Well guys, I’ve been following so many of you since the old site when I was a little kid and even followed some on the old cbssports message boards, I’ve read all of your posts for years and always felt like I’ve had nothing to contribute but I have to say I’m pretty crushed by this loss. This is three losses in a row in the month of March that I just find totally inexcusable. I try and convince myself that I care more about the regular season, the grind it out victories that translate into 11 conference championships that may some day equal those of my hero Coach Wooden, but these disappointing efforts stick with me more than those conference championships every year. I wish it weren’t so, but it is.

In 2012 I was lucky enough to have been in St. Louis and experience in person the incredible effort that propelled us to victory against UNC to New Orleans. I watched the unexplainable upset against Ohio State in Allen Fieldhouse and celebrated on Mass Street. These memories stick with me. Since that time I’ve been away from Kansas and I feel drawn to the Kansas and KC area through our sports teams and through you guys. My family traveled without me to Dallas in 2013 and experienced the heartbreak firsthand. Through it all, I always come back to you guys. Jaybate and HEM, to name just a couple, have been my go to opinions for Kansas basketball. This is an incredible site, you all are such a joy to read. The positivity, loyalty, and depth of knowledge is refreshing.

I talked to my father at length about this, we are spoiled, of that there is no doubt. But I do not not believe it is irrational to expect these teams to advance to the second weekend. I didn’t expect this team to be national champions. But to me, losing in the round of 32 two years in a row is similar to a first round exit. If you cannot make it to the second weekend with the talented players and coach that we have than you’ve underperformed at Kansas. So here I am, emotionally raw and in the process of recovery. I just wanted to thank you for the citadel of Kansas basketball this site has provided. You guys are awesome. I hope to see some of you around for the Royals?? Anyways, always faithful to our Jayhawks! Rock Chalk!

Got these numbers from wikipedia so I apologize in advance if they’re inaccurate. The percentage of 2 seeds advancing in the round of 32 past either 7 or 10 seeds historically lies at about 67%. Strong odds but greatly reduced compared to 1 seeds vs 8 or 9 seeds which rests at around 86%. Almost a twenty point difference. Kansas’ performance as a 2 seed (7 times with 3 losses coming in the second round) is around 58%. Undeniably under-performing with two of the three losses coming this year and last year. The positive in me says in ten years, with the consistency of our program, that number should progress closer towards the mean or even exceed it.

WHAT IF Gooden comes back for the 2002-2003 season. One of my many depressing what if’s concerning Kansas basketball.

@JhawkAlum I think you hit it right on the head. You want to go hard into second when there is clearly no chance of turning a double? Fine. That is a style of play that’s been around since the fiery and bigoted Ty Cobb terrorized the bases. You can play that way, but there is also a response to that type of performance that is just as old in the form of retribution.

I don’t know if the Royals are quickly becoming the most disliked team in the division or even maybe the league, but it sure does seem that way. Baseball is at it’s heart a conservative game. So maybe our boys in blue ruffle some grey feathers with their attitudes and swagger. I’m okay with that. They’re having FUN and it’s an absolute joy for us fans to see it. If the baseball establishment deems us the bad guys then so be it. When’s the last time the Kansas City Royals have been a good enough ball club to be disliked? Sure beats being the lovable loser.

@wissoxfan83

I have to be honest, I get the criticism and I think it’s warranted…but all of this talk about giving up on Coach Self is kind of blowing me away. If you think Coach Self is not the guy to get us banner number six then…well then I guess it’s agree to disagree on that one. Eleven Big 12 Conference Championships mean nothing? No, they don’t give us the high of a Final Four but that is a special run guys.

I was like Brooks, I drove home from Washington state once with my father to the KC area. I hadn’t been back to Kansas in almost a couple of years and when I reached Kanorado, which any experienced I-70 driver will recognize as the first or final town in Kansas–depending on direction of travel–I felt re-energized and it seemed as if the stars were brighter and the air cleaner. Once I make it back to the Kansas prairie I’ll never leave it again. It gets in your blood.

@jaybate-1.0 “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”

Interesting perspective on the possible political machinations going on within and around athletic programs. You do believe that there is a concerted effort by some to topple coaches, regardless of program success? Take Kansas for example, who would be in line to benefit from a successful effort to push Coach Self out? I find your comments regarding the wide-ranging excuses for firings quite accurate and something that always leaves me chuckling when I see statements from Universities praising the efforts and successes of a coach they just fired.

What worries me is I think some have an oversimplified perspective of the role of a coach, particularly at this level, be it philosophically or administratively. Coach Self’s responsibilities at Kansas are huge in both scope and size. He is at once a basketball coach, a mentor, a politician, a salesman, and so on. He assumes many identities and must be successful in all of them to sustain the level of success that he has. It is not as simple as winning in March.

Let’s look at a man whose success in the NCAA tournament is unparalleled; John Wooden. To attribute his success to superior x’s and o’s would be an insult to his legacy. Coach Wooden taught boys how to be good men and in turn good teammates because his philosophy combined with his basketball knowledge was all encompassing. He was adamant that the most important coaching he did was away from the basketball court. If he could be successful there the winning would take care of itself because both his basketball and life philosophy were interdependent. Success on the court was merely a by-product of success in other fields. In my opinion, his astonishing accomplishments validated his coaching and teaching methods. I would argue that his success off the court was crucial to his success on the court.

So what if Coach Wooden had not won any of those championships? Would he really be any less of a coach without a title? Was he not a good coach before and without a national championship? How do we or should we define success? Even here in Kansas where we have obtained a level of consistent excellence that has not been matched since the Wizard’s days we seem to have grown bored. This is where I often differ with Kansas fans and fans in general. I believe Coach Self has been and still is wildly successful for more reasons than wins and losses. I think it is important not only to succeed on the court but in the classroom and in the community. I DO NOT believe the only marker of excellence at a university in any role is on an athletic field. If I did I would lament that Coach Cal is at UK, not KU. Of course I want more banners. Of course I think we have at times fallen short. This, however, is where I refer back to my second paragraph; Coach Self is so wildly successful in every role he must fulfill that I would not trade him for any other coach in the country. The basketball program at The University of Kansas under Head Coach Bill Self is truly something every Kansan can be proud of.

My friend’s grandfather is from the south side and so a Sox fan and mourns the tearing down of Comiskey Park at least once every time I see him. “I cannot believe they tore Comiskey down for that ridiculous cellphone field they call a ballpark, makes me sick. Comiskey was more of a classic than Wrigley, son. She was a ballpark!” Or something like that.

What a classy human being. It’s such a shame his great mind failed him at the end.

have I mentioned I hate St. Louis?

be a hero here moose

Come on boys!!!

Alright boys, let’s do it here

@Crimsonorblue22 that would be a good place for one! My entire family went there before the Final Four game vs OSU in 2012 and then on to Allen…and then on to Mass after the game. That was a magical night. I do when I make it home! I always try to let my mother relax while I do the dishes because I realized too late how much work she put into all our family meals when I was young so I try to make up for it when I’m home.

@Crimsonorblue22 the view from the Mt. Oread hotel is my favorite!

And that ballpark is also the worst treatment I’ve ever received from an opposing fan base. Just a bunch of drunken hicks that couldn’t leave me alone. Beer and popcorn ‘accidentally’ spilled on me.

I hate St. Louis like I do Missery, but they have one hell of a ballpark, I’ll give them that.

Those dorms are behind Hoglund right?

@Crimsonorblue22 Those are cool pics! That supposed to be done by basketball season?