Lord, help us!
drgnslayr
11251 posts
So what is our hope now? Are we merely hoping to stay out of the same bracket as Kentucky? If Arizona goes down in their next game and their PG is out for the tournament... do they bounce from the top line? And then let's say we win the B12 tourney and Kentucky wins the SEC tourney... can we see the possibility of both teams making that top line?
What do you all think... should we want to win today?
If KSU has an ounce of intelligence they will reach out to Lon Kruger and bring him into the fold for scouting/hiring a new coach. Otherwise... they probably end up with Crean. Another vendetta hire.
There is only one word to describe Bruce... Petty! Reminds me of some of the junk from Marsha. This dime store mentality at KSU needs to stop because they are tarnishing the B12 basketball image.
KSU earned every bit of this karma. He was a retaliation hire against KU... I feel certain of it. No intelligent administration would select him after he stopped the Self momentum at the Illini program. Yes... Bruce does it the right way... no one knows how to slip out of town at midnight when the town has torches and pitchforks circling like Bruce.
Bruce has laid down the foundation for his next hire after badmouthing KU on his way out. There must be a program out there somewhere looking for a vendetta hire. And after they suffer years of humiliation he will be run off again, but the blame will rest with the school because they were warned. Or maybe Bruce retires from basketball. I heard Marsha is still around Wichita and in need of a golf caddy. I guess he allegedly hit a hole-in-one recently... if anyone believes him.
I LOVE how Self took all of this.... stating this was never a personal competition between him and Bruce. A subtle way of dismissing Bruce and never recognizing him as an equal... because he was not.
Goodbye, Bruce! "FOUR!" haha
Bravo for your post! I'm surprised Few dropped off so much on a 1-day turnaround. He typically has his troops so well-prepared. Maybe he's gone far without having the top athletes because they were so prepared, but only having a day brought them down to earth on performance. I don't know...
Yes... they have a good program. I just don't see them as a National Championship team. I do see the Zags as one.
It's impossible for us to go into the tournament as a sleeper team.. but it sure would be preferred. The higher we are rated, the more we have a target on our backs and this team is vulnerable to most teams that come in jacked up to play us. Just my opinion....
@jayballer67 said in Hypothetical: 5th Year Dave, What's the Fit?:
He loves it in Lawrence but if he is like any other average Joe - - that Money speaks even louder, he can still love it in Lawrence, there have been others come back to Lawrence that have made it after the time at KU
I wonder how his sales are going for his fashion line?
Their players are just okay.... but they know how to play the Zags.
@tis4tim said in Non-KU Games:
BREAKING NEWS: Coach K going to ask for a do-over of yesterday’s game because he suspects some of the actors involved did not follow the approved script.
And ask to replace the refs for "more friendly" stripes.
Looking like we may be a 2-seed. Does anyone have a problem with this? To be honest, I'm glad if we stay off that top line because I'm lacking confidence in March this year.
Who are your picks for "chip teams?" Teams with the biggest chip. My chip teams are the Zags, Duke, Texas Tech.
Are we a Sweet 16 team? Final Four? I would be happy with a Sweet 16 game and anything past that is gravy.
What teams are NIT bound? K-State? lol
I expect CB and JWil to return after a sniff at the draft. This could change, mostly for CB, if there was the perfect NBA scenario where he could get guaranteed money in his first year. I find that extremely unlikely.
Big Dave is a mystery mostly depending on the extent and recovery of his surgery. I don't see him having much of an NBA chance without coming back for a 5th year. Plus.... I'm not sure but I think a lot of Int'l pro ball channels have dried up because of Covid, world economy, and maybe even the war.
I agree with many... I would happily take a 5th year Dave! If he improves his bad wheel, I would expect him to have a very good year and he can have a premium situation for him and us by sharing post minutes.
I agree with @Texas-Hawk-10 ... our main focus on picking up another player will be a combo guard with some size... preferably in the 6'5" or bigger mold.
We have to address the big elephant in the room... how bad our defense is. I'm not sure what Self is going to do... but I know he is going crazy inside with our current team and their shortcomings. Outside of we lucking in on catching a footer with defensive skills... I guarantee.... if we could find someone of this caliber in the portal, Self will give the ranch to recruit him.
Just imagine this year's team if we had a Doke or even a Withey in the post! We would be the odds on favorite for a title!
Duke and Coach K had a little setback yesterday. They expected UNC to foldup at the star-packed gala at Cameron. Felt like karma to me. I'm surprised we were even able to watch any of the OT in our game because ESPN was clearly more interested in showing Duke's pregame footage. It's sickening.
Coach K and his assistant coaches showed how petty they can be after the loss. Gheez... kids.... man up! What a bunch of pussies. Poor sports. If this happens to Self on his last game, he will step up to the microphone and tell a joke.
I get you being upset. I go nuts, too, when we miss all those bunnies... especially from wide-body Dave!
I feel for Dave. He's an athlete who is trapped with a mind that can't stop thinking. We've only seen brief moments of Dave cut loose from his inner self.
Self has discussed this before about Dave. He's one of the coolest dudes we've ever had in Lawrence! We've never had a Jayhawk care more about his team than Dave... even our Jayhawks who were born in Kansas.
He just can't hang up the mind and go out there and let his body carry the load. That shows up, big time, when he gets close to the basket and throws up a brick. He tightens up and his mind is working overtime saying... "don't blow this!"
It really is tragic. He'll never be happy with his contribution to this team either. Because he cares SO MUCH!
YES!
I can't believe more players aren't hurt! This is ridiculous! And I'm not screaming about bad calls against us.
I'm not totally against Jay Bilas... but he has been fighting to make D1 ball a contactless game for a long time and I think it has changed the game. Often, it is counterproductive to his wishes.
I support less contact of the kind where people get hurt! This current style, to reward the defender by slipping in at the last second is counterproductive to the idea of taking risky contact out of the game! It was supposed to slow down offensive players to drive hard less. Instead... it just supports defenders jumping right into hard contact at the last second! The game has become sooooo unnatural!
And then.... they call a lot less "going over the back" on rebounds... but if a guy uses his butt to seal off for a rebound, he gets called!
Concerning the stupid flop rule.... allow both teams' coaches two challenges per game on flop calls. On those challenges the refs go to the monitor. These current wrist-slap flop calls just slow down the game and nothing changes. Sometimes refs need to see the monitor because their angle is often wrong for making the call. Not their fault. Meanwhile.... fans watching tv see what really happens!
I think Dave's foot is impacting his increase in missed bunnies. But I don't like giving anyone an excuse.
I can be critical on many of Och's bunny misses, too.
I think we all need to just enforce TOUGHNESS with our guys from here on out!
I think we all agree we are very tough mentally. No one can ever count us out because we don't panic like so many of our teams used to.
But this is a team that doesn't like physical contact. NONE of our guys like physical contact! CB and Joe are my picks for being our guys most likely okay with contact. Then... JWil.
Oh man... JWil! My "junkyard dog" for this team. Brother... when you turn the corner on your defender and drive the lane... FINISH! Stop passing the ball out on the trey line. Take the ball INTO contact and draw the foul! Use the backboard to shoot around defender's reach. Practice more tough finishes in practice so you know how to do it. You are giving up on an extra 10 points a game!
Och... don't be phased when a shot gets blocked. Keep taking it to the defense. Get your body involved. Use that speed and agility to sometimes create scoring space (from body to body), and other times take it into bodies to draw fouls! You can still use your body between the ball and defender to get shots off.
CB... drive more to the rim! You will get some blocked but you will draw more fouls and score more point on finishes, too.
Dajuan... look for your shot more. Try more pullups in the lane! Finish more at the rim with your quickness!
Guys... get after it! Don't shy down from physical teams! Use your brain and take advantage of BASKETBALL IQ!
@nuleafjhawk said in Revenge Game Thread:
@drgnslayr - wasn’t it your wife who used to call the KU Basketball players (a few years ago) pu$$ie$? If so, she was right and she always will be right.
Ha.... yes.... FORMER wife! lol
@tis4tim said in Control our Destiny Game Thread:
@drgnslayr said in Control our Destiny Game Thread:
I’m even psyched to go to the dentist.
Now I know you’re lying! J/K, @drgnslayr. Thanks for the chuckle. I needed that this morning.
You will be surprised! When I finally go to the dentist it's usually because I have such extreme pain going on and am excited to end the pain. On one visit my dentist told me that he has never seen the level of inflammation around a tooth I had! Just because you can endure pain doesn't mean you should. I should listen to my own advice! ha
Ha... me, too!
I'm not letting the remaining year performance get me too down. Obviously, I hope we do well. But the world is crumbling while there is beautiful, warm sunshine outside. I have my focus where it needs to be!
I'm hesitant to blame Remy for the last two games. I have a hard time imagining the team is against him, though that does happen. Self is paid millions to figure all of this out, including team dynamics. I don't think it makes sense that he would play him if he didn't feel comfortable with it, including impact on the team.
Also... I don't think Remy could come out and play with any form of enthusiasm if he sensed his teammates weren't behind him. I think it is potentially damaging to spread this idea because fan response does work its way back to the team.
It is frustrating to watch us give away our conference lead and appear to be on a downwards trend at the end of the season. Maybe this is the best thing that could happen. Maybe our guys respond off of this and come out hungry!
I think we deserve to share the conference title. We've played well enough to earn that. When I remove my crimson/blue glasses... I believe we should share it instead of have it outright because of the quality of our league.
RCJH!
I liked how we came out to start the Baylor game. And we were rewarded by taking a double-digit lead.
I feel like we are impossible to beat when we come out like that.
Just have to learn to bottle it and use it every game. ha... right...
There is a pot of gold and diamonds awaiting the person who can figure out how to get current D1 players to consistently come out with fire! I've always felt that Jay Wright is one of the best at doing that, but there are others.
Our current team's success is all about coming out with fire and delivering that fire for 40 minutes.
I suggest someone sneak some itching powder into their jockstraps for these last two games. lol
I've mentioned different kinds of toughness before. Mental and physical.
I thought we were pretty good in both areas in Waco, but we went cold and lost.
I missed the second half of last night's game (lucky me). But I imagine we just played flat and without inspiration. The first half was flat.
I'm an old fart. A baby boomer. We come ready for everything. I'm even psyched to go to the dentist.
I will never understand college basketball today and watching players not prepared to leave blood on the court. Do they not realize that this is the legacy they will leave behind? Imagine carrying this all forward in life where people (and you) talk about your playing days and what will they say?
BTW: I'm not just directing this at our guys. It's a phenomenon all through college basketball. I like our team and think they do better than many teams out there... just not enough to be consistently dominant.
I'm holding onto hope for March... just hoping this all clicks inside of them and they figure out how to come out with a burning, relentless desire every game!
I'm okay if Harris doesn't score as long as he has 5+ assists. All added steals are a plus!
We've got to have enough defense to force more misses we can rebound and run.
And we HAVE to have team rebounding to control possession count and get out and run.
Limit turnovers... 10 or lower will win most games.
Run, run, run!
I agree... thought we substituted too soon. I think it was planned before the game to keep our guys rested. it seems like our strong start surprised Self! we were playing at a clip where we possibly could have gone up by 20. Then maybe ease in the bench instead of wholesale changes. i think we focused a little too much on having 4 games in a short time period.
Anytime we lose I scream about something.
But this game... in my opinion... showed a lot more bright than dim. I thought that was perhaps the best beginning we've had all year.
I thought our guys hustled and for most of the game, played a higher level defense than typical. I thought they showed toughness.
I took a smile away from this game and think we could do well moving forward.
I'm not expecting more than is realistic from this team. Hate to admit I agree with him... but I go pretty much with the Jay Bilas assessment. We are just a little bit below being a title contender at this point. If things improve, we could be a contender.
It all starts with effort and I'm giving our fellas high marks for their effort. Let's just hope they have enough in their tanks to make it through the next 3 games.
I think both JWil and CB should test the NBA waters.. like Och did. Most likely return to work in the areas mentioned.
So glad Och came back... not only for us, but for him!
Looks like we will have great small guard depth next year. I wonder what we will do with our one or two remaining scholarships? I'm guessing... fishing in the transfer portal.
I've had those ideas going way back... to the Jaybate era.
I still question the possibility. There are still many areas of the game we don't play well... and if it was as easy as flipping a switch... we would flip those switches to perform better (especially on defense).
I do think there are times when Self turns up his voice on his troops.
Thinking back light years to my days playing at a much lower level... My teammates and I always felt great after a big win and turning up the intensity (over a game less intense). But the next day we were definitely slower, needing more recovery time. There are also psychological effects.
When we play at our tempo.... our opposition doesn't have time to really set their defense. And when all of our guys keep their feet moving and spread on the floor... it makes it real tough to defend. We aren't going to count on our hotness level moving forward... but we don't need to be that hot to beat most teams.
We improve our chances dramatically if we start playing better defense. In the least... if we can control the boards, we should have a chance in every game.
We have to come "psyched up" for games to keep the tempo we need! Joe is a secret weapon for turning up speed, too. Remy could possibly help some, if we need more energy on the floor.
I just don't know how he knocks the rust off in just a few games. We've just got 4 games, Conf tourney, and NCAA tourney.
I think it's a big gamble if we don't have him solidified going into the NCAA tourney. I mean this for extended play. He can always go in and have Self keep him on a leash.
I've wondered this, too.
I see our future determined by tempo. When we've really dominated tempo, we win big. Last night... for example. Had we walked the ball up last night it would probably have been a close game.
We pose a real challenge to every team when we can push the ball at the right speed.
I think Joe has been a real lifesaver for us and he's just starting to make the right connection with our offense.
Even Fran called it out last night with Remy. How does he catch up with our offense? He's likely to just be a role player off the bench. Meanwhile.... Joe is creating a flow with this team that is hard to deny. And I doubt Joe has hit his ceiling with this team.
Anything is possible. Slap us in the Kentucky bracket and watch us turn around and spank the kitties! Yes... it could happen!
I come from a monster-size family where everyone liked to fight. haha...
So I miss confrontational communication! (ie fighting)
Yes..... I miss lump, and bcjayhawk, too. I definitely like having more women post. Just seems like they offer a different perspective than us knuckle-draggers! lol
I think the biggest benefit to Tech going into the tournament is they will mostly face teams that haven't played against a real defense all year... especially against real athletes and depth.
Playing defense seems to be out of vogue this year.
Makes me think Texas Tech might make a return to the FF... if they just get some offense clicking.
Let's say we beat Baylor but drop a couple other games... Is it possible the B12 doesn't score a 1-seed while clearly having the best basketball conference this year?
Kind of spooky when people disappear in here.
Am I correct on these two:
HEM - seemed to just get tired of posting here because of the friction he faced.
Jaybate - had disappeared and reappeared before, but finally vanished in thin air!
I wish both would make a guest appearance!
Why wouldn't we be the #1 seed in the Midwest, and Auburn be #1 seed in the East?
That was the worst officiating we faced all year.
How about that foul on Harris where he hacked the guy in the open floor on what would be a layup. The foul was clearly on the floor. The guy wasn't even close to making a shot move... yet he received two free throws. I had to holler "WTF?"
Longhorn cattle drive to the SEC...
Makes me think Harris' PT minutes might mean more than Och's. We did win without Och, showing how other's can step up when they have to.
What are your thoughts there? Which player's minutes are most important at this time?
It makes me wonder.... are we all changed somewhat? If so... how much influence is coming from our Covid existence and from recent societal changes?
I've noticed a growing sensitivity in people where they take fewer chances speaking out because of fear of being challenged or attacked.
~ 8 years later ~
lol... nice seeing HEM and Jaybate in here and how involved all of us were in posting!
I think Joe continues to get valuable minutes. Remy is still a ways off or not returning. Self mentioned resting Dajuan and Och more. This definitely needs to happen before March.
We still need to iron out tempo. Some games we bring it... other games we don't, and when we don't control tempo, we struggle to put teams away.
@Zabudda said in When Remy makes it back...:
had 2 that were hard to beat. #1 The (2nd half) block steal was damn nifty and even more nifty was the loose ball in the FT circle he dove for and just tapped over to Yesyou who f
If that kid can put on some muscle he's going to be a real force! Strength is easier to add than basketball IQ and people don't realize what he has to offer this team in the future. Nifty footwork, IQ, perimeter shot. We aren't used to having players like him going 6'10"!
@BShark said in When Remy makes it back...:
They need to just shut Bobby down btw. Expect him to have surgery after the season but they should get it out of the way now and accept only having 2 small guards available.
I think the idea is to just give him a couple minutes so he knows he is being thought of, even now. The open transfer portal makes it necessary to show some symbolic moves here.
I think several of our starters could use a slight cut in minutes. Och definitely is looking frayed...
We need every advantage going into March because our margin for victory is quite small.
It will be experimental when he returns. The chemistry on this team has been changing. When he last received big minutes Jalen wasn't stepping up yet (and with big minutes), Dajuan wasn't scoring, Joe wasn't giving us energy minutes, and Dave wasn't as settled. It is starting to feel like a different team, and to be honest.. I am starting to like what I see! Just wish our D would do better.
I still think there is a possibility Remy could help. As @Texas-Hawk-10 said... we need more bench presence. Especially if we want any kind of run in March. Remy was starting to contribute more on D when he left, too. He was getting some steals, cutting into passing lanes, and starting to put on more on-ball pressure.
Remy's speed and energy is needed!
Controlling tempo is our ticket to a long March ride. I feel it is even more important than Dave playing well (a close second). Tempo is our biggest help on defense, too!
I like our chances of winning outright or sharing our conference title... but learned never to take for granted.