🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@kjayhawks

I hear you.

It doesn't feel like we had the same "step up" in March like we did last year.

Might partially be because we didn't have Self. He was out head leadership and it's just not the same team without him.

In my lead up to the tourney I put up my critical post on what we needed to work on... free throw shooting was something I said all of our guys needed to sharpen.

I think you can make the argument that our team thinks in a spoiled way when they don't constantly polish their fundamentals. Even at this level... it's still fundamentals that rule the day and practicing them constantly shows some humility.

@BShark

I'm curious how much of this is done by assumption. I think recruits want to be as certain as possible about lineups before committing.

If there was assumptions... it would have been Kevin and JWil gone. Gradey... it was uncertain if he was going to be effective in year one.

@jayballer67

KU players are fortunate to have such a good fan base! We are critical about the game but don't go overboard.

For example... I heard Calipari received violent threats. Imagine someone from the Jayhawk Nation threatening Self? Not gonna happen!

Every KU fan I have spoken to since yesterday all agrees our fellas had a good year and aren't now trying to play the blame game.

I was at a restaurant last night sitting beside a guy with an Arkansas shirt on. We discussed the game cordially. He said he just kept waiting for Kansas to put the game away and it didn't happen. I congratulated him and wished his Razorbacks luck moving forward.

Curious... who do we root for now?

All the other Big 12 teams? Purple kitties? Longhorns? Toads?

I definitely want the purple kitties to kick UK back to Kentucky!

Arkansas broke our crackpipe! lol

I'm okay with this loss. Close game and it wasn't decided by refs. Arkansas outplayed us in that second half. We didn't adjust. It was like watching a crash in slow motion. You could see this coming after the tide turned. Was hoping we would flip the script back.

Sometimes athleticism and enthusiasm beats experience and composure.

I do believe the difference was FTs and not having Self on the bench.

What I wonder...

Does Self iron out who goes and stays long before the end of the season? For example... Gradey... does he discuss with Gradey early on if he is a projected lottery pick will he be gone? I know we all take it for granted, but Self has to know what to tell recruits.

It looks like we have young guns coming in for some wholesale changes in our lineup. How does that go down if suddenly Gradey and Kevin decided to come back?

We had this discussion last year when DMac left. He had an extra covid year and wasn't projected to go NBA. Even though it is common to clear the deck after a championship year... DMac gave his senior speech before the tourney.

My personal predictions (and I'm right about 10% of the time!) Kevin 100% gone, Gradey 90% gone.

Time for Gradey to say he will return because he wants to leave his mark on KU basketball!

Missed free throws. It's always our Achilles heel in March losses.

Good comeback from Arkansas. They beat us.

@drgnslayr said in NCAA NON- KU GAMES:

I believe Duke is going to blow out Tenn today and clearly put themselves on the map as a tournament favorite. I hope I’m wrong and I hope I jinx them!

Everyone in here owes me a cold drink. I know you will snicker... but I intentionally set this jinx trap! :face_with_thermometer:

@Jethro said in Arkansas….:

They might even be better than Purdew.

Purdone!

@cragarhawk said in Arkansas….:

Doesn’t matter who we play. It only matters how. Intense d and energized play all around we beat anyone in the nation. The secret to winning any game for this team is energy

This is it.... spot on!

Let's not forget... we have the best tournament experience and guys who know it's a 40 minute game.

I hope we hang tight with them early because they will be trying to get out of the blocks quickly.

If we are within 10 at half.... look at our statistics. We win! Second half tends to be when we settle in and focus on the finish line.

Anything is possible in this game, including us beating down Arkansas badly. If we can challenge their confidence I can see them psychologically collapsing in this game. This would be a good game for us to focus heavily on drawing charges. The advantage is clearly with the defense. These guys are going to be trying to get their shoulders ahead of the defense... someone like Kevin drawing charges from the weakside is hugeeeeee! Getting into foul trouble can be a big equalizer against athleticism. Arkansas isn't basketball sophisticated at all. Beat them with intelligence and composure! Kevin will need his best game and I expect he will be 100% ready for this game!

Charles Barkley said it right yesterday when commenting about the Purdue loss. Teams have to have a Plan B... probably even a Plan C. When your stuff isn't working, you have to have an answer.

I'm curious what our Plan B is? I think it could be the half-court press and hope we are working on it daily.

@Texas-Hawk-10 said in NCAA NON- KU GAMES:

Honestly, I’m surprised Duke isn’t a bigger favorite considering Tennessee is missing their PG. Duke has also been playing really good basketball for the last month and is much better than the team KU played in November, just like Tennessee is nowhere near as good as when KU played them.

I believe Duke is going to blow out Tenn today and clearly put themselves on the map as a tournament favorite. I hope I'm wrong and I hope I jinx them!

Matt Painter is easily the dumbest coach ever to coach in D1.

He lit up FDU when he said it was disrespectful that they said they could beat them. How dumb. So he insinuated there was no chance for FDU to win.

He should be fired. If I was a Purdue fan I would want his head on a block.

But I'm not.... so instead I say "YIPPEEEEEEEE!"

@kjayhawks

If FDU can beat Purdue.... we can do it!

I'd hate to run the suicide hotline in Ames today...

We need a contest. Which Jayhawk can snag the most rebounds.!rihanna2.jpg ↗

:beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes: :anguished_face: :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes: Baylor! :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes: :anguished_face: :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:

I hope Gradey stays turned up. If he does... we have an extra weapon. Not just his outside shooting, but his rebounding, which includes several on the offensive side. Now just get KJ to pay attention to Gradey! lol

This is maybe the simplest game for us to call moving forward.

We play really tough defense - WIN!

We don't play tough defense and let them run their stuff - LOSE!

This is our game to win or lose. I don't care how psyched up they come into this game. It's ours to win or lose.

Simple.

If a game is going bad for Bama they can always put Miller's security guard in the game. What are the NCAA rules for open-carry in a game? lol

I've got a deal with Gradey... He keeps kicking butt like he did today and helps us with our back-to-back and I'm pushing him to leave for the league!

And he will become a KU legend!

He can lead us in rebounds from here on out because he's our smartest rebounder. He sees the shot and has a good idea of where the ball will go and sees his lane to get to the rim for the boards. Traits of a good rebounder.

@FarmerJayhawk

I believe this is different from disc movement. I've had those, too.

As I mentioned earlier... my first bout with back issues was back spasms. I found it to be strictly a muscular/nerve issue. Mine continued for about 2 months while I was playing my most competitive ball. I had a few situations where I felt I could go, then had to withdraw after some minutes on the floor. I recognized Kevin's pain/frustration. The hard bouncing seemed to kick it back into spasm mode sometimes.

During that two months, I would sometimes go a week without any problems. Then it would kick up again and I attributed the kick up to my bouncing body during play and my belief that my muscles weren't warm enough.

This may or may not be relevant to what Kevin is going through but I thought I would share it so people get the idea that he may go well for a while and then relapse enough to keep him out of games. I could see him making it through a weekend than having a flare-up during the next week's practice and being hit and miss for the following weekend.

My situation happened in the early 90s and my treatment included massages, hot soaks, and muscle relaxers. I believe this treatment mostly made me feel better psychologically but did nothing to stop the frequency. Surely they have other treatments available today.

The world has been waiting patiently (and impatiently) for years now for the NCAA, IARP (affectionately known as URP), or some other fictitious NCAA witch-hunt group to slap Jayhawk basketball with penalties based on mostly fairy tales generated off our head coach saying, "Are we cool?" and assistant coach saying we should continue our recruiting of Zion... even after a federal investigation conducted by DOJ found Kansas to be victims. (longest run-on sentence I've generated in years)

Our league is a mystery. Will it survive? Schools leaving and coming in as fast as OADs on a Calipari team.

The circus has finally left town. Headed on down south to Dixieland and the Confederate Conference.

Good riddance, clowns and high-wire acts! The Worlds Greatest Show is now the SEC!

!alabamasecurity.jpeg ↗

Let the tournament begin! All the hot air provided by media now has a new subject replacing the "Are we cool?" wind.

The new flatulent breeze will howl "Is that a real gun?" and "Is there anything in his contract about committing domestic violence?"

Are we cool? Damn right, we are cool!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/columnist/dan-wolken/2023/03/15/alabama-brandon-miller-ole-miss-chris-beard-tarnish-sec-image/11480279002/ ↗

@Jethro

I can imagine that.

Plus... I don't think he gets his jollies doing pressers. Now he has a good excuse to pass it on to Norm. Plus... I think he likes giving Norm some attention, too.

He should have me assist him on the bench. I guarantee I can rip players' and refs' arses at least as good as he can! I'll do his screaming... my face will turn red and purple... I'll have these guys begging for Self to do it next time. :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes: Norm is too mellow!

@rockchalkjayhawk

EJ made career sacrifices by jumping to PG. We discussed that thoroughly in here. His game was a shooting guard.

@HawkChamp

I agree. And it is baffling. It's something that would make a great question for EJ now. Maybe he was nailed with a cheap shot first. Or maybe something nasty was said. We know how EJ reacts when hit with racial comments (see above).

Big 10 basketball tends to be rough. Might be behind it. The punch caught everyone off guard.

EJ was completely out of sorts in that game. Not just the punch.

I'm not going to downgrade my opinion about EJ because of that one mistake.

@HawkChamp

I'm not saying it was the right thing to do. But don't portray EJ like he was a redneck. His emotions got the best of him. He's human. He had no track record of being violent. If he did, I'd probably take your position.

@Texas-Hawk-10

I'm a big Barnes fan because he's such a great human being.

But come March... there is a reason why someone labeled him "the anti-March!"

:beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:

If EJ nut punched anyone they deserved it. I don't promote that type of thing in games... but I bet I don't promote what happened to make him do that. EJ was not typically a dirty player. He was provoked.

EJ took the racial attack from ISU and kept calm. He made his statement on the court then later was very soft with ISU. He's a bigger man than me.

I mentioned above putting together a thread where we show all game stats and we make it a nice permanent archive.

We should do this... plus add in all helpful websites.

Here is a good site to add... I especially like their Jayhawk All-Time Roster! Doesn't go back far enough but still helpful.

https://www.proballers.com/basketball/team/400/kansas-jayhawks/all-time-roster ↗

By adding in more resources to our site we lift the traffic to our site immensely. Especially from outside sources. This is good for us, and also for Jayhawk basketball in general!

I don't know where to start when picking favs. I hate to leave off anyone I care about on my favs list.

I know a guy I have to mention that no one else will... Elijah Johnson. He made career sacrifices to win games at KU when he was forced into PG duties.

EJ went beyond the game of basketball. He stood up for all people of color when attacked at ISU. He put his life on the line! No Jayhawk ever gave more than EJ! I love this guy!

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/death-threats-sent-to-elijah-johnson-after-kansas-iowa-state-game/ ↗

https://kckingdom.com/2013/03/01/iowa-state-student-government-apologizes-to-elijah-johnson/ ↗

Few know how bad that game was. EJ was attacked with racial slurs and threats at the game! Our stupid league should have sanctioned ISU for that and made an example.

F ISU! I never was so happy as when EJ stuffed it at the end of OT in that game!

@Zabudda

When thinking of the entire season my list of fearless players is JWil, Kevin, and Juan. Juan sputtered in the Texas games because he was exhausted and had nothing left to give.

This will all be tested soon. No more 3 quick games and it is single-elimination, so no one can claim the game wasn't important.

I have no idea where my confidence level is on our status for a good tournament. I was feeling confident until we were hammered twice by Texas.

Our margin for error is outrageously tight. Foul trouble, injuries, bad nights... anything could sink us.

The key to winning consistently is playing tough defense. We don't have to be having a hot shooting night to win games. And this team is very capable of playing great team defense. It will be about keeping JWil, Gradey, and KJ focused on defense. These are the guys that will let us down (most likely) if we lose.

I'm not going to blame anyone if they are having cold shooting. But blame will come if we don't hustle for possessions (rebound, 50/50 balls, pressure TOs)... then it all comes down to defense and I will point fingers.

Self now has to make his case to his team and I can 100% guarantee he is talking about defense 99% of the time. He's mostly having to convince JWil, Gradey, and KJ to step up. He's also putting that same force on Bobby, Joe, Ernest, and the rest of the bench. Who knows how deep we will have to go on our bench! (scary)

@Kcmatt7 said in The Bench Theory:

Just get past the 1st weekend and I’m happy. Providing that none of Mizzou, KSU, UK or Duke make a FF.

The team on my watch list is Duke. They have completely kicked it up a big notch.

Filipowski is playing incredible ball. HE IS A GUY WHO SHOULD GO NBA NOW, not Gradey. Lively is killing it on D.

Their potential matchup with Purdue should be fun except Edey will be outnumbered in the post and I think Duke shatters Purdue's dream.

@jayballer67 Bench isn't a concern until it is. What happens when we have foul trouble? Injury? Some or all playing horribly and need a spark off the bench? We definitely know KJ has fouling tendencies. And many teams will take advantage of our guys who quickly land 2 fouls by taking it to them.

@dylans

I think he earns legacy status when he more or less carries a team for a year. JWil is now a legacy player. I think Gradey gets there on his second year. I'd probably push him into the NBA next year because he can reach that status of out-growing college ball. He hasn't even grown into college ball yet. But he's pro material now? I bet most people who comment on him do not watch much pro ball to know the difference in steps from college to pro. It is every bit the jump of high school to college.

Wiggins was close to legacy status in one year, but not quite. Another year and he would have been a legacy. He would have a pronounced game beyond 99% of college players and leave a memorable trail.

I consider "legacy" to be someone leaving a memorable trail. I think Gradey would do that in his second year.

Of course... it helps when the player helps propel us into a Final Four. As I said earlier... Gradey becomes a legacy this year if he becomes a huge part of taking us into a Final Four this year. He'd have to start contributing more than he is now because his shot is standing out but his total contribution isn't.

These are just my views. But I do believe my perspective is how a player ages through history.

My typical examples of legacies... Frank Mason, Mario Chalmers, Marcus Garrett, Sherron Collins, Och, CB, of course, guys like Manning...

"Beard Arrested By Ole Miss?" I must have the headlines confused...

...or is this a premonition?

:face_with_open_mouth:

@dylans

I have zero hope of Gradey returning. I'm not attempting to change his mind... he doesn't read these boards. I'm challenging the idea that all players need to leave if they are considered a lottery pick. In most circumstances, I would agree. Gradey has so much potential he can make up any loss from going a year early. Few players are hurt these days where their career is over.

More than anything... I think his fanbase grows if he stays here another year. Fan popularity matters. It draws crowds at games and sells more everything. He would leave here next year hyped up big time. That only happens this year if he has a big tournament and we repeat. If that were to happen.. hell yes he should go now!

This kid isn't coming from a poor family in a tough neighborhood. He's a lifelong Jayhawk. Unless we make the FF again this year his one year of ball will be forgotten in a year or so. So much for being a legacy player.

I know it's all about money and nothing else matters... like the pure joy of going to KU and playing as a Jayhawk. Getting another year closer to graduating college. F it! Cash in as soon as you can draw a check and move on!

Makes me want to turn off college basketball.

Who needs soap operas when the real drama is in college basketball?!

@Gorilla72

I share your concerns about Joe taking early shots and missing most.

Surely, he is being instructed to do that or he would get pulled. I'm just not sure WHY he is being told to do that?

Under the right circumstances, he should take the shot.

@Jethro said in Complain About KU's Unfair Bracket Thread:

But sometimes it is important to show humility in life. This is the time for UNC to be humble and sit on their egos.

I don’t blame the fan base- they’re pissed!

Absolutely! But the coaching on up should support an NIT spot. Maybe the truth is they didn't like their chances in the NIT. Then a bad season becomes a worse season!

@dylans

I would feel the same... except it isn't realistic. There is so much pressure in the league. Recruits are supposed to be either earning minutes or playing developmental ball and showing promise. Even though it sounds so right to sit on him and develop him, outside of risking injury, it would carry it's own risk.

Players have notoriety and fans... it's a big part of what draws fans to games. Gradey leaves this year he will have instant NBA fans. I'm afraid they will be disappointed next year. I also fear a higher chance of injury. It happens often. Newbie players get hurt. So lets give a realistic projection that Gradey is two years away before becoming a lethal NBA player. He'll have to restart the optimism. It can be done.... but what did he gain over just staying in college another year where he remains a star? Then going to the league a much better player and getting real minutes in year 1?

I don't see risk the same as others... I think he will sign for a higher amount next year and it will be worth it to wait a year. Then... if he gets hurt in his first year he will be sitting on a higher pile of cash. I think his risk of injury is higher in the NBA, hence sign the bigger contract in year 1.

@AsadZ

Yes... while we quibble over our bracket UNC looks ridiculous and arrogant.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2023/03/13/tom-penders-unc-skip-nit-ncaa-tournament/11464224002/ ↗

What a difference a year makes!

I complain sometimes but I am so grateful we have Self, staff, AD, and the university that knows what it's doing!

@Jethro

I've always considered UNC our "sister school"... I had a little beef over Roy not recruiting east, but otherwise... a high amount of respect... especially for Coach Dean Smith.

I think they are struggling with expectations and results right now. I'd hate to be in their shoes. They were all pretty certain they would return to the FF and have a better result this year.

But sometimes it is important to show humility in life. This is the time for UNC to be humble and sit on their egos.

@dylans

I've noticed Gradey's reaction time on defense is slow. He's probably overthinking his game because that will create a lag like he is showing.

As Self said... he's not weak but he isn't strong.

It seems ridiculous to throw him in the league already. He has star potential but other guys have had that, too, and didn't jump. Everything is conjecture off that sweet stroke he possesses. That's a lot of risk. That will never carry him into a leading role in the NBA without other aspects of his game coming along.

A year of body strengthening and coaching and that guy would surely bump up on the draft charts, I don't care how much better the draft is next year. The difference would be night/day.

He impacts games now when he's hot. Otherwise... he's mostly invisible. Just what the pros want!

I know... I know... he will get guaranteed money!

@RockkChalkk said in McCullar:

These are young people in peak physical condition in the prime of their lives. Being tired from three games in three days is a made up reason to justify a reason for them losing. Its just that they had a bad game and/or the other team wanted it more. The bigger problem I see is that it seems like the team lacks heart sometimes. I never see anyone pulling the group together on the court for huddles or encouragement. Don’t see a lot of emotion on their faces or in their actions when the games start slipping away.

I always used to believe this.

I played competitive ball not nearly at this level and I went hard every day.

Then I was blessed with an opportunity to play basketball in Europe at a higher level.

I thought I knew what being in shape was about. Then I was at puke level in my first practice on this team.

No way I could go 3 games in consecutive days playing 30+ minutes... and though the speed was so fast, I seriously doubt it was the speed of a Big 12 game.

Granted.... Texas was in the same boat but played with much higher energy. They also played more bench minutes. But anyways... Juan isn't physically built up like many other players. Was it Self that said he looks like the kid hanging out at the mall?

I give Juan a huge amount of credit here for being tired first because he's built frail... second... he hustles more than anyone else and spends energy.

The guys I give less credit is Gradey and KJ. These guys will have to lift their defense considerably in March our we are going home early! JWil needs help, too, but he also carries more of the scoring responsibility and that drains more energy, too.

Gradey takes half the game off... standing on the side awaiting passes that don't come. KJ needs to lift his basketball IQ. His hedging is often out of position and he just makes a lot of mistakes typical of a freshman. Basically... he is a freshman! And Gradey is showing some signs of hustling more. He's starting to rebound more and get loose balls.

I'm complaining a bit.. but we need to be honest here.

I'm hopeful that the last Texas ass-kicking will be like the UK ass-kicking last year... do your thing, Bill! Teach these kids now before it's too late!

@benshawks08 said in Complain About KU's Unfair Bracket Thread:

Can I say something positive about our draw on this thread? Not sure if that’s allowed but here we go.
This draw could be good for this team mentally. Last years team was trying to prove everyone (bill self in particular) wrong. They’d convinced themselves that no one thought they could win and set out to do just that.
I’m seeing all kinds of stuff about how we are the 3rd or 4th most likely team in our bracket to make the final four. If that doesn’t build @drgnslayr ’s chip I don’t know what will. Everyone talking about Kansas City and how this team had that wrapped up and earned it etc., that was SOFT. You earn things by WINNING GAMES not playing a tough schedule. This team earned the big 12 championship by winning more games. This team LOST the big 12 tourney and the last game in Austin because they thought they’d earned a number 1 seed in the Midwest. It’s wake up time. No one is going to give this team the championship because they won the best league. No one is going to give this team a championship because they played the toughest schedule. Only way to win the championship is to go win. And guess what Jalen, no one thinks you can do it.

Soooooo spot on! This is the best opportunity for us! Except for a few losses this year we played our best ball when being pushed by playing good teams. We seldom roll over bad teams.

The biggest reason why most teams don't repeat as champs is they have ZERO chip!

I hope my comments like, "in the 50+ years of my Jayhawk support this is the worse defense I've ever seen in a game" helps these guys realize they are completely unproven. Last year is over. This is all on them and they just played the worst defensive game in over 50 years!

Time they prove to us, their most beloved fans, they are worthy of wearing crimson/blue!

Time for a chip!

They need to take full ownership of this team and are help 100% accountable!

We know our Achilles heel going into March. We don't have great bench depth. We don't know if we can count on help off the bench, period.

It was clear in our loss to Texas that our guys were winded after just a few minutes in the game.

We are lucky that March is designed to only have us play twice in a week.

Our biggest issues now are potential injuries and foul trouble.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that we can put our best foot forward in March! (and hopefully April!)

@benshawks08

I think Bobby and MJ are both struggling. The game is moving too fast for them right now so they play out of control. Maybe they lack what it takes... or maybe they are just suffering through a confidence issue.

Instead of blasting the players, I'll stay out of it and let our coaching staff figure this out.

Our bigs issue was partially because we had too many undeveloped bigs at the same time. To be fair, they all received some early minutes so no one received enough minutes to develop more or show more potential. Ernest is now the man largely because Zuby was out.

We can look at it like we weren't thinking ahead by not developing our bench, or maybe we were looking too far ahead by trying to keep bigs happy enough to stick it out here and not enter the portal.

@benshawks08

I hate saying anything critical about Juan because he's been unbelievable for us... but I don't think he has the physique to go 3 hard games in a row.

Same for Gradey.