January 25: News Headlines Digest
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**Also see Our Daily Threads (January 25) and the News Digest for yesterday (January 24) as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday (January 24) **
##Bedore: KU men return to TCU mindful of last year’s loss##
Kansas University’s fifth-ranked basketball team trailed the Big 12’s last-place squad, TCU, 20-6 with four minutes left in the first half of last year’s head-scratcher of a game at sold-out Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
Odds appeared slim the Jayhawks would even hit double figures by the 20-minute mark.
###Newell: Jayhawks hope to put last year’s shocking road loss to TCU behind them###
FORT WORTH, Texas — Tarik Black was on a campus bus earlier this week when a fellow student gave him the lowdown on last year’s loss at TCU.
“We were missing layups, like point-blank layups. Open threes that nobody was around the ball. It just wasn’t going in the rim at all,” the KU forward said. “They said the ball just wouldn’t go in the rim. I’m not sure how that takes place.”
###Dodd: KU need only look to last season for a reminder of what can happen on the road###
LAWRENCE — In the days before Kansas was scheduled to board a plane for a road game at TCU, senior forward Tarik Black hopped on a bus on the KU campus.
These are the moments where college sports can feel less like a billion-dollar enterprise and more like a cozy fabric of campus life. On Wednesday, Black simply wanted to escape the biting cold like any other student. And the kid sitting next to him on the bus wanted to talk basketball — mostly about that night at TCU in early 2013.
###Keegan: Column: Forward rotation good motivation for Ellis, Traylor###
Whenever smart coaches talk to the public through the media, they often tailor their messages to specific targets, namely their players.
Sometimes it’s easy to determine at which player Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self aims his message. At other times, he camouflages his delivery just enough to keep you guessing.
###Finkelstein: Kansas Big Men: Potential vs Production
The major difference between Embiid and Alexander lies in potential vs. production. There was no denying that Embiid had incredible talent last year, and the rapid rate at which his tools evolved was why he climbed the rankings more than any other prospect in the Class of 2013. At the time, however, Embiid lacked the sheer production of guys like Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle or even Andrew and Aaron Harrison, and likely wouldn’t have been capable of putting a team on his back to upset the top team in the country as Alexander just did at Hoophall.
One of the hardest parts about evaluating is not making too much of one performance, like Alexander’s on Monday, especially when your evaluations are based on long-term projections.
In Alexander’s case, he was far and away the most dominant prospect in the Hoophall field and turned in a performance that perhaps no player in the country could have duplicated, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the top prospect.
####Dana O’Neil, ESPN.com Kansas’ Joel Embiid a secret no more#### Freshman has the game for the NBA. But is he ready to take his game there? Originally Published: January 20, 2014
I said to my wife, Cindy, the other morning, wouldn’t it have been a shame if someone didn’t see him over there?
–Kansas coach Bill Self
**Also see Our Daily Threads (January 25) and the News Digest for yesterday (January 24) as well as Daily Threads for Yesterday (January 24) **
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@approxinfinity TCU last year ranks as the worst loss for KU since I’ve been a fan. It doesn’t sting as much as the various NCAA shockers, but in terms of us as a heavy favorite going against an inept team, well it tops the cake to me.
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I predict KU wins tonite
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@wissoxfan83 I have great news … we have a chance to avenge that loss. I got a chuckle out of Tarik Black’s assessment of “underrated” TCU. The fact we laid an egg last year is great motivation to play well against the “underrated” ( they ARE 3rd in the Big 12 in free throw
TCU Frogs.
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For some rare arrangements, last year game at TCU was televised live on a Local Shanghai Network. I was so excited and woke up real early to watch it. Then, the unthinkable unfolded in front of my very eyes. For my beloved hawks, I endured the entire game with disbelief. Thank goodness, I am not going to have the chance to watch this game again this year. RCJH!
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Shanghai, I thought it was tough being a Jayhawks fan in Louisiana!
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we are blessed to have only a handful of tough to stomach losses, a couple to Duke years ago, that Arizona Bibby team, then the Carmela game and a few early exits from the dance. This TCU was a good loss as it served as wake up call and got us ready for the run.
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If Joel stays another year, we’re going to have an embarrassment of riches in the post next year, and Self will have a tough task trying to allocate minutes to both maximize team production without hurting anyone’s ego. Say Alexander ends the year as the #1 high school prospect, how do you sit him and have him come off the bench? Even if he falls anywhere in the top 10, players that highly ranked don’t sign on somewhere to sit. So…Perry comes off the bench? That’s rough for a former McDonalds All-American to be relegated to back-up duty his junior year. And don’t think that Self will start him at the 3; we’ll have enough talent on the perimeter without adding him into the mix. Don’t get me wrong, it will be a nice problem to have, but it will be interesting to see how that situation develops (again, if Joel stays, which I hope he does).
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@dylans nice work man!
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@icthawkfan316 I’ll let you and jaybate fight it out whether Perry could play the 3. I would think with Embiid and Alexander sitting in the paint, Perry’s deficiencies could be reduced.
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@approxinfinity TCU, trap game? In light of last years shocker loss there last year, I cant say for sure that it is. Will the freshmen and newcomers be mindful of the potential for another upset loss today?
Have not read JNew’s pregame bit but I’ll take a shot at what our 3 keys to the game might be. First and foremost, the turnover monkey. This would be a great game to work on ball handling, crisp passes and NOT turning the ball over carelessly. Second, how about working on getting a couple more steals. Not something KU has been particularly adept at this year. Quite frankly, I thought they would be good at it considering all of our L&A’s. Third, keeping the fouling to a minimum while being more aggressive at drawing fouls.
If KU can win these three areas, look for a win by a wide margin. Im still picking a close game though, KU by 10.
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@Lulufulu85 rebounding will be huge!
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“So…Perry comes off the bench? That’s rough for a former McDonalds All-American to be relegated to back-up duty his junior year.”
In that scenario, Perry becomes the first man off the bench. There is no way Self is going keep Alexander on the bench. He is the perfect cut 4 for a Self hi/lo.
Maybe Perry can get a few minutes at the 3, 4 and 5… enough to keep him active with minutes.
The only option for putting Alexander on the bench is if Ellis can beat him out of the job. Fancy that!
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@KUSTEVE @drgnslayr Let me just say that Perry could play the 3. I just don’t know that he could play it well enough, particularly on the defensive end, as other options we will have. Oubre, by all accounts, is a plus defender already, and would probably be ahead of Perry in terms of playing the 3. I would think Greene would be better at the 3 than Perry. A 3 guard line-up of Tharpe, Mason, & Selden (assuming he returns) at the 3 might be preferable to Self than having Perry at the 3. And while not a likelihood, what if Wiggins decides to return for another season? I just see too many combinations that would keep Perry from playing the 3.
I agree that Perry being the first man off the bench to sub in the post makes the most sense. Just that it could be a blow to his ego and it would be up to Self to manage that.
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I think TCU is underrated based on the fact that they are better than you would think being 0-6 in the conference. Decent showing in non-conf., played OU tough at Loyd Noble and some other close conference games. The only thing that worries me is that sometimes these types of things can be on the players minds so much that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Shouldn’t happen though…
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I think Perry would like to play the 3, because if he hopes to make it in the NBA he’ll need to become a 3. I think the trade-off in lost PT at the 4 could be compensated for with a few minutes at the 3.
Hey… it is up to Perry to earn minutes at whatever position he would like to play. Self just wants to win games and he wants to give out PT on the basis of who will win him more games.
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@icthawkfan316 Perry is a very smart guy, doesn’t seem to be a big ego type personality to me. While it may be a bit deflating at first, I really think Perry will be ok with being the best 6th man in the Big 12 next year. After all, its what is best for the team yah?
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Off topic, but a special shout out and Rock Chalk to Gary Woodland (KU alum) who is leading the golf tournament at Torrey Pines. His caddie has a Jayhawk on his name tag banner. Pretty cool.
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@Lulufulu85 I hope Perry is not ok w/it!
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@Hawk8086 really cool! Rock Chalk!
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If we have Joel, Cliff, and Perry next year then I think you have to play just a three man rotation, barring extreme foul trouble. Play two guys 13 minutes and one 12 per half. That’s a lot of minutes to go around. If a player gets into foul trouble, those minutes can be given to one of the other core post men or we bring Jamari in. So in a three man rotation, if somebody gets two or more fouls in a half and one of the other two players has one or less, either of them can get extra minutes. If two or more players get into foul trouble, you bring in the bench. I think you start whichever two defends and rebounds the best without fouling, none of the three will have problems scoring.
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@approxinfinity Thanks, try to help when and where I can. I just hope you are still enjoying runing this site. I don’t know what I’d do whith my spare time otherwise!
