KU-Boston College Game Thoughts

*KU 84 Boston College 66
*The first half was the best, and most complete, half of team basketball that KU has played this year. Right there with the first half of the Florida game.
*The second half included what has become a disturbing pattern for this team: When the opportunity is before them to go for the kill and put a team away, they let off the gas, lose focus, and let an inferior team stay in the game.
*Mario Chalmers is a STUD and is, hands down, the MVP of the team thus far. He is the only one who consistently brings it, night in and night out, on both ends of the court. He finished with 22 points. (9-16 FG, 3-6 3PT);*Pass it on: CBS SUCKS. Not only was the game not broadcast in HDTV, but a good portion of Jayhawk fans across the country didn't get to see the game because CBS didn't send the feed to DirectTV. And, before the game was even over, CBS breaks away from regional coverage and shifts the country over to A COMMERCIAL break during the Ohio State-Florida game, which was tied 2-2. Think CBS Sports, who is headed up by a Duke grad, would have done that if it was a Duke game being broadcast? Yeah, me either.
*The Jayhawks were very aggressive offensively from tip to finish.
*The officials in this game were brutal. They routinely stopped the momentum of the game and called several "ticky tack" fouls. There were 21 fouls total called in the first 12 minutes of the second half. 'Nuf said.
*The Jayhawks still need to work on finding that killer instinct. After having a 26 pt. lead in the second half, they let BC get within 13.
*Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson and Darrell Arthur were as physical and aggressive as I've seen them this year.
*The 4-on-1 fast break in the first half that ended with a Rush dunk that was one of the prettiest fast breaks you'll ever see. Perfect execution.
*The Jayhawks played VERY tough defense in this game (particularly in the first half) and forced Boston College into a bunch of turnovers.
*The crowd in Allen Fieldhouse was amp'd up throughout the game. Nice job, KU fans.
*This game was a blowout early and stayed that way for most of the game. Of course a big reason why is because BC is the first quality team KU has played that didn't hit 3-pointers like they were born to do it. They ended up 4-of-19 (21%) from deep, while KU was 5-of-15.
*KU won the rebounding battle 44-34. 18 of those rebounds were on the offensive end. Rebounding is about EFFORT and POSITIONING. KU did a solid job on both today.
*The key from here is whether the Jayhawks will build on this win/momentum and play with this type of energy every game. Or will they rest on their laurels of a good win and have a letdown? I'm not yet convinced that this team has the mental strength they need to win night in and out.
*A friend of mine, commenting on KU's sluggish second half, said "This team loses focus very quickly." I believe that one sentence perfectly summarizes KU so far this season. When focused, they are one of the best teams in the country. When they lose their focus, the are an average, and at times, below average basketball team. The most frustrating thing for KU fans is the team's focus seems to change about every 5-10 minutes during a game.

All in all, a good win over a quality ACC opponent and a nice Christmas gift for KU fans.

Keep Rockin' and Chalkin',

Mic