Wow. Thanks for sharing the quotes. Fine line between confidence and arrogance? Hope he knows that Bill is going to knock him down a peg or two the moment he sets foot on campus.
joeloveshawks
853 posts
Not sure who I have but love the NBA Jam nostalgia this conjures up.
All jokes aside, what is the deal with Doke and his abysmal shooting stroke? Jo Jo has a great stroke. De Sousa has shocked me with how great his form is and how confident he appears at the FT line. Do any of you guys know what the deal is and can it be fixed? Are Doke's hands significantly larger than these other guys who are 7 feet tall? He would be a monster on offense if he could just develop into a guy who could hit an 8 foot jump shot and shoot 65% from the line.
I am all for Doke coming back!!! It is good for everyone. He needs the experience as he has really only one NBA ready attribute (his size) and Kansas would benefit from his skills and the added depth. A front-court next year of Doke, De Sousa, McCormack, Lawson, Lawson and Mitch seems like an incredible group with a number of guys with different strengths and talents.
Also, it has taken me a couple of days to look at the site since our season ended and I am very pleased with what I have read so far today. I think most of us realize that this KU team was very special but also in many ways almost over achieved by winning yet another Big 12 title and reaching the Final 4. 31 wins, Big 12 Title, Final 4 appearance, 1st Team All American...hard to ask for much more than that. Hats off to Nova for their win. The first half was one of the most incredible displays of shooting I have ever seen and honestly don't plan to see again any time soon.
@wissox I just looked at all of the ESPN "expert" picks for both games and it is pretty hilarious. There are more picks for Loyola to beat Michigan than KU to beat Nova. How is this possible? How would an 11 seed have a better shot of beating a 3 seed than a 1 seed vs. a 1 seed?
I am not sure why I care. Our guys should just go out and take care of business. For my money we are the team to beat that is left in this tournament.
Kansas 77. Villanova 72.
@HighEliteMajor I love the idea of having more time to prepare. The 2016 game was on the short turn around and Nova's game plan was tough for us.
That said, KU made that game very very tough for Nova and we were in control in the 2nd half at times. Nova was averaging 80-90 points a game in the tournament and we held them far below that clip. Even with Perry Ellis having possibly his worst post season game of his career, Wayne chucking airballs and a few foul calls not going our way we were still up 6 late with a 3 that rimmed out by Wayne that could have put us up 9. I think it is easy for us to forget that Bill put together one hell of a gameplan against Nova as well. The momentum got away from us late and it just didn't work out and that Nova team went on to win the entire thing and sent numerous guys to the NBA. This is not a game that I look back on with the same sense of despair and anguish as the Michigan, VCU or Oregon losses. I expect a similarly great strategy from Bill tomorrow night as he had for Nova in 2016 and agree that we win by 5-7 points in a game that is in the 70's.
RCJH.
@JayHawkFanToo Good lord. He is a big guy.
The interior size next year (assuming Doke is back) will be amazing.
@Blown Doke has been really really foul prone since he was injured. I tend to agree with you that he will likely foul out yet again and that Jay's gameplan will be a large part of those fouls.
But with my glass half full optimism I will hope that Doke is the X factor in this game and that he has the best post season performance of his young career. 20 and 10 from Doke (with 4-5 earth shattering dunks) with only 4 fouls would be a thing of beauty!
Rock Chalk!
It will be interesting to see if Nova uses the 3/4 court press like they did in 2016. That gave us fits. Many times we weren't even getting into our offense until there were 15-20 seconds on the shot clock.
@BeddieKU23 Let's hope he breaks it Saturday!
The Grayson miss certainly made my heart skip a beat. Maybe multiple beats as it rolled around a couple of times and I actually thought it was in not once but twice!
But hey, that is the way basketball works. Sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it rolls out. We got a bit lucky on this particular shot but we have been unlucky on others. When Trey Burke was hitting 40 foot 3's against us in the epic 2013 loss a couple of those could have been off by an inch and we grab a rebound and the game is over. In the Villanova game 2 years ago we were up 6 points and Wayne had a wide open 3 that just rimmed out. That would have put us up 9 very late in the game and instead it was in and out and they came down and hit a 3. These things happen! One missed shot does not make a game.
Look at the other side of the draw. Michigan and Loyola both needed buzzer beaters to stay alive in early round games. 1 inch the other way and neither team is dancing.
In a sick and twisted way I am thrilled that Grayson is the guy who missed the shot. It means more that it was his downfall and not Trent or Duval as he has a 4 year history of being a bad sportsman and in general I don't think he is a person of high integrity.
On the eve of the Kansas vs. Duke Elite 8 game I find myself contemplating the last time I felt the level of excitement that I have for tomorrow's contest. Was it last year for the Elite 8 matchup with Oregon when we had player of the year Frank Mason and were playing in front of essentially a home crowd? Was it the Elite 8 tangle with Villanova when Perry Ellis was potentially going to play his final game of his incredible four year career? While the Oregon and Villanova games the last two years were games where we were one step away from the Final 4 something still felt missing leading up to these contests and I think I have figured a few things out tonight as I soak in what this team has accomplished before tomorrow's game is even played.
The biggest game that Kansas basketball has played in recent memory was the 2012 title game vs. Kentucky. This pretty much goes without saying. Since then we have had epic games at Rupp Arena, buzzer beaters at Madison Square Garden and heroic comebacks at Allen Fieldhouse. We have won more Big 12 titles and had players named All Americans. We have rattled off numerous 30 win seasons and collected a slew of #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. Over the last 5 years we have all enjoyed watching brilliant basketball played by our beloved Jayhawks but tomorrow's game will be the marquee game we have all dreamed of since Tyshawn and T Rob clashed with Anthony Davis and MKG.
A trip to the Final Four was on the line last year and it was on the line the year before but tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow is against Duke. The Duke who is coached by the winningest coach in history. The Duke who has the most Final 4's and National Titles of any team since UCLA's dominance in the 70's. The Duke who beat Kansas in the '86 Final Four and the '91 Title game. The Duke that everyone is saying we can't beat!!! Duke has been the golden standard of college basketball for nearly 30 years and if you take off your crimson colored glasses it is tough to admit for all of us. Myself very much included.
Tomorrow is Kansas vs. Duke for the Final Four. It doesn't get any bigger than this at the college level and I expect our Jayhawks to rise to the level that this game deserves. Guards win in March and man do we have some guards!! Four amazing guards come to mind and one in particular. Devonte Graham has not looked himself yet in the NCAA tournament but I have a feeling that this will change at 4 p.m. CST Sunday, March 25. I fully expect a career performance from our stalwart who will play every single minute. And why not? This is the brightest the lights will ever be for Devonte and the team he leads and it is his time to achieve greatness.
Tomorrow is an epic clash with Duke.
Tomorrow is the biggest game we have played in 6 years.
Tomorrow is the premier game of the entire season in college basketball thus far.
Tomorrow is when we punch our ticket to the Final Four and take another step towards a Rock Chalk Championship.
@BeddieKU23 I am pretty busy at work until lunch. After that it will be tough to concentrate.
Feeling pretty confident. Hoping that we play loose and have fun. If we do we should win. We are the better, healthier and more complete team with an All American Senior PG.
Also pretty amazing that Texas was as bad as they were this year with a top 5 draft pick / once in a generation shot blocker on their team. That has to be the coach's fault!!
My own personal hate for Shaka was amazingly high after the VCU loss and the few years following. My hatred has certainly waned a great deal based on the fact that Shaka vs. KU has not even been a rivalry since he came to Texas. He has to at least win 1 game vs. KU before I start really hating him again.
@HighEliteMajor Classic post. Thanks for putting it together.
For legacy purposes my "dream" road to victory from here is below with reasons.
Clemson - We don't have an option. This is the next team we play. We are the better team in almost all areas. Let's go out there and make it happen.
Duke - In my entire basketball watching life I can't recall being as upset about our tournament draw as I was when our 2003 bracket was revealed and we were a 2 seed with Duke as our 3 and Arizona as our 1. It made it all the sweeter when we beat Duke and beat Arizona. The committee did not give us any favors again this year by putting us in a regional with Duke and Michigan State. We all knew that to go to the Final 4 we would have to go through one of these teams and I think most of us assumed it would be the Blue Devils.
Villanova - Let's call it what it is. If we get a crack at Nova this is a revenge game. The late foul call on Devonte still keeps me up at nights.
Kentucky - What could be better than KU beating Coach Cal again in the finals? If he was the coach at Kentucky.
Rock Chalk.
@dylans ha! I know. I am just saying I think there are pros to both. Obviously it would be pretty great if Duke loses but if we both advance that could be cool too!
@dylans If we are fortunate enough to advance I say I am happy with either team. Cuse is certainly the better matchup for us as they don't have the 5 NBA players that Duke has and we have already beat them. But if we get past Clemson and play Duke I am ok with that as well as that is the kind of game you dream about all year long as a fan of sports in general.
@JayHawkFanToo Fully agreed. I re-watched the game last night and we dominated a great deal of the 2nd half and it really didn't seem in doubt with about 12 minutes to play. Seton Hall hit a bunch of tough shots late to keep it close but that is what it is. If they miss one of those 35 foot 3's and we grab a rebound we win by more like 10. I personally was very impressed with this KU win. Our star All American struggled offensively, our big guy has a bum knee and foul trouble, their two best players both have monster nights and we still win and advance.
Glad we play Friday. Another day for us to watch games on Thursday without any nerves and another day for Doke's knee to continue healing!
After seeing Duke and Nova show the world just how good they are makes me think it is our turn. Our guys are going to be locked in and ready to compete. RCJH.
Seton Hall is tough. Lots of talent and size.
Hawks get it together. Focus. Hit shots. Defend. Win by 10.
Long thread here. Did I miss any talk about Doke and his chances of playing on Saturday? Delgado is a load.
Love the win. A bit scary but got through it.
Hope everyone is enjoying one of the best days of the year!!
Rock Chalk.
@BeddieKU23 Let's hope we don't need him!!!
I am a glass half full kind of guy and I think De Sousa will be up to the challenge of his first NCAA Tournament game and that he will be able to handle the 16 seed big men just fine.
This has been a funny season in many ways.
If you asked me at the beginning of the season if we could win the Big 12 with Vick averaging at or around 10 points a game in conference play I would have said absolutely not.
If you asked me 1 month ago if we had any chance to be a 1 seed I would have said absolutely not.
If you asked me if we would win the Big 12 Tournament by 10 points in the final game without Doke I would have said absolutely not.
If you asked me 10 days ago if De Sousa could put up 20 and 10 against WVU I would say absolutely not.
Now, we have what everyone is calling the "hardest region" in the NCAA tournament and I am finally feeling like we could and even should make a run. If Doke comes back healthy and close to his pre-injury level of play we will be much tougher down low than before. The new and improved De Sousa / Doke will be a bigger load to handle than previously thought. I can't wait to see how it all shakes out.
@BShark Gotcha.
I wouldn't be surprised if Bill doesn't say much in between now and game time. I would want the opponent to remain in a guessing game.
Rock Chalk.
What about this article that made it sound like he is going to play?
@mayjay I did see this. I'm a bit surprised there has been nothing since. Although that may be strategic on Bill's part.
Has anyone heard an update on Doke's status?
KU by 20-30 against Penn. Let's get serious.
Seton Hall and NC State are legit. That's a game against two teams that can beat us and have proven as much against other top teams. Doke back would be huge.
@JayHawkFanToo That is a good stat. I honestly did not think that the #2 seeds had been quite this dominant. Maybe it feels this way since there have been a few big ones in recent years? Duke, Mizzou, Michigan St., etc.
@bmensch1 You may be partially kidding but I bet we shoot close to 40 3 balls today and again tomorrow if we are fortunate enough to get the W.
Hawks!!!!
@dylans Fully agreed. I don't want to jinx anything but going into the 2018 NCAA Tournament #1 seeds have won 100% of the games played against #16 seeds. That is significant.
@HighEliteMajor Rock Chalk!
@BeddieKU23 Who is this Sam person?
@BeddieKU23 I just meant Garrett potentially in with Devonte / Svi / Newman / Vick.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that walk ons are not in any of our Big 12 games unless it is the last 30 seconds as we are up 10.
Any way we see 5 guards on the floor tomorrow night for a few minutes? Garrett at the 5? I am being serious. De Sousa has a bit of trouble with fouling.
@BShark Stay positive my friend! Lots of news still to come on this.
Rock Chalk.
@BShark So true. My exact thought was JoJo and how that was handled. That said, I will keep calm and wait for more news before I get too upset about this. We have a full week before the Big Dance starts. 10 days if we get past the 15/16 seed we will likely play for him to get healthy.
Oh no. This is not great news. I personally can't imagine that we have any shot without him if we make it to the 2nd weekend of the big dance. Hopes and prayers.
Get better big fella!!
@BeddieKU23 Interesting about the new format. We shall see how that works out.
I do know one thing. Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith annoy me a great deal during the Selection show. I watch tons of college basketball all year long and always find it insulting when these two are all of the sudden thrown into the mix come March when they essentially have not called any games or analyzed any games for the entire season.
@wissox It does seem impossible. Especially to a team that isn't good!!!
I see Lunardi has us today as a 1 seed. MSU a 3 seed. No clue how that coul be accurate. My assumption is we better beat OU / OSU if we want a shot at staying on the 1 line and possibly 2 wins in the Big 12 tourney.
@Gorilla72 I assume you already have this in your head but maybe not on paper as I always do...teams you don't want to see in KU's bracket. Michigan has started to look like a 3-4 seed I don't want in our draw. A few other teams below I would love to have in other regions.
Duke - seems obvious but we don't match up well. They are tall, skilled and have NBA talent.
Zona - sort of similar to Duke but not as good.
Michigan - as mentioned above. They are on fire and tall and confident.
MSU - can Bill beat Izzo twice in a row? Can't say that's happened before.
Oklahoma State - If they magically make the tourney please don't let them in our region!
@BShark I predict Mizzou as our 8/9 seed to get the border war back. Kentucky as our 4/5 seed to give the Blue Bloods another shot at one another this year. North Carolina as our 2 seed for the always juicy former coach matchup.
I wouldn't bet the farm but if KU is a 1 seed I bet 2 of these 3 pan out.
Good for Devonte. Well deserved if he ends up making 1st Team All American or even POY.
I know that just like Frank, Devonte is a team first guy and these awards mean far less than what the team he leads could still accomplish. A Final 4 would be the crown jewel in an already incredible career for Mr. Graham. We have been so lucky to have him.
@HawkChamp couldn't agree more. Is this a vintage KU team? No. But does it need to be to get to the Final 4? Absolutely not. Two mediocre UCONN teams come to mind who not only made the Final 4 but won the National Title! This KU team is superior to either of those squads. The tourney is often crazy and rarely do the best 4 teams make the Final 4. I can't wait to see our guys out there in March. Sky is the limit.
I love the streak as it sets us apart from the other Blue Blood programs that have had down years on occasion. KU has been the model of consistent excellence during the regular season while UNC and Kentucky have found themselves as 8 seeds and even in the NIT. It's truly amazing.
That said, what would I trade for another National Title during the last decade plus? A lot of those league titles. Sad but true...college basketball greatness is measured by Final 4s and NC's. I didn't make these rules and I wish it wasn't the case but it is a fact. Another NC for Bill would solidify his position as one of the All Time greats. I am afraid that having 1 will be looked at as a chink in the armor if that is the number he has when he hangs it up.
So, personally I think we aim for both as fans since in reality there is no way to trade away league titles for Final 4 runs and National Titles. I am hoping to raise two banners at the end of this year!
@JayHawkFanToo agreed. Great game by our Hawks. Best D we have played all year. 3's were falling. Passes were crisp. Tons of dunks.
All that said, how awful is OU? Is this a tournament team? I say no. They likely lose another game or so.
@jayballer73 Being the first #1 would be one of the all time upsets. Goes without saying. That would cut as deep as any loss in KU history. But I don't think that is reason enough to not want a #1 seed. In theory the #1 has the easiest path and #1 seeds have been to the Final 4 more than any other seed. I fully understand what you are saying though. It sort of feels like the year that would happen!!
@wissox It is still an amazing thing to be a #1 vs. a #2. The #1 seeds remain 100% perfect against the #16 seeds. The #2 seeds have become more and more vulnerable over the years. I would hate to be another #2 to go down!! That said, I will be thrilled with a #2 seed if that is what we get this year based on the ups and downs of the regular season and our lack of consistency at AFH.