**Also see Our Daily Threads (Jan 21) and yesterday's Post-game Roundup as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday (Jan 20) **

!5-0 in Conference Play ↗

Four in a row: Kansas pulls off rare feat vs. ranked foes ↗

For the first time in a long time, a college basketball team has rattled off four consecutive regular-season victories against ranked squads. With a 78-68 home win against No. 24 Baylor, No. 8 Kansas became the first team since 1996-97 North Carolina to take four straight against AP top 25 teams.

Box Score ↗

Bill Self talks the good and not-so-good aspects of KU's play in win over Baylor ↗ [MP3]

Perry Ellis, Wayne Selden and Andrew Wiggins discuss KU's home win over Baylor ↗ [MP3]

ESPN: Andrew Wiggins scores 17 to lead No. 8 Kansas past No. 24 Baylor ↗

Defense and hustle have been the hallmarks of Kansas ever since Bill Self took over the program. Heck, they were a big part of it even before his arrival.

So, not surprisingly, Self was pleased that it was defense and hustle that triggered the defining run in the eighth-ranked Jayhawks' 78-68 victory over No. 24 Baylor on Monday night.

Keegan: Selden’s hustle, toughness can’t be overlooked ↗

The scoreboard isn’t always the best indicator of which team will win a game, a series, a championship.

Sometimes, something extraordinary happens and everything that takes place after it becomes meaningless because the outcome had been determined.

Baylor’s foul-line woes lead to loss at Kansas ↗

Although the game is complicated to the core in so many ways, sometimes the difference between winning and losing a basketball game can be boiled down to the simplest things.

Joel Embiid earns national player of week honor ↗

Six KU players have captured at least one weekly honor this season and this is the second time in 2013-14 two Jayhawks have been named the same week as Perry Ellis (co-player) and Andrew Wiggins (newcomer) were named Nov. 18.

**Also see Our Daily Threads (Jan 21) and yesterday's Post-game Roundup as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday (Jan 20) **

I feel like the chat notification is too easy to overlook.. It gets lost at the bottom of the screen.

!Flopper ↗

Must-see Flop video ↗

!KC Star ↗

@JayDocMD My bad. I just added it...

why are my anxiety valleys and peaks so much less when I watch the game in person, versus watching it on television and enduring the commercial breaks?

@Blown Because you were in the Cathedral. ;-)

Also see Daily Threads for the day
and the day's Postgame Roundup as well as news for the next day and previous day

!Tharpe and Embiid ↗

Too early for KU to feel comfortable in Big 12 race ↗

Bill Self says he isn’t going to talk to his team about having a lead in the Big 12 standings. Or about what a home victory on Monday night against Baylor could do for Kansas’ chances at a 10th straight Big 12 title.
That’s because the KU coach says it’s too early in the conference race to even bring up those sort of things.

Newell: KU basketball's physicality could be key against Baylor ↗

Some of Baylor's best offense comes from its own missed shots. The Bears rank third nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, coming away with 42.6 percent of their missed shots.

Tharpe, Embiid sweep Big 12 weekly awards ↗

Kansas University teammates Naadir Tharpe and Joel Embiid have been named the Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Week after the Jayhawks' victories against two top-10 opponents last week.

Also: CBSSports.com Player of the Week: Kansas' Joel Embiid ↗

ESPN: Kansas' Joel Embiid a secret no more ↗

Embiid stands alone in his innate sense of how to play the game. He's almost a savant. Two months ago, Embiid wasn't quite sure how to block shots. Now with little instruction, he's become frighteningly good at it. Against Oklahoma State, he swatted eight. He paired those with 13 points and 11 rebounds to make him the first Big 12 freshman to put up that kind of stat line in a game.

AP college basketball poll: Kansas No. 8, first among six ranked Big 12 schools ↗

The Big 12 has by far the biggest presence of any conference in the rankings, with six of its 10 teams making an appearance, a remarkable 60 percent of its members. The only other league with half as strong a penetration as that is the newly formed American Conference, which has 30 percent (Louisville, Cincinnati and Memphis) of its members in the top 25.

Road no easier for slumping BU ↗

Baylor’s No. 12-ranked basketball team, which figures to sink in the AP poll after losses to Texas Tech and Oklahoma last week, today travels to a place not conducive to slump-busting.

Newell: The biggest obstacle keeping KU basketball from its ceiling ↗

Kansas has one, glaring, can't-take-your-eyes-away weakness on both ends: turnovers. And if you needed any proof to show just how much they affect KU, Saturday's first and second halves were perfect examples.
!turnovers ↗

Keegan: Past is prologue for KU, Naadir Tharpe ↗

It’s always better to look ahead anyway, as in all the way ahead to the Baylor game tonight in Allen Fieldhouse, where Tharpe will have an opportunity to show again how much progress since the beginning of the season he has made in attacking a zone defense. Baylor plays more man-to-man than 2-3 zone against most teams these days, but tends to play more zone than man versus Kansas.

YESTERDAY'S THREADS:

• @REHawk: Amping vs. Playing Flat

• @drgnslayr: FLOOR BURN AWARD: KU vs OSU - Jan 18

• @drgnslayr: Best Win All Season!

!Wayne Selden Jr. ↗

FINAL: Kansas 80, Oklahoma State 78 ↗

It began as a classic match-up between the No. 9 and No. 15 teams in the nation and the two preseason favorites to challenge for the Big 12 championship. And it played out more like an MMA match, with technical fouls, pushing and shoving and ...

Dodd: No. 15 Kansas dominates inside, beats No. 9 Oklahoma State 80-78 ↗

LAWRENCE — Saturday morning, at close to 10 a.m., Kansas freshman Wayne Selden jumped onto his Twitter account and left a rather cryptic message:

"Personal," Selden wrote.

Newell: Reason to celebrate: KU hangs on for 80-78 win over No. 9 Oklahoma State ↗

LAWRENCE — Naadir Tharpe held his hand up to cup his left ear, waited a second for the roar, then raised up his arm to his right ear.

It was moments after his No. 15 Kansas team had survived in an 80-78 victory over No. 9 Oklahoma State, and the junior point guard wanted to fully embrace the moment.

ESPN: Joel Embiid shines as No. 15 Kansas slips by No. 9 Oklahoma State ↗

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Naadir Tharpe scored 21 points for Kansas, and Frank Mason stripped Oklahoma State's Le'Bryan Nash as the final buzzer sounded to preserve the 15th-ranked Jayhawks' 80-78 victory over the ninth-ranked Cowboys on Saturday.

After stumbling through the early part of the season, Kansas is finally starting to look like a title contender. The Jayhawks showed it by beating Oklahoma State, Dana O'Neil writes. Story

Joel Embiid added 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks for the Jayhawks (13-4, 4-0 Big 12), who blew most of a 47-30 halftime lead before holding on at the finish.

Gary Bedore, KUsports.com Family guy: Tharpe excels with mother, brothers watching KU’s home victory ↗

Gary Bedore, KUsports.com Notebook: Embiid’s succes no surprise to Self ↗

Tom Keegan, KUsports.com Column: Bench pushes Kansas to victory over Oklahoma State ↗

Matt Tait, KUsports.com Cowboys lose emotional game at Kansas ↗

!Andrew Wiggins ↗

Wiggins, Selden not flipping out about Smart's antics ↗

Oklahoma State — led by confident guard Marcus Smart — knocked off the Jayhawks, 85-80, on Feb. 2 last year to end an 18-game home-court winning streak, and the talk this week has been about more than a top-15 matchup at 3 p.m. Saturday that could go a long way toward determining the league race.

King: Andrew Wiggins Spotlight: Kansas Star Freshman Hitting His Stride ↗

During an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report this week, Wiggins reflected on his first seven months at Kansas, his chosen pit stop on the way to the NBA.

“It isn’t what I thought it was going to be,” Wiggins said. “It’s a lot harder than I expected.”

Keegan: Top foes bring out Andrew Wiggins’ best ↗

In five games against teams ranked at the time KU played them, Wiggins is averaging 20.2 points and 9.6 rebounds, shooting .446 overall and .348 from three-point range. In the other 11 games, his numbers drop to 13.8 points and 4.7 boards, .433 overall, .313 from three.

Can Kansas prevent flippin’ repeat? ↗

Something mighty significant has to happen for Marcus Smart to get the opportunity to perform an encore backflip this afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse.

OUR DAILY THREADS:

• _
• _
• _
• _

Enjoying this thread. When I was at KU I took cartography classes and journalism. One of my favorite projects was mapping the number of parking tickets issued by location across campus. There were certain parking lots that had a higher percentage of tickets per parking space than others. Some places had very few... Either no one violated there, or they weren't patrolled as much.

This was a while before Al Gore invented the internet. I had to go through the ticket data by hand ;-)

!Nadiir Tharpe ↗

Back in coach's good graces, Naadir Tharpe 'having fun' at KU ↗

After getting benched for stretches during KU’s two-game losing streak against Colorado and Florida, the KU junior point guard had his confidence shaken, and his coach could tell.

“I think he probably needed to know that I liked him, to be real candid,” KU coach Bill Self said. “I love the kid.

Junior guard embraces leadership role after benching ↗

Mired in a slump that cost him his starting job, Kansas University junior point guard Naadir Tharpe decided it was time for a one-on-one sit-down session with coach Bill Self.

“I didn’t go in there and talk anything about starting. It was more about the team and how things were going with us, what I needed to do more to help him (Self) out and how he could help me out,” added the 5-11, 170-pounder from Worcester, Mass. “Me as a player and him as head coach ... we look at each other the whole time throughout the game, so we had to get a much better understanding for each other.

Keegan: Smart’s remarks likely to backfire ↗

When athletes and coaches speak, they are ever mindful that opponents listen, ready to twist every syllable to their advantage. That leaves the rest of us trying to interpret the speakers’ true feelings.

Bill Self press conference notes: Jan. 16 ↗

FULL AUDIO CLIPS: Bill Self ↗ | Andrew Wiggins ↗ | Wayne Selden Jr. ↗

OUR DAILY THREADS:

• Fabulous Wiggins interview by Jason King from Bleacher Report
• "If I were them, I wouldn't want to play us either." Gregg Marshall
• StubHub General Admission tickets?
• Another win for the football team

@Blown. If you go and they win, you have to go to every game the rest of the season. :-)

[asshole](

** OSU’s Smart returns to scene of backflip ↗**

Marcus Smart — basketball player deluxe — scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Oklahoma State’s 85-80 victory over Kansas University last Feb. 2 in Allen Fieldhouse.
Smart — gymnast extraordinaire — put an exclamation mark on his and his team’s performance by performing a celebratory backflip once the final horn sounded.

SI writer puts KU in 'Magic Eight' teams capable of winning national title ↗

Sports Illustrated college hoops scribe Luke Winn this week unveiled his "Magic Eight." Before you say, "So what?" you should know as far as he's concerned, one of the eight teams on this list will win the national championship.

** ESPN Video: Freshmen Math: Andrew Wiggins ↗**

Andrew Wiggins entered his freshman seasons with extraordinary expectations. Take a look inside the numbers to see whether he is living up to them.

Clark Kellogg: Syracuse's first foray into ACC, Kansas early season struggles ↗

CBS college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg discusses Syracuse's early ACC dominance, if being undefeated is a distraction and if Andrew Wiggins should stay in college for another year.

OUR DAILY THREADS:

• Scott Drew, meet Tubby Smith
• Who is doing the game for CBS?
• Regents give approval to proposed apartments near Allen Fieldhouse
• Key to becoming a sportswriting genius...
• Beating 2 Contenders in 3 Days at Home or Giving Up Losing for Basketball Lent

BPI #5 Ranking ↗ | RPI #1 Ranking ↗

!TEAM ↗

The Day After: Iowa State ↗

As it turns out, road losses in tough environments like Colorado and Florida may have paid off for the Kansas University men's basketball team, which went into arguably the toughest place to play on its entire schedule Monday night — Hilton Coliseum — and knocked off Iowa State, 77-70.

Newell: Recap: Examining Joel Embiid's hidden impact against Iowa State ↗

According to SCACChoops.com, ISU made just 17 of 35 dunk and layup attempts (48.5 percent), and that was after entering the game as the fifth-best close shooting team in the nation (73.9 percent).

This hints that KU center Joel Embiid might have even had bigger impact than his stat line showed.

Keegan: Admit it; You’re starting to understand the fuss over Andrew Wiggins ↗

Even the creative Iowa State student hecklers armed with acidic tongues and strong spirits in Hilton Coliseum conceded as much Monday night as Wiggins covered so much space in the air, moved so quickly on the ground. He stunned them into silence.

Self's words spur Tharpe to big game against Iowa State ↗

It was Sunday, the day before Kansas’ road game at Iowa State, and point guard Naadir Tharpe was missing almost all of his jumpshots during practice.

KU coach Bill Self made sure to find his junior floor leader before Monday’s game.

!new jerseys ↗

Self: KU’s alternate uniforms will stick around ↗

It looks as if the alternate jerseys Kansas University’s basketball players have worn the last two games are turning into permanent jerseys ... at least for the remainder of the 2013-14 season.

“Because I personally, and our players personally, prefer those to what we have been wearing,” KU coach Bill Self said

ESPN: Joel Embiid can carry Kansas ↗

During Kansas’ preseason practices last October, the eyes of the spectators were locked onto a lanky new arrival.

By then, everyone had heard of Andrew Wiggins. But Joel Embiid was still somewhat of a mystery.

OUR DAILY THREADS:

• What is the deal with UK and Coach Cal?
• Is the OSU game a "trap game?"

Last night, as I looked at our offensive efficiency, I fantasized about this a bit as well... what if Ben were on this team!?? What if he didn't have to take the money and run...?

As @JayHawkFanToo says, if Ben stayed, Wiggins would likely not be at KU.

So, the next question really is, do you take Ben for his (redshirt) sophomore season or Andrew for his freshmen season?

Let me start by saying I have not researched this at all.. this is all based on memory... but I suspect they are scoring similar averages at this point in the season. Ben was a beautiful pure shooter, but he made his living with lower percentage shots. Andrew can get his points in a variety of ways and I think he's getting more points from dunks and layups than Ben did. Plus he's getting to the foul line more. But the real upside to AW is his defense. And this is not to say that Ben was lacking at D, but AW is so athletic that he's a superb defender and getting better. I suspect he has more blocks than Ben did and, the 19 rebound night was something special. Wiggins can do it all. Ben did have the chip on his shoulder...

I hate to pick and I'm glad we didn't have to pick. It all worked out the way it was supposed to :-)

You all said this so creatively! I can only say that Kane and Hoiberg now have a big credibility issue the rest of the season.

It makes no sense whatsoever for Adidas to spring both Wiggins and Embiid the same season, so that one is the Number 2 choice. What is best for Adidas is to stick with what I hypothesize has been the plan all along: Wiggins end of this season, Embiid end of next season.

@jaybate 1.0 Not sure if you're serious about all this shoe conspiracy / cloak and dagger stuff. But, in case you are, perhaps you could help me understand why it doesn't make sense for Wiggins / Embiid to be #1 / 2 and it did make sense for and Davis / MKG in 2012? Why would Nike allow 1/2 but Addias would not?

Assuming Embiid is a OAD, I would still take him, hands down.

The reason is that his impact to the program may reverberate for years in recruiting. I think the track record with bigs was already established and that's what got Embiid to come -- he thought he could develop here.

Embiid has amplified that to 11.

For the next several years at least we should be the prohibitive favorite with the top big in the nation. Every year, the very best ones will be coming, trying to follow in the footsteps.

They will try, but they won't be the same, because there are 7-footers coming to college almost every year and they aren't guys like Embiid. A footer with the agility of Embiid is really rare.

We couldn't have known how it would all pan out when he was being recruited, but let's face it, the staff saw the raw potential right away and made the right call.

@Blown I can replace the photo if you can suggest a better one.

!so sad ↗

There's still time... right?

!Allen Fieldhouse ↗

Best Home Court in Basketball: Allen Fieldhouse ↗ :-)

ESPN's Seth Greenberg talks about some of the best college basketball arenas in the country.

For this thread, there's not much to be said... So let's share either your fondest memory or post a favorite picture that you love from the fieldhouse.

I am ecstatic about this win!

Best thing is that we learned how to hang onto the better part of an 11pt lead in a hostile environment from one half to the other.

Fortunate that ISU didn't hit many 3s, but our incredibly athletic defense really bothered them.

I'm going to enjoy this box score ↗, because its got yummy goodness: 5 blocks by Embiid, 19 rebounds for Wiggins and a career high scoring for Naadir. Starters played super for most of the game.

The only negative -- did we really have 24 turnovers??!!

Alas, I have to add the link to this story which is a candidate for #justhadonejob ↗ :

Kansas' hoops teams making Sunflower statement ↗

Premise of the story is that Kansas is the epicenter of basketball with 3 D1 basketball teams in the top 25. No other state has as many, and only two -- Kentucky and Iowa -- have two teams..

The story is fine until it starts to kick sand in the face of the more populace states like Texas and New York (1 team apiece..)

And then, trying to land the coup de grâce, it offers the following statement that either reveals a journalist lacking geography skills, or looking so hard that they look past the facts:

In fact, the state with the most Division I programs — California, with 24 — failed to land a single one in the poll. UCLA? Nope. USC or California or Stanford? Nowhere to be found.

At the very least, it highlights some sloppy editing.. or else Breaking News: San Diego has left California.

!Embiid dunk ↗

Self, KU wary of Kansas State defense ↗

Bill Self knows how tough it can be to go against a defense run by Kansas State assistant coach Chris Lowery.

The 11th-year Kansas coach only has to think back a few years to March 22, 2007, when the Jayhawks survived a scare from Lowery’s Southern Illinois team in a 61-58 victory in the Sweet 16.

Jayhawks face confident ’Cats today ↗

Self, who has led KU to a 21-3 mark against the Wildcats through his first 10 seasons as Jayhawk coach, said more discussion of the series would be on tap for Friday.

Self will not only discuss the past — KU is 186-91 all-time versus KSU and 43-18 all-time versus the ’Cats at Allen — but the present. The No. 25-ranked Wildcats, who tied No. 18-ranked KU for the Big 12 regular-season title a year ago, enter 2-0 in the Big 12 and 12-3 overall. KU is 10-4, 1-0.

Keegan: Assistant coach has KSU playing sharp defense ↗

If college basketball had the same assistant-coaching titles and endless studio analysis as the NFL, the men in suits would be tripping all over each other talking about defensive guru Chris Lowery of Kansas State.

Haskin: Coach-speak aside, schedules serve KU, K-State well ↗

Expect history to repeat itself and Jayhawks to claim another comfortable win

!Perry Ellis ↗

Young Jayhawks ‘fired up’ for Kansas State rivalry ↗

Bundled up in winter gear for his walk out of Norman’s Noble Center to the team bus, Embiid, who scored six points and grabbed six rebounds while playing 19 minutes Wednesday, didn’t have time to regale reporters with specifics of the Jayhawk-Wildcat rivalry.

That’s sure to come at a later date.

Newell: Wiggins' poor shooting numbers, and why they don't matter as much as you think ↗

The San Diego State game was an aberration, not a trend. No, Oklahoma won't be confused for a good defensive team any time soon, but the Jayhawks' 1.265 points per possession still marked the highest total against the Sooners this season. KU now has notched more than 1.23 PPP (1.038 is national average) in four of its last five games.

Keegan: Understated Perry Ellis easing into standout talent ↗

Sometimes, the smoother the basketball player, the more you want to see out of him, the more you suspect the pedal isn’t all the way to the metal. Perry Ellis takes eight shots from the field and comes away with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday night’s victory at Oklahoma, and our greed kicks in: How many could he have scored if he took 15 shots? It’s a natural reaction.

Embiid's stock rising ↗

Whether Kansas is on the court, playing on national television, or has the day off, it seems the national media always has Bill Self’s Jayhawks on its radar.

Frankamp finds 'rhythm' in return to court against Oklahoma ↗

Frankamp gave KU an offensive boost at a crucial time, putting in a 3-pointer and a long 2 in the final 75 seconds of the first half during an 11-1 run that helped the Jayhawks to a 50-44 halftime advantage.

OUR DAILY THREADS:

• Odds of Embiid Staying?
• Cindy Self 1 Bill Self 0
• OU reset: questions

!Wayne Selden Jr. ↗

KU shows fight, closing skills in 90-83 win over Oklahoma ↗

Selden scores career-high 24 in win; Ellis adds 22, 11 boards

Boxscore ↗ | Post-game Interviews ↗

Selden responds to Self’s challenge in win at Oklahoma ↗

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self chose Wednesday’s day-of-the-Oklahoma game shoot-around to tell one of his prize freshmen, guard Wayne Selden, to look for his shot more in games. Selden’s career-high 24 points led the Jayhawks in a 90-83 win at Oklahoma.

Jayhawks’ offensive explosion negates Clark’s big night ↗

Oklahoma senior Cameron Clark did all he could to help his Sooners hang with 18th-ranked Kansas on Wednesday night at Lloyd Noble Center.
But despite tying a career-high with 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting, Clark and his teammates walked away with a 90-83 loss.

Selden provides early lift for Jayhawks ↗

In the first nine minutes Wednesday against Oklahoma, Selden scored 15 points to quickly match his season-high. He went on to net a team-high 24 points and help the Jayhawks find their mojo as they outlasted the Sooners, 90-83, at Lloyd Noble Center.

Embiid dons goggles after eye injury ↗

Joel Embiid’s vision was hindered a bit by the goggles he wore to protect a swollen left eye on Wednesday in Noble Center.

Keegan: Frankamp shows maturity at Oklahoma ↗

It never pays to give up on a player talented enough to warrant a scholarship offer from Bill Self, Kansas University’s 11th-year basketball coach, because he never gives up on a player who tries to practice what he preaches. The smart ones figure that out. The immature ones play their way to the end of the bench, even out of the program. Put Conner Frankamp in the first group.

KU's weirdest team ever

@VailHawk I'm thinking that, years in the future, I will be referring to this year as "The Experiment".

Guess we can back off selden!

@Crimsonorblue22 Well... what if the heat from the posters on this site was the thing that lit a fire in him? Maybe you all deserve a little credit ;-)

But I haven't always been thrilled with our perimeter development. I've always scratched my head on that one because Self was a guard. KU isn't known for developing guards... especially when compared to schools like Duke. Why don't we develop guards as well as we develop bigs? Is that just a side effect of Self's hi/lo?

@drgnslayr I have made the same observation. Like you I find it curious and counter-intuitive that the guards are not as strong given Self's background. Does he have a blind spot as a result of his former role?

Very funny analysis.

The kids in my neighborhood like to play football on the street on the weekends. They range in age from 8-15 or so. Lately they've had a favorite play to call in the huddle called "chaos". It means roughly, go out and run around and I'll try to hit you.

Has Self really adopted such a juvenile and simple strategy? Nah... it couldn't be... could it?

!Coach Self ↗

Red-hot Sooners welcome Jayhawks to Big 12 play ↗

Silver Lake native Lon Kruger, who both played and coached at Kansas State, has kept a close eye on Kansas University most of his 61 years on the planet. “They look very good, just like always,” Kruger, third-year head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners (12-2) said of the Jayhawks (9-4), who travel to Noble Center tonight for a 6 p.m. Big 12 Conference battle versus OU.

Newell: Self wants to see more energy, emotion from quiet Jayhawks ↗

During preparation earlier this week, Bill Self showed video clips to his team from Sunday's loss to San Diego State.
The verdict from those watching? Kansas’ main mistakes are fixable.

** KU official: Proposed housing important for basketball recruiting ↗**

A proposed $17.5 million apartment complex, to be located on the west side of Naismith Drive, will house up to 32 Kansas University men’s and women’s basketball players as well as 34 other students, who will not be athletes and must have at least 30 credit hours, KU associate AD Jim Marchiony confirmed on Tuesday.

Haskins: Wiggins more assertive, though shots must fall ↗

Expectations will build even more with start of Big 12 play

ESPN: Game Plan: Think happy thoughts ↗

There’s a great detail in the Associated Press recap of San Diego State’s 61-57 win over Kansas on Sunday, the Jayhawks’ first nonconference home loss in more than seven years and almost certainly the biggest win in SDSU basketball history. How, exactly, did the Aztecs end KU’s 68-game home nonconference streak? What set them apart from so many who came before?

@Jhox Wow. Are we really scheduling 10 years in advance? That is a bit surprising. I didn't think we scheduled much more than three or four seasons out.

For what it's worth, I think this is a valid question. I don't know the answer, but I posed a similar question over on the Wooden/Knight thread before reading this post.

That the fact that we have a large freshmen class on the coaching staff is likely confounding the inexperience of the players.

@HighEliteMajor Nice post. I think you're right about this being a puzzle for Self to solve.

I'm just worried when the puzzles will stop because it started with Zone defense, then it was the press, now it's the double-team in the post..

I'm just hoping we are close to the point where there are no more things the B12 teams can use to flummox us.

!AWIII ↗

KU's White 'back in the flow' after hip injury ↗

It was only three minutes, but Andrew White III was happy to get back on the court Sunday after missing Kansas' previous three games with a hip injury. "It felt good," the KU guard said. "I just tried to bring energy and do my job.

Wife tells Bill Self to heed his own words ↗

Bill Self warned Kansas University basketball fans to be ready for ups and downs as his young Jayhawks aged during the 2013-14 campaign.

“I actually got a text today from my spouse (Cindy) reminding me I said, ‘Enjoy the process,’” Self said Monday night on his “Hawk Talk” radio show.

Newell: Recap: Forget other factors ... KU's shooting to blame for SDSU loss ↗

Kansas' interior offense isn't invincible. The Jayhawks entered Sunday's game with the second-best 2-point percentage in the nation (58 percent) and was completely taken out of their game by SDSU's athletic back line while making just 13 of 41 2s (32 percent). The Aztecs' defense had a lot to do with KU's struggles, but the Jayhawks also simply missed some shots as well.

Great thread. Learning a lot from everyone here.

A lot of the emphasis here is on the head coach who certainly sets the tone for the team and is the lightening rod for all that happens. But I wonder about the coaching staff's role as well... because it stands to reason that a head coach could build a staff of folks that have expertise in certain areas at the expense of other areas.

So, a coach could choose an assistant with great recruiting chops, or one that excels in developing certain skills -- bigs, defense, guard play.. or even in soft skills like opponent analysis or leadership..

I mention this because the coaching staff is pretty green as well this year. Just wondering if some of the issues we see could be attributed to the coaching staff still getting acclimated. Or maybe even gaps in skills or new personalities.

Perhaps in the staff turnover, Self lost someone that had a 'hidden' strength and now has to find a way to compensate. Or maybe someone was the ying to Self's yang...

Anyway, the two areas that seem different this year are guard play and the loose 'fun'... The 'team/chemistry' thing.

Maybe those are strictly personnel issues. But my feeling is that great point guards are created as much as they are born. And chemistry is nurtured and fermented.. not drilled and injected.

By the way, that's the difference I saw between Wooden and Knight -- Wooden's teams had a natural chemistry and Knight's teams were meticulously orchestrated. Both can achieve the highest level of success -- but they look quite different getting there.

My 2 cents:

Just because we lost 4 games in the non-conference doesn't mean we won't win the national title.

If we win the Big 12, we'll be as good a candidate to with the whole enchilada as anyone.

Also, I don't blame Self for the SDSU loss entirely, but he certainly has some responsibility. I'm pretty sure he is aware and will learn from it. Fisher had his team well-prepared. But Self's leadership has led to 9 B12 titles and a NC in 10 years... I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that the team has some serious room for growth and he's doing what he can to provide it.

However, I don't lay it entirely at the feet of the players either. I don't agree that the players "didn't care" or "weren't trying" as some suggested during the game on one of the boards.

The team wins together and loses together. The latter half sucks, but it's the truth. I still think there will be more wins than losses, but the team (and fan base) need to be emotionally prepared for some brutal B12 games.

I'd like to think our non-conference schedule has done just that.

All, I thought it might be handy to assemble the twitter accounts of the team members for those inclined to follow..

Please add any to my short list:

Brannen Greene ‏@b_greene14
Joel Embiid @jojo_embiid

!link text ↗

SDSU last nonconference test for KU men ↗

For Kansas University’s men’s basketball players and coaches, the quest for a 10th straight Big 12 title is near, but not yet here. A major event precedes Wednesday’s league opener at Oklahoma: Today’s nonconference showdown between the No. 16-ranked Jayhawks (9-3) and No. 21 San Diego State Aztecs (11-1).

** Newell: KU's Self switches up practice to help ailing defense ↗**

After Kansas’ lackluster defensive effort against Toledo last week, coach Bill Self spent almost all of his team’s practice time this week working on defensive drills.

** Five-Minute Scout: Why one Jayhawk should have big game against San Diego State ↗**

Team: San Diego State

Record: 11-1

KenPom (Ken Pomeroy) Ranking: 22

Keegan: Aztecs guard Thames a tough matchup for Jayhawks ↗

The 21st-ranked San Diego State men’s basketball team not only features the nation’s second-best two-point field goal percentage defense (.388) and the least-praised great coach of his era(s?), Steve Fisher, it also has the country’s most underrated guard.

Xavier Thames, a fifth-year senior who spent his freshman season at Washington State, leads the Aztecs in scoring (16.3 points per game), assists (2.5), steals (2.0) and three-point percentage (.474).

!Perry Ellis ↗

Newell: KU forward Ellis a different player at rim this season ↗

A stronger Perry Ellis is hitting 71 percent of his close-in shots this year compared to just 54 percent last year during his freshman season at Kansas.

Fisher, Self: No bad blood, just game on ↗

from the San Diego Union-Telegram

SDSU and Kansas coaches back on good terms after recruiting flap

Jayhawks stress defense in lead-up to Aztecs

Defense, as one might expect, has been the focus of Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self since Toledo torched KU for 83 points Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

@Crimsonorblue22 The hate for Missouri is/was/will be eternal. The feelings toward OU were linked to Tubbs.

“The thing that is a little bit confusing is everybody comes from a little bit of a different economic background. There are some families you could never risk that (not going). There’s some like Joel who comes from a fairly affluent family. That is the reason why a lot of people leave, for the dollar. That won’t be why Joel leaves. He’ll leave because he’s ready. He has a long way to go to be where he can potentially be so he has the greatest career. I’m a big believer in that.

@AsadZ You grabbed the essence of the article. The quote above is the best reason why Embiid might make a decision that stuns the pundits.

Lots of lost little Bam'ers out there.

That leap she does is ESPN top-play-worthy.

SB Nation: Documentary Celebrates 25th Anniversery

@wrwlumpy Unfortunately, you need a DVR with a space-time warp chip to set it for 2013.

If it comes on in 2014, please let me know. I would love to record it on my 21st century Tivo.

!The 1988 NCAA National-Champion Jayhawks ↗

Young KU basketball team learns about ‘The Miracles’ ↗

Kansas University’s basketball players — who according to coach Bill Self, “went really hard,” in the practice gym Thursday morning — were brought back for what figured to be a strenuous two-a-day session a few hours later.

Instead ...

“We surprised them. We gathered our team together and watched the documentary, ‘Miracles,’” Self said.

Iowa State is still a significant impediment to "KU Title #10."

Even before the injuries and weedy infractions, OSU was not the only legitimate challenger. Based on ISU's resume and the chip on their shoulder, I'd say they are as much a threat as OSU, if not more.

Defense is certainly the area of focus for the hawks for the foreseeable future.

I'm no expert in this area, but my opinion is that Wiggins has made the most strides in this department.. His improvement and impact is significant --especially since the trip to the Bahamas.

As evident as Embiid's growth on offense is, so too is Wiggins' improvement on D. He's doing the little things-- playing with his feet, anticipating.. not fouling... And he's doing some big things that are uniquely possible because of his athleticism: blocks and steals. He also shuts guys down and alters a lot of shots.

!Hunter Mickelson ↗

KU Sports: Big patience: Transfer Hunter Mickelson using year to learn ↗

Patience has paid off for outdoors enthusiast Hunter Mickelson on hunting and fishing excursions in his home state of Arkansas. It’s a virtue that has also translated well into his red-shirt season as a basketball transfer at Kansas University.

Newell Blog: Two KU starters lagging behind in steals ... and they might not be who you think ↗

Kansas has a steals problem.

Coach Bill Self hammered this point home in the postgame press conference following his team's 93-83 victory over Toledo on Monday night.

CJ Online: KU continues offensive uptick against Toledo ↗

Bill Self had a laundry list of complaints about his team following its 93-83 victory over Toledo on Monday. Almost none of them, though, involved the Jayhawks' offense. "The ball moved, and we shared it," the Kansas coach said.

** @KirkIsMyHinrich posted this: Big 12 Conference Preview**

KC Star: Forcing just 11 turnovers per game, Kansas defense needs help ↗

For the moment, Kansas ranks 23rd nationally in defensive efficiency. Here’s a little historical perspective on the defensive issues. While KU is still among the 25 most efficient defensive teams in the country, this Jayhawks team is on pace to be Self’s second-worst defensive team since he arrived at Kansas.

And if you missed it... Matt Tait had a fun article yesterday...

The 20 most clicked on KU sports stories of 2013 ↗

As you might have guessed, Kansas basketball dominated the list of KUsports.com's Top 10 most clicked on stories of 2013.

But it wasn't just game stories and features that made Jayhawk fans smile during the past 12 months. A deeper look at the list indicates that newsy recruiting stories maintained their place at the top of the food chain when it comes to what KU hoops fans crave.

KU defeats Belmont in tournament's first round; KU's 12-0 run in final 5 minutes lays waste to the "B" curse

Villanova stuffed by Kansas 66-40; Embiid's 17-10-15 triple double leads the Jayhawks' revenge

Kansas dashes the dreams of #1 seed Arizona in West Regional semi-final with balanced attack; Wiggins brothers to be reunited

KU silences WSU; Selden shocks the Shockers with 30 points and named West Regional MVP; KU completes Big 12/Big 10 Final Four showdown

Kansas denies 'crafty' Ohio State with late Embiid block; Ellis scores 23 and hits game winning free-throws; Jayhawks will meet Michigan State for title after Spartans survive Smart and Cowboy's best shot.

Jayhawks Win National Championship over MSU in a battle of attrition

KU's Green and White too much for Sparty, Bench scores 30 and Wiggins is MVP with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 assists, 5 blocks

Wiggins, Embiid, Selden, Ellis selected to All-tournament Team

Wiggins named MVP of NCAA Tournament

Wiggins, Embiid go 1-2 in 2014 NBA draft

Selden selected #6

have you considered a KU Buckets Store

I've considered this a bit. We don't have a big audience here, but if we had a place where members could recommend KU things for purchase from other sites, that might be helpful. I think it would be nice to share things that we think might be of interest to other fans...

For example, I picked up this t-shirt last month when visiting the field house and it's my new favorite:

!rock chalk ↗

Simply "Rock Chalk" t-shirt ↗

And this one is next on my list:
!KU Basketball Practice t-shirt ↗

Jayhawks "Heather Dribbler" Short Sleeve Climalite Basketball Practice Shirt by Adidas ↗

Is a medical redshirt possible? He was looking to be a pretty solid contributor before he got injured. His injury didn't sound that serious at the time... Not much news on this front... or did I miss something?