7 minutes in Kissimmee, Florida
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Tonight’s 7 against the Rhode Island Rams: Mason, Selden, Svi, Ellis, Lucas start and Alexander, Greene are first off bench.
15:35: Lucas sits for Alexander. KU 4 - RI 4.
15:32 Ellis takes it strong to the rim, draws a foul on RI’s Martin to put one of their starting big men on the bench with two fouls.
15:00 Svi with the steal resulting from good KU team defense then Mason with the finish on the break: KU 8-4.
Rhode Island returns 4 starters from the 2014 team, they beat a top 25 team this year, yet a young KU team establishes their presence, their pace, their game in the first 5 minutes by applying good pressure D in the half court. There is a poise among these first KU 5 to take on the initial confidence of Rhode Island and turn them away. KU establishes a 20 point lead over the next 7 minutes of game time.
14:46 Greene for Svi. This accounts for 1/3 of Svi’s minutes in the game. Do not underestimate his current role as a steady influence on a young, developing team. Svi is the pace man, the example for the other two super wings behind him (Greene and then Oubre).
14:46: Mason, Selden, Greene, Ellis, Alexander. 8-6
14:46 - 14:03 . Selden knocks down his second three which is followed by a Mason steal that results in a Greene three and a RI time out. 14-6
13:10 After Alexander stuffs a shot onto the defensive glass, Selden’s baseline drive under the basket on the offensive end finds Mason for an open 3 to open up a 17-6 margin. This felt like KU taking the game and they never let go of it. In the second half they rode their first half effort into the next round of this tournament-which is not a bad path to take.
I really like that Self made winning this tournament a goal, publicly, creating a focus to accomplish. KU took a great step forward in their first 7 minutes of this tournament. Rhode Island never cuts the lead to single digits.
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Good summary.
Second half could have been better. I think they started the 2nd half with an 18 pt lead and ended with a 16 pt lead. Of course, it didn’t need to be.
But, matching that 1st half with a 2nd half of equal intensity and efficiency is something to which they can aspire.
This is something to improve on (and will need to improve on) in the next game.
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@bskeet That’s two good games in a row for Frank. 50% from the field, 5 assists, no turnovers, 12 points. Devonte had 10 points in 15 minutes off 2-2 shooting from the floor, and 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Selden is doing it all, as the 4 dimes, along with the 7 boards and double digit points look very good. Perry looks energized - he is feeling it. We looked like a top 10 team this game, imho.
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@KUSTEVE He’s still shooting it too much for my tastes. Once in the first half he got the ball on a fast break and clearly should have given it up, instead he tried scoring himself and got his shot blocked. Perry followed with a jam off the rejection, but regardless he should have been looking to pass. This was just one example that sticks out.
To me Graham looks like the guy we’ll need in there to ascend to the next level.
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@KJD Great choice in looking at those 7 minutes. Notice how three point shooting is what propelled us? Coach Dan Hurley, who is the single whiniest coach I have seen since Billy Tubbs, admitted to game planning (imagine that), saying before the game that they had a game plan to stay in the game. Not surprisingly, it was to make us shoot from the perimeter – expect more of that. The fact is, we need to hit three pointers. I just hope Self can see that this phase of the game is crucial for this team. Surely Tennessee will have a similar approach.
But the 7 minutes highlighted above – the time the game changed – was base on three point field goals.
Also, notice Oubre’s 4 minutes? The evidence continues to demonstrate that the start vs. UK was a pure sham.
One other item – Svi needs to hit some shots. Bottom line. He does everything else well. But the ball needs to go in the hoop. That will come. We’ve seen guys struggle with that, most famously Ellis, who couldn’t get a break for much of his freshman season.
Finally, while I agree with @KUSTEVE that Mason was better, I also agree with @icthawkfan316 that Mason is shooting too much. Maybe more this, as Self had mentioned, drive to pass. That’s what I want from Mason. And the fastbreak where Mason got his shot blocked, I almost choked on my pumpkin pie. I just don’t get it. Dish it. Somehow, someway, Self has to get him to value the assist more than the points. He needs to gain more satisfaction from 10 assists than 14 points (I feel like I’m cutting and pasting from my TT posts from years ago).
I am a Mason fan, but that mindset troubles me. Graham may me the better starter, with Mason a good guy off the bench – if Mason can’t adjust his mindset. And we can’t let an 18 point game change our view on that, either. One big positive is that Mason is drilling the three. Graham looks good from three as well.
Look at how Graham scores. He forced one play vs. UK, but that’s all I can recall including exhibition games and Late Night.
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@HighEliteMajor I get pissed at Frank a lot - I almost feel guilty bagging on him so much …lol. It’s like Tyshawn’s shorter brother. even when he plays well, he still has some true brain dead- out of control moments every game.
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First time I traveled to Kissimmee I discovered they had a minor league BB team called-you guessed it, The KISSIMMEE ASTROS !! Now that’s a moniker that deserves to be right up there on the marquee with the Australian rules fb team, The WOODVILLE PECKERS !!
