This team...

[NewtonHawk11]

I look at elite teams year to year. I don't care about past results. They are ELITE this year.

I will say this. They had one marquee conference game, Illinois and they won by like 15. Gonzaga game was canceled and their game against Texas was postponed. So they've had games against 2 top 10 teams (at the time) and they won each by quite a bit.

[pdub]

Baylor for sure is elite this season though.
I have my doubts in the tourney - but they'll win the B12 easily enough.

[MICHHAWK]

Take your rose colored glasses off dude. Gonzaga beat us handily from start to finish. Baylor beat us handily from start to finish. Less than 48 hours ago Tennessee beat our brains in.

What have seen that the rest of us have not, that tells you we can play with those schools?

[CrimsonNBlue]

Baylor and Gonzaga had everything coming back and Gonzaga's best player might be a freshman.

If Udoka and Dotson came back, we'd smash both those teams. Not really any more complicated than that.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Would you rather huddle around Few or Drew?

This team managed to score 90 on the zags, which just blows my fucking mind now. If not for a few first-game-of-the-year sloppy mistakes, we coulda won. I would have guessed we’d win a rematch, if they replayed any time from then until early January.

I promise, I'm at the front of the line to dunk on Drew, at every opportunity.

But what Baylor has done this year is more impressive; they're playing better competition on a near* -nightly basis than Gonzaga will see from December 26 until, what, the Elite Eight?

* Lol K-State.

Yep. The perennial Gonzaga hype machine is so much about UCLA, UA, etc. falling off of a cliff.

[NewtonHawk11]

Baylor and Gonzaga had everything coming back and Gonzaga's best player might be a freshman.

If Udoka and Dotson came back, we'd smash both those teams. Not really any more complicated than that.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[CrimsonNBlue]

If Udoka ends up being out of the league after next season, I'm going to majorly look back and wonder what might have been if he stayed at KU for both the 20-21 AND 21-22 seasons, haha.

[NewtonHawk11]

I'm confused as Udoka was a senior....? Is that kind of your joke that he was around forever it seemed..

[PhDhawk]

Could've taken a medical redshirt, and this year is a freebie.

[CrimsonNBlue]

I'm confused as Udoka was a senior....? Is that kind of your joke that he was around forever it seemed..

Not a joke. He was eligible for a medical redshirt for the 2019 season. Didn't explore it because wanted to go league.

edit: PhD beat me.

[Deleted User 89]

the elephant in the room, i think, is the social impact covid is having on the players

more so than (most) any of us, the impact of social restrictions and not being able to really travel and see family is undoubtedly having a notable impact on the players

that age group needs the social interactions much more than those that play professionally

I think that's true, but isn't all of it. I just think the fact is that 18-23 year olds are just motivated externally, and there's just not a lot of external right now.

I would have thought that, being on the older side, we would've been ok. But the malaise is obvious.

absolutely

every team is dealing with covid (obviously), but our guys, for whatever reason, seem to be struggling more than others with being able to get themselves up for games, and for moments within games

i’d be curious to know what the difference is in runs with this team compared to years past...like, relative lengths of sustained runs and the like

[NewtonHawk11]

I'm confused as Udoka was a senior....? Is that kind of your joke that he was around forever it seemed..

Not a joke. He was eligible for a medical redshirt for the 2019 season. Didn't explore it because wanted to go league.

Didn't know that. My bad.

[Deleted User 89]

This is all true but why would it affect us differently than any other team experiencing the same issue?

perhaps because we lack the mental fortitude...i.e. and alpha or true leader

[CrimsonNBlue]

Re: covid, I think if it had any impact it would be the shortened non-con and all the canceled games therein.

We were trying to find an identity and find new roles for new pieces. More throwaway games would have been nice for that. Even amidst our 3 game losing streak, we should have had Top 200 Iowa State in there.

Outside of that, I suppose KU players see a bigger difference between a home game with fans vs. without compared to most schools. But, that excuse is really lame.

[NewtonHawk11]

"Get right" games are always very nice to have. Just haven't had ANY this year.

OU used to be that. Now they are top 15. TCU even though they are bad, they are tough to play against because their defense and style of play is hectic. oSu in Stillwater is always bad to play. You have 4 "get right" games in the next 2 weeks with Clones and kstate and even a 5th somewhat with Oklahoma State visiting Lawrence.

Tough year for Covid and the restrictions because the Big 12 is actually REALLY good this year.

[holidaysmore]

1. We don't defend well especially the 3 ball.
2. We don't rebound very well.
3. We are relatively young and in-experienced.

We have seen enough of a sample size that the common denominator between success and average for Self is experience. His 'worst' years have common when he doesn't have the veteran guys to lean on when times get rough. The only guy who is on this team that really played starter minutes and was consistent is MG and we can all agree him playing primarily at PG is out of position because we have no better options.

[CrimsonNBlue]

I posted this in a different thread, but inexperience shouldn't be a crutch. MG and Och are experienced and were full time starters a year ago. DMac has plenty of experience. CB might even have more Big 12 minutes than DMac.

There's 0 excuse to lose so many shooters and give up so many layups because we are not communicating on switches. That's just not being tough. And, if we can't handle it, then the switching has to stop, which sucks.

[PhDhawk]

1. We don't defend well especially the 3 ball.
2. We don't rebound very well.
3. We are relatively young and in-experienced.

We have seen enough of a sample size that the common denominator between success and average for Self is experience. His 'worst' years have common when he doesn't have the veteran guys to lean on when times get rough. The only guy who is on this team that really played starter minutes and was consistent is MG and we can all agree him playing primarily at PG is out of position because we have no better options.

Not buying this.

Och has played a ton and is a 3-year starter, Braun has experience, McCormack has a lot of experience albeit not as a starter but he played 10 mpg as a frosh and 15 mpg as a So, Mitch has been here longer than sleeves and Ellis combined, Wilson and Enaruna are in their second year in the system.

[Deleted User 89]

yeah, this team (individually) isn’t young, despite playing like it

[jhawk23]

I might be just seeing things...but...as abnormal as this Kansas team is...they don't seem well coached. When two guys go to the corner and stand and it doesn't work in one game...and four...five...six games later it is like the coaching staff hasn't made the adjustment. I understand that this team may not have the inside presence...the true point...the shooters...but it's like the coaching staff has just went along with this is what we are going to do. I've heard they were putting more in...but when the offense doesn't move and the other teams can pick that up...you are a much easier scout.