Sometimes people with social anxiety can handle a certain number of questions or a set amount of time before the anxiety kicks in. It affects different people in different ways.
My guess is that Vick has a method for handling it, but that only works for so long, so if he's thrown off or disrupted, he may react in a way that seems odd to us, but it's just him trying to regain composure.
Not much argument. Pierce easily has had the most success of any KU player in the NBA in the last 30 years - he surpasses Manning because he was able to stay healthy. No other KU player has as many All Star appearances, career points, etc. Paul Pierce stands alone.
With Agbaji signing, wing isn't as much an issue in 2019. We know that Garrett, Agbaji and Cunliffe will all be here. KJ Lawson likely sticks around. Dotson will probably be here. Moore, too. That gives us three PGs (Dotson, Moore and Jacobs) on that roster, plus Garrett as a junior, Agbaji as either a sophomore or redshirt freshman, and Cunliffe as a senior (assuming he stays).
Harvey makes seven guys on the perimeter. I'm hoping he continues to develop. He's struggled off and on this year against some of the better athletes he has faced. He has also had some really nice games this year, and has shown an improving shooting touch. I think more than anything, Zach just needs to get a little bit stronger to handle the uptick in competition. Since he's still a ways away from graduation, he is still on track to get where he needs to be, though I would almost rather him be in the weight room all summer than on the court. I will note that he looks like he's starting to fill out naturally anyway, so he's doing the work. It's just going to be a long summer of more work for him.
Robinson-Earl also needs to add some strength. Kid is still pretty slender. He's probably also on track to be ready when he gets on campus, but that's going to be something he needs to work on. I'd also like to see him be a bit more active on the glass. He's really athletic, and here in Kansas, he should be averaging more like 10-12 rebounds per game (averages a very solid 8.6 right now). As athletic as he is, he should be outright dominant on the glass. I remember one of the things I loved about TRob as a recruit was that he was a relentless rebounder. He averaged something like 14 or 15 boards a game as a senior because he just wanted to get every rebound. I hope that happens for JRE as well.
If this team needs a stop, what do they do?
If this team needs a basket, who do they go to?
That 2012 team could answer the question easily. Withey could help get them a stop. Robinson would get them a bucket.
The 2008 squad, the answer on defense was Rush. On offense, it was Arthur.
You have to be able to answer those questions. This team hasn't found those answers. I'm not sure this team has those answers. Maybe the answer on offense is Devonte, but defensively, I don't know. Azubuike fouls too much. Vick is inconsistent. Devonte already has too much on his plate. Svi and Newman are solid defenders, but I don't think anyone would call either guy a stopper.
The 2011-2012 team was flawed, but the difference was trajectory. That team bottomed out in mid-December in a loss to Davidson. After that loss, KU started putting things together.
They weren't vulnerable at home.
The defense was tough with Jeff Withey anchoring the middle.
This team was deeper than the current group, with Withey, Robinson, Releford, Johnson and Taylor starting, backed up by Tharpe, Teahan and Young. That's a lot closer to Self's preferred rotation than what this year's group has.
2012 corrected their flaws. This team is finding new flaws seemingly each week.
Let's just put this to bed.
Higher profile teams tend to get calls. "Well coached" teams tend to get calls. That's just the human element of the game. If the officials believe team A is "well coached" and "disciplined" they will tend to view their play more favorably than if a team is "poorly coached" or "out of control".
Let's use Duke as an example. If Grayson Allen had done his tripping incidents at some random school, he likely would have been suspended by the league. We all I think agreed on that last year. But because he was at Duke, the ACC generally thought that Coach K would "take care of it". That's just the benefit of the doubt that higher profile programs and coaches get. Coach Whoever at Up and Down State U would not have gotten that benefit of the doubt, and his player would have been suspended after the first incident.
That type of thing extends in game as well. That's just human nature. Coach K (or Izzo, or Self, or Williams, or any number of other Hall of Fame or near Hall of Fame coaches) gets the benefit of the doubt, and that extends to their team as well.
This team doesn't have the firepower to win a national championship, so winning #14 is probably going to be the highlight of the season. That's not writing off the season. As I said in a different thread, this team is flawed, but it can still accomplish something really special despite those flaws simply because it can win historic #14. Of course, that's going to require a win in Lubbock from all appearances, so buckle up guys. It's going to get crazy.
Defense requires an effort commitment. That's why very few teams are really good defensively. You have to have an effort commitment from every single guy on the roster that they will defend for every second they are on the floor. That's why the best defensive teams sometimes just disappear offensively. They pour almost every ounce of energy into that end.
Four of the best defensive teams in the country are Cincinnati, Virginia, Texas Tech and Michigan State (maybe the four best when considering stats, opponents and overall defensive talent). Offensively, Michigan State is great - they rank 5th in the country in effective FG%. The other three...well, they win because they are so good defensively. Virginia ranks 95th in eFG%. Texas Tech ranks 98th. Cincinnati ranks 133rd. Those are clearly not great rankings, but they are so tough defensively, as long as they score every now and then, they can win.
KU does not have the depth on this year's team to do that. They can be above average, but not elite. Problem is, because of the reliance on perimeter shooting, if KU goes cold, they have to be elite defensively.
Basketball players know hoops. There is a possibility that once Preston left, guys on this team simply realized that they are outgunned and outmanned this season.
As long as Preston was here, there was hope that the cavalry was coming. That's not true anymore. Maybe they win the conference, but this team is flawed. We have been discussing the issues for weeks. Its not like the players are ignorant to that. They know this roster has holes. They know Silvio isn't ready.
And perhaps that has trickled into bad habits and poor attitude. We aren't used to having a definite ceiling on a team, but this squad has a ceiling.
There's just not enough here to dream of a Final Four. And I think for some of the players, that's affecting them.
You're absolutely right. Lebron has dictated many of the Cleveland moves since his return. I would too if I returned to a franchise that squandered most of my early years with pathetic rosters. All he's done since then is put together rosters good enough to get to three straight Finals and win a title. There are literally 28 other GMs that don't have a resume that good, and only one that can say they have done better.
Not bad if you ask me.
Cleveland has never had a particularly good GM. They were terrible putting guys around Lebron in his first stint in Cleveland. Part of that was that Lebron is so good, Cleveland drafted in the lottery only once. After that, they did not miss the playoffs. They used that pick to select Luke Jackson in 2004 (a fairly weak draft).
Seriously, here are the draft picks Cleveland selected after they drafted Lebron:
![alt text](!<a href="https://i.imgur.com/JIJaS5f.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener">0_1518198336032_upload-8abd1cb2-d1cd-41ea-806f-7d56220cde7a ↗</a> image url)
They never put Lebron with any other young talent. Here's a list of All Stars Lebron played with in his first stint in Cleveland:
That's pretty bad. They didn't draft him any help. No JR Smith. No Josh Smith. No Al Jefferson. And yet they won 50 games every year but one from 2005-2010.
Lebron's team has played until at least the conference finals every year since 2007 except 2008 and 2010. That's a decade, and Lebron has played until late May at least all but two years. Lebron's team has been to the Finals every year since 2011.
No player has been able to raise his team that much, for that long in basketball history. Jordan didn't do it. His Bulls only won 50 games twice in his first six seasons. Lebron's matched that total by his fourth year in the league.
Lebron did not play with a single Hall of Fame worthy player until he went to Miami. Jordan played with Pippen from 1989 through the end of his title run. West played with Baylor and Chamberlain. Russell played with Cousy, Sam Jones, Havlicek, and Jo Jo White.
Shaq and Kobe.
Dr. J and Moses.
Cleveland never put that second guy with Lebron. Lebron had to do it himself with Wade and Bosh.
Lebron has had to be both the best player in the world, and his own GM. That's a feat not many could accomplish.
Not a bad group overall. Beaty needs to have a better season to solidify his footing so he can recruit. By having people calling for a change, it undercut some of the progress Beaty made on the recruiting trail.
The grad transfer route may be beneficial. KU needs a few guys to solidify the team and help steady Beaty's job while the younger guys develop.
Releford wasn't as good of a shooter out of HS, but by the time he left KU, he was a 40% three point guy. Agbaji is probably going to come in able to shoot close to that. If he can clean up his ball handling, I could certainly see him being an improved version of Releford by the end of his career. This is a good get for KU, that could end up being a great get.
@Kcmatt7 Midseason moves usually don't work out for the reason you say. And @dylans makes a good point that this doesn't change the Warriors situation. The Warriors are still well ahead of everyone else.
But the Cavs at least now have seven guys they can put on the floor against Golden State - Hill, Clarkson, Smith, Hood, Green, Nance and Lebron - that can shoot from the perimeter, defend multiple positions, and handle the basketball. They have two others - Thompson and Love - who can play the 5. Thompson as the rim roller/defender, Love as the floor spacer/rebounder.
Boston will still push them (and could beat them), but they are likely better than Toronto now, and nobody else in the East has a chance. If they beat Boston, they meet the Warriors, and if the Warriors aren't there...
The Cavs put themselves in a better position to win the title than they were in 24 hours ago. It might not work because the Warriors are world beaters. But if that window opens even a little, Cleveland has positioned themselves to step through.
In a way, it reminds me of Jacksonville's situation in the NFL. The Jags should have upgraded at QB this season. They were in a position where they were going to win their division. They were heading to the playoffs. If they upgrade at QB, now they know they are on the same level as New England and Pittsburgh. Maybe you still don't beat those teams because New England is a dynasty, but wouldn't it be nice to have a good QB if you happen to be up 10 in the second half against New England in the AFC title game? Chances to win titles don't always come around. For all we know, that was J-ville's shot right there. Maybe Fournette gets hurt next year. Defense takes a step back. Whatever. This year may have been their shot. They were right there. The door was open. They didn't step through.
Boston added Greg Monroe today to shore up their second unit. They put themselves in position. Houston loaded up their roster to have a showdown with the Warriors last summer. Chances are, the NBA champion will be Golden State, but if not, there are really only three teams that put themselves in a position to take the crown if the Warriors misstep - Boston, Houston, Cleveland. Everybody else saw the juggernaut and sat on their hands.
If you're trying to beat Golden State, you need 4 or 5 guys that can play on the perimeter, guard multiple players of different sizes, and give you something offensively. You cannot beat the Warriors if you don't have that. Cleveland just went and got a few guys like that in a few hours with Hood, Nance, Clarkson, and Hill. And they still have Lebron, so they will be a factor.
Agbaji will probably end up reminding a lot of people around here of Travis Releford. He's a great HS scorer, but that will likely not be his role in college. I think he understands that and will make defense and versatility his calling card. He will be a four year guy that may well end up having a career not that dissimilar from other versatile, somewhat local wing guys like Steve Woodberry and Travis Releford.
Here's how I see each team based on where they are right now for next year.
Kansas - one of the best three or four teams talentwise in the country. Just loaded as long as everyone shows up eligible. If they add any other pieces, look out. Final Four caliber. National title contender.
Baylor - if they solve their PG situation, Baylor could be very good next year. I don't know how they are replacing Lecomte right now, but the rest of that roster next year should be legit. With a decent PG that can run the show, Baylor is a Sweet 16 type squad next year. Without a PG, they probably miss the tournament entirely.
Iowa State - probably will experience the biggest bounceback candidate. They are bad this year, but help is on the way for them. They should be back in the tournament, and probably around .500 in the league next season.
K-State - they return most everyone, so its not critical for them to bring guys in. Next year is the prove it year for Weber, because he will have Stokes, Brown and Wade all as seniors. This is Weber's best chance in Manhattan. If they aren't top 3 in the league, 2019-2020 is going to be U-G-L-Y.
Oklahoma - if OU doesn't sign a capable PG, we will see a repeat of last season. We know what that roster looks like without a PG. We know what that roster looks like with a PG. Next year's roster does not have a PG. That's all you need to know. Kruger needs to find himself someone to run the show.
Oklahoma State - this is the hardest team to figure. They have some athletes, so that's nice. But they aren't all that strong right now, and I don't know that any of the guys they are bringing in makes them that much better next season. They are probably two players away from being a tournament team.
TCU - Jamie Dixon is building something in Fort Worth. The biggest help will be having Jaylen Fisher back healthy, but he's surrounding him with the right amount of talent. Dixon built some good, tough, rugged teams at Pitt. He's finding his way to do the same at TCU. This will be a tournament team next year. They could get hot and make a run to the second weekend.
Texas - Smart has landed himself four long athletes. This is what he has been trying to do, blend athletic four year "system" players with elite talents to carry the offense. If Mitrou-Long can solidify the PG spot, Smart will have the best team he's had since coming to Austin.
Texas Tech - The Red Raiders will take a step back next year, but it looks like it will only be temporary (similar to what Baylor did this year). They should be down next season, but will bounce back in 2019-2020.
West Virginia - The Mountaineers will continue to be a headache. They will trap and press and pressure and generally drive you crazy. The major question is always can they score in the half court. If their offense is reliably efficient in the half court, they will be a top 10 team. If they struggle to score, they will still win a bunch of games because they will make you throw the ball all over the gym.
The Big 12 will be tough again next year, but KU will be loaded. Next year's teams at Texas, TCU, West Virginia and maybe even KSU or Baylor could all give this year's KU squad problems, but they will be facing next season's monster roster.
In my haste to put that together, I forgot completely about including Garrett in those lineups. Even if Newman and Vick both leave, this team is in good shape next year regardless of whether Langford signs or not.
Langford just adds to the embarrassment of riches. If he doesn't come, maybe Agbaji joins up as a four year player. Dotson is here for two years at least. Moore is here for three more. Garrett is here for at least two more unless his shot really progresses. Cunliffe probably stays. I don't see how Azubuike leaves for the NBA this year. He isn't ready to play at that level yet on the defensive end, and his offense isn't far enough along.
KU has a bunch of really good college players that they can group together with potentially two superstar talents (Lawson and Grimes), maybe even three with Langford. Not many teams in the country will be able to match that.
If Langford comes, he will be the most talented player on the roster.
If Langford doesn't come, either Grimes or D. Lawson will be the best player on the roster.
Building out the lineup from there, with Langford, the lineup is probably Dotson, Grimes, Langford, Lawson, Azubuike. Look at that lineup again. That is filthy. And that doesn't account for Moore, KJ, Mitch, maybe Vick and/or Newman, Cunliffe, McCormack, De Sousa, etc.
As shallow as this team is right now, next season could be equally deep. Even without Langford, we're still looking at a very deep team with experience, talent, and depth at every position. Azubuike and McCormack at the 5. D. Lawson and Lightfoot at the 4. KJ and Vick at the 3. Malik and Grimes at the 2. Dotson and Moore at the 1. And Sam Cunliffe is on the roster, too. So is Silvio De Sousa. This team is scary deep. Even if Vick, Malik and Azubuike all leave, you still have Dotson, Moore, Grimes, Cunliffe, KJ, Dedric, Mitch, De Sousa, and McCormack (and maybe Langford, too). That's deeper than this year's squad, with more talent, too.
I haven't had a chance to comment on your work, but the writing you do is top notch. Your analysis and breakdown is excellent. You deserve a lot of credit for what you put together in your power rankings and your bracketology work.
That sounds about right in watching the highlights. Thanks for the info.
Different news outlets are reporting the charge differently. Some are reporting as possession, others as distribution. No report has come out stating how much he had on him. The amount makes a difference here, as the charge can differ based on that. My guess is Brannen stopped in Colorado, picked something up and was driving back to the KC area. Foolish to bring something back, as I have told many people - even though its legal to buy in Colorado, if you are stopped in Kansas, you will get in legal trouble.
Is there another D1 recruit on Grimes' team? I know that Langford plays with a guy that has some mid and high major attention (Sean East), but I didn't realize there was also a guy on Grimes' team. In watching Grimes highlights, no other player has really stuck out to me.
I know about East because when you watch Langford highlights, you see another guy almost always in the middle of the action, so I looked him up to see if he was a JR or SR. He's a SR, probably headed for a midlevel D1 school (most likely in the MAC). At the HS level, though, two guys with D1 skills translates into a nasty one-two punch.
I haven't seen that in Grimes highlights
March is a different animal because there's no real home court advantage. Even if the crowd is 70% for one team or another, that's much different than coming into AFH on a night in February. The crowd is usually 95% one way or another - you're at home or on the road for most of the season. In March, the arena could be 50% one team, but the rest of the building is either for the other team, or completely disinterested in the current game (or empty seats). This happens a lot in the Round of 32 because fans of teams that were upset in the first round may attend just because they have tickets (or may attend only as college fans in that town while their favorite team was sent to another location).
It's a weird atmosphere because the "buzz" that usually surrounds a game isn't always there, particularly if the game before or after is a better matchup (two rivals, or two strong programs) or the previous game was a real thriller (went into OT or ended on a buzzer beater).
It's a hard atmosphere to prepare for because it is different than even the early season games. For instance, the Champions Classic is a neutral site, but the fans are UK, Duke, KU and Michigan State exclusively. Maybe a few people from the city that the game is hosted in attend, but mostly its fans of the teams participating. Same with the other pre-season tournaments, because everyone knows who is playing months in advance.
Add to that the fact that underdogs get to play loose in March. If you're a double digit seed, you have nothing to lose. There's zero pressure because if you get blown out, nobody will remember, but if you stay in the game, even if you lose, people will talk about the "scare" you gave Hoops Blueblood U for the rest of the day. In conference play that doesn't exist because while KSU isn't as good as KU, there's a lot at stake for KSU. They badly need a good win for their own tournament resume.
For a lot of lower seeded teams, making the tournament is in itself a success for the program. That's why you see the smaller conference tournaments often result in these wild, spontaneous celebrations. Getting to the tournament is its own success for those programs, regardless of whether or not they win a game. Beating a team like KU is just icing on the cake.
For even the midlevel seeds, winning more than one game is usually a huge accomplishment. For KU though, losing in the Round of 32 or even the Sweet 16 is a disappointment. The pressure shifts to the higher seed until the Elite Eight, unless a double digit seed makes it that far. Otherwise, the thought of adding a win over Kansas to an already successful season (NCAA tournament birth, tourney win are already in the bag by then) is just a bonus. There's no pressure. You can play free and take risks.
@Kcmatt7 is right on the money here. The Chiefs turned Alex Smith into $17M of cap space, a third round pick, and a very good third corner. So immediately they have improved their defense (they now have one of the best, if not the best slot corners in the league).
They have a way to improve even more with both proven players (cap space) and unproven guys (draft pick). They also have flexibility with trade options. They will probably not re-sign Spencer Ware, which frees up more cap space. Their RB situation is set, and its low cost. They can sign a solid backup QB without breaking the bank. They can add more help on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Simply put, the Chiefs put themselves in the best position to strengthen their roster in 2018 and 2019 by moving Smith, which means they can maybe make a run if not this year, then in 2019.
Self has to preserve energy because he's playing four regulars at least 30 minutes per game. Guys just aren't getting breaks during games, so you have to back the practice schedule off. You can't afford to have any guys get hurt. The rotation was wrecked when Newman was out. Guys have to have energy, so practices have to be more like shoot arounds because you aren't getting any deeper at this point unless Self starts giving Cunliffe and De Sousa real minutes.
There are very few great QBs. Right now we have Brady, Rodgers, Brees. That's about it for great. You have several really good (Newton, Wilson, Ryan, etc.) Then you have a bunch of solid guys. That's the category Alex Smith is in. He's solid, and in the right situation, can be very successful. He won't make mistakes, so he won't hurt you, but he also can't carry you. There's nothing wrong with that, because lots of NFL teams would give up a lot for that level of competence (Jacksonville, Cleveland, Denver, Arizona, Buffalo, etc.). You see what that level of competence did for San Francisco. You see what a lack of that did to other teams.
It's basic algebra. Yes, the three point line is constant, but with the angle, using it as a constant doesn't work to get a good estimate. The more accurate calculation is just basic pythagorean theorem. It's really just a right triangle from Young to the hoop, because we can get pretty good estimates of Young's distance from the center and his distance from the baseline.
@JayHawkFanToo you are correct that I left out the rim spacing. Everything else holds, though, because I did account for the backboard.
Ultimately that makes me a few inches off since the distance from the baseline won't affect the distance from the center.
Texas losing Jones to the injury, then with cancer has really changed the ceiling on this team.
From a basketball standpoint, they lost their best perimeter talent. He was a legitimate scorer and a matchup problem on most nights. He was also a capable defender that fit perfectly in Smart's ball pressure style.
From a human standpoint, just keeping the team focused and together when one of their teammates is having to deal with that sort of hardship is quite a task. Keeping them engaged in basketball is a big job when they are also mindful of their teammate and friend.
Not saying Texas shouldn't be better. They probably should be. But their losses are as follows: Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, West Virginia. They would like to have that win over Oklahoma State (lost by 1 at Gallagher-Iba), and the loss to Baylor stinks, but the other five games, you can't find me a dozen teams in the country that go better than 1-4 against that group. There are teams that would have won at home against Michigan, but Kansas comes in and wins. Not many teams go to Morgantown and emerge with a W (we know this well over the last few years). Duke and Gonzaga on a neutral floor. I just don't see too many teams that could scratch out two wins against that group. So maybe Texas should be one or two wins better. That's about it. But without Jones, this isn't a top 20 team talentwise, anyway. Jones didn't play against Michigan, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor or West Virginia.
Texas is a fringe tourney team, which, given their talent (minus Jones) is about what they should be.
The shot chart is one thing. Seeing the shots themselves are another.
!0_1517438090935_upload-575511fb-ea08-4ab2-b938-33bb04f7614b ↗
The shot above is the circle to the far left of this chart below.
!0_1517438161464_upload-63d17c2c-bc4a-46a4-becc-4e94abcea123 ↗
If Young were at the top of the key, that shot would closer than the wing. But let's estimate from the top of the key, then work across. Look at the defenders feet. If he were to shift over to the top of the key, he would be above the three point line himself, so that's 21 feet right there. That appears to be 6-4 guard Tyson Jolly defending. He has his arm extended, but isn't touching Young. At 6-4, his wing span is probably something like 6-6 or so, so I would guess his arm extends out past 24 feet from the hoop if he were at the top of the key. So if that shot were from the top of the key, that's 25+ easily.
But Young isn't at the top of the key. He's well over to the wing. You can see that he's well above the 28 foot mark, which is 28 feet from the baseline (notice that the official at the top is standing with his right foot just across the 28 foot mark, and Young is completely behind him). Young is easily 30+ feet from the baseline on this shot! Let's call it 30 just to make this easier. from He's also well outside the paint.
So we know that the backboard is 4 feet from the baseline. We also know that the lane is 12 feet wide, with another 8 inches for the block. This is where it gets tricky, because the angle doesn't allow you to see where he is in relation to the sideline, but it looks like he's more than halfway to the sideline on the left side. Let's say he's 14 feet from center there.
Time for some math. So I have him at 30 feet from the baseline, or 26 feet from the backboard. I've got him 14 feet from the center of the floor. If you Pythag that out, you get roughly 29.5 feet on this shot!
Now look at that shot on the extreme right of the chart. It's nearly as deep, plus its right up along the side line. It's at least 25 feet out, and its at least 20 feet from center, if not more. That's a 32 foot shot all day long.
And that assumes he's not deeper than I estimated on the video, or closer to the sidelines than I can tell from the video. That means that at least those three shots are 30 footers or better (the two on the left, plus the one along the sideline on the right).
Recruiting is about the personal relationships, but the thing we can't gauge as fans is what those relationships are like between the players themselves. Maybe Shittu sailed an elbow past the wrong guy at a camp three years ago. Maybe a couple of guys were trash talking and it got a little heated, and now they don't get along. These are things that the players may know amongst each other, but that won't necessarily get talked about otherwise.
Maybe Romeo is the type of guy that gets along with most people, so that stuff doesn't matter. Maybe he's the type of guy that, when he forms a friendship, that's really important to him. That's something you can't know without knowing Romeo personally, so it's hard to say.
From a basketball perspective, he's choosing between three freshmen PGs (Dotson, Garland, Phinisee) and a few sidekicks (Grimes, Lee, Anderson). Those are his choices because situationally, that sets up how things will go for him. I understand why Shittu wants to play with Garland. I don't know how Langford fits into that. We will have to see.
That is an excellent point. If your back line guy loses discipline, you're giving up layups and dunks all day. It's a difficult assignment. Calipari did it with Anthony Davis sometimes when he was at UK, but Davis was an amazing collegiate defender. There aren't many guys out there who can anchor the back of a defense like that. The last guy KU really had that could do that for any length of time was probably Jeff Withey, simply because he understood angles on shot blocking so well. Most teams don't have a guy like that. The only guy I could see that could do that in college hoops this year would probably be Mo Bamba at Texas. There may be others, but he's the one that jumps to mind initially.
B1G is down, but they are a major conference. They are getting at least four or five teams in. Right now, Nebraska is either 4 or 5, and as @Kcmatt7 noted, they don't play a single game the rest of the way against the other top teams. Nebraska should finish the season with no more than one more loss prior to the B1G tournament. They have the bottom 3 teams in the conference (Illinois, Minnesota and Rutgers) all left to play. It won't help their schedule strength any, but their W/L record should go from 17-8 to either 22-9 or 23-8 before conference tourney starts. How many major conference teams are going to be better than that come March?
Young is better than I ever would have imagined. PG is the hardest position to play level to level, but he made the transition no problem, and did it without being an athletic freak. I thought he would be solid. He's the most impactful player in the country.
This was about getting the cap space.
If Mahomes is 80% the QB that Smith was, he's doing that at basically a quarter of the salary. That means that you can have Mahomes, Kendall Fuller (contract is less than $1M), the pick and another $12M in cap space to play with this offseason, and you have basically only lost 20% of QB production. $12M can go a long way towards retooling the defense and solidifying the offensive line. And of course, by getting the third round pick, you have another guy on a rookie contract that can be productive for the next three or four years on a low cost deal.
I understand why the Redskins fans are upset. The Chiefs got a great deal out of this. And if Mahomes is better than 80% of Alex Smith, this was a real life fleecing.
It can be, so long as the big man isn't a scoring threat. If the opposite big is a scoring threat, you will be constantly out of position on defense and you might as well just start a layup line.
It's actually more effective at the HS level, where a dominant big man can control the paint and not have to worry so much about a guy scoring against them. I think Olathe NW played that some when Willie Cauley Stein was there because he could guard the rim without having to roam too far from the basket against most HS big men.
In college, centers are more likely to be adept at the pick and roll, as well as catching lobs, making a defense like that less effective because a guard can drive and just lob it up for their big, even if that big man isn't a good offensive player.
Like any zone, it is match up dependent. If, for instance, you sub out a guy that isn't much of a scoring threat for a stretch player (someone like Mitch, for instance), you can't play that type of defense because you are gifting Mitch a bunch of wide open 17 footers.
Usually, if a team is doing that, it is because the opposing big man isn't a threat to score, in which case the center can just guard the paint. OU actually did that a couple of years ago when they played KU and Lucas was in the game at the end. Oregon did that with Bell quite a bit against KU last year in the Elite Eight. Bell is pretty mobile, so he didn't stay exclusively in the paint, but he hung back quite a bit and basically covered up any drive rather than having perimeter guys help off shooters.
Langford can play anywhere he wants. But that's the thing. He could draw any of the 351 D1 schools out of a hat, pick that school and he would be the starting 2 guard there next year. It's more about how pieces are going to fit around him. Langford is trying to make the best decision for himself, as every kid in the country does when they pick a place to go to college, athlete or not.
The biggest question you have to ask if you are Langford is who you want to be your PG. Since he's a SG, he wants to go play with a PG that will set him up well for shots. That would seem to give KU an advantage, but I don't know how well Romeo knows IU commit Robert Phinisee (another Indiana HS player). If Romeo knows (and likes playing with) Phinisee, that could tilt the scale in their favor. IU also has another Indiana kid (Damezi Anderson). If Romeo gets along with those guys and likes playing alongside them, he could very easily pick IU.
For Vandy, the PG will be Saben Lee. He's started every game this year as a freshman, so he will have experience in the system. I can't stress enough how important it is for a wing player to have a PG that can set them up. Having a guy with experience makes a huge difference in the impact they can have.
For KU, it will likely be Dotson and Grimes in the backcourt. That gives Langford the opportunity to really spread the floor with a couple of other nice slashers, but he won't have any experienced guys with him.
Situationally, I think there's a good chance he picks IU, particularly if he gets along with those other Indiana kids. He and Grimes are close, though, and he may want to play with another elite guy in his one year. Vandy has the experience thing going, and he would be the feature guy in that system, but that's an uphill battle unless he liked something he saw in practice with Saben Lee.
Agbaji is a solid player, but I don't know how he fits in at KU. He's not an elite level wing at this point, so he would sit behind Cunliffe, Grimes, Moore, Garrett, Dotson and KJ Lawson next year, whether Langford comes or not. That's a lot of people to be behind, particularly because Cunliffe, Moore, Garrett and Dotson would all definitely be returning the next season.
Without peeking, can you guess what those numbers represent?
3 is the number of games that Vick has played less than 30 minutes
2 is the number of games that Svi has played less than 30 minutes
1 is the number of games that Graham has played less than 30 minutes
8 is the number of games Graham has played all 40 minutes (Neither Vick or Svi has played all 40, but they have each played multiple games with more than 37 minutes).
Graham has not missed a single minute of action since the K-State game... on January 13. This isn't quite to an emergency level, yet, but it is a situation worth tracking.
KU was playing what looked to me like a 2-3 matchup zone, similar to what Boeheim teaches at Syracuse. The idea is that the top two guys handle everything up high, but when the ball reverses quickly, the guy on the bottom of the zone on that side steps out to guard the wing while the zone rotates. This allows the top two guys to pressure the middle and the wing without having to scramble and lose the high post when the ball swings. It also allows for optional traps if the guy on the wing picks up his dribble in a bad spot.
It was clear that Self still wanted ball pressure out of his zone, which required Malik and Devonte to work on each rotation. Because Svi and Vick both play lots of perimeter D, it didn't cause mismatches when they rotated up to guard the ball on the quick swing.
Few players at the college level can not play for a while, then come in and be productive. In the NBA, that's one of the reasons teams will keep a veteran or two around at the end of the bench - they know those guys can sit for days or weeks at a time, then hop off the bench and play solid minutes in a pinch. But that takes years of training and knowing how to prepare yourself without getting practice or game reps.
Sam hasn't had that yet. Since the last KSU game (January 13), Sam played just the closing seconds of the OU game (less than a minute of court time). That was 16 days prior. He probably had no idea he would be called on last night, and doesn't yet know how to prepare himself to go 2-3 weeks without playing, then come in and contribute.
The secret, of course, is to not look to contribute by scoring. Defense first. Rebound second. Hustle third. You don't want to hustle first because that will lead to being out of control. Defend first. You don't want to hustle second, because you still might be too eager. Rebound second. Then hustle.
The defense makes you focus on the gameplan. Where are you supposed to be. How are you supposed to guard this guy. What are the defensive principles.
Rebounding makes you focus on fundamentals. Boxing out. Positioning. Not simply standing and watching. Doing your work early.
Then you engage the effort. Once your mind and fundamentals are engaged, that's when you can do extra work to try and steal a possession or two.
Getting a good sweat working on defense and the glass will settle your nerves so you don't shoot the ball to Larned.
Same goes for Silvio. He should focus on protecting the rim and trying to grab every available defensive rebound, which means he has to box out every time.
Once you do that, the rest will come in time. It's easier said than done, though.
Mitch is improving on a pretty normal improvement curve. He was a talented, but somewhat raw freshman. He wasn't quite ready, although he had a baseline amount of talent to belong on a D1 roster. He just wasn't ready to play in a major conference - this is how all but about 60 or 70 freshmen in the country are.
Now as a sophomore he is ready to contribute. He's not ready to start, but he can play minutes. He can impact the game in a variety of ways, but he can't necessarily impact the game on a consistent basis.
Next year, he may be able to have a more consistent impact, and as a senior, he may be a critical cog.
There's nothing unusual about that, except here at KU we are used to seeing freshmen come in and play right away, or leave if they don't.
45% is about average. For the season, 165 teams in D1 shoot at or above 45%. the rest (186 teams) shoot below that mark.
That said, KU shoots almost 50% from the field, so 45% is down for us.
I'd actually rather see Malik shoot less threes. He's more effective attacking the rim, and I think that mentality makes him a better (and more efficient) scorer, plus it helps KU get to the line overall. He also puts more stress on the defense when he is a threat to drive. With Svi's man having to stay attached to him, and Devonte's man having to remain attached to him, you really don't have a lot of help options when Malik puts the ball on the floor. If Doke's man leaves him to block a shot, Malik can either drop off a pass to Doke, throw a lob, or shoot, and the result is either Malik making the shot or Doke dunking more often than not (Doke dunks on the drop off, the oop, and most of Malik's misses because his man would not be able to challenge Malik and also keep Doke off the offensive glass).
Drive it, Malik. There's a lot of good things happening when you do.
Svi is playing himself into an NBA position with his shooting. If he can defend at an even passable level, there is an NBA contract waiting for him.
Newman was at one time an elite level talent as a three level scorer. If he continues to score 15+ and does so reasonably efficiently, the people that projected him as an OAD may be convinced that his skillset will translate. Newman was an elite player, evaluated higher than some guys currently in the NBA out of HS, including a lottery pick from last year in Luke Kennard.
Newman is in the process of turning the corner on his season. Depending on how this goes, Newman could vault himself into the first round.
Grimes' best future is moving to PG. He can be either just another wing guy, but that should be his fall back position. His goal should be to be an all star PG. He can pass and handle well enough to play the point, and as he moves up and plays with better teammates, his scoring demands will become more reasonable.