Tiller has been solid with double teams and the rotations have gotten a lot better.

Also nice to know an off night for DP is 19 points and the game tying and game winning 3s.

I heard someone say on the could be wrong podcast that people who don't love council are just not BALL knowers. Couldn't agree more. And I know DP is great. Like really really good. But I still just would rather watch Council bring the ball up than DP. The energy he brings to every step he takes on the court is infectious. (I'm not saying Council should play instead of DP just to be clear) Hopefully they will complement each other with one being so calm cool and collected and the other being always ready to be a burst of pure energy. DP is great. Maybe the best freshman we've ever had, but it's watching guys like Council that make it easy for me to be a Jayhawk fan.

@wissox83 said in Kansas Jayhawks @ NC State Wolfpack Game Chat Sat. 12/13 4:30 CT:

@FarmerJayhawk

Yeah, even when he had an off game yesterday he got 17 points seemingly almost effortlessly.

And more than the 17 points was how he freed up Melvin to go off early and gain the confidence to carry late.

I like the dunk at the end. Love that these guys have some fight and toughness on the road. KU has had such road struggles some running it in on little brother really feels good.

What I see with Council and his shooting is he is not afraid to shoot an open shot when it is presented. Eventually a decent percentage of those will go down. But he has also been the guy for most of this season who is willing to take the difficult ugly shot rather than just get a turnover. And I think it's clear he doesn't really care about his percentages or stat lines, the only number he cares about is the final score.

@ROCKCHALK2025 in my darkest thoughts I go to that he has never finished a game for us. So maybe he’s afraid he’s not clutch. I notice he came out vs North Carolina when it became clear their guy was the best player on the court. He didn’t play against UConn which would have been the perfect opportunity to come out and show he’s the best.

There’s a part of me that thinks the perception that he is one of the top 3 players in college basketball is already out there so it’s easier to not give any evidence to the contrary rather than attempt to prove he’s number 1.

I just know for sure you’d have to DRAG Melvin off the court in the last 2 minutes of a close game.

I then also think about how the bal sticks when he’s on the court. Will we ever see the ball sing with him out there like it has several times this year as it whips around the court? Is he gonna give up his body like Jamari would for a charge or a loose ball?

At the same time if he plays 15 minutes during that dead stretch vs UConn we win that game. All to say I’m conflicted, I’m disappointed we haven’t see him play to his full potential, and I feel like we aren’t being told the full truth of what is going on. I don’t feel like any of that is owed to us as fans. But it is still sad and frustrating.

@drgnslayr Cal’s recent comments on the transfer portal were really some of the best I’ve heard. He talked about having the first transfer be allowed with no penalty but then requiring the year to sit after that. You get into a bad situation, the coach lied or left or whatever, then yeah get out and find somewhere better, but after that don’t go chasing money. And his concern was not for himself and as a coach but instead for the players. Talking how if you transfer to four schools in four years you almost assuredly aren’t graduating. And then you have no connection to any university or people who will commit to helping you down the line.

@FormerlyStlJhawk said in Utah Utes vs the Kansas Kans 2/7 1:30 CT:

@Jayhawk_69 what I liked best about Withey blocks was they usually weren't just slapped away in any direction but often towards one of our guys (or himself). Such a joy to watch him

Flory kept most of not all of them in play today. Was a hell of a game from him.

Guess flory has figured out how to play against size and length.

@wissox83 I actually thought Fran was mostly fine. Considering what we’ve had from him in the past it was actually pretty low key for him.

@bskeet I definitely agree with this idea. I'd even say we could be 16 or 15. We are better than Texas. We are probably better than Iowa. Obviously, they are still playing and we aren't. They beat good teams when it mattered and we didn't. This was always a flawed team (every team is tbh). But they were fun. I believe they played hard, cared about each other, and most importantly, didn't give up at the end. This round of 32 loss doesn't feel great. The way it ended makes it hurt more than the last two in my opinion. But that says more about the positives of this team than the negatives to me. I WANTED to watch this team play more games. I was happy the two before were done... I love these players. They gave me an entertaining season that ended in heartbreak. If it doesn't end in a celebration I'd rather it end in heartbreak anyway.

I think it was farmer or maybe someone else in the live game chat that brought up the difference it makes having Melvin as the primary ball handler. I think that is right on. I think Melvin is our most consistent in terms of effort and just the act of him being the ball up the court sets a different tone.

Felt like a low effort half. Lucky to be ahead. Need more juice in the second half.

Ready to see the best player in the country show some grit.

That last flory block… *chefs kiss

To me the issue is it isn't just one thing Self is struggling with in the last 4 years. Roster construction with NIL and transfers playing right away has been an issue. Team culture and chemistry have been an issue. Health has been an issue for both players and the coach. Offensive scheme has been an issue for a LONG time. Defensive scheme has also started to pop up as a problem (though I do blame Hunter for most of that tbh). Player development has been an issue. Conference success, tournament success, double digit loss seasons. These are the outcomes. In the "year of the freshmen" we had the most highly touted and sought after one of the bunch. And while he had his moments, his production was nothing compared to about 5-10 of the other top freshmen. I'm sad to say I'm now on the side of I think it might be time.

lol. The weakest make up call of all time

@TYOHawk But did he get through it? I'm not trying to be a hater, but I just have never seen this level of kid gloves applied by Bill Self before. He couldn't play for UConn because he was only at 90-95%? So he must have been 100% for this one? But later we found out there was a minute restriction? I feel like I saw DP ask to be taken out after in the first half maybe even rejecting a sub. It just feels like Bill Self is working very hard to spin the fact that DP is yet to play a full game of basketball. I understand that is Bill's job and I'm all for him taking as much heat off of the 18 year old as he can, I've just never seen him do it to this level before and it makes me feel weird. Lol.

Really hoping this is all somewhat Remy coded and come March we will see this team actually peak and make some noise. I'd just love to beat a few of the really good teams in the big 12 along the way.

@BShark This is where the focus on athleticism is really showing. Yes, the switching is nice thanks to Flory and Tiller being able to move their feet really well, but the real work is happening with guys like McDowell and Council helping and recovering with speed and aggressiveness. They are really challenging those three point shots and forcing the overall offense to start a few steps further from the line than the opposing team would like.

I might get hate for this but it does cause me a little concern with DP coming back. His individual defense was... meh and his cohesion with the whole group was certainly lacking. It's to be expected somewhat with so few reps together. I've now seen him leave his man to try to get a steal multiple times. It worked pre hiatus, but that's the kind of stuff that will get exploited by opposing coaches in conference.

Now he did score 17 in limited minutes seemingly fairly easily. But anyone else notice the difference in pace when he is on the floor? Don't get me wrong, he is yet to step on the floor and have a bad offensive performance, but as I'm sure most people are thinking, I definitely still want more from him. (and yeah, if he plays 15 minutes against UCONN we would have won that game...)

@BeddieKU23 said in Kansas Jayhawks @ NC State Wolfpack Game Chat Sat. 12/13 4:30 CT:

@approxinfinity

Certainly, took them not guarding him to heart and made them pay.

I love Juan but this mentality is certainly an upgrade for our lead guard to have.