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The Greene Room

The Greene Room Live: KU-Texas

By Ryan Greene
February 11, 2008 | 73 comments

10:53 p.m.: Mario Chalmers said defiantly after KU's 72-69 loss to Texas Monday night that he still sees KU as the odds-on favorite to win the Big 12 regular season title. KU is 8-2, a half-game behind K-State and a half-game ahead of Texas.

He's the guy on this team who you'd figure would say something like that. Why? He's the most confident of the bunch. That's why it was fitting he had the ball in the closing seconds. Something tells me that if the Jayhawks face a similar situation down the road, he'll have the ball in his hands, too.

But given the Jayhawks' second half numbers, you can see why one of those situations even came about after KU finished the first half on a nice roll.

In the second half, KU was outrebounded 23-12. The Jayhawks were 10-of-25 from the floor after halftime. Also, the guards couldn't find the big men for open looks inside much after the halftime. Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson, who combined for 24 points in the first half, scored a total of 11 in the final 20 minutes.

The problem Texas presents to teams late in close games, which Bill Self pointed out, is the ability to keep the ball in the hands of D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams - both of whom can shoot free throws all day. Augustin was 8-of-10 from the stripe, helping atone for a 1-of-13 showing from the floor. Abrams was 2-of-2 from the line, with those coming in the final minute.

What this loss does for KU is it keeps the Jayhawks from truly having a signature win on its resumé, in my opinion. Kansas has faced three ranked teams this year, beating just then-No. 22 USC out of that bunch. It only further magnifies the upcoming rematch next month with Kansas State.

Here's some final numbers of note...

-Texas won the overall rebounding battle, 36-35.

-Texas was 20-of-28 from the line, Kansas 11-of-14.

-KU was 4-of-17 from three-point range, making the Jayhawks 4-of-26 the past two games from deep.

-Damion James scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. All 13 of his rebounds were after the break, too. He played all 20 minutes.

-Darnell Jackson was just 1-of-2 from the floor after halftime.

-Bill Self is 0-3 in Austin as the KU head coach.

Thanks for joining tonight, everyone.

10:14 p.m.: Be back shortly with postgame notes, numbers and other nuggets.

10:07 p.m.: This could be the time for Mario Chalmers to prove he's this team's go-to-guy. Given the body language here, he's showing he's the one wants the ball in his hands.

9:49 p.m.: Notice what a non-factor three-point shooting has been in the second half for KU. The Jayhawks have hit just one, and misses of late by Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins mean KU is 3-of-22 in its last two games from deep.

Someone might have to step up and start hitting them late, since Atchley, James and Abrams are all still in the game despite the heavy amount of foul calls in this one. Any of those guys could go off in an instant.

9:30 p.m.: Not sure how you guys feel about it, but Darrell Arthur looks like he's forcing it a bit too much now on offense. First was an ill-advised three after Damion James cashed one, then a double-teamed hook shot which was long. Brandon Rush needs to re-insert himself offensively into the game. He had a very solid stretch in the middle of the first half after a slow start, but again is having a rough go at it. He's got three fouls, too.

Connor Atchley is a much nicer player than I thought he was. He's like Brian Boddicker used to be for the 'Horns a few years back...just, uh, better.

D.J. Augustin, by the way, still without a field goal converted. He's 0-for-8.

9:12 p.m.: Sorry for the delay on the halftime numbers. Went to say hey to Langford. Very friendly. A great man.

I'd say Texas needs two things to happen in the second half to combat what KU did to the 'Horns in the first half. First, Damion James will need to be huge. He scored two points, but had two fouls in just three minutes of play.

Also, A.J. Abrams would need to find the touch from the outside. He was just 2-of-5 from three, which is a tribute to KU guards hounding him on the perimeter.

Here's some numbers...

-KU outrebounded Texas 23-13. Sasha Kaun had five, while Rush, Arthur and Jackson had three apiece.

-Texas was 6-of-13 from three-point range. KU has avoided another 0-fer, going 2-of-7.

-Sherron Collins was key in 13 first half minutes with three assists and again pushing the pace, putting a smile on Tom Keegan's face.

-D.J. Augustin scored six points, but they were all from the line. He was 0-for-7 from the field.

8:53 p.m.: Arthur looks phenomenal on the offensive end tonight and just took a seat for what I would assume is the rest of the first half. He's six-of-nine from the floor and has 14 points to lead KU. He's looked completely comfortable tonight, and say what you will about his defense, but he has enough offensive game to impress NBA scouts as much as he needs to right now. He's also rebounding much harder than normal tonight. We'll see how he reacts in the second half with Damion James back in the game.

8:39 p.m.: Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson are certainly taking advantage of Damion James' defensive absence. The KU forward duo is able to do whatever it wants, be it mid-range jumpers (Arthur) or slashes to the rim (Jackson). But Texas' lead can be attributed to 5-of-10 three-point proficiency so far. The Jayhawks, though, are now doing a better job of containing Atchley and limiting his looks.

8:28 p.m.: Connor Atchley's certainly going nuts in the early minutes, 3-of-3 from long range. One thing in KU's favor as far as the Texas bigs are concerned is Damion James already sitting on the bench with a pair of fouls against him.

The Jayhawks obviously had trouble penetrating the perimeter early, but offensive boards have been huge for the Jayhawks, getting three of them so far on seven attempts.

Darrell Arthur's going to have to stay in Atchley's face much better than he is if the Jayhawks want to limit him.

Gary Johnson suddenly turns into a key guy for the Longhorns, as the freshman is playing in James' place. He's got four points so far, including a pair of free throws - not his forte.

Note: Keith Langford just sat down before the buzzer behind the KU bench. As you may remember, he plays for the Austin Toros of the NBDL. He's averaging 24.5 points per game this year and will play in the NBDL All-Star game next weekend.

8:09 p.m.: Full house, not that loud, though. Welmer is one of the officials, can't identify the other two. Talk to you after tip. About to get started.

7:49 p.m.: Vince Young just sat down three rows behind us. Worth pointing out. The guy is a god down here, and with this fan base, I'd imagine winning a football title would make you that for the rest of your natural life...probably beyond that, too.

7:35 p.m.: One more interesting pregame site...

KU walk-on Chase Buford, whose adopted brother is Texas' Austin Wangmene, just left the floor from warmups as his mother, Beth, and sister, C.C. entered the arena. The two are wearing half-Buford, half-Wangmene jerseys put together. It's an interesting look.

7:26 p.m.: My favorite Jayhawk fan - Darrell's tyke brother Juicy - just entered the house. He deserves a shoutout. Seems to be a favorite among the players, too.

The bass in this place is ridiculous. It rivals any suped-up Civic. Huey's 'Pop, Lock it, Drop it' made my seat vibrate. Literally. Then the man at the switch of the sound board had some mercy.

7:08 p.m.: We got here much earlier than usual, so once I got set up, I went on a little walk around campus and snapped some photos from Darrell K. Royal Stadium and inside the Erwin Center. Here's the link.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get a shot at the front of Godzillatron.

Too bad we have to get back to brutally cold weather tomorrow...

As far as pregame atmospheres go, Texas doesn't come close to rivaling Kansas State.

First of all, it's too friendly. The players from each team greeted each other for a bit. That certainly didn't take place in Bramlage.

The other factor is the student presence. Only a small smattering of the students come in two hours before the game. We were told it's based on how much money you pay for the tickets and how many organizations you're a part of. Only about 1,000 students were in here for the first 45 minutes. Then the rest of the commonfolk enter. Could you imagine if that was instituted at AFH?

Also, it's a lot like a nightclub, with predominately house music playing over the loudspeakers.

So, can anyone tell me yet what KU's signature win is to this point? Tully Corcoran of the Capital-Journal was the closest so far, naming Baylor. That could be the only NCAA Tournament team KU has played yet outside of K-State.

5:41 p.m.: Just sat down at the Erwin Center, in the corner just off the floor to set up for the game. I had completely forgot, the best part of Austin? Beautiful women with beautiful accents. It made asking for directions to the media entrance of this place much less frustrating than normal (we did a full lap-and-a-half, by the way).

Students are already lined up outside, taking down tents from what looks like was an overnight camping adventure to make sure to get prime seating for this game.

I was also informed that the floor here in the Erwin Center is in excellent condition, having been added in December. It's still got the massive Longhorn and map of Texas in the middle. Pretty neat.

Just an odd note I forgot to add on the first installment earlier...

-I just noticed last night that Julian Wright, currently playing in his first season for the New Orleans Hornets, was not included on the rookie roster for the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, set to take place Friday night in the Big Easy, helping kick off NBA All-Star weekend.

Usually, a rookie from the hometown team is added to the roster despite productivity, as the rookies take on NBA second-year players in the game. Wright's absence from the roster means he's more likely to be attending Saturday's KU basketball reunion in Allen Fieldhouse.

Of the nine players on the rookie roster, five were lottery picks (first 14 selections) like Wright. Again showing that the whole thing is an inexact science, even this soon after the fact.

3:56 p.m.: Hello from balmy Austin, Texas. Our photographer, Nick Krug, and I were just flipping through the channels, killing time this afternoon, and came to find thanks to the Weather Channel that we're in the only small pocket of the nation right now where temperatures appear to be normal for this time of year. Too bad that has to end tomorrow after flying back. Oh well.

One other sidenote after some surfing on the tube: There is nothing more entertaining to watch in the middle afternoon than The Maury Povich Show, no question. Where else can you find an hour's worth of these moments every afternoon? I'd love to be in the audience just one time to watch that show, if any family members reading this are looking for early birthday ideas...

As for the game...

This guy can give you some background as far as Texas' recent showings (he still doesn't hold a candle to this kid, though).

Two guys hold the key tonight for Texas, in my opinion. They are Damion James and A.J. Abrams.

Looking at Texas, I see D.J. Augustin almost like Michael Beasley a couple of weeks ago - he's probably going hit his averages (19.7 ppg, 5.8 apg). Abrams, on the other hand, is a guy who can easily go off for 30-plus on any given night. The reason is two-fold: his three-point proficiency and the ability to get the three off whenever and wherever he wants.

Abrams is 72-of-188 from three-point range this season, including hitting seven of them in Saturday's overtime win at Iowa State. Of all the Longhorns back from last year's team (basically every major contributor sans Durant), Abrams was the only one two score big in both matchups with KU (18.5 a game).

Call me crazy, but something tells me starting Brandon Rush on Abrams defensively wouldn't be the worst idea. Rush held Baylor's Aaron Bruce scoreless through the first half Saturday in a 100-90 KU win, and before that held Mizzou's Matt Lawrence completely ineffective, with the Tiger sharpshooter going 0-for-6 from deep. On the flipside, Rush early in the game Saturday was easily able to post up and back Bruce down for an easy bucket. Given his size advantage over Abrams, that could be put to work again tonight. That would leave Russell Robinson on Augustin and Mario Chalmers on Justin Mason.

As for James, he's flown under the radar a bit behind the guard set, but is as improved as they come in the league this year. The sophomore forward is averaging 12.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He's also shown the ability to step outside a bit, going 17-of-37 from distance. He averaged just 7.6 points and 7.2 boards a game as a freshman, hitting just one three in 11 attempts.

Add him together with Connor Atchley at the other forward spot, and Texas' big men are a matchup nightmare. Atchley leads the team in three-point percentage (49.1, 28-of-57) and blocked shots (42).

Put that all in a pot and stir it up, and you'll see that the real defensive test tonight might fall on the big men rather than the guards, going against a unique pair of inside-outside guys.

Those matchups aside, there's one major intangible that looms: KU needs this game more than Texas does.

Hear me out, here.

The Longhorns have without question one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Outside of a strong league slate, Texas had a non-con schedule including UCLA, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Michigan State. The 'Horns took down the Vols and Bruins, and at this point with four losses, given the win-loss records of the nation's top teams, Texas is far from in contention for a No. 1 seed in my opinion. At this point, some 2- and 3-loss teams might have better cases based on scheduling.

On the other hand, what would you right now consider KU's signature win? Non-con wins over Boston College, USC and Georgia Tech don't really stand up at this point, since none of those three it looks right now are locks for tourney bids. The same goes for Arizona after yesterday's embarrassment at the hands of ASU. Southern Cal remains the only ranked team the Jayhawks have taken down. Not that KU needs a signature win right now to justify it's tournament case, but as far as a No. 1 seed case? It's needed badly. Consider these other No. 1 hopefuls...

-Duke has beaten Wisconsin, North Carolina and Marquette.

-Memphis has Georgetown and Gonzaga on its hit list.

-North Carolina has...well...as many signature wins as KU right now, honestly. Kentucky might look better if the 'Cats keep up their recent SEC tear. Ohio State is weak.

-UCLA has Michigan State, Washington State (twice) and Stanford. The Pac-10 right now, too, is looking like the nation's strongest league.

Even though the matchups make it look like Texas, given its history at home against Kansas and tonight's Erwin Center crowd advantage, could be a slight favorite, I'm going with instincts. Instincts told me to pick KU to take down Baylor by eight Saturday, and that was awfully close. Therefore...

Prediction... : KU 83, Texas 76. Darnell Jackson has 22 and 12.

Talk to you from the UT campus here in about 90 minutes.

Comments

You'll need a free KUsports.com user account (your LJWorld.com or lawrence.com account will also work).

Posted by trojanhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Rush did a good job on Bruce, but he doesn't shoot the ball much anyway. Abrams is too small and fast for Rush to keep up with him the whole game.

Posted by chase0557 (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 4:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe Stewart could log a few minutes of lock down defense on Abrams.

Posted by trojanhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 5:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'd put Stewart on Mason if he's out there. There will be a lot of switching, so it won't really matter who is guarding who. Abrams is shooting lights out lately, and Augustin is better than any guard in the nation at getting to the basket (our Achilles' heel). Texas is a match-up nightmare for KU, as four of their starters are good or great 3-point shooters.

Collins, Chalmers and Collins are going to have their hands full tonight.

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 5:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Good call on Stewart, chase. The thing is I think he's really had some struggles on the offensive end the last few games and he's starting to be looked at as a bit of a liability for turnovers, especially in what is sure to be a close game.

The one guy I think KU fans should really be worried about defensively is Arthur. When big men have pulled him out to the post lately (i.e. Beasley), he's been taken off the dribble a lot. Damion James could certainly test that. I think Kaun could be a big defensive factor.

Just sat down in the Erwin Center. They're laying noisemakers on the student seats. I haven't been here since Self's first year, and I truly forgot just how huge this place really is. It seats 16,000 fans, but as far as square-footage is MUCH bigger than Allen. Doesn't hold noise as well, I don't think, but either way, it'll be full.

Posted by trojanhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 5:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm sure James and Johnson will get picked up by Rush, Jackson, and Stewart, depending on the lineups. Arthur and Kaun will deal with Atchley, Wangmene and Pittman.

I love watching Arthur because he has great defensive awareness near the basket. He blocks shots from guys he's not guarding with regularity. If he stays out of foul trouble, I think he'll be huge for KU in Austin.

Posted by lance1jhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 5:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This win would be huge tonight for the Hawks. I don't care to speculate on who will be guarding who, but like to think that they all know they need to step up on DEFENSE. They can not guard like they did against Baylor or Ksuck and expect to come away with a win.

The guys need to take Texas's best shot tonight and be able to answer it. Texas will feed off an unusual full house tonight and bring it to start the game.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk Tonight!

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 5:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This would be an ideal team to play zone against, wouldn't you think?

Posted by Asher87 (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 6:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Putting Rush on Abrams is a great call. Rush's best asset is his length and ability to bother opponents' 3-point attempts. Abrams isn't a guy who will dribble drive or exploit bigger defenders with his quickness like Augustin can. I'd stick Rush on Abrams, Robinson on Augustin and hope the bigs can take James out of the rebounding picture.

And Maury is great - especially that particular YouTube clip - but I'm partial to Montel. He's so classy.

Posted by trojanhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You zone against teams that struggle to shoot from the outside, or that don't have penetrating guards. No zone against Texas unless KU is in serious foul trouble or they can't contain Augustin.

I'm still not sure about Rush on Abrams. Not only is he much quicker than Rush, that leaves either Robinson, Chalmers or Collins guarding a taller guard.

Posted by patton6 (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 6:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If you're discounting KU's wins over USC and Arizona, you need to discount Memphis' over Gonzaga and Duke's over Marquette (possibly even UNC given how average they've looked in every game sans Lawson). In your defense though that still gives Duke 2 (or 1) more and Memphis 1 more.

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 7:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Montel is solid, Asher...

Posted by CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

True or False Greene..

If Texas backcourt does not play well, KU has a chance of beating them by double digit.

Posted by PsychHawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Do the pretty ladies down there know anything about Mangino's departure to West Virginia? I keep scanning the LJW pages and can't find a thing.

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 7:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

True. That would mean the big men would have to score A LOT for Texas. They're good for 10-15 each, not sure how much more. But Abrams will play well. Always has against KU. You can count on that. I'm about to post some photos from earlier up above.

Posted by kjhkcapn (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Greene, how could you forget that about Austin? If there are three things to remember about Austin, they're beautiful girls, six blocks of elaborate bars and... oh yeah, the University of Texas.

Posted by trojanhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Abrams against KU past 2 years:

5-16, 19pts
6-17, 18pts
2-3, 7pts
4-5, 12 pts

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 7:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Read the second entry. I made sure to pay homage to the beauties. Thanks, though, Cap'n. Last time I was here, you were on the trip. Good times...just runnin' down a dream.

Posted by PsychHawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Do real journalists use terms like "shoutout"? Mensa called, and I don't think the news is good, Ryan.

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 7:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks for joining again, PsychHawk

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I wouldn't worry much about Atchley as a 3 point shooter. He's made 28 this year? That's barely over 1 per game. That's the least of our worries. Atchley is a punk.

James is the matchup nightmare. We don't have a big that is quick enough to guard him inside and out. The guards are just going to have to go toe to toe and play to a draw with Abrams, Augustin and Mason. What are the odds of an opposing team's guards playing as well as Baylor's did 2 days later?

I'd love to see our guards penetrate like we did the 2nd half against Baylor and see if we can get Atchley and James in early foul trouble. UT has virtually no bench. Their starter with the least minutes on the year has more minutes than ALL KU players except Mario.

Somebody said putting Rush on Abrams was a bad idea because it would leave one of our other guards defending a taller guard. I don't think that's the case. UT's guards are all 6'2 or shorter.

Posted by CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

74-64 KU

KU will have 7 3's (7-12)

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Just a thought--This game could be one slow-starting affair. UT has fallen behind big in 3 out of the last 4 games. KU has been getting off to really slow starts, too. (Credit to jross for this observation.) Could it be 21-20 at half-time?

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 7:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"Arthur has great defensive awareness?" Huh? He plays pretty lazy defense if you ask me. Doesn't deny entry passes.....let's his man establish position. Yes, he might block some shots, but he is far from a great defender.

Posted by PsychHawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8 p.m. (Suggest removal)

No fun when you can't ban me, huh, Mensa?

Posted by cwag (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

KU 89
TU 73

DA, DJ & MC lead.

Posted by nnelson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

They just said on the radio that KFreeze is there? Did he ever officially sign with the Rockets, or just practice with them a bunch?

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Of course the Georgetown game would have to run over on ESPN!

Posted by nnelson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh, never mind. They just said he's NBDL.

Posted by huskersnjayhawks (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Uh, its 8:10pm here and I still have the nova/gtown game on ESPN. Ack!!!

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Atchley just hit his 2nd 3-pointer in 5 minutes, so much for him being a punk.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If Atchley is going to beat us from the 3 point line, it's just not our night. I'm not worried about Atchley.

They couldn't have started any better than they did and we're within 3 so I'd say it's a decent start.

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 8:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Keith is here behind the bench. He plays for the Austin Toros of the NBDL. Hence the convenience.

Posted by huskersnjayhawks (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't want to see all these 3's again!!!!

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If a team shoots 25 3's and hits 50%, you're in trouble. See: K-State game.

How will we counter?

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Didn't I read that Langford will be playing All-star weekend?

Also, that 3/3 3-pointers for Atchley in the first 7 minutes. Maybe it's not our night, KU. I'm just messing with you. I'm not all that worried about him either. I figure he's got maybe one left.

Posted by mom_of_three (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

steve welmer and curtis shaw....

and coach is already working the refs

Posted by huskersnjayhawks (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Points in the Paint
KU: 16
Texas: 2

I love the points in the paint, but I want some from the arc as well.

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I just hope Augustin keeps shooting and keeps missing. If he finds his touch we might be in trouble.

Oh, and there goes Atchleys last three, KU.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Like I said, if Atchley beats us from 3, it's just not our game to win. He averages 1 per game. We're playing really well. I wouldn't bank on Atchley hitting 4 more 3's. Fools Gold.....

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bad news - 4 players with two fouls

Good news - Arthur is not one of them

Posted by huskersnjayhawks (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

DJ is just soooooooo much fun to watch. 11 points already! Texas seems to want to play fast, but I don't think they have the depth to go all game playing fast like we do.

Posted by huskersnjayhawks (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Digger is talking about Atchley and his 4 3's and how Kansas isn't guarding him. Hmmm, imagine that.

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree KU. Just giving you crap cause he came out hot after you called him punk. My guess is he comes out cold in the second half. He may hit one but I'm thinking 0-2.

Posted by chuckberry32 (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

rush is doing nothing offensively and getting beat picking up guys off the screen. Arthur looks awesome on offensive and horrible on defense. Fortunately it looks like Texas is cooling off from the floor and hopefuly they won't get too many second looks

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Rush had a decent five-minute stretch in the middle of the first half after being non-existent out of the gates offensively.

Posted by chuckberry32 (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

yeah with a tip in and one 3 now he's cold and in foul trouble

Posted by lance1jhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We can not get anything to fall for us right now.

except our shooting percentage.

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Just think, if we were in the Big 10, the game would be over.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

These guys are playing like freshmen and sophomores and you can't do that on the road or on the tournament. They don't seem to understand time and score.......run 100 miles an hour down the court and run over people and throw up terrible shots.

They need to get good shots. If they play under control they win the game by 8, but they've squandered their chance for that. The crowd is in it now. It's going to the wire. Arthur thinks he's going to win the game by himself hitting perimeter shots now!

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Texas knows how to run clock and get shots in the half court. We're done unless they miss shots and free throws because we're playing so immature.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Have they really outrebounded us by 11 this half?! Pathetic.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

These guys won't make it past the Sweet 16. Undisciplined. Immature. They don't understand what they need to do in close games.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There are at least 8 teams that could be KU on any night. There are at least 15 that could beat them if KU doesn't play a strong game. Very disappointing with all the upperclassmen.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So what if Chalmers hits the 3? We can't keep Augustin out of the lane. They'll foul him and he'll hit both free throws OR he'll dish for a dunk.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Another sign of panic. Fouling Abrams?!

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This isn't the year, fellas. Immaturity. They don't understand how to play close games. They don't understand how to control a game when they have a small lead. They don't block out. They don't get good shots when the game is close.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm beginning to think that not having a "go to guy" is not a good thing. We don't have somebody that will put the team on his shoulders. We haven't since Wayne Simeon. Too many soldiers and not one general. You've got to know who your guy is. We have too much balance, in my opinion. You need a Danny Manning. You need a Michael Beasley. You need a Psycho T to win championships. Maybe we have too many McDonalds All-Americans and not enough role players. As it is, we have ALL role players because nobody is THE man.

Arthur thought he wanted to be 'the man' tonight but he started throwing up perimeter shots instead of staying in the lane and blocking out and rebounding.

Posted by CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree!!!!

This is not our year...

Ku will play good with teams that are not hitting 3's.

There is no way we'll beat KSU again if they keep letting teams hit 3's..

If we can't handle KSU and TX...

What about Duke. whole team shots 3's.? How the hell this team ganna beat them if they play them.

This will be just a avg. KU basketball year.. we'll be taking early exit again...

We choke with the good teams... aint ganna cut it..

Good night everyone..

Posted by ibrown3 (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

KU doesn't belong in the top 10. Is there even another team in the top 25 who hasn't beat another top 25 team? I agree with KU (the blogger) 100%. We don't understand how to play close games. And what happened to getting the ball to our big men in the second half? Jackson and Arthur combined for 24 points in the first half and were virtually inexistent under the basket in the second half. It reminded me a lot of the K-State game--we got shook and we began shooting a lot of premature three's and not getting the ball to our big men. We'll make it to the Sweet 16 or the Elite 8 at most.

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm not gonna say they don't make it past 16. Playing like they are right now? OK. But they CAN play better. They know how to, and they're very capable. They definitely have some things to work on. But with 7 games left in the regular season I'm not ready to write them off just yet.

Posted by CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So what next??? they are ganna beat the hell out of CU....

i still wont be convinced.... cuz in order to get a #1 seed we needed this win its gone..... No more #1 seed...

Posted by CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This team disappointed me... well i'll take the disappointment now so i wont be disappointed when they lose in Sweet 16..

Posted by nnelson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Agreed, didja. You can't give up on Kansas just because we lost to a very good Texas team in Austin.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nnelson......The problem with conceding a loss to a "very good Texas team" is that there are at least 12 to 15 other teams that are as good or better than Texas! KU will be lucky to make it out of the first weekend. Why: 1) they start 2nd halves of close games nonchalantly, 2) they lose the 16 to 8 minute marks of close games, 3) even in wins they blow out the other team, they get outscored in the 2nd half almost every game, and 4) they panic when they aren't in command at the 5 minute mark of close games.

Posted by njjayhawk (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry, but this KU edition is NOT a championship team. Same old, same old: looking for someone to lead when the game is on the line, and out of control offensively when running the floor. If we can't beat Tex and KSU on the road, we won't make the Final Four. Very frustrating. Amazing.

Posted by CaramelMacchMan (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I totally agree with KU

There so many holes in this team now....

Posted by rgreene (Ryan Greene) on February 11, 2008 at 10:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

njjayhawk,

I bet plenty of people said that when the 88 team was 12-7. Just pointing that out...

Posted by kuhwks (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If you thinek that Texas is a great team, you need to revisit their last 4 games. They have fallen behind by double digits or more each time against average teams and had to come back to barely win in 3 out of 4. The other they lost handsomely to A&M, whom I think we can all agree is grossly overrated.

KU is going to have to learn to play 40 minutes instead of 22-24 each game and trying to coast the other 16-18. Remember back to the beginning of the season? Long periods of no scoring and lackluster defense. Happened again tonight and happened two weeks ago to KSU.

In my book Texas is a 20-25 ranked team. Probably the same for KSU, maybe 26-30 for them. If we can't beat them, it's going to be a tough next few years. This year will be a disappointment and next year will hurt for lack of talented players ready to play with all the Seniors and Juniors leaving after this season.

UGH! Can we go back in time to the Mark Randall years? We really didn't have any superstars, but we had 7-8 guys that cared about doing it right 100% of the time.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Don't disrespect Mark Randall like that. He was more of a go-to guy than ANY of the players on this roster. He played tough in the clutch. We don't have any of those guys now.

Posted by PLKaws23 (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 11:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

In defence of the team, I think we are still in great position to win the conference and make a big run in the NCAA tourney. Yes we have 2 losses, both to Great teams, and both on the road. Idealy you EXPECT to win all home games and 75% away from home. Remember guys this is the big 12, we have a huge target on our backs being one of the top teams in the nation, we will get everybodys best shot, and NOBODY will probably ever go undefeted in league play again.

As to the team not winning close games, we lead the nation in point differential. Meaning we don't know who to go to, we will come around in that area, but it is somthing kinda new to the team this year and it will come to them.

Posted by KU (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 11:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We lead the nation in point differential because we know how to beat a bunch of cupcakes, dude! Our SOS is in the high 40s. People give Memphis a hard time for having a soft schedule but their SOS is better than ours. Our point differential is doing us a disservice against quality teams (the whole TWO quality teams we've faces and lost to.)

Winning by 25 doesn't teach you anything. These guys think it's OK that "anybody can be out go-to guy". I say that is garbage. You need to be tested with close games to see who rises to the top. We don't have anybody that can will his team to victory like Augustin and Beasley do.

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 12, 2008 at 2:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I hear what you all are saying, now hear me. The saying "records don't matter come March" goes two ways. It takes a whole season to get ready for the Tournament. Don't sell the boys short just because they haven't put it all together yet. They've got two tough games left plus tune-ups in between and then the conference tournament. Give 'em a chance. We should be doing our jobs as fans and cheering on our team. Not that we should let them off the hook for bad play, not at all. I think we should always want more out of our team and try to push them to greater heights. But get on them for what they've done, don't say they can't do any better.

Unless that's what you believe. I, for one, don't believe that. I think they can put it together. Does that mean I have unwaivering faith that they will? No. But think about this. How long had we been a bad free throw shooting team? Nothing is permanant. Defense has been this teams identity and I think they can get it back.

I'm not sitting here, predicting a National Championship. Not even a Final Four. But I believe the talent and desire are there.

Go ahead, talk about where we need improvement. Discuss where the holes are. But give me a break. "won't make it past the sweet 16"? There is too much talent on this team. Too much depth. Too much potential.

Posted by didjabuti (anonymous) on February 12, 2008 at 2:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. I did want to say something about the goto guy issue. I think I want the ball in Robinson's hands. Not that I think he should be the one to shoot it. I think he should be the one making the decision. Rush, Chalmers, Arthur. They all can take the last shot, depending on what we need. Or Robinson could take it himself. I know I would feel comfortable with him in the drivers seat. Thoughts?