Remy's Knee Thread:

[nu_bronco]

And they kind of are.
Wilson had 22. Braun had 18. Dmac had 11.
Those were our 3 highest scores.

I still think the main reason why Ochai is being face guarded is because he's so good.
But also Harris not being a threat makes that decision easier.

It's like going to a BBQ joint with 5 mains but the joint is known for their world class brisket.
The other mains are pulled pork, chicken, ribs and a veggie burger.
You were likely going to get the brisket anyways but the veggie burger makes that choice easier.

Man, comparing Harris to a veggie burger at a BBQ joint is a Randy level slight to Harris. Tough crowd.


But I agree I would take the brisket also.

[pdub]

Some people like veggie burgers!
But you're right, that's too much.
Maybe it's more like smoked salmon, or a regular grilled burger.

[PhDhawk]

Whenever we run diamond and one or box and one, it's about the one player who's killing us.

No one is ever, like, hey, they have a poor shooting PG, let's play a junk defense.

Och is the reason they're face guarding Och. Trying to blame it on Harris specifically is just piling on to pile on.

[nu_bronco]

I would compare him to the salmon. He is better than a regular burger but not in the same categories as the brisket, chicken, ribs or pulled pork.

I think the team will be fine. They will make it to Elite 8 or Final 4 but exit at that point. Not sure Remy comes back healthy and in rhythm with the other guys to get a championship.

I don't know if Yes gets enough playing time without silly mistakes to help also.

[nu_bronco]

I agree with PhD. They are 2 separate things. I think the coaches will find a few more things to get Och open better.

Harris needs to work on hitting the 3s more this offseason. The rest of the team needs to make sure they practice enough free throws to go with whatever else they decide they want to improve.

[pdub]

I can't see them as completely separate but the main reason you're getting the brisket is because it's so damn good and not because the salmon seems underwhelming.

[MICHHAWK]

we make our FT's and we win @tejass.

[twocoach]

we make our FT's and we win @tejass.

No shit. So many self imposed issues to finish out halves lately.

[twocoach]

I can't see them as completely separate but the main reason you're getting the brisket is because it's so damn good and not because the salmon seems underwhelming.

I tend to agree with you on this. Yes, they are face guarding Agbaji because Agbaji is freaking awesome. But the opponents only have that as an option that doesn't screw them because Harris doesn't factor into their defensive game plan much. If Harris was better then KU could make opponents pay for having one of their defenders just ignore everyone else and focus solely on chasing Agbaji around and they would stop doing it. It's not a preferable defense or else everyone would just do it all the time. It leaves you vulnerable to the other four players because you don't have all five defenders aware of the ball while doing their assignments.

Self will get it figured out. There is still a month to go in which time KU will break down more film and in which time Harris will continue to work and Remy will hopefully continue to heal and start getting some reps again. Who knows, maybe it's good that KU is starting to see this type of focus on Agbaji so early. It gives them time to figure out how to deal with it. Certainly better than if they started seeing it for the first time in the tourney.

[pdub]

"Who knows, maybe it's good that KU is starting to see this type of focus on Agbaji so early. It gives them time to figure out how to deal with it. Certainly better than if they started seeing it for the first time in the tourney."

Agree.
They've started to practice with Ochai being constantly face guarded.

[KUTradition]

maybe, rather than relegating DH to being a relative non-factor on offense, Self should incorporate some plays specifically for him

if the D is going to disregard him so much. why not try to make them pay? he doesn’t have to shoot jumpers to score

just spit-ballin’ here…

[Qusdahl]

Yea, Dajuan could bring another element to his game and to the team if he drives looking to score.

Even when he get in space or gets going downhill, he’s usually looking to pass, and doesn’t often seem to have a get-the-ball-in-the-hoop mentality.

How often are players face guarded like Och? Have we faced this (no pun intended) with other personnel before? Would defenses scheme this way if our pg was more of a scoring threat, or is it to some degree a gamble he won’t be?

[Deleted User 863]

Great 3pt shooters get face guarded. Och is incredible off the ball. He probably hasn't experienced being the entire gameplan for another teams defense. He is quick enough that once he becomes comfortable being face guarded (and our players become comfortable with how we decide to attack it) that he should be able to use it to his advantage. But we have to adjust. If we run our normal stuff it appears face guarding him works fairly well.

I think in 2 weeks Och will look much more comfortable to the various looks he has been getting recently. He's new to this role too.

[KUTradition]

it also wouldn’t surprise me if Och, and the team as a whole, are a bit worn down after these last few weeks (physically and emotionally)…tough stretch for any team

[Qusdahl]

For sure.

This is the tail end of the dog days stretch we seem to have every season, and the front end of the time of year we should turn a corner and look more like a proper contender

[Deleted User 863]

Every season is different. I don't base performance expectations too much on the date on the calendar.

[Mjl]

We are taking advantage of the faceguarding. We've shot 52, 58, and 53% in our last three games. Ochai was out the one before that.

It's like having a great passing offense, a defense that gives up 30 points a game, and an average running back, and all that's talked about is how we need to be playing the backup running back that has a fumbling problem because he can occasionally break a 75-yard run.

[Deleted User 863]

We are taking advantage of the faceguarding. We've shot 52, 58, and 53% in our last three games. Ochai was out the one before that.

It's like having a great passing offense, a defense that gives up 30 points a game, and an average running back, and all that's talked about is how we need to be playing the backup running back that has a fumbling problem because he can occasionally break a 75-yard run.

Potd.

[Sparko]

We are taking advantage of the faceguarding. We've shot 52, 58, and 53% in our last three games. Ochai was out the one before that.

It's like having a great passing offense, a defense that gives up 30 points a game, and an average running back, and all that's talked about is how we need to be playing the backup running back that has a fumbling problem because he can occasionally break a 75-yard run.

Potd.

The fact that they are not scoring a lot means those stats have barely kept them in the last two games. They blew a four point lead and an eight point lead in the last minute of the previous games. This team should have breathing space and does not. To me, missing Remy and depending on a small PG without a lot of shooting skill seems to be the central cause. The good news is that there are options to explore going into post season.

[KUTradition]

as illy said the other day, offense isn’t this team’s primary issue