@drgnslayr I think the whole injury situation just completely threw off any chance we had at developing a real chemistry out on the court. DP had to be treated differently because of it by the coaches which leads to him being viewed differently by the players. I'm not saying any animosity was the problem but I know I watched every minute he was in there to see if there was any sign he was about to come out and that was WITHOUT the background fear that him coming out could mean he might be going back to the hospital with full body cramps. I'm sure the players were just as in tune with that as the coaches with only DP and his family likely being even more aware.

And dang, if they liked him and had seen what he could really do when he was feeling right, I'm sure there was some thinking about trying to let him show out a bit when he could finally be on the court. Just a bad situation that was made worse by some very strange handling of it. Does all lead back to Self I agree and the overhype for sure.

@approxinfinity said in Roll Call:

@BShark may your new carpet offgasing be brief and your mtg mechanics be synergistic in unforeseen delightful ways. Fairly recently we got a few boxes of mtg avatar set. Artwork was true to the show and pretty.

Any good pulls? I liked the avatar set too.

@BShark moved to the district level a few years back. The funding for education in Texas is a mess. Add that in with a government purposely trying to dismantle public education and yeah, a lot of folks are leaving or being cut out. I’ve been lucky to work with great people who really care but sucks that they get cut while others without the skills and passion end up making more and failing upwards. Dont think thats just an education problem though.

But to the original purpose of the thread, I’m still here. Feel like I’m just holding on for the ride since 2020. Lost a few people, partner has stage 4 breast cancer, her mom has stage 1. My partners non profit also went under so she’s without a job. My team of five at work has been cut to just me for next year. But still kicking. Really wish the Jayhawks would get good again. But we have a 2.5 year old who makes it all worth it. Rock chalk jayhawk were within his first 20 words. lol

Anyone use spell table?

Ok did not know there was an MTG following in this group! My buddy got me into it right after the lord of the rings set and I’m hooked. Play mostly commander at this point but love going to more releases. I might skip marvel though.

@AsadZ said in 2025-26 Portal Thread:

I may be in minority here, but I love London, great city with incredible vibe.

Could depend on your attitude toward minorities. Lol. Can be scary for some who are generally afraid of brown people.

To quote oceans 11, “you think we need one more? You think we need one more. Alright, We will get one more”

@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.

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.

Put Paul back in.

lol. The weakest make up call of all time

Refs think a comeback sounds fun.

Needing a close game for the evening crowd or what?

It’s nice to have our own gunner in the tourney.

I think we will be fine this game but the amount of fouls not being called does not bode well for game number 2…

So I’ve been thinking… the refs really did swing this k state game for us. And not in a bad or nefarious way. But the fact that they were willing to call those 3 fouls in 8 seconds determined how the rest of the game was played. All of the sudden Darryn could move. He’s a great player but no one plays great in a bear hug for 80% of their time on offense.

Will be really interesting to see how the big 12 tournament and then the big dance is officiated. If refs are willing to call fouls off ball and for the various mugging DP takes, our offense could see a significant improvement.

Alright yall. The bracket is out. How are we feeling? Any teams you definitely want another crack at or are hoping to avoid?

For me I think Houston is a decent match up for us and would be the best resume builder. But another shot at West Virginia would t hurt my feelings.

Obviously have to get by TCU which isn’t a guarantee with this squad. If we get to the final I’d kind of like to face ISU again. Both blowouts on the home floor, could be close to 50/50 split as far as fan support in KC. Could be fun.

Leaving DP in with the scrubs to make a statement and get his MPG up. Lol

@BeddieKU23 his best game in my opinion.