🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@KUinLA

I agree that it is hard for the B12 teams to play the injury card. If our conference is so rough... what would that say about the Big 10? Those guys play total mug ball.

I think our conference is very good, just not a great conference taking their show on the road. I don't know why this is. It is just my opinion.

I think had Kentucky been in the B12 this season, there is no way in heck they would still be undefeated.

Or maybe I am thinking about this all wrong. Maybe our conference really isn't very good, but just plays exceptional at home.

There has to be an explanation why Kansas is the only B12 team playing reasonable ball in March.

There is time left for this to change in this tourney. KU won today, and the last time I looked WVU was winning. Maybe we will carry 4 teams forward after today. Maybe.

@RockChalkinTexas

"re: Having a Chip. See these quotes?"

This is the kind of stuff I look for in a team!

I hope they match their words throughout March!

March Madness... the whole thing.... is the ultimate road game series. Teams need to play well on the road to win. They can have a big crowd show up and all, but unless it is in their home venue, it's a road game.

I was expecting Baylor to win and have a decent March run. I know Drew isn't a great coach... but they had too much talent to sit out March early.

And I'm hoping, somehow... WVU hangs out and gets a match up with Kentucky. The game could either be an easy blow out for UK or a loss. UK hasn't faced that kind of gritty full court pressure ever. Not sure the twins have the balls needed to maintain to victory. Those guys hit a few tough shots and all... but they still collapse and play soft at times. I would love to see Huggy hang one on Cal and blow his "striving for perfection" concept.

I think Kansas playing the ultimate game of BAD BALL can take down Kentucky.

It would have to work like this:

1. Defend, defend, defend. Give up no easy stuff. It starts on the perimeter. Disrupt their flow, tempo, passing lanes. Contest shots. Make them shoot over us. Try to get them to speed up.

2. At least match rebounds. Definitely don't give up a lot of offensive boards.

3. Score by pushing the ball in the paint and drawing fouls. Also... running some plays on perimeter and burying some 3s.

4. Do not turn the ball over! (key)

5. Make a high % of FTs.

6. Variate the tempo, be aware of the tempo, and maintain the tempo that gives us the best advantage. Control the game!

7. Prevent Kentucky runs. If they get going on a run, immediately flip to zone or junk defense. Revert back at a good time.

8. Maintain poise throughout all 40 minutes.

9. Play tough! Get the 50/50 balls! Hustle! Keep moving your feet!

As tough as this sounds... we aren't that far off from playing like this.

@HighEliteMajor

I agree. Not in the singular. Like one game. But when you do the statistics, over time, the Big 12 is under-performing in March... it becomes factual when you consider it over time and lots of appearances. The outcome today was not a fluke... it is the norm for the Big 12.

The league should be renamed... "Kansas, and the Small 9"

Just for giggles... our Jayhawks need to play bad ball all the way to the FF!

Let the crying clown fans know just because they beat us in one game and they play in our conference doesn't mean they play in our league!

I've only got one other Big 12 pony in this race I care about besides Kansas. I'm pulling for OU. Always liked Lon.

Always liked Rick, too... but we don't want them to ever get too good... we already lose recruits to them now.

Travis has too much high school coaching blood in him to ever make it in D1.

I can only go so far supporting the hillbillies of Western Appalachia. Huggy helps us out by playing rough... but the guy is a flat-out redneck. Not sure he is good for our league once he steps out of league play. We are all used to his potty mouth, but having him scream such nastiness in front of the entire nation is a bit over the top and not good for our conference.

Maybe Self can put on a coach's clinic for all the other Big 12 coaches on how to win on the road.

Ha.... I can see the crying clown fans faces turning purple on that one! Better let them know that purple isn't really a clown color...

Or imagine Bruce's head ready to explode, sitting on the sidelines throwing around clipboards when Self tells him to keep his composure during away games!

I'm not going to scream... "OVER-RATED!"

So far, the Big 12 is not burning the nets through the NCAA tournament.

I believe March Madness is doing a great job of exposing our league. Not to being inferior necessarily. But I believe I know why our league stinks in March, why Kansas performs the best in March, and why Kansas has won 11 straight Big 12 titles.

Is our conference over-rated? Or are there other factors at play?

How can our league look so good all year and choke in March?

KANSAS IS THE ONLY TEAM THAT KNOWS HOW TO WIN ON THE ROAD CONSISTENTLY!

Until other teams in our league figure out how to play tough ball away from home, they are going to continue to under-perform in March, and they will continue to hand conference titles over to Kansas.

There are other things that could change to help all teams in our league. Maybe our league could sponsor and build a scouting system to help every Big 12 properly scout their opposition? Our teams play good and fight hard against each other, partially because every team knows ever other team in the league. But it always seems like our teams get out-coached in March. Scouting capabilities must have something to do with that.

@tis4tim

It's always up to KU in March.

But I'm hopeful Baylor, WVU, OU and UT stick around for a while. Would even be nice to see the cowboys win a game or two.

Or tell Niang to stop gunning.

All we need to do is keep up the bad ball... but this time, free up BG on some open 3s (via running plays) and let him get his swagger back by smacking down some wide open 3s.

4 BG 3s is 12 points we were not getting the past month... and with those 12 points we would have gone undefeated. Definitely enough to overcome some Aggies' ball.

Yes, Jerod!

No more crying clowns! I know I should have supported all the B12 teams... but I couldn't support ISU and their growing egos.

@Crimsonorblue22

So can they take a loan against that valuation to keep KU football going? :-)

@jaybate-1.0

"What D1 really needs to do is develop a Junior Varsity Division that develops 4 year players and plugs them into the varsity,"

I've been thinking this for quite some time. And to not even let freshmen and sophomores play on the varsity squad. No more OADs. And if the kids make it 3 years... more should want to stay 4 and finish their degrees.

I do believe the situation of college basketball has put Self in a quandary.

He has to please a lot of different people with different interests just within the Jayhawk Nation.

And he is also burdened with fundraising to help make up deficits created in most or all of the other athletic sports at Kansas.

That's a lot of weight on Self's shoulders. I do believe he earns his pay.

I'm throwing out my opinions... but I don't necessarily have a direct solution to covert a college program from "recruit-based" to "development-based."

All of this sounds great in my head, but I'm not the guy who would actually have to accomplish this task. I might be missing important info that would make me better understand why we are going in the direction we are going in. One key factor that I don't know much about is how recruits feel. I think I understand that they all want a fat NBA career... but I'm not out on the recruiting trail so I don't know what attracts recruits. They all talk, and their parents talk... and I constantly see huge contradictions between their words and later actions.

I think Self is a great coach. And with his upbringing... I believe he would like to develop players as best he can. Beyond that... I'm just throwing out lofty concepts.

@justanotherfan

I think we all get what you are saying about Cliff and his family having the right to privacy.

What this situation points to is the difference between criminal and civil law.

Cliff's family may have done nothing "illegal" in a court of law in a State or at the federal level. Even if they had, they have the right to plead the fifth and not incriminate themselves.

However... by not going on public record (or in this case, record with the NCAA), Cliff and family lose out on a big opportunity to defend themselves against harmful allegations.

In this case... it is unlikely there is evidence pointing to criminal activity. This case is a civil institutional case, a case embedded in the rules and regulations set forward by the NCAA, the governing body for college athletics.

Therefore, allegations are withstanding, and they will be judged by the governing body, with or without the statements of the Alexander family. If they choose to "plead the fifth" then a judgment will come without their input to help their own case.

This can then reach into a courtroom in a civil case, if one or more parties feel they have suffered damages that can be assessed a monetary value or if they seek some form of action judgment against a defending party. The results of a civil case either have to be appealed at the next level or followed as prescribed, or the next step becomes a criminal case.

Once again... it would be likely that the Alexander's records and testimonies are asked for. Once again, in most areas, they can plead the fifth. But now they may be putting more at stake than Cliff's eligibility at Kansas. And any falsification in a court room is perjury and prosecuted in criminal court.

The ultimate focus of their legal counsel should be to prevent the Alexander's (as a whole or individually) from suffering a monetary challenge (and later, judgment) in civil court. Secondary, would be Cliff's eligibility.

I keep saying "the Alexanders" but there is a good chance that there is hardship within the family, and family members turn against each other. This opens up another level of threat and reason why one or more persons may stonewall this thing... to prevent a possible civil suit challenge and judgment against themselves from someone in their own family.

Legal situations get messy very quickly. They often get amplified quickly when it is family members who also may have other axes to grind.

Leading to my ultimate oxymoron: "accelerated legal remedy"

All parties in this fight are proceeding with care and prudence to prevent putting themselves in a situation where they cause another party damages that can be assessed a monetary value.

I think Self has this played right (this time).

Last year, he kept the light on for JoJo and the team always practiced and played like they were just going until JoJo returned.

This year... they already have the mentality that he's gone. No one is expecting Cliff back.

Because of that reason, I don't think Cliff's situation is causing a big distraction. In some ways, it may even be a good deflection away from other Kansas issues... like our youth, poor perimeter shooting recently, and when we lost at bad ball.

@jaybate-1.0

"Some folks hate change."

Not me. I keep a whole jar full of it next to my bed and I constantly make more change.

But seriously...

According to USA TODAY, Kansas spends the most on recruiting in D1.

And look at what we are investing in on campus. Luxury suites for players... Constant upgrades to training facilities.... etc.

I don't think people realize how hard it has been for Kansas to invest this much money in basketball while having such a money-pit football program.

I feel like we are chasing the dragon.

I feel like we are directly on the path set by Calipari and UK.

I feel like we will need a team of 9 or 10 McDs AAs in order to compete for a National Championship.

I feel like all our resources are going into recruiting and very little into the development of the players we do get.

Even with our lofty investments, there is only so much time, energy, focus and money to be spent directly on developing the players we have.

In my Jayhawk basketball fairytale dream, we invest ALL-IN on player development. With development as our focus, we will attract the right players to Kansas... many of whom will already be at a high level, 5-star talent.

I am getting very disillusioned with Kansas basketball. I don't like seeing us sign so much noted talent and then lose to teams that are basically stocked with juco players. There is something wrong with that. And we become just another one of the "ugly ogres" like Kentucky.... another Goliath setup to fall by the next David we play. Pretty soon... all other fans support the Davids.

Becoming an institution all about recruiting and little about developing seems to go against the core roots set out by the founder, James Naismith.

At a certain point, moving forward, I will cease to be a Jayhawk follower. I will always be a Jayhawk. But there is only so much of this I can stomach.

Kobe Bryant called it right... on AAU basketball and consider it the same for D1. There aren't enough programs focused on helping the athlete develop. Too many just want to help HYPE players. We are great at that! Kelly will be gone from Kansas this summer and the kid has barely touched a basketball in a game played with men. And all we do is point fingers at everything else in our society instead of stand for something real.

If Calipari wins it all this year.. it will further solidify his grip on the D1 coaching mentality.

However... I'd like to see one blue blood program abandon that philosophy and go all-in on development. Hire assistant coaches and other staff focused strictly on development. Spend the big bucks on bringing in the right development talent.

I had my hopes that a guy like Brad Stevens would be the guy to challenge Calipari. But he sold out, too.

@RockChalkinTexas

"How can you believe what someone under an alias wrote? "

Very true.

But at this point, not many guys in media with their exposed names are trustworthy either.

This is a big story, and it tilts heavily towards Cliff not playing. So it is easy for media guys with ambition to go ahead and connect the last dot or two and post it as fact.

Self also plays this like the "Riverboat Gambler" that he is. He doesn't want to show his hand and he'll run bluffs to keep opponents guessing.

I won't believe anything until I see games played with or without Cliff.

KU is #1!

Well....

According to USA TODAY... KU spends more money recruiting basketball players than any other public school in Div. I.

First, is that a reliable source?

Second, if it's true, makes me wonder if we get our money's worth.

Go, Larry!

With Landen and Perry banged up I'd settle for any additional help in the post!

Here's a guy anxious to take a plane out to Omaha.

!$T2eC16FHJHwE9n8igtmYBQPGiOc3C!~~60_35.JPG ↗

@VailHawk

Hey.... I'm not a drug dealer! No... it's one of those all-in-one pliers tool.

My side work is dentistry!

I'm getting all tingly inside.

How many seconds until tip-off?

@VailHawk

I'm screaming! :-)

If we make it to the Sweet 16 I'll be popping the cork. We will have had a great year in winning #11 and beating the Shocks (if they get past IU).

Then... if we make it to the Final Four I'll pop another cork. Another trip to the media madness!

Then... if we win the National Championship I'll pop another cork! We get to fly another banner and score another trophy for AFH.

I hope I pop 3 bottles of champagne this year... but I won't get too upset if I get at least one sip of bubbly this year!

@VailHawk

" I REALLY want to wipe the floor with the Wheat Shockers!!!"

!tough-guy.jpg ↗

Now that's what I'm talking about!

@jaybate-1.0

"Uh, yes, Jaybate... you have a call on line one from the Creative Artists Agency. The man says his name is World Wide Wes."

I see the day coming. Some kind of uber agent clawing in with lots of shoe money behind him. This kind of reads like the story around WWW and UK we recently read. I believe there is some truth in that story... along with a lot of projected conspiracy theory.

Or what about something like the CCNY point shaving scandal reappearing in a slightly different form? What about organized crime stepping in to throw a few games?

What kind of security and protection is in place to monitor game officials? Right. None. As we are thinking about this right now, there could be a ref or two meeting with Vinnie in New Jersey. Who would know?

I'm thankful that calls can be overturned on deflections in the last couple of minutes of the game and overtime... however... games can still easily be doctored by refs.

Think about how much money a ref can make by going on the payroll of some big crime boss?

1950-51 was really the last time cheating has gone on in this sport? Are you kidding me?

@joeloveshawks

At least in that match up I won't mind if Kentucky thrashes their opponent.

Did anyone in here see the 30 for 30: "I hate Laettner!"?

Any Jayhawk kick a guy in the guts, he's get 10-20 in Sing-Sing. Just a technical?

That show encapsulates why everyone not Duke hates Duke.

The show should have been called, "I hate Duke!"

This put a smile on my face this morning:

"what potentially lies ahead of us could be the most talked about game in the state of Kansas in many years,” Self added."

Okay... he gets it!

@Crimsonorblue22

...and he mentioned having a chip. He gets it!

@BeddieKU23

"What Wayne will we see in the Tournament?"

Better ask... will his dad be in attendance?

This is the Wayne we always thought we were going to have!

If I was Dick, think I'd get a mono test.

I thought the Zags looked better early on in the season.

Their SOS was only 73. Still don't know why they deserve a RPI of 8.

I put them in that "Wichita State" area of judgment... except the Zags are a 2 and the Shocks are a 7.

Seems like the Shocks should be a 4 and the Zags maybe a 3.

@Crimsonorblue22

"Kentucky-gross!"

We have to remember that Judd is from Kentucky. So kissing Dickie V was actually an upgrade...

!20130214_valentine_palm_card.jpg ↗

I hope our guys are reading everything out there. I hope they are as pissed off as I am!

Too many have us not making it through the first weekend.

And if we advance... none has us challenging Kentucky.

Great... let's get pissed off and go kick some tail!

They had to make sure Duke made it to the final weekend -

!dukesautobahn.jpg ↗

Self is a Jayhawk!

I felt the need to share my adrenaline!

Thanks diehards!

You guys rock!

Guess I'm not bad as a motivator!

@JhawkAlum

He already has enlisted Antoine Carr, The "X-man" and several other past greats to help inspire his troops.

It wouldn't surprise me if he digs up Mike Jones, too. God... I can still remember that shot as he faded back into the bench!

Lutz didn't waste any time:

It’s close enough to taste ↗

At least he nailed one paragraph:

"The last time WSU and KU met in the regular season, though – back on Jan. 6, 1993 – Kansas won 103-54 in Allen Fieldhouse. As far as I know, there are no T-shirts commemorating that game."

In the coming weeks, we will all be glued to our televisions watching March Madness. Through all the "hoopla" we will experience teams and venues from around the USA.

From experiencing other places, you may question why you chose to live in the great grassland plains of Kansas.

Here are 5 good reasons to support your decision to stay here:

1. Florida ↗

2. California ↗

3. Texas ↗

4. Illiniois ↗

5. New York ↗

I'm not going anywhere!

@nuleafjhawk

Probably so... but what got me this weekend was the thought that we could take a nationally-viewed beating from the Shockers! I never had that thought after the Kentucky game, or Temple game.

@Crimsonorblue22

I was in the tiny German village of Delkenheim, just outside of Wiesbaden. Watching the game live in the middle of the night there on the A-Farts (American Forces Network).

I probably woke up half the village after the game when I ran outside screaming at the top of my lungs.

I'm sure the Germans were thinking... "crazy American!"

I know I said I wouldn't post again in here... sorry about that!

This entire thread was brought about from my fear after we were smashed by ISU in the second half.

My mind went directly to a WSU-KU match up. I knew this game was going to be set up.

I immediately panicked. Not because we may not have the right team to win. I feel we do have the right team. But I was blindsided by our collapse in that second half. I thought we were done with collapses.

WSU plays tough, disciplined ball. If we have one of our episodes in this game, we'll not only lose, but potentially get blown out.

I simply can't accept that!

I can tell you right now. If that happens, I'm going to rip Self a new backside! There is no excuse for having 4 McDs AAs and getting blown out by a bunch of juco players. ISU was the wake up call for me. It can happen.

If we get blown out our players better do more than limp off that court! They better be hauled off in a hearse!

This is my last post on this subject.

All I can say is I hope the Kansas coaching staff is smart enough to bring in someone who can explain the pain of 66-65 because none of our coaches were Kansas players or fans when we took one in the head at the Battle of New Orleans.

It matters to real Jayhawks. Either you grew up with that or you didn't. Self didn't. You want to know why I"m barking up this tree.... does it make sense now?

There is plenty to build motivation for this game if it comes to be and I bet we aren't even clued in on it.

I bet WSU will play all the old tapes and dig up plenty of old skeletons to make sure their troops are ready.

I will never forgive Self if he doesn't prepare "balls to the wall" for this game. No excuses allowed. F@%# guys being hurt.

@JhawkAlum

"You even said "we are doomed"."

We've been living under the delusional KU cloud for years. We don't feel like we have to be prepared for March. I can't even get anyone in here to understand what a chip is.

We are on the Calipari plan... 100%. And I'll project we need 10 McDs AA before we win our next NC!

Attitude makes a big difference in basketball. Anyone think we had the better attitude yesterday? Really?

I'm not going to win this argument.

So I"ve contacted Wiki to change their story about Self.

He did play at Kansas.

@JayHawkFanToo

The point I am making is about motivation.

Everyone is on a delusional defense of Self. I'm not attacking Self.

I'm relating the FACT that he did not play ball at Kansas. He can't pull stories out of his hat to motivate the troops and relate it to Kansas... except maybe a bit under Brown.

But sometimes it takes punching people in the gut to shake them from their delusion.

PEPSI CHALLENGE:

"Anyone in here saying Self isn't a Cowboy? Want to place a little wager? If Self had to choose and could only be ONE... a Cowboy or a Jayhawk... and it didn't effect his paycheck or lifestyle... anyone want to bet what he would pick?"

Here is one more advantage ISU has over us. The Mayor played at ISU!

Believe it or not, he can communicate his experiences back from his playing days to his players.

Anyone want to guess what he is conveying? RIght... how the goal was ALWAYS about beating Kansas! He never won a Big 8 title either! Mr. Basketball in the State of Iowa couldn't win them a title!

Is it any wonder that he is able to relate to his players well and get them motivated to beat us?

If we can't conquer our delusion... we are bound to fall.