More postgame thoughts

I'm not overly surprised by Friday night. Bradley shot 32% from 3-point range all season long and 16% in the MVC tournament. Of course, against KU they go 11-21 and the tradition of running into a hot shooting team or player continues for KU. How interesting that McNamara doesn't score a FG in his last NCAA tournament game, but goes off for 6 threes against KU.

Additionally, KU hasn't had 2 players foul out of a game the entire season, but it "magically" happened Friday night. In fact, I don't think we've even had 1 player foul out in some 25 games. I don't typically get too involved in blaming officials, but Bradley did have 13 more FT attempts than KU and KU was whistled for 8 more fouls. While not the only reason for the loss, things like that add up in a tight game.

It's frustrating, but I'm not entirely surprised. This was the youngest team in KU history and they still accomplished a lot.

Bradley is peaking. We just happened to get the most underrated 13 seed in this year's tournament as our first round game.

I trust Bill Self. I have to believe there were reasons for what happened defensively, or perhaps players weren't executing. I tend to think it's the latter. He said later that it was the worst they had played defensively all year, so I tend to believe that players were making defensive mistakes. I think that was, in large part, due to how the officials called the game and the ensuing "tightening up" that occurred throughout the team.

One Bradley player said "they didn't adjust to how the game was being called". I think that is true. I also think our players didn't know how to adjust to that type of officiating. We led the nation in FG% defense. They only know how to play one way. Aggressive. When the officials blew the whistle every time down the court (and there were some highly questionable calls...I believe we were called for something like 5 offensive fouls and Chalmers was called for PALMING, which hasn't been called hardly at all in the tournament). Those calls took away momentum from KU and gave it to Bradley, who then took even more momentum by being unconscious from the 3-pt line. I believe their 3-pt outburst was more 3's than they had hit in a game all season long. We can overcome hot shooting. But we can't overcome hot shooting AND lopsided, momentum-killing officiating

I think Chalmers was tight on both sides of the ball because of the early foul trouble he was in. I believe Rush, Chalmers and Robinson all had 2 fouls fairly early in the first half. Again, this is something that rarely, if ever, happened all season long.

The missed FT's in the last couple of minutes hurt, but when you combine that with a banked 3 to end the half, well, it turned a close game into a 10 point halftime lead

Bradley looked good against Pitt, but Pitt didn't impress me. And, at this point, any team has a chance. I don't think there is any team that is heads and shoulders above the rest.

I had been saying all along that I wouldn't be surprised if we lost in the second round or made a run to the Final Four. We went out in the first round and I guess I'm just a little surprised by that, but not too surprised. We played a good Bradley team that played their best game of the year by far. They hit all of the threes after hitting an avg. of 3 a game over their last 3 games and being a 32% 3-pt shooting team. KU overcame Bradley's hot shooting, but the poor officiating gave Bradley more opportunities at the line and they hit their free throws.It reminded me of the game in Austin. Texas hit everything and we couldn't hit anything. And we were out of sorts. We threw TWO inbounds passes away. We never do that. We had 2 guys foul out. That hasn't happened all season. Bradley hit more threes in the first half than they have in their last couple of games. Mario and BRush disappeared, particularly in the first half. We turned the ball over like we did early in the season when our freshmen were actually playing like freshmen. All of the 3's Bradley were raining in took an emotional toll on this team and while they were valiant in trying to come back, they just couldn't overcome the officiating too. Bradley "careered" us tonight.

Self and KU have plenty of postseason success ahead

I, for one, think Self will be fine and will lead this team to some great postseason success...and soon.

Last year's team was divided, overconfident, had chemistry issues, and some wouldn't listen to Self or do what he asked.

This year's team was the youngest team in KU history and panicked under the pressure of their first NCAA Tournament game against a team that should have been higher than a #13 seed.

Just looking at L column in the last two years of the NCAA Tournament simplifies things a bit too much for me. Again, in my mind, this was Self's FIRST team at Kansas. And they are very, very young.

They are still conference champions. They are still conference tournament champions. They still put together a helluva season, including a career day against Texas in UT's backyard.

The future is very bright. Next year, this team will come back more determined and focused than any KU team in recent history.

KU-Bradley: Just one of those nights

I had been saying all along that I wouldn't be surprised if we lost in the second round or made a run to the Final Four. We went out in the first round and I guess I'm just a little surprised by that, but not too surprised.

We played a good Bradley team that played their best game of the year by far. They hit all of the threes after hitting an avg. of 3 a game over their last 3 games and being a 32% 3-pt shooting team. KU overcame Bradley's hot shooting, but the poor officiating gave Bradley more opportunities at the line and they hit their free throws.

It reminded me of the game in Austin. Texas hit everything and we couldn't hit anything. And we were out of sorts. We threw TWO inbounds passes away. We never do that. We had 2 guys foul out. That hasn't happened all season. Bradley hit more threes in the first half than they have in their last couple of games. Mario and BRush disappeared, particularly in the first half. We turned the ball over like we did early in the season when our freshmen were actually playing like freshmen.

All of the 3's Bradley were raining in took an emotional toll on this team and while they were valiant in trying to come back, they just couldn't overcome the officiating too.

Bradley "careered" us tonight.

On to the offseason....sigh.

KU Rap Song, Part II

This one is Crimson Blue II, track 12 and is updated with the current crop of players.

Enjoy.

http://www.bandbmediaservices.com/

Where is this team going?

This KU team started the season looking horrible at times. We were able to write that off to youth, inexperience, and lack of playing time together and individually.

We knew they would hit their stride and hoped it would be this year.

They did hit that stride and they won 10 in a row and looked to be hitting on almost all cylinders.

Now, we find the team coming off three unimpressive games against Baylor, Texas and Colorado.
We're seeing some of the same problems that we saw earlier in the year such as unforced turnovers, lack of aggressive play in the paint, not valuing the ball, missing free throws, the lack of a true "go to" scorer, etc.

We're also starting to see some new issues develop including Brandon Rush looking uncomfortable, forcing his aggressiveness, and missing shots he normally makes. Russell Robinson is making some poor decisions with his passing and shot selection. Mario Chalmers disappears for long stretches and then hits a couple of quick 3's. We try to make the Sportscenter highlight reels instead of making the smart play. Our big guys are consistently getting outmuscled and outrebounded.

We also have some positives: Giles is playing better; our defense is still very strong; the team has a ton of talent; the team still can make quick, powerful runs that turn the tide of a game; we have a deep bench; etc.

So my question is: Where is this team going? Will they beat K-State, win a couple of Big 12 tourney games and make a run in the NCAA tourney?

Or will they continue to play out of sync as freshmen and sophomores hit "the wall" and struggle for the rest of the season? Did they peak too early?

This season has been a great one. To think we are on the verge of at least a share of the conference title after replacing virtually our entire team in the offseason is, in a word, amazing.

This season has also been a roller coaster. We started slow, then moved upward gradually gaining speed, then we hit the top of the mountain, and then we started going downhill after getting drilled at Texas.

Does this team have what it takes to make one more push to the top of the mountain?

Only time will tell. And it starts on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse West.

Mic

KU-Texas: Who has the edge?

*Defensive intensity: Major edge to KU
*Athletes: Push
*Big Men: Giles, Kaun, Wright, Jackson and Moody will wear down Buckman and Aldridge. Aldridge is long, but not aggressive. And Buckman is a big piece of meat in the lane that does not impress me.
*Takin' Care of Business: Edge to KU
*Getting Blown Out on National TV: Major edge to Texas
*Candidate for Most Overrated/Overhyped Team in the Country: Major edge to Texas
*Candidate for Most Underrated/Underhyped Team in the Country: Major edge to Kansas
*Basketball Tradition: Major edge to Kansas
*Coaching: Self will coach circles around Barnes
*Playing TEAM basketball: Major edge to Kansas
*Playing like a bunch of athletes that don't have on-court chemistry: Major edge to Texas
*Depth: Major edge to Kansas
*Assists: If today was any indication, MAJOR edge to KU
*Officiating: I can only hope that we get a fair and balanced crew in Austin.

If the Jayhawks play like they have during this winning streak, they are going to come out of Austin in sole posession of first place in the Big 12.

Mic

This Jayhawk Team Is Special

So this Jayhawk team has won 13 of 15. They are in sole possession of 2nd place in the Big 12. Every win, except one, has been by double digits. They have two freshmen that have won the Big 12 Freshmen of the Week award a total of 3 times. They lead the nation in FG% defense. They had a stretch of about 5 games where they were averaging 90 points a game. They beat Oklahoma. And they just wiped the floor with Nebraska in Lincoln, for their FOURTH ROAD WIN in the conference.

They are unranked.

And I just checked FIVE major sports web sites and ONE of them had a short AP article on their blowout win over NU tonight.

I LOVE IT.

Keep us under the radar. I dare you.

We are currently one of the best teams in the country and only a handful of folks know it and even some of us find it hard to believe from where this team started.

We will wipe the floor with ISU, KSU and Baylor. Mark it down. And I think we'll beat OSU too.

And that will set up a HUGE game against the Yankees, er Longhorns, in Austin.

And I think this team can win that one too.

Regardless of how this season ends up, I LOVE THIS TEAM. I love the energy. I love the enthusiasm. I love the toughness. I love the in-your-face defense. I love how they look a "trap game" in the face and say "screw you, we're gonna take it to you". I love the talent. I love the unselfishness, which again was evident from day one. I love that they like hanging out together. And I love watching them play and pick each other up when someone has an off night.

Folks, this is a special, special team.

Rock Chalk,

Mic

Jayhawks are a close-knit TEAM

The players on this Jayhawk team are very close and that has helped them tremendously in winning 10 of their last 12.

It is sooooooooooooo refreshing to see that after what we've witnessed in Lawrence over the last couple of years, when it was clear that there wasn't a "all for one and one for all" mentality.

I said after watching Late Night how I loved how unselfish this team is and that clearly has been a constant this season as they are all maturing together and becoming a very solid team. They truly are starting to care more about the name on the FRONT of the jersey instead of the one on the BACK.

And major kudos have to go to Bill Self and his staff for fostering that kind of environment and getting the kids to buy in.

I'm starting to believe we are witnessing a very, very special Kansas Basketball team.

Under the Radar

I just finished checking all of the major sports web sites and couldn't find one mention of KU's win in Ames, their 10th win in 12 games. We lead the nation in FG%, we've won 3 conference road games, our last home game was a dismantling of Nebraska, and our losses have been by a total of less than 20 points. Yet NO ONE is talking about Kansas on the national scene, unless they are talking about us potentially missing the NCAA tournament.

I, for one, LOVE IT. While the "experts" are slobbering all over Texas and Oklahoma, KU is putting together a very dangerous postseason team.

By the way, Digger Phelps yesterday on the GameDay set said his hottest team in college basketball was Texas. Nice call, idiot. That goes nicely with your call that ISU would beat Kansas because Kansas is "too young".

All Streaks Come to an End

I'm not too upset about this loss. The streak had to end some time and everyone knew that KSU's best chance in a long time was this season. I hadn't said it on the list, but while I was happy with the winning streak and the win over CU on the road, I was under no impression that this team was going to be a buzzsaw the rest of the way. Self has talked about all season how this team can labor to score. We had 3 pts. in the final 8:45 of the first half when we could have buried K-State. But just before that drought, they scored about 10 points in 3 minutes. They have spurtability and it all comes from their defense. But when they slack off on defense, it slows down their offense almost to a crawl.

It's a loss and it sucks, but there is no time to sulk because we have the morons on Monday.

I will say that I hope Self has himself and all of the big men on the treadmill at this very moment.

And there is no excuse for us going for 2 with 9 seconds left.

Sometimes the ball bounces your way. Sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes it bounces of Brandon Rush's face.

Postgame Thoughts: KU vs New Orleans

Here are some postgame thoughts, in no particular order.

*Glad to hear Self say in his postgame interview with Fran Fraschilla that he can really see a couple of these freshmen coming along and that he would really expect to see them to start playing more minutes. I'm hoping and praying he is referring to Wright (who should be playing A LOT more going forward) and Chalmers, who HAS to play to gain more confidence.

*Anyone else think that Chalmers is getting relegated to the 2-guard spot and that JHawk and Vinson are #1 and #2 at the point? It sure looked that way tonight.

*Self also mentioned that this team has a lot of wasted possessions. I agree 100%. They don't value the ball. 18 TO's against this opponent is pathetic.

*It will be VERY interesting to hear what the deal was with Micah. I can't believe the announcers didn't say anything about it and didn't ask Self about it after the game. Anyone hear anything on the radio?

*Did I mention that JW needs to play A LOT more going forward? I was glad to see he had 29 minutes tonight.

*It's time for Rush to quit shutting down mentally when his first few shots don't fall. He was 2-for-11 and disappeared in the game, though did have 7 boards. However, that's not what we want to see from the one guy on the team that has the ability to take over a game offensively. He seems so tentative and out-of-control at times offensively. It's almost like he doesn't realize that he can take over a game.

*That first half was painful to watch. This team can, as Self puts it, really "labor to score".

*Also interesting when Fran asked Self about the team having depth and Self said "we're too deep". Hopefully the rotation is going to get trimmed soon, but WHO do you take minutes away from as only maybe one or two players are distinguishing themselves from the pack?

*The combined "effort" (6 rebs, 8 pts.) of Kaun and Giles tonight was pathetic. Those guys better find a mean, aggressive streak before Kentucky rolls into town and definitely before the conference season starts.

*Mario makes mistakes, but he also makes plays and forces turnovers. He also pushes the ball more, brings more energy and is quicker at getting the team into their offense than JHawk (4 TO's tonight, by the way), IMO.

*Great game for Case. He was on fire tonight. That being said, it's much different being on fire in practice or against a team with Division II talent than it is in a big game with the pressure on. I have serious doubts whether Case will consistently hit from 3-pt land when we play a team that has some talent. And I don't think this team has time to find out, so I expect Case to be back on the pine soon.

*The team shows some solid defensive effort, but got pretty lazy guarding the 3 on a few occasions tonight. The breakdowns in effort is very discouraging.

*I am really curious to see how good this team can be when they put together 40 minutes of quality effort and execution. Unfortunately from what I've seen to this point, we're a long way from seeing a game where that happens.

*Anyone else think Self looks very frustrated?

*Anyone else expect this team to look signficantly sharper in execution by this point in the season? I know I did.

*What's your best guess on when Self finally lands on the 9-man rotation? Will it be by the Big 12 Tournament? Will it happen at all?

*10 blocks was nice to see and 4 of them from Julian, giving yet one more reason to play him more.

*6 of 12 from the FT line tonight. I think Self should make these guys pay in practice when anyone misses a free throw. I really don't think these guys value those free points the way they should.

*Another quiet, yet effective night for Russell Robinson: 24 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebs, 5 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, only 1 TO.

*UNO outrebounded KU 34-32.

*Giles played, brace yourself, TEN minutes tonight.

*I REALLY like the energy and effort that Darnell Jackson brings to the court. He had 8 pts. and 5 rebs. in just 17 minutes.

*Nice stat for KU: 29 field goals on 23 assists.

*Nice stat #2 for KU: UNO shot 34%.

*Nice stat #3 for KU: 14 steals.

*What's up with Kleinmann only getting 1 minute?

*Here's the ESPN box score: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=253632305

March Madness games shown free on the web

From The Kansas City Star....


Out-of-market March Madness games will be shown on the Web
Starting next year, if you don’t like the March Madness game you’re getting on your local television station, you can have your pick of any of the rest of the games through the regional semifinals.
That is, if you have a high-speed Internet connection on which you can get streaming video.
And it will all be free.
CBS, CBS SportsLine.com and College Sports Television are teaming with the NCAA to provide free streaming video rights for what they call out-of-market coverage. It will be called NCAA March Madness on Demand.
The game of primary regional interest will be shown exclusively on the local CBS affiliate (Channel 5 in the Kansas City area).
But if you’re not a Kansas or Missouri — or dare we even say Kansas State — fan and you would rather pick up a Gonzaga or Coastal Carolina game, you can tap into it at NCAAsports.com.
“For the first time ever, fans everywhere will have an opportunity to see their teams play live, at no charge, on NCAAsports.com via our new broadband channel, no matter where or when that game is being played,” said Larry Kramer, president of CBS Digital Media.
In addition to the games, the streaming video will feature interviews and pre- and postgame press conferences and highlights.
It may not all be good news for those cooped up in an office, however. Webcasts of games broadcast by CBS Sports in fans’ local markets will be subject to blackouts — making them available only on TV.
More information about the deal can be found at www.NCAAsports.com .

KU-St. Joseph's Thoughts

*Jeff Hawkins finally found his stroke in the first half. Unfortunately he left it in the lockerroom at halftime.

*The Jayhawks win this game if ANYONE would have guarded Gerry McNamara....er, Nick Fazekas.....er, I mean Chet Stachitas. 6-for-7 from 3 point range in 40 MINUTES OF PT and he, of course, ties his career high...some of that is good shooting...some of that is just flat-out poor defense.

*The University of Kansas is cursed from the FT line. It really is amazing. It seem sthat year after year, regardless of who the coach is, regardless of who the players are. 6-of-19 is atrocious. I just don't understand how poor FT shooting can consistenly infect AN ENTIRE TEAM.

*3-4 for the the first time since the year I was born. The NCAA Tournament looks a long way away....but I still have hope.

*The good news is this team has tons of talent and can play with virtually anyone in the country because of that talent.

*The bad news is this team is so inexperienced that their inexperience cancels out their talent. It won't always be that way...that's just the way it is now.

*I knew this season, especially early, would be a struggle...but I didn't expect three losses with three poorly executed plays at the end of each game. We've now lost by 1, 2, and 3 in those very winnable games. I know how frustrating it is for all of us. Just imagine how frustrating it is for those players in the lockerroom and for the coaching staff. This had to be a major blow to their already fragile confidence.

*I don't have the exact number, but I know I don't have enough fingers to count the number of times that we helped on defense, a St. Joe's player dished it to the open man, and we were late getting back to the shooter....running out desperately to the 3-point line....one arm stretched out......only to watch X St. Joe Player swish it. It was beyond frustrating to watch time and again...with no defensive adjustment...it really reminded me of some of RW's teams. If someone dares to watch it again...please count for us.

*I'm pretty sure our coaches teach to give up the baseline drive so that the big men can come over and close the drive off. But I'm also sure they don't teach to give up the ENTIRE baseline and for our big men to come over a half-step to a full-step late and foul. That damn learning curve will get you every time.

*The sky is definitely still intact...it's just a lot darker than it's been in awhile. When you're used to sunny, blue skies, it takes awhile to learn to appreciate the beauty of a rainy day.

*I only hope and pray that we don't lose to K-State this year the way Indiana just lost to Indiana State tonight. I think someone just bought the FIREMIKEDAVIS.COM domain name.

*Anyone else notice we had four freshmen on the court with 20 seconds to go in the game? Yeah, we lost...but boy is the future bright.

*CJ Giles and Sasha Kaun played like nervous freshmen tonight. That's a big reason why St. Joe's outrebounded KU 33-29. Darnell Jackson can't return soon enough.

*This had to be a huge blow to this team's confidence. Like the announcers said "KU really needs a win over a QUALITY OPPONENT to give them some confidence." Yes they do....and SOON. I don't even want to think what a loss to Cal will do to this team's confidence.

*Julian Wright played a solid all around game other than looking out-of-control on a few occasions.

*I really believe Micah Downs needs to see the floor more. We desperately need the offense he can provide.

*As much as I love Mario, he looked like a first-grader in the first half. Thankfully Hawkins was playing ok. And then they switched roles in the second half. Once we get a PG that can play good for a full 40 minutes, we just might have something.

*If Russell Robinson played basketball in the forest, would anyone hear him? You hardly realize he's even on the floor. I'm not being judgmental of his game...I'm just amazed that I barely noticed he played.

*Youth and lack of experience....those are the differences between winning and losing right now. Oh...and some really bad FT shooting.

*It's definitely not the end of the season or the world, but I just can't help but think that our boys really lost a great opportunity tonight. I will be very interested to see how they bounce back against Cal.

*It's hard to believe we were actually up 17-4 in this game early on. It seems like so long ago, doesn't it?

*How awesome was it to hear Duke Vitale mention that KU/Self stole both Julian Wright and Sherron Collins from Illinois' backyard? I love it.

*For the most part, I liked the way this game was officiated. The refs let the guys play and called a fairly even game...and they gave both teams opportunities to win it from the line. St. Joe's took advantage of those opportunities and KU didn't. Simple as that.

*Dear Bill Self: You have reached your limit for close games in one season. Please make sure that no more games come down to a last posession this season. Thank you.

*Watching the Baby Jays can be frustrating...but also can be a lot of fun.

*"Pretty frustrating loss," KU coach Bill Self said. "We got to start doing what good teams do. 6-of-19 from the free-throw line. We gave them the game. Free throws have cost us two games now."

No argument here, Bill. Hang in there.

Chalmers, Hawkins...Hawkins, Chalmers

Let's use a baseball analogy..in baseball, there are starting pitchers and relief pitchers.....IMHO, Chalmers is a starting pitcher...Hawkins is a relief pitcher.....You bring in the starter to set the tone for the game and to set up the team for the best chance to win....you bring in the relief when the starter needs a breather....IMO, the team is more potent with Chalmers at the point, particularly offensively, than with Hawkins....I think Hawkins would be fine off the bench to give Chalmers a rest and to keep the ship sailing straight....but as a starter...at the most important position on the team...he doesn't do a good job of setting the tone, providing leadership, or providing offense.

And I, for one, am getting tired of people bagging on Chalmers for TO's. He had ONE bad game...against Arizona. Against Nevada, in nearly half the minutes Hawkins got, Mario had 4 assists and 1 TO to Jeff's 2 assists and 3 TO's. Against Chaminade, he had 5 assists and 1 TO. Against Arkansas, he had 2 assists and 1 TO. So the talk about him being so turnover prone isn't accurate unless the entire opinion is based on one game. I also don't buy the talk about Jhawk being some defensive wizard that is heads and shoulders above Chalmers...Mario plays fine defense.

Put Mario on the mound...and keep Hawkins in the bullpen.

NOTE TO BILL SELF

Please start Mario Chalmers over Jeff Hawkins. I would rather lose with a freshman than lose with a fifth year senior that plays like a freshman.