Whitlock has fix for the Jayhawks
According to Jason Whitlock, the Kansas loss last night to Texas (and the loss in Bramlage earlier this year) are attributed to Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson not getting enough touches. Whitlock claims that the Jayhawks need to feed the ball to Arthur and Jackson relentlessly and forget that their strength is in their guards. I think Whitlock is right about touches, I just disagree with what the source of those touches should be...
Darrel Arthur and D-Jack need to go get the ball...both demanding it in the post as well as crashing the boards. Kansas lost last night's game because Arthur and Jackson stopped blocking out, stopped rebounding, not because the guards stopped feeding them. Arthur may have scored 45 points the last two games, but he still looks like a freshman out there at times, and to quote Bill Self he got "outmanned" last night. That was excusable last year, but 50 games into his college career it's time for Arthur to dominate like his talent suggests he should.
I'll stick by my prediction that Kansas wins the Big 12, and I think they'll run the table from here on but they won't make the Final Four unless Darrel Arthur stops playing like a kid and starts playing like a man.
Dolphins Release Trent Green
Trent, please, for your future....QUIT! You've got nothing left, it's painful to watch, and one more concussion could have lifelong effects. Can anyone explain why he would do anything other than retire? He seemed like a really intelligent, well rounded guy when he was here in KC. The only well rounded, intelligent decision is retirement, and he should thank the Dolphins for helping him make a decision he should have made 3 months ago.
Showing posts with label Bill Self. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Self. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Border War, Part 2
As crazy as it seems I think Tiger fans may head into tonight's game higher than Jayhawk fans. Sure, Mizzou is 3-4 in the conference compared to Kansas 6-1 record. Yes, Mizzou's postseason prospects look bleak while the Jayhawks seem positioned for a #1 seed....And of course the Tigers still have three suspended players on their roster who may not be coming back anytime soon....
But they've got a team they can be proud of. The same team that played Nebraska very close with only six scholarship players then got two of those players back and upset a ranked K-State team. They've got the Big 12 Player of the Week in JT Tiller. They're led by Mike Anderson, a coach that it seems the Tiger fans can stand behind. So they've got less talent, lots of heart, a coach the fans and players respect and trust...sound familiar? Sounds like maybe the Tigers are on track to get back the pre Quin era. Sounds like a lot of the Tiger teams that have upset Kansas.
Meanwhile, I'd say the feeling amongst Jayhawk fans in more nervous than anything. The team looked soft against K-State and Self got outcoached by (arguably) the worst game coach in the conference. Then came Saturday in Boulder. Honestly, I'd like to know if the team drove to the game. If not the scenery in western Kansas, I'd like to know what it was that put the team to sleep because they were not ready. Like so many other years in Lawrence, this is supposed to be the year; understandably, Jayhawk fans now get nervous at any sign of a hiccup. Add to that angst the fact that a feisty Mizzou team is coming in for Big Monday? They'd better just hope the players aren't this nervous.
As for the game itself, on paper there's no reason to believe it will be close. This could be a 30 point route and no one would be surprised. That may be the only thing that would change the mood of fans on either side. Kansas should dominate down low...Tiller should have a hard time dealing with the Kansas guards... Missouri may turn it over a ton.... I'm going to have to stick with conventional wisdom and predict the blowout: Kansas 84, Mizzou 61
But they've got a team they can be proud of. The same team that played Nebraska very close with only six scholarship players then got two of those players back and upset a ranked K-State team. They've got the Big 12 Player of the Week in JT Tiller. They're led by Mike Anderson, a coach that it seems the Tiger fans can stand behind. So they've got less talent, lots of heart, a coach the fans and players respect and trust...sound familiar? Sounds like maybe the Tigers are on track to get back the pre Quin era. Sounds like a lot of the Tiger teams that have upset Kansas.
Meanwhile, I'd say the feeling amongst Jayhawk fans in more nervous than anything. The team looked soft against K-State and Self got outcoached by (arguably) the worst game coach in the conference. Then came Saturday in Boulder. Honestly, I'd like to know if the team drove to the game. If not the scenery in western Kansas, I'd like to know what it was that put the team to sleep because they were not ready. Like so many other years in Lawrence, this is supposed to be the year; understandably, Jayhawk fans now get nervous at any sign of a hiccup. Add to that angst the fact that a feisty Mizzou team is coming in for Big Monday? They'd better just hope the players aren't this nervous.
As for the game itself, on paper there's no reason to believe it will be close. This could be a 30 point route and no one would be surprised. That may be the only thing that would change the mood of fans on either side. Kansas should dominate down low...Tiller should have a hard time dealing with the Kansas guards... Missouri may turn it over a ton.... I'm going to have to stick with conventional wisdom and predict the blowout: Kansas 84, Mizzou 61
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Big 12 Report- Week 1
If you drove to work in Kansas City this morning you probably know exactly how most Big 12 coaches feel this morning...flustrated...disoriented...maybe even a little angry. Funny what impact 2 inches of snow can have huh? Much like the impact of a road loss in the first week of the conference season. Think Rick Barnes felt a little better before the Catastrophe in Columbia? Yeah, but at least that made Mike Anderson feel good about his Tigers...until last night in Ames...What about Bobby Knight? A 19 point loss at OSU followed by a 15 point win over the A&M...Does any of this make sense? About as much sense as closing schools citywide for 2 inches of snow. With that, our first Big 12 Power Poll of the 2008 Season.
Kansas (2-0)
Nothing surprising here, except that the Jayhawks already have a one game cushion over both A&M and Texas in the standings. Rivalry game at Mizzou this week could be one of the few stumbling blocks for KU.
TexasA&M (1-1)
A lot of people might drop the Aggies after the beating they took at Tech last night, but I'm going to try not to be that fickle. Besides, I took a lot of flack for placing the Raiders 4th in my preseason rankings, so for now I'll pretend like that loss isn't that terrible.
KSU (1-0)
Michael Beasley carried the Cats to one of the few road victories in the conference in week one and that's why they made the leap to number 3. A win Saturday against Texas A&M and people may actually start to believe this team could challenge Kansas for first, but it won't happen.
Texas (0-1)
I pity Colorado. Texas, maybe the 2nd most talented team in the league, has had a full week to think about a 13 point loss at Mizzou. If the Horns don't beat the Buffs by 20, there really may be something wrong in Austin.
Baylor (2-0)
If there were any Baylor Bear fans that read this, they'd surely complain over this ranking, after all they're tied with Kansas for the conference lead. Single digit wins over OSU and ISU don't impress me.
Missouri (1-1)
To quote Dennis Green "They are who we thought were!" Fantastic win for the Tigers followed by a disappointing loss. But that bad taste in Tiger fans mouths? It could be gone by about 9:30 Saturday night. Anderson will have the kids ready for the Border War.
Nebraska (0-2)
In all honesty, they should maybe be last. 19 point loss at home and then putting up 51 against Colorado? Gross.
Oklahoma State (1-1)
I predicted a terrible year for the Cowboys and they came out and dominated Bob Knight's Red Raiders to start the season before losing a close one to Baylor. Now I have no idea who they are. Games in Ames and at home against UT should tell us.
Iowa St (1-1)
I expect the Cyclones will sneak up and bite a couple more teams like they did the Tigers last night...but not more than 3 or 4 more the rest of the year.
Oklahoma (0-2)
The Sooners were upset after losing the home opener vs. KSU, and then embarrassed by Kansas 2 nights later. I really don't think they're this bad but you can't argue with the results so far.
Colorado (1-1)
I still think Colorado is terrible with a capital T.
Michael Beasley has to be the player of the week in the conference even if he only played one game. He's going to have to be player of the week this week as well if he wants to hang with the Aggies. I'd guess he'll hit his first speed bump as the Aggies slow him down. I refuse to speculate on the results of Missouri/Kansas Saturday night except that the crowd is jacked up and the Tigers play exceptionally hard.
After week one it's pretty ridiculous to try to rank these team, so I'm sure everyone has a bone to pick with these rankings... I tried to go off my Preseason Predictions and add in what the team's had done so far, but I'm sure that a lot of you disagree.. That's what the comments section is for. Let me have it...
Kansas (2-0)
Nothing surprising here, except that the Jayhawks already have a one game cushion over both A&M and Texas in the standings. Rivalry game at Mizzou this week could be one of the few stumbling blocks for KU.
TexasA&M (1-1)
A lot of people might drop the Aggies after the beating they took at Tech last night, but I'm going to try not to be that fickle. Besides, I took a lot of flack for placing the Raiders 4th in my preseason rankings, so for now I'll pretend like that loss isn't that terrible.
KSU (1-0)
Michael Beasley carried the Cats to one of the few road victories in the conference in week one and that's why they made the leap to number 3. A win Saturday against Texas A&M and people may actually start to believe this team could challenge Kansas for first, but it won't happen.
Texas Tech (1-1)
What an enigma Bobby Knight's team was this week. It'll be amazing if Knight doesn't completely blow a gasket in the upcoming 3 game stretch: @ OU, Mizzou at home, @ Texas. The 4th best team in conference would win at least 2 of those...we'll see. Blow up or not, Knight will still have his 900 wins and I'll still enjoy watching him and his teams.
Texas (0-1)
I pity Colorado. Texas, maybe the 2nd most talented team in the league, has had a full week to think about a 13 point loss at Mizzou. If the Horns don't beat the Buffs by 20, there really may be something wrong in Austin.
Baylor (2-0)
If there were any Baylor Bear fans that read this, they'd surely complain over this ranking, after all they're tied with Kansas for the conference lead. Single digit wins over OSU and ISU don't impress me.
Missouri (1-1)To quote Dennis Green "They are who we thought were!" Fantastic win for the Tigers followed by a disappointing loss. But that bad taste in Tiger fans mouths? It could be gone by about 9:30 Saturday night. Anderson will have the kids ready for the Border War.
Nebraska (0-2)
In all honesty, they should maybe be last. 19 point loss at home and then putting up 51 against Colorado? Gross.
Oklahoma State (1-1)
I predicted a terrible year for the Cowboys and they came out and dominated Bob Knight's Red Raiders to start the season before losing a close one to Baylor. Now I have no idea who they are. Games in Ames and at home against UT should tell us.
Iowa St (1-1)
I expect the Cyclones will sneak up and bite a couple more teams like they did the Tigers last night...but not more than 3 or 4 more the rest of the year.
Oklahoma (0-2)
The Sooners were upset after losing the home opener vs. KSU, and then embarrassed by Kansas 2 nights later. I really don't think they're this bad but you can't argue with the results so far.
Colorado (1-1)
I still think Colorado is terrible with a capital T.
Michael Beasley has to be the player of the week in the conference even if he only played one game. He's going to have to be player of the week this week as well if he wants to hang with the Aggies. I'd guess he'll hit his first speed bump as the Aggies slow him down. I refuse to speculate on the results of Missouri/Kansas Saturday night except that the crowd is jacked up and the Tigers play exceptionally hard.
After week one it's pretty ridiculous to try to rank these team, so I'm sure everyone has a bone to pick with these rankings... I tried to go off my Preseason Predictions and add in what the team's had done so far, but I'm sure that a lot of you disagree.. That's what the comments section is for. Let me have it...
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