JAYHAWK NATION!

The Split, The Streak, and The Sweep

2012-02-09T08:15:00.003-06:00

We got the split! I said last week I'd be happy with going 1-1 on this road trip, and I am. Glad to see no ill effects from Saturday.

And the 6-year streak with no consecutive losses goes on. Nothing's more dangerous than a Bill Self team coming off a defeat. Does someone keep records on this? This has to be one of the great all-time runs -- coinciding of course with the six-year duration of this blog.

All hail Withey, TT, and T-Rob! (Later during Duke-UNC, Vitale couldn't believe it when he saw the numbers: "Withey with 25, Perry Jones with 5?")

Chris texted me asking what the hell happened -- he left work with us down 10 and got home to find us up 20. Damn L.A. traffic.

Unfortunately I missed most of the game myself, but it appears one of the things that happened in that run was that rare bird, the 7-point play: First, T-Rob gets the and-1; on his free throw make, Baylor's Miller inexplicably nails Withey with a vicious elbow; on the technical foul, Withey makes the free throw and KU retains the ball; and finally, Tyshawn hits a three. In one possession, KU lead goes from 8 to 15.

I wasn't optimistic in my preview yesterday, just because it's so hard to sweep a good team. Maybe the jury's still out on just how good Baylor really is. They still only have 3 losses -- two of them to Kansas. Now we're 3-3 against the Top 10 -- not too shabby.

Just saw Gottlieb on TV putting Kansas among his Top 5 teams -- over Duke, and narrowly over Mizzou, he said.

Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

2012-02-03T00:33:00.003-06:00

It's a shame no one has time to blog here anymore, because this is going to be a momentous week for the 'Hawks one way or the other -- an unprecedented gauntlet of consecutive road games vs. Top 10 teams, with major conference implications at stake.

If I'm recalling correctly, Kansas has not lost two games in a row in the entire history of this blog -- not since early in the 2006 season. But we've never had a two-game road swing like this in my memory; that streak could very easily come to an end. If so, we would go from one game up in conference to one game down, with Mizzou and Baylor then tied for 1st; we'd also probably get knocked out of the Top 10, because that's just the way it goes. But we'd still have a good shot at continuing our Big 12 title streak, since Mizzou has yet to play at the Fieldhouse and Baylor has yet to play at Mizzou.

Honestly I'd be thrilled with a split. A sweep is just too damn much to ask for.

But assuming we lose one or both, I'm still very curious to see HOW we lose. Will we let ourselves get steamrolled like Baylor and Ohio State did at the Fieldhouse? (Or like North Carolina at Florida State? How are we ranked below them, by the way?) Or will we at least take them to the wire and put the fear of God into their fans? We're going to find out something about the character of this team.

(Oh yeah, and also Saturday could be our last game ever at Mizzou, the end of a century-long era -- which we could talk about, if anyone's still out there.)

No Margin for Error

2012-01-29T22:56:00.002-06:00

The loss at Iowa State was not shocking given how tough they played us at Lawrence, of course. But somehow I was expecting more. Self should have them amped up after that near-disaster vs. Royce and co. at home.

T-Rob and Withey had subpar games (the latter plagued by ridiculous calls, but that's what happens on the road). And because no consistent offensive contributor has emerged beyond TT and T-Rob, we suddenly looked very anemic on offense.

Credit to both EJ and Travis for continuing to play good D, but we really, really, really need one or both of those guys to start putting points on the board consistently. They've both proven they can do it, but intermittent greatness isn't going to be enough this year.

The other problem, of course, is Conor. TT and EJ have made it a point to get him the ball in position to hit 3s, but he isn't holding up his end of the bargain.

The good news: TT seems to have turned the corner (10 assists to 2 turnovers); also, Mizzou lost this week, so we're still ahead in conference. But we have two games vs. the Tigers yet to come in this gauntlet of a schedule, plus road games vs. Baylor and K-State. Our margin of error is dwindling.

Hooked 'Em

2012-01-22T12:55:00.002-06:00

Uncle Greg's postgame report from the stands in Austin: "Holy canoly."

Tyshawn continues his hot streak, makes the go-ahead play -- and this time, no turnovers. Oddly enough, this morning I saw the documentary about TT's high school team in Jersey and their coach Bobby Hurley. Ty, as a senior, recovered after breaking two fingers in midseason, and led the team to a 32-0 record and the title. Then consider that he's lost all of about 16 games in his entire KU career: Of all the things that have been said about the kid over the years, it must also be said that he's a winner.

We also saw some flashes from EJ. It's strange how he disappears for long stretches, but he stepped up and made huge shots vs. Duke and Texas.

Really sweet bit in the LJW wrap-up about Angel Morris coming down to be with T-Rob. (I appreciated the late-Stones reference in the headline. I also would have accepted "Start Me Up," or "Tattoo You" in honor of T-Rob's arms, or if we had lost, "Shattered.")

Big Monday, or the Biggest Monday?

2012-01-16T13:19:00.001-06:00

Here we are, #7 Kansas hosting #3 Baylor.

Current Big 12 Player of the Week Perry Jones III vs. current Big 12 Player of the Week Tyshawn Taylor.

Could the stakes be higher?
Actually, they probably could. But this should be a hell of a game!

Thoughts, Nation?

... And Back to Where We Belong!

2011-12-23T13:10:00.000-06:00

I guess my reaction is almost opposite yours, DGL. I'd call Davidson the anomalous game. USC seems more like what I'd expect from this team: not always pretty, and a rotating cast of scorers (though EJ has been looking more and more solid lately), but solid wins against decent teams—and on the road even!

Anyway, just to quibble a bit more with the previous dooming and glooming, according to ESPN, TT is averaging 50% from outside, Teahan 41%, and EJ 33%. I for one am pretty happy with those numbers.

Now, I missed the first half last night (darn birth classes!), but what I saw in the 2nd looked pretty good: Johnson had some great athletic plays, and TRob continues to shine, even against double-teams. Good stuff.

... And Back Down to Earth

2011-12-20T15:24:00.003-06:00

I regret to say that losing to Davidson doesn't surprise me a lot. Particularly when you look at outside shooting, our dismal performance yesterday was unfortunately a lot more characteristic than our brilliant showing vs. the Buckeyes.

There are other factors, of course -- TT coming back from injury, some key defensive lapses, and esp. the continued turnover problems. But that stuff doesn't worry me as much...

TT will get better, the D has been mostly very good, and the turnovers are to some degree correctable. But if Conner, TT, EJ, and Travis continue to have games where they can barely crack 25 percent from distance while T-Rob gets doubled and tripled, we'll be lucky to make it out of the Round of 32 this year.

When Brady and Reed suddenly couldn't buy a bucket in the VCU game last season, it was a crazy, unprecedented, tragic fluke. With this year's team, it's becoming more like the norm.

Signature Win

2011-12-11T16:20:00.004-06:00

Sullinger or no, that was awesome.

I can't figure this team out. In some games we seem utterly incompetent on offense with the exception of T-Rob. Then we come out against one of the toughest defensive teams in the nation in Ohio State, and shoot the lights out.

And where did Kevin Young come from? There wasn't a single aspect of that game in which he did not excel. If we can keep getting bench play like that we have a higher ceiling than I thought.

Even more important was EJ's shooting. This may be the biggest factor for us this year -- we desperately need that triple scoring threat, but EJ has been our least consistent guy.

Tyshawn's turnovers were driving me nuts, but I had no idea until the end of the game that he had put up Steve Nash-type assist numbers. Some of that may be a bit flukey just because we were nailing every 3-pointer we heaved up -- but you could turn that around and say TT would have a better assist-to-TO ratio on the year if not for EJ and Conner missing so many open shots in other games.

So let's give TT a round of applause as he heads off to surgery. Turnovers are inevitable when you're up against an elite defender like OSU's Craft, but the pluses outweighed the minuses, esp. when you factor in the injury. This was Tyshawn's finest hour -- so far.

Weis, Sullinger, Obama, Etc.

2011-12-09T12:27:00.002-06:00

I don't know what it's going to take to get some excitement going on the old blog... New football coach? Presidential shout-out? Pending showdown with No. 2 in the nation?

This is one of those rare KU games where the pressure should be off a bit, and yet I kind of feel we need to win this. We've proven we can compete with the big boys, and we've proven we can decisively beat some decent second-tier competition. But on our own floor, with a possibly ailing Sullinger, it's time for a signature win. Enough moral victories.

(If nothing else, a win over Ohio St. might propel us over those Missouri secessionists in the rankings. Also, my uncle's going to be in attendance, and it would really make his weekend.)

I watched the S. Florida game last week, and was, uh, somewhat encouraged. At least we proved in the 2nd half that we can hit some 3's on occasion. I didn't see the Long Beach State game, but I think that was a good win vs. a good team. I'm glad the Obama endorsement didn't jinx us this time.

As for Charlie Weis, I have my doubts, but if he can come anywhere close to his Notre Dame record, we'll probably be erecting statues of him at Memorial Stadium.

Turkey Hangover

2011-11-28T13:24:00.003-06:00

It seems like a long time and a lot of calories ago, but just a few thoughts on the Duke game:

First of all, it was damned exciting for KU to be part of a game like that, win or lose. You had to be proud of our guys and optimistic for the season.

I know everyone wants to blame Tyshawn for his 2nd-half turnovers, but the problem right now is lack of depth. Our guys were completely gassed by the end after three consecutive games and an intense first three-quarters vs. Duke. Self didn't have the confidence in Tharpe to play him more than 7 mins., and so TT stayed in there for 38 mins. Interestingly, Self had nothing but praise for Tyshawn after the game.

One good sign re. depth is that EJ, Travis, and esp. Withey all showed signs. In fact, the latter might have been our MVP if he'd stayed out of foul trouble.

Interesting thing about this team's defense -- it's really good EXCEPT beyond the 3-point line, where every opponent is just killing us. I guess that's not atypical for a Self team, and at least they're not taking us to the hoop.

Also: Au revoir, Turner Gill. That was one of the worst of KU's many terrible football seasons. Still doesn't make me miss Mangino, however.

Hawaii 3-0?

2011-11-22T01:41:00.002-06:00

Our first big win of the season: a narrow but rather convincing victory over my local Hoyas. I wish we had won by more against an unranked team, but give some credit to a surprisingly athletic G-town squad.

Great bounce-back for T-Rob and Travis after struggles vs. UK. Travis was Mr. Clutch, T-Rob dominated, and TT-EJ continue to show signs.

Now we're in the Final Four with Duke, UCLA and Michigan. Feels like the early '90s all over again...

OK, it's my bedtime. Looking forward to more hoops tomorrow/later today.

Wildcat-Scratch Fever

2011-11-16T10:29:00.002-06:00

Well, I enjoyed long stretches of our loss to Kentucky. We fought, we played defense, we outrebounded them, we blocked shots, our guards penetrated on offense and forced turnovers on defense. Withey and Wesley were pleasant surprises.

We proved at least we can play with the big boys. We theoretically could have won if not for the Cats' crazy barrage of 3s, many of them guarded or heaved up to beat the shot clock.

Tyshawn played his ass off. I was impressed that he was able to get to the line so much against such athletic opponents. Elijah penetrated well too. But when they penetrate, these guys need someone on the wings to kick to. Which brings us to this team's possible fatal flaw: shooting.

The turnovers were disappointing, but 14 TOs isn't terrible. 34 percent from the field and 27 percent from three -- now that's terrible.

A lot of firepower went out the door with Brady, Tyrel and the twins. If Teahan is the only spot-up guy we have, then we can expect a lot more games like this one where we're competitive but still fall short.

Any Cause for Optimism in 2011-12?

2011-11-02T09:08:00.002-05:00

We're back after a depressing offseason following a depressing early exit -- conference defections, ineligible freshmen, recruiting misses, player suspensions, football futility.

Now at least the games have started up again. But is there any cause for hope after our boys struggled to beat Pitt State? Not much, I fear.

Nine turnovers for Tharpe? (Deron grimaces, tugs collar nervously.)

And I can't give much credence to Withey's triple-double. The Jayhawk big man overachieving against preseason D-2 competition is now a longstanding, and predictable, pattern.

The good news is that Teahan apparently kicked ass, and we won despite being severely depleted. For now, I'll take it. TT, EJ and T-Rob return soon -- as do my fellow bloggers, I hope.

And now for some good news . . .

2011-04-06T16:47:00.004-05:00

Robinson and Taylor return!

I figured Taylor would be back, but he is enigmatic . . . and I thought Robinson was 50/50. Add to this the recent signing of McLemore, and Jayhawk Nation has reason to celebrate for the first time in a few weeks.

Selby is still a question mark, but Robinson was the key question mark heading into the offseason.

With the Morri 99% likely to bolt, get ready to see more Withey and, I hope, Releford!

2011-03-28T06:41:00.000-05:00

Thirty-Five and Two

2011-03-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Four No. 1 seeds entered. Only one remains. It's white unis from this point on.

I think we all need to pray to the basketball gods that our current shooting prowess will continue -- I can't believe how good our guards were vs. Richmond, esp. Brady. But TT's resurgence continues, and Selby's showing signs too -- his 3's really blew the game open.

Did anyone think at the beginning of the season -- or even in all the midseason turmoil -- that this team would be capable of mounting a 35-2 record, second-most wins in Kansas history? Someone pointed out, too, that for all our status as Big Dogs, this team actually has only one McDonald's guy, and he doesn't even start. This could be Self's best coaching job.

ESPN noted that Kansas has now reached four Elite 8's in the last eight years, but never mind that -- how about six in the last 10 years, baby! If we can win Sunday, it'll be four Final 4's in the last decade.

UFR's Manley reports that KU now has the best five-year stretch of any NCAA team in history -- coinciding of course with the 5-year existence of this blog. But we shouldn't take all the credit.

Sweetness!

2011-03-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

Some day I may get tired of Markieff's "wrap it up" gesture, but not today.

Speaking of the Morii, great discussion of the off-the-backboard pass on kusports.com.

Made It To Round... Three!

2011-03-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

Since the NCAA insists that their stupid play-in round is now actually the 1st round, and the real 1st round is now the 2nd, I would like to declare that we've already gotten last year's monkey off our back and advanced to Round 3. Woo-hoo!

Had to sweat it a bit for 25 minutes of that game, but down the stretch we perpetrated the most vicious terrier massacre since Fish Called Wanda.

Self said we were tight in the 1st half, but actually no one looked tighter than him. Even in the 1st we were making jumpers, which suggests to me we weren't really tight. We just didn't respect the opponent. Once we focused on defense in the 2nd half everything else fell into place. (By the way, how does it help the team for Self to keep telling them NOT to be tight? Just drop the subject already.)

One interesting subplot was Selby. At one point early in the 2nd I noticed him on the bench and began to wonder if he was now out of the rotation entirely -- did he even play at all in the 1st? But Self put him in down the stretch, and while he wasn't exactly great -- hurt us defensively, I think -- he finally got a short jumper to bounce in, made a big layup, and made that key fast-break assist to Brady. Maybe the kid's got his mojo back.

But since I've been so horrifically wrong in my brackets so far, I should probably revise my earlier dismissal of the Illini. I've never seen them play nearly as well as they did in dismantling the Rebs -- the ESPN crew said the same. If this underachieving team is finally going to play to potential (preseason Top 20) we could have a fight on our hands. Considering that they were really more dominant than us last night, our players should approach this game with an underdog mentality -- we have something to prove.

Update: here's that highlight:

he did it again!

2011-03-16T13:34:00.000-05:00

Once again Obama picked us to go all the way. How do we feel about this? He says they deserve a second chance this year even though we ruined his and everyone elses' bracket last year.

Also, here's Self on Mike and Mike this morning.

Au Revoir, Les Big 12

2011-03-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

Wow, 4 times in 5 years we've beaten UT in the conference final -- what a fitting way to close out the Big 12.

(Was there a Big 12 representative on the committee? Was Colorado being punished for defecting?)

That was unquestionably our best game of the season -- nice to see us gelling at the right moment. If Tyshawn can play anywhere near this level throughout the tourney, we become a title favorite, I think. Our two sets of twins -- Morrii and Reedstar -- have been money for us pretty much all year and we won 30 games even without good point guard play. But the new-model Tyshawn and E.J. combo could really put us over the top if everything else remains equal.

(And Tyrel finally dunked! We've been hearing for years that he could do it.)

At first glance, I like our bracket. Sure, Louisville and Notre Dame could be tough, but they don't scare me like other 2-4 seeds. I'm glad we're not playing Carolina, for instance. Illinois could be tough in the 2nd round considering they'll be inspired to beat Self (Illinois people hate Self maybe even more than KU fans hate Roy), but having seen Illinois play a number of times, I just can't work up much concern about them -- wouldn't be surprised to see UNLV knock them out.

Championship Week, Anyone?

2011-03-09T23:40:00.000-06:00

OK, we're capping off a seventh consecutive conference title, a 28-2 record, a lock for a #1 seed, the conference COY and POY. It's March, people. If that isn't enough to get a little buzz going here, this blog is doomed.

Yeah, yeah, we're all busy. Five minutes out of your day, people.

Caught a break with OSU upsetting Nebraska. If we never play the Huskers again -- and I do mean never, which is a distinct possibility -- that'll be fine by me. But OSU does have some good players, and they'll be a lot more motivated than us, so it could be a somewhat tough outing.

ReedStar: The Legacy

2011-03-02T10:46:00.001-06:00

I believe Brady has indeed been on the roster since 1975, but it's Senior Night at last. Some great memories, particularly his halftime buzzer-beater vs. Mizzou last year. In conference this year, he's been unbelievable, and we need that to continue.

Reed has been a rock for us. Beginning late last season and continuing through this year, he and Marcus have been our most consistent players. It seems like every time we've needed a big three in a big moment, he's nailed one -- and recently he's shown a propensity for finishing strong at the rim, too. And if that weren't enough, he's an Academic All-American.

How cool is it to have two local boys leading a potential championship squad?

I'm not forgetting Mario Little either, though there are things I'd like to forget. He's getting minutes now, and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a little noise for us in March.

Also, as an afterthought... If we win tonight vs. A&M, we clinch yet another conference title. Just in case you haven't been paying attention.

Who is Tyshawn Taylor?

2011-02-22T11:42:00.000-06:00

Never has a Kansas player been more of an enigma than young Tyshawn of Hoboken, who has been suspended indefinitely for undisclosed reasons in the midst of an erratic season.

He is an assist machine; he is a turnover machine. He is a majestic, Dr. J-like finisher; he is a clumsy, Clouseau-esque bumbler. He is a far better player than K-State's Jacob Pullen; and he is far, far worse.

He is a lover; he is a fighter. One moment he is cocky and arrogant; the next moment he is confused, childlike, innocent. One day he has a mohawk; the next day, poof -- the mohawk is gone.

Who is Tyshawn Taylor? No one knows, least of all himself. He is, like so many of us in life, unsure of his role.

Just about the only thing Tyshawn has done consistently at Kansas, since Day One, is start. Now, there is talk that he should no longer do that.

Which brings us to history's next great enigma: EJ. (We'll save that one for another time.)

Octagon of Gloom

2011-02-15T11:37:00.000-06:00

Three years ago when the 'Cats beat us up in similar fashion, I asked, "Who the hell is Jacob Pullen?" He's had a good career, a spotty season, but give him credit -- he was All-World last night.

Now the question is, "Who the f*ck are Will Spradling and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts?"

Given our injuries, the performance of K-State, and the refs, we could have played well and lost this one. But we did not play well. Our guys seem to have gotten a bit lazy on defense the last few games. K-State shot 56 friggin' percent. That's almost unprecedented for a Self team.

Another recurring problem: our guards other than ReedStar were terrible, esp. Tyshawn and his unforced turnovers; EJ did a few good things, then melted down; Selby was outplayed by the ginger kid.

But the main issue that bums me out today is character and composure. The intentional foul call was b.s., but the twins have brought this scrutiny on themselves with repeated cheap shots. I'm tired of apologizing for it, I'm tired of Self having to apologize for it. And yes, EJ got fouled on his dunk, but for once I'll quote Keegan approvingly: "Trash-talking in self-worship with his team down 14 points and 5:55 left on the clock? ... On exactly what planet does that make even a shred of sense? Neptune? Jupiter? Mars? Where?" (OK, it's still a bad quote, but I agree with the sentiment.)

Players were jawing at each other, jawing back at the coach, showing no dignity in defeat. We've never had these recurring character issues on any KU team in memory, and it makes it harder for me as a fan to love this team. (It'll be easier once T-Rob comes back.)

2011-02-08T11:01:00.000-06:00

I didn't see the game, so I will be relying heavily on quotes . . .

"Did you see what Kansas did to Missouri and what Pittsburgh did to West Virginia? I hope you did. Because if you did you'll understand why both schools are probably headed toward No. 1 seeds in next month's NCAA tournament, and why both programs are basketball powers that won't disappear as long as Jamie Dixon and Bil Self are in charge.

Kansas beat Missouri even though its top prospect, Josh Selby, is sidelined with a foot injury."

Our bench went 14-17, and 5-5 from three. Little had a career night, and Releford came back to show that even when he's hobbled he's a smooth operator who's too good to hurry.

“Once I got in,” Releford said, “I just did what I had to do.” - Travis Releford

So, how good is the Big 12? This good:

"Missouri, at 18-6, has fallen to sixth place in the Big 12 despite retaining a top-25 ranking."

If we bet today, KU and Texas have 1 seeds. As does Ohio State. Who's the fourth? Pitt?

“I mean, I want people to remember me when I leave here, so I always try to bring something to the table." - Mario Little

Catharsis, Baby!

2011-01-30T18:17:00.000-06:00

For once, I was really enjoying the Dickie V. experience vs. KSU last night, especially hearing him publicly eat his words over the preseason Big 12 picks. For a big emotional game like that one, and one in which Kansas dominates, Dick is a great hype man.

The tragedy seems to have pulled the team and the fanbase together, and that was a game we'll remember for a while. I loved T-Rob's 6-point stretch, the "Here's to you Mrs. Robinson" signs, and the K-State dunk in the first half that was rejected by the basketball gods.

The biggest thing for me was seeing Tyshawn waking from his stupor. Selby and EJ are still borderline. It's be nice if Selby could go one game without botching a fast break, and if EJ could go one game without some kind of dribbling snafu.

Was K-State just dogging it in the second half? Pullen seemed to be casting doubt on his teammates' effort in postgame comments. This is an even bigger meltdown than Texas last season.

State of the Union?

2011-01-26T11:52:00.001-06:00

I missed the Colorado game because I had to listen to some stupid speech last night, but by all accounts it was a very good win. The numbers tell me that, for the first time in ages, all of our guards played pretty well -- even EJ had 4 assists.

So do you guys think there's hope for this team yet? We played without T-Rob or Releford, yet were able to gut out a road win against a team that beat both Mizzou and K-State. The team is here in D.C. now for the funeral. Do you think the tragedy will serve as an emotional linchpin for us, or will T-Rob be too devastated to be a strong contributor the rest of the year? I guess I could see it going either way.

By the way, Upon Further Review points out that we have another streak to revel in: 186 games since we last dropped 2 in a row. That goes all the way back to January 2006, just before we launched this blog. (It's also astounding considering that apparently no one else in the Big 12 has gone longer than 36 games.)

Home Streak Stricken

2011-01-22T17:46:00.000-06:00

A moment of silence for the now-defunct home streak.

....

OK, so what happened out there? Nothing too shocking, I guess. It's been clear for weeks that we aren't getting enough production from the perimeter. This game would have been an excellent time for TT, Selby, and EJ to snap out of it, but I suppose that's too much to ask against a top defensive team like Texas. They did an excellent job bottling up the twins, and that left us with Reed as our only scoring option at times; he played great, and Brady played well for the most part, too, but those guys aren't enough.

We were also handicapped by Travis's injury and T-Rob's family tragedies. (What the hell is going on there? I guess it's none of our business, but you have to wonder if he's going to be right for the rest of the year.)

The small consolation is that Texas is really good -- it's no shame to lose this one, even at home. And now we've got that streak-monkey off our backs; here's hoping we don't see any new ones appear.

Down with Drew

2011-01-18T11:06:00.000-06:00

OK, I don't usually feel the need to bag on other Big 12 teams other than wanting KU to destroy them, but Scott Drew and Baylor can kiss my ass.

Last year, Drew drew Self's ire by keeping his team in the locker room during KU's pregame video introduction -- the only time I've ever seen Self go negative on a fellow Big 12 coach. Then, last night, in what could not have been a coincidence, they show a pregame video featuring not only KU's loss to Baylor in football (marginally insulting, but not over the line) but also the loss to UNI in the tourney last year (way, way, way over the fucking line).

I wish I had known about the video when watching the game last night, because that would have greatly enhanced the pleasure I took at watching us un-pants this talented but undisciplined Baylor team in front of 35 (!) NBA scouts.

As for my negativity the other day, well... I'm not totally over it, because TT and Selby still can't quite get their assist-TO ratio where it needs to be. However, it may not matter a great deal if the twins continue to blossom like this. It's starting to feel like we have two Danny Mannings out there at times, effortlessly tapping the ball back and forth to each other.

The only downside: All those NBA scouts bearing witness to the twins' excellence does not bode well for next year's roster.

Gauntlet

2011-01-16T12:26:00.000-06:00

This is going to get rough -- Baylor tomorrow, then Texas, then Colorado, then K-State.

After the Nebraska near-debacle, I'm beginning to wonder about this team's title potential.

Without Aldrich (or Withey) our big men are undersized. We got decisively out-rebounded vs. Nebraska, and have been outmuscled down low in several games. Nonetheless, the twins continue to find ways to grit it out and win games for us.

Being undersized we can overcome -- but not if our guards continue to play as poorly as they have recently. Selby and EJ were horrific vs. Nebraska, but Tyshawn, even though he made some big plays, is the bigger concern. After starting the season so well, he's inexplicably regressed to freshman form. Brady was good yesterday but has not had a good season overall. The only perimeter guy meeting expectations is Reed -- and even he isn't shooting as well as last season.

Looks like we may be waiting another week on Releford -- sorry, Chris. But if a few of our guards don't get their shit together, this season could get ugly and soon.

Ann Arbor Anomaly?

2011-01-10T11:59:00.000-06:00

OK, after the OT escape at Michigan, we can set our sights on the Big 12.

There's no question that it's been a relatively easy noncon schedule, and we haven't exactly looked dominant against it. From here on in, it only gets tougher, with the Big 12 sporting 5 teams in the Top 25.

Like the '08 team, we enter the conference schedule undefeated. Also like that team, I expect to see us lose 3 games, this time (shudder) maybe even one at home -- we've been so jittery at the Fieldhouse lately. Maybe Mizzou or Texas knocks us off at home, then I could see road losses at, say, K-State and Baylor.

It's still hard to imagine us not winning the conference, but our margin for error is smaller than it has been. If we lose more than three, our streak of Big 12 dominance could be at an end. The resurgence of the North division makes it more difficult than it used to be, but should also help toughen this team up going into March.

Key questions coming out of the Michigan game: Is Chris's newfound hero Travis going to be OK after his ankle sprain? Can we get our 3-point mojo back? Can any of our guards other than Tyrel start giving us consistent, night-in-night-out production? Can the twins keep their cool under pressure, as they did yesterday? Can Withey become this year's version of 2008 Aldrich? If we want to cut down some nets this year, we need most of those answers to be "yes."

Better Than Duke?

2011-01-03T13:06:00.000-06:00

The poor saps from Miami (Ohio) think so, after our latest Fieldhouse dunkfest yesterday. (If you missed the game, I strongly suggest you catch the reel.)

Miami-Ohio lost to the Devils by 34 points, compared to 27 against us (and 21 against Ohio State). But that was against Duke when they had Kyrie Irving, so... who knows?

It's moot, anyway. The fact is, based on the evidence yesterday, Miami of Ohio just really sucks. One more patsy this week in UMKC, then it's the meat of the schedule -- at Michigan, then conference play.

Nice bounceback from the Twins. Still too many turnovers from Tyshawn and Brady. And hey, we've got a new athletic director -- this time for real!

Interesting SI article

2010-12-28T19:07:00.000-06:00

According to SI KU is one of three super powers and has the highest ASM rank. Interesting numbers and stats to back it up. Have a look: SI

Worth the Wait, But...

2010-12-18T14:40:00.001-06:00

Gee, and I was worried Selby might have some jitters. He sure looked like Self's best recruit ever, if one game is any indication. I thought his strength was supposed to be at getting to the hoop -- he didn't do that, but what he did do was stroke it from deep -- which is exactly what this team has been needing. He was a bit of a liability on defense, which is probably why Self sat him from about 12: to 6: in the second half -- but that was exactly when we played our worst.

I guess Self was right when he said at halftime that our veterans were already standing around waiting on Josh to make plays. TT was terrible, and the twins once again got outmuscled by some admittedly talented Pac-10 big men. (What is the deal with all these unranked Pac-10 teams taking us to the wire?)

Other than Selby's shot and a couple of plays here and there, we played like garbage in the 2nd half. UCLA almost beat us a few weeks ago by making circus shots, whereas USC just broke our asses down on both ends of the floor. And again, the free throws. This team freezes up a bit at the Fieldhouse; we seem to be begging someone to take this home streak off our backs.

(While Markieff and Marcus weren't great, Bob Knight noted that "Maurice" Morris was making some contributions. So there's that.)

Aaron, are you out there? I think I caught some glimpses of you.

Christmas Comes Early: Countdown to Selby

2010-12-13T12:54:00.001-06:00

I've sort of gone back and forth on how much we need Josh Selby, considering we're undefeated with the best offense in the nation. Did the Colorado St. game expose some offensive weaknesses? In that game, we shot less than 50 percent; fortunately, our defense also held them to something like 25 percentage points below their shooting average.

It has seemed to me that we could use one more perimeter scorer; guys like TT and Releford have shot well from outside so far, but that's not their forte, nor is it for Brady. Reed shouldn't be our only deep threat. Selby by all accounts can score it from anywhere on the floor.

Self says he probably won't get the start. I'm sure that won't last long.

More from ESPN on Selby's imminent arrival.

Also, do yourself a favor and revisit the scouting report on Selby. He's actually pretty good.

May-emphis at the Gahh-den

2010-12-07T11:27:00.000-06:00

Once again KU finds itself matched against those RUBES from Memphis. (Just playin,' Scott.)

It's our first ranked opponent, but the scouting report makes them seem awfully similar to those Pac-10 teams -- raw but talent-rich and super-athletic.

What do you think of the Tigers, Scott, if you're out there? It's hard to get too scared of a team that had to go to OT to beat Arkansas State. Of course, they'll be slightly more interested in this game. So should the 'Hawks.

Lots of fun facts to be found in this ESPN preview. Did you know that the 'Hawks have lost 3 straight at Madison Square Garden since Hinrich and co. beat St. John's in 2000? I recall Jay-Z being on hand for that game. Remember that guy?

Another fun fact: Kansas leads the nation in field-goal percentage. Not too shabby.

The Bruins Cry Foul

2010-12-03T13:13:00.000-06:00

I hate the fact that it takes a b.s. controversy to get Kansas any national attention at all, but at least the NCAA is backing us up. Yes, it was a foul against UCLA. No, it was not a foul that normally gets called with 0.7 on the clock in a tie game. It was probably a makeup for the previous play when Reed turned it over after apparently getting bumped on the inbounds.

Whatever, Self is right: We would have lost that game on the road. It was frustrating in a lot of ways, but I thought UCLA deserves credit.

Howland seems to sort of have Self's number -- beating us with (somewhat) lesser talent in '07 and putting up a fight at Pauley last year with (very) lesser talent. Howland made all the right moves; our overplaying defense gave them a lot of trouble (10 steals), but they countered by backdooring us again and again. And, though I got sick of Fraschilla pointing it out endlessly, bringing their Shaq-like freshman off the bench was a good move.

UCLA, like 'Zona, is a talented, young sleeping giant that will make some noise this year, I think.

I'm not too worried about the free throws -- terrible though they were -- that just seemed like an anomaly to me. The bigger concern is whether our big men are really ready to tangle with the toughest frontcourts in the nation. In fairness, I don't know if there are a lot of big men in college hoops who are as powerful and as talented as 'Zona's Williams and UCLA's Smith. We shall see.

Weekend in Vegas

2010-11-29T12:57:00.000-06:00

A little late in posting on KU's great victories over Ohio and 'Zona. This was my first chance to see the team live, and needless to say I'm pretty stoked.

I like the defensive intensity. Cole's absence will make us more vulnerable to strong big men like Williams of Arizona, but the Twins held their ground and looked downright dominant at times. I liked what I saw from almost every player on the floor last weekend -- the twins, Tyshawn, Reed, Little, Releford, EJ. The only exceptions to me were Brady and Withey, who both had their moments but look a bit shaky out of the gate.

I will revert back to my original suspicion that we do need Selby. We need more scoring from the perimeter, esp. if Reed and Brady continue to struggle from deep.

We haven't had the strongest schedule thus far, but remember that Ohio knocked off the Hoyas in the 1st round last year, No. Texas was a solid tourney team as well, and Arizona is stocked with raw, talented guys looking to make their bones off an upset.

T-Rob's dunk to cap off the Arizona win was one of the most exciting KU plays in recent years -- and LJW finally gave us an exciting reel this time.

Last KU Loss at the Fieldhouse...

2010-11-24T14:38:00.000-06:00

Now that we've broken the all-time KU home win streak record, let me take a moment to reflect on the last time Kansas lost at home:

It was February 2007. Just like today, the president was reeling from a midterm-election shellacking. The upcoming White House campaign was expected to be between Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. Rex Grossman was about to start in the Super Bowl the next day.

The Jayhawks were a raw, young team. Sherron Collins was a freshman, but a lot of people expected him to bolt for the NBA early and Julian Wright to stick around.

Our opponent was not Texas A&M CC, but just Texas A&M. The coach was Billy Gillispie. (Kentucky's coach was still Tubby Smith.) Kansas played a strong game overall, and seemed in control, but A&M got hot in the last few minutes and our guys missed some crucial shots down the stretch. At Jayhawk Nation, this led to an argument among the bloggers about whether Sasha Kaun should have been in the game -- the same Sasha Kaun who would later become a tournament hero. (I was on the right side of history in that one, thank you very much.)

It was the first and only time that a Big 12 South team won at the Fieldhouse.

By the way, Travis Releford supposedly had a spectacular reverse dunk in last night's game, but I can't find any video evidence of it. LJW's highlight reel is worth checking out, and very dunk-heavy in its own right, but if anyone can guide me to the Releford play I'd appreciate it.

Selby is cleared to play!

2010-11-19T22:39:00.000-06:00

Selby is finally eligible to play starting December 18th against USC! Unfortunately he'll miss the UCLA, Arizona, and Memphis games but at least we finally know when he can play.

Tonight's game against North Texas was a little frustrating to watch. Our defense is so off and on. The end of the first half was a mess. But then they came out of the gates very strong in the second half. They kept North Texas to I think only 4 points in the first 10 min. of the second half. I really think this team will come together as the season unfolds. Self has clearly been experimenting with different lineups. And who wouldn't with a bench this deep? Now that we finally have an answer to the Selby question, Self can finally start planning on incorporating him into practices and games. The team clearly has a lot to work on but they are fun to watch. It's a much faster team this year. This might sound a little crazy but this team may have more potential than last year's. Of course I miss Cole, but I also missed Julian... and recall what that led to. Like the '08 team we have speed, experience, and depth.

How will the chemistry change with Selby? Thoughts?

Forget Longwood, Here Comes Valpo

2010-11-15T12:11:00.000-06:00

Sorry, YHD. I haven't been able to watch any games yet, and likely won't be able to watch Valparaiso tonight either. We need Aaron D. back (among others)...

Not much to be said about the Longwood game, I guess, but you've gotta love the 113 points -- highest in the Self era. This seems to confirm his prophecy that the team would be fast.

Interesting line from Tyshawn. Six turnovers is really too many against a patsy like Longwood. (I liked his quote after the game: "We just gotta be able to play fast and be less careless. I mean, I guess that’s just me -- saying that to myself.")

But I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt: 17 points, 10 assists and 3 steals more than cancels out those TOs. With Selby out indefinitely and EJ in the doghouse indefinitely, TT's our floor leader, for better or worse.

Odd to see Brady and Mario logging fewer minutes than Travis Releford. And to see people named Jordan Juenemann and Niko Roberts show up in the box score.

MONDAY NIGHT TRAP GAME ALERT: Valpo returns four starters from what was at least a decent team last season, and they're picked to finish 2nd in the Horizon League behind Butler. Just like KU, they scored 111 points against a patsy in their first game -- but held that team to 65, compared to Longwood's 75. So uh, watch out.

Exhibit B

2010-11-10T10:02:00.000-06:00

Second exhibition game last night. I missed the first half, but kusports did post this raw footage, which all looks first-half-ish.

Thoughts?

When will we hear about Selby? People remain confident, but the first game tips in like two days!

Anyway, my concern at this point is defense: in the second half, our post players got beat bad by the Hornets. They're smaller and slower, and yet there they were, making layups... And our post guys are either veterans like the Morris brothers or guys like Robinson, who have been around (though not in games). Not to sound alarmist, but this aspect of the game should look better.

Upside? Of course, we were just dominant on offense, especially inside, and we hit a very impressive 35-40 free throws. (But does it seem weird to you that we shot 40 free throws in an exhibition game? Hmm.)

Burn, Washburn, Burn!

2010-11-03T04:50:00.000-05:00

OK, and we're back. The usual post-season hangover lasted much longer this year because that Northern Iowa debacle -- combined with Duke winning it all and being favored to repeat -- was just too f*ing devastating. Getting Josh Selby should have changed all that, but his eligibility STILL remains in question, plus it's hard to get too charged up over another one-and-done guy.

BUT... I'm ready to shake it off. Did anyone see the Washburn game? It sounds like the twins are ready to be stars, esp. Marcus, and even Tyshawn may be showing signs. Despite the pic at right, however, it looks like Elijah had a bad night. And Self didn't have much good to say; he even criticized Robinson and Little for being too small. We allowed them to shoot 50 percent, which always pisses HCBS off -- on those rare occasions that it happens.

This seems like one of those swing years where we could make the Final Four should everything go right, or we could be on the bubble should things go wrong (injuries, chemistry issues, no Selby). I'm going to lean towards the positive, though, because (a) I like the fact that Self is excited about our team speed, (b) no one seems to seriously believe Selby will be DQ'd, (c) Selby looks pretty damn good from the video I've seen, (d) Marcus' aforementioned blossoming, and (e) strong veteran leadership from Tyrel and Brady.

Also, (f) it's a new season and hope springs eternal.

Long Live The Swat King

2010-03-30T11:01:00.000-05:00

So long, Cole.

He was the best true center I've ever seen at Kansas -- maybe the best since Wilt. Critics said he was too slow, but he covered so much ground with that massive wingspan it hardly mattered. Favorite memories: his incredible 1st half against Hansbrough, his triple double against Dayton in the '09 tourney, and his complete ownage vs. the Tigers (both Memphis and Mizzou) this year.

It's too bad he couldn't stay another year -- he could have finally come out of Sherron's shadow and been "the man," and KU would have been a title favorite once again. But given his family's financial situation, he made the right decision. And I think he'll be one of the best centers in the league within a few years.

2010-03-21T03:11:00.000-05:00

Under Pressure

2010-03-18T23:54:00.000-05:00

This kind of game I don't need. I'm not sure how LeHigh only warranted a 16 seed, but we made them look better than they are at times with our usual episodes of sloppiness. This game was basically a carbon copy of rounds 1 and 2 in KC last week.

I guess the biggest frustration for me was defense. Yes, we held them to a low percentage, but we fouled incessantly -- they got 21 FT attempts to our 10. Some of that was bad officiating, but we got beat on defense a lot, in the 1st half especially.

The Midwest looks less formidable now with G-town out, but it doesn't get any easier in Round 2. No. Iowa is another one of those Mid-Majors that make these early rounds so miserable for the top seeds; we got past "Bucknell" (Patriot League), but can we get past "Bradley" (MVC) on Saturday?

Anyway, hats off again to Marcus and Sherron for scoring, Cole for blocks, Tyrel for clutch 3s, Tyshawn for facilitating the break, and X for doing a bit of everything.

And what a Day 1 it was. I just watched Texas take a 6-point lead in OT, and started to think to myself that they could knock off UK if they play like this -- and then, alas, they choked it all away.

Day One

2010-03-18T12:13:00.000-05:00

Looking forward to the matchup with Lehigh tonight...

In the meantime, how about Robert Morris? I picked 'Nova into the Final Four, so this would sink my bracket, but it's hard to cheer against a 15-2 upset. What a wonderful time of year!

Rock Chalk Big 12 Championship

2010-03-13T21:29:00.001-06:00

Awesome! This was K State's best season ever and they lost to us 3 times! That says a lot.

Sherron!

2010-03-12T20:36:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned that I'm going to miss him?

In a game that was less than great, at least for the first 30 minutes, here's Collins' line:
9-19 from the field and 5-6 from the line, for a total of 26 points.
6 assists.
And, in a game rife with turnovers, only 1 TO.
Oh, and 1 rebound and 1 steal.

Sherron!

I received this text message, which seemed to sum up everything else pretty well:
"Last 10 mins was a lotta fun"

Big 12 Liveblog Spectacular '10

2010-03-11T10:18:00.001-06:00

It's on, y'all. On ESPN2, that is. We'll be tuned in here at the office, and I'll see how many man-hours I can waste watching and blogging.

The Texas Tech motion offense has been a problem for Kansas on the road, not at home. Neutral sites? We'll see. I remember Roy beating up on Bob Knight pretty decisively in the '02 tourney. I want to say Aaron Miles had like 13 assists.

Also will be pulling for G-town vs. 'Cuse alongside the homers here.

Hope you guys are out there...

Back Where We Belong (#1)

2010-03-06T18:25:00.000-06:00

KU conquers Columbia! J'Cuse goes down in flames! The table is set, ladies and gents.

That was quite a feast-or-famine game: 16-0 run for Kansas! 16-4 Mizzou! 16-0 Kansas again! Mostly "feast," though, and those runs were among the most entertaining ball we've played all year. That was a pleasure to watch.

Tyshawn and Tyrel must wish they could play Mizzou every week. In fact, one could say, the up-and-down style of play is "Taylor-made?" Thanks, I'll be here all week.

Reed deserves a bit more pub than he gets (although I see Keegan did give him some love before the game). He seldom scores more than a few baskets per game, but those 3s of his always seem to be lifesavers for KU and/or daggers to opponents. He's shooting a ridiculous 45% from 3.

Slowly but surely, we're getting closer and closer to the 2008 team in terms of balanced production -- we won't ever quite get there since this team doesn't have a Sherron coming off the bench.

It's a strange thing; even though Mizzou has gotten better under Anderson, some of the air seems to have gone out of the rivalry. Maybe now that they actually expect to be in the Dance every year, the single-minded motivation to beat Kansas isn't the same. Or maybe it's just that Self owns Anderson (going back to his UAB days).

(Not that the crowd wasn't still out for blood. Was there really someone wearing a black KKK robe in the crowd to distract our FT shooters? Did I imagine that? Surely I imagined that.)

The Midwest Regional (OKC-St. Louis) is now ours to lose if it wasn't already. The other good thing is, as one commentator was pointing out, the committee should stack the best 2 and 3 seeds in the same bracket with the weak #1 -- Duke, K-State, and say, Ohio State could all be bunched together, leaving our bracket relatively clear.

P.S. It's March, people, and this could be the best KU team ever when all's said and done. I want to see everybody here a-bloggin'. Blog like the wind. As John Oliver says, it's quite literally the least you can do.

My Sherron Amour

2010-03-04T10:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Now?

2010-02-28T15:48:00.000-06:00

Sorry, I know I shouldn't, but I just couldn't resist that headline.

For what it's worth, Keegan agrees, saying the loss could help KU down the line...

I don't know about that, but I do like the fact that the '08 team lost in Stillwater... and then never lost again!

2010-02-23T03:12:00.000-06:00

"It was an unbelievable feeling,'' said Collins, who had 17 points and six assists. ''It was kind of heavy, but it felt good to hoist it to the crowd.''

Status Report: The Records

2010-02-21T14:09:00.000-06:00

There are so many records in the making with this team, it's hard to keep track.

-- Sherron is now tied for winningest KU player ever (123) -- with Raef and his class of '98. Granted, this has something to do with the quality of Sherron's teammates over four years, and with the greater number of games that are scheduled these days, but still... Wow. (The media has been including Brady in this milestone, but this blog does not recognize Brady's redshirt season as part of the win total.)

-- Anyway, never mind that. Ten more wins puts Sherron in a tie with Battier and Duke's class of '01 for winningest college player ever. EVER!

-- Sherron has also become one of only three players in KU history with at least 1,700 points and 500 assists. The others are Hinrich and Darnell Valentine.

-- Cole already has the single season Kansas record for blocks -- the first KU player with more than 100 in a season -- and is on track to pass Poster-tag for the all-time KU record in only his junior year. (* It does have to be mentioned, as always, that this stat was not kept in Wilt's day.)

-- Kansas is five away from its all-time home winning streak of 62. Unfortunately we can't catch that one this year -- unless we turn down our NCAA bid in favor of the NIT. Probably not worth it.

-- The other day, Yancy asked how many teams have won six conference titles in a row. The LJW reports that Kansas would be the first BCS team to win that many conference titles in a row since UCLA '67-79. Holy shit! Can you say JUGGERNAUT?

-- As we discussed earlier, Kansas has a chance to become the first team to win the title with only one loss since the mid-1970s. If this milestone is achieved, Chris and I will have been proven very, very wrong. And happily so.

-- *Edit... I can't believe I initally forgot this, but it's the most important one of all: total program wins. The University of Kansas is now only 4 wins shy of 2,000, which only the tainted Kentucky program has reached so far. And... and... AND... WAIT FOR IT....

-- At the same time, KU is now only two games behind UNC for second place in the overall wins race. Along with Bill Self, the two coaches most responsible for this achievement are: Current UNC coach Roy Williams, whose team has been in an unbelievable tailspin this season; and former Kansas coach... Roy Williams, without whose incredible 80% winning proficiency from '89 to '03 Kansas never would have been in reach of the Heels for total wins at this point. Yay, irony!

Any others that I've missed?

Anyway, I missed the Colorado game, but I loved the LJW's wordless highlight reel. Great to see Tyshawn and X back on track.

Unbeatable?

2010-02-16T13:19:00.000-06:00

Or extraordinarily vulnerable?

Yet another close, ugly win. This time it was on the road against a worthy opponent. One that, according to Bob Knight, was just as athletic and talented as the Jayhawks.

"You'd hate to get all existential about it, but sometimes the universe just doesn't make sense.

Who could watch No. 1 Kansas beat Texas A&M 59-54 Monday and not come away questioning destiny (or something like that)? Did Kansas deserve to win? Did Texas A&M deserve to lose? What is justice? Is it really better to give than to receive? What is the meaning of life?

Or maybe you ask a simpler question: How on earth did Kansas win that game?"

I do like the way this team keeps its head and wins tough games. But why are they all so tough? So muddy.

“Billy Tubbs (former Oklahoma coach) told me one time, ‘Over the course of a season, you gotta play some close games, but you don’t wanna play too many.’ Because for whatever reason, he feels like they all balance out at the end. . .

“Because when you play so many close games,” Self said, “it does take a grind on your team.”

Never mind that the mention of Billy Tubbs giving Self advice sent shivers up my spine. But, at what point do we start dropping these games? Will the ugly games and the pressure of having won so many in a row, plus trying to knock off six opponents in a row hurt us in the tourney?

My only hope, other than winning some pretty games that don't require us to dig so damn deep every night, is that we drop one. 16-0 sounds sweet, so maybe it can be in the finals of the Big XII tourney.

Or maybe it's hubris to start talking about needing a loss. But, I'd like to see some change of dynamic to let the pressure off - blow out the steam.

Down to brass tacks, the bad:
Sherron's performance
Rebounding
Outside Shooting

The good:
Free throws
Turnovers
Aldrich's shot blocking

In a week that saw Syracuse and Nova go down, I'll take this win. Winning ugly at College Station is nothing to apologize for.

I'm just starting to worry if we know how to win any other way.

"There is a reason why Kansas is who they are. They find ways to win games like that. They're better than I thought. Our league is good and they're 11-0. I don't know if anyone can beat them." - Turg

Status Report

2010-02-11T16:52:00.000-06:00

Time for a new post.

So, we're 23-1 and 9-0 in the Big 12. As mentioned below, do we have the stones to go 16-0?

And how does this team match up to recent teams in terms of quality and record?

In terms of the conference, I bet we will lose at least one game. The most likely target is A&M on Monday. We often, however, lose conference games we shouldn't. Remember the championship team's loss to Oklahoma State in February? A team that was 14-12? Of course, that was after the tragic deaths of Roderick Stewart and Darnell Jackson's family members. And they didn't lose again.

So far, record-wise we outstrip the champions. At this point in 2008, they had lost twice, and were about to lose to the aforementioned Cowboys. Only three losses total and they definitely won when it mattered.

The '06-'07 Jayhawks had lost to Oral Roberts, Depaul, Texas Tech, A&M. That was their last loss until they met UCLA in the Elite 8. So, that team lost 5 total, and 4 by this point in the season.

Sadly, record-wise, the only Bill Self team these Jayhawks resemble is the imploding 04-05 team. They had one loss to Villanova until late February when they lost three in a row, and dropped three more before it was all said and done.

Moving on to quality, how do we stack up against the championship team? That's the only comparison that matters, right?

I reckon we are more consistent, but less spectacular. That team had so many weapons, but often, no single leader. And that team struggled more in muddy, tough games.

But they sure threw a lot of alley-oops!

The championship team played great defense and smooth offense. But they were a little mercurial. Is Rush going to disappear? Is Arthur going to foul out? They also struggled with turnovers and free throws.

While this team has similar turnover and free throw issues (cough, Brady) they, so far, seem more consistent. Cole will consistently get tons of rebounds and blocks. And now that he's healthy, he'll probably put up at least 10 points. Sherron and Marcus have also been super consistent for us in league play.

So, how do we feel about this team? Elite 8? Final Four? Championship?

Drum Roll....

2010-02-08T11:33:00.001-06:00

Hmm, I guess this game has lost some of it's luster. I go underground for three days and no one posts a damn thing...

Well, what do we think? Do we coast through overconfidently, knowing we can lose and still be up two in the conference? Or by the same token, do we go in with just the right amount of confidence while Texas plays tight and desperate? Do we falter because we're due for a loss after dodging bullets last week, while Texas is due for a win? Or can we count on Rick Barnes to continue his usual late-season swoon?

It pains me, but I think I'll give this one to the 'Horns -- they just have too much talent, and too much motivation, to let us beat them in their own gym. They'll brutalize us defensively, the refs will let them, and we'll lose by 3 in another thriller.

Mr. Clutch

2010-01-31T13:01:00.000-06:00

Sherron? Yes. But there was at least one other "Mr. Clutch" in the K-State game: Swat King Cole.

It was Cole who overcame homer refs to dominate the paint almost as thoroughly as he did against the weaker Mizzou frontline. It was Cole who played 10 minutes of regulation and overtime with 4 fouls, and continued to play dominant defense without committing that 5th foul. It was Cole who made the go-ahead shot in OT on an inbounds play when we had only 5 seconds on the shot clock.

Cole is back, baby.

Marcus was also great -- we desperately needed that double-double against a powerful rebounding team like the 'Cats. He and his brother were completely screwed by the refs.

Perimeter ballhandling continues to frustrate -- Sherron, TT, X, and Brady all had key turnovers that helped keep KSU in the game. On the other hand, all of those guys, plus Tyrel, made heroic plays as well. So... I guess I like our team.

And again, we're #1.

Sunflower Showdown Saturday

2010-01-29T11:41:00.000-06:00

The Highly ranked purple power kittens come to town on Saturday. How thoroughly shall we crush their spirits? I say 17 points. 83-66 or something along those lines.

Big Monday

2010-01-26T12:17:00.001-06:00

Tiger Beat

2010-01-25T12:08:00.000-06:00

Time to rally, people. Big Monday is upon us.

LJW asks the question: Can you hate Mike Anderson?

The Star notes that "40 minutes of Hell" hasn't always been in effect this year. It sure looked operative when I saw them beat Illinois, however. Kim English is an exciting player; and J.T. Tiller will be looking to feast on X and Tyshawn if they're weak with the ball.

I like our prospects; there's no way our guys won't be up for this, plus the ISU game Saturday was our best performance since Temple. X is still cold, but Cole is back, Marcus continues to impress, and moving Brady ahead of TT seems to be working for both players. For a team that's supposed to be riddled with infighting, I liked the body language I saw from everyone on the floor and on the bench Saturday.

I loved everything about this LJW story: Cole using Facebook for good instead of evil; Cole getting a standing O in the locker room; and Brackins whining to the Twins about double teams.

Also, Withey. Who knew?

I Said, Don't Overlook Baylor!

2010-01-21T12:33:00.000-06:00

Is Baylor really that good? To my eyes, that was the best performance by a KU opponent this year -- Tennessee included. (Granted, I missed Cornell).

Baylor is the first team in two years to shoot above 50% against the 'Hawks. I expected Self to be apoplectic about that -- but his response was, hey, they just made a lot of guarded shots.

(How about Self ripping Scott Drew for snubbing the game intros? I've not seen him publicly criticize another coach since Bruce Weber was provoking him back around '05.)

We did force a lot of turnovers. But we got outrebounded and had no blocked shots -- which leads me to conclude that the main liability was Cole, who seemed a step slow and got himself in foul trouble. I keep expecting him to break out of this funk, and his offense wasn't too bad, but this may have been his worst overall outing this season. Hopefully he can get over his grief soon.

Sherron and Marcus, on the other hand, were nothing short of f*ing brilliant. So at least we no longer look like a one-man team; but we need to be more than a 2-man team.

Also in danger of turning into a 2-man team: this blog. Let's step it up, people.

and conference play begins...

2010-01-18T22:56:00.000-06:00

So my parents came down for a visit over the weekend and got to go to their first ever game at the Fieldhouse. They really enjoyed it but after the game my mom said, “I thought the Fieldhouse would be a lot bigger and a whole lot louder”. I have to say it was one of the quietest games I’ve ever been to at the Fieldhouse... even the rock chalk chant was pretty low key. Maybe it was because we never trailed but still, it was our Big12 opener and Texas Tech is no cupcake. Our defense looked real solid most of the game but, once again, at times we seemed to struggle on offense. We seem to be long on talent but short on chemistry. There have also been rumors of fights and frustration over minutes. Is this a recipe for trouble? Thoughts?

As I’m typing this KSU just took down Texas. Who knew K-state would be this good?

Anyway here are some pics my mom took at the game:

The Big 12, Baby

2010-01-14T11:24:00.000-06:00

Just in case you thought winning at Nebraska is insignificant: I nearly did a spit-take when they said on the telecast that the Big 12 was 114-1 (not a typo) at home. According to the Star, that one loss was Iowa St., by three points, against 15-1 Northern Iowa.

Granted, there were a lot of strawberry shortcakes in there -- including KU opponents -- and all those Pac-10 teams have turned out to be 'cakes as well (Cal is probably the best team in that conference).

114-1 until last night, that is. We still looked out of it for about 3 quarters of that game, but it was a nice bounce-back from the 3-point stripe, and for Marcus. Sherron continues to get it done, and there was help from Brady ("he's a raker!") and Tyrel.

Cole and X continue to look dispirited on the offensive end. I have confidence that they'll snap out of it; but I still say some of the onus has to be on their coaches and teammates to get them involved.

By the way, once again we have celebrity sightings at the Devaney Center: This time it was Joba Chamberlain; a few years ago it was my second-favorite comedian (after Chris, of course); and in 2002 it was the Hughes-Dominicks w/ yours truly.

We're # ... 3?

2010-01-11T09:59:00.001-06:00

Against Cornell only Sherron played well; against Tennessee yesterday basically no one played well. Self berated the players after the game, but (granting that he's forgotten more about hoops than I'll ever know) I'd like to point the finger at him for a second.

Self complains that the players aren't sharing the ball, but how about some play-calling? Sure, Xavier needs to be more aggressive, but is it fair to just expect the kid to improvise? Why not run some screens to get him open? I can't believe how much of a non-factor he was in this game, and I don't think it's all his fault.

Also, Self may be the best teacher of defense in college basketball, but sometimes under game pressure he seems to overreact and make bad defensive switches. We almost lost the '08 title game after Self decided to go box-and-one against Chris Douglas-Roberts; this move allowed Derrick Rose to finally get going after he'd been struggling the whole game. Against Tennessee, after a few bad defensive possessions late, Self freaks out and decides to go into a zone for most of the rest of the game -- which, as it always does, yielded opened jumpers for the opponent and got our big men out of rebounding position.

When you have more size, depth and talent than your opponent -- and more importantly, the best man-to-man defense in all of college basketball -- there is never a reason to go zone, other than maybe a possession or two to confuse the opponent or protect a player in foul trouble.

Anyway, that's my rant. I don't think the sky is falling; our boys will pull it together. Here's to a great Big 12 season.

KU Outlasts Ivy League Pantywaists

2010-01-07T10:27:00.000-06:00

I guess Andy Bernard is right: Corne-e-ell is not to be f*cked with. Can I call a trap game or what?

All the ingredients for a KU loss were there: a senior-laden, tourney-tested opponent shooting over 50% till late in the game; Self drawing techs; Tyshawn and Brady fighting over defensive assignments; and every KU player other than Sherron and Cole going 0-fer on two-point attempts (yes, you read that right).

One thing seems clear: This team doesn't have the overall balance that the '08 group did. Our most talented guys are Sherron, Cole, and a bunch of underclassmen -- all of whom played like underclassmen last night.

However, this team has one thing that the '08 team did not: Sherron Collins as a senior. I'll paste from Yancy's earlier comment:

33 points;
9-16 field goals (including 2 of 5 from 3);
13-14 from the line (!);
4 rebounds;
3 assists;
2 steals;
and only 1 turnover. Damn.

Wasn't exactly fun to watch that game, but there's probably something good about having to struggle once in a while...

See highlight reel for some great plays by Sherron -- and Cornell's Wittman. They could be this year's Davidson.

We Are No. 1

2010-01-02T23:11:00.000-06:00

(No exclamation point needed. It's scientific fact now.)

Sorry, Seth Davis.

So many things to like in the box score against Temple:

Sherron: 14 points, 6-9, 2-4 from 3, 4 assists and 3 steals to zero turnovers.
Xavier: 15 without breaking a sweat, and his brother goes 2 for 3 from deep.
Tyshawn: 5 rebounds -- important given all the Temple 3 attempts clanging long off the rim.
Brady: 5 assists, and nailing his only shot attempt -- a big 3 in the first half.

The 'Hawks shot 54% against a team previously holding opponents in the 30s -- while Temple was held to 25%. Nine (yes, 9) Kansas players shot 50% or better.

You were in Philly, right, Aaron? Sure was nice to hear "Rock Chaaalk" at the end.

Who Are You & What Have You Done W/ Tyshawn?

2009-12-23T13:29:00.000-06:00

Is that really Tyshawn Taylor -- the same guy who coughed it up 7 times vs. Memphis -- who now has a 24-2 assist/turnover ratio in the last four games? Is that really Tyshawn Taylor playing fundamentally sound basketball? Down the stretch against Cal he made a pick-and-roll play with Marcus that honestly reminded me of Stockton and Malone (sorry, Yance).

Sherron and Marcus were the big scorers, but they also made a lot of dumb plays that helped keep Cal in the game. The big heroes of this one were Tyshawn and Brady, who fulfilled all the things Self has been saying about him. The key stretch in the game was midway through the second half, when Brady made two big assists and a three -- would have had a third assist in that stretch if X hadn't missed an open shot.

Cole did look better; the twins were a bit spotty but not bad; T-Rob showed some signs but somehow turned it over 5 times in 9 mins. Elijah and C.J. are MIA.

As to the Texas comparison, I'm obviously being a bit wishy-washy about it. They were juggernaut-like this week against last year's finalists, while KU struggled a bit against good but not great competition.

Ken Pomeroy said recently that Texas has a better chance of going undefeated than Kansas, given that all of their toughest opponents, including Kansas, play them at home -- and he said that before they knocked off UNC and MSU. What do you think, guys? Is there room in the Big 12 for TWO JUGGERNAUTS?

Channel 6 highlight reel of last night's game is worth it just to see Self fist-bumping Santa. Merry Xmas, everybody!

Cole & Flu Season

2009-12-20T11:44:00.000-06:00

Just as I was insisting to Yancy that Cole will be fine, the big guy goes out against Michigan and fails to make a field goal. He looked winded all through the second half, and Sherron says he's been using his inhaler a lot. Self is being a bit vague about it, and now I'm starting to worry -- just a little.

Compare this to the game that followed on ESPN -- Dexter Pittman and UT dismantling Carolina. Last year, Dexter looked like Shaq -- but Shaq circa 2009. This year, Dexter looks like Shaq circa 1997. Scaaaaary.

The good thing is, we have X and the new-look twins to make up for Cole's deficiencies in scoring. Is it possible that we can still be a championship team with Cole taking somewhat of a back seat? If he continues to pile up rebounds and blocks, I would say, definitely maybe. Unlike last season, this team's got some infrastructure. (Unfortunately, so does Texas).

Thoughts on Teams from Michigan

2009-12-18T11:27:00.000-06:00

[This was a comment below, but seemed to outgrow itself.]

Wow--we're 0-5 all-time against Michigan! Will the streak end tomorrow?
9am Pacific is early for a Saturday, but I'll be ready.

Anyone want to make any predictions or break this thing down for me?

On a totally unrelated note, E and I saw Seattle U play Oakland last night--the same Oakland that KU beat 89-59. And the same Oakland whose Benson reportedly "manhandled" Cole...

Anyway, Seattle U lost 77-68 (which helps our Jayhawks' RPI, so I can't be too upset).
Most striking was that Benson didn't look nearly as good against SU as against Kansas. Sure, he had 5 blocks, 16 points, and 16 rebounds (better than his line at Allen), but last night he looked like one of many good players, whereas in Lawrence he was really the only way (as far I can remember) in which Oakland looked better than KU.

Which is all my way of saying 1) hey, Seattle U only lost by a few points to a decent Oakland team. Meanwhile 2) KU is so freakin' good that we beat that same team by 30. And 3) odd as it seems, this seems like a year where we have more trouble down low than with guards. But I hear Withey's eligible as of tomorrow, so since we're like 15 players deep in the post, I'm starting to feel awfully confident about this year.

Turner Gill and Things Of That Nature

2009-12-15T08:31:00.000-06:00

Any thoughts on KU's new football coach? I don't know if I'm going to enjoy his press conferences, other than counting how many times he says "...and things of that nature," a la Darrell Hammond as Schwarzenegger.

His record seems comparable to Mangino's, but I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, because (a) his image is infinitely better than that of his predecessor, and (b) as Lew said, if he can recruit guys from Texas to Buffalo of all places, he can sure as hell recruit them to Kansas.

Back to hoops...

Comparisons being drawn between John Wall and Xavier: here and here. If we have to compare the two, I'd give the slight edge to Wall because he's had to lead at Kentucky from Day One, whereas X has had a cushier landing in college.

Also, one more salvo about our "weak" schedule: future KU road opponent Temple knocked off then-No. 3 Villanova this weekend. I saw 'Nova in person a few weeks ago making mincemeat out of the Terps; they're a great team. At the end of the Temple game, fans reportedly stormed the court chanting "We want Kansas!"

That's right: It is ON, baby!

fieldhouse pics

2009-12-10T18:14:00.000-06:00

My friend Russ took this awesome panoramic pic at the Alcorn State game.

And this is a cool pic he got at the Radford game of Xavier shooting a free throw.

A few quick questions:

Why didn't C.J. Henry play in the last two games? Ongoing injury issues?

Except for Memphis and UCLA we've beat everyone by 30+ Are we that good or have these cupcakes been that bad? Also, how vulnerable are we on the road?

And how much will Withey and Morningstar add to the team come January?

Thoughts???

Bye, Bye, Baby

2009-12-07T17:31:00.000-06:00

I'm really going to miss that little guy.

Any thoughts on the big news? Frankly, I'm glad to move on to the next era in KU football. As the saying goes, where there's smoke there's probably somebody smoking.

But thanks for bringing us some nice players and some nice memories, Coach. There's no doubt you left the program better than you found it.

Also, nice win last night against the hapless Bruins. As in the Memphis game, our guys didn't seem terribly inspired... There's a confidence bordering on arrogance about this team, which is not an entirely bad thing, but maybe they'll need a spanking at Tennessee to clear their heads.

* I know he had too many turnovers, but has any KU freshman ever looked less like a freshman than Xavier Henry?

Alcorn State: The Massacre

2009-12-03T11:20:00.000-06:00

How much credence does one give to a victory at home over an 0-10 squad? Precious little, obviously, but I just want to bask in this for a minute ...

** 98-31!
** 36-0 run in the first half, one point shy of an NCAA record.
** Fewest points allowed by Kansas since the Truman administration.

Best highlight reel is at ESPN.com.

None of the highlight reels seem to contain Xavier's leapfrog over the Alcorn St. player in the first half, but it made SportsCenter's top plays. To see it, just click here, select top videos, and scroll over. Bonus feature is Dave Armstrong -- not "Wow!" but "Whoooop!"

MU/KU Football

2009-11-28T17:11:00.000-06:00

Anyone else watching? I'm posting this in the 3rd quarter as we are up 28-26. Mangino's back is against the wall and he has his guys fired up. Oh crap, Briscoe just fumbled again.

Aaron, if you are there, I heard there was an MU/KU marriage proposal what was universally booed, is that right?

Under the Radar

2009-11-27T13:26:00.000-06:00

Anyone else see the Oakland game?
X looked much better, and Marcus Morris had a great game: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 of 3 from downtown, 5 of 8 at the line, and only one turnover.
Aldrich, on the other hand, was simply manhandled by that Benson fellow...
But on the whole it was a fun game to watch, and it's nice to see that we can win big (against small competition, but still) even with Cole having an unusually bad night.

Anyone else going to watch Tennessee Tech? Let me know if you need a link (shh).

KU rebounds against cruddy purple bears

2009-11-20T10:34:00.000-06:00

I was able to watch this game live finally (I had to DVR the last two, after knowing the outcome of the Memphis game, grr). Anyway, it looked like our practices since Memphis were probably picked up a bit. This team we played though, did not have the bigs to stop our bigs. Plus, they shot like crap (mostly thanks to our excellent D) and it was pretty much hopeless at the outset. We've got three of these joke schools in a row. For a team that's supposed to be #1, why are we scheduling like we are K-State? This is apparently not a very good UCLA team we are going to play (lost in 2ot to Cal State Fullerton), but it is on the road, so maybe we will learn something. I am concerned we will not be ready when we go to Knoxville, TN. That is a very good team full of seniors and juniors that looks ready to run everyone out of the gym.

St. Louis Blues

2009-11-18T11:54:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, like most people, I got my first view of the 2009-10 'Hawks from last night's butt-ugly game against Memphis in St. Louis.

Good news first: our inside game was dominant. Cole looked like the POY out there -- they credited him with 5 blocks, but he had more. The twins, as advertised, seem to have matured, except for Kieff fouling on a 3-point shot.

But the fact that we could dominate inside and still almost lose just goes to show how important guard play is in college hoops. Sherron was a hero at the end, and I like the fact that Xavier got 6 boards (a very Rush-like stat), but other than that our perimeter play su-u-u-ucked. The freshmen played scared -- not a surprise -- but so did Tyshawn and Tyrel. Even Sherron seemed off before he cramped up.

This team has hugely talented perimeter guys, but the question is, do we have any solid, dependable backcourt stalwarts to get us through these rough patches? Do we have a Russell Robinson?

Self's comments after the game seemed to indicate that Morningstar will be getting more playing time this season than most people assumed.

* Footnote: Scott, what do you think of your Tigers? Are they the real deal, or should 'Hawks fans be embarrassed that this game was so close?

* Another footnote: Do you think our players might have been distracted by this whole Mangino business? What's going on there, anyway?

* Also, one other key footnote about the game: We won! We won!

XOXO

2009-11-14T14:21:00.000-06:00

Xavier Henry's line vs. Hofstra:

27 points
8-12 shooting
5-8 on threes
6-6 at the line
5 rebounds
2 assists
1 steal
1 block
0 turnovers

24 minutes. Good god.

Other numbers I like: 6 assists for Tyshawn, 23 points for Sherron, 4 blocks for Cole, 8 boards for Cole and 7 for Kieff. Also, 20-12 assists-to-TOs for the team.

This could be a juggernaut in the making. No, that's not a typo; I said "juggernaut."

Gorilla Warfare

2009-11-11T17:27:00.000-06:00

Kansas doubles up Pittsburg State!

Both the Journal-World and the Star devoted entire articles to Marcus Morris' tomahawk slam (highlights here). In fact, this was the Star's only article on the game. Has a single dunk ever gotten as many column inches as this one?

A lot of buzz, also, on Thomas Robinson. I'm going to reserve judgment on that, because big men always tend to look good against the D2 patsies. But I can't wait for my first opportunity to see this team play -- hopefully this week.

FHSU Highlights

2009-11-06T10:09:00.000-06:00

Got the link from Sido; thought you'd like to see it (if you haven't already):

Emily and I watched a good deal of the game, but I didn't get a strong sense of the team (still trying to learn the names and numbers...). It was very nice that Elijah's highlight dunk started with Xavier on the floor making the steal and the pass.

Oh, and Deron has to be right about the ranking. Juggernaut. Should be a hell of a year.

preseason #1

2009-10-29T15:03:00.000-05:00

So we're the clear preseason #1, first game is tuesday against Temple, and I got myself a signed ball with the whole team and coach Self... Good times!

Late Night in the Phog

2009-10-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

The new season is almost here and last night the newly renovated fieldhouse was packed and rocking.

The play was a little sloppy but still impressive. I couldn't believe how good of shape everyone was in. The Morris twins look like completely different players this year. And Xavier Henry is going to be amazing. He has incredible athleticism. Plus Cole and Sherron who were named co big 12 preseason players of the year! We are going to be tough to beat, to say the least.

The fieldhouse got a face lift and was unveiled last night. The sports museum was expanded and had all kinds of cool interactive exhibits. But the highlight had to be the giant trophy case in the center of it all.

The first game is nov. 3rd. Rock Chalk!

X, Man!

2009-04-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

Hoo boy.

It just seemed too good to be true, but as with so many Bill Self recruiting stories, the best-case scenario has come to pass. Xavier Henry's a Jayhawk -- as is C.J. apparently.

If we were the 2010 pre-season #1 already, now we're ... well, put it this way -- no one else is even worthy of #2.

Depending on which list you look at, X may be the biggest Kansas recruit since Manning. (Don't hold me to that, but that's an educated guess. Julian, Nick, Paul and Raef were big recruits, but were any of them ranked as high as #3 in their class?)

But even if X doesn't turn out to be the second coming, that's OK. This team is so loaded, he doesn't need to be. He'll have his ups and downs like any freshman, but if he can just average double figures -- and believe me, if you've seen this kid's jump shot, he can -- that should be enough to put us over the top.

This gives Kansas the holy trinity of great players that most championship teams must have -- guard, wing, big man.

Kansas 2010: Collins, Henry, Aldrich
Carolina 2009: Lawson, Ellington, Hansbrough
Kansas 2008: Chalmers/Collins, Rush, Arthur
Florida 2006-7: Green, Brewer, Noah/Horford
Carolina 2005: Felton, McCants, May
Syracuse 2003: McNamara, Anthony, Warrick
Duke 2001: Williams, Dunleavy, Boozer
Duke 1991-2: Hurley, Hill, Laettner
Kansas 1988: Pritchard, Newton, Manning

Scott, we haven't heard from you in a while... Thoughts? I'm genuinely sorry that so many of KU's recent successes seem to come at Memphis's expense...

I'm Back, Baby!

2009-04-14T00:45:00.000-05:00

But more importantly, so are Cole and Sherron.

Here's some video on the announcement.

So, are we #1?

And, this kind of puts all that hand wringing about Xavier/Cal/Lance in perspective.

Here We Go

2009-04-03T13:43:00.000-05:00

Finally the wait is over. The good news is rolling in--someday we'll look back on April 3rd as a historic day, the day that the Iowa Supreme Court finally did the right thing and
...
in an unrelated story, the day that the AP named Bill Self national coach of the year.

Congrats, coach!

Hell of a year. Hell of a year!

And in other news, although there's no word from Stephenson, Xavier Henry wants to be a Jayhawk, according to his father.

It's a good day to be an American, and a good day to be a Jayhawk.

Rock Chalk!

Gone To Seed

2009-03-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

Chris texted me to say this was one of the least disappointing of KU's tourney exits, and I would have to agree. After all, we played to seed; we met or exceeded expectations for the year; and we made a heroic effort against the Spartans.

What hurts is that this was a winnable game, and we seemed to be the better team. Cole and Sherron were near-unstoppable, Brady and Tyrell had some nice moments, and we played with great aggression on both ends of the court. But we were undone by some of the usual problems -- turnovers, lack of scoring balance, poor shot selection by our freshmen. And credit to MSU for making some big, timely baskets and stops.

(What also hurts, by the way, is being outdone by Mizzou. When was the last time they advanced further than Kansas? Early '90s?)

Interesting turning point here. It feels to me -- and this is just an instinct -- that if we had pulled this one out we would have definitely seen Cole and/or Sherron bolt for the pros regardless of what happened in the next round. The two of them played like superstars, esp. in the first half. The hype on them if we had won this game would have been blinding. But since we lost, maybe not so much.

If those guys are back, we're a Final Four favorite in 2010. If they're back and Lance Stephenson commits, we're the favorite for the national title.

Anything Mizzou Can Do...

2009-03-27T12:34:00.001-05:00

I'm still sort of in shock that the MU Tigers beat the MU Tigers last night -- at least that they did it so convincingly. I've seen Mizzou play well this year, but nowhere near THAT well. Sorry, Scott, but at least it's a boon to the Big 12. Can KU and OU follow suit?

Also glad, of course, to see the Devils go down in flames. Duke's now-customary comeuppance has become my second favorite event in the tourney every year, next to any KU win.

I've been going back and forth on this MSU game. They have the much more balanced and experienced team. It's an even match statistically, although they rebound better than us. Defensively, it's a little scary to consider their big men doing to Cole what we did to Hansbrough last year -- and MSU's Travis Walton spending day and night studying Sherron like an FBI profiler.

But ... we have the revenge factor, which is always a big psychological advantage, as is the underdog status, which we so rarely get to enjoy as Kansas fans. Even more important, they haven't played anyone as good as us ... ever since they did play us way back when. And it is a scientific fact that the Big 10 sucks this season.

So... OK, that settles it. 'Hawks by 5!

Will he stay or will he go?

2009-03-25T13:44:00.000-05:00

There's a nice article about Sherron on espn.com. If we somehow make it back into the final four this year is it likely that Sherron will go? Surprisingly the article says that Sherron is going to leave it up to Self to decide. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Self will want Sherron to head the team for sure next year. If we can hang on to Aldrich and Sherron we will be, with out question, one of the most dominate teams in the nation. Who knows how things will work out though. I think we actually turned into a better all around team having lost Julian a couple years ago. But I think the case is very different wit Sherron. I don't know if you could really fault Sherron for going but I think he could be even better if he waited one more year. Is everybody too focused on Friday to care about this issue yet? Thoughts?

No-Fly Zone

2009-03-23T10:43:00.000-05:00

I had my doubts going into the weekend, but it's on to the Sweet 16 once again.

Cole snags the triple-double and becomes immortalized in tourney history. That had to be the most dominant individual tourney performance for KU at least since Collison against Duke in '03.

Sherron was nearly as good; Keegan has a good column (can't believe I just said that) in which Self really sings Sherron's praises -- an interesting counterpoint in a year when a lot of KU observers (including myself) have been quick to criticize him.

I have to admit, as Coach Self did, we were lucky that Dayton was terrible offensively. There were a lot of stretches when the 'Hawks went cold and the Flyers had a chance to build some momentum, but they just seemed to self-destruct on the offensive end. Their wing players were kamikazes, repeatedly driving right at Cole and getting it sent back every single time.... and then doing it again. But give our defense just a little credit as well -- Dayton had no problem against supposed defensive juggernaut West Virginia the other day.

The biggest concern now: Have we become too much of a two-man show? By my count, the dynamic duo scored 93 of Kansas's 144 points over the weekend. Mario, Tyrel and Marcus had some nice moments here and there, but that consistent third option has never materialized. Does it need to?

I think I just smiled at him

2009-03-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

Is there some way both versions could be right? Please?

From kusports.com:
One of Collins’ misses was put back hard by Aldrich, who dunked, was fouled and hit a free throw, upping a 73-67 lead to 76-67 with 1:53 left.

KU’s team leaders and fast friends — Collins said they have hung out off the court together a lot more this season than last — visited on the court after that bucket.

“I told him, ‘That’s how you go up and dunk. That’s how you finish at the rim. He whispered in my ear, ‘Da da da, da da da,’’’ Collins added, singing the theme song from ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Aldrich’s version?

“He always says some of the goofiest things,” he said of Collins. “He said, ‘Good follow (shot), way to go crash the boards.’ I think I just smiled at him.”

So it is indeed the Flyers for us tomorrow. Thoughts? I feel confident about our ability, and yesterday can't but be good for the team.

Death March To Minny?

2009-03-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of fear and trembling in Jayhawk-land going into the tourney this year. Everyone seems to agree that the Midwest is the toughest bracket, and that the 'Hawks are ripe for an upset.

Keegan says we have no chance (although he's doing it to try to reverse-jinx our boys). Fox Sports puts N. Dakota St. on their list of Cinderellas and Kansas on their list of likely early exits. The Wall Street Journal also envisions a possible first-round upset. Joe Lunardi has us losing to West Virginia. CBS Sportsline's Doyel has us losing to Dayton. One notable exception is the KC Star's Upon Further Review blog, which puts us in the Final Four -- but I can't tell if they're being facetious.

The good thing about all of this is that the fashionable upset picks often don't materialize -- and it obviously provides good bulletin board material for our players. But I'm not going to ignore the evidence; NDSU is exactly the type of team best suited to beat us: deadly outside shooting, packed with 5th-year seniors who have won games against major conference competition, and headed by a major game-breaker on the offensive end, Ben Woodside, who seems an excellent candidate to pull another Voskuil (Texas Tech) on us. Plus once again the committee has set us up for a road game -- Minneapolis is just a few hours away from NDSU's campus.

The KC Star's statistical breakdown gives NDSU the advantage over KU in 10 of 15 categories. The one good thing here, though, is that even with our much stronger strength of schedule, we're a lot better than they are in one very important category -- FG percentage defense. Soooo... if we can just keep the unforced turnovers to a minimum and get out on their shooters, we should be OK. I think. (shudder)

Big 12 Blog-a-thon

2009-03-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

And we're off...

Anyone catch Texas Tech's comeback against the Aggies last night? Sort of takes the curse off of our loss in Lubbock, but wow, I've never seen a team look as flummoxed as Turgeon and co. at the end of that game. Does this lock them out of the Dance for sure?

KU-Baylor is T-minus 80 minutes -- I'll be furtively following it at the office.

I hope you're all on board, and online, for the rest of our 2009 run.

KU Big XII Champs; Kleinmann: The white Bill Russell

2009-03-07T19:49:00.000-06:00

That's right b*tches! Five Rings for the Kleinmann, he is unstoppable! :)

Anyway, it was good to see us gather ourselves in a tough grind it out game and pull it out, even if it was at home. Damion James was having a great game, but Aldrich and Taylor woke up just in time to put an end to it. Seems like they let Pittman bang a lot in that game, we're going to be in trouble at whatever point in the tourney Aldrich gets into foul trouble. If we can weather that part of the game, we might be able to sneak out another elite 8 I think.

Wait, What?

2009-03-05T12:23:00.000-06:00

I don't even know what we can say about last night.

(Photo from kusports.com)

Better now than in a post-season game, I suppose.

Have we won a single game in Lubbock this century? What gives?

But hey, we won the Big 12, so it's not all doom and gloom . . .

ROCK CHALK!

2009-03-01T17:15:00.000-06:00

Down goes Mizzou!

"I'm falling in love with this team" --Self.

"I think today was just one of those days that went well for us" --Collins.

WOW! We looked great today. Cole had 19 points and 14 rebounds. Sherron had 25 points and looked good except for a couple of crazy drive attempts. I actually sat next to his grandma at the game. She was cheering like crazy. I think he's realizing that he doesn't have to do it all. As long as Brady or Reed or Taylor has a decent game we're solid. I'm not sure how many turnovers we had but it was far fewer than in the last game at Mizzou. So which is it: was Mizzou that overrated, or are we this good? I'm inclined to think it's the latter. We seemed to handle the press much better this game. Thoughts?

To top it all off, Heinrich's jersey was retired at halftime. Collison was also there. Here's a few pics:

I can't wait for the big 12 tournament and a likely matchup with the, this time, Blake Griffin led Sooners. We seem to have a legit shot at a #2 seed which I never would have believed at the beginning of the season. Can't wait for the madness!

Somebody Should Do a Post

2009-02-26T12:55:00.000-06:00

Border War coming up.

Still my favorite shirt logo . . .

Thoughts? Predictions?

Oh, just wanted to say, by the bye, that I agree with Deron with respect to Sherron shaking off the called plays. It worked, and I grant that his attitude is part of his greatness, but wow was that unsettling to read!

Hey, they're hanging Kirk's jersey Sunday! Right on.

We're Number One!

2009-02-24T10:38:00.000-06:00

In the conference, that is.

But I'll take it. What a game!

Thanks to kusports.com for the photo.

This team is fast becoming one of my favorite teams to watch. So many scoring options, such great team play; so many impressive individual efforts (20 rebounds for Cole! Wow).

Great numbers, courtesy of kusports.com:

KU is 12-1 in the Big 12. It’s KU’s best conference 13-game record since the 2001-02 team went 16-0 ... KU has won at least 12 conference games for nine straight seasons. ... KU has won five straight versus OU. ... OU had a 19-game homecourt win streak snapped. OU had won 10 straight league games at home. ... KU is 15-15 at Noble Center. ... Oklahoma, at No. 3 in the AP poll, was the highest ranked team KU has beaten this season and the highest-ranked since beating Memphis (No. 2) in last year’s National Championship game.

HÜSKERs anD oÜ

2009-02-20T17:30:00.000-06:00

Big couple of days coming up for us, fellow silent fans. Nebraska was a tough win the first time around, but I assume (unwisely?) that playing at Allen will give us a decided advantage.

But then on Monday we play down in Norman, and I'm going to go ahead and say that 1) the advantage is definitely not ours, and that 2) if we win there it would easily be the biggest win of the season. Can we do it? We sure looked good for most of the last couple games, and we didn't look all that bad, as Deron mentioned, against Mizzou . . . but, boy, this one looks tough.

Oh what the hell, I'll do it: KU by 3: 82-79.

Let's go 'hawks!