🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Any recognition is good for our team, but they are only playing one true road game by choice. By that I mean, the Florida game is forced by the conference. So we are choosing to go to Colorado. The home non-conference slate isn't bad, but it's not like the good old days when they didn't have all of these neutral court deals.

I'd really like to see these coaches with the kahunas to say let's go to UNC, or Michigan St., or Louisville, and then invite them back. Besides conference games when was the last team a very highly ranked team from outside the conference came to Lawrence? I don't remember. UCLA was here a few years ago, Arizona too, but I don't remember how highly they were ranked.

So if every top 10 kid these days is going to be a one and done, then why not focus more on the 11-50th ranked kids and get them for 3-4 years? I agree, it kind of sickens me to think of Connor, whom we've been reading about for 3 years having to sit out this year. He's a top ranked kid who needs to play, just like Brannen.

"I would say just being able to enjoy my last year of school" sounds kind of strange doesn't it?

I'm going to go on a mini OAD rant here. In my mind, for Wiggins to be considered an all time Jayhawk great means he's going to have to deliver a championship. Don't tie him in with Danny Manning please who gave his all for four years, at least two of which he didn't have to stick around for. Don't even say he's the same as Wilt. He only played two years, didn't win a NC, but was on campus for three years. And of course, he's Wilt, the greatest to ever play the game if statistics mean anything.

If we don't win then he's maybe better than Selby and Henry, but not much else. I don't know if Texas fans take great pride in Durant, or KState in Beasley who both delivered astounding seasons but in the end, bowed out of the tourney with nothing to show for it.

So win it for us Wiggins with your teammates. Then your name goes up in the annals of KU, kind of like Carmelo at Syracuse.

It's hard to wrap my mind around the kind of money these kids will see once they go pro. In BMac's case, I hold no ill will towards him. He absolutely had to go pro. But when kids leave college for the money and they don't have a financial hardship it doesn't make sense to me. I've often wondered if Dwight Gooden regrets leaving a team that may have been one of the all time great teams. His new team every year in the NBA routine has been less than glamorous in my opinion. It's still a great life, but think if he could look back at what would have been a guaranteed NC.

Well, I hope it all works out for KU this year. But imagine what the next 3 or 4 years would be like if these highly ballyhooed kids decided that college is fun and winning championships is even more fun.

"ESPN’s current preseason power rankings, which were released on Friday, should serve as an effective way of hyping the upcoming Champions Classic, to be aired on the cable giant on Nov. 12."

In other news, Cliff Alexander has eliminated Michigan State from his list, and Marcus Smart beat Wiggins in the "best player in the country" category.

Link to story here. ↗

Do you think their rankings were based at all on their double header in Chicago? 1-2 and 3-4. You know ESPN will be pushing that ad nauseum for the next week!

I found it interesting (as I still lurk at KUsports) the other day that the LJWorld won an award for best online content for a paper its size. I commented that the award feels strange because they ruined it for a lot of us and one or two people gave me snide comments while 7 people thumbs upped my comment. I'd like to think we were all a little part of that award.

Just getting around to reading the SI issue with Wiggins. Makes me proud to be a Jayhawk!

I still forget I live in the South!

Should have said "all" of you!

If this guy was rated 30th or whatever it was, I would think he
'd be good enough to be playing this year, not sitting out. It would be interesting to see the history of redshirts. What's the highest ranked player to RS not because of injury, how their career turned out, etc.

I can think of one example a decade ago in Wisconsin. The first (and only) MCD's all american came to UW. His name was Brian Butch. Bo redshirted him his first year, then came back to have a very solid career with a cup of coffee in the league too.

Don't forget too, all of our freshmen looked like freshmen playing the first time in the bright lights last night, not just Connor.

Good posts both of you!

We've been reading about Frankamp seemingly for 3 years now, I'm not sure if I can take it if he redshirts. I want to see him play already!

So I'll ask this question: Did Self overrecruit? Has he added too many top shelf players and risking some top shelf players becoming disgruntled and either leaving or hurting team chemistry? I'm not sure the answer.

It's funny because the last few years people were whispering that Self had lost his recruiting touch. I never said that myself, but you all remember hearing/reading it.

Did we get Tarik before or after we got Wiggins? If it was before, would Self had brought him in ? If it was after, then Self, knowing his needs better than any of us, must have seen him playing a valuable role on this team.

I like the stats posted. I'm a stat guy, they speak volumes. I like the sabermetric type stats that they're bringing into play now, read Jesse's comments for more.

But will his intangibles, ie, a senior on a young team, make him more valuable than what we see on the stat sheet, which if he can fill it up at the same time, will be a bonus.

I really don't believe in the global warming thing, but if it keeps Joel in Lawrence then bring it on.

Blown, none taken. I'm still posting there on occasion just out of habit more than anything else, and for some reason, I can't post on here at work. That's gonna be tough to take, as I spend most of miniscule 25 minute lunch break reading KU stuff.

Awesome! Turned one of the most painful games to watch into sure bliss. 2003 is still the most painful.

Jaybate is a troll, Approx deleted him I suppose, that's why we haven't seen him here. :)

Dragon, I read all of the comments. It's interesting that Gary Bedore is commenting on all kinds of different stories. He never used to do that. I suppose he's trying to drum up interest. Heck, he's probably linked up with KUBuckets as well. He keeps insisting it's better. We all know it's not better. It sucks, really. I'm still kind of ticked by it. I've never seen such anticipation of a season and as it kept building, boom, there it goes.

Oh well, thanks again Approx for doing this. I seem to have trouble linking at work. Not sure why, it was working earlier.

Good link AJ, thanks for sharing. I hope we get to see him for 2 or 3 years here.

Not sure what happens, sometimes I post, click submit and it doesn't appear. Do you see this?

As a KU and Wisconsin fan, I'm not sure I like it. We play tough D and it might force us out of our games.

I hated seeing Syracuse maul people in the tourney last year. If it prevents some of that, great.

That video they linked to was pretty lame! But holy smokes I'm excited to see them out on the court for real!

I still lurk, occasionally comment. Tonight Gary Bedore wrote about todays story about someone tweeting. He said n the comment section "there's lots to comment on here" I replied he was right but only 13 people had replied all day. It was a good story too. I'm liking this, still learning how to navigate around it a bit. I just like seeing the old names and faces.

I didn't see anything too inflammatory in what he said. I've been saying the same thing all summer. We really don't know til these kids get on the court under the bright lights.

Great to have a computer nerd who is also a Jayhawk fanatic! I couldn't begin to do what you're doing. I noticed avatars are coming up. How do we add them to our profile? Thanks

I create quizzes at a great quiz site called sporcle. I made up a new KU hoops quiz. Let me know what you think. I can make more as time permits. Here's the link ↗

Brooks, was trying to figure out how to spread the word to you, good to see you!

I'll try it out. Glad to put my one shilling's worth in. I hope it works at work. Thanks for setting this up! I hope we keep it civil like it was over at KUSports.