THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS
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This week is like xmas for me. From the very first time that brackets were available, I have been enthralled at the beauty and magic of this tournament. How lucky I have been to have watched such an amazing program like KU. The last 40+ years have been a joy watching this program, these coaches and these players, as they redefine excellence. Clearly they are the best sports team in America, bar none. Name someone else with the 35 + years of the excellence we’ve had? Name somebody else who is a better basketball coach than Bill? And to have a team this year that carries the torch proudly, working so hard for so many minutes, hours, days, and months giving everything they have for us. How lucky we are. How blessed we are. Sorry if we doubt you at times. Win or lose…thank you, Jayhawks!
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Saw a tweet today that showed KU has a 21 year streak of being a 4 seed or higher in the tournament. The next closest is Gonzaga at 5 years. How lucky we are!
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@Jethro - thought I’d saw, too, that KU has had 34 years consecutive years of NCAA tourney bids. Never below an 8 seed, meaning they’ve always played a lower seed during this time. Unbelievable! #JayhawkCrazy!
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@Gorilla72 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Jethro - thought I’d saw, too, that KU has had 34 years consecutive years of NCAA tourney bids. Never below an 8 seed, meaning they’ve always played a lower seed during this time. Unbelievable! #JayhawkCrazy!
And it should be more than 34 years! Ridiculous NCAA penalty in the Larry Brown kept us out a year, right?
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@Jethro A really nice post, Jethro. I do have to take you to task one one point. My first in person experience with KU basketball was the NCAA championship game in 1952. So instead of forty years of excellence, make that seventy years. Yep, call me a nitpicker I deserve it.
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@jessejayhawk Holy Crap!
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From KU Athletics on Twitter:
No one has ever done an online @MarchMadnessMBB bracket that Kansas wasn’t on.
Last tourney without Kansas: 1989 Internet went public: 1990
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@rockchalkjayhawk said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Gorilla72 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Jethro - thought I’d saw, too, that KU has had 34 years consecutive years of NCAA tourney bids. Never below an 8 seed, meaning they’ve always played a lower seed during this time. Unbelievable! #JayhawkCrazy!
And it should be more than 34 years! Ridiculous NCAA penalty in the Larry Brown kept us out a year, right?
Debatable because that team was 19-12 and not playing well at all down the stretch losing 9 of their last 12. It’s very possible that team would’ve missed the NCAA Tournament regardless of sanctions that season because they very much would’ve been a bubble team that season.
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What Bill Self has done from a consistency perspective is impressive. He is unquestionably the best regular season coach in the history of college basketball.
Self has been in a conference for the last 25 years. In that time, his team has never finished worse than third. Let me write that again. Self has been in a conference for the last 25 years. In that time, his team has never finished WORSE than third.
Bill Self guarantees you a top 3 conference finish every year. Oh, and by the way, his teams have finished third twice, second three times (including one tie for second), tied for first 8 times and won the league outright 12 times. That means, statistically speaking, the most likely outcome for a Bill Self coached team is to win the league outright, followed by tying for first, then finishing second outright, finishing third outright, or finishing tied for second. That’s the whole universe of outcomes for a Bill Self coached team in conference. That’s simply amazing.
Self has never lost more than six conference games in a single season, but has only won less than 11 games twice (went 9-5 twice at Tulsa, one of which was good for the conference title in a tie).
All that is to say that Self is basically automatic during the regular season. His style of having a very high floor on his teams is perfect for the regular season, when one or two extra losses could mean finishing fourth instead of tied for first.
So why hasn’t that regular season consistency and excellence translated into March? Self’s teams rarely have back to back bad games, but one bad game in March is enough to send you home. The best Self teams had veterans that Self trusted to take over the game - Keith Langford, Wayne Simien, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Frank Mason, Devontae Graham, the Morris Twins, Thomas Robinson, Tyshawn Taylor, Perry Ellis, etc.
So what does that mean for this team? It makes me feel pretty good. We have veterans like Agbaji, Braun, Wilson, and even McCormack that can dominate games. Self will trust them to do so in critical moments. When he has had that type of squad, he has gotten them into the Elite Eight most of the time.
Could there be hiccups? This team isn’t great defensively, though they can be good. They aren’t super athletic on the interior, so they can end up with some bad matchups. But if they stay in games, they can score with anyone and have guys Self will trust to make plays without overcoaching.
This is a Final Four level team. Good draw in the bracket. Right type of personnel and experience. Getting healthier at the right time. Lots of guys that can have a big game randomly (JCL could hit 5 threes, Yesufu could go for double figures in a half, there’s probably a Remy Martin game coming, etc.). Always a chance for upsets, but this team has the ability to get to the Final Four, or the national title game. Of course, once you get there, anything can happen, but this team is well positioned for whatever run.
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This was an informative and enjoyable read, thank you.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@rockchalkjayhawk said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Gorilla72 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Jethro - thought I’d saw, too, that KU has had 34 years consecutive years of NCAA tourney bids. Never below an 8 seed, meaning they’ve always played a lower seed during this time. Unbelievable! #JayhawkCrazy!
And it should be more than 34 years! Ridiculous NCAA penalty in the Larry Brown kept us out a year, right?
Debatable because that team was 19-12 and not playing well at all down the stretch losing 9 of their last 12. It’s very possible that team would’ve missed the NCAA Tournament regardless of sanctions that season because they very much would’ve been a bubble team that season.
So, you don’t think taking away their incentive to push hard at the end of the year was a factor? I can guarantee we would’ve made it that year if we hadn’t been banned from the tourney that year. That was a really good team.
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@justanotherfan Winning in March is hard as hell. After this season is over, there may only be 1 coach who officially has multiple NCAA titles and that’s Jay Wright. I know, there’s technically two with Pitino still being active. There’s currently only 8 active coaches who have won a national championship. Coach K, Wright, Pitino, Self, Izzo, Calipari, Boeheim, and Drew are the only 8 currently active coaches that have a title. And that number could be down to 7 depending on how this tournament plays out.
Self has 1, Izzo has 1, Calipari has 1, Boeheim has 1, it took Dean Smith 20 years to win his 1st title. Winning a national championship is hard and we have 1 of 8 active coaches to have done so.
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@Jethro said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@rockchalkjayhawk said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Gorilla72 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Jethro - thought I’d saw, too, that KU has had 34 years consecutive years of NCAA tourney bids. Never below an 8 seed, meaning they’ve always played a lower seed during this time. Unbelievable! #JayhawkCrazy!
And it should be more than 34 years! Ridiculous NCAA penalty in the Larry Brown kept us out a year, right?
Debatable because that team was 19-12 and not playing well at all down the stretch losing 9 of their last 12. It’s very possible that team would’ve missed the NCAA Tournament regardless of sanctions that season because they very much would’ve been a bubble team that season.
So, you don’t think taking away their incentive to push hard at the end of the year was a factor? I can guarantee we would’ve made it that year if we hadn’t been banned from the tourney that year. That was a really good team.
Considering the team knew going into the season they weren’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament, I don’t think that was a big factor in why they lost 9 of 12 to end the season. I think other factors such as injuries, lack of depth, and just not being that good were much more significant factors in why KU finished the way they did that season than the tournament ban which again they knew about before the season started.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@justanotherfan Winning in March is hard as hell. After this season is over, there may only be 1 coach who officially has multiple NCAA titles and that’s Jay Wright. I know, there’s technically two with Pitino still being active. There’s currently only 8 active coaches who have won a national championship. Coach K, Wright, Pitino, Self, Izzo, Calipari, Boeheim, and Drew are the only 8 currently active coaches that have a title. And that number could be down to 7 depending on how this tournament plays out. Self has 1, Izzo has 1, Calipari has 1, Boeheim has 1, it took Dean Smith 20 years to win his 1st title. Winning a national championship is hard and we have 1 of 8 active coaches to have done so.
So what you’re saying is I should stop yelling at my television during the tourney?
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Along with there currently only being 8 active coaches with a national title, there’s currently only 11 active coaches with multiple Final Four appearances.
Coach K, Izzo, Pitino, Calipari, Boeheim, Howland, Self, Wright, Few, Huggins, and Sampson are it for active coaches with multiple Final Four appearances.
Winning 4 games in March is hard, let alone 6 games.
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@tis4tim said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@justanotherfan Winning in March is hard as hell. After this season is over, there may only be 1 coach who officially has multiple NCAA titles and that’s Jay Wright. I know, there’s technically two with Pitino still being active. There’s currently only 8 active coaches who have won a national championship. Coach K, Wright, Pitino, Self, Izzo, Calipari, Boeheim, and Drew are the only 8 currently active coaches that have a title. And that number could be down to 7 depending on how this tournament plays out.Self has 1, Izzo has 1, Calipari has 1, Boeheim has 1, it took Dean Smith 20 years to win his 1st title. Winning a national championship is hard and we have 1 of 8 active coaches to have done so.
So what you’re saying is I should stop yelling at my television during the tourney?
No, but just remember that very few coaches have done what Self has been able to do, even if Self and KU should have at least a couple more titles.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 You are right on. However I like to think that there is one other “active” coach with a championship. Somehow I think that “Phog” is still very active in his fieldhouse.
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https://247sports.com/college/kansas/Gallery/Kansas-basketball-NCAA-Tournament-open-practice-photos-video-184549605/link text
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Self’s resume is impressive by anyone’s standards! There will be those fans that are hard to please because their expectations go higher on NC numbers. Look at the company Self keeps with other coaches with just one NC. It is an impressive cluster of coaches… and let’s see how this plays out when Self finally calls it quits. We all need to have patience and appreciate what we have. I still believe he isn’t done bringing home NC hardware!
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@tis4tim I do that too. Can’t help it.
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@Jethro That’s a pretty massive brace Mitch has on his leg. But it looks like he can move pretty well with it.
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@tundrahok I thought he was moving good too. Of course game speed and someone falling on him might change things. I hope ZC and Adams can fill in a lil. Be nice to save wear and tear on both our bigs.
for all our guys.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Self said during his press conference today that Mitch would not have been able to play had KU had a game today and it’s still up in the air for tomorrow. TSU is bad enough that KU shouldn’t need Mitch so don’t be surprised if Mitch doesn’t play tomorrow night.
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Plus, it is a perfect opportunity to give Zach and KJ some March experience immediately! Never know when they will be needed later.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 hopefully!
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Perhaps Zach and/or KJ duplicate what Aldridge did to UNC as a freshman in the NCAA tournament?
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Guys like KJ and Zach can surprise people because they are not extensively covered in our oppositions’ scouting reports. They see how few minutes these guys received during the year and put no focus on them. I would think Zach could throw them for a loop with his trey shot!
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@drgnslayr said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
I would think Zach could throw them for a loop with his trey shot!
Hate to be a downer, so let’s just call it being a realist. Zach only had six 3ptrs. That was in 19 attempts --which is how many fouls he had, too. Only made 1 (Feb 12) since the Dayton game.
If he hits an important 3, I will be among the greatly surprised!
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@AsadZ a thing of beauty!
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@mayjay said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@drgnslayr said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
I would think Zach could throw them for a loop with his trey shot!
Hate to be a downer, so let’s just call it being a realist. Zach only had six 3ptrs. That was in 19 attempts --which is how many fouls he had, too. Only made 1 (Feb 12) since the Dayton game.
If he hits an important 3, I will be among the greatly surprised!
I’d be very concerned if the game tonight needed Zach to hit an important 3.
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Zach isn’t in the works to become our offensive emphasis.
But he is seen as a potential spark enough that Self allows him to take treys… as was evident last night. Many on this team have hyped his ability from the perimeter.
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@drgnslayr said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
Zach isn’t in the works to become our offensive emphasis.
But he is seen as a potential spark enough that Self allows him to take treys… as was evident last night. Many on this team have hyped his ability from the perimeter.
Seemed like a case of nerves last night. He’ll make some key contributions before this year is said and done.
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The gift that just keeps giving. The Final Four with an excellent chance of cutting down the nets. Payback time for Villanova…the chance to send the Rat packing- it just doesn’t get any better than this. Win or lose, thank you Jayhawks!
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If youre from Louisiana, you know that New Orleans is actually pronounced “New Lawrence”
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@approxinfinity I heard most Nawlinz, but I like your sentiment!
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Welll…looky, cookie…NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Thank you, guys for an incredible season. Sorry I doubted you after the TCU game. I think the team broke thru a barrier this year, and our coach broke thru a tournament barrier this year. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Coach win multiple championships from here on out. Just flat amazing!
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Selfs use of this roster was amazing. Remy and Dajuan balance was pitch perfect. Dave utilization was perfect.
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@Jethro said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
Welll…looky, cookie…NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Thank you, guys for an incredible season. Sorry I doubted you after the TCU game. I think the team broke thru a barrier this year, and our coach broke thru a tournament barrier this year. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Coach win multiple championships from here on out. Just flat amazing!
This could do for Self what that first title did for Roy Williams at UNC. It got the monkey off his back and he was able to relax a little more, which allowed his teams to relax in March (and April, when it really counts).
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@justanotherfan said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
@Jethro said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
Welll…looky, cookie…NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Thank you, guys for an incredible season. Sorry I doubted you after the TCU game. I think the team broke thru a barrier this year, and our coach broke thru a tournament barrier this year. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Coach win multiple championships from here on out. Just flat amazing!
This could do for Self what that first title did for Roy Williams at UNC. It got the monkey off his back and he was able to relax a little more, which allowed his teams to relax in March (and April, when it really counts).
I think Coach looked a hell of alot calmer than normal this tournament, and I think it translated to the guys. There were several games in the tournament we would’ve lost in the past that we managed to win this year.
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Not sure where to put this, so ….
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@Gorilla72 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
Not sure where to put this, so ….
You can put that anywhere you want, anytime you want!
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Yes - Thank you Jayhawks!
But - Jayhawk Nation needs to thank me as well. I’ll go out on a limb here and let you know why we won.
At halftime - I threw in the towel and went to bed. That’s right - National Championship night - I said I don’t have to watch this crap.
If I had stayed up, we go home a loser. Now you know the rest of the story.
You’re welcome, Jayhawk Nation.
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@nuleafjhawk said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
Yes - Thank you Jayhawks!
But - Jayhawk Nation needs to thank me as well. I’ll go out on a limb here and let you know why we won.
At halftime - I threw in the towel and went to bed. That’s right - National Championship night - I said I don’t have to watch this crap.
If I had stayed up, we go home a loser. Now you know the rest of the story.
You’re welcome, Jayhawk Nation.
hA , i WENT TO BED TO - - SHUT THE tv OFF , TOLD THE WIFE THE GAME WAS over. - -I did lay in bed thought and listen on the radio , then when they started their come back i says to myself - - - Self I says get your ass up and turn that TV back on BOY lol - - - -OH YE OF LITTLE FAITH LOL - - ROCK CHALK
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@nuleafjhawk said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
Yes - Thank you Jayhawks!
But - Jayhawk Nation needs to thank me as well. I’ll go out on a limb here and let you know why we won.
At halftime - I threw in the towel and went to bed. That’s right - National Championship night - I said I don’t have to watch this crap.
If I had stayed up, we go home a loser. Now you know the rest of the story.
You’re welcome, Jayhawk Nation.
Than you for your sacrifice. I hope you have it recorded!
I turned it off at the half (I’m sorry to say) but came back when they were “only” down 5.
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Yes I admit that watching the tourney games live makes my blood pressure go thru the roof and my heat pound like cartoon rabbit. Hard!
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Thought about it at halftime. Mostly b/c the blowout by SC in the women’s tourney the night before made me see too many doomsday possibilities about ever coming back–if UConn and Auriema can get blown out…yikes.
Glad I stayed up!!!
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@Gorilla72 said in THANK YOU, JAYHAWKS:
Not sure where to put this, so ….
How about on a giant ass poster?!
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I’ll join the chorus here as well. I was very close to turning the tv off at half because losing that badly just sucks to the point of nausea. But I opted for just muting it and strumming my acoustic instead. Surprising how much the audio track can get us riled up. And yes the sound came back on quick enough as we turned into a scoring machine.
Plus I remember going to bed years ago when the St Louis Cardinals (yes I like the Royals too) were getting shellacked by the Nationals 6-0 in the ‘11 final playoff game and went to bed. Heard my son yelling and got up to watch possibly the best comeback in baseball post-season history where 5 times we were down to our last strike and ended up winning 9-7.
Gotta wait til the fat lady sings.
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Guys, I echo your thoughts. At half time, which is my normal 2nd cocktail, I said F it I’ll save the booze for amore enjoyable occasion. Well lo and behold, three cocktails later, Ku was the National champs. Please don’t ask me to do this again. I have felt like shit all day but damn am I happy we won.
