Do I have this wrong?
Kansas -4
I don't follow lines.
But right after this it said Nova has a 51% chance of winning.
drgnslayr
11251 posts
I saw it on ESPN this morning.
Just caught a sportsbook line from Vegas and we are UNDERDOGS! 4 point underdogs! Nova has a 51% chance of victory!
More fuel for a chip! This is ridiculous. We are the only #1 seed, and their most valuable player is down and out... and we are underdogs!
NCAA president decries pace of basketball investigations, including KU probe
https://m.kusports.com/news/2022/apr/01/ncaa-president-decries-pace-basketball-investigati/ ↗
There just is no other way to see Emmert being anything more than a turd sandwich. Unreal that this process, which has ZERO legal teeth, thinks it will produce findings with more depth than the federal authorities did. Yet they now have the authority to relieve themselves of accountability by having the process void of an appeal process. It's anti-American. Who wrote this concept up.... Putin?
I think Jeremy has a huge future in basketball, wherever he goes!
@BeddieKU23 said in Mitch:
Breaking News:
Mitch Lightfoot has been awarded a 7th year of eligibility by the NCAA and plans to return
I know what day this is and have been busy pulling stunts all day already! lol
I have to brag that I picked this Final Four group... yesterday! April Fools!
Everyone in here knows I possess the "drgnslayr jinx." I'm being very careful what I say now!
"“He had life experiences where he could’ve chosen the wrong path. He could’ve gone one of two directions,” Lisa Braun said."
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article259861695.html#storylink=cpy ↗
This really says a lot. So many people talk about positivity... I feel people like Juan are the ultimate mentors for positivity... it must have been very hard for him sometimes to take that right path and go against the grain of his environment.
I don't think I've ever seen Bill so relaxed and happy!
WE CAN PLAY LIKE UNDERDOGS!
Yes... we are the only #1 seed left. So what?
I don't think many (or any) of you predicted this team to be a Final Four team in the preseason! I didn't!
So... let's not grind down hard on these guys and just wish them success! Play loose and free, fellas, because you have already exceeded our expectations this year and we think you had an excellent year!
RCJH!
I think Jalen's best ticket is to return no matter what. Then... go into complete muscle-building mode in the off-season. Then work on jump shot, handles, and defense. There is a limit what he can do for his athleticism, but he could become a true mean-ass junkyard dog that has a chance on the right NBA roster. It's a long shot because he will truly have to sacrifice everything and more to build into this Marvel character!
I have no friggin' idea!
I am certain that we didn't jump into that blindly... otherwise...
Excellent post, and I agree.
I think it would be a big mistake for Jay to trap us with any kind of press. First... he should worry about conserving energy with his limited bench. But also... if we are smart we should attack that with Chai and DMac. Stick DMac down low and get him in a 1-on-1... or same with Chai in an opened-up halfcourt with 1-on-1.
A couple things I do really think make us different than many of our past teams that even arguably had more individual talent. First... we are capable of having a very low TO game. Second... we don't panic when tested.
And, for once... we appear to be a team that is peaking at the right time! Seems this isn't where we are in the end of March... normally. We could easily see our best played ball all year this coming weekend (and Monday, hopefully).
When you put Blackburn and Booker together to sponsor a bill... you best be paying attention!
Love this:
"Louisville, Arizona and LSU have all dismissed the head coaches of the programs at the times of the alleged violations, although on markedly different timelines. Louisville fired Rick Pitino immediately; Arizona parted ways with Sean Miller in spring 2021; and LSU just terminated Will Wade earlier this month. Kansas, on the other hand, has given Bill Self a “lifetime contract.”"
This game should be a great opportunity for us to play with great energy and be rewarded. Even though Nova is without Moore... consider their mascot as appropriate because they are like an injured Wildcat and you can bet they will come ready to play.
Expect them to play using the entire 30-second clock. This is where we really need our guys coached up to not give up during a possession. Nova is known to give up a good shot in favor of a great shot. This means we can't have players defending in dead space. They need to keep to their man and only give weakside help when appropriate. Largely... in the paint we need Dave and Mitch to step up big.
I fear a hot Nova from trey. But if we stick to playing tough and with energy, they should wear down with their small bench. Keep the pressure on all game and we stand a great chance of outlasting them!
As I mentioned in an earlier post... we seem to catch every break in this tourney.
It is perfect that the UNC/DUKE game is built up so high. This will be the real championship for these teams. Ha... then they have to turn right around and play us on Monday! (hopefully us) Perfect time for us to come on strong... the only #1 seed left... the sleeper team!
And let's say we win it all. Imagine the egg on the faces of left coast media when they have to deal with a non-ACC champion? After all that hoopla?!
Let's get this straight.... this is OURS for the grabbing! We deserved this two years ago and didn't get the chance to get it. Just a little bit more of our chip moving forward. All that said... we don't just deserve this. We have to earn it!
Meanwhile.... let's focus on the Wildcats that have had our number for a while. Focus on Saturday!
@jayballer67 said in Chip and Pace...:
going for the record. - -they are automatic , you foul them just giving them automatic points. - -A lot depends on how they call the game they call it loose physical then we gonna be ok - -if they call it tight - gonna be a lot of free throws for Villanova won’t be nice
This is just my opinion.... but when we really turn up the pressure and pace... we still foul but the fouls are more distributed evenly throughout the guys.
I'm afraid if we let Nova set the pace and it is at a snail's pace, they will target key players, like Big Dave, and go to work on him.
I feel certain one of Wright's strategies will be to level the depth by attempting to get us in foul trouble. We need to play really smart. Aggressive but not fouling.
We have a week to prep. We need to have them well scouted and defend based on their tendencies. That means, hedging their drives and expecting specific scoring moves and creating space moves. And of course, knowing their play sets.
There were a few defensive rebounds and dribble-ups yesterday seemed faster than I saw all year!
I thought we were more disciplined... not always trying to take it to the rack and get a charge call, and we realized the importance of the secondary break.
I think that was the best half of ball I've seen this team play and it definitely fit my idea of what Self meant by "another gear!"
If we play like that for two games we take it home! Kudos to the guys! Now keep it up!
RCJH
Greetings all!
The Chipmaster has returned! lol
I'm feeling very optimistic about our meeting with Nova, and it isn't because of the tragic injury to Justin Moore.
Villanova is the only team that has beat two Self teams ranked #1 and has a 5-3 advantage, including a total beatdown the last time we made it to the Final Four.
Red meat for a huge chip! Our guys have already shown us some chip from time-to-time. I am hopeful we will come out on fire, like we finally did the second half of yesterday's game!
With this much at stake, and our guys realizing what a threat Villanova is and has been in our history, THEN add in the proof that coming out with energy lifts pace and dominates games...
DID WE FINALLY GET THE MESSAGE?
So glad we don't have any prima donna OADs on this team.... stealing the limelight when it is a team effort while just adding unneeded drama that prevents us from focusing.
You can be sure that is part of the reason he gets so many minutes. He is being molded as a defensive guard. Not quite a Garrett... but let's see where he is by his senior year!
Really. Luck is always a part of this, if for no other reason than your guys staying healthy... but we've caught breaks throughout this tourney.
I still wouldn't sleep on Nova. Wright and troops are so capable.
And it was tempo in the second half that made it a blowout. I'm not wrong about this. Yes... we brought more intensity... but it was that intensity that ignited the tempo in our direction. Miami then proceeded to brick treys. They were sped up and totally out of sink in the second half.
If we can turn it up like that in two more games we bring home a trophy. It is as simple as that. Otherwise... we will grind out games and I hope we can still prevail but I have my doubts.
This time of year, we have to be disciplined with whatever we do.
I can't think of a game where we didn't perform well when we increased the tempo. It seems Self wants it, too.
I hear what you are saying, CB and Wilson probably get nailed on the charge more than anyone. I'm not sure those are bad fouls. Our guys need to be more aggressive.
I'm just glad this is probably one of the best closing teams we've ever had (at least... going back to 2008). If it wasn't for that, I don't think we won last night.
Maybe it is best we show different tempos every game. How hard would that be to scout us now if we change the tempo constantly?
I already feel like the Providence game was a change up. We definitely put our emphasis on defense and didn't mind walking the ball up the court. That has to make Miami think...
We don't have to accept that the other team sets the pace. If they are a slow team, we have that much more to gain if we can speed them up on offense. I do worry about teams like Nova because Wright and his PG are so well-coached on what to do.
When we pull down defensive rebounds we can run on anyone. What ticks me off is when we push it up court and guys get all the way into the paint then they pull the ball out to run half-court offense. Instead... they need to take it to them. Be aggressive! Earn FTs! Foul out players! Score points!
Anytime we get stuck running half-court offense we run the risk of dropping points and momentum and going cold and losing confidence.
I'm back in worry mode.
I'm glad we advanced... but last night should have been a blowout.
I am thankful we have a group that doesn't freak out when punched in the face... and this has saved us all year long and again last night.
But here we were... a BAD BALL game... slugfest down to the wire. Maybe we can win 3 more games like this... I just don't see this as the best strategy to go.
I think we influenced pace last night because we seemed happy keeping it slow. Self had given us a headsup mentioning BAD BALL before this game.
I see we are capable of winning a slow or a fast game, or a game with it being mixed. I get that... and we have made it this far. I'm grateful.
From here on out are we just going to run mostly halfcourt offense?
Can we go ahead and plan that Och isn't going to be a real factor on offense from here on out? Has he ever put up big offensive numbers in March Madness? Are you really an "All-America" if you never step up in March? I don't care if he goes 2-24 in a game... put up the damn shots, son!
I appreciate Wilson's game yesterday... He never stopped fighting on both sides of the ball. But I'm calling us "The University of Remy" from here on out!
So how come we can't have a successful Remy, CB, Och and David in the same game? It just looks like they're coasting. I heard about Self constantly pleading with them to man-up!
Wilson doesn't count on being hot or cold... he just hustles and that gives him a double-double.
I hope we luck out and continue to draw low seeds. Not likely in the FF. I have little doubt in this Miami game... 38 minutes of whatever... it all comes down to the last 2 minutes and I hope we shine at the end!
If we win the NC playing 3 more games of BAD BALL, I will consider getting BAD BALL tattooed on my body!
I have wanted to like Gonzaga for a long time. Mark Few is definitely one of the best coaches in D1. I have nothing but admiration for the way they play and the players they have.
But I dislike them because they have become a kind of West Coast Duke!
The announcers last night made me sick! Their view of the game and calls were all for the Zags. They went on and on.. like with the Holmgren fouls. And when they brought in their specialist... Bull Shizz! That final foul.... duh... yes he was moving back. But his arms were not vertical! And the Zags got way too many "Duke whistles" in this game! The Zags could hack and hack but it wasn't that way for the Razorbacks.
And now... this...
Are you friggin' serious? The game is too rough and the Zags got bullied? And Houston did the same to Arizona? hahahaha... Give me a break. Both teams were beat by teams who had great athletes who hustled.
How about a nice cheese with your whine?
Thanks, all, for the reinforcement. My consciousness has been bruised from past history of BAD BALL! This team will not win it all with BAD BALL alone!
“It wasn’t us playing good,” Self recalled again on Thursday. “The mindset was we just have to make sure that everybody else plays worse.” - Self
I just hope we don't revert to BAD BALL!
It will take our guys to step up on defense to win a title. But we can't do it at total expense of our offense.
That last gear is us playing both sides of the ball... and controlling pace! We coast when it is our pace. Our pace is fast when we play defense and then push for runout offense.
The guys need to know that their reward for defensive stops is fast runouts at the other end!
Please, please... don't mistake our offense for a good half-court offense... because it's not!
@BeddieKU23 said in NOT Remy?!:
@drgnslayr
Guess we talked the Zags out of the tournament
*I'm taking full credit by not jinxing Arkansas! So glad the Zags are gone!
Have to admit I'm shocked TT didn't take down Duke. I had TT making it to the Finals. No doubt I jinxed them!
I'm just thinking positive from here on out and hoping for the best! Just like Self told his troops... enjoy the moment! I'm going to take his advice!
Self has mentioned pace and controlling it and how important it is. It's about finding a speed rhythm where our guys are in-stride and our opponents are not. That right pace will be determined by our guys stepping up on defense enough to get stops. When we get stops we are more able to turn on the speed on offense, by getting the defensive rebounding and pushing it quick to get a shot before the defense sets up. Sometimes it comes by getting a TO.
Many times now we have had brief moments of this... and we bust out a lead quickly. And then in the same game the rhythm changes... the opposing team starts hitting baskets and we are forced to take the ball from out of bounds under our goal. Then we don't get as many easy baskets on offense.
We are not that great of a half-court offense team, especially moving forward as defenses will become tougher and teams have more time to scout us.
We are a great full-court offense team! We either finish on the initial break or we get a secondary break shot, often from trey!
When we are on our pace our opposition typically gets sped up beyond their effectiveness... adding more TOs, too. The Zags are capable of high TOs when they are made uncomfortable.
I keep talking Zags... but we don't have a cakewalk against Providence.
Anytime we don't control pace we are in a slugfest that comes down to the wire. It has been this way all year. Count us fortunate for winning so many close games. That does indicate the mental toughness of our guys to stay focused down the stretch. We don't panic easily!
Defense is our Achilles... That is never proven more than the Bluejay game. We could have shot better from the field but otherwise, we can't expect to do better. We dominated boards, we shot the lights out from the line, we had almost no TOs... we dominated possessions!
Teams like the Zags feast on teams like ours. Turning the game into a game where we try just to outscore our poor defense will not get it done versus the Zags.
Yes, I sound negative... but listen to Self. We need that gear we haven't hit yet. And though Remy brings us a big punch... the real secret weapon we have is that gear we need to reach. I don't think the Zags have the personnel to stop us from hitting that gear... it is all within our guys to find it. It means we play totally free from overthinking and we just go out there and run hard on both sides of the ball.
If this happens... we can win a National Championship, no problemo. And we will all be blessed with watching some of the all-time best Hawk ball ever to be played... and it comes from a group of guys not at the personal level of other teams we've had.
No matter what, I'm proud of these guys for achieving what they have... and I'm hopeful having a week to prepare and a healthy Remy, we find that gear Self is talking about. Wow!
RCJH!
I was thinking the Zags were vulnerable until watching the Memphis game. I had that game circled to be the game where they went down because I thought the athleticism of Memphis would be too much. And it looked like that for most of the game until Timme carried his team. I don't see anyone stopping his game moving forward.
Can they lose? Anyone can lose... but will they?
What about us beating the Zags? Hmmmm... well, we needed a game of almost perfect FT shooting, dominant boards, and very low TOs to squeak by the Bluejays.
What we need is what Self mentioned... that one more gear! I know what he is talking about. It's finally working hard and playing together on defense for 40 minutes. Then converting that defense to offense on the other end with a mostly open-court offense... on the run off a rebound or steal. We've seen sparks of this and when it happens we blow out our opponents!
Remy doesn't seem like he has a "conventional" basketball personality... but maybe that's a good thing! It looks like he attempts to build the love and emotions in a positive way and I give him credit for that! And if there is any method possible that will lift our guys to play at a higher level... bring it on!
Does anyone have a comment on the ESPN plagiarism?
With Remy's recent help, do you all see us as a real contender for a national championship? Can we knock down the Zags?
Okay... First... I think Remy proved many of us armchair quarterbacks wrong. Including myself. I didn't think he would come back and play any kind of real part in our season. WRONG! I seriously doubt we would have made it to the Sweet 16 (again) without his "Type A" personality! He came out there and he decided to make it known he was on the court. I don't know how many games ahead he can swing like this... but what would really be great is if the other guys on the team adopted his "Type A" personality for 4 more games!
I want to personally apologize to Bill Self and Remy Martin... when I threw my hat in on the "Remy didn't work out" train of thought.
If we do win a NC this year... and it is largely because of Remy's aggressiveness... will AFH be flying a Remy banner with a retired number? What is the record for few minutes/points and such a designation?
Now... on to something else...
WTF?! Is this 1984?
Someone tell me I'm hallucinating...
I'm bummed about TCU... they had UA on the ropes! And Baylor's huge comeback... I really thought they would pull it out in OT. Overall... pretty thrilled at the showing of the Big 12!
Zach isn't in the works to become our offensive emphasis.
But he is seen as a potential spark enough that Self allows him to take treys... as was evident last night. Many on this team have hyped his ability from the perimeter.
Guys like KJ and Zach can surprise people because they are not extensively covered in our oppositions' scouting reports. They see how few minutes these guys received during the year and put no focus on them. I would think Zach could throw them for a loop with his trey shot!
Plus, it is a perfect opportunity to give Zach and KJ some March experience immediately! Never know when they will be needed later.
Self's resume is impressive by anyone's standards! There will be those fans that are hard to please because their expectations go higher on NC numbers. Look at the company Self keeps with other coaches with just one NC. It is an impressive cluster of coaches... and let's see how this plays out when Self finally calls it quits. We all need to have patience and appreciate what we have. I still believe he isn't done bringing home NC hardware!
I am deeply sorry for your losses. I lost my father in July. I took care of him and his loss has made a gigantic hole in my life. Add in Covid and now war... I definitely have a different appreciation for everything, including Jayhawk basketball!
It's been a great ride in here and I'm looking forward to future years with all of you! Thank you for helping fill my space with fellowship!
I don't see a good tournament for Arizona.... PG equals Quarterback.
https://www.si.com/college/2022/03/11/kerr-kriisa-injury-arizona-national-title-hopes-dwindling ↗
You know I'm loving this! And I loved how Self talked about how this team doesn't have the talent of past teams, but no one has convinced them of that!
We are capable of beating anyone... and beating them NOT because of a fluke. If we come totally pumped, and playing defense like we have in spots during the year, there is no one that can stay with us. And also value possessions... low TOs and decent rebounding. We get several runouts on TOs and quick rebound outlets or someone like Wilson or Martin rebounding and driving the distance. This often leads to wide open treys on secondary breaks. Pushing like this is our natural tempo and very few teams in this country can go at this tempo successfully.
If we don't control tempo we will usually be in a dog fight. But I will say that we are mentally tough and never really collapsing in games.
My hope is Remy continues to come on strong... also we need Wilson to keep having halfs like he did with TT. He was involved on about half of the plays in that second half. Remy needs to continue to think about scoring more and also pushing pace. There is also pace involved in running our half court offense. Fast pace in half court means guys are moving around quickly... with and without the ball. I think this is the most fun offense I have ever seen from KU when that half court pace is blistering!
@BeddieKU23 said in KU Bracket Reveal Thread:
Bilas has us in the finals against Gonzaga
I feel like the Zags are definitely one of our worst matchups because of our defensive weakness. I bet they'll have a day of shooting in the 60%.
We are capable of playing respectable defense... but it does take a lot of steam out of our sails that we use on offense. However... if we force TOs and missed shots, we are better able to run! We could beat the Zags... but we seriously have to come ready to play defense!
From here on out... it will be our defense that catapults us to the next round. If we think we can just outscore every team... we are bound to hit a psyched up team that is hot from trey.
I think big athletic guards create problems for Dajuan. Remy is small, but uses his speed as an equalizer. That's why we will see Dajuan get less minutes against big athletic guards. If Remy keeps playing like he did yesterday, we jump a notch on potential and have a lot more bench quality.
@approxinfinity said in Red Raiders Part 3 Game Thread Zach SZN Forreal:
Except @drgnslayr . I think he is the sage who said remy would win tourney games for us
I'm not taking any credit here. I totally discounted Remy's potential on a comeback that would carry us.
I think Remy can become a huge weapon against matchups with teams like Kentucky. If he has that speed gear available, he can create a mismatch for big guards. And if he gets hot and willing to take shots... wow!
I'm happy being wrong!
But I think the big difference in this game came in the second half when JWil really stepped up huge. He was dominant and made many key plays on both sides of the ball.
"Looking like we may be a 2-seed." WRONG!
"Who are your picks for “chip teams?” Teams with the biggest chip. My chip teams are the Zags, Duke, Texas Tech."
PROBABLY WRONG, at least with Duke and TT.
I'm the greatest at jinx!