ISU Wrap: The Four Out/One In Magic
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I had two visions tonight.
Vision 1: HEM infarcting 5 minutes into the first half.
Vision 2: HEM having a post basketball orgasm e-cigarette with 5 minutes to go in the game, and Mrs. HEM saying, “Hey, tiger, what about me?”
Ahem.
The committee meeting is called to order: here ye, here ye, hear ye…
For we founding members of the University of Kansas Outside In Illuminati Conspiracy (there, I’m in such a good mood that I used the C-word tongue in cheek for all the conspiracy smear artists), THIS WAS A GAME FOR THE AGES!!!
There was, after an early dark phase, unrepentant outside in that pleased the governing council no end and cast all of the KU basketball conspiracy, er, legacy in light, and left the all seeing eye at the top of our collective pyramid weeping for joy!
Threes were missed but three ball shooting continued unabated.
There were at times even pronounced MICRO-BURSTS of trifectation resulting in a sparkling 10-21 with 47.6% accuracy.
And the overall FG% of 50.8% was so good that members of Outside In Illuminati Conspiracy feel uncompelled to break down that actual 2pt FG percentage. It had to be good enough to please KU Head Coach H.P. LoveSelf, the Outside In Illuminati Conspiracy’s agent in the coach’s seat this season.
To mix literary metaphors unmercifully, The Conspiracy’s diabolically clever H.P. LoveSelf cast a black magic spell over the Thomas Hardy-esque Mayor of Casterbridge–Fred “the Mayor Michael Henchard” Hoiberg, played out the subtitle to Hardy’s novel of deterministic pessimism subtitled “The Life and Death of a Man of Character” to a tea. He entered the season impoverished of rings, his Mayoralty fortunes sky rocketed to #14 in the nation, and then after a game in Casterbridge’s own Allen Field House, the Mayor returned to poverty.
After out rebounding ISU in Ames, but giving up many high school cherry picks, H.P. Loveself decided to spend fully half the game releasing 3-4 to get back on defense to eliminate the cherry picks, then spent the other half the game rebounding furiously back to a -3 deficit on the glass.
Members of the Outside In Conspiracy duly note that Wayne Selden, after breaking from his slump vs. KSU, erupted out of it with 5-7 from three ball land, while Brannen Greene continued his occultishly high percentage of trey shooting with 2-3.
Members also duly note that our H.P. LoveSelf cunningly long benched the Mayor of Casterbridge, with fully 9 Jaybirds registering 14 minutes or more. And what is more, 5 of the 9 ended up scoring in double digits.
Members gleefully note that of 89 total points, over half were scored outside the paint!!!
The Conspiracy’s hypnosis of H.P. LoveSelf did not, however, completely alter his predilections, as fully 16 points came on turnovers.
About the only less than stellar metric The Conspiracy was not able to blunt was the 16 total turnovers by the Jayhawks, but at least it was -1 TOs relative to Michael Henchard’s men, many of the unsightly TOs came as a product of ISU desperately pressing down the stretch.
To pick nits, FT percentage was a lackluster 65.2%.
All in all, though, members of the Conspiracy concur that H.P. LoveSelf has been incorporated into the Conspiracy and that members of the Conspiracy should look benignly, perhaps even positively, upon H.P. LoveSelf’s ingenious, but likely passive aggressive, elaboration of his 3 man weave into a 4 man weave utterly reminicient of Henry Iba’s. Members of the Conspiracy also concur that there is significant likelihood that if H.P. LoveSelf elects to play an entire game Outside In under our influence, that LoveSelf will probably elaborate the 4 man weave to a full 5 man weave. We do not have a problem with this so long as the lead is >15 and in the second half.
The meeting is now adjourned.
As usual, members are warned to say they know nothing of our organization, if asked by non members.
Rock Chalk!!!
(Note: there is no conspiracy and there was no black magic involved. Coach Self just coached one heckuva great game and his players played superbly and it was an honor and a privilege to watch’em play!)
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Great game. A few of my own musings:
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Just a couple of games ago we were debating the merits of cutting Selden’s minutes, perhaps even removing him from the starting line-up. After back-to-back good performances against the kitties and the 'clones, maybe he’s OK where he’s at. I will say this - his offensive success is heavily reliant on him knocking down treys, so in that respect we can still entertain the idea of Greene cutting into his playing time. I think what I would like to see is for Self to stick with Selden, but then to quickly switch plans if he’s struggling, rather than letting Wayne labor and the team suffer. Go with the hot hand or whatever the situation calls for. This team has too many talented options. For the past couple of games though, it’s been nice to see Wayne lighting it up.
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Speaking of the redistribution of minutes, it might be time to start easing up on Mason’s. He’s had some pretty paltry shooting performances over our last 5 wins (the exception being an 8-12 night against TCU), hasn’t hit a 3 in the last 4 games, and he needed a flurry of points at the end of the last 2 games to extend his double-digit scoring streak. Given his shooting woes, I wonder if his legs might be tiring a bit. I just don’t see any reason to play him 37 minutes when we have a capable back-up, unless Self is concerned with Graham’s turf toe and has decided to prioritize managing Graham’s minutes instead.
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I know Lucas gets a lot of flak on these boards, but he’s a nice 4th big to have around. I think a lot of our angst regarding Lucas is that he has often been thrust into a position where more is expected or needed from him than should be. Either because of foul trouble or Cliff’s faulty motor or Jamari being ineffective…it has often fallen all the way down to 4th-big-Landon to play major minutes. He lacks on skill, but he’s always ready and always comes with effort. Good game from him tonight.
As HEM predicted, we swept the 3 games in 6 days. Now for the next mini-campaign: a 4 games in 10 days stretch that goes @Okie St., @Tech, home against Baylor, @WVU. The game in Morgantown on the 16th is the one I have highlighted, which is not to say we can’t lose any of the other 3, but the match against Huggins’ bunch will be tough. I have it penciled in for a loss right now. Even so…we’re definitely in the driver’s seat.
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Wayne Selden Jr. is a starter.
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Great game and the crowd definitely fed the fury last night. It was the loudest I have heard Allen this year and I’m glad our fans came to party just as much. Huge win, huge implications towards the league. Now we must root for Oklahoma tonight to hold serve against West Virginia at home.
Some game thoughts:
All Selden needed was some home loving from his momma to get him off his scoring schnide. 14 points Saturday, 20 last night and we needed all 5 of his triples to keep the lead at a safe distance. When he’s making outside shots its great and he does enough of the little things to be a key part of this team. Just wish his 2 point game especially his drives would fall. Great game Wayne anyway.
Greene, what can you say about this kid. The light has come on and its great to see how quickly he can ignite our offense and energy with his shooting. His defense has been much better and its hard to not see him getting more minutes the way he is playing. Him and Oubre on the court at the same time was great to see.
Ellis has hit his mid-season stride. No longer forcing things, proud of how he’s responded and he’s rebounded the ball so well lately.
Lucas banged inside well last night, his energy when inserted has been good to see. Definitely has made strides since December. Good to know we can get quality minutes from our 4th big.
Mason & Graham are a great tandem. We do need to find a way to give Mason a break sometime. He does look like he needs to good ol R&R.
Now the troops need to regroup for Saturday. It’s a big win to get and hopefully we can pull it out
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@wrwlumpy I mentioned that hip check during our chat. Right in front of a ref to boot. Pretty sure that’s a foul.
From Self during Big12 Media days:
You go from 7-foot (Embiid) and long to 6-61⁄2 (???) and not long guarding you…
Who is Self referencing as the 6’61/2"er???
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@brooksmd I spent a career teaching every level of biology from remedial to AP at “indoctrination” centers. I coached academic teams and spent countless hours before and after school helping students who were struggling. Our indoctrination center did not get to pick and choose our students, but we did the best we could for everyone who came. Yes, some of us didn’t do a good job, but most of us worked our tails off for low pay and precious little respect from the public. I kept the parents of my students informed. We welcomed volunteer help when we could get it. Sorry, I know this is a basketball site, but I found that remark deeply offensive.
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3 Things:
PASSION: Give the whole team credit for really wanting this game and putting in the hard work after the quick turn-around from the kitties.
EFFORT: All the players gave everything they had and got to it on both ends. Held ISU far below its Big 12-leading 49.1 field goal % on the season.
SHOTS: 5 players in double-figures for the 5th time this season. 4th game of the year over 50% shooting.
Now they will get some well-deserved rest and have plenty of time to get ready for Okie State.
Great Game Jayhawks!
Also loved some of the signs in the crowd – Hilton Magic Show with CANCELLED written across it was a classic.
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Bill Self’s Game Plan was of World Series caliber. What a string of change-ups! Man O Man, posters on this board have lived like terriers churning at a mole hill, dead certain of rewards for such sustained attack. Yee-haw!
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@jaybate-1.0 …Superb jb. major FOS as usual, bust just superb !!
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@KansasComet He sure earned it tonight!!
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@BeddieKU23 I’m beginning to wonder if Wayne is a little far sighted they way his bunnies & floaters seem to always be short? Hope SHE doesnt say that !!
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@wrwlumpy Saw. That dirty play and was mad the refs missed—or ignored it.
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Audio of Bob Davis & Greg Gurley–fun to hear them call the highlights!
https://soundcloud.com/img-audio/jayhawk-img-bob-davis-ku-isu-mbb-highlights-2-2-15
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Today on Katz Korner at 1 pm on @ESPNU: @KUAthletics Self, @UCLAAthletics Alford, @PCAthletics Cooley, @TexasMBB Barnes, @UKCoachCalipari.
So what does Andy Katz ask Rick Barnes and why waste the time with him?
Katz: Rick, tell us how it feels to be Bill Self’s *#TCH.
Barnes. Andy, let me tell you. I’ve gotten used to it these last eight years. Maybe that is a better question for Bruce Weber.
All Fun – No Malice.
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This feels just as good the morning after, as it did the evening of. After reading all the posts here are a couple other things:
-We should all feel great for Selden. Big half of basketball. But we’ve been there before. He carried us to the win against Florida with a similar second half display. We still see that he just can’t finish at the rim, as @globaljaybird noted… Last night was no exception. Sometimes slumps end with explosions. Sometimes they end gradually. Let’s just hope it ends. Starter, 6th man, whatever – we need the guy.
-The Press: Why is this important? See West Virginia. And see how we didn’t handle it too well in the last four minutes last night. Our lineup composition will be interesting, and as I mentioned yesterday, can we get by without both Mason and Graham in the game? Selden was exposed against the press against last night – similar to last season. The “he just isn’t a point guard” thing. He allows himself to get trapped, is prone to hold the ball a touch too long, and most of all, doesn’t look comfortable attacking the press with the dribble. Graham and Mason might get some major minutes in that game together, which could cut into Greene and Oubre. That could be dangerous.
-As @icthawkfan316 mentioned, Lucas did play some good minutes last night. Perhaps I’d call them “competent” minutes. He plays when there is foul trouble, nothing more. " … he’s always ready and always comes with effort. Good game from him tonight." Exactly.
-@JayHawkFanToo noted Self’s adjustment on stopping transition. I"ll admit, when I saw the video early of Ellis, Oubre and Selden retreating on our shot, taking them out of offensive rebounding position, I was skeptical. Actually, I thought it was pretty risky. But it worked like a charm. The transition points ISU got in the second half were basically meaningless. We shut it down the entire first half and early second half. Of course, shots going in are also a way to limit transition points, and we had some of that, too. But the strategy was clear and successful. A coaching adjustment that helped change the dynamic from the first encounter, to be sure.
-I love to talk about how adjustments by coaches win (or lose)games. They really do. Look at last night. Offensive scheme, transition, shifting Graham in with Mason when ISU started to press – big decisions. And heck, we saw how coaching can directly impact a game in the Super Bowl. We’ll never know for sure, but one simple play call could have changed the destinies of scores of players, families, and franchises. Coaches earn big money for a reason. It is their choices, preparation, game planning, and decisions that impact the game more than any other element.
-@VailHawk - Hardly missed Cliff. But he did draw some attention inside. Kind of a tough match up for him, with the athleticism ISU has. Cliff ain’t the best guarding on the perimeter. I do think that when Cliff came in, ISU usually countered with McKay.
-@Kip_McSmithers - Self was referring to Jamari Traylor. I think Self in the same comment also referred to Ellis as being 6’7".
-@jaybate-1.0 - Any chance I get to be chairman of the University of Kansas Outside In Illuminati Conspiracy? I mean, I’ll work hard. I’ll be at every meeting. I can keep secrets. Ooh, sorry … I know nothing of the organization. And yes, Mrs. HEM is curious. She asked me what all this outside-in, inside-out stuff was all about. I said, “well, let me show you.” She responded with, “uh, no thanks.” Which is why I write post game summaries.
Oh, and I noticed I got through a full post without saying “three pointer” or “Brannen Greene.”
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@HighEliteMajor said:
Oh, and I noticed I got through a full post without saying “three pointer” or “Brannen Greene.”
Soooooooooooooooooooooo close.
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@HighEliteMajor More good stuff. Regarding coaching being important and particularly in reference to the Superbowl, something that I find hilarious was how at the beginning of the telecast either Michaels or Collinsworth were talking about how Belichik had said “the players were going to decide the game”, and Collinsworth remarked “that’s how it should be.” Um…
You say that Mason and Graham could play a lot together against WVU, potentially leading to less minutes for Greene and Oubre, then say that could be dangerous. Do you mean that you don’t have a lot of confidence if we aren’t playing one or the other, or both, at their current clip? If so, interesting. I’ve already stated my confidence in Graham. However, if Mason continues to be ineffective shooting the ball it does potentially mean we have only one reliable outside shooter in the game at any given time (Graham’s 3-pt % is good, but his attempts are pretty low, making me wonder if he can be relied upon for such offense or if his 3s are simply a nice bonus at this point). That could spell trouble, but maybe not. Regardless, I’m very excited for that game to see how it plays out. But again, I have it penciled in for a loss, and I’m hoping that if that’s the case there isn’t too much of an overreaction on these boards.
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I had to laugh at the huffing and puffing comment. Last night I attended my daughters’ HS soccer match. She played midfielder, which involves the most running generally, all 80 minutes of the match, then coach asked her to play the JV match afterwards which was shortened to 40 minutes because it was very cold. 120 minutes of running around a soccer field, and our boys, with their TV timeouts every four minutes were huffing and puffing!
She scored a goal and had to assists by the way in an easy match!
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@icthawkfan316 I guess Oubre and Greene have been very important to us offensively. I think you know that I really like Graham. I have a lot of confidence in him. But Oubre and Greene are scorers. Giving up scorers for ball handling (and less scoring) is what I see as a bit dangerous. But it may be more dangerous to have our “big wings” – any of them – at the 2 spot, and involved as primary ball handlers breaking the press. I also see Self favoring Selden – thus we could see Mason, Graham, and Selden more – to the expense of Oubre and Greene. It is a dilemma against the press.
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A motion on the floor to be Supreme High Commisioner Plenipotentiary (SHCP) is recorded and seconded by the chair.
All in favor say aye, all opposed neigh.
The ayes have it unanimously.
The gavel is yours!
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Excellent post, and look how many Jayhawk fans liked it! You are right on the button.
“Then it happened. Self made the switch. The game changed. Four out, one in.”
In my opinion, Self never expected success at the inside-out. This was his way of getting the game off slow for us. This was his way of “amping down” the troops. This was vintage Self. He did actually have a strategy, and it was exactly opposite of what I had predicted in my prediction thread. Self didn’t want us to get out quick (for a change). He knew this would be a game of endurance. He knew ISU wouldn’t go away, even if we built a 20-pt lead. He didn’t want to experience another game like OU, especially against this team because if we gave away the second half momentum to ISU we were dead meat, regardless of the lead.
Self amped down the first quarter. He did what I thought ISU would do, and played “rope a dope.” He reserved as much energy in our guys as he could. He kept rotating his guys, and he let out plenty of carrot for ISU to run run run (without scoring open court freebies). He wanted ISU to run themselves out, very similar to the strategy against OSU. It has stuck in my head all year… what we were able to do to Phil Forte, Mr. Conditioning. Self played this for a strong finish. He won the coin toss and elected to start the game kicking off. He knew this would be a game of attrition. Look at all the reversal strategies in this game. Not only did we end up spreading the floor and gave them a taste of ISU basketball back to them, we also pushed the ball up the court, another one of their strategies. He wanted to prove we could outlast them. He wanted to break their will.
I have to hand it to ISU… those guys play to win. They didn’t break. But they bent. And that is all we need to win in AFH.
Brannen Greene is my hero. Wayne… WELCOME BACK!
But we need to make our pat on the backs really short because Saturday is coming, and a trip to Stillwater, in a place where we don’t play well. And it two weeks we get our first taste of WVU, and I think we need two weeks to prepare to play them. We panicked on the pressure of a tired ISU team’s press and trap and that was nothing compared to what we will face in Morgantown. What we did learn from this game was we need Devonte and Frank on the floor at the same time. Maybe we just agree to give away that game. We will be playing on two days rest only. That will be the ultimate test for this team. If we can win that game we will show a lot of potential for March.
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@jaybate-1.0 I would think Mrs. HEM would know better than to call him “Tiger”
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PHOF!
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A few more comments for discussion.
I thought State’s defense early was more effective because they were playing some kind of matchup zone up top. It seemed they were just rotating with the ball. We missed a bunch of shots early which at that point Self was like heck lets go back to what worked in the first meeting. Iowa St couldn’t defend the dribble weave with its constant action and we more or less wore them down to exhaustion because of it. Iowa St didn’t have the horses to sub in like KU does, Thomas and Nader were ineffective. Mckay is just a hackfest waiting to happen.
Self outcoached Hoiberg last night and it showed in so many area’s. The transition D you know was addressed and all the kids bough into the effort to get back. The switch in offense just totally left Iowa St unable to stop us. Our Defense for the most part was stellar in not allowing them to just get where they wanted. I thought it was one of the best jobs we’ve done in defending the spread offense to date.
Lastly the press Iowa St showed at the end was troublesome for us. I know they put predator aka McKay with his length on the front end but I was more than concerned that in 2 weeks that we don’t have 20+ turnovers written all over our forehead. That’s how they have won games with this lethal press. It’s just like VCU, you break the havoc and its swiss cheese at the backend. But the problem is, WVU does a great job forcing you to be play sped up and they capitalize on it. I really hope Self and co work on this leading up to that game because without improvement I can see us struggling mightily against it.
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@icthawkfan316 said:
@jaybate-1.0 I would think Mrs. HEM would know better than to call him “Tiger”
Maybe he shot an 82 his last round.
Let’s make that a catchword: 10 over par is a “Tiger”. 20 over is a “double Tiger”, and so on…
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This is the team we have been waiting on.
This is the team that @HighEliteMajor, @jaybate-1.0, @drgnslayr and others have been talking about.
This is the team I envisioned at the beginning of the season.
And we finally capitalized on it. The only downer was that Svi was not involved. Other than that, I don’t have a single complaint.
@HighEliteMajor is absolutely right - spacing the floor opens it up for everyone. Most teams don’t have a 4 or 5 man that can move out to the perimeter and guard Perry. Just by shifting Perry to the perimeter and having him face up you can probably add 5 points to his FG% because the help defenders don’t dare leave Brannen Greene right now.
Speaking of which, if you are a Big 12 coach right now, Brannen Greene is on a get off the bus alert. He must be guarded from the time he shows up at the arena until the time he leaves the building. He is insanely hot right now. There was a play in the first half where Devonte was pushing the ball up the floor and Brannen was trailing out on the wing. Devonte barreled into the lane and just kind of scooped it back out to Brannen, who had about 7 feet of open space. The result was a foregone conclusion. Right now, Brannen is the hottest shooter in America. He’s on a Kyle Korver level right now.
The only minor concern from this game is that Frank is really starting to look and play worn down. We have to get him some rest because his legs are starting to wear out and we still have two months of basketball left.
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@ParisHawk My point was in reference to HEM’s classic anti-Fizzou rants over the years. Not sure what would be worse for Mrs. HEM to call him: a Tiger, or an Antler. Regardless of how many over par a fellow Jayhawk fan may shoot, not sure anything justifies being called Tiger!
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“The only minor concern from this game is that Frank is really starting to look and play worn down. We have to get him some rest because his legs are starting to wear out and we still have two months of basketball left.”
I’m with you on that.
Imagine what would happen now if we lost him to injury? Or if a secret nagging injury (which we have experienced before with several players) starts pushing his numbers down for the rest of the year?
Frank is our leader and he is also the guy that can take over a game when everyone else is playing bad. He’s the guy that never quits.
I hope Devontes’ toe is okay. I’d like to see him get more minutes not only to save Frank, but give him more experience as March approaches. Both of these guys will be vital in March. Devonte is very skilled and poised… but we still are experiencing plenty of “freshman” in his game.
I would also like to see Svi get a few minutes here and there, just to fight off the rust. He has now been put in the deep freeze. Kind of makes me wonder if he is coming back next year. It really doesn’t help a guy’s development to get no minutes for long stretches. I kind of can’t believe he will return next year unless Self convinces him he will get minutes. He’s on a different life schedule than the rest of our guys. I hope he stays and I hope he spends every breathing second with Hudy after the season is over. Lets see him apply that tough Ukrainian spirit to the weight room. His potential is oozing out the seams. Just strengthen him and give him a bit more knowledge on American ball, and this kid is a future super star.
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@icthawkfan316 said:
Lucas gets a lot of flak
I for one have cringed all year when he walks into a game. That started to change the last two games, but after this game… my cringes are gone. No, he’s still not a star, or a scorer, but he was solid and made few if any mistakes… and for that I was really really happy.
He’s become another weapon that has been sharpened to a dangerous edge this year. What I particularly liked was how frustrated McKay looked being guarded by him. McKay was used to dominating and hacking and scoring underneath against anybody earlier in the game, and then Landen came in, held his own, even drew a foul from him and really threw him off his game (and that guy can game too). You could see the “how dare he” look he gave Lucas a few times.
While Greene and Selden’s game made me ecstatic, Landen’s “I Refuse to Look Like I Don’t Belong Any More” party last night, made me smile evilly with the quality extra minutes he should bring going forward.
And yes, Frank is looking a bit tired lately. We will need him badly for the WV game, but then he needs to start getting a bit less work so he’s ready to lead us in the Dance.
Dang, this team is why I like college ball so much better than pro - the change and growth we’ve seen in just a few months has been remarkable.
RCJH
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@drgnslayr @justanotherfan Yeah I referenced Frank’s legs late last night. His shooting is down, which is usually a good indicator that he doesn’t have the same legs under him.
The problem is two-fold: Self has supreme confidence in Mason, and Graham is a freshman. I think Self would like to get Mason some rest. On some level he has to know he should. But come game-time he reverts back to what he’s most comfortable with, and he looks down the bench at baby-face Devonte and says to himself “eh…maybe not.”
Regarding Svi, HEM and I speculated awhile back that Self may know he’s not coming back, or at least not likely to come back, and therefore Self has stopped letting him develop with playing time. Which is too bad, but you kind of have to wonder where he would fit in next year too. I’d say we’re likely to lose Oubre, and that’s it (on the perimeter). We’re already clamoring for more minutes for Graham and Greene. I just think he’s likely to only move into the spot of 5th perimeter player next year, which could mean steady minutes, but we’ve also seen in years past where it only means scraps.
Of course, the way the schedule set up this year and the top-to-bottom toughness of the Big 12 has not lent itself to either having the luxury of resting your top guys nor developing the end of the bench.
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@icthawkfan316 You guys have good memories! I forgot all about that team. Do they still play basketball somewhere?
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@ParisHawk Did they ever?
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@icthawkfan316 I’m not so sure Svi is gone. There just isn’t room for minutes right now. Greene is finally playing well enough to get off 2 to 5 threes a game which is basically 6-15 points of instant offense. It would be interesting to see if Svi could take some minutes at the 4 but being so young (aka not strong) that seems unlikely. But with the 4 out 1 in he is just as tall as Traylor or Ellis. Defensive would be the problem which is what this all really boils down to. He’s not going to out hustle Jamari. He can’t defend like Oubre or Selden or Graham. He can’t shoot as well as Greene. His handles aren’t as strong as Graham. He can’t rebound as well as Perry. There just isn’t room on this deep of a team for him to get minutes.
Self had a quote saying he looked down his bench and saw 8 starters. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard him say anything like that in the passed. He’s talked about not having a drop off. Or finishing games matters more than starting them. 2008 was certainly close with Sherron and Kaun coming off the bench and Sherron usually in at the end. But even that year was really a 7 man rotation with the occasional 8th man being Little or Cole. This team is really deep. So when can we get Frank some REST!?!?!
Probably never. He’s too important to sit.
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@benshawks08 First off, it was Roderick Stewart. Little wasn’t on the '08 team. But you are right, it was primarily a 7 man rotation.
To your point about Svi, I think you’re making my point for me. I’m in full agreement that this team is too deep for him to get minutes. That’s not exactly a rock solid argument for him to stick around. Quite the contrary. And my point was does he want to stay another year and in all probability only move into the rotation as the 5th perimeter player (or 8th man as Roderick Stewart was in '08)? And that’s assuming Self doesn’t recruit some stud wing player that could potentially force him to the end of the bench again.
I’m not saying I’m sure he’s gone. I just think the writing may be on the wall.
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I am with you on WVU. Our guys really don’t know Huggo Muggo style smash mouth. Izzo and MSU are the closest approximation, but they play half court and Huggie is taking smash mouth full court. Huggie is borrowing from Nolan Richardson who took Okie Ball full court and added some aggression.
Huggie is taking his own half court maul-ball and mugging and tugging in transition. It is very smart. And he has the right guys to do it with.
As usual, he is short of shooters and scorers. But 40 Minutes of Mugging will expose Frank’s limits by forcing him into unexpected distribution choices, which remains his weakness from last season. Self has hidden this by playing half court and de-emphasisizing Frank’s penetrate and dish plays in tall traffic. We mostly see Frank going to iron only in the four corners without congestion inside. This minimizes the unexpected for Frank. But Huggie will try to create 90 feet of unexpected choices for him.
Also, board rats are in denial about Devonte’s vulnerability to being sped up and roughed up, which showed versus the ISU press. This not a knock on Devonte. He is green wood and doing marvelously, but he has not yet been schemed against as he is about to be by Huggie. Huggie will put Devonte down in transition hard and speed him up. The end to end thugging will be hard for him not to want to take off dribbling outside the flow.
Huggie is going all 90 feet of x-axis. It will be new for our guys and WVU is the biggest risk to my win out prediction.
Other things equal, we should split with WVU.
But the Jarhead Jayhawks can build leads with the trey, and muddy things up. And repeat. The keys will be boarding and protecting. If we wash on those stats, we win both places with superior shooters and scorers. Lose our composure from intimidation and we can lose both places.
Courage, aggression and poise in transition.
Also, we will have to put one or two of their guys down early.
This is the first meeting with Huggie when he really has the tools to play HUGGO MUGGO ball with us since WVU has joined the B12. Like Self he went finesse last season. He had some shooters and the officiating chilled him. The gloves are off this year.
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@icthawkfan316 Actually Stewart was 9th man and didn’t really play - except when Rush was rehabbing from his torn ACL and Stewart started several games! He went from basically unused to starting to being unused again - then injured himself the day before our FF game against UCN. He celebrated our Championship on crutches…
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@ParisHawk Yes I remember. I was sad for him.
And it’s an either/or as to if he was the 8th or 9th. By the end of the season, Cole was probably the 8th. I prefer to break it down to perimeter vs. bigs. Stewart was the 5th perimeter player, while Cole was the 4th big.
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@icthawkfan316 Oops! My bad on the Stewart/Little mix up! Not sure where my head was at. The only way I see a possible transfer or Svi going back home is the situation you brought up of Self landing another elite wing freshman. He is too talented and Self has talked so much about his upside and potential. Svi has a lot more to offer than Stewart did in 2008. With Kelly gone we would need Svi’s size and length at the 3. It’s still possible for him to even compete for a starting job next year. While Greene is playing well now, there is no guarantee that Self doesn’t get fed up with his ever tangled feet on D. We have to remember that Svi is seventeen (is he still?). He has so much room for growth I just don’t see Self letting him go.
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My “gentle” counterpostulate to this 4 out, 1 in idea, is that foul trouble on bigs may have allowed this mix of personnel to then do what they’re strengths are (drive & kick, & shooting). We resemble recent yrs’ Duke squads, but with a little better Self spice, and athletic talent.
Story of the game was our ‘inflexible’ coach conceding O rbds, just to get back on D. Self’s obsession with disrupting the opponent’s O paid off here. He realized ISU’s “magic” was to manufacture high% FGs or FTs with transition runouts. Self knew that ISU labors in their halfcourt sets, as they always do, and should shoot worse from deep on the road than they do in Hilton. He was correct. He also knew our D is the best its been in 2yrs, even improving since that game in Ames 2 wks ago…just get the boys in position to actually use it. And our depth.
See also most of our 3s were open-look 3s, as Hoiberg was trying do the Stanford-D of packing the paint, which is of course a good way to defend Self’s hi-lo (without a 7ftr or a burlybig like Black).
I would further point out that Self has always allowed open-look-3s. Those were the 3s that Sherron went 0-6 vs. UNI, and Reed 1-7 vs VCU. And in both games, ku didnt get back on D. So, we got back on D, disrupted ISU mightily, and hit shots in our own gym.
The games against WVa will be tougher…
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@benshawks08 I hope you’re right. I’m very high on Svi and his ceiling. I definitely don’t see Self “letting him go”.
And you’re right also in that he could compete with Greene for the starting role next year. But two things: 1) Greene’s defense has vastly improved. He’s not great, but he’s more than competent now as opposed to last season and even early this season. And 2) Svi himself looked lost on defense earlier this season. In particular, it was his inability to handle ball screens that eventually forced him to the bench and paved the way for Oubre to ascend to the starting role. So Svi will have to improve his own defense before he can overtake Greene. Can he do improve enough in practice alone while Greene sees court time, plus get Hudy-ized in the off-season? Perhaps.
Regardless, I would be happy with next year’s perimeter if we don’t land anybody and we keep Svi.
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Me too. Imagine if Greene gets in shape to play big minutes. If he takes 5 threes a game? And if Svi can turn it on like some have hinted he could that would be a very solid perimeter with Selden, Graham, and Mason. Doesn’t mean I won’t be happy if we land another blue chipper! Imagine how much tougher practices are this year with such a deep bench than last year with all those freshman!
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The thing about WVU’s press is that if you break it successfully our chances of scoring immediately off a lob dunk or layup are pretty high. That was something K-St wasn’t athletic enough to take advantage of. But from my vantage point Ellis/Traylor/Cliff could get a handful of easy dunks of it. From just watching that game I saw a press that was predicated on the opponent helping them out. K-St gave them 10 or so turnovers without them even trying hard. If our guys are poised, and have an understanding of how to beat it then I’m confident we can expose them. But if we employ the tactics we showed last night then we are in trouble. That’s why practice leading up to the game will be key, even with the short turnaround from the Baylor game. I kind of expect us to struggle in Morgantown with it and then have a similar adjustment game at home. If we walk out of Morgantown with a win its hard to imagine KU not winning the league from that point on.
The other key is defensively stopping Staten. He’s a one man band out there for them and his quickness is simply not matched. Mason and Graham can be jets but Staten is just a blur out there. He will put a lot of pressure on them and it will be key for them guys to stay out of foul trouble because he’s an expert actor.
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I’m also going to tune into the Oklahoma WVU game tonight to see how affective they are against a good team with good guard play which we have. Will be the only time I’m rooting for the Sooners.
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@globaljaybird
And a danged FOS, but appreciated compliment, too.
(added subsequently) I am curious what wax on wax off refers to in the post below. @JayHawkFanToo. It sounds like a reference to something Mr.Miyagi said, is that correct?
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Wax on, wax off…wax on, wax off…remember how Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel-san not only about the basics of Karate but also about personal balance?
I believe Coach Self has taken his time teaching his team not only the basics of all the different styles of offense and defense but more importantly, has allowed them to find out for themselves what he they do best and what they don’t, and now the team is putting all the pieces together and playing to its strengths and the competition weaknesses.
KU has now put together 3 really good games (UT, KSU and ISU), and one (TCU) that perhaps they were hoping they could use to rest players and became closer than it needed to be. KU is now in firm control of the conference and players are headed towards their anticipated potentials. There is no question that all the rotation players are playing considerably better now than they were 10-15 games earlier.
Mason is starting to show signs of fatigue and I am sure Coach Self wishes he could give him some additional rest, but as well as Davonte has played, he is not quite ready to take over the position for extended periods of time and he is still at his best when playing with Mason. Also, opposing defenses are a lot more aware of Mason’s scoring capabilities and are planning accordingly, something he did not see in the earlier part of the season when Ellis was the one constantly being double teamed. The tough conference competition should help not only KU but all conference teams in the post season.
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Apology to Landon Lucas;
Mr, Lucas a few games back I mentioned that I never saw worse hands in my life. I was agitated at the time but felt like a replay of the tape would justify my comments. Well in the games since I’ve noticed those hands are working just fine. Sorry about that hasty judgement!
Seriously though, Landon may not be the stud super talented big man but talk about somebody that with very limited floor experience is coming in and giving valuable minutes. His D is improving, he’s drawing fouls, spacing the floor nicely, and when given the chance scoring. His improvement is largely overshadowed by others and he still has a ways to go to be a rotation player. But it is sure nice to see we have someone that won’t hurt the team when the situation call for it. Particularly when like last night Cliff just seemed out of sorts and Jamari had periods of time he could not get out of his own way.
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@jaybate-1.0 I’ve noticed the last 3 games, BG doesn’t like to get roughed up, more than anyone else in the team.
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@icthawkfan316 when both teams went out at half, they all looked really tired. I thought the 2nd half frank was much stronger, finished those 3 free throws, as opposed to TCU game, when he was really tired, and was short. They all need to spend some extra time on throws!!
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@Jyhwk_InTigrtwn I agree! Lucas plays hard, got some key boards. I have a hard time w/McKay!
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Good discussion everyone.
I was glad to see Self make the adjustment of having guys get back on defense to stop ISU when they try to run. Kind of a novel idea, I suppose.
And once again, Self has them start out in the stagnant inside-out, but eventually switches to outside-in. As we have discussed before, playing outside-in is the only way they have a chance at a final four and challenging UK.
