Requiem

It’s over.  Just like that, it’s all over.  For Jayhawk Nation, these “Day Afters” are always rough.  For so many of us, our blood, sweat, and tears are committed to 18-22 year old young men (or in Travis’ case 25 year old men), and millionaire coaches.  Their recovery is quicker than ours.  This is especially true today, after a loss like this, where we snatched defeat from the jaws of clear victory.  The haters, who have to revel in our misery for they have no success of their own to appreciate, think that it’s witty to shout “Rock Choke”, but such comments recognize that merely being one of the best 16 schools in America is far short of the expectations placed upon us.  That’s a good problem to have.  But, even the realization of persistent superiority isn’t what we need today.  What Jayhawk Nation needs today is catharsis.  Thus, I offer you this:  in your bewilderment and disappointment, don’t lose sight of what your school accomplished this year.

1. We were all witness to Elijah’s 39.  Mr. Big Shot on Big Monday.  As hostile of an environment as you’ll find in any sport.  Not just because the Idiots Out Wandering Around have nothing better to do, but because it’s Kansas.  Every farmer east of Des Moines, along with Mel Weatherwax, will turn off Duck Dynasty and make their way to Hilton for a shot at The Champs.  In that environment, a man has to take over.  And he did.  Coach Bill Self said it was the greatest offensive performance he’s witnessed at Kansas.  Mine, too.  And I’ve been here longer.  I’m so, so thankful to have witnessed that.
   
2. #Flight23.  @Humb1e_Hungry23.  The kid’s a one-and-done.  Our other experiences with one-and-dones (Xavier and Selby) have not generated the kind of love that Jayhawk Nation feels for this kid.  Why?  Simple: results.  The bank shot heard round the world was one of the Top 5 moments of KU basketball history for me.  We watched Ben follow up EJ’s 39 with 37 of his own to break Danny Manning’s freshman single-game scoring record.  Ben will leave Lawrence as the all-time highest scoring freshman in Kansas basketball history He could become the highest drafted Jayhawk in the NBA amateur draft this summer.  He could become the best pro since The Truth.  And somehow we’re all okay with that.  I’d say a lot of this is the character of the man, where he came from, how he’s handled himself.  It’s the only way that I can explain how we’re okay with putting a kid who played less than 40 games in a KU uniform in the same breath as Manning and Pierce.  And I’m so, so thankful to have witnessed it.
   
3. We were all witness to a new all-time Big 12 shot blocking record.  I wouldn’t have bet a buffalo nickel that this floppy-haired skinny volleyball player from California would become the most prolific shot-blocker in conference history.  I mean, 2011-12 was magical for us, and, because of T-Rob and Tyshawn, we lose sight of Jeff’s records – 31 blocked shots in NCAA tourney, and 140 blocks on the year.  He finished off 2012-13 with 265 blocks and was, for the second straight season, the Big 12 Defensive Player of The Year.  And, I’m so, so thankful to have witnessed that.
   
4. We all witnessed Coach Self’s 500^th win as a head coach (at Iowa Stae) and 300^th as head coach at Kansas (vs UNC).  That would be 30 wins a year for 10 years, except, to put it in more perspective he didn’t win 30 games here until season 4.  He is unequivocally the best in the business today, but receives very little pub, which is good for us.  We have been to 24 straight NCAA tournaments.  We have played 38 games as a Number 1 seed, an NCAA record.  We will have one of the top 2 incoming freshman classes in America for 2013-14.  All because of Bill Self.  I’m so, so thankful to have witnessed that.
   
5. 9 Straight.  Every college hoops “expert” came out of the woodwork in a lathered fury to pile on the three straight conference losses.  Oklahoma State was in the driver’s seat.  Kansas State was in the driver’s seat.  We still had to go to Gallagher-Iba and Hilton.  The streak was over.  Guess what?  Nine.  Motherfucking.  Straight.  Try again next year, bitches.  I’m just thankful to have witnessed that.

So, find your catharsis in this Jayhawk Nation:  Rosters change, expectations don’t. 

Up next: Ten Straight.

Rock Chalk, Jayhawks.   

Contrary to reports, the sky is not falling...

Look: we are a number one seed.  We are the second overall seed.  We are coming off of a Big 12 Tournament in which Tyler Self got on the floor in all three games played.  In the last 30 days we have seen a 39 point masterpiece by Elijah, followed up by a 37 point masterpiece by Ben.  We witnessed the emergence of Perry Ellis as an offensive contributor.  So, the expectations are high.  However, all of those things:  A.) Followed a much-publicized 3-game losing streak, and B.) Occurred on the national scene.  All of these things, in conjuction with a season-ending dismantling at Baylor, and 2011’s South Regional final loss to VCU, 2010’s loss to UNI, 2006’s loss to Bradley, and 2005’s loss to Bucknell have ESPN's College Hoops bloggers ready to discount the Jayhawks.  But the truth is this:  KU won both games this weekend, and they won both of them very much the way that they have won games all year long.  And, if The Hawks are going to win at Jerryworld, I’m afraid to inform you, that the games at The Sprint Center are very reflective of what lies ahead.  Furthermore, you shouldn’t be afraid of that.  So, the sooner that you disregard the “experts” and get your asshole unpuckered, the more fun that this thing is going to be.

                Every single college basketball analyst at ESPN, other than Jason King, has not typed the word Kansas this week, without following that with “TCU”.  These guys (and gal), who have seen little of KU during the regular season; continue to harken back to that fateful night in early February in Fort Worth.  For them, the season begins and ends with that awful loss.  You cannot possibly take KU serious, because when is that team that lost to TCU going to reemerge?  But the simple answer to that is: Likely never.  The truth is, on February 6^th, Kansas shot 30% from the field.  It has only shot below 40% since then once, the loss at Baylor.  But, in that loss at Baylor, the 38% FG% from KU was not the reason for their loss.  They allowed The Bears to shoot 58% from the field, which is 13% higher than they let anyone else shoot in conference play, and 17% higher than anyone since then.  It is 26% higher than they let anyone shoot in the opening weekend of March Madness.  But, to my original point, the comparisons to our TCU loss have no bearing on where the team is now.  They shot 44% from the field against UNC, and 48% against WKU.  Removing the TCU loss, where we shot 30%, the team shot between 38% and 57% throughout conference play.  The 48% that the team shot against WKU, where the ESPN crew began their TCU tirade, was merely 1% lower than we shot in the Big 12 Championship game.  A Tyler Self game.  Thus, the cries of “the sky is falling” in regards to our offense are both unfounded, and not supported by the data.

                Here is where our efforts must be focused in Arlington:  Opponents’ FG%.  It has been our bread and butter all season, and must continue to be.  Over the course of the entire season, only 5 opponents have shot 42% from the field or greater: Michigan State (52%), at Texas (45%), Okie State in The Phog (43%), at OU (45%), and at Baylor (58%).  All of those are losses except for at Texas, which would have/should have been a loss, had The Horns not shot 25% from the charity stripe.  So, that is your marker for Friday night.  The Hawks must limit Michigan to 42% from the field or lower.  If we do that, we should win.

                Keep in mind, we’re likely to shoot somewhere between 38% and 57% from the field ourselves, so, if it happens to be on the low end of that, we’ll be biting our nails.  If it’s closer to 57%, we’ll be drinking Ad Astras and screaming “We want Tyler”.  Either way, if we limit The Wolverines to 42% FG%, we’ll be playing on Sunday for the South Region title.

                The sweet justice in that is that we’ll be doing it mere miles from Fort Worth.  Perhaps one of those “experts” could actually make a trip to TCU for the first time.

Big 12 Tournament Primer

            This weekend is a true contradiction for me.  As an institution: I loath the conference tournament.  The weekend discredits all of the hard-fought victories of the conference season, which, as a throwback guy, I put so much emphasis upon.  As a KU fan, the wins at The Octagon of Doom, Hilton, and Gallagher-Iba Arena were as difficult and as meaningful victories as you’re going come by.  In any sport.  So, to make them relatively meaningless is a philosophical chasm for me.  Plus, Jayhawk fans have had to deal with the catcalls of the loss to Topeka YMCA, and the cries about the missed foul call on Elijah.  I don’t want all of that caterwauling to have been for naught.  And the 9 Straight.  That’s an important thing to Jayhawk fans.  Like, gutturally important.

            So, now I’ll offer you this:  I love the Big 12 Tournament.  Like, it’s my favorite sporting event of the year.  The culmination of those aforementioned games is metastasized at The Sprint Center.  All in one weekend.  We will potentially have a Friday evening primetime double feature that will include KU/ISU3 and KState/OkState3.  How could you possibly want more than that?  With TCU and WVU out of the field, we have a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of traditional Big 12 opponents who really, really dislike one another.  And, by the way, have had some of the most closely contested conference games in all of college basketball for 2012-13.  I’m all geeked up over it.

            The Big 12 Tournament does offer us a picture of what to expect over the next month, though.  NCAA Tournament is really a collection of 3 consecutive 2-game tournaments.  The rounds of 64 and 32 will very much resemble Thursday’s contest; half-empty arena, heavy with KU fans, against a team with very little chance of scratching The Hawks.  The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 will very closely resemble Friday’s atmosphere; impassioned fans and lots of TV timeouts.  So if we’re trying to measure what’s in store for this version of Self’s Jayhawks, there’s no better measuring stick than this weekend.

            But let’s be real.  All we really care about is this:  who can beat Kansas?  It is, as usual for the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas versus The Field.  And, based upon trends, Kansas is a safer bet than The Field.  But maybe not this year.  Every sports writer in America seems to be jumping on Marcus Smart and Oklahoma State.  We’ll see…

            We start on Thursday with Texas Tech, so that’s where I’ll start:

            How the Red Raiders beat KU: They don’t.  I mean, if KU comes out like they did on Senior Night, a game which ended 79-42, this is going to be Tyler’s first Big 12 Tournament action.  Even in that game, the Red Raiders held KU to 13-10 for 10 minutes.  But 4 Jayhawks went for double-digits, Elijah had 12 assists, and KU out-rebounded Tech by 22.  At one point KU led by forty.  So, if that iteration of the 2012-13 Hawks appears, the limited number of Tech fans (and the vast number of KU haters) will have a very, very short day. 

            However, if they can simulate the game in Lubbock, it won’t be as ugly.  There the Red Raiders held KU scoreless for over 11 minutes in the first half, and only allowed 27 total first half KU points.  Unfortunately for them, Tech only scored 25 points of their own, and Jaye Crockett only accounted for 3 points, for the night.  In order for this team to test Kansas, they have to work the perimeter, create transition baskets and limit second chance opportunities.  Coordinately, they have to not allow Kansas to control the paint or the tempo.  Either of those scenarios will be fatal for Tech.  And, with the team that they field, they aren’t up to that task.  Sorry. 

            Prediction:  Chants of “We want Tyler”, and a much extended version of The Rock Chalk Chant around 4pm CDT.

            Where to watch:  I would say, ideally, in The Sprint Center.  It is a very nice arena.  But, I’m not a huge live sporting event guy.  It will be $15 for a CAN of mass-produced beer.  The wifi is sketchy, and there will be a ton of empty seats for the early Thursday session.  It will not be the best environment.

            The next best bet is Power & Light across the street.  The Alumni Association watch party and pep rallies will be at Z-Strike, formerly Lucky Strike.  I went last year, and the seating is really limited.  A bunch of JoCo codgers from the 70’s drinking Chardonnay.  Meh.  But, the pep rallies are fun, and there is a nice KU Bookstore remote kiosk set up for buying gear.  Just down the street is Johnny’s, which is a favorite for Lawrence transplants.  Great place to watch a game, and great KU crowd.  Plus, the pizza is damned good.  But, it’ll be full, early.  So good luck.  Another great option is The Cashew, down past The Crossroads at 19^th and Grand.  Good KU crowd, good environment, and good drinks.  But, for me, the Power & Light experience begins, and ends, at The Flying Saucer.  Get there early enough and you can sit on the couch.  The food is good, they have hundreds of beers on tap, and the Beer Knerd staff is dressed as Catholic schoolgirls.  ‘Nuff said.  Plus, on Friday, when it is 70 degrees, they’ll roll up the garage doors.  Do it.

            Of course, many of us won’t want to leave Johnson County.  If that’s the case, I’d recommend the Johnny’s in Olathe.  For all of the reasons that I recommended it at P&L, plus it’s neither in the congestion of P&L nor in North Lawrence.  Really a great place.  Or you could just do what I’ll do: a Casey’s pizza, a 6 of Shiner, Centurylink wifi and DirecTV HD on a Samsung HDTV.  The beer is cheaper, the picture is perfect, and the company is great!!!  Rock Chalk, Jayhawks.