@ OU

Although Releford's sudden inability to guard the perimeter is concerning.

I know, what the heck is going on there?!?! He seemed lights out, even last year and most of this year. His defense had me thinking he might get a legitimate NBA shot, especially when his offense was in high gear there for a few weeks earlier this year. Now he seems to have taken a big step backwards in both, and with it coinsiding with everyone else's step backwards, it's been hard to watch!

I like many others, still think Kansas will be ok (this year). I'm no longer thinking championship as I was during that 19 game winning streak, but I think if Self works his magic and they get on a roll again, who knows how far they can go? I do know that I'll be more nervous in every single round of the tournament than I normally am. I think their ceiling is a 3 seed now, but they have a real shot at moving down to the 5 or 6 line, and that will be unfamiliar territory. After 12 straight 4 seeds or higher, seeing a 5 or 6 on the bracket just won't feel right! 

You guys will be fine...Self knows what he is doing..my guess he feels he needs to light a fire under their arshes and is willing to throw a couple of games to do it.

He could have just benched some starters. That's what I would have done to get my point across.

Everyone says don't bench Withey, don't bench EJ.....I understand that they will come around at some point, but as of right now they are going in reverse.  Sometimes benching sheds new light on things for players and coaches.  Listen, I am not suggesting bench them for good.  Not even close, but make them earn that starting spot or earn more relative minutes in crunch time.  Right now Withey being led outside to guard on the perimeter is killing this team.  I watched today and everytime WIthey was led away from paint, OU would shoot and get the rebound.  I know that Withey is not our only rebounder, but perhaps he is our best by using his height and space in paint area.  We don't have Trob on the other side of the lane getting those rebounds this year.  TT was a very good rebounding from the outside.  We are missing grit and determination on the defensive end right now.  Loose balls are not 50/50 they are 75/25 for the other team right now.  Rebounds are the same.  We aren't going and getting those boards like we have in the past.


Do you guys remember a game either in Self's first year here or second when NOva killed us?  These last two games reminded me of that game.  We just don't have any fire right now.  My only and biggest reason for sitting anyone is for someone to come in and give us a spark of some kind.  I mentioned that for a senior based group i was amazed at how we have no fire and leadership.  Self's first two teams here had games just like these.  Simien, Langford, Miles teams.  Similiar.  ANd Oh by the way that was the last time we lost 3 games in a row.

2coach at least I am not posting things associating EJ with point shaving or being stoned.  Pissed and saying things are a common problem on this message board, aren't they!  Relax, we all have our moments of complete dumbfoundness when it comes to KU ball.

Benching starters?  Dont say that too loud, its not popular on this board site.  Thats what most coaches do to get players attention, but I guess EJ and others are beyond that point.

I think their confidence is low enough already that benching might only make the problems or players worse.  I have said the same thing, but reading things and listening to post game comments and other things, this team right now is fragile.  Benching might only make things worse.

Even though I have suggested that, I really feel that besides Tharpe, we don't have alot coming off the bench right now that can help.  We will never see the Williams 5 going in off the bench like Roy did when teams were playing badly.  That boggles me somewhat because we have 5 really talented players on the bench right now.  But, they get chances during g ames and really struggle to do anything positive right now.

Saying this once again, but not having Danny Manning on this staff has really shown thru some this season.  I think Traylor and Ellis would be much better.  I think he had a way to get Withey more active.  Now we have Norm Roberts and Doc Sadler who really haven't done much as coaches on there own sitting on the bench with Self.  Its in someways a transitional year for players and coaches alike.  Manning was the calm presence who could chew arse while making these guys better overall. 

Lot's of good reason to bench some starters for extended periods of time.

1. The way they are playing, they are probably going to lose anyway.

2. Gives other players more minutes and experience which might pay dividends later.

3. Strong motivational tool. Starters will learn their starting jobs aren't birthrights. It might light a fire under their azzes.

4. Related to 1., playing with different personnel for extended periods of time could unlock a different rotation with better chemistry.

This upcoming game versus the CATS at HOME is much needed right now.  Not that playing the hot CAts are a good recipe for success, but home in the Phog will be a welcome site.

Yes I have called for some benching of players and really I do realize right now thats not probably the right thing or best thing for this team.  I think that ego's are fragile and they need some mending to take place.  But if there are no signs of this after a few more games what choices are there to be made?

When's the last time they lost two in a row at home? I think it's a real possibility the way they are playing. I think benching some starters at home would go a long way toward driving the message home.

I have been on that bandwagon for a few games now, but some of our bench guys are clueless and show no signs of improvement since day 1 this season.  How can that help.  Yeah, me saying this is not what I was saying earlier today, but really?  I haven't really seen anyone other than White step in and do anything.  White can shoot sometimes, but he isn't totally amazing when on the court. 

This is what I have been struggling with when I mention benching players.  Look at the roster and tell who can right now come in a provide any thing positive.....anything.

I agree that it wouldn't hurt for some others to get more PT for experience sake.  That doesn't seem to happen with Self unless your a One and done or a special player.  We forget that most of our teams have been experienced since Self arrived.  We have had 3 one and done players and those years we huge disappointments in tourney.  Mostly players earn there stripes under Self.

This is what I have been struggling with when I mention benching players.  Look at the roster and tell who can right now come in a provide any thing positive.....anything.

How many of these players get a real chance other than a couple minutes here or there? How many get to play an entire half or an entire game (with a few breaks obviously). You might be surprised. The point is that the way they are playing right now, they are probably going to lose anyway. So why not get some other players experience and teach some starters a lesson? I honestly think we are going to lose two in a row at home for the first time in a long time.

I would bench EJ in a heart beat and not think twice about it.  Its not because I don't like him or because I don't think he can contribute.  Its because its the right thing to do.  I just don't think his effort and performace warrant him starting over AWIII or Rio or the guy folding towels and getting gatorade.

His is the worst FG% fo the starters and is worse than Ellis and Traylor.  His A/T is barely above 1.  Let him earn his way back into the lineup (which I think he can/will).

I just wouldn't reward his effort / performance with continuing to start. 

Shoe, I only said it was ARGUABLE that EJ was more valuable than TT...and it's not really like TT was setting EJ up for easy buckets either. He seemed to come up bigger in the close wins than TT...anyway my point was it was close.

"Just a couple weeks ago, you guys were discussing a 1 seed. If they continue on their present course, you may have to change the topic to if they will even make the tournament."

Yes, I agree that if Kansas loses their next eight games they will have problems making the tournament. But I don't think that is going to happen. Who knows...
"But if the tournament started tomorrow, they would be lucky to get past the first round."

I would say the same thing about virtually every other Top team in the country right now. No one can figure out how to win a game these days.

"When's the last time they lost two in a row at home? I think it's a real possibility the way they are playing. I think benching some starters at home would go a long way toward driving the message home."

At what cost?

At what cost?

Probably the same cost with their starters still in, the way they are playing now.

This is the softest Bill Self team I have ever seen.  This year's team doesn't have anybody that gets angry when things aren't going their way or they feel that they have been wronged by the refs.  I've never seen a basketball team smile as much as this team and that's not a good thing for a team that isn't blowing people away every night.  I would love to see someone come out tomorrow night and just start trash talking KSU and get the rest of team fired up or at least 1 player in the regular rotation just come out play pissed off and maybe get a techincal for swinging their elbows on a clear out.  This team is just too damn nice and everyone knows KU can be bullied right now.

One other thing I've finally put my finger on after the OU game is that EJ, Releford, and Withey are all playing too afraid of making a mistake and as a result, their defense has gone soft, especially Releford and Withey.  KY and Naadir both make plenty of mistakes, but at least they aren't afraid of making mistakes that's something KU needs desparately right now.  I don't care about the players being fragile, they need something to make them play loose and unafraid of making mistakes because it's going to happen and I would personally go with a starting line up of Tharpe, McLemore, White, Young, and Traylor.  Is that an offensively challenged front court?  Absolutely, but here's my justification for having each player in that starting lineup.

Naadir Tharpe:  He's not afraid of making a mistake and he's plays aggressively all the time which is something KU needs and will make Naadir a good leader next year when the rotation is him and a bunch of freshmen and sophomores.

Ben McLemore:  His defense is the same as it's been, not great but not awful either and his 3 point shooting slump will end sooner rather than later because he's too good of a shooter to stay in a prolonged slump.

Andrew White III:  He's not afraid to pull the trigger from deep if he's open and he plays aggressively on defense even if he's not great yet and will be a great defender by the time he leaves KU because of that.

Kevin Young:  His motor only has 1 speed and that is aggressive and I would much rather see a player get into problems for playing too aggressively than too passively any time.

Jamari Traylor:  His offense is very limited like KY's, but he's also a high motor guy and right now I want to see players out there playing with energy and playing aggressively even if it means sacraficing some offense and defense to drive the point home to the seniors on the team.

I'm very aware that this line up is flawed offensively and defensively, but all 5 of these guys are players who aren't afraid to make mistakes right now and that's what I think KU needs more than anything at the moment.

This is the softest Bill Self team I have ever seen.  This year's team doesn't have anybody that gets angry when things aren't going their way or they feel that they have been wronged by the refs.  I've never seen a basketball team smile as much as this team and that's not a good thing for a team that isn't blowing people away every night.  I would love to see someone come out tomorrow night and just start trash talking KSU and get the rest of team fired up or at least 1 player in the regular rotation just come out play pissed off and maybe get a techincal for swinging their elbows on a clear out.  This team is just too damn nice and everyone knows KU can be bullied right now.

I agree with this point. I wouldn't mind seeing some trash talking, hell even a player get ejected for fighting during a game. This team is absolutely devoid of emotion and I would welcome a player or two even having a bad attitude...........at least it's an emotion. These team needs to get pizzed off. This team needs one of these speeches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCf46yHIzSo

That's pretty funny because when Marcus got tossed for throwing an elbow in angst vs UCLA the fan base melted down about how he has to be smarter and with more control. 

"That's pretty funny because when Marcus got tossed for throwing an elbow in angst vs UCLA the fan base melted down about how he has to be smarter and with more control. "

And I think both Morris twins spent more time jacking their mouth than backing it up. It was their big mouths pregame that got VCU really fired up to beat us in the tourney. OOPS. You gotta PLAY tough, not talk tough. All the jaw jacking in the world doesn't count for anything.

That's pretty funny because when Marcus got tossed for throwing an elbow in angst vs UCLA the fan base melted down about how he has to be smarter and with more control.

There's a difference between playing tough and playing stupid and the twins and T-Rob did cross that line once or twice in their careers and I'm not saying to go out and throw and elbow for the sake of throwing an elbow because that does make someone look like a thug.  However, if someone on KU is getting mugged by an opposing player repeatedly and that KU player happens to catch the guy mugging him with an elbow while clearing out, I don't think that would be the worst thing that could happen to this team this year because it would show a little bit of toughness and that people can't get away with bullying KU.