KU basketball coach Bill Self is out to win his 11th straight Big 12 title…
And the Jayhawks just might get that job done – maybe. But it will be a season long battle for Self’s solid but not overpowering ball club. That’s because he really has no big time stars this year and because of that his loses have been huge ones.
The air seemed to go out of KU’s tires after that early massacre by Kentucky (72-40). KU looked like a bunch of kids playing men. Kentucky platooned two squads against Self’s team and just walked all over Kansas.
Yes, most experts felt Kentucky was the best team out there, but KU was talked up as being a top 5 team. A team that maybe could at least battle Kentucky. The answer was clearly NO WAY. The huge loss rocked the Jayhawk faithful and it was immediately clear that without a massive and fast improvement Kansas would just be an also ran nationally.
To make matters worse Kansas was trounced by Temple weeks later (77-52) and last week took a hit from Iowa State (86-81).
Kansas still has a decent record with just the three loses, however with no big name stars they’re looking like just a good, not great team and KU fans are just not even jumping up and down about it.
In fact, sports talk radio spends hardly any time talking about KU stars like Perry Ellis (12 points per game) and Frank Mason (12 also). Wayne Seldon and Cliff Anderson both score an average of 8 point per game – not too flashy.
Here’s the big question:
Has Self basically decided to sett for two Final Fours and one national title?
Is his energy to load his squads with one and done NBA types fading? Or has it already faded?
The answer may be yes.
Many people thought Self was looking for an NBA job, but it didn’t happen.
And this is the first year in ages Self hasn’t had one or even two big names.
Names like Andrew Wiggins or Thomas Robinson.
Without those kind of stars KU’s just a solid team meriting little national attention.
Sure Kansas could get hot and win the Big 12, even end up in the Top 10 and get a second seed or thereabouts. However No. 1 looks unlikely and that’s something KU’s used to.
Kansas always gets a special look due to its pedigree.
Over the last three decades they are the area’s only National Champ that’s mattered. Self won one just six years ago and then two years ago went to the title game against Kentucky. KU lost but played well and they overachieved that season, but they did have a big star in Thomas Robinson.
Maybe Self feels like the pressure’s off for getting another Final Four.
That just winning the Big 12 is enough.
And maybe he’s right, because for now the heat on KU basketball is the lowest it’s been in many seasons. Maybe flying under the radar will help KU in the Big Dance in March.
I don’t see that though with just Ellis and Mason to save Kansas.
Onward to Okie State and that T Boone Gravy Money!!!!
Let me tell you a thing or two. No one picks on frank ganz.
he’s getting his dorms…they bought him his jet…..what more could he want.
He has an inexperienced team with no big man like ebidd (now weighing
300 lbs)…he got a five star recruit recently so he’s got a little tougher
season than in past.
The other teams have improved like iowa state and they can play
with ku and beat them.
Its just a question of his patience with building another team from
scratch. Still early but I’m sure there’s an nba team ready
to hire him in a minute. The nba season isn’t as tough…not 24/7
12 months a year (no recruiting)….you don’t have to fight the one and
dones and you don’t have to cater to high school kids with attitude.
Ku has given him what he wants…but he might need to spread his wings
in another challenge.
reportedly the cavaliers had called him but wesee where they are with
their coach.
If ku leaves who comes next in line….now that might be a fun little
game for ku hearne and his Lawrence buddies to play. And of course
there’s t boone ready to jump on him for probably a good 8-10 million
bucks plus his own ocean cruiser.
Or maybe ku is one of the 20 schools under investigation for academic
fraud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My (wishful thinking) take on this season is that he is trying to actually BUILD a championship team. A lot of fans are weary of the one and done players and never having a team that has played together for more than a year. Perhaps Self is keen on that. We have a solid team this year; we’ll have a GREAT team next year.
Yes that might be, but seems Self is not as intent on final fours. Who knows.
Two words if Self leaves … Mark Turgeon
Who the f*ck is Cliff Anderson? C’mon, Glaze. And don’t you write every year that Self is going to the NBA? I guess he could, and maybe even will, at some point but why keep stating the obvious every season?
Personally, I’m more than ready to bid adieu to Bill Self. As far as I’m concerned, OSU can have him back and waste some of T. Boone’s oil money on him down there.