KUAD Kansas tops #16 ISU postgame recap, notes


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KU students camping out for tonight's game. Best new camping group name: Cameroon Crazies. #kubball
‏@JMarchiony


Joel Embiid throws down a sweet dunk in warmups, reacts by doing a little dougie for the crowd a la John Wall. #KUbball
@Schustee19


Iowa State players all watched the pregame video. Showed McLemore's bank shot from last year.
@rustindodd


Joel Embiid is pivoting into his right shoulder and hitting baseline jumpers now. He is learning faster than the ScarJo OS in ‘Her.’
@eamonnbrennan


Embiid was going to block that shot with the right hand, so Niang went for the reverse layup, so Embiid blocked it with his left hand.
@nate_bukaty


Ppl now r seeing the guy that got all that hype @22wiggins - he is a STAR - has been sensational recently. #THEREALDEAL
@DickieV


Naadir Tharpe has had just one turnover in his last three games. Total.
By the way, think I'm doing my "Scouting Title Contenders" series on Kansas tomorrow. Jayhawks are getting scarier as the season goes on.
@jeffborzello


If Naadir Tharpe and Andrew Wiggins play this way, NO one is standing in the way of Kansas winning it all.
@GoodmanESPN


I wouldn't say John Higgins is doing a good job. I would say he's not yet ruining things.
@mickshaffer


Curtis Shaw, former Big 12 ref, assigns refs in Big 12—Higgins on every big game..
@GottliebShow


Kansas is 13-0 when leading at halftime this season
@KUGameday


1/29/14, 9:53 PM
116 decibels during the timeout #kubball
@KansanSports


Way to go Jayhawks! 7-0! Watched the whole thing w/ my KU bros @PourhouseDwnTwn in NYC! whosay.com/l/mBW7HFj
@RobRiggle


1/29/14, 10:03 PM
Death. Taxes. Kansas wins the Big 12 under Bill Self.
@JonRothstein


Move 'em. #RockChalk
@colea45


Ballgame. Even though there's still time on the clock. Conference. Even though there's still games on the schedule.
@mickshaffer


With 12 points and 12 assists, Naadir Tharpe earned his first career double-double!! #sharpetharpe #kubball
@KUGameday


In Big 12 play Kansas is making 60% of its 2s and 42% of its 3s.
@JohnGasaway


In ACC play, Jabari Parker has 117 points on 105 shots. In Big 12 play, Andrew Wiggins has 124 points on 79 shots.
@TJFsports


KANSAS BASKETBALL=FAMILY.  #Itsjustdifferent. http://instagram.com/p/jzCJvrAHWF/
@Coachjhoward

My man trey songz at the game tonite newest jayhawk fan pic.twitter.com/YT8GJ6SP1N
@CoachTownsend


@CoachTownsend you the man coach , I see you lol
@K_Ctmd22


Highlight of the night: Coach Self coming into the locker room singing "Bottoms up"
@LandenLucas33


You a big TreySongz fans? Bill Self: "Bottoms up." Later added: "I Googled it."
@rustindodd


Caught off guard. (This guy Trey Songz think he can dunk on me lol) No chance!! #JayhawkNation growin strong! pic.twitter.com/0Wjm4LG6cq
@LandenLucas33


Great win tonight for the Jayhawks! Fans showed so much love! Musta took 100 pics!!! And on top of it all my youngin is doin well.
@TreySongz

Andrew Wiggins is averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in last six games.
 @jeffborzello


Not bad for a “disappointing” freshman, huh?
@GaryParrishCBS


@GoodmanESPN Remember that time you said you’d take Aaron Craft over Andrew Wiggins? (It was like five days ago.)
@GaryParrishCBS

"I've been in this building enough as a player, as a coach, a scout, and it happens pretty much every game, they come out and hit shots early and you have to withstand it, you have to withstand the runs," Hoiberg said. "I give our guys credit for clawing back in the game."

The Cyclones pulled even for the first time when Kane buried a 3-pointer out of halftime, but the Jayhawks responded with 11 straight points to regain control. Wiggins did most of the work, hitting a long jumper and a scooping layup while also getting to the free throw line.

By that point, a packed crowd that included Kansas City Royals Billy Butler and Jeremy Guthrie and Grammy nominated musician Trey Songz was on its feet.

…Wiggins added a run-out dunk after another turnover to give the Jayhawks an 81-72 lead, and the defending Big 12 champions coasted the rest of the way to its 18th win in 19 meetings with Iowa State.

"We gave ourselves a chance," Hoiberg said, "and at the end of the day, we gave ourselves an opportunity in as tough an environment as we're going to play in."
AP

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A game of runs got away from Iowa State on a run of its own — mistakes — which No. 6 Kansas (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) used to pull away from No. 16 Iowa State (15-4, 3-4), winning 92-81.

“Just a couple untimely [turnovers] for us,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “That’s been a strength of ours all year. Our assist-to-turnover ratio is as good as anybody in the nation. A couple of critical ones there at the end of the game.”

With 3:27 left in the second half, Iowa State turned the ball over twice in a row on the inbound pass, with the latter leading to Dustin Hogue's flagrant foul on Andrew Wiggins, who finished with a career-high 29 points.

“That flagrant call was a pretty big call,” said Georges Niang. “I’m not saying it was a bad call or anything, but that’s where they took off.”

The foul proved to be the spark the tinderbox Phog Allen Fieldhouse needed to combust.

On the next possession, Wiggins tipped in fellow teammate and potential NBA Lottery Pick Joel Embiid’s miss. It wasn’t 15 seconds later when the Cyclones turned it over for the fourth consecutive possession, and Wiggins found himself streaking on a breakaway layup, extending an 8-0 run over 78 seconds and spiking Phog Allen Fieldhouse into a 116-decibel frenzy.

“It was a big play,” Hoiberg said. “It goes from three to seven — and in the last three minutes — and I think we miss an open look the next time down, and then they got it up to double digits. It was a big play.”

…“I told them that after the game to make sure no one walks out of the building with their head down,” Hoiberg said. “We’re not about morale wins; obviously it should bother them, but at the same time they fought for 40 minutes, they battled and again we had a chance in a building that not many people walk out of with a win.”
Iowa State Daily


On a night when KU’s starters scored all but six of the Jayhawks’ points in a 92-81 shootout, Hoiberg credited backup guard Frank Mason for a critical 3-pointer late in the game. The trey was one of a season-best 10 the Jayhawks canned on a season-most 22 attempts.

To an extent, Kansas played Iowa State’s game – extended out to the perimeter, at a fast pace. The Cyclones even drove it more in the second half to hang tough after rallying with long-range target practice just before halftime.

Still, the Jayhawks won. Again. For the seventh time in as many Big 12 starts.

Bill Self continues to insist his team has done nothing to set the aforementioned table.

“We haven’t done anything yet. All we did was win at home,’’ said the KU coach.

Nonetheless, his young squad is improving to the extent that opponents can impose their own tempo, and will, and still get beat because Kansas is getting that good.

…Quietly, Perry Ellis added 20 points and keyed KU’s strong start. Wayne Selden added 11. Both Naadir Tharpe and Joel Embiid recorded double-doubles. Embiid is like no other player in the land and will likely get a triple-double sometime the way he blocks shots. Tharpe won’t threaten a triple-double, but his 39 assists against 12 turnovers in conference play suggests he won’t throw the ball away 10 times, either.

“We’re getting hard to guard because we’re able to score in all five spots,’’ Self said. “It’s easier to guard a team when you have to defend three spots, or four spots, and you have one guy as a rover and one guy as a help guy, things like that.

“That’s why Iowa State is hard to guard, because you’ve got to defend all five spots and they can stretch it. We’re obviously not a perimeter shooting team like Iowa State, but we did shoot it well. When the ball moves, it doesn’t stick and we’re getting rotation, we are fairly hard to guard.’’
TCJ Haskin


Maybe this latest performance from Wiggins is what Self envisioned — at least for a night. What else could Wiggins do on Wednesday night against Iowa State? Here he was in the final minutes, driving into the lane and drawing an intentional foul. Then finishing a tip-in follow in traffic. Then throwing down a two-handed slam in transition after a Kansas steal.

It was Wiggins taking over, going into alpha-dog mode with the game in the balance, closing out the 16th-ranked Cyclones with a six-point burst in No. 6 Kansas' 92-81 victory on Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

…Moments later, after Wiggins hit two free throws, he added another bucket on an athletic follow layup. Just like that, a three-point lead had turned into a 79-72 advantage with three minutes left. One possession later, Wiggins finished the run with a two-handed slam in transition. By Wiggins standards, it was a pretty standard jam.

“Better safe than sorry,” Wiggins said.

Of course, the Jayhawks, 16-4, become even scarier when you glance at the numbers beyond Wiggins. Sophomore forward Perry Ellis added 20 points on eight-of-12 shooting, while junior guard Naadir Tharpe managed the game with 12 points and 12 assists. And managed might be the right word.

“I always go to him for advice,” Wiggins said after the game. “That’s what we need in a point guard.”

“His ability to get the ball to guys where they can score,” Self said, “it’s getting better all the time."

…“He’s just going out there and just playing basketball,” Tharpe said. “At the beginning, I talked to him about this a lot. He was going out there trying to think, trying to make everybody else happy. And that’s not what he needs to do. He needs to just play for himself and play for the team.”
KC Star

Wiggins showed his personality in trading comments with various Cyclones through the game.

“It wasn’t trash talk. I know a lot of them. It was just friendly chit-chat,” Wiggins said with a smile.
He was hit hard up high by Dustin Hogue with 3:27 left and KU leading, 75-72. Wiggins swished two intentional foul shots, then followed a missed shot by Joel Embiid (14 points, 11 rebounds) with a stickback layup, giving the Jayhawks (16-4, 7-0) a comfy 79-72 lead at 3:09.

“I did,” Wiggins said, asked if he thought the Hogue hit deserved to be called an intentional foul.
“Just the way I felt after (getting hit). I felt something was wrong,” he added, again with a big smile.

KU coach Bill Self jogged toward the players after that intentional foul call, hoping to restore order.

“Somebody gets knocked down and a teammate goes to stand up for him and there can be pushing and shoving. We’re not the most mature group in the world. A couple times in that situation we have played a role in double technicals. I didn’t want that to happen,” Self said.

…Perry Ellis scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Tharpe had 12 points to go with his 12 assists. Wayne Selden had 11 points.

Frank Mason had three points. The freshman guard cashed a huge three with 7:21 left, upping a 68-63 lead to eight points.

“I was excited for Frank,” Self said. “Frank’s boy (Trey Songz, recording artist) was in the house. I thought he was a little nervous when he saw him. Trey came to see Frank tonight. He was sitting in the front row. Frank may have been a little nervous, but that was a big shot and he made a couple of bad plays  prior to that and needed that for his confidence.”

Mason said he’s known Songz for seven years.

“We had a talk and he decided he was going to come out and support me,” Mason said. “We went to the same high school. This was his first time seeing me in college. I wouldn’t say I was nervous, but it felt a little different,” Mason added.

Does he have a favorite Songz song?

“All of ‘em,” Mason said.

…Conner Frankamp and Tarik Black did not play in the game.

“Conner hurt his knee two days ago. He couldn’t practice yesterday or today. X-rays were negative. It’s a bruised knee,” Self said. “I’m not overly optimistic he’ll be back tomorrow. He’s day to day. Tarik (ankle sprain) might have played. It would have been a tough game, a guy on one leg chasing (Georges) Niang.”

This, that: Billy Butler and Jeremie Guthrie of the Kansas City Royals attended. ...  A fan in the student section had maybe the sign of the year that read: “I Kissed Frankamp in 8th grade.” Frankamp was shown laughing on the video board as the picture was shown.
LJW

Welcome to the new life of Bill Self.

For the better part of the last decade, the Kansas coach has dominated Big 12 teams with a smothering defense. The Jayhawks would win when they played well, and they’d win when they didn’t, simply because Self’s teams were going to hunker down and not let the opponent score on either occasion.

On Wednesday night, the sixth-ranked Jayhawks never really stopped No. 16 Iowa State. They simply outscored the Cyclones.

That — along with strong offensive play from ISU — was the reason Self wasn’t comfortable most of the night despite never trailing in KU’s 92-81 victory at Allen Fieldhouse.

"After the 10-minute mark (of the first half), we haven't played a team that played better than that this year," Self said. "They're so hard to guard, and they create matchup problems."

Here’s the good news for KU: The Jayhawks once again featured an offense that displays the potential to be as good as any in the nation.

The Jayhawks received their second straight breakout effort from Andrew Wiggins, who put in a career-high with 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting after putting in a then-career-high 27 in KU’s previous game Saturday at TCU.

"I hope this one only lasts for three days," Self said. "He shot the ball well tonight. He did a lot of good things."

…"They shot 48 percent in our building, but the bottom line is, I don't know that we defended them that poorly," Self said. "They are good. They are really good, and you have to score points in order to beat them."

KU did, holding on late with help from a 19-9 game-ending run while scoring on each of their last nine possessions.

Perry Ellis contributed 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while Joel Embiid (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Naadir Tharpe (12 points, 12 career-high-tying assists) added double-doubles.

"I knew I had to get dudes involved and get them going," Tharpe said. "That is the most important thing. I was just trying to draw defenders and find the open man, and they were knocking down shots."
TCJ


Wiggins hit 10 of 16 field goals — including 4 of 6 from behind the arc — and 5 of 6 free throws to go along with seven rebounds in 34 minutes.

“The thing about it is, he still only took 16 shots,” Self said after the game. “It’s not like he’s hunting shots. He’s going to have a game where he gets 21 or 22 looks, and (if) he shoots the ball like that — he could have a really big night.”

“I’ve said all along that his numbers were going to go up as he gets more comfortable,” Self added.   “And it just appears to me to be more comfortable. He’s certainly being more aggressive.”

As for Wiggins, he acknowledged being more comfortable, saying things are slowing down on the court. But, as he tends to do, the freshman quickly deflected the attention.

“Naadir (Tharpe) had 12 assists today,” Wiggins said. “He was looking to get the whole team involved and that’s what it’s about.”

No question. But back to Self’s analysis, which — distilled a bit — says there’s still more out there for Wiggins. Not a good thing to hear for the folks sitting on the opposing bench.

“He's so aggressive right now, and you can tell he’s oozing with confidence,” ISU coach Fred Hoiberg said. “That's scary.”

…With 3:27 to play at KU clinging to a 75-72 lead, Wiggins was intentionally fouled by Dustin Hogue as he attacked the basket and sunk both free throws. On the ensuing possession, Wiggins swooped in and put back a Joel Embiid miss to push the margin to 77-72 with 3:06 to play.

Then, as Tharpe came up with a steal and flipped the ball up court, the 16,300 fans rose as the 6-foot-8 forward glided under the pass, soared toward the rim and banged home a dunk that helped bury the Cyclones for good.

“I was just trying to make the safe basket,” Wiggins said through a grin, “Two points is two points at the end of the day.
TCJ


No matter how hot your primary scorer might sizzle — and make no mistake, Andrew Wiggins played a terrific game Wednesday night versus Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse — you don’t consistently win tough games without a tough point guard steering it to the finish line.

Junior Naadir Tharpe, Kansas University’s first-year starter, has blossomed into just that — a tough point guard who loves running a show that rightly has younger, louder names screaming from the marquee.

Yet, Tharpe’s was the first name to come out of the mouth of Wiggins when asked about setting a career-scoring high for the second game in a row.

…Tharpe fell four rebounds short of a triple-double, producing a dozen points and assists and a half-dozen rebounds. He had the ball in his hands a great deal in 36 minutes and had just one turnover.

All night, he knew right where to go with the ball and very often that was to KU’s two leading scorers. He was credited with an assist on five Perry Ellis (20 points) buckets and four Wiggins (29) field goals, the last coming when Tharpe stole the ball at Iowa State’s end of the floor and pitched ahead to Wiggins for a dunk.

A point guard, more than anybody, has to make his free throws at the end of games because he’s the one who will be fouled more than anybody else. Tharpe went 4 for 4 from the line, all in the final 1:07.

…“He has always been a good leader,” Wiggins said. “His leadership role is going through the roof. Whenever I have a question on the court, or second-guess something, I always go to him for advice. He is getting us all involved, and that is what we need from our point guard.”

Tharpe consistently is giving the team what it needs.
LJW

Iowa State did shoot better — 48 percent from the floor and 10-of-26 from three-point range. Much better, in fact. But so did Kansas, which shot 52 percent from the floor and fought off several Cyclone charges in the final 30 minutes to win, 92-81, and improve to 16-4 overall and 7-0 in Big 12 play.

“I think we did everything better tonight than we did at home,” said ISU's Georges Niang, who led the Cyclones with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting. “Tonight we were back to our old selves.”

…“We got down early, but we battled back,” Niang said. “They made some tough shots to beat us, so kudos to them. They played a hell of a game, especially (Andrew) Wiggins.”
LJW


LJW Keegan Ratings: Andrew Wiggins tops ratings again


“He has played well against Iowa State,” one veteran NBA scout said of Wiggins. “[Joel] Embiidstill goes ahead of him in the Draft….He is a center, which is harder to find.”

Said a second NBA scout: “[Wiggins] and his teammate have the best upside – 1-2.”

Asked who he would take No. 1, the second scout said, “I still say Wiggins, but most people like the big fella.”
Zags Blog


6. Joel Embiid (Kansas): On Wednesday night, I looked up from my laptop early in Kansas’s 92-81 home win over Iowa State just in time to see Embiid take the ball on the left block, engage with the post defender, pivot toward the baseline into his right shoulder and sink a tidy little 6-foot turnaround jumper. It’s possible Embiid has made that exact shot before, but I haven’t seen it. It may have been the first time he attempted it. Here’s the point: This happens all the time. You put your head down for a minute, and then you look up, and Embiid is putting into practice something that even most good college big men can't do with decades of camps at their back. Oh, and he blocks 12.2 percent of opponents' shots, too. So there's that.

10. Andrew Wiggins, Kansas: Here’s the thing about Wiggins: He has been pretty good for most of the season. He hasn't been LeBron James 2.0. He hasn't been perfectly consistent from game to game. But a baseline, his all-around, all-court performance has been immensely solid. Now -- with 56 points in his past two games, 29 of which came Wednesday against Iowa State -- we're starting to see some of the brilliance that had NBA scouts so excited. If he keeps it up, and Kansas keeps looking like the Non-Arizona, Non-Syracuse Team Most Likely To Win The National Title, we'll be discussing him more in the future.
Besides, Julius Randle had his worst game of the season at LSU (3-of-11, six points, five rebounds) Tuesday, and Marcus Smart hasn't played all that well of late. Also, he's being punished for excessive flops. It's Wooden Watch, not Wooden Flops, am I right? OK, we’ll stop now.
ESPN Wooden Watch



For centuries, it was he who laughs last, laughs longest. Well, the joke's on you, sucker. Now the Earth belongs to he who laughs first, then gets retweeted 57 times, LOL and SMH.

Wiggins drops nine at Oklahoma. Boom! Over-rated.

Wiggins drops 22 on Kansas State. Boom! No. 1 pick again.

Wiggins drops three against Oklahoma State. Boom! Expletive the bandwagon-jumpers!

Wiggins drops 29 on Iowa State Wednesday night. Boom! Double-expletive the bandwagon haters!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Stop. Please.

Just. Stop.
Fox Sports Keeler

Former KU director of basketball, Doc Sadler, is in his first year as full-time assistant on Hoiberg’s staff.

KU coach Bill Self was asked this week on his Hawk Talk radio show if there was a concern Sadler would know everything there is to know about KU’s program and possible game plan.

“The answer is a positive, no. That’s not a concern at all,” Self said. “I see things a little differently. If somebody sacrifices their time and energy and efforts to allow us to be better by working with us, then I should support them in any endeavor that could better them.

“So it makes absolutely no difference to me. If Doc stole all our trade secrets, that means we need to be more clever trying to figure out how to beat them. It doesn’t have anything to do with anybody stealing inside information. ... Kyle Keller (former KU video coordinator) left here for Texas A&M. We’ve had other coaches leave. I don’t see any negatives with that. If we were so nervous about that all the time, then the people who worked with us would never have the same opportunity to be promoted like I have. Coach Sutton (Eddie, former Oklahoma State head coach and Self’s boss) could have said, ‘I don’t want you to take the job. We play you.’ That’d be a selfish thing to say. I don’t think like that.”

Of Sadler, Self added: “Doc is enjoying himself in large part because Fred is really a good guy.”

…Hoiberg was asked in advance of the game what he does with his team when KU plays its historic pre-game video, the one in which the fans go crazy when Mario Chalmers hits the three to tie the 2008 NCAA title game against Memphis.

“I wait until it’s over,” Hoiberg said. “I tried that one year. Nobody could hear a word I was saying so we waited until that thing was over.”
LJW

3. Kansas

Kansas blew out TCU in its only game this week, which raises an important question: How the hell did Kansas lose at TCU last season? I still can’t wrap my mind around it. TCU is 2-23 all time in the Big 12, and one of those wins came against a fifth-ranked team that won its ninth straight Big 12 title and earned a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament later that year? Huh? I know the upset was a big deal when it happened, but it was such a freak occurrence that I think we should still be talking about it. TCU should hang a “We Beat Kansas” banner in its rafters. Hell, Missouri should hang a “TCU Beat Kansas” banner in its rafters.

Anyway, after essentially getting a week off, Kansas has another tough stretch of games coming up, starting Wednesday night at home against Iowa State. Although, if Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid keep playing as well as they have (Wiggins’s game against Oklahoma State notwithstanding), I’m not sure it matters who is on the Jayhawks’ schedule. Jabari Parker is throwing his hat back into the ring with three straight double-doubles, but I still think if the NBA draft were held today, Embiid and Wiggins would essentially be locks to go no. 1 and no. 2. Which brings me to this stat: Every NCAA team that has had the top two picks in that year’s draft on its roster has won the national championship. Sure, the only time that ever happened was in 2012 with Kentucky, but if I learned anything in my 12th-grade Advanced Placement stats class, it’s that a sample size of one is plenty big enough to extrapolate from.
Grantland Titus’s Top 12 Power Rankings


My early Final 4 predictions: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State & Wichita State
@trigonis30

After being waived by the New Orleans Pelicans, Tyshawn Taylor was claimed off waivers by the Maine Red Claws, per D-League Digest.
@AdamZagoria


I recently got a copy of Wooden: A Coach’s Life by @SethDavisHoops, and am enjoying reading about John Wooden as a young man.

As a Kansas alum, I was surprised to find this anecdote about Wooden and some friends leaving Indiana in 1928 to look for summer work:

"Eventually, they made it to Lawrence, Kansas, where John asked the University of Kansas’ forty-one-year-old coach Phog Allen, for help finding work. Allen got Wooden’s crew a job pouring concrete for the new football stadium. The coach had ulterior motives. Allen knew full well about Wooden’s basketball exploits, and he tried to convince him to move to Lawrence and eventually play for Kansas. Wooden declined and headed back to Martinsville."

Fascinating for several reasons. First, the setup for the story is that Wooden left town because he was angry that his girlfriend (and eventually wife) Nellie was dating another boy. We have to assume that his desire to go home and win her back played a part in him turning down Phog Allen. How close did John Wooden come to being a Jayhawk? We’ll never know.

Second, the Jayhawk football team still plays in Memorial Stadium. So John Wooden - in my mind the greatest college basketball coach to ever live - helped build the stadium Kansas fans still sit in today.

Third, how amazing is it that in 1928, the way to a prized recruit’s heart was to get him a back-breaking job pouring concrete? Can you imagine?
http://stormingthefloor.net/post/75043684156/i-recently-got-a-copy-of-wooden-a-coachs-life-by

Vote for Ben McLemore


VOTE for Kansas fans at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest


VOTE for Coach Self & his Assists Foundation (currently 22nd out of 48 coaches!)


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

The fun part has been watching these freshmen figure out how to correct their flaws. If they've had one common thread it's that their lows don't stay there. These guys are finding ways to get better.
Don't take my word for it. See for yourself.

Saturday presents a rare opportunity to catch arguably the nation's six best freshmen college basketball players in action on the same day.

Randle will start things off as Kentucky travels to face Missouri at 1 p.m. ET. Kansas featuring forward Andrew Wiggins and center Joel Embiid are up next at 4 p.m. when they play at Texas. Both Duke's Parker and Syracuse guard Tyler Ennis will face off before a capacity crowd of more than 34,000 at the Carrier Dome at 6:30 p.m. Arizona's Aaron Gordon rounds out the day as the Wildcats take to the road against California at 10:30 p.m.
ESPN Resetting the Year of the Freshman


On Wayne Selden Jr., freshman guard, Kansas

There’s no question that he needs to come back for his sophomore year. Right now, when you think of Kansas, you think of Wiggins and Embiid. Selden hasn’t done anything to stand out. What’s his niche offensively? He hasn’t shown that he’s a great shooter.

I’d heard that he’s a power guard that likes to use his body to attack the lane and get to the rim, and maybe he does, but he hasn’t shown that yet, either. It’s not all his fault. He’s in a tough spot having to play with so many other NBA-caliber players. The book on him is still open, in my opinion. I think he’ll be a completely different player by this time next year. Is he a pro? Yes, but not yet."

This Week's Grades

…F: Marcus Smart’s flopping: Oklahoma State’s point guard has long been admired for his passion and work ethic. But his continuous habit of blatantly falling during games isn’t very funny anymore. I actually believe the problem has become so noticeable that it’s damaging Smart’s reputation.
Jason King: Who should stay, who should go


And then there is Kansas. In November and December, the Jayhawks’ offense had whole stretches where it just looked downright bad, which was surprising, given that it had freshman Andrew Wiggins, one of the great young basketball talents in recent years, on the wing.

Look at KU now: Center Joel Embiid, who started playing basketball two years ago, has morphed into the sport’s best big man on both ends of the floor. Wiggins has posted two back-to-back career-high scoring nights -- 27 points, and then 29 -- in the Jayhawks’ past two games. On Wednesday, in Kansas’ 92-81 win over Iowa State, KU averaged 1.23 points per possession. That number is just a tick higher than its average output against Big 12 opponents to date. It’s an offense so good it almost doesn’t matter how often it turns the ball over, which is still probably too much. But who cares? A month ago, Kansas was supposed to yield the Big 12 title for the first time in nine years. Now it’s the easy favorite to win a 10th.

Wednesday basically summarized everything you need to know about the 2013-14 season: There are a handful of great teams, at least a dozen realistic Final Four contenders, as much young talent as the sport has seen in at least a decade, and the usual dizzying unpredictability that makes college basketball so much fun year in and year out.

So, yeah, if you’re a “casual fan” -- if you’re the type of person who spent most of your week catching up on all the latest Lynch “distraction” buzz -- then you should know you’ve missed a lot. But you should also know the best six freshmen in the country are all playing on Saturday. You should know that the Big Ten is tilting on its gloriously weird axis. You should know that not one but three teams will enter February undefeated. And you should know that Doug McDermott is chasing a historic 3,000 career points mark, and that you can set your browser to bookmark Creighton’s remaining schedule here.

That’s the good news, casual fan: You might have missed a lot, but there’s so much more to come. As one NFL player might -- or might not -- say, college basketball is in beast mode. And you made it just in time.
ESPN Brennan


If the Big Ten really is the best conference in college basketball, then it's time for the SEC football argument.

You know it. It's the one where the depth of a conference matters almost as much as its elite teams, the one where losing proves how good a conference is.

Now, this might be tough, because the SEC had seven straight national titles to fall back on prior to this season, and that kind of thing makes it easier to claim that, say, Mississippi State beating Florida in 2010 is a plus.

The Big Ten has one national title in basketball, Michigan State in 2000, in the last 24 years. So this may be a harder point to make. (Also, if anyone has seen Ohio State shoot, this may involve quite a sales job.)

But the bottom of the conference is better. The bottom is legitimately better.
Cleveland Plain Dealer


At long last, the NCAA has reached a conclusion in the case of Florida freshman Chris Walker. The organization announced Wednesday that Walker has been suspended for 12 games and he's cleared to return in UF's home game Tuesday vs. Missouri.

Why? Well, Walker apparently received $270 from two different agents while he was playing AAU basketball during his high-school years. He also got free food, free airfare and hotel lodging from three different people. For this, he must perform 80 hours of community service. The NCAA also indicated that associates of Walker were provided free airfare for eight different trips for his AAU team.

My only question: What big-time high-school recruit doesn't receive all of the benefits listed above?

Anyway, we all know how incompetent the NCAA is, so that's not a big shocker. The good news for Florida is that there's finally a resolution to this mess.

“I appreciate all the support from UF, Coach Donovan and my teammates, and I'm looking forward to helping the team any way I can,” Walker said in a statement.

Walker is a McDonald's All-American who led Holmes Co. High School to a state title in Florida last year. He was admitted to school in early December and has been practicing with the team since then.

ESPN.com's NBA Draft guru Chad Ford has had Walker as the No. 22 pick in his latest mock for the upcoming draft. However, nobody should expect him to come in and have a huge impact, especially on the offensive end.

Walker is raw offensively and he only has 215 pounds on a 6-10 frame. He has added 10 pounds since joining the team.

What Walker can do immediately is provide a shot-blocking presence and rebound. If he can become a reserve big that can play 15-20 minutes, block a few shots, grab some rebounds and provide a few garbage buckets, then Billy Donovan will be thrilled.

Without Walker, Florida is a serious Final Four contender, one that has only lost at Wisconsin and at UConn. In both of those defeats, the Gators were playing without key players. All of those guys are healthy now and here comes Walker into the mix.
Link


Big XII composite schedule (includes results, highlights, stats)


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

Wow it's a blessing to be named McDonald's all-American
@humblekid11


Truly blessed to participate in the #McDAAG , I'm still hungry tho #FreeBigMacs #letsgetthismoney
@K_Ctmd22

1/29/14, 6:42 PM
You ready to turn up bro ? @K_Ctmd22
@humblekid11


@humblekid11 turn up in yo city one time bro
@K_Ctmd22


1/29/14, 7:06 PM
@K_Ctmd22 got to then go to Lawrence & turn up out there
@humblekid11


@humblekid11 you already know Killa
@K_Ctmd22

McDonald’s official press release

• January 29 - Team Selection Show on ESPNU, 5pm CT
• March 17 - Player of the Year Announcement
• March 29 - Game Week Begins / Player Arrivals
• March 30 - RMHC Visit
• March 31 - POWERADE Jam Fest, 8pm CT
• April 1 - Media Day and Players Awards Banquet
• April 2 - 2014 McDonald's All American Games:
• - Girls Game on ESPNU, 6pm CT
• - Boys Game on ESPN, 8:30pm CT

http://www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com/aag/en/home.html


East team

Cliff Alexander, 6-9 PF, Chicago Curie Kansas (Rivals rank: 4)

James Blackmon, 6-3 SG, Marion (Ind.) High Indiana (23)

Justin Jackson, 6-7 SF, Houston HCYA North Carolina (10)

Tyus Jones, 6-1 PG, Apple Valley (Minn.) High Duke (5)

Kevon Looney, 6-9 PF, Milwaukee Hamilton UCLA (13)

Theo Pinson, 6-6 SF, High Point (N.C.) Wesleyan North Carolina (19)

D'Angelo Russell, 6-4 SG, Montverde (Fla.) Academy Ohio State (21)

Karl Towns, 6-11 C, Metuchen (N.J.) St. Joseph Kentucky (11)

Romelo Trimble, 6-2 SG, Alexandria (Va.) Bishop O'Connell Maryland (36)

Myles Turner, 6-10 C, Euless (Texas) Trinity Undecided (6)

Isaiah Whitehead, 6-4 SG, Brooklyn Lincoln Seton Hall (14)

Justise Winslow, 6-6 SF, Houston St. John's Duke (9)

West team

Grayson Allen, 6-4 SG, Jacksonville Providence Duke (34)

Joel Berry, 6-0 PG, Orlando Lake Highland North Carolina (25)

Devin Booker, 6-5 SG, Moss Point (Miss.) High Kentucky (30)

Stanley Johnson, 6-7 SF, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei Arizona (3)

Trey Lyles, 6-9 PF, Indianapolis Arsenal Tech Kentucky (8)

Emmanuel Mudiay, 6-4 PG, Dallas Prime Prep SMU (2)
J
ahlil Okafor, 6-11 C, Chicago Whitney Young Duke (1)

Kelly Oubre, 6-7 SF, Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep Kansas (12)

Reid Travis, 6-8 PF, Minneapolis De La Salle Stanford (40)

Tyler Ulis, 5-9 PG, Chicago Heights (Ill.) Marian Catholic Kentucky (33)

Rashad Vaughn, 6-5 SG, Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep Undecided (7)

Thomas Welsh, 6-11 C, Los Angeles Loyola UCLA (52)



Three potential matchups that immediately jump out.

The first one is a potential in-game battle between current No. 1 Okafor and one of the people pushing him for that top spot, Alexander. They will both be playing in front of a hometown crowd at the United Center and they both play differing styles of low-post basketball. It will be Okafor's skill and size against Alexander's power and raw athleticism.

The next matchup that we really hope to see is one between the nation's top two point guards. Current No. 2 Mudiay and No. 5 Jones matched up some during the Elite 24 with Mudiay getting the upper hand (though Jones team got the win). Hopefully, we will get a more extended look this time around. Mudiay has the size and athleticism, while Jones has long been thought by some to have an edge in the skill department.

Next, we are curious to see the West's Oubre go against former summer teammates Jackson and Winslow. We saw what they could do together as a terrific trio on the Houston Hoops. Now we are interested to see what happens when Oubre gets a chance to go against a pair of former teammates that he could pass in the rankings after the other two got more early attention.

…There are only two undecided players who will be competing in the McDonald's All-American game. No. 6 Turner and No. 7 Vaughn are both still available. Turner is considering the likes of Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas and others while Vaughn is still considering UNLV, Iowa State, North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky.

By current ranking, the highest ranked eligible players to not make the game were No. 15 Dwayne Morgan, No. 18 Daniel Hamilton, No. 22 Jaquan Lyle and No. 24 Keita Bates-Diop.
Rivals McDonald’s Notes



3. The best athletes in the country go head to head

Stanley Johnson and Kelly Oubre (West) vs. Theo Pinson and Justise Winslow (East)
These four elite athletes make plays on both ends of the floor with their physical gifts and also bring versatility and skill to the game. We are looking at multidimensional players who bring all different kinds of dynamic athleticism to the game. Johnson (Arizona) looks like a mini-LeBron James with his power drives and high motor. At 6-foot-7, Oubre (Kansas) has a 7-1 wingspan and the explosiveness to finish on the break or catch a lob at the rim. On defense, he can rack up steals and is also a great position shot blocker. Pinson (UNC) has long been known as a great athlete with versatility and will finish plays with highlight dunks. Winslow (Duke) is strong, smart and defensive-minded and is one of the few who can influence this game without needing shots.


4. Kentucky vs. Kansas at PF

Trey Lyles (West) vs. Cliff Alexander (East)
This is what the future of the Kansas vs. Kentucky power forward matchup will look like. Alexander (Kansas) has been destroying the competition and in his senior season with his physically imposing frame and athletic ability. His effort running the floor, rebounding and blocking shots has been constant -- nobody can finish a play quite like Big Cliff. His matchup with Lyles (Kentucky), however, will be a challenge because Lyles is extremely skilled and will use a series of shot fakes inside and face-up jumpers on the perimeter to keep Alexander off balance. Lyles must box out Alexander on every possession to negate his power and explosion.
ESPN ($)


Even though Kelly Oubre Jr always knew how good he was, it never bothered the dynamic 6-7 wing that no one else did until recently. As he says, his sole concern has always been “getting better each and every day, regardless of the outside noise.” You see, Oubre is a refreshingly old-fashioned teenager; he’s a top-ranked player who refuses to entertain the extreme attitude and toxic entitlement that largely defines the culture of high school basketball today. “My whole life, I’ve only had one focus,” says Oubre. “And that’s working toward becoming the best player I can be. I don’t buy into the hype because I never want to plateau. I know I’ve got a long way to go, and a lot of work to put in before I reach my goals.”

Oubre, who was born in New Orleans but relocated to Houston because of Hurricane Katrina, blew up this past summer. Boasting breathtaking bounce, a smooth lefty J and the versatility to defend three positions, Oubre received All-Star honors at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June, then rocked the Nike EYBL circuit throughout July as the centerpiece of a stacked Houston Hoops squad.

Currently the leader of national powerhouse Findlay Prep in Nevada, Oubre has the makings of a future professional, both on and off the court. The first test comes next season, when he’ll be tasked with filling an enormous, Wiggins-sized void in Kansas. If Oubre’s focus and talent are any indication, though, he should be up for it. “My goal is to get to Kansas, supersede every other freshman in the country and make the NBA,” says Oubre. “I’ll have big shoes to fill, but I’m a fighter, and I have a lot of confidence in my abilities. If I play unselfish basketball and continue to work on my game, I’ll be ready for the challenge.”
SLAM


Cox Sports’ Adam Finkelstein caught all the action at last week’s Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, MA, recapping impressive performances by some of the top players in the 2014 class.  Some names that college hoop fans will come to know very well next year flashed their potential showing why they were so sought after in recruiting, including No. 1 Overall Jahlil Okafor (Duke), No. 3 Cliff Alexander (Kansas), No. 5 Emmanuel Mudiay (SMU), No. 6 Karl Towns (Kentucky), No. 9 Stanley Johnson (Arizona), No. 10 Kelly Oubre (Kansas).  LSU commit Ben Simmons, No. 4 in the Class of 2015 also stood out and showed why many consider him a future NBA player.
VIDEO


The five Texans on the boys’ roster far surpassed the output of any other state. Illinois and Minnesota each produced three All Americans. Only California (5) produced more girls’ All Americans than four from Texas.
http://houston.cbslocal.com/2014/01/29/texas-well-represented-with-mcdonalds-all-americans/


Join our live chat w/ Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) Thur @ 7 EST & ask him your burning questions (@USATODAYhss): socialhub.usatodayhss.com/component/k2/i…
@JayJayUSATODAY


There wasn’t any fanfare Wednesday night when Euless Trinity center Myles Turner was chosen to the McDonald’s All American East team.

He hopped in the car with family members and drove to a downtown Fort Worth hotel where his mother works. Turner, who tweeted about the McDonald’s possibility beforehand, watched in the hotel’s restaurant as he was selected to the team along with 23 others.

…“That’s really just how I wanted it to be; family is what’s most important to me,” Turner said. “I was looking forward to it, but I think my mom was more so, and I wanted to make certain we could all share it.”

…Turner is still undecided about where he’ll play college basketball next season, with numerous offers on the table.

He confirmed that it was still his plan to make that decision later in April but left open the possibility of doing so at or around the McDonald’s game.

“I don’t look at it as pressure at all,“ Turner said. “As far as what I end up doing, where I go, I’m an open book and I’m going to let the chips fall where they may. I really like the idea of playing four years and getting my degree is what I would do. But if the opportunity presented itself and I develop like I think I can, I could see being one and done also.”
FW Star Telegram


Recruiting Calendar


My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk

Andrew Wiggins is the @CBSSports/USBWA Freshman of the Week
For the third straight week, a Kansas player has earned National Freshman of the Week. This time it's Andrew Wiggins
@jeffborzello

For the third straight week, a Kansas player is the winner of the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week.

And this time, it's the one we expected the entire season.

Andrew Wiggins entered college with more hype than any player in recent memory, compared to the superstars of the NBA, from LeBron James to Kevin Durant to Paul George. All the comparisons were unfair to Wiggins, who showed his supreme talent time after time on the high school and AAU levels -- but was entering a balanced Kansas team that also features at least two or three other possible first-round picks. As a result, the expectations were skewed in the preseason.

For most freshmen, averaging 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds -- while also showing flashes of being a lockdown perimeter defender -- through three months of the season would be terrific. For Wiggins, some people look at as a disappointment. They're waiting for him to truly break out and be the next-level talent they heard about back in October.

If last week is any indication, that could be coming soon.

In two games last week, Wiggins averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists, as Kansas knocked off Baylor and TCU. The highlight was his performance against TCU, in which Wiggins went for 27 points, five rebounds and five assists, knocking down two 3-pointers and shooting 8-for-13 from the field. That was on the heels of a 17-point, seven-rebound effort in a home win over Kansas.
In the contest with the Bears, most of Wiggins' offense came via the free-throw stripe; he showed the same inconsistent aggressiveness and assertiveness that he's demonstrated at times this season. But he certainly showed the ability to take over a game against TCU.

Things are looking positive for Wiggins. He has scored at least 17 points in four of his last five games, including going for 22 against Kansas State and the outstanding 17-point, 19-rebound performance against Iowa State two weeks ago.
CBS

Off to a 6-0 start in Big 12 Conference play for the third straight season and sixth time in the 11-year Bill Self era, Kansas University’s basketball team now moves on to the next portion of the 18-game schedule.

“Our next three games are what we are focusing on,” Self said of Wednesday’s 8 p.m. home game against Iowa State, followed by Saturday’s 3 p.m. contest at Texas and Tuesday’s 6 p.m. battle at Baylor.

“We try to take ‘em one at a time. We (also) break them up into short segments. We’re breaking our next one into a three-game situation because we play three teams — Baylor has been in the top 10, Texas will be ranked (25th) this week and Iowa State has been in the top 10, and two of the games are away from home. That’s a tough stretch,” Self added.
LJW


Kansas coach Bill Self provided injury updates on a pair of his big men during his Hawk Talk radio show on Monday night.

That included freshman center Joel Embiid, whose knee injury from Saturday’s 91-69 victory at TCU was more severe than previously thought.

“Joel did sprain his knee against TCU, but certainly not enough that it kept him from practicing (Monday). He should be fine,” Self said. “I watched it on tape. I didn’t know it looked bad, but it looked bad during the game if you watched it. Certainly, we’re fortunate that we got out of that with it only being a slight sprain.”

Meanwhile, senior forward Tarik Black is still in the recovery process after sitting out the TCU game with a sprained right ankle.

“He’s doing OK. He practiced (Monday), which was probably about 50 percent, but he did try to go up and down, which was the first time he’s done anything since the last game (against TCU),” Self said. “We didn’t think it would be as slow as it has been for him coming back, but he’s hurt. It’s a pretty bad sprain. I think sometimes I take for granted he’ll come back immediately because he’s such a tough kid. He's trying to.”

Self said Black reinjured the ankle when it was hit during shootarounds before Saturday’s game. KU’s next contest is against Iowa State on Wednesday.

“I hope he’s able to go,” Self said. “He’s important because we need to have an agile five man that can switch ball screens and things like that when we have to.”
TCJ

Bill Self has been around the block. Kansas’ basketball coach knows what to believe — and what not to believe. He can spot a trend, yet he has the experience to know some aren’t as they appear on the surface.

So Self was prepared Monday when asked about Iowa State ending its three-game slump with Saturday’s victory against Kansas State.

Slump?

“I never looked at them in a major slump whatsoever,” Self said. “I looked at them as going on the road. The teams they played were good.”

…“They missed looks they normally make,” Self said of his previous meeting against Hoiberg’s team. “We certainly can’t bank on them missing those again — and we played really well.”

The Cyclones missed 21 out of 25 3-point shots during that 77-70 loss on Jan. 13. They were out-rebounded by 17.

Those figures must change if Iowa State hopes to end its eight-game losing streak in the Jayhawks’ facility.

“We’ll go down there and hopefully knock down some shots,” Hoiberg said. “We’ll try to limit their transition baskets, and keep them out of the paint as much as possible.

“If we do that, we’ll have a chance. If we don’t, then we won’t be in it at the end of the game.”

And even then, there’s always a chance for something crazy. Like Ben McLemore banking home a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation that sent last season’s game at Kansas spiraling into a dominant overtime sessionn.

“When it went off his hands, it looked like it was three feet to his left,” Hoiberg painfully recalled Monday. “Then it banked and went in. It was a hard one to handle.”

He’s not alone. Georges Niang saw the play unfold while sitting toward the end of the bench after having fouled out 20 seconds earlier.

It still haunts him.

“I thought we had the game won,” Niang said Monday. “I figured we had the game in the bag. ... I thought the shot looked a little to the left, then it hit the backboard, and we were into OT. I can’t believe it went in. It was crazy.

“That loss still sticks to me this day.”
Link


“It’s just not a place you go down there and win very often,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg of the historic arena in Lawrence, Kan., home of the No. 6 Jayhawks. “If you win one there, obviously it’s huge.”

Huge, and, in recent memory, unprecedented.

In the 11 seasons since Bill Self arrived at Kansas in 2003, his Jayhawks have gone 169-9 in front of the home crowd. The Allen Fieldhouse sellout streak goes beyond that, with fans packing every available seat for 206 consecutive games dating back to the 2001-02 season.

All-time, Kansas has gone 48-9 against Iowa State at Allen Fieldhouse since it opened in 1955.

“It’s a fun place to play at, there’s a lot of energy in that building,” said sophomore Georges Niang, who experienced it for the first time last season.

The definition of fun depends on who is being asked.

“It’s fun for a lot of people; it’s not fun for the coaches,” Hoiberg said with a laugh. “It’s a cool place, it’s a great atmosphere and obviously they have a lot of history. I think the two loudest arenas, if you asked anybody in our league, would be Kansas and Iowa State. I think we’ve got the two best atmospheres.”

The low ceiling and one block of wooden bleacher seats that circle the arena have created an electric atmosphere and one of the strongest home court advantages in college basketball. Kansas doesn’t often lose at home, especially in Big 12 play.

…“Anytime you can get a road win is huge, but anytime you can go into Phog Allen and win is huge, also,” Niang said. “They don’t lose much there. If you can do that, then you have a pretty talented squad.”

The Cyclones have had chances for other victories at Allen Fieldhouse in recent memory, losing in overtime in 2004 (90-89) and last season (97-89) after Kansas’ Ben McLemore hit a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation.

“We put ourselves in a position to win there last year, and that’s not something that’s easy to do,” Hoiberg said. “Obviously we didn’t finish it off.”

No. 16 Iowa State will attempt to pull off the irregular feat Jan. 29 when it travels to Lawrence. This season the Cyclones will have two freshmen playing at Kansas for the first time. Hoiberg knows well what that is like.

“We either got beat by 30 or 40. I can’t remember the exact final score,” Hoiberg said of playing at Allen Fieldhouse his freshman season. “You can’t simulate [the atmosphere]. It’s an unbelievable place to play, I’ll say that.”

The Cyclones found that out first hand last season as 16,300 fans in attendance erupted as McLemore’s shot sent the Jayhawks to overtime.

“I don’t think any KU fan likes any opposing team that comes in and plays their Jayhawks,” Niang said. “There’s a lot of anger and it’s very loud in there.”

…“If you beat them down there in front of that crowd, that’s one of the games you remember and tell your kids about,” said senior DeAndre Kane.
Iowa State Daily

Why is Bill Self so good?

Well, there has been a lot written about Bill, obviously, including a lot by me. He is a chameleon, first of all, a man who can talk to his players about rap music and boosters about the old days and his bosses about revenue^. He is constantly adjusting, both around the talents of his different teams but also picking off things that work for other teams. He is ridiculously good socially, and I mean that specifically with his players. He can cuss them like dogs one minute, and then the next put his arm around them and make sure they know where he’s coming from.

I’ve always thought a great example of this is how often he uses the word "soft." In a lot of ways, Bill sees the world through the lens of whether something is soft or not soft. If you’re soft, Bill does not have time for you. If you’re not, he wants you to play for him. Soft is mocked, not soft is cheered. Anyway, Bill is not unique in wanting tough players, of course, but I do think he uses this particular word more than most coaches and I also believe it is not a coincidence that it is a word that unlike perhaps any other resonates with the demographic he is coaching but also plays well in press conferences and publicly.

But one thing that doesn’t get mentioned a lot is how smart he is. Most successful coaches are smart, obviously, but Bill’s mind works at another speed. In practice, he’ll often stop a drill or a scrimmage after a minute or two and then run down a dozen different things that happened involving eight different players, complimenting this, destroying that, you-should’ve-screened-instead-of-cutting there, going all the way back to the last stoppage, without missing a thing.

That’s the same quick mind he uses to deliver recruiting pitches, donor speeches, press conference analysis, everything. He’s so smooth that people sometimes overlook this part of his game, but I think it’s the backbone of everything he does.
KC Star Mellinger Twitter Tuesday


BTW- Congrats #KU 10 in a row (they will lose a couple) seems like a done deal - Decade of dominance
@GottliebShow


In simple terms, Kansas’ magic number is 10.

That, of course, is the number of consecutive Big 12 regular season titles KU will own if the Jayhawks can hold on to a two-game conference lead over the season's final 12 games.

But if we’re thinking about the Big 12 season in terms of a baseball pennant race, that’s also the Jayhawks’ “Magic number” — the combination of KU wins and losses by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas that the Jayhawks (6-0) would need to clinch the title.

For example: If KU finishes 10-2 over its last 12 games, it would clinch at least a share of the title; Texas (5-2), Oklahoma (5-2) and Oklahoma State (4-2) could still earn a share by doing the near impossible and winning out. If the Jayhawks finish 9-3, they would just need all three of those teams to lose one more game to clinch a 10th straight title.
KC Star

After a tough stretch that included a rivalry game and two contests against teams ranked in the top 10, Kansas women's basketball is ready for a second chance against Texas on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. inside Allen Fieldhouse. It was just two weeks ago that the Jayhawks (10-10, 3-5 Big 12) fell to the Longhorns (13-6, 4-3 Big 12), 70-58, on the road. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
KUAD


Yahoo: Paul Pierce’s generosity legendary in the Celtics organization


VOTE for Kansas fans at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest


VOTE for Coach Self & his Assists Foundation (currently 22nd out of 48 coaches!)


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Link to above video

Against OU, Marcus Smart, again, found himself in early foul woes, limited to just six minutes in the first half. Le'Bryan Nash, who started off defending Sooner big man Ryan Spangler, played but eight first-half minutes and 17 overall before fouling out.

Kamari Murphy, Cobbins' replacement, fouled out with four points and nine rebounds. Even little Stevie Clark fouled out, needing just 11 minutes to accumulate his five personals.

“We've just got to go out there and play hard,” Brown said. “Guys are playing out of position. Kamari is playing the five, Le'Bryan is playing the four. We've just got to go out there and give it all we've got. We're all we've got on this team.

“Mike is down. And we've got to move on from that. We've got to move on from that and get some wins.”

And get some stops. And some rebounds. And some garbage points inside.

All the things that Cobbins aided.

And the Cowboys must quit fouling so much.

The Sooners attempted 42 free throws and outscored OSU 30-15 at the foul line.

“I don't want to make excuses, but it's a major issue,” Ford said. “We can't keep getting in foul trouble. We know that. It's tough to go to our bench, especially in this game, the way they play.
“Our room for error is very small, especially in this game.”
The Oklahoman

Teams on five-game winning streaks don’t normally want a break in the action, but Texas coach Rick Barnes probably doesn’t mind having a few extra days to prepare for his next opponent.

The Longhorns (16-4, 5-2 Big 12) moved into The Associated Press poll at No. 25 Monday for the first time since 2011. They host No. 6 Kansas (15-4, 6-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Erwin Center.

The matchup pits the two hottest teams in the Big 12. Texas has won five straight since losing its first two league games.

…Since losing to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to start league play, Texas has beaten ranked opponents Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor.

“From the beginning of the year, we really haven’t worried about what people from the outside have said,” Jonathan Holmes said after Saturday’s 14-point win at Baylor.

“I don’t think that’s going to change now. If we’re in the Top 25, that’s fine. If we’re not, that’s fine. We’re going to go at Kansas like we’ve gone in every game this year. We’re playing a real good Kansas team so we have to get rest and get ready to play them.”

Barnes said Texas is playing better defense since putting its first two opponents at the line a combined 77 times.

“Over the last couple games we’ve had some really good moments but we can get better,” he said. “I know we’re going to have to get a lot better. The chemistry has been good. They want to win. They like each other. They do know we still have a lot to work and it’s been fun coaching them. I don’t think the mindset has changed since we started the season.”
FW Star Telegram


A limited number of tickets will be made available to the public for the 2014 Philips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship. 

The 2014 event marks the 13th time that Kansas City has hosted Big 12 postseason competition - more than any other city in the conference.

"Sprint Center is proud to be the home of the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship. The Big 12 Conference’s continued commitment to make tickets available for sale to the public is truly commendable,” said Brenda Tinnen, general manager and senior vice president of AEG Kansas City. “Fans from throughout the Kansas City region will again have the opportunity to reinforce our reputation as the enthusiastic and passionate home of college basketball.”

Each ticket includes all sessions for the four-day Championship, scheduled for March 12-15 at Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City.

Tickets for the 2014 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship go on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. online only at SprintCenter.com. A special presale is scheduled for Sprint Center ‘Connection Newsletter’ subscribers on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 10 a.m.
Big12Sports.com


Coaches say consistency of the block-charge call needs work — Curtis Shaw, who oversees officiating in five conferences, including the Big 12, agrees — but the overall impact gets a passing grade.

“I think it’s cleaned up the game,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “We’re going back to what the game should be.”

Scoring in men’s basketball reached its lowest point since 1952 last season when teams averaged 67.5 points per game. The team three-point shooting percentage was the lowest since the arc was introduced in 1986.

Not coincidentally, the 2012-13 season marked an all-time low in fouls called.

Nearly everybody believed some type of change was required, but not all agreed on the method. Kansas’ Bill Self feared a flood of free throws. Scoring would increase, Self said, but at the line and not from the floor.

But Self has been surprised by the results.

“I didn’t like it at first, but it’s not been as big a factor as I thought it would be,” Self said.

According to the basketball analytics website KPI Sports, scoring is running about 5.5 percent ahead of last season at 71.4 points per game, which would be the NCAA’s highest mark since 2001.
The foul calls and free-throw attempts are running ahead of last season’s pace. Free-throw attempts are up 14.6 percent to 22.6 per game throughout basketball.

In the Big 12, teams average 25.45 free-throw attempts per game, about 4 1/2 more than last year. A Southeastern Conference team goes to the line an average of 25.36 times a game, compared to 20.27 last season.

…Shaw insists the block-charge has become more difficult to call because officials have to process multiple things in an instant: whether a defender is in a legal guarding position when the shooter becomes airborne and if the defender is in the restricted area under the basket.

“It’s a very difficult play to referee generally, and now we’ve added aspects to it,” Shaw said. “In watching games, I would tell you we’ve called more blocks than we did before, however half are incorrect calls. We never intended to penalize legal defense. But we’re trying to define the time frame you have to make a legal play.”

Perhaps the height of confusion: Late in Kansas’ home victory over Oklahoma State on Jan. 18, the Jayhawks’ Jamari Traylor collided with the Cowboys’ Kamari Murphy. One official called a block, the other a charge. After an officials’ meeting, both players were assigned a foul, and the possession arrow favored Kansas.

“The game is better,” Shaw said. “But we still have work to do.”
KC Star


St. Louis has been named one of eight finalists to host the men’s Final Four in 2017, ’18 or ’20, the NCAA announced this afternoon. The competition includes Atlanta, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, New Orleans, North Texas, Phoenix/Glendale and San Antonio.

The bid process also includes 2019 but St. Louis is not able to hold the event that year.
Final proposals are due May 9 and the sites will be announced in November.
STL PD


Daily Orange: How Jim Boeheim became the master of the 2-3 zone


Big XII composite schedule (includes results, highlights, stats)


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

As far as my recruitment, honestly, it’s been pretty quiet. The only thing that I’ve got coming up is an official visit to Oklahoma State this weekend. I’m definitely excited to get down there to see the campus and see everything they have to offer. I’m looking forward to hanging out with Marcus Smart and Phil Forte. We’re all from the same area so we should have a good time hanging out.

Right now I haven’t decided on where my other visits will be, but I’ll figure that out at some point.
I do want to say that after more consideration and talking to some of the different coaching staffs I definitely feel like I can play with any player that’s coming in. I kind of jumped to a conclusion earlier, but I feel confident that I can play with anyone and be successful.

A lot of the players that are already committed to the schools that are recruiting me have been reaching out to me lately. I’ve talked to Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow about coming to Duke, Stanley Johnson texted my dad, D’Angelo Russell has been hitting me up and Phil Forte’s dad has been talking to my parents here lately too.

It’s tough because everyone has a great pitch and I really can’t go wrong wherever I decide to go. It’ll be tough, but I know since I’m taking my time that I will make the right decision in the end.

I’ve been working out with John Lucas a lot lately and he gives the best advice. He told me not to be afraid to dominate. I’ve been told that I can dominate a game anytime I want to, but I feel like, at times, I get a little too passive. So that advice really helped me out a lot mentally.
USA Today: Myles Turner Blog


Australian phenom Dante Exum has decided to declare for the 2014 NBA draft, his family and agent told ESPN.com on Tuesday.

Exum has agreed to hire agents Rob Pelinka and Brandon Rosenthal of Landmark Sports Agency. Pelinka's clients include Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Andre Iguodala and Andre Drummond.
ESPN


Recruiting Calendar


My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk

KUAD Postgame Notes, Recap


KUAD Box Score


FW Star Telegram Photos


KC Star Photos


LJW Photos


UDK Photos

Fans in TCU’s student section brought signs reminding Kansas University’s basketball players of last year’s famous flop in Fort Worth.

“Welcome back,” was Saturday’s greeting from one purple-clad spectator seated a stone’s throw from the KU bench.

“Pick Up Game Later at the Topeka YMCA,” read another, targeting Bill Self for his statements after last season’s loss to the Horned Frogs in which he said the Jayhawks hadn’t played as poorly since losing to Topeka YMCA in James Naismith’s days.

There would be no need for any such fan ridicule — or coach criticism — following the 2013-14 rematch at sold-out Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The Jayhawks, who tallied just 13 points at halftime a year ago, rolled to 53 first-half points in a 91-69 rout of the Horned Frogs that silenced anybody in a record crowd of 7,494 who might have been hoping for a repeat of last February’s monumental upset.
LJW


There was no court-storming Saturday night for TCU.

A record, sold-out crowd of 7,494 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum hardly got the chance to become a factor as eighth-ranked Kansas pulled away early and coasted to a 91-69 win.

It’s hard to fault TCU (9-10, 0-7 Big 12), which is still looking for its first league win. The Jayhawks (15-4, 6-0) are arguably the hottest team in the country, winners of six consecutive games, including four in a row against ranked opponents. That’s a far cry from last Feb. 6, when TCU shocked the basketball world with a 62-55 upset of then-No. 5-ranked Kansas, eliciting TCU students to rush the court.

That night, the Jayhawks were mired in the middle of a three-game losing streak, shot a season-low 29.5 percent and failed to score for the first seven minutes of the game.

Scoring wasn’t an issue for Kansas on Saturday.

Freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid took turns torching TCU — Wiggins from outside or on the drive and Embiid in the paint.

Wiggins finished with a career-high 27 points, including 19 in the first half when the Jayhawks built a 53-32 lead, almost matching their points from last year’s disaster at DMC. KU shot 57.4 percent rom the field, including 61.5 percent in the first half. TCU struggled offensively early, shooting just 30.8 percent at the break.
FW Star Telegram


TCU coach Trent Johnson didn't see a Kansas team fired up about making amends for a miserable night in Fort Worth a year ago.

He just saw a "really good" bunch of Jayhawks coming off wins in four straight games against ranked opponents, the first team to do that since North Carolina in 1996-97.

Andrew Wiggins scored 19 of his career-high 27 points in the first half and No. 8 Kansas answered last year's stunning loss by taking control early in a 91-69 victory over the Horned Frogs on Saturday night.

"Why would they get all fired up about what?" Johnson said. "You talk about Kansas basketball and we're just trying to make this team relevant. We haven't been to the postseason since the dinosaurs. So I don't think they get all worked up over something like that."
AP

Link to above video

So quick. So dominating. So Kansas.

Seven or eight minutes into Saturday's game, TCU was clearly flustered by Kansas' impenetrable thicket of bodies and hands in the paint, and the Jayhawks' Joel Embiid already had three blocked shots and seven points.

The only question that remained unanswered was, "How did Kansas ever lose four games?"

In the Big 12 Conference universe, clearly there is no one better. Not now, after the Jayhawks have run their league record to a perfect 6-0. And likely not in March, either.

The No. 8 Jayhawks snuffed the Horned Frogs in the first half, and the rest was easy in Saturday night's 91-69 KU victory.

Revenge may appear to be a popular theme in reports of this game.

But hold off on the "vengeful Jayhawks" bit. Kansas may be loaded with McDonald's All-Americans, but they look like all steak to me.

TCU officials said that 15 pro scouts were in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for the game. It wasn't hard to figure out who the attraction was.

The sorta scary part is that coach Trent Johnson's Frogs really didn't play that poorly. The 30.8 percent (8 of 26) that TCU shot from the floor in the first half wasn't all the fault of the Frogs' chronic shooting inconsistencies.

…"We're not deep enough to compete with that," Johnson said. "That's just a good basketball team. I would be very, very surprised if they're not back here in April."

The TCU coach was talking about the NCAA Final Four that will be played down I-30 at AT&T Stadium.

"That's a basketball team that really competes," Johnson said of Bill Self's KU bunch. "They're not caught up in their ranking. Bill's teams are always focused."
FW ST

KU fans make up almost half of the crowd here #kubball
@KansanSports


FYI: Horned frogs taste like chicken. #kubball #rockchalk
@KUBigJay


Kansas now 6-0 in league play. Wiggins finishes with 27. Fairly certain Bill Self knew exactly what he was doing with the non-league slate.
@GoodmanESPN


JoJo Embiid killed a lion, I would hate to be that TCU cat who ran into him!
@GottliebShow


Joel Embiid feet are so good! Size 17's that move like a butterfly sting like Embiid
@sportsiren


Embiid decides to add handles to his repertoire, resume building #kubball
@joshklingler


Embiid back in game up 27. Dude should go to locker and declare for draft IMMEDIATELY!
@LostLettermen


Hear that #JayhawkNation? “Let’s Go Jayhawks” is the loudest sound in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum… #rockchalk
@KUGameday


#KUCMB we ballin!!!
@J_mari31


“He’s got a great attitude, he’s ready to perform. Really proud of him.” - Coach Jerrance Howard on Landen Lucas #kupostgame #kubball
@KUGameday


Thanks to all the fans that made the trip down to Dallas with us!! Helped bring us some energy. Good road win! #rockchalk
@LandenLucas33


Great road win for the squad! On to the next... #KUCMB
@b_greene14


Just saw that nasty replay of my knee..... I'm glad I'm ok
@jojo_embiid

Updated 05/01/2013

Strengths:
This is a kid who is raw but coming on and quickly. The Cameroonian big man has all the physical tools but that's not why he's going to make it big. In addition to the tools, size and athleticism he has coordination, explosion and an uncommon agility and feel. For a big he's got super touch to mid-range. He eats rebounds and collects blocks. With both hands he finishes around the rim. Each time we've seen him on the court he's gotten more aggressive. If you watch him in drills you'll quickly notice that he handles the ball with more fluidity and natural basketball acumen than many guards. This kid is a worker. He's intelligent, committed and sees the big picture. He has the desire and ability to actually max out his potential.

Weaknesses:
There is room for improvement. As a defensive stalwart, he can be suckered into fakes so he's got to stand his ground. Offensively, he does need a comfort zone. He has a lot to work with but requires a signature move. There's the issue of game experience which he has very little. Physically he has a way to go but again, that's natural development.

Bottom Line:
This is a potential NBA prospect, he's got that much natural ability. His senior year will be his first full season. A product of "Basketball Without Borders", Embiid is a real success story. He played a game on ESPN in 2012 where he was dominated by Brandon Ashley. Embiid will get his revenge. This kid is a season away from becoming a legit elite prospect and player. Because he moves so well and is eager to learn, combined with his size and explosion he should have aspirations to spend a few years in college and take it a step further. He should be playing this game for the next 20 years.
Looking back at what we saw in Joel Embiid in HS. His in depth evaluation
@PaulBiancardi

It was the final minutes of the first half on Saturday night at TCU, and Kansas coach Bill Self sent freshman wing Brannen Greene to the scorer’s table to check in for sophomore forward Perry Ellis.

No. 8 Kansas had built a comfortable double-digit lead, taking control with an onslaught of offensive firepower, and Self felt like experimenting. So Greene joined fellow guards Andrew Wiggins, Wayne Selden Jr. and Conner Frankamp on the floor, and the Jayhawks went into a four-out, one-in offense with freshman center Joel Embiid manning the paint.

It was a new offensive wrinkle, something the Jayhawks could add to their repertoire moving forward, but it was also something more: For one of the first times this season, Kansas was playing five freshmen at once. And Self didn’t even notice.

“I didn’t even know that,” Self said, answering a question about the all-freshman lineup after the game. “… That’s the first time we’ve worked on our little small package that we put in, and it actually worked pretty well. But I don’t even look at these guys as freshmen anymore.”
KC Star


Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self presented an amazing statistic to staff members after examining the box score following Saturday’s 91-69 victory over TCU at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.

“The oldest kid we had score was a sophomore. We had seven freshmen score 75 out of 91 points, and two sophomores scored 16, and nobody else scored because ‘Naa’ (Naadir Tharpe) didn’t take a shot and Tarik (Black) was hurt,” Self said Sunday.

“I do not ever remember one of our teams being that young on the court. It goes to show how young we are,” added Self, who at one point in the first half had five freshmen on the court at the same time.

…“We’re so young it’s crazy,” said red-shirt freshman center Lucas, who hit three of four shots and one of three free throws for his career high in points. He tied a career-high with five rebounds.
“We could easily play five freshmen and a very young team and be successful. That’s good news for the future even with the guys we are bringing in (Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre so far in recruiting), how we can all kind of mesh together and have a very good team,” Lucas added.

Lucas on Saturday played in a Big 12 game for the first time.

“It was great. I know what I’m capable of. Coach called my number. I was ready to go,” said Lucas, a 6-foot-10, 240-pounder out of Portland, Ore. “I’m ready whenever he needs me, whatever circumstance it is. Even though I haven’t played at all in the Big 12, I’m still ready whenever he needs me.”

Self was impressed.

“Landen played well. He made the most of his opportunity,” Self said. “Tarik is nicked up right now. Landen has played well in practice the whole time. He deserves to play more. It’s just hard to play five big guys. He gives us more depth, and this certainly gives him confidence.”

Lucas showed off an effective baby hook shot Saturday.

“It’s something I work on a lot. Coach is always talking about going straight to the side. I felt I did it that time. It went in. I’m happy about it,” Lucas said.

Noted Self: “It’s one of his moves. We work on jump hooks every day. That’s something, to be honest, all of our players have in their arsenal. It’s one of his better moves.”
LJW


Just a few minutes after Kansas’ 91-69 victory over TCU on Saturday, Landen Lucas wasn’t surprised to hear his seven points were a new career high
.
“I assumed it probably was. I haven’t had too many opportunities,” he said with a smile just outside the locker room. “I’m definitely happy about that. Hopefully I top that sometime soon.”

The 6-foot-10 freshman forward received extended playing time against the Horned Frogs, playing a career-best 13 minutes.

Lucas’ seven points came on 3-for-4 shooting and 1-for-3 accuracy from the line.

…Part of the reason for Lucas’ move into the rotation was an injury, as senior Tarik Black sat out the game with a sprained right ankle.

Before Saturday, Lucas hadn’t played in any of KU’s previous five Big 12 games while logging just 42 minutes all season.

“It’s definitely hard. It’s hard,” Lucas said. “But you’ve got to stay strong and stay ready, pray about it, and when it’s time for you to go out there, you’ve just got to show what you can do as best as possible. I try to do that every time I step on the floor.”

The Portland, Ore. native was a factor on the boards as well, grabbing five rebounds in his 13 minutes. He also had four fouls and one turnover.

“He came in and gave us great energy,” KU freshman guard Frank Mason said. “He got some inside baskets, rebounds. He just played his part, and he did good.”

Though it’s a small sample size, Lucas has been a strong rebounder in his limited time this year. His 13.6 rebounds per 40 minutes is tops among KU's scholarship players.

“I’m ready,” Lucas said. “I’m ready whenever (coach) needs me, no matter what circumstance it is.”
TCJ

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

No, this wasn’t the right night for TCU students to hold up a sign that said, “You’re not even the best Wiggins in Kansas.” Or the correct time to chant, “O-ver-ra-ted” during a first-half Andrew Wiggins free throw.

After all the recent talk about lowering the expectations for Wiggins, the top-ranked freshman showed Saturday just how dangerous Kansas could be with him playing at his best.

Wiggins scored a career-high 27 points — including 19 points in a decisive first half — as the eighth-ranked Jayhawks rolled to a 91-69 rout over TCU in front of a record crowd of 7,494 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

“He can defer a little bit and he can kind of get lost, but he never got lost today,” KU coach Bill Self said. “He was able to put his handprint all over the possessions and create opportunities for himself and others. I just thought he played the way he should play every game.”
TCJ


Wiggins said his coach’s words weren’t on his mind when he took the floor, but also said he’s motivated by such challenges.

“He tells me a lot that I can do more, do more for the team, do more for myself and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Wiggins said. “... It’s never a negative thing. People might take it as negative criticism, but it’s not. That just motivates me to do better and try to provide more.”

…“I think from an offensive point of view, I would call it my best game because I was hitting my shots and hitting my free throws,” Wiggins said. “At the other end, I think I could have stepped up my game more and (done) other things like rebound.”

Wiggins dunked a perfect lob from Selden and delivered a perfect lob that Jamari Traylor dunked.
Which end of the lob play gives him a bigger charge?

“Both,” Wiggins said. “I don’t throw many lobs, and when I do I try to make the best of it.”

Self called it, “one of his more aggressive games. He was a little thirsty to score in the first half, which is what we want. It helps when he makes shots. He just needs to relax and be him. He can defer a little bit and he can kind of get lost, but he never got lost today. He was able to put his handprints all over possessions and he created opportunities for others and for himself.”

Self said there is still “another step” the three freshmen starters — Wiggins, Selden and center Joel Embiid — can make.
LJW


“I’ve seen Andrew play before,” Johnson said. “He’s special. He can play. Joel can play. Wayne can play. You can go right down the line. The bottom line why I think they’re so much better nobody talks about, (Naadir) Tharpe. I like the way he runs the team, the way he competes.”

Johnson was referring to the body of Tharpe’s work this season, not Saturday night’s game, in which the junior point guard didn’t attempt a field goal or a free throw, didn’t commit a turnover and dished four assists.

Kansas didn’t need a big scoring night from Tharpe the way Wiggins played.

TCU’s Amric Fields summed up Wiggins in one word, and then expanded his thoughts.
“Talent,” Fields said. “Just a talented guy. To be a freshman and be as efficient as he is, that’s pretty great.”

He wasn't alone in playing well.

"In my shallow opinion, they probably have six pros," Johnson said.
LJW


For the past week, Self has asked his freshman star for more, riding him in practice and pushing him to make the Jayhawks better. For a night, this was that Wiggins.

“Sometimes you just want to go see him snatch somebody’s head off,” Self would say. “Or be in attack mode all the time. And he’s capable of doing that. But that’s not really who he is.”

Maybe he’s learning.

…“When he’s on a roll,” KU freshman Wayne Selden Jr. said, “You never know what you’re going to get from him.”

“He just needs to relax and be him,” Self added. “He can defer a little bit. He can kind of get lost, but he never got lost today. He was able to put his handprint all over the possessions.”

Wiggins would finish eight of 13 from the floor and nine of 10 from the free throw line. And he was aggressive from the start.

“I just thought he played the way he should play every game,” Self said. “I don’t think he’s going to score 19 in a half every game obviously. But I thought, without question, that he didn’t do anything tonight that he couldn’t do in any game.”
KC Star


At least 30 KU fans waited along the route from the locker room to the team bus on Saturday. After speaking with reporters, Wiggins took a few pictures and signed a few autographs, including a Canadian flag that was waving in the stands for much of the evening.

Wiggins' hype has been easy to forget as 7-foot Cameroonian Joel Embiid (who may or may not have killed a lion in his home country) has risen to the pedestal of sure-thing No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft that Wiggins occupied for most of 2012 and 2013. It's been the story of KU's 6-0 start in Big 12 play.

This was Wiggins' night, though. A record 7,494 fans filled Daniel Meyer Coliseum, but those wearing Kansas red and blue were louder than the home crowd, and for good reason.

A pair of free throws gave Wiggins his career high with 1:56 to play. Self called him to the bench, ending his night. The KU crowd gave him a loud sendoff, offering one of the loudest cheers of a sleepy second half in which KU never led by fewer than 17.

About half of them stood.
FoxSports Ubben

Kansas University freshman guard Andrew Wiggins has been chosen as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

Th 6-foot-8 freshman is recognized for the second time as top rookie, and his award marks the eighth weekly honor for KU in 2013-14.

Wiggins had two double-figure scoring efforts as the Jayhawks extended their win streak to six games with victories over Baylor, 78-68, and at TCU, 91-69.

The freshman guard averaged 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 55.0 percent. He opened the week with 17 points against the Bears, including 11 points in the second half. Wiggins was then the main catalyst versus the Frogs, with a career-best 27 points, including 19 in the first half. He also made 19-of-22 (.864) from the free throw line on the week and leads all Big 12 freshmen in scoring with 15.8 points per game. 
Big12sports.com


LJW Keegan Ratings: Wiggins’ career night lands him at top of ratings

Room For Improvement

It didn't end up mattering, but KU's defense was not good against TCU. The Horned Frogs' 1.03 points per possession was their second-best mark in seven conference games, and even though KU extended its defensive pressure against TCU, it didn't result in a higher number of turnovers (TCU's turnover percentage was 14.9 percent). The Jayhawks also didn't do a good job of avoiding whistles, as TCU had its second-best free-throw rate of Big 12 play while putting in 21 of 25 fouls shots.

Stat of the Day

For a second straight game, KU dominated by getting more easy shots than its opponent. According to Hoop-Math.com, 34 of KU's 54 field-goal attempts against TCU on Saturday came at the rim (63 percent); to give some context, the NCAA average for percentage of shots at the rim is 38.3 percent. As a result, the Jayhawks made 27 of 44 2-pointers (61.3 percent), while the Horned Frogs made 18 of 41 2s (43.9 percent).

Bottom Line

KU's defense wasn't great on Saturday, but that was irrelevant because the offense turned it up to a different level.

According to StatSheet.com, Saturday's game against TCU was the f0urth-most efficient offensive performance by a Self team in a Big 12 game and also was the best against a conference opponent in the last three seasons.

It helped that KU was great on the offensive glass (pulling down 45.5 percent of its misses) and worked it around for easy shots, but the fact that the Jayhawks limited themselves to just 10 turnovers was one the biggest reasons for the offensive explosion.

The Jayhawks now rank seventh nationally in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency measure, and they could even go up from there if Saturday is the first step towards a team that better values its possessions.
TCJ Newell Post

KU coach Self most certainly does give a flip that there’s been a lot of flopping going on in college basketball this season.

“I don’t think any coach would be a fan of it,” Self said of players falling backward or even hitting the deck after questionable-to-light contact.

“I’ve had players in the past that were pretty good at doing that. We’ve coached against some players good at doing it. I don’t think it’s good for our game at all. It makes it that much harder for officials to actually call the game.

“There’s a difference between flopping and being able to sell a foul,” Self added. “Some guys are good at selling fouls which gives the appearance of flopping. To me that’s making a smart basketball play,” he added of selling a foul.

The topic of the flop came up recently in the wake of Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart hitting 10 free throws in as many tries in last Saturday’s 80-78 loss to KU. His head snapped back on one occasion despite the fact replays showed a Wayne Selden elbow may not have even made contact.

“He is a pro at selling a foul,” Self said. “I did not say flop. If he gets fouled, he’s a pro at selling it.”
Self hasn’t publicly singled out any players for flopping, except himself.

“I probably faked it or flopped quite a bit just to get a call back when I played many years ago,” said Self, a former Oklahoma State point guard. “Being able to sell a foul is part of the game. Some guys are unbelievable at it, especially at the NBA level. Some guys are professionals at it. The flop without contact obviously is not good for our game. I don’t go as far as say (affect) integrity (of the game). Certainly it takes away from what the game is supposed to be like.”
LJW

Kansas men's basketball played host to 100 Special Olympians at the 30th Wilt Chamberlain Special Olympics Clinic Sunday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse.
 
The annual Special Olympics clinic began in 1984 by former Kansas men's basketball head coach Larry Brown. It was then renamed for Chamberlain, who left money from his estate to sustain the program.
 
Prior to the 2014 clinic, Special Olympian Chevi Peters from the New Hope team in Pittsburg, Kan., 2013 Big 12 Special Olympian of the Year Beckah Henderson from the Topeka Junior Blues and Chris Hahn, president and CEO of Special Olympics Kansas, presented KU head coach Bill Self with a plaque commemorating the 30-year history of the event. The plaque included photos KU coaches Brown, Roy Williams and Self with Special Olympians from past clinics.
 
"I've always wanted to be part of a team," the 29-year-old Peters, who has endured 38 surgeries, told the crowd when presenting the plaque to Self. "Special Olympics has allowed that dream to come true. In addition to being part of a team, Special Olympics has extra cool things athletes can do. The KU Clinic is one of those cool things. You have touched the lives of thousands of Special Olympic athletes and friends in the past 30 years. Thank you for being cool and spending your Sunday afternoon with us."
KUAD

Truly a blessing to be able to take part in the special olympics in the Fieldhouse! Hope everyone had fun, cuz we sure did ! #RockChalk
@WayneSeldenJr


It was a blessing to be apart of my first special Olympics,thanks for everybody who participated #KUCMB
@F_Mason15

Trail Blazers forward Thomas Robinson scored five points and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds in Sunday's 15-point loss to the Warriors.
He added one steal and one block in just 15 minutes to provide an encouraging footnote on a forgettable night for the Blazers.
Link


While defense was a main component of the second-half turnaround, so too was the play of third-year forward Markieff Morris.

The former first-round pick scored a game-high 27 points and also grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds.

Sunday's output marked Morris' 10th 20-point game of the 2013-14 campaign. Phoenix improved to 8-2 in those 10 contests.
Link


Danny Manning and Chris Piper made quite an impact on the history of basketball in Lawrence after winning a national championship at Kansas University in 1988.

What they could not have realized after cutting down the nets in Kansas City’s Kemper Arena in 1988 is that their legacies would continue through their daughters at Free State High a couple of decades later.

Free State freshman Madison Piper leads the Sunflower League in scoring and rebounding, while Taylor Manning is in her first season as an assistant coach for the Firebirds.
LJW


VOTE for Kansas fans at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest


VOTE for Coach Self & his Assists Foundation (currently 22nd out of 48 coaches!)


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

h/t jhawk4life1976 for capturing the above tweet from the KState President
before it was later deleted from the account

People say nasty things —and notice I didn’t use the word “fans.”

Anyone who knows college basketball — especially when it comes to a freshman playing this level for the first time — knows it can take a while to get acclimated to the big time. And Iowa State is big time — with a big time task waiting at 8 p.m. Wednesday against Big 12 Conference unbeaten Kansas at storied Allen Fieldhouse.

So to the vocal minority that fired away with venom at Cyclone rookie Matt Thomas – you misfired from long range, too.

Your comments were harsh — as incorrect as they were uncalled for.

Thomas sank the first four 3-point baskets he attempted while helping 16th-ranked Iowa State end a three-game losing streak during Saturday’s victory against No. 22 Kansas State.

Take that, doubters.

Thomas matched his career-best of 14 points. He was stroking — just like he did back in his high school days.

Much to the chagrin of people who hide within the framework of social media and other modes that allow anonymous comments.
Des Moines Register


The solutions for Baylor’s spiral toward the bottom of the Big 12 will come later, if they come at all.
For the moment, coach Scott Drew offered a statistic to give his staggering team hope of a turnaround. After going 12-1 in nonconference play and climbing into the AP Top 10, the No. 24 Bears have dropped five of their first six Big 12 games and sit ninth in the conference. If a game in January can qualify as must-win, Baylor’s home contest with West Virginia (11-9, 3-4) on Tuesday surely qualifies.

Against that backdrop, Drew offered a recent example of how things can change.

“Last year we were at this time 5-1 [in the Big 12]. We thought everything was great and finished 9-9,” Drew said. “This year, we’d rather finish well than start well, so we’ll see what we can do.”
Actually, Baylor doesn’t have much choice — unless it really wants to defend its NIT title from last season.

If you crunch the numbers a bit more, the trend isn’t exactly encouraging. Since that 5-1 start last season, Baylor has dropped 13 of its last 18 regular-season conference games.

Maybe the Big 12’s high RPI will make this a breakthrough year. But in its history, no Big 12 team has been an at-large NCAA selection with a conference record under .500.

The head-scratching thing is that Baylor actually possesses the talent to justify a high national ranking.

Sophomore post Isaiah Austin was viewed as a possible NBA lottery pick before his freshman
season. Senior forward Cory Jefferson played key minutes for Team USA at the World University Games. Brady Heslip remains one of the most dangerous 3-point shooters in the country. And junior college point guard Kenny Chery has been as good as advertised.

With that collection of talent and the deepest roster in Drew’s tenure, Baylor is shooting just 39.9 percent, ninth in the Big 12, in its six conference games this season. The Bears are dead last in field-goal percentage defense in conference games (48.8 percent).

Oh, the Bears are also last in free throw percentage, a direct factor in a two-point home loss to No. 25 Oklahoma.
Dallas Morning News


The saying says: If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.

That’s what Trent Johnson must be thinking now as he has learned his best freshman Karviar Shepherd will miss an indefinite amount of time to undergo surgery on his non-shooting hand.
Shepherd suffered the injury in Saturday’s game against Kansas, a source confirmed. Shepherd finished the Kansas game with eight points and four rebounds, and he fouled out with over eight minutes remaining.

The Frogs will now play with just seven scholarship players, and the seventh, sophomore Clyde Smith, has played in just eight of the team’s games, averaging just over four minutes per contest.
Devonta Abron is out with a torn achilles. Aaron Durley is out with a torn ACL. Chris Washburn was not granted a waiver to play this season by the NCAA after transferring from UTEP. Trey Ziegler is sitting out due to transfer rules, and Charles Hill is academically ineligible.
DMN

Link to above video

That was the scene Saturday, when Smart simmered throughout and eventually boiled over late in the game, inconsolably leaving the bench area and disappearing beyond the stands at Gallagher-Iba Arena for a few moments during OSU's 81-75 win over West Virginia.

Smart was having a rough day, and not just in reference to his season-low four points and 1-of-7 shooting performance.

It was rough, too, in his treatment by the Mountaineers, who put hands and more on the Cowboys star at every opportunity.

And Smart didn't manage it well, his mood worsened by the few calls that went his way from officials — and the many that went against him. Smart missed the final 7:26 of the first half after picking up his second personal and eventually fouled out, ending his frustrating afternoon.

Yet long before foul No. 5, he'd been taken out of his game.

And that can't continue, even as the tactics are sure to continue, if not intensify.

Oh, and Bedlam is up next, Monday night.

In Norman.

Ironically, the roughhousing of Smart is reminiscent of what Blake Griffin endured in his final season as a Sooner in 2009. During that season, Griffin was prodded and poked (in his privates), tripped and flipped, and literally bloodied and bruised.

And while Smart hasn't faced that gamut of physical affronts, there's still time.

So much for star treatment.

For all the chatter about Smart as a flopper — and there's some validity to the claims — opponents are inflicting plenty of unpunished shots on him, too.

“He takes a lot of punches,” Cowboys coach Travis Ford said, speaking figuratively rather than literally. “I know everybody thinks he does this and he does that. He's getting hit. I've watched tape. And I've sent it in (to the Big 12).

“We all understand that everyone's game plan is to take him out.”

And that won't change. What Smart can't allow is for those methods to lead to him taking himself out.

When Smart stomped off the court late in a tight and tough game, it was a surprising scene, even for his teammates, who have mostly adopted his gritty, tough and poised persona.

“Yeah, it surprised me, too,” said Markel Brown. “That's not Marcus' character. But if you ask me, I think he handled it in the right way. He walked away. He gathered himself.

“I probably would have gotten a technical or something like that.”
The Oklahoman


Markel Brown's in-air, 360-degree dunk against West Virginia ranked No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Play list for Saturday.

Personally, Brown placed it among his top five.

“I have a great set of athletic (skills), and it would be a shame to waste it and not do something for the crowd,” Brown said. “I feel like they come to the game to see things like that. I had to give it to them.

“It's a great sparkplug for this team when I do a dunk like that and the crowd gets rowdy. It gives a
boost of energy for the defense.”
The Oklahoman

Wichita State’s latest win — combined with an ugly home loss by No. 4 Villanova to Creighton during the week and No. 3 Michigan State’s home defeat against No. 21 Michigan on Saturday — could put the Shockers (21-0, 8-0 MVC) in position to leapfrog both on Monday.

Coach Gregg Marshall appeared to be stumping for his team with what seemed to be a bit of a jab at Michigan State (18-2) after the game.

“Did the mighty Spartans lose again?” Marshall asked as he left his postgame news conference.
AP


How do the best alliances in college basketball line up against each other? Which league is at the top of the sport this season? Which has collectively underachieved? Overachieved? College sports fans in general do enjoy boasting on behalf of their conferences (albeit much, much more in college football than college hoops). So with that in mind, I'm coming to you with a load of information today on the best of the best and how they align.

As we turn to February, we're getting a really good grasp on which conferences can expect how many bids. The picture is getting clearer while at the same time, detail only increases our perceptions of programs and conferences. Today's piece isn't a true bubble forecast or bracketology session, but since SOE college hoops/Illinois basketball/Georgia basketball devotee Will Leitch will take those reins after his return from Sochi, I figured we'd start to define the pool or programs this year's NCAAs will draw from.

The number of forecast bids (and teams selected) below isn't anywhere near setting in cement, but no question a general sense has been established now, since most teams have played approximately 20 games -- or two-thirds of their season.

I've ranked what really are the consensus top 10 leagues in college hoops this year. Whether you agree or disagree about where the Big East should fall is up to you, but there seems to be a firm line of demarcation that's separated this upper third within the sport. I've ordered the leagues in accordance to their average ranking among the three biggest metrics: KenPom.com, Jeff Sagarin and the RPI. Now, I'm not an advocate of the RPI (OK, I want to kill it with lava), but it is still the primary tool of judgment for the NCAA selection committee for the big tourney, so we have to keep that in mind when projecting inclusion and seeding for the Field of 68.

Maybe one day down the road the RPI will be an afterthought. Like Macklemore. But in the here and now, that is not a world any of us, sadly, can envision. Let us live on hope, then.

You'll see the Missouri Valley doesn't fall among the top 10 leagues this year. I do think Wichita State will lose prior to Selection Sunday. I'm slotting WSU as a No. 2 seed for the time being. I think it loses one game, and that will put it on the second line.
USA Today Norlander (Big 12 #2)


While this may be college basketball’s Year of the Freshman, it is a senior who is the sport’s very best player. The attention and hype foisted upon this season’s freshman class is well-deserved.
With Kansas’ Andrew Wiggans and Joel Embiid, Duke’s Jabari Parker, Kentucky’s Julius Randle and Arizona’s Aaron Gordon it is one of the most talented collections ever. Freshmen will very likely make up more than half of the first 10 picks in the NBA draft.

Yet none of them is likely to surpass Creighton senior Doug McDermott for the John Wooden Award as college basketball’s most outstanding player. The 6-8 small forward doesn’t leave people talking about “upside” and “potential” because he already is realizing both. The Bluejays’ leading scorer is averaging 24.8 points and has been stunningly consistent in a way that none of the freshman has.
He is the biggest reason that the Bluejays (17-3) have rocketed to the top of the Big East standings in their debut season in the conference. They next play Tuesday night at 9 when they host St. John’s.

“I think he’s the best player in the country,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said last Monday after his then-No. 4 Wildcats suffered a 28-point obliteration at the hands of Creighton in Philadelphia. “I love his combination of skill and intelligence. It seems like he rarely takes a bad shot.”
NY Daily News


En route to yet another school record Sunday, the unbeaten Arizona Wildcats proved again that shooting percentage isn’t everything.

If you miss, simply grab the ball. Then put up another shot.

Like, 20 times.

Aaron Gordon can explain how that works.

During the No. 1 Wildcats’ 65-56 win over Utah, which gave Arizona a school-record 20th straight win over college teams, the freshman forward threw up an airball from the free-throw line.

He missed five other free throws, and was 3 for 13 from the field.

He became angry.

Aaron Gordon being angry is not a good thing for the other team.

Gordon finished with 12 rebounds and scored 10 points, on two dunks, a layup and four free throws. He was still, even with his offensive struggles, one of the most effective players on the floor, along with UA guard Nick Johnson, who had 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting.

“My all-around game wasn’t too well, so rebounding was one thing I can focus on,” Gordon said. “It comes pretty naturally to me. I was just taking out my frustration and aggression on the rebounding.”
Link


Keith Frazier, a former McDonald's All-American and current freshman guard at SMU, had a failing grade changed to a passing one in order to graduate from Kimball High School in Dallas, according to a report by WFAA TV in Forth Worth.

A Dallas Independent School District internal investigation has raised questions about whether Frazier should have been allowed to graduate from Kimball High last year and about what SMU coaches knew about Frazier's grades, WFAA reported.
USA Today


Mississippi State coach Rick Ray issued an apology via an Instagram post after he appeared to yell profanities at Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson on Saturday night.
USA Today


Professional football is the most popular sport in America. You likely didn’t need results of the latest Harris Poll, which found that NFL fans outnumbered the rest for the 30th year in a row.

What surprises, given the NCAA tournament’s spike in popularity, is college basketball’s lack of movement up the ladder. While 35 percent of adult fans polled said pro football was their favorite sport, just 3 percent selected college hoops.

That’s a drop from college hoops’ 5 percent share of the vote in both 2011 and 2012 despite increased viewership of last season’s NCAA tournament, when ratings reached their highest point in 19 years.

Wondering how the ballots break down state by state? Harris doesn’t make that data available.

…Other results in this year’s Harris Poll included: Major League Baseball (14 percent), college football (11 percent), auto racing (7 percent), NBA (6 percent) and the NHL (5 percent).
Link


Big XII composite schedule (includes results, highlights, stats)


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

Findlay was out of sync most the game. On a team of multiple blue-chip recruits, including sure-thing McDonald’s All-American and Kansas commit Kelly Oubre, the Pilots managed just three first-quarter points and missed their initial 11 field goal attempts. From the free throw line, they made just 21 of 38 attempts, which was likely the difference in the game.

Vaughn, with UNLV coach Dave Rice and assistant coach Todd Simon sitting courtside, scored 11 points in the second quarter to keep Findlay in the game and finish with 21 points. Oubre tallied 22 points.

But, on this afternoon, Gorman finally had Findlay’s number. All thanks to a player finally living up to his spot in the “Big Three.”

“Of course I was humbled (by the struggles),” said Blair, who finished with 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting. “I went down and (Jeter and Zimmerman) went up. But I told myself not to worry about. I got back to the lab and kept working hard. ...To be the first team to beat Findlay Prep is huge. It will go down in the record books.”
Las Vegas Sun


Kelly Oubre had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the Pilots, and Vaughn scored 21.
Las Vegas Review Journal


It's one thing to be one of the best teams in Northeast Ohio. It's another thing to be one of the best teams in the country.

No. 2 Shaker Heights' boys basketball team learned the difference on Saturday night, as the Raiders fell, 78-36, to Huntington Prep (W. Va), which is ranked No. 12 in the USA Today national poll, at the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout at Walsh University.

On offense, the Irish had a balanced attack with four players scoring at least 11 points. Senior Jaquan Lyle had a team-high 17 points.
Video highlights at the link


Had great time at the Michigan State vs Michigan game!!!
jaysontatum22 @Im_that_dude22


Recruiting Calendar


My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk

The countdown has officially begun. The NCAA men’s basketball champion will be crowned in just 75 short days.

To mark the beginning of what is set up to be an eventful week surrounding the 76th Final Four, the most exciting tournament in sports, NCAA officials and members of the North Texas Local Organizing Committee gathered at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, the site of this year’s tournament finale, to announce some of the many opportunities basketball fans and volunteers will have to engage in this year’s Final Four festivities.

…While the on-court action will all happen on April 5 and 7, fans will have a menu of events to choose from to celebrate North Texas’ first Final Four since 1986. Beginning April 4, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Downtown Dallas will be transformed into Bracket Town, a 350,000-sq. ft. basketball heaven that will play host to, among many things, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament open to anyone age nine or older. Tickets to Bracket Town go on sale today, and can be found at NCAA.com/finalfour, along with information about the rest of the action-packed week, including the March Madness Music Festival at the site of the old Reunion Arena.

“The greatest thing about the NCAA is that they know that, despite the size of this building, everybody can’t come in here,” said Charlotte Jones Anderson, Chair of the North Texas Local Organizing Committee. “They want to make sure that there are many opportunities for the community to be involved and engaged through a series of events.”
ncaa.com


The event takes place April 5 with two semifinal games to played at AT&T Stadium, followed by the April 7 national championship game, played Monday to crown the winner of the NCAA basketball championship.

It’s the first time since 1986 that the Dallas-Fort Worth area has played host to the Final Four, and obviously the first at this stadium, which was completed in 2009. Last year, the stadium hosted the South Regional as dry-run to this year’s Final Four as Michigan advanced to the Final Four.

But this event is much more than three basketball games as the city of Arlington, along with Dallas and Fort Worth take part in hosting several events, similar to the way the Super Bowl was conducted back in 2011.

… Fans fortunate enough to have tickets to the Final Four games can enjoy a Tip-off Tailgate event that includes entertainment, live music and fun activities outside of AT&T Stadium. The Tailgate opens Friday night (April 5) to the general public, but Saturday and Monday’s events are exclusive to fans with tickets to the games.
       
An event called “The Dribble” gives over 3,000 kids the chance to dribble their way through the heart of downtown Dallas on Sunday, April 6. Kids will start at Dallas City Hall Plaza and dribble to the convention center where they will enter Bracket Town. Children 5-18 are eligible to participate and must pre-register online.

And the Final Four 5K takes place Saturday morning, starting at Fair Park. The proceeds benefit Coaches vs. Cancer, a nationwide collaborative effort between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball coaches.
dallascowboys.com
       

•    Bracket Town
Friday, April 4 to Monday, April 7 at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas
An interactive indoor amusement park that includes youth clinics, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, musical performances, autograph sessions, are more. Tickets will go on sale Jan. 22, 2014.

•    NCAA March Madness Music Festival
Friday, April 4 to Sunday April 6 at Reunion Park (former site of Reunion Arena), Dallas
A free, three-day outdoor music festival held from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday. The musical acts will be announced in late February, but past performers have included Dave Mathews Band, Kenny Chesney, Sting, Jimmy Buffett, KISS, The Black Keys, Muse, Zac Brown Band, and Kings of Leon, among others. Admission is free, but first-come, first served.

•    Final Four Friday and the College All-Star Game
Friday, April 4 at AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Each of the Final Four teams will go through an hour-long practice between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., then the College All-Star Game featuring the top senior student-athletes will follow. Both events are free.

•    SLANT Celebration and Youth Clinics
Multiple Dates and Locations
SLANT, or Service Learning Adventures in North Texas, was created before Super Bowl XLV and its goal is to inspire youth to take up the challenge of improving their neighborhoods and communities. There will be a free SLANT Celebration during Final Four Friday at AT&T Stadium.

There will also be basketball youth clinics with instruction from NCAA coaches and student-athletes across North Texas. The locations are TCU in Fort Worth (Grades 3-6), the Elzie Odom Recreation Center in Arlington (Grades 3-8), and the Duncanville Field House in Dallas (Grades 3-8).
All SLANT events are free, but you must preregister at this link.
WFAA.com


ICYMI: $1 billion prize for perfect bracket


Indiana is licking its wounds in the rock-steady Big Ten from that home loss to Northwestern over the weekend. A loss that saw the Hoosiers (12-6, 2-3 conference) -- the best team on offense in all of college basketball during the 2012-13 regular season -- score only 47 points.

Forty-seven points. To Northwestern. At home. The mind still sort of reels with that one, you know?

The Hoosiers are having a hangover of alarming proportions to this point. Remember where we were a year ago with Tom Crean's team? I mean, a comedown was totally expected, but nothing like this, past the midway point of the regular season. Now we know what can happen when you lose two guys (Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller) that are picked second and fourth in the NBA Draft, in addition to vital former seniors Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls. Where we sit, IU is nowhere near the latest bracket update from our own Jerry Palm. The team checks in at No. 79 on KenPom and 77th in RPI. It's 1-3 against top-50 RPI teams and 2-5 against the top 100.

The Hoosiers are very much in danger of not making the NCAA tournament, and Tuesday night's game at 17-1 Michigan State exists as a humongous opportunity -- or perhaps a nail for this team's wooden overcoat. Indiana was a No. 1 seed last year and is setting itself up to become the latest example of a group that went from the top of the bracket to out of it completely in one season.

College sports' infrastructure, with a few exceptions, is built to be cyclical. Still, for a team to be on top of college hoops in one year and fighting to tread water the next is notable. How often does this happen? It's not an every-year affair, but this transgression does bubble up more frequently than you might think. Since the NCAA tournmanent expanded to 64 teams in 1985, historical data shows teams have a 13.8-percent chance of not making it back to the ball the year following nabbing a No. 1.

Here are the tombstones of those who lost their mojo in one season, from No. 1 to NIT or worse.
(Click link for chart)

…Serious credit to UConn, which has done this three times. Oklahoma and Ohio State are repeat offenders for failing to be consecutive contenders.
CBS


The major conferences have every advantage in college athletics.

So, of course, they want more.

The biggest conferences — the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern — do not want to be bothered with the smaller fish in the NCAA Division I pond.

Finally, the smaller fish have sighed in resignation and said, OK, have at it.

Last week at the NCAA convention, Division I administrators, conference commissioners and other officials took a straw vote to gauge support for giving the Big Five more autonomy.

Almost 60 percent were in favor.

At a future NCAA meeting, this vote likely will become formal.

First on the agenda for the big guys will be stipends for scholarship athletes.

"I think this certainly has been bubbling for a long time," said Chris Mooney, men's basketball coach at the University of Richmond, a member of the Atlantic 10. "I don't want to speak for the conference commissioners or athletic directors, but I would think we would match that [stipends]."

Most conferences will do what is necessary to remain competitive in basketball. The quest for a spot in the NCAA tournament is an essential part of their existence.

The easy way to look at this push for autonomy is that it's all about stipends. But that's an ancillary point.

The bigger issue gets obscured by the philosophical, economic and emotional debate over stipends.
And the bigger issue is this is a major step in a seismic shift in Division I college athletics, a step that might be inevitable but is not in the right direction.

Division I football already is out of control. No team outside one of the five power conferences has a real chance to compete for a national championship.

That is not the case in basketball. At the moment, the NCAA tournament is seen as untouchable.
"What keeps it great is the Cinderella stories, the five-12 pairings often won by the 12," Mooney said.

But if the major conferences get more autonomy, how long before their members lose patience with the basketball tournament selection process — "Our No. 9 team didn't get in, but they took a second team from the Colonial?" — and establish a super championship in basketball, followed by such championships in all sports?

As 2024 approaches and the $11 billion NCAA tournament television contract nears expiration, rest assured there will be talk of the lucrative possibilities of a basketball tournament among the Big Five conferences to establish a true national champion.

The NCAA and its sweet little Cinderella stories? Let them eat cake!
Link


What does one of the greatest basketball players of all-time think about modern day college basketball?

Jerry West told the Register-Herald of West Virginia that the scouting that's possible today, the uprise in terrific athletes -- which has led to much better defense -- and the advent of the 3-pointer has totally altered the game. And continues to do so. Some of it thrills him; other parts still confuse him. Undeniably the game keeps evolving, though.

It must be something to be Jerry West, this 75-year-old basketball icon, and basically have lived through four or five epochs of evolution in basketball. It was different in the '50s than the '60s; the '70s than the '60s; the '80s, '90s and so-on.

“It's a different type of game today,” he said when asked why most shooters today do not have the consistency percentage-wise than those when he played back in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. “Coaches really emphasize defense today. They also put more emphasis on athleticism. It's not only different but a more difficult game.”

...“And then you have a lot of driving from kids who have trouble holding onto the ball,” West said. “So it's a different kind of game than it used to be. ... I don't understand this, but there seems to be a lot of really poor free-throw shooting, even at the NBA level. And that tells me the competition isn't very good.”

West is now with the Golden State Warriors, in an advisory role. While at West Virginia, West tallied 2,309 points and 1,240 rebounds in just 93 games ... and was 6-foot-3. He's still the leader, all-time, in both categories at WVU. This was before the 3-point shot, of course.
CBS


Big XII composite schedule (includes results, highlights, stats)


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

There might not be a more powerful play in Texas high school basketball than a Myles Turner dunk.
The Euless Trinity 7-footer’s two-hand slam in the lane during the third period Friday against Irving MacArthur came with the Trojans trailing 27-25. Five minutes later, Trinity led by 20.

The Trojans finished off MacArthur for a 64-44 victory Friday at home to move into sole possession of the District 6-5A lead.

“Going forward, I felt like we really needed it,” Turner said of the dunk. “Because we were dead. I started off kind of quiet, but I knew it was coming eventually.”

Turner scored nine points in the third quarter, which saw Trinity (20-5, 8-1 6-5A) outscore MacArthur 31-6 to take a 49-29 lead after trailing 23-18 at halftime. Turner, a 5-star recruit who has been offered numerous NCAA Division I scholarships, finished with 17 points and five blocks.
Link

KUAD: Coach Self’s weekly presser


KUAD: Kansas vs TCU pregame notes


One year later, the Ghost of the Topeka YMCA still lingers.

…“Bizarro,” Self said on Thursday during his weekly news conference. “That was one of the strangest games we’ve been a part of, because I was reminded today, by one of our coaches, saying, ‘Bill, I don’t know if you remember, that’s the most ready to play (we were) all year. Best practices, most intense warm-up, everybody focused, all that stuff, and we came out and laid an egg.

“I don’t know if there’s really a correlation — over time it’s how you practice will be how you play, but sometimes it can jump up and shock you, and that was one of those times that shocked us.”

If there’s a lesson to be learned heading into Saturday, it’s this: You can’t take anything for granted in the Big 12, even as KU prepares to face a TCU squad that is 9-9 and dropped to 0-6 in the Big 12 after a loss at Oklahoma on Wednesday.

“They beat us,” Self said of last year’s game. “We had two teams whip us last year: TCU and Baylor. Everybody else was a one-possession game, of our other four losses. They handled us, so there was nothing taken away from them.”

…College basketball recruiting can be a crapshoot, and Self on Thursday offered an example of how luck and timing can affect a recruiting class. In 2012, Kansas was recruiting big man Karviar Shepherd, a Texas native, rather hard out of high school, offering him a scholarship. If Shepherd would have accepted, Self said, KU probably would have backed off recruiting current freshman Joel Embiid.

But Shepherd chose to play closer to home at TCU, and the rest was history.

“It’s weird how things work out,” Self said. “We offered Karviar a scholarship, and we only had one to give, and if he’s have taken it, then we would have been out on (Joel).

“But he committed to TCU, and Karviar Shepard is going to be a good player. There’s no question he’s going to be a good player, and he’s getting better all the time.”

…On Thursday, Self added to those comments, saying he believed Wiggins was just a few plays per game from averaging closer to 20 points and 10 rebounds.

“I talked to him about it with his dad afterwards,” Self said, mentioning a conversation he had with Andrew and his father, Mitchell. “He had 17 points the other night. If he’s strong with the ball after he rebounds it, he scores 20 or 21 because they strip him or whatever, and that would be a foul if you are more aware and if you’re stronger.

“It’s not that I want him shooting it more. I just want him to have more of a presence because there’s not too many guys out there that you look at and you say, ‘Ok, yeah, he got 20 but it could have been 28, or he got 16 but it could have been 22, or he had eight rebounds but it could have been 14. And that’s what I talk about by — I think his numbers should be in the vicinity of 20 and 10 every game.

“But that’s not going to happen like that, and I know that, and sometimes you don’t make shots. But I think just like the other day, he didn’t put his head down and drive it at all the first half. The second half he drove it every time and got fouled like on three or four straight possessions. Well, to me those are free points, and he’s got to be more aggressive doing things like that. But he’s done well.”
KC Star


Though his Kansas team ranks at the top of nearly every statistical measure in Big 12 play, Bill Self says there is still room for his team’s offense to grow.

“I feel like our offense hasn’t been so good,” the KU coach said during his weekly news conference Thursday. “I think our numbers have been good. Our numbers are misleading.”

Let’s start with those numbers.

In league play, the Jayhawks rank first in the conference in 2-point percentage (60.6 percentage), 3-point percentage (41 percent) and overall efficiency (1.18 points per possession). For the season, KU has the 12th-best offense according to Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, which take into account schedule adjustments.

And here’s the scary part for KU’s opponents: The Jayhawks are last in the conference when it comes to turnovers, giving it away on 22.8 percent of their possessions. The next-worst team, Texas Tech, has turned it over on just 19.5 percent of its possessions.

“I would rather shoot 48 percent and turn it over 12 times a game than shoot 51 percent and turn it over 16,” Self said. “Although (the offense) has been good, it hasn't been like what it can be, and so I'm not too excited. I'm glad we're shooting a decent percentage because we're taking the ball inside, but we’re wasting way too many possessions.”

…Something else that could be hurting KU’s turnover numbers: a lower amount of opportunities in transition.

According to Hoop-Math.com, just 21 percent of KU’s shot attempts this year have come in transition. That’s below the NCAA average and also a drop from last year (22.7 percent).

As Self suggests, sometimes shooting it quickly can reduce giveaways, as a team has less time in a possession to throw it away.

“We're probably scoring the ball better in the half court than what our other teams have, but we're not scoring it as well in the open court,” Self said, “and that's something that we certainly need to improve on.”
TCJ

Kansas freshmen Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins have been named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason List, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) announced Thursday.
 
Kansas is one of six schools that have multiple student-athletes on the 23-member midseason list. Members of the USBWA's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the 2014 Oscar Robertson Trophy.
 
Embiid leads Kansas in rebounds with a 7.4 per game average, good for eighth in the Big 12. The 7-0 Yauonde, Cameroon, center is tied for the conference lead with 2.8 blocked shots per game. A two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, Embiid's 50 blocked shots this season are already third on the all-time KU freshman list and his eight against Oklahoma State (1.18.14) broke his own KU freshman record of seven set against UTEP (11.30.13). Embiid leads KU with four double-doubles this season.
 
Wiggins leads Kansas with a 15.2 scoring average, which also leads the Big 12 freshman class and is 10th overall in the conference. The 6-8 Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, guard has five games of 20-plus points and pulled down a season-high 19 rebounds at then No. 8 Iowa State (1/13). Wiggins is 50-of-59 (84.7 percent) from the free throw line in his last 10 games after hitting 10-of-12 charity shots during his 17-point effort in the win versus No. 23 Baylor on ESPN Big Monday (1/20). He has made 20 threes this season, leads KU with 17 steals and his 6.1 rebound average is third on the team.
KUAD


For fans and media, it is that expectations can completely warp how we see things. Wiggins’ skills and confidence — and especially his aggressiveness — have not caught up with his ability, but this is still a potential NBA superstar we are watching at the college level.

He scored 26 points at Florida, perhaps the best team KU has faced. He had a double-double in his first road game against a top 10 team — before halftime.

Basketball people talk about his second jump the way teenage boys talk about Mila Kunis. Watch Wiggins closely, and you will see the talent that would have already made him rich if not for the NBA’s age restriction. The spin move that’s as quick as your blink. The maestro confidence in transition. The 6-foot-8 height and the 7-foot wingspan and the point guard’s speed.

The other day in practice, Wiggins jabbed to his right, drove hard to his left around his defender, picked up the dribble and carried his momentum through a second, then elevated off his left foot, finishing with his right hand over a third defender. He was fouled at least twice, but this was a part of practice where it’s not a foul unless the cops are called. The whole thing took, maybe, a second and a half.

There are not many human beings who can do what Wiggins did, and when the ball went through the hoop, practice just sort of stopped for a second, like everyone wanted to remember what just happened.

…“Andrew’s going to have to get 22 and 12 for them to talk about him in the same breath they’re talking about Joel’s 15 and eight,” Self says.

So that’s the first lesson, and it’s for fans and media: remember perspective.

…“As good as he’s been,” Self says, “he’s the one area where we can get a lot better. We tell him that. ‘You can get better, you can make us a much better team.’”

Wiggins can do this in a lot of ways. The quickest would be to make layups. He has missed far too many shots around the rim, especially for a player with his length and athleticism. And this is a good way to get into the second way he can improve both his NBA scouting report and the team around him: take advantage of that athleticism.

Wiggins is hampered by not having a play-making point guard to get him easy shots. But Wiggins is talented enough that he should be able to do plenty on his own against college players. He is getting better, but he is still too focused on fitting in instead of standing out.

That moment in practice? The jab-right, go-left, finish-high move that went around, through or over three defenders? Coincidence or not, it came after a considerable riding from Self. The new basketball world Wiggins is still adjusting to does not want to see a player with that kind of talent need any extra motivation.

Wiggins did not create this situation, and he did not choose it.

But he can choose to rise up to it.
KC Star Mellinger


Wiggins? Well, he’s got a long way to go to get there, but there are times that he makes plays that just leave you scratching your head in bewilderment at what he just did. His athleticism is off the charts and there’s a fluidity to his movement that makes some of his most ridiculous plays look almost nonchalant.

You don’t need to be an NBA scout to see his potential. All you need is two eyeballs. But after seeing Wiggins get dragged through the mud after back-to-back unimpressive performances over the long weekend, I was curious: Why can’t he consistently dominate at this level?

So I went back and watched every second that Wiggins was on the floor of every Big 12 game he has played, and this is what I came away with:

1. He can’t penetrate against a set defense: Wiggins is just unstoppable in transition. His strides are so long that when you let him get a full head of steam going towards the rim, you just don’t have a chance. His height and jumping ability allow him to finish over anyone. There was one play in the first half against Iowa State that Wiggins caught the ball at half court and needed just two dribbles to lay the ball in. It’s incredible.

But in the half court, Wiggins really struggles beating his man off the dribble. In half court sets, he’s basically turned into a spot-up shooter, which is where 24.3% of his possessions are used. According to Synergy, 58.5% of Wiggins’ shots are jump-shots. By comparison, 21.9% of Aaron Gordon’s shots were jump shots. Last season, 66.5% of Ben McLemore’s shots were jumpers.

Part of this is that defenses are conscious of his ability, meaning helpside rotations get there a step quicker than when, say, Naadir Tharpe decides to try to put the ball on the floor. But it’s still alarming how uncommon it is to see someone as explosive as Wiggins square a defender up, beat him to the rim and score. There are three things at play here:

    •    It doesn’t seem like Wiggins has all that powerful of a first step. The long strides that allow him to roast defenders in transition get choppy in the half court.
    •    Wiggins is not a great ball-handler, and he seems to be aware of this. Everything time he penetrates it’s a straight-line drive at the rim, and he has an awkward habit of picking the ball up after one dribble. It doesn’t help that he doesn’t really have a feel for being able to drive-and-kick when help defenders show up.
    •    Wiggins lacks upper body strength, which brings me to my next point …

2. Wiggins needs to get in the weight room: One of the major criticisms I’ve read of Wiggins is that he’s soft. I don’t necessarily think that’s the right way to term it. He’s weak. His upper body is slender. He gets knocked off balance too often. When he gets a defender on his hip, he can’t get all the way by him. When he’s going to the rim, he can’t use his front shoulder to absorb contact; he just bounces off.

This is part of the reason that he’s not finishing above the rim. For a guy as athletic as Wiggins is, we almost never see him on Sportscenter Top Ten. He hasn’t posterized anyone yet this season. He’s all about the floaters and the finger-rolls. His is a finesse game around the basket, not a power game.

3. He’s a streaky jump-shooter: Wiggins has a pretty nice release. When he sees one jumper go down, he can reel off three or four in a row. But when they aren’t going in, he’s got a tendency of to throw up some bricks. When he’s on balance and he’s got his legs underneath, Wiggins isn’t a bad rhythm shooter. He just seems to rush some of the looks that he gets.

4. He coasts: It’s not just offensively, either. Wiggins is an excellent rebounder. He’s got the length and the athleticism, and he seems to have a feel for where a rebound is going to come off, but he’s not always crashing the glass. He’s got the tools to be a terrific defender — in fact, I was pleasantly surprised at just how effective he has been chasing people around screens — but he can also be slow on a close-out or get beat off the dribble. The reason that he was benched in the second half against Oklahoma State wasn’t simply because he was struggling offensively, it was because Markel Brown was lighting him up on the other end of the floor.

5. Confidence: This is my biggest takeaway. I just don’t think that Wiggins believes that he’s as good as he is. I think that he’s cognizant of what his limitations are as a basketball player, and more than anything, this is what prevents him from taking over games. He’s not aggressive in the biggest moments of the biggest games.

Wiggins isn’t the superstar that we all expected him to be this season. He’s got a long way to go to fulfill the expectations he had coming out of high school, and he’s got plenty of time to get there.
None of that changes the fact that he’s been a very good player for Kansas this season.

So while we can lament that the ‘Next Big Thing’ won’t live up to his potential as a collegian, we should at least recognize that fact.
NBC Dauster

1. Joel Embiid, Kansas

The rumblings that Embiid may be outshining his other great freshman teammate have been going on for several weeks, but Saturday was the breakout. Embiid came two blocked shots short of a triple double against Oklahoma State with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks. In one game, he proved he can not only finish, but start, an alley-oop.
Athlon Freshman 15


"We never thought Joel was a project," Roberts said. "From a skills standpoint, he was farther along than most big guys."

Embiid's coaches say his soccer and volleyball experiences left him more flexible than most basketball players, not to mention big ones. Kansas conditioning coaches have also added 12 pounds of muscle to him, even if Embiid prefers feasting on ice cream and brownies.

Despite his inexperience, Embiid's game already compares favorably to other big men. As a college freshman, he has attempted shots on 57 possessions after posting up near the basket and is averaging 1.3 points on those trips, according to Synergy Sports Technology. The last eight college centers taken as NBA draft lottery picks averaged only .91 points per possession on their post-ups.
Large players often require time to develop. Olajuwon, for example, spent four years in college.

Embiid hasn't even played the game for three full years. But he might not need that long.

"I think he could play in the NBA right now," Mbah a Moute said.
Wall St. Journal


The Wooden Award released its midseason list of 25 players on Wednesday, and the most surprising thing about it to most people was that Kansas freshman Joel Embiid was nowhere to be found even though he's spent the past two weeks playing a huge role for a team that's topped four straight nationally ranked opponents.

Why?

That's what folks were asking on Twitter.

Why isn't Joel Embiid on this Wooden Award list?

The answer is rooted in the fact that ballots for that list that was published Jan. 22 were actually due Jan. 10 -- otherwise known as a time when KU was 10-4 and only two games removed from a home loss to SDSU. It should also be noted that Embiid finished with just six points and six rebounds in a game against Oklahoma two days before ballots were due, and all of that, I think, played a role in his omission that seemed reasonable at that time.

But a lot has changed since Jan. 10.

Kansas, again, has won four straight, and Embiid has scored at least 12 points and grabbed at least nine rebounds in three of those games, one of which was the 13-point, 11-rebound, eight-block performance last Saturday against Oklahoma State. Suddenly, the Jayhawks are great and Embiid is tremendous. But the Wooden Award list couldn't take either of those things into account because that list was compiled nearly two weeks ago.

This CBSSports.com List of National Player of the Year Candidates is fresh, though.

So it includes Joel Embiid.

Outrage, averted.

Check it out.
CBS

Dan Pfeiffer, White House official and an Assistant to the President, didn't need the last month of basketball to proclaim Embiid the No. 1 overall pick.

Back on Dec. 21, Pfeiffer caught Embiid's act on television as Kansas hosted Georgetown, Pfeiffer's alma mater. The big man had 17 points and eight rebounds in the 86-64 win. If upside and wow factor were numeric, they would have made the actual stats seem pedestrian.

Even in defeat, the Georgetown alum appreciated the basketball goods.
csnwashington.com

Link to above video

“I appreciate all the love,” said the 6-foot-9, 260-pounder from Memphis, who was hurt when BU’s Rico Gathers landed on Black’s ankle in a scrum for a rebound.

“I got a message on Twitter saying, ‘We pray for you and your ankle, your leg ... hoping you get better.’ It’s obviously been working because I’m here walking around now. I saw the replay of what happened. I know it could have been much worse so the prayers have worked. I’m blessed to be standing here right now. I’m progressing at a fast rate. I can’t complain at all.”

Black was able to practice in non-contact drills on Thursday and is expected to play in Saturday’s 8 p.m. contest at TCU.

“It’s really cool and one of the reasons I came here in the first place,” Black said of the interest of fans about all matters involving KU hoops. “I felt the family atmosphere the first time I came here on my visit. I felt it was really caring, felt it was a trustworthy program. It started with the coach (Bill Self). It’s how it is.”

…“I’m blessed beyond measure to be out here playing for this program,” he said. “I’ll do anything to help this team win. That’s my role on this team. That should be everyone’s role. We are all here to help this team win.”

…All KU players are eligible second semester: “Everybody took care of their business,” Self said of grades. “I was pretty proud of how they did, especially (because) that was a bad travel first semester. We never miss school like that, especially leading right up into finals.”
LJW


Won't find a bond better than #KUCMB !
@b_greene14


During his first semester on campus, Brannen Greene’s role at Kansas basically amounted to this: Andrew Wiggins’ Practice Defender.

…It’s not exactly what Greene, a freshman small forward, envisioned when he signed with KU in the fall of 2012. He was one of the top 30 recruits in the country, a small forward with length and skill, and four-star prospects never really plan on sitting the bench.

But this is the way it can work at Kansas. Greene may have been a blue-chipper, but he was also just the fourth-highest ranked recruit in Kansas’ loaded freshmen class.

“It’s been tough,” Greene said on Thursday. “But I know that my time is coming. History just shows that here at Kansas, your time comes. So I’m just trying to contribute in whatever way I can.”

…“I’m a confident player,” Greene said. “So when I come in, I just shoot the ball.”

It’s that confidence — and a 6-foot-7 frame combined with solid athleticism — that makes Greene an intriguing talent moving forward. For now, though, he’s still behind Wiggins and Wayne Selden at the wing position. But if playing alongside Wiggins and Selden means being squeezed out of the rotation, Greene also has the luxury of testing himself daily against future pros. So on most days, he takes on the task of guarding Wiggins at practice.

“It’s definitely helped me improve defensively and offensively,” Greene said. “Because he also guards me, and he’s such a great athlete. You learn to score over long arms and an athlete like that.”

…“I told our guys yesterday,” Self said. “We’re still a team that hasn’t figured it out yet. If we’ve figured it out yet, then why are we playing 10 guys? You don’t need to play 10 guys, or need to play nine guys.

“Right now we’re kind of in a situation where we haven’t quite figured it out yet. One day seems like Conner gives us a spark, another day it’s Brannen that gives us a spark. And trust me, those kids would rather know going in, ‘I’m going to get these minutes and I know I’m going to be his sub.’ But there’s some things that we haven’t quite figured out yet.”
KC Star


“I think he’s handling it great,” Greene said of Embiid. “He’s a fun kid. He just likes to have fun. He’s enjoying being here at Kansas.”

Watching others play while he sits is as new to Greene as fame is to Embiid. Does he feel as if he is KU’s overlooked freshman?

“No, not all,” Greene said. “Look at our players. We’ve got Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Wayne Selden. I’m not overlooked. I’m here. I’m doing my thing. I’m fine.”

An agile 6-foot-7, 215-pound small forward with a beautiful jumper and nice spring to his body, Greene endured a recent six-game stretch in which he totaled 17 minutes and missed his only two field-goal attempts. But in the past two games, the serious talent has scored eight points in 11 minutes, making three of four field goals and two of four three-pointers. He cited his need for defensive improvement for the bench time. The positive side of coming off the bench is that it means he gets to sharpen his game going against big-time talent daily in practice.
LJW

The Jayhawks' overall "body of work" is so superior that it can no longer be ignored. They have also won nine of their last 10, suggesting any early-season inconsistency was as much a product of the nation's toughest schedule as anything else.

In Bracket Math on Monday, I put Villanova ahead of Kansas as the fourth No. 1 seed because the Wildcats had knocked off KU on a neutral floor. Today, with Villanova not in the picture for a top seed, the competition for that spot is essentially between Kansas and Wichita State. And I am going against type here and elevating the four-loss "major" over the undefeated mid-major.

It's not because the Shockers aren't good enough. Clearly they are. And it's not because they haven't done enough, although the Winning Points standings suggest they are a little light in that department. The main reason is the Kansas schedule has been so outrageously hard -- and the Jayhawks so impressive against it -- that it's nearly impossible not to evaluate KU at this moment as one of the nation's four best teams.

At the same time, I can hear all the echoes from a decade ago, when I stridently supported unbeaten (and then once-beaten) Saint Joseph's as a No. 1 seed. "What about your Hawks, Joe? You couldn't be unbiased then, and you want to preserve their legacy now."

But we're not talking apples and apples. Those Hawks played the nation's No. 1 nonconference schedule. Wichita State (currently at No. 55 in that category) has played a good schedule, but not close to the 2003-04 Saint Joseph's team. The Hawks also went undefeated in a four-bid Atlantic 10 with two Elite Eight teams. If the Shockers sweep the Missouri Valley this year, it will be a one-bid league.

Finally, although I didn't keep the stat at that time, the Hawks had 30.5 Winning Points on this date in 2004. Like Kansas this season, it led the nation.
ESPN($) Why Kansas deserves a No. 1 seed


#4 Kansas Jayhawks (14-4)

The guys from Group Stats, an analytics outfit that specializes in lineup efficiencies, were kind enough to send over full-season data on Kansas following its Monday win over Baylor. The guy making the biggest overall impact, as you might expect from any recent eye-testing of the Jayhawks, is freshman center Joel Embiid, who makes their offense score at a championship-level 1.21 PPP, compared to 1.07 PPP when he's on the bench. (Much of this is because Embiid lifts their offensive rebounding percentage to 42.2 percent, compared to 28.7 percent without him.) And when the Jayhawks have the super-frosh duo of Embiid and Andrew Wiggins on the floor together, their efficiency margin is twice that (+0.20 PPP) of other lineup combinations (+0.10).
SI Luke Winn Power Rankings


Jeff Withey didn't spend the first 2 ½ months sulking and withering away at the end of the New Orleans Pelicans' bench.

The rookie center who entered the season stuck behind four veterans in coach Monty Williams' post rotations, stayed focused and studied from the sideline.

Withey's mental reps from the bench and work in practice sessions could be paying off now.
With the knee injury that'll sideline starting center Jason Smith for an indefinite period and ineffective play from Greg Stiemsma, Smith's top backup, Withey saw his most significant playing time of the season in Tuesday's 114-97 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

And he responded with a season-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while adding five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

"As a rookie, I've been watching where everybody is going and how other guys play, so now the game is slowing down for me a little bit when I'm out there," Withey said. "In the beginning of the year I would go out there and just run around like my head was cut off. Now I know the plays and where to be and now it's making things a lot easier."
nola.com


Since being selected with the 13th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Markieff Morris has slowly, steadily improved as a pro.

Primarily coming off the bench for the Phoenix Suns, Morris has played well enough to earn regular minutes, but has not been good enough to be thought of as someone who could be a go-to player on a good team.

Obviously he's not there now, but with averages of 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on .475 shooting -- and with point totals of 24, 23, 16 and 20 over his last four games -- the third-year pro appears to have turned a bit of a corner and may be heading in that direction.

"He's setting a high standard for himself," Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby told the Dan Bickley Show with Vince Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Thursday. "It's getting to the point now where if he doesn't play well, we're all disappointed. That's a great sign of his development."
Link


KUAD: KU WBB heads to Manhattan for Sunflower Showdown


KUAD: KU WBB Tons of Pink on tap for annual ‘Jayhawks for a cure’ game

VOTE for Kansas fans at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest


VOTE for Coach Self & his Assists Foundation (currently 22nd out of 48 coaches!)


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Big 12 teams can find some consolation even as they take turns giving and receiving body blows in the college basketball version of a steel cage match.

The NCAA Tournament men’s selection committee is acutely aware of the conference and is already taking notes. Committee chairman Ron Wellman acknowledged this week that the Big 12 is a different sort of animal with less than two months to Selection Sunday.

“The committee reviews what their regular-season format is,” Wellman said. “The Big 12, they play a double round-robin. I don’t know of another conference that does that.”

When the committee looks at most conferences, it breaks down teams that play opponents just once in the regular season as opposed to twice and the quality of those opponents, Wellman said.
In the Big 12, everybody plays everybody, home and home, 18 games. This season, the impact has been clear.

Iowa State and Baylor compiled solid top-10 résumés in nonconference play. Now each is under .500 after struggling starts in the league. Baylor (1-4) and Iowa State (2-3) have each lost three straight conference games.

“Everybody in the Big 12 is a good team,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

Yes, the conference is simply that tough, maybe as deep as it has ever been, including when it had 12 members until 2011.

The conference is ranked No. 1 this season in overall RPI — up from fifth last season — and strength of schedule.

Teams have won 79.7 percent of their nonconference games and nearly broke even against Top 25 opponents.

Jerry Palm of CBSSports .com and Joe Lunardi of ESPN each projected seven Big 12 teams into the NCAA Tournament this week. None was on the bubble, although that could change.

If those predictions hold true, the Big 12 would have two more teams in the tournament than last season and equal its all-time best total, set in 2009-10.
Dallas Morning News


The Longhorns have exceeded expectations thanks in large part to their defense. Texas held both Iowa State and Kansas State to around 1.00 point per possession, (below their averages of 1.05 and 1.07 during conference play, respectively) and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in defensive efficiency against league opponents. It is blocking a higher percentage of opponents’ two-point field goal attempts than all but one team in the conference and opponents are taking just 28.5 percent of their shots at the rim, according to hoop-math.com, good for 31st in the country.

This team lacks the offensive firepower to challenge Kansas for the Big 12 title – though the strides its made on offense and rebounding should not be dismissed – but the Longhorns have cemented their identity as a tough defensive team that deters opponents from scoring in the paint. They rank 46th in the country in two-point field goal percentage defense, are blocking 17.6 percent of shots at the rim, per hoop-math, and Big 12 opponents are launching 38 percent of their field goals from three-point range, the highest rate in the conference.
SI


The saga surrounding heralded Florida forward Chris Walker is more than a month old, with the school still unsure when, or if, the freshman McDonald's All-American forward will step on the floor for the Gators.

On Tuesday, Florida coach Billy Donovan denied a report that Walker will be eligible for UF's next home game Saturday against Tennessee. Walker has yet to be cleared by the NCAA for competition since joining the Gators at practice on Dec. 16.

“We're hopeful he gets back soon, but there's been no indication that there's any truth to that at all,” Donovan said.

According to multiple reports, including one by Yahoo.com's Jeff Eisenberg, Walker has not been cleared by the NCAA yet due to impermissible benefits he received in high school. Donovan would not confirm or deny knowledge of Walker receiving impermissible benefits.

“In terms of all the details and hang-ups, I don't know all those details because when there's something going on like this, there's ethical conduct forms that are signed,” Donovan said. “That stuff has to be kept confidential, be kept between Chris and the NCAA, kept between our administration and the NCAA. I'm not involved in any of those conversations.”

In 2012, Walker played for a travel-league team (the Florida Rams) that was shut down by the NCAA due to ties between its coach, Matt Ramker, and sports agent Andy Miller. Current UF freshman point guard Kasey Hill and Kansas freshman guard Brannen Greene played for the same team, and both have been cleared by the NCAA.

“I trust our administration and what they're doing,” Donovan said. “Hopefully it will be resolved in a timely fashion. I know everyone involved one way or another wants to know what's going to happen.”
Gainesville Sun


At times the new rules/emphasis boil down to: Run and jump into that defender. Foul will be on him.
@JohnGasaway


The News and Observer Publishing Co. sued UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt on Thursday, seeking access to a spreadsheet or database with information that could offer a link to the origins of lingering athletic and academic scandals.

The lawsuit was filed in Wake County Superior Court the same day that Folt publicly accepted the university’s responsibility for bogus classes benefiting student athletes that were offered through the African and Afro-American Studies Department. She also acknowledged a failure of academic oversight.

Internal and external investigations have shown that about 200 lecture-style classes were offered in that department, dating to the mid-1990s, in which there is little or no evidence of any instruction. Investigations also have found that roughly 500 grade changes were suspected or confirmed to be authorized through the department.

Since June, The N&O has requested data that UNC sent to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges about the bogus courses.

On March 8, a SACS report to UNC stated that 173 of the 384 students signed up for those classes were student-athletes.
Link


A member of the Kentucky basketball coaching staff was arrested on Thursday morning, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal and an NBC affiliate in Lexington.

Brian Shorter, 46, was charged with fourth-degree assault and first-degree wanton endangerment at his home. Shorter is an assistant strength coach for the Kentucky basketball team.

According to LEX 18 in Lexington, Shorter locked his wife in an unheated garage and then returned 40 minutes later to throw water on her. She escaped to a hotel and Shorter was arrested at his home.

Kentucky basketball spokesman John Hayden told media outlets that the school is “aware of the situation” and “gathering information.”

Shorter, who was recruited to play at Pittsburgh by then-assistant John Calipari in the late 80's, starred for the Panthers from 1988 to 1991. Shorter averaged 17.8 points per game during his three-year career at Pitt.
Link


Shortly after he began searching for a house to rent in Tucson for the 2013-14 school year, Arizona guard Nick Johnson became worried he wouldn't find what he wanted.

Johnson envisioned a house spacious enough for him and most of his teammates because he believed living together would help the Wildcats build the chemistry they lacked the previous year, but the few seven- or eight-bedroom houses on the market were each too expensive.

Just as Johnson was ready to scrap his idea, his girlfriend urged him to check out a duplex someone she knew was building less than a mile from campus. Johnson and Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski were ready to sign a lease on the spot after their tour revealed two generously sized yet reasonably priced four-bedroom, five-bathroom houses separated only by a courtyard. There was even a Wildcats logo painted on the floor in the living rooms of both houses.

"Kaleb and I immediately knew it was perfect," Johnson said. "We picked out our bedrooms right away. It's hard to find a house in Tucson that can fit seven or eight guys, but that's really what we wanted to do. We had it in our minds from the start. If it didn't work out, we'd have broken up into groups of two or three, but I'm thankful we found what we wanted."
Yahoo


SI: How shoes united two Nigerian-born basketball players


Big XII composite schedule (includes results, highlights, stats)


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

1/23/14, 7:34 PM
F Cliff Alexander (@humblekid11): 25 PTS, 12 REB for Curie in a win over Kenwood
@D1Circuit


Kansas basketball commitment Cliff Alexander, the fourth-ranked player in the class of 2014 according to Rivals.com, might not be done making his way up the recruiting rankings.

Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi says there’s a possibility the 6-foot-8 power forward could leap up to the top spot when the final rankings are released in April.

“He’s got to be in the mix,” Bossi told The Capital-Journal on Wednesday. “He’s been putting up these crazy numbers all year, and Curie hasn’t played the national-type schedule that other teams have played, but they’ve played a very good schedule. He’s put up really good numbers against good players.”

…“He dunks everything. He plays a very fan-pleasing style of basketball,” Bossi said. “But to see it in person is another different thing because he takes what’s a pretty good team around him — but not great — and because those kids know that they’ve got the baddest dude on the block on their team, they play at an entirely different level.

“It’s not often you see a guy raise the level of play of the other guys around him, and it’s simply because they know that any fight they go in, they’ve got the guy who nobody can beat up.”

…Bossi also was impressed with Alexander’s effort last month against Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, which features a pair of five-star junior forwards in Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter. In a 66-62 win, Alexander notched 22 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks.

“I don’t want to say people are scared of him, but it sure looks awfully close to it at times,” Bossi said. “I’ve been doing this for a while now and watching a lot of people, and I’m just having a hard time remembering a big guy who not only was just that physical and that confident in what he can do, but who guys really seem to just shy away from. You don’t see many people get back in his face.”

Those qualities would seem to make Alexander a great fit for KU coach Bill Self, who puts an emphasis on toughness.

“I think the biggest upside is, at the end of the day, he’s still a relatively raw player. As big and strong as he is, he doesn’t look like a kid who’s spent much, if any, time in a weight room,” Bossi said. “It’s just all natural. So combine that with the coaching he’s going to get, and a real asset they have at Kansas in their strength and conditioning program, and I’m interested to see what that does for him going down the road.”

…KU’s other commitment, 6-foot-7 shooting guard Kelly Oubre, is seeing his stock rise as well.
“He’s an athlete. He can shoot it from deep,” Bossi said. “He seems to show a little bit more game each time out, and all of this is with … he still doesn’t even have much of a right hand yet.”

Bossi said Oubre started opening eyes in October when he was one of the best performers at the USA Basketball developmental national team’s mini-camp. He’s currently ranked as Rivals’ 12th-best player in the class of 2014.

“There’s no question he’s going to be in the top 10,” Bossi said. “It’s just a matter of how far in the top 10 he goes.”

…“Even more important than having big-time talent coming in is having talent that is not only physically but mentally ready to step in and fill the void,” Bossi said. “And I think that’s the biggest key about Alexander and Oubre is both these guys have the mindset that they’re here to take over. I think they’re ready for it, and I think they have the skill to help them accomplish that as well.
“If I were a Kansas fan, I’d be really excited about these two guys.”
TCJ


While Embiid and Alexander are bound both by their position and college choice, they’re otherwise vastly different prospects. In fact, Alexander is almost the antithesis of Embiid in some ways. So, with that, it was ironic that the growing case for Alexander’s spot atop the national recruit rankings coincided with the realization that Embiid, while far from the overnight star many sensationalize, is even better than we might have realized last year when he finished ranked No. 6 overall in the ESPN 100 in one of the strongest classes in recent memory.

The major difference between Embiid and Alexander lies in potential vs. production. There was no denying that Embiid had incredible talent last year, and the rapid rate at which his tools evolved was why he climbed the rankings more than any other prospect in the Class of 2013. At the time, however, Embiid lacked the sheer production of guys like Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle or even Andrew and Aaron Harrison, and likely wouldn’t have been capable of putting a team on his back to upset the top team in the country as Alexander just did at Hoophall.

One of the hardest parts about evaluating is not making too much of one performance, like Alexander’s on Monday, especially when your evaluations are based on long-term projections.

In Alexander’s case, he was far and away the most dominant prospect in the Hoophall field and turned in a performance that perhaps no player in the country could have duplicated, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the top prospect.

…If I was coaching a high school game this weekend and got to pick one big man to start my team with, Alexander would be the guy. He’s currently more impactful than Turner and less dependent on his guards. Alexander can go get his own on the offensive glass more so than he will rely on a post-entry pass. Physically, he’s a fully grown man and an almost impossible matchup at this level because of his sheer power and explosiveness. His infectious energy and leadership skills, not to be overlooked, were certainly proved this weekend.
ESPN ($) Comparing prospects of Alexander, Okafor and Myles Turner


The rivalry renews at 2 p.m. Saturday at the South Point Arena, promising to feature elite prospects on both teams and a closely contested game. Findlay Prep has won every game in the series, which dates back to 2008.

In the aftermath of the back-and-forth 2011 game, and with each team having major UNLV recruiting targets, the 2012 contest was arguably the most-hyped high school game in Las Vegas history. Tickets were sold at online broker sites for $200, it was scouted by major college coaches and local dignitaries were front and center.

That forced organizers to move the game starting in 2013 to the South Point. It’s called the Findlay Big City Showcase and includes a noon game featuring Liberty and Arbor View highs.

“For the city of Las Vegas and the fans, it’s great,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “Some people who don’t go to many games, this is something they put on their calendars. It’s exciting. It’s something our players look forward to being part of.”

Findlay Prep is housed in Henderson, taking players from all over the world and playing for a national high school championship each year. They don’t have local players and don’t play for a state championship.

The Pilots' schedule this season includes games in Ohio, Massachusetts, Canada, Texas, Tennessee and Hawaii. The South Point is a 10-minute drive from their campus.

“Only having to go down the street to play a high-caliber basketball team is music to our ears,” Findlay Prep coach Jerome Williams said. “But it’s never going to be a home game for us.

Historically, 90 percent of the fans there will be cheering for Bishop Gorman. Our Findlay Prep fan base is growing. Even though our players aren’t from here, they are doing charity work and helping others in the city. People are starting to notice.”

…Findlay’s roster is again loaded with major college prospects, including Kansas commit Kelly Oubre and Arizona commit Craig Victor. Senior shooting guard Rashad Vaughn might be the biggest attraction, though. Vaughn, the nation’s No. 7 overall recruiting prospect according to rivals.com, is considering UNLV.
Las Vegas Sun


Cliff Alexander, 6-8, F/C, Curie (IL), 2014: It isn’t often that a single performance can make such an impact that it’ll move a prospect up to the top spot in the rankings. But that’s exactly what Cliff Alexander potentially did on Monday when he put up 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to upset Montverde Academy. And that was just after posting 30 points, 26 rebounds and 14 blocks in his previous game. He’s been on a tear all season long. On MLK Day, he had at least six dunks, with one almost shattering the backboard, which he’s already done in the past. Constantly crashing the boards, Alexander had three put-back dunks, including one where he posterized Montverde’s Keenan Robinson. And as if he hadn’t punished Robinson enough, on the very next possession he once again dunked on him off a pass after cutting to the rim. That was all after teammate Joshua Stamps dunked on Robinson in the first half. Not only did Alexander dominate the paint, his shooting stroke was a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line. The Kansas-bound big man was just as aggressive on the defensive end, even blocking a dude’s three-point shot attempt. He’s explosive and assertive. He moves superbly for his size. His physique is NBA-ready. He’s the real deal.

…Kelly Oubre, 6-7, Wing, Findlay Prep (NV), 2014: The last sentence should honestly be replaced with the statement: “much due to Kelly Oubre’s suffocating defense.” After Pinson dropped 14 points in the first quarter, Oubre was given the defensive assignment of guarding the UNC-bound wing in the second quarter. The result? Pinson was only able to score four points in that time period, and then five more points the entire second half. The entire Welsleyan team only scored 11 points in the second half, for that matter. Oubre, headed to Kansas in the fall, is relentless on both ends of the floor and thus fills up the entire stat line on most nights. His intensity on the defensive end led to him getting out on transition in offense. He does a great job moving without the ball and cutting to the paint, which led to a couple of alley-oop dunks for him in the second half. He’s also terrific in protecting the ball when driving inside and in absorbing contact. If left open, he also demonstrated the ability to sink in jumpers from behind the arc. The versatile wing’s stat line demonstrated his well-rounded game, finishing with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals.

…JaQuan Lyle, 6-4, SG, Huntington Prep (WV), 2014: Lyle is a combo guard with a wide frame and deep shooting ability. He has a quick release running off screens, can shoot with his feet set, or off the dribble. A “wide trunk” allows him to create separation and get his shot off. However, he tends to jack up shots early in possessions, and he doesn’t contribute besides scoring. The next step is for him to impact the game in other ways.
SLAM 2014 Hoophall Classic Top Performers


The combination of Turner’s size, athleticism, and performance at camps this past summer has elevated him all the way to the number two spot in the 2014 ESPN 100 rankings. He is now the top unsigned player in the country and has only taken one official visit, which was to Ohio State in October.

Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Texas , and SMU are all in the mix for Turner’s services, too. According to recruiting analyst Reggie Rankin, the center has said his next official visit will be Oklahoma State. Turner also mentioned that he’s “been to Texas a few times,” including the Michigan State game.

So where does Turner end up? My prediction is the Pokes. Travis Ford is a pretty good recruiter and has done well in the Dallas area recently with All-American Marcus Smart (Flower Mound Marcus), Phil Forte (Flower Mound Marcus), and LeBryan Nash (Dallas Lincoln).  The Cowboys will also need a big man next year and someone to fill the void Smart leaves with his expected decision to enter the NBA Draft.
SportDFW.com


Recruiting Calendar


My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk

AUDIO: Coach Self on SVP & Russillo


“I thought Frank did an unbelievable job guarding Heslip. He didn’t score on Frank. He was able to make six threes on everybody else off our screwups,” Self said, referring to BU’s Brady Heslip, who scored 19 points off 6-of-9 three-point shooting in 31 minutes.

“Frank did a great job, or he (Heslip) could really have had a big game,” Self added on his weekly “Hawk Talk” radio show.

Mason asked Self if he could take a turn defensively on Heslip, who burned KU for four threes in four tries the first half. Heslip hit two of five threes the second half.

“That’s not something I’m used to seeing,” Mason said after the game, referring to a long-range bomber like Heslip. “I told coach I wanted to guard him ... (that) he wouldn’t get open shots on me. Any shot he made would be contested or a hard shot.”

That attitude showed during the times Mason did shadow the 6-foot-2 Heslip.

“Frank was way tuned up defensively,” Self said. “He refused to be screened. Some others run into a screen and do not get through it, do not compete. Those are losing plays. Frank only knows one speed, which is good. He’s a competitive guy.”

…“Frank is the quickest, most athletic kid (on KU’s team),” Self said. “Wiggs’ (Andrew Wiggins) first step and second jump and everything is a different level. But when you talk about a guy who can get up and down the court or slide or keep a guy in front of him and still pressure, Frank is without question our most athletic kid.”

Self says Mason also has a great personality.

“If you’d poll our guys, they’d say Frank is the funniest guy on the team,” Self said. “Joel (Embiid, freshman center) is pretty funny, too. I’d give the nod to Frank.”

“The guys think I’m funny. They think I’m hilarious,” Mason said. “I think we are very close. The whole team, we do everything together. Even if it’s going out, we all like to move in a big group.”

…Self was asked on ESPN’s SVP and Russillo show Wednesday how the team is handling talk of Embiid and Wiggins likely being the top two players taken in the 2014 NBA Draft.

“We haven’t handled it at all. They don’t care,” Self said of the duo. “Everybody likes good thing to be said about them ... hey, Joel doesn’t care, and Andrew doesn’t, either. These are really nice, sweet kids, and they are happy when the other does well...

“A lot of people say, ‘If they are going to go this high, it’s a foregone conclusion they are gone.’ These are things that have never been addressed with us. They are not talking like that. I know the talk was with Wiggs the whole time, but Joel ... trust me, we haven’t not talked to one person about that. He’s not in a hurry to talk about it. Their heads are right now. They have their heart in the right place.”
LJW

Like thousands of Kansas University basketball fans, coach Bill Self has reviewed the clip of Wayne Selden’s all-out hustle play against Baylor several times.

He’s given a thumbs-up to film of his freshman guard jumping over the northeast press table into the Allen Fieldhouse stands while delivering a pass to Joel Embiid for a bucket in the second half of Monday’s 78-68 victory over the Bears.

“I didn’t realize it was that great a play watching it live because I was kind of blocked out,” Self said Tuesday on his weekly “Hawk Talk” radio show. “Wayne really went after that ball. To dive over that scorer’s table and get right back in the play ... that was pretty cool.

…“He means so much to us. He gives us an air of toughness. Certainly when he’s going after the ball like that, we become a much better team because it’s contagious,” Self said.

…A “Hawk Talk” caller asked if KU sophomore wing Andrew White III was in the coach’s “doghouse” or injured.

White, 6-6, 210 from Richmond, Va., has played three minutes in the last nine games since suffering a hip pointer at practice.

“I don’t know if he’s 100 percent (healed) but he’s close enough. He is practicing every day,” Self said. “He’s never been in the doghouse. He’s a fabulous kid. It’s hard to play everybody.

“One of the advantages of depth is you have guys, through injuries and foul problems and things like that, you can play and hopefully not take a big step backward. One of the disadvantages is, if everybody is healthy, not everybody plays. He has kind of fallen in that group where he’s odd man out on the perimeter just like Landen (Lucas, two minutes last seven games) is odd man out on the interior.

“Both of them have worked hard and both of them deserve to play. I don’t know if they deserve to play over guys we’re trying to play. We’re only really playing four perimeter guys (Naadir Tharpe, Wayne Selden, Andrew Wiggins, Frank Mason) and filling in with Brannen (Greene) and Conner (Frankamp). He (White) was probably ahead of those guys a month ago. Since then and when he got hurt, he lost a little bit and those guys put themselves in a position maybe to have the opportunity to get in first. He’ll keep a great attitude and keep working hard. He’s a great teammate, a great kid, period,” Self said.

…What was that loud noise in Section 14 on Monday night?: “The back of a bleacher broke in Section 14. Nobody was hurt,” KU associate AD Jim Marchiony said. “It happens every once in a great while.” He said KU officials checked out the area and deemed there was no danger of further problems during the game and any repairs would be made as needed this week.
LJW


Baylor hit 13 of 27 threes and grabbed 48 percent of its missed shots. That's a recipe for a huge offensive game and also a potential upset at Allen Fieldhouse.

And yet, it wasn't. It's shocking that with the numbers above, the Bears mustered 1.069 points per possession — a decent total, but still just their third-best mark in five Big 12 games.

So how did KU still manage to win comfortably after allowing those totals? The biggest reason was the percentage we hardly talk about: 2-point percentage.

KU dominated this area, picking up 14 extra points despite taking seven fewer shots.

Thanks to the magic of Hoop-Math.com, we can go a step farther. Here's the shot breakdown from Monday night's game for both teams.

…KU had a great shooting night for sure, but this also speaks to the value of shot selection. The worst shot statistically is a 2-point jumper, as it's less successful than a close shot and doesn't get the bonus point that a 3 does.

The Jayhawks' defense effectively kept the Bears away from the rim, which turned them into a 2-point jumpshooting team. From the numbers above, BU might have had a better chance had it shifted many of those 2-point jumpshots into the 3-point jumpshot category, given the limited success BU was having with its mid-range game.

Bottom Line

Though Baylor was able to force some turnovers with its zone, overall, its defense was ineffective.
The Jayhawks, thanks to good shot selection and a great night at the free-throw line, notched a healthy 1.226 points per possession — the second-highest total against the Bears all season. The 78 points might not seem like a lot, but keep in mind the pace (64 possessions) tied for the slowest in a game the Jayhawks have had all season.

It still feels like the Jayhawks can improve on that end, though. If the Jayhawks can have that efficient of a night while turning it over at roughly the same rate as the worst turnover team in the country, what might they do if they turned it over at an average NCAA rate?

Two days after a home victory over Oklahoma State, we learned again what we already knew: KU can be scary good at times, but turnovers remain as the biggest obstacle holding them back.
TCJ Newell Post

Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List, the Los Angles Athletic Club announced Wednesday.
 
Wiggins is one of three Big 12 Conference student-athletes listed -  and one of only five freshmen.  The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official voting ballot, which will consist of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. However, players not chosen to the midseason list are still eligible for the ballot. The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Wiggins leads Kansas with a 15.2 scoring average, which also leads the Big 12 freshman class and is 10th overall in the conference. The 6-8 Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, guard has five games of 20-plus points and pulled down a season-high 19 rebounds at then No. 8 Iowa State (1/13). Wiggins is 50-of-59 (84.7 percent) from the free throw line in his last 10 games after hitting 10-of-12 charity shots during his 17-point effort in the win versus No. 23 Baylor on ESPN Big Monday. He has made 20 threes this season, leads KU with 17 steals and his 6.1 rebound average is third on the team.
 
Last season, Kansas' Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey were named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason and final ballot lists. McLemore went on to be named Wooden Award All-American.
KUAD


The level of disappointment we are currently experiencing when we watch Kansas freshman sensation Andrew Wiggins play can be traced back more than four years. The table first was set for disappointment way back on Oct. 12, 2009, when a video with this title was uploaded to YouTube:
“Best 13 Year Old in the Nation 6’6 Andrew Wiggins!”

The video shows an extraordinarily athletic Canadian kid doing amazing things with a basketball. Like dunking on a kid. Then dunking on another kid. Aaaaand dunking on another kid. Sure, there’s the occasional baby hook, the occasional ankle-breaking crossover, but mostly, the 40-second mixtape is a dunktape.

It has been viewed 4.7 million times.

Another mixtape, one that’s three minutes long, is from Wiggins’ time at Huntington Prep basketball factory. This YouTube video calls him the best player in high school. It also features mostly dunks. It has been viewed 4.1 million times.

I bring this up now, halfway through Wiggins’ freshman (and presumed only) season at Kansas, because the number of voices criticizing Wiggins for underachieving compared to the enormous (and utterly unfair) expectations has shifted from underground rumblings to an out-and-out narrative of his season.

Conventional wisdom among NBA draftniks is that Wiggins has shifted from surefire No. 1 pick to now sitting behind his teammate, freshman 7-footer Joel Embiid, and perhaps Duke’s hyped freshman phenom, Jabari Parker. One article I recently read wondered if Wiggins could fall as far as sixth. Fans question why the 18-year-old who has been bestowed the expectation-filled (and utterly unfair) nickname “Maple Jordan” hasn’t completely owned the college game.

And I’m here to say, in the immortal words of Walter Sobchak from “The Big Lebowski”: “Has the whole world gone crazy?”

On Monday night, I watched Andrew Wiggins and his No. 8 Jayhawks manhandle a talented Baylor team that’s ranked 24th. Baylor shot better than 50 percent from 3-point range, and KU still won by 10. The win moved Kansas to 5-0 in the Big 12, the toughest conference in the country.

In the game, Wiggins drifted at times, like he seemed to do in the Jayhawks' weekend win over Oklahoma State in which he attempted one shot in the game’s final 29 minutes. He didn’t take the ball and slice through the lane. He didn’t dunk on Cory Jefferson or Isaiah Austin like he had so many 13-year-olds.

Without a single highlight clip to his name, he still led his team with 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

I couldn’t help but leave a bit disappointed.

And then slap myself for doing so, because I’ve fallen for that “focus-on-the-NBA-draft” storyline that’s dominated this college basketball season.

Look: Andrew Wiggins is an extraordinary talent. He’s also a freshman in college, playing for a team that starts two other freshmen. He’s averaging 15 points and six rebounds for a team that feels like it’s hitting a groove after beating four straight ranked teams — first time that’s happened in 17 years, by the way — to reach 5-0 in conference play.

The problem isn’t with Andrew Wiggins.

The problem is with us, and with our silly expectations.

…You know what Magic Johnson averaged his freshman year at Michigan State? Seventeen points, eight rebounds. Michael Jordan his freshman year at North Carolina: 13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds. Blake Griffin as an Oklahoma frosh: 14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds.

Or how about Vince Carter his junior year at North Carolina? That feels like the most accurate NBA comparison for Wiggins, at least now. He averaged 15.6 points and 5.1 rebounds, almost a dead ringer for Wiggins’ numbers.

Oh, wait — that was Carter’s junior year.

…We’ve heard about this kid since he was 13; we’ve compared him to Kobe and LeBron and McGrady; then we were somehow disappointed when he didn’t immediately live up to that.

It was like we lifted him up in order to cut him down.

Here’s what Andrew Wiggins is so far this year: He’s the top scorer and key player on a team that very well could win it all. He’s a kid who we feel needs to show a killer instinct — but who apparently is still fully capable of taking over a game, as he did in the second half of KU’s December loss at Florida.
Fox Sports Forgrave


In the aftermath of Monday’s 10-point victory vs. Baylor, Self offered his most unguarded assessment to date of Wiggins.

“I think he’s done well,” Self said. “I think that there’s another step he could take. He leaves me wanting more, so when people say certain things, I can’t be upset they’re saying them because he leaves me wanting more too.”

Self knows there is so much more in that long, 6-foot-8 body that moves so quickly, especially close to the hoop, when it looks as if he’s been shot out of a cannon.

Self’s next words put a road block to any thoughts that by “wanting more,” he solely meant more effort.

“I also think this: He’s also playing on the perimeter, he’s playing guard,” Self said. “He’s never played guard before. There are so many things going into it that have allowed him probably to be not as comfortable as what a lot of people would expect him to be immediately.”

That helps to explain why his handle lacks polish, which is why he doesn’t drive to the hoop as often as someone with his insane quickness should.

His guards skills are young and so too is Wiggins, 18. Physically, he’s on the slender side. Emotionally, he seems so well-grounded, his eyes and memory unpolluted by the sort of experiences others endure that can make them grow up too quickly.

“I think he’s so naive in so many ways,” Self said. “I don’t know that he thinks about that he’s everybody’s Super Bowl when they get a chance to play against him. I don’t know if he feels that. We tell him that, but I don’t know if he feels that yet. ... I do think there’s another step he can take.”

He will, and since Wiggins has such a long stride, when he does take that next step, complaints about the team’s leading scorer and best perimeter defender should fade to an inaudible whisper.
LJW

A year ago, Victor Oladipo finished second in the Wooden Award voting at the end of the season despite not appearing on the 25-man midseason watch list.

It's possible another player might follow in the Indiana star's path this season because the Wooden Award midseason list again omitted a few very strong candidates.

The most high-profile snub is Kansas freshman Joel Embiid, the chief catalyst behind the Jayhawks' ascendance to the top of the Big 12 standings and the NBA prospect rising fastest up mock drafts the past few weeks. Embiid headlines my list below of the four best players left off the midseason list.

1. Joel Embiid, C, Kansas (11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks): His stats may not leap off the page like other Wooden Award contenders, but Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg didn't label Embiid the best player in college basketball for nothing. Not only does the 7 footer protect the rim better than any big man in the nation, his footwork, post moves and passing ability on offense are improving every day. He had 13 points, 11 boards and eight blocks in a win against Oklahoma State last Saturday.
Yahoo


Everyone wants a timetable, because nothing in our current sports culture is as important as what’s next, but there isn’t one. This game, next game? This week, next week? This year, next year? “I don’t think it’s about time,” Kansas center Joel Embiid says. “It’s just about me.”

He understands now this is not about "if" but "when." Although he now is 7 feet tall, graceful as an Olympic skater and unreasonably skilled, it wasn’t always that certain. When Embiid began seriously playing the game of basketball — seriously meaning moving to the United States, leaving his home and family 6,300 miles behind — he found the physical demands so challenging “I couldn’t even breathe. I almost threw up.”

On an AAU team where future Florida Gators Chris Walker and Kasey Hill consumed all the attention and most of the action with the ball, Embiid was praised by Scout.com for having, unlike many who come to the game in their late teens, “some idea of how to play.”

When Embiid arrived at Kansas, not long after a performance in the Nike Hoop Summit that suggested there might be more to it, coach Bill Self began whispering that forward Andrew Wiggins was not the only freshman in his class with the potential to be a No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Which means that in the space of a year, in Self’s words, Embiid had advanced from a player he thought had a chance to be “pretty good,” to one he thought might be “real good” to the player who now stands before you with the potential to completely overturn every expectation about how the current college basketball season will develop and what might occur in the game in the months beyond.

…“It’s experience,” Embiid told Sporting News. “Even in high school, I wasn’t consistent. I would have games where I’d have 20 and 15, and the next game I’d have 5 and 5. I need to get that consistency. I think I’ll be good after that. I’m working. I think over the past couple games, I’ve been good overall, but some good halves of basketball and other ones that are bad. “I think it’s just me. When I come to the game, I have to have the mindset: I want to do this. I’ve got to block that many shots, get that many steals. In my mind, I’ve got to be like, ‘No one can stop me.’ ”

…Was it so crazy that Embiid would shoot an open 3-pointer? He makes them in practice all the time, and hit one in a home game against Kansas State just a couple weeks back. This is what makes Embiid extraordinary: Though playing the game for only four years, he is comfortable shooting from the perimeter, playing with his back to the basket, putting the ball on the floor to create room to shoot and defending the rim like the most polished shot-blocker.

He had nine blocks in his first six games combined; he had eight on Saturday alone, including one ridiculous rejection that developed when Oklahoma State All-American Marcus Smart, noting
Embiid’s presence on the right side of the lane, switched his drive to a left-size reverse. That way, the rim would get in the way of a block attempt. But Embiid surged across the lane, reached to the Allen ceiling and got a piece of the ball, anyway.

…He’s had some trouble with understanding how to control his emotions against opponents attempting to unnerve him by roughing him up in the post. They have little choice; it’s either that, or surrender. Embiid was charged with flagrant fouls in three consecutive games.

“I would say during the game, there’s a lot of things that happen. If I did something, it means he probably did something,” Embiid said. “But I just don’t want people to see me as — I don’t do that on purpose, but I don’t want people to see me as like I’m weak or something like that. I just don’t take anything from anybody.”

This, too, is another sign Embiid is becoming the player Self needs him to be. Perhaps a bit too much of that player, but it’s easier to convince a player to do a little less than a lot more.
TSN DeCourcy


What’s not to like? Embiid is 250 pounds with the body fat of a grain of rice. He’s nimble thanks to his soccer and volleyball background and loves to run the floor. He’s a leaper, sky-rocketing almost three feet above the rim from standing flatfooted. He’s already learned how to fight for space so he doesn’t get outrebounded and is a good position player defensively.

Last week, in two Jawhawks wins, Embiid averaged a double-double (14.5 ppg., 10.0 rpg.) while rejecting 13 shots. He had 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks at Iowa State, then added 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks against Oklahoma State. Against the Cowboys, he became the first freshman in Big 12 history to score 10 or more points, grab 10 or more rebounds and register eight blocked shots in a game. The eight rejections broke his own Kansas freshman single-game record, tied the Big 12 freshman record for all games and broke the mark for a conference game.
He’s drawing comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon, which over the long haul may turn out to be sacrilegious, but the Dream was unrefined at the same age and didn’t possess Embiid’s basketball instincts. It wasn’t until late in his sophomore season at Houston that Olajuwon dropped hints of becoming a dominant center.

For Embiid, it could happen sooner than later.

Word out of Chicago is that Parker is considering returning to Duke for his sophomore season, rather than turn pro. His friend, fellow Chicagoan and the nation’s top recruit Jahlil Okafor, is headed to Duke as is Minnesota’s Tyus Jones, the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2014. If Parker returns, the Blue Devils will enter the 2014-15 season ranked No. 1. Besides, another year of college wouldn’t hurt. Parker’s recent shooting slump has raised concerns from NBA scouts and the next time he plays defense will be the first time. Tom Izzo says it’s not a sin to be a senior. Or a sophomore.
Link


I think I m getting an Instagram account tomorrow
And I m only posting pics of lions that I killed
@jojo_embiid

Since losing to San Diego State, the Kansas Jayhawks have put together a five-game surge that includes victories over its biggest competitors in the Big 12 conference – Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Baylor.  Two of those (Oklahoma, Iowa State) were on the road.

Add in victories over Duke and New Mexico in non-conference play, and KU has notched eight Top 50 RPI victories.  That’s two more than Syracuse, four more than Arizona, and three more than Michigan State – the other members of today’s No. 1 seed club.  It’s also worth noting that Kansas has played the nation’s toughest schedule and currently sits atop the RPI.  

That’s a pretty strong profile (despite four losses – all to Top 25 RPI Teams), and the primary reason why the Jayhawks received the No. 4 slot on this week’s seed list (s-curve).
NBC: Kansas #1 in the South


3. Kansas

Can we just crown the Jayhawks national champions now and get it over with? That’s where we’re headed, right? I mean, after playing the toughest non-conference schedule I can remember for a marquee team, Kansas just beat the five best teams in the best conference in America. Assuming they can win at TCU this season, it’s pretty obvious the Jayhawks are going to win the Big 12 yet again. Then they’ll get a 1-seed in the tournament, we’ll hear pundits drone on about how the Jayhawks are “young but battle-tested” and “jelling at the right time,” and Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins will dominate en route to a national title. Jim Nantz is already working on his Kansas puns.

I’m not saying Kansas is as good as the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats. They aren’t. But don’t these Jayhawks have a similar vibe? They have the probable top two picks in the NBA draft surrounded by more McDonald’s All-Americans than they can count. When Wiggins is engaged on offense and the team remains focused on defense, they’re the best team in the country. I really mean that. If I’m a fan of a ranked team and the NCAA tournament were drawn up today, I’d rather my team be put in Arizona’s or Syracuse’s region than Kansas’s. All the talk about young teams like Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke was that they will be terrifying in March. Well, Kansas is there already. The Jayhawks are terrifying. They simply have no weaknesses and an absurd amount of talent. Most importantly, though, is that they are battle-tested and jelling at the right time.
Grantland Titus’s Rankings


Portland’s All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who plays the same position of Robinson has been key in helping the talented young forward become more patient.

“I’ve been talking to him because he’s a very confident player,” Aldridge said. “I’ve been telling him, don’t go out and be so eager to score. Just move the ball around, fit in a little bit and then take your shot.”

Robinson has certainly been more patient in finding his shot since finding his way back onto the court on Jan. 6 against the Kings.

After finding his way back onto the court, Robinson has taken 75 percent of his shots inside the restricted area (within four feet of the hoop), which has led to 65 percent shooting.

He’s essentially eliminated taking midrange jumpers unless necessary.

With a little help from an All-Star and some more time, it seems that Robinson is finally settling in to a role in the NBA.

After finding his way back onto the court, Robinson has taken 75 percent of his shots inside the restricted area, which has led to 65 percent shooting.

He's essentially eliminated taking midrange jumpers until extremely necessary.

With a little help from an All-Star and some more time, it seems that Robinson is finally settling in to a role in the NBA.
Blazers turn to Thomas Robinson, again


One of the deals involved sending Tyshawn Taylor to the Pelicans along with cash for the rights to Edin Bavcic, a 29-year old Bosnian big man who was originally drafted back in 2006 by the Raptors, and may or may not ever play in the NBA.

The Pelicans clearly were in that deal for the money and nothing else, as they waived Taylor on Wednesday, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The Wizards did something similar earlier this season, when they waived Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown immediately after acquiring them (along with Marcin Gortat) in a trade with the Phoenix Suns. It’s an interesting way to make moves under the more restrictive collective bargaining agreement, but it can leave fringe players like Taylor (and Marshall before him, before catching on with the injury-ravaged Lakers) in a difficult situation.
Link


Three of the past four halves of women’s college basketball had Kansas University coach Bonnie Henrickson thinking the Jayhawks had turned the corner.

The fourth, however, left her shaking her head.

Three days after upsetting seventh-ranked Baylor, the Jayhawks threw a scare into No. 8 Oklahoma State before ultimately suffering a 64-56 loss to the Cowgirls on Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Offensively, we just had poor poise and composure, and we stopped attacking,” Henrickson said.
KU fell to 9-10 overall, 2-5 in the Big 12. OSU improved to 17-1, 6-1.
LJW


VOTE for Kansas fans at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest


VOTE for Coach Self & his Assists Foundation (currently 22nd out of 48 coaches!)


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Kansas has a one-game lead over K-State in the conference standings, but with its four victories coming against top competition, some are saying the Big 12 race is already over.

It’s an interesting debate. While it will be difficult for other teams to match the Jayhawks’ victories at Oklahoma and Iowa State, the Big 12 season is long. A slip-up could come anywhere. Remember, Kansas lost at TCU last year.

For what it’s worth, Bill Self is taking the cautious approach: “It’s like being ahead in baseball after the second inning. It doesn’t matter right now. We’ve just got to make sure we try to get better every day.”
Wichita Eagle

Smart's not breaking any laws. Until he becomes a top 10 pick in the NBA Draft, he's not going to face any fines. The Big 12's not going to suspend him as long as his flops remain within the realm of "questionable," which they do. He's not faking injuries or falling to the ground with no one in his vicinity. 

"We don't condone flopping or anything like that, but the Big 12 is a physical basketball league and we have big guards and sometimes people think it looks like flopping," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said Monday. "That's everybody's opinion. Everybody's got one, but it's not something we practice or condone."

Thing is, the "Smart is flopping" idea is based a lot more in fact than in opinion.

As the microscope on Smart's game has intensified during a hyped sophomore season, so has his reputation as one of college basketball's worst offenders. ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla called Smart out on his habit after a flop late in a win over Colorado.

…Smart is too good for this.

Is this who he wants to be? Smart's making it mighty hard for some to respect him, and brought almost all of the vitriol and mockery upon himself.
David Ubben


Those who showed up at the Coliseum on Wednesday night were treated to an unexpected duel between Texas Tech's Dusty Hannahs and West Virginia's Terry Henderson.

What they saw was each player set career-high scoring marks as they engaged in some frantic back-and-forth action in the second half. What the crowd of 5,031 couldn't see was what was perhaps most entertaining.

"He was talking to me a little bit early in the game. 'Are we going to have a shootout? Want to have a shootout?'" Henderson said. "I'm not even trying to communicate with him because I know we've got to win this game."

Though Hannahs made plenty of noise with record-setting shooting, it was Henderson's silence that said the most. He was 7-for-7 and scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half of the 87-81 victory against the Red Raiders. Hannahs, a shaggy-haired sophomore who's cut his hair since the last time these two teams played, matched former WVU guard Lionel Armstead's Coliseum record and set an opponent record by going 7-for-7 from 3-point range for 25 points.
Charleston Daily Mail


Everyone associated with Oklahoma is getting used to seeing this from Ryan Spangler.
It didn't take long for TCU to figure out what it was in for with Spangler on Wednesday night.
The sophomore forward had 13 points — all in the second half — and 16 rebounds as the No. 25 Sooners needed everything from Spangler in a 77-69 win in front of an estimated 4,684 at the Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoman


The eligibility of Iowa State men’s basketball player Bubu Palo may be decided by the Iowa Supreme Court.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office, representing the state’s Board of Regents, filed a motion today for an immediate stay of a recent district court decision that ordered Iowa State University to allow Palo to rejoin its basketball team.

The motion argued that “the district court ruling deprives the Board of Regents and Iowa State University of its legal authority to establish and enforce expectations of conduct for students … and to determine who will have the privilege of representing the university in intercollegiate athletics.”
Link


Jonathan Holmes delivered the shot. Cameron Ridley provided the muscle.

Texas won again, this time 67-64 over No. 22 Kansas State and the Longhorns keep climbing upward in the Big 12.

Holmes made a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer Tuesday night, sending Texas to its fourth straight league victory and second in a row over a ranked team.

''I just caught it and shot it,'' Holmes said, adding he had no time to think before putting the ball in the air.

The Longhorns (15-4, 4-2) are giving the Big 12 plenty to think about. A team that started with no expectations after a losing season in 2012-13, the program's first in 15 years, is now feeling like it can chase the league heavyweights over a long season.

And maybe even challenge for the title.

''That's what we're playing for,'' Holmes said.
AP


ESPN: Baylor’s Kenny Chery journey through juco

Baylor coach Scott Drew and his players didn’t seem nearly as gloomy as in preceding losses to Texas Tech on the road and Oklahoma at the Ferrell Center. There was a sense of optimism because the Bears gave a great effort against the ultra-talented Jayhawks at one of the hardest places to win in the country.

“At the end of the day, losing is tough,” Drew said. “But I’m proud of our effort. We will work to keep getting better. It’s the No. 1-ranked conference in the country, so it’s a grind. We’re five games into it and we’re on the upward swing, so hopefully we can keep that going.”

Most coaches who are 1-4 in conference play wouldn’t say they’re on the upward swing. But after coming out playing poorly at Texas Tech and finishing badly against Oklahoma, Drew saw a lot of encouraging signs against the Big 12-leading Jayhawks.
Waco Tribune


The student section at San Diego State is a delightful din of snark, stomping and chanting, an edgier evolution of the Cameron Crazies. They're pithily summed up by their Twitter bio: "You won't like us. We won't care."

The defining cheer of The Show comes before every game, as they chant out every word of the phrase, "I believe that we will win," consecutively. Each word gets louder, and when they finally arrive at "win," the chant crescendos into a defiant sing-song mosh pit that sets an acidic tone for every home game.

This San Diego State team has won 15-straight games, crashed the Top 10 and emerged as a team that many, well, believe will win deep into March. The Aztecs are 16-1, with their only loss coming at home to now top-ranked Arizona.

But after watching the Aztecs twice this week and studying the Mountain West's tortured NCAA Tournament history, there are also plenty of reasons to be skeptical.

The Mountain West is 3-9 in the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, including San Diego State getting filleted by No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast in the Round of 32 last year. The Aztecs also fell to No. 11 N.C. State in the Round of 64 the year before.
SI


ESPN: Syracuse is America’s best team


Wichita State may be one of three remaining undefeated teams in college basketball, but that doesn't mean it has one of the three best resumes. The Shockers best win is its five-point victory at Saint Louis in December. Outside of that, they own just one win against a top-50 RPI team. Do they have a more impressive body of work than Villanova, Florida, Kansas or Wisconsin, the four No. 2-seeds in this week's Bracket Watch? They probably don't. And that won't matter for seeding purposes in March if they're undefeated.

If the Shockers enter the Big Dance with an unblemished record, they will be one of the four top seeds. They just cleared their first legitimate hurdle last week, putting a 20-point drubbing on Indiana State at home. They visit Illinois State, a team that is 4-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, this week. Should the Shockers win that game, they will likely be able to rest easy until back-to-back road games at Indiana State and Northern Iowa early next month. If they get through those games unscathed and win their conference tournament, the stats still may not support them being a 1-seed, but that's exactly where they'll be.
SI Bracket Watch


Illinois State was thinking about a big upset for a while.

After a dominant second half by No. 5 Wichita State at Redbird Arena on Wednesday night, Illinois State was just thinking about how it couldn't stop Cleanthony Early.

Early, Wichita's 6-foot-8 senior All-America candidate, scored 23 points and added 10 rebounds as the Shockers wiped out a three-point halftime deficit and rolled Illinois State 70-55.

Wichita State (20-0, 7-0 Missouri Valley Conference) is one of three remaining unbeaten in the country, along with No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Syracuse.

Illinois State (11-8, 4-3) had won 10 of 13 coming, and is now tied for third in the Valley.
AP


South Carolina coach Frank Martin has apologized for a tirade directed at guard Brenton Williams in the first half in the Gamecocks' loss to Mississippi this past Saturday.

Martin is known for his harsh stare downs and strong words at times when players make mistakes on the court. On Tuesday, Martin says he went too far after getting caught up in the moment. Martin also apologized to fans around South Carolina's bench who heard the exchange.

Martin says there was no place for him to ever speak to Williams like he did. He says he met with and apologized to his senior guard.
AP


Under Armour Inc. CEO Kevin Plank recalls sleeping in the visiting locker room at Notre Dame Stadium back in 1997, invited to the game by Georgia Tech staff and forced to bunker down because he didn't have a hotel room.

Back then, his company was about a year old and he was excited to see the Yellow Jackets take the field in Under Armour apparel.

On Tuesday, Plank was back in South Bend to announce a 10-year apparel deal with the Fighting Irish that Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick described as the largest deal of its kind in the history of college athletics.

Michigan's eight-year contract worth with $8.2 million annually is generally believed to have been the largest until Notre Dame's deal. Swarbrick wouldn't disclose terms.

"There's been a lot of speculation about whether this deal would top $100 million," said Nancy Lough, a professor of higher education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and president of the Sport Marketing Association.

Adidas, which began providing shoes to Notre Dame in 1997, issued a statement saying it would no longer partner with Notre Dame after the 2013-14 season.

"As with every business decision, we weigh our investment against the value to our brand," spokesman Michael Ehrlich said.

Swarbrick said it was important for Notre Dame to have such a deal to get through what he called a period of change in college athletics "unlike any of us have ever lived through." He mentioned the change from the BCS to a playoff system in football and conference realignment in all sports that saw Notre Dame move from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference last year.

Sports marketing experts say the deal was important for Baltimore-based Under Armour.
AP


Big XII composite schedule (includes results, highlights, stats)


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

Since James Naismith became the the first head coach at Kansas University, the history of basketball, Kansas, and Springfield College have been intertwined.

Naismith, a Springfield College physical education instructor, created the game in 1891, but it was one of his players, Forrest ‘Phog’ Allen, who is considered the ‘father of basketball coaching’ for his success in making Kansas a national powerhouse and for building the game’s popularity.

On Monday, the future torchbearers of Kansas’ proud basketball tradition were on display at Springfield College’s Blake Arena, as Jayhawk commits Kelly Oubre Jr. of Findlay Prep (Nev.) and Cliff Alexander of Curie High School (Ill.) took part in the Spalding Hoophall Classic high school invitational.

Oubre, the No. 12 player in theRivals 150 ranking for the class of 2014, scored a team-high 23 points to lead Findlay Prep to a 73-44 victory over Wesleyan Christian (N.C.). He earned the game’s most outstanding player award, displaying his impressive athletic ability and versatility.

After his game, Oubre said, “I've got to watch my boy (Alexander) play because I know he is going to kill Montverde. They can’t really handle him--nobody in the country can handle him.”

Alexander, the No. 4 player in the class, then led Curie High to an upset victory over Montverde Academy (Fla.), the No.1 ranked team according to USA Today Sports, with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks.

“We’ve been waiting on this day since the season started,” Alexander said. “We know that they were the No. 1 team in the country and we came out and beat them. Right now, can’t nobody beat us.”

Alexander scored just six points in the first half, before erupting in the fourth quarter to lead the Condors to a comeback win over the defending National High School Invitational champions. Curie entered the final period trailing by nine points, but the 6-foot-8 center had 13 points in the final 4:30 minutes--including two powerful dunks-- to earn the win.

“I just didn’t want to lose. We came too far to take a loss. That’s what I told my team at halftime,” Alexander said.

Throughout the game, Oubre stood against the guardrail on the track above the court, watching his future teammate and nodding in approval when Alexander put the finishing touches on a superb performance.

“We exchanged numbers when we went on our Kansas visit,” Oubre said. “We both committed, so now we pretty much have to start forming a brotherhood like we will next year, because we are going to be around each other a lot, so why not start now?”

Oubre committed to Kansas just four days after his visit, where he and Alexander received a standing ovation from the fans at “Late Night it the Phog”, the Jayhawks’ version of Midnight Madness.

“I was shocked at all the love the fans showed me, the atmosphere, the tradition, the coaching staff. It was a blessing to be there,” Oubre said. “I got to see everything that everybody was talking about before the visit. Obviously, I had Kansas and Kentucky on my list, but Kansas was my first visit and I was taken away by where I was at, so I made my decision.”

Alexander, who was also being pursued by Michigan State, Memphis, and Illinois among others, committed to the Jayhawks about a month later. Now, Alexander and Oubre are trying convince another elite recruit to team up with them in Lawrence so that they can “win a national championship” according to Alexander.

“We (Oubre and Alexander) talk almost every day. We’re trying to get JaQuan Lyle to commit with us. He’s a good friend of mine,” Alexander said.

Prior to Alexander’s game Monday afternoon, USA basketball announced its 10-man Junior National Select team, which included both Oubre and Alexander. USA Basketball, however, was not the only one impressed with Bill Self’s recruiting class.

Former 1978 All-Big 8 Jayhawk Ken Koenigs took in the games from the bleachers while wearing a Kansas baseball cap. Koenigs was drafted in the fifth round of the 1978 draft, but decided instead to pursue a career as a gastroenterologist. The annual Kansas basketball academic award is named in his honor.

“(Oubre is) very impressive with his overall game,” Koenigs said. “He plays great defense, he can go inside and outside. I’m very excited. He’ll definitely be a Bill Self kind of guy because he likes to play defense.

“I think we’ve definitely kind of jumped into that group of getting that higher echelon player the last couple of years, so that’s always exciting for the fans.”

With Jayhawk freshman sensations Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embid expected to skip out of Lawrence for the NBA following the year, Oubre and Alexander will be relied upon to fill the void. Both players have the potential to be one-and-done players themselves, and lauded Bill Self’s player development as a major reason they chose Kansas.

I’m going to work my butt off to be the best that I can be and if, at the end of the season, my best is being ready for the league, then I’m out,” Oubre said. “But if I’m not, then I have no hesitation staying because I just want to be the best I can be.”

“Bill Self, the way he’s been developing his guys to the pros, like Thomas Robinson, the twins (Marcus and Markeiff Morris), Jo Jo (Joel Embid) --they turned him into a killer right now,” Alexander said.

The chance to play for a program rich in tradition and success, however, made just as big of an impact on the young recruits. Both players made the short trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame during their time in Springfield and were struck by the ties Kansas basketball has to the history of the game.

“James Naismith, ties to the Hall of Fame, the creator of basketball, a lot of tradition going on with Kansas,” Oubre said.
MassLive

VIDEO: Cliff Alexander vs Montverde

VIDEO: Kelly Oubre

Any debate on who best player in Class of 2014 is has just come to an abrupt and crashing conclusion. Oh, Cliff!
@FrankieBur


Tom Konchalski on if Cliff Alexander was the most impressive player at the Hoophall. "I'd say unquestionably." Says UNC-bound Pinson close
@AdamZagoria


Doesn't matter what we write or tweet, people don't believe until they see it for themselves on TV. Cliff Alexander showed them today.
@michaelsobrien


Kelly Oubre was watching up top and shouting "Can't stop him!" Every time Alexander did something awesome.
@T_Dwyer


The more and more I watch Jahlil Okafor play, the more I realize that Mudiay, Stanley Johnson and Cliff Alexander are better 2014 prospects
@trigonis30


Cliff Alexander just solidified himself as the story of this year's #hoophall in the same way in which Aaron Gordon did so a year ago
@AdamFinkelstein


@AdamFinkelstein But Gordon's team got crushed. Alexander just overwhelmed the supposed best team in country.
@FrankieBur


Alexander just crushed the entire Montverde team especially the post players as Curie came back from 12 down to win 73-69/Alexander with 30
@SteveKellerNRR


So is today the day everyone finally realizes Cliff Alexander is a better prospect than Jahlil Okafor?
Scary what Cliff Alexander will do n Kansas high-low O. Best low post player in 2014 on both ends of court
@jerrymeyer247


I said Kansas-bound big man Cliff Alexander should be heavily in mix for No. 1 spot in July. Yesterday re-affirmed my thoughts. Manchild.
Underrated aspect of Cliff Alexander's game -- passing. He's a beast, but far more skill than many give him credit
@GoodmanESPN


Cliff Alexander had 30 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks. Certainly made his very legitimate case for No. 1 player in the country.
@jeffborzello


S/O to everybody who tuned in #JayhawkNation I love y'all we getting money
@K_Ctmd22

Best matchup: Cliff Alexander(Chicago/Curie) vs. Ben Simmons(Melbourne, Australia/Montverde Academy)

This was a matchup of production vs. potential. Simmons is loaded with upside and could ultimately turn into the best player to come out of this year’s event, but that’s down the road and far from a guarantee. This weekend, there wasn’t a more dominant force than Alexander, who almost single-handedly delivered an upset win over Montverde Academy. First and foremost, Alexander was a man among boys in the paint, doing his best to rip the rim down with a series of explosive and powerful dunks. He was also every bit as good as advertised both on the defensive end and the glass. But more than that, he’s far more skilled than he’s given credit for, both in terms of his ability to pass off the post as well as a soft touch that will eventually allow him to stretch the defense a little bit. Today, he iced the game at the free-throw line. He’s also an intelligent interior presence. In fact, late in the fourth quarter, he wasn’t even trying to post, instead recognizing that his best chance to get the ball was by getting below his man so he could wedge his way into inside position on the offensive glass. Alexander finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds (7 offensive), 2 assists, and 5 blocks.


Most explosive: Kelly Oubre (Richmond, Texas/Findlay Prep)

In an atmosphere where many prospects become inefficient by trying to prove what they can do, Oubre stuck to what he does best and had a starring performance as a result. With Findlay creating offense from its defense, he was a playmaker on the defensive end, starting the break with steals and blocks alike. He played finisher on the opposite end, punctuating breaks with a series of explosive finishes. He plays above the rim like few others can and is virtually unstoppable when he’s able to get a head of steam in the open floor.
ESPN ($)

USA Basketball announces Nike Hoop Summit Rosters (Alexander, Oubre, Myles Turner)


From akajb6 on Twitter: Who would you rather have as a small forward, Stanley Johnson or Kelly Oubre?

A hard question to answer that I won't avoid.

First of all, they are two of the elite players and small forwards in the Class of 2014.

If I was coaching a team, I would take Johnson, an Arizona signee, based on his versatility, a facet of the game that I put a lot of stock into. Johnson is competitive and close to being a complete player, as he can score from deep, in the mid-range and also has a paint game. I like his versatility to handle the ball well enough in the backcourt and to push it on the fast break. He is a power driver who can finish through contact and take on defenders at the rim.

Johnson continues to score in a variety of ways and will be a mismatch as smaller defenders will struggle with his power and strength and bigger players will have a tough time with his speed, skill and mobility.

Oubre, a Kansas signee, has an explosive vertical and is one of the best finishers in the class.

I believe both will be very good on the defensive end. Johnson could defend small forwards and power forwards with his chiseled frame. Oubre will be great on perimeter defense guarding the ball, contesting jumpers and covering ground. When it comes to rebounding, both can and will work on the glass.

They are both stud freshmen who will impact their respective teams next year.
ESPN Biancardi

Vaughn is trying to plan a visit to Kentucky soon, but the only trip set right now is one to North Carolina next month.

“I just like both of the coaches,” he said. “They're genuine guys. [I like] both of their styles of play.”
In addition to those two programs, Iowa State and UNLV are also squarely in the mix for Vaughn. Kansas is on his list as well, although the Jayhawks are pursuing JaQuan Lyle and also might see Wayne Selden return for his sophomore season.

Iowa State has had a relationship with Vaughn for a long time, and the Cyclones are considering one of the favorites right now.

“[Fred Hoiberg] is a great coach,” he said. “I feel he's one of the best coaches. I like how he plays; he's got an NBA-style offense.”
CBS


Big win in a big tournament in Springfield, Mass. Pack the bags and be in Dayton, Ohio by Monday for another showcase event. Such is the schedule for Huntington Prep's basketball team.

Huntington Prep defeated Prime Prep Academy of Texas, 52-48, Saturday night in the feature game on day three in the four-day Spalding Hoop Hall Classic at Springfield College's Blake Arena. The Irish will be back in action Monday against Cleveland Central Catholic in the 12th Good Samaritan Flyin' To The Hoop Invitational at James S. Trent Arena in Kettering.

Huntington Prep relied on a balanced attack to get past Prime Prep. Montaque Gill-Caesar led the Irish with 13 points and added nine rebounds. JaQuan Lyle and Thomas Bryant scored 11 each and Miles Bridges hit for 10. The 6-10 Bryant pulled down 12 rebounds for a double-double.
Link


Rivals HoopHall Classic Recaps


Recruiting Calendar


My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk

Wayne Selden, welcome to the SportsCenter highlights. For the year.
@ESPNDanaOneil


And, of course, the appropriate sign in the student section: "100% Chance of Wayne."
@JMarchiony


Just nasty Wayne Selden. #BAYvsKU
@ESPNCBB


Baylor gonna .... Nah. No shame losing to Kansas in the Phog. Especially when the out-of-bounds lines don't apply to the home team.
@YahooForde


Wayne Selden just made one of the most unbelievable plays I've ever seen. Diving in the stands. Assist to Embiid. Will see that for years.
@rustindodd


Brady Heslip, after being told Wayne Selden was out of bounds on diving save/assist: "Maybe he deserved it. Because that was great hustle."
@bm_dub


Apologies go out to the guy that caught the foot to the face ! #RockChalk
@WayneSeldenJr

Link to above video

KUAD Postgame Notes, box score


ESPN Photos


KC Star Photos


KUAD Photos


LJW Photos


TCJ Photos


UDK Photos


ESPN Videos


AUDIO: Davis & Gurley

Allen Fieldhouse is billed as college basketball’s best home court advantage. The legacy videos played before and after the Kansas starters are announced whip the 16,300 in a frenzy that raises the sound level to sand blasting levels.

After another Jayhawks victory over another visiting team, there will be another clip added to the highlight reel that might raise as much noise as does Mario’s Miracle, the 3-pointer by Mario Chalmers that helped KU win the 2008 national championship.

No. 24 Baylor, playing in its yellow highlighter jerseys, were zoning out on defense and zoning in from 3-point range. The Bears were giving the impression that winning here for the first time was possible. But the eighth-ranked Jayhawks pulled away for a 78-68 victory on Big Monday thanks to a hustle play that was No. 1 on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays of the day.
Big 12 Sports


“Just got to get the ball,” Selden said after No. 8 Kansas took out 24th-ranked Baylor 78-68 on Big Monday and moved to 5-0 in the Big 12. “There’s no second thoughts about it.”

In one motion, Selden went headfirst into the stands, cuffing the ball with one hand and flinging it back to center Joel Embiid under the basket.

Embiid finished the play as Selden disappeared into a deluge of fans in the third row. And Brandmeyer, who had taken a rather meaty leg to the face, popped up in his seat, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“What an impressive player he is,” Brandmeyer said.

“Just the eyes in the back of my head,” Selden said, smiling. “I didn’t see. I just went for the ball and just threw it back in there.”

…Sometimes you go to a basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse and see the Jayhawks beat another ranked team. That’s what happened Monday night. That sort of thing has happened before.
But sometimes you show up, sit in the front row and take a leg to the face. And Selden makes the type of hustle play that nobody inside Allen Fieldhouse can ever remember seeing.

…Here they are, a perfect 5-0 in the Big 12 for the third straight year, driving a freight train toward a 10th straight Big 12 title. In most respects, this was a Kansas team that didn’t play its best on Monday night. In other words, it’s exactly the type of game that Self loves winning.

Freshman Andrew Wiggins, held to a season-low three-points on Saturday against Oklahoma State, responded with 17 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Perry Ellis added 18 points on six-of-eight shooting. And the Jayhawks hit 26 of 29 from the free-throw line.

“Tonight wasn’t our best performance,” Self said. “But a lot of times you can miss free throws and lose. And sometimes you can play poorly and make free throws and win.”
KC Star

Suddenly, the slumping Bears were toast, the crowd was crazy and the former NBA stars, Richmond and Mullin, were just glad not to be sitting where Selden piloted his fly-over. (Well, don’t underestimate the will of Richmond considering he starred at Kansas State and was reluctant to pose at center-court earlier in the day for a KU staffer.)

For Ellis to make a defensive play that helped inspire the Jayhawks was significant. His experience in the program is not altogether vast, yet anything he can do to influence the KU freshmen is welcome.
His work of late was sketchy – 8 points at Iowa State, 6 points against Oklahoma State and 2 points in the first half against Baylor. Ellis sat for 12 minutes against the Bears before the break, then was ordered – again – by Self to become more aggressive. Ellis scored the Jayhawks’ first bucket of the second half and never released the pedal on either end.

“I don’t know if sad is the right word, but whenever you look to Perry as your experienced leader, and he was our eighth man last year and played 13 minutes a game … he’s very important,’’ Self said.

“He’s improved in a lot of ways, but obviously consistency of late has not been there. He’s been really good, or maybe hasn’t been as good. But certainly, I think he’s a terrific player, and he’s going to be very important to us down the stretch.’’

Hustle happens to be an important variable too.

Among all the Jayhawks, freshman backup Frank Mason exhibited the most against Baylor, while contributing nine points and six assists.

As for steals, the Jayhawks managed fewer than the Bears. That differential has favored Big 12 rivals in all but one game. Yet KU is 5-0 atop the conference and keeps making pivotal plays.

Against Baylor, it was a player who constitutes a veteran these days, the sophomore Ellis, who had the hustle play that ignited Selden’s hustle highlight.

“That was one of the key plays to spur (the run),’’ said Self, “and (Ellis) needed something good to happen, because he’d been laboring.’’
TCJ

Link to above video

Naadir Tharpe is the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week!


Kansas has led its league in home attendance each of the last 27 seasons. #wearethephog
@KUGameday


1/19/14, 2:35 PM
KU's current SOS ranking on KenPom is 2nd-toughest in last 7 seasons ... and 12* of 14 opponents left are in KenPom's top 80.
@jessenewell


1/19/14, 5:13 PM
Loved listening to Bill Self talk to team at practice. He has gift for relating to his players. Was unhappy about TO's but pleased w/win.
@franfraschilla


Baylor asks for review for an Embiid elbow -- calculated much? #kubball
@joshklingler


Wow, they're really watching everything that Embiid does now. Everything. That's what happens when you're better than everyone else.
@MedcalfByESPN


Self with a little gamesmanship -- tried to get the refs to look at the monitor for an elbow -- with a smirk #kubball
@joshklingler


This Kansas team has evolved into a real problem for the rest of America.
@MedcalfByESPN


Scott Drew has lost more times at Allen Fieldhouse than Bill Self has... #kubball #Jayhawks #BigMonday
@RichardPeil


Hope Wiggins' performance tonight moved him up to a late second-round spot on @GoodmanESPN's big board.
@jeffborzello


No team has improved more in the past 6 weeks than Kansas. Jayhawks look a little sharper each time they play. Finding their identity
@JonRothstein


Kansas has won 4 straight regular-season games over ranked teams. Last team to win 4 straight vs. AP Top 25 teams is North Carolina (1997).
@SportsCenter


In case you are wondering, that '97 North Carolina team that won four straight games vs. top 25 foes advanced to Final Four.
@Big12Conference


In Big 12 play Kansas is making 61% of its 2s and 41% of its 3s. If KU and Michigan played right now there would be no rebounds.
@JohnGasaway


So awesome meeting @WichitaState players tonight. Such nice guys Ron Baker, Cleanthony Early, Nick Wiggins. 19-0 Keep up great work!
@sportsiren


Lots of love out in here at KU! #Respect
@Wiggys_WORLD15

Whether the notion was to provoke or merely suffocate Kansas freshman center Joel Embiid, it took only seconds Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse for Baylor to reveal its most urgent priority:

Swarm, stifle, pester and otherwise harass Embiid, the infinitely intriguing talent with the somewhat enigmatic temperament still navigating the embryonic stages of his basketball career.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “Every time I caught the ball in the post, they double-teamed.”

First and foremost, Baylor was going to embed itself in Embiid and go from there against KU, which stiff-armed the Bears in the second half for a 78-68 victory to culminate a remarkable stretch of five Big 12 wins in five games against currently ranked teams.

…Afterward, KU coach Bill Self dismissed the idea that Embiid had work to do in that territory, calling it “much (ado) about nothing” other than the elbow that got him kicked out against Kansas State.

“Since then, his temperament hasn’t been bad,” Self said, adding, “He has a tendency sometimes to flail his arms.”

But it sure seems more complicated than that for Embiid, who has been, uh, encouraged by Self to toughen up.

So it’s not hard to make the connection that the mind-set that has led to those excesses is entwined with the enhanced intensity that has triggered his recent surge and emergence from some soft moments earlier in the season.

That’s why he was fouled three times in the first 2 minutes 22 seconds of the game and why there was a little extra English applied to him more than a few times, including a rough thump by Royce O’Neale that sent Embiid backpedaling late in the first half.

Never mind that Embiid had staggered so far away from O’Neale that he would have had to rev himself to go back at him.

What mattered was that Embiid responded without a squawk and by simply gathering himself and making two free throws.

“I need to keep my cool: Don’t react,” said Embiid, who acknowledged it was a point of emphasis for this game. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like I did pretty good.”

…Maybe more meaningfully, though, it was imperative Embiid come to terms with his own absurd talents and maximizing them.

The game itself remains so fresh to him, so of course the demands and challenges of it do, too.
Yet he’s already displayed a breathtaking grasp and feel for so much, coupling that with uncanny agility for a 7-footer.

Now he’s reconciling how to play angry without being angry, how to be aggressive without being reckless and how to stay passionate without being easily inflamed.

And if Monday was any indication, he is sorting out the differences.

“No more technicals any more,” he said.
KC Star Gregorian


The Jayhawks are beyond all of that now, beyond the fretting of what will happen if Wiggins has an off night, beyond falling apart if, heaven forbid, a freshman has the audacity to play like a freshman for a weekend, and well beyond being a one-man team.

Wiggins could still become the greatest prospect in 20 years, but for now, he is exactly what he should be, what every freshman used to be before they were tracked as soon as they could lace up a pair of high tops.

He is part of the process.

“Because of our society, the hype, if you don’t produce you’re the most talked about person,” Self said. “If you do, it’s expected, so it’s really a no-win. There was no way he was going to live up to the hype.”

…“I like where we’re at,” Self said. “Considering after San Diego State, losing at home, to flip it and play like we did three days later against Oklahoma and get it going, we showed some toughness. We’ve definitely played better over the last five games than we have all season long.”

They are playing better because everyone is doing more.

…On Saturday night, Wiggins, Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr. were a combined 6-of-22. So Naadir Tharpe picked them up with 21 points, while Jamari Traylor and Tarik Black combined for 17 off the bench.

Against Baylor, Wiggins had 17, Ellis had a team-high 18 and Selden put himself on "SportsCenter" with a dive over the press table into the stands for an assist to Embiid play that was so ridiculous, even his opponent didn’t care if replay showed he was out of bounds.

“That was a great play by him to even get it,” Baylor’s Brady Heslip said. “Maybe he deserves it because that was great hustle by him.”

And for the record, Wiggins is just fine, too. He is still Kansas’ leading scorer and in 18 games has failed to notch double figures just three times.

His biggest problem, if you can call it that, is he’s too nice. He’s a sweet-natured, easygoing kid, the kind who should make his parents proud.

It drives his coach bananas.
 
…“He leaves me wanting more,” Self said.

There was a time when a visitor to Kansas might have felt the same.

Not anymore.

You come to see the kid.

You leave impressed by the team.
ESPN O’Neil


Wayne Selden was on the right block when Perry Ellis tapped a ball that seemed certain to land in the seats, and I have no idea why Selden thought he could save it.

"I thought the ball was going out of bounds," said Baylor guard Brady Heslip, and that makes two of us. But Selden, for some reason, thought he could save it. So he took off running and dove headfirst, like a superhero, into the crowd.

A moment later the ball was in the hands of Joel Embiid, who made a little hook, increased Kansas' lead to nine, and Baylor never again got close enough to threaten in a game that finished 78-68. By now, you've probably seen the highlight, which means you likely know that Selden's foot was out of bounds before he jumped. But the officials somehow missed that. So the play is recorded as an awesome assist instead of a costly turnover, and, either way, to focus on that detail is to miss the larger point, which is this: Bill Self has a future lottery pick willing to dive into the stands for loose balls, and this is precisely why KU is developing into the nation's most dangerous team.

The Jayhawks were always going to be talented.

Now they're talented and tenacious.

…I sat courtside for each of KU's past two wins.

What I saw both times is a team full of pros -- including, possibly, the No. 1 and No. 2 pick of the 2014 NBA Draft -- who collectively seem unstoppable when they're playing well but are still good enough when they're not. When they're clicking, they're capable of taking a 19-point first-half lead against Oklahoma State or a 14-point second-half lead against Baylor. When they're not, they're still big enough, athletic enough and talented enough to get by, and that's the stuff of which national champions are made because no coach can reasonably expect his team to play well for six straight games in the NCAA tournament. At some point, a team has to be able to win a game when it's off, and Kansas is a team that can do that.

"If we don't play our best," Selden said, "we can still pull out the win."

Saturday proved that.

Monday was a reminder.
CBS Parrish

Kansas forward Tarik Black expects to be OK after turning his right ankle during the Jayhawks' 78-68 victory over Baylor on Monday.

"When it initially happens, it hurts way worse than when you settle down and things like that," Black said. "That’s what it really was when I was down on the floor for so long because of the pain of it.

"But now, walking on it, see I’m not on crutches. I don’t have a boot and all that type of stuff, so I’ll be fine."

KU coach Bill Self was happy to see that the 6-foot-9 senior transfer hadn't injured himself worse.

"I didn’t know you could hurt him," Self said with a smile, "but he should be fine."

Though Black rolled around on the court for a few seconds while grasping his right shin, he eventually was able to walk off the court gingerly with the help of assistant coaches and trainers.

"Even in the back, I told Cheddar (KU head trainer Billy Cowgill) that I’d still play. That’s why I taped up and came back out, because I told him that if coach needed me, I’d go back out there and I’d play," Black said. "Getting hurt is getting hurt, but it’s just a mental thing. You have to push through it sometimes.

"Luckily, coach didn’t need me. We have other big men. We have other great players, so I could just sit on the sideline and watch us win."
TCJ

Sometime before the game, whether it was during a family dinner or a brief conversation Monday morning, Mitchell Wiggins shared some advice with his son.

Andrew Wiggins listened.

“I just wanted him to be aggressive,” Mitchell said before Monday’s game.

“Be Andrew and just be in attack mode.”

Even though there were no crowd pleasing dunks or obvious scoring spurts, Wiggins still made an impact in Kansas’ 78-68 win against Baylor. He rebounded, and he got to the free-throw line.

Wiggins was KU’s second leading scorer with 17 points and its leading rebounder with seven. His 10-of-12 free-throw shooting performance was a career high.

So sure, Wiggins didn’t “ohh” or “ahh” the crowd Monday at Allen Fieldhouse, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t aggressive. And even though Wiggins’ heard the message from his father, that doesn’t mean it didn’t take a while for the advice to sink in. Bill Self had to echo Mitchell’s words at halftime.
“(Self) just told me to be aggressive, do what I do best which is attack the rim,” Wiggins said. “Get more rebounds.”
TCJ

Kansas finished 26-of-29 from the free throw line, pushing it to its fifth straight win. The last four have come against Top 25 teams -- Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor -- making the Jayhawks the first to accomplish that feat since North Carolina in 1997.

"Might as well get used to playing good teams all the time," Wiggins said.

Brady Heslip hit six 3-pointers and scored 19 points for the Bears (13-5, 1-4), who have lost three straight and four of five. Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin added 16 points apiece.

"We knew that turnovers and getting them out of transition, we knew how effective they are in transition," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "You can't have 16 turnovers and win games on the road, in places like this. Got to get better in this area."

The teams combined for 16 turnovers in a disjointed first half that included 12 lead changes but virtually no rhythm. The Jayhawks managed to squeeze out a two-point halftime lead, but they had to shoot 60 percent from the field to do it.

That's because Baylor was scorching from beyond the arc.

Heslip hit all four of his 3-point tries and the 7-foot Austin added two -- he was 0-for-4 from inside the arc. Along with the two 3-pointers that Jefferson hit, the Bears knocked down 8 of 10 beyond the perimeter in the first half. They were 4-of-18 everywhere else.

The game remained close until Ellis scored inside with 12:48 remaining to start the Jayhawks on their game-defining run, and then came the two biggest highlights of the game.

First, the steal and breakaway basket by Ellis: "They did it a couple plays before," he said. "I just tried to hurry out there as best as I could and get the deflection."

Then the hustle play by Selden: "Just the eyes in the back of my head," he said.

Everybody else's eyes had quickly turned to Embiid -- including the officials -- as the 7-foot freshman converted the basket.
AP

Mitch Richmond's reaction after Joel Embiid's alley-oop
Chris Mullen
‏@rock_hawk

Embiid is drawing the kind of raves once reserved for Anthony Davis, Greg Oden, Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon – the can’t-miss-big-man kind of raves. Of course, Oden did miss (injuries), and Davis is not yet a transformative player, and the sample-size people are basing the grandiose Embiid projections on all of 18 collegiate games. But the lithe athleticism, deft footwork, great hands, soft touch, sharp timing and sheer size are intoxicating ingredients.

…The onrushing development of Embiid and the immediate readiness of Ennis have helped make 14-4 Kansas the No. 1 team in the RPI and 18-0 Syracuse the No. 2 team in the human polls. Both teams figured to be good; but because of their (slightly) underrated freshman, both teams are national championship contenders.
Yahoo Forde


If Joel Embiid is the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, this past week might be the stretch that cemented his selection. After showing flashes of his ridiculous ceiling and dominating on occasion, Embiid really put it together against Iowa State and Oklahoma State last week. Coming on the heels of Wayne Selden winning the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week award, Embiid makes it two in a row.
CBS


CBS National Player of the Week: Joel Embiid


SI: Meet the new face of the 2014 draft


"One day I was talking to [Kansas head coach Bill Self] and I was like, 'Yeah, I don't even know how to drive yet.' Eating healthy. I don't know how to do that yet," Embiid said. "I don't know if I feel like I'm ready for all of this."

Now before Kansas fans start hyperventilating about the thought of Embiid and Cliff Alexander (ranked No. 3 on the ESPN100 list of recruits) on the same roster, Embiid didn't say he was coming back.

He just said he wasn't sure he was ready. Yet it's that bit of self-awareness that truly makes Embiid special and any prediction for his future a little more difficult. This isn't a kid raised on the dream of the NBA, who spent his childhood thinking about posterizing Kobe or trading high-fives with LeBron. He didn't travel the summer-league circuit since infancy, waiting to get noticed. Until a fateful intervention, the only pro career he could envision was "maybe Europe for volleyball."

And now that the gilded path is unfolding underneath his size 17s, he'll approach it as he does everything -- deliberately and carefully.

Embiid has been researching big men lately. Not the way he used to, back when he was trying to learn the game and used tapes of Hakeem Olajuwon as video tutorials. No, he's been looking at the game's best and surveying their college tenures:

Olajuwon, three years; Tim Duncan, four; Shaquille O'Neal, two.

"I was curious because I want to be great, I want to be the best at my position one day," he said. "I'm trying to learn everything and what other people did. All of the great big men went to college at least two or three years. I think it's a big factor. I don't know if it will always work, but I think it's the best choice."

Embiid's cerebral approach to his future doesn't surprise his college coach one bit. Self says without hesitation or hyperbole that Embiid and Wiggins are easily the best two players he's coached at Kansas, but he's never met anyone quite like Embiid.

Part of it is his upbringing and his unlikely road to America, to college basketball, to Kansas and, perhaps, to NBA stardom.
ESPN O’Neil

You can’t walk into Allen Fieldhouse without being a little blown away that an arena like this even exists anymore. The windows at the top of the gym make you feel like you’re in the 1970s. The wooden bleachers make you feel like it’s the 1950s. Then you look up, and the championship banners go back to the 1920s.

I was walking around Pauley Pavilion at UCLA a few weeks ago, and it was great — the food trucks lining the outdoor concourse were particularly awesome — but it wasn’t 100 years of basketball history crammed into one sturdy old basketball church of a building.

I’d wanted to go to Kansas to see a game for a while now. It’s been on my bucket list since college, and maybe even high school. Too many people have raved about the entire experience — the fans, the stadium, the town of Lawrence — for me to not make it there. Saturday it finally happened for a game between no. 15 KU and no. 9 Oklahoma State.

The gym was half-full with students 90 minutes before tipoff, and the crowd was buzzing. Or booing, technically. After quick bursts of cheers for Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid when they came out for warm-ups, there were much louder boos for Marcus Smart when he emerged from the tunnel.
College hoops is so much more fun in person. When you’re surrounded by college kids with painted chests harassing someone like Smart at the top of their lungs — while Smart bobs up and down loving every second of it — it’s impossible not to love this sport.

…After about an hour of players warming up and the stadium slowly filling to capacity, it was time for the pregame rituals. A chorus of the alma mater had the student section locking arms and swaying as they all sang. That gave way to the whole stadium chanting “Rooooooooock Chaaaaaaaalk Jayyyyyyyhaaaaaaawk, K-UUUUUUUUUUU” in a way that would make any outsider think they’d stumbled into some sort of sacred religious gathering. Which isn’t really wrong. (Click here to listen.)

Next, Paul Pierce was on the Jumbotron welcoming us to “Witness the nation’s biggest home-court advantage” and warning us to “Beware of the Phog,” kicking off a highlight video that spanned at least six decades of Kansas basketball being awesome. From Clyde Lovellette to Wilt to Danny Manning to Mario Chalmers. (“Mario’s Miracle” got the loudest cheer of any highlight, by far. Kansas is the one place on earth where Mario Chalmers is every bit as big a name as LeBron James.)

Then it was time for 16,000 people to lose their mind. The PA blared some sort of techno anthem, the Jumbotron panned the crowd displaying a decibel meter that eventually hit 115, and the whole building vibrated for a solid two minutes before tipoff. When the game got started and the stadium finally calmed down for a minute, the 12-year-old sitting next to me said, “Holy COW, that was loud.”

He turned to his mom behind him: “I think my ears are bleeding.”

Swaying student sections. Creepy religious chants. Minds being lost. Ears bleeding. That’s how you start a basketball game. This is why I’d always wanted to come to Kansas.

…Really, nobody in the country has a deeper connection to basketball’s black-and-white past than Kansas does. The first team at KU was literally organized by James Naismith in 1898, for God’s sake. He gave way to Phog Allen, who would go on to coach Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp, who started dynasties of their own at Kentucky and UNC. The college game grew so quickly it became an Olympic sport in the 1930s. Then there were professional leagues, then the NBA, and then both the NBA and NCAA spent the next 50 years slowly taking over America. You can trace it all back to Kansas.

If Allen Fieldhouse on Naismith Drive in Lawrence, Kansas, feels like it’s sacred ground, it really kind of is.
Grantland Andrew Sharp

Aaron Rodgers sat just behind the Kansas bench on Saturday. The Green Bay Packer quarterback said he long had a trip to Allen Fieldhouse on his bucket list.

“I’ve been able to go to Fenway Park in baseball, I play at probably the most famous stadium (Lambeau Field) in the (NFL), and I thought it’d be fun to go to an arena like this that has so much history, a great coach and great support,” Rodgers said.

The truth is, Phog Allen Fieldhouse should be on the bucket list of every sports fan.

I made it back to the Phog on Saturday for the first time in nine years. Hadn’t been since that great 2005 OSU-Kansas game, won by the Jayhawks, and I saw another classic this time, KU’s 80-78 survival of the Cowboys, who stormed back from a 19-point deficit.

My first trip to Allen Fieldhouse came in 1992, and after my trip there for the 1993 OSU-Kansas game, I wrote a tribute column, which you can read here. Allen Fieldhouse was 38 years old in 1993; now it’s 59 years old and better than ever.

Newsok videographer Damon Fontenot, one of my frequent travel partners, had never seen a game at Allen Fieldhouse. So I hit him up with a proposal: drive to Lawrence on Saturday morning, catch the game, do a little work in the press room and hit the road home, with one of us driving and the other working. Makes for an incredibly long day but completely worth it.

…Allen Fieldhouse is a 16,300-seat coliseum with all bleacher seats. It’s got the old fieldhouse feel, complete with windows at the top on each end, which makes for a great setting on day games. It’s got the court named after James Naismith, who invented the game in 1891 and brought it to KU in 1898. It’s got the great sign, “Pay Heed, All Who Enter: Beware of the Phog.” It’s got the jerseys of Kansas greats hanging from the rafters. Names like Chamberlain and Lovellette and (JoJo) White and Valentine and Manning and Pierce and Hinrich and Collison.

The exterior of Allen Fieldhouse looks the same as always, but the bowels have been modernized. The KU athletics museum on the east side is much more extensive, though at a cost of some  color. Doesn’t seem quite as quaint. But the old midcourt circle remains, the original wood with the K in a circle. When Roy Williams became KU’s coach 25 years ago, he had an outline of the state of Kansas, with a star where Lawrence is located, placed at Allen Fieldhouse’s midcourt. When Bill Self became coach 10 years ago, he replaced the map with the big Jayhawk bird you see now. But I’d love to see Allen Fieldhouse go back to that big K.

A Kansas basketball game is where you run into all kinds of dignitaries. In the press room, I chatted with Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie, the pride of Marlow, who introduced me to Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey. And in the press room before the game was the legendary Max Falkenstien, who retired in 2006 after 60 years as the radio voice of KU basketball.

I chatted with Bob Davis, who was Falkenstien’s radio partner for 22 years and has been calling the Jayhawks for 30 years, if he still gets a thrill every time he walks into the arena. “Every time,” Davis said.

But the real source of Allen Fieldhouse’s magic is the passion of the fans. Just driving around campus 2-3 hours before the game, you get the sense of a gameday. Like we experience with football in Norman and Stillwater and like most of America experiences. But in a few enclaves, basketball reigns supreme. Lawrence, Bloomington, Lexington, Durham, Chapel Hill. That’s about it.

I don’t know how else to describe it, but Damon felt it, too. Just the understanding that basketball matters. From the Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant to the ensemble of long trumpets that played the KU alma mater pregame and stayed to play the national anthem to the pregame video showing great moments in KU basketball history, you quickly remember that in Lawrence, basketball is more than a game. It’s in the culture. In Norman and Stillwater, basketball is a game and football is a way of life. It’s the opposite at KU, which has a living, breathing monument of a building that celebrates the sport.
The Oklahoman Berry Trammel


Fan Story: A son, a son and The Cathedral


LJW articles


The #Nets officially announced the trade of @tyshawntaylor to the Pelicans for the draft rights to Edin Bavcic. Good luck, Ty.
@AdamZagoria


VOTE for Kansas fans at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest
http://6thfan.ncaa.com


VOTE for Coach Self & his Assists Foundation (currently 22nd out of 48 coaches!)


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

If Joel Embiid is the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, this past week might be the stretch that cemented his selection. After showing flashes of his ridiculous ceiling and dominating on occasion, Embiid really put it together against Iowa State and Oklahoma State last week. Coming on the heels of Wayne Selden winning the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week award, Embiid makes it two in a row.

This past week, the talk of college basketball was Embiid. He started with a dominant second half against Iowa State, going for 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. He completely controlled the game at both ends of the floor, going 7-for-8 from the field; Iowa State had no answer for him. There was one stretch where Embiid sandwiched a blocked shot between two finishes at the rim; it was an eye-opening string of plays for the Cameroon native.

Up next was a showdown with Oklahoma State, widely considered Kansas' biggest competition for the Big 12 title. And Embiid showed up. He finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks, shooting 5-for-6 from the field. For the week, Embiid averaged 14.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.5 blocks, while shooting 12-for-14 from the field.

There are few players nationally who change the game at both ends as much as Embiid. Despite only playing for three years, Embiid has advanced post moves on the low block. He can score consistently with his back to the basket, with tremendous footwork and IQ inside. Turnovers have been something of an issue, but that can be rectified with more patience. Defensively, his length and timing make him a huge asset when it comes to protecting the rim. He has been in foul trouble too often, but again, that will change as he gets more experienced.

On the season, Embiid is averaging 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He is shooting an outstanding 67.9 percent from the field, and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Ask anybody connected to the Kansas program for the name of the Jayhawks' best player, and, depending on the day, you could reasonably get three different answers.

Sometimes it looks like Perry Ellis.

Andrew Wiggins remains KU's top scorer.

And now Joel Embiid has emerged in a magnificent way.

The freshman big got 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in last Monday's upset of Iowa State, then finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks in Saturday's win over Oklahoma State. He was a combined 12-of-14 from the field in those games against quality competition, and that's why Embiid is the CBSSports.com National Player of the Week.

"He's so good," OSU coach Travis Ford said Saturday, and there isn't a single person arguing with him. As I wrote this weekend, Embiid is progressing faster than most anticipated and has already made the transition from great prospect to terrific player. He's reached double-figures in points in seven of his past eight games. He's averaging 11.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in 24.5 minutes during KU's current four-game winning streak.

In other words, Embiid is great and getting better.

Kansas is, too.

That's why it looks like Bill Self is headed for another Big 12 title.