfillment of developing not only basketball players, but men.
3. Has ultimate job security at KU with a fat paycheck every year.

The pros for NBA:
1. Doesn't have the grind of recruiting all year.
2. Possibility of a bigger paycheck.
3. Bigger challenge.

This has been a thought for a couple years now. My love HCBS has not let me honestly assess this idea. But the longer KU plays, the more apparent it becomes.

At the beginning of the '11-'12 season, Self talked about how pumped up he was because of the talent (or lack of talent) he had. He was excited to coach up lesser talent to see how close they could get to their ceiling. As we all remember, that team, in the words of Roy, would "pull the nails out of the floor because they played so hard". Self's face would get bright red those years as he was constantly demanding for more. T's were not uncommon and he would yank a player the minute someone got burned on Defense (with the shallowest team he has ever had).

Fast forward 3 years, and those occasions are few and far between. I have thought he is taking a different approach with different team dynamics (which every good coach does), but we are about to start conference and this team still is not gelling.

I just cannot imagine Self of 3 years ago to let a players make a lazy pass on the wing or take a terrible shot early in the shot clock and not have repercussions. And with the Spurs job soon to open up (because of Pops retirement) or the Thunder head coach position (because Brook's is on the hot seat), I am worried that we are on borrowed time and Self knows it.

I am not looking for a lynching board for Self, I am just wanting someone to ease my mind and show me how foolish I am being!

@drgnslayr said:
" I think we should spend some practice time developing the secondary break open trey opportunities. Taking the trey shot on a secondary break offers many opportunities, including hitting a wide open trey, and a 50/50 chance at an offensive rebound (once we train our guys to focus on it). It is hard to come up with a better opportunity than that!"

Took the words right of my mouth! I agree 100%!

This team scares me. It is unusual for me to be scared when talking about the Jayhawks because I am naturally optimistic to a fault when it comes to KU. This leads to a bigger heartbreak when the NCAA tourney rolls around or football in general. But this year, I am just not confident.

The first reason is because this team lacks something to hang their hat on. I realize that they have buckled down on defense numerous times, but without a shot blocker in the middle, I fret that a speedy guard like Texas' Taylor will break us down without the insurance policy of an Embiid, Withey, or Aldrich. And although Mason is as quick as they come, that doesn't account for switches on the perimeter. My optimistic side tries to persuade me and says, "Hey, when was the last time we didn't have a true shot blocker? 2008! We will be fine". But the sensible shows that 3 absolute defensive studs on the perimeter in Robinson, Chalmers, and Rush. Not to mention the bulldog in Sherron. Again, I really like Mason and his defensive prowess, he just does not have the type of defensive experience the 08 team had.

The second reason, is similar to the first. We do not have a 5. Period. Again, my crimson red and blue goggles come on and I tell myself "Bill self doesn't need a center. His 4s and 5s are interchangeable. KU can be just as efficient on offense with two 4s". But this would mean we have another reliable post player outside of Ellis. Again, that is something that we just don't have this year. Alexander may develop a move to score over bigger defenders. But right now, I personally cannot see that happening this year. He will get his points from dunks and layups.

The final reason is Selden. His jump shot is improved and is a good overall player that I love having. But he is not the explosive scorer that I thought he was. I don't know if he ever had the one foot explosion in the lane, or if he lost it with knee issues, but it's not there. His points are coming off of jump shots and wide open drives. He isn't the play maker that I hoped he would be this season.

But all is not lost on this team. I have to say something good because it is not in my nature to assume doomsday, especially this early in the season. The hawks have something I have not seen at KU yet, the X factors this year will be two long, pure shooters on the wing in Svi and Greene. I am very high on the potential of always having at least one in the game. Since they are shooters, they will go silent some games, but other games, give us wins single handily because one or both got hot. And if, now that's a big IF, they can play solid defense, having size on the perimeter that can shoot is only something 2 or 3 other teams have in the country.

Despite my negative Nancy comments, I still think KU will win the Big 12. Mark it down. ISU is to reliant on the three, OU has talent but not enough to compete against the big dogs day in and day out, West Virginia doesn't have the post play, and UT won't be able to use their size as much because we have already faced Kentucky and have seen it before. On top of that, no one can match the wing play of Selden, Greene, and Svi throughout league play. KU has to many scorers, to much toughness, and to well coached to beat KU in an 18 game season. It will be stressful and close and at times question if KU can pull it out again. But the Jayhawks will either be champions or co champions when it's all said and done. Rock Chalk!

I am optimistic to a fault sometimes and I realize that. But I want this kid BAD! The reason why he left Duke was probably because he isn't as talented as we thought, or he doesn't get along well with teammates. Although it could be he just did not fit the system of coach K. If that's the case, then lets make an attempt to get this guy!

Much to my chagrin, KU wings seem to pass the ball around the perimeter until they can feed it in the post or have an open 3. After watching Ojeleye is limited minutes, this is exactly what he excels at. He is a long wing that can hit the trey or grab an offensive rebound.

As much as we need a center, you can't teach the kind of gifts that Ojeleye has. Hopefully we can land a center or Alexander can develop quicker than we anticipated. To not at least put our hat in the ring with a talented in-state kid kills me. But in the end, I trust in Self and his vision for putting together a roster more than my amateur analysis.

Ladies, you're both pretty!

KU Bigs:
Ellis: Although I think his spin in the lane is a very nice addition to his game, he needs to learn he cannot do it when the lane is packed. The last couple games he spins into another defender only to get blocked. But the ball fake and turn around baby hook in the lane had me a little giddy. If he could acquire a turn around fade away like Marcus Morris, we are looking at an 18-20 point guy every game. But as of right now, he gets all of his points off of jumpers and baby hooks. His face up game is similar to Marcus Morris' right now but has a little more bounce.

Lucas: Everyone has pretty much summed it up in past comments. The guy knows how to get in good position but doesn't have the ability to take advantage.

Alexander: If he can learn to get in position like Lucas does, he can get plenty of easy baskets. The baby hook he had in the beginning of year seems a bit like fools gold at the moment. He hasn't worked on it enough yet to do it on bigger defenders. He needs another year to be semi-consistent with position and hooks and he will be putting up Robinson numbers.

Traylor: Even though I flinched almost every time he puts the ball on the floor, I do like how he knows where he needs to be and spaces the paint very well.

Mickelson: I feel bad for the guy. I think he will be on the outside looking in for the rest of his time at KU.

I was disappointed in how Greene and Svi played together. I underestimated how much a lack of ball handling would effect us. The hawks seem to always need to have a two out of the three ball handlers in the game (Mason, Graham, or Selden).

Another slap-in-the-face realization is how bad our second post players are behind Ellis (Self doesn't need a distinction between the 4 and 5). Lucas is smart and knows how to push his man forward but doesn't have the athleticism or explosion to score on bigger defenders and Traylor doesn't posses the height or skill. Alexander had the body and explosion but hasn't figured out how to put himself in the same position has Lucas. Hopefully he figures it out or we will be seeing Oubre play that mismatch 4 more often,

On the bright side, this team shows toughness to start something with absolutely no momentum. The floater by Ellis and pull up 3 by Mason are perfect examples. That toughness is something I haven't seen since 2012 and when that toughness mixed with the talent is enough pull out NCAA tourney wins and another conference championship. This will be a good season but hopefully we will not be bald by pulling out our hair in the process!

I will shake that prediction off and get back on the horse later. HCBS will have plenty of film to help make improvements.

New guy here but I have been reading your guys' insights ever since kubuckets was created.

I am interested to see how players will step up after Graham's injury. I have been eagerly waiting see Greene and Svi play extended minutes together. Mason driving with Svi on one side or Perry getting doubled to pass back out of Svi on the other. Two 6'7+ shooting wings is something that I haven't seen in Self's era.

If those two get hot, expect Utah to let Perry on more one on one and our inside out game becomes more deadly.On top of that, with Mason improving with dishing it after beating his man, the team's flow could similar to Roy's teams with the defense minded team of Self. I am being rather optimistic but that is what pregame predictions are all about!

I expect a close game with a lot of runs but KU wins by six because of foul shooting at the end. Rock Chalk.