Vick trying to get his shooting percentage back up in one night. His game is growing by the day. I am really impressed with him so far this season.
justanotherfan
3643 posts
LBSU hasn't played a ranked team within 20. The goal tonight should be to keep both Frank and Devonte's minutes under 25. I would like to see a concerted effort to get Svi going tonight, as well as see if Bragg, Lucas (if healthy), Coleby and Lightfoot can find some real traction.
This is a get right game. It's not a walk over, but the emphasis should be on getting some guys that have been struggling really going to get their confidence up.
There is certainly tension on both sides. For a white kid, you may feel like the admin caved to pressure unfairly. For a minority, you feel like the admin may not take your concerns seriously. That's a recipe for disaster if you are Mizzou, something that could have been dealt with had they addressed all concerns promptly. By putting it off, they made it worse.
I have some extended family in the St. Louis area and that Ferguson situation (not unlike the MU situation) had been brewing for some time. As the DOJ report pointed out, there were systematic issues within Ferguson that were brewing. The same thing existed at MU. Some student concerns were being addressed. Many were ignored.
It's actually pretty accurate to compare this to the Baylor situation because Baylor has/had a very similar problem. Complaints were made about the behavior of their football players. Some were addressed. Many were ignored. That allowed the problem to balloon out of control.
The donors of MU were upset because Pinkel did what he had to do to save the program (i.e., listen to and address the concerns of his players). Good luck being a D1 football coach if black kids won't come play for you. Many donors were offended that these kids wouldn't just "shut up and play football", and their airing of those feelings has hurt Mizzou recruiting efforts enormously. You think other coaches aren't mentioning some of those things that alums said? Again, if you're on the fence between MU and some random other school, isn't this situation the thumb on the scale, regardless of whether you're white or black, just to avoid the drama?
That's a quality break down. One other item of note in that piece that Jesse didn't point out (probably due to a word count issue). Each play other than the first game was scored on the first action. If you look at the shot clock, KU is scoring within 9 or 10 seconds. That means they are exploiting the action very efficiently.
I absolutely agree. I am absurdly high on Vick. I agree with @JayHawkFanToo that Vick is likely KU's best player next year unless something crazy happens (i.e. Josh Jackson stays in Lawrence). Vick has already apparently passed Svi even though I feel like Svi has been playing well. I think that speaks to Vick's talent.
As for being a first round pick, that will have to wait and see. As a 2 guard, he has to demonstrate some more scoring ability. I think defensively he is very close to being ready to make the jump, but offensively he has work to do. A consistent jumper would do wonders for him, but I think he also needs to demonstrate some more ability to create for himself and others.
Vick has five more assists this year than everyone on KUBuckets combined, and that hasn't been due to a lack of playing time, as he's averaging over 25 minutes a game. As a two guard, he either has to have 20 ppg potential, or have the ability to get baskets for both himself and others. A score first SG that cannot put up 20 per is not really a first round pick. A jumper will help push his scoring average, but I need to see him get baskets for other people too.
All that said, I would not be surprised if Vick was a 1st Team All Big 12 next season and opted to at least test the waters after the season ended.
As @BShark says, Vick is a SG, not a PG. He can handle enough to be a secondary ball handler (or a primary in a pinch), but he is a true 2. His ceiling (ceiling, i.e. not where he is right now, or even where he will likely get to) is Tony Snell, a former star at New Mexico that has played in the NBA for the Bulls and Bucks. Snell is a bit bigger (6-7), but probably a worse shooter.
The floor for Vick is our old friend Steve Woodberry. Basically a versatile super sub that can plug in at a variety of positions as a four year player.
I'd say that Vick lands as a Woodberry/Releford cross, but a better scorer.
His three point shot has not been good, but his midrange jumper is very solid. Looking at the NBA, we see two similarly sized players that are good midrange shooters, but not good three point shooters - Rudy Gay and DeMar Derozan. That is Josh's current model. Of course, he would like to add the three point shot, but he can succeed in the NBA with his current game.
He is different from Wright in that he is a legit perimeter player. Wright played inside quite a bit, even at KU. He rarely played on the perimeter or even defended perimeter players. Already this season we have seen Jackson do both. That's a critical difference. Additionally, for all the hype about Wright's ball handling ability, Jackson is world's better as a dribbler and passer. That lefty baseline pass he made to Svi for the three in the corner was all you need to know. There aren't many guys in the NBA that would have made that pass. I assure you that Julian Wright could not make that play.
That's the big difference with Jackson. He can make so many plays his inconsistent three point shot isn't a big deal. Think about Brandon Rush. Was Rush nearly the ball handler or passer that Jackson is at any point in his KU career? I would have to say no. Rush was the superior shooter, but Jackson matches or exceeds Rush in literally every other category right now.
Enjoy Josh right now, because he will be playing in the NBA this time next year.
The publicity from the tensions really hurt MU. If you're a minority student and you have options besides Missouri, why would you go there? I know several kids from the Kansas City area that basically tossed their Missouri offers and information after that happened. That's huge.
On the sports side it's even more problematic, because you aren't just competing locally. If you're an African American recruit from anywhere other than Missouri and you have the option of going to Mizzou or somewhere else, those tensions are the thumb on the scale.
I know many on this board were critical about how the KU campus responded to things after the recent election, but for most schools, Missouri's situation served as a warning of what could happen to your school if you are not responsive to those types of complaints and concerns. It happened at Missouri, but I am here to tell you that it could have happened anywhere, including KU.
The big difference between this KU team and so many others is Josh Jackson. Stay with me here because this may get crazy.
Josh Jackson is the most complete player to come to KU under Self. He can affect the game in a million different ways. Already this year I can think of him making big plays with perimeter shooting, rebounding, drives, passing, defense, shot blocking, steals, big time dunks, etc. He can literally do it all.
That should be the difference come March. Jackson can just decide that KU isn't going home that night when things aren't going well and whether its defense, offense, transition or whatever, Josh Jackson will make plays because he can make a million different plays to help us win.
Frank and Devonte are carrying us now, but don't be shocked when its Josh dropping a 20 point, 11 rebound, 6 assist, 4 steal, 2 block gem of a performance at the most critical time you could imagine. He has that talent and that will.
That will matter come March.
Can Newman do what Frank is doing this year? Absolutely. Go back and watch what he did in high school. He's not a pure shooter, but he can get his points. The mistake at MSU was trying to make him a spot up shooter. That was never going to work.
The benefit is that Newman should be running the point for the scout team this year. I hope that the KU staff is taking full advantage of having Newman in practice to get him ready for next season. Newman will be a load to deal with next season.
Vick isn't going to be Tyshawn. Look for him to be a better scoring Releford instead. Vick has some natural explosiveness scoring and, unlike Releford, he hasn't lost that scoring instinct even though he hasn't been a primary option at KU. This season is all about developing that outside shot to round out his offensive game.
I would have agreed with you, but that comeback against Louisville (a good team with a HOF level coach) has me wondering if that is an old opinion that isn't necessarily valid anymore. If you're going to cave in, a neutral site game against a top 15 team when you're down 20 seems like the best time to do that. Baylor didn't, so that's either a testament to some great coaching, or its a testament to having an overwhelming talent advantage over a top 15 team. Either premise is scary.
Quick and dirty assessment of the other 9 Big 12 schools.
Oklahoma - 4-1 with no impressive wins and a loss to Northern Iowa on their record. UNI is usually solid, and they have only two losses on the season (both to a very good Xavier team due to a strange scheduling quirk). OU looks like a middle of the pack type of team that will probably be holding their breath on selection Sunday.
Oklahoma State - 5-1, but got blasted by UNC. Granted, UNC is probably one of the five best teams in the country, but they still got beat by 30. They will probably also be holding their breath on Selection Sunday, but I think they are better than Oklahoma right now.
West Virginia - 4-1, very good defensively, had an impressive comeback against Temple in their only loss (down by 20, lost by just 4). I think they will have trouble scoring all season, but their defense will keep them in lots of games. They are a tournament team.
Texas - 3-2, no identity right now. Smart is pushing his defensively philosophy, but doesn't appear to have buy in from his players just yet. They should be better than this, but they are not. They have talent, so they could always figure it out. I need to watch them again to get to the bottom of this. Right now, they are not a tournament team.
Texas Tech - 5-1, no wins of any note. Only loss is to Auburn, a team that is probably going to be pretty good this year under Bruce Pearl, despite their loss to Purdue (a Big 10 contender). Tech has been building depth and talent. They should be back in the dance this year again.
Kansas State - 5-1. I am taking a wait and see approach with KSU. I need to see how they handle the game at Saint Louis before making a judgment. Hanging with Maryland got my attention, although I am still not convinced the Cats are any good.
Iowa State - 5-1, and as good as that record would indicate. They could have knocked off Gonzaga, and they have a convincing win over Miami, too. They are a tournament team unless Monte Morris goes down. Probably a top 5 seed.
Baylor - 6-0, this is potentially Scott Drew's best team in Waco. Wins over three ranked teams already, it's arguable that their resume is better than KU's at this moment (beat Oregon and Michigan State by double digits, came back to knock off Louisville). That Xavier game over the weekend should be interesting. They could be a top 3 seed.
TCU - 6-0, with a rematch with Washington looming. TCU could be .500 in the conference this year, which likely makes them a tournament team. Big congrats to Jamie Dixon on getting this team over the hump. They look like a serious team and they have more talent and depth than ever.
Predicted conference finish:
- Kansas
- Iowa State
- Baylor
- TCU
- Texas Tech
- West Virginia
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Texas
- Kansas State
The crazy thing is, I think that 9 of those teams still have at least a chance to go to the tournament. Probably only 7 teams will go dancing, but just about everyone will get a shot entering conference play.
@HawkChamp said:
@justanotherfan Is there any combination of guards out there better than ours when they are playing well?
Short answer - no.
Longer answer - heck no.
The thing with the big guys is this - they do not need to score in order for KU to have a chance this season. That five man perimeter rotation is so good, they will be able to overcome most any challenge that they face, provided they get some support from the big men.
That support means two things.
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Defense
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Rebounding.
Last night was bad because our bigs did not defend or rebound. The lines:
Coleby - 20 minutes, 3 rebounds, 4 blocks, 0 turnovers, 5 fouls.
Lucas - 10 minutes, 2 rebounds, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls
Bragg - 10 minutes, 1 rebound, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 3 fouls
Azuibuke - 5 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 blocks, 0 turnovers, 2 fouls
Total it up and you get 45 minutes, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 turnovers, 15 fouls.
That's terrible. Actually, that's worse than terrible, but I don't know what word to use. That's hot garbage. That's a dumpster fire. That's throwing up all over the coffee maker first thing in the morning bad.
And yet, KU cruised to a win over a solid Georgia team because their guards are so good. If KU can get anything resembling production from anyone up front, this is a national title waiting to happen.
Or a whimper of production up front...
Lucas has to be hurt. He just looks lost out there right now.
Inside production cannot be this bad. They don't have to score, but they do have to rebound and defend without fouling. This performance has been an outright dumpster fire.
We need better rebounding from the front line. We can score with anybody, but unless JJ or Svi is a 6-7 rebound a game guy, we need Lucas or Bragg or Azuibuke hitting the glass so we don't get mauled on the boards.
Last night's rebounding performance was a bigger issue than the lack of scoring. That's the area I am focusing on going forward.
Josh dunked that last night like the entire state of Alabama talked bad about his mother.
The issues with Baylor really just mask a bigger problem.
Football is too powerful.
Sports in general are too powerful, but football especially.
I don't know that Baylor should be kicked out of the conference, because that ultimately harms lots of other students. But Baylor's football program should be torn down to the ground and rebuilt from a bare foundation. At this point, that is the only way. It's hard to tell who is bad and who is not because there is so much awful coming from that program. The only option is a complete tear down and gutting.
Last night, Josh Jackson did this
!josh-jackson-dunk-594x356.jpg ↗
Why are we not discussing this?
UAB may have helped awaken the beast in Josh Jackson. Now that he has been unleashed, look out.
Svi is a very well rounded player. I think we are starting to see him put all of the parts of his game together. Sometimes guys that are more well rounded struggle earlier in their careers because they don't specialize.
Take a great shooter, for example. They know that their role is to knock down perimeter shots. Because they have that elite skill, they don't have to search for ways to contribute. Yes, it helps to round out their game, but they will get court time because of their elite shooting ability. Their path to success is very straight forward.
For a guy like Svi, that's not the case. He's a good shooter, but not elite. He can drive the ball. He's a better defender than you realize. He can rebound. He has some post up game. He can run the point in a pinch.
Now walk up to 17 year old Svi as a freshman and tell him to contribute to the team. How? Is he a shooter? A distributor? Should he take on the toughest defensive assignment? What should he do?
Ultimately, Svi is a bit of a Swiss Army knife. He's so skilled that he can help out in a ton of different ways, but its only now that he is actually able to connect his ability with his productivity.
A few things of note here.
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UAB has a legit front line. That's a quality group they have up front - athletic, skilled, strong, experienced.
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KU's frontline is basically parts of that split between different players. Lucas is strong and experienced, but not athletic or particularly skilled as a ball handler/passer/shooter. Bragg is athletic and skilled, but not experienced or particularly strong. Azuibuke is strong and athletic, but neither skilled nor experienced.
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KU's best players all play on the perimeter - Mason, Graham, Jackson, Svi, maybe even Vick. There's an argument to be made that those are KU's best five players. That's not any disrespect to our big men. But Jackson and Svi are quite possibly KU's two most well rounded players, and Mason and Graham are almost certainly KU's two most indispensable players.
I say all of that to say this - there will be games like last night because KU's best players are not up front, and a good, experienced front line is going to hold our front line down more often than not, but it simply may not matter because our perimeter group is just so good. There's a chance all five guys getting perimeter minutes on this team could play a decade in the NBA (yes, I am including Vick). You would be hard pressed to find another team in the country that could legitimately say that all of their perimeter guys have a shot at the NBA at some point.
This is a situation worth monitoring, but not worth freaking out about at this point. KU beat a likely NCAA tournament team (and midmajor conference champ contender) by 20 points with basically no production from its front line.
UAB lost their starting PG (Norton) for the year in the first half of their first game. They are still in the process of adjusting without him and could be vulnerable to pressure.
The play should have been replayed for one simple reason - with 1.6 seconds left, Simmons could have, from where he caught the ball, taken one dribble and shot the ball within the time remaining.
Instead, he just tossed the shot up to the rim. Starting the clock early changed the play. It should have been replayed because the buzzer sounded, so he tried to get the shot up as quick as possible because he has no way of knowing in that moment that the clock started early.
Having played in tons of late game situations like that (as well as coached and scouted), I can tell you that you have an internal clock going, but you can't account for a timing error. He's thinking he can catch and either pump fake or catch and dribble once before shooting, but when he hears the buzzer, he just puts it up because at that point, if there was an error, putting it up immediately is the only way to preserve it.
The fact that the buzzer sounded changed the play completely and should have caused a replay.
He could get going, but I don't see him getting the minutes. He's the fifth perimeter guy. I can't see Self going with 4 perimeter guys more than about half the time. That means Vick will be getting 10 minutes a lot of nights.
He will have a chance to do some damage in a few games, but not consistently enough (barring injury).
But Vick's star is rising. He could have a big game in the tournament that puts him in the spotlight nationally, but he will probably only average 5-7 points per game on the year.
Likely next year. On this team, he won't be because he won't have the opportunity, although I do think he will have a game where he scores 20 or so at a very opportune time.
But I think he will be a star in the future, so I do agree, not yet.
Vick will be much more than a glue guy.
That's likely his role this year because Jackson and Svi will consume a lot of the action on the wings, but next season, I could see Vick averaging 12-15 points per game. He can put the ball in the basket, and if his jumper continues to progress, he could be a very dangerous wing scorer, as well as a defensive stalwart.
I am probably higher on Vick than most, but I see elements in his game that make me feel like he can be a collegiate star with a possible NBA future.
KU plays tough, but ultimately just can't stop the run.
38-28 loss.
I would guess that Mason's scoring will slow. We have likely already seen his season high, and as Jackson, Bragg and Svi get going (I think all three could average 3-5 points more each than the current numbers), so if you shave 10-12 points off Mason right now, that puts him back down around 13-16.
I would guess Mason's average settles around 14 the rest of the way, so he ends up with probably about 1700 career points, not bad, but short of the top 10 by 50 or more.
This Siena squad is bigger than a lot of mid major and low major teams you will see, with the added bonus that they have guards that can really play. Definitely a dangerous team.
We obviously have advantages on them, but its not like they are a pushover that we can beat by 50. They can play us within 12 if they play well. They don't have a ton of outside shooters, but they do have three guys that can hit from distance. The key is to corral Wright. He does most of the damage, so if we control him, their offense will probably struggle.
UK is loaded. Probably the only team that can match a healthy Duke up front in terms of talent and depth. Their whole season depends on being able to hit perimeter shots. If they shoot at least a passable percentage from three, they are almost a lock for the Final Four, but they are also the kind of team that could go 2-22 from three in a Sweet Sixteen loss.
I would not even want to get grazed by Udoka. That is one big guy right there.
I think this is a game where Bragg gets going early, actually, then Svi comes off the bench and finds his shooting stroke on his way to 15-18 points.
Ideally, this allows Mason and Graham to both play ~25 minutes and not get so worn down for later in the year. Self must figure out how to monitor minutes for those two in particular since he does not have a third PG on the roster.
The next five KU games over the next two weeks are Siena, UAB, Georgia or George Washington, UNC Asheville and Long Beach State. This is a perfect time to pull Lucas from the lineup and let him rest/ heal up before the Stanford game on December 3. By trying to do a minutes restriction, you ultimately end up with him just taking longer to get fully healthy (or not getting healthy at all).
Lucas is not moving well right now, and for a guy that has limited agility and explosiveness to start with, that's not a good thing. Let him heal up so he can really contribute. Give minutes to Udoka, Bragg and Lightfoot (who needs some minutes to gain experience). Might as well do that against Siena and others than have Lucas re-injure himself and have Lightfoot needing to play big minutes for the first time against UNLV or Texas Tech a month from now.
Also why Frank picked up that foul on the corner three because he jumped to contest. A longer defender probably doesn't get that foul because he just has his hand up.
I know people that have stopped watching for that reason as well, but those are the same people that only watched 13 or 14 games last year instead of all 16. Viewership was eroding and there were a lot of people on the fence this year. Maybe the protests pushed them off the ledge this year, but they were already trending down anyway and probably would have stopped watching in another year or two anyway. That's the trend the NFL has to worry about - that the protests sped up a decline already in progress.
Really hard to say if that was the gameplan. It happened multiple times, so I would guess that it was, particularly because Self was not upset with the results. That said, if the double down was a strategic decision, I would like to see Frank double down "big" rather than small.
You will notice that when Frank went to double, rather than having his arms up or out to cut down the passing window, he had his hands down or in front to try and disrupt the ball handler. Knowing that Duke focuses so heavily on drive and kick actions, I think it is a mistake to not double down with arms out to eat up some of the passing lanes, particularly since you're doubling down on guards that can pass more effectively than a big man.
I think that was a conscious decision on how to defend Kennard. Not wanting him to get three point looks, KU funneled him into the middle for the pull up. He hit several of those even when challenged, but KU didn't give up the three. I actually preferred that to giving good looks from three. Duke has too many shooters to give them those shots.
Tatum I don't think would have. A healthy Giles around the rim would have made some of the drives from Frank and Devonte much more challenging. Plus, Giles is very mobile, so he covers a lot of ground. He's similar to Anthony Davis in that respect.
Of course, the way the game was officiated, he probably would have had three or four fouls for most of the night anyway, so it's hard to say he would have been a factor.
!Viewership-Among-All-Adult-Demos-Chart.jpg ↗
As the chart above shows, NFL viewership has been falling for the last several seasons. NFL viewership among women has been plummeting, and without adding guys to replace the women viewers (the NFL was previously the most popular pro sport among women), the NFL cannot sustain its level of viewers.
This has been coming for a while now. The NFL didn't admit that viewership was eroding, and now it's convenient to blame it on the protests, when the truth is the league was walking a very thin line the last few years anyway. The concussion issues, the domestic violence, and other factors have been chipping away at football for years. It's now starting to crumble just a bit. Not saying it can't bounce back, but I haven't watched a full regular season game in more than two seasons.
The fourth guy was Sean Obi. He was there last year, but didn't play much.
Don't forget that three of Duke's best five players were in suits last night. They are very good if they ever get healthy. Giles especially will be a nightmare.
Lots of thoughts from last night. I will try to hit the highlights.
Jackson - the conversation starts with him because he was primed to have one of those nights that everyone wakes up this morning talking about. He had about a 2 minute stretch there where he confirmed every scouting report out there. He did everything. Josh Jackson is the best defensive player to come to KU under Self. Better than Releford. Better than Wiggins. Better than Rush. Jackson can cover anyone except the biggest and best interior players. He handled Jefferson last night on the block on a few occasions. Guarded the perimeter as well. Jackson is the full package. Even on nights when his offense doesn't click, he will have to be on the floor because of what he can bring defensively, which is what made the fouls so frustrating. If Josh stays on the floor, KU wins by double figures.
Mason - Great game from him. He is starting to pick his spots, although there were still a couple of drives that were ill conceived. The late game pull up was everything you want from a senior PG. He ran the clock down and got a good shot. Can't ask for anything more from Frank.
Graham - his shooting stroke isn't quite dialed in yet, but he is finishing around the rim. The only issue that I have with Devonte is that both he and Frank are finishing shots that are extremely difficult. If some of those shots roll off the rim, we are in a lot more trouble. We need to get both Frank and Devonte some easier chances around the rim. Also need to find a way to monitor both of their minutes. As for the cramps, I think as Devonte has added muscle to his frame (he's a pretty slight guy), he is struggling with how to keep his bulkier muscles stretched out. That's a challenge for lots of smaller guys as they add muscle. I think it will sort itself out as the season wears on, but for now he just needs to watch his diet and hydrate.
Lucas - he's not physically right at the moment, so I would rather see him take two weeks off, get healthy and then come back as opposed to playing at 80%. I understand the lack of interior depth, but it wouldn't hurt to have Lightfoot and Udoka get some experience in the non-con while Landen heals up. There are going to be games where we need his experience and bulk, and we will want him 100% when that happens.
Bragg - starting to find ways to affect the game more. I would like to see him hit the offensive glass harder. He did some good things last night and his ability to hit that 17 footer changes the shape of the defense. I still want to see Self unleash the KU version of the lineup of death - either Mason or Graham with Vick-Svi-Jackson-Bragg. There are maybe 3 teams in the country (Duke when healthy, UNC and Kentucky) that can handle that lineup on both ends.
Svi - At times last night, Svi was the best player on the floor. He handled the ball, rebounded, made probably the three best passes of the night. If Svi was shooting well right now, he would be making his way into the first round of the NBA draft. However, his struggles right now are related to trying to find his strength as he adds bulk to his frame. He made an incredible rebound, then just couldn't get back off the floor to finish the layup that would have probably sealed the game.
Vick - This guy is going to be a stud... next year. He's also probably going to save our bacon once or twice this season. Watching him this year vs. last year is like night and day. He's much more confident with the ball, and he's probably the second best defender on the team after Jackson, and his length allows him to handle some 4's in a pinch, as well as handle the ball as the secondary ball handler in other lineups. Vick makes this team much more versatile because he can be in lineups that go big or small. At least once this season I want Self to put in the lightning lineup - Mason-Graham-Vick-Svi-Jackson. You could go big to try and offset that lineup, but if you don't have a lot of interior talent, going big probably just gets you run off the floor against those guys, and most teams don't have the pure talent to match up by going small.
Udoka - I'm glad he will be here for two years because he needs a little more time to put it all together. He's big and strong and agile, but he hasn't put that all into a basketball package yet. When he does though, look out. There were moments where he was sliding with guards 30 feet from the basket. Guys that are 7-0, 285 shouldn't be able to do that. I'd like to see him paired with Bragg more so that the floor can be spaced even with two traditional big men. Udoka still needs space because he hasn't developed that part of his game, although he is a pretty adept passer at this stage.
I can see a rough image of what this team will be. Self has identified the correct rotation already - Mason-Graham-Jackson-Bragg-Lucas with Svi-Vick-Udoka and Lightfoot in post mop up minutes. The thing now is to just get those groups functioning well together, which means getting Lucas healthy, managing Mason and Graham's minutes and finding a way to get Jackson, Svi and Vick to play without as much fouling.
Every player has certain strengths and weaknesses.
For Landen, his major weakness happens to be very well known, to the point that I am sure everyone has it mentioned in the scouting report. As a result, it will be exploited more than maybe some other player's weaknesses simply because guys know that if they double down on Landen, he will bring the ball down and they can force a turnover when he does that.
That's no different than the fact that guys are going to play off Josh and his suspect jumpshot, or the fact that teams funnel Frank into traffic because he tries to bull his way through it, or guys will get physical with Carlton because he still doesn't hold position as well as we would like to see.
There are improvements that must be made because these are known deficiencies that will be attacked as the season wears on.
That's a fair point to consider. It's possible that it was based on matchups, but that has generally not been Self's style to target specific matchups. If that is his style now, then I am actually more encouraged about Friday's result despite the loss.
I worry that Frank tries to do too much. Down the stretch against Indiana just about every play was Mason going either one on one or in the pick and roll. He really didn't get anyone else involved in the offense down the stretch.
Speaking of the pick and roll, why is KU not showing the PnR with Jackson as the screener? If you're going to go small, there should be some Mason-Jackson and Graham-Jackson PnR. Let Jackson get that switch and catch with the other team's PG on him in the post. That's a potential quality touch. Plus, he's so quick and agile he will be tough to contain for a lot of bigger players as the roll man. I'd like to see more of that.
Sad thing is, that's an NBA referee making a HS ref call. He waved off the dunk and called a charge. That's ridiculous.
Gina Rodriguez is a citizen. When Obama answered her question, he said the following:
Not true. And the reason is, first of all, when you vote, you are a citizen yourself. And there is not a situation where the voting rolls somehow are transferred over and people start investigating, et cetera. The sanctity of the vote is strictly confidential in terms of who you voted for. If you have a family member who maybe is undocumented, then you have an even greater reason to vote.
He is specifically in this answer addressing Gina Rodriguez. He says "You" when he refers to voting. At the end he follows up by saying:
"But they're counting on you to make sure that you have the courage to make your voice heard."
That refers specifically to the undocumented individuals counting on legal citizens to vote. Nowhere in President Obama's statement does he encourage illegals to vote. This is the type of misinformation that is dangerous and misleading. Too many groups on both sides have circulated misinformation and it makes it nearly impossible to cut through the insanity.
President Obama never encouraged illegal aliens to vote. He encouraged citizens to vote to represent their community.
Furthermore, there is no proof that any illegal aliens voted in this election. Kansas' own Kris Kobach passed voter ID laws and got prosecutorial power to ferret out this sort of thing. Do you know how many illegal aliens Mr. Kobach has located and prosecuted - ZERO. Don't you think that if Mr. Kobach had found illegal aliens voting, he would have splashed that across every headline from Goodland to Pittsburg?
This misinformation has to stop. Democracy depends on an informed electorate. Right now we have a misinformed electorate. That must stop.
Concussions ruined football for me, unfortunately. I haven't watched very much football for going on three years now. The way the NFL covered up the effects made me abandon the NFL a while ago, and I have started becoming more apathetic about college football. Just too many young men sustaining lifelong injury without enough benefit. I know each of these young men has their own choice to make, but I have to make my choice, too, and that choice has been to not watch.