I was already comparing Hield to Wiggins last year. I felt the same as you.
I'm not sure now. I am seeing so many other areas of Buddy's game blossoming that there is no way I'm willing to bet against Buddy on anything.
Really, I can say the same about Andrew this year. He has lifted his game completely. Wish we had this Wiggins at Kansas.
I don't doubt that Wiggins is the better athlete. But the goal of this game is to score the most points. I think Buddy is a better perimeter shooter.
I'm mentioning this because I see this as potentially one of our ways of losing, especially in March.
We lose a game where one of our guys is red hot but the rest of the team is ice cold.... yet our red hot guy only scores 14 points. He was our high scorer and he took control of our team, but he didn't go further and take over the game.
I'm not talking about a regular strategy we should adopt. I'm talking about a very specific scenario that we will probably find ourselves in at some point this year.
Will we have it figured out to focus more on our one guy opportunity, or will we force our focus on team ball when team ball isn't working?
I'm not stating that we need to restructure the team and have one guy take a disproportionate amount of shots.
But we will be in a game where just one of our guys has a big match up advantage and is hot.
Shouldn't that player take the opportunity in front of him?
Thanks... pretty good read.
But what if OU had scored one more point in regulation? They would have won the game and the author of this story would have wrote a completely different article proclaiming that one guy can take down a team, even one with the depth Kansas has.
I'm not saying we need to have any of our guys take a disproportionate amount of shots in a game.
I'm just saying that sometimes you have a guy that is feeling it, and the other team just doesn't have an answer to stop him. Shouldn't we consider exploiting that like a NBA team would do? Keep feeding the guy that can't be stopped!
I really like our team and team concept. I really like Wayne stepping up big this year and taking possession of this team. Did you notice how he often made a basket right after Buddy did? He seemed to want to neutralize anything Buddy did.
I don't see Perry ever taking over a game. But I see the potential of Frank, Devonte or Wayne doing it. I think they need to be made aware that if the situation is there, to grab it! They should know that it isn't about being selfish. It is actually more selfish to hold back and play timid when your team needs your execution to win.
This is a big deal. Because at some point, we will be in a situation where we need more from one of our top guys. When just one guy on our team has the right advantage to bring us a victory. The groundwork has to be done now. All our guys need to be educated on this because otherwise they float along with the counter opinion that taking over a game isn't playing team ball.
I guarantee you that Buddy is a team player. He would give the shirt off his back to any of his teammates. Or if Lon told him to not shoot once in a game, he would happily oblige him.
Moving forward... we need to be prepared for just about anything. The more scenarios we prepare for, the more potential we have to win with a higher margin for error.
We have a great team!
We have so many talented guys on this team. On any given night, any of our top players may get hot and take over the team on the stat line.
I have already called this team "Wayne's team." I didn't make this statement because I thought Wayne took over this team and is carrying the team on his back. I did it because Wayne has been stepping up at times and making some key plays that definitely gets the attention of his teammates and they often respond to what Wayne does first.
Guys like Wayne, Perry, Frank and Devonte... on any given night can take over this team.
But what I have yet to see, is any of our guys take over a game. That is the last step in personal contribution to a team. Sometimes one guy needs to take over the game. Even though OU lost, Buddy took over the game. The stat line supports that, but also you only had to watch a few minutes of the game at just about any spot in the game and you had better be keying in on Buddy, or you would miss out on a great deal of the real action.
I'm curious if any of our guys will just flat out take over a game this year? I know our focus is on "team ball." I'm pretty sure OU has that same focus. That hasn't stopped Buddy from taking over games and his teammates seem to be extremely satisfied with being "supporting cast."
Do any of you see one or more of our guys taking over a game?
When was the last time we had a player take over the game? Maybe Wiggins? Or do we have to go all the way back to Sherron?
You are a GM of a NBA team.
Would you rather have Andrew Wiggins or Buddy Hield?
I will take you up on that bet. With an exception if he gets injured. Can't account for bad luck.
Buddy is a volume scorer, and the method for getting his points looks like it will transfer just fine to the next level.
I think he will adapt fine to the NBA... perhaps even easier than our guy Wigs.
Curious question: You are a NBA GM... would you rather have Wigs or Buddy?
I really should have mentioned this already, our player support network is really unique and amazing here at Kansas. We have a very family-oriented approach to basketball, education and life in general. I have to admit that in my coaching experiences from several universities, I have never experienced anything close to the support given players at Kansas. We are one big family.
Our family approach starts with the players and their real families. Since our players come from all across the world, we openly invite actual family members to come to Lawrence for a visit and also to move to Lawrence during their players' playing years. We are often taken up on that offer, and all our players' parents that come end up embracing all our players. That is where our family approach starts. But it runs much deeper than that. Our assistant coaches and I often have players visit us at home. We need to relate to you off the court as much as on the court.
It sounds like you are close with your dad. Please extend this invitation to your dad to come with you on your visit. We would like both of you to enjoy the "Kansas experience" and feel sure on your decision concerning us. I'm positive we can provide the right environment for your mother to watch over you and be proud of your college experience.
I'm sure you already know this. But Kansas is a basketball school and basketball is above all other sports here at Kansas. All our players are very well accepted on campus. Yes, many of our fans may be called "rabid" though the overall character of our fan base is very positive, supportive and respective when it comes to players and basketball-related situations. You won't see our fans storming courts and potentially hurting players and adding risk into our program. Winning is a tradition at KU, not an unexpected consequence creating an atmosphere where fans participate in harmful activities.
The internet is an outside source that we have no control over. I rarely have time to focus on anything written online, but I have seen a few things and heard about other things. I don't think Kansas is really different from about any other school where basketball is elevated to such a level. Everything is expressed online, good and bad. I will say that I think the added layer of fan participation is a good thing and even the bad comments help young NBA hopefuls start to adjust to public life before making it on a NBA roster.
I am very happy at Kansas and not planning to leave. There just aren't many jobs out there in the world related to basketball that can compete with the job I have now at Kansas. I can't think of a realistic situation that could convince me to uproot and gamble on the change because the situation has the potential to be better than where I am now. Coach Pop is a good friend of mine as well as the front office of the Spurs. But we have never taken the step of discussing any situation like the one you mentioned.
My personal coaching philosophy is to put winning as my most important goal. That means putting the players on the floor that give us the best chance to win. We intentionally recruit players that put winning for the team first on their lists, too. This is a very important personal trait for leading a successful life, whether it be as a basketball player or a fry cook in a restaurant. And NBA management evaluates a lot more than highlight tape. From what you have already conveyed to me, you know the value of team work and team cohesion.
If you approve, we would love to get you on campus to connect you with our players, many of whom will still be in uniform when you are. Let's see how you guys hit it off. That really isn't something that can be forced, and we don't coach up our players to put on some kind of false front with recruits. I think you will be amazed at what you experience. Our current group of players is the best bonded team I have ever coached in my 31 (?) years of coaching.
Have you made any decisions concerning your official visits?
Back to discussing playing time... we want to win. Sometimes that means playing more-experienced players over younger players with higher upside because at that very moment, the more-experienced player gives us a better chance for victory. Sometimes we go to our younger players because we feel they will give us a better chance of winning at the moment. You can view through our recent years and see consistency in this statement. Ultimately, the players decide who plays. You will have plenty of incentive to improve your game while at Kansas because you will want to be on the court as much as possible.
I allow players to play through some mistakes because that is part of the developmental process. And it is important that you know you have my full support while on the court, even if you make a mistake here and there. That doesn't mean I won't remove you from a game when your game is off. In those situations, it doesn't help your stock to expose to all the scouts out there that your game has plenty of holes in it. Really, all freshmen have to adjust to the level of play and the speed of the game in D1 versus high school. We will do everything we can to showcase your talent and potential while limiting showing your weaknesses, especially to scouts.
Check out our record. We have helped many players, especially around your size, get to the next level. Some were projected to be NBA talent while in high school, some weren't. The best way for us to help you develop and make the leap into college ball and continue to develop to prepare you for the next level, is for us to push you to improve. We have to be on a very high level of communication, and that can only happen if we have mutual trust and respect. I think from the limited time we have been in contact now, you already are developing your perception of trust and communication with me.
I can not promise to give you minutes on the court. You will have to earn those minutes, like all our players earn their minutes. This is not only good for you and your development, it should help your relationships with your teammates. We compete very hard in practice. Everyone on our team wants playing time. Everyone is hungry. You are hungry. This is the best situation for developing you to your highest level while in college. And if you don't feel like you are being given a fair chance for playing time, please come to me and we will discuss it openly and in an adult fashion. I am on your side. And I want you to become the best player you can become, both on the court and off the court. Our relationship will go beyond your days in Lawrence. I still communicate often with so many of our past players, whether if they are playing in the league, playing abroad, or retired from playing. Many of our past players end up sitting in my chair, helping coach other players. I will always be in your corner to help you as much as possible. This goes beyond basketball and is about my broadest goals in life, to help others.
Wow! Thanks for that great link!
And to think that Jay Bilas doesn't even have Buddy in his Top 5 group of NBA draft selection.
Buddy's stock has exploded. His game is lifting so high so quickly that no one knows when he will reach a plateau. It is exciting to watch him improve at the rate he is improving.
Buddy is a true volume scorer, and his style of play fits right into the NBA mold. I can see him putting up really good stats his first year in the league. In his second year, I can see him explode his stats and be right at the top with all the star volume scorers.
I just hope he stays healthy. It is such a tragedy when guys get hurt and drop their performance down a big notch. The tragedy is not just with the player, but the fans miss out on so much, too.
It was great seeing the game stats specifically concerning Buddy and being guarded by different KU players. I think there is a lot to learn from those stats, and in the same time, the stats are a bit misleading. I think Frank did a better job than the stats show, especially when comparing to Wayne's stats on Buddy. I don't think Wayne was that much better than Frank. I just think Buddy and OU took quite a while to get into a scoring flow and Wayne was fortunate to guard Buddy when they weren't in their best flow. But I'm not trying to take away anything on Wayne's defense. Both Wayne and Frank did a great job "containing" Buddy. As the article mentioned, Buddy could have easily gone for 60+ points in this game.
Yes, and if I remember it right, Lattin continued to hold the ball as he was going down, further accentuating Landen's reach over the top of him because Landen continued to hold on, too. It became a more obvious call as he was going down. Not from the contact, but from just exposing that Landen was over the top of him.
I think I would see this game as a trap game if we were further along in B12 play and we were still undefeated.
A huge part of Self's B12 strategy is to get out of the blocks quickly. He has these guys focused on not losing a game early in B12 play.
So step 1 is to win every game now and get the rest of the field chasing us.
Now if this was later in the season and we had a cushion on teams like OU and ISU... it would be harder to motivate the guys for this game, regardless if TT is dangerous or not. TT isn't a team where we circle them on our calendars. It is as simple as that.
I think it will say a lot about the maturity of this team if we can go through the season and build a winning cushion and still go play teams like TT and bring the same desire we have for the top teams in our league.
We won't know any of this until it happens.
One of the issues I have had with Kansas teams in the past is our inconsistency of coming ready to play. Historically, we had some games where our guys just didn't show up.
Will that be the case this year? I hope not but we won't know until we are there. I hope these guys have matured enough to bring game EVERY game!
We are in the same boat. We are all focused on winning basketball and finding team and individual success. I definitely am feeling your focus on success. That is a great thing. So I want to approach our relationship from the perspective of placing all our goals at the top. Why I said we are in the same boat; because the biggest part of our potential for success relates to connecting with the best matches in order to find success. You may be in college for just a short time, but it still is an important part of your life. Your college experience will impact your future basketball career. And your college experience is more than just playing basketball. This is an important time in your life that you will never be able to experience later on. A big part of coming to Kansas is the campus life that has so much to offer all students here.
I know you have met one of our assistant coaches, Norm Roberts, when he came to watch one of your games during the recruiting period. We have been watching your progress for several years now. The reason why we have focused our energy on you is that we believe that you may be a successful match for our program.
I would like to take the next step with you and show you more about what we can offer you. We are not going to hard sell you or make you feel uncomfortable in any way. We want open communication with you so our connection will only offer progress, whether you decide to come to Kansas or go elsewhere. Like I said above, we are in the same boat because we want the same success.
Can we connect a bit closer so we can show you what Kansas has to offer? If so, please feel comfortable to express your thoughts and feelings along the way so we can address your concerns. Our top priority isn't just to recruit you to come to Kansas. Our top priority is to be helpful to you in finding a successful match in college basketball. We are in the same boat. We are on your side just as we are on our own side supporting what we do.
I hope you will agree to take the next step with us. We are very excited at the potential connection we think is possible!
Thank you for considering us.
Another one of your gem posts!
"Maybe Calipari and certainly Tom Izzo are ok with learning-curve losses, while Self, Roy, & other equally regarded coaches are NOT ok with absorbing losses. Philosophy plays a part as well."
I watch a lot of MSU and UK ball.
Izzo likes to play a very hard preconference schedule. That is where he will gamble on games to get guys experience, plus he likes them to get punched in the face many times to toughen them for March. This year was unique for them because they did start B10 play without a loss. But once MSU starts conference play, it is all business. And Izzo will scratch your eyes out for a win. He definitely does not attempt to gamble in conference play any more than necessary, just like Self.
Calipari is different. He always starts a bunch of star freshmen so he doesn't really have a choice. Over the past couple of seasons he seems to be learning that he can raise the bar at Kentucky if he can keep some seasoned players in his rotation.
I think you raise a valid point worth a discussion. Great job, bad guy! ;)
First... Self has changed his perspective some what (this year) but he hasn't tossed out all aspects of his past, and he shouldn't. If he came into this season with a horrible winning percentage then maybe he should.
Going towards "bad ball" isn't just a Self thing. Coaches and players often look for more interior scoring in the 2nd half because it is typical that treys get harder to make as the game progresses because players get tired, and defenders who were burned from the trey line in the first half are more likely to step out further in the second half trying to apply more pressure.
This is why I thought we would win at halftime (and win big). We were behind, but all we had to do is slightly win the second half against a team that lives and dies from trey.
I did really think we were going to smoke OU in the second half. It wasn't like we didn't play well the second half, but I was surprised that OU could continue keeping up with us for 40 minutes. They impressed me with their sustained tenacity. This was the 4th OU game I watched this year.
Hats off to Lon, too. He is a great coach and I'm thrilled he is in our league!
Back to Bill... I do think he is playing this right. He has set a different bar for guys like Cheick and Carlton to clear before getting much second half play. That needs to be there.
For the most part, D1 is a 20-minute game. You will never hear a coach say that because he still needs his guys fighting through the first half. But the second half is what determines who wins the game. Some coaches really focus on winning the last few minutes. It is called "closing out."
You want to develop the mentality of your team to fight hard all game, but to really step up to a higher level in the second half, continually intensifying as the game winds to the conclusion.
I guarantee you that Cheick and Carlton are getting a great education on the game of basketball this year. They are playing well enough to win PT minutes in games, particularly in the first half, and they know they have to come up a bit more to be trusted in the second half and at the end (in close games).
This is excellent coaching. The next step is to get these guys a few more minutes and then to start trusting them in the second half. And last, to trust them at the end of a game.
Landen DID commit the foul, and that was a good call... had it not been for the obvious call they just missed. I don't see how the refs missed the other call if they could clearly see the Landen foul.
Perry gets ripped on calls constantly because he doesn't make a big enough deal about it.
Disrupting the game is the way to start getting more calls.
Devonte gets calls because when he doesn't he instantly complains and holds the game up, or lays on the ground showing pain.
Is your goal to just be in college basketball for one year?
How important is playing time and starting as a freshman?
What are the strong areas of your game, and what areas would you like to improve most in?
What NBA player has the game you would most like to mimic?
What offenses have you played? What defenses have you played?
The best first step is to ask lots of questions. Know more about the player before barking out a sales pitch.
Maintain the perspective of first evaluating if the player is a good fit with the program and current team. Have the attitude that you most want to help the player instead of being self-centered and just looking at what the player can do for you. Remember one thing... these kids have already dealt with hundreds of people wanting a piece of their action. So don't assume you know what is best for the player. See if you can get him to open up and talk honestly about how he sees the game and his game.
We all watched after the game, when Buddy and Bill showed plenty of man love and respect to each other. That is a respected friendship. That doesn't mean you can recruit and win any player you want.
This is Kansas, not Kentucky..... we won't use rappers and old dried-up actresses to recruit for us. We will do it our way and it will be respectful, not only to the player and to the university, but to the game itself.
Great subject!
"Is it because he doesn’t have a big rep nationally and refs haven’t heard of him? Or because he’s built like a mini-tank even at his height? Or because he doesn’t chat up the refs like a more outgoing player might do?"
I think you nailed it here.
Refs typically think "no harm done" so they will let contact slide.
The "no harm done" isn't just about the care of the safety of players... but of their own reputation.
No one likes whiners... but I have no doubt that guys that talk up refs are taking one of the steps necessary to get calls. Having a coach argue for it is also a big help. Flopping isn't necessary and hurts the game, but showing a bit of drama during the foul is very helpful. Devonte and Frank both use the head jerk drama sometimes. It seems to work better for Devonte, the less stout of the two.
So why does Devonte get more calls going his way over Frank? Devonte will lay on the ground for a while. He is more likely to roll around on the ground and show he is in pain. It stops play and has fans looking on thinking "these refs need to better control the game."
What I am getting at is that Frank needs to linger around on the ground more often and illustrate some pain. More like they do in soccer. During his time down, that also gives Self time to scream at refs.
Any disruption from the game instantly points fan focus on officiating. When I said "no harm done" I meant from the ref's perspective of not bringing attention to the refs.
Disruptions in the game instantly bring attention to the officiating. Refs do what they can to prevent that.
OU wearing down makes sense... but in reality, maybe they won't. Some guys get tired easier than others. Some guys have various health issues from pushing too hard.
And some guys just play harder.
I was impressed with both teams in this game. Guys were all holding their knees on FTs.... everyone was tired... but the level of play stayed high. Both teams really wanted this game badly and because of that this game ended up being a true classic that won't be forgotten in a long, long time.
For all the D1 fans out there that watch other college basketball.... did you notice how often announcers referenced the KU-OU game?
Man... I've watched several games and I was constantly hearing stuff like... "this certainly isn't up to the KU-OU game..." (etc. etc.)
I wonder if some of the recruits we targeted and signed somewhere else are having second thoughts?
"Can KU win another conference championship with Traylor and Lucas playing the most minutes?"
We have a long ways to go in conference. I am hopeful both Cheick and Carlton are earning more minutes as some point in conference play.
But every game is important in conference.
Our victory against OU at home may easily end up being the winning margin we need in conference. We simply couldn't waste that game away thinking ahead about the future.
Both Jamari and Landen made very nice contributions in our win against OU.
Will that continue? No one knows the future. Self is looking at conference play one game at a time, and that has proven to be successful for the past 11 seasons.
As of right now, I'm still glad Jamari and Landen are giving us good minutes.
I seriously doubt Self fought so hard to get Cheick and get him legalized only to ice him in the deep freeze all season. Just doesn't make sense. Cheick is in charge of his minutes, not Self. Obviously, Bill set a bar that Cheick has to get over to get more minutes. I don't believe that bar is unreasonable and I do believe that Cheick is flying up on that bar quickly.
This is about the time when Kelly started getting real minutes last year. Kelly was a lot more polished than Cheick at this time.
No question by anyone... everyone admits Cheick wasn't D1 ready from Day 1 at Kansas. I think just about everyone on this planet would be surprised at how quickly he is progressing.
Many of you in here played (or play) lots of basketball. How long would it take to you from being rough to being D1 capable of contributing at a blue blood like Kansas? Well... in my case... I never reached that level of play and I'm guessing most of you didn't either. And if all of us could sit in practices, we would be blown away by how fast he is progressing.
It won't be long now....
I think OU had a great game. They didn't play flawless basketball but no team plays flawless basketball (not even Caipari's "perfect season" team).
It is human nature to see the greener grass on the other side of the fence.
On every play where OU scored, KU fans were in awe. "Wow, did you see that 3?"
But if we were OU fans, we would be in awe of Kansas.
There is no way for any of us to give an unbiased opinion. There is no way I can remove the crimson/blue glasses from my head. Like the rest of you, those glasses have been surgically implanted into my scalp at a very early age.
This is the most unbiased opinion I can give... take it for what it is worth... 2 cents or a kick on the backside.
I think OU has better scorers. Buddy is a prolific volume scorer... one of the best to come around in college basketball in a long, long time. He is surrounded by Woodard and Cousins... two very capable scorers and good trey shooters. Spangler rebounds well and has some scoring ability.
OU has become very good at driving and kicking. Dribble-drive offense the way it was meant to be used.... with multiple, quality trey shooters and drivers.
I was surprised at the quality of their defense against us, but I am still not overwhelmed.
I thought OU played very close to their ceiling, even with Spangler banged up and Cousins going 1-for-whatever. On any given night, chances are someone is going to be cold and someone is going to be playing with pain. Often, it is multiple players.
I didn't think KU played close enough to their ceiling. I thought some of our guys played a bit skeptically... meaning.... they didn't want to take chances of making a mistake so they didn't attempt to make certain plays. Playing not to lose. BTW: Wayne was NOT one of those players!
I think we have a huge advantage concerning depth. That doesn't mean we use that depth to our advantage during a game. I don't think we did in this one entirely. But looking at a season... I would hate to have so many games left without a deep bench. What are the chances no one on OU gets banged up badly between now and March? Very unlikely... especially since all their starters book mega minutes. And won't most of them show plenty of wear in March?
I think we have a huge advantage with potential future upside (during this season). Anything can happen, and maybe we don't improve much or even decline. But considering the entire package, I like our potential moving forward. Much more than what I see in OU. I believe they are close to hitting their ceiling now. How many times have we seen teams peak out in January and totally disappear in March? Uh... quite a few... in fact... that often describes Kansas!
The team that peaks in March, wins in March... and April!
I've said this countless times now... but OU has ZERO MARGIN FOR ERROR! Very little margin in games, and no margin ahead for March.
So for those who think OU deserves to be #1 today.... would you trade rosters with them?
No friggin' way!
First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I have started this basketball season supporting the idea of making Cheick and Carlton EARN their minutes instead of have them gifted to them because of potential. I still think that is the way to go and it does a lot to help keep the team focused so much on team, instead of every man for himself.
But... I also said there would come a time when our young guns earn more minutes. I think we are rapidly approaching that time. They can start getting more minutes and the upperclassmen they take minutes from shouldn't really challenge that.
All of these games are important. Regardless what anyone in here says about our conference streak... when you go on any sports media today and they talk about Kansas basketball, they aren't talking about our 2008 championship. They talk about the streak and what a milestone that is and then they start comparing Self and Kansas to Wooden and UCLA. You will never hear that discussion from them if we just win another national championship (or several).
I'm not against us winning another NC. I want both. But I definitely will not support a concept where we hand over the B12 championship on a lark that giving more experience to our freshmen will be the extra bit to win us a NC. Chances are... we would do that and end up with NEITHER! I can not support any concept that will potentially leave us with NOTHING this year!
I seriously doubt we would have won that OU game had we given plenty of minutes in the second half to Cheick and Carlton. The fire was just too hot for them to contribute what Landen and Jamari contributed.
I think Jamari bought himself some PT minutes by playing as well as he did. He participated in the kind of plays Self really loves... scrappy rebounds, blocks and going after loose balls.
OU doesn't miss many FTs. They would have enjoyed a lot more free points had we kept our freshmen in there longer.
Really... none of us are in any position to decide if Cheick should be getting more minutes. We simply haven't seen enough of him to know what he can bring to the game now. We know he is very capable of fouling at a rapid clip.
And as far as him sitting on the bench and killing our future chances at recruiting more OADs.... is it worse that he sits, or gets out on the court and brings the team down while he makes terrible plays? I'm not sure if any of us can answer that without just guessing.
His time will come. We have a few softer games coming up and I can almost reassure you that him and Carlton will be getting some minutes. What they do with those minutes will determine how many minutes they get.
Did you see the handshake line after the game?
Cal passed by Simmons like he was just any other guy.
I'm definitely not complaining about the play of Jamari and Landen...
But wasn't Hunter in the game when we ran up the big first half lead, too?
I really loved the postgame stuff.
Showing Buddy get his respect by the KU players and staff was spectacular... and then the interview with him and all the great words he had for everyone at KU and also AFH. Buddy is one heck of a classy guy and he puts a smile on my face to see a guy with that level of talent be so humble and respectful of others. Wish more were like him!
It starts at the top... Lon is a classy guy, too. Really... the OU team as a whole has great character and represent the B12 very very well.
"And our fans, the one’s that were left gave him a standing ovation. Name another fan-base that will do that for a kid on the other team."
ISU fan base will stand for opposing team players... as they charge ahead to flog them.
Anyone know why Hunter didn't play the 2nd half and OTs (or very little)?
He did do some good things in the first half.
I kind of think Self just wanted all his post guys to get some experience in this game, especially the veteran guys.
"Frustrating that Bragg and Diallo aren’t ready still, but not bad for a group effort. I would have liked to see what Diallo could do with his fresh legs in one of the overtimes."
Frustrating... but this game showed us they aren't ready yet.
We can really use them, and it might be our real chance of winning in Norman if Cheick/Carlton can add a bigger bump.
I definitely am not counting on either of these guys to start dominating games. They aren't worked into the flow. Unlikely they will this year. All I want to see is both of them adding a spark.
Look at Landen in the second half... when he came in and made a huge positive difference. He was the only guy on the court with fresh legs.
We need to utilize our bench a bit better in these games. That was the one HUGE advantage we had over OU and we didn't use it enough to make the difference.
But I also understand that Self wants his top 6 or 7 players to lock down and flow together. They need big minutes together to get there. And we will be counting on upperclassmen this March, not freshmen.
Yes, that could change. That isn't up to Self... That is up to our freshmen to pierce through the experienced play of their elders to show an advantage for them to be on the floor.
The big thing with OU's offense is FLOW.
Even if Buddy scores from trey, that doesn't necessarily mean their offense is in a flow. Frank did a great job on the perimeter disrupting Buddy enough to make him earn his points and also prevent OU (as a team) from flowing their offense (in chunks of the second half).
In the first half, as it came down to the end, OU went on a 9-0 run in 1 minute. That is the explosive capability of OU. That was OU in a real flow. If they can get about 5 continuous minutes of offensive flow, they will run up a 20-point shift in the score... putting most games out of reach. We have that capability, too... maybe just not quite to the level of OU.
OU had the right plan and was sitting right to leave AFH with a "W." Frank on the perimeter, Jamari in the paint (and open court), and sometimes Devonte on the steal... These guys disrupted OU's flow enough to stop them from blowing us out.
I give the MVP to Frank.
No... this was not one of his best offensive nights.
I know this sounds nuts... but he did CONTAIN Buddy. What did Buddy end up with... 48 points?
He contained Buddy just enough down the stretch where Buddy couldn't take control of the game. That was the risk as the game came down to the wire.
So essentially... Buddy's big game meant diddly. They leave Lawrence with a "L"... just as if Buddy left with only 3 points on 1-27 from the field. None of that matters... they left with a "L."
Frank did a great job of ball denial, and when Buddy had the ball, Frank was in his grill. He played it just right. And that second half foul they called on Frank for d'ing him up perfect was atrocious. The refs totally sucked in this game. When was the last time I said that... I don't say it unless it is so horrible they impacted the game in a big way.
I usually don't say anything about it, because I don't like to be a whiner.... however...
The officiating stunk. They couldn't keep their eyes on the frenetic pace of the game, so they guessed on many, many calls.
The call which blew up Self and created the technical was outrageously horrible. If I was in charge of refs, they would all be investigated on how they blew that call.
There were many calls that stunk. We received a few breaks our ways, but I thought, as a whole, we had to beat the refs last night, too. There has been a lot of recent talk about the "AFH ref advantage" and I feel 100% sure the refs were feeling that so they came in with the intent of making sure people would stop saying it.
The call where Latten jacked Frank on the head on his drive and then Landen getting the over-the-back was nuts. Yes... Landen did foul him. But if a ref could see that, how could he miss seeing Frank's head almost being ripped from his neck?
In the end, the refs didn't change the outcome, because we all know... Kansas only loses a tiny percent of home games... but the refs definitely made us work a lot harder than we had to for the victory.
I like where we are at.
Down a few points at half... Self all worked up in a tizzy.
I like our chances down the stretch. We should have more energy. We have a deeper bench and all we really need to do is stay close and clamp down in the last 5 minutes of the game.
Our transition defense was good until the later part of the half. Need to shore that up because OU burned us big time when we stopped getting back, especially on Buddy.
I'm looking for a very energetic Kansas team the second half. We didn't seem to have much energy in that first half, but the comparison was against OU and their high energy. They wanted to come in and not fall behind so far like they did last year. The problem with that is they spent a lot of energy in that first half.
Energy should be the difference in this game and we should have more of it than OU the second half... but that is just prediction.
ROCK CHALK!
"I’ve said this may times before, leaders get to the top by being inflexible, by doing it their way."
Let me add to that....
Leaders get to the top by being inflexible, by doing it their way. Leaders STAY at the top by being flexible, and adapting to the times.
I think Self is starting to realize this.
"You often mention UConn as an example of what you want KU to achieve…how many times have they missed the dance lately? Would you be happy watching other teams at the dance while yours sits at home?"
I totally get your point... but most of the people in here would trade 11 conference titles for 1 national championship. So... I'm pretty sure people will trade a year or two of sitting out March for another National Championship.
I, on the other hand, really enjoy our conference titles and NCAA March streak of participation, as those two things show we are a consistent powerhouse. Of course, I want more NCs, too...
Natural Gas = Urban definition is propane (very, very wrong). Rural definition is bottom burps from eating refried beans. Nerd definition is flammable gas, consisting largely of methane and other hydrocarbons.
Actually.... it is flammable gas in all three definitions.
Hooters = Urban definition is female boobs. Rural definition is owls. Nerd definition is noses.
Let me help you with this...
Kruger:
Steal = first give Native American tribes much of Oklahoma as their permanent ground as an incentive to kick them off of land viewed as more valuable at the time. Then... later... after farming techniques improved... realizing the land in Oklahoma was valuable so STEAL it back to operate a "land rush" and give land to settlers.
"K-State should build a new hoops arena as a testament to Bruce Weber’s time there, and call it the Rhombus of Regression. It sounds just as dumb, but at least it’s appropriate."
The Octagon already has a new name....
"S H E R R O N A G O N ! ! !"
Sherron knew how to win there. Gosh, I miss Sherron!
Very well stated about how odds are determined.
Gambling establishments use the line to leverage the demand for wagering on either team. Lines move when the betting is lopsided and the establishment wants more bets on the other side to reduce their risk.
If they are able to have equal betting on both sides, they make their 10% service fee on all the lost bets.
It sounds like they just make a few pennies on games. But that 10% is a colossal amount of $ when you consider the total activity these establishments run. And in most situations, the establishments are paid in advance. So they profit on all the "early money" by possessing this money without paying interest.
" What happens if we run into someone with the back court to keep us out of the lane and we have an off night behind the arc? I know I’m sounding the fools gold alarm, but… Can someone give me some comfort here?"
There is no way anyone can guarantee we win out in March.
But... to answer your question and give you a bit of comfort.... If we can't score inside and our outside shot isn't falling (this will surely happen, probably more than once), then we still have an excellent chance of winning a "GRIND GAME." Let's not forget, these are actually the games Self likes.
Remember the end of last year? We did win quite a few of those games but we pretty much were in grind games often at the end of the year, while Self had to be convinced that pounding the ball inside was never going to improve.
Now it looks like all those grind games may pay us back with some really great karma because it gave us the experience to grind it out to victory! I'm sure we will have several of these games in B12 play this year, especially on the road.
Consider a few of our advantages....
First.... depth. That should help us in many ways. One... is we can play a deeper rotation so key players still have energy at the end of the game, giving us a slight advantage to win close games down the stretch.
Second... our depth is DIVERSE depth. We have players with their own unique skill sets. So maybe our starting lineup is ice cold from trey. Maybe BG comes in and shoots 6-6 from trey?
Third... we have EXPERIENCED depth. We also have some newbies, too, but we have plenty of experienced players, both starting and riding the pine that can produce, especially in the clutch on close games. This is big!
Fourth... we have SOLID defense. We aren't a "fool's gold" team because we can win games where we shoot poorly from trey.
Look... we are capable of losing to any D1 team on any given night. Same can be said of the rest of D1.
As good as we are, and as good as we may become... a bit of luck will do us wonders in March.
Having good luck means.... not losing key players to injury, especially during March Madness when it is hard to make adjustments quickly.
Having good luck means.... we stay hot enough with our shooting over our opponents.
Having good luck means.... our opponents never are hotter on FG% than us.
Of course, skill plays a big part in this. But sometimes it is just luck. Give me a basketball, blindfold me and set me at half court. Eventually I will make the shot. Sometimes shots just drop for players/teams, sometimes they don't. An inch here or there can mean the difference of blowing out another team, or having them blow out us.
I think we have some margin for error this year. That should help us, but no guarantees.
Compare us to other teams. Compare us to OU. They lose Buddy to injury and they are a .500 team. They lose any of their other starters and they are not a Top 10 team. Also consider foul trouble. Also consider having to win the final moments of a tough-fought game when everyone is exhausted.
OU has NO margin for error. I don't care what the stats say, their defense will have to buckle down big time to beat top teams. I like our chances mostly because defense is our calling card.
" I was quite surprised the other day watching KSU and Texas Tech. Both teams looked solid. Those were 4 games I expected to win easily and now I realize that they will be real tests."
That's a good thing. We need to be tested as much as possible. If these teams are better than we expected perhaps that is to our advantage. Not only might that help prepare us better for March, but the rest of the B12 teams have to face these teams, too.
So what teams in the B12 play well on the road? Right... only one. Starts with a "K."
Everyone always states that the road to the B12 title goes through Lawrence. BS.
We do win almost all our home games.
But what really separates us is our ability to win on the road. Other teams in our league just don't win enough games on the road, not just in Lawrence.
If we only win at home in B12 play, chances are we won't win the league title.
You forgot the caption:
Drew said, "hurry up and lets get this game over, my burger is getting cold at Jefferson's!"
"I would bet Cal would not trade rosters with Self even up even this season."
Think this is an interesting question.
At first I thought... of course Cal would swap. But on second thought... our big producers have lots of experience with "Self ball" and Cal doesn't have the same strategy Self has. If he suddenly took this team over it would melt down quickly.
First... have you ever watched Cal coach? He talks to his players like they are 3 years old. That works with 18 year olds. But with highly-trained 22 year old adults? I think not. If he spoke to me that way, even when I was 18, I would walk away from him.
"My perspective is to ask a) "what coach wouldn’t have a national title contender with this roster?"
You beat me to the punch. I was going to say Scott Drew. He has blown it big time with teams that had every bit the talent we had.
Currently, we do have a stack... but it is a stack built over 5 years. The stacks at UK and Duke are restocked annually.
Something we don't talk much about.. it seems like Self does a pretty good job at limiting players transferring away. We have lost a few, but the trend today in D1 is growing big time.
A big key to March success is that we continue to improve at a rapid clip from here on out.
Let's say we stay #1 for quite a while, and we take the Big 12. Will our guys stay hungry during practices? Will they put in the extra personal reps it takes to keep improving?
Guess that is up to them.
That is what teams with a chip do... regardless of their success in the moment.
This team is very good. But I doubt they are good enough to win in March at their current level of play. Where they are now... it will be passed by several teams later this month and in February.
We MUST continue to improve!
My knee-jerk reaction is that any team with quality bigs can be a major problem for us because we typically struggle against them. But I'm not sure about that now. Our C5 has been performing well. Hunter has made a colossal difference. I'm hopeful that Cheick will make another huge difference within a month. Carlton has been pretty consistent and hopefully will still show improvement as the season progresses.
Of course, we typically have problems with mid-majors. That could still be our weakness heading into March because we refuse to schedule these kinds of teams.
Take the blue pill... and this team will remain the same throughout the rest of the season.
Take the red pills.... notice how many of the red pills are available. The red pills are optimism on our upside for this year. Take them and for everyone you take, you are optimistic of one of our players making a vast improvement still this season.
Think I'll take a pile of red pills:
Cheick - He has to improve vastly in the coming weeks. All of that hype wasn't for nothing. He has a lot to learn, but with his high-rev motor, hustle and potential, he is bound to make more noticeable improvements soon.
Hunter - He seems to play better every game. You can see his confidence growing, and with that comes execution. He has been doing a great job of defending the post, and his rebounding seems to be improving dramatically almost from game-to-game.
Brannen - He came to Kansas with a big-time reputation for offense. He may leave Kansas with a big-time reputation for defense! His defense has picked up lots of intensity recently, and he should continue to improve as the season progresses.
Devonte - He is receiving a ton of minutes this year. Look at how his tool set is developing; excellent shooter from trey, great at steals, meshing in well on offense, and doesn't turn the ball over while pressing the action. All the PT is bound to keep pushing his execution up higher.
Wayne - Just how high can he go? He continues to impress, not only the Jayhawk faithful, but media across America, including back East... where they tend to see Lawrence, Kansas as a far west town located in China.
Perry - Perry is raising his stats higher again this year. One can only wonder what he will bring to the party in March? He seems to understand the need to peak in the late part of the season.
Svi - He hasn't come out blazing this year. We all know he has the talent, but he hasn't been able to convert his ability to productive play. Might he still be a bit anxious? Chances are... yes. Maybe he can gets some mentor advice from Wayne. Wayne has overcome plenty of mental challenges during his days at Kansas. Imagine if he starts coming on big over the coming months?!
Landen - Seems like one of the tougher cases for showing upside. He definitely plays a role in the greatness of this team.
Jamari - When Self mentioned earlier this year that the light bulb hasn't come on for some players, he must be thinking of Jamari as one of those players. His athleticism, team cohesion, and energy are big pluses. But his execution has been lacking and pushing him to the back of the C5 pack. I think it is time for him to truly realize what role he can take with this team to offer a net positive. He sort of touched on this last year with his desire to have the high-energy role on the team. We can use a guy like Jamari to fill that role again. He does have to play smarter ball, because just bringing energy into a game usually isn't enough to make a net positive. I hope he figures it out because he does have some good tools to offer and can make a positive difference.
Lagerald - Almost forgotten. Starting to ice-up on the bench. He can find ways, like Jamari, to take on a role and offer a few minutes of help to this team every game. He is going to be a big talent someday.
So if we continue to hammer through the start of Big 12, piling up victories... our competition will be fighting hard to catch us... the team they thought we were in the beginning of January. Meanwhile... we will not end up being that team in the coming months. We will be vastly improved.
Does it seem possible? That as well as we are playing now we could still vastly improve this season?
I believe so!
We need to peak in April!
Maybe Marcus Smart can "flop" back onto the Cowboy roster....
(bad joke)