AP/Kenpom 2019-20

[twocoach]

62 first place votes for Kansas. 2 for Baylor.
No other teams got first place votes.

The justification for Baylor over Kansas is what exactly?

Better body of work? Nope.

Distinctly playing better lately? Nope.

Less bad losses? Nope.

According to their fans, their 12 point win over us is better than our 3 point win over them. Then you just have to ignore all the other games.

[PhDhawk]

better overall record.

Some voters are like 95 and don't understand SOS.

[NDballer13]

If any team scares me going into March, it’s creighton.

Dok would eat them alive. Creighton is a good big man away from being a legit Final Four team.

The only thing that's scary with Creighton is that 3 is more than 2. They know they don't have a big guy so Dok would see double and triple teams every single possession. Wouldn't surprise me if a team like that would play elementary style defense where all 5 guys have one foot in the paint at all times. No passing or driving lanes. That's a game where Moss would likely need to have 15+.

Two completely different teams that the NCAA loves to pair. Dare KU to beat you with 3s and take away the 2s. Run Creighton off the 3 point line and make them shoot 2s.

[CrimsonNBlue]

I understand most fans are idiots, so 2 out of 64 sports writers also being idiots should not be shocking.

[jfish26]

If any team scares me going into March, it’s creighton.

Dok would eat them alive. Creighton is a good big man away from being a legit Final Four team.

The only thing that's scary with Creighton is that 3 is more than 2. They know they don't have a big guy so Dok would see double and triple teams every single possession. Wouldn't surprise me if a team like that would play elementary style defense where all 5 guys have one foot in the paint at all times. No passing or driving lanes. That's a game where Moss would likely need to have 15+.

Two completely different teams that the NCAA loves to pair. Dare KU to beat you with 3s and take away the 2s. Run Creighton off the 3 point line and make them shoot 2s.

I thought Bill's collapse-mitigation strategy of playing Garrett on the ball was absolutely brilliant.

And good on Dot for (at least publicly) taking a backseat even where it might be (marginally) to his personal detriment.

[pdub]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... ansas-no-1

So Kansas does move to the top of the rankings, but it seems like the obvious choice at this point. It could be argued that the Jayhawks have had the best combination of NET-based numbers and metric-based rankings for several weeks now.

Let's start with the NET, the NCAA Evaluation Tool. Kansas has the No. 1 strength of schedule and the No. 1 nonconference strength of schedule. The Jayhawks lead the nation with 11 Quadrant 1 wins and 18 Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 2 wins. They have the lowest average NET win and NET loss in the country.

And now for the metrics. Kansas is No. 1 at KenPom, Sagarin and the KPI, and it is No. 2 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI) and strength of record. The Jayhawks' adjusted efficiency margin at KenPom is more than four points higher than No. 2 -- less than the gap between No. 2 and No. 6.

In a season during which we've constantly argued that there's no great team, Kansas' adjusted efficiency margin compares favorably with top teams in previous campaigns -- and the Jayhawks are on pace to have the lowest adjusted defensive efficiency in the KenPom era (since 2001-02).

[jfish26]

And, our season efficiency stats are dragged down some by all the time we spent trying to force a two-big lineup.

I'm glad some people are starting to wake up to the fact that there may well be a great team.

[pdub]

Also in that article:

Does Udoka Azubuike have a chance to get first-team All-American honors or perhaps even make a late run into the Wooden Award conversation? The 7-footer had his best game of the season at Baylor, finishing with 23 points, 19 rebounds and 3 blocks. He was completely dominant. There's one key stat that shows how important Azubuike is to the Jayhawks: During his four seasons in Lawrence, Kansas is 70-12 with him -- and 41-14 without him. Azubuike takes them from good to great. He also has become more of a factor as a senior thanks to his improved stamina and foul avoidance; Azubuike has played more than 30 minutes seven times in Big 12 play, after doing it four times in three years heading into this season.

[jfish26]

I don't think "more of a factor" does him justice. This has truly been a physical and mental transformation.

[DCHawk1]

I don't think "more of a factor" does him justice. This has truly been a physical and mental transformation.

Some guys just don't like their coach calling them a pussy.

[CrimsonNBlue]

This Udoka on the 2018 team would have put a bigger banner up.

[pdub]

I'd like to think so but that Nova team was absolute fire.
They left scorched Earth behind the best teams in the B12 and then dominated a streaking Michigan.
We would have put up a better fight ( maybe the only fight for Nova ) - that's for sure.

[jfish26]

This Udoka on the 2018 team would have put a bigger banner up.

And last year's Udoka on this team would have us fighting for a 3.

[CrimsonNBlue]

That does seem about right, which will bring me back to my frustrations with Silvio and Och.

[NDballer13]

I'd like to think so but that Nova team was absolute fire.
They left scorched Earth behind the best teams in the B12 and then dominated a streaking Michigan.
We would have put up a better fight ( maybe the only fight for Nova ) - that's for sure.

Looking back, it's not like KU played terrible and got embarrassed. They got ran out by a team that was playing out of their mind. 13 threes in the first half will destroy anyone. A lot of them were unassisted too, so it's not like they were constantly breaking down a defense and kicking to uncontested jump shots.
Just a game that has to get chalked up to the better team, that day, won and nothing KU did was really wrong. Villanova did that to a lot of teams that year.

[pdub]

No, we were good.
Nova just exploded all over the NCAA tournament.
No one threatened them.

[CrimsonNBlue]

I'd like to think so but that Nova team was absolute fire.
They left scorched Earth behind the best teams in the B12 and then dominated a streaking Michigan.
We would have put up a better fight ( maybe the only fight for Nova ) - that's for sure.

Looking back, it's not like KU played terrible and got embarrassed. They got ran out by a team that was playing out of their mind. 13 threes in the first half will destroy anyone. A lot of them were unassisted too, so it's not like they were constantly breaking down a defense and kicking to uncontested jump shots.
Just a game that has to get chalked up to the better team, that day, won and nothing KU did was really wrong. Villanova did that to a lot of teams that year.

They exposed Udoka in the first half and the game was over. This year's Udoka could stay on the court.

We would have also gotten Nova on Monday instead of Saturday with this year's Udoka.

[jfish26]

(Also, that team could have got this Doke the damn ball.)

[Deleted User 295]

No, we were good.
Nova just exploded all over the NCAA tournament.
No one threatened them.

The year they hit a super deep 3 to beat UNC or the other national championship year? Can't keep them straight, just know they had 2 in 3 years.

[CrimsonNBlue]

(Also, that team could have got this Doke the damn ball.)

Bingo. And shoot the ball to keep the lane unclogged!