This team...

[twocoach]

I honestly think we could bring this same exact roster back and have a really really good team next year. a lot of good young pieces

It's a roster full of contributors. It still needs a bucket getter. Maybe Bryce Thompson can have a great summer and fill some of that. He seems to be looking to get his when he is in there. Put on 10 pounds of muscle and put up a thousand shots a day and maybe he can start to be that guy next year.

Agbaji should be that guy this year and next but he just doesn't seem willing to do it.

[jfish26]

I think he’s willing, he’s just not *quite* sudden enough with the ball.

[randylahey]

Agbaji has show flashes of being the guy. I think he just isn't skilled enough off the dribble to really impose his will on the game. Needs the offense to create for him instead of just being able to take over. But I think his mindset is there

[ousdahl]

Agbaji needs a gunslinger mentality, where he’s ready to launch every time he even kind of touches it.

But instead he’s a little hesitant, which might be chicken and egg with the fact he also leaves a lot of open looks short

[jfish26]

I’ve been quick to criticize Bill in the past for playing for January. Well, playing five out would have won games in January. We needed Dave to develop to be able to compete in March. Good on ya, Bill.

[NewtonHawk11]

I’ve been quick to criticize Bill in the past for playing for January. Well, playing five out would have won games in January. We needed Dave to develop to be able to compete in March. Good on ya, Bill.

There's one to admit a wrong. Who has the guts to do it next, Doyel? Come on down.

[pdub]

The problem is, and maybe this makes me a bad fan for thinking this team won't win it all, IF Dave has a poor game in the tournament and we loose, then a lot of posters will feel validated in what they were saying about a 5 guard lineup. I can imagine the posts already.

Of course, they'll be ignoring the rest of the flaws with the team, and the play of Dave in 2021.

[holidaysmore]

I was certainly wrong about certain aspects of this team but as good as a win against Baylor was the second half against Texas is also just as bad. They have definitely out played my expectations from the middle of the season but still believe they will run into a night were Dave gets sped up, Marcus goes flat and the rest of the team follows suit.

As far as next year goes they need an explosive ball handler and Och to become more aggressive especially off the dribble.

[jfish26]

The problem is, and maybe this makes me a bad fan for thinking this team won't win it all, IF Dave has a poor game in the tournament and we loose, then a lot of posters will feel validated in what they were saying about a 5 guard lineup. I can imagine the posts already.

Of course, they'll be ignoring the rest of the flaws with the team, and the play of Dave in 2021.

But it's not all one thing or all the other thing, right? If Dave comes out in the second round of the tournament and is very obviously December Dave, then yes it's Bill's job to win the game some other way.

[jfish26]

I was certainly wrong about certain aspects of this team but as good as a win against Baylor was the second half against Texas is also just as bad. They have definitely out played my expectations from the middle of the season but still believe they will run into a night were Dave gets sped up, Marcus goes flat and the rest of the team follows suit.

As far as next year goes they need an explosive ball handler and Och to become more aggressive especially off the dribble.

Yes. But the fun/maddening part of it is when those things happen, you hope you get games from Och and Braun, or something.

[NewtonHawk11]

The problem is, and maybe this makes me a bad fan for thinking this team won't win it all, IF Dave has a poor game in the tournament and we loose, then a lot of posters will feel validated in what they were saying about a 5 guard lineup. I can imagine the posts already.

Of course, they'll be ignoring the rest of the flaws with the team, and the play of Dave in 2021.

But it's not all one thing or all the other thing, right? If Dave comes out in the second round of the tournament and is very obviously December Dave, then yes it's Bill's job to win the game some other way.

And I think he's done a really good job of winning both ways. He won with the 5 guard lineups in December, and with Dave as the focal point in February.

He's been stubborn this year, but also flexible at the same time.

[ousdahl]

yeah, it's not all one thing or all the other thing.

I'm just not totally convinced enduring Dave's mental lapses in January made him, or us, that much better now? I mean, it wasn't two games ago that Dave was doing more bonehead things than anyone else down the stretch of a close game that ended up costing us.

I think it's a matter of knowing when to go all in on Dave vs knowing when to try something else, and that's still as much a wild card as ever.

cuz the other other side of that coin is, yeah, 5 guards very well would have won us games in January, just like it could very well win us games going forward. But we never really put much time into developing that lineup and style, cuz we were all ride-or-die about forcing the post and letting Dave brick fadeaways (and spelling it with Mitch)

[ousdahl]

and yeah, it's a team effort, and let's not scapegoat one player who is at least trying to play hard, when the entire roster is prone to standing around.

[pdub]

"and let's not scapegoat one player who is at least trying to play hard"

This is the issue.
Guards could combine 5-24 from 3 but Dave will go 4-9 for 10 points with 2 turnovers, a missed layup and limited minutes because of foul trouble and a loss will be because we were forcing the ball inside and not playing 5 out - instead of missing perimeter shots.

[jfish26]

"and let's not scapegoat one player who is at least trying to play hard"

This is the issue.
Guards could combine 5-24 from 3 but Dave will go 4-9 for 10 points with 2 turnovers, a missed layup and limited minutes because of foul trouble and a loss will be because we were forcing the ball inside and not playing 5 out - instead of missing perimeter shots.

But that's because Dave has a lot more control over things like stupid turnovers, and even layups, then the guards have over whether decent-to-good looks go in or not. That's just the nature of things.

[holidaysmore]

The encouraging part of this year is that KU has found numerous ways to win and lose. The positive parts of me say there are numerous guys on this team that can win a game. The negative side of me says those same guys who can win a game are also prone to spaz out our completely disappear and in a 'one and done' situation that doesn't bode well.

Shit, if this team can just make layups and FTs they could make a run because they play such great defense. That was the interesting thing about the Baylor game as how bad they outboarded them and shot terrible from the 3 but still managed to dominant the last 15 of the second half.

Potential is a dangerous word but yes, this team has the potential to make a run or flame out in the first weekend. Of course that could be said for just about every not named Zaga, Michigan and probably Baylor.

[MICHHAWK]

Big Dave will take the fall when we lose. It’s the way. Not my way. But the others way.

[Sparko]

Dave does struggle with his hands. He does not finish very well at the rim sometimes. He would be a good second post player, but we have no stud there. This team is a lot like the 1988 team that way without Danny Manning. would love to see Wilson consistently shoot and get Braun to channel Pritchard.

[PhDhawk]

Dave does struggle with his hands. He does not finish very well at the rim sometimes. He would be a good second post player, but we have no stud there. This team is a lot like the 1988 team that way without Danny Manning. would love to see Wilson consistently shoot and get Braun to channel Pritchard.

Did you see the catch he made on the pass from Agbaji to put us up 6-0?

When his hands don't work it's a mental thing.

[Sparko]

Dave does struggle with his hands. He does not finish very well at the rim sometimes. He would be a good second post player, but we have no stud there. This team is a lot like the 1988 team that way without Danny Manning. would love to see Wilson consistently shoot and get Braun to channel Pritchard.

Did you see the catch he made on the pass from Agbaji to put us up 6-0?

When his hands don't work it's a mental thing.

It is I think. Maybe should call them road hands vice stone hands. He is just so darn inconsistent.