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.