Jayhawks Must Become Road Warriors to Win Big XII

As the Kansas Jayhawks prepare to take on Oklahoma State this Saturday in historic Gallagher Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK, one thing is clear.

If this Jayhawk team wants to capture their fourth consecutive Big XII Championship, or at least a share of it, then they must become road warriors.

As an avid Jayhawk fan and follower of this team, I’m confident that the Jayhawks will take care of business in Lawrence against Kansas State and Texas Tech. The Jayhawks inhale energy from the Allen Fieldhouse crowd and play at a higher level at home. And let’s not forget there is a little payback due to our purple brethren to the West, who need to be reminded that the best team in Kansas is still in Lawrence.

It’s the remaining road games that have me a little concerned. I know what Joe KU Fan is saying: “Mic, relax. We’re Kansas. We’ve got so much talent, McDonald’s All Americans. We’ve got an experienced team. Some of our guys are going to be in the NBA next year. We’re loaded!! We have to play Oklahoma State and ISU on the road. Neither team is nearly as talented as we are and they haven’t played very good basketball for most of the season. Texas A&M has been playing better of late, but I think the Jayhawks will remind Mark Turgeon he’s not in Kansas anymore.”

While I want to believe that Joe KU Fan is able to predict the future and knows exactly how the rest of the season will play out, I can’t help but think back to what I saw in the road losses in Manhattan and Austin. I saw a team that played scared at times. I saw a team that allowed their opponent to be more aggressive. I saw an “experienced” team with 5 seniors lose to an “inexperienced” team led by 3 freshmen. I saw our opponent’s guards dribble penetrate and dish to wide open 3-point shooters. I saw those 3-pt shooters sinking shot after shot. I saw the Jayhawks forcing shots. I saw the Jayhawks getting manhandled on the boards. I saw KU forget that the way to win games is to pound the ball into our big men and let them set the tone. I saw us panic when the officials called the game tighter than our Jayhawks were used to. And I saw Bill Self, who I love as the head coach of our proud program, allow our players for much too long to settle for jump shots instead of working the ball into our big men. And I saw Bill Self continue to refuse to switch, even for a few minutes, to a zone defense to give our opponents a different look.

These things must get corrected in order for this team to reach its goals of another Big XII Championship, another Big XII Tournament Championship, and a run to the Final Four and National Championship.

The stretch run of the regular season starts on Saturday in Stillwater, OK. It continues on Wednesday in Ames, IA. Then it’s back to Lawrence for ESPN Gameday vs. K-State, followed by Senior Day against the Bobby Knight-less Texas Tech Red Raiders. Then it ends in College Station for a nationally televised game against Texas A&M.

Ok, Jayhawks, here’s the deal. The Big XII Championship is yours for the taking. You’ve been given “gifts” by a couple of other teams to get you back to this point. Now it’s time to become road warriors and send a defiant message to the rest of the Big XII that you won’t be denied.

Keep Rockin’ and Chalkin’,

Mic
www.jaytalkers.com