🏀 KuBuckets Archive

My opinions can be abbreviated. Here is my position:

1. Increasing game visual stimulation - I'm fine with that... much of it I really like, for example, adding new angles to the game, HD and surround sound.

2. Anointing a new King of Basketball - I'm fine with Andrew Wiggins making several hundred million to dribble a basketball. He can be on every single magazine cover in the world. That's more his business, and less mine. Go for it, Andrew!

3. Changing the game of basketball so big business can roll in more money - No way! Leave our game alone, or at least, try to keep the game in the spirit of the game that got it where it is today. Feel free to design a new game to run along side our game that is strictly designed for market potential. How about tackle basketball? Or basketball played on a 94 ft trampoline court? I could care less, but stop jacking our game to make another buck! End this rule interpretation garbage and bring back lockdown defense!

Hell no, don't censor anyone!

iowajayhawk has every right to challenge a fringe post like mine.

My perspective is different on it because I spent years having to please people that constantly pushed the pace of my post-production work. Sometimes we would put the visuals to the test by putting music to the work and making it like a MTV clip. I suffered through years of having a producer stand behind me, snapping his fingers in rapid succession, wanting me to make it go faster while all I wanted was a good night's sleep!

MTV isn't what it once was, but a decade or so ago it was constantly referenced in my business for how media products were made. I created this thread based on my experiences starting in the 90s.

I definitely thought of introducing ESPN to my post, but it had become too long as it is. Definitely worth adding to the conversation, but I'm winded on this and could use someone else's input on how they feel ESPN has influenced the game.

Iowajayhawk... maybe you can tell us your thoughts on ESPN's influence?

Holy cow... am I becoming the next Jaybate? This one may compare to the length of his posts... but I don't have the creativity Jaybate had!

"Claiming MTV created fast paced entertainment that fostered ADHD and led to the current media process is not only insensitive but downright stupid."

I don't think that part of my post was fringe. The subject seem to hit a nerve with you and I apologize if talking about ADHD hits too close to home. I'm not the only one connecting these dots. One source I refer to is:

Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Guidebook for Parents and Teachers - By Association for Youth, Children and Natural Psychology.

I'm also seeing the impact of fast-moving media on my own child. He's 4-months old and if he catches the TV in his view he glues to the screen. If he watches more than a few minutes he goes through definite behavioral changes; becomes irritable, gives us less focus and will not easily go to sleep for quite some time. We noticed the connection immediately, and we try to keep him away from a TV screen.

I'm an old dog. I can still be entertained by old black-and-white movies. My wife is a generation below me. She can't stand to watch anything that doesn't move quickly. Old movies use "long shots" and have limited visual shifting. She can not keep her attention on these films, even on good suspense films.

I agree... but the "geniuses" that pushed for the change believe players will learn to back off the ball and let shooters score. And if that happens, the game will speed up again.. maybe even to the point of having less fouls than before the change. What incentive do players have now for trying to play tough defense? The best defense possible won't stop any scorer today who realizes he can drop his head and shoulder and play fullback on the defense and be rewarded with FTs.

The ruling body is focused on a game with more "instant gratification" so viewers will stick around longer. The absurdity of it all and the risk they have taken should indicate to us just how big this is, and how greed has impacted the game.

This is all about money... and for people believing the BS spouted from Jay Bilas praising the changes as "freeing the shooter" should consider a vacation home in Alligator Alley. A big part of the game was stripped away because marketing execs sold it to those governing the sport. That's what happened. Believe it or not!

Who was complaining about the way the game was played last year? Who was complaining about watching Travis Releford locking down on opposing team's best offensive weapon? That guy was lucky he graduated when he did because he couldn't last 5 minutes in a game today. His tough defense would be rewarded with a constant whistle.

I definitely didn't complain about Travis' awesome defense. I played competitive ball and my game was all about defense. I was never a scoring whiz kid. My game was defense and rebounding. To see it thrown away for some media dollars has totally brought me to my knees!

First off, I'd like to apologize to the readership base here for the bluntness of my last thread, "Andrew Wiggins: the next human experience?!"

If you tear apart that post you'll find it filled with heavy statements concerning the present state of college basketball. Statements like, "winning remains a subset of entertainment" and "Wiggins has the potential to be one of the best entertainers of all times" and "it's a game held together not by the scores, but by the highlight reels" put a big knot in the stomachs of many who read it.

I'm not sure my post today will help those readers alleviate the gas bubbles I feel responsible for creating yesterday. For all those in pain, I suggest pausing at this point and make a little visit to your toilet. You'll need to clear out some space, because today I'm going to substantiate my earlier claims, and the reasoning I bring to this post may put your stomach into a Mount Vesuvius reenactment.

The game of basketball is on the move. You would expect the movement to occur on the court. The movement in basketball is happening off the court. The game is transforming. MTV is taking over the game of basketball. Yes... I'll say it again... MTV is taking over the game of basketball. Take a moment now and retrieve a bucket and place it near your screen. You are going to need it soon.

I'm going to skip back to yesterday's post again and pull out the one statement that should put this all into perspective - "The bottom dollar always comes out on top." Repeat that statement in your mind, over and over, while massaging your temples. Is it sinking in yet? Do you now feel the connection of your nauseated stomach with your throat? Has it reached your mouth yet?

Everyone in here watches basketball on TV. Many of you only watch college basketball and have your reasons for not watching the NBA, where all the top players play. My only viewership of the NBA is the playoffs... and even then, I'll usually sit it out until it is down to 4 teams. What is my reason for blacking out 99% of NBA games? Redundancy. The seasons are too long, the players play with too much consistency. There isn't enough variety in the game. And maybe the biggest reason for sitting out most of the season: the players I love to watch have left the game. There are no players in the league capable of playing the game at a level where a play can go above the game of basketball into the zone of raising what any human has done before.

By now you may be wondering... what does this have to do with MTV? MTV has impacted our existence perhaps more than any other thing in the history of mankind. You heard me right. I could go broader and say it is TV that has impacted us even more, but that wouldn't be accurate. The biggest change happened after 1981, when MTV was born. In the early days of MTV, it's popularity grew fast, almost as fast as the flickering of the screen, a by-product of rapid camera movements, scene changes, pulsing lights, all set to a music backdrop. In the early days, it was less about the music and more about the visual allurement. Viewers quickly became addicted to the rapid (rabid) visual movement. The world would never be the same again. TV and film executives quickly adapted to this new narcotic. The "long shot" was over. Film scenes shortened and camera men who had earned their reputations for having a steady hand were suddenly told to come drunk to work. Motionless television had ended and with our new "constant motion" world came problems. Addicted viewers started showing side effects. Mental and nerve disease was on the incline. A new term was born: ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Over time it was necessary to adjust this term to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Most of the world became infected because most of the world is plugged into television. The younger generation has been hit hardest. The over-stimulation of visuals brought on impairment during their developmental years that now appears will last a lifetime. The youth of today can only be satisfied with instant gratification.

Executives from all areas of the sports business chain realized long ago that sports would have to adapt to the changing times. Sports production would require more camera angles, and adding motion with cameras also helped keep viewers from clicking away to programs with more movement. The race was on. Other complexities were added to win viewers. Sports had to become more than just the sporting event. Sports had to tell a story. Sports needed to add drama into the mix. Sports has to combine personal aspects of the players... some kind of drama to help pull in more people. And last, sports has to offer the "human experience" of reaching further, where no man has gone before.

I'm not a young fella. I've watched the world change before my eyes. I've experienced dealing with youth and their struggles to slow down and execute. I struggle along side youth as they find it impossible to slow down and pay attention. A big part of my love for basketball lies in the details of the game; pick and roll, ball screens, positioning for rebounds, weak side help on defense... execution, execution, execution! I've watched basketball with young people, and they are often sleeping through the game until a highlight-style play occurs. They need the added drama to help keep their attention in the game. The visuals are still too slow. Even though basketball production has changed in leaps and bounds over the past 30 years, it is still too slow to make it without help!

Young viewers need all the recent additives to the game in order to stay focused on basketball. My definition of young here is perhaps 0 - 35 or so... baby boomers of the "MTV generation."

Andrew Wiggins may score something like $200m for endorsing a shoe company. Sounds insane, right? But it is chicken change for the revenue Andrew Wiggins could bring to the game of basketball. Here is a link to NBA Nielsen ratings -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association_Nielsen_ratings ↗

If you read through the various years you will find a relationship of viewership popularity with the top "human experience" players. For example, basketball today would not be near it's current popularity if a player like Michael Jordan had never been born. In this case, stats don't lie. "The bottom dollar always comes out on top." Maybe I have to constantly copy/paste that into this post.

Andrew Wiggins represents the hope that a new commercial messiah has been born in the game of basketball. If he brings his through-the-legs slam to the big stage $100s of billions will be created from it! (is your bucket close?) No one can deny the impact another Michael Jordan will bring to the game. Tens of thousands of jobs will be created if Andrew can bring some alpha-dog to the game and show the world the next great "human experience."

All of us old "Xs and Os" fans will have to bite the big one and go along for the ride. We can't stop the momentum of change. MTV has won. The game of basketball is ruled by the entertainment dollar. Sports marketing execs will let us know when the rule change comes and college basketball players are allowed 6 fouls. If you don't believe me, then flip on the television and watch a college game today. The new rule interpretations were not put in place to preserve the game we have all grown up with and adored. The changes were put in place to adapt to "MTV standards." The changes were put in place to create more offense, more scoring, in hopes that viewers won't change the channel. You can believe me or not, but I have 15 years experience working in sports post-production in another sport, and my company was governed by marketing entities that were affixed on "MTV standards." I've been watching the changes come for the past 20 years.

Now that you've probably filled your standby bucket... let's find some happy ground to end this on. Within the next 10 years we will see gigantic leaps in basketball event productions. With the increase in media dollars comes an expansion in event production budgets. That means more cameras and new technologies for capturing the moment. I have to admit I love the backboard cameras. I love to see some replays angled through a lens up by the goal. It brings a new element to the game. We are going to see this area expand. Who doesn't love the improvement of high-definition? Surround sound quality is coming to college basketball soon. Last month I jumped from a 58" high-def plasma to a 60". Not much of a change, but 3 years ago, when I bought my 58" I paid an arm and a leg and had about the biggest screen possible. My latest purchase set me back less than $800. It's a compromise purchase until what I really want comes out and is affordable.

MTV owns college basketball. Now that the shock is over, and your bucket has been dumped, you might as well embrace the change. And while you are at it, forget comparing Andrew Wiggins with LeBron James. If Andrew reaches his potential, he will far exceed the impact LeBron had on the game of basketball. Believe it or not, it doesn't really matter, change will come regardless. Focus in on a 10 yr old watching television and ask yourself if he would rather watch Andrew Wiggins or LeBron James?

@nuleafjhawk - If I ever build a basketball team from the posters in here, I will come to you to be my PG! Any time we lose I can feel the pain in your posts. Hating to lose should be inside the hearts of everyone on our team. I've always heard that hate is a stronger motivator than love. I hate to lose, too. I mean... I H-A-T-E to lose!

I've had to be around a lot of people who aren't KU fans, too. I also let them have their say and I even play weak to encourage them to say more. Then I record everything they say. I write it down on paper.

I always get to pull at that paper later in the year and remind them what they said. It's nice to get the last word, even if it takes months to get there.

I suggest you bait Mr. Howell. I bet he'd like to say horrible things about Andrew Wiggins. I advise getting him to yack about Embiid, too.

Write it down and keep it on your nightstand so you don't lose that paper!

"What if the reality is that the hype is overblown? That almost sets up an automatic "let down" when Wiggybaby scores 6pts." - Ralster

I like it. Let the hype rule. Everyone knows I'm a huge CS fan... but my one criticism is he doesn't develop a chip with his teams. We've lost so many games in March to teams that came ready to play more than us.

Let the hype rule, and maybe it will be our chip come March! Maybe the negative hype will start pushing Andrew to new heights. He said he likes to be challenged. Can't really imagine a challenge greater than this one.

LHR - Let Hype Rule!

Once we nail down real offensive sets and plays, look out!

Not only will Wiggins show more stuff but our 3-pt shooting will come around, too.

It's too early in the year and our freshmen are thinking too much on the court. It's slowing them down, giving them more stage fright, and bringing on confidence issues.

They'll settle down.

This tough period is good for them. I'm growing more optimistic because we are going through it now. It would have been a real tragedy to go undefeated all the way through February. They would have been way too high on themselves and wouldn't develop at such a high rate. Then they would get smoked by someone and they wouldn't know how to respond, and it would be too late in the season to make big gains.

Right now we should be focusing on learning defense and making sure we are hustling for 50/50 balls. Once we show enough improvement on defense, we work harder on offense. We need to learn better d before focusing on o or we'll never go back to focusing on d.

In the meantime... all of these guys need to shoot 200 FTs a day, every day, all the way through our last game of the season!

Read the article about Embiid... and smile! Everyone is talking about Wiggins and Parker now... ha... they'll be talking about Embiid come March!

I think we should give Embiid a nickname. How about "Ace?" Why Ace? Because he is our "Ace in the Hole!"

I like our chances in March more today, than before going to the Bahamas.

Bravo, HEM!

I don't buy into the idea that CS can't coach OADs. Henry and Selby left when they should have stayed in school. Neither of those guys would have done any better if they played for Cal or Coach K. They were just two guys that should have stayed in school longer... especially Selby. Imagine Selby played for Kentucky and sat out mid season with an injury... the kid wasn't ready for the NBA. He would have had to hustle hard to be ready to come back to KU for a second season.

BMac went high in the draft, and he wasn't projected anywhere near the lottery when he signed with Kansas. Okay... he wasn't a OAD... but close to it.

I'm all in on the bet that Andrew shows a lot more game come March than he does now. We've seen him for several games now and he's got freakish athleticism but limited moves. We'll see him pick up more moves this year. He won't want to be a bust.

The hyper-state that ran amuck on Andrew before he dribbled a ball, is now doing the same thing once he has dribbled a ball. We just can't buy into the level of frenzy.

We always talk about teams being "sped up" during games... and how they screw up when they do. This is a case where the fan base is being sped up. Look at the season and consider it one game. The first 10 minutes are in the book and we aren't pulling away yet. Give it time.

"The bottom dollar always comes out on top."

I guess I'll take credit for this one. I used it talking about the NBA... and it should be stamped on their trophy.

Rock Chalk Cocktail:

2 oz of Wiggins,
2 oz of Embiid,
2 oz of Selden

For color add 1 oz Black, 1 oz Greene, 1 oz White

Stir gently.

Serve over ice (in March)

Awesome... we all feel better about Andrew and he didn't do anything to make us feel different. We rationalized it from within, where our expectations are created.

I've spent the last two nice days working in my monstrous backyard garden. Time to turn the dirt. I noticed my 70 yr old retired nurse neighbor watching me through her window. I've got a 6' privacy fence. My head pops over it. At the time I was thinking about all of this Andrew business. Something clicked.

Could it be that us Kansans put a high value on our privacy? I've lived in big cities and abroad and noticed how in many of these cultures the people sort of keep windows open and put themselves on display. If you walk by on the sidewalk and look in, they take it like a compliment that they caught your attention. It doesn't work that way in Kansas. Great way to get shot!

Maybe our Kansas ways bleed into our basketball. Maybe we are picky with the attention we receive outside of Kansas. When it is positive, we don't seem to mind... but we definitely don't like to be criticized. And if a player like Wiggins brings the world spotlight to Kansas, it better stay positive!

Suddenly, every nut in the world is looking into our living room window. We are on display. And we expect outsiders to be respectful, kind and courteous. If they don't follow our rules... well... "cha-chink" my double-barrel shotgun is ready to go!

; )

@Wishawk - man.. I can see how we can take this all negative. But why should we? Why should we dampen what we love? Right now, Bill Self is Kansas basketball and we embrace him. I still believe he knows what he is doing and why he is recruiting some OAD players. Why don't we just let this all play out? It is a long season that I guarantee will feel like it goes by way too fast! Let's enjoy the ride... and wouldn't it be a real scream if Andrew proves all the naysayers wrong! I have little doubt about him not matching the hype... just not sure it will happen at Kansas. The kid is a phenom.

My bet is we see a very different team after Christmas break... and we start seeing Andrew come on stronger.

@nuleafjhawk - that was awesome! I really haven't been thinking Andrew has played that bad. I think a few games ago he was averaging 16 ppg. It only takes a couple of so-so games to throw the stats out of whack this early. But what if he was averaging 20 ppg? Would that appease the crowd? I seriously doubt it would appease the east coast sports media machine. Even if Andrew averaged 30... then they would compare him to that dude that keeps scoring 100+ points a game... ol' whats-his-name.

Andrew will never do enough to please some... because many of those critics have issues anyways. They probably hate any basketball west of Kentucky and find it a crime that Andrew chose Kansas.

It's like listening to Gundy the other night bark that Kansas doesn't have 3-pt shooters. I guarantee we will improve that area soon. That is something we shall see come on after Christmas... when we focus more on offense.

I think we can all agree about one thing; we don't want to see Andrew hog the ball and force shots just to try and lift his stats. We have plenty of scorers on this team and we need production out of all of them.

Jabari Parker will go ahead and build his stat kingdom. Big deal. We shall see who goes further in March. My money is squarely on Kansas... by a long shot! And by then, we will see Jabari as a prolific scorer.. just as we see him now. But the attention will be on Andrew. His season stats will be lower than Jabari's... one reason will be that Andrew is surrounded by more offensive weapons and counted on less for offense. But Andrew's numbers will climb, and with his game climbing the fans will return to him. I hope we get another shot at Duke in March, because Embiid will turn Jabari into chump change on anything near the paint. Jabari has a great toolset, but he isn't such a tremendous athlete... not tremendous enough to stand out at the next level. He's near the top of his potential. Andrew is near the bottom.

Kansas (and Bill Self) will once again prove that basketball is a team sport! I'm not ready for 100% confidence on another national title, but I'm already convinced we will go further than Duke. And if Embiid keeps rocketing like he has in the past couple of weeks... he may challenge all of these guys for NBA draft pick #1! Meanwhile, we will get to watch some awesome highlight plays and hopefully win another B12 title.

@nuleafjhawk - but what does Calipari do different? How does he maximize showcasing the top shelf?

How is he going to do that this year with a starting 5 of potential lottery picks? How does he showcase them all?

If Andrew puts up respectable stats this year and has several big time highlights isn't that all we can expect and didn't Self do what he could for him?

I don't think a coach can showcase a player as much as the player stepping up and creating his own showcase. I do see how a coach could get in the way... like punish Andrew if he does a showy dunk. I just don't see Self doing that to him.

Self has been disciplining Andrew for not hustling... in my books, that is something any quality coach would do to help motivate a player to step up.

I think Self is doing it right. I think Andrew will lift his game when our offense gets glued together properly. If he doesn't stand out eventually, that is his own doing. BMac was in the same boat. Many times he would just fade away in games. He would get the ball, and he'd just pass it down the chain. Andrew is showing some of those signs, too. He has to build more in his toolbox if he wants to be able to push it to the hole under any circumstance. Right now, if he pushes it without having the right moves he'll just get his pocket picked.

If he really wants to stand out more (beyond the highlight stuffs) he'll have to hustle more and start winning offensive rebounds (and put backs), steal balls and win most of the 50/50 balls. That will get him instant attention now and lift the burden placed on him.

But the big time highlight moves need to be there. There are many great players that hustle and fill stat sheets. They aren't riding the cover of SI.

@wissoxfan83 - didn't you answer your own question? Pierce didn't win a championship at Kansas and we've immortalized him.

I think fans differ in how they look at basketball. Obviously, I'd go nuts if we win it all this year, but if we don't, I won't necessarily look back and consider it a disastrous season. If I did that then KU basketball has been a failure since '08. I like to remember TRob, the twins and others in a positive light.

Winning a championship takes more than talent and execution. There seems to always be an element of luck, too. You can have a great team, but your star may go down with injury in March... or most of the team has the flu... or they play a team that just can't miss from 35 feet....

You have to win so many games to win it all and there are always great teams that probably deserve it just as much. If we only judge the past by National Championships then we only have a few years that were good. In recent history that would mean only two years.

Regardless how great Andrew is or becomes, his presence will never guarantee us a NC or even making it to the Final Four.

There seems to be something called "destiny" and because of the unpredictable luck factor, destiny seems to be the right descriptor for crowning a National Champion.

An excellent question has come up recently on our site:

Does Bill Self showcase top talent?

Andrew is on that top shelf of talent... and if you agree with my post above, the biggest part of his talent is his ability to bring the human experience to a higher level. So if that is the case, perhaps if Bill Self wants to showcase Andrew Wiggins he has to do more than opening his offense to focus more on Andrew scoring. Obviously, all of us (and Bill Self) want to win games (and hopefully another National Championship). We want Andrew to play a larger role in our offense. So if including Andrew in on more offense isn't enough, what more should Bill do to showcase Andrew?

What I'm getting at is if Bill Self really wants to showcase Andrew Wiggins then he'll talk with Andrew and let him know, if he gets the ball in the open court, ahead of the crowd, he has Bill Self's blessings to do any kind of dunk he wants. And he should encourage Andrew to work on some kind of dunk that will set a new high in basketball... something that extends the human experience to new heights.

Imagine his through the legs dunk performed in an actual game? Might it fail and we lose two points? Yes. Could it even cost us a game? Yes. But if he attempted it and clearly had the blessings of Coach Self doesn't it exhibit that Bill Self supports showcasing Andrew's gift?

Imagine if it did work. Imagine if it did work and it happened during March Madness?

Sports media is all about highlights... and that highlight would be engrained into every basketball fan from now to eternity, just like Dr. J's beneath the goal, just like Jordan's float stuff from the free throw line. It would be a highlight that would take over March Madness and be shown repeatedly forever... over and over... and over and over... trumping NC State's last second win over Houston... Chalmers shot over Memphis...

The human experience trumped would be captured again, and idolized through eternity. Andrew Wiggins would have his stamp on the game... and Bill Self helped orchestrate it from the sidelines.

Do you think we would have any difficulties recruiting the next "great one" from high school?

Is Andrew Wiggins the best player to come along in recent years?

Perhaps not yet. But he may end up there. It is all a question of how people perceive things.

Test yourself:

Do you see talent as something concrete and only in the present?

Do you see talent as some kind of potential in the future?

Is talent all about the stat sheet?

Is talent more about some kind of perceived magic?

I think this plays into fans more than anything else. It is hard to deny the potential in Wiggins. His raw athleticism goes beyond Michael Jordan at the same age. We all watch him skate around the court like a figure skater on ice. But we don't receive artistic points from judges. The only points come from putting the ball in the hole, and it can go in as ugly and rough as possible, just as long as it goes in. But is it all about forcing a ball through a ring?

Let's get down to what this is all about.... winning? Well... yes... no... partially...

There is a factor that actually weighs heavier than winning.

The key factor is entertainment! Winning is a subset of entertainment. Winning brings a big chunk of entertainment with it, but it doesn't own entertainment. Wiggins has the potential to be one of the best entertainers of all times (in basketball). His spin move has already been stamped with his name, because no one has ever done it like that before. It's art... it's dance... it's expression... and it's the human experience elevated to a new high. That's what Wiggins is. That's what Wiggins potentially brings to the NBA. And with that high form of human experience comes ticket sales... t-shirt sales... everything sales...

The NBA is business more than basketball. "The bottom dollar always comes out on top." That's a quote I'll have to shove over to the quotes thread. Winning brings in dollars because more people will follow a winner. But winning remains a subset of entertainment. Players that don't win still bring in crowds... especially if their game is at a higher form. LeBron brought in the crowds at Cleveland. They never brought home a championship... but the crowds were there.

So when you examine the game like that... maybe it is a fair comparison... LeBron and Andrew? Can Andrew bring the gate that LeBron brings? The potential is definitely there... if Andrew develops his game so his toolbox matches his athleticism he could actually jump over LeBron.

Wiggins is expected to do more than score a ton of points and fill a stat sheet. Wiggins is expected to entertain us. That's what the hype is really about. There have been plenty of superstars that never won a National Championship in D1. It didn't make them any less of a star. Fans watch and they want to see Wiggins pirouette from the sky and come to earth slammin' and jammin' a basketball. It just isn't enough that he scores 16 a game (or whatever).

Greats of the game... like Michael Jordan and Dr. J are not remembered for bringing their lunch bucket to games and hashing out stats. We idolize these players because they elevated the game. They elevated the human experience. Deep down (in most of us) we want to see the human experience advance. We follow basketball in hopes to see some new form enter the scene. A plain dunk is just a plain dunk... but what elevated Andrew Wiggins to the cover of SI was not his HS stats or a plain dunk... it was that dunk where he took the ball through his legs and seemed to defy gravity for just a while and his body gracefully flew by a goal and somehow the ball ended up slamming through the net. The vision remains in my head, and it always will... just like when Dr. J defied physics and drove out beneath the goal and somehow seemed to change direction in mid air and tossed the ball in like a peach in a basket. That's what basketball has become. And without the potential of having more of those moments, the game would die because let's face it, it is a game of redundancy. It's a game held together not by the scores, but by the highlight reels.

If Andrew one day fills his toolbox and becomes the next LeBron, we will all take claim to him. "He's a Jayhawk," will be uttered from every Jayhawk fan in the world. Paul Pierce has limited days left, and we are looking for a new Jayhawk to grab plenty of attention at the next level. Most likely that Jayhawk will be Andrew.

Being a fan of potential is like owning a lottery ticket. It makes you feel good and you imagine the potential, but it is what it is and it's worth nothing unless one day the numbers are called. We all know that, but we still buy the tickets. Andrew will earn his big fat check because he is selling lottery tickets now... I just hope we all collect the big prize someday!

Is Andrew Wiggins the best player to come along in recent years?

I moved my answer over to a new thread.... because it deserves new attention and some responses from all you great ball fans!

@JayDocMD - I agree... it works best to have shooters out there for a while. They not only need to pump up a few shots, even running the court helps get them warmed up. But how long does that take? What if Conner is out there and it takes him an entire half of basketball to get up a couple of shots?

I think the one mistake would be to have these guys forcing up shots.

I wonder if you could work up a kind of ritual for these guys. Do they really need to pump up a few shots before they hit their rhythm?

I wonder if they could work on this in practice. Where they sit cold and come in and quickly contribute. I think the key may be more about getting the body warm. They should already have plenty of reps in during the shoot around.

So Conner enters the game. He spends the next two plays totally spending energy, running around the key and through screens. He doesn't shoot yet, unless he is totally wide open. Meanwhile, the defender thinks he's not looking for a shot and starts slacking off him a bit. All the movement quickly gets his body warm and then he can look for his shot more aggressively.

Just an idea....

If you settle for one of those shooters, aren't we pretty much telling the others to transfer next year? Especially if we sign another guard this year.

Shooters are hot and cold... even the best of them. If we have all 3 getting partial minutes don't we mix and match during a game and see who is hot?

It does take a while for a player to get into the flow of the game. I know I'd hate to be a guy on the bench coming in cold and expected to burn the nets.

Maybe by establishing them as "come in and nail it" players they can improve those skills. I guess you could sit at practice and come in and shoot to see if it is a skill you can count on.

I don't know... seems everyone has a good argument.

Yeah.. we have a White, Greene and Black. Don't we need Yellow to make it a Jamaican National Team?

If I decide to put a wild expectation on a superstar player this year it will be an expectation for Embiid setting a new NCAA shot block record in March Madness.

Sounds like a wild expectation now... but will it in March?! Could he really be that fast of a learner?

I think he could be. The fact that he never played basketball before 3 years ago means Self is working with a blank slate. No bad old habits to overcome.

It was as safe a lie to tell as mine... because Bill Clinton is not going to waste time denying a conversation that didn't exist. I seriously doubt Clinton cares about Kentucky basketball or knows their ups and downs. It's so ridiculous and clearly is a big pile of pig snit, even more than what is in my beans recipe. Oops... I gave away my secret ingredient!

Someone has a severe case of wannabe!

Ha.... I suffered a mind fart! Guess it was all the ham and beans.

"Self's Last Chance to Showcase a Top Recruit?"

Actually... we've got some kid from Chicago coming in next year who looks like the perfect match for Bill's hi/lo.

I'm anxious to see us get back to playing hi/lo again! I bet we showcase his skills!

"He's my 2nd favorite OSU guy."

Who is first? I'm thinking Barry Sanders. That guy was amazing, and smart enough to leave the league while he could still spell his name.

I've got Barry at 1. If T.Boone would throw me a bone I'd consider him up there. Where are all those electric windmills he was promising!

BTW: Go Shocks!

" I'm ready for the guy to explode for 30."

A-friggin'-men!

"I am at a loss to understand why we are second guessing Coach Self."

It's a good thing to do, @JayHawkFanToo, because it means we are engaged with this team and coach. As long as we are respectful it should be viewed as a compliment.

I think all our guys deserve special treatment. They all deserve to be treated with respect and completely transparent communication. They should have been told before coming to Lawrence that they'll be pushed to perform to the top of their abilities.... and they shouldn't have had to read between the lines. Everyone has to earn their PT... even Wiggins... and we've already seen him benched for long stretches.

We all just have to keep pushing and expecting... and hoping... that in the end this team comes together and kicks some backside in March!

"Bill Clinton called John Calipari to talk basketball"

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/12/bill-clinton-john-calipari-basketball/ ↗ ↗

That's hilarious and coincidental... because Bill Clinton has been calling and tweeting me for months asking for my ham&beans soup recipe.

I know what he's really up to... he's after my cornbread recipe!

@drgnslayr1 - I got a great call at 3 o’clock yesterday from @billclinton. We spoke for about 20 minutes.

@drgnslayr1 - He knows me, he knows my ups and downs, and he knows when I’ve got to go. He really tried hard to come over for Thanksgiving for a bowl of beans, which I appreciate

@drgnslayr1 - @billclinton also told me he wants to come to a game in Lawrence. I hope he does so he can get my recipe in person.

@drgnslayr1 - It’s always good hearing @billclinton's voice. I appreciate him reaching out to say hello. He must have found out how good my beans were from @gwbush . Amazing how word gets around!

Kip... I wish we could all sit in on practices.

If I was a betting man I would bet the ranch that Self has spent most practices working on defense. There is a reason he does it this way; defense comes first in Selfball!

He's afraid if they get too good on offense now, they'll never accept working hard enough on defense to become a solid defensive team. Becoming solid on defense is our best shot at winning another National Championship.

I bet he won't focus hard on offense until Christmas. We always see a different team after break, and that bump is because our offense finally gets locked down in execution and tweaked to adjust for different teams and their strategies.

Just look at what we've seen so far. Our most fluid offense is our open-court run outs. We already have those down better than most teams will ever learn. There is a reason for that... because run outs are a reward for playing good defense and fighting for defensive rebounds! So a big part of our offense practiced to this point is the run out. I guarantee we've put in plenty of time on that.

This is just my opinion.... sounded right coming out! I'm not a gambler so it is easy for me to go out on a limb!

Well done, @JayDocMD!

Your post deserves it's own thread.

I believe your post builds up to a broader perspective:

Is a team-oriented coach the best option for the very top OAD prospects?

I know I don't have an answer to that one.

I believe every top athlete gets shot down by someone. If they score too much they are a ball hog and don't play team ball. If they don't score enough they aren't a leader, aren't aggressive enough, or are missing certain skills.

Look at the entire group in this year's top bunch. I think Parker has been meeting expectations better than anyone (up to this point). Randle is a beast, and we saw how he could dominate against MSU, but he's had some mixed results since then and a few sports people are starting to bag on him.

I ponder on what someone else has said in here. Perhaps it was HEM. That Self (and Kansas) attracts a different breed; those lacking some alpha-dog. Maybe because Self talks "team" all the time so those types figure they can meld in and not have all the pressure.

I do believe that players follow their coaches signals. And if Self isn't giving the signal he's looking for an alpha-dog then it is unlikely one will show up.

All of us in here sometimes have difficulty understanding CS. He's a guy who picks his words carefully, so we all dismiss the possibility that anything he says could just be an emotional blurt. But when you line up his comments, eventually you will count on reading tea leaves trying to figure him out.

I try to read everything I can on CS. I'm still lost between a guy who strictly looks for "team play" to a guy who is looking for an alpha-dog to step up and take control. Maybe there is such a thing as both. I'm pretty sure there is and I think that is the Holy Grail Self is looking for. I think all of us fans (fanatics) read so much sports media content we lose sight of what is possible. You only have to reread what I wrote up above; star players are always criticized regardless how they play! So people like me read it all, and it creates a chaos inside of me where I suddenly become lost within myself.

Is Wiggins a bust?

&%& NO! I would certainly be saddened if he suffered an injury now and was out for the rest of the season. I would be sad for him and us, because we definitely would feel the impact. Maybe not so much now, but later.

Marcus Smart's comments were dead on... how he didn't understand how Wiggins could steal that much light without ever dribbling a ball in D1. Smart is a fighter... and he's worked his rear off to get where he's at in D1. He has the scars to prove it. So naturally, he didn't understand why he was upstaged by a HS player. I totally agree with Smart!

There is nothing wrong with Andrew Wiggins. The only thing wrong was the disproportionate amount of publicity he has received without ever having to earn it. Yes... he was an outstanding HS player. But the publicity since summer wasn't about HS. It was about D1 basketball... something Andrew never played before.

Ever since that SI cover came out I have thrown a fit in here. I said we'll be playing an extra ghost player every time we are on the court this year. It's like that SI cover grew legs and is playing against us. Every decent upperclassman playing basketball this year was offended by that cover. All those players have already bled for D1 basketball, and few even received a comment of text in that SI issue. That cover put a target on Wiggins and put a target on our entire team.

If Wiggins doesn't lift his game by conference play, you can expect to see him taunted during away games with large graphics mocking his SI cover. I can already see it play out.

I hope all of this ends up working to our advantage come March. That our team will get used to taking everyone's best shot... and Wiggins will fly off his artificially-created cloud, down to earth... down to being grounded again. Perhaps even being down a bit lower than most... to the point of carrying a chip and wanting to prove the hype was right. He'll have to find the drive to fight harder than every player on the court. That will be the only way he ever stands out enough to earn that hype. An occasional highlight stuff will not be enough. The stats will have to meet the expectations, too. The only way to build the quality stats is to put more energy out than everyone else. Stats don't hype a mind-blowing dunk!

We'll all find out what Andrew is made of. But we won't find out today, or tomorrow... but we'll know by March.

I'm keeping with my earlier post....

The two biggest difference-makers this year will be Mason and Embiid!

I'm not saying we won't get help from everyone else... I just think these two will be most pronounced.

I'm going with the second team!

Here is what I expect out of our young, talented team during the timeline of this season:

1. HOT HOT HOT... the first few games they sizzle. They play on heavy adrenaline and showcase a lot of individual skills. They can show glimpses of team play because their opponents don't have their game together yet either.

2. COLD COLD COLD... still in the early part of the season everything starts shifting to bad. The young players start feeling the pressure from their opponents as their opponents stiffen up on defense and run more aggressive offense. The basket seems to shrink in size and young players start losing some of their confidence. Their play stiffens up, they start thinking too much so their play slows down, and the game turns ugly. Young players realize just how little they know about basketball.

3. WARM WARM WARM... after a period of doldrums young teams start showing signs of coming around. A few more shots drop and they start to realize all the work in the gym is beginning to pay off. Their confidence slowly increases and fans start seeing hope again.

4. WARMER WARMER WARMER... gradually the team show signs of what they are capable of playing. Their play is a mix of mediocre and outstanding. It's enough to post consistent wins. Confidence continues to improve.

5. HOT HOT HOT... we are reaching the end of the season and the play goes HOT! Their play is still mixed, but mostly showing play on the high end. Players (and fans) optimism grows exponentially. Everyone feeling good about upcoming play in March!

6. MYSTERY MYSTERY MYSTERY... anything is possible in March... from an early exit to going all the way. This is where teams find out if they have a real leader... someone who can not stand to lose and will do anything and everything necessary to create a win. Those players are rare and they remain hidden until the real crunch time happens in March. This is where the team needs a leader, but at the same time the team has to show it is really a team, where they all come together and fight their hardest.

This is what I expect out of this year, and to be honest, it is a pretty optimistic prediction (even without predicting March). Anything could happen in between; injuries, bad off-court experiences, chaotic sports media, suspensions...

Look at my timeline. We are just now entering the hard times. Brace yourselves! Keep some hope that they learn fast!

I understand why Self has distributed minutes like he has. He realizes these games become a battle of who wins the foul wars so he goes with a lineup that should be driving the ball. He's been screaming at our perimeter to drive drive drive, but the only one listening is Mason. Our starting 1, 2 and 3 all have the capabilities to drive but don't do it. Selden is the legitimate threat at 3... and we finally saw him use it against UTEP.

So right now we aren't getting enough offense out of our perimeter. Our guards aren't driving enough, or nailing 3s enough.

We just aren't developed enough on offense to execute much yet. I don't think it will help to shove in Frankamp, Greene or White in the current state of our offense. I said this yesterday... look at Frankamp's % from trey. It stinks. Is it because he hasn't adjusted to D1 basketball yet? Or is it the fact that we don't execute a half court offense yet? I believe it is the latter.

I'm really not worried about our perimeter shooting. It will come around when our offense comes around. Frankamp will continue to stink at shooting 3s until we settle in and run a real half court offense. He forces his shots because he's just trying to get a few shots up. It does no good to give him floor time until we learn to play in the half court. I feel sorry for him because he knows what he can do and it isn't translating yet. Really... Greene, White and Frankamp can all bomb as well as any perimeter player in D1!

We've enjoyed some great FG% shooting in our first games, when the teams we played were lost on defense. Now the season is moving on and teams are learning to play better, and our offense has not kept up. You can expect that from a young team... it will take them longer to get things figured out. But they will!

Meanwhile... we all need to hammer down on these kids. They will only reach close to their potential if they are pushed. It's the "chip philosophy" I've been grinding into many of my posts these days. So the fans can play a part by pushing the players to get their act together. Read Self's words... they aren't getting it yet!

I'm going to gripe on them constantly. It is for their own good. They can't improve to the level they need to be at without feeling uncomfortable. It is about getting them out of their comfort zone, so they'll work harder, pay closer attention to their coaches... and go fight for 50/50 balls!

Come on CS.... put a rock in their shoes! It works!

Right on, Hawk8086...

I'd just like to see him take some minutes now from Traylor... It doesn't have to be for the entire season.. let's just at least give him a few real minutes and see what he does. A big part of the game is self-confidence and it seems we could invest a few minutes before New Years to see what he can do.

You are right... maybe practice exposes other things. But in the least, it can also help our other bigs know their minutes aren't guaranteed.

Maybe pull a few minutes from Ellis.... he didn't show up for most of the Bahamas trip and he's the one guy they counted on. I'm afraid he still needs to be pushed sometimes!

We caught the freshmanitis bug. Look at the symptoms... lethargic play, slow minds, no motion, standard flu-like symptoms...

We can blame it on the flu... but in reality... it was freshmanitis. These guys probably lacked sleep and were distracted and then suddenly had to face a few different wrinkles in the game (including the strange venue)... and they froze like deer in the headlights.

I don't think the answer will come from changing the starting lineup. The answer is for Self to get these guys to play together as a team. To defend better individually and as a team... and to attack the rim better individually and as a team. I watched 'Nova in that championship game come back and take the crown. If any of you watched the interviews after the game they interviewed that little guard that nailed the loss on us and he went on and on about how he loves his teammates and how they do everything together. Totally different feel than what we have going on.

Let's face it... all the distractions from sports mag covers to media interviews has shifted the focus away from this team on what it should be; the team! It must be tough for them to focus, especially being so young. The Bahamas trip interrupted the only consistency in their lives; waking up every day on the Kansas campus and going through their daily rituals. It may not sound like a big deal to us... but we aren't a flock of teenagers being shoved onto the national spotlight.

All I care about is they bring hustle to the game. That Villanova performance made me feel like turning off the TV. They looked a little bit better for UTEP... just had some mental farting down the stretch. Those Mason fouls were largely a joke... phantom fouls. I'm surprised the announcers bagged so hard on Mason for hustling, and didn't even mention how the refs were dominating the game more than the players. I've always hated refs that hyper call the last minute of a game!

BTW: those announcers were horrible. They should do a bit of background study on teams before they get on TV and blurt out horrible comments that are untrue. When they went on and on about KU not having 3-pt shooters on this team I wanted to punch my flatscreen. We just don't have an offense in place to accommodate our shooters. That's a big reason why we are throwing up a low % from 3. You only have to look at Frankamp to see that... he's almost earned his bricklayer's union card by now! The guy won't miss if the offense flows and he gets hit in the chest with a pass where he has room and his feet are set.

Frankamp isn't even a weapon we can use yet until we have a working offense. That should help people understand just how immature our offense is right now. I'm still confident we'll get it together. The key is to turn off the media buzz. They loved to build up Wiggins before he ever dribbled a ball... and they are loving tearing him down after just a few games because his stats don't match up to Parker's or Randle's. Take it all with a grain of salt.. Actually... listen to Marcus Smart's early words about Wiggins being put on a pedestal without ever dribbling a ball. He didn't even mean it as an attack on Wiggins... he was just exposing how the media runs off in unrealistic directions.

Life will continue.

I certainly won't bag on you about Lucas. He represented one of the few shining lights from this road trip. I'd like to see Lucas given more minutes now, too. Not so much because of his numbers in the few minutes he played... but because he's another legitimate option and he's never seen real court time before. From what I hear, he's already made huge improvements since being in Lawrence. So let's see how he reacts when he's given real PT. Some players bounce up their games an entire notch when given real minutes. He may be that type of player. We won't know unless he's given some minutes.

Every team, including great teams, get stuck in ugly games. It is important that we win them. The last game mostly became ugly at the end... but at least they brought some energy to that game. I never did see the first game enough to judge. Their loss to Villanova was pathetic. I'd make them run stairs for a month if I had a team that pulled that ridiculous stunt. They embarrassed themselves and should apologize to the entire Jayhawk nation for not showing up... especially the 3000 fans that built their holiday around supporting Jayhawk basketball. I wrote an entire rant about that yesterday.

I think it goes without saying that Embiid will continue to receive favor for more minutes. Embiid and Mason were the other two shining lights that came on in the Bahamas. From the beginning, I mentioned a need to start Embiid... but after further thought, I guess I don't really care if he starts or not, just that he gets plenty of minutes. Starting is something that can impact some player's attitude. I don't think Embiid cares. He didn't grow up with basketball. But it may mean a great deal to Black. He hasn't always performed well but we do need Black this year. He works with all the big guys in practice, too. So if Embiid doesn't care, what is the loss in starting Black? As long as Embiid gets his minutes. He'll never play 40 minutes.

I'm perplexed with Tharpe. At times he really shines... and other times he really dips. The largest attribute he should bring to this team is consistency. And he has a respectable trey shot, but he doesn't use it. He feels a bit too much responsibility to facilitate other scorers. We need perimeter scoring. I don't think Frank is our answer for that... So when we have both Frank and Naa in the game at the same time (and Selden on the bench) who can hit the trey? Better question: who WILL hit the trey?

Villanova exposed how soft we play on the perimeter. Their perimeter trap was marginal at best... but it totally worked to disrupt our half court offense. We had no answer for it. We were unable to attack it, and let's face it... it should have been a gift for us to shred it up and throw it in Wright's face. The fact that Wright brought that strategy should tell us all how desperate he was to try and find anything that would slow us down. He'll never admit it, but no one was more surprised than Wright that it worked and we never adjusted to it and attacked it.

That's what happens in November to rookie teams. They get exposed for how little they know and how little they can change during a game to react to the pressure. I don't even care about that, because it is just a part of the game that seems to be a rite of passage.

What I do care about is hustle. And this team has enough skill and depth to bet 99% of the teams out there if they just show up ready to play!

It all comes with the turf. I knew that SI cover wouldn't go unchecked...

From what I've seen so far, one of the comments on that article made sense. So far, Andrew has mostly been a spin move. And he does have dribbling issues sometimes. Recently he has shown us a fade away jumper, too. If you compare games with Parker, Parker shows more well-rounded skills. Doesn't mean it will end up that way in March though.

Andrew is the better athlete, by far... but he needs to work on his toolbox. If he had more tools, he wouldn't be passing off the ball all the time, he would be pushing it to the hole.

I'm happy to read the criticism. The honeymoon is over for Andrew. He said he was ready to accept the responsibility of the big lights. It's showtime and it is time he performs to his ability.

There is plenty he can do right now to lift his game. Rome wasn't built in a day, and Andrew's toolbox isn't going to be filled before Christmas. But he can start hustling and take over games with his hustle. Does anyone in here remember Kevin Young? I suggest Andrew's first move to improve is to take a trip to the KU file room and watch tape on Kevin Young.

Imagine what Andrew Wiggins could do if he had Kevin Young's hustle? Look what Kevin Young did with it! Andrew's athleticism jumps right over Kevin's.

I've said it all along... that a big part of Andrew's game should come off of hustle plays; offensive rebound put backs, 50/50 ball recoveries, steals, blocks... He can build a pile of stats through hustle alone. Then let the rest of his game unfold during the year. He has at least two wicked scoring moves now... and others will develop. But he has to go to work in the gym. He needs to take a coach with him.

Andrew's draft position will largely be about potential. He doesn't have to have all the slick moves Jabari has. But he better show his attitude is right. He better show he's ready to lead a team. He better be out-hustling everyone... including Mason! That's what it takes at the top. It isn't all about athleticism.... it's about what you do with it. The NBA won't teach him to lead... won't teach him to fight for more than his share of 50/50 balls... won't teach him to take over games...

It's showtime, Andrew... don't leave your game in the dressing room!

I'm on your blog... still waiting for CJ to approve my account... but will keep an eye on the blog during the game.

Thanks, Jesse!

We should have attacked all the perimeter trapping...

We could have drawn up a play to continually run so when our guards got trapped on the sides, they feed Mason out on top (or in motion) and he penetrates and either finishes or feeds off to a big or open trey. Maybe the guys just couldn't execute anything and freaked out. The pressure on the ball was reasonable but not that heavy.

I can't believe we didn't adjust early on and punish them for that. If this team had executed a plan, or just executed as a reaction to the on-ball pressure, we would have crushed 'Nova.

Wishawk... I agree with you concerning Greene. I was glad he launched the 3. I was hoping this game was his (or Connor's) big chance to be a hero! Even the lousy announcers constantly ranted about our inability to hit treys. It was painful to hear them go on and on about how Kansas doesn't have quality perimeter shooting.

We really didn't run any kind of game plan whatsoever. It looked like what you would expect in the first week of practice.

Hey... Landen gave some positive minutes in the loss to Villanova.

I'm glad to see him earn some real game minutes... and I hope he continues to pick up a few quality minutes. It will do him good to earn the experience and will help drive him to improve more so he'll earn even more of those minutes!

Rock Chalk, Landen Lucas!

HEM - I had a hard time agreeing with everything Jaybate said about it. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading it! Very creative concepts that Jaybate brought forward. It was just a bit too much conspiracy-style for me to buy into 100%... though... he always gave me something to think about further. I always like reading the guys who write it on out to the fringe!

I think there is a reason why Mason and Embiid stick out. Maybe Mason is carrying forward a bit of "Napoleon complex"... My bet is he always had to prove himself in basketball up and beyond the rest because of his size. He's always carried a chip.

With Embiid... his entire upbringing carried a chip, perhaps even for survival. He's a fast learner because it is an inherent quality built into him, most likely from the world he grew up in.

I'm not ready to throw this team under a bus. But I'm bringing forward something I see in this team that I've seen in most of Self's teams. I'd like to see this team reach some level of their potential... and that will only come with emotional passion!

It is hard to argue with Self's overall record. In fact, he's at the top in winning percentage over the last 10 years or so.... but I'm talking about an area where I always feel like is something we can't count on. An area that always puts us at risk of losing. The area I am talking about is whether or not the Jayhawks show up to a game. You know.. if Villanova had come out and blazed the nets with 3-pt shots that were guarded, I'd be satisfied to say it just wasn't our night because we got nailed by a team that had one of those fluke hot shooting nights. That wasn't the case. Villanova really didn't even play that well. The way we played last night, we would lose probably 8 out of 10 times to Villanova. That is the part I have a hard time accepting and why I bring question to something flowing (or not flowing) behind this team.

Why don't we show up for every game pumped and ready to play? Personally, I always came ready to play because I loved to play ball... whether it was lunch ball at the Y or something bigger. And I never walked away from a game where I had anything left in the tank. So I don't get it. I always came ready to fight! And sometimes it led to that.

Self has a history of losing big games to huge underdogs. So I'd like to know why so maybe it can be solved, because I know I absolutely hate losing games like what happened yesterday. I would have much rather lost a nail biter to Duke where both teams played well and fought for a win!

How many 50/50 balls did we win yesterday?

The answer to that question says it all...

Lots of excellent comments in here.

HEM... you need to be coaching basketball somewhere. You nailed so many dead on points.

Konkey... you broke the entire game down to one sentence, that put it all into perspective - "Nova wanted the win, and our guys didn't." I don't know if I'd go that far.. but clearly, our guys were not prepared for this game and didn't want it as much as Villanova wanted it. Let's face it.. this was a home game. 3000 Hawk fans sitting in a 3600 seat venue makes it a home game. We had no energy. It picked up a bit at times in the second half. But it got so bad that I started hoping we would lose... because we didn't deserve that win. Gary Bedore missed the mark with his sub-headline "Late Villanova three shocks Jayhawks"... The 3-pt basket they hit was a karma shot. It would have been a crime if we would have won that game.

A game is 40-minutes long. We only won a few minutes in that game. We only played with the same energy as Villanova in those few minutes. The rest of the time we were standing flat footed, looking around like deer in the headlights. Perry... I couldn't believe his deer-like stare. At times I thought he was counting ceiling tiles. He played like he did last year early on and was why he couldn't earn a starting spot.

The day after a loss is when everyone looks to point fingers. You can point fingers all around. I think it is best (and easiest) to first look at what doesn't deserve the finger. Frank Mason.... and JoJo Embiid. Those guys are on a different planet. Those guys could care less if the rest of the team takes the night off, they come ready to compete. Those guys don't follow the group drumbeat. I just said it a few days ago... that these two guys are the difference makers this year. I still haven't seen all of Thursday's game... but from the minutes I watched it was Mason who kept us alive and earning the win.

I wish Jaybate was around now. No one else can describe some of Self's strategy better... or at least, give a plausible answer to questions that leave the rest of us scratching our heads. Jaybate would say that Self intentionally throttled-down the troops for this tournament. It's like he does his "dirty business" as far away from AFH as possible. Seems like we never fair well in these island tourneys. You can bet we will be a much better team come conference play because of this loss (and the possibility we lose again today). Self wants his guys tested. Self wants his guys to start listening more and working harder. He'll now have a reference point for what happens when we don't hustle.

I nailed it yesterday... before the game when I said we better be ready for Villanova... and Self better want it more than Wright. Konkey nailed it by saying they wanted it more. And when I look at a team of freshmen, being led by a junior who didn't start until a few games ago... the leader is the coach, not Tharpe. Wright beat Self. His team isn't overly talented and they didn't even have a good game. But it was enough because the team that won was the one who brought energy to the game. And Wright had his guys ready to play.

Everyone knows I'm a huge Bill Self fan. But I have one valid criticism about his coaching... it is his lack of getting his troops psyched up to play every game. The only way to do that is to develop a chip on their shoulders. He's never grasped that reality and I feel comfortable saying that it has cost us at least one National Championship. The closest we came to playing with a chip took our lowest talent team under Self (2012) to the brink of a title and into the championship game against a stacked Kentucky team. Imagine if he could learn to develop a chip with his teams... There is no way to always guarantee you'll have a player who carries a big chip. That's why if you want to stand a chance at winning a National Championship year in and year out, the coach will carry a big chip and will be able to communicate it to the team and have them jump on board. If you want to see what I'm talking about, watch the clip 60 Minutes ran on Alabama football a while back. Saban carries a big chip. It is the reason behind Alabama football being brought back to the top of prominence again. If we want to have a serious chance of taking home National Championships on a regular basis then Self will have to become more like Saban. There is a caveat to becoming like Saban... it isn't always a pretty process. It requires outrageous dedication! Sometimes borders on requiring unhealthy mental processes!

I know a bunch of guys out there who understand what I'm talking about... these guys played on a team that lost 11 games during the year. It turned out to be the most losses ever by an eventual National Champion. I'm talking about "Danny and the Miracles" and it was only a miracle to people who don't understand human nature. Manning had a chip on his shoulder walking in to that National Championship game. He wasn't going to lose. He remembered losing to Oklahoma in AFH earlier that year.... he remembered the other 10 losses they had that year. He was not going to be denied.

Now look at the game last night and tell me which Jayhawk player was close to matching Danny Manning's mindset in that National Championship game?

Our team will improve. They will learn to play better together and as individuals. It doesn't really matter. They won't be championship material unless they understand what I'm talking about and find a way to generate that kind of passion. I'd trade that passion for all the experience and practice moving forward to improve this team. They already have the talent and capability to be a National Champion... but what it takes to win it all is something generated in your gut. There have been several champions decided by only having one or two players carrying the chip. The rest of the team follows. That's what happened in '89....

In the coming days I'll be looking for a player who speaks out about how much he hates to lose. Chips don't happen over night....

The entire game of basketball can be summarized into one statement: the team that wants it more will win! If you don't believe me, Google North Carolina State and how they became giant killers all the way to a National Championship against an NBA all-star team!

I'm not a Jay Wright fan either. He's a Pennsylvania boy who always thought UK was on the west coast. When he actually had to go to UNLV for a couple of years as an assistant to Massimino, he hated every second of it. He's an east coast snob. He will be totally jacked for this game.

CS better want it more than Wright...

I hope everyone took their vitamins last night. Might as well get the team flu out of the way now.

I've got the game yet to watch (in full) on someone's DVR. Will see it tomorrow.

But I did see part of the game on the internet via the link someone posted on here. I just caught a few minutes of the second half.

I recall watching our fast break defense collapse. Someone on WF dribbled the ball, coast to coast, right by Perry (who had his back to the ball and not even watching). Perry actually was a moving screen against his own teammate.

That will be a humiliating piece of tape to run back in Lawrence next week when coaches evaluate this road trip.

I also watched Mason totally keeping us alive with scoring and energy.

I wonder if our second team, in general, can typically match the performance of our first team. As long as Embiid and Mason stay on second team...

I hope several of our guys were just sick... because some of the play looked sick. Don't know if they can improve much playing again today.

Seems that we rarely play well on these island pre-conference tourneys.

We have to realize how good it is to win games now where we play bad. We don't get penalized with a loss, but CS collects plenty of ammunition to take into practices and drill these guys. It's hard to keep a team of young guys paying attention all the time and hustling. It is clear that CS had to pull the starting five in order to get their attention in the Bahamas.

Yes... I was talking about football... but even basketball... there is no way you can compare Tubbs to Stewart. Stewart hated Kansas so much he refused to even buy gas over the border. But tundrahok... I understand your issues with Tubbs. He wasn't my favorite OU coach either!

My comment was more about the fan bases and not coaches. I didn't have a problem with Anderson at Mo. And Haith is Haith.... Snyder bothered me because he was like watching a miniature poodle with vibrating head and panting breath. None of those reasons create real hatred toward a program. Like I said before... rivalry is different from out-and-out hatred! Rivalries don't stoop so low as to joke about a player's mother's tragic death...

I guess we all have to remember that Kansas has always held an elite status in basketball... and several of these teams fan bases go nuts from that fact. BTW: it is a fact, and indisputable.... I think that part of it being indisputable is what rubs trashy fans.

I don't understand that because our football history is not that great (concerning victories) but I've always respected teams like Oklahoma. I was at our recent loss to OU at Memorial and sat beside OU fans. We enjoyed each others' company.

Our best retaliation on this type of behavior is to just go in there and take care of business. These silly ISU and MU fans should just be ignored. They aren't even worth insulting because no one insults them better than what they do to themselves. Not worth a shoot out in the gutter.

I'm just glad we don't play Mizzou any longer. We never had anything to gain... and everything to lose.

CS is high on my list and part of the reason relates to him not wanting any part of MU in the future.

Wissox... surprised your directv doesn't have it. Go to the directv internet site and put your zip code in. You can do a search on AXS. I thought all directv subscribers with almost any package would have access to it.

My brother-in-law says it works on his directv and he's recording it for me. As a backup, I have another friend dvr-ing the game for me on his directv.

I'm optimistic, but not 100%.

Yes... we don't have good luck against UTEP. In '66 they were called "Texas Western" and was the first all black starting five. I don't mind that loss... because the Miners ended up beating an all white Kentucky team that year and it played a big role in opening the door for more African-American players being recruited to schools that previously only recruited white kids.

We lost to them again in '92... second round. Trying to remember the third loss...

I think other teams in the ACC call them "Weak Forest."

This starts out a business trip... but at some point those guys will get a few hours on the beach.

well, brooksmd... at least it is easy to spot LSU gear! I guess you could always embroider a Vikings logo over LSU...

; )

wrwlumpy... factually correct.

Antlers are famous for what they throw on the court at players. You can bet there were times when KU teams were given instructions to lift their arms with their warmup tops on only their arms and pull tight in hopes to protect themselves from flying objects. Imagine Jayhawk teams all looking like the "Flying Nun" running through the tunnel at Hearnes Center or Brewer Fieldhouse.

Someone refresh my memory... what Jayhawk player in recent history was nailed with trash at Columbia? Didn't one of our guys get slightly damaged from a cup?

The following link is what Mizzou Antlers are all about. Really rich tradition...

(love to read the Antler in the comments... calling KU's basketball success "ill-begotten"... and how he would prefer having a "well-rounded" athletic department. Seriously... is that what you call not winning a NC in either basketball or football... "well-rounded?"..... what a joke!)

Personally, I'm glad the trash moved to the SEC. It's a match made in heaven.

We didn't share a rivalry with Mizzou... we just shared hatred. It's like calling the USA entering WWII the beginning of a rivalry. Americans hated Hitler... and the hatred extended to Japan after Pearl Harbor.

I hope that works, JayHawkFanToo!

It will save everyone around me from having to eat Thanksgiving turkey through a straw... because if that link doesn't work I won't be able to see the game until Friday and I'll be taping everyone's mouth shut after 2:30pm CST on Thanksgiving. Someone always likes to spoil my tape-delayed viewings with the results beforehand.

BTW: I've posted this on other threads... Don't know if it is factually correct, but in theory... if you have any of these providers and have a cable package above basic, the following channels should show ASX TV on these channels:

AT&T U-verse TV Channel #1106,
DIRECTV Channel #340,
DISH Network Channel #167

What a laugher...

Ask any former Jayhawk player what it was like to play in Columbia.

It's where I learned to discriminate vile from bile.