It's on, y'all. On ESPN2, that is. We'll be tuned in here at the office, and I'll see how many man-hours I can waste watching and blogging.
The Texas Tech motion offense has been a problem for Kansas on the road, not at home. Neutral sites? We'll see. I remember Roy beating up on Bob Knight pretty decisively in the '02 tourney. I want to say Aaron Miles had like 13 assists.
Also will be pulling for G-town vs. 'Cuse alongside the homers here.
Hope you guys are out there...
Make that 15 assists for Miles, 21 boards for Drew -- both tourney records at the time. Kansas 90-50.
ReplyDeleteProbably the biggest question mark about the current team is, why haven't we had more blowouts like that one? Part of it is the competition; once we hit the big dance, these ACC and Big 10 teams may look like creampuffs compared to what we've already seen.
Shoot--you beat me to the assist correction.
ReplyDeleteI think that remains a Kansas single-game record, but I'm not positive...
About to put the game on here (apartment; nothing as exciting as an office, but it'll do).
I don't expect much trouble in today's game, and I wouldn't be surprised if we win in a blowout--seems like we've really been clicking lately, so maybe we're do for some dominance?
Big men looking good early. Not so much the guards...
ReplyDeleteSherron needs to settle down.
ReplyDelete(Man I'm going to miss saying/typing that when he's gone...)
Marcus! 4 shots, 2 points--I'll take it!
ReplyDeleteDidn't Marcus make a 3 early? Or was that his bro?
ReplyDeleteReally tired of Tyshawn missing layups...
Seriously, we just cannot seem to defend that motion offense.
ReplyDeleteSherron in foul trouble? I don't have the sound up.
Every time I look up at the TV, we're botching another fast break. I guess it's good we're getting fast breaks.
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry, make vague comment was in reference to the sequence where Marcus missed three bunnies but got all the rebounds and finally scored...
ReplyDeleteWe now know that it won't be a blowout, alas. Not great shooting by Kansas. Now Robinson misses a layup. Sigh.
Yeah, Sherron has 3. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThat's got to be a first. I've never seen Self not yank a player with two fouls in the first half.
ReplyDeleteDamn--I wish they'd stick with that zone; we sure sliced it up nicely...
ReplyDeleteWhat a disappointing half.
ReplyDeleteHoyas still hanging with the 'Cuse.
Ah, things starting to look up in both games.
ReplyDeleteOther than a few big perimeter shots, the twins are looking like the heroes once again.
ReplyDeleteAnd go Hoyas!!
Too bad Marcus just picked up his 4th foul...
ReplyDeleteLooks like Georgetown's got it; can't complain about that!
Too bad we can't put this thing away, though. Need more O from Cole, maybe some more of those perimeter shots.
At least 'Cuse loss minimizes the damage if we choke this one away, which we seem to be trying to do...
ReplyDeleteWhat is with this bullshit matador defense??
ReplyDeletethat's more like it!
ReplyDelete(back to back 3's)
At least they never panicked, like I did. But they never seemed particularly focused either.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad a #1 seed went down today that wasn't Kansas.
Can you say 2,000?
I guess it's Yancy's shift today...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, bigger news than 2,000, in my opinion, is that for at least a few precious hours today, we're tied with UNC all-time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, 30-2 has a nice ring to it.
Looking over the stats, this doesn't seem like such a bad game. I guess the main problem is we shot only 43 percent (should have been 50 if we'd made layups); also 3 turnovers each from Sherron, X and 'Kieff.
There were some good numbers too: Sherron, Tyshawn and Brady combine for 14 assists; Cole and Kieff combine for 28 boards and 5 blocks; 2 blocks in 5 minutes for TRob.
Couldn't watch the game, but followed the score.
ReplyDeleteSo, no insight on that.
But, here's another great article from Joe Posnanski
“To me,” he says, “to be successful you need to respond to whatever the situation calls for. I tell our players that all the time. You win games by making plays. I know that’s a cliche, but it’s true. You don’t win games with the best offense because sometimes your shots don’t fall. You don’t win games with the best defense because sometimes the other team just keeps making shots. You win games by making plays in that moment, responding to that exact challenge.”
Seth Davis at cnnsi says:
ReplyDelete"Barring a major injury, I can't imagine picking anyone but Kansas. The main difference between the Jayhawks and their two primary competitors is at the point guard position. Kansas starts a senior in Sherron Collins, while Syracuse and Kentucky both start freshmen in Brandon Triche and John Wall, respectively. Moreover, Kansas has more ways to win than the other two have. The Jayhawks can play small, quick lineups, or they can go big and slog it out in the halfcourt. They can mix in zone defense with man-to-man or turn up the fullcourt pressure. In short, they are more capable of playing poorly and still winning than the other two. That an invaluable asset will carry the Jayhawks to the 2010 NCAA championship."
And down goes Carolina...
ReplyDeleteI guess the 'Heels still could get an NIT bid despite a 16-16 record. Still, this is our chance to seize sole possession of 2nd place all-time -- and never, ever, ever let go.
This is one helluva Final Four in the Big 12. I haven't seen A&M lately, but K-State and Baylor looked baaaaaadass last night. The Bears have now just absolutely brutalized UT twice in a few weeks; Damion James seemed on the verge of tears that whole game.
I'm hoping for a KU-Baylor final -- it'll be good to get in some more work against the zone, and frankly, those cocky f*ckers need to get spanked.
Kentucky likes to live more even more dangerously than Kansas. They were down 7 to Alabama, but they caught up. I'm sure they'll pull it out of their ass like they always do.
ReplyDeleteIndeed they did. Narrow wins for Duke and Ohio State too.
ReplyDeleteDamn Kentucky. Can't exactly say why, but I sure want them to lose...
ReplyDeleteI agree on the Baylor match-up, dgl; and I'd add that I don't especially relish the idea of playing K-State a third time this season.
Thanks for the links, Chris. I wonder if Seth Davis wrote that before or after Collins opened the Tech game with two turnovers. But I suppose the key is that he had the poise and confidence to bounce back and finish strong?
What else? Oh, the 2,000 is sure nice. And I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it, dgl, but it is pretty cool that we've ended up tied with UNC at exactly 2,000. Crazy odds there...
And this afternoon? What do we think? The line is like 9, but they played us tough the first time.
On the other hand, they played us tough, and we're coming off a shaky game: maybe we get this one by 20?
Both teams have some motivation; both teams know they should have played better in the earlier meeting.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I don't really know how much motivation Kansas has to win this tournament. We know we're facing a tougher opponent than yesterday, we know we have to play better to win, but how much do we really want it, when push comes to shove? It'll be very interesting to see how our guys come out tonight.
Should we start a new post? Anyone at a keyboard lookin' to liveblog tonight's game?
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point about motivation. I've never cared much about these conference tournament games... except during each game, when all I want is a win!