Yes! Perry's finally taking some jumpers, and it's opening everything else up for him inside. Who knew he was reading my blog posts? You're welcome.
I always thought it was kind of a cheap trick when coaches try to get their teams fired up by drawing a tech. But it worked like gangbusters in this game, not only on the team but on those of us in the crowd. The Rev. and I were revved up in this one, fo' sho'.
I guess we can erase those asterisks now.
The only negative is I just can't understand how we turned it over so many times yet again vs. this subpar defensive team. BMac looked like he was holding a hot potato out there, and EJ's drifting back into 1-1 ratios again.
Yes, of course Withey was awesome; and Tharpe had that awesome pass; and okay, Elijah is indeed struggling again (except for the through-the-legs hotdog play, which I rewound twice and still kind of want to watch again...). But Ellis! Damn!
Ellis finished the tournament with a team-best 43 points and also shot 18-for-23 (78.2 percent), which is a new KU tournament record, topping Wayne Simien's 65.6-percent effort in 2005. ... Ellis’ three-point field goal at the 6:14 mark of the second half marked the second made trey of his career. He is now 2-for-3
Erase another asterisk. Is it really accurate to call it a shared title at this point?
Ellis on the all-tourney team.... Can he do the same thing in the South Regional? It was ridiculous how easy he was scoring in those two games. And we're seeded to play some unimposing defenses in North Carolina and Michigan--could be a greenlight for some more big scoring performances for our two (count 'em, 2) star freshmen.
At least EJ is scoring and piling up assists along with the turnovers. A lot of naysaying on ESPN about turnovers ultimately derailing us vs. say, VCU. But my man Elijah does have a way of rising to an occasion.
That dribble through Spradling's legs was tremendous, esp. because he nailed the floater -- often after a juke move like that the guy gets so pleased with himself in the moment that he proceeds to flub the shot. Dad momentarily reverted to adolescence -- "DID YOU SEE THAT? HE DRIBBLED THROUGH SPRADLING'S LEGS!"
Can't believe we may get Roy in the tourney again. He'll relish the underdog role, which he hasn't gotten to play much in recent years. That's a team that could exploit our vulnerabilities if they get hot -- Withey may not enjoy chasing McAdoo -- but at the same time, it's hard to see them being able to defend against us. Would be a fun, wide-open game if it happens.
Oh man! Thanks for that link--kind of made my day :)
I remember praising Ellis back in the early days of the season; glad to see him living up to my hype. Definitely found myself oddly sympathetic to Keegan, since it kind of did feel like a "March surprise" having him Perry play so well all of a sudden.
Looks like a fun draw in our region, and I love seeing KU get the respect & be selected as the second 1 seed after such an up-and-down, but really, when you think back on it, mostly up year.
Yes! Perry's finally taking some jumpers, and it's opening everything else up for him inside. Who knew he was reading my blog posts? You're welcome.
ReplyDeleteI always thought it was kind of a cheap trick when coaches try to get their teams fired up by drawing a tech. But it worked like gangbusters in this game, not only on the team but on those of us in the crowd. The Rev. and I were revved up in this one, fo' sho'.
I guess we can erase those asterisks now.
The only negative is I just can't understand how we turned it over so many times yet again vs. this subpar defensive team. BMac looked like he was holding a hot potato out there, and EJ's drifting back into 1-1 ratios again.
OK, now it's time to shut Bruce up.
“It’s motivating for us,” Withey said, “to be able to go out there, on a neutral floor, and show them we’re Kansas and there are no flukes.”
ReplyDeleteThat's about as close to a taunt as you're going to get from my man.
Great off the bench on Saturday too!
ReplyDeleteYes, of course Withey was awesome; and Tharpe had that awesome pass; and okay, Elijah is indeed struggling again (except for the through-the-legs hotdog play, which I rewound twice and still kind of want to watch again...). But Ellis! Damn!
Here's a nice summary from kusports.com:
Ellis finished the tournament with a team-best 43 points and also shot 18-for-23 (78.2 percent), which is a new KU tournament record, topping Wayne Simien's 65.6-percent effort in 2005. ... Ellis’ three-point field goal at the 6:14 mark of the second half marked the second made trey of his career. He is now 2-for-3
Erase another asterisk. Is it really accurate to call it a shared title at this point?
ReplyDeleteEllis on the all-tourney team.... Can he do the same thing in the South Regional? It was ridiculous how easy he was scoring in those two games. And we're seeded to play some unimposing defenses in North Carolina and Michigan--could be a greenlight for some more big scoring performances for our two (count 'em, 2) star freshmen.
At least EJ is scoring and piling up assists along with the turnovers. A lot of naysaying on ESPN about turnovers ultimately derailing us vs. say, VCU. But my man Elijah does have a way of rising to an occasion.
That dribble through Spradling's legs was tremendous, esp. because he nailed the floater -- often after a juke move like that the guy gets so pleased with himself in the moment that he proceeds to flub the shot. Dad momentarily reverted to adolescence -- "DID YOU SEE THAT? HE DRIBBLED THROUGH SPRADLING'S LEGS!"
Can't believe we may get Roy in the tourney again. He'll relish the underdog role, which he hasn't gotten to play much in recent years. That's a team that could exploit our vulnerabilities if they get hot -- Withey may not enjoy chasing McAdoo -- but at the same time, it's hard to see them being able to defend against us. Would be a fun, wide-open game if it happens.
Oh man! Thanks for that link--kind of made my day :)
ReplyDeleteI remember praising Ellis back in the early days of the season; glad to see him living up to my hype. Definitely found myself oddly sympathetic to Keegan, since it kind of did feel like a "March surprise" having him Perry play so well all of a sudden.
Looks like a fun draw in our region, and I love seeing KU get the respect & be selected as the second 1 seed after such an up-and-down, but really, when you think back on it, mostly up year.
So, Rock Chalk, and on to the dance!