My friend Russ took this awesome panoramic pic at the Alcorn State game.
And this is a cool pic he got at the Radford game of Xavier shooting a free throw.
A few quick questions:
Why didn't C.J. Henry play in the last two games? Ongoing injury issues?
Except for Memphis and UCLA we've beat everyone by 30+ Are we that good or have these cupcakes been that bad? Also, how vulnerable are we on the road?
And how much will Withey and Morningstar add to the team come January?
Thoughts???
Um, I'm pretty sure that CJ not only played, but scored like 11 points in the Radford game. Maybe you're sitting too close?
ReplyDeleteFunny, actually, as I was considering a post devoted to him: how incredible is it to have that kind of talent that deep off the bench? He came in as 3rd string & scored 11 points in 10 minutes! Granted, it's Radford, but still...
I am concerned about that cupcake issue, though.
Deron had earlier insisted that our schedule was strong this year, and I'd assumed he was right, but as I look at it, I'm not so sure. Where's that "bevy" of top-25 teams, exactly?
UCLA was supposed to be real good. As was Memphis before Cal left. So, while Memphis put up a very good fight, neither team is as strong as they appeared a while back.
ReplyDeleteSo, if the schedule is soft, it's not a scheduling fault. Don't blame Self for UCLA's implosion. I guess you can blame him for taking the Henry's away from Memphis, though.
Right now, the hottest team looks like Kentucky. They've put away UNC and UCONN.
I don't know what Top 25 Yancy's looking at, but I'm seeing four KU opponents in the current AP rankings, including two in the top 10. Plus five more getting votes.
ReplyDeleteAll this, despite the fact that Cal and Michigan -- both ranked in preseason -- have fallen off the radar, AND despite the fact that Memphis and UCLA are not the powerhouses you would expect this year.
It is legit, however, to question whether we should have so many Alcorn States and Radfords on the slate. This is a perennial problem resulting from the fact that Lew and co. know that even these cupcake games will sell out the Phog, so they schedule as many of them as they can get away with.
Good call on the Red Raiders. I hadn't realized that their victory over my new home-town team (?) put them in the top 25.
ReplyDeleteThat said, does four make a bevy?
And the fact that only one is non-conference is just a little disappointing. Not only did Kentucky beat UNC and UCONN: they also played them both...
Chris is of course right that I shouldn't fault KU for UCLA's bad year, but I can still be disappointed, can't I?
Or to put it another way: Kentucky's playing eight games against top 25 teams this season, and UNC's playing 10. 10!
ReplyDeleteI believe four makes a bushel?
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying it's the best schedule in the country; I'm just saying it might be the best one Self has put together. It's not just the Top 25 aspect of it, but we have multiple games against major-conference opponents, including true road games.
Compare this to say, 2006-7, when we had one neutral-court game against Florida and basically nothing else in the noncon. Everybody here laughed at my complaints then -- 'Lighten up about the schedule, Deron,' you all said. Well, I guess the shoe is on the other foot now!
Yancy, I meant the two games prior to the Radford game. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure he didn't play at all against Alcorn State and UCLA.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the schedule, it would be nice to see more balance. Yeah, UCLA and Memphis are considerably down from what we expected but imagine if they were both great? I don't think cupcake, cupcake, cupcake, juggernaut is a wise scheduling strategy. It worked out well though sense Memphis was a real test but we still won. But why not mix in some, I don't know, maybe Missouri Valley teams with all the early season cupcakes? Regardless, the Texas game on Feb. 8th will be epic! Why can't it be in Lawrence this year!?
But there's no joke in it if I assume you meant the previous games, Aaron...
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, though, about scheduling. And though I don't want to rehash 06-07, we did play some South Carolina's and USC's that year--not great teams, but not all 30-point blowouts either. (Yes, fine, we played Detroit Mercy that year, but we're about to play La Salle. Now, "Explorers" is a well-chosen name, but this schedule continues to frustrate.)
I do think it's best that Texas is away, though--winning in Austin against a top ten team will be huge. Yeah, I said it.