🏀 KuBuckets Archive

That's a block!

@Crimsonorblue22 Speaking of Dillon Brooks, he got ejected for kicking someone today.

I see Grayson Allen attempted to trip/kick someone again today. ACC needs to step in and suspend him for the year at this point.

Landen is good at getting under people's skin.

@bskeet Students on break. Probably won't have the full student section support until the Texas game.

@DCHawker Students are still on break so there's less energy than normal.

@Crimsonorblue22 This is interesting considering he's unranked by every major recruiting service out there.

@HawkChamp Trae Young hasn't announced yet, that's why.

@JayHawkFanToo The problem for Preston is that he was at Prime Prep/API for so long that one year at Oak Hill may not be enough to make up all the credits he needs to.

KU will hang Rush's #25 from the south rafters on Feb. 22 against TCU. Rush was one of 3 current players who meet the criteria for jersey retirement along with Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. Rush was eligible because he was a 2× All American for KU during his sophomore and junior seasons. Same reason Sherron is eligible and Cole is eligible because he was the Academic All American of the year which is why Jacques Vaughn's #11 is hanging in the rafters.

@JayHawkFanToo No. The reason why Withey got 3.5 years to play was because he never played for Arizona before he transferred so that first year he split between Arizona and KU was a redshirt year.

Cunliffe played a semester, which makes him ineligible for a redshirt this year. When Cunliffe becomes eligible in mid December next year, he still won't be redshirt eligible if he plays as soon as he's eligible. It is possible for Cunliffe to play 3 years for KU, but he would have to sit out all of the 2017-18 in order to play 3 full seasons instead of 2+ years.

Cunliffe will be eligible after fall semester next year and have 2.5 seasons to play. He can't redshirt because he played for ASU this year and won't miss an entire season.

Still need a PG, but Newman, Vick, and Cunliffe isn't a bad combination though.

@HawkChamp His injury wasn't the issue. Being dead set on being OAD was his issue. Had he come back for year 2, KU probably wins the title over Kentucky and he likely ends up the lottery pick he thought he was going to be instead of being China like he is now.

@Lulufulu Preston spent much of his HS career in the same program that churned out Terrance Ferguson, Emmanuel Mudiay, and most of the other high profile HS recruits that have had to play overseas.

Billy Preston's eligibility is going to be a huge story until his situation is decided one way or the other. Basically, hope Preston gets cleared, don't be shocked if he doesn't get cleared though.

@stoptheflop I think your expectations on the speed of progress is too unrealistic. Beaty inherited a roster that was being built to run a pro style, run first offense. He inherited a roster ill-equipped to run his desired up tempo offense. Charlie Weis admitted his goal was to run the ball to shorten games so KU wouldn't lose by as many points. That mentality was a joke and did nothing for KU.

Beaty came in, he has a vision for what he wants KU to look like. His vision is an up tempo, pass heavy offense that is basically tge exact opposite of what Weia was doing. He's recruiting players that fit that vision. Recruiting players to fit that vision doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. Carter Stanley was the only QB on the roster to have any familiarity with an up tempo pass heavy offense. Peyton Bender played at Washington St. under Mike Leach, went to a JuCo that runs an air raid. Stanley, Bender, and Starks all fit the system Beaty wants to run unlike Cozart and Willis did who were recruited to run pro style offenses. KU also had no playmakers at WR under Weis. Beaty has 3 of them now on Sims and Quiv who can each take one to the house whenever they touch the ball and Daylon Charlot who Nick Saban was not happy about losing. When Nick Saban is not happy about losing a player, I take that as a sign that Charlot is going to be pretty good. In 2017, KU will have 3 QB's who fit the air raid offense, 2 of whom have played in D1 football games.

Progress is being made on offense. It took tye defense 4 years of Bowen being in charge to get to the place their at now of giving KU a chance most weeks. It was not an overnight deal either. It took Bowen 4 years of recruiting to the same system for the defense to get where they're at after years of changing coordinators and vase defenses for about 7 years in a row.

Will KU's offense be elite in 2017? Doubtful, but it will be improved because Beaty will have more pieces who fit his vision of the air raid than he did last year including multiple options at the QB position now which he did not have last year.

@REHawk Texas will never leave the US and the only people here who want to are the far right wing wack jobs who voted someone other than Trump, mostly Ted Cruz.

@REHawk Texas was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845. That's why we have that attitude here. Google Republic of Texas.

I would absolutely say this season was a success for KU. There was noticeable progress made as a program on the field this season. We had been wondering at what point KU was finally going to hit rock bottom. It appears that 2015 was rock bottom and that KU is now climbing up which is progress. Do we all wish progress was faster? Absolutely, but anybody who watched this season knows there was progress made this year. Enough progress was made to deem Beaty worthy of an extension and pay raise which now starts putting pressure on him to start winning more games.

Remember that it was the defense that developed much quicker under Mangino than the offense did. It took quite awhile for Mangino's offense to get to level people wanted it to be at. As long as KU's defense keeps playing at the level they did this past year and building on that, KU's going to have a chance against most teams while they wait for the offense to catch up.

@stoptheflop KU absolutely beat Texas. Yes, UT had 6 turnovers, KU forced most of them. Stripping the ball, jumping routes, actually catching bad passes from Buechelle, KU forced those turnovers.

@dylans said:

@Texas-Hawk-10 I'm not disagreeing. What did TJ Whatley do for KU? Walk ons are an important part of the practice squad and help build team GPA. It never hurts to have a NBA GM's son on your team either. I'm pretty sure that was a recruiting tool in and of itself. It's not like KU missed on any recruits because of these guys.

Your last line is why I've never understood the negative reaction from people to Self giving a walk on spot to guys like Buford, Bechard, or a guy like Clay Young on the current team. These guys have no impact on recruiting because they're never going to play meaningful minutes at KU unless a lot of really bad things happen.

Your point about having the son of an NBA GM on the roster (Chase Buford) is probably the closest comparison to James Fraschilla. We all know Fran has been a Big 12 basketball commentator for years, but he's also one the top international scouts at ESPN. During draft season, he's the person ESPN interviews about Euro prospects because that's his other primary role. Having someone who has a lot of connections to prospects in Europe connected to the program would've helped KU in international recruiting quite a bit most likely.

@wrwlumpy Don't forget that the only reason Christian Moody had the opportunity to walk on at KU was because his dad was friends with Roy. No different than Self letting Chase Buford, Brennan Bechard, or Niko Roberts walk on at KU. When Niko came to KU, Norm was still at St. John's and not KU.

@JayHawkFanToo What did Chase Buford or Brennan Bechard do to justify their roster spots other than who their dads are? Neither one received any D1 offers even from the lowest of low major teams and only got to play for KU because of who their dads are.

@drgnslayr The problem with situations like this is that they're simply no win situations. There are large portions of the population that feel strongly on each side of the issue so there's just no way to please everybody on this issue and other issues involving the LBGT community.

@ralster US troops have never been well trained or prepared for guerrilla warfare tactics. It's why Vietnam was a disaster and why Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on for so long.

@ralster I don't disagree that Fran's attitude towards KU has changed in recent years. I'm just simply asking where is there proof Bill Self denied James Fraschilla an opportunity to walk on at KU version of the reason you're trying to pass off because I don't buy that theory at all.

I just look at Self's past history of invited walk ons like Niko Roberts, Chase Buford, and Brennan Bechard and see no logical reason for Self to have declined a walk on spot for James Fraschilla had he wanted to come to KU.

So while I agree about Fran's attitude towards KU changing, I just don't see any evidence of it stemming from Self rejecting James as a walk on being the cause because I don't see any evidence that Self rejected James as a walk on.

@HawkChamp Cunliffe would be eligible as soon as fall semester is over, same as Jeff Withey was. That means about 10 games based on this year's schedule.

@JayHawkFanToo James Fraschilla was a preferred walk on. There's no limit to how many walk ons you can have. Coaches, including Self, have been known to give invited walk on spots, of which there is no limit, to kids of friends. Niko Roberts came to KU before his dad came back. Niko could've gone to St. John's as a walk on with his dad or he could've gone to a small school on scholarship.

Had Fran asked Bill if James could've played for KU as a walk on as a favor, there was no reason for Self to say no. James wouldn't have taken a scholarship and he wouldn't have prevented someone else from walking on at KU either.

@ralster This KU team would destroy WSU on Lawrence, Wichita, Tulsa, or KC. The KU team that lost to WSU a couple of years ago was a very offensively challenged team. This KU is not offensively challenged. I do believe this KU team is capable of outscoring anybody in the country.

KU has lost a second coach. WR coach Jason Philips is leaving to join Gary Andersen's staff at Oregon St. Philips will be their WR coach and passing game coordinator. If Beaty is going to double up on duties at KU, WR coach is the one he is best suited for considering his WR coaching background. This also frees up a coaching spot for a full time OC if Beaty wants to go that way which he probably should.

@JayHawkFanToo Self wouldn't reject that kind of player. Fran's kid was always going to be a walk on so he eas never going to take a scholarship or roster spot from someone more deserving. If James Frascilla wanted to go to KU, there wasn't any real reason to to turn him away.

@Kcmatt7 Schools don't choose their regions. They get assigned to the one closest to the school. That's why KU was in Louisville instead of Chicago last year. Memphis is closer to Waco than KC is so Baylor would get put in Memphis before they would be put in KC.

@Kcmatt7 Yes, lots of teams lot money on football this year. Just about every non major conference program relies on some type of subsidy to fund football and the rest of their athletics programs because their TV contracts are crap compared to the major conferences.

@Kcmatt7 Only way Baylor is fighting KU to be in KC is if someone like Kentucky, North Carolina, or Duke end up ahead of Baylor on the same seed line as Baylor and Baylor is a higher seed than KU.

If WVU is in the hunt for a 1 seed, their order is New York, Memphis, then KC and they would be fighting Villanova or Virginia for New York most likely if those teams ended up on the same seed line.

I wouldn't worry too much about KU not ending up in Tulsa and KC for the tournament.

@tundrahok Baylor has Oklahoma St. at home on Saturday. OSU is more than capable of beating Baylor in Waco, but if Baylor wins that one, they will be #1. If KU struggles against Tech like they have the past 2 games, I could see KU potentially dropping to 4 or 5 behind UCLA and Gonzaga and Villanova only dropping to #2.

VT against Duke was VT's A game agaisnt Duke's D/F game. Last night was VT's turn to play their D/F game. They're a middlr of the pack ACC team who will likely end up on the bubble because VT lives on the bubble.

UA had surgery on his wrist today in Akron, Ohio. The surgeon informed Self the surgery was successful and that UA should be 100% healthy by mid summer.

I think Self is taking a similar approach this year that he did in 2012 when he had a really short bench. That was an offensively challenged team, but an elite defensive team so Self relied on their defense to win games.

This year, this team is an elite offensive team, but not a great defensive team. Self is going to ride this offense as far as he can this year even though it has to be killing him mentally to rely on offense instead of relying on defense.

@elpoyo That wasn't a championship caliber team even with a healthy Embiid.

@JayHawkFanToo Doesn't change that he has the best hair in the Big 12.

@Bwag KU can still put points up. This team is plenty good enough to outscore Kentucky even in Rupp.

I want Nathan Adrian's hair. That dude has the best hair in the Big 12.

@DoubleDD I understand tightening the game up if there's a scuffle or altercation or something like that, but unless I missed something, I never saw anything in this game to warrant tightening the game up.

Call it tight, let them play, I don't care. Pick one and stick to it. Make the players adjust, don't adjust to the players unless there's a reason to. I may have missed something, but it didn't seem like there was any reason to tighten up the calls down the stretch.

@approxinfinity The quality of education is only as good as the professor or TA leading the class. I'd argue that the difference in education quality at the undergraduate level between places like Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Harvard, or Rice isn't all that significant. You might get might some differences in specific schools like a business school or pre med programs, but a basic degree in a liberal arts field (like my History degree from KU) isn't going to have a significantly increased value until you get to grad schools.

@JayHawkFanToo You don't lose your starting job the way Bragg did by playing well. He came out of the gates playing like crap this year and deservedly lost his starting job to the Vick/Svi combo.

As for the rebounding, I'm well aware of where Villanova and UNC stand. That's why I called each a top flight rebounding team, but I'm not concerned because the odds of KU running into either team before Phoenix is very slim.

@JayHawkFanToo That's regular season, not NCAA tournament. I'm not concerned about elite rebounding teams in the regular season because a loss in Lubbock or Waco doesn't end KU's season. I'm more concerned about elite rebounding teams KU could see in the round of 32, Sweet 16, or Elite 8 and there's no chance KU plays Texas Tech or Baylor in those rounds.

Teams more along the lines of Wisconsin, Purdue, Utah, St. Mary's, Xavier, Cal, Oregon, Miami, Virginia, Seton Hall. Those teams KU could end up seeing pre Final Four that could cause headaches for KU because of their rebounding. That's not even throwing in Villanova or UNC who are each top flight rebounding teams as well.

@approxinfinity VA Tech is not a top 10 team. They also won't end up a top 25 team either. Their record has been inflated by a terrible nonconference schedule. They rely on an uptempo style, but don't shoot ball well as they are below 50% from the field. They're a really good 3 point shooting team at 40% which is good, but they only take 37% of their shots from 3 so they don't play to their strength. They also turn the ball over 12 times per game which is really bad. They are also not a good defensive team either. Bottom line, Va Tech looks like a bubble team again this year which is where they are most year.

Basing how good or bad a team is off of one game is never a great way to judge a team. If the TCU game was the only KU game anybody saw, they would be scratching their head trying to figure out how KU is #3 in the country.

That game against Duke was a combination Va Tech at their best and Duke playing their worst game of the season.

@JayHawkFanToo No chance KSU finishes 4th. They are not the best of the mid tier teams in the Big 12. KSU finishes 6th at best behind KU, WVU, Baylor, ISU, and OSU in that order. They may even finish behind TCU this year as well.

@BShark His brother never developed over the summer the way most expected him to. When KU brought Evan in, his brother was projected to end up somewhere between 50-75 and be a solid 4 star, but now he may not even end up playing D1 ball. He has no recruiting profile on any of the major recruiting sites which is very telling about his college basketball future.

@drgnslayr Nova will be just fine come tournament time. Personally, I think there's 6 legitimate title contenders right now. Kansas, Villanova, UNC, UCLA, Kentucky, and Louisville. 5 of those 6 have title winning coaches and I think UCLA has been the best team overall this season in spite of their loss to Oregon last week.

@Crimsonorblue22 I think his brother played a role in KU bringing Evan in, but when Evan's brother didn't develop as expected, Evan really became expendable because his brother is no longer a target and Evan was never going to be more than a bench guy.