I don't know what to make of our draw. Awesome game today against TX. Bill Self said "I don't want to play him again." Ha no kidding. Chalmers with the clutch ice-veined three to put it into OT.
There are a lot of big names in our region, but they are depleted compared to the past. After the Play in winner of FAMU/Niagra (please God, don't let us lose that one too), we would get Kentucky/Villanova winner. I think we can roll either of those squads this year, though Nova could give us some problems. our 3 and 4 are great with So. Illinois and Va Tech. I'm not afraid of either of those teams. Then we would have to play whoever comes out of UCLA/Duke/Pitt (or my Darkhorse- don't sleep on the Zags). I think 'I like it. I don't like that we'd have to play UCLA in San Jose, though (although that's nothing compared to the screw job A&M got having to play Louisville in Lexington, KY). My Prediction: NCAA Finals!
I set up a pickem we could all play on Yahoo. here: http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/
League id is 83443
password : rockchalk
fill out a bracket!
Thanks for setting up the bracketology, SJ.
ReplyDeleteWhat a season it has been... A lot of bumps in the road, and you never know what will happen in the next three weeks, but for the moment, let's savor it.
I picked us to lose only three games this year and go 15-1 in conference, and while we didn't quite achieve that, it's hard to complain about 30-4 (14-2), conference regular season and tournament champs, and a #1 seed.
(I also picked us to go down in the Elite 8, which seems quite possible since UCLA gets home court advantage all the way through--but I'm getting ahead of myself).
The game yesterday... I'm disturbed that we're even capable of such a poor offensive stretch as we had in the first ten minutes. But it was a huge thrill digging out of that hole -- the biggest comeback in KU history (I think one or two of Roy's teams came back from bigger deficits than that, but didn't end up winning the game).
And Brandon picked a good day to have the best game of his career.
Highlights here.
How about that game?
ReplyDeleteI love that our free throws saved it for us - and from Jackson and Robinson at that.
“I don’t feel like a hero. I’m no hero,” Jackson said. “We don’t have one hero on the team. I’m just glad I got the block and made the free throws. I stepped up there and said, ‘I’ve got to make them.’" - Gary Bedore, KUSPORTS.COM
Great article on Bill Self here
I'm a little concerned about SIU, has anyone seen them? Maybe it's because I live in Chicago, but I've been hearing all year about how good they are and 'don't sleep on them' etc.
Thanks for setting up the bracket thing.
That block by DJ was textbook--I loved the Bill Russell comparison that Fran Fraschilla made. Not that DJ is the next Russell, but most players (say, Oden or Noah, or almost anyone in the NBA) would have screamed and shot-putted the ball into the fourth row; DJ eschewed the histrionics, and got the oh-so-valuable block/rebound to win the game.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the comment from Rece Davis on ESPN yesterday: "The Jayhawks have been making rock-chalk chalk-outlines of their opponents lately." (my paraphrase)
I wish I'd thought of that one.
"The entire aftermath of the game seemed like a great moment for no one more than Darnell Jackson. With everything the KU junior has been through in the last year, his mother was four rows behind the Jayhawk bench, watching her son put the final stamp on KU’s second conference championship in a week. He began to cry afterwards, getting hugs and words from all of his teammates in a game played in his hometown. A great day for one of KU’s elder statesmen."
ReplyDeleteDarnell Jackson on his emotions getting the better of him after the final horn: “It’s just because everytime I go out and play I play for my grandma and my mom. Everything they’ve been through, I lost my grandma in a car wreck, and my mom’s still suffering injuries from the car wreck, I tell myself everytime I go out there I’m going to play for my mom, my grandma and coach Self. They helped me get through a lot through last season and this season.” Ryan Greene KUSPORTS.COM
I don't know: I can live with this draw. UCLA, if they advance, gets a good crowd, sure, but I have no doubt that we would see plenty of blue in the stands if we make it to that game.
ReplyDeleteNone of the ones really has it that good, except UNC perhaps (& even they have GW & G'town in their region)--Florida's in Missouri (much closer for Purdue, Notre Dame, and especially Wisconsin) and Ohio St.'s in Texas, with both Texas A&M and N Texas (!).
Before it's behind us, though, Deron's right: that re-match against Texas was just awesome; hard to imagine a game topping that game in Lawrence, but they gave us one. Bravo. BRush and DJ were just great down the stretch, but a good team win. & nice to Sherron have a good game.
I did see SIU beat Butler (was in as we pummeled Nebraska); they looked good, but I think we're too big & too fast to worry too much about them.
Thanks, Scott, for the bracket.
We'll see plenty of blue in the stands, but most of it will be the wrong shade of blue -- including the round of 16, when the UCLA fans will become SIU fans (hypothetically speaking).
ReplyDeleteUCLA, for the second year in a row, doesn't have to leave California to make the Final 4 (even though I don't think they were a 1 last year either). I have no doubt we can overcome the disadvantage, but it's still totally unfair that we should have to do so.
Yes, UNC has G-town in New Jersey, but that's still close to home for the Tar Heels. And St. Louis is hardly a home game for Wisconsin. The only one you mention that is comparable is Ohio St. if the Aggies reach the regional final.
How hard would it have been for the committee to switch UCLA with say, Wisconsin? As Scott said to me last night, the probable reason is $$$$$.
But a lower seed should never have home-court advantage over the 1 seed; it's as simple as that.
But don't lower seeds always have everyone but the 1's fans? In other words, don't lower seeds always have home-court advantage?
ReplyDeleteIn this case UCLA fans will snatch up most of the at-large tickets. If the site were neutral, we could count on the KU faithful to grab most of those.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind us being sent to California; I do mind UCLA getting to stay there.
It's almost as if the last two weeks never happened, and UCLA is still the one seed and we're still the two. The first-round matchup is the only advantage we have that I can see; I think 'Nova would be just as tough an out as Indiana or the Zags in round 2. I don't really know about SIU, but Duke or Pitt would be a pretty soft matchup for the Bruins in that round.
A lot of commentators seem to like UCLA's chances to reach Atlanta, and with good reason.
Well, I like our chances. . . .
ReplyDeleteIn the immediate future, though, do we have a Rattlers vs. Purple Eagles preference? I can't say as I know much about either team, but I see that Niagara beat Holy Cross while the Rattlers had a better schedule, losing bad to teams like Maryland, Illinois, and even Florida.
Whatever. Looking forward to the weekend, that's all I can say.
I'm looking forward to having this first-round game out of the way--KU's first round games have always given me the "heebie-jeebies," even in the Larry-Roy years when we never lost one.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea about the play-in teams; I'll watch tonight and then tell you which team I wish had won.
Hopefully, if Kansas and UCLA both find the way to San Jose, we can use the Bruins' home-court advantage as a sort of "no respect" rallying cry.
On ESPN last night, Gottlieb and Katz agreed that the draw in the West definitely favors UCLA.
I'm think for now I'm pulling for the hybrid: I hope we get to play the Purple Rattlers.
ReplyDeleteAnd talk about rallying cries: both of those schools got automatic bids, and now they have to do this play-in game . . .
Yeah, wouldn't it have been great if they had forced Syracuse and K-State to do the play-in game?
ReplyDelete