Kelly Oubre
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@Crimsonorblue22 I’m not saying he’s my favorite player quite yet, but he IS the odds on favorite to win that coveted title.
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“I love the process,” Oubre says. “I love getting better every day. I love Coach pushing us.”
He transitions into story from one of his first practices at Kansas. On that day, Oubre had missed an instruction and found himself in the wrong spot on the floor. Moments later, he could hear Self’s voice echoing across the gym.
“When Coach chews you out, it’s kind of like: ‘This is for real now,’” Oubre says. “It’s full speed ahead now. No turning back.”
THIS IS AN ATTITTUDE THAT WILL POSITIVLY MAKE HIM A GREAT JAYHAWK!
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Do you think we are ready for UK in 10 days?
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@Statmachine If the UK machine is as well oiled as last year, I’d have to give that one a negative unfortunately. We’ve too many new kids on (in) the block. But it’s early in the season for them too. Then WTH? Yeah, we can take em! ROCK CHALK !!
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@globaljaybird I disagree. A few facts to remember: the “dynasty” known as Kensucky was considered a massive failure LAST YEAR until they got on a lucky run in the tournament. Don’t forget they had 10 losses going into the tournament. So, there’s a lot of yammering, delusional Mildcat fans and mindless media monkeys murmuring visions of yUcK going 40-0, putting a 1,000 lb millstone around that teams neck. Great Expectations, if you will. As ZZ Topp said, “you got me under pressure”. Another hidden factor is Coach Self is worth 10 points over the Squid. Plus, our team is chock full of lean, mean defending machines, hell bent on getting their hands on that ball. It will be close, but we will beat them.
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UK returns the bulk of the team that went to the title game last season and they have added more All-American McDs that would start at just about every other program. Whether we like it or not, there is no question that UK will be favorite by 8-10 points. Keep in mind that the game will be in Indianapolis which is a short 3 hour drive from Lexington, this is why Calipari likes playing there and where he will be right at home; it is the equivalent of KU playing at the Sprint Center in KC.
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@JayHawkFanToo but… That’s why we play the game! He may have the studs, but if any coach can screw up something, he can! Jmo!
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@Statmachine I think it is hard to predict that we will beat UK. They have so much talent…and some experience coming back. This early in the season neither coach really knows what they are going to get out of their team…most teams are sloppy. So, anything can happen…but I see them beating us in a somewhat close game.
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@JayHawkFanToo Are you trying to convince me we will lose? Because it won’t work…lol.
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@Hawk8086 Oh ye of little faith…
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@KUSTEVE it’s the jethro thing!! Why do you have that? Beverly hillbillies fan?
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Of course, but if KU beats UK in Indianapolis, it would be consider and upset, don’t you agree? There is no question that KU will be the underdog. I hope KU plays out of its mind and blows UK away.
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@JayHawkFanToo oh yes we are the underdog! But everyone loves the underdog, especially w/coach Self. This will tell us where we need to go.
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Thanks for the read Crimson. This story resonates as many of the students I have taught have very similar stories. Several have made it to the NFL, one gets in just a few snaps with the Cowboys, the other played on some practice squads. But to see kids go from the lower 9th ward to four years at LSU and on to the NFL is amazing to see up close like I have. It’s equally amazing to see kids go from similar circumstances and get to college and graduate like I’ve seen. Sports is the great equalizer for some, but not many. Glad Kelly has been able to overcome a lot in his life no matter how he does with KU.
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Unusual for KU to be the underdog. Having said that, most everybody in the country seems to like KU. I talk to friends on both coasts and just about everybody has a high opinion of KU it could be an extension of the reputation the state that has as a down to earth, wholesome place with salt of the earth people, that feeds the country. Missouri, on the other hand, is almost the reverse; most people don’t seem to care one way or another about it and many people mention meth, as the first thing that comes to mind, when talking about Missouri.
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UK will be a good test for us… even better… a good test for Self.
He is talking now about UK’s height… they have 6 players taller than our tallest player.
So does he take the bait and just try to run our tallest guys and play “tall ball” against a team full of footers?
Or does he take his first dip in the x-axis pool, and realize he can win 90% of the game, lose the 10% (which surrounds the rim), and still win the game?
Amazing how we all forget what happened in the championship game last year. And how a small UCONN team really stuck it to Kentucky.
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I I hate being pessimistic about Self and the Hawks, but, despite the tradition and the individual talent (apologies to T.S. Eliot), I just don’t see enough pieces of a team for single digit losses, nor do I see a team capable of taking on 10 Mickey Ds with 5 of them having a year’s experience playing in a Final Four.
UK already knows how to play together as a team. KU is just learning.
I know KU is going to look vastly more explosive against UCSB and UK than in the exhibition games, when Self will give some rest and some wrinkles, but I still say…
UK by 20-30, if KU tries to run with them, unless their is an Ebola outbreak in Lexington between now and then.
UK by 15, if KU uses up the full clock every possession, and devoutly adheres to the 45 degree angle of attack on the X-Axis.
Those that are ranking KU high are doing so only because they have gotten burned repeatedly in the past by under ranking KU.
I suspect they are over-ranking KU this season for the same reason they have under-ranked them so often in the past. Most of them really are unable to detox from their own media hype long enough to actually evaluate realistically how many pieces Self has, and how well the pieces fit together.
To reiterate from other posts, top teams require 2-3 every game MUAs and the right pieces, plus a good defense.
Self says they could be a very good defensive team eventually, which means they are not yet. It seems a stretch to think they will develop defensively in time for UK at Indy.
They seem to lack bigs that can play UK’s bigs even.
It is not yet clear how Mason will respond to be smothered by guys 6-7 inches taller.
It is not yet clear if Oubre, or Greene, can pick up the scoring slack, when Ellis shuts down against L&Ss.
It is not yet clear whether Selden can play premier guards even up.
It is not yet clear if KU can rebound, when Alexander is on the bench.
So: what? me worry?
Yup.
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Wish it was on a more neutral court, but I like all the pressure being on the Kensucky youngins… KU sneaks in a win at the end with some big threes.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Love the Beverly Hillbillies. Jethro, Ellie Mae, and cement ponds.
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@JayHawkFanToo We have UK right where we want them - fat, sassy, arrogant, thinking they are going to steamroll us… No, it will not be an upset when we win, even though the Kensucky worshipping media will spin it that way. We are Kansas - we take a backseat to no one. We never upset anyone, because we never expect to lose beforehand. When we win, we won’t be rushing the court, either.
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All this avalanche of doubt and dread. SMH. Well, I didn’t want to pull this out until later in the season, but the non-belief has forced me to play this card:
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We can destroy Kentucky. Here is why.
- They are slow. The players they rotate at the 3 are Trey Lyles and Alex Poythress. Both are better suited to play the four but are forced out of posandseldenandat interior depth. oubre and selden will blow by either of them. The Harrison’s are a little slow to be PG and SG as well…
2 they don’t have good shooters.
Similar to last years Kansas team they don’t have any dangerous shooters in there starting lineup. Devin Booker is good shooter coming off the bench, and Tyler Ulis is decent if he gets open as well. But for the most part we can pack in our defense and dare them to jack threes.-
They are playing a platoon system. This means they will never have their 5 best players on the court at once. Their platoon system will also fail to wear us down because we are as deep as they are.
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We have Bill Self. Cal is a good coach,but Bill Self is Bill Self.
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I believe Jaybate mentioned earlier that we would also lose to UCSB,
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Neidermeyer? - Dead!
Bluto’s right!
Let’s Do It!
Question: Did Nike have to pay the ownership of Animal House millions and millions of dollars to use “Let’s Do it!”?
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@KUSTEVE said:
@Crimsonorblue22 Love the Beverly Hillbillies. Jethro, Ellie Mae, and cement ponds.
“Swimming pools, movie stars…”
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Since I am out on a very thin limb here, lump :-), I said there is a significant chance of an upset by UCSB, because UCSB is a team with a VERY good center, and an experienced cast of less talented players that early in a season give teams that have to play OADs big minutes fits.
On the other hand, UCSB is the kind of team where Selden, or Perry, could run wild, while UCSB’s center is looking after Alexander, or Lucas/Mickelson. But the minute Self tries playing small ball with Ellis at the 5, and Oubre at the 4, the UCSB’s center shuts off Ellis, UCSB sags completely off Oubre and says beat us with the trey, and they double a lot on Selden and say, “go, ahead, beat us with Devonte Graham if you can.”
UCSB is going to test KU’s trey shooting, and UCSB has been playing small ball forever. It will be completely comfortable with what KU will do, because it works on it every day in practice.
If KU’s guys are on from 3, and our bigs can help and shut down their post man, which few have been able to do, then the athleticism of Selden and Oubre and Greene will eventually run wild over UCSB. But if KU shoots to their likely 35-36% 3 pt average for the season, and UCSB just keeps sagging more and more, and taking it inside again and again to their big center, then I definitely see a risk of an L. Never want to bet against KU at home with a mid major, but as we learned last season, playing young talented players in new ways they have never had to play before at D1 speed and violence levels is a recipe for the unforeseen early, middle and late.
If basketball were only about talent, then KU could phone in a W regarding UCSB, and UK would win rings 3 years and UA would win every 4th. adidas feeder system has apparently seen to that vis a vis non-elite teams. And Nike’s feeder system has apparently seen to that among elite programs. And as slayr more or less indicated, UConn would NOT have won last season were talent totally decisive, though they looked pretty damned talented from 6 feet 3 inches downward, as slayr likes to say.
But hoops are a combination of athleticism, necessary pieces fitting together well, 2-3 reliable MUAs, and experience at playing “together.”
(Note: pieces fitting equal–a PG never more than stalemated, a 2 guard that stretches the spandex and locks down, a 3 that locks down and either scores inside, or outside, or both, a 4 that can guard, enforce, glass vac and stick back, [and once in a very great while a 4 that can also pot the trey and put it on the deck], and a post that can guard and either rim protect or score. You can be light at anyone, or two, of these categories, if you can overcompensate in another.).
UK will simply guard the trey stripe with 6-6 to 6-8 inch guys and let KU’s trey shooters drift out 2-3 feet farther to take their open treys and depend on the percentages to favor them. Self’s strategy of shooting a lot of long balls to get long rebounds by his own relatively tall perimeter guys (though several of their heights seem substantially inflated), will be sorely tested by footers with long reaches and UK’s own long perimeter players.
The one thing KU has over UCSB and UK should be the “toughness” factor. Self did not invest heavily in the toughness stuff for no reason. He knew it was the only way to have a hope of avoiding a disastrous season. and maybe surviving long enough to come together as bunch of hardcore Marine Raiders down the stretch.
Self is also gambling as usual on FINDING two trifectates. He is praying someone transmogrifies the way Releford did and that Greene can become what he is supposed to be.
It could all happen. I can see a 2000 Tulsa team here, but not for quite awhile in the season; that 2000 Tulsa team had been together awhile.
In conclusion, no on here will be happier to jump on the wagon of a winning small ball team, but I am still not seeing it. And it worries me, because I could see all the other teams doing much of what they did from the beginning. Last year’s team fooled me only in how they came to have the double digit losses I expected.
Bottom line, in D1 you can mask some core weaknesses for parts of a season, but sooner or later core weaknesses get exposed.
Self has the mirrors and smoke machine out early for a reason this season.
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@jaybate-1.0 Interestingly, Self played small (with a perimeter player at the 4) exactly zero minutes vs. Washburn. What do you make of that? Seemed like the rotations were pretty scripted; a little surprised that wasn’t in the script.
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Coach Self says a lot of thing on his radio show and interviews, but at game time he tends to go back to his tried and true system.
