KU HOOPS: At 15-0, What Do We Know?

The Jayhawks wrapped up the non-conference schedule with a spotless 15-0 record and an average scoring margin around 25 points a game. Included in the 15 were solid wins over Arizona, Georgia Tech, DePaul, USC and Boston College. Now it’s on to Season 2, the Big 12 Conference season. With that in mind, what do we know so far about the 2007-2008 Kansas Jayhawks?

*Bill Self knows what he’s doing. You want to know the kind of team and players Bill Self imagines when he thinks about putting a group together than can go far in March? It’s this one. Multiple combo-guards, a rotation of 4 quality big men, a nice blend of youth and experience, having players at all 5 positions that can score AND defend, and a team that is so well conditioned that they can run all game long. It still amazes me that there are people out there that complain about Bill Self. He has the highest winning percentage in his first five years than any other coach in KU history. He’s won 80% of his games at KU. He has two Elite 8’s and a Sweet 16 in 5 years. His teams have won three consecutive Big 12 Championships and are going for their third consecutive Big 12 Tournament Championship. He’s won 48 of his last 52 games. He is well respected throughout college basketball. He’s a loving father and husband. He gives back to the community. He’s a near-flawless representative of The University of Kansas. And he’s generally just a really nice guy. Yet there are still people that aren’t happy with him. That just blows my mind.

*Russell Robinson is the most quiet and consistent performer on this Jayhawk team. He does his job (running the team, playing excellent defense, scoring when he needs to) night in and night out with very little fanfare. This team isn’t the same without his confident, calm leadership on the court. Russell is the guy that convinces the rest of the team that, no matter what, things are going to be alright.

*Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson, Brandon Rush and Sherron Collins make up the best backcourt foursome in college basketball.

*Sherron Collins is The Human Sparkplug. Bill Self keeps saying that Sherron’s legs aren’t “firing” fully after returning from knee surgery. Sherron’s been playing well since he came back, but whenever his leg muscles start completely “firing” again, look out. It sounds like he’s getting close: “I’m getting strength back in my left quad. My quad is firing. Before it felt like rubber. It’s solid now.”

*When this Jayhawk team needs a big bucket, it can come from any number of players. Most likely, though, it will be Sherron Collins, Brandon Rush or Mario Chalmers with the ball in their hands when the game hangs in the balance.

*What a luxury for Bill Self that his BENCH is made up of Sasha Kaun, Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Tyrel Reed and Rodrick Stewart. That five could win a lot of Big 12 games in their own right. All KU fans need to seriously enjoy this depth while we have it because it’s going to be exactly the opposite next year.

*How far this team will go in the NCAA Tournament is directly related to Brandon Rush being consistently more aggressive on offense. Bill Self rarely calls a player out in the media. He did so recently with Brandon and I think that speaks volumes about the level of frustration Self has with Brandon’s “turn it on, turn it off” nature on offense. This has been an issue with Brandon since he arrived in Lawrence. Personally, I don’t think it’s in Brandon’s nature to be aggressive and it translates directly to his play on the court. He is currently KU’s 4th leading scorer. If that doesn’t change in conference play, Brandon may be back in Lawrence for another year instead of going to the NBA. And this time it won’t be because of an injury.

*Sometimes I think Darrell Arthur and Brandon Rush drink from the same cup. Darrell can be a Player of the Year candidate if he starts consistently playing aggressive on both ends of the court. Even though he disappears for stretches in the game, he still leads the team in scoring and is second in rebounding.

*Conner Teahan should be brought in for at least 5 minutes every game solely to shoot 3-pointers.

*At the end of the non-conference season, Darnell Jackson get my vote for MVP and MIP (Most Improved Player). I have never seen a player at KU improve more from one season to the next. It couldn’t have happened to a better kid.

*Sasha Kaun is much better off the bench than he is as a starter. He currently leads the team in field goal percentage at 73%. Unfortunately, he also leads the team in free throw attempts and is shooting only 56%. He has done better of late so hopefully that will continue.

*This Jayhawk team may have more (I’m inventing a new word here) ALLEYOOPABILITY than any Jayhawk team in history. It seems like every guard can throw the alley and every big man can convert
the oop.

*This team has everything it needs to make a run to the Final Four and National Championship. Knowing that makes it very hard for me to remain grounded. With that in mind, I want to offer assistance to those KU fans that EXPECT a Final Four/National Championship merely because our team has so much talent. In college basketball, if you EXPECT a Final Four/National Championship, you are setting yourself up to be disappointed the majority of the time. There are too many things that can happen, such as: (1) An officiating crew that blows too many whistles. A less talented team can stay in a game with KU when officials take away KU’s ability to be aggressive defensively, get turnovers and get points in transition. (2) Something happens that is out of character and unexplainable (i.e. missing 19 layups and dunks in last year’s NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA). (3) An over-reliance on perimeter shooting combined with a failure to consistently get the ball to KU’s big men. (4) Missed free throws. (5) Injuries. (6) A “career” night by an opponent’s player (i.e. one player hitting well above his average) or a several players (i.e. a team shooting well above its season average from 3-pt. range.)

*A friend of mine sent me this stat and I thought it was very interesting. KU’s first Big 12 Conference game is against Nebraska. Last year, against Nebraska, the scores were: 76 – 56 (in Lincoln) and 92 – 39 (in Lawrence). Last year, in Lawrence, the football score was: 76 – 39. Does that mean that KU will beat Nebraska this year 92-56? Let’s hope so.

*Even after a solid performance against Loyola-MD, I’m convinced that Jeremy Case will go down as the “Best Three Point Shooter In Practice” in KU history. That being said, he’s been a great teammate and representative for KU even though consistent playing time never materialized for him.

*The Jayhawks must become a more consistent free throw shooting and rebounding team.

*Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed are going to be a very good players for the Jayhawks. Once they leap over the “I’m not a freshman anymore” wall, they will help the Jayhawks this season and in the future.

*This group plays great team defense. If you ever see this Jayhawk team get into serious foul trouble, it’s not their fault and you have every right to blame the officials. KU has only had 3 players foul out in the first 15 games.

I’m ecstatic about what I’ve learned about the 2007-2008 Jayhawks thus far. They have all of the pieces it takes to make a run to the Final Four. I’m going to enjoy the ride one game at a time and hope and pray that this is the year that the college basketball gods bless KU with the National Championship.

Keep Rockin’ and Chalkin’,

Mic
www.jaytalkers.com