It looks like McDowell has been cut from the rotation.
I continue to believe that Ngala needs real minutes.
We have the pieces to have a good season, but DP must start playing.
Duke will probably blow us out. No Peterson hurts. We need to not get discouraged when that happens.
Damn. It looks like Joel Embiid all over again.
I think we need to do some full court pressing and we also need to force their bigs into mismatches on the perimeter
Duke’s defense looks good. Duke is also getting the calls again
I think we should lean into the full-court press against UNC. Our team is built for it and UNC doesn’t have a true PG.
I didn’t expect Elmarko to be much better than he was as a freshman (ie, I expected him to be sped-up and inconsistent on defense). He now plays with more poise, plays solid D, and has hit his free throws so far.
For one thing, I understand not hitting the panic button. KC is a good team (probably the best 5-4 team of all time) and its wise not to let the bitter aftertaste of a game we were always going to lose (I mean c’mon, its the Bills in the regular season) sucker us into paying too much in a trade.
On the other hand, I really don’t see our defensive line being able to do anything against any good o-lines, which will hurt us in the playoffs (if we even make it).
I don’t think the Chiefs will do anything. They probably think that when healthy this roster is good enough to make a Super Bowl run and that there is no reason to short-change our draft capital. I would personally trade for a high-impact D-lineman.
@Kcmatt7 Interesting take. I agree for the most part but I think Flory and Elmarko look a little better than expected.
Overall the team looked good. Some sloppy stretches, but nothing awful.
Ngala might deserve some real playing time. Good shooter, fluid with his movements, quick, pesky on defense.
Saw he was cramping late in the game. I hope this isn’t cause for concern.
The Bills are better in the trenches and have a better secondary.
I want to see some Ngala-Mbiya 2-man game at some point in their Jayhawk careers. They could communicate in French and bamboozle the defense.
Here are my two biggest takeaways.
Our defense has a chance to be special. They have some work to do and need to communicate better. But if they play with effort and discipline there is no reason they can’t be elite.
Both Louisville and Fort Hayes State have tried guarding us agressively and physically, getting into our grills to make us uncomfortable. I wonder how we will respond when we face a different defensive approach that I’m anticipating facing a lot of this year: sagging off Melvin and Elmarko and daring them to shoot the 3.
Of our three bigs, Flory looked to be the 3rd best. I don’t expect that to continue but its something to watch for.
First-half thoughts:
Our defense is stifling
Our offense lacks purpose and confidence
I have never seen a D2 team defend anywhere near as well as FHSU tonight. Props to them.
Brian Hanni said that Peterson is not feeling well and might have a bug that’s going around. He also said it is nothing serious or long-term.
I hope that is all it is but combined with the report of his cramps I’m a bit nervous.
I am not happy about this. While this game does not matter, it could be a sign of things to come.
We do have to keep in mind that Kansas is by far, the most difficult D1 coaching job in the country.
When he first arrived I remember he and his inner-circle sat down and came up with a list of what this program needed and how to achieve it. This ended up working and pulling our program out of the mud. Thanks to this, we are not the same program Lance inherited.
However, as a new program, we now need a new evaluation. Lance and his circle need to sit down again and think of how our program can once again he retooled to take that next step: that of being a program that can win close games, win rivalry games, and play defense.
I would like to see us improve on the boards. That said the discrepency was largely due to long rebounds off of wild shots going UL’s way, so its not as bad as it seems.
Us never getting shook was a good sign. Last year any of those Louisville runs that got them back in the game would have absolutely broken us
Another positive takeaway, Elmarko looks like he has matured a lot since his freshman season. It seems he knows how to use his athleticism much better.
Something we need to work on is punishing pressure. We were not awful against Louisville’s press and broke it almost every time, but with quick on-ball guards like Jackson, Council, and Peterson I would like to see us get down hill and punish opponents for pressing and trapping us, which we didn’t do a whole lot of.
And the streak of not scoring a single 4th quarter point against K-State continues
We need to stomp K-State twice in hoops this year (including in their super bowl)
JD6 will always be a legend in KU football history. He has earned that with the upsets he pulled as a younger player. But I’m ready to move on (to Marshall, not Ballard).
Before we beat K-State, we need to force K-State to beat us. Unfortunately, I don’t know if we will ever do that. They go into this game every year knowing they will get to watch us blow coverages, muff returns, muff punts, drop receptions, fumble the ball, and throw picks, allowing them to cruise to an easy win without having to actually make any plays.
I’m not saying we should fire Lance. But if we keep him we have to accept that we will never beat K State
Random thought: Tiller looks like a larger Ochai (with respect to physical appearance, not playstyle)
K-State looked like the better team, which surprised me. They were digging everything
I really liked watching Flory defend. He could actually switch onto guards! Last year whenever he had to do so he looked like he was on skates.
Speaking of hate, K-State and misery are playing in an exhibition basketball game right now.
@kuballin10 Saw some of that in today’s exhibition. Even when Kohl struggled, he hustled his ass off.
Overall that was a very good showing though there is a lot to clean up. It was great watching DP go nuclear. It was annoying watching us foul on every possession in the last 5 minutes. Tiller was a very pleasant surprise. I am surprised Samis and Ngala didn’t play a single minute. I want to see more from Dawson too. I still have faith in Rosario. He plays hard. We just need to be patient with him.
This class has a point guard, a shooter, a glue guy wing, a scoring wing, and a rim-protector big. Seems very well-rounded to me.
How good is Luke Barnett? Is he just a shooter or is he good at other things too?
If you ask me, the fact that Bill has named a complete starting 5 is a good sign. Usually immediately before the season he says something like “players X, Y, and Z are likely going to start but spot A and spot B are up for grabs,” meaning he has three players he trusts in. Does the complete lineup mean he trusts five players already? We won’t know for a while, but I hope so.
Unfortunately, those bone headed plays were not flukes. Those were symptoms of our teams lack of the toughness necessary to win close games or rivalry games. We will not end the streak this year, but we might someday. That is why I am hoping for a step in the right direction. Cut those 4 or 5 boneheaded plays to one or two. Maybe hit a field goal int he 4th quarter.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401525896/kansas-st-kansas
https://kuathletics.com/news/2024/10/26/football-no-16-kansas-state-edges-kansas-29-27
Looking at our last two close games against K-State that we should have won, our biggest issue is that we refuse to score against them in the 4th quarter. I am looking for baby steps in this matchup. Even if we lose, keeping it competitive and scoring at some point in the 4th quarter would be a step in the right direction.
It is too early to say what the exception and what the rule is. I think next season will be more telling, as this season is a rebuilding year after that senior class we lost.
I think its on the ACC Network
One game doesn’t prove Lance has maxed out
It is a big game. The chance to snap a long losing streak, gain momentum for in-state recruiting, and increase our chances of bowl eligibility are all factors. But it is far from the biggest game or Lance’s tenure.
@kjayhawks I disagree. A game against an unranked secondary rival is not the biggest game of Lance’s career. All of the games we have played against top-10 opponents were bigger. Our game against Okie State a few years ago that got us bowl eligibility for the first time in forever was MUCH bigger. Both of the bowl games we have played in have been bigger. Our game against Baylor at the end of last year, which was a fight for bowl eligibility, was bigger. Our game against misery, who is a much bigger rival than K-State, was bigger.
@SlimShaddy54 Life outside the game will be okay. As for the game itself, I will not believe we can beat K-State until I see it with my own eyes.
It depends how much Self trusts Kohl. If Kohl earns his trust Self will allow him to play through his mistakes. If not, he will get benched whenever he has a “bone-headed” turnover or is out of position on defense, a la Rylan Griffen.
@SlimShaddy54 I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I am a realist (Twain is my favorite author). As a realist, my takes on KU basketball tend to come across as optimistic while my takes on KU football tend to come across as pessimistic.