🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@DanR Good summary. While I would like to have more tournament success, I still remember growing up, listening to games from 1975-1982 and those years felt like forever because that was 5th grade to my junior year in high school. KU was not a factor nationally. KU was not on TV. Ever.

Larry and Danny really brought about the silver age of basketball at Kansas, and it hasn't ended yet. I'd say 1983 was a transition year, and then it really got started in 1984-1985 and only had the blip in 1989 for the Askew infraction.

By the way, Rex Walters was a guest on the post-game show out here in the Bay Area (KPIX-CBS). He won conference coach of the year at USF (San Francisco) and folks are beginning to take note of his coaching leadership.

!KU Chop vs Stanford ↗

How A Clever Kansas Play Went Viral And Took Over College Basketball ↗

The play, known as "Chop," was created by Self prior to the 2006-07 season. Since then, it has become a go-to option for Self late in games, and it has spread so widely throughout college basketball, via imitation and adaptation, that ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla has taken to calling it "America's play." He says: "It has a hallowed place in college basketball's virtual playbook." You might see Kentucky's interpretation of the play in tonight's championship game.

KUSports: College basketball aoaches adapt Jayhawks' go-to play ↗

(smirk)

I believe this is the first time in a long time that I want both teams to lose.

@JayHawkFanToo Totally agree.

The implications of either team winning another NC is disturbing.

They've screwed with the rules enough this year that it should be within their ability to make another change that allows neither team to win.

Or better. let them both win and then take it away.. The NCAA has some expertise with that approach.

... ;-) No, I'm not bitter..

I generally agree @drgnslayr

I don't know as much about the game, so I may be way off course here.

But I'll open my mouth and hope you can be gentle if something stupid follows.

My observation is that the way UCONNS guards play is working now because of the way the game is being called. At the start of the year, if a guard came out on another to put pressure or impede/disrupt, it was a foul on the defense.

My only anecdotal evidence is to remember the games in November and December when the fouls were flying.

my opinion: b a r f

I am jaded by the college game. Jaded, disappointed and somewhat envious of Kentucky's ability to extract victories out of the perverse OAD system.

But mostly I'm jaded. Jaded because of the officiating, which seems to be able to influence the game more than ever.

The officiating this year has aberrant and capricious and that has made games -- and the season in general -- completely unpredictable.

I don't know what a charge looks like. Where exactly is the cylinder in offensive goal-tending? Still can't figure out the double-foul technicals for contact when a player puts themselves into the position to be hit. And sometimes when the ball is hit out of bounds and it's close, they call jump balls.. but sometimes they don't.

Of course, if you don't like the way one game is called, just watch another.. It will be called totally differently. It's not enjoyable to watch because I don't know what's good basketball and what isn't because the application of the rules are so inconsistent.

The officiating been absolutely a travesty. The NCAA should be ashamed of itself for disfiguring the game of basketball.

And it's led to two programs playing in the championship that I really don't think are good representatives of college basketball.

b a r f, I say.

I was not thrilled with the final four, but this is the worst outcome I could imagine for the finals.

last Saturday was I flipped over to CBS to see what hot programming they had on that they couldn't have the games cut into, and they were playing "Punchline"

@icthawkfan316 Yeah. I did the same and they had some equally inane programming on the west coast. What the hell is CBS thinking?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-college-basketball-mens-tournament/news/20140401/final-four-broadcast-hometown-announcers/ ↗

Even more bummed we didn't make it. I'm imagining who we could have had calling out game...

Would have been special to hear Bob Davis call the game or have a special appearance by Max.. Or maybe they would have Kevin Harlan call it.. In any case, it could have been a refreshing departure.

@AsadZ

The Best of Andrew Wiggins ↗

He gave KU a "10" and I think KU basketball history should regard him as a "10".

He set freshmen records in scoring, free-throws..etc.

He earned a long list of awards from the moment he committed to KU, to the day he announced he was entering the draft (and probably more in the days that follow). KU gains residual benefits by association.

He was respectful of the tradition, his teammates and the game of basketball and did nothing but reflect positively on the KU basketball program and KU as an institution.

He was articulate and always displayed character in his high-visibility interviews -- under intense scrutiny.

My only regret is that only lingering vestige of his presence in Allen FieldHouse will be "2013-14" on the Big12 Championship Banner.

It is sad to think his number and jersey won't be in the rafters for all time.

updated headlines:

Kansas freshman guard Andrew Wiggins will join coach Bill Self for a press conference at 2 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse, the school announced late Sunday.

In 88 things really fell our way......Pitt getting beat, KSU beating Purdue,etc.

@Hawk8086 :-) And facing familiar foes in the final three games. And the Final Four hosted in Kansas City.

mmm Good memories!

But when it comes to being the champion, 74% of the champions are among the top 8 teams.

@justanotherfan Thank you for this measured look at success. Just curious... did you do that analysis yourself or take it from an article?

In any case, your post makes a point that I've wanted to raise many times when folks have asked the question: Would you trade our B12 championships for a National Championship? I equate this question with a similar question: What good is a bunch of B12 championships if you flame out early in the Tourney? The only thing that people remember is a National Championship.

Your post resolves this:

• The B12 champion is more likely to be a No. 1 or 2 seed in the tournament.

• A No 1 or 2 seed in the tournament is more likely to be National Champion.

[By the way, if anyone could do analysis of how often the national champion is also the regular season champion of their conference, I think that would be a fascinating statistic.]

This is important. It explains why Bill Self's record is so valuable: statistically, he's due another championship already! Folks, it's going to happen if he keeps winning at this rate. Sooner or later, he's going to win another title. And if the drought goes too much longer, the chance of back-to-back titles increases.

I know that sounds like statistical wet dream, but the numbers tend to work out. Self's winning percentage is over 80% over a 10 year span - and that is against strong competition. Not 80% in a Missouri Valley decade.

All that winning may seem like it's for nothing when a season comes up short like last year and this year... but it still counts. The Jayhawks are due.

one of the most incredible plays I have ever seen

@justanotherfan Agree.

Super comments by Ralster and others here.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Looking back, I could have programmed 'Wow, that was a dumb pass' into a keystroke on the keyboard it was used so much this season.

Creating a topic for stories in the coming days for Joel Embiid and his decisions.

!Joel Embiid ↗

Embiid tweets he still hasn't made NBA decision yet ↗

After a Yahoo! story Thursday morning said that Kansas center Joel Embiid would be turning pro, the freshman sent out a tweet that seemed to refute the report.

Keegan: For Our Sakes, Embiid Should Stay at KU ↗

I hope that Kansas University freshman center Joel Embiid returns for a second year. My motives are pure, as in purely selfish.

Creating a topic for stories in the coming days for Andrew Wiggins and his decisions.

** KU freshman Andrew Wiggins sets press conference for 2 p.m. Monday ↗**

Kansas freshman guard Andrew Wiggins will join coach Bill Self for a press conference at 2 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse, the school announced late Sunday.

Starting with Wiggins' scouting report from Draft Express:

[Wiggins Scouting report](

@Wishawk Hey! I didn't say anything negative about Embiid! I am a huge fan!

For the record, I'm probably the only idiot that still holds a shred of hope that both Embiid and Wiggins will return for another year!

@JayHawkFanToo You may have a very happy consolation tonight!

@JayHawkFanToo Yeah.. If Dayton wins this game at the current rate, it's going to make us look like crap.

Last year, I took some solace in the fact that it took a miraculous comeback by Michigan to beat us... and then they went all the way to the finals.

Losing in the round of 32 to a team that loses in the next round is not so comforting. Especially when you consider we had possibly our best recruiting class ever and the most celebrated freshman in 10 years.

You can't navigate a boat without a captain. Or if you do, I don't want to be on that boat.

@nuleafjhawk Your statement conjured up an image...

!Kansas without a PG ↗

@Crimsonorblue22 That's great to hear about Ben...

At one point today, I had an odd thought...

What if Embiid decides to declare -- his reasoning is that his stock is already sky-high.. his back might get re-injured and that would only raise questions next year.

But Wiggins talks to his brother about the college experience.. reflects on the year...and is so disappointed about how he finished that he chooses to return...

I know how unlikely this is.. but that would make for an interesting team next year for sure.

@Crimsonorblue22 Good point.. I added the link in my previous post so folks don't have to scroll to the top if they don't want to..

Adding an article from Grantland on Wiggins, Embiid and Parker ↗.

Grantland: Does Andrew Wiggins Want to Get Rich or Get Better? ↗

Look at it logically. Parker and Wiggins can get paid next year, sure, but they’ll be on crummy teams with no one to teach them how to be a man. No Coach K, no Bill Self. Nobody to teach them how to lead. Their games are incomplete now, but in the NBA, they’ll be playing an 82-game schedule and they’ll have more plane flights than practices. With no time to work, chances are that the holes in their game will stick with ’em for years. As their careers progress, there are some skills they just won’t have, and it’ll cost ’em come contract time. Or if not contracts, maybe it’ll cost ’em championships. It all ends up looking like the marshmallow test for a bunch of 19-year-old superstars.

@ralster Good perspective.

I would just emphasize your final point:

With Duke and Syracuse sitting at home, you have the two winningest coaches in history sitting in the same spot as our coach. It's not an excuse, it's just a fact that the best coaches don't always carry their team beyond the first weekend.

Win as a Team. Lose as a Team.

@nuleafjhawk Count your blessings. When I'm not rooting for KU, I'm attending Stanford games with friends that have been respectively quiet.

I have a co-worker who's son is an Oregon Duck. He's empathetic.

I have a neighbor who went to New Mexico State.. but who went to business school at Stanford.. He's been gleeful.

My next=door neighbor is an San Diego State fan.. and a guy at work is an Aztec.. actually Aztecs are coming out of the woodwork..

And I have a colleague who is a Virginia grad.. He is a lot more interested in the brackets, at this point, than I am.

@Crimsonorblue22 As if my Monday morning after a tournament loss wasn't sucky enough... I live in San Jose and was taking my kids to the bus stop for school. We always listen to the radio and the top local sports story was Stanford's big win and interviews with the players revealing that they felt disrespected by the comments by the KU players and how they used that for motivation. Dawkins told them not to talk about it before the game.

Every now and then you just need something funny to lighten your day..

Here you go:

** Jimmy Kimmel Asks People If They Can Name a College Basketball Player ↗**

[

Also see the Final News Digest for March 24, as well as the Final Daily Threads for, March 24

This is the way I prefer to remember the team:

!team ↗

KU guard Selden returning for sophomore season ↗

Wayne Selden Jr. was tired of being the talk of speculation. On Tuesday morning, the Kansas freshman guard contacted Kansas coach Bill Self to tell him he was ready to announce he was returning for his sophomore season at KU.

Grantland: Does Andrew Wiggins Want to Get Rich or Get Better? ↗

Look at it logically. Parker and Wiggins can get paid next year, sure, but they’ll be on crummy teams with no one to teach them how to be a man. No Coach K, no Bill Self. Nobody to teach them how to lead. Their games are incomplete now, but in the NBA, they’ll be playing an 82-game schedule and they’ll have more plane flights than practices. With no time to work, chances are that the holes in their game will stick with ’em for years. As their careers progress, there are some skills they just won’t have, and it’ll cost ’em come contract time. Or if not contracts, maybe it’ll cost ’em championships. It all ends up looking like the marshmallow test for a bunch of 19-year-old superstars.

The Price of Hoop Dreams: Keeping Wiggins in Perspective and Closing Thoughts ↗

It’s the day after and the loss still hurts but the guy I feel for the most is Andrew Wiggins. I’m not sure if people read his post game interview but it was kind of the saddest thing ever, to hear the way he shouldered the entirety of the blame for the loss. “I didn’t bring anything to the table.” He spoke with the kind of self awareness that only a 19 year old phenom living in an unprecedented digital age of critique and analysis could have. The only thing sadder is that you can average nearly 18 points a game, as a freshman on the undisputed best team, playing in arguably the best conference in the country, and walk away still being considered a borderline bust. 30 years ago freshmen were lucky to smell the court. Today, our hopes and dreams are placed squarely on their backs.

Thanks for the amazing memories, Andrew Wiggins

!Wiggins ↗

‘What if … ‘: Jayhawks ponder what could have been ↗

Kansas University freshman center Joel Embiid took to Twitter on Monday to express his feelings about the 2014 NCAA Tournament. “WHAT IF..........?????” the 7-footer from Cameroon wrote.

RockChalkBlog: Looking ahead at the 2014-2015 Jayhawks ↗

Yes, the season just ended on Sunday and yes, this is probably too early to look ahead to next season. But there’s not much else to talk about.

Kansas’ loss a missed opportunity that had season-long roots ↗

An opportunity gone forever is a locker room full of friends trying to make sense of it all.

They are mostly silent. When they speak, their voices are hushed. Stunned. Maybe the anger will come later. Maybe the answers will come later.

FOX Sports: Did Andrew Wiggins blow his shot at being the top draft pick? ↗

How much can you judge a 19-year-old by a single game? When the NBA Draft goes down in June, we may find out.

@approxinfinity Just wanted to say thanks much for hosting so many us fans. Let me know if I can help you test anything.. Maybe I can find some time to figure out how to operate the scripts during the off-season!

@REHawk agree.. good piece. I'm going to start a news headlines for post-seaon... This will go on there.

Thanks @Crimsonorblue22

Here's some new stuff:

Joel Embiid: No decision on NBA yet ↗

While fellow freshman Andrew Wiggins will leave after the season, Kansas teammate Joel Embiid told ESPN that he will talk to the Jayhawks coaching staff and also his mentor, fellow Cameroon native and NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute, before making a final decision concerning his NBA future.

and salt in the wound...

** Jayhawks need to improve at point guard ↗**

Wiggins is likely off to the NBA, and will be taken somewhere in the top three picks of the draft, most likely first or second. He’s an exceptional talent, but wasn’t quite prepared for the pressure of having to lead this Kansas group.

@FarSideHawk It's been a bad basketball day, as far as I'm concerned.

Simple question.

Better is open to interpretation.

1) Will it finish with a better record? 2014 Final record: 25-10

2) Will it advance further in the tournament? 2014: Round of 32 loss

3) Will it represent the university and be a great role model of a program dedicated to excellence in academics and athletics? 2014: KU a perfect APR and graduation rate

4) Will it have more or higher NBA lottery picks? 2014 TBD

@Crimsonorblue22 thanks.. i'll check them out

(fixing the links in your posts for others..)

@Crimsonorblue22 Where did you find the locker room video?

I don't know where the blame lies.. probably not in any one place.

All I will say is that this team did not tend to:

1) cherish every possession
2) work an opponent over to reveal a weakness and then exploit it.

We just didn't have the kind of killer instinct -- play in and play out -- that you see with the more seasoned teams. I think this quality comes from upperclassmen who have had some painful losses and have had time to reflect on where the games are won and lost (e.g., not in the final 30 seconds).

Also- this team tended to get lulled into false-comfort. Probably the worse thing that could happen to this team is to hit a three at the end of the first half to take the lead.

On Friday, we took over the second half on two plays that have to be considered low percentage-- an offensive rebound on a missed free-throw and outback.

The win makes you feel pretty good about your talent, but you have to realized the context -- you got something in that game you can't count on in other games. A false-sense of security leads to a listless feel in the team..

But how long has it been since a OAD has really done anything to win his team the crown?

@nuleafjhawk Answer: 2011 :-(

We seem to come up on the short end of the stick every time.

Don't look now, but the Big12 doesn't look too good right now.

@Lulufulu85 He still could be because NBA teams don't take players exclusively based on performance on the college court. They look at a variety of other aspects that they think are better predictors of success at the next level.

Wiggins' athletic talent and the kind of game that he excels at might be a better indicator of where he is picked.

@dylans Feeling about the same right now.

The Experiment is over. Another Kryptonite team.. and a game where shots at the rim didn't fall.

I'm left wondering whether Stanford earned this or we gave it away.

But the result is the same: ending in the round of 32 sucks given the amount of talent on this squad.

Ollie looks good because of Napier..

Though he might yet start this season, essentially Naadir Tharpe has played himself into a reserve role for the remainder of his time in a Jayhawk uniform.

@REHawk That may be true, but it's not necessarily reason for concern. Remember Russ Robinson in 2008? He did just enough.. and his back up did the rest...

Survive and Advance!

Stanford will be more challenging than most folks think. Dawkins has that team playing together and at a high level. They don't make mistakes. They are poised and they have a good guard and athletic inside player (Powell) who had an off game.. but don't underestimate them.

They are not going to be intimidated.. They played Arizona, Oregon and UCLA -- all advanced to the round of 32.

Frankamp???!! I didn't see that coming.

Of course, I like to think that Kansas is the cradle of basketball, but getting three teams into the tourney isn't all that unique. Even when one is a #1 seed (see 2013).

Last year we had 2 get to the sweet sixteen.

Let's see if two teams can get back to the sweet sixteen before we toot too much.

My biggest concern is that if Embiid does get a chance to play, our team balance will be upset after learning to play without him.

I think I recall Duke had this situation in 2011 when Kyrie Irving became available after the first or second game of the tournament and proceeded to lose. It wasn't so much about Kyrie as that the whole team hadn't readjusted.

My memory may be off, but that's what I recall... and I really hope we can avoid that!