🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@DinarHawk Where the hell did I say KU would lose to OU at home? I'm on record that KU and OU will split the regular season meetings with each winning on their home floor. Considering the Jan. 4 game is in Lawrence, that would seem to indicate that I've been on record as saying KU wins that game, but since I'm an OU homer according to you, I must not have clue about what I'm talking about.

I guess it's no allowed to watch other teams play basketball or acknowledge that other teams are are very good as well. Thanks for letting me know that independent thought that isn't blind to the rest of college basketball, pro-Kansas homerism is not allowed on here.

@KUSTEVE If you're referring to the Jan. 4 game, KU should win that game. Last 3 years have all been close games decided by 8 points or less so it probably won't be a blowout either. The Feb. 13 in Norman is probably a different story considering KU has dropped 2 of 3 in Norman.

Neither game is likely to be played in the 50's or 60's as both teams play an up tempo style and that points per possession is how to determine how good each team does on defensive end.

@DoubleDD KU hasn't beaten OU by more than 8 in the past 3 years (the core of this team) and has dropped 2 of the last 3 in Norman. The Pomeroy Rankings currently have OU as the 5th best defensive team in the country with WVU 7th and KU 9th so you can say OU isn't a good defensive team all you want, but the evidence doesn't support that opinion. One other stat that OU is ranked pretty highly in points per possession allowed in which they are 10th nationally. Over the course of 1/3 of the season, that's not a stat that's going to be fluky, OU is a very good defensive team this year and the core of that team has beaten the core of this KU team multiple times in their careers and has never lost by more than 8 to KU.

@drgnslayr Who exactly has KU played outside of Michigan St.? KU and OU both have SOS's outside of the top 100 (both between 100-115) so KU hasn't exactly been challenged the way they have been the past 2 years. Being 3rd in FG% defense and 10th in 3FG% defense after playing 1/3 of your schedule isn't exactly a fluke. Basing your opinion of a team off of probably their worst game of the year is a flawed way to look at a team.

@KUSTEVE Did you actually watch the OU-Villanova game or just look at the box score? I watched that game and OU's defense was a big reason why Villanova shot the ball poorly that night.

@drgnslayr After the Hawaii game, OU is 3rd in FG% defense and 10th in 3FG% defense. If that's fools gold, then sign me up for KU playing fools gold defense.

This is a game to give Diallo some minutes. He's the only one with the length (7-4 wingspan I think) to reasonably match up well with. Mamadou's back up is 7-2 so I would expect a lot of Landen as well in this game.

@Crimsonorblue22 Self said awhile back it was some kind of illness, but nobody has said what it was though.

@Crimsonorblue22 This was the 4th or 5th game I've watched of OU's this year and it was an off night for them probably because it was their 2nd game in 2 days and it looked like fatigue was setting in on them. It played out a lot like the SDSU game did except OU never pulled away after losing a big lead. OU does have a 23 point neutral court victory over a good Villanova team this year OU is top 5 nationally in FG% and 3FG% defense. Their strength of schedule is similar to KU's so far and they have a lot of offensive fire power as well as they are only 1 spot behind KU in PPG nationally, but OU appears to be the superior defensive team. I expect KU and OU to split their regular season games this year with each winning on their home court and each being strong contenders in March. This OU team will push KU in the Big 12 race this year.

@DoubleDD I actually do like OU after Kansas because that's my dad's alma mater. Apparently my first sentence where I said KU has a good shot at winning the title doesn't mean anything, It also doesn't change that OU is a really good team this year as well and will be a very strong test for Kansas.

This is definitely a very good team with a good shot at winning the title, but I think it's too early to declare that KU is the favorite. This is a team that hasn't been tested much yet as their strength of schedule is not even top 100 and is still not a great rebounding team. Oklahoma may have struggled tonight, but they aren't going undefeated just like every other team in D1. It also doesn't change that OU is still an elite defensive team with a bunch of experienced upperclassmen.

John Higgins is reffing tonight. He did most of KU's losses last year so officiating is something to keep an eye one tonight.

@JayHawkFanToo Do you not understand @justanotherfan's point? He said Murray was the better player, but Ulis is the more important player for Kentucky which is an accurate.

The best player on teams are not always the most important players. Is there anybody that would argue Jamaal Charles isn't the best player on the Chiefs? That said, look at what they've done without him this year. Alex Smith is the most important player on the Chiefs.

@JayHawkFanToo You can bitch all you want, but he has no control over tomorrow's game. KU does NOT control the broadcast rights for non conference road games. If you're going bitch about not seeing the tomorrow, take your complaints to the people actually in control of tomorrow's game. The Mountain West conference has a TV deal with CBSSN for their basketball rights so if you can't watch the game tomorrow, blame the Mountain West because they control the TV rights for their teams and they're the ones who sold this game to CBSSN.

@drgnslayr They did that against a non D1 program. UCI starts 3 guys 6-4 and under so that was a publicity stunt and not what UCI does on a regular basis. KU should win this game, but UCI is a good team and KU probably isn't running them out of the gym like they have most teams. They regularly sub their bigs to keep them fresh since they all average about 15-25 mpg.

@drgnslayr Actually looking at UCI's roster and stats, UCI isn't as big as they appear to be. http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/UCI.OverallStats.2015.16.pdf ↗ That poster is nothing more than promotion and one of the guys on that poster has only played 17 minutes all season.

7-2 Ioannis Dimakopoulos is not UCI's PG, he's their back up 5 and only plays 14 minutes per game and has 5 assists on the year so wherever you saw that Greek guy was the PG is 100% inaccurate. UCI's starting lineup this year has primarily been 7-6 Mamadou Ndiaye (23 mpg), 6-10 Mike Best (20 mpg), 6-4 Dominique Dunning (22 mpg), 6-3 Luke Nelson (30 mpg), and 6-2 Alex Young (31 mpg). Their primary reserves are 5-10 Jarron Martin (18 mpg), Dimakopoulos (14 mpg), 6-3 Aaron Wright (18 mpg) who has missed 3 games this year, 6-5 Brandon Smith (13 mpg), and 6-10 Johnathan Galloway (13 mpg). The Shawn Ray kid on that poster has only played in 4 games this year and only averages 4 mpg so he's just a scrub.

UCI could go huge if they wanted to, but the line up their going to have on the floor most of the time will include 3 guys who are 6-5 and under, not exactly a big line up. Ellis is probably going to be the guy who struggles most in this game for KU given his track record against size and he'll primarily be on Best and Galloway. This is the match up for Self to try and get Diallo some confidence on the defensive end because he's the only guy with the length to match up with Ndiaye.

@HighEliteMajor My opinion on the mattered has changed because there is more evidence to factor in now. I can't help you if that's a concept you don't grasp or willfully choose to ignore.

@drgnslayr If Svi is running the point, he isn't guarding one of the footers though. He would only be guarding a footer when he's in with 2 of Mason, Graham, or Selden. Perry Ellis is the one with the worst match up because he's guarding a footer whether he's playing the 3 or 4 against UCI and we know his poor history against bigger players.

I think when Self ran Svi at PG, it was with the intention of using a big line up against UCI. UCI is a good team and was a popular pick to upset Louisville in the NCAA tournament last year.

@HighEliteMajor Thanks for informing that my opinion of players are not allowed to evolve or change despite new evidence added to the equation. I'll keep in mind that I can't change my mind on a player in the future.

KU does not own the broadcast distribution rights for this game. San Diego State and the Mountain West conference own the broadcast rights for the game, and CBS Sports has a contract with the Mountain West. If you have even a basic sports package, CBS Sports should be included in it.

@HighEliteMajor Perhaps you don't understand because you read wrong. You're basing your argument on something I did not say or imply. I never said Mickelson complimented Ellis (that's you injecting your own opinion), nor did I imply it. What I said was that Mickelson is the best scorer of out of himself, Lucas, and Traylor. Hunter Mickelson has made his best contributions when Perry Ellis has been injured, such as last season.

Self sees the line up as puzzle pieces and scoring from the 5 is not his priority when looking at who to fit in the puzzle. His priority from the 5 is rebounding and defense. Mickelson is the worst rebounder on the team considering his size and he is a below average defender. If Mickelson is more than a few feet away from the basket, he gets blown by and scored on pretty easily.

Your projecting your own personal priorities into the matter and neglecting what Self actually values and you know Self values defense over everything.

@HighEliteMajor Traylor, Lucas, and Mickelson each bring a different primary skill to the table. Jamari can play away from the basket on both ends and is the best all around defender of the three. Lucas is far and away the best rebounder of the three and a big body to plant in the paint. Mickelson is the best scorer and shot blocker of the three, but he also has the slowest feet of the three and struggles to guard more than 5' out from the basket.

This isn't Self over analyzing the situation. It's about 3 guys who have 3 different skill sets, but none are are so much better than the others that they have to play and how those 3 compliment the other 4 starters. Mason can get to the rim and free throw line whenever he wants to, Wayne Selden has become a lights out shooter and able to score in whatever way he wants, and Perry Ellis has a good to great mid range game that stretches defenses, and Graham is becoming a very good facilitator for this offense.

None of them are great defenders or rebounders though and that's why Traylor and Lucas have always gotten the nod over Mickelson. They each fill a void better than Mickelson can. When did we see Mickelson step up last year? AFTER Perry got hurt and KU have a major scoring void down low.

If Self decides at some point that he can't handle the current offense and reverts back to running the high-low in spite of the lack of personnel to run it well, Mickelson is the best choice, but then KU gives up a huge advantage on the glass and on defense. Mickelson is a good player who just happens to be a really bad fit for the current make up of the KU roster and probably would've been better serves to transfer elsewhere.

@wissoxfan83 1996 Bulls against these Warriors would be a great series. Even playing modern rules, the Bulls would win because MJ wpuld average 40 a game with current rules. The Bulls length would also be a huge advantage on the defensive end. Rodman, Kucoc, Pippen, Jordan, and Harper is a line up that would match up well with the Warriors and Longley would be able to play against Bogut. Individual match ups of Jordan on Curry, Pippen on Thompson, and Rodman on Green would be great battles, but at the end of the day, Jordan's will to win might be the greatest intangible any player in any major sport in North America has had that I've ever seen.

I will always be a football person first and foremost so give me a football title.

@nuleafjhawk So you wouldn't wear a sweater with the scoreboard with 150-95 on it?

@DoubleDD Adidas is a European based company and big in soccer and I'm better most of the international's KU gets claim soccer as the first sport they played which means they were exposed to Adidas and Puma well before Nike.

Best teams I've seen this year in no particular order are Kansas, Michigan St., Maryland, UNC, Oklahoma, and Xavier. I know others have been mentioned like ISU, Purdue, and Providence, but I haven't seen those teams play yet so I can't judge them now.

@ralster Self makes about 275k from the state of Kansas and is the highest paid employee of the state of Kansas. It's been awhile since I've looked at Self's contract, but I don't think Adidas pays very much of it. I think it's mostly from donors and the TV deal and the Adidas deal covers most of the costs of the non-revenue sports IIRC.

@REHawk Watch ESPN is free. That said, when you're away from home, you need to log in through you TV provider to watch. It also doesn't help you with the blackout restrictions if those impact you.

@Lulufulu The end of this game was as close as close can get.

@KUSTEVE Today is CF's second game that he's eligible to play in for WSU.

@SoftballDad2011 When you have 5 losses before the first weekend (2 first round, 3 second round) mixed in there, it is unfortunately a common occurrence.

First Team All-Big 12 is going to be earned this year and may end up with more than 5 players. Isaiah Taylor, Rico Gathers, Buddy Hield, Ryan Spangler, Georges Niang, Jameel McKay, and Wayne Selden are all going to be strong candidates and at least one (probably a big) is going to get left off the first team this year.

@wrwlumpy You should be concerned about Texas. KU tends to struggle when they play in Austin. Last season was the first time in 5 games I've been to in Austin that KU won and those losses weren't all to good UT teams.

@Statmachine Last night was Frankamp's first game for WSU. Not really a surprise that he was bad considering he hadn't played in a game in 21 months. His game is a good fit for the Missouri Valley, but he'll need a few games to knock the rust off and get into game shape after not playing in almost 2 years.

@jaybate-1.0 SMU already has one of the wealthiest alumni bases in college athletics. There are many oil and energy people with ties to SMU and aren't afraid to spend that money on SMU, sometimes to SMU's detriment.

@KUinLA Nic Moore may not have statistically had a big impact on KU in Korea, but his leaderahip skills are something KU hadn't had in a long time and is the most significant missing piece on this KU team. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, I would trade ANYONE on this current KU team for Nic Moore to be a Jayhawk this year. That is how valuable I view his leadership.

@jaybate-1.0 Yes, in half a heart beat I would take that scenario.

That said, we all know not all wins are created equal. A 5 point win over a 2-5 Ivy League team in which a double digit lead was blown at home is not equal to a 5 point over a top 10 team in which neither team ever had more than a 7-8 point lead on a neutral court.

KU did beat Harvard which is ultimately the most important thing, but I think everybody here can agree that KU didn't play very well against Harvard either though with one of the biggest issues (lack of rebounding) of the past couple of years rearing its head again.

@jaybate-1.0 If KU wins a national title this year, we can have all the ridiculous debates possible and I wouldn't care because there would be a new banner hanging from the north end of Allen Field House which is the goal at the end of the day anyway.

@DoubleDD KU doesn't need scoring from all 5 positions though. In Self's offense, you beed scoring from 1 one of the guards, the wing, and one of the bigs. The scoring load is not dependent on the other two positions. This year, Mason, Selden, and Ellis can all score. The other big spot, C5 in this case, needs to be able to rebound and protect the rim. Until Diallo gets acclimated, Landen Lucas is the best rebounder and Jamari Traylor is the best defender. When Diallo gets acclimated and play defense without fouling and not be a liability with the ball in his hands, he'll take a lot of Landen andJamari's minutes because he'll be better to fill those needs.

When Ellis was injured last year, that's when Mickelson stepped up because KU needed to fill the scoring void in the paint and Hunter was the second best scoring big last year.

Self knows what skills and attributes he wants out of each spit on the floor and who best fills those criteria and Landen and Jamari best fill those needs at this moment and will likely give way to Diallo later on in the season.

@SoftballDad2011 Frankamp couldn't play fast. He was never a push the tempo guy, he was only good at the methodical pace.

I wish Self would push tempo more because superior talent typically shines the more possessions they get, but Self's preferred style has always been the slower pace because that's how you have to play to win with kesser talent like he had at Oral Roberts, Tulsa, and early at Illinois. Self has never really adapted his system to having the superior talent and really taking advantage of it.

We see flashes of what KU could be in situations like Maui when KU doesn't have time to properly scout and gameplan and they have to rely more on execution of basic principles on defense. There is something to the KISS method (Keep it simple stupid) and its principles and it has proven to be very effective over the years.

KU will be playing Loyola Marymount in San Diego sometime on Friday Dec. 11. LMU swept 8 seed Stanford. The winner will likely face #1 overall seed USC in the Elite 8.

@Crimsonorblue22 The black out stuff doesn't impact me unless it's Longhorn Network because Comcast still doesn't carry it. I can't watch anyway because of a company Christmas party I can't skip because I organized it. I will be watching a replay some time later that evening.

Kansas and Missouri each won today setting up a Border War tomorrow evening at 6:30 central time. Missouri was the runner up in the SEC this year and finished ranked 25 in the nation and was in the discussion to host first weekend games. It should be great match and a chance for KU to finally beat Missouri since those dirty slavers left for the $EC. Missouri is currently 3-0 against KU since the split with 2 wins in softball and 1 in soccer.

@JRyman I think that was LSU's deal with Shaq as well. They didn't retire his jersey until after he graduated.

@BeddieKU23 I wasn't really implying that Bolden was being steered to Bama, just being steered away from KU like Randle was after KU appeared to be the perfect fit for Randle.

@BeddieKU23 Isn't Bolden affiliated with the same guy that advised Julius Randle and Terrance Ferguson? If so, bad sign for KU, just like anytime MoKan Elite has a top level recruit.

@ParisHawk said:

@ralster said:

this is Self’s worst penalty

Morningstar: suspended the entire first semester after a DUI.

Which is usually 6-7 games so about the same.

@ralster I believe KU's colors based on Harvard's crimson, Yale's blue, and Michigan's maize.

@elpoyo What does name recognition have to do with the ability to teach the game?

@HighEliteMajor I'll throw in Landen Lucas to as well for comparison.

Points per shot: 1.6 (barely better than Bragg, no real advantage)

FG%: 57.9% (not bad, but not as good as Bragg or Traylor)

FT%: 69.2 (good for a big man, I don't think anybody would complain if he keeps that up this year)

TO/40 min. 4.8 (not good no matter how you look at it)

Rebound %: 23.7% (significantly better than anyone else on the team by a lot and the biggest trait Lucas brings to the table right now)

Offensive rating: 112.9

Defensive rating: 91.8

Lucas plays because of his rebounding because he's not better enough than Bragg at anything else to justify his minutes at this point. Lucas also has far and away the highest foul rate at 7.2/40 minutes.

Once Diallo gets his feet wet, I'm very thankful for the relatively easy 7 game stretch before conference play coming up that should allow Diallo to get acclimated enough to eat significantly into Landen's minutes and into a little bit of Traylor's minutes.

@HighEliteMajor As of right now, Jamari Traylor is playing better than he did as a sophomore and as long as he continues to play at the level he's at now, I don't mind him playing 20 minutes per game. Here's a comparison of some of Traylor's and Bragg's numbers right now.

Points per shot: Jamari Traylor 2.1, Carlton Bragg 1.5

FG%: Carlton Bragg 70.6%, Jamari Traylor 61.5% (I'll take either one all day long)

FT%: Jamari Traylor 91.7%, Carlton Bragg 40%

TO/40 min.: Jamari Traylor 1.6, Carlton Bragg 3.4

Rebound %: Carlton Bragg 13%, Jamari Traylor 12.7% (not a significant difference)

Here's a link for an explanation and the formulas to calculate a player's offensive and defensive ratings. http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/ratings.html ↗ The offensive rating basically calculates how many points a player w0uld score per 100 individual possessions. The defensive rating is how many points a player should allow per 100 possessions so the higher the offensive number the better, and the lower the defensive number the better.

Offensive rating: Jamari Traylor 142, Carlton Bragg 107.5

Defensive rating: Carlton Bragg 91.1, Jamari Traylor 95.3

As of right now, Carlton Bragg is a slightly better defensive player than Traylor, but Traylor is the much better offensive player right now is playing some very good offense right now.

KU has a fairly easy stretch of games between now and Big 12 play. KU should comfortably win all but maybe 1 or 2 of those next 7 games by at least 20 points. This should afford Self the capability of playing Diallo more minutes early on and letting Diallo work out his role before Baylor comes to Lawrence to kick off conference play.