Best posts made by HighEliteMajor

When times get tough, it is wise to consider things in an historical perspective.

To quote John Blutarsky, “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”

Over course not. As Rambo said, “Nothing is over.”

Some tidbits.

-Did you know that sometimes, necessity really is the mother of invention?

-Did you know that Silvio DeSousa bests Doke in rebounds per 40 minutes played by nearly two boards? That he has .5 more assists per 40 minutes? That he shoots free throws twice as good as Doke? And that his scoring rate per 40 minutes is only three less than Doke (19 vs. 22)?

-Did you know that sometimes, the best team on paper doesn’t actually win the national title?

-Did you know that folks really were concerned when Drew Bledsoe got hurt, and late round pick had to take his place in the Patriot’s lineup?

-Did you know that a grade one MCL sprain can heal very quickly, but two weeks is probably sufficient?

-Did you know that Doke doesn’t rely on sharp moves and quick cuts to score offensively?

-Did you know that we still have the best collection of perimeter players in the nation?

-Did you know that a guy named Conner Teahan hit the biggest shot of his life in the NCAA tournament?

-Did you know that folks that have suffered spinal cord injuries have walked again?

-Did you know that Marcus Garrett is beginning to play like a sophomore, and that a five guard lineup might be un-guardable?

-Did you know that undersized, quick teams can play zone defense, can trap, and can employ a full court press?

-Did you know that Nick Foles just won the Super Bowl?

-Did you know that Clint Normore will never be forgotten?

-Did you know that we are “the hot shooting team” that others fear?

-Did you know that “backs against the wall” is a phrase that is used for a reason?

-Did you know that this was the year we lost the Big 12?

-Did you know that Bill Self is kind of a good coach? Like, kind of HOF?

-Did you know that every so often, destiny can be on your side?

-Did you know that Doke, or no Doke, we ARE Kansas?

This season is not over. Nothing is over.

Teams don’t reach the Final Four without there being a clear and obvious contribution from the man on the bench.

Tonight, we saw the “A” game.

What the nation saw heading into the game – what I saw heading into the game – was a mammoth Duke team inside. Big, after big, after big. Playing a four out, one in team that had as its second big, a kid just 90 days removed from high school. And who had as its first bit a lumbering lug that while very skilled, was quick to tire and an easy mark for silly fouls.

Bill Self scripted an absolutely brilliant game plan defensively.

Quick traps, immediate help, help off the bounce, prioritizing threats, trusting match ups – you name it. What I find incredibly impressive is off the traps, how well our guys slid into the correct lanes, and how they generally were always in a position with their eyes in the right place. Not an easy task. Our defense put Duke on the defensive much of the night. It appeared that Duke (particularly Bagley) was not fully ready for our aggressiveness. Self had this team ready to play defense against the oversized Blue Devils. Without it, this game would have been over quickly.

One tremendous decision was to put Svi on Bagley – and to trust Svi. What a terrific game he had. Of course, he hit the big three. But even bigger was the job he did guarding a bigger, more athletic Bagley. A guy who could jump out of gym. But on many occasions, Svi was able to be in the right spot, deny Bagley the ball, and disrupt. That’s all Svi had to do was disrupt, and he did it magnificently.

This game was won on the defensive end. And defense like this just doesn’t happen. Two months ago, who would have believed that this team, in this moment, would win with defense?

Bill Self took a team he was complaining about being soft, and lacking chemistry (just last month), and created a unit that could coalesce into a monster defensive squad.

Turmoil, uncertainty, criticism, adversity – this team has suffered this fate more than any KU team in recent memory. But look at the product. Just look at it.

We now have the opportunity for our moment. Our beautiful, ever-lasting moment. Two to go.

And this season, which was Bill Self’s greatest coaching job yet, is not over. Not by a long shot. This team has experience, tenacity, and character. And it has a toughness that cannot just be created because a coach says so.

This team has a toughness that was earned. Earned, in part, by the bitter disappointment of the last two seasons. Being on the brink of the what is a life changing accomplishment, only to fall short. Or as the players feel deep inside, only to fail.

Why are we going to San Antonio? It’s because of the journey. It’s because of Nova in '16 and Oregon in '17. It’s because Vick went into a shell. It’s because Newman wasn’t meshing. It’s because Preston was a mirage. It’s because Mitch stepped up. It’s because of our All-American. It’s because Doke got hurt. It’s because DeSousa became a man. And it’s because this team became a team.

But more than anything, it’s because of the boss on the bench. The man on the bench took a team that many thought was rudderless, and steered it through some incredibly stormy seas. He took control. And we are in the Final Four because of it.

So look at us now.

For years, many of us have been begging for coach Self to be more flexible, to break out of the same dogmatic approaches that he insisted upon regardless of personnel.

One theme I always suggested as explanation is that great achievers, in whatever profession, get there in large part doing it their way and not being distracted by those that suggest that they moderate and change. That makes them even more resolute in their beliefs, particularly when they achieve great success. And thus less likely to change – they know what’s best.

The comment by Fran Fraschilla about Self changing his style of play actually began last season. Last season, Self broke free of the standard rigidity and truly permitted his team to play to their strengths. This followed Self’s admission that he did not handle the 2013-14 team correctly. All the while, hanging on to much of the scheme and approach that he’s always relied upon for success. Adapting, tweaking, adjusting as needed.

It’s all about flexibility. The new Bill Self.

Before the 2015-16 season, I just wanted Self to tweak his system. I’m a high/low fan, always have been. But when you have gunners, you have to gun. After a horrible end to the 2014-15 season, where our offense was in disarray, we all saw it begin in the World University games – which could be the best thing to happen to coach Self as a coach. We saw him pucker a bit in the championship game. A little regressing on the road of change.

This is all some of us have every wanted. Results are not assured. Teams will lose. Players will be at fault. Coaches will be at fault. Circumstances (illness, injury, officials, etc.) can weigh against success.

But truly, now, Bill Self is a coach that views success as being possible outside of his previous tunnel of acceptability. That’s really all it is now. That’s the change. Success can be had on offense doing things differently. For those that ardently and loyally defended coach Self, with whom I’ve battled a bit over the years, all I can say is – this is what I was talking about. Taking your talent, and melding your system to provide the best opportunity for success. As mentioned for years, other coaches do it. Self can do it. We now see it right before our eyes at Kansas. Much like Self did last season, when there were scant few discussions about scheme.

This is not your father’s Bill Self. This Bill Self is different. This Bill Self is not at war with his team over scheme and style of play, as he was in 2014-15.

There may be times when the high/low and post feed basketball returns. But now, I have great confidence that Bill Self cares little about scheme, but more about what scheme will be successful. High/low will return when high/low gives us the best chance to win.

And that is good for Kansas basketball.

Is there a better coach in college basketball? I don’t think so.

Some Baylor Post Game:

1. 8-1 Lead: The first few minutes of the KU/Baylor game really did happen – kind of like the tree falling in the forest and making a sound. I tried logging on to CBS’s site, and was treated to a continuous role of commercials for CBS programs I won’t ever watch. But the game log proves that it happened. I just wish CBS and other networks would put together a quick video summary of the scoring. How hard is that? Or at least verbally recap what had happened. And how hard would it be to add a little look-in feed in the corner of the screen during the game that is finishing, for the markets affected by the run over games? Ugh.

2. Svi vs. Greene: A battle few of us saw Greene winning, but win it he has. Unsure of the status of Greene’s thumb, but Greene looked great today. Terrific, really. He showed the ability to slide defensively, guarding Baylor’s quick guard effectively a few times. He also drove the ball with some confidence. Created a hoop. With Greene, we just need some improvement in those other phases to compliment his marksmanship from long range. It appeared to me (as noted in my post from Thursday, that Green had won the 4th rotation spot. The 5th guy gets scraps. Let’s hope Greene stays on Self’s page.

3. Mickelson: What a terrific game. Going against an all-conference level player (Gathers) and a quick post player, Mick gave Kansas exactly what it needed. Competent defense in the middle, a guy that can block and change shots, and a guy that hustles and compliments our skilled perimeter. Nice line. The best choice to start next to Ellis to be sure. Mick is like adding a new post player. He was a non-factor last season. I sure hope Self keeps him in the starting spot. Couldn’t be happier for the kid getting his well deserved chance.

4. Post Rotation: Self went away from the path he led us down – that everyone wouldn’t play. @jaybate-1.0 called this correctly. For those suggesting Self would go off merit, I hope you saw who the first big off the bench was – Carlton Bragg. If Bragg didn’t know what he was doing, or if he was lagging in practice, or if he was too skinny, why would Self put him in FIRST? The fact is, Bragg is ready now. He just needs the fine-tuning of experience. In the second half, Self went primarily with Ellis and Mick. Lucas spelled Mick, and JT finished the game from the 5:00 minute mark until “scrub” time. I (of course) would have preferred Bragg at the 5:00 minute mark. JT had done nothing to that point, but did have nice poke away and great block (who we all saw coming – little guard should have dished). When JT plays 10 minutes or less that’s a sample size that fits well for him. And we all want Diallo to play, I think. But when he’s gunning up 17 footers, it’s not a persuasive element of his case. His stretch in the first half gave us the ups and downs. Made jumper. A nice high/low pass to Lucas. Great block leading to fast break hoop. One board. A couple missed shots that weren’t the best bets, and a foul. But I hope those that are against playing Diallo now see how he can impact the game, and really his limited first half stretch framed the discussion. Peaks and valleys. But elements that Lucas, for example, can never bring. Diallo represents the path to this team’s ceiling THIS SEASON. Fortune favors the bold – or so I’ve heard.

5. Mason/Graham: This season has led to one unmistakable conclusion – All I can say is “thank you Nic Moore.” SMU’s Moore reminded Self of the path, and reinforced his prior stated view that playmaking is invaluable. If Moore had flopped with Mason in the WUGs, we might not have what we have now. This is a dynamic backcourt. Remember when Self referenced playing small before last season, when we also had CF? Then he said that the playing small thing was not in the cards after CF left – implying that his statements were related to personnel? Well I’m glad he stuck with it now. I loved the idea of moving Selden to the three. A view I have held since late last season, mainly framed during the “Selden is not a point guard” discussions that were held here. Selden is the “big wing” that Self said he was. When Selden was excluded from the press break, that’s code for “big wing.” And Wiggins and Oubre handcuffed Self to an extent. What if Self would have started Tharpe and Mason, or Tharpe and CF in 2013-14, and brought Selden off the bench? What if Self benched Selden last season (as he should have – letting him come off the bench) and inserted Graham? I don’t know. But I do know now that this team’s engine is the Mason/Graham duo. This is special. It is my favorite composite perimeter group I can recall at Kansas.

6. Playing To Our Strength: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit to you, as Exhibit A, the Kansas/Baylor contest of January 2, 2016. I ask that you return a verdict finding 1) that KU’s strength is its outside shooting, 2) that KU should continue to play to its strength all season with focused resolve even if there are bumps in the road, and 3) that term “Fool’s Gold” be forever banned from further discussion. This is an easy case. The verdict was actually returned about this time last season. Apparently there was an appeal. Those take time. But the court’s order is now in effect and Self is willingly abiding by the court’s order, it appears.

7. Ball Movement and Pace: While we know we can shoot, this team is an animal when it comes to ball movement and pace. I will be very interested as to what occurs when an aggressive defensive team disregards the back cuts and overplays. The team that comes to mind is the 2007 Southern Illinois Salukis (we played them in the NCAAs that season). One of the best defensive teams I’ve seen, and they played in your jock. Not near it, in it. I guess the game I’ll be interested in is at Texas Tech. Tubby Smith is a master at controlling pace, and TT seems to have a decent squad. K-State might try to slow us down, but they are low on personnel.

8. Set Plays/Self: I counted four clear set plays that led to baskets (and I was casually looking for it). We had a sweet inbounds play for a basket, as usual. Seriously, we can’t take for granted the opportunities that Self creates for the team when he focuses on that. What I mean is that in some years, I think he purposefully makes the team run its offense without the help of set plays throughout the game. This season – and I haven’t kept track – it just seems like there are more set plays being called. I don’t know what anyone else thinks there. One other item: We were exquisitely prepared for our conference opener. That credit goes to one man, the coach. Can anyone have hoped for a more prepare team today? It was an impressive notice to the rest of the conference. As usual, this whole deal runs through AFH.

9. Gathers vs. Mamadou: I would pay to see that one on one battle. Gathers is a skilled brute. Mamadou a freak of nature. I’d bet on Gathers, of course. Actually, think about Gathers playing the 4 and Mamadou at the 5 for Kansas. We might never shoot another three. Mamadou, for what its worth, was wildly underutilized by UC-Irvine. How many times did their guards penetrate and literally all they had to do was flip the ball in the air? How many set plays or screens were done for Mamadou? It is not hard to script say six plays. Pass to Mamadou on the block and have him immediately bounce the ball to draw the double and script a cutter or rotation play through the double. How bout back screen? Or box to box screen? Or Mamadou flashing, then spinning around to the basket for the lob? Saw nothing from UC Irvine. I watched the game again on TWC sports channel (yes, I’m glad I have it now). By the way, Mamadou is his first name, right? Sounds good to me. I ask this in all seriousness, is he a member of the Zulu tribe? I rode the Zulu at World’s of Fun a few times, but that’s the extent of my experience there. That is what’s called a tangent.

10. Oklahoma on Monday: So let me get this straight. A bunch of settlers raced in wagons to Oklahoma to be there “Sooner” than everyone else, to stake their claim for land in a barren, dust bowl landscape, devoid of any real natural beauty, in the middle of Tornado Alley (or Tornado Hell), that now is subject to the most earthquakes per square mile in the world? And they have just one major sports team? Whatever. Kansas might be a bit comparable, I guess, but we do have AFH. That’s a trump card. This will at least give Buddy Hield a chance to meet the Big 12 player of year again in person (Wayne Selden).

I had waited a bit to see if someone else got a post game thread running – at my wife’s suggestion. She wanted to go to dinner. But seeing nothing was started, our dinner date was delayed. She’s used to it … not happy, but used to it. She understands that it’s hoops season and the world revolves around KU hoops. Greatest time of the year. I think it’s her choice of restaurants tonight, though.

It’s now down to this … we’ve been here before. KU has a #1 seed and a reasonable path to the Final Four. But the last four times we’ve been in this position, our season has ended with painful losses. Logic says it will happen again. Champions, many times, defy logic.

1. Defense Wins Championships: The old adage is generally true. Rarely does a top defensive team win the title when it is poor defensively. We posted about this yesterday … even UNC in 2005 and 2009 were in the top 40 in defensive efficiency. Roy’s teams that won the title played pretty good defense. I do think an overwhelming offense can overcome, but we’re talking six games, no margin of error, against top teams with great coaches. It’s why Self loves to have some character tests during the season, some games where we persevere and win when the ball doesn’t go in the hole. We have joked about how Self actually prefers low scoring games – this is surely part of the reason.

2. Our Weakness: Defense has been our bugaboo all season. Someone aptly described the KU defense parting like the Red Sea when TCU attacked at times. We are lacking in that department. We have good perimeter defenders, but when the dike starts to leak, we have nothing to plug it with. We have zero rim protection from the post positions. JJ is an athletic guy, but nothing comparable to our ideal – Aldrich, Embiid, Withey. Erasers that cover leakage.

3. Udoka: This was a huge loss. Udoka provided us a true rim protector. Coach Self inserted Udoka in the starting lineup, quite obviously, to prep him for this moment. To permit him to arc upward and gain experience. The wrist injury ended all that. And it sent our chances to play good team defense down the drain.

4. Defensive Efficiency: If there is a big negative for KU’s chances of an NCAA title, it’s defensive efficiency. Kansas sits at 99th in defensive efficiency. Since Self has been the coach at KU, no team that has won the NCAA title has been worse than 74th. So we’re 25 spots away from that bottom-dweller position. Here is are the numbers for NCAA title winners for defensive efficiency, with Kansas shown for 2017.

-2004: UConn 6

-2005: UNC 19

-2006: Florida 19 (KU was 1)

-2007: Florida 16 (KU was 1)

-2008: Kansas 4

-2009: UNC 39

-2010: Duke 9

-2011: UConn 75

-2012: Kentucky 9

-2013: Louisville 3

-2014: UConn 19

-2015: Duke 63

-2016: Villanova 14

-2017: Kansas 99

5. KenPom Defensive Efficiency: Using a different metric, KenPom’s efficiency ratings, the news doesn’t get any better. No NCAA title winner since 2004 has been worse than 21 in at the KenPom ratings regarding defensive efficiency. KU is now at 30.

-2004: UConn 5

-2005: UNC 7

-2006: Florida 7

-2007: Florida 15

-2008: Kansas 1

-2009: UNC 21

-2010: Duke 5

-2011: UConn 15

-2012: Kentucky 8

-2013: Louisville 1

-2014: UConn 10

-2015: Duke 12

-2016: Villanova 5

-2017: Kansas 30

So what does this all mean? I think quite simply it seems to mean that we are living on borrowed time. It seems like harsh reality. It’s why when you have a team constructed for March, like we have many times before, you have to cash it. It’s why the possible titles in 2010, 2011, and 2015, where we could argue that we should have won, are so precious. We needed one of those. And a team like this just can’t win a national title, can it? Well, it shouldn’t.

We all know we should not win the title this season. We look like Duke in 2015 I heard someone say, comparing Winslow and Jackson at the four, but ignoring the guy named Okafer. This season and its success is a result of Bill Self, and taking a team, and its warts, and constructing a scheme and plan to put our guys in the best position to win. The best example I have seen from coach Self in this regard. But we are have weaknesses that tend to get exposed in March. That inability to stop other teams from scoring.

I have been content this season. A good word – content. We look at 2008-09 many times as Self’s best coaching job. This season, in my mind, is clearly the best. Landen Lucas and fumes in the post. Carlton Bragg, who’s played like the bong was his brother. And Dwight Coleby, whose game has had more holes than a block of Swiss most of the season. The leader, Lucas, continually plays to his ceiling. An amazing story. But he has been it.

And the lack of inside presence has led to an inability to cover perimeter mistakes. It has led to perimeter issues, too, when our defenders have had to shade and protect against the drive, leaving open threes (ISU a great example). For those that shrug at the idea of rim protection, you might consider how valuable a Hunter Mickelson would be right now to this porous perimeter.

Can we remain optimistic? Sure. This season may be decided by something other than defense. But don’t bet on it. And don’t bet on KU this March. That’s the ugly negative. The “we can’t” stuff that is easy to spew.

This is Kansas, if I recall correctly. We can.

The good news is that there are no lock down defensive teams in our bracket, aside from possibly Louisville. Here are the teams we may face, with defensive efficiency/KenPom defensive efficiency - Louisville 22/6, Oregon 19/22, Purdue 23/16, ISU 96/43, Creighton 91/27. Our possible second round opponents come in as follows - Michigan St. 92/34 and Miami 92/20.

Has the NCAA selection committee done us a favor? A blessed favor? Maybe. Only one number from the two metrics in the top 10. The selection committee clearly gave us a favorable region. Who would have wanted Duke, or UCLA, or UK, or Arizona, over what we have? Would anyone have wanted defensive stalwarts UVA as our 5, or Wisconsin as our 8, or Florida as our 4? Maybe they all stink, but it seems that avoiding top defensive teams might be our best path.

In our region, in top half of the seeds, only Michigan is better than KU on the offensive end of it, under both metrics. The differences aren’t substantial, but they are differences. And who scores better on under the basket in-bounds plays, anyway?

This team also has experience, and it has the biggest (figuratively), baddest (literally – as in how Freddie “Boom Boom” Washington from Welcome Back Kotter might say it) player in the tournament – Frank Mason. The single baddest player in CBB.

Guards win titles, and this may be the clash of metrics vs. simplicity. The best guards win. Lots of examples where guard play has propelled teams to the title. If that is really the case, start find room in the trophy case.

When I bet, I’ll bet on the best point guard in Kansas history. I sure as heck am not betting against him.

I’m not betting against KU in the Sprint Center, either. AFH west has been gifted to Kansas, again by that evil NCAA. The gold brick path to the Final Four is there. It used to be Kemper, and Roy remembers UVA, and Jeff Jones. Bill Self has no such memory. This is our town.

This KU team also knows how to win. Bill Parcells said that good teams win close games. Some say that good teams blow out the opponent. True. But good teams know how to win close games. That’s of great value. We’ve done it on the road, we’ve done it at home. We’ve done it. Just win, baby. Yea, I hated the Raiders. All Chiefs fans did. But over time, one respects the mantra and even the despicable QB (Kenny Stabler). This KU team just wins. It is all that matters.

Sometimes, in the most pressure packed moments, a player rises to the moment. Better than he ever was, better than he will ever be. We have candidates, and one that has overcome a devastating knee injury to rise again. We’ve seen glimpses. On that crucial night, we might only need 12 solid minutes. But titles are won on 12 solid minutes. Call it a hunch.

The optimist will say that we can overcome the history of the numbers defensively. Of course we can. We shall overcome. Someone always overcomes the numbers. Always. Standards and numbers change. Good grief, the Royals won the World Series again before I was dumped in a pine box. Would not have believed it possible. So odds have been destroyed before. Recently. Here.

As we know, KU has had the odds in its favor many times in this event, and failed. Again, the last four times we were a number one seed we went down in flames before the Final Four. It would seem apropos for Kansas to win the title when the numbers seemed quite ominous. That’s how the world works. It’s not like we have to win the popular vote, lots of useless votes on the left coast – we just need the rest of the electoral college. Advanced metrics have been mocked by actual results quite recently, I tend to recall. Odds and probabilities be damned. That feeling is still in the air. .

Red state? Deep state? State of denial? No – it’s a belief. A collective belief in what’s right.

We overcame odds before, I think … in 1988. With a POY. We now have the POY again. And the POY shall lead them. The stars, planets, and little black birds on the wire can line up. We aren’t Villanova in '85, or the Wolpack of '83. We don’t have to be either to win it all. We’re above that.

I might also argue that KU deserves this title. That’s right, we are the chosen ones. Given a life of KU basketball. We were born to this earth to don the crimson and blue, and to look down upon the world below us. This is of course a capitalistic system, one where the strong survive. The losers lose. We will not redistribute the wealth. We are aristocracy and we deserve another title – with our wine, and selection of tasty cheeses. The goblet gets passed around amongst the blue bloods. We shall drink. It’s been too long. We must drink.

And Self deserves it. Man, does he deserve it. Hugging his son, grasping the trophy, cementing his place as the greatest coach in KU history. Self deserves this.

This is a national title team until it isn’t. Six games. Three, four team tournaments. Easy, right?

Maybe, just maybe, in a season of unprecedented off the court distractions, when the hits just keep on coming, the team with the supposed fatal flaw locks arms, with the chip squarely on their collective shoulder (see @drgnslayr), and that team drives powerfully to the title. Flipping the bird at that attack force media gathered outside the locker room. Saying screw the traitors, and the naysayers, and the enemies. We are 16,300 strong every freaking night, but that locker room and that coach has seen the knives come out from the treacherous, yet, predictable few. Waiting to pounce on perfection, and on a program and coach that do things the right way.

We’ll pounce on this. There is no reason why this can’t happen. No reason.

The best coach. The best player. And a team that has persevered all season, in dark situations, with an eye on the ultimate prize.

Write KU in as your national title team. Or don’t. There is no ever present karma other than what runs through that locker room. This team has “it.” And I want a ring.

We are Kansas. The greatest basketball school ever. Now on to the most amazing spectacle in sports.

What’s a blue blood? Easy. It’s Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, UCLA, and Duke. There is no tried and true formula. We just know it when we see it.

We have a significant “blue blood” accomplishment. We’ve won 14 straight conference titles, in a real conference, with real world roster turnover. Bill Self stands alone. Kansas stands alone.

We now face what has been a Bill Self Roadblock – the second weekend of the tournament. Bill Self has generally been successful navigating to the second weekend. He has of course made every tournament since he was hired, and has won every first round game, but for the killer B’s (Bucknell and Bradley).

But it is the second weekend that challenges Bill Self. It is the second weekend that has tempered the adulation for our blue blood program. We have failed, regularly, to make the Final Four.

Final Fours matter. There are chirps from some that Final Fours don’t matter unless you win the title. Or that they are not that important. Idle, irrelevant, and ignorant chatter. Schools hang big banners for Final Fours. Big ones. That is an undeniable fact. The college basketball universe recognizes Final Fours. It is a high bar used to judge programs and coaches. Undeniable. Programs are mocked for the failure to even stumble into a Final Four once in 120 years (MUst we mock?). Final Fours are the World Series, Final Fours are the Super Bowl. You get there. It’s an achievement to arrive at the “big dance.” The Final Four is the big dance. Without getting to the dance, you can’t win a championship.

And the big dance has painfully eluded coach Self. In his tremendous career at Kansas, with all of the great teams and talent, we’ve seen but two final fours. Coach Roy found his way to four Final Fours.

This has been a clear roadblock for coach Self.

The past two seasons are clear cases in point. Against Villanova, we lost to the eventual national champion. But Kansas was the #1 seed, had played the stronger schedule, and seemed like the more talented team. Against Oregon, the loss was shocking. We had the national player of the year and we had the best OAD in Kansas history in Josh Jackson. Yet we still failed.

Final Fours matter. Think about the discussion if Self had reached the FF in 2011 and 2016. Narrative changer to be sure.

Each season we fail to reach the FF, we bring new or rehashed excuses. I will not list them. Some silly, some partially correct, some even legitimate. Some are present in every loss, by every team. But they sound good because they make us feel better. When the years go by, and the excuses mount like a burning dung heap, they matter little any longer. Just do it. Teams achieve greatness all the time despite the excuses (rational, irrational, or otherwise). It’s our turn to do it.

And what better year? We’ve always discussed how being a team NOT assumed to be a national title team might be the year we actually achieve the ultimate goal.

We need only win two games to reach the Final Four. That creates a legacy. It adds to the legacy of our blue blood program. We need this one.

For some reason, at this moment, I feel it. I’ve felt it a few times this season. I felt it in my last thread regarding how this team could respond without Doke, and that nothing was over. Now we have Doke and there is no discussion of how we survive. We are fully loaded. We will be at maximum RPMs.

I don’t know, but sometimes when things are a bit rougher, when things aren’t meshing, when things seem more disjointed and chaotic, the end product can sometimes be that much stronger and resilient.

This season can fit exactly into that category. There is no player that exemplifies that more than Malik Newman. And how many alpha dogs can one team have? We have multiple players that can take over, and that are comfortable taking over. Guys that have produced in critical situations – Graham, Svi, Newman, and Doke. And we have that extra big we desperately needed. Don’t sleep on him. He can win us a game.

For some reason, it kind of feels right this season – finally. But now is the only time it really matters.

Do we have the best team? I don’t know. Do we have the best team to win the next four games? I know this – I wouldn’t trade our team with any other team in the tourney.

Kansas 83 Clemson 69

Kansas 74 Duke 70

See you in San Antonio, my friends.

There are days and events that are important in every walk of life. For Christianity, it was certainly the birth of Jesus. For the United States, it might have been the signing of the Constitution. For mankind, maybe it was Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, or perhaps the defeat of Nazi Germany. For some folks, it could be the release of a new Star Wars movie. For others, it might just be a new pair of pants.

T0day is a day for a large contingent of KU basketball fans to bask in the warmth of beautiful affirmation. Its a day to mark on your calendars.

Today, December 18, 2015, Bill Self blessed many that post at kubuckets.com with some stunning words. Here are the wonderful and glorious words:

Bill Self - "I do think we need to shoot a higher percentage of threes. I do think we need to play to our strength, which is shooting the basketball."

Bill Self - "Last year, we kept trying to force it to become something we probably weren’t."

I apologize if I don’t ooze with humility at the moment. But may I ask a very simple question:

Isn’t this exactly the foundation of everything I (and others) have been suggesting since the beginning of the 2014-15 season?

I feel at peace.

Has Self made a deal with the devil? Has he met on common ground with the evil that is outside shooting, and the perceived negatives that flow with actually making shots?

Perhaps. It might just be a tentative deal. One that hinges largely on our continued ability to score in the paint – without the luxury of the conventional post feed and resulting back to the basket hoop. Self, in his post game tonight, said that the second half against OSU was the best we’ve played this season.

Whoa.

@DoubleDD posted a thread today about Fool’s Gold. Interesting timing. The game today was at the same point in time as the Utah game last season, and both at the Sprint Center. The Utah game was really the Fool’s Gold game, not Texas Tech (which is the more famous one).

At halftime of the Utah game, we led 39-21. In that game, we were 5-8 from three in the first half, we destroyed Utah with our shooting ability, and were 12-20 from the field. During a half time interview, Self singled out Perry Ellis using the Fool’s Gold phrase. He was clearly disturbed with our inability to score inside. He was ticked off and we were up by 18. Very importantly, he was ticked off even though we had played great defense, and had only given up just 21 points. After half, we were just 1-3 from three point range. It was obvious the three point shooting was scrapped. We continued, possession after possession to try to jam it inside. In the second half we were 6-23 on field goals. Of course, Utah came back, tied up the game, and we nearly lost. Utah outscored 39-24 in the second half. For the game against Utah, we scored just 10 points in the paint.

The Utah game highlighted Bill Self’s post feed focus. Suffice it say that we weren’t then, and we aren’t now, a team that could/will score reliably on the conventional post feed.

Ah, but tonight was different. Has Bill Self accepted this style of play?

Well, what did Kansas do after halftime? We shot the ball more. We shot more three pointers. We played a style of play that matched our talents. We found ways to score in the paint without back to the basket scoring. Self permitted his “best shooting team” to blow the doors off of Oregon St. by doing what it does best – shoot the ball AND play fast.

All with Self’s apparent blessing.

The best moves made by Self coming into the season were moving Selden to the three and starting Graham. This has clearly done what Self envisioned. We move the ball well, we create off the dribble, we get the ball up and down the floor, and we play with that ever important pace.

In our second half run, here’s how we took it to Oregon St: Mickelson got it going with a fall away jumper. Next, Mason hit a two point jumper. Mick hit an 18 footer. Mason scored on a drive, then Graham on drive. The two drives were done quickly when very little shot clock had expired. Then DG hit a 17 footer and Selden scored on a fast break. And what do you know, the game was tied at 48. More to follow – Ellis hit an a 18 footer, and then Mick fed Ellis, inside/out, for an open three pointer. Self tossed in some pressure, and DG got a steal and an easy layup. Kansas is up 55-50.

That is your 2015-16 Kansas Jayhawks. And Bill Self just said that the second half against Oregon State was the best we played this season.

Pace, shooting, and playing to our strengths. Some excellent pressure, some terrific and disruptive defense. And nary a back to the basket hoop to be found. We can score in the high/low, post to post, every so often. Ellis can and will get baskets inside as the season progress. But we got our points in the paint – the necessary easy baskets – by attacking and playing the game on the run. Transition points. Good ball movement inside. This time, Kansas was able to get into the paint for 34 points based mainly on an attacking style, and playing the game at a high pace (compare to 10 points in the pace against Utah last season).

Our defense helped create our offense. This can’t be overlooked. Self has to love that.

With that, our coach didn’t shut down our outside game tonight. He didn’t look to the post feed to bail us out. He accepted our maturing identity. No, not with a warm hug. But more like a firm handshake. It appears that we have a tentative deal. Could it unravel? Sure. But it’s looking good right now.

Whatever it is, we see what we’ve been discussing – play to your team’s strengths. That’s what we saw tonight. The “best shooting team” shot the ball, but a team that can drive the ball and attack, did just that. And it disrupted our opponent defensively.

In the off season, some asked for changes. I was focused on tweaks. Tonight we saw a game nearly opposite in many respects than the Utah game last season. The biggest opposite was the approach of our coach.

Is the post feed dead? It’s too early to make that call. But we’re trending strongly in the right direction. Regardless, the good old high/low can work. We can score inside/out as we demonstrated tonight. We can of course shoot the ball and shoot it well. And we can attack and create baskets in the paint to get easy baskets, to provide the balance that Self desires (and requires). This team can also play some pretty disruptive defense.

My friends, does this team have an identity that is beginning to solidify?

Good afternoon everyone. I appreciate the posts and those that have reached out to me elsewhere. I’ve just been very engaged in politics since summer, most of it unrelated to any HEM accounts I have (which I will keep very secret from my basketball friends as well as those that don’t call me a friend). The reality was that I was very much in “election mode.” Nothing good comes from that. The discussions here are for KU basketball and not (generally) politics. I didn’t want to contribute to a deterioration of KU hoops discussions (at least not any more than normal).

Suffice it to say, I felt – knowing myself – that it was better for me to disengage here while my mind was much more focused elsewhere.

Screw politics. Hard to get any enjoyment there.

That said, my mind is clearing a bit. I’ve been following KU hoops just like normal, just not posting or taking notes during games (my wife prefers that). Enjoying the ride, so to speak.

I"ll get back in the flow soon.

And thank you again to those that have reached out. Very much appreciated. Even got contact from a handful that said they don’t post here, but just read. One called himself a “lurker.” Very cool.

After a well played first weekend, we look forward to our second four team tourney - Marching to KC:

1. Self Over Izzo: A couple of reporters observed Self calmer than normal during the game. Here’s a quote from Self, “It’s a hard game to coach because nobody is listening to me. Shooting too fast. I was a fun, fast paced game.” That’s awesome. There is zero doubt that he is coaching differently, and that his change in approach is well calculated. Great coaches do that.

2. Scott Drew: Apparently Scott Drew (a regular punching bag here) visited KU locker room and wished the Hawks good luck. Thought that was pretty cool. Also cool was the UC Davis players after our first game, and the well wishes from the MSU team. Izzo is a great guy, great coach. There is also a neat story on Tom Crean that Jay Bilas posted, where he bought food for and gave a bible to a struggling couple. My guess is that with many of these guys, the view we have is far from the truth. But with some, they may be as bad or worse than some assume.

3. Dwight Coleby: Terrific decision by Self to use Coleby over Bragg. I entered the tourney hoping he’d channel his inner Jeff Graves. He’s not at that level. But he could be exactly what we need. And critical to a title run. He seems to be exactly what Carlton Bragg is not. Coleby could be a much needed fouler Thursday vs. Purdue. Remember Justin Wesley? Enters, immediate foul. Just as if the refs knew they could even up the fouls and Self would be quiet about it. When Coleby came in today I was sure that his first defensive possession would be a foul. He held his ground, held his arms straight up – no foul. A sign the refs see him as a real player. That’s good. He does have fouls to give, though.

4. Purdue: Remember KU/MU, 2012? We could not play Withey and TRob together. Why? Because MU had Kim English at the 4. We could not guard him with Withey or TRob. It forced us to play small. Swanigan is a beast. But he’s one guy. Purdue is pretty stout. But who isn’t this time of the year? Odd I mentioned 2012 – a key Teahan three helped us squeak past the Boilermakers that tourney. Purdue is a good team. We’ll have to be on our game. But we’ll march on.

5. Nova: All those Villanova faithful are just polishing their nice, shiny ring from last season. The early exit this season is meaningless. I’m sure they don’t care. Much like we didn’t care much that the Royals missed the playoffs last season. The luster is still there. Nova has immortality with the national title. It does mean that much – and more.

6. Bad Officiating: No accountability is my biggest gripe. The ultimate old boys’ network. Lots of back scratching going on. From an inexplicable no charge call in the UNC/Ark game that turned the tide, to the ridiculous no goal-tending call in the NW/Gonzaga game (followed by the technical), to latent inconsistency within the same half of the same game. It’s not that they are bad, so much, it’s that they don’t pay for their incompetence like other professions. They just keep getting work.

7. Underwood: My first impression is that he’s pretty ungrateful. Did he get rejected on a raise request? Is the AD hard to work with – the same AD that game him a power 5 job? I don’t know. All I know is that OSU is a better job than Illinois. That much I’m quite sure of.

8. Bill Self Leaving?: Hear me out here – Tyler graduating, unprecedented turmoil with the press, etc., never know about the behind the scenes stuff with the administration, possible NBA jobs opening up come summer, no players that he has a major emotional attachment to (Graham would only have a year left), weak recruiting class – and – and – a national title? I know it’s not likely (Self leaving), but this could be a testy summer even if there is no national title. If there is another national title, Self will go down as KU’s greatest coach. And if he left after a second title, I would not be shocked. And no one even mentions OSU anymore. Odd.

9. Oregon/Michigan: Who’s worried? I’m not. Good programs. Good teams. No sleeping on those programs – no UNI or VCU there. At AFH “EAST”. Like our region now? We decide our fate. We’re not going to get beat by a comparable team, like our loss to Villanova. But if we play Oregon, isn’t that Nike vs. Adidas – ugh. I’ll leave that prognostication to @jaybate-1.0. Regardless, Oregon isn’t as good as KU. And neither is Michigan. One will be our elite 8 victim.

10. Roy: Can’t help but look ahead to Phoenix. Could the basketball gods so bless us with another Self vs. Roy match-up? Roy’s a great guy. In the NCAA selection show, the team was at his house. There was a stained-glass window with a Jayhawk. He’s still a Jayhawk. Wish we didn’t have to eliminate him again, if it comes to that.

11. OAD: The OAD stench is sweet. The OAD distractions are minimal. And the concern about an OAD shutting it down late to protect against injury, and ensure millions? Not Josh Jackson. The best OAD there ever was. Reggie Miller, I think, uttered the daunting comparison Friday – Dr. J. Dr. JJ? This is the kind of player that can lead us to a title.

12. Lucas’ Baby Hook: The one move that every post player should practice and perfect – check that – every player. Never know when that baby hook will come in handy. It’s been a long time comin’ Landen, but it sure looks good. Left or right, the guy has a go to move. How many times does he score on Swanigan?

13. A Mission vs. Swanigan; Draw fouls. If I were drawing up the game plan, I’d look to create some circumstances to isolate Swanigan and draw a few fouls. Perhaps using that Lucas baby hook as bait. Or Coleby looking to get a shot into Swanigan’s arm. Or see if you can bait Swanigan into a compromising position on the perimeter. You don’t want such a mission to distract from winning and scoring, but is Purdue even a game without Swanigan? It is worth a possession or two to target Swanigan.

14. Big 12: Our best three teams are in the Sweet 16. To gain national respect, we need two FF teams and a national title. I know that’s not fair, and I know all these metric and non-con games create discussion points, but we need to follow up OU’s FF appearance with more. We’ve lacked in March accomplishments. The only way to shut people up is to win.

15. MVC: I’ve seen much discussion of the disrespect for mid-majors, the MVC, WSU, etc. I refer back to a common theme – win. At some point, for mid-majors to have some credibility, they need to win a national title. Butler came close. The big schools win the titles, and it’s a relatively small club. However, like most, I was a bit puzzled by the seeding. Is Gonzaga a mid-major, right? I’d say so (though they’ve been good for a long time). Not one final four.

A sweet 16 trip, landing in the Sprint Center. Couldn’t have drawn it up better. I have never been more confident in coach Self. Beating Izzo, and permitting his team to step on MSU’s throat the way his team is best suited and constructed to step on it? That continues to be a beautiful thing.

I went an entire post without mentioning Frank Mason. So there – FRANK MASON. Best point guard in KU history.

Ok, I’ll keep it short and sweet. The game tonight … the comeback … the win … is all because of one thing – coach Self and his emphasis on toughness. Tough teams find ways to win. This sort of stuff is taught. No Cliff. No Ellis. Down 18 or whatever. Can’t hit a three. Can’t do anything. Did we do anything good tonight?

We did something real well – we played tough. And that, my friends, is solely because of one dude: Coach Self. Did @jaybate-1.0 say “bad ball?” This is why Self preaches toughness. This was the game.

That was just a win. Didn’t matter how. Wasn’t pretty. Heck, did we ever seem in any sort of rhythm? For the life of me, I can’t even figure out how we scored. I can’t figure out how we got the ball across half court.

In the first half, in five straight possession, a guy would make a play that displeased Self and he yanked them each time. It was the classic quick hook. It was that kind of night.

Selden and the press don’t mix. Oubre fouls out. Guys limping. Greene can’t do his thing. And we’re playing Lucas and Traylor. I have no idea how we won.

But I think I know exactly why we won.

That was fun.

Heading into the season, what was the biggest question about Kansas basketball?

When Mason was signed, the truth was the same as it is now – he was the back up, to the back up, to the back up plan. And even more than that.

Self pursued Andrew Harrison, Kasey Hill, Anthony Barber, Demetrius Jackson, and Rysheed Jordan full bore. All were misses. Just before Mason signed, Self got involved with Roddy Peters but it was too late. Mason then visited and signed.

Frankamp committed prior to Mason. He was listed as a point guard, and got some minutes there last season. A large contingent favored CF taking over this season. He has now left the program.

Only the “everything is great in Kansas land” voices were happy when Mason signed. Coach Self had to know something the rating services and everyone else did not. The rest of the world was skeptical if not downright unhappy.

Well, this was pretty close to perfect.

But we know this was not coach Self seeking out a lower ranked guy, and choosing him over other higher ranked guys because he knew more than the rating services. That was obvious. But Self gets all the credit for signing the guy.

The numbers don’t lie. Mason compares favorably to all of the other guys. Is there any other 2013 point guard that you would, definitively, take over Mason?

Here are the numbers:

Points/Rebounds/Assists/Steals/FT%/3 Pt %

1. Mason - 12.6/3.7/4.1/1.4/80.3/41.9

2. Harrison - 8.8/2.2/3.8/1.0/78.7/36.5

3. Hill - 7.3/2.4/4.6/1.0/53.8/27.6

4. Barber - 11.8/3.3/3.8/0.9/70.9/39.2

5. Jordan - 14.1/3.7/3.2/1.7/66.0/36.9

6. Jackson - 12.5/3.8/2.8/1.6/74.7/42.5

7. Peters - Redshirt

8. Frankamp - Redshirt

I’ve always wondered when we might get our Trey Burke – the guy that shocks the world and turns into an all-american. We might have that guy.

Better yet, we have a four year player. There is no reason to suspect that the last two seasons of his career at Kansas won’t exceed the first two. And that bodes well for national title pursuits.

Don’t get me wrong. Mason isn’t perfect. His ability to create and dish is still limited, he gets too focused on the hoop when on a fast break, and he still has some head scratching moments when he penetrates. But no player is perfect.

Offer me any college point guard, straight up, for Mason right now? No thanks. Dangle the next OAD? I’ll pass. Mason’s the complete package. Room to improve, tenacity, ball handling, scoring, experience in the system, and a four year guy. I’ll stick with Mason – a bulls-eye recruit if there ever was one. Mason gives this program the best opportunity to win a national title in the next two seasons. That’s a good spot to be in at the point guard position. What a difference a year makes.

We are now on the door steps of the NCAA tournament. Once 21-4 and sitting at 10-2 in the league, Kansas finished the league campaign 3-3 and stand 5-4 in its last 9 games. This should cause even the biggest Bill Self fans great pause. Our change in fortunes on the court were directly tied to the change in offensive strategy directed by coach Self. The NCAA tourney awaits. How did this happen, and why?

1. Self Fulfilling Prophecy defined: “Any positive or negative expectation about circumstances, events, or people that may affect a person’s behavior toward them in a manner that causes those expectations to be fulfilled.”

2. Texas Tech “Fool’s Gold” Commentary: Following the Texas Tech game in Lubbock on February 10, coach Self said the following: “It’s fool’s gold. You can’t bank on making 55 percent or 50 percent of your threes.” Of course, that is true. But at the time, Kansas was shooting over 40% from three point range as a team, through 24 games – an impressive number through a stretch of games accounting for over two-thirds of the season. It was actually our most reliable offensive weapon. Self used the fool’s gold comment at half time of the Utah game, remember? Self chided Ellis after Ellis’ spectacular first half performance because Ellis had the actual temerity to score from the outside – citing Ellis’ performance as “fool’s gold.”

3. The Point of Fool’s Gold: Self’s point was that fool’s gold is fake, it’s something you can’t rely upon. It’s not the real deal. Most importantly, as we know, ‘Fool’s Gold’ is of no value – that was the message to the team. You have to score inside. Self of course wanted to improve his inside game. A worthy goal. But in the process, he insulted, discredited, and devalued the guys that had carried his team to a 20-4 record at the time. This is where, in my opinion, the disconnect began with this team. And this disconnect led to our 5-4 finish.

4. My Comments Post TT: Here’s what I said immediately after the Texas Tech “Fool’s Gold” comments: “But here’s even what’s worse - Bill Self’s comments last night cheapen and devalue what the team has accomplished. Imagine if you’re a player (hearing that from coach Self). Now imagine if you’re a father. Your kid is great a soccer and is just so-so at basketball. But you hate soccer. And you tell your kid, “Hey, that’s great, but try playing a real sport like basketball, and I’ll be impressed.” Horrible, right? Instead of providing inspiration and positivity, he cheapens and devalues their efforts and team strengths. Imagine Brannen Greene. ‘Hey, buddy, you’re fool’s gold.’ Comes across that way to me.”

5. Psychological Impact: This gets subjective, of course. But does anyone doubt that coaches can inspire players to greatness? Does anyone doubt the value of coaches, behind the scenes, in creating an atmosphere of success? Does anyone doubt that a coach can play mind games with players? Does anyone doubt that some of these guys might have fragile psyches, or be a bit insecure about their role and their value to the team? I believe that Self’s public and private disdain for the three point shot psychologically destroyed this team’s greatest strength. It led directly to the horrible performances we have seen from behind the arc.

6. Self’s Fulfilled Prophecy: The shooting slump – the travesty that has been our three point shooting since Texas Tech – was Self created. I have zero doubt about that. This was not a reversion to the mean. It was a coach tearing the offensive heart out of his team. Now, I know, some will immediately react and believe this not to be true. But let’s think about this for a moment. A coach is the ever present source of inspiration and confidence in a team. And though I am not one to cite Sam Mellinger too often, he made the following statement in the KC Star Saturday morning that is nearly an undeniable truth – “Shooting is best done with clear minds.” This is gospel. Self has rarely given his players that clear mind. Again, we have seen him show great disdain for the three pointer over the years. Three point shooters have been the biggest recipients, this side of an Anrio Adams three second pick, of the coach Self’s quick hook. Self has made comments in prior years about not settling for threes. It’s a common refrain. Threes are second class. We know where he stands on the topic. We heard him say on Hawk Talk that we need “reliable offense.” We know what he meant. Self wanted us to have less reliance on three point shooting. Now he has that. I wonder if this is what he envisioned?

7. Post Texas Tech: I believe that what happened after the TT game was that coach Self had reached his breaking point. In his mind, he truly believed that this team could not, and would not, be in a position to compete for a national championship relying on outside shooting. So everything changed. He would not stand for the reliance on outside shooting any longer. He demanded that his players change their approach to the game. He demanded that we get the ball to the hoop. He demanded a style of play that was, in his opinion, more reliable. He demanded not settling for three pointers. It was a thought process borne in a long term approach to the season. Bill Self felt that we could not reach the Final Four playing the way we played through the Texas Tech game. It was an illusion to Self. It would not work in the NCAAs when things get down and dirty. We were too reliant on outside shooting. We heard Brannen Greene comment that threes needed to be taken in the flow of the normal offense. We saw players routinely pass on three point looks in favor driving to the hoop. Frank Mason, who was gunning at over 40%, completely changed his approach. Selden, Greene, and Oubre all hesitated. It is subtle, folks. But that’s all it takes. All it takes is a slight hesitation. A slight second thought. The look is gone. Or, don’t shoot unless we’re under 10 on the shot clock, don’t shoot the three if you are guarded, don’t shoot a three if we still have the opportunity to drive the basketball. Restrictions. Interestingly, Self just said Friday that his guys could shoot open threes against Baylor, but that he “hoped to hell they wouldn’t.”

8. Numbers Do Not Lie: In the games since the Fool’s Gold comments at TT, Kansas has shot just 26.2% from three point range. This from a team shooting over 40% at the time. Worse, our three point attempts dropped dramatically from 16.9 per game, to 11.5 per game in our 9 games of “bad ball.” There is more to the drastic change in numbers than merely a slump. This was a wholesale change in what was acceptable, and what was not acceptable. The drastic drop in three point attempts tells that story unequivocally. Further, very importantly, before “bad ball” – we were averaging a +9.33 average ppg margin in conference play. After “bad ball” – we were averaging just a +2.55 average ppg margin in conference play (including the conference tourney).

9. Brannen Greene: Greene, I believe, was the biggest psych job. Why do I believe that? Because his game, much more than any Jayhawk, is premised upon his outside shooting. He was our three point gunner. He was the guy that commentators were regularly calling the best shooter in America. He was the guy that Self was calling the best shooter during his tenure at Kansas. Then, the Fool’s Gold rant. Through the Texas Tech game, Greene was shooting 53.2% from three. Since the Texas Tech game, Greene has shot 14.2%. Some may say coincidence, I’m sure. I would suggest that Self largely contributed to the decline, if not flat out caused it. Greene, who is an NBA prospect solely because of his shooting, essentially saw his main contribution to the team devalued, and called fake and worthless. Don’t for one minute underestimate the power of coach Self’s opinion on these young men. And the change in strategy – the second thought in this shooter’s mind – surely led to uncertainty when Greene began to pull the trigger. The rhythm was lost and the spiral began.

10. Conference Myth: Remember, Self’s change in offensive focus did not win us the Big 12 conference. We won in spite of it. We were 9-2 in conference, and finished 13-5. Through the Texas Tech game in Lubbock, we were 20-4. We come home vs. a zone defense team (Baylor) and won, 21-4 (the bridge to the change in strategy). At many times during those first 25 games we looked dynamic on offense. We demonstrated that we could overcome large deficits (Florida) and we showed that we could blow the doors off teams with incredible halves of basketball (Utah). We we shooting over 40% from three point range. We were at 8th in the nation in three point percentage.

11. Bad Ball: @jaybate-1.0 gave us the term “bad ball.” Self said we play ugly. This began, really, when Self finally accepted that we have a very limited ability to score on the post feed. On January 31, 2015, Self proclaimed that we were not an inside-out team. This thought process led to a different way to get the ball to the hoop, as Self alluded to directly after the Texas Tech game – talking about getting the ball to the hoop off the bounce, and other ways beyond the post feed. Whatever the term, we changed significantly after the Texas Tech game. Bad ball was born. We then embarked on a wholesale change in the manner in which we approached offensive basketball. Our three point attempts dwindled. Our offense was now 100% committed to getting the ball inside, with the strategy of driving the basketball, creating off the dribble, drawing fouls, mucking it up, and “finding a way to win”, as Self said just the other day.

12. Futility of Bad Ball: The day that this was plainly evident was February 15, 2015, at home, against TCU. The day the season died. We had lost to WVU in our first true “bad ball” game, and then was locked in a tight game with TCU, at home, at the three minute mark. The writing on the wall was evident. In the 9 true “bad ball” games, we have gone 5-4 under the rule of “bad ball.” Numbers do not lie. Against ISU, a main premise of bad ball failed. We could not keep a lead. We build a 17 point lead, only to see it lost in a flash. This was reminiscent of the Utah game where we built a 20 point lead on the backs of our outside shooters, only to see it lost when Self directed a return to the pound it inside philosophy he is so fond of. Bad ball failed. Bad ball has led this team to 5-4 – that is futility. As @Jesse-Newell has noted, our offensive efficiency has tanked since this new strategy was put into practice. The dynamic outbursts of the first 25 games were replaced by the drudgery on the offensive end. An attack in large part premised upon drawing fouls, and getting to the line. Further, Self conveniently ignores that his preferred approach has significant pitfalls. Ironically, the inability to make “bunnies” impacted both the Stanford game last tourney, and was a key factor in our loss to KSU (as Self reflected upon after that game). Again, our most reliable offense had been our outside shooting through the Texas Tech games. We could not score reliably near the rim. The bad ball strategy further relies upon the whistle our referee friends – a fickle thing that can wax and wane like the tides of the ocean. And not something one should bank on to lead them to the promised land. A distinct element that is out of one’s control.

13. The Answer – Why Self Switched To Bad Ball: It was yesterday, following the Baylor game, when Self gave the answer. Self commented that our 2012 Final Four team played this way. He noted that Tyshawn Taylor didn’t make a three the entire tournament, until the title game, and that we didn’t score a basket outside of three feet in beating NC State in the tourney run. Self reminisced in his comparisons, referring to the fact that this version of the Kansas Jayhawks’ identity was “finding a way to win.”

14. Could Self Be Right?: Absolutely. Self could be dead on correct. The greatest stage awaits. The ultimate judge and jury. If Self’s gamble that “bad ball” can carry us to the Final Four is right, he wins this great debate by knock-out. Of course, he could change course and revert to a different style of play, and also reach the Final Four. Self would win, once again, by knock-out. And that’s the reality of coaching at Kansas. Fairly or unfairly, Self will be judged by his team’s performance in March. Fairly or unfairly, every big time coach is judged in this manner, and compared to other coaches. But Self has made a big gamble, risking this team’s future on a bet that turns it’s back on what used to be this team’s greatest strength. Self consciously chose not to embrace this team’s strength and chose not to scheme to take advantage of it – he chose a strategy that minimized that strength. Self gets paid to make these sorts of decisions. It’s his team, it’s his call. We will soon see if this decision will lead the Jayhawks to the promised land. Kansas will, once again, be in a terrific position as a #2 or #3 seed to make a run to the Final Four. Self could be right. Every KU fan hopes this gamble was the right one. We shall soon see.

After the SDSU game, @VailHawk posted perhaps the perfect thread. A simple picture of Cheick Diallo and Carlton Bragg on the bench. The title of the thread was appropriately, “What’s Wrong With This Picture?”

Very few times do we have “thread perfection.” But if there ever was a time, this was it.

The thread challenged us to think. We won. Traylor played well. Yet Diallo sat. And Bragg sat. Kansas basketball paid a price for Self’s decision. Another opportunity at experience lost.

Thus in a “micro” sense, Traylor played well and we won. But in a “macro” sense, we lost. And we are losing. The cause? Myopia – a severe case of short-sightedness that has afflicted our coach’s thought process. But another cause? Feelings. The coach’s love for his players and the struggle every coach goes through with players he loves – it’s hard to watch them sit on the bench.

Based on our coach’s statements (apparently) finally accepting the strengths of our team (shooting), that the rate of threes should increase, and that he forced last year’s team to be something it wasn’t, this is … maybe … the last hurdle. So here we go:

1. The Struggle - Win This Game vs. Gaining Experience: It’s every coach’s job, right? Win. It’s the ultimate trump card. But we all know there is a bigger picture, don’t we? Bill Self knows it. Perry Ellis knows it when he said in October, “I have a goal to go to the Final Four.” So what is the best way to get there? That’s a difficult question, too. Is it play to win each game regardless of the carnage, “the ends justify the means”, in a game to game sense? To just try to get a #1 seed since that’s the easier path? Or do you do long-term planning? Do your projections go into your playing time decisions? Do you attempt to get your best players the experience needed to be at their collective ceilings in March? Do you permit as much time as possible for those players to play together, with the team, so the team is function as high as it possibly can? That’s the struggle. After the SDSU game, Bill Self explained why he played Jamari Traylor 21 minutes. "When the game got tight, I went with experience (Traylor). I put an experienced guy out there because he’d been there before.” Self has also said in comparing Diallo and Bragg to the vets, “There’s other kids who have busted their butt for two or three years who are trying hard, too."

2. The Struggle - Feelings vs. Playing The Best Players: Anyone that has coached knows what I’m talking about. The kid you love. The kid you have worked with for years, but he’s a lower tier player. If you are truly trying to be the best team you can be, that kid would sit quite a bit. As a coach, and I’ve been there, you adjust your strategy to make sure that kid plays. At that point, you accept that you might be compromising your team’s ceiling for a reason based on feelings – you are making decisions with your heart, not your head. @Jesse-Newell made the comment a number weeks ago, explaining Self’s playing time for Traylor, that Self just really likes the kid and his background. I get it. But are Bill Self’s feelings for a player or players the right way to make decisions? Do you make the hard choice and sit a kid or kids that you love? That’s the struggle. In referencing the playing time in the post, Self said after the SDSU: “It’s not easy to play six big guys, and we played one of them 17 minutes in the first half (Ellis). Have to give everybody a chance."

3. Myopia Defined: I found this on-line, perhaps the best definition for my purposes here - “Myopia is an adjective meaning shortsighted in every sense. Whether you need glasses or a new attitude, if you can’t see the forest for the trees, you’re myopic.” Ah, that forest for the trees thing. I’ve referred to that before. The paralysis by analysis. Focusing too much on the “micro” elements, and losing sight of the big picture, or the macro. Playing Landen Lucas because he’s more effective when the opposition is in a three-quarter deny position. Or when Lucas just has to play to guard a good player, on an average team, at AFH. It’s all the same myopia.

4. Why Is It Myopia?: Easy. Bill Self said it. We’ve all said it. It’s literally undisputed. Diallo and Bragg have the highest ceilings of the post players. When speaking of the post players, Self said, “Your most talented, gifted kids physically are your younger kids.” When they don’t play, the concept of short-sightedness comes into focus. @bwag said on another thread: “Mari’s playing time now, comes at a cost that, many of us fear, will be payed later at greater consequence than an early season game against inferior quality opponents … If experience is important, and no one disagrees that it is, then early season games should focus on getting your more talented, but less experienced players more experience in game situations.” We have two players who are our only post players that really have NBA futures. Diallo was the #5 player, as projected OAD. And Bragg the #21 player, who is now racing up NBA draft projections. But what is interesting is that both players have also demonstrated productivity while on the floor this season.

5. Is Anyone Unexpendable?: After the SDSU game, I posted on @VailHawk’s thread, the following, simple question: “Is there anyone that thinks we lose last night if Jamari Traylor missed the flight to SD and didn’t make the trip?” Of course, the normal anger ensued without any of the angry ones thinking past the end of their collective noses. @JayHawkFanToo, however, missed my point, but also made my point, He said, “You could leave just about any KU player home and still win (or lose) most games …” Right, that’s the point. Therefore, why ever play the inferior, low ceiling players rotation level minutes? Certainly Jamari Traylor played well vs. SDSU. Maybe his second best game as a Jayhawk. But that misses the “macro” point. Those minutes are valuable experience.

6. Experience Contradiction: Why did Self go with Traylor? Self said “experience.” Why would one go with “experience”? Presumably, because “experience” gives you a better chance to win. Ok, given that, wouldn’t it make sense then to provide your higher talent players as much “experience” as possible so that when presented the opportunity in more important games, that they would give you the better chance to win? One point is of course the need to win the game at hand. But I would argue that most of our games are not going to be won or lost by the lower ceiling talent. That’s rarely ever the case. Heck, we won the three prior game by 90 combined points with Traylor playing 13 minutes. Self played Mickelson nearly the entire second half against Oregon St. Does anyone really think we lose that game if Mickelson doesn’t play? The reason I didn’t have an issue with that is Mickelson’s higher talent level. But if Self would have played Diallo those minutes, I would have had zero problem. None. It would have been done for a reason – for the big picture. If experience is a reason to select a player for playing time, then you have to give the better players the opportunity to gain that valuable experience. If you don’t, and you are planning that they have bigger minutes in the future, then you are compromising your ceiling in the future by limiting their minutes and experience now.

7. Pressure Makes Diamonds: General George Patton said, famously, “pressure makes diamonds.” And this is very true in sports. The first time you step to the free throw line with opposing fans screaming, late in the game, is much different than the 25th time. Why? Because you know what to expect. You’ve been there before. You’ve experienced the butterflies in the stomach. And over time, the way nerves negatively affect performance progressively lessen. We had our team’s first true road game. Hostile environment. Adversity. And what happened? Self fumbled the opportunity to give Diallo and Bragg the pressure situation, the situation that can help shape them moving forward in much more important games – whether they be conference games or tourney games. Experience – and being subjected to pressure over time – permits an athlete to perform at their peak without interference from nerves and other extraneous forces.

8. Not Playing Diallo/Bragg High Minutes Makes Sense Only If …: Right, only if Self does not intend to play them high level minutes in March. There, it would make sense. If Self projects Bragg at 10 minutes and Diallo as an 8 minute guy later, then sure, get the minutes for the guys you are ultimately going to rely upon. But if Self envisions Bragg and Diallo as big minutes guys, players that we need to get us to a national title, then it makes zero sense.

9. The Risk Of The Alleged Hot-Hand: It’s just an increased gamble. Alright, tell me who will play better against UC-Irvine, Svi Mykhailuk or Frank Mason? Do you really know? Couldn’t Svi come out and drill four three pointers in the first 5 minutes? Of course he could. So if Self has that “feeling”, as I’m sure he might from time to time, why doesn’t he gamble from time to time and start Svi over Mason? Because lineup decisions made on those gambles will surely blow up. There are decent odds against on Svi outperforming Mason. Coaches make lineup decisions based on the most likely results – they play the best players. What player, over the long term, is my best bet? If a coach tries to project future results on other factors, the chances of it blowing up in his face increases. A way decisions blow up in one’s face is also the failure to perform. The player in question playing poorly and providing a subpar performance. When a coach has evidence from past performances, it makes no sense to risk that underperformance unless there is a higher purpose. For Kansas, all Self has to do is look at the history of poor and mediocre performances from Lucas and Traylor to get a good read on the risks of playing either of them. With Bragg and Diallo, we have the promise of higher ceilings. As I’ll address below, it’s all relative.

10. The SDSU Example: Self goes with Traylor because of experience. But let’s assume for a moment that Traylor performs, well, like Traylor normally does. Let’s say there’s no steals, two turnovers, and two less rebounds. My point is not the exact detail of how this would occur, but only to suggest that Traylor harming Kansas while on the floor is a much greater probability than Traylor helping Kansas. We know that from his history here. The stats just don’t lie. Traylor had more steals than turnovers vs. SDSU. Last season, Traylor 20 games where he had more turnovers than steals, and only 4 games where he had more steal than turnovers. See what I mean?

11. But Can’t Self Just Pull Him?: Of course he can. Self could just pull him when his performance turns downward. But do you see the peril of that approach? First, you remove the player when he fails to perform – the negative has already occurred. Second, you lose the potential positive from the better player – meaning the odds are that the better player is going to give you a better “net” performance over time. So your gamble has more than just one element. The gamble is opportunity cost. You also lose the potential performance of the player on the bench. And this goes to the heart of some advanced statistics. Playing the best player maximizes your team’s opportunities more times than not playing the best players does.

12. The Bigger Purpose (Macro) AND Micro Help: Here’s the thing … the current stats show that playing Diallo and Bragg will, over time, be better for Kansas. Just using what they’ve done now, and not even projecting improvement. Pair this with the unanimous agreement that Diallo and Bragg have higher ceilings, the case is undeniably compelling. The catch-all Player Efficiency Rating shows as follows - Diallo 21.6, Bragg 21.1, Lucas 21.0, and Traylor 15.5. So even using this rating, in Diallo and Bragg’s first minutes as Jayhawks, they are either equal or better bets for positive performances on the court than Lucas or Traylor – and that doesn’t even consider that higher talent Self referred to. Further, when you factor in that both Diallo and Bragg’s need to continue their development, and that development leads to better performances, only someone making decisions for non-performance reasons could come to a different conclusion. The fact is, as well, that developing the top talent doesn’t necessarily mean you sacrifice victories.

For Kansas to reach it’s potential, Bill Self needs to overcome his fear that inexperience may cost him a game. It might happen. He has to realize that relying on experience, equally, may also cost him a game as well. It’s the same discussion as blaming losses on bunnies and missed three pointers. You can lose both ways. And developing talent doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing wins.

THE GOAL IS TO WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. EVERY MOVE SHOULD BE MADE WITH THAT IN MIND. Diallo and Bragg being at maximum efficiency is much more important thaN a loss here or there, if that were to occur. Getting Diallo and Bragg experience now, and regularly, and under fire, is crucial to that pursuit. It is critical.** A great example is Diallo and fouling. Many comments that he needs to learn without fouling – exactly. He needs on the job experience to learn. Just one example.

Some folks have downplayed Kansas’ chances this season saying that we are essentially the same team from last season. They are right, only if Diallo and Bragg aren’t big minutes players, night in, and night out. And they are right if Diallo and Bragg aren’t ready to be the #2 and #3 post players come March.

We have seen what results our alternatives provide over multiple seasons, and this is all relative. For this team to reach its peak, as well as to win games now, the better gamble is give Diallo and Bragg consistent and unyielding doses of 18-20 minutes per game.

Years of appreciating @jaybate-1-0 for what he was, and what he offered, has significantly mitigated any irritation I might have with anything he posted. This site lost a lot of depth when he left. There was no need for some to continue to berate him, as many did.

Seriously, we know what the guy brought to the table. And quite frankly, he deserved more respect here.

It was quite easy to determine who was the smartest guy in the room. It was @jaybate-1-0 I didn’t even know what in the heck he was talking about sometimes. But he wasn’t talking out of his backside. It was actual, good old fashioned knowledge.

It’s just amazing to me how opinions, and outside of the box thinking, triggers such negative reactions. Believe me … I challenged things he said that I thought were simply ludicrous. Like the “we’re always injured” baloney and the Self-worship (those two seemed connected). And if anyone was around in the kusports.com days, I’m not sure there were bigger battles there than I had with @jaybate-1-0 (not in importance, or worthiness, but in words typed).

Folks that challenge thought processes, and offer strong opinions, even if backed up by facts, are lightning rods.

I find it quite interesting that his Shoeco theories, ones I always hated and scoffed at much of the time, seem oddly to be playing out right now with the FBI investigation and federal prosecutions.

One team is clearly more talented.

However, one coach will play his talented freshman, Matt McQuaid (22 minutes). The talented freshman for MSU was just the 84th ranked player. Yet somehow, he could find the floor and contribute for a hall of fame coach.

Meanwhile, one coach leaves his talented freshman on the bench. You know, the #21 player in the country. The guy that hit two beautiful jumpers in the first half. He sits. The guy that has more skill in one hand than Lucas or Traylor combined.

That same coach, in painfully predictable fashion, plays his plodding post man (Lucas) and his low talent post man (Traylor), who combine for a whopping one made basket from the field. You know, those guys with no ranking. The guys in their 4th and 5th seasons, who have made very little (if any) improvement.

Meanwhile, that same coach, leaves a talented post player (Mickelson) on the bench. You know, the same player that displayed diverse talents set at the WUGs. The same guy that could change a few shots when folks drive to the hoop in a game like this. Three minutes.

Further, and perhaps even more disturbing, was that Kansas was not running any offense much of the second half. it was a joke. It displayed a clear lack of preparation. And a clear lack of purpose. Where was the high/low? It was non-existent. This was much of the same garbage we saw at the end of last season. Out of control driving of the ball to the basket. Devonte Graham being permitted to throw up garbage shots instead of creating, which is his supposed strength.

Of course, no plays run to set up three point shooting. We took a sum total of 11 three pointers until we missed four in the last 30 seconds. In one of the great quotes of this young season, Dick Vitale quoted Self as saying that Greene was the “best shooter” he has ever had at Kansas. And, of course, Greene remains on the bench. Nine minutes. Did he even play in the second half? No set plays run to free the best shooter ever at Kansas under Self. Nope, he sits on the bench. And Svi, you know, the 5-5 guy from three? No threes even attempted.

Here’s the best stat – Greene and Svi combined to shoot – here we go – ZERO THREE POINTERS. NOT ONE ATTEMPT between them from three. Izzo has to be laughing. He was at the end of the game. I saw him. That same guy who has been to 7 final fours in 17 seasons.

Once again, our coach does not have the team prepared. Once again, our coach makes painfully questionable decisions regarding playing time.

Bragg and Mickelson – combined, individually, any way you slice it – are better than Lucas and Traylor.

Memo to Self - Lucas and Traylor CAN’T FREAKING SCORE! IS THIS DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND? Lucas and Traylor combined for 32 minutes. One made field goal. One. Bragg – 11 minutes. Mickelson – 3 minutes. 32 minutes to 14 minutes.

When your team can’t score, you can’t play guys like Traylor and Lucas. They simply aren’t offensive players. Indisputable fact. You can’t have a complete offensive dead spot on the floor when the players in question bring very little else to the table.

It is flat embarrassing for Kansas – an elite, top 5 program – to have either player in such a prominent role. But this is what Self has chosen. Are we really in for a season where Lucas and Traylor are our 2nd and 3rd post players? Talent wins, and we are playing two unranked post players as our 2nd and 3rd post players. Ok, sorry, Traylor was #131, right? I stand corrected.

It’s embarrassing. But hey, we’re used to being embarrassed – Kentucky, WSU, Stanford. It’s all the players’ fault. Or injuries. Or some such nonsense.

Tell me, how healthy was MSU coming into tonight’s game? Hmmm? Right. We can’t use that excuse.

Michigan State is a professionally run operation. It’s the type of team you face in the NCAA tourney. We weren’t ready for that. With a team laden with upper classmen, we weren’t ready.

The question is “why”?

The time is coming for the choices to be made. C5 is nice, it gives us something to talk about, but to reach the national title, we need cohesion and chemistry. It needs to die … soon. Without that, we’ll continue to be a patchwork of inconsistency down low, which will hold this team back from reaching its peak. Self needs to decide, and needs to make the right decision.

1. C5 Seepage: I realize that it is quite compelling to add together stats and extrapolate that we are exacting a certain amount of production, thus concluding that the platoon at the 5 is acceptable and perhaps warranted. I noted my objection to that concept early on and still believe that it is extremely flawed. What we are now getting at the 5 spot is significant underproduction. But more importantly, we are creating one position on the floor that opposing coaches are not fearful of. Coach Self has marginalized the 5 spot. It’s not so important as to whether it is the “5” per se, or another 4 spot (4A) – it’s our second post spot. I know there are folks that strongly defend Self’s decisions with the 5 spot. But I’m hoping that we can all – me included – break from our predisposed positions for a moment. This is not a consideration related to an individual player. It’s not Diallo vs. Traylor, or Lucas vs. Mickelson. The concept I’d like you to consider is seepage (or opportunity cost). The thought that when you seek to play the “hot hand” or the “match-up”, you will inevitably lose production. You lose the possibility that the player may play well when he’s actually on the bench. You lose the natural tendency for certain players to get comfortable during the game, and perform. Seepage. You take out Hunter Mickelson, for example, play him only 5, minutes, and you don’t know what you’ve lost by not having him in the game. By the same token, you take out Cheick Diallo after 3 minutes on the floor, what has that gained you? It is not only gaining nothing, it starts transforming into a negative.

2. Adrienne says, “You can’t win!”: In Rocky 4, Adrienne yelled down the stairs to Rocky, “You can’t win!” And as Rocky said, Adrienne always speaks the truth. This team cannot win the national championship with a C5, “platoon” concept. As circumstantial proof, I’d ask anyone to find another example of a team that played a 6 man post rotation and won the national championship. History is a good indicator of what it takes to win a national title. This concept, historically, has no precedent. I’m interested in some proof otherwise. I believe there are examples of teams that win with lower ranked post players – UConn, Louisville. But a massive platoon? Now when I say, “you can’t win” doing this, I do understand that someone has to plow the road for the first time. I just don’t like the odds given what we’ve seen historically – seems unprecedented.

3. Why Reduce Rotation?: Why is it that each season, Self says he wants to settle on 7-8 guys in the rotation? Why do most coaches tighten the rotation? The normal process we see is a wider rotation in the non-con, then near the end of non-con a bit of a tightening, then as the season moves into mid to late January, the rotation is formed. It has to do with a very important concept – assigning each player his or her role, and permitting the team to gain cohesiveness and develop chemistry. Basketball is a team sport, and for optimum functioning, requires each separate unit to understand the operation of the other separate unit. Team becomes stronger than the individual. We are now compromised in that regard.

4. Cohesiveness and Chemistry: By continually trying to find the hot hand, or the best match, you sacrifice team cohesiveness and chemistry. You sacrifice valuable time that the team has on the floor, in game situations together, to build chemistry and trust. Let me give you an example. Last night, Mason drove into the lane off a screen from Bragg. Mason thought Bragg would pinch to the hoop and tried a blind wrap around pass. This was intercepted by a TT player that collapsed. My first thought was chemistry. Not because anyone completely screwed up (though I would suggest that a shallow pinch by Bragg would have put him in position to receive the pass), but because it looked like they weren’t on the same page. They didn’t know what the other was thinking. Mason didn’t know where Bragg would be, and Bragg didn’t conceptualize Mason’s next move. I have seem many of these moments throughout the year, and of course all of it can’t be chalked up to chemistry. I remember in 2008, and forgive me for my lack of specificity, but there was a sequence on the break where Chalmers threw a lob to Russell Robinson. They showed the reply. I didn’t even see them make eye contact. There was traffic. It was amazing. My point is – and I believe it is unassailable – that the more players play together, the better chance that they will develop chemistry and cohesiveness. With 5 post players vying for 50 minutes of play, it is a continuous patchwork of uncertainty, contrasted against the more seamless consistency of established roles and minutes.

5. Changing Identity: I think we can all agree that of our five post players opposite of Ellis, all 5 have different qualities and games. Think about that and how it relates to chemistry and cohesiveness. When Self has Mickelson in the game, we are much different in the post than we are with Lucas in the game. Much different players. And how does Bragg contrast with Diallo? Or Diallo with Traylor? Or Traylor with Lucas? Varying levels of skills, varying levels of system knowledge, and a many times, a much different flow on the court. Here’s one big example: I’d really like to see our rate (# of attempts) of three point shots and transition baskets with Lucas in the game. It really seems to me that our three point rate decreases. It does seem like we play slower. Why might that occur? First, Lucas only plays the block, Second, he’s relatively immobile. Third, nobody really has to guard him in that he has a very limited offensive skill set. Fourth, he is slow up and down the floor. It seems quite clear that with all of this erratic rotation of post players, the night in, night out, banquet of minutes, that our team identity is compromised by this uncertainty. Each player offers different skills and positives/negatives.

6. Purposeless Starter/Subs: How silly is it to start Mickelson and play him for just 5 minutes in the entire game? That seems ridiculous. Why even bother starting him? Likewise, why sub guys in – Diallo, Bragg, whoever – for 3-5 minutes in a game? That seems like a complete waste of time. Let’s use the Diallo example. I saw Diallo NOT take a stupid shot. He didn’t shoot the 16 foot turnaround shot when he had the chance. He moved the ball. He hustled. Yet Self pulled him after Self just got upset that TT scored, and it wasn’t an error by Diallo at all. An opposing guard penetrated, Diallo contested, and the ball went in the hoop – a result that has befallen Traylor, Lucas and Ellis hundreds of times. To pull Diallo as a result was senseless. It’s poor coaching. It’s dumb coaching. It was done because Self was mad his team gave up a basket. That’s coaching without a plan (unless the plan, “I’m going to yank a player when I get upset irrespective of what that player did right or wrong.” Cheick Diallo learns nothing from it but only gains understandable frustration. Anyone would be frustrated. I’ve never been a fan of the quick hook on mistakes, but I’m even less of fan – and will call it what it is, dumb – when the hook involves emotions unrelated to the player himself.

7. Match-Ups Way Overrated: I love scheming. I think it’s a coach’s main job. Scout and game-plan to beat your opponent. However, there is a very rare occasion where a coach would not play one of his chosen starters solely because of a match-up. We’ve seen one – when MU played small and we couldn’t keep TRob and Withey on the court. But vs. UNC in the 2013 tourney, they played small and we came out conventional in the second half and blew them out. Playing match-ups is over thinking. It all comes back to playing the best player – in this case, whoever Self believes to be the best player. Who can explain when an inferior pitcher beats a top 10 ERA guy? Who can explain when a no-name receiver beats a shut-down corner for a TD? The point is that you never know how the game breaks. By playing Lucas, for example, you’ll never know if Mick or Diallo will block that shot, run the floor, and get a dunk – a play that could change an entire game. But when you remove players with short bursts of minutes you eliminate their ability to get comfortable, and you simply may never see their best minutes of the game.

8. Options Could Be Self’s Undoing: I firmly believe that too many options are a potential downfall for this team. I think that Self feels uncomfortable, to a large degree, with every post player other than Perry Ellis. As in life, you generally reap what you sow, but that’s another issue. But when you feel that you have five possible players to play 50 minutes of basketball (opposite of Ellis’ 30 minutes per game), in an odd sense, it’s akin to the age old phrase, “jack of all trades, master of none.” By trying to match-up with opponents, by trying to play the hot hand, you are a slave to situational judgment. You can’t become “excellent” in any one area in that fluctuating 5 spot because there is no chance for excellence. Excellence is achieved over time. And by making those decisions situationally, you jeopardize the team’s ability to gel and function at optimal efficiency because there is no consistency.

9. Make Your Choice - February 1: Pick and play your starters in the post (Ellis + 1). Pick and play your chosen subs (2 subs). Eliminate the bottom two from any playing time except in emergency. Bill Self needs to make his decision on his chosen post players within the next couple of weeks. If he doesn’t, I think it will greatly compromise our ability to reach our ceiling, even more than his failure to play the best talent in non-con. It will threaten the ability of the team to play with cohesion and chemistry moving forward. Bill Self needs to make his choice and go with it. This will lead to a better overall result because you won’t have the “seepage.” The team will have a better chance for cohesion and chemistry, and the opportunity to gel. Players will have more content minds, in that they will know and expect to function in their roles. Competition for roles is terrific, but there is a point in time where that becomes a significantly decreasing proposition. We’re getting to that point. We have seen the cohesion form quite easily on the perimeter. Now it needs to move to the post. Self said the rotation would tighten and not everyone would play. That was three games ago. Everyone has continued to play.

10. Make The Choices With Our Strengths In Mind: Bill Self commented a number of days ago that he would be fine with more turnovers from Frank Mason and Devonte Graham, because it would demonstrate that they were playing more aggressively. I have mentioned this before when discussing my preferred offensive style and why turnovers aren’t that big of a deal when you get more possessions. Anyway, my point is that Self’s thought process should apply to his post players. Not the turnovers, necessarily, but the aggressiveness and what that aggressiveness brings you. Sometimes mistakes get made. Sometimes a guy that gives a big plus in one area, might be a negative in another area. When you go with a guy who doesn’t give you much you are playing conservative, playing scared. You might think you’re playing smart, but in the end, you play right into an inferior opponents game plan. Right now, would you rather game plan a against the known or the unknown?

11. The Choices – It’s Really That Easy: This seems incredibly easy to me. The better players still are Diallo, Bragg and Mickelson, despite all of the rancor for Traylor and Lucas. Personally, I don’t understand what some folks are watching and considering to be “good” play. The fact is, those guys have been pedestrian. And Traylor’s numbers continue to regress (his PER is at its season low). Every minute that they play, is another minute of lost cohesion and development. Let me give you an example of what I see with Lucas - When I watch Landen Lucas play, I see an anchor – not in the sense of a guy that is a “rock of consistency” – but a guy that holds this team back from playing to its ceiling, a player that holds this team back from playing fast and from playing aggressively on offense. A guy that can’t score unless it is literally given to him. He can guard moderately skilled players in the post, but folks with any skill are too much for him (see Odiase from TT). When we reach the NCAA tournament, there is a good chance that we’ll be overmatched down low in some significant games. The net production is all that matters, beating the other team on points per possession, and thus I think it is pretty obvious that we need to move to a player that optimizes our efficiency playing with pace, playing aggressively, and shooting three pointers. Everything we do should be geared toward playing to that group of strengths. Because of our power offensively, we have much more room for error defensively. This team has proven that it is good enough defensively that playing to our strengths offensively will overcome any missteps – and that the better bet is on our offensive prowess as opposed to micro managing match ups, or going with a guy that might not screw up as much. This team will not win that national championship with Landen Lucas playing the primary minutes at the 5 spot, just like it won’t win it with Jamari Traylor getting that time. Both players offer a consistent level of performance that is below what is needed to win the title this season.

Self needs to make the tough choices, the choices with vision, the BOLD choices. It’s how championships are won. We can rely on our security blankets, but come March, bold wins. Whatever Self’s choice, it’s better that it be made sooner than later. And we can all forgive him if we stand around with 11 conference rings in a row, but we’re playing on the first Saturday in April in Houston.

**I know I blacked out last week… Very busy work week, two relatives dealing with health issues, anniversary, etc. Haven’t got caught up on all the threads, but had some time to put this together yesterday.

The general consensus is that Bragg is having an off year, perhaps not making the progress we thought he would. Some have even said that Bragg has been a bust.

Not so fast, my friend.

Who do you think is third on the team in points per minute played?

Or first on the team in rebounds per minute played?

If the answer wasn’t Carlton Bragg, I wouldn’t have asked the question.

Minute played stats are important so long as they aren’t puffed up by scrub time (or, hard working non-starter time as is perhaps more sensitive).

The all important player efficiency rating (PER) also support Braggs effectiveness – his 22.0 PER is third on the team behind Mason and Jackson. And his 22.0 PER is better than his 19.4 rate last season. Of course, we have a tougher slate of games ahead of us.

The eye test is something we all utilize – and my eye test indicates that Bragg has had a difficulty getting the ball in the hoop tight to the basket. His relatively low field goal percentage supports that. He’s also been a bit sloppy with the ball. But that eye test does not mean he has not been good, and it does not mean he has not done well during his time on the floor. Playing Josh Jackson’s minutes (27.2 – which would be about what we might have expected), Bragg would be averaging appx. 12 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Not a world beater, but certainly solid.

Bragg was presumed to be the starter at the four spot – then came the four guard lineup. Just win, baby – and we’ve been doing that, utilizing our teams strengths. But Bragg’s production, while appearing less than we’d hoped, is perhaps only a few points per minute away from being the stud we assumed he’d be. And that may be a little surprising.

This is not a pleasant discussion. This discussion does require one to be objective. From time to time I’ve asked of folks to “Free your mind.” If you come to this discussion with a mind that is not free enough to consider possibilities beyond coach Self’s basketball world, then log off now. This is not for you. If you have a propensity for citing conference championships as the gospel, then you simply don’t get it. Take the escape hatch now. If, however, you would like to challenge yourself, read further. Critique. Analyze. Postulate. Free your mind.

1. What We Witnessed: Folks, this was a disaster. WSU’s defensive scheme was better, their offensive scheme was better, and their players were clearly more inspired. This was a knock-out. It’s very disappointing to me. Last season, I felt very strongly that Self was outcoached by Johnny Dawkins. Dawkins shut down Wiggins with an active strategy to do so, and used his team’s height to contest our looks at the rim. What was most disappointing was our failure to adjust our attack. This season was a little different. What we saw vs. WSU was what we have seen since we we 21-4. It was more endemic than the issues last season. But in a complete white wash, Gregg Marshall outcoached Bill Self. Marshall was even ahead on the Soviet judge’s scorecard when Self’s head hit the canvas.

2. Our NCAA Reality: The fact is, in 12 NCAA tournaments, Kansas has underachieved by 10 seeding lines under coach Self. I graded it out by seeds. If you have a 1 seed, Final Four. 2 seed, Elite Eight. 3 or 4 seed, Sweet 16. Bonus point for getting to the title game. Two points for winning the title. 2004 +1; 2005 -2; 2006 -2; 2007 -1; 2008 +2; 2009 even; 2010 -3; 2011 -1; 2012 +2; 2013 -2; 2014 -2; and 2015 -2. Total = -10. That is reality. You can’t dress that up. March has not been kind. March doesn’t lie, the ultimate judge and jury on the path the greatness.

3. Bad Ball: We left Lubbock after thrashing Texas Tech by 20+ on the road 20-4. We returned to AFH, beat Baylor’s zone using our zone offense, and stood 21-4. Self adjusted our zone offense in that game, moving to an even man front against Baylor’s odd man front zone. Again, 21-4. Then it happened. Everything changed. @jaybate-1.0 coined the term, “bad ball.” Our offense changed from an offense that searched out the post feed and shot nearly 18 three pointers a game, to a drive, drive, and drive some more approach. Self preached that we needed to get the ball to the basket, and score inside. This was just a different way to score inside. Drawing fouls was a large part of the theory. Muck up the game, make it ugly, draw fouls, get to the line, and win by attrition.

4. Bad Ball An Unequivocal Failure: Simply compare pre-bad ball to post-bad ball. The numbers don’t lie. Most importantly, Kansas was 21-4 pre-bad ball. Kansas was 6-5 post bad ball. Bad ball did not win the conference. Bad ball nearly lost it. Pre-bad ball had Kansas standing at 10-2 in conference. Bad ball had us at 3-3 in conference. And we know bad ball didn’t win the Big 12 tourney. And we know bad ball didn’t get us out of the second round of the NCAA tourney. In conference games before bad ball, we were +9.5 in margin of victory. After bad ball began, we were just +2.5 (which includes both the NMSU and WSU blowouts). The worst part about “Bad Ball” is not the drive it to the hoop approach. I never had any argument with that – the search to score inside. The flaw, the fatal flaw, was the abandonment of our three point game and our jump shooting. Self called this group the best shooting team he has had at Kansas. Yet he pushed that to the back of the bus. This shift was an unequivocal failure. Not only did Self’s change in offensive strategy not improve our offense, it made our offense … and our team … worse. There is no denying that now. Self’s move away from the status quo made our offense worse, led to less team success, and sent our season into the toilet. Self flat out blew it. Our offensive efficiency went into the tank. Our points per possession went south. We were lost. We had no offensive rhythm. And basketball season is over. Yes, Marshall outcoached Self … but this result was over a month in the making. It wasn’t a one game strategy failure like Stanford.

5. Lost Without The Post Feed: This is perhaps the biggest takeaway from this season – Bill Self struggles as an offensive coach without the post feed. Bill Self’s lack of offensive acumen was clearly exposed this season. He is a one trick pony. When the post feed was removed from his offense, he floundered. No one can dispute that. It’s one of two things. Either Self just isn’t a very good offensive mind, or Self is just entrenched in the offensive dogma he preaches. I believe it is a chunk of both. And this is his fatal flaw. But we’ve seen our offense struggle for years, even with the post feed in high gear. Is this surprising? Heck, some football coaches are better defensively than offensively. That applies to basketball too. Self’s aversion to the three point shot is famous and this limits his world view, so to speak, of basketball offense. We talk about it. Local sport reporters talk about it. National commentators talk about it. John Gasaway on ESPN, just before the WSU game, said, “Who will make the 3s this time around? Likely not Kansas. Self’s aversion to the 3-point shot is relative and not absolute (he’s no Roy Williams or Larry Brown), but it is also well-documented and above all consistent.” This aversion to the three pointer will continue to keep Kansas from reaching it’s offensive peak, even when we can feed the post with impunity. And it destroyed this team’s chances this season. We need a new offensive coordinator. A director of offensive operations for Self to rely upon.

6. Post Feed Futility Obvious Early: At a very, very early stage in this season, many of us identified that the post feed with this team was futile. UK was a horrific foreshadowing. Without doubt, it was by the Utah game. We had witnessed Brannen Greene win Kansas the Georgetown game. Then, against Utah, we had our best half of basketball, ravaging the Utes from outside in the first half. Self mocked Ellis’ outside efforts at halftime, first uttering the Fool’s Gold baloney. In the second half, we were horrible. Self clearly mandated that we pound the post for much of the second half – I documented our possession here after the game. We barely hang on and won a game where we had built a 20 point lead at home (Sprint Center). What was obvious was that we had no real ability to score against long and athletic players. Perry was overmatched. Cliff lacked any go to move. Traylor and Lucas were simply underskilled. I reiterate – this was obvious. And it was posted about regularly. This was not a secret. We could not reliably score inside. I took some gruff for suggesting that Self was delusional in this pursuit. Nothing has changed. Just more evidence. It took coach Self until after the TT game on February 10 to finally abandon it as our go to offensive focus. Oddly, the pound the post approach permitted our excellent three point shooting to shine to a great degree. Not to the degree it could have, to be sure, but as we’ve seen, much better than the alternative.

7. Self Is Right And The Three Point Shot: My position on this is regularly misconstrued. My sole reason to believe that we should increase our three point attempts to 20-25 per game was because we couldn’t score efficiently inside. I spoke of “this Kansas team”, being sure not to include other groups. Now, I have and always will believe that the post feed is the best offensive weapon when you can score effectively in that manner. But when you score inside regularly, that creates a more difficult argument. No doubt that coach Self is right, though. It’s better to have reliable scoring near the bucket. But that does not have to be to the exclusion of the next best offensive weapon, the three point shot. And three point shooting, actually, can be reliable. Much thanks to @tundrahok. We had discussion on game day about three point attempts. And actually, as he pointed out, our three point shooting percentage increased the more we shot them. It was not a weapon of diminishing returns for this Kansas team. Really, it’s just a reasonable part of a balanced offensive attack. Look at WSU. Did that look like a team that lived and died by the three (a phrase no one has endorsed)? They only shot 20, and made 10. That was just a part of their attack. As we recognized way early in the season, it was necessary for this team to achieve its offensive peak to capitalize on the three point shot. And that was the discussion – how could this team maximize its offensive output? Self refused to capitalize on our teams’ greatest weapon, which was perimeter shooting. A massive failure.

8. What Self Should Have Done: This is really very simple. I said this early on – simply continue with your high/low offense. Embrace the three point shot. Work hard to scheme to get open three point looks from the high/low. That type of attack, premised on outside shooting, would then open up the inside for easier post feed scores. Self’s decision to increase our efforts to drive the ball, instead of post feeds, might not have been necessary. But it certainly could have been part of a two pronged attack. Drive and shoot the three point shot. We saw that with WSU. And folks, all it would have required were some tweaks to our current offense. Work in some rule variations in our motion offense that could have been “add ons” in practice. What is amazing is that our normal offense does create three point looks. Using Perry at the high post to drive, but also as a pick and pop four – not difficult. Remember Andrew White in that role vs. Belmont in 2012? But the bottom line is that Self could have, and should have, embraced the perimeter game and should have embraced his shooters. Create looks as part of your normal offense. The key is being balanced, and shading your offense to your strengths. Folks argued against too much reliance on the three. But we ended up being too reliant on the drive. This made things easy on opposing coaches. The fact is, Self simply did not want to do that. And logic had nothing to do with it. Nothing.

9. NCAA Reality, Just For Fun: Here is reality on three point attempts - In 2014, Wisconsin made the Final Four shooting 21 three pointers per game during the tourney. Florida shot 16 per game during the tourney, also getting to the Final Four. And, of course, UConn shot 19 threes per game during the tourney, on its way to winning the national title. During the season, Wisconsin shot 20.7 threes per game and UConn shot 18.52 threes per game. Florida shot 17.74. In 2013, Michigan shot 21 per game in the tourney on its way to beating KU and getting to the title game. Michigan shot 19.71 per game for the season. Wichita St. shot 20 per game on the way to the Final Four during the tourney, and 19.61 per game that season. Syracuse, who also made the Final Four (whose threes were down a bit in the tourney), shot 17.42 per game for the season. Louisville shot 15 per game during the tourney, significantly higher than our rate in our bad ball stretch. They also shot 17.27 per game during the season.

10. Three Point Reality: The reality is that there are multiple ways to skin a cat. Three point shooting is not a panacea. There is no perfect answer. UK has the horses, they are pounding it inside … scoring at a miraculous 69.3% at the rim. But they shoot just as many threes as Kansas does (and we score at about 55% – er, scored). Villanova shot a bunch of threes and got eliminated. Virginia shot very few this season and got eliminated. Again, there is no perfect answer. But I do know that having a disdain for the three pointer limits your possibilities, and thus limits the possibilities for your team. You are closing off a portion of the game that can be exploited, particularly when your team can’t play the way you want it to play. This was the reality of the 2014-15 Kansas Jayhawks.

11. Kansas Offense Vs. WSU: Eleven possessions into the first half, Self dabbled with a four out/one in scheme, and used that scheme much of the second half. However, our four out/one in scheme was really no offense at all. The four out/one in scheme was little more than the weave. Compare to WSU’s four out/one in. Our guys would stand around and drive to the hoop. Occasional outside shots. There was nothing within the scheme to get open shots, was there? What we saw was a scheme that did not put players in positions to get open shots. They literally had to create their own looks. If you have any doubt, go back and watch the second half. Here is the key question to ask yourself, “what did coach Self do to put our players in a position to succeed offensively?” Our offense was little more than playground ball – hand off, look for a lane to drive. The offense we ran was a flat out joke. It’s something that can work in bursts. And it has worked at times this season. But the problem is that opposing coaches see the simplicity, and have prepared for it. Wichita St. likely plagiarized the ISU defense. It is the best tool in sports – note to Self, you can plagiarize. Anyway, WSU did what ISU did against our weave. They simple contracted and shut off driving lanes. One trick pony. Easy. Their defense dominated us. We were live and die by the drive, right? And Self did nothing to enhance the four out/one in look – nothing. This was a complete failure. It was as if we spent no practice time trying to improve that limited offense and WSU embarrassed us. We looked like a 6th grade rec team out there offensively. Again, simply embarrassing.

12. Scheming To Create Success: I’ve mentioned this numerous times. This is a coach’s job. Scheme to create success. And in this manner, coach Self has wildly failed on the offensive end. Where does this come from? I go back to Self’s quote after the UK game. I felt that it was very telling. Self said, “This game plan crap that everybody talks about; this isn’t football. We play to our strengths, and you don’t just change offenses because the other team is tall.” This is at the very heart of Self weakness, his failing. Self doesn’t change, he won’t change. And we saw it all in vivid HD this season. Self’s view of his teams “strengths” is warped. What he meant to say instead of strengths was, “We play the way we play …” And this is it. We play the way Self wants to play, not the way that capitalizes on his players’ strengths.

13. Scheming to Success II: Ok then, what do I mean here? It means to put your team in the best position to be successful. It’s a coach’s main job. Create conditions where the players you have at hand can succeed. This is again, where the rubber meets the road. There is a wide, diverse, and deep basketball world out there. Bill Self’s offensive world is very thin and limited. We saw WSU on Sunday … a team whose coach schemed directly to take advantage of their strengths. And pay close attention here – that team is a lot like ours. Very much like ours. Strong perimeter players, not a dominating post presence. Did you see what WSU did? During this season, I’ve tried to explain this, I’ve tried to map out examples, I’ve tried to reference game sequence. Just re-watch WSU vs. Kansas. Res ipsa loquitur – the facts speak for themselves. That is the exact offense that this team should have been running this season. But our coach failed us. Coach Self refused to scheme to success. I would say that he failed to recognize this before the season, but I don’t know. I think it caught him off guard, how futile we were inside. But here’s what I do know – I (we) recognized this very early on. Bill Self could have easily incorporated elements of WSU’s offense into our high/low – elements to scheme to our strengths. Personally, I think he could have flat switched offenses. But short of that, the tweaks and adjustments would have been easy, if Self was committed to doing so. There are other examples of offenses that are dynamic, that would fit our personnel. Gonzaga is another one. Many, many in the basketball universe.

14. WSU Offense: I mentioned this above – did WSU look like a live/die by the three team? Guys, that phrase is silly … unless you’re VMI. And I ain’t talking VMI. We’re talking basketball. WSU is not a live/die by the three team. Of course not. They only shot 20 and beat us by 16 points. They scored in a lot of different ways. It was a decisive ass kicking. The three point shot was a large part of their offense, but just a part of a balanced attack. Their offense took a team that was less talented, and put them in position to beat a more talented team by 16. That’s coaching. Are there any converts here? Are there any of you that didn’t believe early, but now believe in this alternative offensive theory? Wichita St. attacked. WSU used the pick and roll. WSU pushed the action with ball screens. WSU created open looks for its three point shooters. And with a small lineup, WSU was able to get looks inside. WSU inverted. WSU did not play tentative on offense. See, the difference is that WSU’s offense was an actual offense. It was a motion offense with multiple options, multiple angles, and multiple goals. Compare that to what you saw from Kansas Sunday. It is literally night and day.

15. High/Low: Of course, Self’s real offense is the high/low. That’s what we’ve always run. We couldn’t even utilize an effective high/low attack against a midget lineup? We could not get our post players any easy looks inside against undersized opponents? The high/low, though, is a terrific offense. So what went wrong? It’s quite simple. We didn’t have the personnel to do what coach Self wanted done within his offense. We haven’t been able to do that all season. And the simple fact of the matter is that Self’s refusal to adjust his scheme, in recognition of this unassailable fact – an obvious fact that so many saw well before Christmas – destroyed this season. Self was slow to react. When he did react, he made the wrong decision. And that lies solely on Coach Self’s doorstep.

Unfortunately, we had this little Red Pill, Blue Pill discussion last season, at about this time. Just for fun, give it another read and then ask yourself, “what has changed?” Certainly not our NCAA resume.

A few comments:

1. Diallo Suspension Continues: This game was a complete waste of potential minutes for Diallo’s development. A complete waste. This was a perfect situation to get Diallo 20 minutes. Someone please explain to me why he should only play 7 minutes? Diallo came in the game at appx. the 13:00 minute mark and we were up 13-12. He left at appx. 8:00 and we were up 30-16. I cannot emphasize this enough. Diallo sits 5 games. He’s suspended. Self suspended him for another game. Seven minutes vs. Harvard? #FreeDiallo. I’m wondered, did Cliff every play just 7 minutes in any game last season? I looked. Cliff never played less than 10 minutes in a game until he played 6 minutes vs. West Virginia on February 16.

2. Bragg: See Diallo. Much of the time Diallo was in during the first half, Bragg was in with him. We played better. We were better with Diallo and Bragg in – as I recall – we smoked their zone defense. I guess that Carlton Bragg, a high skill player, just can’t hang against Harvard. I get it.

3. Lucas – The Sloth: Who is our slowest player getting up and down the court? Right, Landen Lucas. Self, for whatever reason, decided to go with Lucas as our big minutes guy today inside. I wonder if it is because he does better sealing on a three quarter deny? I wouldn’t doubt it. Low talent, low production. He did a fine job on the boards, but virtually no scoring, no blocked shots. He is what he is. I would note that Mickelson and Diallo each had more blocks in their combined 9 minutes than Lucas had in his 24. Lucas provides zero rim protection. Here we go again. Good grief. If you’re Harvard, do you fear Lucas or Ellis more? If you’re Harvard, and Bragg or Diallo are in the game with Ellis, what do you think then? If I’m Harvard, I’m content to slack off Lucas and help hard with Ellis. As Self said in his statements on Brannen Greene yesterday, "it’s not that complicated. PLAY THE BEST PLAYER.

4. Playing Fast - Our Team Identity, Right?: So why would we rely on Lucas when one of our top two team assets is playing fast? At times, we slowed to a crawl. We cannot rely solely on the three. But playing fast AND shooting the three fits this team to a “T”. Our team identity is playing fast. Pushing the pace. Harvard beat US down the court off a made basket. Meanwhile, we watch the ball bounce around after a made basket. We have to push the pace, and push the pace some more. All the time.

5. Ellis At The Rim: This is why we can’t rely on a feed the post game. The pedestrian bigs of Harvard harassed Ellis enough that he, again, couldn’t score reliably inside. But Self didn’t help him. Self didn’t have a competent scoring option in the game with Ellis. For my money, Bragg or Diallo is going to give Ellis much “cover.”

6. Second Half: We never saw the Bragg/Diallo combo (Even after they looked great together in the second half), and I barely recall seeing Bragg at all. When I see Ellis unable to score inside and Lucas, who is just not a good player – together for literally the entire second half – well, we’re going to struggle to beat Harvard.

7. Three Point Shooting: Kansas shot 42.7% from three point range. Great shooting. What let us down was 1) not playing at a high pace, and 2) our inability to score inside. But … and a big “But” … we only shot 14 three pointers. Perry Ellis, who couldn’t score inside, shot zero three pointers (that’s “0”) – and he shoots 44% for the season by the way. The logic is obviously lacking. “Best” or near best shooting team Self has ever had, and we shoot 14 three pointers. That is asinine. When you can’t score at the rim, and you know you can’t, you have to focus on plan B.

8. The Script: This is the script as to why we play close games, and why we are threatened by vastly inferior teams many times. Not inferior teams, but vastly inferior teams.

9. Consider This: Consider this – Landen Lucas and “_____” played a combined 34 minutes. Neither will ever sniff the NBA. Diallo and Bragg, both sure fire NBA players, played a combined 16 minutes. Lucas and “_____” played over double their minutes. Is there anyone on this planet that can state a case for that? Unreal. Add in Mickelson, it’s 34 minutes to 18.

10. Think Of It This Way: Do you think we beat Harvard playing just Diallo, Bragg, and Mickelson in the post? Just those three. If one gets fouled up, we play small. Do we beat Harvard? And do we beat Harvard by more than six points? I’d take that bet any day.

11. "______": If “_____” was our best player against Loyola, how does he just play 10 minutes today? I mean, how does our coach play the player that was our “best player” in the prior game only 10 minutes? To quote one of my favorite posters, “just sayin”. Worth a chuckle.

12. Free Throw Shooting: Let’s say we make 18 - 25 instead of 13-25. That’s over 70%. My analysis does not change one bit. Ignore the free throw shooting when assessing this game. The important assessment here is how we played the game. The free throw shooting today is irrelevant to the discussion. @nuleafjhawk is right, we shot it poorly. However, this should not have been a game irrespective of the free throw shooing. if we win by five more points, making five more free throws, it’s the same discussion.

13. Zone Offense: The best part of this game was our zone offense. Last season, we seemed very stagnant at times. Not today. This is something that bears watching as the season moves forward. In the first half, our zone offense really looked dynamic.

This was perhaps the most pleasant game I have watched in, oh, three seasons. Here’s why:

1. Play at the pace that best fits your team.

2. Play a style that best fits your team.

3. Play guys that play the pace and style that fits your team.

4. Play guys who have a net impact.

5. Play the best players.

Quasi-snarky questions that I have (please take them in the good humored manner they are intended):

1. Did Holy Cross beat Harvard by one point?

2. How did we beat Holy Cross by over 30 and struggle against Harvard?

3. Didn’t Holy Cross supposedly have a really big guy (a lug) inside?

4. Why do the folks that don’t think Diallo and Bragg should play “hate” them so much?

5. Were there two players that combined for 34 post minutes in a 6 point win vs. Harvard and combined for 0 post minutes tonight in a 30 point win vs. Holy Cross?

6. Is Bill Self a genius based on his personnel decisions tonight?

7. Will Bill Self be ticked off tonight because we made shots?

Other observations:

1. After trying to jam it inside the first three or four possessions of the second half, we lurched back to our first half style of play and bounced back after Holy Cross’ quick start. Terrific, really.

2. Hunter Mickelson was terrific in the first half steal, tip aways, blocks, contested shots, rim protection. When someone does not score, this is the type of positive impact that changes games. Withey-like in many ways. I do not know how anyone can ignore what they saw in the first half. Eye test? If it’s a multiple choice, check the box next to Mick.

3. Brannen Greene was moving very well, and did a nice job on defense but for the under screen lapses pointed out on the broadcast. He may be challenging Svi for the 4th perimeter guy. It’s a nice contest. Glad to see Self bring Greene back early (as I predicted he would do, I might add). Perfect.

4. @drgnslayr posted a thread regarding pace of game. It could not have been more on point. This game was lesson in pace and in style of play. The only time we stagnated was when it appeared our focus was solely on getting it inside. When we simply run our offense, move the ball around, and shoot when open, this is a beautiful thing. All this requires is Self to accept it. And it can all be inside/out. I sense moderation from coach Self. Why? He didn’t call a timeout and flip out after we stopped really looking for the post entry pass in second half. He accepted it. Embraced? Don’t know. But all we need is acceptance. Quite frankly, our offense looks terrific. Again, the key is Self accepting this team’s identity. It’s his best shooting team, better than last season to be sure. Ride this horse. And focus on pushing the pace – PACE, PACE, PACE. We might lose some games because we don’t have a back to the basket horse. But we can’t change that. We can win this way, and we can win a national title this way. Our rotation guys shot 11/18 from three. Our pace of play – playing fast – can cover games when it’s 5/18, just like some back to the basket scoring can.

5. Perry Ellis was wildly quiet, and wildly efficient. Called for two bogus foul calls. A very solid night. Business like. How in the world does he get whistled for a foul on that block? Amazingly bad.

6. Loved the LeGerald Vick quick hook. It made me reminisce a bit, tears almost welled up. It’s good to see our old coach has still got it in him . Somewhere, Anrio Adams is watching with his girlfriend, saying, “Hey, hey … baby, come look, that was me. That was me!!” LeGerald, you are watching this season.

7. We have the best collection of perimeter players in the nation. No doubt. Our focus needs to be on permitting that group to win games for us. Further, the post rotation should be geared to support our superior talent on the perimeter. That is exactly what we saw tonight. We have three guys, Bragg, Diallo and Mick, that can improve our game inside vs. where it was last season (they weren’t here or didn’t play). But that will be a progression. They are the three that have a chance to be better in a couple of months. Our other options are who they are. The other options were here and played – and we couldn’t score inside. Logic says the former option is better than the latter. And these other options can really exploit the high/low. Did I say how much I love the high/low? These options also fit best with our best style of play.

8. There is an easy button. It doesn’t work every time. Bumps, pot holes, mistakes, etc. But in the end, we’ll be better for it. As Bill Self said, “play the best players.” By the way, Bill Self was a genius tonight. Don’t you think?

Quick hits from the Texas win -

1. Sam Cunliffe - The “DNP” gives us insight into what coach Self thinks of Cunliffe at the moment. Depth. I know that’s disappointing to some. But our guard play is fine. We just need another skilled big.

2. Garrett over Newman - I liked the move, of course. Garrett is obviously a better defender, did much better down low in the zone. It’s pretty clear that Newman is having some issues with doing things Self’s way. Newman off the bench is a nice thing to have. He shot an ill advised three late. Not the guy to take that shot. Good guy to have on the court late because he is a good free throw shooter. And he is a bit indispensable as our second ball handler. Something’s going on. Prima Donna alert? Just guessing.

3. Press break - Ugh. Just ugly. Slow. Plodding. Defensive. Weak. Help me. Practice this – the closest guy to the basketball get it in quickly, and bust a** down the floor and make the opponent pay. Until you do that, opponents can press with impunity. There is no risk in pressing. I’ve complained about this for years. With our speed, with four guards on the floor, and Self’s desire to play faster, we should flat scorch teams that try to press us. That phase is just horrible … but it always has been.

4. Udoka is really skilled - I know it’s easy to say Udoka is just big, but the guy is very skilled. He has a terrific set of post moves. Can go left or right. And has a very nice touch.

5. Live and Die - We truly will live and die by the three until we get another low post scorer. Fine. We’ve died many deaths. This one will be no different. Either way you’re dead. Maybe we survive.

6. Zone - Great, great move by Self. We set up nicely for the 2-3. We need to play it a lot. Self is really moderating in his old(er) age. This won us the game.

7. Mitch Slapped - Block early in the game, turned into a break and points the other way … who told me that (@approxinfinity)???

8. 5-0 Headed to Morgantown - Book it.

9. Svi - Vinnie Johnson was the original “microwave” – could heat up at any moment. Then was cold. That’s Svi. The “microwave” II. But those cold stretches really stink.

10. Frank Mason - I know, the Texas game is what I’m talking about. But he got his second start tonight. Best PG in KU history. Hang his jersey in the rafters now.

After watching the game last night, looking at the numbers, rewatching most of the game this morning, I believe that we did not win this game because we did not match Nova in three point attempts. More precisely, faced with Nova’s shooting, we just didn’t give ourselves much of a chance. This created conditions where our victory probability was very low.

1. Not Winning vs. Why We Lost: The concept of “not winning” is different than “why we lost.” Let’s focus here on why we didn’t win. In other words, what were our chances?

2. Nova vs. Kansas/Three Point Percentages: A very odd fact. Right now, Kansas and Nova each have the same season shooting percentage from three point range – 40.1%.

3. All Things Being Equal: Importantly, if Nova doubles our three point attempts in a game, at a high rate, one would logically conclude that we would not win, correct? Thus if they shoot 40 threes, and we shoot 20 threes, and we’re both 40% three point shooting teams, the biggest slice of pie on the pie graph is a negative one, correct?

4. Three Point Attempts: For the game, Nova shot 40 three points, and KU shot 21.

5. Hindsight Question: Thus ask yourself, in hindsight, did we have a reasonable chance to win this game – even if Nova and Kansas shoot their season percentages from three? If they shoot their season percentages, it’s a blow-out, right?

6. Villanova Percentages (Game Saturday): Villanova shot just 45% from three in the game Saturday. That’s right, 45%. Not 55%, or 60%, but 45%. It just seemed worse, and it was early. Even if Nova just shot 30%, that’s 12 threes. That’s where the game would have tightened. They would have had to have shot 30%.

7. Kansas Percentages (Game Saturday): Kansas shot 7/21, or 33%. The @jaybate-1-0 trough he predicted.

8. Not That Easy: So we shot 7/21 you say, 33%? A trough? Not that easy. We’ve all been around this game long enough to know that we could easily run off 9/19 in the next 19 shot, and that gets us to 40%. Or could we run off 11/19 and get to the exact same game percentage as Nova. We just didn’t give ourselves a chance to win. We didn’t shoot that next block of 20 threes.

9. More Proof: Kansas has been shooting three pointers during this hot stretch, since back in mid-February, solidly over 40%. And oddly, since and including our blowout of OU at home, we’ve shot 44.6% from three heading into the Nova game. Why is that odd – well, Nova shot 45% last night. Essentially the same.

10. High Rate of Attempts: Before you say that “we’ve never shot 40 threes in a game this season”, we have shot 35 or over 5 times, the most recent being against Duke where we shot 36 threes. So we have been very high high volume.

11. Hindsight Answer: Seems pretty easy. Shoot more threes. Reverting to the mean, right? Our mean, since we transformed as a team (basically) is exactly what Nova shot last night, 45%. So if we shoot more threes, we progress closer to that percentage. In fact, it’s certainly possible we exceed it in our next 20 attempts by quite a bit. Shooting more threes in this game would have created a better condition for this team to win.

12. Not That Easy II: The astute CBB fan would say, “Well, shooting a contested look is not as easy as shooting an open look.” Correct. Seems easy. But our looks were contested and theirs, in large part, were not.

13. Conditions To Make Threes: Coach Self cannot make balls go in the hoop, and can’t make them stay out. But he, like Jay Wright, can create conditions that help or hurt the cause. What was our gameplan? What was Nova’s?

14. Cause For Not Shooting Threes (Option 1): Gameplan. Kansas, of course, was passive in creating open looks at the three point line, content to try to score inside with Doke, or on drives (which Nova helped on tremendously). This was how we played all season. This was Kansas. This did appear to be the game plan. Take control inside. At the very least, this was a “take what they give us” strategy. They guard the line, we go inside. They over commit, we drive. Pretty much what we’ve done. But certainly NOT creating three point looks. It’s what got us here.

15. Cause For Not Shooting Threes (Option 2): As we saw, Nova a was guarding the three point line with reckless abandon. They were in our face at every turn, particularly in the first half. So, the option then is to try to drive or pound it inside. This is the explanation of the passive commentator, though. They took it away, so we’re not going to take it back. We had no answer to their defense on the line. If our plan was to shoot threes, Nova actively, and impressively, tried to take it away.

16. Why Nova Made Threes – The Converse (Option 1): Nova had a clear gameplan to shoot the three ball, to create open looks, to drive and dish inside/out, to get Kansas defenders out of position, and to use their bigs to stretch the floor. They shot a number of threes likely banking on the fact that if they shot their season percentage, we would not be able to match it. And I’m guessing that Jay Wright may have employed this gameplan predicting our reaction. Any questions? This gameplan of Nova’s was a winner. Of course, no doubt, making the three pointers at a reasonable rate is key. And there was a clear path to losing with this strategy. All gameplans are a calculated risks.

17. Why Nova Made Threes – The Converse (Option 2): Nova took more threes (and thus made more) because the three point line was available. We just didn’t guard it aggressively. Ask yourself, did Kansas guard the three point line with reckless abandon? Hmmm. Perhaps the easiest answer of the day – no, they did not. The threes were so open, that it appeared that our gameplan was to permit shots from the three point line. I’ve seen multiple views on that this morning. Wow. Could we really have taken a “make it if you can” strategy? I personally don’t think so. I just think Nova was superior in this aspect, a true clinic in inside/out basketball. They got the ball in, and kicked it out. A bit different than our rotational schemes.

18. Match-Ups: I don’t want to overlook this. Nova’s bigs were a near impossible match for us, as it appeared last night. They were able to stretch the floor in a manner that we could not, and Doke couldn’t guard the line. Their big guys were able to pull ours away from the hoop, and were match up nightmares. Even with this, could we have still won? I believe we could have. But it is certainly a reason we lost. Again, making the shots was key here.

19. Nova The Better Team: I grant this conclusion, they are probably the better team. Let’s say they win a four game series, 4 games to 2. Or they beat us 3 of 5 games. But all that is irrelevant. It’s a one game playoff. We had a reasonable chance to beat Nova.

20. The Answer (Why We Didn’t Win): So why did Kansas not win? Why didn’t we really have a chance to win, looking at this now, the Sunday after? First, we did not shoot enough threes to match Villanova’s volume. Very little chance we could win based on season percentages when we shoot half their number of threes, and they shoot 40 total (meaning a high volume game). Based solely season shooting percentages, this is a loser in most scenarios. It’s certainly a higher chance Nova wins than loses. And maybe Jay Wright knew that heading in. This is a conclusion that is partially “in hindsight”, based on how the game played out. Could we have planned to shoot a high number of threes? Sure. But it didn’t look like it. Would we have shot more if available? Probably. But they weren’t. And Nova seemed intent on gunning from three point range as the core focus of their game plan. Second, we did not win because of gameplan. Because Nova was able to create open three point looks, because we couldn’t stop them from getting open looks, because we couldn’t get open looks, and because Nova defended the three point line with reckless abandon. Gameplan, scheme, preparation. This goes to the question of would we have shot more threes? I think we would have. We just didn’t have the plan to get the looks, and to counter their agressiveness.

21. Explanation: I think it is easy to say that Nova just shot the lights out last night, and that’s why they won. It is in large part why they won. There are other moving parts. It is certainly A reason. But it’s not the only reason. There are reasons why they were in a position to shoot so well. Search for the reasons. We saw reasons on full display. And let’s not forget that the quality of players – which team is the best collection of players, has a lot to do with that. Nova is very good. And matchups are key, as mentioned above with the bigs. But all of that are more reasons why we lost. The issue I’ve tried to address is why we didn’t win – why we weren’t in a real position to win. On a normal day, all things equal, we probably lose, I believe. But could we have won? No doubt. We just didn’t really have a chance.

22. Conclusion: Nova shot 40 three pointers and we shot 21. On an average day, on a day where both teams play their average game, we would have zero chance of winning (or something very near that). Considering all other variable, our chances increase of course (fouls, Doke going for 26, us getting easy baskets at the hoop, 20% shooting day for Nova from three, etc). And that is really the conclusion here. The high volume of threes by Nova created conditions where the largest probability was a Nova win. Pretty simple. Lots of other things could have conspired against Nova, including a cold shooting night. But Jay Wright rolled the dice that Nova could shoot a reasonable percentage.

This was a great season where we seemed to overachieve. We overcame many obstacles. And we reached the Final Four. Sure, we wanted the national title. We always do. But reaching the Final Four after years of falling short, and with this team – given where we were about 60 days ago – is pretty amazing. Winning the record breaking conference title. All of it adds up to a season that has no peer, but for winning a national title. It will go down as one of the top Kansas seasons. RCJH

We have reached the precipice. We’ve been here before. Last season, after a rough stretch of games through early December, it was quite obvious that Self-ball and the lineup constructed by Self weren’t meshing. We couldn’t play defense, and the modified rules application didn’t help. We were soft. We were finesse.

Everything we said about that team this time last December was true, and it played itself out over the course of the season, resulting in a March collapse. Embiid’s injury severely limited our options in March. Even then, Self refused to change our style of play, or modify the focus of our offensive schemes. It was pound it inside. The Self mantra – we do what we do.

This season, we stand 8-1. Quite impressive. And we stand at 8-1 in large part due to better preparation, both by players and coaches. This team "fits’ with Self’s style of play much better than last season’s team. Everything looks better. And it starts defensively.

But what has become obvious through the first nine games of this season is that we have an outside/in team being forced to play inside/out. We continue to ignore our offensive assets.

It has never been worse than the second half yesterday. Self clearly instructed his crew to pound the ball inside. To work “inside-out” as he said in the post game interview. And it nearly cost us the game. In the first half, we were 5-8 from three, then just 1-3 in the second half. This team only shot 11 three pointers.

And Self is wondering why we are offensively challenged?

This season, Self has constructed a team that more fits his style of play. Defensively, they are dominant. I don’t toss that word around flippantly. Team wise, they are dominant. The impressive defensive efforts we have seen are without the vaunted (and perhaps overvalued) rim protector.

But we are missing that one important element – reliable inside scoring. Of course, Ellis is good. And he can score. But he can be shut down. Long, tall, athletic guys destroy him. And when teams scheme to stop him, as it appeared Utah did after Ellis’ early flurry, he’s limited.

Self diagnosed the obvious issue: “We don’t throw it to the post and score. We’re not very big. Then our two biggest guys have a hard time in there. They haven’t developed that yet. We’ve got to find different ways to manufacture points, and we’re not doing it off our defense and we’re not doing it in transition.”

We have to find a way to manufacture points? This statement is astonishing from a coach whose team just shot only 11 three point shots (making six). “Manufacture points?”

How about scheming to your strength?

Here’s the ultimate issue: How does this version of the Kansas Jayhawks win the national championship? Of course, it is the only relevant question.

How do we maximize our offensive pieces – not just to win conference, not just to succeed in Ames, or Waco – but to win the national title?

It is painfully obvious. But is it obvious to Self?

Self said: “What we’ve always done, whatever we’ve done, we’ve always tried to get a lot better at doing what we do,” Self said. “I don’t think it’s the kids’ fault. I think it’s something we’ve got to come up with a way to help them, more than us doing better at what we do. We’ll come up with something. It won’t be a major deal, but we’ve got to do some things to get them to believe (that) what we do works.

We have hammered this since before the season. Maximize the skill set on your roster.

The only reason we won at Georgetown was Brannen Greene’s epic performance. The power of three. Three pointers win games. Three pointers are critical when your team is so plainly deficient in its two point game.

Self could rationalize the value of the two pointer – at 65% in the post, 100 shots would yield 130 points. To approach that, you would need to shoot over 43% to equal the post game. I get it.

But that isn’t the 2014-15 version of the Kansas Jayhawks.

This KU team should play outside/in. Play to its strength, which will also help open up its weakness. Outside/in means shoot a much higher volume of three pointers. Turn the boys loose.

Here are some discussion points:

1. Why Play Outside/In? – Fools Gold: Self is famous for using the term “fool’s gold.” He uses it to describe successes that really aren’t worth much, but create a false sense of security. That’s our inside game right now. Ellis can take it to guys that are not long, athletic, or tall. In the tourney, we’ll bump up against that type of team. We need to be able to beat that type of team to win the title. Does anyone envision any realistic scenario where we beat UK without a strong three point showing?

2. Stats Back It Up: Read @Jesse-Newell’s article today on our two point rates. It hammers the point. We are making just over 50% of our shots at the rim, compared to prior teams making appx. 65%. We get 14% of our shots blocked, which is way above prior teams (at 9% or below). And here’s the big one – we are shooting just 50.3% on shots at the rim, and are ranked 288th nationally in 2 point percentage. In the Self era, all teams except one have been in the top 30, and that team (2005-06) was 69th. This is incredibly instructive.

3. Compare 2 point % to Last Season’s Defense: Last season, our kryptonite was our defense. Remember the stats? Scoring defense was ranked in the mid-200s nationally, unlike really any other Self team. This season, it’s the 2 point percentage. And that’s because we can’t get good shots up. It is a rerun of the Stanford game.

4. Cliff: Self refuses to rely on Cliff. He seems to favor Traylor, many times. This is concerning to me. Cliff is your best talent. However, he is still 6’8", and will still face the scoring challenges inside. He’s not a skilled scorer inside yet. That would come with more experience. But part of this equation is simply playing the guy 25 mpg. Best players on the court.

5. Play Outside/In: This gets tossed around. But what does it mean? In this era, we’re talking about three pointers. It does not mean just jacking up three pointers. But what it means is scheming to get open three point looks. Your team focus is to get those looks. You move your big men; you toss in to toss out; you run your shooters; you drive to push it out to the shooter. Watch Creighton. Very importantly, as well you scheme your personnel to the three pointer. This could certainly include playing small at the 4 to include an extra shooter.

6. Inside Game That Results: Assuming we shoot at a decent three point rate, this changes the dynamic inside, and logically, creates better looks inside. Defenses have to stop us. And if we’re scoring from outside, that’s the biggest danger.

7. Preseason Three Point Shooting Bluster: Self talked in the preseason about shooting more threes. The talk is cheap. This season, we are actually shoot few three pointers per game than any team under coach Self. Through yesterday’s game, we’re shooting a paltry 14.88 three pointers per game. Our number of three pointers per game has declined steadily since peaking in 2010-11 (which was the epitome of the inside/out team). This has to change.

8. Credit To Self: We are 8-1. We can give Self all that credit. But we have to look forward. As Self recognized, the loss of Graham changes the dynamic of the team. In any case, it appears that he is recognizing the need to create more offense. And that his team, as constructed, can’t score the ball inside.

9. Concern With Self: In the quote above, Self finished the statement with the following - ", but we’ve got to do some things to get them to believe (that) what we do works. " That won’t work. That will not lead to a national title this season.

10. Three Point Attempts: Iowa St. shot over 23 three pointers per game last season. We don’t have to become Iowa St. But 20 per game should be the target. This KU team has the skill set to shoot over 40% from three point range. Greene and Mason both appear to be guys that can shoot mid 40s; and from this point forward, I’m confident that Selden, Ellis, and Svi can be at or near the 40 mark. Oubre likely more in the 35% range.

Three point shooting is the method to “manufacture” the points that coach Self is admittedly looking for. But as with other items that may benefit KU basketball, the question always comes back to Self – can he adapt? Will he even consider working outside of the box (and outside of his pound it inside philosophy)?

I’m a skeptical pessimist (if that is a proper term) when it comes to Self changing anything. Thus, despite being 8-1, I am doubtful that a national title is in our future. I love this team, I love our players, but we are plainly not maximizing our assets on offense.

As usual, Self is the one person most in control of altering determining our destiny.

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*As a complete aside, when looking at 2 point %, our 2010-11 team was ranked #1. Further, our 2010-11 team had the highest 3 point % in the Self era. And we lost to VCU. The title left on the silver platter.

Dang, unbelievable. What great memories we will have though. He is and always will be a Jayhawk. I can’t wait to see him return to AFH. This is what Kansas basketball is all about.

Shoot me now.

It’s been quite a week. The big build up for Tuesday’s game vs. Michigan State. The extreme overconfidence displayed by many Jayhawks’ fans, including myself. And then the let down of a collapse in the second half.

I wanted to hit on some items from the MSU game that I felt were important. I sat out the commenting after my initial post, and really just read the comments. Great insight by many here. But here are some thoughts:

1. Why Landon Lucas?: Many of us pondered “why Landon Lucas?” Truth is, Landon is our best rebounding big man. However, Landon does little else when he is on the floor. Bill Self, in his post game interview, was quoted as follows: : "Self said Michigan State’s defensive style — they three-quarter fronted the post — demanded the presence of Lucas, who is the Jayhawks’ best big man at sealing the post and creating angles. ‘That’s Landen Lucas’ best game,” Self said. “That’s what he does. He plays to getting answers. So I thought that was the percentage play for us, to play that well’.” So Self’s decision was not based on rebounding.

2. Insight On Self’s Rationale: This quote from Self is our best insight regarding the question of “why” he chose Lucas over Mickelson or even Bragg. It is also terrific insight into “why” Self makes puzzling lineup decisions overall – decisions that the masses on the outside might not understand. However, this does not mean that Self’s decisions are correct. Actually, it demonstrates the irrationality of Self’s approach.

3. Paralysis by Analysis: We’ve heard the phrase. An individual can’t get to the correct decision because they overanalyze things. Many times a decision just can’t get made. Other times, the correct decision is overlooked by hyper-focusing on items that, in the big picture, aren’t important. They focus on little bits of information, and place too much focus on that information. I’ve suspected for quite a while that Bill Self does exactly that – he makes decisions based on a certain item of information, while missing the bigger picture. While missing the much simpler analysis. Can’t see the forest for the trees. Folks that are intellectual, so to speak, in their approach, a susceptible to this paralysis. I"ve been around a lot of coaches over the years, multiple levels of youth sports through college. This is a very real dynamic. It’s very real in everyday life, as well. The quote regarding the rationale for playing Lucas evidences this “paralysis by analysis” because the stated logic is largely irrelevant to the bigger picture.

4. Historical Paralysis: Over the years with coach Self, we’ve pounded our heads against the wall as to “why” coach Self values experience to a much greater degree than other coaches. Why he is many times resistant to simply go with the commonly viewed “better player”, many times the player that is the younger player. “Why” has been the question. I remember a poster at kusports.com – a negator that went by jayhawkinnebr, or something like that. Had a cucumber as his avatar. He said one time, “Bill Self plays Brady Morningstar because he can do one thing well, throw it to Cole.” (or something to that effect). It was sheer brilliance. This is Bill Self. Many of us saw Tylel Reed and Brady Morningstar on the floor, and we were frustrated. We saw Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford on the bench. The answer is the analysis that caused the paralysis – each player did something the coach saw as crucial. Brady, the post feed. Reed, maybe crisp ball reversal. Obviously, Reed was smart, given his current avocation. I’ll bet quite a bit smarter than the average KU hoops player. We saw Oubre sit. We saw Cliff sit. It’s funny, but we had folks here actually argue that Lucas and Traylor should play over Cliff - a guy who just made an NBA roster. The reason Cliff wasn’t player was because of Bill Self, and Bill Self’s approach the “merit.” And we wonder why we could seal the deal on anyone other than Bragg last season until late, and why we have a marginal top 100 recruit as our only “in the bag” guy right now. Different topic. The Cliff effect.

5. Flawed Approach: This approach, I believe, is significantly flawed. It is flawed because it leads to the inferior player being on the floor. I have posed this question to the KU faithful here now multiple times, who’s better, Jamari Traylor or Carlton Bragg? Actually, my phrasing was “If you could have Traylor or Bragg this season, who would you want on your team?” I have challenged anyone to speak up if they’d prefer Traylor. No one has. And that’s the point. Carlton Bragg is better. No doubt. Unassailable. So why does Bragg play 11 minutes and Traylor 18? It’s because of Self’s flawed analysis. Same question - If you could have Hunter Mickelson or Landen Lucas on your team the rest of this season, who would you prefer? I would suspect that question is a little closer call, but who here would prefer Lucas? The reality is that with Lucas, you have a one trick pony - he does rebound. With Traylor, Self had previously said in response to a question from Tom Keegan about why Traylor plays, Self said “Just energy.” Self’s approach disregards a very simple concept – just play the better player.

6. Self Missing It – The Sealing Quote. Bill Self said that he went with Landon Lucas because he did a better job sealing to receive an entry pass, and he thought that would work better against Michigan St., given the way Michigan St. fronts the post. On many levels, this is ridiculous. One one level, it is not. On that level, let’s grant Self his point. i’m sure he’s right that Lucas does this best amongst big guys. With that in mind, what else does Lucas do (or not do) and what else is there to consider? a) Defense first - Self has insisted that we need to win with defense. Landon Lucas is rented mule defensively, as in, getting beaten as if he is that rented mule. Lucas has very limited ability to defend the post or change shots. We saw that last season. He can’t stop anyone with any sort of skill level. And further, he is not a rim protector. If you have the game recorded, go to the 6:50 mark. An MSU player drives into the lane, in Lucas’ face, easy bucket. Just one example. b ) Post-Scoring - The folly of Self’s comments on the reason he played Lucas seems quite obvious – Lucas has no real post scoring ability. Go to the offensive series directly following the defensive series noted above. Lucas seals, gets an entry pass, and can’t score at the rim. What is surprising about this? And I don’t have to spend time on Traylor near the bucket, right? His back to the basket skills are non-existent. c) Running the floor - Self has made a big point about wanting to play faster. Lucas is the antithesis of that approach. He’s slow, and plodding.

7. Self Missing It, Again – The At The Rim Scoring: More quotes. Last season, Kansas was horrible scoring at the rim. We cited the stats regularly. And it was obvious from our performances. Self said this after the game at kusports.com, after KU missed what were termed as “bunnies”: “It’s the same story as last year. We can’t get the ball in any tighter,” Self said of inside feeds. “Guys double clutching. We got the ball in to six inches sometimes and several times came out with nothing, some air-balls. We’ve got to improve there." Note to Coach Self – with your chosen personnel (Lucas/Traylor), we aren’t going to improve there. Coach Self is completely oblivious to the reality of his favored personnel of Ellis, Traylor, and Lucas. Ellis has skill. He finds a way many times. But Lucas and Traylor can’t handle the job. They can’t score on the block. So we’re getting the ball inside, “we can’t get the ball in any tighter”, but we can’t score. Why is this surprising? And no, we can’t get any better with your chosen personnel (Lucas/Traylor) – not against good teams like MSU. Against lesser teams, sure. But that’s the real fool’s gold. The illusion that we can score inside when we play weaker opponents. And as we saw last season, that didn’t work all of the time. And this is nothing new. As Self said, it’s the same as last season. This is why committing to Cliff Alexander would have been the most reasonable approach last season. Of course, later events made that moot. But the issues remain the same, as Self said.

8. Self Missing It, Yet Again – The Bunnies: The post game “bunny” discussion was comical. It’s as if Bill Self lives in a vacuum. He completely ignores the defensive efforts of our opposition in creating difficulty inside. He is ignoring reality. We miss “bunnies” vs. MSU (and Stanford for that matter) because of their defense. MSU was active, in our face, and challenging each shot. With post players of limited skills, Kansas will fail inside in that environment. It’s exactly why we lost to Stanford. Stanford was big, and Perry Ellis (3-10) and Jamari Traylor (1-8 ) couldn’t match up. Tarik Black (6-8 ) could match up. Missing “bunnies” happens for a reason most of the time. Self’s mantra is to challenge shots. Why? Because folks miss challenged shots more often. That’s the real explanation. **More skilled big guys can score through the challenges.**But against MSU it is a misrepresentation to imply that we mainly missed open shots at the rim. Our shots were aggressively challenged. Self is creating a false reality, convincing himself that those missed “bunnies” were the real culprit. We are a little smarter than that.

9. Back To the Basket Scoring: Self conceded in preseason that he was concerned about his team’s back to the basket scoring. I addressed that topic and Self’s quote a few weeks ago in this post about back to the basket scoring. Self, after the game Tuesday, again cited the back to basket scoring saying that for “us to win big, consistently, [we have] to be able to score with our back to the basket some.” We’ve watched enough KU basketball to know. I’m sorry, the secret is out. Lucas is a below average back to basket scorer, and Traylor’s back to the basket game is non-existent. Bill Self said after the game, "If guys struggle finishing from three or four feet with defense on ‘em, the whole thing is trying to make it an easier shot. We actually did that fairly well, we just came away with very little. We’ll get better at that.” No, that’s not entirely true. You have to have players that can score with the defense “on 'em.” Defenses will be “on 'em.” They were “on 'em” all last season. Thus the futility of Lucas/Traylor. Merely now, in November, saying the answer is getting easier shots is pure folly and delusion. It’s the same delusion that plagued Self’s decisions last season. Lucas and Traylor aren’t going to miraculously become back to the basket scorers.

10. Play The Better Player - Mick over Lucas: Seems simple. It is. Play the better player. The rub is, so to speak, one’s assessment of “better.” And this, I think, has been a paralyzer for coach Self. The Lucas comment is a perfect example of what I think is going on. Self is missing the big picture down low. The big picture is that Hunter Mickelson is better than Lucas or Traylor. Mick can rim protect, he help limit penetration by opposing players (see that example on Lucas at 6:40), he has touch and skill around the basket – Fran Fraschilla said “Hunter Mickelson picking up where he left off at the World Univ. Games. Can score inside”, and Mick can hit that 10-15 foot step out jumper. How do we know this? We’ve seen it in action. Further, Mick is not slow and plodding like Lucas. He does run the floor aggressively. We’ve seen his score on the break, and on lobs. Further, Self has even said that Mickelson plays with energy. Does anyone say that about Lucas? The “we don’t see practice” stuff is baloney. We can see performance in the games. And we see incompetence from Lucas and Traylor. This is not to suggest that Mick is perfect, or won’t have bad games. He’s the better play over the long term of this season. Your total results will be better. Committing to him right now, full time rotation player over Lucas. Start him.

11. Play The Better Player - Bragg Over Traylor: Watch Bragg in the high/low. He’s a natural. He’s made feeds from the top that defy logic. Self really wants to create scoring down low? There’s a partial answer. If Self wants to create scoring down low, if he’s really serious about that, then Carlton Bragg should be in that spot. He’s the better passer. If Self laments our inability to feed the post as he did last season, if it’s genuine, then there is no denying Bragg. Further, Bragg can clearly drill the 18 footer – he’s a tremendous shooter. He did it twice Tuesday. He can shoot. Do we ever see that from Jamari Traylor? Bragg proved at the WUGs and games leading up to MSU that he is an active rebounder. Much more so than Traylor. Bragg’s goose egg would be the anomaly much like Traylor’s 7 boards is an anomaly. And many times, boards come in bunches. Bragg has a low post game – it’s not stellar, but it is far superior to Traylor. He has the ability to hit a turnaround jumper on the block, or go over with a baby hook. Traylor does not. Bragg is longer and quicker than Traylor. He handles the ball much, much better. His ability to attack the rim is more diverse than Traylor, whose dribble drives are only right sided, and simply lowering the head and going. Traylor has no ability to adjust on the dribble as does Bragg. Bragg is a superior basketball talent, an NBA talent, who brings winning basketball skills to the court. And Bragg’s defense appears to be solid. One of the things that I’ve seen over the years is when anyone questions Self’s lineup decisions, a small contingent works awfully hard to justify his decision, mostly referring to subjective things like defense – hyper-focusing on certain failures of the alternative player while ignoring the flaws of Self’s chosen player in the same context. Perhaps, maybe, those same folks will open their minds to possibility that Self is flat wrong. That Self’s is limiting this team’s ceiling. Otherwise, please tell me why Traylor gives us a better chance to win than does Carlton Bragg. Like my comment with Mick, Bragg isn’t perfect, he’ll struggle, but he’s the better player by a long ways. Go with him now. If Self doesn’t start Mick, he could start Bragg with Ellis and go quick. Off subject, as above, could this be a reason why our recruiting is an issue right now?

12. Mistaken Analysis: I was at least a little entertained by @Texas-Hawk-10 after the game. His defense of Lucas and dismissal of Bragg evidenced, respectfully, an unawareness of the big picture (did I say that nice enough?). I will say many of his comments have been spot on. But his defense of Lucas was that Lucas had 7 rebounds. For that matter, Traylor did too. He then lit into Bragg saying, see, he had no rebounds and 4 points in 11 minutes. Stats matter. He cited Mickelson in his 3 minutes of play. This sort of approach is extremely flawed. And I agree. Stats matter. But with Lucas and Traylor, we have a significant and undeniable book of futility. We have history. Last season, Traylor had 10 rebounds in the season opener, and then 7 against Kentucky in the blowout. But finished at .182 for the season, per minute. He had 4 rebounds in the 32 minutes in the exhibition games. While Lucas does rebound well, he does nothing else well. He’s not a rim protector, he doesn’t run the floor, he can’t score down low, he doesn’t have a jumper from 10 feet, he has nothing. How do we know this? We just do, right?

13. @Jesse-Newell’s Comment On Self: In response to a question about Traylor and his playing time, @Jesse-Newell said the following, “Each of us has biases. I think Self likes him as a person and overlooks a lot because of that.” If that is true, Self is not doing his job. When there are inexplicable decisions, this sort of explanation makes more sense. Illogical reasons explain illogical decisions.

14. "Self – “Just Like Last Season”: Self’s comment about our failures at the rims, and it being “just like last season” should be very concerning. In a big game, Self reverted to form. @Texas-Hawk-10 said after the WUG – Self hasn’t changed, see how he handled the Germany game. That’s what should concern us. Self reverted to form vs. Germany, or as I said at the time, his butt puckered. He refused to use the rotation of players that got him there. If we would have lost, it would have been a clear choke from the bench. But we eked it out, so all was justified. But now, we start anew. I said this during the summer – Self saw our problems last season. We all did. It is his job to adjust to make sure we’re not left with the disorganization and poor play that concluded last season. It is his job to adjust to his talent. I suggested specific tweaks to the high/low. I’ve watched. I don’t see anything substantively different. The nay-sayers saying Self would not adjust appear to be correct. And guys like me, who thought he would adjust, appear to be wrong.

15. Haunting Reminders: I saw a funny comment that explained Brannen Greene’s suspension. That, of course, he shoots three pointers, and Self sees that a “conduct detrimental to the team.” Only it isn’t that funny when we see another season of the same tripe. What we saw Tuesday was a haunting reminder of 2014-15, only Self picked up where he left off. We took just 12 three pointers outside of the last minute. Just 12. Svi and Greene took zero three point attempts. It was interesting, Self commented that MSU won “basically on jump shots.” It’s Self rationalization that the victory by MSU was not quite as worthy as another type of win might be. But here we are again. A coach that devalues the jump shot, that has a team that can’t score inside against good competition, a team Self already said again was of his best shooting teams, with the player Self said was the “best shooter” he’s had at Kansas (Brannen Greene). Meanwhile, we’re playing Landon Lucas, who can’t score reliably at the rim anyway, because he can seal on a three quarter deny defense? And we’re continuing to give Traylor huge minutes when he is an offensive albatross, gets pushed around, has limited skills, and is a poor rebounder? This is Kansas basketball?

Someone is not seeing the forest for the trees.

Grayson Allen should get a three game suspension at a minimum. Not because the act is so horrible, but because a child needs strong punishment to correct repeat behavior. Allen is a “child thug.” He doesn’t go face to face and start fights or confrontations – like our friend Jason Sutherland used to, Allen does mildly aggressive things like tripping or pushing on the run. And then acts like he did nothing. Throwing up his hands in disbelief. The child-like tantrum on the bench. Like this last incident, trying to focus their arms getting locked up. With Sutherland, he might be the kind of guy you’d like on your team – but only if he was on your team. With Allen, excellent player, but I’ll gladly stick with our collection of high character, high talent guards.

More Frank Mason. I can’t get enough. Frank Mason won every player of the year honor. The best player in college basketball. This was accidental perfection. An amazing story.

Trey Burke. A poster in the last week or so referenced Trey Burke. We watched Trey Burke shoot us out of the NCAA tourney in 2013 – the 142nd ranked Rivals player. We wondered, why can’t we find a Trey Burke?

Coincidentally, we did … in our 2013 recruiting class.

With Michigan, Trey Burke fit what John Beilein was recruiting. While Burke’s fame and skill were certainly a surprise, his role was not. At Michigan, he would fit right in.

At Kansas, Frank Mason was one big accident. Meaning, Frank Mason should never have happened.

Frank Mason arrived in the same recruiting class as Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Brannen Greene, Wayne Selden and Conner Frankamp. Yet Mason will go down as the one of the greatest Jayhawks in history, leaving the other bigger names in the 2013 in the dust.

When we signed Mason, he was the 132nd rated player … here’s the [KU Sports story on Mason’s signing] (http://www2.kusports.com/news/2012/oct/08/point-guard-frank-mason-commits-ku-basketball/). He chose Kansas over Alabama, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, UTEP and South Carolina. No major programs were knocking.

How did it happen?

Completely by accident. This was no predetermined “diamond in the rough” that Bill Self sought out and snagged, eschewing other bigger names – knowing that this lower ranked player was the player he wanted. Nope. Mason was an afterthought. Mason was the guy we got, because we were stuck, and because we didn’t get other guys.

Credit goes to Self for signing him, and his staff for identifying him and signing him. In fact, Self played him immediately. Mason had a solid game his freshman season in the Champions Classic against Duke at the beginning of the season. But he simply would not have been here had just one of a litany of other players chosen Kansas.

In September of 2012, Self famously said we needed “a point guard.” All that while Conner Frankamp was signed as a point guard and Naadir Tharpe on the roster – a foreshadowing, perhaps. But it was clear and concise.

Bill Self had missed on multiple, higher ranked point guards. Guys all of us were wanting. My personal favorite was Demetrius Jackson. But everyone of them said no. Here is the amazing list ahead of Frank Mason, that Kansas’ name was associated with at one time or another.

1. Andrew Harrison, ranked #5: Went to Kentucky. One and done. Big target, but we weren’t among his final choices.

2. Kasey Hill, ranked #10: Went to Florida. Four year player. We fell out of Hill sweepstakes before the final decision.

3. Rysheed Jordan, ranked #20: Went to St. Johns. Played two seasons. Now charged with attempted murder. We were never seriously in the mix as he favored east coast schools.

4. Anthony “Cat” Barber, ranked #27: Went to NC State. Played three season, turned pro. Major target. We were rumored to be in the driver’s seat. Rumors of some odd stuff regarding his recruiting visit to Louisville.

5. Demetrius Jackson, ranked #38: Went to Notre Dame. Played three seasons, turned pro. Another major target. It was Kansas or Notre Dame.

6. Chris Jones, not ranked (JUCO Transfer): Went to Louisville. Played two seasons. Would have been a top 40 ranked guy for sure. Some had him higher than Barber. Another major target. Charged with rape. Charges dismissed, but not a good situation.

7. Roddy Peters, #48: Went to Maryland. Played one season, then went to South Florida and was booted; then to Nichols State. We had very late interest after the misses on Barber, Jones, and Jackson. He chose Maryland, after Mason committed to Kansas. It appears we took the bird in the hand as Peters was delaying. Not a pure point.

8. Stevie Clark, #70: Went to Oklahoma St. Played one season. Got dismissed from team, sued Travis Ford. Transferred to Oakland. A complete disaster. We were not in late.

I was the unfortunate soul who coined the “no rank Frank” complaints. Frank went from a poster child for recruiting misses, to my favorite Jayhawk of all time. Easy transition.

Interestingly, Nigel Williams-Goss, the Gonzaga PG, was in this class as well.

Has this caused Kansas to change how it recruits? Has Frank Mason changed Kansas recruiting? Not at all, it appears. Kansas still targets the highest ranked players. Those are the best bets, right? For every Frank Mason there are hundreds of strikeouts on guys that are ranked outside the top 100 at the time they signed.

The next diamond in the rough is sure to be an accident. But sure glad we got this one. The stars and planets aligned perfectly to give Kansas its best point guard ever, and one of the best Jayhawks of all time.

I wanted to jump into Udoka’s free throw shooting. It has obviously been a disaster. He is an incredibly important part of our team, perhaps indispensable. But his unusually poor free throw shooting is one element that could cripple our chances in March. Why not foul Udoka late, on purpose? Hack a Shaq? Poke a Doke as @JayHawkFanToo has mentioned?

But there are some very simple and easy solutions to just make him better and more consistent.

We all know that if Udoka shot free throws Rick Barry style, he’d get instantly better. But players won’t do that. So let’s discuss conventional shooting.

Let’s start with how not to shoot free throws – Just look at Udoka below:

This is just before the ball left his hand, as he was rising to shoot. Just horrible.

Six very obvious and significant flaws.

1. Right Elbow: This is clearly the major issue. It’s called the chicken wing. A basic shooting technique requires the right elbow (for a right handed shooter) to be “tucked”, or pointing straight down to the ground, perpendicular to the court. This provides the best opportunity for accuracy. Straight lines help do that. Of course, not everyone does that perfectly. A lot of variances. But I can tell you in all my days around the game (and I bet for most of you), you have never seen anyone shoot free throws every reasonably well, liked Udoka. When you look at the photo, it is clear that shooting the ball straight will be a challenge. A lot more to that discussion, but I’ll leave it there.

2. Right Hand/Fingers On Side Of Basketball: Clearly a product of the elbow being in the improper position, but it is huge flaw. You can still get the hand under the ball with a chicken wing, but not with the elbow where Udoka has it. The hand being on the side of the basketball just lessens the chance of accuracy. In combination with the next two items, it makes reliable accuracy nearly impossible.

3. Improper Fingertip Release: When shooting, there are ranges of acceptability. Most all of us have played the game, many of us have coached. The ball needs to come off the fingertips reliably, in the same spot – three good options: Off the middle finger, off the index finger (even with a little pressure to the thumb), or between the index and middle finger. I don’t want to get hung up on which is best (and I guarantee some of you will argue that one or another is bad technique). My point with Udoka is that with his horrible hand angle, the ball either would have to twist (with impact accuracy), or his release between his thumb and index finger is way, way too deep to the thumb. The twisting appears to the main culprit in this specific element. He trying to get it the ball back more to the fingers.

4. Left Hand Flat On The Ball: A number of shooters have done this, but they have the ability to ensure the flight of the ball is not impacted by the full left hand on the ball. But combined with Udoka’s right hand being on the side of the basketball, think about where the natural pressure of the ball will flow. It’s not resting on his right fingertips, it’s being subtly pushed against a flat left hand. That left hand provides no momentum to the basket. Worse, it creates a lot more friction than finger tips, which will impact ball flight. So when the ball is released, it has natural momentum just to the left of the hoop and is being impacted by more ball to skin contact. Inches here matter. The shooters you might see doing this have the ball more on the right side of their head (thus less friction). Still bad technique. Udoka being an athlete should be able to compensate a bit for that, of course. I’m sure he does. But it is not fundamentally sound, and the evidence tells us that his ability to compensate is poor. In reality, why would you put yourself in a position to need to compensate? It’s a near impossible thing to ask. Just do it fundamentally correct, and let the chips fall where they may.

5. Right Thumb: Everyone knows that you don’t want to shoot the ball from a flat hand. You want the ball in our finger tips. But the finger tips for shooting purposes is the flat part of the upper part of the fingers, not the exact tip. Using the near tip, or top of his thumb, he has absolutely no feel. Try it sometime. He should let the ball reach down a bit more into his the thumb. This is a very subtle item, but when he releases, the ball is near the very tip, and this is a killer when comes to consistency. That thumb is a key balance point just until release.

6. Ball On Wrong Side Of Head: You can shoot the ball well from your forehead. Anything in that straight line. Further, shooters can shoot well with the ball the right of their head (for right handed shooter). This can allow the elbow to line up perpendicular to the floor even easier. But things need to be tight. However, shooting the ball with it on the left side of the head creates atrocious angles. It negatively impacts the the alignment of the ball to the basket. Think about shooting a gun, or anything that you align. Do you align with both eyes? You need one eye to take over the alignment. Both eyes help with depth. The ball on the left side confuses that alignment a bit. Further, go back and look at Udoka’s feet when he lines up. They look nice. Right foot in front on the left by about 6 inches. But that competes directly with the ball being on the other side of the head. Heck, if you have to shoot it from the left side of the head, being square is the better option. It might even be better to have the left foot a touch forward which would inspire the left eye to take over alignment. It is a recipe for disaster. No coach would teach this. The exacerbates the negativity created by the chicken wing because now you have even more natural momentum of the ball moving to Udoka’s left side. Take that, as well, and place it moving against a flat left hand (with more friction) and one might wonder how he makes 40%.

In sum, Udoka is attempting to make free throws where his right elbow is at a horrific angle, naturally pushing the ball to the left; his four fingers on his right hand are not able to create a consistent launch point as they are on the side of the ball; he then has the ball on the opposite side of his head, with no natural alignment, again creating a bad angle; the ball’s natural momentum is leaning to his left, and against a flat left hand that creates added friction. He will then release the ball, twisting it back at least a bit so it can come off of his fingers, and away from his thumb. And a thumb, which is more pointed into the ball than with it resting on the top pad, as it should be.

So if Udoka insists on shooting free throws conventionally, these are the easy, basic solutions. Correct the above issues, and you’ll have a better free throw shooter.

One thing we can’t tell is how Udoka is breathing. A nice technique is to take the deep breath, and exhale slowly through your nose as you shoot, starting your shot after you begin to exhale.

We’ve of course not discussed his lower body to a great extent. His feet look nice, I’d bend the knees a little more. But most of this is an upper body disaster. Have to deal with that first.

Of course, I would shift him to the Rick Barry style. He could consistently get the ball to the rim softly and more accurately, guaranteed.

It is just baffling to me why the coaches will permit him to shoot free throws like this. You cannot send him out there with this horrible, non-fundamental form. I would not care the excuse – it is just unacceptable to even attempt free throws in this manner.

Those would be the basics that I’d insist upon, and work from there.

If I were to start, seeing this disaster, I’d have him:

-Move the ball to the right side of head, shooting more from his right shoulder. Starting about four inches above the right shoulder.

-Tuck that elbow in, straight to the floor.

-Use a middle finger release (which is the easiest).

-Get the thumb pad on the ball. Shooting from the finger pads, and not going below the middle knuckle.

-Right foot in front by a full 12 inches.

-Ensure then right eye for alignment.

-Deep knee bend to start (and work from there). -Feel the shot to the sky, looking for a higher arc, with a straight release, wrist bending down to the floor at the release.

Just my view on this. But what’s going on now is not working. And there are some very obvious fundamental items that can be corrected.

It is not too dramatic to say that if DeSousa can have a positive trajectory, it is an absolute game changer for this team.

And let’s not forget Mitch. He had that incredible stretch of blocks and created huge momentum. One of the best and most natural blockers of the ball I can remember.

As an unabashed anti-OAD guy, I have to admit that I like Andrew Wiggins. It didn’t start out well. Word was he was trying to negotiate out of coming to KU during the summer. Then there was the deluge of preseason publicity. It was easy to assume that Wiggins was buying into the hype.

Since then, though, it’s become easy to separate the OAD from the player. Wiggins, actually, is a breath of fresh air. He’s absolutely my kind of player. Every time he steps on the court, he exudes “old school.” He should have let the ‘fro grow. Here’s a few quick hits on why I have been won over by Andrew Wiggins:

1. No Tattoos: I have to admit, any player that doesn’t succumb to the peer pressure of defacing his body with mindless tattoos scores a big plus in my book. As a mature adult, if you choose that route, great – enjoy a life of getting turned down in meaningful job interviews. But it takes some fortitude to resist the pressure like recent Jayhawk Kevin Young.

2. Getting’ Dirty: Twice this season, Wiggins dove on the floor. Most recently vs. OSU in the Big 12 tourney (and I know I’m slacking, but I forgot to note the other time). I questioned whether it was in his DNA. Maybe it wasn’t, but perhaps it’s just a hint of nurture over nature. In any case, a finesse guy got dirty. I like it.

3. Alpha Dog: Any questions? He has developed into what we hoped he would be. An aggressive, take it to the rack, kind of guy. A player unafraid to be “the man.” Perhaps, our Carmelo Anthony (and I love dropping that reference – it works until it doesn’t).

4. Improvement: Wiggins has not played like KU is a pit stop. Although he has made it clear that this is a one year deal, he hasn’t coasted. He has truly taken every opportunity to improve his game. That shows every time out on the floor. Imagine if Wiggins were forced to play four seasons of college ball? Imagine if his game improved just 25% to his sophomore season, and then just 10% each successive season. He seriously could go down as the greatest player in KU history. Try it this way – would you rather have Wiggins next season, or Paul Pierce (from his sophomore season)? That’s your answer.

5. Coachable: Why has Wiggins improved? Because he can be coached. That’s a choice he didn’t have to make. He is obviously willing to accept coaching. You can see how he has attempted to listen to coach Self and play the way coach Self wants him to. Early in the season, there were times we could mistaken Wiggins for Randy Moss – he’d take a few plays off here and there. We’d see him lumber up and down the court. I just don’t see that any more.

6. Class: Have you ever seen Wiggins pound his chest after a great play? Have you ever seen him scream in an opponent’s face? Have you ever seen him attempt to show up another player? Exactly. The guy plays the game the right way.

7. Humility: I’ve heard a lot of Wiggins’ comments and interviews. I have never gotten even a hint that Wiggins is full of himself. He conducts himself with humility and rarely makes any situation about himself. He praises teammates and coaches. Like nearly every 19 year old kid, he isn’t the most at ease in front of the camera. But he makes it clear that there is a game beyond Andrew Wiggins. That’s nice.

8. Plays To Win: This season has not been about Andrew Wiggins’ prepping for the NBA. After assessing Wiggins for 30+ games, it seems quite clear that the guy is playing to win every game. Our first hint came against Florida when he willed us back into the game. The icing on the cake was the monumental performance against West Virginia. Winning is the priority.

9. No Drama Queen: One concern coming in was how he’d mesh with teammates. Would there be drama? Would there be discord? The only drama was media created. By all accounts, he’s been a perfect teammate and has created zero drama. It appears that he has had no negative impact on chemistry. In fact, all I see is positive energy. I have never once felt that he has dragged this team down with negativity.

10. Defensive Effort: As impressive as Wiggins has been on the offensive end, his defensive effort has won me over. Watching an assured OAD dig deep on the defensive end was perhaps not expected, but it has certainly been a pleasant surprise. It’s the effort that is most impressive.

Watching Wiggins play this season has been a pleasure. It’s easy to enjoy great performances, but it’s even better when the guy brings so many other positives to the table. Wish we had him another season.

Kansas came out as expected, as they always do. Coach Self proclaimed after the KSU game that Kansas is “not an inside-out team.” But we knew better. It was standard Kansas basketball. Look inside. Rotate the ball. Inside-out.

For 9 minutes, our offense was stagnant. We couldn’t generate any flow. Most of all, we couldn’t score.

Kansas was down 15-9 at the 10:55 mark of the first half. And it was concerning.

Then it happened. Self made the switch. The game changed. Four out, one in.

Go to your DVR and enjoy.

Ellis moved to the perimeter – Mason, Graham, Greene, Ellis and Cliff. With that switch, Self moved Greene onto the court for the first time. Kansas was off to the races.

Eleven possessions, 22 points, and a 31-24 lead. Lucas found the floor during this stretch, and because spacing, Ellis drove and dished to Lucas for a hoop. Everyone looks good.

The last six possessions first half, Kansas reverted back to a more traditional hi-lo set. Thus I was expecting Kansas to start the second half with it’s normal set.

But Self didn’t fall for that. Self stuck with the four out, one in attack. A little wrinkle, though. Self put Ellis in and had Traylor on the perimeter. Traylor is lost on the perimeter, but because of spacing, Traylor was able to drive nearly unmolested for a clumsy hoop. Traylor isn’t suited for this attack. Defenses don’t have to guard him outside of 15 feet like the do Ellis. But it didn’t matter.

Eight possessions into the second half, Kansas had scored 14 points and stretched the lead to 15 points and that was the ball game. Self continued to run the 4/1 attack, even with Traylor and Lucas in together.

ISU, of course, made a run. But our offensive attack was too much. With the floor spread, Kansas was able to drive and kick, especially to a hot Wayne Selden (good for him – great to see).

As Fran Fraschilla said, Kansas gave ISU “some of it’s own medicine.” And that was the ball game. With eight minutes left, Oubre hit a two point jumper pushing the lead back to 15 points. At this point in the game, Kansas had made 9 three pointers, on a refreshingly wonderful 20 three point attempts.

Four out, one in. 20+ three point attempts on the night. Focusing on our tremendous shooters. Spreading the floor for our slashers. Putting Ellis in a position that better suits his skills. This is all I have asked for – begged for. This was out best game of the season. Half-time lead? There was no coughing this one up. We kept the pedal to the metal.

This was not about limiting possessions. This was not about pounding it inside. This win was a beautiful demonstration of the “best shooting team in the Big 12”, as Fraschilla put it. We played to our strengths. And when we play to our strengths, we are strong. Real strong.

And when you play like this, do you even notice the double digit turnovers? Does it really matter?

Just look at the box score. That wonderful boxscore. That is Kansas basketball, at least in 2014-15. We should all feel extremely content right now. Content about the direction of this team. Your coach – old fool’s gold himself – played four out, one in for nearly 3/4 of a basketball game. We have never, ever seen that during Self’s tenure at Kansas. Now we have. And that move won this game.

That team in Lexington, Kentucky – we’re sick of hearing about them – but they better lace ‘em up. A different Kansas team is rollin’ their way.

Most importantly, to begin, we are 2-2 in our last four games. In those four games, we have shot 42 three pointers (three of which came in scramble time vs. KSU). Approximately just 10 per game. In the last four games, Perry Ellis has played at his peak. The best Perry Ellis we can expect. But, again, we have gone just 2-2 in those games.

I will start out here by saying that teams have clearly tried to guard our perimeter better. No doubt there.

But it is a complete myth, a complete fiction, that we should be paralyzed on the perimeter because of it.

Do not accept this narrative. It is intellectually dishonest. It is simply not true. More precisely, it is lazy. To accept this narrative – being brutally honest here – is a result of ignorance. Simply not knowing. If you are one that says, “Wow, we can’t shoot three pointers because other teams are guarding the perimeter more closely”, well, you simply don’t understand basketball offense. Challenge yourself.

I know it is easier to accept the current storyline. I know it is easier to believe that we are doing all we can. But we aren’t. The fact is, Coach Self isn’t even trying to get three point looks. This became quite obvious to me in the recent TCU game – thus, my view that this season died on that date. It is over.

If we are to believe that we can’t score from the perimeter because teams guard it, we are thus always at the whim of the defense – which again, is not true. Coaches are at the whim of the defense when they have no answer, when they are outcoached, or when they refuse to answer. In this case, we are here because our coach refuses to answer.

There are no teams we are playing that post five players on the three point stripe.

If you somehow accept Self’s game plan, I would reiterate, that with Perry Ellis playing at his peak, we have gone 2-2. That’s two losses. Perry Ellis has scored 19, 23, 24, and 29 points in the last four games. We are 2-2. We have shot just 42 three pointers in the four games. We are 2-2. And in the wins, we were up only 6 with three plus minutes to go, at home, to TCU; and we were up just one point, at home, against Texas, with 2:30 to play. Both games were in doubt. We have had no spectacular halves of basketball that were inspired this season by our perimeter game. We have been pedestrian on the offensive end.

The only times that we have been spectacular offensively is when we have taken a large majority of your shot attempts from the perimeter. That is undeniable.

Three point shooting and the perimeter game are not panaceas, they are not sure things – but they are the best path for this team, offensively, as constructed.

Perry Ellis has become the focus of our offense. That focus has been more around Ellis driving the ball, as opposed to post feeds. Yesterday, in 13 attempted drives to the basket, Ellis scored just 3 times, and was fouled on another 3 attempts. On the other 7, he missed 3 times and either turned the ball over (3 times), or had it knocked away (we got the ball back.

If we are relying upon this in March, we are in deep, deep trouble.

As an alternative, I ask you to look at the Wichita St./UNI game for evidence. I was able to watch WSU play yesterday. It is one of many examples from around the country. A team with vast perimeter talent, focusing on its strengths.

Wichita St. shot 24 three point shots, making 11. It was a beautiful offense to watch. And UNI was guarding the perimeter with everything it had. The difference is, WSU has a perimeter based offense that created not only open looks on the perimeter through screening and spacing, but opportunities inside as a result. They rarely had two guys in the paint, near to each other – very little lane clogging as happens in the high/low. Bit guys would screen out high, and roll to the hoop creating opportunities. It was smooth.

Within Wichita St.'s offense, there were repeated screens on the perimeter. Four players were routinely on the perimeter. When a ball went into the post, WSU regularly had players positioned on the three point line for the kick out. And when players drove, WSU always had someone available on the three point line for the pass out of the drive.

Take some time. Watch WSU’s offense. Then come and tell me that we are impotent in the face of teams guarding the perimeter. WSU was able to get and create three point attempts on the perimeter, even when guarded closely. And Wichita St. has a better at the rim FG percentage than we do running that offense.

If you look at the ISU/KSU game yesterday, ISU got 27 three point attempts. Do you think KSU wasn’t guarding the perimeter against ISU, and wasn’t trying to take away three point attempts against ISU?

We have shot just 42 three pointers in the last four games. We are now 17th in three point percentage in the nation. We are now 276th in three point attempts. It is simple math.

The key is getting multiple attempts. That allows a team to work closer to its averages. Just because we go 1-8 doesn’t mean we should shoot them. As we seen many time before, we can go 6-8 in the next 8 attempts.

The only reason we aren’t shooting them, is because coach Self has decided that we won’t shoot them – by word or deed. In the latter case, by refusing to adjust our attack to create those opportunities, in the face of teams guarding the perimeter.

As I’ve said repeatedly, we simply do not scheme to get three point looks – other than the set play here and there. We did this once Saturday.

The reason were aren’t getting as many looks in the last four games is the combination of Self wanting threes shot within his offense or only when unguarded, teams guarding the perimeter more closely, and Self doing nothing to scheme to get three point looks. It is a path chosen by coach Self. And it is stopping this team for maximizing its offensive potential.

It’s easy to be excited by Ellis’ play. I absolutely love his aggressiveness. He’s doing terrific. But this isn’t about Perry. It’s about the best offensive attack for this team.

We may be excited by Perry Ellis’ game yesterday, right? But we shouldn’t be. Our effective field goal percentage yesterday was the 6th worst ever for a coach Self team at Kansas. Repeating – our 6th worst ever for a coach Self team at Kansas.

Ellis received the ball on a post feed six times where he attempted shots yesterday. He scored 2 times, missed 4, and was not fouled on any attempts. Further, our post feed attempts to the other post players resulted in zero baskets. None. So that’s four points on post feeds.

Yesterday, above all, Ellis relied on whistles. The ultimate Fool’s Gold. Ellis was fouled on three drives, one fast break, and a couple of scramble/put back plays – he was 10-12 from the line. Not something I want to bank this team’s future one.

All this when we have what coach Self called the best perimeter shooting team since he’s been at Kansas.

And for the record, Perry Ellis was not nearly as effective as it might appear. Ellis was 9/21 from the field. He shot just 40% at the rim. Volume scoring. Here’s my breakdown:

1. On Drives: Ellis made 4, missed 3, turned the ball over 3 times, and lost another we recovered. He was fouled four times for free throws. One of the drives he got blocked off the first tip, and another was a fast break where he was fouled. This element resulted in just 50% total effectiveness based on attempts, in combination with free throws.

2. On Post Feeds: Ellis made 2, and missed 3.

3. On Scrambles/Follow Shots: Ellis made 2, missed 2, and was fouled once for free throws.

4. Lobs: He got one lob, on a set play, for a dunk.

5. Jumpers: Ellis was one of two, making a 15 footer, and missing a three.

If you balance out the numbers, Ellis scored on just under 50% of his overall efforts, between baskets and free throws. He worked very hard yesterday.

However, balance that 50%, at two points a pop, against three pointers at our team rate of 40%, and it’s no contest. It is demonstrative of the misguided nature of Self’s offense this season. Perry Ellis gets 29 points (27 related to near the basket efforts), and we have the 6th lowest effective field goal percentage game in Self’s tenure.

Coach Self talks of Fool’s Gold, as if it only applies to perimeter shooing – he had his famous rant after the Texas Tech win where we went a tremendous 11-20 from three point range, and blew out a TT team on its home floor, where it has beaten ISU, Baylor, and OSU. Remember those days? When we did shoot three pointers? But it was the ridiculous Fool’s Gold comment that set this all in motion.

It was the follow-up to the Utah game. Self uttered “Fool’s Gold” on our television for all to see. That after an amazing first half against Utah were we torched Utah with a blazing perimeter game, jumping out to 20 point lead. Then, we saw that lead evaporate when Self dictated a return to the pound it inside mantra. After that game, I detailed the possessions of the second half disaster. Horrific. All Self-made.

And Self acts as if missing perimeter shots is the only risk in the NCAA tourney – which is what the Fool’s Gold stuff alludes to. The “you can’t count on it” thing.

Of course, we have seen our inside game go awry. Meaning, we can miss close shots just as easy as outside shots. Perhaps more so with this team. It happens all the time. It’s part of the game, missing shots that is. We’ve missed them all season. We missed close shots against Stanford. They were big, and contested them. We have a team that doesn’t score well inside. Heck, against KSU, Self again lamented the fact of how we got close shots, and that we missed bunnies.

Jesse Newell shot me a tweet after Self’s press conference –

Who out there can’t see this?

So is Self misguided? Kind of. Meaning, if you have a team that scores reliably at the rim, then I think I go with coach Self. The “at the rim” percentages of 65% or so on post ups. But folks, this isn’t that team. This team cannot score reliably at the rim. It certainly can’t score on post feeds. Now, our last real hope of improvement (Cliff) may be on the shelf.

If we continue down this path, we will be placing our season in the hands of Traylor, Lucas, and Mickelson. By contrast, would you rather place it in the hands of Mason, Greene, Oubre, Selden, Graham, and Ellis from outside?

It comes down to a simple item. What’s the better risk with this team? That’s all.

Coach Self has chosen the wrong path.

Perhaps the Fool’s Gold comments are because coach Self feels threatened. Perhaps coach Self felt deep in the the bowels of his soul that if this team were able to achieve and win from the perimeter, it would threaten the very fabric and foundation of what he holds dear. It would threaten the core of what he teaches. If a team could actually win like this, the pound it inside philosophy would be forever threatened. The concept that attempting to score inside is always better than attempting to score outside. His “my way or the highway” way of winning would be compromised.

Or perhaps he’s just hard-headed.

How can a man in Self’s position see other teams win in different ways, with different schemes, and be so diametrically opposed to change? Even with a team that just can’t do it his way?

Whatever. I don’t care.

What I care about is the destruction of something I hold very dear. And it is occurring right before my eyes. It is not only sad, but it is unnecessary.

This team is a Final Four team. This team is a National Championship team. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. This team has high level talent. Kansas can win the national championship.

We know the post-script to this season, That we weren’t really that good anyway. That it was coach Self who got this team to its peak. That this team really overachieved. That we were “just so young.” That this team didn’t have a true big man, and thus couldn’t achieve greatness.

Or now, that we lost Cliff. Like last season. We lost Embiid. Meanwhile, we totally ignore that we do not play to our team’s offensive talents (this season) and that we continued to play the same pound it inside game last March without Embiid – nearly losing to EKU and losing to Stanford. See any similarities?

It’s all “crap” – using one of Self’s favorite words. It is crap.**

1. Cliff: This situation has to annoy coach Self to no end. But this is not an issue where we should demonize the NCAA. There are clear rules. It now appears that Cliff or his family broke the rules (“appears” ). But even if they didn’t, there is a fairly simple process for exoneration. Given the time frame now remaining, it is over. The third party documents – likely held by his parents – would have been produced if they were going to be provided. The fact that they aren’t produced tells us something, or at least implies improper conduct. But of course, they broke no laws. It’s not illegal. Just compromises eligibility.

2. Landen Lucas: Notice how Landen looks better now, than in the first part of the season. Part of that is experience. But part of that is the fact that we’re not simply doing the post feed deal with him. Our offense is not premised at present around the post feed. Lucas’ talent/skill deficiency is not as exposed. That’s not a slam at all. He is just a sophomore and seems like he can be a reasonable back up now. And the game situations have clearly enhanced his development. Landen is doing everything asked of him. He deserves to start. I love seeing the guy on the floor. But also, he is not a guy that Self can rely upon to score in the post on the post feed in future years. That would be gambling on much more development.

3. Chris Jones: Odd topic here … but in my Frank Mason post, I flat forgot about Chris Jones, the top Juco guy of that class. Another guy Self had pursued over Mason. He was dismissed from the Louisville team. Yet another reason why we are darn lucky to have gotten Frank Mason. But man, Louisville is different without Jones.

4. Self’s Expectations: Did anyone see this quote from Coach Self? Self said, after the brackets were released: “If this team gets a chance to play in an Elite Eight game, it’s been a hell of a year. Let’s call it like it is.” When I read that, I really couldn’t believe it. “One hell of a year”? I’m not saying that given our position in UK’s bracket that getting to the Elite Eight might not be our reasonable season’s conclusion, I’m just curious about the message it sends. I don’t like the comment at all. Simply playing UK is one hell of a year? How about beating UK’s ass, and we can then start having that discussion.

5. Defense: Lost a little in all of the offensive discussion is the vast improvement in our team defense. I think we would all agree that this team is better defensively than last season. Again, we lose Wiggins and Embiid, and we’re better? I point to two important things. First, no Naadir Tharpe. When we see Mason and Graham busting their butts, it further exposes how much of a liability we had in Tharpe. Self best off season move was cutting Tharpe. Bar none. Second, the vast improvement on the defensive end by Perry Ellis. It’s holding his position more than anything, but he also takes very good angles in the post based on ball position. He works hard, and he hits the glass on the defensive end. And as a side note, there is never ever any discussion on how this team is coached defensively. We might question the use of zone from time to time, but as far a man to man defensive coach, we have the best in the business.

6. Villanova: As a #1 seed, Villanova is an absolute joke. Gonzaga is better. Arizona is much better. They just aren’t that talented. A team where the three ball has masked their deficiencies a bit. This seeding just makes no sense to me at all. I also think KU and Virginia are more deserving. A lot of this is subjective, of course. I struggle to find anything real impressive on their schedule.

7. Gottliebism: Doug Gottlieb takes some well deserved gruff from KU fans. He’s quasi-impartial. But we all are. He was the one guy calling our 2008 team the best team in the country literally all season. Anyway, his comment from Sunday – he said Arizona was going to get to play a “virtual home game” in its first game against Texas Southern. The game is in Portland, Oregon. I felt like the Aflac duck.

8. Field Goal Percentage At The Rim: This is one of my favorite stats. Of the top 8 seeds, the field goal percentage at the rim ranges from 62.1% - 69.3% – except Kansas, which is at 56.5%. So we’re dead last by a large margin. Had this discussion a bit on another thread. This is still concerning. Interestingly, of the top 8 seeds, we are just 6th in three point attempts.

9. 2012: Coach Self cited 2012 as comparison to this season. He cited that Tyshawn Taylor did not hit a three point basket until the final game in the tourney, and that we didn’t hit a shot outside 3 feet against NC State (a little exaggeration). But in looking at the 2012 team, we averaged 15 three pointers per game in the NCAA tourney and average 16.48 for the season. Compare to the 11.5 per game in our bad ball stretch. Three pointers aren’t a cure all, as I’ve said all year, but with this particular team, they appear to be a necessity.

10. Breakout: Sometimes slumps are broken gradually. Sometimes it happens in a rush, and the floodgates open. That’s all I’ll say. Or, as I posted on another thread, maybe the boys need a good old fashioned Slump Buster. Or, maybe the slump is better than the cure. Let’s just hit some threes.

11. Excuses: Ah, I hear them coming already. We lost Cliff. We got a bad draw. We had foul trouble. Anybody can beat anybody in a one game draw. We’re hurt. The tournament is all about luck. It’s all match-ups. Self can’t put the ball in the hole. We missed bunnies. The other team took away (insert name or aspect of our offensive game). This team really isn’t that good. We had a short turn around. We have tired legs. I’ll tell you, the “missing bunnies” thing from the Stanford game last season was perhaps the single most shortsighted and shallow excuse ever related to Kansas hoops. I ask all of you prone to making excuses – watch the entirety of the games. Not just in length, but in depth. I’ll contrast it a bit to 2013. When we lost to Michigan, there were no real issues with Self’s handling of that game, short of a few late game and OT decisions that are up for fair debate. But the loss to Stanford was a plain and obvious failure of our coaching staff to properly game plan and then adjust during the game. Big difference. That’s what to watch for. We need coach Self and his staff to have their “A” games.

12. Our Expectations: To begin the year, my expectations were a national title. When you look at other teams, Kansas is not an overall talent deficit to any team, except UK. Duke is arguable. A national title was a reasonable expectation. The reality is that this team is Self’s baby. He recruited it, he developed it, he cultivated it, he molded it, he puts it out on the floor – every aspect is controlled by coach Self. And it was all geared for this moment. The best possible teams we have to beat to get to the Elite Eight (chalk) are WSU and ND. That’s it. And a 15 seed. Kansas should be better than all of those teams. I expect an Elite Eight. That’s my reasonable expectation right now. I don’t think it’s a “hell of a season” if we get there, though. It’s chalk. 2012 was a hell of a season. 2008 was the mountain top. While I will not be satisfied, I will be relieved if we just beat WSU, to be honest.

13. NCAA Tournament Is Beautiful: The next 11 days, Thursday, March 19 - Sunday, March 29, is beautiful. Nothing better. After 11 days we’ll be down to four teams. The promised land. And if we play to our capabilities, we can be there. Yes, we can. We simply cannot beat UK playing the style that we are playing now. But we can beat UK. And we all know what style will be required to beat UK. Let’s get there and find out.

I’m off early Friday for the drive to Omaha. Hope we get rollin’. We can win 6 games in a row. Damn right we can.

Does anyone really believe that Kansas has to live like this?

It is ridiculous. Recruit guys that need Kansas to get to the NBA. It is that simple.

The idea that we have to recruit the “best talent” is utter and complete nonsense.

Look at it this way … do you want the hottest woman as your wife? That would be nice, but there are many other things to consider that make it work. Looks (or talent) is just one element – important, mind you, but there are many other things to consider.

I was able to obtain a recent transcript of an interview done just yesterday with Coach Self, conducted by our own @jaybate-1.0. Warning. Some of the contents may be disturbing.

Q: Coach Self, thanks for speaking with me.

A: Who are you again?

Q: I’m @jaybate_1.0, with kubuckets.com.

A: I don’t know what that means. Is that your real name?

Q: Is that your real hair?

A: Look, I’ve heard of you, but a little background might help.

Q: Well, I think most KU fans would agree that I’m the most knowledgeable person on KU hoops; kind of a Dalai Lama sort of figure. I rule with wisdom.

A: Then we’re a lot alike, you and I.

Q: Let’s get moving here. Is the word “flexibility” in your dictionary?

A: You’d have to ask Cindy.

Q: What I mean coach, is why is it that you are so inflexible with your schemes?

A: My schemes have won me a lot of games. I’ve got 10 rings on my fingers, and they all say “Big 12 champs”.

Q: Coach, don’t you have 11 rings? I mean, where’s the other one?

A: Again, you’d have to ask Cindy. One for bone, ya know.

Q: Uh, anyway, Conner Frankamp told me you hate three point shooters. Your reply?

A: I’m sure he did. Little bastard. He took our playbook and gave it to Mr. Slime Ball in Koch town. That @Crimsonorblue22 is right … “slime ball.” Did you know Marshall really likes the Kochs? Or so I’ve heard. Well, to your question, I like three pointers that go in the basket.

Q: How can they go in the basket if your players aren’t permitted to shoot them?

A: Have you been talking to Brannen? He just needs to get his butt to class, is what he needs to do. Well, the best, most reliable shot is near the basket. That’s the shot we try to get.

Q: Coach, this season, though, the numbers were kind of undeniable, right? Like 56% at the rim.

A: That’s a little deceiving. Take Selden and Ellis out of that, and we’re shooting like 80% at the rim. I know, I know, that’s not true. Just feels like it, doesn’t it?

Q: So why do you play Selden so much; I mean, why does he start?

A: That’s a good question. I’ll need to think about that.

(five minutes pass)

Q: Uh, coach … you done thinkin’?

A: Uh, I promised him a chance to start. Yea, a chance. That’s all these boys get. A chance. I don’t make promises.

Q: Coach, I didn’t say you did make promises.

A: Yes you did. Or that’s what you meant.

Q: Alright, let me get to the most important topic. Shoeco’s. How do they influence your recruiting?

A: I know NOTHING!

Q: Coach, why did you say that like Sargent Shultz?

A: I don’t know.

Q: We we know you are an adidas school; I want to ask you about Nik …

A. Whoa, Whoa, WHOA! We DON’T say the “N” word around here. We say it with an “a” at the end. Nika. When you say it with an “a” at the end, it means something different. It’s part of our KU culture. It makes it funny. We can laugh about … ha, ha … see, it’s now funny.

Q: Use it in a sentence then.

A: You know, F*** that Nika bi***. That’s kind of in jest.

Q: I’m shocked coach.

A: Don’t be … get down here close to me … closer … they have microphones. We can’t say the real N word. We’ll all be out of a job.

Q: Who has microphones, adidas?

A. Uh-huh. They’re everywhere.

Q: Ok, then, I’ll move on.

Q: Coach, who’s the most important Jayhawk for next season?

A: Easy. Me.

Q: You?

A: Well, yea. Who would you say?

Q: Ok, good point. After you … who is the most important?

A: Probably Cheick Diallo. Well, the most talented, for sure. Not sure if he’ll “get it” from the beginning. Might have to start Jamari.

Q: Coach, Diallo hasn’t signed yet. Isn’t that a recruiting violation?

A: Not if you’re not recording this.

Q: What about the … (whispering) the adidas microphones?

A: Hah, they’re not turning me in. The messes they’ve go me out of. Hell, you wouldn’t believe it. Remember Cat Barber? Let me tell you about …

(Kurtis Townsend interrupting)

Townsend: Coach, that’s not a topic today @jaybate-1.0. Please move on.

A: Ok, ok. Mother freaking hen, he is. Would you like a jelly bean?

Q: A jelly bean?

A: Yes, a jelly bean. Here’s the bowl.

Q: But coach, they’re all blue. And they kind of look like pills.

A: No, no. Nice flavor. I keep them in all of my coaches meetings. Lightens the mood. I give free jelly beans to all the media members after our luncheons. Though that damn @Jesse-Newell says, “Sorry, trying to quit” all the time. He’ll eat the damn beans soon enough.

Q: Well, let’s get to different topic. What is your position on one and dones.

A: Don’t like 'em. I mean, I like the players. Love the players. Great kids every one of them. Don’t like the rule.

Q: Why not?

A: I mean, it’s not fair to the college game. These kids come in, one season, 8 or 9 months, and then bam, they’re gone. Kinda like a one night stand. Though, I’ve had couple that were well worth …

Townsend: Coach, remember what we talked about?

A: Right, right.

Q. Then why do you go after them?

A: One night stands?

Q: No, OADs.

A: Got to. Got to recruit the best talent.

Q: How has that worked out for you?

A: Look, the NCAA tournament is a potshot. It’s luck. There are lot media types that I have lunches with an pal around with all the time that will tell you that. Heck, there’s even a few Jayhawk fans that feel that way too. They know it’s luck. Great, great insight. Bad match ups. Damn committee. Put us in with Standford when they knew we had Embiid out. Then matched us up with WSU when, well, uh … they were like better than us.

Q: Though, couldn’t you have tried to adjust your game plan to deal with both of those teams, I mean try something a little different?

A: Like I’ve said before, that game planning stuff is crap. We play to our strengths.

Q: What was your strength this season?

A: Uh, uh … I said perimeter shooting before the season. Kurtis?

Townsend: Don’t say it, coach. The narrative is different now.

Q: But other coaches regularly change and adapt; they even do it game to game.

A: They do?

Q: Sure. Like Wiggins. He was a major match up advantage much of last season, why didn’t you post him up?

A: Post him up??? A small forward? What planet are you on? Geez, get this guy. Post up a non-post player? We are talking basketball aren’t we? We play a high/low with the post players in the paint. Silly talk.

Q: Have you watched Wiggins with Minnesota? How they spread the floor and use him there? The whole idea of maximizing his talent?

A: That’s professional basketball. We’re not professionals, sir.

Q: Let me ask this then … why do you hate the three point shot?

A: Hate is a very strong word.

Q: Love is as well, coach; you know what I mean.

A: Look, I don’t hate the three point shot. It’s just unreliable. You’re the Fool’s Gold freak, aren’t you?

Q: No, that’s someone else. That was @HighEliteMajor. But everything does flow from my posting tree …

A: Well, I do regret that comment. And I do admit to the world that my comment and how I handled practices and such sent our three point shooting into the tank. I regret that. @HighEliteMajor was right …

Townsend: COACH!

A: … Uh, yea, right. NOT! That @HighEliteMajor is a dumb a**. Some guys think they know it all. Who does he think he is, John Wooden?

Q: No, that’s me. I think I’m John Wooden. Wooden adapted to his talent.

A: Whoever you are, the three point shooting stuff is not real basketball. It’s not reliable. There wasn’t even a three point stripe for most of the history of basketball. I saw the Naismith rules. Nothing about three point shooting that I saw. The father of the game.

Q: Well, how do reconcile the fact that three Final Four teams shot over 19 threes a game, that each of those teams incorporate three point shooting as part of their offensive scheme, and that they create multiple situations to get those looks? Wisconsin and Duke shot boat loads of threes and got to the title game. MSU and Izzo have shot many more over the last two seasons than ever before. Isn’t that adapting to their talent?

A: That’s them. We’re Kansas. We do it my way, as my buddy, @JayHawkFanToo, will surely attest. Get your nose out of there and come on up here?

Q: Hey, where was he? I didn’t see him back there … Anyway, coach, I’m here to interview you. Why do you hate the three?

A: Ok, but please don’t tell anyone, agreed?

Q: Sure, agreed.

A: Well, when I was little, my dad and I were watching an old ABA game. Well, anyway, Artis Gilmore, big guy, squared up for a three. You remember those short, shorts they wore then?

Q; Yea …

A: Well, Artis wasn’t quite all tucked in, you get what I’m saying?

Q: I think so …

A: It scared me. And it scarred me. I thought it was a little raccoon and he was keeping it in his shorts. And that he was hurting it. I figured it out a few years later, and when I asked my dad about it, he just said that Artis shouldn’t have been shooting a three anyway. He was a post player. He should have stayed there and the whole thing wouldn’t have happened. I guess I just have a phobia.

Q: You have a phobia of … uh … raccoons?

A: No, no. I have a phobia of three pointers. I love little raccoons. But the other is a real phobia. They bring back bad memories. Scars. A big guy should be in the paint. You win in the paint. And you won’t see any raccoons you shouldn’t see if no one shoots three pointers. No little raccoons will be hurt.

Q: Is that why you said you “hoped to hell they wouldn’t” shoot threes?

A: Look, it wouldn’t matter if they just played with a chip on their shoulders. The chip.

Q: You mean like one of my boys @drgnslayr, always says, right?

A: That guy? Doesn’t he question whether we actually coach?

Q: That’s the guy. My protege.

A: I really need to wrap this up. Gotta get out on the recruiting trail again. That Calipari is really a Thorn in my side, but I try to turn the other Cheick. This could be a Maker - break day …

Townsend: Easy coach …

Q: Sure, thanks for the time.

A: Now remember, some of this stuff is just between us. Sure you wouldn’t like a jelly bean? Take one.

Q: Any red ones?

A: Kurtis, did you hear that. We have a comedian here.

Q: Well, ok, if you insist.

A: Perfect.

Q: Thanks for the jelly bean … quite tasty. I do have another quick question or two - Don’t you think that 11 conference championships in a row is the most impressive accomplishment in recent college basketball history? The true measure of greatness? How can anyone question your decisions, coach?

A: I have to go … Feed the Post, and Prosper.

Q: Yes, Feed the Post, and Prosper.

(All Fiction, of course … kind of. No Malice)

Following Kansas’ close call against Harvard, coach Self attempted to attach reason to the unreasonable. It’s a common theme. But let’s start from an initial premise: Play the best player. This isn’t difficult. But it is (and always has been difficult) for coach Self.

1. Prior Paralysis By Analysis: I posted a prior thread on Self’s Paralysis By Anaylsis. The Harvard contest has reinforced that theory. As I had suggested after the MSU game, Self got caught up on the micro-analysis of certain elements of the game, and was missing the big picture of playing the best player. Against Michigan State, Self said Michigan State’s defensive style — they three-quarter fronted the post — demanded the presence of Lucas, who is the Jayhawks’ best big man at sealing the post and creating angles.That’s Landen Lucas’ best game,” Self said. “That’s what he does. He plays to getting answers. So I thought that was the percentage play for us, to play that well’.”

2. Play the Best Player: May I revisit a theme: Play the best player. It does translate well from sport to sport. And is a generally accepted approach to winning. There are exceptions to that to be sure. But rarely.

3. Diallo/Bragg vs. Harvard: So let’s look at what happened against Harvard. First, Cheick Diallo entered the game at the 13:00 minute mark and Kansas led 13-10 (not 13-12 as I said yesterday). At that time, Diallo was paired with Bragg. When Bragg left the game for Lucas at 9:22, Kansas led Harvard 29-16. Lucas entered the game to guard “#4” (more on that below). Diallo then left at the 7:56 mark, and Kansas was up 30-16. In five minutes, with mostly Diallo and Bragg on the floor, Kansas extended it’s lead to 14 points, and did this in just five minutes of play. Very importantly, Diallo/Bragg fit the strength of our team – playing fast. Against Loyola, one play stood out to me. Diallo got the ball on the block, he got doubled, and he turned and shot the ball to the far block to Bragg for the easy lay-up. Post to post passing and creation. And is there any better post player on this team than Bragg, passing from the high to the low?

4. De Facto Suspension: As I mentioned after the game, Self has now imposed a de facto suspension on one of our top talents. After fighting for months to gain Diallo’s freedom, Self sent him back to the clink by playing the young man only 7 minutes. And with it, at least 13 minutes (if not more) of much needed playing time and development. But why, why would coach Self do this?

5. The Play That Sealed Diallo’s Fate: Go to 10:20 mark of the 1st half. Harvard’s “#4” scored on a little left handed hook over Diallo. And that was it. That is what sealed Diallo’s fate. Self then sent Landen Lucas to the scorer’s table to sub in for Bragg. Lucas then immediately began guarding “#4.” Based on this play, #4’s second basket of the game, Diallo can’t guard him.

6. Irony Of Subbing For Bragg: In a small bit of Irony in subbing for Bragg, after “#4” scored, KU went down the floor and Bragg scored at the rim, on a layup. You don’t have to be looking for irony to have that slap you in the face. We couldn’t score at the rim – he scored. And we scored playing fast. Irony many times provides our answer.

7. Self’s Quote on Lucas – Paralysis By Analysis: “He’s by far our best big,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Lucas. "He defended (Zena Edosomwan) great. And (he’s) a terrific player. (Lucas) was by far the only big guy we had who could guard him one-on-one. Landen was by far the best player in the game,” Self said. “He did a great job on No. 4, Zena. He’s a monster. Landen didn’t even need traps for the most part.” Self also said, “Landen was our best big,” Self said. “The game situation was the only reason why (Bragg and Diallo) didn’t play more.” Let’s skip over the hyperbole and untruths and go right to the fact – Lucas “did a great job” guarding #4. That’s true. This entire discussion assumes that. But we are not stupid. We know that Lucas is not, was not, and never will be our best big. Say it if you want to, coach Self, but it’s a complete and utter fabrication. A Self-serving fabrication to justify your poor decisions in this game. It’s just like saying “_____” was the best player against Loyola. A fabrication.

8. Here We Go Again: What I would like to here is the defense of Bill Self – Landon Lucas is “by far our best big.” And “Landen was by far the best player in the game.” We are living in an alternative universe here where certain phases of the game are completely ignored. I checked the box score. It was very hard not to notice that Landen Lucas played 24 minutes and scored 5 points. And had zero blocks. One assists (no real post to post action). It is also difficult not to notice that when Harvard players enter the lane, or any players, Landen Lucas provides zero rim protection. It is also hard not to notice that Landen Lucas is the slowest player on the team, but a long shot – on a team whose identity is playing fast.

9. Kansas’ Entire Game Dictated By The 2012 #82 Player Zena Edosomwan: That’s right, Bill Self adjusted Kansas’ game based on “#4”. You know why? Because he is a “monster.” Bill Self sacrificed out team’s identity because #4 is “a monster.” This approach is short-sighted, overly reactive, and this approach simply denies the value of other elements of the game. Go back and watch from 13:00 minutes to 9:22 minutes. Watch the pace of the game. This is when Bragg exited for Lucas. Kansas was up 29-16 after leading 13-10.

10. Fixation on One Element: Gross vs. Net: Bill Self is obviously not in business. The key is the entire picture, not a portion of it. Perhaps we try it this way. In 24 minutes of play, does anyone here believe that Diallo would be limited to 5 points? Diallo scored 13 the other night, scored 4 points in 7 minutes yesterday. Does anyone think that Diallo might have drawn a foul, or two, or three? He drew a foul in his 7 minutes and though he didn’t convert, he was very active around the rim Perhaps even more importantly, pace of the game. The dynamic of the game. Landen Lucas is a sloth. Playing fast is this team’s identity, and it was on full display from 13:00 to 9:22 of the first half. Landen Lucas slows our pace. Further, Diallo’s aggressiveness in the post creates fouls on the opponents. There is no doubt that Lucas rebounds well. However, Self seems content to have an offensive dead spot down low, either with Lucas or with “______”. Landen Lucas flat didn’t shoot. He shot the ball 2 times. He did nothing to put pressure on their inside players (trying to score, drawing fouls). Nothing. Further, I am relatively confident that the combo of Diallo and Bragg would rebound sufficiently (and that Diallo would meet or exceed Lucas if permitted to show his wares).

11. Missing The Big Picture: My opinion is that we have found the answer we have long sought – why? Why does Bill Self play guys that the rest of the basketball world (coach K, Izzo, Boeheim, Williams, etc) would not play? Why does he sit highly talented players in favor of pedestrian player, or players that are below average? Because he fixates on certain elements of the game and overlooks the “net” contributions of players. He’s see that Lucas may be better in one element, and then he we discard the other elements of the game in favor of the one defined element. We saw it in his comments vs. MSU, we see it now. And see the next paragraph.

12. Remember Cliff and Lucas?: After the WVU game on Feb. 19 last season, the one where Cliff played just 6 minutes (more on that below), Self said the following: “The last two games, it’s easier for (Landen) to play good than it is Cliff,” Self said. “Without being critical, Landen is much better against the zone. He has a feel on gaps. He’s much better in pressure, handling the ball, passing the ball than Cliff. It was easier for him to look better in the last two games than Cliff.”

13. Cliff vs. Diallo: To put yesterday in perspective, Diallo played just 7 minutes. Cliff never played less than 10 minutes in any game other than the Feb. 16 WVU game. Many speculated that Cliff’s time near the end of the season was because Self knew of the NCAA issues. Doesn’t matter. Cliff is view by many, many folks as a poor match for Self. Claimed he didn’t play with a motor. Yet Diallo, supposedly the best match for Self, can’t really find the floor? Against the power that is Harvard, in AFH? Good Lord.

14. Back to Bunnies Again: Self said, “Fans will think I’m nuts … I thought we played pretty well. We got the ball exactly where we wanted it. We didn’t have any big guys score the ball very well today. We missed a lot of free throws that obviously could have made the game less interesting late. (But) I don’t leave here discouraged at all because I know we can make free throws and I know we can make layups,” Yes, we got it where we wanted it, Coach, but we struggle to score in those spots against height/length and many times anyone else. Is this Groundhog day? You played Landen Lucas who just can’t score inside, period. That limited our options to just Perry Ellis, who is as soft as a lilly and has proven ineffective against height/length over and over. We aren’t missing wide open, easy shots. Further, if we make 5 more free throws, that’s 18-25 – over 70%. That doesn’t change our struggles in this game.

15. Three Point Shooting: As mentioned yesterday, we only shot 14 three pointers. Self laments, again, missing shots near the basket as he always does. Our team identity is playing fast AND shooting the ball. Yet in a game that called for exploiting the three point line, we shot only 14 times. Harvard must be one hell of team, guys. We can’t score inside, and we can only get off 14 three pointers. By the way, we shot 42.8% from three so Harvard wasn’t that great at the job. We’re in serious trouble, folks, if the vaunted Harvard Crimson can stop us inside and out. The fact is, as usual, the three point shot was not a priority. But we “got the ball exactly where we wanted it.” Foolish.

16. Outcoached: It seems quite apparent that someone got out coached yesterday, and that someone was able to win the game simply and solely because of superior talent – by 6 points, over Harvard, at home, in AFH. Make no mistake, Bill Self put this team in a position to lose this game. This is the type of game that we discuss ad nauseam. But I think we have at least a substantially partial answer – it is paralysis by analysis. A hyper focus on one element or two, that compromises the big picture.

We needed to just take it to Harvard, run them out of the gym, shoot them out of the gym, and out score them. Use “pressure” as @dinarhawk mentioned yesterday. But Self, as usual, won’t just won’t trust his offense. He’s like Buddy Ryan in suit. Our offense, and that style of play, was on full display during a nice 4 minute stretch in the first half when neither Lucas, nor Ellis, were in the game. Instead, our coach decided that playing the arguably better defensive match up against Harvard’s big man was the better choice. And he rode Ellis even though he was largely ineffective. Lucas/Ellis - 51 minutes. Diallo/Bragg - 16 minutes. It’s hard to fault him on Ellis, he’s one of our best players. But mixing in some combinations, giving Bragg and Diallo substantial time together given what happened with that combo on the court in the first half seemed to be a reasonable approach.

One thing I am very confident of – riding Landen Lucas for 24 minutes is NEVER the best option with this team. NEVER.

PLAY THE BEST PLAYERS. IT’S NOT COMPLICATED. GOOD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU PLAY THE BEST PLAYERS. THE “NET” RESULT IS BETTER WHEN YOU PLAY THE BEST PLAYERS.

I bet that Marquis Bolden, or Jarrett Allen, are looking at this game and wondering how they will fair when it comes to playing time, when faced with the prospect of beating out Landen Lucas.

And I never even brought up Hunter Mickelson. You know, the guy that played so well in South Korea? That seemed to be able to function and guard guys overseas? Who hustled, scored, had energy, and protected the rim? But he’s obviously worthless to coach Self. It is tremendous waste of talent.

Lots of thread going at the moment. Thought I’d toss in a some interesting information I reviewed today with some other thoughts.

Of the 25 top rivals recruits, two are out due to injury (#17 Ray Smith/Arizona and #18 Tyler Dorsey/Oregon). So we are dealing with 23 players remaining.

We saw earlier in the year that from a minutes perspective, Diallo and Bragg were lagging far behind. As of today, the end of non-con, the gap is even bigger.

Beyond minutes, I looked at each of the top 25 (really 23 players) Player Efficiency Rating (PER). Not an absolutely perfect stat, but very reliable – and it’s the one “all in one” stat that we can look to for comparison.

1. Diallo/Bragg vs. Top 25 Recruits (Playing Time): Carlton Bragg is #20 (11.8 mpg) and Cheick Diallo is #21 (10.7 mpg) in playing time per game when compared to the Top 25 recruits. Only Chase Jeter/Duke (9.5) and Justin Simon/Arizona (7.1) are lower as well as the two injured players.

2. The Staggering Gap Between Bragg and #19 In Playing Time: More interesting is the ranking in playing time is that while Bragg is #20 at 11.8, the #19 playing in playing time is Skal Labissiere at 20.6 minutes per game. This is pretty staggering. So the next playing above Bragg is playing nearly double his minutes. Further, numbers 1 - 14 all play 25 minutes or more.

3. PER Rating: When looking at the overall PER ratings for these 23 players, Diallo is 7th best and Bragg is 10th best. So while their playing time lags severely, both players’ production is well into the top half, and Diallo in the top third.

4. Minutes per game vs. PER Difference: To highlight the discrepancy, I compared minutes vs. PER. Only four players had a positive PER difference vs. minutes. Cheick Diallo has the best ratio at 11.2 (10.7 minutes/21.7 PER). Justin Simon of Arizona is next at 10.4 (7.1 minutes/17.5 PER). Diamond Stone is next (21.2/28.9). Then Carton Bragg at 7.7 (11.8/19.3). A positive ratio would indicate (roughly) that their minutes aren’t in line with their production. Nineteen (19) players had a negative PER to minutes ratio, meaning they were playing more minutes than their PER – nearly every player. Just a way to compare and contrast with what’s happening in other programs.

5. Low PERs and Playing Time: It really stood out to me that many players had very low PERs, but got big minutes - Malik Newman (Miss. St) 28.0/14.0; Derryck Thornton (Duke) 17.3/13.6; Antonio Blakeney (LSU) 30.0/11.2; Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) 27.7/15.1; Jalen Adams (UConn) 20.9/11.5; Isaiah Briscoe (Kentucky) 30.4/15.0.

6. Landen Lucas/Jamari Traylor/Hunter Mickelson: Landen Lucas has reversed his PER from last season. In 2014-15, his PER was 13.7. Pretty bad. This season, though, Lucas is at an impressive 21.9. Hunter Mickelson had a PER of 22.5 in 2014-15 in limited playing time. However, he has backed that up during rotation level minutes, logging in at 24.2 this season. Jamari Traylor, though, has not improved by any significance. In 2014-15, his PER was 12.7. This season Traylor is at 14.7.

7. Svi Mykhailuk: When we discuss cutting the rotation, no doubt that Svi is on the chopping block. Svi’s PER is 14.0, now just a tick below Traylor. Further, his PER trajectory has continued downward.

8. Cutting the Rotation: Self has spoken many times about trimming playing time. Self has always preferred and 8+ rotation. That is, 8 core players with a 5th perimeter guy and a 5th post player as extras (though the 5th post guy gets less minutes than the 5th perimeter player due to the minutes available – 120 on the perimeter per game, and 80 in the post). It does not appear Self will get to that 8+ anytime soon. January becomes the sifter. LeGerald Vick is out. So we’re down to 11. The next easy cut, again off production, is Jamari Traylor. He lags all of the bigs. Lucas, by his production, deserves to stay. I have my personal feelings on playing Lucas and Traylor. I wouldn’t play either of them. But Lucas has been productive. No denying that. Traylor has not been productive. There is no denying that, either. Next, based on non-con, Self should really prioritize Brannen Greene over Svi. Greene checks in at a team high 27.6 PER. So even if we think Greene’s might be a touch too high vs the eye test, he’s still way ahead of Svi.

9. The Rotation Starting Saturday: Perimeter - Mason, Graham, Selden, Greene, with Svi as the 5th, lower minutes guy. In the post, if he does cut that rotation, Traylor should be out. Ellis and Mick start, and I would suspect Lucas and Bragg would be the primary back ups. Diallo, given his place in the pecking order and the upside we discuss, should get minutes as the 5th. If Diallo take silly shots like he did when he got in the game the other night – the “selfish” 18 footer, as @BeddieKU23 correctly mentioned in another thread, that might stay his spot. Self should have yanked him right then and there, but then re-inserted him after the shock-collar treatment wore off. That’s not a quick hook – like when a player makes a common error. It would have been appropriate training.

10. Self And A National Championship: In Self’s press conference today, he said very clearly that he would “Rather play great in the 3rd season than the 2nd season” – Self refers to the NCAA tournament as the 3rd season and conference play as the 2nd season. That rather tepid statement is at least nice to hear.

11. 2015-16 Kansas Offense: Is this the perfect offense? There is not one complaint I can muster regarding our offense, our scheming – anything. Self has clearly focused this team on its strengths and has implemented his high/low to perfection with the talent he has this season. And as usual, the unsung part of Self’s game planning has been top notch – scoring on in-bounds plays. He’s also added pressure at appropriate times, though most of us would like more. The best move, of course, was starting Graham and moving Selden to the three. That’s what Self really learned in the WUGs, I would suspect. This is a national championship level offense. And when we’re averaging 19+ three pointers per game, we’re in the “Goldilocks Zone” for success. This is the offense we hoped for last season. Conference play will test Self’s resolve and commitment to playing to this team’s strength.

12. UConn Model?: I looked back at past national champions. In recent history, really only UConn has relied on lower tier bigs. Of course UConn had great guards, and smaller guards. This seems like a good comparison. Of course, most national champs have higher rated bigs in the rotation. I could not find a 6 man big rotation that won it all, but it won’t be 6 come March. But our perimeter is our strength and this is the best group in the country.

13. Diamond Stone: We had a discussion on @DoubleDD’s thread about Diamond Stone. A kid that struggled a bit early, looked a bit lost, and put up 39 points last night. I saw him play against Georgetown and he didn’t look good at all. But Turgeon has played him. @DCHawker said in response to @BeddieKU23 - “Actually, Stone was getting less than 20 minutes a game through the first half of the season (although double digit minutes in every game) and, having watched a few of the games, he clearly looked a bit lost - just like a freshman. Only scored in double figures a couple of those games and was often out of position for rebounds (low totals). But, this is the key and I think make yours and @HighEliteMajor points - he was getting real minutes, Turgeon let him play through his mistakes, and he now looks a lot more comfortable - even dominant. Double figures in each of his last 6 games, capped by the 39pt, 12rb performance yesterday. Guys aren’t going to learn and gain experience riding the bench.” Stone, during his minutes, seemed a lot like Diallo. He was productive, good PER, but made mistakes that caused a little head scratching. His production last night pumped his PER up quite a bit. But the key is he got time to work out the kinks. Other guys are getting that leeway. And getting it at Duke and Kentucky, not just at LSU or Mississippi State.

14. Tom Keegan: Wanted to reiterate my response on Keegan. Tom made the following statement - “Playing time doesn’t determine when the light comes on. The light coming on determines playing time. Here’s guessing it will come on for Bragg before this season is over. Diallo? That might take a little longer.” First, Mr. Keegan has obviously never coached at any level. To discount the value of playing time is to simply speak from a position of ignorance. The man just doesn’t know. And he obviously didn’t speak to coach Self on the subject, and hasn’t paid attention to Kansas players of the past. Playing time equals experience, and the more experienced you are, the brighter your light can become. Tom Keegan talking out of a body part in far reaches of his backside. And to suggest that the light has not come on for Bragg is just absurd. Diallo? Sure, we can all see that argument. But Bragg? What games has Keegan been watching? But again, how does the light come on? During limited practice time? Uh, no. Play them. And play them some more.

Have a great New Year’s holiday! Baylor and OU, two games in three days – now it begins.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I do think you are way off here regarding last night. I think most would agree that I’ve been a pretty direct critic of Self, admittedly when I think he’s wrong – my view only. I think I have offered the puckering phrase you have relied upon here a few times. I just didn’t see that. But I know you have your view. But I think this year we’ve seen a different coach Self.

Bill Self got a great deal out of this team. We lost Udoka, and Bragg was just flat MIA. Was Bragg’s lack of progress Self’s fault? I don’t see it. If I would have known that before the season – Udoka and Bragg basically out and useless – I would have been skeptical of an Elite Eight, much less the solid regular season.

Bill Self was very relaxed last night, it appeared to me. And I just didn’t see coaching as the turning point last night. Unlike a number of tournament failures, I can’t really fault him for much of anything last night. We appeared to be in a very good position to succeed. Lots of great looks – and that’s what our scheme did for us. In fact, the players commented before the game how Self was much more relaxed, and that gave the “confidence” – that’s a quote from Mason.

Oregon had rim protection. I think you are missing that very clear fact from last night. We didn’t have rim protection. This was really the key factor last night.

And bad bounces more than any I have ever seen. 66-60 and Dorsey shovels one to the rim from three, four guys in position around the rim, and we don’t get the board. That told the story of the game. And Lucas was overmatched inside. Just playing to his ceiling. He can’t go beyond that. Lots of stuff.

But do I know for sure that Self didn’t create a crazily tense atmosphere before the game? I don’t. This team, though, has come out flat over and over this season. It seems to be part of its DNA. The slow start was not surprising.

The macro here is very obvious, and that is much of your point. The record speaks for itself. When you look at the big picture, the number of losses we’ve had on the second game of the weekend – 2nd round and Elite Eight says something.

The inescapable implication is that Self does not have the guys ready to win on a short turnaround.

There can be other answers, there can be other conclusions – but the evidence says exactly that. It’s hard to really argue against the evidence that we have.

Thankfully, he had KU ready to win for the 2nd game of the weekend of the Final Four in 2008.

I was very upset last year – VERY UPSET. Bill Self was out coached against Villanova, plain a simple. But I just don’t see that last night.

We got open look after open look. Our guys came out after halftime with their hair on fire but just could not convert. It was the classic comeback waiting to happen. It just didn’t.

The ugly thing is that we have a likely UNC or UK title to look forward to. Another blue blood getting another title. Anyone but UK please. Anyone.

Another item – Bragg is gone as gone can be. The guy didn’t play last night. That is over. Reminds one of the Greene treatment vs. Nova. Just no excuse for why he didn’t play.

Sounds perfect. Or how about one of the Sixers 2nd round picks, after they snag JJ with the third pick? To join Embiid. I might actually watch some NBA.

This was easily the best win of the season. The type of win the creates a tone the rest of the way. DG and Svi were clutch. Huge play by Mitch late. Just a great team win. Self had the boys ready to capitalize.

Malik Newman 10 rebounds. Man, what a corner he has turned.

Kansas is now 15 games into the season, and perhaps we can officially declare the concept of “feed the post” dead and buried.

Upon first glance, a benign home game against Texas Tech might not be the best contest to draw any real conclusions from. But it might be a bit more indicative of the direction of this team than might appear so at first glance.

Texas Tech came into the game as a relatively stout squad inside, with a couple of shot blockers. As a team, TT ranked 45th in block percentage.

In past seasons, that stat would not cause coach Self the least amount of pause. As coach Self has said before, we will “run out stuff.” After the UK game, Self said, “This game plan crap that everybody talks about; this isn’t football,” Self said. “We play to our strengths, and you don’t just change offenses because the other team is tall."

Well, as we’ve seen, Self has changed. And Self accepted our change even against Texas Tech. This game is perhaps the best evidence of our transformation.

Perry Ellis, who has been the focus of our post feeding efforts, scored no points in the post. After the Utah game, Self made reference to Ellis’ outside scoring as “fool’s gold.” Now, it’s the real deal. It may not be gold, but it’s at least a secondary precious metal – copper, perhaps. And you can make just as much money off of copper as you can gold. It’s all how the market’s moving. Right, now gold is on the decline and copper futures are on the rise. At least this season.

Ellis scored today on three, three point shots, a 17 foot jumper, a 14 foot jumper, and a pair of free throws. 15 points, all buckets from outside. Dave Armstrong referenced that Ellis was “settling” for outside shots. Armstrong doesn’t know the 2014-15 Jayhawks. This is Perry Ellis. And we can win with this Perry Ellis. We – you, me, the entire Jayhawk nation, and most importantly, coach Self – must embrace this Perry Ellis. That appears to be happening across the board.

Another indication that “feed the post” is dead was Cliff’s scoring today. Cliff had 3 lob dunks (two from Graham, one from Selden), hit an 18 foot jumper and 14 foot jumper, and scored our only true post feed basket of the day on a sweet little jump hook from eight feet midway through the second half.

None of our other post players scored on post feeds. So two points from the post feed – that’s it. And Kansas scored 86 points. Let me repeat that – we scored two points from post feeds and scored 86 points.

Kansas accomplished this by attacking the rim off the dribble, and by hitting jump shots. Coach Self has wisely turned up the dial on the offense, looking to speed up the pace a bit, to “manufacture” more points. A little more pressure, loosening rules on the secondary break, get it and go. Getting to the hoop will be critical. In an even more critical area, the Jayhawks were a wonderful 11-22 from three point range (that includes one made in walk-on time – see, I didn’t say “scrub time” ). In the first half when Kansas blew the game open, excluding free throws, Kansas scored on two layups, five dunks (on the break, in-bounds plays, attacking the rim, and lobs), four three pointers, and four two point jumpers from 15 ft or further.

What we did not see today was Self forcing Kansas to feed the post. Not even in the second half. This is a huge change from what we saw against Utah. In the first half against Utah, we gunned our way from outside to a 20 pt lead in the first half. The second half was much different. We methodically tried to feed the post, the game slowed down, and Utah completely erased the deficit. Self was clearly irritated after the game.

But today, we saw none of what we saw in the second half against Utah. No attempts to create an identity inside. No force feeding an attack destined for failure. We played loose, we played our game – the entire game.

If Self is willing to concede that Kansas has to play outside-in to beat Texas Tech, is there any turning back? If Self didn’t force his squad to work on pounding the ball inside during the second half, when we had a cushy, comfortable lead, is there any turning back?

The death of “feed the post” is complete. Outside-in has taken hold. Outside-in is here to stay.

The question now is, can Self adapt his zone offense to this clear and obvious team identity?

As we sit here now, we are the farthest away from the next KU basketball game as we could be. It’s like being a kid, and waking up on December 26. And as we get older, we don’t want time to go by too quickly. Quite a dilemma.

Our old friend, Andrew White, is back in action at Nebraska.

In Nebraska’s first exhibition, White started and led the team with 18 points. He was 6/10 from the field, including 2/3 from three.

Yesterday, in Nebraska’s season opener, White again scored 18, leading the team, going 4/6 from three point range.

Of course, if White had stayed at Kansas, he would be a senior this season.

If you want to keep up on White, here’s a link to Nebraska’s ESPN page. Just click on each score, and you can get to the box score.

Now that Cheick Diallo is in the fold, it is interesting to compare Diallo’s performances and impact to the one that got away, Tyler Davis, the #31 rivals player. Davis had been considered a strong Kansas lean. National recruiting analysts had Davis going to Kansas – then poof, he chose Texas A&M somewhat out of the blue. Like all recruits, he was not ever a guaranteed Jayhawk. He might have chosen Baylor or Arizona. We don’t know. Of all the players in the 2015 class, he was as likely to go to Kansas as any recruit before he committed to A&M.

But the point of this comparison is to highlight again, the non-OAD vs. the OAD dilemma we deal with each season. Davis presents an interesting comparison. Back in the summer of 2014, I posted what I thought was our Perfect Three Man Recruiting Class, Carlton Bragg, Tyler Davis, and Tyler Dorsey.

Of course, we snagged Bragg. Instead of Dorsey we got LeGerald Vick. Worked out great. But in place of Tyler Davis, we landed Cheick Diallo. My opinion on the tandem was as follows, “In Davis and Bragg, we would have two post players that would be nearly certain three year guys. Both guys that need some development. Both guys that can play in the NBA, but need KU to get there. This would not be a pit stop. It would be a destination. This package secures our post future for the near future. High talent, size, tenacity, and motivation.”

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Here is Tyler Davis’ ESPN Profile

Strengths:

Davis is a wide body post player who has made great strides in a short period of time. He has lost over 35 pounds and plans to continue to drop weight. Davis has excellent hands, touch, feel and patience with his post moves, mostly scoring over his left shoulder with a hook or powerful drop step through contact. Davis is a good area rebounder and can block shots mostly on the ball. Davis does a good job of holding his ground on defense and playing vertical with his hands up, making the defense shoot over him. Davis handles the ball pretty well for his size and can knock down the open high post jumper with needed time and space. He is tough and competes on both ends. Davis is also a standout offensive lineman.

Weaknesses:

Davis doesn’t have much left yet but getting around him to deny the ball will make you wish he was more explosive. He must continue to work to improve his conditioning in order to play for longer periods of time which will lead to being more productive.

Bottom Line:

Davis is a true center with off the charts upside. He can score inside and out to about 15 feet comfortably. He rebounds in his area and has decent skills for his size. Controlling his weight and improving his conditioning is key for high level long term success.

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With Diallo, let’s look at what we have so far – really, all it has been is a disaster. It’s been a distraction. It’s been something that Self admitted was taking many hours in his day. It cost Kansas a lot of money fighting the NCAA. Diallo was from Mali so he couldn’t play in the WUGs. There have been no positives to this point. The positives start Tuesday. But he is a presumed OAD. Our positives could last a few short months (and yes, to address the point that is always made when discussing presumed OADs, I know that he could possibly stay two seasons just like Wiggins, Oubre, and Alexander could have – but he’s clearly a presumed OAD). But again, the positives start Tuesday, and we can’t wait to see him on the floor.

Self decided to manage expectations, saying of Diallo just yesterday, “He’ll give us an inside presence, a shot blocker. You know, we’ve got good bigs, though, they’re veteran guys. He’s not going to come in and change us immediately but he’s got a chance to change us a lot by February or March because he has so much raw talent, but he is raw.”

With a presumed OAD, this is flat out unacceptable if this is how it plays out. Really, I don’t think it will be. But let’s take Self at his word. We have the #5 player and the #5 player only has a “chance” to “change us a lot by February or March.” One might say, “only at Kansas.”

One might say why bother?

But we have mixed info – Wiggins and Embiid changed us a lot much earlier than February or March. Alexander languished the entire season until other difficulties sacked him. Self has focused on the opinion that Diallo is “raw.” Neither Wiggins, nor Embiid, were “raw.”

So, why take an OAD that is raw? One that needs a lot of work, presumably? One that isn’t an automatic game changer? Why? Because we got stuck with him. He was all that was left. If we got a commitment from another top big in the class, Diallo would have been someone else’s NCAA fight. Simmons, Zimmerman, Jeter, Rabb, etc. Further, with all this NCAA stuff, it’s clear that Self had to be aware of what was in store because Diallo’s school had been red-flagged for two seasons. Diallo was all that was left. The reality is, Diallo might not be who Self really wanted on this team.

I don’t think we’ve ever really discussed that. Did Self really always want Diallo, or was he a back up plan to the other top bigs?

But that always makes me wonder – if we would have told Tyler Davis he was our guy, and that we’d only sign two bigs, would he have come to Kansas? All speculation. But certainly reasonable given our nearly unanimous posture as the favorite.

It also makes me wonder – would Self have traded Diallo before the season started for Tyler Davis? Davis is the type of player that fits Self’s “feed the post” style. The dude can score inside. Kansas, much like last season, is challenged inside.

Here is Tyler Davis this season - starting every game for Texas A&M:

21 minutes per game.

15 points per game.

7.4 rebounds per game.

Shooting 78.1% from the field.

Better yet, he is making shots “at the rim” at 85%.

Pretty impressive numbers so far.

Davis is clearly ready to play now. Texas A&M has beaten Texas and Gonzaga, along with a few low tier teams with Davis in the starting lineup. They play tomorrow in the championship game of the Battle For Atlantis, against Syracuse. It’s worth watching. I saw the Texas game and Davis looked like an excellent player. Against Gonzaga, his stats weren’t as good. He’s a freshman. And he’s got a lot of growth in front of him as a player. But he certainly isn’t “raw.”

But more importantly, Davis is not a presumed OAD. We’d have the kid for 2-3 season as opposed to just, presumably, one with Diallo. We’d have less pressure in recruiting for next season with two starters (Davis and Bragg) in the fold, along with Lucas. We might not have Coleby or Lightfoot – don’t know how those would have worked out.

Diallo, though, is fast. He’ll increase our pace of play. He could be the perfect fit with this team, and how this team needs to win. It seems that Diallo, in with a crew that wants to play fast, might actually be the perfect fit. My concern is whether Self will let this team play to its identity. Early returns have been positive on style of play – 190 minutes of pretty good basketball, 10 minutes of poor play. That’s not too bad, of course. Again, I struggle to see how Diallo won’t fit in perfectly with how we’re playing.

But after seeing Davis, I’d trade Diallo right now for Davis and take my chances. But I’m hopelessly biased against OADs when other highly talented options exist. I also think Davis would be a better fit for the feed the post mantra that Self lives by. That’s a big deal. When Diallo decides to stay a second season, I might change my mind. When (with Diallo) we hoist the national title trophy in April, I won’t care – life will be good.

But barring those two occurrences, will Diallo be worth it? Or would a guy like Davis have been the better bet?

After hearing Self’s comments after the game Tuesday about Jamari Traylor, I was puzzled. Self said the following: "(Jamari) was the best player in the game tonight. He totally changed the second half with his energy and it became contagious.”

I had rewatched the game the Wednesday morning, early, before I went to work. I remember chuckling about a Traylor rebound because of how poorly positioned he was. I recalled a nice blocked shot (which was a bit inconsequential given we didn’t translate that into points or a big play, and that Mick and Diallo each had three blocks). But my response that day here was that Self’s comments were geared as a coach might do to pump up a guy whose minutes may be destined to get cut. Self has done this before, praising guys that don’t seem to have really stood out. Seeing Diallo, and his performance, it seems that something has to give.

Tonight, I watched the beginning of the second half – to see this energy. I watched each possession. I slowed it down. I rewound. What inspired me to a great degree where the comments simply assuming that coach Self was right, that Traylor was the best player – or that he said what he said because Traylor was, in fact, the best player in the game. The comments that, naively, think that the answer is that simple.

The fact is, Self’s comments are just silly. They fool no one that wants to watch critically. They fool no one who is objective. To single out Traylor given how well other guys played makes no sense from a performance standpoint. None at all. Traylor the best player? Heck, Traylor wasn’t the 5th best player for Kansas vs. Loyola.

Traylor had a nice sequence where he got an offensive rebound, that after a kick out, turned into a bucket by Ellis (Possession 8 ); then the next LM trip down he blocked a shot (Possession 9). However, when you look at the game, it is absolutely comical that Self would single out Traylor for being the “best player in the game tonight.” It’s flat stupid if taken on it’s face. But if you consider why Self likely made the comment, it is just good coaching. He’s pumping up a guy that sat most of the second half – in fact, Traylor only played four minutes in the second half. That’s right, just four minutes.

So you think that’s why Self mentioned him? Because the arrival of Mr. Diallo cut his time? Because Diallo just had a wildly impressive first outing, one that was much impressive and had more of an impact than nearly any performance Traylor has ever provided at Kansas? Just maybe?

What is even more silly is the “energy … became contagious.” Just pure folly. Heck, Ellis hustled more than Traylor. What’s new? Tell me when there was more energy, the first four minutes of the second half, or the second four to six minutes when Diallo took off? Not even close. In fact, Traylor made ZERO energy plays to start the second half. None. Zip. If you don’t believe me, find one. I find this comment to be worst part of his comments.

Now, if you don’t want to look at this objectively, just move along. If you can’t handle the truth, take your blue pill, and look away. But if you would like to take the red pill, even temporarily, please read on. Or perhaps take the time, see what I just saw and form your own opinion.

There we a number of sequences that, to me, define Jamari Traylor and my problem with the minutes Self chooses to play him. Possession 4 is one in particular. He loafed, and then made two screw ups. But in watching those four minutes, it’s obvious why he struggles. He doesn’t consistently hustle, he doesn’t consistently block out, he can’t corral balls right in front of him, and he is many times out of position.

There were 16 possessions to start the second half before Traylor left at the 16:15 mark. Kansas began the half up 40-36. When Traylor left, we were up 49-36. Of those 16 possessions, Traylor only had a positive impact on three possessions. That’s it.

16 Possessions

11 Possessions Where Traylor Had No Impact

3 Possessions Where Traylor Had Positive Impact

2 Possessions Where Traylor had Negative Impact (and one of those was a double negative)

1. LM: First possession, LM player dribbled to forecourt and just double dribbled. Mason was on the ball and the LM player screwed up. No Traylor Impact.

2. KU: Selden drove and scored. Traylor was on the low block. Made zero effort to reposition to get the rebound and actually started moving away from the basket before the ball went in that basket. No Traylor Impact.

3. LM: Traylor’s man had the ball up top, and drove around him. Traylor committed a foul. Non-shooting. Selden then fouled. Non-shooting. Traylor’s man (the big white guy) drives around him, Traylor pokes the ball out. Ball to LM. In bound to LM, the LM dribbler gets around Traylor on the baseline and kicks to open three point shooter, missed three, Traylor has nice block out and rebound. Positive Traylor Impact.

4. KU: However, Traylor then loafed down the court. 18:50. Ball went out of bounds. Then, after the inbounds, Graham drove the baseline. Traylor completely failed to seal his man. @wrwlumpy posted a picture of Traylor sealing a guy for Ellis on a drive from the UCLA game. This was the opposite. Easy seal, but Traylor let the man by, who contested the shot and Graham missed. Really bad by Traylor. Traylor then had the ball in his hands, fumbled it away without being touched, and fell down. Double screw up. Bad seal, lost rebound. Double Negative Traylor impact.

5. LM: Loyola in transition. Mason a steal. No Traylor Impact.

6. KU. Traylor sets a normal screen, no contact, man slides under. Selden with the miss. Traylor takes the absolute wrong angle under the block out, so he is actually under the basket. Makes no sense. Ball to LM. No Traylor Impact.

7. LM: LM shoots from corner, Traylor kind of close and moves to the shot, but a bit far aways. Missed shot. Mason rebound. No Traylor Impact.

8. KU: This is the one that made me chuckle. Mason misses a three. Traylor makes a horrible attempt at a block out, and ends up under the basket, ball drops softly off into Traylor’s hands, literally while Traylor’s head is directly under the basket. Traylor and his man were the only two near the basket. He kicks to Graham, who pops it inside to Ellis for the hoop. Positive Traylor Impact.

9. LM: Feed to LM on the post, Traylor with a very nice block. Jump ball. We get the ball on the alternating possession so he was credited with a rebound, too. It was his best play of the game. Positive Traylor Impact.

10. KU: Ellis hits a three. No Traylor Impact.

11. LM: Graham steal. No Traylor Impact.

12. KU: Graham scores on the drive. No Traylor Impact.

13. LM: For the Traylor fans, start watching now – 16:40 through possession 16. Loyola player dribbles past half court, Traylor reach in. Nothing. Player then dribbles three more times toward Selden at the free throw line and just loses the ball. No Traylor Impact.

14. KU: Mason on the break gets his layup blocked. Traylor, who had been near half court is near the opposite block. The ball literally falls right to him, he doesn’t grab it (should have), ball to LM. Traylor falls down again. Negative Traylor Impact.

15. LM: LM goes down the court. Traylor not hustling at all down the court. LM’s pass gets tipped back to the backcourt, then they retrieve, push it down the court for a three. The ball hits LM’s rim before Traylor is even in the frame. Shot misses. No Traylor Impact.

16. KU: Now more Traylor. He’s lazily jogging behind all other 9 players. Ellis gets the ball on the near wing, Traylor jogs a little hard to the far block. Ellis drives. Traylor literally just stands there on the block and watches. Ellis gets fouled. No Traylor Impact.

The truth is the truth. All you have to do is watch. And all you have to do, sometimes, is look beyond the surface as to why coach Self says the things that he does. No one in their right mind would think that Traylor was the best player Tuesday night. Not even Coach Self. The comment was a targeted farce. For Traylor’s edification. For a player he probably loves and respects. For a fifth year Jayhawk who has busted his tail for this team. And most of all, for a player whose role is destined to decline.

Mickelson’s performance the other night against Oregon St. got me thinking about rim protection. One of the complaints that many had last season was that Kansas lacked a rim protector. The argument was made that our defense functioned better with someone on the back line of the defense to defend the rim, and make up for defensive lapses. In 2014-15, we were sorely lacking in that department, and I believe it greatly impacted our performance in certain games.

That got me looking at Jeff Withey’s stats and comparing him to Mickelson. Somewhat similar players – Self called Mickelson a “poor man’s Jeff Withey” or something like that. But is Mick really a couple notches below Withey, as that statement might imply?

Hunter Mickelson has started the last two games and by and large, he has not disappointed. Mickelson was favored by Self for a good deal of the second half against Oregon St. – a half which Self called our best half of basketball this season.

Here’s how they match-up during their careers at Kansas, understanding the difference in sample size. The non-percentage stats are per 40 minutes of play:

1. Field Goal %: Mick 52.8 Withey 58.2
2. Free Throw %: Mick 85% Withey 72.6%
3. Points: Mick 13.2 Withey 16.2
4. Rebounds: Mick 10.3 Withey 10.8
5. Assists: Mick 1.3 Withey 1.2
6. Steals: Mick 2.4 Withey 1.0
7. Blocks: Mick 5.8 Withey 5.4
8. Turnovers: Mick 2.2 Withey 2.4

What stood out to me in Mick’s favor were blocks and steals. I never would have thought that Mickelson would have been near Withey in blocks, let alone having more blocks per minute than Withey – edging Withey 5.8 to 5.4. Mickelson’s average block rate squares with his block rate this season of 5.9.

The big margin was on steals. Mickelson has averaged nearly 1.5 more steals per game than Withey, which essentially ends and creates a possession. When comparing rebounds, which either end a possession for the opponent or continue a possession for the offense, and steals, Mickelson “nets” out better than Withey when combining those two stats. Withey obviously scored a bit more than Mick, which is an important consideration. But when I look at this Kansas team, it is the rim protection element that stands out to me – and what Mick can offer in that regard.

I’m not suggesting that Mick is a player on the level of Jeff Withey. Give me a choice right now, and I’d take Withey without hesitation. The eye test would also tell me that Withey is the better rim protector. But Mick is in the ballpark, which the numbers support. And style of play? Might Mick be a bit more suited to a team – this team – that pushes the pace? I’d think so.

Withey’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at Kansas was 26.0 to Mick’s very solid 23.0. Withey’s was over a much larger body of work minutes-wise, of course, which adds to its validity. Mick’s PER and stats, though, have been very constant at Kansas and have not dropped off when he gets more minutes.

Withey was/is, of course, more of a true center. The other edge to that sword is that Mick is much more effective away from the rim offensively, as evidenced by the sweet step back jumper the other night. Mick has a different offensive package that Withey. Mick is also more mobile, both guarding on the perimeter and running the floor, and he clearly has a knack for the steal (and creating some possessions along the way). And surprisingly, as note above, Mick offers a block rate just a bit better than Jeff Withey.

There is a gap to be bridged to Cheick Diallo. If someone were to say to you that you could have Jeff Withey standing on the back line of this defense, alternating with Cheick Diallo, what would you say? Well you might just have that in Mickelson. For 30 minutes per game? Nah, let’s not get carried away. But 15-18? That might be more like it. And with Diallo likely getting better with every minute he’s on the floor, that will likely be all that we need.

A valid question that has been asked is, “how is this team any different than Kansas’ 2014-15 version?” A big part of that might be Diallo and Mickeson manning the back line for Kansas. Something we certainly didn’t have last season.

@wissox Many, many have disagreed so you would be part of large group. You could say that he had no choice, but I’d suggest the old Self would have persevered with his system. Heck, we were playing Mario Little at the top of the high/low at some point.

Entering the season, Self of course started with Bragg at the top, and Lucas/Doke low. Bragg looked to be an excellent passer. With JJ at the 3, but slipping in as the back up at the top of the high/low when Bragg wasn’t in. That seemed the most likely lineup to most everyone heading into season.

The old Self, in my opinion, would still be going with the conventional lineup, he would flop around on the bench when someone shot a three he didn’t care for, the quick hook, he would mandate the post feed – he would be talking about how we weren’t scoring in the paint, how we weren’t getting high percentage shots, and how we were relying too much the outside shot. We’ve heard it for years.

To me, Self has clearly changed. It’s all about winning, and no as much how we win. What is as true as anything is that regardless of system, Self owns our wins because he has created/permitted/installed the success.

@cragarhawk He has embraced it. it has been awesome to see him instill drive and drop system that looks for the open three point shot. Amazing.

Roy Williams is the greatest coach of this century in Men’s College Basketball. Undeniable.

Roy recruited nearly perfectly. Can anyone recall the last time he had a one and done player?

Roy has won three national titles since he left Kansas. He is perhaps the best coach in college basketball – arguments can ensue between Roy, K, Self, Izzo, and Calipari perhaps. That’s a nice place to be in discussions.

Roy Williams is the greatest coach in college basketball in this century (since 2000). Compare his record with anyone and I think you will agree. Three National Titles, Seven Final Fours, Ten Conference Titles. The Greatest of the Century.

Roy Williams is a great guy and best we can, we should enjoy his victories. He gave us 15 excellent seasons, made sure this program stayed elite, left our program in great shape, and turned it over to another great coach. And he’s never beaten KU.

Roy has three rings and eight conference titles at UNC since he arrived there. That trumps Coach K during that time period on both counts. Amazing.

@JayHawkFanToo We can all agree, the refs sucked. Just horrible.