🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@Lulufulu

I think it is safe to say we will be improved in the post on defense. The question is "how much?"

Can Udoka aggressively defend without fouling? We shall see. I'm sure Bill will run plenty of ref'd scrimmages in the coming weeks with real officiating to see how our new guys do.

Will Bragg be able to hold his ground this year and be a better defender? He is bound to be better.

And Landen has improved every single year. This year he will be "the man" in our post. He has stepped up in his ownership role. Look at how improved he became on defense last year... I believe we will see an improved Landen this year, too.

So much of the responsibility falls on our guards. I believe, as others do, that Josh will soon surpass Wayne as a quality defender. All the help we can obtain from the perimeter will also help our post players by reducing their fouls on guards and shooting forwards.

@Crimsonorblue22

I think we are talking about keeping either 6'10" Landen or 7' Udoka at the 5. And if Carlton has firmed up his defense, he could go for some minutes at the 5.

Svi is listed as 6'8". So his height at the 4 would be like a wash with Perry's height last year.

We aren't really "going small" as much as putting reasonably tall guys with more handling skills at the 4.

And then Josh is a natural 3. That position used to be called "shooting forward" but I like how people call it "swing guard" because of the athleticism and handling skills expected at that position now.

I remember the day when the 3 and 4 were basically interchangeable. The concepts were 2 guards, 2 forwards and a center. Amazing how quickly the game changes.

@BeddieKU23

I'm not ready to pat all of us on the back for hammering Bill on the Mayor's "match-up style" NBA offense into the dialogue last year, but I do feel like Bill has been impacted by the Mayor and what he did with a bunch of small players. So imagine a bit of "Mayor offense" with players that are larger and more talented?

I do think Bill is looking at his players and trying to give the most talented players (most talented in helping us) plenty of PT.

There is so many ways to think about our team. So many possibilities.

What if Bill suddenly thought, "I'm going 100% on defensive strength!"

What would be our lineup?

@jaybate-1.0

Lagerald = "Vapor"

Ultimately.... we have some questions about some of our bigs. We should have learned a lesson last year.... we had the same issue of not having a dominate alternative in the post until Bill gave the 5 to Landen. I don't think we want to deal with that issue this year. We need to spend more of the year playing championship-quality ball tweaking to continue to improve, instead of faltering and just trying to get up to that level in March.

So what we need to do now is to solidify the strength of our core players. Bill wants Svi and Vick to become two of our core players for this year. They will have to be, if for no other reason than to give quality back up minutes at 1 - 3.

I am doubtful we can win a National Championship without quality play from Svi and Vick. They don't have to dominate the game, but we need quality minutes from both of these players.

@jayhawkeyes

"Could we see Bragg at the 3 if Udoka is in with Lucas?"

Wow... going big! Might that be as possible as us going small?

Everyone in here knows I'm an x-axis, small ball directed guy. I like the talk about going with a 4-guard offense SOME of the time.

Right now the talk is about a 4-guard offense.

Here is what I see. I believe we WILL see a 4-guard offense early in the year (at times). I think is to check out the possibilities of what we can do with 4 guards. It can only work if our 5 does a great job of protecting the basket. This may be in the mix because we need to give Vick and Svi plenty of floor action. We need them to be seasoned by year's end. This is an effort to "coach for March." We often have blasted Bill for not planning for March. This idea of a 4-guard offense can help us in two ways: first, it helps give Vick and Svi plenty of PT immediately and that will help us down the stretch. Second, it will give us another option in games that aren't going well. A 4-guard offense puts lots of speed and energy on the floor for us.

We've already discussed BAD BALL returning. We don't know what our offense will do this year. When we do go stale, it seems like energy is often the problem. A 4-guard offense is a way to add energy on the court.

Looking at it even a bit differently... might this be Bill getting influenced by the ghost of El Mayor from ISU? When we talk about "going small" we are actually still keeping up with the height of most teams. But we are putting in big guards as forwards. Might this create match-up opportunities for us? Heck yes! I can see us running isolation plays for guys like Josh or Svi in the low post.

My concern is the possible "thinness" of our backcourt. We are missing that extra big versatile guard this year with the loss of BG. We have to prepared for one of our guards to go down for a while.

However... there are pluses/minuses with depth. Having a lot of it also creates problems. Mostly.. who gets the PT? Who will rust out on the bench? There have always been lots of great teams that only go 6 or 7 players.

I wonder what the impact of having so many "bigs" last year did to Bill's perspective. Granted... our depth wasn't all-star depth, but it was depth. It seemed that we finally came together only after Landen nailed down the 5. It is hard for a player to take ownership of his position if he isn't the starter and holding on to the majority of minutes in that spot. Just look at what happened to Landen. His play jumped up considerably after he took ownership. The difference was night and day.

I have a feeling Bill will be on a "fishing expedition" in the early season... looking for players to step up and take ownership, becominc accountable.

Lots of questions in this thread... many directed at me. I wish I had answers, but actually, my motivation is to get all your opinions because I have as many questions as everyone else!

@Statmachine

Sweet!

@JayHawkFanToo

Is the blvd being developed, too? I heard whispers long ago about an island with KU basketball themed structures. Is this happening?

Reference to 33,000 lost emails in 3... 2... 1...

My hope is for no more than 4 losses and ZERO losses in March and April.

I guess the next question is WHERE will those losses take place?

We were hacked by the Russians. Putin is a Kentucky fan.

!penguinwebber.jpg ↗

...from the archives.

I just spent a few minutes looking over our roster.

It appears that we have two players that will be THE BENCH for positions PG-3.... Lagerald and Svi.

I believe Lagerald will get most of his minutes at the 2 this year, except in moments when both Lagerald and Svi are at the 1 and 2 spots and we are bound to give Lagerald a shot at PG.

We are really thin in our bench when considering that we only have two guys to help out at 3 positions. Maybe Mitch Lightfoot can sneak in some minutes at the 3?

For the sake of discussion, I would like to just consider spare minutes at the 2-spot. If everything else is equal, which player is more likely to perform best at the 2, Lagerald or Svi? We don't seem to know much about Lagerald's current level of play, except from hearing Bill rave about his recent development. Will Lagerald become "the man" for relief minutes at the 2 this year? So will we always have either Frank or Devonte on the court (except for mop up minutes), and one of them will always cover PG duties?

In my mind, the relief minutes this year for Lagerald and Svi will look something like this:

Legerald - 80% of his minutes at the 2, 20% at PG

Svi - 80% of his minutes at the 3, 20% at the 2

In the past, I looked at these two and thought there may be some heavy competition for minutes at the same spot. It doesn't look like that now.

With the extra strength added by Svi, he now seems to be falling into the 3-spot as his natural position.

The only thing I am sure about with these two players is their importance to our success this year. BOTH PLAYERS are very important and there is a good chance one or both will receive quite a bit of media attention at some point this year, when they are counted on to pull some major weight.

It would be great if others would throw in their two cents on this topic. And if anyone has experienced Lagerald's play over the past months, to share their opinion.

@approxinfinity

GET WELL as soon as possible! We've got basketball just around the corner and you will want to be healthy when we go on a smashathon from now through April!

I hope this year we can come together as a fan base and stay focused on the big prize.... winning another National Championship!

Our strength lies in our diversity, both in personalities and ideas.

Let's hash it out like we always do, but let's show great respect for each other and everyone's ideas.

We only have to flip on the tube to experience nasty politics and a country battling with cohesiveness. Let's be the aberration from that.

Let's become the example of TEAM SPIRIT! Let's show our players and all fans across the world what BEING A TEAM is all about! That doesn't mean we steer away from challenging dialogue... it just means we stick together as a team with the "going gets rough."

This is what we want from our players. How can we want that if we aren't willing to set the example?

@jaybate-1.0

Never thought of that. Interesting perspective.

I remember a quote from decades ago... someone famous listed the order of what is important to him... in order... "Wife, God, Country!"

Wow! Wish I could remember who it was. Anyone know?

Coach Self really nailed it in his vision for this year's team's success.

“It’s not awful to lose to a team that won a national championship and played to a national championship level,” he said. “But we had a team that was playing well enough and was good enough to do it ourselves, and that doesn’t sit very well.”

There is solid "chip" material in this statement. This team has unfinished business in March, and Bill points it out. We have a big advantage in returning most of the squad that lost to Nova last year. I hope he keeps this topic alive all season. Keep the focus on the next game but also using this chip to motivate players to work harder in practice and stay focused.

“I reflect back and think about, did we maximize what we had,” Self said. “You have to look at it as a whole first, and then you have to dissect it as you get really down to it: OK, what can we do different to put us in a better position so that when we’re in that position again we’re more prepared.”

Looking for answers. Taking the evidence from our loss in March to better prepare our guys for this year. We can learn plenty from that loss and it can do more than help us in March, it can help us to victory in all games this season.

“I think this team will be a team that’s in the game,” Self said. “But how much we like each other, how much we enjoy playing with each other, how the pieces fit, that still remains to be seen. It remains to be seen with every team out there. But I do like our talent. And I like our blend of youth and experience and we’ve got young players that could be impact guys and certainly we have some great returning guys.”

Very fruitful statements. Bill outlines the key components necessary for building a championship-quality team. This is the first step in identifying what it will take and then assigning ownership and accountability to the players to get it done.

“Usually good guards win,” Self said. “And we’ve got as good of guards as anybody, in my opinion. How we manage it and how we grow as a unit still remains to be seen, but it’s gonna be a fun team to coach.”

Bill points out the need for exceptional guard play. He is spotlighting our guard play as the key to a successful season. He is giving special focus on our guards executing, leading and bringing the team together.

I couldn't script a better interview. This is the most-focused, correct path forward I have ever seen from Bill.

Let's do this! RCJH!

"Do you guys respect me?

(group says... "yes, coach")

Why? Why do you respect me? What have I done to earn your respect? I know you all know my coaching track record. My record speaks for itself, and you can respect my record, or not. But I have done NOTHING to earn your respect. Nothing. So stop passing out respect for me or your teammates until it is earned. That's right. No respect until it is earned.

We should all be respectful on a human level. What I am talking about is basketball respect. And if you want to get in trouble with me, go out and show general disrespect to others. You are representing Kansas, whether you are wearing a jersey or not. And if I find out any of you clowns are out disrespecting others, I will come down on you like you have never experienced from anyone before. Is that clear?

(group says... "yes, coach")

Confusing, huh? Respect others but don't respect your teammates or coaches? Yes. That may seem confusing. But in everyday life, most people you are around you are not trying to accomplish getting from A to B at this level. You and I... we have a goal. We have to learn how to execute together. We can't afford to send false signals to each other. When we are dissatisfied with each other's performance, we need to communicate that. Sometimes, it gets very hard to communicate when you are bound with the formalities of respect. And respect doesn't mean anything anymore because it doesn't have to be earned. You will value respect by the time you leave this program. That, I guarantee.

So get this clear right now. I don't have the least bit of respect for any of you as basketball players. You haven't proven crap to me. Chances are, most of you are delusional and think you have NBA careers and think you will be some kind of superstar some day. Fat chance of that happening for any of you. I've seen far better players than every one of you. But I don't want you to waller in mediocrity. It will be up to you if you can ever earn my respect. And it will be up to you to make your dreams happen. And I won't give you respect just because you can dribble a ball well. You will earn my respect when you put out relentless effort every second you are at Kansas. That goes far beyond game minutes or practice minutes. You better hustle on every aspect of your life to be the best basketball player you can be. Not only does that mean working on your game outside of our practices, that also means hitting the books and keeping up the high academic standards we set at Kansas. And that also means keeping your noses clean in other affairs. I have zero tolerance for those kinds of screw ups. If you want to mess around and get in trouble, just leave now and save us all the aggravation because when I find out you have messed up, I will breath fire down your neck and you will have fireworks shooting out of your arse! Got that?!

(group says... "yes, coach")

I haven't earned your respect for being your coach. We haven't got that far. What I want you to feel now for me is fear and hate. Yes... you will fear and hate me very very soon! As I rip at every part of who you think you are, you will become afraid and you will want me to stop. It is going to get very very uncomfortable. If you don't feel like you are up for this situation, say so now.

If I can't make you fear me and hate me right now, I'm not doing my job. My job is to help develop you into the greatest human beings on earth! My format for doing so is through the game of basketball. But in all reality, we are taking on the challenges of the game of life together. In order to get there, we have to dig in to your inner workings. Find out what makes you tick. No doubt, many things inside of you are good, in fact, many things are great! None of you made it this far in your basketball playing with nothing right inside. But everyone has issues. Hills to climb. Sometimes mountains. Maybe it is your attitude. Maybe your overall perspective. Maybe your basketball IQ isn't high enough... or your athleticism. Maybe you don't have the drive and the will to win. We are going to find out what you are made of now, before you make arses of yourselves in front of a national audience and you embarrass the university written on your chests. This is going to be the biggest challenge or your lives. Your actions will decide if you find success or failure. It is up to you.

Now, you twerps get out of my face. I'm tired of looking at your sorry arses. Go run stairs for two hours. If you slow down, one of my assistant coaches will grind you up into chopped liver. I want to know what you are made of. So go push until you drop. You are going to run until you drop. And if you drop quick, good luck ever earning my respect for you as a player. Get out of here, sissies.. "

@nuleafjhawk

Or my wife's mind...

@ralster

Great post. You may know him better than I. I only know him in brief social settings. I have been able to ask a few questions and have small conversation. But nothing too deep.

He definitely rubs me the right way! And I see his appreciation of old school.

But when I read about things like BG questioning his minutes in front of the team.... old school probably wouldn't have been a temporary suspension. Old school might have been a coach grabbing the kid by the chest and backing him into the corner and shouting so hard and so close to his face that they start sharing DNA. No need for a suspension. In fact... maybe reward the kid for deciding not to quit after being emotionally (and physically) backed into a corner.

I was one of those kids that would get into trouble with coaches. But it didn't take long for them to break me of all my independent thoughts and join the team consciousness. There just is no greater thing than when people come together and execute as one. You often hear about this in the military.... the ultimate "gameday" situation. And so many of these guys later in their lives... they won't miss the violent nature of war, but they miss their brotherhood connections. And the more struggles they faced together, the closer they came together. Usually the guys that couldn't get along at first end up being the closest guys later.

Today's goals are to avoid struggle. Why would anyone want to learn how to change a flat tire?

@Crimsonorblue22

Unfortunately, I didn't. Only caught the last 10 minutes. Very glad my wife missed the game. Saved my ears from hearing the "p-word" a million times.

I saw plenty in that 10 minutes.

Like I said... I'm not upset over losing. I'm upset because of what I witnessed.

I hope we don't lose every game from here on out... but that wouldn't end my world. I'm sick of watching a bunch of pansies wearing Kansas gear.

I thought Self was going to call a time-out with 5 minutes left and hand out hankies for a group cry.

I wonder if any of our players can change a flat tire?

@tis4tim

"*Mizzou will pay an NCAA fine of $5,000"

Sure you can afford that Mizzou? I know money must be tight in the SEC... ;)

@Mikey-P

I'm an "old school" guy.

I am very frustrated right now with this team. But the roots of my frustration are planted in the times we live in. What used to work has largely been shot in the head because of PC persuasion to soften every aspect of life so no one on the planet is offended any longer. That is where my identity rubs with mainstream today.

It is never my goal to offend people. From my old school experiences.... if coaches are worried about offending people, they have no idea how to coach in the intangible areas of coaching that goes beyond the Xs and Os. That is where I feel we are today.

Self can't help it. He has to follow the rules of PC. I understand that. I wish we could have an unrestricted Self coaching this team. I've met him on several occasions, and I can feel his energy... and deep down he is old school and I bet he would love to say some of the things I am about to say to these guys. They have it coming. It is for their own good.

Struggle is the key for humans to advance themselves. If you have children, notice how quickly they mature right after an illness. Humans need to be pushed, and sometimes they need to face adversities to lift them to a higher place. Sometimes they need to bring into question who they are and what path they are on. I've never heard anyone seriously contemplate these things until they are in dire straits.

I was fortunate to have experienced some great coaches. One coach, we remain great friends still today... over 30 years after we played our last game together. He would take a bullet for me, and I would do the same for him. He remains my main mentor. His success came from getting players out of their comfort zone. When you do that, they suddenly are like clay and can get easily shaped into something better.

Kansas basketball has only one opponent... Kansas basketball. None of our players will ever truly get beat by another player. The loss will come from within... when they gave up and conceded.

Last night... this team gave up. They conceded in the middle of the game. You could see it. You could feel it. We beat ourselves. We have to hold ourselves accountable.

How do you change that? There is no way to limp into change. We need to take it away from ethereal concepts and kick some people on their backside. Bring them back to earth. Question who they are. Challenge them on a human level... in this case... challenge them to step into manhood.

This is what they need. All those PC people need to go away. They have ruined enough.... with concepts like removing scores from kid's sports and giving the same trophy to all the kids.

[ Tear down, followed by build up. You have to drown their identities in their own self-doubt before helping them retool to their new identities.]

"I'm going to deal with each one of you pansies now, individually. You've all been babied even more than my 10-month old daughter is now. Pathetic. None of you clowns could fight your way out of a wet paper bag. No pouting around here. Go home to your mommas and pout. And like I said before... if any of you pansies take this personal and want to challenge me, let's go outside so we can see what you are really made of. Just take the first swing so I have the right to defend myself and explain to the judge why it was necessary to punch all the teeth out of your head."

@KUSTEVE

"1,100 lbs of screaming steel and sex appeal…all the ladies call us "big’en"…all the men call us sir…RCJHGKU…"

"Rusting steal and wax appeal... the way you pussycats melted down last night the ladies can only mistake you for a candle. Now drop and give me 200. Yes... 200," says Sergeant Slayr.

What really makes this idea of posting "coach's words" a great thing is for all of you to insert your additions to the coach's words.

So... it would be great if many of you took on the role as coach, and throw in your coaching.

I know many of having been coached up well and have so much knowledge to offer that together we make ONE KICK ARSE COACH!

Chapter 2.... coming soon.

@JRyman

This is only the beginning.... I will go until the PC police kick in my front door.

The morning after breakfast....

After Morgantown...

Fried crow in a mushroom-burgundy sauce.

Uh.... smoked crow...

"Does anyone know where I can find a Jayhawk?

Any of you pussycats know where I can find a Jayhawk?

Let me explain what a Jayhawk is so if you see one you can let me know.

A Jayhawk is someone who has never heard the word "quit."

A Jayhawk is someone who has never thrown the towel in like towel boys doing the laundry.

A Jayhawk knows his/her identity... a winner... head pointed up... always going 200%... dignified... assured of themselves.

From now on, I only want to spend what valuable hours I have left on this planet with real Jayhawks. If any of you pussycats wants to continue this relationship, you will have to become Jayhawks. And if you don't want to strive to become a Jayhawk, there is the door. Don't let it hit you in the arse on the way out, it might crush your pussycat tail. Or if you think you want to challenge me on who you think you are right now, I'll go out the door with you and we can settle this in the yard. Any takers?

So I need to know how many of you want to be Jayhawks, and how many of you want to stay pussycats? Who is in, and who is out? Decide. Just be sure... this will be one of the most important decisions you ever make with your life."

(this is for our players...)

@JRyman

Okay.... this is going to be in layers.

I'm ready for Chapter 1.

Here goes... I think it still has enough in it to get the ball rolling...

I'm trying to do this...

But all first draft is so rough and aggressive... so full of nastiness... I think I will get raided by the PC police. I'm trying to make it polished enough to not offend 100% of the fans in here. That is not the intent.

I'll keep polishing, trying to save enough rough edges to keep the bite while not trying to be banned from this site!

@HighEliteMajor

I am going into character. I am now Sergeant Slayr.

I'm off to lunch right now but when I return... all HELL is going to break loose on this site!

I am going into character of the two coaches that formed me as a person. One in 8th grade football, another who coached me in basketball from HS on for about 5 years.

It isn't going to be pretty.

These boys need a foot shoved up their bungholes. Something to bring their egos back to earth and get their attention.

@Crimsonorblue22

" I always thought it wouldn’t be possible w/our depth to have so many guys cold! Crap was I wrong."

I hear ya.

This was a team melt down. So... no one off the bench was going to pull the pants up on the team.

@HighEliteMajor

I really don't have a problem losing a game.

But seeing our guys fold up like that... it clues me in to what to expect in March. Another early fold.

My view on life: "If a bunch of thugs jump me in an alley, they will kick my butt. While I'm down on the ground, in the sewage and muck, I will reach out and bite an ankle."

That is who I am. I can't stand people who quit. And people who quit continue to quit.

Why should some fancy words convince me these guys won't fold like this in March?

@benshawks08

I'm not upset over the loss. Losses are always a part of competitive sports.

I'm upset at how our guys quit. That was humiliating. The part of the game I saw our guys all had their heads down like their mothers' just died.

And they were playing soft, tentative basketball.

I want to see on/off...

I don't want to hear a single word out of their mouths.... because there is no excuse. None.

Everyone has bad games. Everyone has nights when shots don't fall. That doesn't mean we don't hustle. I watched the ISU/UT game after ours and ISU lost but they brought hustle. And their guys didn't have their heads down in a state of self pity.

Maybe we weren't properly prepared for this game. Maybe we were. Whatever the case, there is no excuse to put your head down in self pity. That is a loser's mentality.

I always hope we win a NC. That would be great. But... if we come and compete. Keep our heads high and fight. I'm satisfied. Guys give their all. That is all I want to see. And with this team, if they do that, they probably won't lose another game. The B12 will be ours again for sure if they do that. Anything else... and I have to listen to my wife call them all "p's" again, and she will be right.

Players shouldn't need a psychiatrist to dribble a friggin' basketball. Either on/off is in your DNA, or hang it up and become a plumber!

@JRyman

Old players always look back on their careers. Their personality usually dictates if they focus on the bad stuff or the good stuff.

I didn't have the illustrious D1 history in my past. But I had lots of huge games (huge in my world). I think back on good and bad. It is hard to keep out the bad.

I was just talking about a bad moment two days ago with my wife. My parents were at a big game for me and I had a steal and break away. I had all the energy in the world running through my body and I was going in for a monster slam! I was going to bring the house down with that slam! On my last step, I hit a slight wet spot on the court. It wasn't enough to make me spill, but it was enough for me to not get off my foot well enough to elevate. Needless to say... I ended up a couple inches short and rimmed out the dunk. Very embarrassing. I will always feel that. It was rare to get my parents to a game because my dad had to work all the time and most of our games required travel.

I am curious how this team bounces back. I have to admit... I have a lot of skepticism with the way this gets handled. When we have a game like this we tend to continue to have this same vulnerability.

Even though we won't be #1 next week (thank God) we will still have a circle on all our opponent's calendars.

Where will the chip come from?

I'm sick of hearing these guys talk about it like they actually figured it out and addressed it. This is always just an excuse until the next time they don't show up for a game.

I'm one of those guys with only an on/off button. I'm not the right guy to float a bunch of bull shnit at just to move along off the topic. (I'm not talking about our talk in here... I'm talking about our players talking about it. I don't want to hear a word of excuse from these guys. Time to walk the walk, f*ck the talk!)

I want to know how these guys are going to guarantee that they show up every game for the rest of the season.

@JRyman

Even with the #1 ranking.... we shouldn't have been "full of ourselves."

We hadn't accomplished anything. The only accomplishment we have this year is winning in 3OT to OU at home.

Maybe this even goes back to WUG. Maybe we took that wrong?

In 20 years, when these guys really "man up" they are going to look back on their one shining moment and realize how childish and silly they were. And how they folded on a royal flush.

Imagine 20 years from now... and these guys going back and watching this game again? I can imagine a lot of head shaking and resentment for not bearing down for the challenge. They gave up in this game. It even softened up the crowd on their court rush because it was such an easy victory.

@JRyman

I really don't know the best way to instill a chip. It must be possible. It is possible.

Duke had a dump truck of young talent last year and they won it all. They definitely had some chip. No way they could beat Wisconsin without it.

Why do our guys feel so entitled?

They haven't won sh*t!

Maybe our pathway is to blow the B12 conference streak. Have it go on these guys' heads. See if they react in March.

They should be humiliated right now. They should feel the size of a pea.

I've always said this is the one area of game where Self needs help.

@JRyman

When I turned the game on half way through the second half we were already beat.

Guys had their heads down. Even new players coming in would put their hands on their knees immediately.

I'd like to send Hudy to WV to see what they do for conditioning. We seem to be losing that competitive side.

Strength and endurance are not exactly related.

But... Huggy Bear is one of the few coaches in the B12 who understands what a chip is. I hope we never meet WVU in the big tourney. We will get killed. Huggy will preach to his guys on how under-rated they are and how over-rated we are. And it just isn't fair that the world doesn't stop and take notice of WVU.

It is just like WSU. I hope we never play them again in March either. If we do this March. We are dead. Marsha, once again, plays the "chip card" and we fold up like a cheap suitcase.

Huggy gets it.

We always play with one hand tied behind our back. Always. Because we play teams that are inspired to beat us while we just show up and play.

I'm back on my "chip" soap box again!

We won't ever ever ever win another NC without a chip. Not going to happen. Because we will face teams with a chip.

@BeddieKU23

Thanks for the explanation.

So we never established an effective PACE.

What did we need to do? Slow it down or speed it up?

It definitely sounds like we were timid.

It sounds like our 3s were taken out of desperation... not as real opportunities.

Sounds like instead of practicing against 8 guys... we need to practice on maybe 6 guys but focus on how to attack under pressure. Practicing against 8 is just to see if you can not turn the ball over. You can't practice real attacking against 8 guys.

@Crimsonorblue22

Is that known as a fact? What rattled these guys? They've been to Morgantown enough to not melt down like that.

Is it possible... that something went down last night?

The excuses we have been given are horrible and not believable. Frank wasn't just worried about late family members to the game. And then they arrived... was he afraid they couldn't find their seats in the arena then? And what about Wayne?

Those two guys had a ridiculously horrible game. Is it possible... they got rattled... NOT from the spunky WVU that they have faced in Morgantown twice before. But from a strategic change in the game plan?

Was this Self on the game's first timeout and a Kansas lead ripping guys for shooting 3s and not forcing the ball inside to whoever was our C5 post player at the time?

Could this have rattled our guys? I think our guys will melt down if we have to go back to BAD BALL and another failing attempt at forcing post scoring.

If this is the case, and we wipe out from here on out, we are toast for years. No more top recruits coming to Kansas.

I don't know if this is what happened... but it sure as hell is a better excuse than Frank's family not finding their correct seat number.

@Bwag

I had a hard time swallowing that.

Maybe... just maybe... Self's game plan was to go inside for another game of BAD BALL. Maybe that was known ahead of the game, and our players sort of revolted on the court?

Something was obviously bothering Frank and Wayne.

So it is back to BAD BALL, and a .500 record from here on out in B12 ball and another early exit in March.

The connection with them playing slow and relating it to shooting 3s is absolutely a joke. No one is buying that. No one.

Sorry I missed most of the game, but I don't think I missed anything.

We were up 13-9 and we hadn't failed yet by working the ball inside to whom?

We were winning at one of the toughest venues in the nation and we needed to change what we were doing?

Well... congratulations! We succeeded and changed from our winning way.

I really think Self wanted a grind game, and he was willing to take an "L" to get what he wanted. If we had continued to win with the trey it would have sort of glossed over a lesson Self wanted them to learn.

The fans who don't care about our B12 conference streak and only about March should rejoice. Here is a sacrifice game. Toughening. Maybe we can blow another half dozen of these before March so we can really get tough! Hope we still make the tournament.

@HighEliteMajor

Everything I ever learned about beating a press came down to one question:

"Did you make them pay?"

The right way to beat a press is to score on a press. If you don't punish them for doing it, they just stick at it and become empowered over time. But when you score on a press you take a tiny wind from their sails. Eventually, you really break their spirit and they will be wise to back it off. Didn't Kentucky really break their spirit a couple years ago by spanking them all game for pressing?

The very last thing you want to do is come to a game being timid... that goes for any game, but especially an away game where they are going to press!

I only saw the last 10 minutes of the game. That was enough. We were already beat. Guys were all looking down at the court with their heads down.

Body language = -F

@globaljaybird

He better crack the whip. Or how about he just bring a .45 to practice?! ;)

@cragarhawk

Thanks. I didn't see much of Perry in the last minutes. He wasn't getting the ball in scoring space because of the function issues in our offense.

I don't feel sorry for our team. If they don't show up, that is their fault.

I feel bad for all of us fans. We endure so much, mostly from our own high expectations... We finally get a team with some quality players and experience... and then they don't show up!

Ooops.... did I say "quality players?"

No more compliments until April...

@jayballer54

Did Self really say we were full of ourselves?

I'll fix that.

No more compliments for this team until April!