Kansas Crimson

We are a contender.

Best coach.
1st team AA.
Experienced PG.
Championship experience.

We aren't the most talented. But we are certainly one of the best "teams".

Winning ugly is still winning.

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:59 am

KUTradition wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:52 am while i can appreciate your point, we’ve also got the most quad 1 wins of anyone (i think)

Yes, I knew that would be brought up. Goes to my point about a great resume, but I still have to wonder how we match up with other elite, talented teams.

Seems like we are playing, and beating, teams that are somewhere around KenPom 20 to KenPom 50.

i’m with you…i have my reservations about whether or not this team can continue to find ways to win as the competition ramps up

and yes, the next couple weeks will be incredibly telling:

ou
isu (playing well, currently #14)
statie (playing out of their minds, currently #11)
tcu (playing well, currently #17)
bu (scott drew sucks)

not sure what to think about ut at this point

but i don’t know…our guys are gritty and always seem to find a way. their ability to erase double-digit deficits gives a bit of hope, but by that same token i’m bothered by their constant lapses that allow them to get down double-digits early

KUTradition wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:20 pm

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:59 am

KUTradition wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:52 am while i can appreciate your point, we’ve also got the most quad 1 wins of anyone (i think)

Yes, I knew that would be brought up. Goes to my point about a great resume, but I still have to wonder how we match up with other elite, talented teams.

Seems like we are playing, and beating, teams that are somewhere around KenPom 20 to KenPom 50.

i’m with you…i have my reservations about whether or not this team can continue to find ways to win as the competition ramps up

and yes, the next couple weeks will be incredibly telling:

ou
isu (playing well, currently #14)
statie (playing out of their minds, currently #11)
tcu (playing well, currently #17)
bu (scott drew sucks)

not sure what to think about ut at this point

but i don’t know…our guys are gritty and always seem to find a way. their ability to erase double-digit deficits gives a bit of hope, but by that same token i’m bothered by their constant lapses that allow them to get down double-digits early

Yes, I thought Texas would be that 1-seed, Top 5 power measuring stick that we'd see. Now, I'm not sure what they are, but it looks like a first weekend exit for them is very possible. Maybe they get used to their new coach by then.

We obviously have the coach and we always fight, so we're going to be a hard out for any team. Our weaknesses are pretty clear, though, but not too many teams will be able to exploit them.

Statie #11 lol

All last season and the offseason, I told many friends and maybe even on here that I would rather have Nowell than Dajuan. Right when Dajuan was starting to change my mind on that, Nowell starts looking like a First Team AA. Will be a fun matchup.

Just completely different players of course. We'd love to have Nowell - to me, that's more of a missing piece than a traditional big (especially because I do still hold out hope that we'll get something from Ejiofor or Udeh).

ksu has road wins at tejass and baylor.

a good ksu is good for the conference.

MICHHAWK wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:44 pm

a good ksu is good for the conference.

This.

jfish26 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:43 pm Just completely different players of course. We'd love to have Nowell - to me, that's more of a missing piece than a traditional big (especially because I do still hold out hope that we'll get something from Ejiofor or Udeh).

I loved Nowell last year because no one in the league could stay in front of him. Getting into the lane on every possession is a big deal. Now he's scoring this year, too. Just shows what an offensive coach can do for someone.

In Big 12 play, Nowell is averaging 30.3 PPG, 11 APG, 3.3 SPG, 51.1%/50.0%/89.4% slash. Ridiculous.

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:59 am

KUTradition wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:52 am while i can appreciate your point, we’ve also got the most quad 1 wins of anyone (i think)

Yes, I knew that would be brought up. Goes to my point about a great resume, but I still have to wonder how we match up with other elite, talented teams.

Seems like we are playing, and beating, teams that are somewhere around KenPom 20 to KenPom 50.

Tough to find out without many opportunities. The good news is that we are beating up on those mid quad-1 teams. And to be honest, I don't think there's many top tier 1 teams remaining on schedule. Texas and kstate are maybe, what, a 3 seed each?

NewtonHawk11 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:03 pm

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:59 am

KUTradition wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:52 am while i can appreciate your point, we’ve also got the most quad 1 wins of anyone (i think)

Yes, I knew that would be brought up. Goes to my point about a great resume, but I still have to wonder how we match up with other elite, talented teams.

Seems like we are playing, and beating, teams that are somewhere around KenPom 20 to KenPom 50.

Tough to find out without many opportunities. The good news is that we are beating up on those mid quad-1 teams. And to be honest, I don't think there's many top tier 1 teams remaining on schedule. Texas and kstate are maybe, what, a 3 seed each?

Semantics, but I'd say we're winning close rather than beating up on everyone. Granted, these are games we are projected to win close.

As stated earlier, I just don't know about Texas. Still don't fully believe Kansas State yet, but we'll see. I think Baylor and TCU have the talent to sneak all the way up to 2 seeds. These teams are going to beat up on each other, though.

There are no elite teams this year if compared to teams of the past.

Thankfully we don't have to beat 2008 caliber teams. We are capable of beating 2022/2023 teams.

BasketballJayhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:07 pm There are no elite teams this year if compared to teams of the past.

Thankfully we don't have to beat 2008 caliber teams. We are capable of beating 2022/2023 teams.

Agree with this. It's a good season to have this type of team that likes to play one way.

UNC and UK should be dominant right now, and they're not. Duke replacing a coach, so this was expected. UCLA is good again, at least.

After the Beard choke, the only team I really like is Houston, yet we will be more battle tested at the end of it all (if that matters).

ousdahl wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:36 pmStatie #11 lol

They've earned it at this point.

we play in the best conference. we have more opportunities for bigtime wins than any other conference in the country.

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:09 pm

BasketballJayhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:07 pm There are no elite teams this year if compared to teams of the past.

Thankfully we don't have to beat 2008 caliber teams. We are capable of beating 2022/2023 teams.

Agree with this. It's a good season to have this type of team that likes to play one way.

UNC and UK should be dominant right now, and they're not. Duke replacing a coach, so this was expected. UCLA is good again, at least.

After the Beard choke, the only team I really like is Houston, yet we will be more battle tested at the end of it all (if that matters).

When I think back to years like 2008, there are 4 maybe 5 teams that year that would be by FAR the best team in the country this year or some of the recent years.

Seems like it has been a few years since there has been an elite team or multiple elite teams.

I think with NIL taking hold that we will start to see some truly elite (and veteran) teams sticking together for a year or two.

BasketballJayhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:28 pm

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:09 pm

BasketballJayhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:07 pm There are no elite teams this year if compared to teams of the past.

Thankfully we don't have to beat 2008 caliber teams. We are capable of beating 2022/2023 teams.

Agree with this. It's a good season to have this type of team that likes to play one way.

UNC and UK should be dominant right now, and they're not. Duke replacing a coach, so this was expected. UCLA is good again, at least.

After the Beard choke, the only team I really like is Houston, yet we will be more battle tested at the end of it all (if that matters).

When I think back to years like 2008, there are 4 maybe 5 teams that year that would be by FAR the best team in the country this year or some of the recent years.

Seems like it has been a few years since there has been an elite team or multiple elite teams.

I think with NIL taking hold that we will start to see some truly elite (and veteran) teams sticking together for a year or two.

I hate this (seemingly annual) discussion. That said, we were '08-level-elite in 2019-20.

BasketballJayhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:28 pmSeems like it has been a few years since there has been an elite team or multiple elite teams.

IDK, I feel like this gets thrown around a lot, but I think some of it is longing for the past.

It was true in 2022, but in 2021, Gonzaga and Baylor were dominant, albeit in a very weird season.

2020, KU, Gonzaga, and Baylor were all elite.

2019, Virginia was a juggernaut on both sides of the court, KenPom 2, 5 respectively on O and D.

2018 Nova might be the best national champion team since 2012 Kentucky.

2016 was a great year in the Big 12, at least, being Hield's senior season.

Then 38-1 Kentucky in 2015.

The last two seasons have felt different, though.

Some good comments in here about Self changing things up.

“The way we play now, we need to recruit four guards and one of them needs to be tall and one of them needs to be a point guard. That’s the only limitations that we have, and then hopefully all four can shoot. That’s kind of where we’re at right now and it didn’t used to be that way.”

“I practiced KJ predominantly on the perimeter up until November,” Self said. “I kept telling our big guys, ‘Guys, if somebody doesn’t start rebounding and defending the way we want and those sorts of things, I’m going to move KJ to the 5.’ And that eliminates a lot of opportunities for folks.”

https://m.kusports.com/news/2023/jan/09 ... tes=mobile

Also liked,

"Give me the five best guys and then we'll try to massage to work it out. Rather than, I've got to recruit a 4 man"