KU-SDSU: Three Reasons We Lost
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Easy guys, the only rule on here is: “Don’t be a d**k”
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@dylans ok, that would be hard for me to do!
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Did anyone else find themselves screaming at the Tv for Mason to pass the ball. Seems to be a bit of a ball hog
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@Crimsonorblue22 It’s all good. I was just expecting civilhawk to show up.
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The joys of a young team. They spice it up for the coaches and the fans.
I fully expect this team, to beat teams, that I expect them to lose to. I fully expect this team, to lose to teams, I expect them to beat.
It’s like March Madness year-long.
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@Jhox Great post. Lucas is definitely a guy that I look forward to seeing more of as time goes on.
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It’s been a good 22 hours now since this loss. I just hope the loss has the desired effect of humbling this team and centering them. I worry that a young team like this has a bit more of a juvenile outlook, and rightfully so, they’re only 19 years old! We lost to a good SDSU and ended up still in the top 20 in many of the polls, and haven’t been blown out by anyone yet. Could this loss at home, losing a historical winning streak, be enough to “break” these guys a little bit and get them more focused heading into conference play? I hope so.
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Why did we lose? Simple answer, once again by allowing a team to punch us in the mouth and not do anything about it. We should be the punchers. It appears this team celebrated the win over Duke as it’s National Championship. The talent isn’t the problem, there is plenty of that. A whole lot of talent, that is not being used? I have said all along that Landen Lucas could play. Hell, I believed he could have played last year, but was Red-Shirted. If it is painfully obvious that a player can play, then let him play. Other than missing two free-throws, he was pretty much flawless and had a positive effect on the game. Embiid and Lucas would be an interesting combination. That would open up the 3 point shooting that we rarely use, because shooters are confident when there are dominant rebounders on the court.
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@MoonwalkMafia Boy oh Boy. Good job.
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Some great posts here. HEM and Moonwalk are on the money. Lucas plays with hustle. He pulled two Off rebounds in traffic within a min or so . He has the beast mode attitude that other Bigs are lacking. I wish he can get more PT.
I am extremely disappointed in Selden. The guy has no shooting skills and he is the shooting guard. Why can’t Greene and/or White get some of his mins. Very disappointing.
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Interesting difference of opinion between HEM and Jaybate regarding Self’s coaching strategy. Although it boggles my mind to think we had three 3-point bombers on the bench then entire game, I’ve always assumed that Self tried to win EVERY game, playing the players he thought could accomplish that goal. However, last night I really felt like he did not do that. Either he was out coached, or he was trying to make a point to his players: 1) you can win with good defense (almost happened) 2) You don’t need to jack threes to win (true, but we clanked some bad ones down the stretch anyway) or 3) You are my top eight guys, and this is the last chance to prove you can function in a close game (fail).
I’m not sure where Self goes from here. Every time I see Mason and Tharpe out there together I want to bang my head on a wall. It’s painful to watch, but hopefully the man has a plan!
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@KansasComet Good point about Embiid and Lucas playing together. I remember how well T-Rob/Withey combo worked when teams were focused on stopping T-Rob. Withey did not have much post moves and his offensive skills were marginal at best that year. But he was able to make easy plays. Perhaps Lucas can take on that role with Embiid.
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@HighEliteMajor - valiant post, my friend! You wear your heart on your sleeve… and I’d be totally thrilled to find a guy like you to coach my kid!
That was a painful game to watch. I DVR all the games and typically watch them again, sometimes up to 6 times or so. I scratched that game from my DVR the second it was over. I didn’t even do that after we lost the Michigan game last year.
At this moment, the team is lost. All of these guys are being shoved into manhood, and they aren’t going into it without a fight! They don’t seem to be embracing CS’s philosophies yet. I’m just trying to back off of throwing out anger and blame, and holding onto some patience to see if they get it down the road.
I couldn’t even identify what offense we were trying to run. Was that an attempt at Self’s Hi/Lo? Motion offense? Dribble-drive? or… Run-and-Gun?! Since when do players dribble the ball over the half court line and just hoist up a gunned shot from 30 feet? And since when do they do it without CS calling a timeout and pulling them? That game was a complete meltdown!
I’m lifting my standards and going with the Wizard of Westwood. I’m raising my vision to a higher plateau. I’m not going to blast players for not meeting my expectations. They get from me the silent treatment on criticism and a loud voice of support in hopes they figure it out and find the mojo to match the high level of empathy given by the fans. It’s the Wooden method. I’m not going to be a drag on them… constantly criticizing every move. They have no excuses, no crutches to fall back on, because all these kids have loads of talent and athleticism, and a positive fan base behind them. Our expectations are gone… so they’ll have to decide for themselves what expectations should be out there.
They’ll have to sort it out. We are all behind them! Go Hawks!
We have the faith that they’ll figure it out between now and March!
Relieve them and yourself by letting go! Whatever happens will happen, but you’ll stay focused on what you have to do, which is stay happy and healthy yourself. All the hard love we give them now is just holding them back. We have all been dumping all our expectations upon them and making it a tougher climb for them.
That doesn’t mean we don’t guide them. That doesn’t mean we don’t offer words of encouragement and direction. You have great insight into the game and your words are needed. Keep bringing it because you post from the heart! (and the mind!)
It is so easy to be a fan to a team that never loses. The best fans are there for the team when they fall on hard times.
This team can still lose 7 more games this season and pull a “Danny and the Miracles!”
The most we can do for them is support them with positivity and relentlessly show them a clear path to the goal! That’s all we can do. They may figure it out or they may fail, but they will do it having the Jayhawk Nation getting their back!
We (me included) have kicked them plenty of times now in their backside. Let’s see what happens when we hug them on their frontside, praise their positives, and show a positive way of helping them over their negatives.
I’m thinking these guys will react now and are ready to leave “boot camp!”
Rock Chalk… Go KU!
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@AsadZ I keep pushing for Lucas too, and more of Greene. Didn’t like Black and Traylor in at the same time. But, I’m not at practice so I trust Self.
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We simply got Out Toughed! SDSU played hard, got stops and they never got rattled.
In my very humble opinion if the following changes had been made, this could be the expected outcome.
Better three point shooting with Greene / White: Maybe we barely win.
Better rebounding / blocking out: Maybe we barely win.
Better PG play: Maybe we barely win.
We play tough hard nose basketball, with the mantra “we will not be out toughed in our house! Not now! Not ever!”: We win definitively!!!
I know there is lots of thing this team could improve upon. But overall they need some fight and right now the main guy that needs to step up is Selden. I just can’t see anyone else on the team who is likely to or in a position to grow in way to have a huge impact on this season. It seems as though Self has put all chips in on developing Selden on the hope this will happen. Like others I would love to see Greene get more time, but I can’t deny that if Selden puts it together he can pack a huge punch for this team in alot of different ways. A confident, fired up Selden could help pull this team up by the boot straps and push them over the edge to be the kind of team we all thought they could be.
Maybe it’s wishful thinking…but that’s what I’m pinning my hopes on.
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My 2 cents:
Just because we lost 4 games in the non-conference doesn’t mean we won’t win the national title.
If we win the Big 12, we’ll be as good a candidate to with the whole enchilada as anyone.
Also, I don’t blame Self for the SDSU loss entirely, but he certainly has some responsibility. I’m pretty sure he is aware and will learn from it. Fisher had his team well-prepared. But Self’s leadership has led to 9 B12 titles and a NC in 10 years… I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that the team has some serious room for growth and he’s doing what he can to provide it.
However, I don’t lay it entirely at the feet of the players either. I don’t agree that the players “didn’t care” or “weren’t trying” as some suggested during the game on one of the boards.
The team wins together and loses together. The latter half sucks, but it’s the truth. I still think there will be more wins than losses, but the team (and fan base) need to be emotionally prepared for some brutal B12 games.
I’d like to think our non-conference schedule has done just that.
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@bskeet your 2 cents is worth a lot!
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Fisher coached a brilliant game yesterday with a well-prepared mature squad. Our shooting percentage, esp. the first half, was perhaps as bad as it has been in my 72 year lifespan. Yet, if our power forward backs up Embiid in blocking out SDSU’s continuous offensive rebounders from slamming home second shots, we win. As sound as SDSU played on both ends of the court, and as horribly as we played offense, we were within 3 defensive stops of winning that contest. Certainly not time for anyone’s resignation…
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@REHawk That said, the Brannen Greene saga leaves me perplexed. Long, athletic, aggressive, and a 3 pt. threat…what gives? Either the kid is a stubborn and incorrigible hardhead who refuses to meld into Self’s demands, or there exist some untowards offcourt issues of which we are unaware. Brannen possesses the hoops talent to help this team to dominance. It’s a damn shame that it is not working out for the betterment of Jayhawk Basketball.
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On a different note is it just me or others feel the same way about Doug Gotlieb and his ridiculous commentary yesterday. It seemed that he hates KU. He did not miss a single opportunity to slam KU while praising SDSU the whole time. His voice would be so loud every time SDSU made a bucket. I was damn sick and tired after listening to him for 2.5 hours.
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From Jesse Newell in the Capitol Journal, for those of you that haven’t seen it…
It’s time to start considering whether Wayne Selden Jr. should be replaced in the starting lineup and perhaps in the rotation. Statistically, he was poor in nearly every area: shooting (2 for eight), rebounding (one in 26 minutes), turnovers (two) and defensively (no steals for a second straight game). His 0.967 points per possession mark for the year is worst among KU’s top nine regulars, and as this blog showed, he’s not providing any sort of a presence defensively either. Selden has a great basketball body and looks good in a uniform, but at this point, he’s not pulling his weight in KU’s rotation.
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@KansasComet, despite my own takes on some of the problems with the pieces of this team, your mouth punch take best addresses the loss in that game.Every young team has to lose one of these before realizing just how tough D1 is. Copy and paste.
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@AsadZ I cannot stand Doug Gottlieb. If you want something to laugh at about him though, check this out…
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/12/notre-dame-player-rips-doug-gottlieb-for-making-fun-of-his-beard/
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@MoonwalkMafia I noticed a couple of very fundamental things he doesn’t do, meeting the ball, and react. He has to think before he reacts. There was a rebound heading his way and the man he was guarding, reacted to it, Wayne went to ball after his man did. It worked out and a foul was called on SDSU, but it could have gone the other way. Hope that makes sense.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Spot on!
Selden thinks way to much out there. He needs to be a Bulldog, not a Surgeon. He’s just not on that level yet, as much as he wants to be. I feel like alot is riding on Wayne, just hope he can deliver.
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The last time I looked, we play Oklahoma on the road in two days!
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@MoonwalkMafia, for those begging Self to throw Greene, or White, to the dogs of D1 competition, Selden is probably the real reason why Self doesn’t. Only certain players are mentally ready for getting punked and laughed at on TV before full houses for several games, or a season. Great physical ability alone cannot avoid it. Selden is in danger of being wrecked for the season. And we learned that he was urt for awhile, too. But the bullies and punkers don’t care about your injuries, or fragile young mind. If you step out on the wood, they are gonna hurt ya, if it can help them hang a W. and the NBA is an order of magnitude tougher. Selden and Wiggins both got an experience against SDSU that should make think seriously about life in the L. It won’t, but it should.
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@drgnslayr, and that is why Self preaches “NEXT” even if you get hit by a diesel locomotive.
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Coach respects your questions on the radio and them seem to put you first every time. I glad your didn’t mention his “mismanaging”.
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@Case he also does the same thing on offense, doesn’t anticipate, which is why he doesn’t have many steals. Same can be said for others on team. From my chair at home I’m really good at all those things.
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As others have said, no question that the early blocks affected our shooting later in the game…you could see it in some of the later missed “bunnies”. I think what we are seeing, in some respects, are things that we have seen before with Self’s teams…other respects maybe not. Some young players take longer to “get it” under Self than under other coaches. With Selden…everyone says he is thinking and not just playing…a common theme that we have seen before. Watching Selden in the McD’s game…I saw a guy with a lot of court vision…we have only seen glimpses of that so far. Also, AW3 and Greene being frustrated…reminds me of Russell Robinson. Young players seem to think too much and take longer to play freely under Self. For some it never comes in the first year…evidently Greene is going to be in that category. Selden…yes, somewhat. AW3… a little more disturbing since he is in his second year. With so many young guys, these things are magnified.
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@Hawk8086 I asked a friend if he thought Wiggins was lazy and playing half-assed like so many poster are saying. He said Wiggins is thinking way to much, and trying to be a team player and not a super star. He also thought he could be more aggressive but that was between him and coach.
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@AsadZ Thanks. Withey and T-Rob is an excellent example.
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@jaybate 1.0 Thanks. They are not attacking opponents. Too much talent to not be in attack mode.
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@Blown Oh man, that does not sound good at all. Very ominous in fact. By what you just said, it seems as if Coach Self is dealing with the same 'Tudes that Calipari is over at Kensucky with his load of OAD primadonnas. Does not bode well for a title this year.
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@Hawk8086 - Don’t you think the first thing these kids need to understand to “get it” is that Self is screaming at them for their own good?
After understanding that, players tend to learn much faster and build confidence. It seems like we haven’t got past lesson #1.
After that, players should play less in fear about being screamed at because they start understand that screaming is part of “tough love.”
