I agree. I know that is seeing the glass half empty... but if we think we can just win out in March pulling this stunt.... forget it.
drgnslayr
11251 posts
That was nuts.
I had to leave this space because I was going to say something real nasty.
F*&$ing flop
4 fouls on Ahmad.
That was HUGE!
I agree.... but many purist don't want us to "sell a call."
Lucas is our money man.
We look totally lost.
I hope we can win this by just making FTs. (oh my God)
We can do this. Come on guys.... suck it up and FIGHT!
We have the skill.... WVU has the toughness.
Imagine if we had both?
We make FTs we win.
We miss FTs we lose.
It is that simple.
Ahmad smokes our post.
Hey... WE GOT A 50/50 BALL!
Do it now and for the rest of the game and he will foul out all 11 players.
Just give the ball to Josh and everyone else act busy.
We would be nothing without Josh. Nothing.
Come on, Hawks... toughen up. stop pouting and start playing.
It was. But hey.... Josh is maturing. He played the other guy by giving him a small shove first.
My DVR is behind.... I just saw Carlton blow the layup.
ok got it now
I'm still stuck watching Syracuse
You guys watching online?
At least Baylor lost.
It looks like no one wants to win our conference.
I see AW3 gets a little revenge on us.... making 3 FTs to make it a one possession game and maybe add another OT.
Really fit the class of Dr. J.
I loved it when he played Rucker Park and earned his new nickname as "the Doctor" -
[link text](
He's okay....
I always think these writers are more of a jinx than me.
Work backwards in logic and I've already exposed my hand in my previous post.
Guess I'm just too old.
I liked the Billy Josh fusion.
How about Dr. Josh?
[link text](
Am I the only one that sees a slight resemblance in their games?
I remember every one of these plays when they actually went down.
I want to post something here.... but...
I'm not going to jinx us...
I'm not going to jinx us...
I'm not going to jinx us...
I'm not going to jinx us...
I'm not going to jinx us...
I'm not going to jinx us...
Yes. He played 11 ineffective minutes.
I think if we can obtain a lead we are more likely to see guys like Mitch and Dwight get some minutes.
@JayHawkFanToo nailed it about energy and our lack of depth. We need our guys to play with energy, but energy takes a toll. Maybe we can steal a few minutes rest in this game. That would be huge.
Mitch played 8 minutes in Morgantown. He didn't really look too bad, either. He had an offensive rebound and a block.
I think I left off what could be the very biggest factor in this game...
M O M E N T U M !
We need to stop WVU from carrying momentum and we need to have it ourselves!
Momentum creates energy and we need all the energy we can muster for this game.
For the most past, I agree with @HawkChamp ... save the zone for Drew.
I could see it in desperation... just trying to change things up a bit and hope it works. But I don't see it saving us in this game. Huggy is a real coach, he should be able to attack the seams of our zone.
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After the TT game I was thinking about how dominant Josh was.
He might as well tell teams, "you know what I think I'm going to do then, just for the hell of it... I'm going to take these two feet and I'm going to whop you how ever I want to, and you want to know something? There's not a damn thing you are going to be able to do about it... Really!"
I decided to post it after you had already pointed it out. I didn't want to be the first!
I agree. If he isn't in step with his team, that will get exposed badly during this game. He had two open court TOs in the TT game. His handles are in question....
Ha! Never! Just during the press.
That's very true. We do have 7 players for most of our minutes. I think the question in this game is will we ever go back to our 3-guard offense? I think Landen can handle their press better than Carlton, but can we ever go with both on the floor?
If so, that buys extra rest minutes for our 5 guards (potentially).
My biggest concern in this one is Frank's health. I seriously doubt he will have his normal stamina.
Lots of things can happen in this game. It really could go either way.
Here are few of the keys I'll be looking closely at:
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Frank - He will play, and I'm guessing he will have a good game, but will he have the stamina down the stretch when we need him most?
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Josh - Many look at the TT game and think he can't get a lot better. I believe he can still improve considerably. For one thing, he can just turn up the alpha-dog another click or two. Meaning... he takes mores shots and drives to the basket. Draw fouls. Maybe make some FTs. But at least, put someone in foul trouble on the other team.
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AFH Crowd - We normally LOVE the big crowd noise and it helps confuse other teams. Are our fans smart enough to realize that we can HURT our chances if we are screaming loud while WVU is running their press? I hope our guys can stay focused against their press. When the crowd noise is super loud it kills communications and also tends to dizzy players that have to execute.
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Landen - He could end up being the difference-maker. He didn't have a good game in Morgantown. Foul trouble limited him to 24 minutes. He did have 10 rebounds but he only scored 2 points and Ahmad scored 27. Whether LL gets matched up with him or not, he has to help out on that.
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NOT the Press - The focus against WVU is always about beating their press. Well... in Morgantown we gave up 13 TOs. We've given up more against other non-pressing teams. I think we make a big mistake if we are only focused on beating their press. The best way to handle their press is for us to play good defense to prevent the inbounds from under our basket.
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Perimeter Defense - It goes without saying... but if our perimeter guys don't start stepping up on defense, we can be challenged by any D1 team. We've been letting every team run at their pace without disruptions... running plays, setting ball screens, driving and kicking for open treys, tossing the ball in the low post.
I think a lot of what makes JJ good is the experience around him. Not only because the experienced players know how to use him, find him, exploit his talents... but also because Josh soaks up all the advice from his teammates. He listens to everyone and he is receiving some outstanding help from his experienced teammates.
Having said that... I would be interested to see the chemistry of JJ with Perry. I think those two would have made each other much, much better. I think Perry would have learned at least as much as Josh through their connection. Perry might have learned to play more aggressive earlier in his career. Josh would pick up the methodical play of Perry.
Interesting topic.
I don't have a clue who will return.
I look at Bill for answers there. Not in what he says (because he really can't say he knows), but in watching his recruiting to measure the desperation level.
I would think he has closed door meetings with all his guys, to check them out on possibilities of a transfer or leaving for the league.
Both Devonte and Svi have big careers ahead.... whether it happens in the league or not, who can say. We all know it is much harder to make it in the league when you aren't a lottery pick.
My personal opinion on both of these players is they need to come back. Get their degree while they are at it, and attempt to strengthen their position in the draft. Svi, without question, can still raise his stock considerably. I know many think Devonte has reached his ceiling. I'm not one of those people. I've been his harshest critic this year because I think he only shows us a taste of what he can do.
Another thought.... I think both players would be helped in their draft position (big time) if we can win another National Championship. If that happens this year, I think both should go. If it doesn't... just one more reason to return. Win it all and go out on top! And it definitely could improve their position.
I'm not going to make a prediction because I'm the jinx master.
Always. I can change the direction of the world with my predictions.
That really saddens me. I know we compete, but I've always liked Jordan a lot.
My first thought was.... "I'd rather have any Dick than Fran these days. Luckily, I capitalized "Dick."
I just can't call someone a "great coach" because they can win with a big chunk of the country's best players.
Let's see him take a team to the championship game without a single McDs AA on it. We did... in 2012. And the only reason we didn't win it was because they had the total franchise player, Anthony Davis. Give us Wilt in that game and we would have thrashed them!
Glad to read so many people feeling positive about tomorrow.
I've got a smile on my face so you all will have to guess my predictions. I can't predict because I'm the jinx master!
I saw Frank breathing in the firsts half at the FT line and he hadn't run for a couple of minutes and he was totally gassed... breathing really hard.
Then I think about how hard these guys run and I realize just how tough Frank Mason is. He is tough! Tough guys are always hard to discover their toughness because they don't brag or boast about being tough. Their toughest moments are always in silence, as they internalize their struggle and still try to produce.
I thought Frank was going to have a heart attack right there in the game.
I'm pretty sure that was one of Bill's infamous inbounds plays. I think all of those involve screens. Sometimes guys are a bit out of position or out of timing with the play and it can look like it isn't supposed to be a screen.
"“He might be the first guy to shake the (NBA) commissioner’s hand here in a few months (on draft night),” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said after a near-miss for the improved Red Raiders. “It’s his talent, but you’ve got to give the Kansas coaching staff some credit. (Self’s) guys get better. They come in great and they get better. That’s what makes Kansas Kansas.”"
From KUSports.com
He speaks pretty highly of Kansas.
Are we going to beat WVU Monday?
Can Josh still get better (besides FT%)?
What about Carlton? Any hope he will get his stat line up moving forward?
Is Frank just tired, battling flu, or struggling with a real injury?
Trae to Kansas?
I just wanted to open up the floor for everyone to post whatever is on their mind....