Advertisement

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Self preparing Jayhawks for early start

By Gary Bedore

Kansas University's Sasha Kaun, left, and Brandon Rush trap Texas guard Justin Mason during the 2008 Big 12 championship game. The Jayhawks won three games in three days to claim the tournament title.

Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas University's Sasha Kaun, left, and Brandon Rush trap Texas guard Justin Mason during the 2008 Big 12 championship game. The Jayhawks won three games in three days to claim the tournament title.

Advertisement

Hawks to face Big Sky champs

The real season begins for Kansas: Thursday morning the Jayhawks begin their quest to the big dance against Big Sky champions Portland State.

KU rallies after rocky first half

Let's relive Sunday afternoon at the Sprint Center in Kansas City: 19,000 fans looked on as Kansas and Texas swapped leads 14 times and tied six others. Kevin Romary has more.

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self said initially he was "disappointed" to learn the starting time of Thursday's first-round NCAA Midwest Regional basketball battle against Portland State.

That'd be a bright and early 11:25 a.m. at Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.

"I said, 'We played the last game of the conference tournaments and (now) the first game of the NCAAs,''' Self said Monday, a day after KU's 84-74 victory over Texas in the Big 12 tourney title game - which ended a half hour before CBS's Selection Show on Sunday.

"But then I said, 'Look at Portland State. They are playing at 9:25 (a.m.) their time," Self quickly added. "I know if it was me (playing), I'm usually not at my best at that particular time of day. But think about it ... if they play at 9:25 (Pacific time) and eat pregame four hours before, they are eating at 5:25 their time. For us at 7:25, we have to do the same thing."

Of course ...

"Everything balances out," Self said. "We'll be practicing (today) the exact same time we play. We've had enough early games where we've done that. We'll be ready to lace 'em up and so will they."

Self on Monday's Hawk Talk radio show said he already had viewed three tapes of Portland State games. The Big Sky Conference champion Vikings, who have won 14 of their last 15 contests, enter at 23-9 overall.

"Thanks to Brett and Mike we already had three games on them when we got back to the office (Sunday night)," Self said of staff members Brett Ballard and Michael Lee, who are in charge of taping games throughout the season.

"We tape every game from the middle of February on. If there is a 1-in-100 chance we could play a team, we tape the game. It could be on the Altitude Network in the Pacific Northwest ... if it's on, Brett and Mike will get it. We had five games on UNLV and five or six on Kent State," he added of possible second-round foes. "And three on Portland State so right away we could get busy on that. We'll have four more tapes tomorrow."

Self's initial impression of the 16-seeded Vikings?

"I watched the first tape and said, 'Good gosh, how are they (only) a 16 (seed)?' They are really good. Jeremiah Dominguez ... if you are not trying to guard him, he is really fun to watch," Self said of the Big Sky player of the year, who averages 14.3 points and 4.1 assists per game.

"He is 5-foot-7, quick, active. He plays a lot like D.J. (Augustin, Texas). He's that good with the ball. (Deonte) Huff is a great 2-guard, and (Scott) Morrison is strong inside. Rarely in the Big Sky is a team as deep as Kansas. They've got 10 guys playing 14 minutes a game. We have about eight with that number."

More like this

Comments

okjhok (anonymous) says...

Okay, congrats to PSU...now, more importantly, who's got the info on UNLV/Kent St? Usually, I have at least some knowledge of possible future opponents in the tourney (especially seeds as high as 8/9), but I haven't seen either of them play at all this year, mostly because they're from the MWC and MAC, respectively. Who's got some dirt they'd like to share? BTW, I love KU's road to the final four.

March 18, 2008 at 6:33 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

okjhok: I know nothing about Portland State so I wish I could give you an assessment about them.

Kent State: Out of the possible two matchups two choose from UNLV and Kent State are going to be equally tough. I've seen Kent State once and that was when they played the Tarheels. UNC beat them by 29, but that was 2 months ago. Kent State came out on fire during that game, but just couldn't keep the pace that the Tarheels set during the game. expect kent state to slow the game down against us! Kent State has good wins over Illinois State (They should have made the tourney), George Mason, and Saint Mary's. They lost to Xavier and UNC. Kent State could give a game similar to the Southern Illinois game last year in the sweet 16.

UNLV: I've seen UNLV play twice! I saw them when they beat BYU recently and I thought they looked very good. They shut down BYU's best big man Plaisted who had a great game against UNC and Hansborough earlier in the year. Similar to UNLV's team last year who beat Wisconsin in the second round, they play the same similar style of basketball. They are more athletic this year, but Kruger's son was a better point guard last year for them. UNLV moves the ball very well and they are not at all afraid to jack up shots. It's kind of ugly ball, but it works. I also saw UNLV give Arizona a good game where they lost by 3. That was a low scoring game where nobody who could hit a shot. UNLV played a lot of zone that game. I also don't like the idea of playing UNLV because of all the "Kansas" connections their coaching staff has to the state. If UNLV can get by Kent State, there will definitely be added incentive to knock off the jayhawks.

Both Kent State and UNLV scare me, but I would rather play Kent State.

March 18, 2008 at 7:53 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

Anbody notice that Julian Wright is getting some more playing time! In his last games, he's averaging 21 minutes and 9 points and 4 rebounds. He's also made 2 espn Top 10 Highlight's! He's coming into his own and my assessment is the coaches have been waiting to release him into the wild. He's played pretty well in the last 5 games. Actually, 6 or 7 games ago, he had a career high 21 points so he's doing pretty well. Nice Job, Julian. You made the right decision!

March 18, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

My previous post should say "In his last 5 games"!

March 18, 2008 at 8 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

okjhok (anonymous) says...

Thanks for the info on unlv/ksu. i know they're both quality teams. The committee doesn't give out seeds that high to mid-majors unless there's no doubt they deserve it. Looks like they both put together a pretty solid resume this year. Kruger always fields capable teams. Should be a good challenge and definitely good preparation for the regionals.

March 18, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

goldlighting (anonymous) says...

Who gives a rats arse about Wright, he only entered college with money on his mind.

March 18, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

goldlighting: LMAO! Isn't that why you go to college? To prepare yourself for the real world and to position yourself in a good position to get a decent salary? That was a pretty interesting comment, "He only entered college with money on his mind". LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 18, 2008 at 9:43 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

I think we need turn that into a hit song and have John Mayer sing it. It could be similar to "Georgia on my mind".

March 18, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tis4tim (anonymous) says...

David West has been hurt, which is why Ju Ju has been getting more PT. But, he has been playing well when given some minutes.

I'm nervous about all KU's games from here on out. Yeah, I'm even a little wary of mighty Portland State. I just hope the guys stay as loose as they were against Texas. If we play that way, even G'Town won't beat us as most of the ESPN guys have predicted.

March 18, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

speedy (anonymous) says...

what? now we should blame the loss of a natl. champ. on players who leave early? ok shame on you wilt chamberlain,paul pierce ,drew gooden, j. wright. they all left for a million dollars. who wouldn,t. too bad they wern,t giving out money back in my day for T&F.
thats todays opp. go for it!

March 18, 2008 at 10:11 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

First on Kent State - classic mid major program. They are one of only a handful of teams in the country to win 20 games each of the last ten years. They do it primarily with veteran leadership and solid play. They have a very balanced rotation (top two minute guys play 32 minutes, then nobody else plays more than 27). 9 guys play at least 12 minutes per game, so our depth probably won't wear on them as much as it would on other teams. They aren't going to put up a ton of points (only average 69 per game), but they can get their stops. As was said earlier, they will probably try to slow the game down because they cannot score in bunches and won't survive a shootout. If we play them, I don't anticipate beating them by 25, because they will try to keep the score under 70. Also, because they have played a solid non con schedule, they won't be surprised by our talent. Their depth also means that they won't get worn down by their first round game, so they should be ready for round 2.

As for UNLV, the name to know is Wink Adams. A 6-0 guard, he can flat score. He's not a great shooter, but he will put points on the board. UNLV also plays multiple guys, but their five main guys all play 25+ minutes. They are not big. Their bigs are in the 6-7, 6-8 range and they are not deep, up front particularly, so our four man big rotation can hurt them. Conversely, they may go small on us and attempt to outrun our bigs and get them (particularly Sasha and Cole) out away from the basket to exploit the quickness advantage with some of their more athletic guys against our bigger, stronger front. I think we should be able to contain Wink because we can show him 3 different looks defensively with Mario, Russell and Sherron. Brandon matches up well with their #2 scorer (Terry Curtis). The only major concern for me is that Kruger is a very good coach and will find ways to exploit his quickness advantage on our frontline versus our size advantage. Thankfully, they have to gameplan for Kent State first, so they will only have one day to prepare for us.

March 18, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tashe2 (anonymous) says...

It doesnt matter who we play...

this is our year..

rock chalk jayhawks

national champions 2008

March 18, 2008 at 11:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

live4h2o (anonymous) says...

Anyone know the game time on Saturday?

March 18, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bragill1978 (anonymous) says...

Game time is 9:25 Pacific; 10:25 Mountain; 11:25 Central; 12:25 Eastern.

Jayhawks played their best game of the year vs. Texas on Sunday. They played so well because no one hesitated on the offensive end of the floor and defensively we guarded well when we needed to. In order for use to win a national championship the boys need to continue to be aggressive on the offensive end and guard every game like the K-state game in Lawrence. I get a little worried when Chalmers and Rush start to hesitate on pulling the trigger. If they both took 10 3's a game they are going to make at least 40-50%. And even if they miss, no team can match up with our bigs on the offensive boards (when we're active).So, keep shooting the ball and guard like you've never guarded before and we'll win a National Championship.

March 18, 2008 at 12:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ralsterKUMed95 (anonymous) says...

The devil is in the details with the lower seed teams (it's right there in front of you with UNC or UCLA...), meaning that if a team is "on", even a midmajor that plays good fundamentals, and has a good bigman and a couple of good perimeter players can give almost anyone a run for their money. Think KU last year, nonconference schedule losses...and Sweet16 ugliness that is SIU ball(eventhough we won)...It's what epitomizes the 'Madness'--1 loss & you're done! Our starting 8 players have to go 100% from here on out. If Self doesnt want to run the score up in a blowout, then put in the scrubs, although they are probably capable of running up the score as well (they would all have been starters at a midmajor...). One thing Self has been VERY consistent about, and that is yanking one of the starters after a turnover or a bad decision (all season long)--it is clear he wants the starting 8 going full-bore. The only thing I dread is the days where nobody is hitting inside or the 3ball. But hopefully the guys are in a rhythm now...Go Hawks!

March 18, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

bragill1978 (anonymous) says...

Even though we have a lot of depth, we need to keep our rotation to our 8 guys.

Chalmers 35min. (starter)
Robinson 20min. (starter)
Collins 30min. (6th man)
Rush 35min (starter)
Aurthur 33min. (starter)
Jackson 25min. (starter)
Kaun 20min. (sub for defense/rebouding)
Aldrich 2min. (foul trouble only)-this # could increase if our other 3 guys are in foul trouble

March 18, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

Good article from the Oregonian:

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikingsbask...

March 18, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kansasjayhawks (anonymous) says...

if ku doesn't get to the final four there is something wrong..maybe coaching

March 18, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Nutflush21 (anonymous) says...

live4h2o- I believe Saturdays tip off is 4:50 pm.

March 18, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

leikness (anonymous) says...

Seriously, isn't the early time a good thing? 3 full days of rest, don't you want the early game so you have the best advantage for the Saturday matchup?

March 18, 2008 at 1:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Royaljayhwk (anonymous) says...

"Aurthur 33min. (starter)"? Really? LMAO! Have you watched KU this year? That is a dream if he pulls that kind of time off. Especially when they start playing more physical teams, his minutes will decline quickly. Let's just face it. He's not going to change that this year. It's too late. Let him play his style and get his points and everyone else will step up.

Rock Chalk Baby!

March 18, 2008 at 1:35 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

Cool video from Portland State

http://videos.oregonlive.com/oregonia...

March 18, 2008 at 1:36 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

leikness (anonymous) says...

Did Self speak of Kansas in the third person in the last quote there? That's kind of different.

March 18, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Jacobpaul81 (anonymous) says...

Royal,

I think that's what they played in the A&M game. Didn't you notice the 20min average for robinson....

He's actually averaging 30-32 minutes, and collins is averaging like 22.

March 18, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

bragill1978 (anonymous) says...

Bottom line is that we need to keep Collins minutes up and get Arthur as close to 30ish as possible. Cole will pick up Arthur's foul trouble minutes. With due respect to Stewart, Case and the rest of the crew, they need to stay on the bench and enjoy the ride.

March 18, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

dagger108 (anonymous) says...

If the players play smart (limit dumb fouls) and aggressive (get loose balls & rebounds) vs. ksu1, osu, 0.5nu, the B's, then we will be fine. Otherwise any given day could be very real and early.

I have gotten the sense since KSU2 that the players have that sense of urgency - well accept for the NU game. Even that game could go a long ways to preparing for PSU.

Rock Chalk

March 18, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

mtjayhawk (anonymous) says...

I'm really surprised some of you are already looking past PSU. Like I said yesterday...don't look past these guys.
I live here in the home of the U of Montana...so I get to see all the Big Sky teams when they roll through and PSU is tough. Montana took a thumping during the final regular season game here at home...they basically got freight trained by Portland.

Did you read the last comment from B. Self:
"I watched the first tape and said, 'Good gosh, how are they (only) a 16 (seed)?' They are really good. Jeremiah Dominguez ... if you are not trying to guard him, he is really fun to watch," Self said of the Big Sky player of the year, who averages 14.3 points and 4.1 assists per game."

I'm still confident the Hawks will win...but won't be a bit surprised if PSU gives us a run for the money. Everyone outside the NW thinks the Big Sky conference is a bunch of lesser players (both football and basktball) but the reality is, the Big Sky gets plenty of quality athletes who really want to play instead of riding the bench. Look at how many Big 12 football players have transfered to Big Sky teams.

And a win over KU would be a lifetime highlight for any PSU player...so I guarantee they'll be hungrier than we will be.

Just 2 cents from somebody who watches the two conferences:)

March 18, 2008 at 4:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayloco (anonymous) says...

Good point Mt. Jayhawk, but realistically, there is no way on paper, on the court or even if you played NCAA March Madness 2008 and played as PSU that this should be anything less than a double digit victory for the Hawks. I can't see any way that PSU keeps up with KU unless we have some type of drastic event, like foul trouble, someone going down injured, etc. If we play even at 75% of what we did in the Big XII tourney, this is a double digit win. I would say since no #1 has ever lost to a #16, that is the reason people are talking about UNLV and KSU. I understand your concern, but if we lose to PSU, that would have to go down as the biggest upset in college BBALL history. I think BS is just saying all the right things. If someone were to put a gun to his head, he would truthfully say there is zero probability of PSU winning on Thursday.

March 18, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ChicagoJHawk (anonymous) says...

I agree mtjayhawk. After what happened w/Bradley & Bucknell we can't overlook anyone! i think we'll win too but we can't underestimate anyone @ this point.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!! National Champs 2008!!

March 18, 2008 at 4:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

mtjayhawk (anonymous) says...

You'll notice my comment:

"I'm still confident the Hawks will win...but won't be a bit surprised if PSU gives us a run for the money. "

I agree that it would be a HUGE upset that has never before happened...I only make the comment because it really irritates me that so many seems to not be worried about PSU.

A couple of years ago Nevada probably wasn't worried about Montana. Nick Fazekis (sp?) probably still wonders what happened in that game!
Big Sky teams typically get no respect when it comes to seeding. I guarantee you...if teams from the Big Sky had a little better seeding (say #12-13) they would make a much deeper run through the tourament...instead of having to play #1's all the time and getting blasted by the N. Carolina's, Kansas's, etc.

All I'm saying is...don't be surprised if you're screaming at your TV come Friday morning.

March 18, 2008 at 4:44 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

brooksmd (anonymous) says...

Yep, JuJu got some playing time because West was hurt, but because of his performance during that period now that West is back he has continued to get playing time. His dunks are making him a fan favorite. Of course Chris Paul owns New Orleans right now. And JuJu is getting pretty good press coverage. Last week he was front and center of the sports section in the Times-Picayune with both photo and story.

March 18, 2008 at 6:11 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

swjhawk (anonymous) says...

For you Zonies, the start time is 9:25 a.m. MST (unless you're on the Navajo reservation where the start time is 10:25 a.m. MDT).

I would only offer up to the considerable discussion above that it's not so much who we play as how we play.

March 18, 2008 at 6:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

That's so true, swjhawk. The only team that can beat KU is KU. If the 'Hawks play up to their potential, I don't think there's a single team in the country that can beat them. On the other hand, if we see the sloppy, casual passes, an off day in shooting, not covering the penetration or 3's on defense, etc., they could lose to anyone. Let's just hope they're motivated and focused for all six games.

March 18, 2008 at 6:38 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kansasjayhawks (anonymous) says...

if we lose then i think it is some of the coaches to because we have only went out in the first round since bill self got here

March 18, 2008 at 9:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

bhann (anonymous) says...

Upsets happen and the last years of 1 and done has proven that! Show up and take it hard or we will get beat like OK. State did tonight with B. Eaton scoring 5 points.

At no time in the tourney can KU have any of its players have a off night, bring the "A" game!

IF we bring our "A" game like we did in the Big 12 Championship touney, well, let's say we will bringing home the championship! be hungry each and every game. no excuses!!!

March 18, 2008 at 11:21 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

wcormode (William Cormode) says...

The saturday tip time will be around 5:45 depending on when the first Omaha game ends...

March 18, 2008 at 11:48 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Is anyone keeping tabs on how much KU is running lately. It seems that for awhile now they have become pretty much a half court team, even though can still get out and fly ocassionally.

March 19, 2008 at 12:39 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

KU shot 60% from 3 against UT.

Anyone think we'll shoot back to our average?

March 19, 2008 at 12:48 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

LTCUSARet (anonymous) says...

kansasjayhawks -- give it a rest, youngster (troll, more likely...okay, young troll). When I was in school we didn't even make the Dance, didn't have a chance to win or lose in round 1.

From 1999 on only Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski have won more D1 games than Self. He'll get his NC.

For now, the focus is on beating the Vikings.

March 19, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. ( | suggest removal )