🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@justanotherfan Exactly. Your last paragraph is sort of my fear. As of today we kind of look like a 2-4 lock. For us to get a #1 seed a ton would have to go wrong for the teams in front of us. I don't see Gonzaga or Zona losing again. Wisconsin may win out. One of the two ACC teams (Duke or VA) will certainly get a #1 at this rate. That doesn't leave much of a shot for us unless we simply win the rest of our games.

All this said I remember the most angry I have ever been on Selection Sunday. It was 2003 and I could not believe that we got a #2 with Arizona as the #1 and Duke as the #3. That was an absolute gauntlet. It ended up working out pretty well.

I know I am way ahead of myself as we still have another month of basketball to play before Selection Sunday but I have some questions.

Lunardi currently has us as a #2 in the Midwest Region playing in Omaha. Unfortunately he has UK as the #1 in this region and UNC as the #3. Is the committee still this obsessed with Roy Williams matching up with his former team? Is it going to try and put the #1-3 All Time programs (as far as wins) in the same region for TV purposes? This grouping just seems too insane to me.

Also, if we are a #2 seed in UK's region, I would rather be a 3-4 seed in any other region. I just don't like the idea of playing them before the Final 4. Any thoughts on that? I would personally rather see them in the Final 4 as all of the sudden the stakes are that much higher for UK and their destiny is that much closer which could make them play that much tighter.

At any rate, there is a lot of basketball to play but I would really be bummed if we are in the UK region come Selection Sunday. Call me a pussy but I'd rather play anyone else.

For me the sky isn't falling because this is not a loss in the NCAA tournament. If we beat Oklahoma St. yesterday and then go on to lose in the 2nd round to a team like Stanford I tend to forget about a great road win in Stillwater. If we lose yesterday (like we did) and go on to a Final 4 I could care less about this game and I will probably forget it even happened.

I certainly enjoy the ride and I watch every minute of every game with pure enjoyment win or lose, but for me and most of the posters on this site it is all about how we perform in March. If we lose 5 more games in the regular season and lose our first round game of the Big 12 tourney and get a 7 seed and then somehow turn it on in the NCAA I honestly don't care. It is all about the year end. I'm obviously thinking of UK and UCONN when I say this but it is possible. Improbable but possible.

Speaking of March as HEM and other posters often site it is much easier to get to the Final 4 with a 1 seed. A loss like this certainly hurts our chances of getting a 1. UK, Gonzaga, Duke, Virgina, Wisconsin, Zona (even though they lost), Nova...these teams are probably all ahead of us if we don't come close to winning out. Maybe only 1 more loss on the road. At WVU or at OU would be the toughest games left. If we win one of those and win out at home we still have a shot. RCJH.

@icthawkfan316 Agreed. I read every single article but I won't post. Since the creation of KU Buckets the comments on KU Sports have become less and less informed. A lot of the posts are quite negative which is a bummer. Used to be a great daily thread to read through.

@Lulufulu I remember having that feeling with the 2008 team. Thinking "we should not lose a game all year this year". I was pretty close to being right!

@KUSTEVE Back to back would be nice. Highly unlikely but more probable than a Chiefs Super Bowl victory.

@BeddieKU23 I agree that the crowd will be crazy. I am a bit surprised that most of the people on this board are not more concerned about this game. OSU is playing for their life as far as getting into the NCAA. They have very few big wins to help their resume and a win over KU would be huge. Lunardi currently has them as an 8 seed. If they drop a few more and end up being only .500 in the Big 12 they are really going to need a big win to fall back on.

This will probably be the last game Nash gets to play against KU. Forte will be really up for this game due to his injury issues at AFH. I honestly expect a very very difficult game tomorrow. OSU needs this more than we do.

@drgnslayr With the guys we have returning (or assumed to be) we are going to be a top 5 team with or without Zimmerman. He would be amazing to have of course but we are going to be a really deep and Junior / Senior heavy team regardless of who we sign from here on out.

@JhawkAlum Great point. I really hope we don't recruit over Greene. He is a guy who simply needs reps to get to his ceiling which incredibly high. Has KU ever had a pure shooter this tall? He really is a rare breed.

I know Bill is looking at multiple OAD perimeter players but I honestly hope we don't land them. I say go all in on post players. Landen / Mickelson are not the answer. Cliff may or may not leave but probably only get another year from him at the most. Bragg is going to be good but how good? We all thought Cliff would be more dominant than he has been. Jamari is a great energy guy and will be a senior along with finesse post player Perry (not an insult, a fact).

I have posted on here multiple times that next year is our year. I am not saying this year is a done deal but KU could be flirting with a 1-2 loss season next year if everyone comes back (except Oubre who is gone) and we get another talented back to the basket player.

Again, sorry that I have posted this multiple times but I am incredibly pumped that next years starting lineup will most likely be predominantly seniors and juniors. A rarity in the OAD era.

Sorry for all of the "next year" talk. I really do think we have a good shot to go far this year. Just hoping that someone, somewhere, somehow can take down the Evil Empire that is Kentucky. If not us, who?

@BeddieKU23 Good point. Hield was even quoted saying that KU recruited him. Sometimes you get em, sometimes you don't. Do you think a few teams out there are upset they didn't pick up Frank Mason who was not heavily recruited and had a low ranking? A handful of guys ranked in the 80-100 range end up being studs. There are a variety of factors for why this happens. I am quite happy with our perimeter as is.

After seeing UT lose again last night and then KSU losing to Tech I would say the wheels are off for both teams.

Look at the upcoming schedules for UT and KSU. Not a lot of easy games. Both teams could end up being under .500 in the Big 12. At this point are these honestly even tournament teams? Both have terrible resumes. UT has beat one team that is currently ranked. KSU has zero wins against the top 25.

Obviously UT has far more talent than KSU and has a much better overall record as of today but honestly it looks like both of these teams could miss March. They play each other twice and those games are huge for both programs. Joe Lunardi currently does not have KSU in the field and has Texas as an 8 seed. That was before last night.

Texas needs to go 6-3 the rest of the way in conference play to even get to .500. That includes games against KU, ISU, Baylor and OU. I honestly don't see it. I doubt that make it to the tourney and it is probably the worst coaching job in the country.

@cragarhawk I 100% agree with you. The problem is that UK is going to be a 1 seed. At the moment it looks like Gonzaga is going to be a 1 seed as they don't play a ranked team for the rest of the year. I truly hate that a team who plays Gonzaga's schedule is even up for a 1 seed but the committee has given them one before so I won't be surprised if it happens again.

Let's just say that UK and Gonzaga both go undefeated from here on out. They are 2 of the 1's. Now you have 2 spots. Wisconsin is certainly looking like a #1. The Big 10 is pretty weak and there may only be 1-2 losses on the rest of their schedule.

Arizona, like Wisconsin plays in a weak conference. If they don't lose in a pretty big upset they may run the table or worst case for them 1-2 more losses.

Does the winner of the ACC not get a 1? Hell, Duke will probably get a 1 seed even if they don't win the ACC. Between Notre Dame, Virginia and Duke it is hard to believe none of those teams get a #1 if they win the ACC.

So, I think even though the Big 12 is being billed as "the toughest conference" in the country, I feel that we are going to have to win almost every game for the rest of the year. Maybe drop 1 or 2 games and hope that other teams in the running also lose games.

The fact that UK, Gonzaga, Zona and Wisconsin all have relatively easy schedules for the rest of the year does not help us in any way.

@icthawkfan316 Agreed. Cliff is probably 50/50 no matter what. If he has a few big games in March it may be even closer to 70/30 that he is leaving.

Also agree on Duke. They may have a few losses but they have some monster wins. At Wisconsin and at UVA are about as good as wins can get this year.

My assumption is Oubre is gone and Greene will slip into the 3 spot as the starter. Mason, Selden, Greene and Ellis as 4 of the starters sounds like a pretty nice start to the 2015-2016 year.

@icthawkfan316 Agree on a much bigger team giving us potential problems in the NCAA. Especially during an off shooting night. That said, we have been the much bigger team so many times when we have lost...so who knows.

The comment about Cliff is interesting. I have noticed a lot of posts on here about "when Cliff progresses...when Cliff stays out of foul trouble...when Cliff figures it out...etc.". I have been a loud supporter of Cliff and really wish he would get more minutes but part of me is starting to think that with only 9 games left on the schedule what we have seen with Cliff is what we are going to get. A very talented freshman who can block shots and put down incredible alley oops and a pretty good rebounder. But I don't think he is going to develop into a shooter this year. I don't think he is going to start fouling less. I don't think he is going to have an Oubre like change where all of the sudden he is the best player on our team.

My point is that I think we can go to a Final 4. I really do. But Cliff and how he is playing won't be the reason we do or don't. Is he the best option for a big man off of the bench? Absolutely and I hope that his minutes only continue to increase but I don't expect to see a huge leap in his numbers this year. Our run to a Final 4 will hinge on the play of our perimeter far more than Cliff.

My prediction is the opposite. Not sure why but I see a 2012 Missouri type game here. ISU is playing with house money. They already did their job and won at Ames. They dropped a bad one on the road at TTU but I see them coming out playing loose, firing 3's and getting out to a 10 point lead if not more. KU comes out playing with too much emotion and ends up being worse for it.

Self makes 2nd half adjustments and we start getting easy layups and dunks against an ISU team that has blown their entire load and has a short bench. KU by 8 in a great 2nd half comeback.

@nuleafjhawk Greene's minutes are on the rise. He is really turning it on offensively and we are going to lean on him in games where we need to create offense. He is a zone buster and a clutch free throw shooter. His D is still a bit weak. Selden showed today what he can bring on D when he is dialed in. Mason and Graham can also do things on D that Greene can't.

I did like hearing Fran say today that NBA guys like Greene. I agree and I could actually see Greene being a big part of an NBA team that needs a pure shooter. Could be a Danny Green type (not only similar players in name).

@wrwlumpy Man, JoJo looks huge.

@wrwlumpy Who is the Playmate?

@sfbahawk I'm sorry. I can't resist. Is there one highlight of Lucas making a back to the basket play where he actually scores?

@KJD Good points. Good optimism as well. I honestly need to be more optimistic about Lucas. Even though he is currently not very good who knows...he could be a 4 year guy who ends up having a great senior year.

I still don't like us running offense through him. Not yet at least.

@HighEliteMajor I am not that upset about the amount of 3's we shot. They guarded the 3 well and some games we will shoot a lot. Some we won't. I have come to terms with that.

The point you make that I wholeheartedly agree with is why do we feed the post when Mickelson and Lucas are in the game? Or even Jamari for that matter? Lucas and Mickelson should only be in the game to give blows to the starters or if we are in serious foul trouble as we were last night. When they are forced to be in the game I am shocked that we try to run an offense through them. They should simply be bodies on the floor trying to get rebounds from shot attempts by Greene, Mason, Graham, Oubre, etc. The idea that they are going to go back to the basket and score on people in the post is ludicrous. My hate for Lucas being in games continues to grow. I can't recall a 6'10 guy at KU who has less ability to score when getting the ball in good position on the block. Mickelson can at least shot from outside of 5 feet. I'll stop tying before I get too upset about Lucas and what he does not bring to the table.

@drgnslayr "How good can this team be?"

While watching the UT game I literally said out loud to myself "We could be a Final 4 team." It may seem odd as a KU fan but it was really the first time I have felt that way all year. My assumption before this game is that we are a young team with guys who will take us to the round of 32 or Sweet 16 and that will be that. This opinion of mine changed while watching literally just this game. It showed me a glimpse of what we could be. If we even play close to this level in March we should make some noise.

Mason and Graham look really stellar at the PG. PG's are often what take teams far in March.

Selden played well against UT and we can't count on that sticking but Greene is starting to find his way and that is very exciting, especially all of the 3's. 3's often take teams deep in March.

Oubre and Cliff now seem to both be playing at a high level. Stud freshman often take teams deep in March.

Perry has looked solid. Just letting the game come to him and playing with poise. Poise takes teams deep in March.

You get the point. I think the sky is the limit for this squad.

@drgnslayr Perry and Jamari were there for that loss. Crazy to think it was only 2 years ago and we have 2 guys who were even on the team. I guess that was a very Junior / Senior squad and it is the OAD/TAD culture as well. I highly doubt we have a similar 13 point first half but we certainly could lose. TCU looked pretty good against WVU and really got hosed at the end.

Regarding the Wiggins talk it is very hard to say that we did not benefit from him. Maybe last year he was not the Kevin Durant / Melo / Beasley we all thought he may be but he was a very good defender and of course lead the team in scoring.

But to me the above is secondary. He was the most coveted recruit in decades and we landed him. Now he is kicking butt in the NBA as a rookie and the fact that he went to KU will help recruiting for years to come. Oubre is here in large part because Bill said "You can step in and be the next Andrew Wiggins". It says a ton. Coach Cal is of course known today as the best recruiter and I am sure he makes his own life easier by saying "You could be the next John Wall...D Rose...Anthony Davis..." You can fill in the blank. Wiggins being at KU last year is about the residual effect. We are going to land good recruits based on him. At least that is what I see coming.

@KUSTEVE After watching WVU almost lose to TCU yesterday I am not quite as scared of them...or the fact that UT beat them by 20. WVU plays a style of D that could get them tons of TO's and lead to a lot of easy points but it could also have the opposite effect. KU has the right guys to break that press and we should see a lot of dunks in our 2 games against WVU.

Well said about ISU. They live and die by the offense. That said, if they are clicking on offense and 3's are falling they don't really have to play D. Very streaky team. I would still hate to see them in March.

@drgnslayr I for one am actually glad that Turner did not choose KU. After watching the game yesterday he is obviously a stud. He is a 7 footer who can play D, shoot 3's, grab boards, etc. But the other thing I saw yesterday was Cliff, Perry and Jamari win the battle of the bigs vs. UT. If Myles goes to KU that is just another cook in the kitchen. He obviously takes away minutes from all 3 of those guys and we probably don't have the chemistry we have now...Perry the smooth and calm veteran, Jamari the energy / floor burns guy, Cliff the "I will try to dunk everything" tough guy freshman. I think we are doing just fine without another superstar in there to take minutes away from a group that is really starting to come together.

I would not count our chickens before they are hatched. There is a lot of basketball to play. It is highly unlikely we lose more than 1 at home but you never know. Every away game for KU is the biggest home game of the year for the other team. Today was a big win over UT and a huge loss for ISU but there is a lot of basketball to play including another head to head against ISU at AFH which will be tough.

@JayHawkFanToo Really? ESPN3? Even on Apple TV Watch ESPN?

@JayHawkFanToo That is bullsh*t! I live in Illinois and watch it constantly.

@Crimsonorblue22 ESPN 3

@JayHawkFanToo WVU now in OT. Would be nice if they lose and ISU!

@JayHawkFanToo Exactly. Good word you used...complete. It was a complete game. Very clean on both ends.

WVU currently losing to TCU late. The day could get better.

Best game of the year. Best game in a couple of years as far as I am concerned. Incredible effort by every guy who saw the floor today. Hawks!!!!

I think Self's pitch is easy. "Joel Embiid came in last year as a skinny 7 footer who was supposed to take two or three years to develop into an NBA ready player. It took him 1/2 a season and was a top 3 draft pick. I will run every play through you as I did Embiid, and Thomas Robinson and the Morris Twins, Darrel Arthur, etc."

I like our chances. Even if this year is not representative I think we are still Big Man U.

@HighEliteMajor Very true. If the game plan is to "feed the post" and play "inside-out" against this team we are in for a long long day. Especially considering we don't even have a true post player in our starting lineup. If we try to get the ball inside aggressively I expect Perry to be blocked no less than 6 times today. And if Self is serious about feeding the ball inside please let Cliff be in the game for 30 minutes.

Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part but I don't see Svi or Selden leaving even after next year. I think Wayne is going to be like EJ and TT and will have a very good college career but will be a 4 year player. Hopefully I am wrong and Wayne has a monster junior year that gets him solid Lottery Pick talk. At the moment Wayne is not a great 3 point shooter, not a great slasher, at times a horrible finisher and a slightly above average defender. This could of course all change.

Svi is only 17 and will be up against tough competition for big minutes again next year no matter who stays. Greene is back. Graham is back. Bill is not done recruiting.

@jaybate-1.0 Who is the other OAD/TAD of the 3? Kelly, Cliff and who is the other?

@drgnslayr Great post. It is almost hard to say it but I agree. Oubre is better for our team as a whole than Wiggs was last year. Wiggins may have had more highlight dunks and was a better defender but honestly I like Kelly more and the intensity that he brings. Wiggins is having an incredible rookie season in the NBA which sort of clouds my vision but when I truly think back on what he brought last year and what Kelly brings this year...I choose Kelly. Can't believe I am saying this as the first 5 games of the year I didn't know if Oubre was going to see the floor.

@drgnslayr I think our strategy should be what it always is. Win every game at home and steal a few here and there on the road.

I agree that those are the most difficult games on our schedule. My assumption is we lose at UT, WVU and OU. I think we win at KSU as they are not good and we match up quite well with OSU and I feel we beat them twice. They are a two man team and I see Bill putting together a great defensive game plan for them in Stillwater.

@Crimsonorblue22 Good point. Either way I hope Cliff and Mari and Perry can stay out of foul trouble. Should be a hell of a game. Pretty tough stretch for us with ISU, OU and UT all in a row. If we can pull one out on Saturday we will be in great shape.

@Crimsonorblue22 You are probably right but as I stated I really hope it is just for a few minutes to give Perry, Cliff or Mari a blow. Lucas was awful against ISU who does not have any true post players. How bad will he look against UT who has one of the best front courts in the country?

I called out Bill Self on this site yesterday for losing the ISU game by benching Cliff. Perhaps I was wrong as this version of Cliff we saw in the OU game is exactly what we need moving forward. It may be that the ISU benching was the exact motivation needed as stated by many others.

The other thing I like about Cliff being in the game this much is that we did not have to see Lucas on the floor. This 8 man rotation we saw last night including Cliff, Greene and Devonte off of the bench is the rotation I would like to see every night. If we are not in terrible foul trouble there is not much reason to see Lucas or Mickelson in the game. Maybe for 3-5 minutes to give guys rest but to me the 8 guys who should be on the floor for significant minutes were the 8 we saw last night. Svi is still struggling and we should all probably wait for his best ball to be played next year.

@Crimsonorblue22 Lucas is not as talented is a very polite way of saying it. Unfortunately even when Lucas plays hard he puts up 0 points, 0 boards, 3 TO's (more if you count just mishandling the ball when he had an open layup) and 4 fouls in 20 minutes of play.

@jayhawk-007 Alexander looked like he was going to dominate inside in the 2nd half last night. No one on ISU can match up with his size if he gets the ball down low. And then we don't see him play in the 2nd. I fully agree. Play Alexander!!!

I read on that other site this morning that this was "Thinking longterm, Self benches Alexander in second half". What a crock of sh*t. Like most of us I thought this was one of our probably losses on the schedule but aren't we past the point of the season for long term decisions? We are on the road in a game that if we win (which Alexander could only help us with) we take a 2 game lead in the Big 12 over the best teams in the conference. I don't understand this at all. If Cliff isn't playing with enough "motor" or "losing his man" then take him out of the game, cuss him out, sit him out for a timeout and then get him back in the game to correct his issues! I rarely if ever question Bill Self. He is the guy who gets paid millions to call the shots but I wholeheartedly disagree with Lucas being on the floor...ever. Mickelson is more productive and Alexander is obviously the guy who needs to be in the game. Alexander should be starting and we continue to watch him get disciplined. It is infuriating and on this one I blame Bill.

@drgnslayr Good post. What are the 3 games you think we lose? I think ISU tomorrow personally. At WVU? At UT? OSU is going to be pretty tough at their place as will OU. Even KSU is always more difficult than it should be.

@jayballer54 Good question and not easy to answer. I would have to say Vitale is worse. He is obviously very ACC biased (especially Duke) but more importantly he is biased towards the best teams in the country. When Kentucky is playing this year it his commentating is beyond awful as he can't contain how many times he refers to them as being "special" or "unbeatable" or whatever. It is not fair to the team the better team is playing. He talks far too much about the better teams and not just the players but the coaches and the history and the guy who waters the grass outside of the practice facility at UNC. It is nauseating. If Duke or UNC or Kentucky are playing a bad team and Dickie V is calling the game it is almost as if he is calling the game only for the better school. A great deal about Dickie V bothers me but his biased towards prestigious schools upsets me the most.

Bill Walton is just a moron which for some reason doesn't agitate me as much.

I'm not sure that ISU losing to Baylor really hurts us. It at least shows us even more issues that ISU has on defense.

This is probably going to be the toughest away crowd we will face all year. College Game Day, ISU fans who hate us (think guy who confronted Bill post game) and an ISU team that is looking for revenge. My assumption is a close game that we lose and that we will return the favor at AFH.

@wissoxfan83 Well unfortunately I watch far too much college ball and know quite a bit about the guys on the list. Frank deserves to be in the running. To quote Fran, he is "the guy that stirs the drink".

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12166531/five-freshmen-wooden-award-midseason-top-25 ↗

This came out on ESPN today. Does it seem like a glaring error to anyone else that Frank Mason is not getting more credit? He is the best player on a top 10 program. A program that without him would certainly have 4-5 losses instead of 2. He is putting up big numbers and really filling the stat sheet. No love for him nationally.