If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it does it really make a sound?
In the same vein, if the NCAA didn’t release a men’s basketball tournament bracket, would anyone hear radio talk shows in early March?
Oh, it’s a relentless din we hear during conference tournaments week as the throats argue among themselves and with listeners about one seeds, two seeds, three seeds, four seeds. Everything but Johnny’s apple seeds. Then again, they’d probably talk about Johnny and his apple seeds if you called in and brought it up.
Anyway, before Kansas met Oklahoma in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament on Saturday afternoon, the throats and some print media as well were babbling that the Jayhawks were on the cusp of a two seed and a return trip to Kemper Arena next weekend.
With about 5,000 tickets for the first- and second-round NCAA games at Kemper unsold, it was reasoned that either Iowa State famed for its fan-flocking or Kansas would be sent to Kemper for ticket purposes, and since Iowa State had already been embarrassed by Baylor, well that left Kansas.
Then the Jayhawks washed up on shore against Oklahoma in Saturday’s semifinals and, all of a sudden, nobody had the faintest idea which venue Kansas would visit at the whims of the NCAA poohbahs.
“It could even be Timbuktu,” one press room wag uttered.
“Isn’t that,” another pundit countered, “somewhere near Boise?”
Not that it matters. To tell the truth, the Jayhawks will be better off if they aren’t sent to Kemper Arena. Too much pressure. Everyone would expect them to win there and, as Oklahoma proved, they aren’t bulletproof in the aging West Bottoms barn.
Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma reinforced the two nagging questions basketball observers have about Roy Williams’ 13th edition on Mount Oread.
Was Saturday’s loss just another example of what happens when Kansas faces a team that plays real defense? Oklahoma is quick and athletic, and defensive athleticism has given Kansas fits during the last couple of seasons.
Two, does Kansas have enough depth to run the NCAA two-games-in-three-days gantlet? Putting it another way, does Kansas have any depth, or where is Marlon London when you need him?
When Kenny Gregory, who fouls about as often as you see a duck on a bicycle, shockingly picked up his fifth foul with five minutes remaining Saturday, Williams replaced him with former mop-up man Brett Ballard, now the third guard by default.
Kirk Hinrich played 38 minutes on Saturday and Jeff Boschee 37. That’s too many minutes especially after each starting guard had logged about 30 minutes each the day before against Kansas State. Hinrich and Boschee would never admit it, but they had to have been weary down the stretch against Oklahoma.
Also, the OU game supplied no evidence that big men Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Eric Chenowith are bread-and-butter back-to-back performers. Gooden had two field goals in the first 4 1/2 minutes and none the rest of the way. Chenowith had three, all in the first half. Both of Collison’s two-pointers came in the second half, but he looked out of sync throughout.
If Saturday was foreshadowing, then Kansas is in serious danger of extending its skein of second-round NCAA Tournament exits to four.