B12 should definitely take AZ, ASU and UConn if possible. That's 16. But honestly, if he could get 2 more really decent schools to join in the aftermath of the P12 collapse, I would think it's ok to get to 18. Given all that is going on, there could be some churn.
bskeet
4171 posts
This is the first time since Self was here that I can recall KU games off the US mainland not being televised. It is probably because it's an exhibition. They had a "secret" game with Illinois a year ago and that also had no media, IIRC.
I would prefer quality over quantity for the Big 12. Getting to 16 doesn't get you more $$$ unless the additions represent markets that will drive up the value to TV (thinking of Oregon State and Washington State...)
The ACC could be thinking that allowing two unhappy members to leave is not so bad in an environment rich with replacements (like Stanford and Cal).
The Big13.
Has a dissonant ring to it.
So Adams ended up at Gonzaga? Does that seem odd to anyone else? I don't know what I was expecting, but that's... interesting.
Wow. We hardly knew ye has never been truer.
Very odd.
I will say that if you were a freshmen coming into the team right now, you would not get the typical team greeting or orientation.
The team is non-organic in a way teams rarely are. There are lots of older players. They are all fighting for legitimacy and credibility, and the majority have experience fighting for minutes at other schools in other systems.
Other than DeJuan (and he seems like he may be naturally reticent), there aren't guys who are in a "safe" position who can help another kid to work through this or that or explain the culture, etc. In other words, not a lot of mentorship for the 17-18 year olds.
Probably the biggest x-factor for our record this year compared to last year is that we won't be sneaking up on anyone this year. Teams will be prepared.
In that environment, a similar record would be actually a really good outcome; a better record than last year would be spectacular and strong evidence that a foundation is laid and solidifying. I'm hoping for either of these scenarios.
Huggins Re-retires?
@wissox I'm assuming you had a prostatectomy. If the surgeon had clean margins on the surgery (and it had not spread anywhere else) you should be in good shape. Your PSA should drop if they got everything and you should be good to go.
I am rooting for you! If there is such a thing as a "good" cancer, Prostate Cancer is that cancer. It's well researched and oncologists have an arsenal of tools to keep it at bay.
My Gleason was 4+3 which, oddly, is worse than 3+4, but basically 7. In my case, there was early evidence that it had spread out of the prostate.
Did you happen to get a PSMA Pet scan?
I was lucky enough to enter a trial for the Ga68 PSMA, which is a state of the art diagnostic. It is the most sensitive scan available and was just recently approved by the FDA. That scan is absolutely the reason I still have a good quality of life and possibly is the reason I'm still here today. The information the doctors gleaned from the scan changed how they treated my cancer (no surgery for me) and allowed for much more targeted treatments. It is truly 21st century science and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
If your PSA doesn't drop appropriately after the surgery, or if it ever starts to rise, you should ask for a PSMA Pet Scan. (The scan only works with elevated PSA because it uses a tracer that attaches to PSA which is emitted by the cancer cells.)
Well, that's probably too much unsolicited info. But seriously, good luck and hope you feel better soon.
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in 25 Best College Basketball Players of the Past 25 Years:
@bskeet said in 25 Best College Basketball Players of the Past 25 Years:
I love Steph Curry, but I guarantee if his ankle injury early in his career had persisted or if the warriors hadn't brought in Kerr and his system, he would not be on this list. (In other words, his NBA career impacted his selection.) Otherwise, why wouldn't Doug McDermott be on this list?
Doug McDermott is 17th on the list.
LoL Dur.
I swear I looked at the list. Oh well. McDermott's college career seemed more celebrated than Curry's (although Curry is clearly the better player).
But Zion? He was mostly hype. Surprised Myron didn't stuff Kyrie on this list.
Anyway, this whole thing is ridiculously subjective and probably purposely so... All Myron has to offer in the offseason is clickbait.
@wissox said in Best KU game you've been to.:
Wow, great stuff to read here. I am actually recovering from prostate cancer surgery this morning coming out of my fog or should I say PHOG I’m gonna be fine the doctor says.
Hey, I'm in the reluctant brotherhood of prostate cancer survivors. Everyone's journey is somewhat different, but if you ever want to chat with another person, I would be please to chat. I was diagnosed 6+ years ago (stage 4 oligometastatic) and have learned more about the disease and its treatments than I ever would have imagined.
All the best on a speed and full recovery.
The moment that stands out the most vividly is Jacque Vaughn's floating jumper as time expired against Indiana at AFH. It won the game. He was a freshman.
Good for him.
In my mind, that perfect game was attained with an *.
* vs 2023 Oakland A's
I love Steph Curry, but I guarantee if his ankle injury early in his career had persisted or if the warriors hadn't brought in Kerr and his system, he would not be on this list. (In other words, his NBA career impacted his selection.) Otherwise, why wouldn't Doug McDermott be on this list?
That is a pretty stupid list.
Even for Myron Medcalf, I would expect better. Udoka Azibuke was totally dominant until Covid. Devonte Graham could be on the list as well.. And skipping all three Collison, Hinrich and Gooden is idiotic.
The other way to look at this is to note the winningest program in the past 25 years, and then ponder how there are zero players from that program on the list.
When in God's name will this NCAA investigation be concluded?
And will this be eligible for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records?
I have seen Parker play and it doesn't surprise me that he is better than Zach at this point. Santa Clara was a good team and Parker was a significant contributor. He knows situational basketball and may not have Zach's ceiling, but certainly should be able to be an asset in practice and games.
Sounds like they are going to split.
@dylans said in Jayhawks in the NBA -- 2022:
@wissox Better than ‘97? I would like to see the ‘97 team play the ‘08 team. Would be a battle!
Well, this would be a fun thread: Best KU teams to never win the championship.
I would submit there are 3 that would be vigorously argued for: 56-57, 85-86 and 96-97.
@mayjay said in Jayhawks in the NBA -- 2022:
@wissox 37 years and still obsessed! You post about K in that game, and the Wisc game, so often that I wonder if you remember Brown, Williams, and Self ever talking to the refs. Or do they just never try to influence them and smile graciously?
That game made an oversized impression on the fans that are old enough to remember growing up with KU Basketball never being on TV, rarely making the tournament and when they did, bowing out promptly in the first round.
For me, that run to the Final Four was the beginning of the resurgence of KU's program. That game was the beginning of a rivalry with Duke. And it was validation that KU had a coach who could compete on the biggest stage.
That game lives rent free and that's a good thing. Without that chip, maybe we don't have the same tournament run for 37 years (ignoring 1989).
As for the reason for the loss, I ascribe it more to the Archie Marshall injury than anything else... but I think we all agree that if we play Louisville, they go down again.
CB's offensive stats were impressive, but he was also often guarding Jimmy Butler. His defense was equally impressive.
Yarmark is going for differentiation, which is strategic and wise. And Basketball is a great feature of the B12 to build.
Sure, football is the driver today.. But given the growth of interest for basketball worldwide — the talent comes from nearly every continent on the planet now — and the continuing popularity of the NCAA tournament (which is really the crown jewel event of college athletics), it's not hard to see how this feature could have growing value to a network in the years to come.
If Yarmark is prescient, he'll have set up this conference to be much more than just relevant in the next 20 years.
Interesting.. What's the connection to KU?
I think he essentially got a promotion.
He was certainly one of those recognizable refs. I wonder how much influence he had on the B12 refs in the last 4 years or so-- which is when the B12 got more physical and also got more competitive (getting teams in the final 4 since 2019 and even a couple NCs).
A crew of officials can kill styles of play... or they can allow styles to germinate...
The NCAA has a knack for poor implementation and uninspired policies. Their inability to put guidelines in place that would encourage the right behavior is the issue.
The portal is a good thing. Kids need to be able to leave in certain situations (the current free-for-all is not a sustainable solution.)
NIL is a good thing. Students should be able to make money while in school without losing amateur status. (but, again, without some guardrails, bad behavior is inevitable).
If the NCAA had said at the start that this was a 1-2year experiment after which there would be a review and changes.. then I would think they were pretty savvy. But they laid this out as though it was their response to the criticism.. and it's simply lackluster as usual.
Glad you posted this.. I saw that article too. Of all the dramas swirling, conference realignment is my weak spot.
I just can't help ruminating about who will have a seat when the music stops.
TCU was right there last year. They will be a real contender for B12 champion next year.
Not looking forward to that match up.
@FarmerJayhawk said in Off-season starting lineup ever changing thread:
@bskeet Juan is career 39% from 3 so I’m guessing yes on that
Good point — I should say - needs to stay in the 33% range on much higher volume. And this will only get harder if there isn’t 1 or 2 other deep threats.
There is a lot to be excited about but the excitement is rightly tempered by the need for some players to improve their shooting / expand their offensive toolbox in the off-season.
Juan needs to be a threat from deep. Can he become a 33% shooter from 3?
Kevin needs to be more consistent from three and be dependable for some mid-range shots that JWill delivered.
KJ also needs to deliver more points from mid-range. But he should be the one player who isn’t required to acquire a transformative skill. He can make a comfortable living off rebounds and tips with Hunter picking up a lot of inside scoring responsibility.
Speaking of Hunter — he can’t be a bust. I expect great things, but he’s a bit of an unknown until we see him play in the system. He has to score prolifically. Period.
The fifth is a wing. This is the position of highest uncertainty. Whoever it is needs to be a threat from deep — no less than 30% from 3. No one will replace Grady but this player has to make sure we aren’t longing for Grady.
So the question is not just if we have one guy that can be a deep threat (while holding all the usual defensive responsibilities, etc etc) but also, can two guys develop into a reliable threat as well?
Also, the general consensus is that this hurts us down the road. Which is true, but.....
This also hurts us immediately.
The scout team takes a huge hit. This is a big experiment because it's hard to quantify the value of the scout team. However, history suggests that the best Bill Self teams consistently have had outstanding scout teams. For this team to do great things, they will not have that benefit.
Without some of the guys who transfered, our scout team is not going to be able to push the starters in the same way. Ernest and Zuby had skill and size that would test Hunter and would resemble the kind of competition he would likely face.
I don't know if this is a great analogy, but it seems like it would be like getting a great car and a great driver at the expense of experienced crew members.. And generally when you compete at the highest level, the winning difference is not just about the driver and the car. (I don't know much about racing so, maybe this is a terrible comparison.. but hopefully it gets the point across that the guys that don't get the limelight also contribute significantly.)
I get it. I don't like it, but I get it.
He's going to tear it up somewhere. Hopefully not against us.
The thing that made me believe Jalen is that he referenced the incident as a life lesson that led to growth... publicly, unprompted, and well after the suspension.
To me, that was a stronger statement than anything said within the immediate hours following the event. But that takes time to play out. In the meantime, there's little evidence of sincerity, and the only thing we've got to go on is trust and good faith. It's really the bedrock of civilization.
Why would anyone say such a thing?
That ought to be enough to open a head coach search at WVU.
Curry is too small and has a bad ankle. Yeah. That’s it.
Hmmm.. Where'd he learn to play that kind of defense??
First, let me just say I am a fan of good character guys. We've had some guys with great character over the decades (Roy was very focused on this), and they are some of my all-time favorites.
That said, I've observed HCBS recruit guys from tough backgrounds and try to give them a chance. I admire Self for providing an opportunity for redemption to kids that have made mistakes and/or had the deck stacked against them since birth. He's had a decent track record, especially when you think about guys that were recruited ~2006-2016. There have been some whiffs as well.
Still I have some unease with this particular situation. I trust that Self & Staff have a lengthy and clear list of rules in place and a very low tolerance for any transgression. I also trust that they have strong safeguards in place to protect the reputation of the program and the University due to the behavior of players. But I can't ignore the fact that there are some things beyond his (and the staff's) control.
I hope it goes well... but hope is not a strategy.
"Dark mode" is feature that some operating systems, apps and platforms offer... The open source platform that KU Buckets is built on may or may not have that style as an option. The most likely place such a feature would be available is in the settings area (that's where your profile pic is, in the upper right corner).
If you go there, you can see there is a feature called "skins" that seems to just change the font and nothing more. It's possible that the platform allows more skins modules to be added and maybe there is a skin that changes the style to dark mode. Or perhaps there is an option in the tool for dark mode that just needs to be turned on in order for the option to be available to users.
Either way, this is something the site admin ( @approxinfinity ) would have investigate. If the platform doesn't have the option, and there isn't a "skin" solution, there really isn't an easy way for users to achieve dark mode.
I have been in Lawrence with family this weekend and am headed up to campus tomorrow for an official college tour for my son Monday morning. Nice to be back and the weather has been spectacular. Chance of rain tomorrow, but that's par for the course in April in KS
@jayballer67 said in Is this our true rebuild year?:
@Jethro said in Is this our true rebuild year?:
Having so many newbies makes me think unless we portal pull amazingly well, we could be in for a rebuild. For us, that means NCAA tournament w/o winning the B12. Have hard times come upon us? Could we be an actual "bubble" team? Or do we slay the portal, and are back in the Top 5? Bill seems to think Top 5...do you agree?
Well evidently some other people either know things we don't - -OR they just reaching - -I mean really reaching -cause I read ANOTHER article last night people making their predictions for next year and they had KU as 15-1 to win the Championship - this is the 2nd article I've read where they have picked us to win or get to the final four. - Of course like they say a lot is on who we have returning-- -who we got coming in & then the Portal but they are saying with the names we are connected to in the portal is huge
With all of the vacancies on the team, these high pre-season rankings are fool's gold and everyone should know it if you're being honest and objective.
The pundits' projections are almost exclusively based on coach Bill Self, his history of success and his emerging position as Alpha among all coaches. Yes, KU Basketball is now the recipient of the same ranking inflation that Duke received when Coach K was there. It wouldn't be like this if Jay Wright had stayed another year or two, but his departure and UK/Cal's recent performance woes have created a vacuum in basketball coaching that hasn't been seen since Wooden retired.
Bill Self is The Man... and this year's early tourney exit didn't tarnish him... it possibly enhanced him due to his absence in the post-season.
How will we remember J Will?
Will it be like Mason, T-Rob, Morri, Collison, Hinrich, Gooden, Pierce, LaFrenz, Vaughn, JoJo White, Valentine... or someone else?
:face_vomiting:
@Kcmatt7 said in NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MUTTERINGS:
UConn will win their 5th Natty in 4 different decades.
To me, this cements them as blue bloods. I don’t really understand arguments against it.
Not a fan, either way.
Objectively you are probably correct. Subjectively 5 wins in 5 trips makes me view them as a spoiled, unappreciative fan base.
@jayballer67 said in NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MUTTERINGS:
I dunno might be just me but me thinks that this broadcasting crew seems to like Huskies lol - -leaning a little every positive talk about U Conn. - - Na surely not
It is not you. They are transparently pulling for UConn..
Wow. Hurley's comments at the end of the half were the most ungracious I have heard in a long time.
What a sh*tty, disingenuous prick.
Just before the KSU-Michigan State game, a friend (Stanford grad and wife is UNC grad -- father played for UNC back in the day) who has become a bit of a KU follower texted me:
I should know the answer to this question: if one is a Jayhawks fan and their team is eliminated, do they root for Kansas State or is that like rooting for the devil?
My answer:
It’s a tricky question. And thankfully a question with rarely an occasion to be asked. The best explanation I can give: You clandestinely root for them to advance to the elite 8 as a fellow big 12 team but no further because there would be no end to their delusional claim that they are now the best program in the state.
Another way of explaining the pecking order: Missouri is the devil; K-State is the annoying little brother. You may obsequiously clap for the little brother.
I also was asked by a friend who is a Duke grad, how we view the K-State vs FAU game. I explained my perspective and he said that was pretty much how Duke views NC State.
The difference (and I don't know this for a fact, just a guess) is that NC State doesn't have the complex hate for Duke the way K-State does for KU.
What a weird year. Maybe should have been more expected, in retrospect. But weird as hell.
@wissox said in NCAA NON- KU GAMES:
@bskeet What happened to SDSU in 2020?
They were 30-2 and ranked 6th, and 6th in Kenpom. Good team.
I'm rooting for SDSU because I think they were probably the other team robbed in 2020 and Miami because I like Larranaga as a coach. I don't have anything against FAU. UConn however...
Maybe we should have anticipated this year's chaos given that the NCAA granted an extra year due to COVID two years ago... It made the mid majors older and more experienced. The majors still recruited top talent and even some transfers, but the teams that kept the core group, doubled-down on chemistry, and gained a year of experience were able to neutralize some of the powerhouses despite the raw talent differential... Does that make sense?
Arkansas reverted to the mean and the game was called differently from the 2nd round and they were demolished. KU might have lost, but at least there would have been a TV audience in the 2nd half. Way to go NCAA.
UConn looked legit but that statement is made with an asterisk because they were playing…Arkansas.
The three teams left in the west are good enough to be in the FF.