🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@cragarhawk

"I dont know about any of this. But what really pisses me off is that they need more motivation at all. This is Kansas. That should be all the motivation any player ever needs. THE END"

I agree... so why isn't it reality?! It isn't reality because they are not truly indoctrinated into the Jayhawk Kingdom. Our guys need to be coached up as much on our history and legacy as they are on the court. Just my humble opinion. Maybe kids today care about nothing. Or maybe they are just waiting to care about the right thing!

It isn't enough just to attend Kansas. No one should ever out hustle us on the court. Period. And when they do, our guys aren't getting it.

That is part of the reason why I believed it helped to have Danny as an assistant. He has more stories to share from his days as a Jayhawk.

Is this really that hard to comprehend?

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?

I'm not trying to make this into something it isn't. Self is 100% on board at Kansas... but you all are delusional and have him placed as some kind of Jayhawk God. Enough with the delusion. Enough of the thinking that we just have to show up at games and claim the trophy. That delusion isn't going to bring home trophies. Reality will be a good start. Self doesn't have playing stories at Kansas from his playing days. He wasn't here in 200 BC fighting Druids with swords.

And he can't relate enough valid material to indoctrinate any of his players into being real lifelong Jayhawks. That isn't his fault. Maybe his parents for growing him 400 miles south!

I think a nice way to bridge this weakness is to punt one of our assistants and bring someone like Sherron Collins on board. He might not be able to recruit... but I bet he could quickly become a real motivational asset!

I WILL BE THE ONE GUY IN HERE DEFENDING SELF WHEN HE LEAVES. THE ONE GUY! BEEN THERE, DONE THAT WITH ROY. I WAS THE ONE GUY LEFT SUPPORTING ROY. BECAUSE I UNDERSTOOD THE REALITY, NOT THE DELUSION.

I've already been down this road before.

I said the same true statement about Roy when Dean Smith left Carolina. Everyone slammed me because I said Roy would change his words and go home. Then people flipped the other way and slammed Roy for going home. Sorry... but if you can't get what I'm saying, you'll be in line at the lynching of Self when he leaves Kansas. All you people defending Bill as a Jayhawk will be the same people slamming him when he leaves.

I'm not saying Self is going to OSU.

All I'm saying is the FACT that Self went to school at OSU... and I wish he had gone to school at KU, so he could relate more motivational stories to his troops.

Is that wrong? Am I wrong for saying that? NO WAY! I'd bet my life on it. Anyone else think he wouldn't do any better as a motivational coach at Kansas if he had gone to Kansas?

This thread is about Kansas lacking enough motivation... not about Self and his allegiance.

Coaches don't have to be legacies in order to be a good coach at a school. Self is great at Kansas. All I'm saying is he would be a better coach for us if he had gone to Kansas. Now I"m being attacked because you are all thinking the wrong thing.

PLEASE, PLEASE.... EVERYONE PUT YOUR JAYHAWK EMOTIONS AWAY FOR ONE FRIGGIN' SECOND! SELF WENT TO OSU, LOOK IT UP ON WIKI.

@HighEliteMajor

"How does a team that relies so much on threes actually win when they're not hitting threes?"

They won because they wanted it more than us.

@REHawk

"But I do know this: Bill's "Fools Gold" statement will hang like an albatross around his neck until his teams eventually run to a series of Final Fours"

Well said. And I hope you are right!

Why?

Not because I don't support Self. I just think coaches need to be pushed just like players. Maybe our team can start developing a chip if our coach has one!

All of us will use the "fool's gold" statement as a tool from here on out!

I'm in!

@Crimsonorblue22

All I'm saying is it would be a huge advantage to us if Self was a legacy coach. I'm 100% sure of that. It ALWAYS is!

At a certain point... talent will only get you so far. Sure... if you are a Kentucky and you suck in 3 7-footers and 9 McDs AAs... you might be able to win it all with just brute force and skill. That's what it takes when you don't have the magic. Magic comes easier from legacy coaches. They can relate back to their playing days in the same gym. They can relate to their players some of the legacy motivation given to them by their coaches at the same school.

Self can't do that. He wasn't here. And if you listen to him today, he relates stories most about Okie ball. Why? Because that is what built him, not Jayhawk ball!

Roy could coach Jayhawk basketball 1000 years and he still wouldn't have a NC!

@oldhwkfan

That's right. Self didn't play at Kansas. He played at OSU. And that is why we will usually lose at OSU.

Just like Roy. No one wanted to admit it about Roy when he was our coach... but Roy was (and is) a Tar Heel, not a Jayhawk.

Both of these coaches are great coaches.

The difference is both small and huge. I don't mean it as a slam. Bill and Roy both worked their butts off for Kansas and were and are important parts of what has gotten us where we are today.

Look at our football. Bowen was able to motivate our guys. Bowen is a legacy Jayhawk. There will always be a difference. Legacy coaches have an advantage in the motivation department.

I'm not saying we need to ditch Self. I'm just saying this is part of the reason he can't motivate our guys that last inch... the inch that matters most.

Roy figured it out. Roy went home.... and he did what he could never do at Kansas... win a NC... twice! Why? it was the same Roy Williams that coached at Kansas. But he could project better as a legacy coach at UNC.

@approxinfinity

I put everything on chip. Always have, always will. Because I've been there. I've been on a golden team full of "ringer" players that have gone out there and lost to nobodies. I've also been on the nobody teams that have beat the Gods of basketball.

ISU has a chip when playing Kansas. I don't know if they will have what it takes to win our regular season conference... but they have what it takes to beat us. They don't have a single McDs AA... they are mostly juco-level players. Why have they become such a thorn in our sides? Because we still keep our noses high in the air and we refuse to accept them as a formidable foe. We refuse to put the same energy into preparing to play them as they do to prepare to play us. I bet they have posters of Jayhawk players in their locker room. They have to look at our guys every day when they suit up and suit down. They want us bad! But we see them as just another game.

I'm just using ISU as an example, because this is the same problem we always face in March. The "UNI's" of the tournament have posters of our guys in their locker rooms, too.

Maybe the answer is right there in Lawrence. Maybe the answer is a visit to Naismith's grave every year. And how about watching vintage KU footage? How about our kids get fully indoctrinated into Kansas legacy? All of us legacy fans just expect them to have crimson/blue blood. But come on... they don't! Maybe bringing them in tighter to what Kansas basketball is really all about is the way to develop the chip in our guys.

We clearly are going about the game all wrong. We are chasing Calipari's tail We are chasing the dragon. We have bought into this idea that we just need an entire team of McDs AA in order to win. And the rate we are going, it is the truth.... we do need 9 McDs AA to win. It shouldn't be that way.

Maybe Self doesn't get it because Self isn't a Jayhawk. He's a Cowboy. He's been a great coach, but can he really relate to what Kansas basketball is all about? We all live here, in the plains of nowhere. We have basketball. We are basketball. Can an outsider really get it? These young players.... when they leave Kansas, they should always have Kansas in their minds... forever!

There are two Jayhawk players that I know get it. These are the two players that really stepped up and made the difference. Those Jayhawks are Danny Manning and Sherron Collins. Both of these guys stepped up that extra inch that made the difference. Sure other greats made a difference. Mario hit the shot. But the shot wasn't the miracle. The miracle was Sherron, stealing the ball and hitting the shot. That was the miracle. Danny made play after play... the miracle.

There is a huge difference between good play and miracle play. Miracle play wins NCs. Miracle play provides the chip to fight back the chip of all the wannabes. That's why my favorite two Jayhawks of all times are Danny and Sherron.

@HighEliteMajor

You definitely understand the game of basketball very well. I never miss one of your postings. They are always filled with intelligent perspective and analysis.

I believe, sometime next fall, Self will finally let the cat out of the bag... and admit he screwed up big time by chastising our guys for being proficient at 3s. He will apologize for his "fool's gold" comment, because the fan base is never going to live that down. I know none of us in here will ever let that phrase go. It has been added to Self's "legacy." And it should. Everyone in this game has to be held accountable.. especially coaches.

I was one of the original fans in your corner on this issue. I do still believe it has validity. I turned away from it because I sometimes have high blood pressure and keeping thoughts on something like this, where you can do nothing to change it, can only spike your blood pressure. So I've flipped camps, trying to support Self's goal to scrap potent offense for defensive toughness.

I don't think any of us can question that to some degree, Self's strategy worked. We have been playing a tougher brand of basketball. Nix out the second half from last night and we were starting to roll on defense. We humiliated a tough Baylor team that is bound to be taken serious in March Madness.

So here we are today. What do we do moving forward? Can we click our fingers and have a lethal perimeter shooting team again? I'm not certain of that. But I see other glaring problems with this team, that need to be addressed regardless of our offensive strategy.

If I could take control of this team today as a coach, this is what I would do. These are the issues I think stand out most:

1. Play with a chip. These kids need something to play for. They need something to motivate them. This is always the Achilles heel for Jayhawk basketball. Self doesn't know how to motivate Jayhawk teams. He might have been great at motivating teams in his early days... but it takes something that he doesn't have to motivate Kansas players. For one... we live in the illusion that just playing for Kansas should be motivation enough. Well how did that work for us yesterday? Which team was pumped up? This is the real reason we lost this game, and it will be the reason we lose in March. We are every opponent's Super Bowl. I suggest firing one of our assistant coaches and bring in a Southern Baptist minister. Someone who knows how to reach players' souls.

2. Know how to close. All of our recent losses have been close games that we could have won had we stepped up on closing them out the right way. Our energy level should automatically increase in the final moments of a game. I'm not seeing that. I'm seeing that with our opponents, but not us.

3. Better game coaching. Self was out-coached in this game. Even Holly gave him the warning at halftime. Everyone and their dog knew that ISU was going to bring it in the second half, but we had no strategy to battle them. Not until the very end when we finally went to the zone, too late to make the difference. Why wouldn't Self try the zone after say... a 10-pt ISU run? Why did we have to wait until the very end to try something else? We could have thwarted their run had we made a reaction. Calling timeout and then not imposing some kind of twist is just a waste of a timeout, and actually helps the other team because they are building more momentum because we are forced into a timeout.

4. Start bringing back the 3s by running some perimeter offense. This would not only help bring back the 3s, it would help open up the middle for Perry and Kelly. We have issues with our spacing, with our motion, and with our sets. Nothing is setup properly to take advantage of 3s. Are we really going to go into March neglecting this?

Even in the first half of yesterday's game, I felt pessimistic. We had plenty of times when we could have taken it to the rack and either scored, get fouled, or both, and we didn't. Our guys backed the ball out. Why? That made it obvious for the second half. If the Mayor squeezed his guys in just a bit more, it would completely squeeze us out of taking the ball to the rim. It worked. Why? Not because they packed the paint... because our guys were not aggressive enough to drive through. We only did it a few times then gave up. And then we didn't have the proper sets to drive and feed for the 3 because our spacing and angles were all wrong. On any drive in the paint, there should be someone open on the perimeter.

It is a pity we will never use Brannen Greene properly. He isn't in a slump. He just isn't having his shot supported any longer. Do you want to talk about "fool's gold?" Fool's gold is driving the paint and not having an outlet for an open 3. Sorry... that's not fool's gold... just foolish!

We are always at a disadvantage when we play ISU.

It's just another game for us, but for ISU, it is their Super Bowl.

When are we going to learn that? When are we going to take them seriously? How many times do we have to get beat from a bunch of juco transfers before we take them seriously?

We didn't lose this game because Perry was hurt. Or Landen. And we didn't lose this game because we weren't busting 3s.

We lost this game because ISU needed to win versus us wanting to win. It's that simple. You could see their enthusiasm, their energy. Compare it to ours.

This, more than anything, is usually the reason why we lose in March. Everyone wants to beat a blue blood. We are every teams Super Bowl.

We've been playing some toughened basketball of late. But there are more elements to the game. We brought toughness to this game. So did ISU. But they brought hunger... and they built enthusiasm off their come back. At the end of 40 minutes, they looked like they could go another 40. I bet they could have.

They came out that second half and you could see they were a different team. We were the same team. Momentum is a tricky thing. It tends to work like a grass fire, starting off a single spark, then grows to burn down everything in sight. We have to become a team with hunger. We have to break the mold of typical Jayhawk March complacency.

If it takes us 9 McDs AA just to compete in March, then we are no better than UK. If that is what it takes for Jayhawk basketball to be successful, I'd rather watch us flounder for a few generations until our decades of beat downs can become the fuel for us to build a lasting chip on our shoulders.

We started developing a chip on our shoulders after our merciless pounding from UK. Unfortunately, we have forgotten that beating. We need something to feed on again. Something that makes us fight our guts out. The last time we had a chip was with TRob and his personal loss. It carried a team without a single McDs AA all the way to the championship game.

@Lulufulu

Oh yeah... I shouldn't have said what I said. Jinx stuff. But I didn't give an exact prediction or score.

UPDATE: Kansas loses by 30 to ISU!

There... that should do it!

I still can't believe OU missed the bunny that would have forced OT. Would have been nice... maybe double or triple OT.

@HighEliteMajor

Won't the results of this game help you decide if Self's "Billy Ball" was the right move?

ISU must have the best offense in our league... a split with us this year.

@Lulufulu

I'm trying to keep things light and fluffy before we pounce on the clowns.

@jaybate-1.0

Is that near the gonads? Makes steroid?

:-)

@Crimsonorblue22

Sorry.... when I hear that term... "so and so knows more XXX in his little finger..." my imagination runs amuck.

@JayHawkFanToo

"My first choice would still be Brad Stevens"

He's one of my favs, too... but first, let him get his silly NBA thoughts out of his head.

College is where it's at.

@wrwlumpy

The media is cruel. That kid will have his tears documented throughout his entire life. Just part of us being demonized by the media. "Those nasty Jayhawks made this poor kid cry! And that EJ player rubbed it in with his emphatic slam dunk!"

What they failed to report was the numerous times ISU fans called EJ the "N-word" and other tasteless abusive language.

ISU got what they deserved. I'd replay all that hate stuff to our current team to build the enthusiasm.

I think I know more hoops in the hair on my bum than my wife knows in all the chapped skin between her big toes.

:-)

I'd like to see Self coach football.

I'm thinking he would make an interesting football coach.

I can see it now... "GROUND AND POUND!"

@KUinLA

"Well, somebody fell off his rocker and started this silly thread, lol."

I'm glad you stuck through the hazing you received in here. You earned my respect. Lots of guys would have folded tent.

I like your edge.

@JayHawkFanToo

"Are you talking about McKay? I would start with Traylor who has the speed to keep up with him, but neutralize him by drawing fouls on him. Oubre definitely has the athleticism to go against him and either score or draw the foul...or both"

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!

@Crimsonorblue22

I loved Wigs... even though Self didn't properly utilize him. He should have been instructed WHEN to take it to the rack and WHEN to pull up for the easy mid range J.

I just like Kelly and the impact he has on the rest of the guys. He's not counted on as our closer, so everyone else has to continue to hustle.

The problem we had last year was not Wigs... it was everyone else! They played super soft (and usually became spectators) because they expected Wigs to carry the load.

Very different chemistry with Kelly. He flows right in with the rest of our guys.

None of this was Wigs fault. Most of it was the media hype. It started with the SI cover. Put the spot light on HIM and not Kansas! The spot light should have been on Kansas having both Wigs and Embiid.

@nuleafjhawk

I think Rick will be around next year.

We are applying our expectations on Texas. Seriously... Texas fans do not have near the same expectations we have. I've had discussions with plenty of Longhorn fans. Sure, they want to improve. But they don't quickly throw Barnes under the bus. He is very well-liked. And many of the fans point to his achievements more than his failings.

First... if they let go of Rick, who would they replace him with?

Granted, Rick underachieves in results, but he does recruit some top talent. There is no guarantee the next guy could recruit as well as Rick. And it is very unlikely he will be as well liked. Rick has a bunch of friends, not only the State of Texas, but all through the B12 and USA.

Texas is a football school. And also a baseball school. Basketball... well... to be honest, what is helping build Texas basketball is Baylor. Yes... Baylor! Texas fans don't like to lose to anyone in their State. They used to be focused on TAM, but since they are gone, the focus is on Baylor and Scott Drew continues to recruit a lot of talent and challenges Texas hard. More UT fans are speaking up with Texas loses to Baylor. These same fans expect to lose to Kansas.

@Bosthawk

I feel like "Bad Ball" (or "Billy Ball" ) is the right way to beat Kentucky. There is no way Kentucky would give us the trey shot if we play them again. They have size on the perimeter, too.

So we would have to win a game that would be a low scoring affair. I've watched lots of Kentucky basketball this year. Their offense has been improving. But they can easily go stale on offense, and they always get bailed out with their d. If we can play with the same emphasis... isn't it possible both teams just play bad offense and good defense? So... if that be the case... won't the outcome be determined by just a few points?

We didn't play tough basketball the last time we played. We also didn't play smart. Self told them to pound it inside, and we did, and they rejected everything. This time... perhaps Frank plays it a bit smarter and feeds it on his drive. This time we have Kelly, too. And maybe Wayne decides to show up.

We fell apart in that first game. We went totally soft. The key in a rematch is to not go soft, and just play tough for 40 minutes. We do that, then anything is possible. It worked for UCONN last year, and they didn't have a legitimate 5 either.

Half of why Kentucky wins is that people see the height and skill and they wilt. Anyone who wilts has already lost.

@KUinLA

I don't see us as a 1-seed. I'm very satisfied with a 2-seed, and wouldn't be surprised if they make us a 3-seed.... except... going by their own talk, they are supposed to reward teams that play a tough schedule.

We shall see if that is the case. I would love to see us get a game with Duke in March... if both teams can make it that far. I like our chances.

@KUinLA

"OMG--OBJECTIVITY!!!

I didn't know that was allowed here."

Hahahaha.... none of us are objective. We've all got a horse in this race. Granted... some of us may have flown further off the edge. (me)

@HighEliteMajor

Right on with your post.

I've tempered my opinions simply because there is no gain in me stroking out!

But through that, I've been able to see it different. None of us can say the trey offense would have led us to here. That we would be better off today.

What I'm getting at is that I believe I'd rather have the toughness going for us now, and just work on tweaking back our offense to restore some scoring... versus having gone that way all year and try to keep it going against teams that will play us tougher on the perimeter while we aren't playing tough ball.

The best factor to have going for you in March is toughness. Now if we can get some offense to help out, great! If we can't, then just buckle down a bit harder on the defense and still win.

In the end of conference play, we dropped 3 away games by just a few points. There was no guarantee we could have maintained the treys on the road. I point the finger more at a lack of being able to close out games. All three of those games we should have won, and we went soft in the last few seconds.

Think about the teams we will play in March. How are they going to scout us? Seriously... We've been scoring almost all our points in the low post, but we have deadly weapons on the perimeter. What should they do? Zone? We've been working on beating that (but should be better). Now we have some real zone breakers in Kelly and Wayne, ready to drive through the gaps. And Frank can always do it, too.

I think we have a very dangerous team. Sure we could lose... but we are multidimensional. We are bound to start hitting a few 3s, and that's all we need to do. But if we get hot from out there, we'll take it!

@HighEliteMajor

Duke passes the "eye test." The "eye test" looks at the obvious.... offense! Friggin' Okafor is a beast! Jones is amazing!

Kansas doesn't pass the eye test. Why? Because our offense has been looking God awful! But we can still win. We can still win when we go 0-15 from 3. Can Duke do that? No way!

I like our chances of beating Duke now a lot more than I did when we were reigning in the 3s. That's when we were running some burst offense, followed by collapse defense. We didn't have the toughness.

I like this team right where we are at. We can win without almost any offense! How many past teams can you say that about? Most of the time, we go offensive dead in March and we lose. This year.. we are likely to do that most games, but at least we have a chance this time.

Our barometer is Frank. Frank had a bad game yesterday, but he found a way to help close out Baylor. Signs like that are impressive.

Wayne.... wow... Wayne! We don't need him to have that kind of game every night, but when we need him we need him. I hope that wasn't his lone spark in March.

Kelly looks to be poised to blaze through March! The guy is amped!

At this point, I really hope Cliff is done. I like the big guy and he could help spark us... but if we know he is gone, our bigs know they have to step up. This has been really good for guys like Landen and Hunter. They have been stepping up... just need to watch the fouls. Jamari just needs to stay within his boundaries. He shouldn't dribble except near the basket and to finish one of his slashing scoring moves. He should avoid taking the mid range shot, too. Teams are going to beg him to take those. And he should rebound properly. He should ask Landen for some tips since our coaches fail to teach him.

Did anyone see Landen snag the rebound with about 12:55 left in the second half yesterday? Now that is how to seal off the low post!

@wissoxfan83

Your post illustrated why we've won 11 straight conference championships. Most teams in our conference don't know how to win. They stumble in to them sometimes.

ISU is the closest team that understands the concept of winning. The Mayor is legit. Just a matter of time before he is nailing 5-star recruits.

Barnes and Drew could choke on a feather.

Kruger is close to figuring it out but just needs to recruit some depth. Good coach.

Huggy... well... Huggy is Huggy. He brings toughness and a bit of redneck to our conference. I hope he never leaves the B12 because we need the toughness.

Weber. He should hire a recruiter. Not a bad game coach, but he can't recruit to save his life.

@Crimsonorblue22

That's why I said "even though not all his fault"... I don't know if it was how Self treated Wigs... or the media. But we were not a team last year. We were Wigs, Embiid and company.

I think the guys should have called their own team meeting and straightened that part out, because when Wigs had the ball, the others just stood there and watched.

I think Wigs is a great guy, and he doesn't desire to be a ball hog. It's just the way it turned out that it fragmented the team concept. If I was going to point fingers, I guess it would be at Self for not correcting that.

Maybe I should have said... "though not his fault!"

Don't forget... I was the Head Wig of Wiggymania! :-)

@Crimsonorblue22

I luv'em both. But I now prefer Kelly because he has done his thing while keeping us a team. Wigs (even though not all his fault) made it about him.

@jaybate-1.0

Wouldn't that be an awesome final!

@wissoxfan83 .... who would you be pulling for?

I'd like to see Kelly really burn the clowns today.

Similar to what he did to TCU. Drive, drive, drive... foul, foul, foul.... free throw... free throw... free throw....

@HawksWin

Been there, done that... at least... with players:

CCNY point shaving scandal ↗

"While Kentucky was forced to cancel one season of play (1952–53), it was the only program that was not permanently hobbled by the scandal."

Kentucky got to keep the 1951 National Championship. Imagine if that had been Kansas? Many of our players would just now be getting released from prison!

@brooksmd

One commenter captured it all:

saddy78:
"Only dooky can get away with this garbage. F*cking unbelievable!!!!"

Probably had Bilas doing the commentary and he was screaming about how violent college basketball has become!

It sort of reminds me of the punk culture in the 70s-80s. Something from London because the conservative moment wanted to push people off the dole. The pressure was building.. especially when the Iron Lady took power in '79. The youth was forced into seeking employment, so all the spike colored hair, piercings, and wardrobe prevented them from being hired.

Personally... I prefer the punk movement. They put a lot more energy into their protest... Plenty of creativity, which extended into the punk rock music scene.

@Crimsonorblue22

You are my all-time fav!

All we need to do is show our guys the B12 championship game from last year.

Anyone want the same result?

@Shanghai_RCJH

Landen AND Hunter!

Landen has offense... but Hunter has defense!

@HawksWin

"Should Duke still be 1 because of its 4 vs. 7 losses?"

Duke deserves a 1 seed even if they don't win a single game all year... because they are Dook!

And they deserve to get placed in an easy bracket.

And they deserve plenty of home-cooking refs.

It's like if McDonald's wants to build a store where your house is at. Be prepared to move...

There is only one question left with this team. ONLY ONE!

Can the get on an offensive role and MAINTAIN the toughness?

If the answer is "yes" and they start working some better offense, this team has the chance to do a lot in March!

Forget the hole at the 5... We just pounded big Baylor.

@KUSTEVE

We play with plenty of bad possessions.... But we are also playing tough. I'd put their defensive effort last night up against many of our past teams full of juniors and seniors... and we are playing through our bench, too.

@5541-james

"We all are not spoiled we just know what good basketball looks like and this and last years team lacks that a bit."

That's true... because of youth. The last two years we have been brutally young.

The year before we were packed with 4 and 5-yr seniors.

Imagine us in 2 years? Many of our current sophomores will be seniors, maybe Graham still around as a junior.

This is where the fan base doesn't click in. We are young, real young... and it is truly something that we are winning this many games with youth.

@nuleafjhawk

"Ok, in light of all the uproar in our society lately, I want to be very sensitive here and don't want anyone to take this the wrong way. Maybe it's a culture thing - but why in the name of all that is holy would anyone want to wear their drawers like that"

So people will look and ask the same question. It's to get attention without doing something to earn it.

@Crimsonorblue22

Great catch!

Love it!

Hey... what happened? My posts in here are gone! Vanished in thin air! A couple of them.

And I didn't even cuss! $#*$%&#!!!!

Okay... I refreshed my browser and they are back.

@KUSTEVE

College players aren't coming from the real world. I never count on common sense. Or even sense. And attorneys have a one-track mind. Combining the two creates a situation where a guy without a clue connects with a guy with just one single answer.

@JayHawkFanToo

Yeah... it's strange and makes you wonder on the ability to counsel.

"Problem Solvers?"

I knew a guy who could solve your problems. Vinnie from New Jersey. Now that guy could fix any problem you could ever have!

@wissoxfan83

"Huh? I thought I was the only one @RedRooster liked."

What? I like you often because you are the only other diehard Badgers fan in here!

Perspective... we need perspective.

My wife blew me away a few years ago with her "70-Rule." She used to say... "When Kansas scores 70s point or more, they win, under 70, they lose."

This current team is doing a pretty darn good job of keeping our opponents far below the 70-line.

We just need enough baskets to win. And we have the tools that can come together and get 70 points every night... even though we are playing good "BILLY BALL" right now and usually don't need that many points to win. On average, we give up 64.9 ppg. That is a pretty good number when considering we played the toughest schedule in the country. And we did it without a shot blocker.

Played the toughest schedule in the country, without the big post presence and with one of the younger teams in the nation and we only lost 7 games!

I think it is great that Jayhawk fans might not have the same expectations they usually have. Let the guys play "sleeper" and see what happens.

Speaking of "sleeper".... gheez... how much of a sleeper are we when we are even a sleeper amongst our fan base?!!!

@JhawkAlum

I like Jaybate's comment... "BAD BALL is very, very hard to love."

It fits for Kansas fans. It fits if you look back at our history since Larry Brown.

Larry brought us a National Championship, and over his stay in Lawrence, never lacked offensive punch.

Then came Roy. Roy liked the up-tempo, and he was off to the races.

Bill came to town, and he brought a different philosophy with him: defense.... more... DEFENSIVE TOUGHNESS!

What we are seeing right now is Bill playing "BILLY BALL."

I think we all need to change the vernacular away from "BAD BALL" on to "BILLY BALL."

Why it looks different is that we just don't quite have the fire power on offense. We usually had enough offense to dilute Bill's real strategy.... "BILLY BALL." In other words.... DEFENSIVE TOUGHNESS.

Personally... I was a bit amazed that we won this game. TCU continues to play better ball all the time, and they've had two previous games with us to know how to play us best.

Lots of pluses going on for us:

1. Kelly's play is just sick! He's able to take over a game now. I like how he takes over a game more than who he replaced... Wigs.

2. Landen played a great game. We are finally starting to cash in on his excellent fundamental post skills.

3. Hunter is figuring out his game and making his presence known.

Then think about adding in Perry, and healthier Wayne? A very long shot of Cliff. Then.... maybe, just maybe we start banging down some 3s.

If the pieces come together the right way, this team can beat anyone, including Kentucky. That is a big "if" but there are always "ifs" in March with every team. One team usually resolves their "ifs" and wins it all.

Resolving our "ifs" with my "wants:"

I want to see all our guys playing the same toughness and assertiveness when Perry returns. Kelly needs to continue to drive to the hole like he did last night. That will always be there for him. Landen is capable to help us every game. Jamari just needs to stay within his limitations and play a bit smarter... like avoiding the dumb fouls.

I want to see us start adding in offensive wrinkles to free up the 3 and start getting our perimeter swagger back.

I want us to keep the same scrappy attitude once we start getting easy points again.

I want to see Wayne step up and play with assertiveness but also intelligence. Attack the basket, but remain in control. Reduce TOs, too.

@wissoxfan83

I think our guys are sick of banging bodies with other B12 teams... especially for the 3rd time.

The guys will be relieved to play someone else!

Hopefully enough to stomp some arse to keep going in the tourney!

@KUinLA

Yep... there remains plenty of "ifs".... that is the magnetic part that keeps me watching. If our first game was with Emporia State, not sure I'd even watch.

@KUinLA

We really don't know how some of our newbies will perform (or veterans) in the big dance.

I'm thinking a lot about Kelly. He seems to like the limelight. His game has skyrocketed... at times. Will we see him make his next leap up in performance during the MM? Or will he vanish?

I can't even guess about it. Too unknown, but it seems he could go in either direction.

If we get a healthy Perry back and he continues his uptick... and if Kelly upticks... maybe the team builds some confidence and synergy?

Granted... it is a crap shoot. I'm keeping my money in my pocket.

Just hoping for the best, not only to see us go further, but to see more Jayhawk games!

@ParisHawk

Jayhawkfantoo has the correct reply. Memphis knew about Rose and not only played him, but participated in the cover up.

I'm of the opinion that Kansas will not go down for this. They reacted properly IMMEDIATELY upon hearing from the NCAA and has already gone on the record as having no prior knowledge. Unless that is a lie, they shouldn't be punished.

A great "ace in the hole" for Kansas is the fact that we have perhaps the very best compliance program in the country. If my memory serves me right, our program is a model program that has received a lot of praise by the NCAA. That means they have also done a good job in communicating the rules and what is proper and improper behavior to recruits and players. And of course, this is all documented to a high legal standard.

Kansas does more than talk lip service about compliance.

Even with all of that in place, problems can still arise, as we see here.

Personally.... I'm not losing sleep over this story. I've already put it to bed that Cliff is done with Kansas, and Kansas will retain #11... and in one more year, will bump that to #12!

My only concern is recruiting another post player to replace Cliff.

RCJH!