Saturday was a big day for the super-sophs, Shady and Sherron, who totally controlled the game against A&M. If those two are ready to break out as major stars, that could be just the added boost we need to take the crown this year.
(I do wonder, however, about the selections of Shady and Brandon for the Big 12 first team; I'm glad the 'Hawks are represented there, but maybe Mario and DJ would have been better choices?)
Back to senior-itis for a moment -- I didn't realize it until reading the news today, but this senior class has won at least a share of the conference title all four years. (That's really a credit to Self as much as anything else)...
The only caveat on that A&M game for me would be that the Aggies didn't show up. (They must have been really fat and happy with themselves after beating Baylor.) So, in a way, I feel like we still haven't had that one major road win that we were looking for -- but that's quibbling, I guess.
We're now very much in contention for that number 1 seed, but unlike last season at this time, the teams ahead of us haven't been cooperating. Carolina survives at Cameron, Tennessee squeaks by Kentucky, Memphis continues to pound the Lilliputians, and UCLA keeps winning on miracle/questionable last-second plays. So it looks as if we'll have to win this week's tournament, and look for an upset elsewhere, in order to score the Midwest 1 seed that by virtue of talent should be rightfully ours.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJoe Lunardi:
ReplyDeleteKansas is going to have to win the Big 12 tournament to move up. If everyone above them wins out, the Jayhawks would most likely take Tennessee's spot on the top line.
Why? Because the committee, mistakenly in my opinion, is looking to select and rank the "best" teams, not necessarily the "most deserving." There will be people in that room who think Kansas is "better" (whereas I would argue that Tennessee has "done more").
Could KU leapfrog Tennessee if both win out? Maybe. After all, to win the tourney this week, we would likely have to knock off K-State and Texas, which would be a more impressive run than the Vols beating Vandy and Kentucky.
It sure would be easier if one of these teams ahead of us would just LOSE already. UCLA in particular has it coming -- but if they drop to 2, the committee would still probably keep them in the West and send us out there to be a road-team 1-seed again...
I agree with Lunardi. We would have to win the tournament, and Tennessee would have to lose very early in their tourney.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I see it happening.
I think the bigger issue will be matchups and location.
And, the sophmores:
"Sherron lets us get out and run more," Russell Robinson said. "He's that spark we need."
A spark like a lightning bolt. . .
KU's NCAA Tournament life depends heavily on Arthur staying out of foul trouble. He knows the right answer on how to do it.
"Play with my feet and head instead of my hands," he said. "I reach too much."
Big 12 tourney predictions?
I don't know, but I do hate it when we have to win the tourney, either for seed, or to avenge a regular season loss. It's good in that we'll be motivated, it's bad in that needing something from the tournament before the tournament makes me uneasy.
Actually, Lunardi is predicting that if we win our tourney we get a 1 over Tennesee regardless of what they do this week.
ReplyDeleteI also heard Jay Bilas on the radio this morning saying he has KU as a 1 right now over the Vols.
I guess I agree with Lunardi's opinion, if not his prediction.
ReplyDeleteWe may be more of a 1 seed team than Tennessee in terms of quality, but the results suggest Tennessee earned it.