We got the split! I said last week I'd be happy with going 1-1 on this road trip, and I am. Glad to see no ill effects from Saturday.
And the 6-year streak with no consecutive losses goes on. Nothing's more dangerous than a Bill Self team coming off a defeat. Does someone keep records on this? This has to be one of the great all-time runs -- coinciding of course with the six-year duration of this blog.
All hail Withey, TT, and T-Rob! (Later during Duke-UNC, Vitale couldn't believe it when he saw the numbers: "Withey with 25, Perry Jones with 5?")
Chris texted me asking what the hell happened -- he left work with us down 10 and got home to find us up 20. Damn L.A. traffic.
Unfortunately I missed most of the game myself, but it appears one of the things that happened in that run was that rare bird, the 7-point play: First, T-Rob gets the and-1; on his free throw make, Baylor's Miller inexplicably nails Withey with a vicious elbow; on the technical foul, Withey makes the free throw and KU retains the ball; and finally, Tyshawn hits a three. In one possession, KU lead goes from 8 to 15.
I wasn't optimistic in my preview yesterday, just because it's so hard to sweep a good team. Maybe the jury's still out on just how good Baylor really is. They still only have 3 losses -- two of them to Kansas. Now we're 3-3 against the Top 10 -- not too shabby.
Just saw Gottlieb on TV putting Kansas among his Top 5 teams -- over Duke, and narrowly over Mizzou, he said.
Interesting addendum in the KC Star on the 7-point play:
ReplyDelete"Withey shot the free throws after the flagrant foul not because he was fouled — anybody could have taken the free shots — but Self wanted to see how his percentage-leading free-throw shooter (87 percent) would do in that situation, with nobody in the lane. Withey missed the first and made the second. If the game were late and tight, Taylor likely would have taken them."
Damn, so it could have been an 8-pointer! Withey's free throw shooting has been incredible this year, regardless.
And Withey-mania continues: 18, 20, and 7 vs. OSU. Maybe we've finally got that third scoring threat. Also, he's leading the conference in blocks, with T-Rob leading in rebounds.
ReplyDeleteMajor, major trap game coming up now at the OCTAGON OF DOOM. And even after that, the murderer's row schedule continues, with Mizzou and two other tough road games still to go -- @ A&M and @ OSU.
This is where Mizzou has the upper hand over us. They have only two tough road games left -- @ Kansas and @ A&M. Even assuming we beat the Tigers in a few weeks, we still probably need to win 2 out of those other 3 tough road games just to stay tied with them. (I'm still wringing my hands over that stupid loss in Ames -- if we lose the conference, that might have been the difference.)
And just like that we're back in the top five in both polls! Amazing! I mean, did anyone see this team coming?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, is this really a time for hand wringing? Even inside parentheses that just strikes me as wrong.
We've got the current Big12 Player of the Week, who just turned in two monster games. We control our own fate in the conference race. And for some crazy reason this team keeps exceeding nearly everyone's expectations.
Oh, and they're pretty fun to watch too!
Gotta love that enthusiasm!
ReplyDeleteAnd now here we are in first place in the conference, and with the Oscar Robertson national player of the week!
ReplyDeleteWhat's not to be enthusiastic about?
Quote of the season?
ReplyDeleteTaylor, who dislocated a finger in the second half and had it popped right back in, hit a three just before the shot clock expired after chasing down a deflected pass into the backcourt.
More here.
Also, T-Rob still leading the POY straw poll.
ReplyDeleteHell of a rebuilding year!
ReplyDelete