McCullar out vs Baylor
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The way Kevin has been playing hero ball, if the younger guys step up we could be better without injured Kevin. Now healthy Kevin from earlier this no question we are better with.
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“We don’t know when or if Kevin McCullar is coming back”
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Just about every year it’s a critical piece out.
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Full quote here
“Well, my concern is will he play again this year? It’s not a day-to-day deal, it’s a week-to-week deal. He obviously won’t go on Tuesday. I’m not going to put him out there because he’s missed so much time. Even though you can look at games, the number of games missed but that’s not the story. The story is that he played against OU and had what, two days of a little bit of practice and then played and wasn’t effective and it didn’t feel good at all. So he’s got to practice for a good week before we put him out there so that he can go and not be reinjured worse because the big thing is I’d like to have for the postseason, where he’s in rhythm, and our team has a chance to be the best it can be going into the second week of March. But, you know, I’m hoping we get him back but it’s not anything that I’m I’m thinking it’s gonna happen tomorrow or Monday. I don’t think that at all.”
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Yikes I’d just sit him out for the rest of the regular season and bring him back for the conference tournament so it doesn’t effect seeding
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I come out of that statement more optimistic they are just going to play it week to week. Ideally he’s healthy enough to play before the NCAA tournament but given how the league is, it may be best to sit him through that crapshoot as well
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Who would have thought that our team, extremely low in the depth department, could lose arguably our best player (Kevin), and then play better than when we had Kevin.
This is the case. And WHY did we play better? Because the rest of our team didn’t have Kevin around to lean on. Everyone had to step up. And with these last few games we are seeing a team where most everyone is playing their best basketball. Super shout out to Nick! He’s a gutsy performer! He’s becoming a different version of The Furph! How I can make such a claim? Look at the stats in the Texas game. 19 of our 27 FTs were shot by either Furph or Nick!
If you can believe this… I’m happy Kevin will sit for the BYU game. Let him recover and give us another developmental game without him!
If we can stay healthy now… (and get healthy)… I’m becoming a lot more optimistic about March!
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I’d like to buy the last game and bottle it. Will we see the same energy tonight?
They had a week off and were home. Texas was at 2 very distinct disadvantages despite being without Kev. We have yet to see the version of KU we see at home anywhere else. That’s probably my biggest concern. It’s sort of a mirage.
Baylor and Houston are huge road games where they have the opportunity to rise to the occasion. If they can win 1 or both without Kev that’s something to get excited about for March imo
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Agreed, tonight’s game will hopefully be the start of some consistency from Timbies. I would also like to see either McDowell or Elmarko really step up and try and take his starting spot over the next couple of games.
Since the B12 race is out of our hands, I think most people would like to see him sit and get as healthy as possible. Even if we drop 3/4 over the next couple of games, I see us as at worst a 3 seed and I would rather go into the NCAA tournament as that with Kev healthy than as a 1 seed with him still banged up.
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I’d like to bottle up our Houston game! Fran could cry w/the job we did on Shead!
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Posting something about this in behind the wall
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@dylans I hope 60 is her age and not her weight…
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Yes… didn’t mention how fresh we looked! I think with our remaining schedule we can have decent legs. If we can play a high level of ball and pull leads in games, our starters can get a little more rest.
I think our previous issue with bench depth is starting to go away.
First… other teams we play are getting tired now, too.
Second… we are getting better minutes from Nick… even Elmarko and Parker are looking better. Elmarko didn’t score in the Texas game but he dished 4 assists (including the best assist in college ball this year). His +/- was highest on the team at +18!
Furph has definitely solidified as a contributor, too!
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Good stuff, appreciate your optimistic view. I see it and want to believe it but I’m not there, call it cautiousness. I need to see a road game look like we have at home at times. The bench pieces can step up at times but we’ve yet to see it even 2 games in a row or in basically any road game so far.
Timberlake’s production seems tied to bigger minutes and he’s proven he’s not a reliable scorer off the bench in spot minutes. He’s in a perfect spot though to salvage his season and keep confidence in himself.
Elmarko is a non scorer but his impact getting others buckets and his energy flashed big time against Texas. We never see it 2 games in a row though. It’s unfortunate that he was further away from being a big contributor then I thought he would be.
I think some of the benches issues fall on coaching preferences. We have a coach that’s second to none in competitiveness and ego to win games. It’s why he’s the best and in the HOF. The big 4 have been overworked because Self has such a high bar for the level of play he wants to see which then caused them to get worn down and led to nagging injuries etc. Now he’s forced to let the bench play through stuff they could have played through earlier this season with more balance in minutes. Just some 2 cents. Perhaps this was the road that had to be traveled to get where we want to go this season.
This team hasn’t hit their peak and it would be nice if they are close to reaching it.
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Our remaining schedule is a killer and if form holds true to what we’ve done on the road we’re going to lose 3 more reg season games. The schedule makers really gave us a tough one this year. Simien was talking about it on the podcast. From later Saturday home games to a Big Monday date in traditionally tough places to play two weekends in a row. Home and Home with the toughest teams in the league too. I’m sure some other big 12 teams have had similar misfortunes in scheduling. So I’ll so the usual whine from me, they should have left us at 10 teams.
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Gets worse next yr adding the 4 teams from the former Pac-12.
I did the research on KU getting more Big Monday road games then others and need to compile it.
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@BeddieKU23 Funny thing about tonight is I thought we’d lose 3 based on having a road game tonight. Obviously I was mistaken about the location.
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Per Self- Kev trending to possibly play Saturday against Baylor if he practices. Perhaps it’s more likely he returns against K-St at home but we shall see.
Sounds like the message Self sent Kev on air was received. Perhaps the L at home shook the tree a bit too.
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@BeddieKU23 said in McCullar out vs Baylor:
Per Self- Kev trending to possibly play Saturday against Baylor if he practices. Perhaps it’s more likely he returns against K-St at home but we shall see.
Sounds like the message Self sent Kev on air was received. Perhaps the L at home shook the tree a bit too.
Agree and I’m pretty sure Coach and Kevin had an extended little talk on some things
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Kev “tweaked his knee” in the K-St game per Self during Thursdays press conference. Didn’t practice Thursday, hopeful for Friday. Here we go again.
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Dang. I remember when it happened. I wondered if he’d hit the bench. But, he kept playing.
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@BeddieKU23 said in McCullar out vs Baylor:
Kev “tweaked his knee” in the K-St game per Self during Thursdays press conference. Didn’t practice Thursday, hopeful for Friday. Here we go again.
I bet he plays seeing as how this last little episode all played out
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If he’s hurt his knee I don’t think it will be the same situation as what brewed before. We shall find out tommorow what is going on. Not a good situation still regardless
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Kev wasn’t out there for first part of warmups
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Warming up now
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Self didn’t sound hopeful in pregame
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@Crimsonorblue22 said in McCullar out vs Baylor:
Self didn’t sound hopeful in pregame
McCullar starting according to Gurley
