@BShark Good post. What are your thoughts on Doke going into the draft? 50/50?
joeloveshawks
853 posts
Hope Evans injury isn't serious. The kid is a stud and has had such an incredible year. Want us to go toe to toe next week.
Best game of his young career. Played great offensively and not just on alley oop dunks. Great at the line. Great on the glass. Huge blocks (even with some body) down the stretch. Great game for his confidence moving into March.
@jayballer73 very interesting. To me that is a group of horrible fans if that is how they feel at Kentucky. I cheer for the Jayhawks, Chiefs and Royals in both good times and bad. I haven't lived in Kansas for many years and only go to games that are in Chicago but being a true fan means you stay with your teams even when the chips are down.
Interesting to point about Kentucky. Their fans have to be livid and not only for the losses but how they have played and the lack of effort that seems to be coming out of their players. They look like they don't care. That said, did anyone else see them listed as a potential #9 seed in the most recent Bracketology on ESPN? As awful as Kentucky has looked I would not want to see them as a potential 2nd round game if I am a #1 seed. They have a lot of talent. They have crazy fans who will travel. They may even have a chip on their shoulder if they are a #8 or #9 seed. I personally hope they go into complete meltdown mode and don't make the tourney but just thought the potential matchup with a #1 seed was fascinating.
I can't remember a time when I questioned Bill Self like this. He's the guy who has a 80% winning percentage and is in the HOF. I drink beer on my couch. But what the fuck just happened? We were in control until Doke was getting fouled and we did nothing. Am I missing something? This one hurts.
Bill Self wins games. Maybe not the pretty way we all want it to be. Love it. Hate it. Indifferent. Whatever fan you are, you can't argue with the facts. The guy wins games. Some are close. Some seem too close like tonight. Some awesome stats below.
Bill has won 6 of the last 7 on the road against top 10 teams.
Won 15 of our last 16 single digit games.
9 of last 10 one point games.
Great post. We are spoiled how often we win at AFH. 90% of the time we are happy after the game is played.
Silvio looked as raw as we all expected but man is this exciting. It gives this young man plenty of time to get acclimated and become comfortable. 10 games from now he may start to be a factor with his rebounding and ability to alter shots. Man he is muscular, too. He will be enormous next season after a year of proper diet and lifting. Hawks!
Don't play with our emotions like this, Bill!!!
@HighEliteMajor I honestly can't tell if you are serious or if this is sarcasm! Ha!
I'm sort of disgusted with myself in regards to how many times during the day I have randomly googled Billy Preston and Silvio to see if there is any news. Please let there be news soon so I can put my troubled mind at ease.
@BShark good to hear. Where is this info from? Thanks for sharing.
Great win. Especially after a tough loss. Can't say enough about grinding this one out.
My biggest concern after a big win. What was the deal with Vick? He took 4 shots all night? It wasn't just foul trouble.
This team is obviously struggling and as a fan it is frustrating to watch us get out hustled, etc. That said, there is a ton of season left. The 2006 team got of to a god awful start to the season and turned it around and ended up having a hell of a year (until the Bradley game). I personally feel that we are getting way ahead of ourselves to even consider where this team ranks vs other Bill Self squads. We are two games into the Big 12. One great win. One bad loss. We are the Super Bowl for essentially every team we play game in game out. We are going to take our losses and we are going to have some great wins. I propehecize a thread entitled "Is this Bill Self's Best Coaching Job?" sometime between now and the end of Big 12 play.
I hope I'm not the only one who has googled "Silvio De Sousa" 3-4 times a day for the last month praying for an update. Make it stop!!
Has no one else shared this link yet?
I was at the game last night and I heard a lot of fans yelling and screaming about Devonte (and Newman for that matter) and their wild shot selection and poor shooting nights. Personally I don't care that they played so poorly and in many ways I like winning ugly. It means your team knows how to grind it out and find a way to win. Every night can't be a 10-15 shooting night with 8 assists. It can't and won't happen. Kentucky has a bunch of future NBA talent as always and they are as good as anyone we will face in the regular season this year. Devonte and Malik sealed the game for us when Devonte stepped up and hit FT's and Malik nailed the biggest 3 of the night. They found a way and I expect them to continue to find ways for us to win close games all year long.
Very good choice of words with Newman thus far. He does seem to be an enigma. He was SO highly recruited. Every major program in the country offered him a scholarship. He ended up choosing a Miss. St. team that felt right in his heart but ended up not being the place where his game could blossom. Perhaps too much pressure as a top 10 recruit meant to guide a sub par program to the next level? Hard to know but he certainly did not play like a to 10 guy in his freshman campaign and I am yet to see the top 10 player based on the eye test while in a KU uniform. I know that he was great in Italy but the level of competition was of the lowest form. Those were not real games.
It will be interesting to see what he becomes and who he is as a player. He does not have the same attack mode or set of physical tools that JJ or Wiggins had as highly recruited forwards/guards but he has proven to be able to score at a similar elite level. Hopefully Newman can settle into his own game at KU. We will be our best if he is at his best and in the starting lineup. He has a ton of potential.
I will be at the game in Chicago on Tuesday. Can't wait to see how Malik and the rest of our guys stack up against 3 of the other best teams in the country. RCJH.
@approxinfinity can you send a link?
Any idea if this game is on National television?
I'm really pumped just like everyone else. I'm cautious, though about saying that he is anointed as the next starting PG at KU. What about Garrett? What about Moore? We've all seen this before where a big recruit comes in and doesn't beat out a less highly recruited veteran.
Just read the article on kusports. There are a lot of fantastic quotes from this kid. Sounds articulate, confident, humble and family oriented. That's a great mix to add to his apparent tenacity on the court. This is really wonderful news.
1 in the BPI should get them a 10 seed in the tourney.
@Texas-Hawk-10 I really like this post. It is backed up with a lot of facts about KU's struggles in the Elite 8. Very interesting (and a bit scary).
One of the things that I do find interesting is how well our guys have played in the Final 4 and Finals. To me Bill Self coached teams have looked extremely tight (and occasionally choked) in Elite 8 games but have looked anything but that in the Final 4 and in the actual Final. The thrashing of UNC was the opposite of looking tight. The great comeback win over Ohio St. was all guts. The epic win against Memphis was one of the all time displays of late game confidence in the history of the tournament. Even our "almost" comeback against a far superior Kentucky in 2012 was a display of grit and determination that was not remotely derailed by being nervous.
So, what is it? Is it that the Final 4 is simply the measure of a successful season and that everything after that is gravy? I certainly don't know the answer but I do know that Bill Self teams (like all great teams) have days that they look tight and choke and they have days where they play college basketball at the highest level and achieve greatness.
1st Team All American seems like a pretty lofty expectation. I'm incredibly excited to see Doke play this year but he is still raw. I'd be more than thrilled if Doke is 2nd team All Big 12.
@BeddieKU23 awesome! Where did you see the news?
Stay.
If we are healthy this is a top 5 team. I know I am incredibly biased and always think KU is going to be unreal but we have a lot of talent returning / incoming. Our talent + our home court advantage at AFH should mean another season close to 30 wins and another season where we are in the top 5-10 all season long.
Personally I already can't wait for college hoops again. The NBA playoffs are fun but for my money it just isn't the same.
Did any of you guys even know this guy was on KU's radar? Does this mean Coleby is leaving or that we know Svi is not coming back? At first glance this is pretty shocking.
@BShark I agree. To me the post is the large issue. We lose Landen, we lose Bragg and we lose Josh who was not a post player but was our starting 4 essentially all year. The backcourt seems ready to go whether or not Svi returns.
Offensively in the post it is a concern. Basically we return zero scoring down low since Doke was hurt most of the year. Doke is a beast and should get plenty of opportunities with put backs and alley-oops but does not shoot well from the floor or from the FT line. Coleby is offensively challenged but he plays hard. Mitch is in need of at least one more year before he can be counted on and from what I have seen Preston is anything but a traditional post player. One more solid body down low would be fantastic before recruiting is all said and done.
Best of luck to Josh. He had an incredible year in Lawrence. The best OAD player in KU history in my book. Looking forward to him being a top #3 pick in the draft and a future stud in the NBA which can only help our future recruiting.
@JayHawkFanToo That sounds pretty close to correct to me. I am still in tears over the fact that we have lost Frank but having a guy like Malik waiting in the wings is a wonderful thing.
@BeddieKU23 I'm excited to see Malik in the defensive end. Guarding Frank, Devonte and Josh in practice for a year should have him as ready to go as possible. I'm expecting him to be an impact guy on both ends of the floor.
@wissox I wish that my hopes were up for this but Bridges and Jackson are in different situations. Josh has a very legit chance to be the overall #1 pick of the entire draft. It would be incredibly hard to pass that up. Has a potential #1 pick ever returned? That is a real question. Curious to hear any thoughts on who the most unexpected returnee to college was .
@mayjay Good. I'm glad that is how you read it. I think that is the best way to read it. Just needed some reassurance. He would obviously be a great get. It would allow a potential stud to come off the bench.
@Kcmatt7 I'm not sure what I think about his quote below.
“I don’t really care who’s there,” Duval said. “I can play with anyone. I’ve played with everyone. As long as everyone plays the game the right way, I’m not worried about playing with anyone.”
Is that arrogance or confidence? I know there is a fine line but it seems a bit odd to me.
Wow. Great news two days in a row for our Jayhawks.
HAWKS!!!!!
That would be fabulous. If Malik has close the B Mac numbers we will be in for a treat.
Frank is one of my all time favorites in all sports and there is a long list to go with why. Briefly, I will always remember Frank as the reason KU beat Duke in both Champion Classics he participated in against the Blue Devils. His freshman and senior year victories over Duke are fantastic bookends to one of the all time careers at KU. My emotions were very high watching Frank tonight. Big shoes to fill in Lawrence next year.
@BShark Good point! I had not thought of that. Man I really hate Kentucky.
Also, speaking of losing guys I just read that Briscoe is leaving UK for the draft and is hiring an agent. Briscoe is a rock solid college player who gets to the hoop but he is only 6'2 and can't shoot. What am I missing here as far as what the NBA likes? Hard to imagine being a UK fan with they way their program operates. Obviously KU has kids come in as OAD and we have the occasional transfer like AW3 and Bragg but can you imagine the entire team being new basically every year?
@Hawk8086 Fully agree that it is for the best. The best for KU and the best for Bragg. He had a horrible year on and off the basketball court. I assume it was the worst year of his life. A clean slate will be great for him and for the KU program.
Seems like playing time will be available in the Kansas post. Should be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
@BShark Did KU recruit these kids out of high school? I could not find anything about us giving them an offer.
Josh any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Josh was as good as anyone in the entire country this year as a two way player. He impacted the game in so so many ways. It is hard to say that KU wins the Oregon game if he plays 37-38 minutes but I can imagine it would have been a hell of a lot closer.
@Blown Same age. We were pretty spoiled to go to the Final 4 our first two years of school. No doubt about that. We were a few lucky bounces away from 3 in a row if you are being pretty positive about the GA Tech loss! Great time to be at KU. Bill had huge shoes to fill and I could not be happier with the coach that we have or where I feel that the program is heading. In 5-7 more years I hope we are talking about around 20 Big 12 titles and maybe a deep run or two in the tourney.
I needed an article like this to brighten my spirits. The loss over the weekend was tough and it has been super gray in Chicago for the last 6 or 7 days which has added to a state of being a bit depressed!
This little article reminds me how the tournament is not everything for me. It is a big part of the equation as it is for all fans and I am always really bummed when we lose (88 and 2008 being the exceptions in my lifetime) but life as a KU basketball fan goes on. I love the recruiting discussion. I love the "who will play where and with who" discussion. I love the fact that we will be a different kind of team with Doke next year. It is all part of the fun of being lucky enough to be a fan of a special program like KU. Above all I just love the memories that KU provided me as a child, student and now father of Jayhawk fans. The since of community that KU basketball has given me will always be be a higher high for me than the lows of our tournament woes.
Rock Chalk.
Nice posts. Great games tonight and tomorrow for sure.
Only a few hours more before tip and I am starting to get nervous. A few beers will help that I suppose. Can't wait.
ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!!!
After reading this thread I predict no one can stop anyone. KU 105 - Purdue 100.
@Bwag my money is they shoot a 3.