Ok, just my take
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Ok guys, here is my take, just my take, and only my take. The way I see this is, we were just plain and simple mentally if not mentally and game PREPARED at all period. Total lack of focus, just dead, no emotion, no flow, just dead, dead dead. I hear excuses for why, but makes no sense to me, Landon Lucas saying he was tired out of shape? you miss 1 game and your out of condition? Devonte saying they were away from the bench in the 2nd half so they didn’t know what they, I’m assuming Harvard was running? Another thing I just don’t get is up until the last 2 games we had been shooting actually pretty well from the line and now all a sudden just ugly, ugly free throw pct & why is that? I played enough ball and was told countless times that free throw shooting like so much other factors of the game is concentration all about focus, to me we just were NOT into for whatever reason in this game mentally. Another thing is and I dunno I guess I am just brain dead but coach Self says as he calls them our little guards were just tired they had to play so many minutes- - - ok I understand, maybe true so- - - - I’m I that big of an idiot if Devonte & Frank were that tired could we not sub LaGerald in and have him play the 2 spot for at least a couple of minutes? has he not EVER played that before? I’m sure he has played that position some and I think even this season here maybe not, it’s not like Harvard was applying extreme on ball defensive pressure, but yet LaGerald doesn’t touch the floor for 1 sec WHY?. The only thing we can say about this game is we won, forget about it and move on, get ready for Holy Cross. I’m sure there will be some spirited practices between now and then. Coach Self said he actually didn’t think actually we played that bad, ummm, we didn’t play that well. Once again seen numerous times especially late, we get beat off the dribble drive to the basket, sorry just a little frustrated about this game, to me anyway we just lost focus, our heads wasn’t in it, missed bunnies, missed free throw, out rebounded, just listless play I mean DAM, ok let me step down off my bitch box now, look forward to Wednsday, not a lot to look back on this game. ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@jayballer54 The last team KU had that could play a half court game and still get to the final four was in 2008. Self has to figure out how to push tempo, because all except one of his teams suck when playing slow. When that happens, all of a team’s flaws are exposed , then we get in a big discussion about this and that.
Fix the problem by playing fast.
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Heck, even the Wiggins Hawks would have gone to the Final Four by pushing tempo. I can only imagine how many final fours and championships Rick Pitino would have if he had Selfs players the last 5 years.
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@DinarHawk really, wow! Throw in some hookers too?
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@Crimsonorblue22 I think you are missing my point. This year’s team is championship grade when they push the tempo. It is up to Self to find a way to do that.
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Players were tired. Self must have run them ragged in practice this week. Wonder if this is the start of some Xtreme conditioning to prepare for Shaka and UT. They’ve looked tired in their games too. Self wants to crush Smart for ruining a shot at a title. Who cares if we only beat Harvard by 10. Score one for Jesse against the spread. Someone could make some money using his advice!
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This team’s best transition offense comes off defensive rebounds…and so many of those were contested that we weren’t getting quick outlets.
I wasn’t paying attention to Harvards guards…were they falling back on the shot?
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@DinarHawk I like playing fast too, and press! Did u see post game? Dg said w/Wayne in foul trouble they had to play more mins and were not as aggressive because they were tired. Just passing along the news
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@Crimsonorblue22 hopefully that is the reason and not Self reverting back to his old ways.
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Harvard hit many long! LONG threes. Good to see Lucas step up at the end like he did last year against Huggy. Our main three shooter was on the bench with 4 fouls. Mason and Devonte had to carry the load without Wayne and Ellis. Ellis had a bad game but his late quick five probably won the game.
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Team struggled. Team won. Darn shame to see so many major minutes eaten up, at this early and developmental stage of the year, by 7 players vs. a team with such a pitiful season record. Harvard was very well coached, and Crimson players rose just shy of the upset occasion; but, jeez, their much shorter squad slayed us on the boards?!!! Frank looked tired, but was forced to carry a 38 minute load at this stage of the season? Much more of this, and we are headed for the same ol’ same old injury plagued March. Svi, Hunter, Carlton and Cheick were offered a marvelous opportunity to step up and show their stuff today. But took a pass on the opportunity. This Jayhawk showing looked to be a giant step backwards. Hats off to Harvard coaching and valiant effort in the crowded clamor of AFH. Grapes must taste even more sour for their losing crew than for our weary victors.
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@benshawks08 I hear the “tired” excuse a lot. I don’t buy it. They weren’t tired in Hawaii when they pounded Chaminade, UCLA and Vanderbilt in three consecutive days.
They’re 18, 19 and 20 years old, you can’t wear them out. When I was that age, I’d swim (and drink) all day at the pool then go down to Herman Park in Houston and play 3 on 3 until 2 or 3 in the morning. And drink some more.
Tired? Nah. Unmotivated and lazy today, more like it.
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In all fairness, several coaches from other programs that have been to Hawaii indicate that it takes a full two weeks to recover from the jet lag resulting from traveling across so many time zones.
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@JayHawkFanToo Lol - the “coaches” - they’re all old like me. Heck, I’m tired after going to the mall to buy shoes now.
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I believe they were referring to their players…:)
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I’m not one for making excuses. Yet I think you have a point on the travel thing. It is often believed and even acknowledge by Vegas betters that a team traveling from one coast to the other is at a disadvantage just of the travel.
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@DoubleDD Perry makes no excuses, but did u read he had a hip injury?
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No I didn’t know that. Yet a hip injury would hurt any persons game.
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Good input my friends, Although still haven’t heard any kind of response to one question I ask on this topic, and that being Coach Self saying that our guards were pressuring the heck out of the ball in the 1st half which resulted in 15 turnovers, but he stated they got tired & to which I replied like he says they are really good, and they are BUT if they were so tired, you mean he couldn’t spell them even for a couple of minutes with VICK, LaGerald never even touched the floor for 1 second, I feel pretty sure I’ve seen him playing the 2 for a few recently, I think he is capable enough to give them at least a couple of minutes, he could handle as well as Wayne when Wayne was/is running at the 2 spot we are not talking 6, 7 10 minutes- - we are talking 2,3,4, minutes but yet I believe he is THE ONLY player that didn’t sniff the floor but yet Coach Self is saying our guards got tired and Wayne got in fould trouble, so he couldn’t relieve them, somebody help me out- - -WHY? ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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Have you consider that Vick might have been injured or on as “soft” suspension due to on or off-court issues? I am not saying that either is the case but in the past, players that skipped classes, for example, had their playing time cut. Maybe we should give Coach Self the benefit of the doubt before we start second guessing him; he is obviously a lot better at what he does than all of us…don’t you think?
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@JayHawkFanToo I think the best explanation is that Vick is low on the pecking order and it’s hard to justify playing him over our top four perimeter guys. I can’t at this stage contemplate why Vick would be a better option than Mason, Graham, Selden, or Svi.
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That is as good an explanation as any. Vick is a 4 year player and he will get his time…in time.
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@JayHawkFanToo No 2nd guessing to it, your not going to find a bigger supporter of Coach SELF then myself, there are ALOT and I do mean ALOT of others on this site included that are really quick to place blame on Self a guy who’s teams he has coached at KU has lost 3 times in Allen since 2008 I challenge anyone to question my support of Coach self BUT all I said was, that coming out of Devonte own mouth yesterday was he was tired, and Coach Self said they got wore down, My only question was and still is Where was Vick, has to be something, like I said surely he could of spelled for a couple of minutes Why was Vick the only player other then Greene and walk on’s not to touch the floor for a sec. Nothing mentioned by ANYONE about him getting discliplined or hurt by any media, coaches ANYBODY so where was he? if the guards were tired. Plus I do hope that since you may be thinking I’m 2nd guessing, /I do hope you remember your own words when umm maybe you might be one of the arm chair coaches that constantly want to crush Bill Self on his high lo offense ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@HighEliteMajor The scenario I am trying to figure is, surposedly the guards were tired, Seldon was in foul trouble most of the game, So Svi was replacing Seldon in the rotation which leaves Vick to relieve Graham & Mason maybe not a better option but under this scenario seeing as how they said they were tired he would of been the only option during that time ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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A tired Mason of Graham is better than a fresh Vick?
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@jayballer54 Your question makes sense … I just don’t think he trusted Vick in that situation, much like he didn’t trust Diallo or Bragg.
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@HighEliteMajor thank you, THAT could be maybe, at least , that would make some kind of sense, very well could be, but then this makes another question arise in which a lot of others have brought up , and I wish I could give the answer myself because I DO hate to try and second guess a coach because there is a reason they are the coach and I am who I am BUT going off the theory that you used and it is a logical reason , but that brings up this question, how are these talents ever going to be able to gain the trust if they don’t play at some point you have to turn them loose, let them out, and if they make the mistake, then let them play through the mistake. THATS how you learn just as anything else In life, even in life in general when your young , your strong, bull headed, no one can tell you anything you know it all right? and you just do it the way you think is right AND YOU LEARN, you learn maybe that it wasn’t right. That’s the same with these 3 Coach needs to put them out let them play, if they make the mistake then they learn, they learn the next time what NOT to do or at least we hope, but they can’t learn if you don’t turn them loose.Play them in all kinds of situations, actually might be better to put them in a tense tough situation help them prepare for down the line, Let learn if they have to off their mistakes. I personally would not have NEAR the problem with letting them play now, get experience, make their mistakes, grow NOW. I could live with an early season loss if need be while they grow, and gain experience, would lots rather that happen now in non-conference then during the season OR in the NCAA’S if you wait until late then put them in a pressure situation, where they are really in-experienced and not knowing how to play through could prove a lot more costly. ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
