It's NOW or Never....
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The pressure of the streak was at its peak last year, IMHO. Falling short by one conference title would have been the greatest abomination. I agree to living in the “now” and look very forward to seeing Coach Self and team work their magic to win games instead of trying not to lose games (credit @jaybate-1-0 for this thought)… hopefully this year but, if not, definitely next year when the pressure of the streak is finally put to bed.
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@drgnslayr It might also help if our players cared enough about winning instead of being up all hours of the night playing on their phones, as was revealed by another poster. If they really cared about winning, their team, the streak, etc., they would get a good nights sleep, especially the night before a very early game. Maybe this is the reason we keep hearing the “tired” excuse. Boys get your arse’s in bed and show that you have some KU pride and care about KU tradition. There will be plenty of time to be night owls when the season is over.
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Always a possibility. The coaches know they need their guys rested… but also relaxed. I think they give thumbs up to being on phones a lot, just not all night! Keep these young guys doing what makes them feel comfortable.
But being too comfortable may be the problem! They need some tension to spark adrenaline.
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By the way… the “tired excuse” doesn’t fly in this game. They hadn’t played a game in 5 days.
Oh wait… the “too much time off” excuse going on into shooting woes and bad timing…
lol
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5 days off apparently wasn’t enough time for Graham’s leg to return to normal function even with the hot wire firing his muscles for him. He was dragging his left leg and not taking on much air on his drives even at tip off.
Vick also looked effectively pop-free even after 5 days.
And what is scary is both these.guys were phenomenally quick and explosive for entire games before mid January. Remember the consecutive 30 point games by DG and flurry of 20 point games by Vick.
Now even after 5 days they have no pop and Devonte labors for 17 measly points! And Vick throws near goose eggs!
Maybe these guys need surgeries and a few months off?
I keep hoping it’s just two slumps, but…
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Graham has a bone bruise on his knee. It’ll take time to heal.
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@dylans When Self described it, Self denied he was “injured.” Said it was a “bruised knee”, and then said “bone bruise.” He also said it wasn’t limiting him, but that DG wouldn’t likely tell him anyway. I heard this on an interview with Hanni. Sounds like he got banged on the knee is all.
@drgnslayr The excuses are piling up. At some point, there has to be a realization that we have flaws. We aren’t going to be good at everything, we’re going to miss shots, we’re going to suck on the boards, we’re going to lose games that appear as if we should win. Self has us ready to play from a basketball end. We aren’t prepared mentally at home. I’m sure he’s searching for the right approach with this team. It’s clear a home game is different.
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Actually… this may be the team others have wanted for a long long time!
This should be the team that doesn’t do well in conference play but does well in March!
All of those March games are away games… right up our alley!
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@HighEliteMajor I hope you’re right. But when has Bill been straightforward about injuries in season? It’s tactical.
Last summer I hit my knee mid stride a nob on a dumpster. It was just bruised, but I had swelling, soreness, and somewhat limited motion for 6 weeks. Just a bruise I assume, but it was a mf’er to walk off.
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@dylans dumpster diving?
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@Crimsonorblue22 no lol, I was hauling trash off, parked my wagon in front of the dumpster and was standing between the two hanger that the trash truck grabs. My dog ran out of the open gate and I took off after her made it 3/4 of a step, banged my kneecap and crumpled up. Tara came back and licked my face before returning to the yard (good girl), but I had no idea a simple Bruise could cause swelling in my knee for over a month!
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@dylans I’ve a friend, now in his eighties, who banged a shin on a car door a year ago. He is quite heavy. That injury turned into a major contusion from which he almost lost his lower leg. Took right at a year to heal properly. Devonte, of course, is in much better shape with maximum blood flow to extremities, so he will heal much faster than the average human. But those types of injuries can linger annoyingly, no doubt affecting highly competitive play.
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I think the UCLA streak is more impressive because of what happened 3 weeks later!
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Why would you think that? UCLA streak happened in a time where a dozen program dominated basketball and UCLA had talent superior to the other programs. Because of parity, it is now considerably more difficult to win conference titles let alone string several in a row. During KU’s 13 year streak do you know how many conference titles other program have won?
- Duke - 2 and not in a row
- Kentucky - 5 including 1 by Tubby and no consecutive titles
- UNC - 8 total with longest streak being 3
- Indiana - 0
- Villanova - 5 with longest streak being 5 (current)
- Louisville - 4 with longest streak being 2
- UConn - 2 with longest streak being 2, 11 years ago
- Michigan State - 3 with longest streak being 2, 8 years ago
- Florida - 4 with longest streak being 2
- Arizona - 5 with longest streak being 2
- UCLA - 4 with longest streak bein 3, 8 years ago
- Wisconsin - 2 and not in a row
- Gonzaga - 12 with longest streak since the KU streak started being 7, although it goes to 11 if you go back another 6 years. Current streak is 5. Gonzaga’s titles were in a mid-major conference with basically one other decent team.
As you can see, winning even 2 major conference titles in the current era is difficult enough, stringing 13 in a row is something that only KU has done and in my opinion, a much greater feat than UCLA.
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Very impressive response! Looks like you did some work for that one!
I think showing the other big teams and their conference titles says everything! I just hope we can get this one last conference title to put us above UCLA… period!
Self will really have to earn this one. I hope he has some magic up his sleeve because we have to find a way to get better results.
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There is no question that when you put it in context, it is an extremely difficult thing to do and KU’s streak might never be broken. If KU can get #14, hopefully #15 will be easier with a loaded team next season.
I always wondered why some people, including some KU fans, play down the magnitude of the achievement. All the knowledgeable announcers and analysts always mention the streak as a very special achievement regardless of sport.
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@JayHawkFanToo Nice list! I was being a little snarky of course, don’t take my comment too seriously. I will say more seriously that, as has been oft discussed, the competition for conference titles has been more stout in other conferences. I know that will bring some responses, but we have had no Duke/UNC/Florida/Kentucky/UConn/Louisville/Nova type competition. Those are schools that have won titles during the streak. Heck, we’ve barely had to compete against FF teams in our league. I can pretty much guarantee we don’t win 13 titles in a row if we’re playing in the SEC, ACC, BigEast/whatever it’s called now/Big10/. Maybe the streak is doable in the PAC12? Dunno about that one.
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I totally agree. Heck, I’d love to win another NC like everyone else. But to use the hunt for a NC to overshadow the merits of this streak is just nuts!
The streak is mentioned so often on TV and will continue to be mentioned probably long after it is broken. NCs get mentioned, too, but unless it sticks out, like back-to-back titles, they fade away so much quicker.
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Presumably the team wasn’t out partying last night. That should help for the game tonight.
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BShark said:
Presumably the team wasn’t out partying last night. That should help for the game tonight.
I wonder if they have been sanctioned from partying after that came to light
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Gosh… I don’t know. Maybe they need to stay out all night partying… no sleep.
Doesn’t sound logical… but something needs to get these guys to kick in some adrenaline. I fell asleep in the OSU game because it was as fun to watch as watching milk curdle.
Maybe our guys are just too coddled. They had 5 days without a game, and mostly resting, and we see what that did for them. Yet… they go on the road, sleeping in weird beds, eating weird food and dealing with some long hours and they look awake!
There is a reason why most boxers intentionally punch their own faces before stepping in the ring.
We need some way of pushing these guys’ adrenaline buttons, and I’m not talking about one of those kombaya circle dances. Maybe they should all bring boxing gloves and punch each other in the locker room! Sounds silly… but I bet it would help!
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@drgnslayr Clearly partying isn’t the answer, you saw what happened against OSU. Vick could stand to toke a little less too, tbh.
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Right now this squad teeters at the precipice of losing the streak. Back in December many of us envisioned a tie, perhaps even a 3-way tie for this season’s league title. That scenario looms real. Scary today to think that such a talented Jayhawk squad could be dribbling a path toward collapse.
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We will really get a better taste of who this team is when we know the streak is on the line in a game. Now we are tied again at the top. Will we blink first and fall to the second line?
These guys play pretty well on the road, when they are challenged. They just play like the 300th-ranked team in the nation when in AFH… plushland… minutes from their posh dorms…
This team seems to only stand up when there is real friction. Hey… maybe March is just what they need!!! (or maybe not)
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Maybe Bill’s recent announcement will prompt Doke back to the free throw practice line before and after practices? Obviously, Doke’s rebounding numbers are miserable. But if he was working overtime in practice to remedy another glowing weakness, perhaps Coach would have not leaped so notably into his case. Right now, Doke looks to be a guy whose hasty travels to the NBA have been dampened so completely that he finds himself sleepwalking through many minutes of play. The guy has made many improvements to his offense, but is yet a defensive negative, overall, considering his size.
