Jan 22: News Headlines Digest - The Team is Greater Than Its Parts
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**Also see Our Daily Threads (Jan 22) and the News Digest for yesterday (Jan 21) as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday (Jan 21) **
##For Kansas, it’s not just about Wiggins##
The Jayhawks are beyond the fretting of what will happen if Wiggins has an off night, beyond falling apart if, heaven forbid, a freshman has the audacity to play like a freshman for a weekend, and well beyond being a one-man team.
###Keegan: Wiggins still can, and will, improve###
“I think he’s done well,” Self said. “I think that there’s another step he could take. He leaves me wanting more, so when people say certain things, I can’t be upset they’re saying them because he leaves me wanting more too.”
###Newell: Against Baylor, KU basketball wins statistic we rarely talk about###
Baylor hit 13 of 27 threes and grabbed 48 percent of its missed shots. That’s a recipe for a huge offensive game and also a potential upset at Allen Fieldhouse.
And yet, it wasn’t. So how did KU still manage to win comfortably after allowing those totals? The biggest reason was the percentage we hardly talk about: 2-point percentage.
####Selden’s toughness on save ‘contagious’####
Like thousands of Kansas University basketball fans, coach Bill Self has reviewed the clip of Wayne Selden’s all-out hustle play against Baylor several times.
####Naadir Tharpe, Joel Embiid pick up more awards####
Kansas University point guard Naadir Tharpe on Tuesday received Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honors from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for his stellar play for the Jayhawks in victories over Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
Joining Tharpe in being honored by the USBWA on Tuesday was KU freshman Joel Embiid, who received the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week honor.
**Also see Our Daily Threads (Jan 22) and the News Digest for yesterday (Jan 21) as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday (Jan 21) **
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This from NBC College Basketball Talk:
#Bracketology: Strong profile pushes Kansas to top line
Dave Ommen Jan 21, 2014, 11:54 AM EST
Since losing to San Diego State, the Kansas Jayhawks have put together a five-game surge that includes victories over its biggest competitors in the Big 12 conference – Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Baylor. Two of those (Oklahoma, Iowa State) were on the road. Add in victories over Duke and New Mexico in non-conference play, and KU has notched eight Top 50 RPI victories. That’s two more than Syracuse, four more than Arizona, and three more than Michigan State – the other members of today’s No. 1 seed club. It’s also worth noting that Kansas has played the nation’s toughest schedule and currently sits atop the RPI. That’s a pretty strong profile (despite four losses – all to Top 25 RPI Teams), and the primary reason why the Jayhawks received the No. 4 slot on this week’s seed list (s-curve). When evaluating KU’s overall body of work, it’s pretty strong.
We still have two months to go and several other teams could reach the No. 1 seed line by March. Teams like Florida and Wichita State are building strong resumes, as is San Diego State. And it’s too early to count out Iowa, Michigan, or Wisconsin from the Big Ten title chase. The final contenders will be much more clear by mid-February.
On the flip side, January hasn’t been a good month for teams like Ohio State, Baylor, and North Carolina – or Georgetown for that matter; as the Hoyas are among the First Five OUT today. Through the first third of conference play, the Buckeyes, Bears, and Tar Heels own a combined 4-12 record (in league play). Some of that is due to scheduling and some of it has been inconsistent play. Either way, it would be a good time for those squads to reverse course. By the time we reach mid-February, a seriously sub-par conference record will not be endearing to the Selection Committee.
One of the best things about college basketball is that we never know what will happen. Enjoy the hoops.
UPDATED: January 21, 2014
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Not really surprising. KU does not, or at least not yet have any bad loses; all of the loses are to ranked teams. It also has a number of good wins against ranked teams…and the team keeps getting better.
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I guess for Kentucky then, the parts are greater than the team…for now anyway.
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@Kip_McSmithers, great photoshopping
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@jaybate : found it on the web. I can’t take credit for it. Just thought it was fitting.
I don’t have my Masters in Photoshopping from the School of Jaybate. I wasn’t even accepted into the school!
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If you have not seen the Marcus Smart Flop Photoshop thread on Phog.net it is worth a look.
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@Kip_McSmithers Hilarious! Thanks.
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Zowie on the photo and link!
Loved reading the comments by the okie fan defending Smart with no knowledge of the NCAA rules. I guess okies need to keep to football…
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@drgnslayr : Did anyone else watch the uk and Tenn game this past weekend?? Andrew Harrison’s flop and flail was priceless. Maymon’s elbows didn’t even get in the same area code as Andy’s chin! And J. Randy was in the background clapping like a fool after the performance. Now I wish the NCAA would Flagrant 3 these bad actors. (My imaginary F3 is ejected and sit the next game.)
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I watched part of the game and I agree with you. The NCAA should do like the NBA does now and review flops after the game and hand out penalties when warranted; a flop can result in a big point swing.
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@drgnslayr Agree that OkieState fan was a big clueless, but I wouldnt bag totally on Okies as Self definitely was/is one. That’s probably what keeps him in the Midwest, unlike Roy bolting for his home.
Of course, the positive spin we can put on Self, is that he learned a lot more about high-level basketball from Larry Brown while sitting on the KU bench as an grad-asst. Not sure what Calipari learned. And Self continued to learn from Eddie Sutton, who of course is from tiny Bucklin, KS. Self also met wife Cindy after a KU/OSU game in Lawrence…
