KU-KSU postgame: Thoughts and Observations

Thoughts and observations after KU’s 88-74 win over K-State in Lawrence on Saturday.

-I call it effort. Bill Self calls it energy. Whatever you want to call it, it has been frustratingly absent in KU’s three losses and even in some of our wins. But you saw Saturday night just how good this KU team can be when they bring it. They can be Big 12 Championship good. They can be National Championship good.

When they don’t bring it, the can be incredibly average. That is why the question I just can’t get out of my head is: “Will they be able to bring a high level of energy/effort consistently?” I want to believe they’ve turned the corner. I really do. But color me cautiously optimistic. Consistent high energy/effort is what separates good teams with potential from great teams with championships.

Of the Jayhawks, Michael Beasley said: "They played with a chip on their shoulders. They played with a vengeance. They just came out and played relentlessly." Hopefully the Jayhawks now finally realize that, if they want to make it to the Final Four and win the National Championship, they will need to play every game with a high level of energy/effort. No exceptions. No excuses. No B-games. There is no margin for error.

All of Jayhawk Nation is hoping and praying that just as the loss to KSU in Manhattan drained this team of its energy, that this win will give the Jayhawks the energy boost they need to start, maintain and finish Big 12 and NCAA Tournament runs in March.

-Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins’ mothers need to be at every game. Amazing how kids perform when mom is watching, isn’t it?

-Brandon Rush played aggressive offensively for (Are you sitting down?) an ENTIRE GAME! Rush’s 21 points and 5 three-pointers were season highs. We all knew Brandon had the “go-to guy” athletic ability and basketball skill-set, and for one night he had what he’s been missing his entire career: The mentality it takes to be the go-to guy.

Brandon said he heard that people were talking about how KSU’s Dominque Sutton shut Rush down for the 2nd half of the game in Manhattan. Not sure that’s entirely accurate as Brandon is usually the one that shuts himself down. At any rate, Rush didn’t like hearing it and it motivated him.

Note to Bill Self: Please tell Brandon before every game that someone shut him down. Tell him in front of the whole team. Make the team watch video of Brandon being shut down. Whatever it takes so that he won’t go back into his non-aggressive offensive shell.

Of his performance, Rush said: “Tonight I think I proved a point. I played both halves.” I’m sorry, Brandon, but the only thing you proved on Saturday night is that you played both halves in ONE game. I’m going on record right now: I don’t think you’ll be able to do it consistently. I don’t think you have it in you. And I stand by my earlier comments that I think your
non-aggressive mentality will prevent you from playing significant minutes in the NBA. I dare you to prove me wrong. And if you do, I’ll happily be the first one to admit it.

-Sasha Kaun played with an aggressiveness and toughness that I don’t recall ever seeing from him, tallying 9 points and 7 rebounds. Sasha: Your playing career at KU is coming to an end. You’ve set a new standard for yourself from an energy/effort standpoint. Keep it up.

-Rebounding: KU had 23 offensive rebounds. That is not a typo. A season-high TWENTY-THREE OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS! They had more offensive rebounds than they did defensive rebounds. If you want to know how it happened, see my previous point about effort/energy.

-Darrell Arthur can score pretty much whenever he wants to. Against KSU, he had 10 points and 5 rebounds, with a couple of gorgeous moves down low. I love watching him back a player down, make a quick move and shoot right over his defender. It’s a thing of beauty and something the Jayhawks better go to a lot more in March.

Unfortunately, Darrell continues to struggle defensively, committing 5 fouls and limiting himself to 23 minutes. Danny Manning has said that Darrell doesn’t know how good he can be. If Shady wants a National Championship ring, he better figure it out soon.

-The real Sherron Collins showed up last night (18 pts, 4 assists, 4 steals, 3-for-7 from 3-pt. range) instead of the injured, hobbled “his legs aren’t firing” Collins we’ve seen for most of the season. Of his play, Sherron said: "Once you get the adrenaline going and flowing, you can get around a lot of stuff, especially injuries. It was just in my head. I felt like nothing was wrong with me."

Sherron: KU’s postseason hopes ride on your ability to get your adrenaline going night in and night out. You can be THE difference maker for this team.

-“Mr. 3-pt. Shot, it’s nice to see you again.” 3-pt. shooting might not have not been THE difference in the game, but it was a huge factor. KU won by 14 points and outscored KSU by 15 points from the 3-pt line. KU not only did a better job of making their 3-pt shots, but more importantly did a much better job of setting guys up for wide open looks. It was really nice to see KU raining 3’s on an opponent instead of vice versa.

--“Hey, Mr. Forced Turnover. Welcome home.” KU had 15 steals in forcing 20 KSU turnovers.

--When did KSU’s primary color become black? We all agree that purple isn’t much better, but KSU’s black road uniforms just don’t make sense.

-BALANCE: How many times have we heard people talk about KU’s balance and depth? This was truly a team win. There were spurts where Arthur was the man, then Darnell, then Rush, then Mario, then Russell, then Sasha, then Collins. 5 players scored in double figures in leading one of the most well-balanced attacks of the season.

-It’s not just KU, folks. The phenomenon in the Big 12 this year where a team looks like world beaters on their home court and then like egg beaters on the road is one of interesting stories of this Big 12 season. Look no further than Texas Tech, who suffered the worst loss in their history against A&M in College Station, TX and then three days later played the best game of their season in beating conference-leading Texas in Lubbock, TX. K-State is another example. They were a shell of the team that beat KU in Manhattan this year.

-“Hi Mr. Zone. You’re looking good.” Bill Self actually let his team play zone and get this: It worked. Coach Self has said “We’re not a zone team. We’re a much better man team.” Coach Self, with all due respect, any intelligent Jayhawk fan knows that. We’re not asking you to be a “zone team”. We love the aggressive man-to-man defense your team is capable of playing. We love the toughness it takes to play man-to-man defense.

But you know that playing zone helps limit dribble penetration, helps protect KU’s big men from foul trouble, makes it tougher for studs like Beasley to score inside, and, at a bare minimum, gives your opponent a different look and something else to prepare for. We know you don’t like it when an opponent “busts” a zone with 3-pt. shots, but that has also happened when your team is playing man-to-man. We’re not asking you to use zone defense as your main weapon. We’re asking you to use it as a compliment to your man-to-man defense.

The zone DID work against KSU and if it helps you win games (which it did and can), then why not continue to use it periodically, particularly when an opponent has a dominant force (Beasley, D.J. Augustin, etc.)? KSU played zone and KU went around 4 minutes without a field goal. The bottom line is this: If zone works AGAINST your team, it can work FOR your team too.

-Stop the debate. Michael Beasley is the best player in the country and is better than Kevin Durant. Some people have talked about Tyler Hansbrough, who is a great player and helped North Carolina tremendously when point guard Ty Lawson went down with an injury. But put Michael Beasley on North Carolina’s team and it’s scary to think just how good he could be. Against KU, Beasley played only 12 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and still ended up 39 points and 11 rebounds. He wasn’t playing against Colorado. He was playing against KANSAS, one of the best defensive teams in the country with so many McDonald’s All-Americans they could start a franchise. Also, you have to give credit to Beasley for getting 2 fouls early, staying in the game mentally, and ending the game with those same 2 fouls.

-Stop the debate, Part II. Some have said KSU is on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. I disagree. Unless they drop their final two to Colorado and Iowa State (not likely), they are in. Heck, Beasley could probably beat those teams by himself.

-I thought KSU head coach Frank “Psycho” Martin did a great job of squeezing the most he could out of Beasley during his first half foul trouble.

-The Big 12 is proving to be one of the toughest conferences in the nation. I think talk of the Big 12 only getting 4 teams into the NCAA Tournament is ridiculous and yet another example of how very real that east coast bias is towards anyone not in the ACC. Oh, and people are talking about the PAC-10 too as maybe being the toughest conference. KU beat Arizona and USC. K-State beat Cal. Nebraska beat Oregon. Texas beat UCLA. Any questions?

-The Allen Fieldhouse crowd was incredible on Saturday night and during ESPN Gameday festivities. The ESPN Gameday exposure is wonderful for the program and we’re very fortunate that Rece Davis, Hubert Davis, Digger Phelps and Jay Bilas have fallen in love with KU and Allen Fieldhouse and truly appreciate it for what it is.

-The balance of power has been restored to it’s rightful place and KU still has a shot at a 4th consecutive Big 12 Championship. No doubt we will take care of Texas Tech on Senior Night, but the A&M game will be a tough test. Not necessarily because it’s A&M, but because it’s on the road and nothing comes easy on the road in the Big 12. Surely former KU guard Mark Turgeon wouldn’t want to stop his alma mater from getting a 4th straight Big 12 Championship, would he?

Of course Turg’s team went 0-for-16 in the final 12:51 of the first half in their game against Oklahoma, ending the half with an unbelievably pathetic 10 points. I guess Turg probably has bigger issues to worry about.

-As many Jayhawk fans know, this year KU had the 20-year celebration of the 1988 National Championship. Anyone remember how many points KU scored in the win over KSU? Hmmmmmmmm.

Keep Rockin’ and Chalkin’,

Mic
http://www.jaytalkers.com/