@BeddieKU23 I wouldn’t be shocked if this team made the final four. But I do think it is rather unlikely. They just aren’t that good. Their flaws are very apparent and it doesn’t appear that there is any real solution or counter to help mask them. We thought Furphy could come in and spread the floor if he could knock down some shots. He did. It didn’t make us demonstrably better. We thought if Juan shot the ball more and was more aggressive it could open things up for everyone else. He has, we are still losing.
I think a lot of people see this as an experienced team because we have 3 seniors and a junior starting. But this is still Hunter’s first year at Kansas, and while it may feel like Kev has always been a hawk, this is only year 2 of him.
The leaders of this team really need to be Juan and KJ and they play like leaders in that they give their all every game and attempt to lead by example but I’m not sure guys like Hunter, Nick, and even Elmarko have really bought into the Bill Self culture of what a winning team has to do. Kev bought in right away last year and was rewarded with a bigger role this year but his injury (and anytime he plays bad tbh) really kills the overall demeanor of this team.
I’ve hinted at this in other posts but I think Hunter is maybe our biggest bust (outside of Terio obviously). I think he’s soft. I think Bill thinks he’s soft too but doesn’t have another option. This whole team is soft if we are honest. When is the last time this team was faced with any kind of adversity and rose to the challenge?
I could be wrong, but I feel like we’ve had teams in the past go into games short handed and actually come out MORE fired up and ready to compete. I think it’s telling that we all knew this game on Monday was a loss waiting to happen and the team seemed to as well. I love the transfer portal for the freedom it gives players but it does put a premium on building and maintaining culture. I think some of these guys are just too used to losing. They’ve done it for years at other schools and don’t realize what it means to compete at the highest level. I’m not saying they don’t care or they don’t try, but they haven’t been exposed to what it looks like to be a part of a high level, championship type, team. The chiefs aren’t in the super bowl every year because they have the 22 most talented players on the field. And other teams don’t make it for lack of effort.