🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Self is an innovator. Always has been. Not many coaches are.

He's earned some fame for his chop offense (which we still use sometimes in its pure form or a hybrid version), and also his hi-lo (with 2 post players), which is now become a relic because of how much college basketball has changed. He has adapted this to be something possible with only one post player and the focus on every position is to get several feeds into the post during the possession.

Now his focus is the 4-guard offense and how it has maximized the use of what Self calls "the utility guard" which currently means a player from 6'4" to 6'8" with good handles, strength, and shooting prowess from deep to finishing at the rim. His newest jingle is "positionless basketball."

What surprises me about Self... if you let him describe himself and his approach with only one word he would say "defense" though most of his innovation is on the offense side of the ball.

Wouldn't surprise me if he innovates more on D and what we did at OSU and how these guys played the gaps for steals. There are techniques that help increase the chances of steals and create confusion for offenses.

Self should write books on the game!

Kevin is absolutely vital to this team's success moving forward. I hope his sprain is minor. Hopefully it won't aggravate into something worse.

If this team can be healthy moving forward... the sky is the limit!

Guys are starting to find their team identity (Self's words).... and that identity is DEFENSE!

Look how much offense we had off our defense in Stillwater.

Offense tends to go hot and cold... but defense is a state of mind. If we play to this standard, no one can beat us!

@Kcmatt7

I watch most of UKs games... I watch a lot of D1.

They have ZERO discipline. Sometimes I think the team only reacts when Tshiebwe screams at them... (he should talk, lol). They completely lack leadership. The only thing that ever bails them out is 1-on-1 play.

There are a few knowledgeable Kentucky fans and they will post something intelligent... then they get smacked down by the single-cell herd.

Makes me really appreciate the quality of our group here!

Discord in Blue Hell (read comments):

https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/things-you-cant-do-in-college-basketball/?fbclid=IwAR3dfDeC_VX0rmV2X2rvponFmcgYyInz2_3PLXBW4nun20uy2EwHx2yUH74 ↗

"Calllikeiseeit

2/12/23, 3:33 PM

Whatabatism only works for idiots. Duke sucks because they lost their career coach, UNC also sucks because they lost their career coach, us and Syracuse suck because we still have ours."

@Kcmatt7

I don't think Tang will embrace Louisville. He isn't the typical used-car salesman coach just out chasing a buck. God is first in his life.

Still wondering why he went to Manhattan. I think KSU sold him a bill of goods. Promises were made... now the kitties either step up or he'll leave.

@wissox

Me, too!

@Kcmatt7

I've said this all along... Tang won't stay at KSU if the culture doesn't change. He's a strongly-rooted Christian and Manhattan is closer to hell than heaven.

I really feel like this is a defining moment for KSU basketball. Either the culture changes and they embrace a positive lifestyle (doesn't have to be Christian), or they stay "hicks in the sticks" and prevent a real coach from coming there and doing the job right.

Jack Hartman is rolling over in his grave.

I support Tang and what he is wanting to do. I want KSU to build a respectable program once again. It's good for the Big 12 and good for us.

I don't think Tang is a fit for Louisville. The culture there is horrific and their dark cloud history will prevent them from attracting a class act like Tang. Notre Dame is a better fit unless there are Christian differences that can't be overcome.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch in Manhattan.... the purple kitties dissolve back into shrubs like a Bruce Webber team...

!homer.png ↗

@wissox

Sending you love, brother, and to your TV! lol

I hope our defense was by intention. We played a different defense. Instead of players gluing onto the other team's players, they played the gaps more. It often looked like a hodge-podge but it often works for steals. They threw those passes halfway thinking their other guy was open then our gap players stepped in. Works well except on players like Bryce who can get a shot off quickly and burn us from trey.

Makes me think Self dialed it up because he knew this game was important and would be a tough win.

@kjayhawks

The trigger for us pushing tempo is off a steal or bad shot.

@kjayhawks

and our open-court scoring off of TOs was huge... especially against a top-notch defense like OSU. We played so much better offense in the open court.

Ernest made a big impact! Now get him to stop some of those fouls...

@kjayhawks

I haven't seen a stat sheet but I bet we won the possession battle!

Gradey was an assassin! Our guys did what they had to do. Love how they played the passing lanes and those TOs converted to scoring killed OSU. Let's remember back to previous years... all those great teams that went to Stillwater and lost! It's a huge win and if we can get back healthy now we'll threaten to win another conf title!

@FarmerJayhawk

That speaks for coaching. Self actually earns his HOF title. Probably more for his consistency than for NCs.

@Kcmatt7

I'd take a 1-seed (usually)... but what matters most to me is who is in our bracket. We had a good bracket last year and caught some breaks with upsets and teams suffering with hurt players.

Luck plays a huge part in March... of course, we control our own destination but same is said for all teams.

@jayballer67

Yes.... I'm okay if we just come out and play even with them for a while until we get them figured out eventually... but one of those horrendous starts where we go down 20 or so won't work tonight!

Meanwhile.... back at the ranch... Classy Rick Barnes shows how it's done at Tenn, after he escaped the madness of Texas.

I'm loving it and I'll never feel too awful when we lose to a Barnes' team.

Oh.... let's not forget to talk about Duke!

Scheyer is in a spot. I don't know too much about his coaching staff below him but if he can't match the coaching ability of K he will be exposed soon. I was never a Coach K fan, but I gave him the respect he deserved in coaching. It takes a coach at his level to handle a team full of OADs and find some level of success. I wonder if Jon is starting to realize that yet? Another thing working against him... I hate to say that D1 is superficial... but Jon is a little too cute to be a head coach. It takes ZERO convincing of crowds to associate him with being arrogant. I know that sounds like silly drama... but just watch as he ends up being more disliked than K in the coming years. Dislike turns to anger turns to chip. And I know you all don't want me opening the chip can of worms today! lol

@wissox

I bet Indiana really appreciates this type of language... "fear of becoming the next Indiana..."

The real problems at Kentucky go much deeper than Calipari. He is the symptom. He's a symptom they never should have caught and they wouldn't have if they had the proper basketball pedigree within their university, fan base, and state.

So there is a basketball coach out there who can talk fast to recruits and get them to sign but has left a trail of allegations and NCAA troubles.... he has never shown coaching prowess, just recruiting capabilities... I hope Kansas never dips this low when hiring a coach. I'll be gone if they do.

Now they are stuck with the coach who can't coach and he's getting older and tired... and he is unmotivated because he has his nest egg. Few people are left buying into the used car lot sales pitch he is pitching.

Need I say "the honeymoon is over?"

Why is there such a level of hate now appearing in Lexington? Because the fans are being exposed to their own ignorance for buying into the pitch in the first place. Literally, everyone who knew anything about basketball warned Kentucky ahead of this hire and they made the actual commitment under a sheepish embarrassment... much like someone who breaks wedding vows because they are horny.

Shall I go on? I don't think so. Why do I sound disgruntled? Because Calipari has always been one of the big examples of "find success without coaching ability, just recruit." It's never been good for college basketball or the players who wasted their short time in Lexington. Watch him coach in a game and his style isn't flattering to players... it's humiliating... he reminds me of Marsha at WSU.

@Crimsonorblue22 said in Bubble Watch:

@drgnslayr who have they played?

Sorry for the slow reply. For one they beat ISU at ISU... where we got smoked. They've won 5 in a row...

https://247sports.com/college/oklahoma-state/Article/oklahoma-state-basketball-rankings-ap-poll-top-25-week-15-204685526/ ↗

They play some of the best D in our league. Our best way to get our offense rolling is to turn up our defense and get some easy runouts or scores on their D before setting up.

@Jethro

Right on!

The "lightbulb going on" is these guys realizing they have to bring high-pressure defense for 40 minutes a game.

Seems like the lightbulb is on with Udeh and Rice. Exactly what we need now... effective play coming off the bench!

Then it seems like Juan and Kevin are dialing in again on D.

There is a reason why I said this team should be able to compete at least on the level of last year's team.... because we have great defensive players!

Is this the moment in the season when we decide we don't want to lose any more games?

If we win out now we will, worst-case scenario, tie for conference champs.

We will then go into the tourney with a huge surge of confidence.

What worked for us last year was playing our best ball at the end of the season.

Are we done losing? I think Tuesday will tell us a lot. We rarely blow out OSU in Stillwater.. and it is common we lose there. OSU is not the same team they were a month ago. No way!

!udeh.jpg ↗

We know where we have been weak this season... mostly the bench. If our bench has turned the corner now, are there any good reasons why we should still lose games?

OSU is like a different team now. They've come together and are a threat to anyone!

We best not come with our typical slow start in Stillwater this year!

So glad to see us get something from our bench for a few games now. Udeh was a beast! KJ better play smarter (bad fouls) or he'll continue to lose minutes to Udeh.

Now.... we better bear down big time because that OSU game is an absolutely necessary win if we want to stay in the hunt for a conference title. We've got to come out strong from the beginning!

@jayballer67

I hope I'm wrong. We typically don't play well in Stillwater and OSU is playing good... just beat ISU in Ames.

I don't expect us to win in Stillwater.

Nearing a bleed-out in Lexington...

I've always believed Calipari was a fraud. Still do. Big-time recruiter: yes and no. Yes... capable of recruiting highly-valued recruits... no... capable of piecing together great teams. This year, case in point. Players capable of scoring one-on-one. Players REQUIRED to score one-on-one. A PG like our Juan would have never been considered by Cal. If he was 6'5" or bigger... maybe... if his ranking was Top 10.

What I now wonder... if Kentucky falls further... and if that even means no March Madness... is it safe for Cal to walk the streets of Lexington without a bodyguard? Sounds crazy? Or does it?

As much as I dislike Cal, I don't wish him or his family harm. I think he best find a new position soon and he for sure better fight like heck to make the tourney. With their remaining SEC conference schedule, I can see an easy potential for them dropping another 3 games. If they drop 4 and don't win one against a higher-ranked opponent their March tourney possibility becomes considerably diminished.

Their only hope now is for several one-on-one players to take over games.

In a last-ditch effort for Cal to save himself he's (once again) relying on a gimmick to save him.... hoping fans can stay delusional and satisfied next year...

https://www.kxan.com/sports/sports-illustrated/bc5c0f3f/report-rondo-working-to-join-john-caliparis-kentucky-staff/ ↗

I halfway expect to see Drake on the sidelines again next year.

Things are downright ugly in Lexington now.

@AsadZ

Yes. And this will get tested again on Saturday because we will still be short.

Goal 1 accomplished... paint touches.

Time for goal 2... rim touches!

@wissox said in Triage Hawks vs Fightin Rodney Terrys Game Thread:

I can’t stop watching this clip

Let's face it... it was a thrill to see us score in the open court at the rim again! Remember early this year? Remember.... this was going to be the fast-track team we always wanted. And now, for the most part, we are a half-court team once again.

This team can still get there. Score double digits every game off the open court. It starts with defense and defensive rebounding. Crashing the boards and pushing the pass up the court.

If we do this our offense numbers climb quickly and we are back on top being one of the top scoring teams in America.

Obviously... Self really stuck a spur under our team's saddle. Juan, Gradey, and Kevin all took it hard to the rack (and were rewarded!)

Almost makes me think.... did he throttle JWil, our one player who always takes it to the rack?

Even our bench was more aggressive driving.

Makes me wonder..... codependency? Everyone not named JWil took it easy before because they just expected JWil to do the driving?

Whatever was said in practice and pregame... I approve!

@benshawks08

Absolutely! If he can take the quick shot, or fake then drive to the paint, or fake and step back or side for scoring space on his shot... how the heck can he be defended? And last... If he can't shake a defender, use fakes and go into the contact and draw the foul! He showed us a bit of all of this last night!

I'm impressed!

We need to just focus on the game in front of us. The other stuff will sort itself out.

If we hustle consistently moving forward (like last night) we will be a tough team to beat every night, including in March.

Let's keep this simple. One game at a time.

Udeh... you the man! The path has cleared for you and keep stepping up to the challenge. Seems weird... he only played 8 minutes but felt like much more. Good sign!

Gradey.... doing more to score than just catch and shoot. He's learning he can create scoring space whenever he wants. He can also draw fouls easily. Keep pushing the backdoors. Punish defenders who want to stay in his grill!

Joe was a beast! So was Kevin! Push to the rim and draw contact, score, or both!

KJ 7 offensive rebounds? Sick!

Juan back on track! We don't win without Juan filling the score sheet. I'd still trade some of his scoring for assists but making any kind of impact is what we need from him. When he goes invisible... we lose.

MJ beginning to make an impact. His body size is very helpful with out depth.

How refreshing to see our guys gut it out! The hustle was there and I bet they are less exhausted now then if they came unmotivated and struggled!

Our bench came through big... and that only happens when most of our starting 5 is playing well, too, because our bench has their minutes sprinkled in with the starters.

Texas impressed me. I can see them going far in March.

When we hustle, we are a tough team to beat and that was proven tonight because Texas is legit!

Our schedule favors us moving forward. If we feed momentum off tonight we could win out!

Rock Chalk!

Gradey has one overwhelmingly attractive skill... fast, high, and efficient shot release.

Granted... he will gain more skills quickly... but he has a boy's body. I even question his lung strength in college ball because he doesn't seem to put up good numbers in the second half. Tired?

He plays below-grade defense.

He's not a great finisher at the rim.

He's still learning to create scoring space.

Passing... fair.

Speed... average.

How long before he can earn NBA minutes? I think most (or all) NBA teams expect a lottery pick to earn minutes in their first year. I don't see how he could be on a court with NBA players in his first year.

More than anything else he needs conditioning... strength and endurance. He can best do this in college, instead of scooting around in G-league.

Within a year or two we won't even be able to identify him as the same player... kind of like JWil.

I don't see Dick being anywhere near a 1st round pick in this draft. He shows potential... but he's not physically at all near playing in the NBA. He's struggling still in college.

It would be a huge mistake... like it was if JWil left last year, or Och the year before.

Soft as a pillow. Too many guys playing soft.

!hastens-pillow-indoor-bedroom-accessories.jpg ↗

KSU was expected to be cellar dwellers this year in the Big 12. Tang is in discussion for D1 Coach of the Year, and so far, I'd give him a vote.

I've said this before... KSU either stops with the "F-KU" garbage or he is gone. He was definitely a huge part of the success at Baylor, and let's not forget that Baylor is a private Baptist university. I know Baylor sells the spiritual side of their program to recruits... who often have religious parents. Kansas sells "family environment" and it makes a huge difference in our recruiting. I believe Tang will only IMPROVE on his recruiting as he settles in. He won't be able to land big recruits who are faith-based if the crowd is chanting the "F-word!" I know it, as fact, that KSU administration is on a mission to stop it!

What I'm not sure about... KSU is a state-funded university, and I'm not sure how "Christian" Tang can be.

The shifting of schools and conferences has made schools like KU and KSU work on their resumes.

I also follow assists. Juan was very low for him (2)... but we had JWil and Kevin with 4 a piece. Very good to see others sharing and not having to count so much for Juan to always feed the assists (he was busy scoring 18 points!).

Big SHOUT-OUT to Zach and Ernest! Both offered big help and did it in different ways!

Thank you to "Mr. Double-Double" Kevin! 12 FTs! He battled hard to get to the line that much!

Thank you to the whole squad for controlling this game from the opening whistle!

@wissox

While the game is going on if you login and go to the game it will show live... so you may be stuck with a spoiler situation. You can wear out your thumb clicking the game backwards a few seconds at a time.

Then after the game completes... minutes later you can select the game and start from the beginning.

This is how mine works... not sure if others experience something different.

I'm not sure how long games stay available on ESPN+. Does anyone know?

I believe him!

!tysonjayhawkjpg.jpg ↗

@Kcmatt7

I try not to jinx our guys but I can see the real possibility of that UK game having a big-time positive impact on our guys.

Self has the troops awake on this one.

@AsadZ

Yep... remember Self's old "hi-lo?"

@BeddieKU23

You watch old Villanova games. Jay Wright mastered it because he never had big post presence.

I don't think we were lucky at all against UK. We often made them feel uncomfortable... after the first few minutes of the game.

So many things we can do... a big part of beating Purdue is through our PG. Controlling game pace is crucial. Making it hard for their perimeter players to feed Edey. That's not easy because of his size and the ball can be thrown up high... but doesn't mean we let them run their stuff. If Edey brings the ball down to his chest (he does sometimes), then players like Kevin swipe at it. Heck... Juan might even get a few balls off him.

This wasn't a fluke victory at Kentucky. I felt 100% sure if we came in and executed Self's plan we would leave with a "W." I credit part of that to Cal and how he sucks as a coach. Even Bilas continually called him out for not pushing the ball into the post.

Beating Purdue would require forcing Purdue to play our style of game... which in this case, better be more open-court ball. If you know how to challenge Edey on offense... you can get him in foul trouble. A guy of his size... if he touches a ball handler it is a foul! As KJ progresses in his offense, he shouldn't fear taking the ball right into Edey. We know JWil is up for it. And Kevin, too.

We are a team of survivors... we don't give up! We are also open to adjusting during the game. Is Purdue used to having to adjust during their games? I seriously doubt it. So what happens in March when they get challenged?

Is this a "stretch?"

Are we becoming a team built to take down Purdue?

I can hear the critics now... about KU being "too small!"

The way to beat Purdue is not to match a 7'4" center against Edey. Not gonna happen anyways.

!Zach-Edey-Purdue-Courtesy-@zach_edey-Instagram-1080x640.jpg ↗

And thinking a typical 6'10" center can guard him has become a laugh.

The way to take down Purdue is to be a team with speed and strength at the 5 and have a tough-defending 4 to help double-down on the big guy.

That won't be enough unless you've had a season of dealing with being oversized in the post.

That won't be enough unless you have a defender-national-contender like Kevin as your 4.

That won't be enough unless you have a bench full of bigs ready to come in for short stints to help.

That won't be enough unless you have enough speed to get out and run in the open court to exhaust Edey and create many advantages because he is too slow.

That won't happen unless you become a team who has mastered the ball screen offense and can challenge Eddy in space (remember "x-axis" basketball).

That won't happen unless your 5 men on the court are all playing aggressive defense... including denying easy passes and disrupting the offense.

Come on, folks... use your imagination! We out-rebounded Kentucky... limiting Tshiebwe and team to only 4 offensive rebounds. KJ scored only 1 point less than Tshiebwe! On their home court!

Basketball can often be counter-intuitive... and this is one of those moments. I'm not begging to play Purdue in February. But come March... I'm not so sure they are the team I fear most!

@StLJhawk

Imagine Tshiebwe had transferred to Kansas?

Guess he would already be a year in the NBA and sporting a NCAA Championship ring...

Thank you, Kentucky! You seem to always give us what we need.

Last year, you gave us a beat down in AFH that got the attention of our guys who then realized they needed to step up and go on a roll.

Tonight, you helped us by losing and giving our fellas a needed uplift and confidence builder!

While we are at it... talking about self-confidence... I've been talking often about our body language not being there, especially for Kevin.

!IMG_0808.jpeg ↗

How's that for body language?

Kevin's game may not always be as "pretty" as others, but he gets the job done. We don't come anywhere near winning this game without his effort. He was often the shadow defender in the post on Tshiebwe. "Double-double" Kevin was the difference on the boards, particularly limiting Kentucky to only 4 offensive boards. Nothing short of a miraculous effort by Kevin and all our guys!

This was not one of our prettiest games, didn't need to be. Somewhere in the first half we figured out how to defend Kentucky and Tshiebwe enough to pull slightly ahead and keep it that way until it was over.

Do we all remember early in this season when it was stated that this would be a real open-court team?! We were going to keep a super fast pace?!

I don't see it now at all. I see a typical Self team.

I believe we would heavily benefit by pushing tempo on offense. Getting up shots before teams are set. Running slow offense, after the defense gets set, and then hoping we break them down after making the extra pass can work... or it can just push us into making bad choices as the time clock runs out. I'd like to think we can do well running fast or slow... but I know for sure we aren't running enough fast offense lately!

@Kcmatt7

I like the idea of pressing and using 10 players. I don't think Self will go that way... and if he did... we stand the chance of a complete breakdown if we don't execute.

There is a danger of running presses... and that is having it break down and lead to easy scoring. It can also add to removing team structure by adding chaos and that can impact both ends of the court.

Add on top of this... Self has never been a coach that uses presses. Not sure why since he stresses defense. Perhaps he just isn't much of a believer in the results except to use sparingly.

I think what you are asking is something that should have been decided in the fall when there was time to adequately train with this mindset. Full-court pressing is also a mindset!

What I like about pressing... it gets your team turned up (just like Self's technical fouls, lol). It's a way to change the tempo and suddenly get our opponents out of their comfort zone.

We are failing to get our opponents out of their comfort zone!