Bill Self willing to rest Jayhawks if needed during Big 12 tourney week
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I didn’t get an overwhelming sense he would if they are in a close game
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Reading that would really disappoint me if I was going to the tournament. However, I’d be surprised if they played any way, but hard.
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I feel like he will rest them during timeouts.
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I am one that would hope that actually Coach DOES rest the guys some in the tournament. - -We have NOTHING to gain out of the Big 12 Post season tourney - -none - - zero - -zip - -zilch. Let another team have the Post Season Big 12 Championship if it came down to it.
We have already proven who the REAL Champion of the big 12 is this Season. - - We won the Championship over A SEASON - -not a mere 4 day weekend.
I would much rather rest these guys that are nicked up/tired , if they play - - play them sparingly - - let Doke give McCormack blows - - Let Dotson give Marcus blows - - Let Christian give Moss blows. - -it just serves us no purpose really to play these guys, taking that risk for them to re-injure that ankle - seems to be the case with all three/ Ankles…
I would much rather have a fresh rested healthier group then to just win a post season Conference Championship. - -With the group we would have playing would still be very competitive . Let Marcus run point , Moss at the 2 play Ochai at what the 3 ? - - let Tristian and Silvio get more minutes - - that way have some more experience come NCAA time for spot minutes with them, and have Dotson - - Doke - - and Marcus fresh - -we would be fine. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@jayballer73 Resting them up was always my philosophy too, but they won the Big12 tournament in 2008 too. Those guys didn’t know how to quit and I don’t see any quit in this team either. Don’t expect an early exit.
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Houston is fri/mon, right? I think marcus will get the most rest. Will self help get his friend Chris in, but not Shaka? Nah!
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If KU wins the Big 12 tournament, they are a lock for the #1 overall seed. If they don’t win the Big 12 tournament, they are still a #1 seed, and probably no worse than the second overall #1. There just isn’t a ton of incentive for KU this year. They can’t really improve their stock, and it will be very difficult for them to fall very far. KU is #1 in BPI, #1 in RPI, has a top 10 schedule and has a lot of Tier 1 wins.
Let’s look at the other candidates for the #1 overall seed:
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Gonzaga. They don’t have another opportunity for a big win. Saint Mary’s is #38 in BPI. That’s the next best team in the WCC. Gonzaga would have to win the WCC, and do so in very convincing fashion, to even have a shot at the #1 overall, and they still probably come up short. As of right now, they would be the third overall seed, so they have work to do.
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Baylor. KU won the Big 12 regular season title by 2 games. That’s going to matter to the committee. Perhaps if Baylor can win the Big 12 tournament (and beat KU) they could have an argument for getting the #1 overall based on winning 2 of 3 against KU. But even then, KU is the second overall seed in that scenario (likely the only way they aren’t the #1 overall seed), unless Gonzaga wins every game in the WCC tournament convincingly.
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Dayton. KU owns a neutral court win over them, so like Gonzaga, they would have to win the A-10 by laying waste to the competition, and even then, KU has the head to head win. I don’t see how Dayton can leapfrog KU.
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Florida State. The only other major conference team with a chance at the #1 overall seed, IMHO. Maryland has too many losses. They would need to win the ACC tournament, and would probably need to do so through the most challenging path available (wins over Clemson, Duke and either Louisville or Virginia). Even then, that probably doesn’t boost their resume enough for the #1 overall, regardless of what KU does.
In this rare instance, it actually makes sense to rest guys. There isn’t anything to gain, and there is a ton that could be lost. Rest everyone you can and get ready for next week.
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