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The KU/K-State E-mail exchange

By Ryan Greene
February 28, 2008 | 14 comments

Throughout Friday morning/afternoon, KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene and K-State beat writer Jeff Martin of the Wichita Eagle, who has a great Wildcat blog - K-Stated - to his credit, swap e-mails, discussing the ins and outs of Saturday's Sunflower Showdown - Part Deux.

From Ryan Greene - 10:07 a.m.

Good morning, Mr. Martin. Lets get right to it, I guess...

Both leading up to the first game between the 'Hawks and 'Cats this year and in hindsight, the x-factor was Jacob Pullen. Not sure anyone can doubt that. But having watched K-State a couple of times recently, both on TV and in person, I think there's no question this time around it's Bill Walker. There's the obvious thing where the offense is concerned, going from 31 against Baylor to a lone tally on the 'Horns (0-for-14 shooting), but I think the most alarming reason is the fact that he's an established hothead. First the obvious explosion against Nebraska that got him a comfy seat sans popcorn in Lincoln, but then Monday? He was losin' it at home. I haven't seen a player this year who likes to chatter with the refs so much. Am I wrong here? How do you think the Allen Fieldhouse atmosphere/crowd could affect how Bill plays (I'm not expecting him to go Artest/Jackson by any means)? Don't get me wrong, I love the guy's game. He's one of those players - like Beasley - who makes so many things look so easy that you almost think they're not trying. But I'm thinkin' Beasley's much more emotionally stable. And as a look in to the future, you think both are going pro? After watching KU-KSU part one, I was having wild dreams of either of them in a Bulls uniform next year, which would make me pretty happy.

Also, I'm liking the new threads the Wildcats busted out the other night. Even though Beasley's shorts are bound to fall off before his K-State career is done, they're slick.

From Jeff Martin - 10:44 a.m.

Man, that's a lot of questions. Bill is the emotional foundation/backbone of this team. As he goes, the team goes. No question he's the X factor, but my hunch is that Mr. Walker is up for this game. I don't think the Allen Fieldhouse crowd will bother Bill. He'll want to make amends for that donut he tossed up against Texas, and I still don't know who's going to cover him.

As for being a pro after this year, I think Bill will look into it. I wouldn't be shocked if he left, but I think he could come back next year and be the undisputed star. And, even though Frank Martin always says all Walker thinks about is winning, I think Bill would relish the opportunity to show what he can do as the first option.

OK, here's my question - what's going on with Russell Robinson? He doesn't seem like the same guy. He used to be known for his on-the-ball defense, but I remember in L.A., after the USC game, Bill Self was saying his defense had fallen off a a bit. What gives?

From Ryan Greene - 11:02 a.m.

If Walker is the emotional backbone, no offense, but that just solidified my pick of KU by 7 in this one (I should also clarify that I took KSU in round one). Even though I'm not certain on his mental stability, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he drops 40. I guess its that I'm comparing his emotional balance to that of Beasley, who might have the Big 12's best poker face.

As for the pro thing, Walker would be silly not to test the waters at least. I'm saying the same thing about Mario Chalmers, too, who I still consider KU's best pro prospect in terms of total package.

As for RussRob, I don't think the defensive blame falls solely on him. As far as on-ball defense, all the guards have been lacking in league play. I think it's more apparent with Rush still not being at full speed.

With Russell, though, I think he's realizing he's not needed to score. He's been struggling mightily with his shot and is now doing what he should...driving and dishing and swinging the perimeter. His rebound and assist numbers have flown under the radar because, as we all know, all anyone cares about is offense. He's valuable, sure, but this team sorely needs Sherron at full strength.

Now, seriously, how many does Lil' Mike score Saturday? I can't wait to watch the Allen crowd try to get in his head thinking he's another Jason Bennett and fail miserably.

Also, what's Pullen's deal in league? He's more up-and-down than my stomach after a trip to Vista Burger (which I shunned in my Monday trip to the 'Hat, by the way).

From Jeff Martin - 11:41 a.m.

Pullen's deal is he's a freshman. He played poorly in Waco, in large part, because he got in foul trouble. That happens. He's going to be fine. He played D.J. Augustin about as well as anyone I've seen. That's impressive.

As for Mike, he's going to get his numbers. Count on that. I don't think he's going to go off - don't expect 40-plus points - but I think his season averages will be in play.

And you touched on my next question - what is Sherron's deal? It hasn't quite looked right. Is he still out of shape? Is his confidence lacking? Agreed on needing him at full strength - without him, how short is KU's rotation?

I like the experience factor with the Jayhawks, but something is still amiss. I can't place what it is. I think the one thing K-State has on KU tomorrow night is not only the belief, but the understanding of what it takes to win, which stems from Jan. 30. It's a unique situation for the Jayhawks because usually they're the ones with the targets on their jerseys. But I think it's natural for KU to have some sort of uncertainty because, let's face it, the Jayhawks were outplayed in Bramlage.

Agree?

From Ryan Greene - 12:55 p.m.

I do have to say that in the couple of opportunities I've had to speak with Pullen, he seems like a good kid who in a couple of years will be the total package in terms of Big 12 point guards. Though I'm not going to give him the full stamp of approval until he does it without the two lottery picks by his side.

You know, Sherron is the one guy on this team I truly feel bad for this year. First, people forget that in the first two games of the season, without Rush in the lineup, the kid was just stealthy (that's a word, right? you know what I mean). He scored 32 points and had 10 assists in two games before going down with the stress fracture, looking like the Sherron who blew the Big 12 apart late last season. Then it's just been a series of struggles since he came back. Right now, he's battling a bone bruise in his right knee, which is much more painful than it sounds. Then, there's the fact that if you get hurt on this team, you get your minutes squeezed out of the rotation and it's hard to get them back. Just ask Tyrel Reed.

If Sherron were at, say, DePaul, he'd be scoring 16-20 per, I have no doubt in my mind (just throwing out another school that offered him out of high school, no inside scoop there). But there's no question that when he's on and he's the super-sub, constantly bringing it off the bench, this team is on another level. Right now they're good. With him healthy, they're great. I'm convinced of that.

I think he's still confident, but it puts a lot of pressure on Russ and Rio when he's limping. I just don't think Bill Self has enough confidence in Reed in big games right now. He's only played a shade over two minutes on the road in Big 12 play. The fact that he didn't play a lick at Iowa State was interesting.

I agree with you 100 percent that KU was outplayed in Bramlage. The players are now finally admitting (or Rush, at least) that the crowd was in their heads. I could tell as soon as they came out for warmups that night. It's the only time this year they've looked tight during warmups.

In my opinion, I think what's missing is that this team has a tough time figuring out how to start games consistently. What the Jayhawks did Wednesday, getting the ball to Arthur in the post and running the offense through him regularly, is the key. Everything else just falls into place. I hate to call it a problem, but KU just has so many scorers and so many guys that need to get going early in the game that it's tough to space everything out sometimes. Especially when you add in the big-game emotions.

Honestly, that's why seeing K-State in the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight or beyond wouldn't surprise me. They've got just two guys that need to get going, and the rest of 'em just need to not screw things up, in my opinion. They've got nicer pieces than many people think.

That said, lets put Beasley, Walker and Jake aside right now. Which of the 'other guys' is most important for K-State tomorrow night?

From Jeff Martin - 1:14 p.m.

I don't buy the "too many scorers" line. Sorry. If Darrell Arthur is the man, then you ride that horse. You feed him the ball. You let the others play off of him. Now, you can argue Shady doesn't have that mindset, well, then that's a problem. He's the most talented Jayhawk out there. Now, he can't get the ball by himself, but so what? Look at K-State with Mike. You FIND guys like that. That they haven't on a consistent basis so far says a lot to me.

By the way, Tyrel Reed isn't the answer. That said, I, too, feel badly for Sherron. He's a talent.

Clent Stewart has to make shots tomorrow. Has to. He's had an awful February - for obvious reasons - but it's March now. And Dominique Sutton needs to be as disruptive as he was in the first game. And Darren Kent is going to have provide some quality minutes. But you know who might surprise some people? Ron Anderson. Outside of Mike, he's probably the Wildcats' best offensive rebounder. He has earned more minutes of late, and he deserves them. I don't know how effective he'll be against KU's frontline, but it should bear watching.

The thing about K-State is it wouldn't surprise anyone if the Wildcats lost in the first round of the tournament or if they reached the Final Four. Wouldn't shock anyone either way.

Answer this - is the revenge angle for tomorrow overblown? I always think that's a tired, cliched theme.

From Ryan Greene - 2:01 p.m.

Let me clarify what I meant by the 'too many scorers' thing. Yes, Darrell is the best scorer. Chalmers and Rush are great shooters and Sherron can do it all. Darnell gets junk points, and Sasha brings a little something off the bench. It's just that this team has struggled to find a consistent offensive identity. That's what I meant...I think. But yes, as was the case at Iowa State, the offense needs to work through Darrell Arthur.

That said, KU NEEDS him to play 30-plus minutes Saturday. That's much easier said than done. He's played 30-plus three times this year, averaging 20.3 points per contest. But he's nowhere near being fundamentally sound on the defensive end. Against Oklahoma State, he fouled out and Bill Self said that not one of those fouls was a 'good' foul. They were all reach-ins.

And, no, he just doesn't have that mindset. The only ones I think who do on the KU roster are Rio and Sherron. Rush does when he gets ticked off. (And no, Reed's not the answer, but in a pinch he could be needed down the road, and he has next to no road experience in league play. That's a concern.)

Another key for K-State tomorrow, with all that said on Arthur, could be Beasley's ability to get guys out of the game in foul trouble. If he does, the 'Cats have a better than good shot at leaving Allen as winners for the second time in three years. I truly believe that.

I'm glad you brought up Clent. He was my 'pick to click' in the first game, because in every Sunflower Showdown I've seen up to this season, he's the one guy who always looks comfortable playing against KU. He continued that on Jan. 30. Though on Ron Anderson, I don't know if you agree with this or not, but watching that game against Texas, when he was in there, it almost looked like the guards didn't trust him enough to get him the ball on the block. But he could be a good 'junk points' guy, I think, just like Darnell Jackson. And why didn't Kent play Monday? Are his minutes inconsistent?

Agreed on the revenge theme usually, but KU does in fact have a bad taste in its mouth heading into tomorrow night. Beasley and Walker (and Pullen) took serious bites out of the Jayhawks' pride. If there's one Jayhawk who will take it more personally than anyone else, it's Chalmers, who was honest after the first game and didn't want to throw too much credit Pullen's way. He's gonna want a piece of Jake, I think.

But most of the time, I think revenge is in fact overblown. Especially with today's college stars, who come from the AAU circuit where it's completely acceptable to lose two or three games a day, as long as you look good in front of scouts. No?

From Jeff Martin - 2:55 p.m.

Your comment about Rio not wanting to give Jake any credit is kind of my main issue with KU. Sure, the Jayhawks are a proud group - and rightfully so. But what happened the first time? They were caught completely off guard? That's either a major oversight or utter arrogance. As usual, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

With KU, I don't see the joy, the sense of accomplishment. Everything seems like it's a chore. Winning has become routine. Maybe it's the expectations - I don't know. But it puzzles me. Look, the Jayhawks are good. Real good. But they seem to be wound too tight, aware of all of their past failures instead of dwelling on their past successes.

I thought Darrell was fired up to play Mike last time, and look where that got him. I imagine he'll be as fired up tomorrow, but I'm guessing he'll remain on the floor this time.

DK didn't practice because of migraines, so he didn't play. And right now, yeah, Anderson is little more than a junk collector.

I repeat - Mike is going to get his numbers. Write it down, take it to the bank, do whatever you must. It's a lock. But I wonder about Bill. Not Jake, who has to be brimming with confidence after going head to head with Augustin - who is going to stay in front of Pullen if the Jayhawks couldn't stay in front of Augustin? - and doing just fine. And I think Clent is going to knock down three-pointers. Heck, Blake Young just might hit one or two, too.

As you pointed out, it's Bill. He's the guy to watch.

It's funny - with K-State, you wonder about the Wildcats' focus on the road. With KU, you wonder if pressure affects the Jayhawks. Fair? Unfair?

From Ryan Greene - 3:57 p.m.

No, the pride thing is right on. There was certainly a sense of dominance over KSU for who knows how long, and I still think KU was kicking itself afterwards for letting the crowd get into its head. You were at the game at USC and saw how rough the Jayhawks looked on the road. It's been like that every time with the exception of Boston College, the second half at Colorado and the first half at Iowa State. But I don't think Rio making that comment is a bad thing. He's the most confident - sometimes cocky - guy on this team, and I'm convinced he's the only guy who is 100 percent unshakeable on the floor. He proved that at Bramlage. This team needs more guys like that. But having one doesn't hurt. And I think he'll be the one to draw the assignment on Pullen. But D.J.'s a better on-ball defender than Rio, so I'm fully expecting Pullen to hit for at least right around his averages on the year.

And yes, everything does seem like a chore, now that you mention it. I'd never thought of that. The last two games, KU has dunked the ball once. I know that seems like a meaningless stat, but that's been what gets this team going all year, throwing lobs and flexing muscle. The last two games have seemed a lot like 9-5 deals rather than enjoyable freelance jobs.

It wasn't completely like that earlier in the year, and I think that's because Darnell Jackson - the emotional leader of this team - has had a rough stretch lately, with the death of his cousin. Not saying it's why they lost the game, but I think him being despondent rubbed off on everyone at OSU. They're wound much tighter on the road than at home. That's why I'm not seeing the Final Four as anything close to a guarantee right now.

Pressure does affect this team, and talent is what has gotten it over the hump at times (i.e. at USC, for example). As much as KU fans might not want to believe it, there is some pressure tomorrow on KU tomorrow. A loss at home to KSU could really get this team questioning itself. I don't have much to base that on, but it's just a hunch.

What about KSU? Is this team desperate for a win or is that all just overblown? I still think they're an NCAA Tournament team. As long as the 'Cats don't choke it to both Colorado and Iowa State, I'd think the NCAA would want to get Beasley on CBS in March. They'd be crazy not to.

Also, lets get a little long-term here. Are you a believer in Frank Martin being the solution for the next 5-10 years for this program?

From Jeff Martin - 4:37 p.m.

Last thing I'll say about the pressure thing - I think when KU is matched against a team with inferior talent, the Jayhawks don't feel pressure. But when it's against a team with equal or perhaps superior talent - as I believe a healthy K-State possesses - I think KU wilts.

But that's just me.

Your last two paragraphs are intriguing - which isn't to say the rest of what you've sent me hasn't been. Is this team desperate? No. They believe they're in. That's the essence of my advance for tomorrow. The Wildcats think it's a little thing they need to correct - sorry, can't divulge everything right now because there's a news cycle to consider. I think the Big 12 is getting love, and I think the conference will place at least four teams in the NCAA Tournament, and doesn't K-State have to be one of those teams?

Am I a believer in Frank Martin? Yes, as long as he's given a chance. I think some people are already prepared to condemn him for wasting this shrinking window Michael Beasley's brief college tour has yielded. I might be one of the few people who thinks Frank can coach, and I think he's in a rough spot with a couple of high-profile freshmen - one they're talking about right now on PTI - on his team and he's a first-year coach. Really, he can't win. Nothing he does will be enough.

I just wonder if he wants to stick around for 5-10 years. Not that I have any inside information, but you have to wonder. This is a great opportunity, for sure, but is this a long-term fix for Frank? Who knows?

From Ryan Greene - 5:43 p.m.

First off, you must have ESP or something. Or maybe the throwback Canucks cap has more supernatural powers than I thought. I was just now talking to Jay Bilas for a thing for tomorrow's paper and our podcast, and he mentioned the revenge thing being an overblown cliché in pretty much the same words as him...

Yeah, the whole thing with pressure I think really came into question in the second half of the Texas game. KU was neck-and-neck with a white-hot Longhorns squad through one half, then just went away inexplicably after halftime. It was seriously one of the weirdest things I've ever witnessed. No toughness. No nothing. Yet, KU still had a shot at the buzzer to get the job done. So what that should tell everyone is that talent will keep them in every game. The other part now just has to catch up in the big game atmosphere. KU has been in both of the games its played this season against elite competition - KSU and UT.

I think right now the Big 12 gets five. KU and KSU are in from the North. That'll be it, unless Nebraska wins out to get to 9-7. That'd give the Huskers quality wins over K-State, Texas and Arizona State. But I don't see it happening. In the South, I think Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor are in. Don't look past a final sixth league berth, though. Oklahoma is still alive, and tomorrow's Oklahoma State-Nebraska game will keep one team's hopes alive, as the winner will be 7-7 in Big 12 play.

You know, I'm definitely nipping at the Kool-Aid on Frank Martin. All these people saying the hire was made just to keep Beasley and Walker in the fold are straight-up nuts. Even if that was the case, wouldn't you have done the same if you were the administration? I'd have brought Wooly back if it would have guaranteed those two if I were in charge of things. But what sells me on Martin is looking at the development of those 'other guys' right now. If the KU fans can look beyond Billy and B-Easy, look at the strides guys like Pullen and, the guy you mentioned earlier, Ron Anderson have made. Even Fred Brown looked comfortable the other night against Texas (though he has without question the flattest three-point stroke I've seen in the league this year - he needs to put it away).

I think a good tournament run this year could really help Frank establish himself. If he can back up these two big-time recruits with, say, two or three wins in the field of 65, K-State could start branching out in terms of high school guys they target and whatnot. It's in a great conference and the fan support, when the team is winning, is as good as you'll find anywhere.

OK, we should probably cut this right about here, as my stomach is growling for some grub and I'm running out of things to talk about regarding this game (that was the case before the first one, too). First, I'm going to ask you to throw out a prediction on the score, the winner, and then predict who will be the stud of the night and the dud of the night (a tradition in our postgame podcast).

Also, your honest opinion of how far K-State advances in the NCAA Tournament. I know the 'Cats might be the toughest team to do that with in the nation, but you're a bright guy. Give it a shot. No backing out.

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