ESPN's Eamonn Brennan puts our 8-year title streak in proper perspective:
"At various times in Kansas's run, the Big 12 has been the best or second-best conference in the country. (Per Ken Pomeroy, that's the case again this year; the Big 12 ranks behind only the Big 10 in overall strength.) At various times in Self's tenure, his competition has recruited and rostered the likes of Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Acie Law, Tristan Thompson, James Anderson, Tony Allen, and D.J Augustin -- and that's literally just the NBA guys that first came to mind."
Damn straight. As Roy would say, we haven't exactly been playing against the Sisters of the Poor.
On the other hand, if we need something to have a chip on our shoulders about, and I think maybe we do:
I notice that CNNSI has left Kansas off its annual "Magic Eight" teams that can win the title -- for "intangible" reasons, i.e. the recent upset "curse."
You know, I was crushed by VCU and UNI as well, but you do wonder how many titles we have to win before people stop talking about upset curses. And in the past I remember the Magic 8 was based on tangible criteria -- like no team that had gotten blown out by 30 points could be included. Yet UNC, which lost by 33 to a football school, is there.
That list was made before the MU game. Maybe they're having second thoughts?
I seem to be just talking to myself here nowadays, but it has to be said that my concerns about this team's outside shooting prowess were apparently not well founded.
ReplyDeleteTo see EJ go 5-5 from deep against Texas A&M as Tyshawn continues his season-long streak, while the team as a whole shoots 75 percent beyond the arc... I mean, if we could just come within 25 percentage points of that for the rest of March, this team could be unbeatable.
...and right on cue, we go out and shoot 15 percent from deep against Baylor. Good grief, man. I cannot figure this team out sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI was saying to Yancy this weekend that this team reminded me of the 2003 squad. Trob is Collison, Taylor stars as Hinrich, Withey is Graves, Releford and EJ combine into something Lanfordesque . . .
ReplyDeleteThat team lost 2 conference games, looked iffy in the fall, lacked depth, and lost in the semis of the Big 12 tourney. Oh, and they were a 2 seed.
Sound familiar?
God, I want this team to make the Final Four.
(Chris)
What, you can't log in?
ReplyDeleteYeah, another similarity to 2003 is the tough schedule -- that year we also had a loaded Big 12, plus noncon vs. Arizona, UNC, Oregon, Florida, and Tulsa. By March, we were razor sharp and accustomed to playing the best teams in the country.
(Yet another similarity is occasional free throw woes, but we won't discuss that.)