We just proved we are #1 a few months ago.... I prefer being 2-4 ranked... still a #1 seed but a little less attention and targeted by other teams. A little.
drgnslayr
11251 posts
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in Maybe #1:
I said it his freshman season that he needed to take more 3’s because he can make the open ones at a high rate and was ridiculed by quite a few people here for it. He still has a really low release that’s almost like a middle schooler, but his shot is much quicker now and that’s helped him out a lot.
Hard to understand why he wasn't coached into improving his shot form at an early age. Don't think I would change him now!
Please Stop This! The iPhone ad captured the moment during last night's thrashing...
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College football has become a joke. I thought it was like watching an NFL team thrash a high school team last night.
I know, I know... a football post on a basketball blog. Well... as we have already learned there is only one college sport that counts. It's the sport that decides what conference your teams compete in. It's the sport that determines what kind of $$$ your athletic department hauls in. It's the sport that determines a big part of how your academics get graded and funded.
Unless there are changes made, this is only going to get worse.
We are fortunate in basketball that typically only half a dozen players or so really determine the outcome in our game. This makes it harder to create such lopsided teams. Our conference quality is proof of the value of coaching over just recruiting top shelf talent.
However.... is last night's thrashing an example of what will come in the future to college basketball? If it is, does anyone think it will be the Big 12 that will be the thrashers?
I feel sorry for TCU. They had a great season and deserved a better ending. This outcome will not age well for all of those players (and for the Big 12). They can boast how they played in the biggest blowout in college bowl history.
@Kcmatt7 said in Maybe #1:
As soon as Bill fully adopted 4-out basketball we’ve been to a FF, had the consensus best team in 2020, won the title in 2022, and are absolutely one of the best 4 teams in the country at this moment.
He may have been later to adopt it than we would have liked, but damn do I love that he saw the light. Shoot a ton of 3s and use your athleticism on D and in transition. It’s been so fun to watch, but even better it has been effective. When you are KU and you can have 6 guys on your team that are 6’5 and above and shoot the 3 better than 33% you should use that to your advantage. Because the reality is most teams don’t have that luxury…
Really hope he wins 1 or 2 more before he goes.Hall of fame post.
I second that! It's been a great ride watching Bill adapt new strategies throughout the years. You have to be a good student to become a good teacher... Bill continues to educate himself throughout his career!
This team is not a contender without a PG playmaker like Juan.
This team is not a contender without a volume scorer like JWil.
This team is not a contender without a defensive savant like Kevin.
This team is not a contender without a hot shot like Gradey.
This team is not a contender without a post threat like KJ.
This team is not a contender without a quality PG off the bench like Bobby.
This team is not a contender without a versatile bench guard like Joe.
This team is not a contender without a late-blooming threat off the bench like MJ.
This team is not a threat without several backup options at the 5.
I am really starting to believe this! On any given night any of these guys may be the hero of a game! Every player brings a unique tool set to the party and the other players feed off those tools, too! I can't think of a team I had more fun watching!
Most of the time... bad interior defense doesn't start with being undersized. That's how it ends. Meaning... if you have size you can sometimes makeup for other defensive mistakes.
In our case... KJ doesn't have that option so his key is to not make those early defensive mistakes. What I'm talking about is footwork. Being able to stay in position while the opposing big hits you with his "shake-n-bake" or whatever. Usually it involves some kind of pivot move.
The key for KJ is to use his speed (and brain) to hedge and anticipate properly in the low post. Most of this will come from scouting and watching opposing bigs on tape. Bigs play a predictable game! Also, KJ is small, but he does have strength and must use it to not get pushed around too much.
We could show a little weakness in March on those second games in the weekend when we don't have time to prepare for a specific team. Maybe we face a big with great moves and KJ isn't ready.
And look how he scores! I can only think of Timme being another 5 who has as soft of touch in mid range.
How did you like that blow by speed of KJ in the clip on the KUSports article from the WV game?
The mismatch goes both ways.... for scoring... one of the main offensive strategies is to get the other team's big to guard a smaller player on your team because it is easy to create scoring space.
Granted, another strategy is to get your big man under the basket being guarded by a smaller player.
I agree with your assessment; KJ has made our offense dynamic in a new way!
I definitely praise our guys.... doesn't Self deserve any credit?
There is a great write-up on KUSports.com about KU deserving #1 and without a dominate big.
I think KJ has had some help figuring out how to exploit his speed/power on bigger bigs.
Not sure how much of our bench is bought in... their biggest issue is not getting enough PT to mesh with others out there. I think Bobby has bought in. He's a scraper!
Also thinking Joe is getting closer to meshing with the others. Starting to relax with his shot and not force up bad shots.
None of these guys give off bad juju... I don't think we have a BGreene (or many other past players I can name) that were fighting the system.
I am doubtful we will have another big guy mesh so well with our current starting 5 like KJ does. Doesn't mean we won't need our bigs. Just means we have some level of depth. When KJ goes out we may lose some offense... may lose some of the speed on offense... but it is what it is and it is normal to not have an equal replacement. We've got several bigs we can turn to for help in any game. Hopefully, they will continue to improve and why won't they?
Will we have problems playing teams with size? Not so sure about that. Is the mismatch best on our side or theirs? Many bigs may not keep up with our pace. We beat a Duke team full of footers and did okay.
I think we just have to play to our advantages and do the best we can when dealing with mismatches. We've shown an ability to double-up D in the low post already, and we know this strategy has won teams with no height natties in the past. Why not us?
I think we need to get a bit more rebounding out of KJ then we have a darn good rebounding team, regardless of height! Also... we now know Gradey is a capable rebounder, too.
We have resonable depth right now. Just keep your fingers crossed we stay healthy the rest of the year! That is the key!
Game highlights for me -
I hope we are seeing a trend... Jayhawk grit on the road! This game was never in question, even in the second half when down to two possession lead. Why? Because we maintained excellent composure! When they fought back we hit big shots and had defensive stops to prevent them from huge runs.
5 guys in double-figures? Are you kidding me? We've got such an even attack now even with a volume shooter like JWil...
Speaking of JWil... his scrap, especially on the boards, needs to be recognized! Between him an Kevin we shouldn't lose many boards wars. This is becoming more dominant as the season progresses because this team is BUYING IN to Self ball!
This is a perfect year to have the Big 12 be as tough as it is. I have no problem if we drop some conference games... it should help us build a tougher team for March. Having a team that is starting to look like road warriors is a huge advantage come March. I just hope we hold serve in AFH!
This is becoming perhaps the most-satisfying team to watch under the Bill Self era! When we execute, it's a thing of beauty!
Gradey... what a weapon! We hang in games and then suddenly he pumps in a few treys and punches up our lead! Wow! And then another example where he followed his shot and rebounded! Who else does this in college basketball?
Bobby! Can't stress his contribution enough! 18 minutes produced 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists... He outright won a game for us early on this season and he'll win us more this year just by contributing throughout a game!
Pace of game? Does it matter anymore? We know we can run. We can also execute well in the half court!
I'm happy and I still see plenty of room for improvement between now and March!
Hard to imagine this... but is it possible that the NCAA investigation debacle has actually been good for us?
It's been going on for years and I doubt it (by itself) has been helpful for recruiting (probably hurting).
And Self has come under attack. If you read sports blogs and comments, when they aren't from Jayhawks they often call Self a cheater or whatever.
Maybe... just maybe... this has all helped Self's personal chip! Am I the only one that thinks Self is probably working harder now than he ever has? Maybe our guys are just more coachable than guys from past teams... all I know is it's January and we are still in the conference play infancy and it sure seems like our guys are all bought in! I recall so many years with a team full of veteran players that weren't this bought in.
I'm imaging Rick Barnes has a secret smile on his face. But seriously... he probably doesn't because that guy is a legit human being.
Texas was stupid to dump Barnes. I said it then, I say it now. Barnes couldn't take the program further not because of his actions... it's the climate in Austin.
That proves out by watching them continually self-destruct. They make decisions based superficially... like by seeing big $ contracts with the SEC.
Let's see how this works out. Will they "rule" the SEC like they often did the B12? ha... no friggin' way! They will become the next Nebraska.. a school that should beg for the magical past years in the B12 when they were relevant.
Schools like Alabama and LSU lick their chops to beat up Texas teams. They consider them a bunch of spoiled pansies. And they are right.
@BeddieKU23 said in Chris Beard Arrested:
Probably a place he’ll have to go for a year or two to clean up his image before a P5 school will take on his risk.
I'm doubtful Beard has a future in basketball.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in Chris Beard Arrested:
@drgnslayr wonder where their relationship will go from here?
Maybe they are into kink. Spanking, etc. I'm sure there are plenty of kinky groups out there to join and take their show offline from the public so they stop hurting large groups of people (like UT basketball players).
But seriously... I believe this case should probably go to trial and this woman needs to be questioned why she pulled a 180 under oath. Very likely Chris would be found guilty of more than a choke.
Here is what I was looking for...
"In the days after the arrest, Texas officials invited Beard and his representatives to lay out a case for why they should not fire him, according to multiple sources familiar with those conversations."
If Beard was completely innocent (the only situation where he should keep his job), then his attorney should have "beat UT to the punch" (sorry for the pun) and asked for this first. Obviously... he did not present clear evidence to the university showing complete innocence.
I know everyone loves those national titles... so do I. But his winning conference titles streak in a power conference is freakazoid and should hold up the rest of all our lives.
Consistency is never mentioned much in accolades... everyone loves the highlights. I do, too, but I put consistency at the top.
Here we are... the season after our nattie and damn if he hasn't put together a team that possibly could challenge to back it up!
Also... look hard at what he has schemed on the court. He will receive plenty of footnotes in the history of college basketball for his offensive sets/plays. Heck... how many easy points do we get every year from inbounds plays?
I've always challenged his ability to bring out teams "ready to play." This has always been one of my peeves. Maybe he is coaching me up now because I now think he is focused on preserving player energy throughout the game so they can go full tilt at the end, when it is "money time!"
"My dad became a lot smarter when I grew up and became a man!" I feel like he's given me plenty of lessons!
Wichita State is looking for a new coach and they already have experience with a violent coach!
(dirty... cheap shot)
What people fail to realize... the climate around domestic abuse has changed. What she did later to try to remove the charges has little or no impact on the follow thru by the DA unless she could bring substantial evidence proving it to be a hoax, which then puts her at risk of prosecution for bringing false charges. Too many victims in the past were threatened if they didn't drop charges so the legal authority is now strictly with the DA's office.
Evidently, there exists significant evidence in this case. UT did the right thing. They would look horrible if their only reason for keeping him was the case didn't advance to trial. On top of that... they would only have his word that further abuse wouldn't occur. Imagine the hot water UT would be in if they went along and kept him then he had further trouble?
By chance, if this was a hoax, Beard's attorney would have brought very convincing evidence to the university first so they might keep him.
This is a case of "reading between the lines."
Sadly... I wonder if Chris is on a suicide watch. I hope his sanity is intact!
Thing is... I'm not so sure Self is sold on having his bigs pumping treys. I remember when Kieff used to shoot some. Self was okay with it, but I didn't see us run offense especially for a 5 to hoist the long ball. But there is a difference between a long player who is more of a 4 than a 5. It mostly comes down to rebounds and the responsibility of the 5 to rebound.
Self just supported that by giving KJ all kinds of love comments but said he still wants him to rebound better!
Self's focus on 5's shooting treys is on defense. It bugs him considerably when we play a team who has a 5 shooting perimeter ball. He not only wants our 5 to defend the trey line, but then turn around and at least get in position for long rebounds.
Duke gets the calls, not us. There is no "blue blood whistle" which I have read on several sports sites. Just ask Indiana. They even have fans that swear they aren't a blue blood program any longer because of the bad whistles.
I think Duke got the calls because K is the best coach of all times concerning nagging refs. I guarantee refs don't like hearing him nag. It makes a difference.
No way Scheyer will ever get to that level. He's like the "Home Alone" kid who grew up and screams a lot now. He feels like he is entitled... it has been bred into him... maybe this is why -
Read carefully... 2009!
I'm not a Scheyer fan... but at least I give him thumbs up back in 2005, when he dissed Bruce Weber at UI. Heck... he was even coached by Bruce's brother and he still dissed him for Duke! lol
I think the Big 12 may even become a tougher league.
I loveeeeee bringing Sampson (Houston) into our league. And I have a feeling we will be adding the Zags. The other additions are solid, too.
UT and OU made a difference in football.... not so much in basketball. Eventually... our league will be represented across America, making it that much stronger for recruits. Texas is a monster state for basketball recruiting and I am happy to trade Texas for Houston.
I can't wait to watch UT argue for power in the SEC. They just traded $ for irrelevance!
I hate to be one of those fans that constantly complains about officials... but... you are correct!
I hope you are right, but I fear we will be in for a tough conference battle that will come down to the end.
The upsets are just an indication of the parity of our league. TCU, Texas, Baylor... tough teams. And I advise not falling asleep on KSU, WV, ISU... actually anyone!
Damn! The Big 12 is as tough as everyone is making us out to be!
KSU trashes Texas! Baylor loses at home!
We can't fall asleep on anyone this year... we started to with OSU at home and it took quite the effort to pull that one out!
I'm curious if this will become one of those "typical Jayhawk conference" seasons? We win-out at home and take some on the road then we appreciate teams like KSU doing some dirty work for us by punching some of the other conference best teams...
I'm just not sold on us being that kind of team this year. With our outrageous talent and proudly wearing a Nattie trophy around our necks during the conference season it makes more sense that we become a great road warrior team and then sometimes fall asleep at home. I hope it's not the case and we come ready for the rest of our games... if not... we will be totally embarrassed sometimes. But that can work, too. Thank you, Kentucky, for spanking us on our home court last year! lol
We haven't been driving the ball hard enough. Just look at the Tech game. I think their entire offense started with a hard drive into the paint. We need MORE people than JWil driving!
Great posts!
@wissox My thoughts exactly! It just shows how amateurish their basketball fans are. I'd be embarrassed if KU fans did that!
@DanR Spot on with your assessment of our past bigs. Heck... remember Doke? I recall having to defend his potential! Concerning Rice.... He started behind and even then didn't seem 100%... and now is in the "freshman toughening box." I expect him to find a few more minutes this year, just not sure they will ever count on him unless they have to.
@benshawks08 I'm not thinking KJ will be putting up a 3-ball anytime soon.... unless the clock runs down and he's stuck with the ball.
I had bought in to @Texas-Hawk-10 line of reasoning on Zach... thinking he had the highest skill levels and would cruise into the 5-spot. But in the end, it was KJ's hustle that won him PT. I do recall how often Self would brag about KJ's hustle. And it is hustle that wins plays, and ultimately, rubs off on teammates. Thinking deeper on this... I just don't think Self has bought in to Zach shooting up many treys. Who will rebound when our big is on the perimeter? Will Zach be able to get back on D when his trey shot bricks and most of our 1-4 crashes the boards?
most-freaky dunk photo of all times -
Bet he could have grabbed the horizontal support beam with his legs! lol
KJ is the best fit for Self's current motion offense... which is all about either hitting treys or driving/feeding the center corridor. Notice how he keeps mentioning the center driving lane.
KJ is our quickest big and is now proven he can score in mid range and at the rim. He is perfect for pick-n-roll or pick-n-pop. Plus... Self goes nuts for his hustle!
What I really want to know.... is Self designing all of these offensive nuances by himself or are his players contributing?
Think back just a few years... and we started talking about how his wings would drive across the lane and then curl into finishing directly at the rim. Notice how JWil does it... then compare it to Och and CB. Seems like this may have even started before those guys but I can't remember.
It feels like we are running a hybrid of a hybrid of a hybrid! "Self tweaks!"
Self will end up being acknowledged as one of the greatest D1 coaches of all times! I know he always barks about defense and considers it his calling card... but if you look back at all the offense he's designed in college basketball... no other coach has designed more effective offense! Perhaps Mark Few is up there with him!
Takeaways -
The big eye-candy in this game was Juan's treys. Congrats, Juan! Hope you have more success from trey!
The hidden star of this game was Bobby. 7 points, 4 rebbies, and most important 6 assists in 25 minutes! His +- was 14+ for a reason! Seeing him as a "Juan Version 2" will make us absolutely deadly if he can keep this up! He always seems to make freak plays, like diving on the court. A+ Bobby!
Great maturity game for Gradey. Trey not falling? Then make other plays! His own rebound putback was classic. I think he read my previous post where he made his one trey on a step back while guarded.... creating all kinds of scoring space and he did it without a hitch! 8 rebounds?! That kid's potential is unreal!
KJ is winning over the critics and for good reason. Even his defense on bigger bigs is improving! His touch in mid-range is as soft as a baby's bottom. Now he just has to adjust his decision-making a little when up so close and start slamming everything close to prevent blocks. Do it by bringing the ball up on the side so the only way it can be defended is fouling.
JWil... his volume shooting is working for us. As the season drags on his % may be dropping but we need some volume shots and he plays a vital part in keeping defenses honest.
Kevin had a tough game but still made plenty of key plays. He's a guy that shows up to work with a sledgehammer. He is absolutely one of the keys to our success!
Still hoping we eventually get a bit more from our bench, but this wasn't a game to go deep on the bench without knowing they will come through. It is going to be tough for our bench guys to get more PT during league play. They will have to earn minutes by proving more in practice.
Big shout-out to Joe... we need him back!
I will be surprised and not at any possible outcome. We could go in there hot, motivated, stealing balls for easy runouts and blow them out of their gym and make it like a Mizzou smoke where you can hear a pin drop.
Or... you know...
I believe we have the right players in this game and it is ours to lose.
We can't sleepwalk through this game like we did the last two. They are going to punch us in the mouth right out of the gate and the crowd intensity will be nuts especially because of the Kevin transfer.
My keys to the game:
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Possession battle. The team who controls possessions will win. This means we focus of low TOs while defending hard and creating them. And then there are rebounds. We need to win the boards. This would be a great game for us to get plenty of runouts off of TOs because it is going to be a battle to score in half court offense.
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McCullar factor. Will Kevin rise to the occasion or stiffen up? Here is the thing... we create a severe matchup problem for TT. They have one big guard, Tyson. Is he going to guard Kevin or Gradey? If we can get solid performances from both Gradey and McCullar we win. Period. It was great seeing Gradey rebound well in that OSU game... let's see him do it again! For Kevin... if he gets anxious his shot may not drop, but I think he will be a complete beast on the boards in this game because no one can stop him from doing that! He has his mind set on contributing however he can!
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Foul trouble. This is going to be a battle. That often means foul trouble. We need to keep our cool and not foul. That means Juan, Kevin, and Adams has to maintain good emotional intelligence.
This could easily end up being one of those BAD BALL games we often talk about. Probably will. Two teams focusing on defense. I'm thinking our guys might be one of those teams that usually performs better on the road than at home. Now would be a great time to prove that.
We can use all available tools to create a chip for this team. It is so hard to come back from a Nattie and perform well. We definitely have the talent and coaching to go far this year but it is going to take being a very hungry team to maximize potential.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in KU/Oklahoma St Game Thread:
Boynton didn’t complain about calls, he’s a classy guy. I like him. Said he wouldn’t want to ref. Probably my next favorite coach in big 12
My exact thoughts! We are lucky to have him in the Big 12... especially at OSU, a school that doesn't have a great basketball environment. I remember a few years ago when the coach was begging students to come to games. OSU is extremely lucky to have a coach of his quality!
Yes...
There are two big reasons why teams focus on Gradey.
First... if he's left open he will quickly score treys in bunches.
Second... if he is guarded closely... he won't!
What is Gradey's biggest skill? It's getting shots up quickly with speed and perfect form. That is great... but now he needs to put some time in on how to score when guarded. Develop a few moves off the dribble that give him scoring space but also where he is almost as reliable when shooting those shots verses being wide open. He'll get there. He will get there because he has uncanny ability to learn the physical parts of basketball. He doesn't have that much of a background as a sharp shooter like he is now... he used to be a slasher more than a smooth jump shooter.
Then think about other parts of the game... like rebounding... muscling up on defense. seeing more floor (like Juan does). Gosh... imagine if he stayed at KU for 4 years? We might win a couple more Natties if he did!
I feel pretty sure he is magnetized on Steph Curry's game... who isn't? But I'd like to see him study Luka Doncic. A guy who doesn't need perfect athleticism to dominate the league. He's like the next Larry Bird. He needs about a foot of vertical leap to create scoring space!
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in KU/Oklahoma St Game Thread:
@approxinfinity said in KU/Oklahoma St Game Thread:
I would argue with you about kevins block not being clean but app still sucks, couldnt rewind to check
It was a foul. The block itself was clean, but the body contact should’ve been called. These refs were just really inconsistent with what was or wasn’t a foul throughout the game and that was really frustrating to me.
I concur. Seems like one or two were new to B12 games. Doug Sirmons, Keith Kimble, Bret Smith? Anyone know? I'm sure new refs in an atmosphere like AFH must be pretty intimidating!
I fear we may have a season where our guys are too complacent going into games. It's hard to followup a National Championship year as it is hard to stay motivated while we take the best shot from everyone.
Our first half energy level was horrible. Our second half energy was better, but still was not jacked up... just better. The incremental difference made the game score change dramatically because when we have high energy we are capable of beating anyone, including blowing out anyone. But when we come out with subpar energy we could lose to just about anyone.
I hope this isn't what we should expect moving forward, mostly because this team has plenty of talent and capability to defend and move the ball like very few teams we have ever had.
Not sure where our defense went (especially in the first half) but we sure are missing those steals that end in run outs!
I suspect Self will be on them heavy for this performance... as he should be.
But... at least we got the win and these kinds of wins are crucial as we get the "W" while also making it a learning experience.
Kudos to OSU and Thompson for maintain good composure and bringing game!
KJ has such a soft touch in mid-range. He definitely is establishing himself as an offensive weapon. He is playing smart to go right up with shots in the paint instead of coming down and setting up for shots (bound to get blocked by taller players).
Gradey's two offensive boards were crucial in this victory and lead to made treys... but in many ways he is being exposed as a freshman now until he figures out how to get the right shot off for his treys. Now is when he could really use the help of some NBA shooters. Like how he mentioned Steph Curry... he would be a great one to learn from... even watching his tape should be helpful.
Udeh is one hilarious dude!
He needs his own YouTube channel or something.
I can't imagine Kansas having a group of numbskulls like that. I hate to inject politics in this... so I won't... I mean... I won't blame a political party. I will just say that there is some pretty unintelligible people out there who live in a world of hate, disinformation, and now fueled by conspiracy theories. No... it doesn't definitely mean GOPrs because I've known these traits in both parties. I'm bringing that group to attention because the threat you posted sounds like that type of crowd.
Do we have a large amount of these followers at Kansas? I hope not. I hope no one is talking about our coaches, players, and administration like this.
I hope people don't respond to my post here with politics. I only mentioned it because it is constantly being mentioned in politics today.
I root against UK even more than Mizzou. Even though our true rivalry is with Mizzou... UK is on our level (except for class).
With that UK loss to Mizzou we gained one more game in the overall wins competition plus.. I just can't stand Calipari. To me, he has always been a subpar D1 coach who only exists on recruiting.
Mizzou is a much better team after our beat down. I felt sure they would improve because beat downs tend to do that to teams... especially undefeated teams.
You have a good perspective on the game. It will help if you can remain positive... not just about KU basketball.
Hope your dad's medical situation improves or stays good.
It's been toooo long! I'm desperate for a game!
Which team will show up for OSU... the Harvard or Indiana team?
Rice on high octane now?
Probably the best evidence now and if she wants to go defend him.... she will have to explain the photos.
Good thing with having skeptics around... eventually... we get to prove them wrong and sometimes "eventually" isn't far away!
There will be public pressure for the DA to drop the case now. It shouldn't play a role in justice... but... it does.
A lot less evidence without the victim's testimony. She better realize she is basically giving away all her future power/protection from the next round with Chris.
More details about the Beard assault:
Gosh... where would this team be without McCullar? He's a possession monster! Versus Harvard: 11 reb, 3 steals, 2 blocks...
The team has admitted to a complete gut check after that Kentucky beatdown.
That told them just how far off they were from competing at the highest level.
Do I hope we lose games? Only if we need to. If we were playing at that Final Four level earlier we may not need to lose.
This is where it benefits from being a Jayhawk and with a HOF coach. We are expected to be the best. Our guys don't fold up when down. They know they have to rise to the situation.
Heck.... look at Mizzou. They took a quick leap forward after we beat them down. We exposed where they were at the time of our game and they weren't up to snuff.
Gonzaga... they've had some great teams and Few is an excellent coach. But they used to have a real easy schedule, allowing them to lose no or almost no games until March. Now they play easily the toughest, or one of the toughest, pre-conference schedule. It should help them become a better ball club, especially in March.
It's a good thing if we learn our lessons before March. Some years... even though we had a few losses during the season, we didn't learn the right lessons to improve by March.
No way in hell we win the NC last year without that in-house beat down by Kentucky. No way in hell!
The most-important games during the year are the ones we lose. Every loss is opportunity to learn and improve.
Your post is soooo spot on!
No player comes to KU focused on defense ahead of offense... except maybe Kevin! Oh... and Marcus!