@ralster said:
this particular KU team has more and better 3 shooters than any other KU team in the Self Era.
I'd say more and better than any other team in KU history (since the 3-pt line was added in 1986). The glut is pretty phenomenal.
tundrahok
1840 posts
@ralster Yes, having 2 point guards is key to success in Self's system. Only recently did I realize what combo guard really means. I used to think it meant a guy who could play both guard positions equally well, but that's not it. It's a description of the position, not the player.
Combo guards must come in pairs. You need 2 combo guards on the floor at the same time, either of whom can handle the ball or score. We finally have that again this year, and it's beautiful.
@Crimsonorblue22 They call it the Internet these days.
@Crimsonorblue22 Yes, Baylor winning in Ames is pretty cool. Danny Manning never won there as a player, so I always think any win there is impressive.
We won by 10, but TTU missed 10 free throws and shot 47%. That ugly game could have been scary if they'd hit their free throws.
@Bwag You're right, Mick didn't play at all second half. Neither did Diallo. Pretty hard to manage all those bodies when none really stands out. I think I'll adopt @jaybate-1.0 's approach and just applaud the efforts of the Composite.
@brooksmd Yes, I only saw a few minutes but it looked even uglier than our game.
Texas lost to TCU tonight and is 1-2 in the conference. Poor Shaka.
@RockkChalkk Bragg got 14 minutes, not bad.
Mason led the team in points, rebounds, and assists. What a stud.
@DCHawker And 2 boards and a block. But I would like to see Mick have another chance. He looked good in the first minute and had the first bucket of the game, but didn't do much after that. Sitting should make him hungry,though.
@VailHawk 0 rebounds, 0 blocks, 2 fouls in first half.
@jaybate-1.0 Frank is a rebounding stud for sure, but only one of his boards is offensive. He's just scrappy.
I wish C5 could grab more boards than our point guard.
@Crimsonorblue22 That's below their average.
C5 has 9 fouls, but 16 left to give the second half.
Shiny floor. That rainbow glare across the middle is hard on the eyes.
@wissoxfan83 Lucas doesn't need fancy passes.
@Crimsonorblue22 My feed is about a minute behind.
C5 has 6 fouls. Nice thing about the Composite, plenty to of fouls to give.
@brooksmd Isn't the hand part of the ball?
@JayHawkFanToo Yes, as Jayhawk I would like to accumulate as many championships as we can get. As a basketball fan, I enjoy the entertainment and drama.
And isn't it fun to laugh at Kentucky for the way their season ended last year, when they should have been the first team to go undefeated in almost 30 years? They were awesome, made us look like scared little girls early in the year, but fell to the vagaries of the single elimination tournament. Hee hee.
@JayHawkFanToo A round robin for the last 4-8 teams could be interesting, and probably would be a better way to ensure the best team wins. But it would definitely be a different tournament. Those upsets sure are fun and exciting.
We probably wouldn't have the '88 trophy in that format. Would we give up that wonderful, marvelous story? Losing 3 games in Allen that year after winning 55 in a row, and then beating those same 3 teams in the last 3 games in the season, with a decimated roster due to injury (Archie), suspension (Livingston), and academics (Branch). You couldn't script a better story. Entertainment at its finest!
I see your point, if the goal is to determine the best team in the country, but man, the fun and excitement of the current format, and the pure joy of the underdog after upsetting a powerhouse, would be hard to beat. I think my euphoria at age 20 outweighs the disappointments I've experienced in my 40s. What would we do with all our spare time if the best team always won?!? What would we bitch and moan and argue about?? There's just nothing quite like the NCAA tournament, as it is.
@nuleafjhawk How much did Hield dominate as a freshman?
We're never going to see another Danny Manning in college basketball because players with that talent don't stick around long enough any more to gain the experience to really dominate. A late bloomer like Hield is as good as it's going to get.
@JayHawkFanToo But that's also the beauty of the tournament....makes it so much fun, exciting, and unpredictable, because the best team doesn't always win. Just the team that gets hot at the right moment.
Sucks for the favorite, of course (which we usually are). But the event itself is glorious.
@JRyman We are definitely spoiled.
I like being spoiled.
@joeloveshawks said:
If one of our guys tore an ACL tomorrow it would be awful but we are the best prepared team in the country for a guy to step in if needed.
It would be awful to lose any of our guys, and especially the big 4: Mason, Graham, Selden & Ellis. However, Perry is the one who is truly irreplaceable. We just don't have another Big who can score underneath reliably (and also step out). Maybe Bragg will get there, but he's still pretty green. Our hopes for a deep run in the tournament really rely on Ellis' ACLs remaining intact.
Hield is the real deal.
3-pointers: 7-14 first half, 1-4 2nd half, 11-22 for the game. Somebody asked earlier.
@Bwag Depends if we win.
That's the third 5 to start a period in this game. Mick, Traylor, then Lucas in OT.
@wissoxfan83 Sure didn't look like he hit anything.
@Bwag Pretty impressive catch and finish by Wayne.
That was pretty weak. Just talk, nobody out of control.
I'm drinking a beer called Three Blind Mice. Seemed appropriate.
Svi has 3 fouls. At least Selden is rested.
Hield has over half OU's points.
Graham has had a couple of bad passes.
Self using that deep bench. 11 players have played.
Officials: John Higgins, Steve Olson, Kelly Self
Lots of jump shots
@jaybate-1.0 In answer to the last one, our lives would be less enriched. Even if our heads would be less scratched. ;)
Very cool article. I used to think (in the Naadir days) that "combo guard" really meant not-a-point-guard. But maybe that's ok as long as you have 2 combo guards playing side by side. Either can play point, and that flexibility opens up the options for distributing and taking it to the hole. In Self's system it takes 2 real guards (not just wings) to take the team all the way. EJ was great when playing alongside Tyshawn, but couldn't really do the job all alone (in 2012-13 with McLemore and Releford as the other 2 starting guards). Tharpe was way out of his depth trying to do it alone the next year.
As @KUSTEVE pointed out, having a stud in the 5 spot isn't really as crucial when you have 2 real guards playing together. A role player can suffice. I've been pretty cautious in my optimism this year, but with the strength of our guards, caution be damned. I'm excited!
@wissoxfan83 Yes, Bragg was 0-2 on threes for the season.
@Crimsonorblue22 Greene bumped his knee in the air, not intentional, just didn't get out of the way.
@Texas-Hawk-10 Statmonitor has Baylor +3 on rebounds. They seem to do better than ESPN.
Gathers said something to Ellis running off the floor, made him laugh. Wonder what it was.
Bragg first big off the bench. I expected Lucas.
Hunter's second foul.
@wissoxfan83 Guess so. It tried to load here in Canada, but then I got the snarky message. But Barnes finally lost, so we should get it on TV.