From the Sweet 16 to Spring Football Practice

As we look at this year's Sweet 16 Kansas Jayhawk team, I think we were all thrilled with how the season played out with the team winning the Big 12, Cole and Sherron on the All Big 12 team, Sherron as a 2nd team All American, and Bill Self as the National Coach of the year. It was frustrating to lose to Michigan State when we were up by as many as 13 and up 5 with 3 minutes to go. We had the game in our hands and Sherron had used up all of his playmaking ability in this tournament. It definitely was sad and frustrating to see the rest of the team fail for the 3rd time in the tournament to rally around Sherron and Cole. It really highlighted, if we're honest with ourselves, just how young this team was and how we had a couple of guys (Morningstar and Reed) that are, at best, 12-15 minutes a game type guys that were asked to do a lot more because of Mario Little's injury and lack of development as the season wore on. Our young guys pretty much hit a wall and never really were able to take it to that next level, however they got tremendous experience this year that bodes very well for next year and following years. With, in my estimation, both Sherron and Cole coming back, and a recruiting class that includes 7-footer Jeff Withey (transfer from Arizona), guard Elijah Johnson, 6'8 stud Thomas Robinson and very likely soon to be announced big-time player Lance Stephenson, the future looks very bright for another National Championship-caliber team next year.

Now it's time to focus our attention to Spring Football practice and what looks to be a very promising year for the gridiron version of the Jayhawks.

Keep Rockin and Chalkin,

Mic

My concerns going into the NCAA Tournament

Our players are pissed right now. Self is pissed right now. They are going to be practicing their asses off the next couple of days. Their pride is hurt. They are embarrassed. They are humiliated.

All of those things bode well for KU and don't bode well for our opponent in the first round of the NCAAs, which is why I'm not worried about THAT game.

But what I am worried about is our SECOND game.

The same scenario played out when KU got humiliated in Lubbock, bounced back against Texas, and then got comfortable/cocky and got their asses handed to them by Baylor.

So will this team learn from their mistakes or make the same mistakes again? The answer to that question will be the difference between a 2nd round loss and a run to the Sweet 16 or possibly beyond.

All that aside, I can't believe how flat KU came out yesterday and I think, based on the quotes I've read, that Bill Self is absolutely disgusted with the lack of effort/energy his team played with yesterday, especially defensively.

I get that these guys were thinking they were better than they were...and then Texas Tech totally embarrassed them. But their memories must be pretty short to put up such a sad effort just a week after that debacle.

I would attribute a large portion of that to youth, but Sherron and Cole definitely have to shoulder the blame too. I've been somewhat down on Cole for awhile in that, when Sherron struggles, Cole doesn't take over. He needs to DEMAND the ball and not just say after the game "our guards just have to work to get the ball inside". Quit being so nice, Cole. Get pissed off. DEMAND the ball and take some pressure off of Sherron. If you don't, your season is going to come to an end sooner rather than later.

KU-Texas: Big 12 Champions for the 5th Consecutive Time!

What a great way to spend a day, hanging out with one of my best friends in Lawrence, eating some pre-game BBQ at Bigg's BBQ, and then taking in yet another great KU-Texas game. The Jayhawks come back from down 14 and win by 10, clinching SOLE POSSESSION of first place in the Big 12 and wrapping up their 5th consecutive Big 12 Championship. Sorry OU and MU. Get in the back of the line. Again.

Now it's on to the Big 12 Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament....This is hands down the best time of the year for college basketball fans. Let's hope the Jayhawks make some noise in the postseason.

Keep Rockin and Chalkin,

Mic

DETOX: KU-TEXAS TECH

I'm assuming some of you are like me and have tried or are trying to process what happened last night in the KU-Texas Tech game. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order. Let the healing begin and, as always, we will....

Keep Rockin and Chalkin,

Mic


THE BAD NEWS
*KU literally played their worst game of the season and one of the worst ever under Bill Self. From KUSports.com: "KU suffered what is believed to be the fourth-worst loss in coach Bill Self’s six years at KU. KU lost by 25 to Texas in 2006, 21 to Villanova in 2005, 20 to Oklahoma State in 2004 and 19 to Nebraska in 2004."

*Texas Tech literally played their best game of the season. Of Tech's 3-pt shooting, Self said: “Playing H-O-R-S-E, 15-of-27 is pretty acceptable. Cause that’s what they were playing. If defended, 15 of 27 is unbelievable. It’s as good as a team can shoot."

*Sherron Collins arguably played the worst game of his KU career. 3-of-19 from the field and 1-for-10 from 3-pt. range. KUSports.com's Tom Keegan said it best: "Collins regressed to the days when he trusted himself far more than he trusted teammates. When Collins is on, he’s all-world and makes everybody better. When he’s not, he’s the last to know it."

*Jake Voskuil of Texas Tech literally played the best game of his career. He had a career high 35 points on 9 of 14 shooting from 3-pt. range.

*Cole Aldrich summed it up best: "We couldn’t buy a shot, and they couldn’t miss. I missed shots tonight I make 99 percent of the time. It was really frustrating all the way around.”

*It's hard to win on the road in the Big 12, even vs. Texas Tech, especially on Senior Night. Strange things happen to teams and players on Senior Night.

*Bill Self Quotes of Note:
---"I really believe that maybe we read our press clippings."
---"Yeah, I'm ecstatic," Self deadpanned. "I said congratulations we won the league and got beat by 19. It's pretty remarkable a team that played this poorly tonight could go 13-2 in the league."
---"I didn't think we had that emotional edge when (you know) this team will come out and beat your butt if we aren't right."
---“Our whole team collectively played very very poor. All around, coaching, execution, everything was poor,” Self said. “They whipped us in every capacity.”

*Technical fouls on Bill Self and Marcus Morris. Dumb...and Dumber.


THE GOOD NEWS
*KU has won 5 consecutive Big 12 titles and 9 of the 13 Big 12's titles since the league was formed. No other team IN THE COUNTRY can say that.

*Sherron Collins: "We got knocked off our high horse. I think if we lost we needed one like this. We were feeling pretty good about ourselves. We have to get back to work and try to win it outright on Saturday.” (This is a GOOD thing for this team and for Sherron, who I think was one of the people Self was referring to when he said "I really believe that maybe we read our press clippings." Texas Tech player Jake Voskuil also commented about a quote from Sherron Collins earlier this week about celebrating a conference title in an opponent's lockerroom and that got Texas Tech fired up. Sherron should know better.)

*KNOW THIS: As Sherron Collins goes, so goes this Jayhawk team. PERIOD. He is very much like Todd Reesing is for the football team. There are other players that are important and make contributions, but Sherron (and Reesing) are the engines of their teams. If the engine is sputtering, the whole car breaks down. I told a friend of mine yesterday that Sherron had been playing great, but I felt that he was due a bad game or two before the season was over. Last night was one of those games. I have to believe that if and when KU loses in the NCAA Tournament, that will be the second time that Sherron doesn't play well.

*Not far behind Sherron is Cole Aldrich. If he's in foul trouble, KU is in big trouble. Period. They don't rebound well when Cole is on the bench and the inside presence virtually disappears. If Sherron is the engine, Cole is the tires.

*KU senior Matt Kleinmann and sophomore Tyrel Reed were named to the first-team Academic All-Big 12 basketball team. Cole Aldrich is on the second team.

*Matt Kleinmann is believed to be the first player to ever be on 5 conference championship teams (He redshirted one season). Pretty friggin' cool for a walk on.

*Self is PISSED right now, which means the players will be PISSED and focused on Saturday vs. Texas. A humbled Jayhawk team is a dangerous Jayhawk team. Always has been, always will be.

*Cole Aldrich and Tyshawn Taylor's injuries appear to be minor: “I jammed my left big toe when I hit the floor. It’s fine,” said Taylor. Cole Aldrich, who has been wearing a boot on his left foot of late, sprained his right ankle late. “It’s fine. It’s another little thing. I’ll get treatment and be back on it,” Aldrich said.

*If you want the truest definition of this year's team, listen to Bill Self: "We’re a good team that can play great.”

*No matter what happens the rest of the way, this team has already surpassed the expectations of any logical Jayhawk fan. I started the season just hoping to make it to the NCAA Tournament. I had ZERO expectation of KU winning the conference.

*Even in "rebuilding" years such as this one, where KU replaced 8 players and all 5 starters, our conference opponents' fan bases still feel the need to have white outs, black outs, purple outs, yellow outs and to rush the floor when they beat us. No other team in the conference comes close to garnering that kind of respect/envy.


*P.S.--On a side note, I am thrilled with all things Jayhawk right now. My only fear is that the NBA will come calling and Bill Self will answer. As some of you may know, Self's good buddy is the GM of the San Antonio Spurs. If you've noticed, Self has NEVER (ala Roy Williams) said that he would finish his career at KU. He has also never said unequivocably that he doesn't want to coach in the NBA. Unfortunately I think the idea is more than just an unfounded fear. The current coach at Oregon State, Craig Robinson, randomly had this to say the other day (I pulled this from KUSports.com) when asked if he'd ever leave Oregon State: “Of course, if somebody said Bill Self has decided to go pro and Kansas wants you, you have to say, ‘OK, let me talk to them’ ... you know what I mean? But I’m not (looking) ... it would be hard for me to keep hopping around.” Pretty sure Coach Robinson didn't magically pull that example out of thin air.