Postgame Thoughts: KU vs New Orleans

Here are some postgame thoughts, in no particular order.

*Glad to hear Self say in his postgame interview with Fran Fraschilla that he can really see a couple of these freshmen coming along and that he would really expect to see them to start playing more minutes. I'm hoping and praying he is referring to Wright (who should be playing A LOT more going forward) and Chalmers, who HAS to play to gain more confidence.

*Anyone else think that Chalmers is getting relegated to the 2-guard spot and that JHawk and Vinson are #1 and #2 at the point? It sure looked that way tonight.

*Self also mentioned that this team has a lot of wasted possessions. I agree 100%. They don't value the ball. 18 TO's against this opponent is pathetic.

*It will be VERY interesting to hear what the deal was with Micah. I can't believe the announcers didn't say anything about it and didn't ask Self about it after the game. Anyone hear anything on the radio?

*Did I mention that JW needs to play A LOT more going forward? I was glad to see he had 29 minutes tonight.

*It's time for Rush to quit shutting down mentally when his first few shots don't fall. He was 2-for-11 and disappeared in the game, though did have 7 boards. However, that's not what we want to see from the one guy on the team that has the ability to take over a game offensively. He seems so tentative and out-of-control at times offensively. It's almost like he doesn't realize that he can take over a game.

*That first half was painful to watch. This team can, as Self puts it, really "labor to score".

*Also interesting when Fran asked Self about the team having depth and Self said "we're too deep". Hopefully the rotation is going to get trimmed soon, but WHO do you take minutes away from as only maybe one or two players are distinguishing themselves from the pack?

*The combined "effort" (6 rebs, 8 pts.) of Kaun and Giles tonight was pathetic. Those guys better find a mean, aggressive streak before Kentucky rolls into town and definitely before the conference season starts.

*Mario makes mistakes, but he also makes plays and forces turnovers. He also pushes the ball more, brings more energy and is quicker at getting the team into their offense than JHawk (4 TO's tonight, by the way), IMO.

*Great game for Case. He was on fire tonight. That being said, it's much different being on fire in practice or against a team with Division II talent than it is in a big game with the pressure on. I have serious doubts whether Case will consistently hit from 3-pt land when we play a team that has some talent. And I don't think this team has time to find out, so I expect Case to be back on the pine soon.

*The team shows some solid defensive effort, but got pretty lazy guarding the 3 on a few occasions tonight. The breakdowns in effort is very discouraging.

*I am really curious to see how good this team can be when they put together 40 minutes of quality effort and execution. Unfortunately from what I've seen to this point, we're a long way from seeing a game where that happens.

*Anyone else think Self looks very frustrated?

*Anyone else expect this team to look signficantly sharper in execution by this point in the season? I know I did.

*What's your best guess on when Self finally lands on the 9-man rotation? Will it be by the Big 12 Tournament? Will it happen at all?

*10 blocks was nice to see and 4 of them from Julian, giving yet one more reason to play him more.

*6 of 12 from the FT line tonight. I think Self should make these guys pay in practice when anyone misses a free throw. I really don't think these guys value those free points the way they should.

*Another quiet, yet effective night for Russell Robinson: 24 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebs, 5 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, only 1 TO.

*UNO outrebounded KU 34-32.

*Giles played, brace yourself, TEN minutes tonight.

*I REALLY like the energy and effort that Darnell Jackson brings to the court. He had 8 pts. and 5 rebs. in just 17 minutes.

*Nice stat for KU: 29 field goals on 23 assists.

*Nice stat #2 for KU: UNO shot 34%.

*Nice stat #3 for KU: 14 steals.

*What's up with Kleinmann only getting 1 minute?

*Here's the ESPN box score: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=253632305