🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Here is what I like most about HEM... he posts what he believes, even if it isn't popular to a biased fan base.

"I know that pains some, but do you really think we would have won even half our league titles if UConn, Syracuse, Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette, and Pittsburgh would been in our conference during that period of time?"

I'm torn on this one. The real discussion was would you rather have UCONN's season outcomes during the Bill Self years or the outcomes of Kansas? Translated: Would you rather have UCONN's success in March or Kansas' success a bit in March but mostly during conference play?

These questions have bled the discussion into the strength of conferences. HEM's question above smacked me in the forehead like stepping on my garden rake. In the process of bruising my forehead (and ego) my crimson/blue spectacles fell to the ground. Through HEM's persistent pursuit of persuasion, I have finally come around to see the light (partially).

The following link displays a broad picture of how the Big 12 compares to other power conferences. Hold on to your seat... the results don't seem to mesh well with our recent conference SOS and RPI from many sports talking heads... however, these stats show us all hardcore outcomes. The facts are the facts. Never has it been more apparent that the Big 12 is truly a "football conference" and not so much a "basketball conference."

Those durn reality stats... ↗

There are too many indicators here to avoid what HEM is selling.

So I feel a little bit shorter today. And it is mounting some displeasure in me... not for Kansas basketball... but for B12 basketball! I know what the problem is. When your school (OSU) requires that your basketball coach plead with students to attend games, there is problems with the popularity of your sport within your school. When this situation plays out in many schools in your conference... you have an issue with your conference.

I have managed to tape up my crimson/blue specs and have put them back on. I still value our conference championship streak highly... perhaps up there with UCONN's March success because as long as we keep winning our conference, we will receive plenty of air play while UCONN has to keep winning NCs to be recognized. For that reason alone, I'm sticking to our conference streak. But... ask me again a year or two after we have lost our conference streak. I believe that will be the time to replay these blogs and start over!

I'm looking through Kansas eyeglasses again but I'm not seeing anything positive about the Big 12.

Now I'm thinking... just how much has the Big 12 cost Kansas basketball? How many great recruits did we lose because they didn't want to play in the Big 12? I used to think our biggest negative was just being in the Midwest... a long way from the coast... a long way from both water and mega sports press. I'm rethinking that position and I don't think our location is a negative... I believe our negative is being in the Big 12!

Take all of this into consideration and it just makes Bill Self appear a brighter star! No, we may not have the strongest basketball league in the country, but Kansas has the same hills to climb as all the rest of the teams in our league have, and we've managed to own this league for a decade!

Under Self, would we have owned the Big East the last 10 years if that was our conference? Upon first glance, it really seems the answer is "no"... however... who is to say what talent Self would have been able to recruit all those years when his team was playing in a "basketball conference" instead of a "football conference?" And wouldn't we have built tougher teams if they had to go win in all those Big East venues?

My glasses are working fine again. I've managed to put the garden rake away in a safe place, and I feel like I've recovered from my head injury. I realize I am still looking through crimson/blue lenses... but I'm not ready to concede that Self couldn't win 10 in a row in the Big East. It isn't fair to criticize his ability to win conference titles because the Big 12 doesn't match up well with the Big East. I do feel comfortable in stating that I think Self would have built better teams had Kansas been in the Big East all of Self's years at Kansas. And if he built better teams, good chance we would show a better record in March!

I've managed to shift the issue more on to the Big 12. Just how much does the Big 12 hamper Kansas basketball?

When my glasses were off I also thought of another question... Just how much does Kansas football hamper the Big 12?

All of this should point us into a smarter direction. Shouldn't Kansas be in a "basketball conference" and not in a "football conference?" It seems like we are forcing something that just isn't there and we'll continue to pay a price for staying where we are.

@approxinfinity

I'm pretty sure the phrase "Safe Ice Bucket Challenge" gets a lot of searches. And now that I've mentioned it again, we'll probably even get more hits!

@JayHawkFanToo

I think Kasongo thought too much about Kasongo. As a player who would have signed in late, and a guy with lots of athleticism but not matching talent, he was in no position to storm into a program and make demands on playing time or styles of play.

It sounds like what he did promise was to disrupt a team's focus away from the big prize and on to him and his drama.

I'm pretty sure if the kid had his head on right he would have been a Jayhawk. Self would have loved to sign another big body and if he didn't show promise after one year, he would be looking to transfer.

I guess we are going to beat this horse carcass to the point that even the mob wouldn't use the head as an alarm clock.

This entire subject on National Championships will never be resolved because it is just one of those things that illustrate personality differences in people.

Also... it is an issue only at top schools who are constantly in the running, because at lower schools, the fans would just be into self-torture to expect the big trophy every year and never never get one!

Personally... I know we are not going to win the NC every year. So I don't want to set myself up for disappointment most years. I want to enjoy the year of basketball and I want to be left with positives of most teams outweighing the negatives. If I put all my focus on NCs, then most years I will be flat-out disappointed, and that will outweigh everything. I will be left with a bitter taste from my hobby of admiring all the great players (and coaches) each year. That simply is not very satisfying.

Plus... I know what is involved in winning it all. Skill and team work is definitely a big part of it, but also luck and a hot streak are every bit as important. That is why we usually crown a team that most feel are not the best team from that year.

I'm not saying I don't have years where I am clearly disappointed in the results. I pretty much always expect that we should make the Sweet 16, and often further. That final loss is always painful... but I'm not going to blend that in with always expecting the NC or I will not think back positively on that team later.

@Lulufulu85

Thanks for leading the charge!

So did we miss out when Myles Turner decided to stay home?

On paper... yes. In reality... who knows? I like Self coming right out and putting an identity stamp on this team as "a quick, hungry, aggressive team without a big man." He sounds like he is already putting his foot down on his perimeter players that they will have to step up and play defense this year. No more coasting perimeter defense.

Had we landed Turner it would have been "business as usual." Why would this team's perimeter guys have to step up if our last several perimeter guys didn't? And Turner would just be a skinny freshman... so he wouldn't be leading the nation in blocked shots and (most likely) he would need to!

This year we hit the reset button... finally! I'm not complaining about our teams from the past few years, but in some ways I am unsatisfied and critical. Part of Self's fame relates to defense, and our perimeter defense just hasn't been cutting it!

I think it has been a while since Self has had a team where all the guys truly "bought in" to his philosophy. I have a feeling that this team will be that team!

With this team, every player will have to be responsible (and accountable) for their actions. Their mistakes will not only stick out, but will cost this team dearly. This year, there is no National shot-blocking demon behind everyone to erase their mistakes.

I think our perimeter minutes this year will be awarded to those who are eager to defend. And the same goes for our interior minutes, too.

@JayhawkRock78

I think kids need to see just how bad war can be, so they know if they are cut out for it before enlisting. "Saving Private Ryan" really cut to the bone, no punches were spared. Viewers are completely sucked into that scene, so much so that many became ill from watching it. Some of the vets who were there for the real deal had problems watching that scene because it struck too close to home. Kids watching need to know there is a reason it is called "sacrificing for your country" because there is always the possibility they may one day face a situation as grim as our troops faced at Normandy.

I know I certainly appreciate our men and women who serve.

@justanotherfan

My biggest problem with Love is his defense. It does take defense to win a title. If he could defend as well as he plays other areas of the game he would be a superstar. As you said... he is a star.

There is no doubt that Wiggins has a long way to go to be a big time NBA scorer. But he will make his efforts felt immediately with his defense. I like the fact that he'll have to focus on his defense now to make his biggest impact. This is the way it should be. Players that are all offense tend to never become great on defense.

I think Love was valued for being a known entity... perhaps, that was given too much value. None of us know until time (and a lot of NBA action) goes by.

One thing is for sure.. there are not many players in the NBA with the athleticism of Wiggins. It would have been interesting to see Wiggins side-by-side with James... two superior athletes with completely different builds. In my mind they would have created a kind of athletic synergy... pushing each other athletically and focused on converting their athleticism into points and stops.

But I do see Love and James doing a different version of that. I think they will be able to feed off each other... I just don't see it happening on both sides of the ball... and that's what it takes to win a title.

I am coming around to seeing Wiggins in Minnesota. The focus is on him, and we'll see how quickly he can convert his offense to the NBA. I'm anticipating that he won't meet fan expectations right away, but he has the support network around him that will keep him calm and working on improvement. It really can be a perfect scenario for him. He definitely has the right situation to help motivate him into being the best he can be. I just hope he doesn't try to do too much too fast, where he risks injuries.

@JayhawkRock78

I had one uncle that landed on Normandy. He was not in the first wave that suffered all the fatalities. He said the guys with him were the lucky ones who faced less of a challenge, but soaked up all the glory in France for being liberators. He is long since gone, but I used to get him away from my aunt and he would go on and on about the French girls that were very appreciative of the American troops.

@globaljaybird

Awesome story!

My dad and his 4 brothers all served. From landing on the beach at Normandy up through the Korean War. My dad was the youngest so he was in Korea.

My God son is a Marine and we are all super proud of him. He is awaiting his first deployment. One of the most soft-spoken individuals on the planet, and the guy you would never want to challenge!

I believe Self is a great coach for the same reason I damn him at times... He stubbornly believes in what he is doing.

There just aren't that many coaches (or people) on this planet that stick hard to their identity. Self is the same guy that was at Illinois before coming here.

I also damn him for that because I'm always thinking he needs to try other things.

But guess what? The guy wins games better than anyone in the last whatever years.

That ends up creating conference championship streaks.

That ends up getting us solid seedings in March.

That ends up constantly bringing in better talent.

The only thing he could improve is March performance. If you look at everything else, you tend to believe that he's trying to figure out that one last piece.

For that reason... I'm still a believer that he will figure out March. He seems to have figured out everything else, it is the last thing for him to perfect!

Compare him to anyone else. Calipari is winning games and a title. He's recruiting the very best talent. But... he changes identity constantly and dreams about coaching LeBron... kind of seems the two are destined to be together.

Self had some success before he came to Kansas. He has bigger success at Kansas. He's the same guy that arrived in Lawrence over a decade ago.

We are all believers. That's why we spend our summers on this website. I love Kansas. I love Kansas basketball... but without Self, I would probably find better ways to spend my summers... or... maybe not!

I do have to admit that this has sort of outgrown Kansas basketball, and I just like everyone in here and all the unique, intelligent personalities.

HEM wearing a league shirt has made my day!

@HighEliteMajor

"By the way, I did wear my league title shirt last week. I told my wife @drgnslayr said I had to."

I am proud of you for making the transition!

@JayHawkFanToo

For the price microbuses are going for today, it better!

Can you believe the prices of these today? They must have starred in a movie or something to get people interested in them.

Oh, right... here it is...

Little Miss Sunshine ↗

Done deal.... Wiggins, Bennett and Young traded for Love.

There are some interesting tidbits in the details of this deal. Other items involved in the trade:

Minnesota will also receive:

1. An original copy of the Beatles White Album, signed by all 4 Beatles
2. An original Volkswagen Type 2 Samba Bus
3. 1-kilo of Killer "Kind" Bud
4. 1 case of Gran Patrón Burdeos Tequila

Let the "Lovefest" begin!

Lovefest ↗

I hate to be a party crasher... but...

@globaljaybird

Likewise... toss one back for me!

@HighEliteMajor

"My thought has always been that we really don't. Give me two bad a**, athletic 4s that can play D and score, and I don't think that causes us any issues. See 2008. We did have Kaun off the bench as a nice change-up."

I agree... and it will be good for our guards to know they have to play defense. These past years were not up to snuff on the perimeter. Having the best shot blocker in college basketball worked against us often because it just enabled our guards to not play defense. The biggest element of defense is desire... we all need to remember that.

Perry also was enabled in the post.

This new team needs a new mindset. Everyone pulls their weight, on both sides of the ball. We have a bunch of tough, physical guys who seem to want to really get after it.

Did I say how excited I was for tip-off?

@JayHawkFanToo

Gheez.... that link just burned up a chunk of my evening rereading all the posts. My posts on there have been pulled. I must not have remained appreciated at KUSports after their user verification debacle when I was caught using a bogus ID.

Kind of felt good... reminiscent of my time spent as a Jayhawk student in the 70s with a fake ID. Laws were different back then...

Amazing how the UK fans can equate NCAA violations of helping a player (Askew) who didn't even attend Kansas but needed emergency air fare to see his dying grandmother one last time (Kansas violation) to point shaving deals and lavish payoffs to players for coming to your school (Kentucky violations).

@KGphoto

We are all just joking around. This craze has been one of the best fundraising trends of all times! Who ever thought this up was brilliant and deserves a total hats off from everyone!

The following link is a solid (or not so solid) reason why any recruit would be crazy to sign with Arizona or UCLA:

[There is a crack bigger than Calipari's mouth...](

What do you know... there is a crack bigger than Calipari's mouth!

@BeddieKU23

"He would be a great get, but he's not to this point a traditional low post 7 footer. I would have preferred Davis but if we do somehow land Zimmerman, hopefully his game becomes what Self would want from a 7 footer."

You really nailed it.

But Self has become more open-minded in the past few years and so I am of the belief he is totally going after Zim... especially after we missed on Turner a few months ago.

Either one of these guys could help Self make the case to land Thon after that.

Self knows that the times are changing... and there are footers out there with guard-like skills, including netting the long ball. We have to be able to offer these guys more than the Self hi/lo. The Self hi/lo is perfect for guys like Cliff... but there are more and more thin trees out there that can handle the ball and shoot from the perimeter. We need to be able to use these guys, too, and that won't be with the hi/lo.

Imagine the nasty sets you could run on offense if you had both Zim and Maker on the same team? Then, make sure to have a wicked swing 3 that can cut in and score inside when teams have to send their post players out on the perimeter to guard these guys.

There are so many great players out there that don't fit traditional molds and those are guys that are hard to coach against, too.

@JayHawkFanToo

"Why would any team in the NBA want to hire the squid? He coached in the NBA for 3 years and his record is 72 wins and 112 losses, and a .391 overall winning percentage."

Because he knows his Os and Xs!

He goes "OOOOO" after his teams get X'd!

@nuleafjhawk

I'm with you... the heck with ice water splashes...

I'm willing to make a donation if someone will pour the following down my throat from an ice bucket:

S P L A S H ! ↗

@globaljaybird

As trained firefighters they should have known better. One of them had been in the department for many years.

I got my hot air balloon pilot's license back in the 70s... and we were constantly warned to avoid power lines, but if we somehow were entangled in them, never.. NEVER throw out a nylon rope to the ground because even a rope can conduct juice and fry you.

Here is the right way to do the Ice Bucket Challenge:

[Right Way](

Here is the wrong way to do the Ice Bucket Challenge:

Wrong Way ↗

My thoughts are with those firefighters to recover fully. But shouldn't they have known better?

It's an old coaching line, one I heard more than once back in the day...

"If you would protect the ball half as well as you protected your balls..."

I'd like to see a dance contest between Zim and Withey....

I think the winner would reveal a lot more than just showing how badly he missed the disco era.

When Manning was in HS, I watched him carry 8 beers over his head through a moving crowd of people without spilling a drop. That's when I went over and introduced myself and let him know how impressed I was with his agility.

Zim could carry 8 beers through a crowd of people without spilling a drop. I'm not saying he is the next Danny Manning... I'm just saying he is the real deal and capable of making a big footprint on college basketball!

@nuleafjhawk

I didn't slip on that one.... some guys are capable of losing their balls!

GARAGE SALE WARNING:

Upon this recent news you can expect UA garage sales items to climb by at least 25% in coming weeks.

Weekend treasure seekers should be prepared to see UA jerseys spike from $3 each to $4.

UA shoe prices could climb from $2 to as high as $5 a pair for select models.

Single shoe prices should remain stable and be based solely on the ability for buyers to match left with right.

Filmed at 11...

I've always felt that you are either good at stealing the ball, or you are good at having your balls stolen.

A big part of it is awareness. A big part of it is sleight of hand (or body). A big part of it is desire. It is the same skill set needed by a capable thief.

When you are a good thief the last thing you want to do is have someone steal from you.

I hope this team doesn't look back at our recent teams to learn from example. I hope they are individuals who want to stand out for who they are... a bunch of crooks who are dangerous pickpocketers in a crowd!

@approxinfinity and @justanotherfan

Thanks for the vid feed!

I'll be surprised if Zimmerman doesn't become a Jayhawk. He just looks like the right fit.

You know a footer is the real deal when you watch him play and realize he would still be great even if he was only 6'8".

Zim is the real deal. He seems like the ultimate Bill Self player, even if he is thin. He'll strengthen up under Hudy.

I've had a feeling Calipari was an anonymous poster on the old KUSports.com site (back in the days before Kubuckets).

He's that kind of guy.

@icthawkfan316

"Outside of KU fans, who do you think that impresses?"

I know one thing... it impresses my Dookey inlaws! It's pretty tough to get them to acknowledge a dirt farmer college like Kansas!

That alone, is worth more than one National Championship!

The streak just keeps on giving... This next year it will be a big thing, then the next year and the year after (if we keep it going).

When you win a NC, in 6 months you are already knocked half way down off your thrown. Yes... you are the reining champ, but few bring it up except your own fans. Once ball starts in November it is like what happened half a year earlier never happened at all!

But I would love to win a few more NCs in the next few years!

@icthawkfan316

Both of you have valid points, which points to the answer being somewhere in between.

The more skilled a team is, the less luck will be needed to win out in March. Self even describes it that way.

There has never been a sucky team winning the National Championship. But in the same breath it can be said that the winner every year is not the best team that year. They may not have even been the best team in the tournament because every team takes a different path. What typically happens is the best team gets beat along the way because of whatever you want to call it... luck.. or how about "the glass is half empty" and saying.. misfortune. Great teams run into a team that gets super hot, or the great team is super cold, or both! Great teams run into that one team that is their match-up nightmare (perhaps the only team capable of beating them without extreme luck). Great teams suddenly have their best player with the flu or an ankle twist.

Anything can happen when teams play just one game. I like the idea of a "best of 3" as mentioned. I'm sure we would just argue about that later on, too, and insist we need a best of 7!

I don't put all my eggs in one basket... and I don't define everything by amount of National Championships. So I'm going to live with the system being the way it is. Sure it means we go down to inferior teams most years. That comes with the territory. It helps build character in everyone.

Do yourself a favor and keep your blood pressure down by accepting that there is a lot more than skill involved in crowning a National Champion every year.

But that doesn't mean we don't work harder to find out why we lose as much as we do in March. I don't think Hudy's new research is the total answer, but I think she is pointed in the right direction.

Figuring out how to be better in March keeps extra interest in all of this. We all chat more and attempt to creatively resolve this issue. Nothing wrong with that!

Hey... it is August and we are all spending our time chatting about a winter-time sport! I believe this is part of the proof that the imperfections around Kansas basketball are helping fans suck in deeper to the game! It definitely works for me. If we just robotically won the National Championship every year I would probably be deep sea fishing right now instead of typing!

Here is the deal... Kansas has not always won it's conference. Go back before the last 10 years. We were dominant, but definitely not winning the conference every year.

Our consecutive streak just shows how good Bill Self has been at winning our conference. It isn't like our conference has become weaker, in fact, I'm pretty sure other teams in our conference often rank higher today than they did before this streak.

What comes to mind is ISU and the Oklahoma schools. They are consistently better today, though Oklahoma had a past period of dominance that isn't matched yet today. Give them some time!

All eyes should point to Texas. They should be a dominant team every year!

I get it... that people want to blast Kansas through claiming the Big 12 isn't up to snuff.

So what about their teams? For all those people, look at your own team's SOS every year and compare it to Kansas.

Once again, we are playing one of the toughest schedules in the country this year.

I do believe we need to verbally blast many teams in our conference for not putting more into basketball. Their failures can largely be associated with their weak followings.

Fans down south need to become as big of fans in basketball as they are football.

And the opposite can be said for Kansas... we need to be better fans for Jayhawk football. We need to be there when they stink, not just when they are playing winning football. That is how we turn it around. Recruits come in to Memorial Stadium and when they see the fans leave at halftime, they might as well leave, too.

I never leave at halftime. That is disrespectful. It's like throwing tomatoes at the emperor.

@JayHawkFanToo

Spot on post!

I'm expecting a lot from Mason this year. That kid has ice water in his veins, and eventually it does come down to that. He wants the ball at crunch time. Now with a year under his belt he will have a better understanding of what to do with the ball. You are right, he did bring in his HS game to Kansas... but... that's what players do until they learn to play Kansas basketball.

I believe Frank will be one of my best cases supporting x-axis basketball. To make the action happen laterally instead of vertically. The game is there, always, and it is every bit as entertaining to watch happen when a player knows how to create scoring (or passing) space laterally than vertically. Frank has the mentality (and body) of a pitbull. Pitbulls don't lose many fights.

Conner's game is a 180 from Frank's. That is refreshing to have so much contrast, and also it will create opportunities for us... like when we go up against quick little guards then Conner has to know how to score on top.

Graham is the unknown, and I'm glad he doesn't have a mentor guard ahead of him. I'm ready to see guards have to figure things out for themselves and find their own game instead of mimicking our typical starting PG. It seems we just lifted a big burden from past years because everything was falling into that type of mentorship which created a sort of enabling unhealthy relationship. Of recent our PGs didn't develop their own unique style of play, their own resilient toughness and last (most important) their own ability to lead because they spent years following around another PG.

I'm ready to watch 3 PGs get out there and hustle on their own, prove their own worth, be totally self-made men!

I'm friggin' excited to get this rollin' again!

I just think we live in a different world today.

Internet, tv and other media spreads information at light speed.

For that reason, when rules change or about anything changes, the field of schools, coaches and players quickly hear about it, and also hear about how others are reacting.

That means the impact of anything happening occurs quickly and in proportions we've never experienced before. Imagine back... before the internet and broad-span network television. News traveled slowly and so were the reactions.

We are all experiencing this right now in Ferguson, Mo. How much of the fuel on that fire came from media now and in the past year? There were other events that happened a while back and it is feeding this fire. It is feeding this fire because the news spread and informed people across the country. There are no more back doors in the sticks. Everyone's back door is out there for the entire world to grab on to.

Sports is no different.

Reactions in the future are bound to be more abrupt. That kind of puts me on edge... but these are the days we live in.

Look at recruiting. Look at Kansas and Bill Self in just the past few years. I recall just a while back we were discussing Bill being in a recruiting slump. He definitely has the ball rolling these days. Look at how many top tier players have Kansas on their list. We haven't even contacted many of them before they have us on their list. That is a part of what is going on and how Kansas is now one of those teams that top players automatically put on their list, even if we don't have a scholarship to give. It is part of the national hype, the national sports network broadcasting the who's who in basketball.

@JayHawkFanToo

You encapsulated my thoughts exactly!

@icthawkfan316

"Well my point is that it's possible to do both - valuing football as paramount, but also to commit to your basketball program. Michigan, Ohio St, Florida, etc. There is no reason why Texas, with their vast resources and alumni base, shouldn't have a basketball program on par with those schools."

I totally agree!

And when I'm arguing with Texas fans this is what the argument is about. And every single time these Longhorns sort of snicker when comparing basketball to football.

It's the same in Oklahoma. I've been to plenty of Sooner games and grew up going to many Sooner football games. Basketball isn't even on the same planet in Oklahoma. Texas is even worse.

Visit Texas and you will see very large football stadiums and you will wonder what college the stadium is for... wrong... it is a high school stadium!

I view it like this... culturally, the Big 12 is most-similar to the SEC. Take Kentucky out of the SEC and what do you have? Right... you have a football conference (even with Kentucky in it).

Look at it this way... would you rather be in the SEC? We may be a football conference but there are worse football conferences to be in (for basketball). Just look at Missouri. The lowly Tigers basketball isn't exactly burning the nets since heading to the SEC!

@JayHawkFanToo

Right... but at the time they were Mo Valley. It just points to a certain amount of triviality to all this title business counting as modern-day elitism.

Just look how UCLA skews the conference comparisons. According to the conference with the most titles it is easily the Pac-12 (the mostly one-horse pony). So today the Pac-12 is the most-elite conference? They haven't won a title since 1995. Even the lowly Big 12 has won a title since then!

You don't need to defend Kansas and the Big 12 to me. I'm just pointing to how silly this idea is that the number of National Champions determines prestige of a conference.

@icthawkfan316

What needs to change so we (conference) start winning our fair share of titles?

@icthawkfan316

Of course, all those conferences value football. Football is a popular game and many of those conferences have elite football programs. But I think they all value basketball at least closer to football. There are plenty of programs I know in those leagues that value basketball highly... like Indiana!

What other school in the B12 really values basketball (even now)?

Texas is a football state... period.

Oklahoma is a football state... period.

What is left? Iowa State? K-State? The purple kitties have always been a football leaning school and ISU has recently become more on basketball because of "The Mayor."

I grew up here... I experienced what the Big 8 was about. The big showdowns were football: OU vs NU then later... OU vs OSU OU vs UT UT vs TAM.

Wasn't it just last year that someone posted the Youtube clip showing Travis Ford speaking on campus pleading for students to support their team by going to games?

You won't see those clips from many of these other conferences, especially from ranked teams.

Imagine how good the B12 conference would be in basketball if all the schools really valued basketball? Maybe Kansas is part of the problem? Maybe our dominance has become so dominant that the other schools' fans just don't commit to the sport?

I respect The Mayor for what he is doing at ISU, and hope he continues to bring solid ball to ISU. That is definitely becoming the premiere games to watch in B12 action; Kansas vs ISU.

The next real question to consider is:

Why haven't the Big 12-Big 8 conference won more National Championships?

I believe that is what we need to get to the bottom of.

First.. even though Kansas is truly the mecca of college basketball, perhaps our conference has not always valued basketball.

Second... we've always been a "football conference."

Third.... football and basketball seasons overlap. I've always thought basketball was undervalued because it starts when football is in full swing.

Fourth.... there must be several good reasons, but I'm just not coming up with more. However, I am counting on many other posters to help shed some light here!

PS: Perhaps we didn't take Louisville because we still undervalue basketball and overvalue football! Then I scratch my head even further... why didn't we go after Florida State? When I consider both of these factors the only thing that pops in my head is that our conference has an inferiority complex! We don't want to take any schools that might shoot right to the top of basketball or football!

It seems to me that we would have given our conference a huge shot in the arm if we had picked up both Louisville and Florida State.

The discussion continues on the importance of Final Four championships....

If we accept that the measuring bar to measure with is National Championships, then we are in for some shocking results when looking at conferences.

First, before going further, the Big 12 is young, and the only way to even consider studying stats will require merging the Big 12 stats with the previous Big 8 stats.

Now... for the juicy results:

POP QUIZ QUESTION #1: Name a D1 Midwestern conference with more National Championships than the hybrid Big 12-Big 8?

ANSWER: Actually, there are two Midwestern conferences. First... the Big 10. Most of you probably figured that one out. Lots of great teams in the Big 10! Second.... the Missouri Valley! Yes... that's right, the Missouri Valley! So while we continue our annual bashing of Wichita State for a plethora of reasons, one can not be that they come from an inferior conference. Because if we judge conference elite status by National Championships, the Missouri Valley not only beats the Big 12, but also the Big 12 combined with the Big 8!

POP QUIZ QUESTION #2: How many conferences are "more elite" than the hybrid Big 12-Big 8?

ANSWER: 6 conferences. And "independents" also have more titles. The 6 conferences are (in order of "elitism" ): Pac 12, ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big East, and Missouri Valley.

Gee... our conference doesn't add up to a hill of beans when comparing numbers of National Championships.

Some one needs to tell the boys with the fancy calculators that determine RPIs and SOSs that the Big 12 is ranked as only the 7th best conference in America!

Source ↗

(read down to "Championships by conference membership at the time of tournaments" )

@JayHawkFanToo

"I am always leery of players that have to lose that much weight to be competitive."

I am, too. I'd rather the guy just try to build strength and be dominant with size and strength. It is a risk when athletes drop much weight that it doesn't always translate into explosiveness. Every athlete has their own unique DNA, so basic principles of physics can't be prescribed as treatment.

If most of these guys just build the right kind of strength, based on maximizing their quick-twitch potential, they will become very quick, especially for their size. To be the fastest guy at your big size will buy you a ticket into the league (within reason).

This idea that athletes change their physical aspects to a huge degree to be something they aren't will usually backfire. Build on what they already are...

We experienced this in a major way with Withey. He did it the right way. He built on to what he was, instead of going over the top into what he wasn't. He just wasn't going to become a much heavier version post player. But he did put on several pounds of muscle which helped him play the game he already knew how to play, but with added athleticism.

Very few fans realize just how hard Withey worked to become a stronger player. He is definitely one of Hudy's prized examples of success.

Last Thursday the B12 released the conference schedule for this coming season. If you haven't seen it yet, here it is:

2014-15 Kansas Big 12 Schedule

Wednesday, January 7 -
Kansas at Baylor (ESPNU) - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 10 -
Texas Tech at Kansas (ESPNU) - 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 13 -
Oklahoma State at Kansas (ESPN2)

Saturday, January 17 -
Kansas at Iowa State (ESPN or ESPN2) - 5/8:00 p.m.

Monday, January 19 -
Oklahoma at Kansas (ESPN) - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 24 -
Kansas at Texas (CBS) - 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 28 -
Kansas at TCU (ESPNU) - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 31 -
K-State at Kansas (ESPN or ESPN2) - 1:00 p.m.

Monday, February 2 -
Iowa State at Kansas (ESPN) - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 7 -
Kansas at Oklahoma State (ESPN or ESPN2) - 1:00 p.m.

Tuesday, February 10 -
Kansas at Texas Tech (ESPN2)

Saturday, February 14 -
Baylor at Kansas (CBS) - Noon

Monday, February 16 -
Kansas at West Virginia (ESPN) - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 21 -
TCU at Kansas (ESPN2)

Monday, February 23 -
Kansas at K-State (ESPN) - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 28 -
Texas at Kansas (ESPN or ESPN2)

Tuesday, March 3 -
West Virginia at Kansas (ESPN2)

Saturday, March 7 -
Kansas at Oklahoma (ESPN or ESPN2)

Wednesday-Saturday, March 11-14 -
Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship
Sprint Center - Kansas City

It is hard to judge this schedule without knowing more about all the B12 teams. But I'm sure many of you have knowledge of many or all of the teams so it would be great to hear from you on how you see this schedule unfolding for us.

Trap games?

@HighEliteMajor

First... here is footage on all these guys:

[Tyler Davis](

[Carlton Bragg](

[Tyler Dorsey](

I like all these recruits and none appear to be OADs. But they have a senior year to play and grow, so who knows.

I think if we lose Perry, Cliff and Kelly next year that will be a big hole to fill. I put the B12 Championships streak down as being paramount. It is the ride that just keeps on giving. I think I would feel better if we recruited 2 of 3 from this fine bunch and then added one recruit that will likely be an OAD who could contribute more in that first year.

All of this is recruiting choreography. If we nail Zimmerman and he goes after a year, we'll have a nice spot for a player like Thon Maker. It is still early, but this guy is making more noise than even Wiggins did when he was a couple years out from college.

So maybe we miss on either Davis or Bragg.... Bragg looks more college ready, but who is to say that he wouldn't split after a year.

It is hard to look at tape and rankings to determine which kids go OAD. Kentucky got back most of their team from a year ago and several of those guys were projected OAD (most notably, the twins).

If you listen carefully you will hear that many of the elite recruits today put a message out that they want to stay more than one year in college. I'm guessing that is mostly playing poker on a bluff. However, surely some of them mean it. And it is possible to lose players that really have no business going pro early. We've had some of those to know.

It seems we need to recruit at least one elite recruit post player just about every year if we want to keep the reputation "Big Man U" while helping several who aren't right at the top perform well enough to be a high draft pick.

Count me down as 2/3s on board!

Here is a new "what if" not necessarily related to basketball, but I guess someday it will probably be relative.

What if an athlete strips (or partially strips) during play?

topless runner ↗

@wissoxfan83

"I wish he was still here, but I also didn't anticipate the drastic fall off we've had either."

At the time when Mangino left I felt like we would finally turn the corner on bad football. He was the spark we needed to get started.

Then I think Gill was probably the most-disastrous hire in college football.

I just Wiki'd Gill to see where he's at. Liberty. His overall record as a head coach is 39-58. That kind of record shows that a coach moved up way too aggressively in the ranks. He is currently at the right level... Liberty, where he's producing some winning football.

There is a slight difference between the Big 12 and the Big South!

Imagine Bill wasn't interested in KU? And then imagine we made the same kind of goof hiring in basketball as we did in football after Mangino!

I can't even think about it without urping in my mouth!

@HighEliteMajor

"This is a national championship season until it isn't."

Can a comment be labeled a "contraption?"

HEM, there is always something clever in your posts. Well done!

I think @KUSTEVE nailed it. Will we have guard play competitive enough to win in March? I guess we won't know until March, and if we do know before then, it is because we don't think they can cut the mustard.

I get a good feeling from this bunch of guys, including our guards. I was a huge TT, EJ and Naa fan... however... there was some kind of funk that started with TT and carried right through with EJ and Naa. It was like an under current of bad juju. It was some kind of low esteem issue that never got resolved. I really thought TT was there his senior year. But what followed with his protege EJ clearly showed me different. And then Naa seemed to be just another disciple of that same esteem issue.

I finally feel like that chain is broken. We have a new start. We have players that are not looking back at those guys and ready to follow their mistakes.

That doesn't necessarily mean we have an answer for the Harrison twins. Those guys will be freaks this year!

But anything can happen, and that is what I like about this time of year. We can dream about winning in March and we are in position to win another National Championship.

HEM got it right... "This is a national championship season until it isn't."

@JayHawkFanToo

I agree with your post on current pro dynasties.

Trying to just buy a winner shows how weak the front office is.

SA and NE both have solid front offices. That is the reason they were able to build a winning history. From coaching all the way up. And over time it really gets exposed.