🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Really enjoying this game as a basketball fan. The key players are making plays and seems like both teams have been very well scouted. Hoping Wisconsin can keep Jenkins cold and keep hitting 3's when they are open.

I am concerned about playing MSU but these are the kind of teams you have to beat on the way to a Final 4. The only easy game is out of the way. Everything from here on will be a fight. I expect a great game with KU advancing to Kansas City.

Better than Christmas in my book. Hands down!

Classic post. Thanks for putting in all the time and effort to write it.

I fully agree that stats and percentages aside we have what it takes. Best coach. Best player. Best name on the front of the jersey. Rock Chalk.

As always if and when we lose in the tournament I will be crushed but this season is one of my all time favorites no matter what happens from here on.

Beat Duke at MSG on a buzzer beater.

Beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

Beat ISU at Hilton and somewhere Hoiberg's kid cried.

Beat OSU in Stillwater for the first time in years.

Swept our in state "rival".

Won our conference by a healthy margin.

Frank Mason is likely POY in all of college basketball.

Josh Jackson has lived up to the OAD hype on offense and defense.

This may be my favorite regular season all time. I'm certainly hopeful that all that success will help us make our way to Phoenix!

@Texas-Hawk-10 absolutely. Duke is 4-3 in their last 7 games and has 8 losses on the year. That is not a 1 seed resume even if they win the ACC tournament. For my money they should still be a 3 seed even if they win tonight.

@mayjay I'm a glass half full guy and I still think KU is Final 4 bound but that Kentucky team lost to Vandy in the SEC Finals. Not saying you are wrong but ESPN is. Not sure if the UNC star they provided is accurate either.

Doesn't matter. I agree that the sky isn't falling. Lots of season left in my mind.

I still love our chances. This game is a wake up call that it's all over if and when another loss comes. Let's get some rest, get some time to scout the 3 teams on our side of the round of 32 bracket and into the thick of the real tournament. Still can't wait for Sunday!!

For me Frank is already the #1 PG in KU history and if he is able to lead us to the Final 4 this year it will only add to his already brilliant career. That is the missing piece of the puzzle that other guards like Miles and Sherron were able to put together.

I remember when I fell in love with Frank's game. A friend somehow landed us floor seats to the KU vs. Duke Champions Classic game Frank's freshman year. We were all wondering who this 5'7 kid was who came in and played incredibly solid and scrappy defense and was cold blooded from the free throw line. His game has advanced in every way since that performance but it was a fabulous preview to what has become an illustrious Kansas career.

@jayballer54 ha! I totally get it. I was just confused.

It will be very interesting to see who the 8/9 4/5 teams are. Who are you hoping to avoid the most?

@jayballer54 I'm not sure I understand what your response means.

Or...

An unheralded guy steps up. I think this happens often in March. A guy that the other team does not aggressively scout for has a huge day. Sadly I can think of McNamara against us in the final in 2003, Spike Albrecht in the final in 2013 (losing effort) and Grayson Allen in the 2015 final. Those are of course just examples in single games but I think that is all it will take. I don't see Frank having multiple off nights on our way to a National Championship. I think he will play well in 5 of 6.

My money is on Svi pulling his head out of his ass and hitting 5 or 6 3's in one game when we desperately need him. Rock Chalk.

Villanova lost in the finals of the Big East last year in a grueling game as I recall to Seton Hall which was their 3rd game in 3 days. It seemed to work out just fine for them. I am fine if we lose in the Big 12 tourney as it won't hurt our #1 seed but if we end up making it to the finals that is fine. It is a win win as far as I am concerned.

Lots of emotions tonight. Seems to have got the best of us. Let's tighten it up and make a run, Hawks.

@Texas-Hawk-10 Agree about MSU. I watched their game yesterday and they are not a bad team. They play hard, have a great coach and have size in the post. That said, they are not a great team. I'd hate to see them in our region as an 8/9 but I thought the same thing about UCONN last year and we kind of beat them like a drum.

Also agree that UCLA is the scariest potential 2 seed if we are looking that far ahead. They have size, can score a ton of points and Ball is one of the best players in the country.

I just looked at Lunardi's most recent bracket and it was a gauntlet for KU. Wichita St. as the 8/9. Duke as a 4, Zona as a 3 and Kentucky as a 2. Is that a joke?

I see they squeaked it out. Nova looking to be in big trouble!

@BeddieKU23 cool. Thanks, dude. I really hope we don't have another Diallo situation where he is in limbo!

Do any of you guys know where Preston stand as far as eligibility?

@jayballer54 I had not seen that one. Thanks for sharing. I hope for his sake that a pick like that is close to reality.

I just looked through a handful of mock drafts and I don't see Devonte on any of them. What am I missing? Is Devonte planning to go the Wayne Selden route of going to the NBA without knowing whether or not his name is going to be called on draft night?

These are real questions, not sarcasm. I truly don't understand why guys leave early when they may be floating around the NBDL for a few years. B Mac, T Rob, Wiggins, Oubre, Josh Jackson...I 100% get it. You are literally going to be a millionaire over night. Go get paid while you can. This is your one chance in life but for Selden last year and Devonte this year I don't really get why you test the waters.

@REHawk When I didn't get the promotion at work I just decided I would take over the entire company instead. Seemed logical.

@HawkChamp the committee is a sucker for matchups so I wouldn't be surprised at all if WSU ends up in our region as an 8/9. Personally I think that would be great. They are not nearly as scary as some of the other potential round of 32 teams we could face.

The key is holding serve at home against TCU and OU and we will win the Big 12 alone. We will likely then win at least one game in the Big 12 tourney and get a #1 seed. It still amazes me how huge it is to get a 1. Over the last few years we have seen that the 2 seed is no cake walk in the first round and I'm not just talking about losses but the toll of a close game. The 1 seed tends to be pretty fresh for their next game. Can't wait to see who we play and where we go. This team is so tough which could be special in March.

@stoptheflop I agree that Vick has earned the spot. That said, I have noticed that Coach has the quickest hook for Svi when things are not going well. He pulled him about 2 minutes into the game yesterday when Svi was throwing the ball away and letting his guy get open. Vick is a nice spark off the bench (or in a more pessimistic way the only contribution off the bench).

@HawkChamp Agreed. I will be shocked if the ACC winner doesn't get a #1.

So, the Hawks are in a great position for a #1 seed. especially with the upcoming week schedule. With our 4-0 record against the top 5 this year we may have a shot at the #1 overall. What do you guys think? Does it even matter? Last year we were the overall 1 and Nova was our 2 and they were obviously not the worst 2 seed. I guess I personally just hope that we get the #1 in the Midwest so we have to possibility to go through KC regional.

@kjayhawks there is still some season left but Baylor probably needs to win the rest of the regular season and get to the finals of the Big 12 to have a chance. UNC is murdering UVA so I could see Carolina getting a 1 with the run they are on or the winner of the Pac 12.

@chsguy2008 I suppose we go all on him now, right? I have been reading that he is a heavy lean to Duke but I honestly haven't been following his recruitment one bit until yesterday.

@jayballer54 Agreed. I would not be shocked at all if Bragg left. If he does I wish him the best. I have enjoyed watching AW3 this year at Cuse. He is a good kid and I am happy that things have finally worked out. If Bragg leaves perhaps that will happen for him as well.

As far as Trae is concerned I am happy for him to and look forward to seeing his talent on display in the Big 12 next year. I am also looking forward to KU beating OU 2-3 times next year.

@jayballer54 No, I'm not really counting on those things. Just thinking that if all of the front court stars align it could be good.

Do you think Bragg is gone? Just curious. It seems like it may be logical for him to start fresh somewhere else.

@cjbooth38 It will be interesting, man. This year we have such an incredible back court. Next year we may end up having a really deep front court if Doke's hand heals, Bragg re-learns the game of basketball and Billy Preston partially lives up to the hype. Could be back to pound it inside?

@cjbooth38 I agree that it would be great if we land him. My point was really more in the realm of expectations if he does become a Jayhawk. That said, let's say Graham leaves and we don't land Young. Will the ship sink?

I am almost always optimistic about KU basketball but my expectations have been tempered over the years as far as players making an impact right out of high school. We can all say that this kid will come in and be "the guy" to run the point but who knows. We have had quite a few highly touted recruits not live up to national expectations. Josh Jackson has ben phenomenal and lived up to expectations and I think Wiggins did as well. B Mac and JoJo were studs as freshman too. But then we had Diallo, Cliff, Selby, Oubre, Xavier (to some extent)...these guys were top 10-15 recruits. I would not say that we got top 10-15 results. Just saying, we can't be sure that his OAD year is a success no matter where he plays. Of course I hope he picks KU but we will be fine with or without him. RCJH.

Devonte and Frank get the well deserved glory for this game. The unsung hero to me is Vick. His 14 off the bench was huge in a game where the other team is so deep and wears out the starters.

Speaking of our bench, I just looked at the box score and Bragg played 18 minutes, was 0-1 from the field and fouled out. You almost can't make up a worse stat line. Thankfully Vick stepped up.

@drgnslayr fully agree that we should be beating teams by more but I'll take wins. The blow outs just are not coming this year. This is not a great KU team. Not an 07, 08, 11 level squad. It's more like a 2012 team and that team clawed their way to a Championship game. I see a lot of that team in this years squad.

@DCHawker good points but winning 37.5 minutes does not win a game. I still lose sleep over the 2013 Michigan game.

Best comeback since the final Mizzou game?

I hate this WVU team so much. Aggressively foul on defense and try and sell calls on offense. It's barely basketball.

@HawkChamp I keep thinking Dickie V will announce he is going to retire yet he just keeps going. I'm looking forward to him stepping away.

We got our butts kicked at WVU and in the Bill Self era I don't remember a game like that ever meaning another loss to the same team in the return game. I expect a KU revenge game with the crowd pumped and the guys firing on all cylinders. HAWKS by double digits.

As a KU fan my glass is half full in general. I tend to look at the amazing things that our program has achieved and feel thankful for Big 12 titles, Final 4 runs and National Championships more than I feel downtrodden about early exits in the tournament or teams not living up to expectations.

So, my glass is still half full regarding this years team! My thoughts on why are below.

1. We probably have the best backcourt in the country anchored by the best PG in the country. Guard play tends to thrive in March and I wouldn't trade with any team in America as far as perimeter players.

2. Experience. Frank. Devonte. Landen. These guys have all played in a lot of games and know what it takes to win and have proven that many times in close games this year.

3. Bill Self. Last time I checked Bill Self has the most wins of any coach in the NCAA since he took over at KU. We have been a #1 or #2 seed in the NCAA for almost 10 years in a row and the one constant is our coach.

4. Chemistry. This team really enjoys playing together. When we are firing on all cylinders this is as fun of a KU team as there has ever been to watch.

5. Getting better. We are currently a team with only 3 losses on the season and we have plenty of room to improve. Our defense is still sub-par as is our ability to play 2 high level halves in one game. If we can tighten things up and peak come March (which I think we will) the sky is the limit.

6. Josh Jackson. He is the X factor on this team and similar to Frank at PG I would not substitute anyone in the country at the position for Josh.

7. We are due. Have we really not been to the Final 4 since 2012? Seems odd considering how amazing we have been but I think this is a year where we are lead to the promise land by the best PG in the country who is possibly the POY in the NCAA.

Rock Chalk.

Did anyone else already post this? It's insane.

http://kansas.247sports.com/Bolt/Kansas-State-coach-Bruce-Weber-offers-weird-take-on-game-51152824 ↗

@Lulufulu my exact thoughts. I don't really care if we win by 2 or 20. Just win and get back on track for winning another Big 12 title.

HAWKS!

Make this FT Purdue!

I expect this one to be really tight. ISU needs a signature win to get into the tourney. If they lose today they go to 13-9 which is pretty awful. I like KU in a close 80-75 victory.

@HawkChamp just needs some more game time reps.

Coleby looks really solid on D!! Needs to shake off some rust on offense!

@DCHawker it's the best team they have ever had. Very solid, no doubt.

@HawkChamp I'm impressed with Baylor and they are an awesome team but I have faith that Scott Drew will screw this up.

Somehow still not worried. Scott Drew is still coaching a game in Lawrence.

@BeddieKU23 absolutely. Should be an awesome and tight game. We have the best backcourt in the country and best home court so I'm betting against Scott Drew yet again.

Rock Chalk.

Baylor and Scott Drew have never won a game in AFH and most of the contests have not been close. Even though Baylor is full of studs I don't expect anything other than a KU win.