The hew and cry over the non-block/charge call at the end of regulation amuses me. As noted in my post yesterday, the refs blew the goal-tending charge and cheated Kansas out of two points. So? So the game was filled with horrid calls, some for Kansas, some against. So what? Any veteran of college basketball knows you could fill the internet with video of craptastic calls by refs, but all this chatter about "who should decide the game" reminded me of this moment. It's in an older Quicktime format, but you get the drift...

With all the talk and all the hype surrounding the new Adidas jersey that are being launched, I wondered when we would finally get a glimpse of them.

Louisville, Baylor and UCLA will be getting sleeves on their jerseys. Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Kansas are simply donning the camo threads.

Here are the new uniforms that will be worn by six programs sponsored by Adidas beginning with conference tournament play:
Link

The Government of the Student Body president, Jared Knight, released a statement last night concerning two ISU students’ offensive tweets at a member of the men’s basketball team from the University of Kansas.

“At approximately 10:45 p.m on Monday, Feb. 25, two Iowa State students began tweeting a series of reprehensible and disgusting messages toward the University of Kansas basketball team and one player in particular,” said the statement released by Knight.

“Though the individuals’ accounts have been deleted, those messages contained threats of violence as well as derogatory, racial slurs.”

At the GSB meeting Feb. 27, 2013, Knight told the senate he had three issues with the men’s basketball game on Feb. 25, 2013, at Hilton Coliseum.

“Its very frustrating and embarrassing coming from students at this university,” Knight said at the meeting regarding the tweets sent to Kansas basketball player Elijah Johnson.

There were several tweets sent from the two ISU students, both threatening his personal safety and using racial slurs.

“One is assault, and one is just disgusting,” Knight said. “They’re both violations of the student conduct code.”

One of the GSB senators asked Knight what he thought the repercussions would be for those students.

“I don’t think they will be expelled,” Knight said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were suspended."
Knight expressed disbelief at the actions of the students on social media.

“That there are people who still think, talk and act like these students is stunning to me,” Knight said. “It sadly reminds us that there is much work to do in eliminating racism and violence from our society.  These individuals are a disgrace to our student body and our university, and we sincerely apologize to everyone affected by this incident.”

Knight also addressed the overselling of student season tickets and the various objects thrown on to the court at the end of the basketball game.

“If you guys are at games in the future in that situation, I hope you guys will step in because that’s not acceptable,” Knight said to the GSB senators.

Knight also an included an apology on behalf of all ISU students in his statement.

“I apologize to Elijah Johnson, the students at the University of Kansas and anyone else who read these hateful and disgusting tweets," Knight said. "I am embarrassed to be associated with these individuals, and I unequivocally condemn their statements. “
Iowa State Daily


Kansas Coach Bill Self talks about the Jayhawks rebounding from their mid-season losing streak, the thrill of winning his 500th career game and more on "SVP & Rusillo."
ESPN Podcast with Coach Bill Self


Self said it was the best locker room of the year and not because he’d wrapped up his 500th victory. KU remained tied with Kansas State for first place in the Big 12 race at 12-3.

“They were fired up,” Self said on his weekly “Hawk Talk” radio show. “The guys love Elijah (whose 39 points were most by a Jayhawk since Terry Brown’s 42 against North Carolina State on Jan. 5, 1991). They had some song or dance, and were singing with him. We were a tight-knit group. Everybody to a man was so excited for Elijah.”

Self, who has thanked his family members, players, assistant coaches and administrators, said he definitely appreciates the three college coaches he worked for: Larry Brown at KU, as well as Eddie Sutton and Leonard Hamilton at Oklahoma State.

“Coach Brown to me has as good a basketball mind as there is,” Self said. “Leonard Hamilton is the hardest worker I ever worked for. Coach Sutton to me is the perfect college coach, combining recruiting, family atmosphere.”

He also thanked coaches he played for: Paul Hansen at Oklahoma State and Mike de la Garza at Edmond (Okla.) Memorial High.

“Mike de la Garza is the best salesman I ever learned under, selling the program to the school and community. He’s so enthusiastic. Paul Hansen is the nicest man I’ve ever been around,” Self said. “I’ve stolen from all of them. I remember after I started coaching, I called coach Hansen. I said, ‘I understand better now why you did what you did.’ I learned a ton from all of them.”
LJW


Combined in their first years at Kansas, these four seniors averaged 10.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.  Years later as seniors, they countered Hilton Magic with a combination of 84 points, 27 rebounds, and a myriad of heart and hustle.

At one time or another, fans questioned whether Young, Withey, Johnson, and Releford even belonged on a Kansas basketball roster.

Now, they are the backbone of a program seeking its ninth straight Big 12 title and another national championship.
UDK


With the discerning eye of a jeweler, Larry Brown made the same observation every time he watched Kansas practice last season: Of all the talented Jayhawks that led them to the national title game, the brightest gem was a freshman academically ineligible to play in games.

"Bill," Brown would ask Kansas coach Bill Self, "you realize what you have here?"

One year later, Self knows exactly what he has in Ben McLemore: the most talented young player, by far, that he says he has ever coached. Though the foundation of Kansas' team is four senior starters, the difference maker is a 6-5 redshirt freshman, McLemore.

…Unlike many of today's top players, McLemore was not showered with adulation or anointed a future star from the time he was an adolescent. Rather than obsess over national player rankings, phenom camp invitations or third-party handlers, McLemore focused on more fundamental concerns amid one of the poorest urban communities in Missouri: finding food.

Says McLemore: "It's hard to play basketball when nothing is inside of you."

…McLemore says on any given night as many as 10 relatives, including siblings, nieces and a nephew, would sleep inside his home, which is smaller than 600 square feet. The home's only bed had three legs, with the other corner supported by a pile of books.

His home, McLemore says, was filled with love but little else. He remembers his mother working nights for a cleaning staff near downtown Busch Stadium. He remembers older brother Keith cycling through odd jobs fixing bikes, trying to make money to support the family.

But it wasn't enough. He won't forget the feeling of waking up knowing there was no food or beverage in the refrigerator, with none on the way those days. He says at times he would go one or two days with no food.

"It's a hard feeling — just starve," McLemore says. "Dang, what are we going to do? Dang, how are we going to eat? How are we going to put food on the table?"

…McLemore says the only meals he sometimes had were the free ones at school. His mother, he recalled, sometimes made the difficult decision to sell food stamps in order to pay bills.

"Sometimes we would not have food so we could keep our lights on and have hot water," he says. "She had to sacrifice for that."

When the family did not have hot water, McLemore remembers one nightly routine: Fill the bathtub with cold water. Heat up bowls of water in the microwave, then run them to the bathtub to make the tub water lukewarm for baths. The warmth never lasted, he says.

…McLemore, caught in a swirl of emotions, was 15 at the time of his brother's incarceration, but he knew that he must become the man of the house, ready or not. And he knew it would be years before he would again see Scott, whom McLemore considers a role model because of his infectious personality and because of how Scott helped support the family.

McLemore says the day he watched police take his brother away was worse than any pain caused by hunger or no heat.

"Not having food for a couple days, no lights, no hot water, I knew we could always get that back," McLemore says. "Taking my brother, I didn't know when I could get that back. I don't know when he will come back home. That was the worst feeling. And I am still feeling it. Each and every day."

…That said, Brown, who coached Kansas to the 1988 national title, watched the Jayhawks' double-overtime victory at Oklahoma State on television, seeing McLemore turn nearly invisible in the final minutes. Brown calls McLemore a "phenomenal" athlete and "coachable as hell," but says he is a little fragile because this level of play, this stage, is all new to him.

"Danny (Manning) was a little like that," Brown says. "He didn't realize how great he was. You had to remind him all the time. Ben is like that."

…As Brown says, "If you ask Ben if he wants to stay at KU for four years, I bet he would want it in a minute. But he can't."

...McLemore says his mother is unemployed. He says they are struggling financially. He says he tries not to think about that much and tries, sometimes futilely, to maintain focus on school and basketball. But he knows what lies ahead in June, and that his brother would somehow find a way to watch the NBA draft from his cell. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress says that in the wake of the knee injury to Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel, McLemore will get strong consideration for the No. 1 pick.

…As winter soon turns to spring, McLemore is a reluctant star caught between both worlds, striving to succeed in March Madness with his mind never far from a family that still calls that small house on Wellston Avenue home.

"It's a blessing to be in that house, and to have a house," McLemore says. "A lot of people don't have a house. My mom is proud of me. I just want to keep working hard so one day I can help my family. I am going to get a big house one day and we all can stay in it and eat."
USA Today


Kansas senior Angel Goodrich was one of 30 NCAA Division I women's basketball student-athletes to be under consideration for the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year award, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors Wednesday.

The top-30 candidates were selected based on player performances during this year's college basketball season. Goodrich, who ranks first in the Big 12 Conference in steals per game (3.0) and third in assists per contest (6.7), is also a finalist for the Lieberman Award, Wade Trophy, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and Wooden Award. Goodrich is second on the Kansas' squad in scoring with 14.3 points per game.

In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the pack to four finalists. The Naismith Women's College Player of the Year, presented by AT&T, will be awarded to one female athlete on April 8, 2013, in New Orleans, La.
KUAD


Angel Goodrich and Monica Engelman combined to score 41 points, but lack of an inside game doomed Kansas University’s women’s basketball team to an 83-68 loss to No. 23 Iowa State on Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum.

Goodrich had 21 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and four steals, while fellow senior Engelman added 20 points, three boards and a pair of assists for KU (16-11 overall, 7-9 Big 12).

But center Carolyn Davis was held to a season-low two points on 1-for-5 shooting before fouling out, and KU was outscored 36-16 in points in the paint (and 19-9 in points off turnovers).
LJW


VOTE for Wooden Award nominees McLemore & Withey


VOTE FOR COACH SELF (West Region, for god's sake people vote! Weber is ahead of Self!)


VOTE for Kansas players, team, and moment in NCAA 75th Anniversary of March Madness (Vote for Wilt, Clyde, Danny, 51-52 Kansas, Mario's Miracle)


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

The Kansas basketball squad is three wins away from winning its ninth straight league title -- a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a major conference program since the days of UCLA and John Wooden.

Still, if the Jayhawks end up hoisting the Big 12 trophy, coach Bill Self won't expect the accomplishment to generate much buzz in Lawrence.

"A few fans might buy T-shirts," Self said. "But that'd be about it. Winning a conference title means you had a good year. But to make it special, you've got to do well in March."

Self paused. "At least in some people's minds," he said.

The next 10 days will feature some of the most compelling races for conference championships that we've seen in years.

Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State are battling it out the Big Ten. Georgetown, Marquette and Louisville are positioned near the top of the Big East. Kansas and Kansas State are tied for the Big 12 lead and the Pac-12 is wide open.

But does anyone care?

…That's what makes the NCAA tournament both beautiful and maddening. It can turn 35-win campaigns into failures and crown champions who, for most of the season, appeared deeply flawed. It's the ultimate equalizer.

That's great for a team such as the 2011 Connecticut Huskies, who won the national championship despite finishing in a tie for ninth place in the Big East. But it has to be frustrating for coaches such as Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, whose Panthers won the Big East title the same season with a 15-3 record. That Pittsburgh team will be remembered more for losing to Butler in the Round of 32.

"You could be ranked in the top 10 in the country the whole year," Purdue's Matt Painter said, "but if you lose in the first or second round, people look at you like you're a failure.

"You're not a failure. You're playing on a neutral court, you're playing another really quality team. There are a lot of things that can change the game: where you're playing, who the officials are, who's hurt, who's sick. You get knocked off, and that's how your season is judged.

"Whether it's fair or not, it's reality."
ESPN Kings Court


When Oklahoma's Amath M'Baye leaped to dunk and flashed an upside-down "Hook'em Horns" hand sign, the Sooners were in complete control of archrival Texas with a 22-point lead in the second half.

And then Texas' Myck Kabongo took over and the Longhorns salvaged a sliver of fun in an otherwise miserable season by rallying to a wild 92-86 overtime victory Wednesday night.

Kabongo scored 31 points, fueling a rally over the final 8 minutes of regulation and sending the game to overtime with a desperation jumper over a defender at the buzzer to tie it at 77.

Then Kabongo scored Texas' first six points in overtime as the Longhorns (13-15, 5-10 Big 12) stunned Oklahoma (18-9, 9-6) with their largest comeback in 15 years under coach Rick Barnes.

"Momentum changes," Barnes said. "I'm sitting here thinking to myself, `What just happened?' But it happened."

Thanks mostly to Kabongo, who scored 24 points over the final 8 minutes of regulation and overtime, shooting 7 of 7 from the floor and 8 of 10 on free throws in that span. His 3-pointer to start overtime gave Texas its first lead since midway through the first half.

"These guys know what I'm capable of doing," said Kabongo, who has played only five games after sitting out a 23-game NCAA-imposed suspension.

Romero Osby scored 31 for Oklahoma but missed a critical free throw at the end of regulation that would have given the Sooners a three-point lead before Kabongo's game-tying shot. The Sooners now have lost eight in a row in Austin.

Kabongo was supposed to dribble and kick the ball to Sheldon McClellan for the final shot, but he got tied up and had to put it up himself.

"I prayed," said Texas freshman forward Ioannis Papapetrou. "He threw it up, and he made it. I was just standing there watching it."

Oklahoma never saw it coming when the Sooners were dominating what had been a punchless Texas team going through the motions of another loss. But M'Baye's dunk and hand gesture -- and stifling full-court defense by Texas -- seemed to change everything.
AP


Marcus Smart got the loudest pregame cheers among Oklahoma State players facing TCU in something of a high school reunion.

Le'Bryan Nash made sure all the family and friends went home happy.

Nash scored a career-high 28 points, Smart had his typically strong all-around game not far from the school where he won two state championships, and No. 15 Oklahoma State beat offensively challenged TCU 64-47 on Wednesday night.
ESPN


SI Luke Winn Power Rankings


Jermaine Marshall scored 25 points and hit a key layup with 1:06 left to help Penn State roar back from a 15-point deficit and upset No. 4 Michigan 84-78 for its first Big Ten victory in more than a year.

No wonder fans rushed the court in delight after the final buzzer.

"I was looking around. I wanted to see our team," Chambers said about the frenzy inside the Jordan Center. "I wanted to embrace it and be in that moment because those moments don't come very often."

Penn State (9-18, 1-14) had lost 18 consecutive regular-season Big Ten games dating to last season. The team's previous conference win came on Feb. 16, 2012, a 69-64 victory over Iowa.

It was Penn State's first win over a top-5 team since defeating No. 5 North Carolina 82-74 in the second round of the 2001 NCAA tournament, and the highest ranked opponent that the Nittany Lions have beaten since moving to the Jordan Center in 1996.

Even Michigan coach John Beilein was impressed.

"I think what you saw tonight is why we all love college basketball," he said.
ESPN


By moving the ball and creating quality shots, Southern California cruised to one of its best wins in years.

Eric Wise scored 22 points to lead five Trojans players in double figures, propelling USC to an 89-78 victory over No. 11 Arizona on Wednesday night.

Southern California (13-15, 8-7 Pac-12) shot 33-for-54 from the field, led by Wise's 9-for-12. Byron Wesley added 18 points, J.T. Terrell had 14 and Jio Fontan scored 12 with nine assists. Aaron Fuller also had 12 points.

It was USC's first win over a ranked team since it beat then-No. 10 Arizona two years ago.
ESPN


Inspiration struck Conor Mongan in November 2002, while he was sitting on the purple, velour sofa in his apartment in the Mission Valley neighborhood of San Diego, Calif. He was watching a television news report about a court appearance by Michael Jackson when a close-up image of the pop star appeared on the screen. Mongan shuddered at Jackson's unsightliness, at his unnaturally pointy and scabby nose, his too-white skin and bug-eyed expression. Then he thought:
That's it! It's perfect!

His reaction requires some context. At the time, the 25-year-old Mongan was one of the ringleaders of the student section at San Diego State men's basketball games, a group later self-dubbed The Show. Though he stopped attending classes at San Diego State in 1999, Mongan remained one of The Show's figureheads, using his background in graphic design to create the T-shirts that fans wore during games. That November, Mongan had been pondering ways the group could better distract opposing free throw shooters. When Jackson's face popped up on Mongan's television, it triggered an aha moment: If he had been so stricken by Jackson's mug, Mongan thought, imagine how a free throw shooter would react.

Working out of a local Kinko's over the next few days, Mongan divided the image of Jackson into quarters using Photoshop and then printed each quarter on an 11x17 piece of paper. He then pieced the photo back together, adhered it to a 20x30 poster board, and cut the outline with scissors.

The Jackson big head made its first appearance at the Aztecs' Dec. 12 game at Long Beach State. At the largely empty Pyramid in Long Beach, Mongan positioned himself two rows behind one basket and waited. With 11:03 left in the first half, Long Beach State guard Darnell Thompson stepped to the line to attempt the game's first free throw. Just as Thompson set to shoot, Mongan held up the giant Jackson head and moved it from side to side. Thompson stopped, clearly startled, Mongan recalls, and then Thompson looked to the sideline, as if asking his coaches: Do I really have to shoot with that in my sightline?

Thompson missed both free throws, and Mongan and the other members of The Show roared. "I knew we were on to something," Mongan says, and over the next three seasons he revealed more than a dozen new heads that featured Gene Simmons ("with a moveable red sock tongue"), Siegfried & Roy ("Roy's eyes were X'd out after he was mauled by that tiger") and David Hasselhoff ("before he got cool again").

In those early years, Mongan never envisioned that big heads would become so common in college basketball that it is now rare to find a student section without them. He did not foresee them joining foam fingers, rally towels and thundersticks among the great innovations in fandom, nor did he realize that his Michael Jackson head would spawn a multi-million dollar industry with a compelling large corporation vs. small startup storyline.

"I never looked at the heads as anything other than something to distract a shooter," Mongan says. "What has happened the last couple years, it has blown me away."

…It is a safe bet that no athletic department would have endorsed many of The Show's most creative heads, including what Mongan considers his pièce de résistance: The three-year campaign mocking former Wyoming coach Steve McClain, known among Mountain West fans as "Rat face."
"The first one I did of McClain, I superimposed his head on a rat's body, gave him whiskers and teeth," Mongan says. "The players on the Wyoming bench saw it and were covering their faces with towels to hide their laughter." By McClain's final season (2006-07), several "Rat face" McClain heads were displayed whenever Wyoming played the Aztecs -- one featured him holding a glowing piece of cheese -- and members of The Show also held up giant cutouts of a rattrap and similar props. After one game, McClain flipped off The Show, Mongan says, and McClain's mother approached the group and expressed her disappointment with the "rat-ification" of her son.

McClain is now an assistant coach at Indiana, a school that has embraced the use of sanctioned big heads like few others. When Tom Crean moved from Marquette to Indiana in 2008, he brought the heads with him (figuratively speaking). Now, Indiana athletic department staffers hand out between 75 to 100 big heads before each game. At halftime, they move the heads from the north to the south end of Assembly Hall so that visitors are always shooting into a sea of big heads. At game's end, staffers stand at the exits closest to the student section and retrieve the heads.

"Last year, when we beat No. 1 Kentucky, we lost about 40-50 percent of our stock," says Mark Skirvin, Indiana's associate athletic director for marketing. "Kids were tearing them into pieces and throwing them in the air."

Indiana produces so many heads -- a local printer charges $75 apiece for the largest heads, which are mounted on foam board -- that there is a line item for them in the athletic department budget. "It's a significant cost but it has really caught on with our student fans," says Skirvin. "How long they will keep liking them is hard to say, but I don't think they are going anywhere for awhile."
SI


NYT: Calls for NCAA reform grow louder


Big 12 Composite Schedule & Result


RPI and SOS Team Comparison Calculator

Conner Frankamp scored 20 points as City League boys champion North opened its Class 6A sub-state with a 63-28 victory over Campus on Wednesday night at North.

Frankamp scored 16 of his points over the second and third quarters as the Redskins pulled away. North (19-2) will play host to Hutchinson (11-9) in Friday’s sub-state final.
Wichita Eagle


So I know that I got crossed by @CFrankamp_23 tonight. But I mean at least I can say I got my ankles broken my kid who's going to KU #RCJH
https://twitter.com/nicks_cody


With all due respect to senior Conner Frankamp and his gazillion points per game in his career and the ticket to the Kansas Class 6A tournament that is up for grabs, the lead role on Friday night will be played by the building itself.

The ostensible purpose of Hutchinson's trip to Wichita is to punch its ticket to the state tournament. Yes, that's big. So is playing against the University of Kansas-bound Frankamp, who might someday be remembered as one of the great high school players ever to play in a state that loves its basketball.

But let's hope, too, that the Salthawks relish the opportunity to close the curtain on a gymnasium with 85 years of memories, a gym with 85 years of war stories. If those walls could talk ...

If they could, they'd tell stories of school rife with pride and tradition.

They'd speak with delight about the Wichita North drum line, which each home game would go through a 20-minute routine on the court during the pre-game, while the Redskins dribbled around each drummer like a downhill slalom skier, navigating each gate.

They'd tell stories of North graduate Lynette Woodard, maybe the greatest female basketball player ever, and of Barry Sanders, who played basketball there, but made a name for himself by playing a different sport.

It's a magical place, steeped in history. It was built in a different time when people were smaller - as was the population - and it served a valued purpose. Unfortunately, society outgrew its usefulness. It holds just a tidge over 1,200 people, all of whom watch from an area elevated from the court. Many of those seats offer obstructed viewing because of the pillars - a sign of the architectural time.
Hutch News


2/27/13, 4:58 PM
“@CamDurley31: @drescher125 and @JohnWitkowski33 stepped up day amazing games out of both of u guys #RAMNation #lovemyteam” truuuuuuuuuuu !
https://twitter.com/wayneselden23


Fifth-seeded Tilton came back from a 16-point deficit in the second half to upset fourth-seeded Marianapolis, 72-65, on Wednesday.

Marianapolis (21-9) started the game with three straight turnovers and on the wrong side of a 10-0 run, at one time trailing, 20-9. Tilton hit six 3-pointers in the first six minutes, three by McDonald’s All-American and Kansas-committed Wayne Selden (24 points).
Norwich Bulletin


North Cobb was a perfect 15 of 15 from the line and hit nine three-pointers Wednesday night  as the Warriors knocked off the No. 1 Tift County Blue Devils, 68-63 in the state quarterfinals. Tift had the lead after each of the first three quarters, including 52-45 going into the fourth.

Brannen Greene led Tift with 22, Tadric Jackson had 15 and D.J. Bryant chipped in 13. The Devils end their season 25-5.
Tifton Gazette



2013 KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL BASKETBALL CLASSIC ROSTERS

AS OF 2/26/2013

White Team
Akoy Agau – Louisville
Connor Frankamp – Kansas
Keith Frazier – Undecided
Anton Gill – Louisville
Jarell Martin – LSU
Jordan Mickey – LSU
Robert Hubbs – Tennessee
Jajaun Johnson – Marquette
Rysheed Jordan – Undecided
Austin Nichols – Memphis

Coach Jeff Jones – Madison Preparatory Academy (LA)
Coach AW Hamilton – Hargrave Military Academy (VA)

Black Team
Jabari Bird – California
Stevie Clark – Oklahoma State
Devin Davis – Indiana
Tyler Ennis – Syracuse
Luke Fischer – Indiana
Zak Irvin – Michigan
Sindarius Thornwell – South Carolina
Stanford Robinson — Indiana
Troy Williams – Indiana
Derek Willis – Kentucky

Coach Paul Melnik – Fr. Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School (ON)
Coach Troy Barr – Bullitt East High School (KY)


Tickets for the event are on sale now.  Basketball Classic tickets are $11 and $16 (includes $1 facility fee) and are available at TicketMaster locations (www.ticketmaster.com), by phone (800-745-3000) or the Freedom Hall box office (502-367-5144).
Link
KDF website


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Basket interference by ISU, not KU as you proclaimed.

You compounded your error when you praised the refs for looking up at the videoboard for the replay, which of course is not allowed by officials in this circumstance.

Please feel free to share with all your ESPN talking heads.

We know how they love to set the record straight!

Kansas (Ben McLemore, Jeff Withey) and Duke (Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee) join Indiana with two candidates each on the top-30 list. Creighton junior Doug McDermott, a 2012 Naismith Trophy finalist, once again is among the elite players in the race to be named the best player in men’s college basketball.

The top-30 candidates were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances to this point in the season. In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the list to four finalists. The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year will be awarded on April 7, 2013, in Atlanta.

For the ninth consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to text their votes for the player of their choice and help determine the 2013 Naismith Trophy winner. Voting will open to fans on March 25. Presenting sponsor AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, enabling even more fans to participate.
NCAA

“I don’t see what we’ve done as a huge part of the legacy of the school,” Self said. “When I think of KU basketball — and this is the way it should be over time — I think of Dr. (James) Naismith and I think of Phog Allen. There have been six coaches after Dr. Allen, and that’s the legacy of our school.”

Self has often talked about the feeling of coaching at Kansas, of being a caretaker instead of a builder. There can be enjoyment in both roles, Self says, but in his current position, it’s hard to do much building.

The job, as much as anything, is about maintaining. And after another victory on Monday night, Self didn’t have much need for the bigpicture.

“I’ll probably look back when the season’s over and reflect and think about how many good players we’ve had and how many people have sacrificed for us to have an opportunity to win a few games,” Self said. “But it really doesn’t mean much. All I really care about is this team having the best year possible and sending the seniors out in style.”
KC Star

A middle-aged man in glasses wearing a gold Iowa State shirt yelled insults in the face of Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self after the Jayhawks’ 108-96 overtime win over the Cyclones late Monday night in Hilton Coliseum.

“I don’t think I got rushed. That dude didn’t really come at me. I really think I could have taken him without any problem,” Self joked on Tuesday’s Hawk Talk radio show.

A police officer grabbed the man and escorted him away from KU’s coach.

“It was not a serious deal at all like people made it out to be. Maybe his body language made it look differently,” Self added of a person he heard was “a big booster of the Cyclones.”

“I didn’t feel in the least bit like anything would come of that. It was a fan voicing himself in a way he was a little animated. The words weren’t bad.”

Self did say it was a bit alarming fans were so close to the players after a hotly contested game. Several ISU students pelted the Jayhawk players with debris as they headed to the locker room.

“They could probably make some corrections to make sure they (fans) don’t have access to players after a game like that,” Self said. “I know when we’ve been at Missouri in heated times, there’s security escorting the players out. After the handshake line it probably could be tightened up a bit.”

Des Moines TV station WOI-DT reported Tuesday that Iowa State police confirmed they were investigating two Twitter death threats to Elijah Johnson, who dunked at the end of the game rather than running out the clock.

Screenshots taken by other Twitter users on Monday night showed one person suggesting attacking the KU bus with “30 bullets” and another making racist comments directed at Johnson. Both Twitter accounts had been deactivated by Tuesday evening.

“I guess there were some things said, some threats made. That is sad,” Self told the Journal-World. “That person should be investigated and looked at. You can’t take things like that for granted. The person making those statements ... that situation needs to be looked into.”

…Self was presented a ball in the locker room by his players and KU administration signifying his 500th coaching victory. ... KU’s bus pulled into the Allen Fieldhouse parking lot at 4:50 a.m., Tuesday. “It was tough sledding,” Self said. “The last hour and a half really slowed down because of snow, ice. We made it back safe and sound and slept better the few hours we got because of unbelievable performance by our guys.”
LJW


Screenshots
http://collegespun.com/national/two-iowa-state-students-tweeted-racial-slurs-and-death-threats-at-kansas-and-elijah-johnson



JayhawkSlant.com: Hawk Talk Recap


The Big 12 Conference has released a statement regarding the officiating during the Kansas at Iowa State men's basketball game on Monday, February 25. This will be the only public statement by the Conference on the matter.

The Big 12 Conference acknowledges that officiating errors were made at the end of regulation during last night's Kansas at Iowa State men's basketball game. The plays have been reviewed and appropriate measures will be taken by the Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officials to adjust the number of future assignments for the two officials involved in conjunction with Conference policies.
Big 12 Sports


“I would say, ‘Hey we were fortunate we got a no-call there,’” Self said. “It could have easily been a charge. (But) how many times at the end of games do you have no-calls in those situations?

“We were fortunate. I will not say we weren’t. It could have easily been called and if it was I couldn’t have complained. On the flip side, there are a lot of calls in a game that you could say, ‘Maybe that could go the other way.’ It was a hard game to call. It’s gotten a lot of national attention. I guess the league office felt they had to make some sort of statement.”

On his radio show, Self said league-office statements about officiating could get out of hand.

“If we are going to get in the business of publicly making statements off of every bad call, let’s go back to the opening tip,” Self said, “because there are a lot of times the third foul on a big guy in the first half is the difference between winning and losing or second foul with 15 minutes left if it’s a bad call can be difference between winning and losing. It was a good crew (Mark Whitehead, Tom O’Neill, Bert Smith). I don’t think our bench was ecstatic on the way the game was being called either. I don’t think their bench was. It was a hard game. There were good players making plays.”
LJW


The Big 12 designates an observer for every game. Sometimes that person is a former coach; sometimes a former ref. He meets with the officiating crew beforehand, then files a postgame evaluation with the league office. Shaw, who retired from officiating, now coordinates Big 12 basketball officiating and is in on the reviews conducted after each game.

This is a detailed process. The league wants to get calls right.

Yet refs are human. Calls get blown. No matter how many appraisals are shared, how many mechanics are corrected, how many grades are issued, mistakes are still made.

…Some desperately want to make a case that KU gets preferential treatment from Big 12 basketball refs.

Hogwash. The Jayhawks have happened to be pretty darn good for a pretty long time, because of talent and coaching.

A long time in this business enabled me to become acquainted with many referees. Some were better than others, but each recognized that the job, though thankless, is about getting calls right, no matter who it affected, or how the outcome was determined.
TCJ


“It was an entertaining basketball game, I’ll say that in a season you see 30-29 games, 50-45,” Hoiberg said. “If nothing else, we gave our fans their money’s worth. We try to play a very exciting style of basketball. We try to get it out and we have five playmakers on the floor at one time. We’ve created a buzz because of our style of play and we’re going to continue to play that way. We just have to find a way to get some stops. And when we do that, I think we have a long season ahead of us.”

By long season, Hoiberg meant one that includes NCAA Tournament success. If the Cyclones get into the field, the tournament benefits.
LJW


No coach in America likes his team to be “nice.”

They may not admit it, but there’s no way a successful college basketball coach thinks to himself, “Gee, I wish we could have a nicer group of guys.”

This Kansas team, for the most part, is naturally a group of nice guys. It just so happens that they appear to be a kind team. That’s not to say there aren’t outliers, but in general, the Jayhawks are a nice group.

A group that hasn’t been playing nice lately.

Behind the heightened focus and energy Kansas has found in its last three games is a level of meanness that has turned the smooth edges of this team into a rigid bunch.

The Jayhawks developed into a mean team.

On Monday evening against Iowa State, after a career-best 37 points and the game sealed, Johnson wasn’t finished. Not yet.

With 2.5 seconds left, Johnson capped off a wide-open, meaningless one-handed dunk. He followed it by chest bumping his teammate, Travis Releford, while, you know, there was still 2.5 seconds on the clock.

No, it’s not the classiest move, but after Johnson’s sluggish senior stretch, the man should be allowed to celebrate. To punctuate. He took the pen and wrote the last note of his symphony.

Good for Johnson to apologize like he did. And good for Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, who had every right to be upset.

Somehow and someway, Bill Self had his Patches O’Houlihan moment, the coach from Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, that pleaded for his team to get mean and angry. While I highly doubt Self resorted to O’Houlihan’s slightly unethical methods, I don’t doubt he found a way to get the message across to his team.

O’Houlihan threw wrenches at his players. Self had practice, and a choice for his team to make.

It was either falter or fight. Sink or succeed. Wimper or win.

In all instances, the Jayhawks have picked the latter.

…You don’t win nine consecutive Big 12 titles without being a bully.
UDK


I’m getting older every day and don’t pretend to know how things are comprehended by young people these days. But from the stuff I’ve seen on Facebook and especially on Twitter, it seems a lot of young Kansas fans are OK with the exclamation point Johnson’s dunk gave the evening and the win.

I’m not and here’s why. It’s an old-fashioned thing called sportsmanship, which was taught back in the dark ages before everybody became so rude.

We used to teach our kids not to rub an opponent’s nose in their defeat. To win with class and to lose with dignity, with the understand that there would be other days to fight.

Johnson had an unbelievable game against Iowa State. He saved the Jayhawks from what would have been a devastating defeat with his 39 points, including 12 in overtime. He made one clutch shot after another. And shortly after the game, Johnson apologized for the dunk. It was a concession made almost certainly at the behest of KU coach Bill Self, who was put into the uncomfortable position of apologize to Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg for his player’s zealousness.

Johnson is 22 years old. It’s crazy to get too worked up about his ill-advised dunk. He knew better; he got caught up in a moment.

But it’s also a chance for us to remind ourselves why being a sportsman is important. It’s the essence of sports, really, and as big a reason as any why every kid everywhere should be subjected to athletics. There’s a bigger picture in sports than winners and losers. There are lessons to be learned in how to deal with winning and losing.
Wichita Eagle Lutz


KU Fan Take: The butterfly effect

After a put back slam in the first half on Saturday against TCU, senior forward Kevin Young did something that he will probably never do again while at Kansas.

He flashed one of his infectious smiles to the Allen Fieldhouse crowd and pointed his finger at someone specific in the stands and then touched his signature Afro.

“Just did it, but probably something I won’t do again though,” Young said on Saturday. “One time thing.”

He pointed to his Afro for one person only: his brother.

When standing in the autograph line after a game, Donovan Young is usually pacing around waiting to talk to his brother.

Fans often ask for Donovan’s autograph and pictures because of the striking resemblance to Kevin.

…For Kevin Young, having his younger brother and mother, Alicia Morales, in Lawrence during his final semester playing college basketball means the world to him.

“It gets a lot of stress of my hands and I don’t have to worry about them too much,” Young said. “I get to see them and I’m really close to my mother and my brother.”

…In his first visit, Townsend picked up Young from the airport and immediately took him to the open gyms that Kansas has during the offseason.Townsend had spotted Young through a few coaching friends at Loyola Marymount. After seeing him play against Gonzaga, Townsend knew Young could be a glue guy for the Jayhawks.

“He’s really athletic. A kind of a high energy guy,” Townsend said. “He was a little thin so I didn’t know if he would be able to convert into a four here. I didn’t think he would start, but we thought he could be a guy that come off the bench.”

That energy started early when Townsend dropped him off at the open gym the first time he saw the Fieldhouse.

“I just ran,” Young said. “I didn’t try to do anything special. It was fun and right there I knew I could fit in. After that there was no problem fitting in.”

He signed shortly after that and one of the first things Young had to do was learn the offense. But he did not learn it from the coaches. It was from former players Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor.

“I think that’s pretty unique,” Young said. “You really don’t see leaders like that. It just shows how much they love the game and how much they dedicated to this team. I know everyone thinks about how much they scored or how many big plays they made, but this is before we stepped on the court in our jerseys. They’re sitting here running the plays and stuff.”

Young has now become a leader with fellow senior Jeff Withey, who have turned into a steady crew in the front court. In their spare time the two also like to challenge freshman Perry Ellis and other teammates in some Call of Duty.

“All I know is I need to be on the same team as Perry,” Young said.

…“It means a lot to him,” Morales said. “This is what he’s been yearning for. This is what he loves. He loves the stage here. He loves the teammates. This is what he always wanted.”

Moments with your brother are special.

A picture in the tunnel after the game with their mother, a few signed autographs or his face gleaming on the Smile Cam during a timeout. This is what the Kansas fans will remember about Kevin Young.

The memories for brothers are the small ones. Like a salute during a game with a tap of the fro.

“It meant a lot to me to let him know he is always on my mind,” Young said. “One day hopefully if he continues to do well in school he can be in my shoes right now.”
UDK


Overshadowed during the Heat’s recent run of brilliance has been the steady play of point guard Mario Chalmers.

The fifth-year guard entered Tuesday’s game against the Kings shooting 57.6 percent (19 of 33) in his past four games. From three-point range, he was shooting 50 percent (8 of 16) over that stretch. Chalmers had six points and four assists in 32 minutes in the Heat’s 141-129 double-overtime victory against Sacramento.

…One possible explanation for Chalmers’ play since the All-Star Game might be his visit to Lawrence, Kan., over the break. KU honored Chalmers by retiring his jersey during halftime of a home game.
Miami Herald


Tyshawn Taylor may have made it to the NBA with Brooklyn Nets, but that doesn't mean he has forgotten where he grew up.

The 22-year-old Nets backup point guard and Hoboken resident, who was born and raised in the Hoboken Housing Authority, has become a role model for the next generation.

Taylor was honored at the 14th annual Richard Hicks Black Youth Empowerment Luncheon at the Boys and Girls Club Saturday for his community work with the children in the Mile Square City.

Taylor, who played point guard for St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, was awarded with the Black Youth Empowerment Special Leadership Award for his work with children.

The event was attended Mayor Dawn Zimmer, HHA Executive Director Carmelo Garcia and Assemblyman Ruben Ramos -- who announced last week he is running for mayor in November.
The annual event hosted by the Hoboken Housing Authority is held each year in memory of the late Richard Hicks. It recognizes community leaders who encourage black youth to achieve their lofty dreams in life and give something back to the community.

Taylor's stellar play at St. Anthony High led to a scholarship to the University of Kansas, where he was the the Big 12 Conference's fifth highest scorer as a senior with 16.6 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. But he always considered Hoboken to be his home.

“When I got drafted to Brooklyn, after being in Kansas for four years, I didn’t think about living in New York or Brooklyn, Taylor said at the event. “I thought, I’m going to come home.”
NJ.com


You have played your whole pro career with CSKA. It doesn't happen much these days, but is it your desire to stay there until you retire?

"Hopefully. If everything goes well, as long as I can, I definitely want to be here. I am very comfortable with everyone and this is a good situation. I really hope it can happen and that I can stay here for many years!"

What will it take to catch Efes or Madrid to get homecourt advantage in the playoffs?

"I don't think we have to be worried about this right now. We have to worry about getting to the playoffs and winning the rest of the games. We are where we are. We put ourselves in the situation in which we lost three games. We need to win the rest of our home games, get a couple of road wins and be in a good situation for the playoffs."

Of course, winning the Euroleague title is the only goal this season, especially after what happened in last year's final. How much extra motivation does it give you to get another shot at the title this season?

"Definitely a lot. Since I got here, we came pretty close two times to winning the Euroleague final. First it was in Berlin with Coach Messina, when we had a shot to win the game and Siskauskas missed the three-point shot against Panathinaikos. Last year, we were almost there and it slipped away from us at the end of the game. It is an extra motivation: we have to do everything possible to win another title and hopefully it will happen, eventually."
Euroleague.net interview with Sasha Kaun


Expect to see adidas roll out its new short-sleeve basketball jerseys around a handful of its teams during the men's NCAA tournament. adidas VP/Global Basketball Lawrence Norman confirmed that some teams during March Madness will be wearing short-sleeve jerseys similar to those worn recently by the Warriors, but would not specify which schools. "We are still working on teams, but it will be a very innovative story," Norman said. No. 10-ranked Louisville has been told that it will be one of eight men’s basketball teams to wear specially designed jerseys during the postseason and that an announcement is tentatively planned for later this week. Louisville Associate AD Kenny Klein said the school has not been given specifics on the jerseys yet.

Officials at Michigan and N.C. State, two other adidas schools in position to make the NCAA tournament, said they will not wear short-sleeve jerseys, while Indiana said it has not heard from adidas on any special jerseys. Three women's basketball teams are also expected to sport special adidas uniforms during the postseason.
Sports Business Daily


Kansas senior Angel Goodrich had her name added to yet another watch list Tuesday, as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) board of directors selected 20 outstanding players, including Goodrich, for its 2013 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List.

Goodrich, who ranks first in the Big 12 Conference in steals per game (3.0) and third in assists per contest (6.7), is also a finalist for the Lieberman Award, Naismith Award, Wade Trophy and Wooden Award. Goodrich is second on the Kansas' squad in scoring with 14.3 points per game. Over her last three contests, Goodrich is averaging 23.7 points per game.

The award will be presented to the women's national player of the year by its namesake at the USBWA women's awards press conference on April 7 in the interview room of the New Orleans Arena, 3:30 p.m. CT prior to the start of the NCAA Women's Final Four semifinals, which is a change from the morning breakfast in past seasons.
KUAD


KUAD: WBB vs ISU pregame notes


Count KU women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson among those who hope what KU senior Elijah Johnson did to Iowa State during Monday night’s 108-96 overtime victory will have a lingering effect on Hilton Coliseum.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, just two days after Johnson torched Iowa State for 39 points to keep the KU men atop the Big 12 standings, Henrickson’s club will step into the same venue looking for a much-needed victory of its own.
LJW


VOTE for Wooden Award nominees McLemore & Withey


VOTE FOR COACH SELF (West Region, for god's sake people vote! Weber is ahead of Self!)


VOTE for Kansas players, team, and moment in NCAA 75th Anniversary of March Madness (Vote for Wilt, Clyde, Danny, 51-52 Kansas, Mario's Miracle)


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

Yeah, yeah, we know, we know. Not his players. Inherited a diamond mine. All reap, no sow.
 
There's Bruce Weber, clinging to the lead on the final lap of the 500 in someone else's car. Again.
 
And?
 
Somebody pushed the right buttons against No. 8 Florida at Sprint Center. Somebody figured out a way to outfox Lon Kruger twice. (Hint: It wasn't Bill Self.)
 
Somebody had to get a stranger's kids to buy in, sight unseen, and join hands in that circle of trust.
 
"Coach does a great job of just keeping us composed," Kansas State guard Rodney McGruder says of Weber, "and just going out there and playing for one another."
 
For years, K-State basketball was almost as much about the sound and fury on the sidelines and in the locker room as it was on the court. The Wildcats under Weber are a quieter storm now, but no less destructive: After clubbing Texas Tech at home Monday night, 75-55, K-State rolls into March tied atop of the standings with rival Kansas, each at 12-3 in league play, each with three tilts left.
 
And as Big 12 Coach of the Year candidates go, you could do a heck of a lot worse than Weber, 23-5 in his first season at Manhattan.
 
Actually, to be honest, you could hardly do better.
 
Unconvinced?  Look at the standings. Look close. The Jayhawks? Supposed to be there. The Cowboys, a game-and-a-half back of the leaders? Supposed to be there.
 
The Wildcats? What are you doing here?
Fox Sports KC


West Virginia University’s athletic department and the Big 12 Conference have agreed to attempt to make some travel changes to accommodate the problems the Mountaineers faced during their first season in the league.

Athletic Director Oliver Luck says the league offered no guarantees because “scheduling is always a challenge” but the league has agreed to attempt to make life on the road easier in a number of areas when it can.

WVU geographically is out of place in the Big 12, with every trip not only being of 1,700 miles round trip or more but fighting a time zone change which costs them an hour returning to Morgantown.

Football did not present as much of a problem as basketball, with weekly trips and mostly weekend games, but, according to Luck, the league was agreeable to trying to arrange it so the Mountaineers do not have to travel on back-to-back weeks for conference games during the season.

This past season WVU had to travel to Texas and Texas Tech, which is the longest trip in the conference for WVU, on consecutive weeks. While the Mountaineers survived in Texas they put on a lackluster performance in losing to the Red Raiders, 49-14, that set them off on a five-game losing streak.

Basketball scheduling is far more complex than football and Luck worked out three things with the conference.

The first was to attempt to play a pair of conference road games prior to the start of the academic semester.

Journeys as long as those in the Big 12 and with some arrivals back in Morgantown being in the neighborhood of 4 in the morning are best served if there are no academic responsibilities the next day, allowing players to get back onto a regular schedule.

The second request from WVU is an important one in this same area.

“We have asked that when reasonable they give us a two-game stay over on the road,” Luck revealed.

Twice this past season WVU was scheduled to go out on the road, play a Saturday game, fly home on Sunday, practice Monday and fly out again on Tuesday for a Wednesday game.

League rules do not allow them to stay on the road during that time, so they use up most of two days traveling.

Rather than doing that, they would prefer to play a Saturday-Big Monday on the road with a Sunday stay over, which would cut back on taking the long trip to and from Morgantown.
Link


Easy Baylor Solver. Even-numbered year: Elite Eight. Odd: No dancing.
https://twitter.com/JohnGasaway


Here’s something I never thought I’d say: If you watched Minnesota upset No. 1 Indiana last night, you witnessed a scene straight out of the 1992 film, The Mighty Ducks.

With the No. 1 Hoosiers trailing by five with under 30 seconds left, Will Sheehey fouled Gophers guard Andre Hollins, then reached for his eye and collapsed on the court as if he had been knocked out in a prize fight. According to ESPN’s Dan Dakich, Indiana head coach Tom Crean screamed for the referees to go to the monitor to check for an offensive foul. They did, only for the video to reveal Sheehey had blatantly flopped:

…While there’s no proof that Sheehey was instructed to flop by Crean, there is video of Crean on the sideline in the timeout before the play clearly talking to the team about high elbows.

And if you look at the video of the foul further, it’s clear that Sheehey positions his face right next to Collins’ arm to try and sell the eye injury.

Point blank: I don’t believe for a second Sheehey did this without Crean’s instruction. It was way too deliberate and premeditated for a college basketball player to do on his own.

Crean is already on his way to becoming a college basketball coaching villain as a very sore loser. Whether he’s throwing temper tantrums on the sideline like a toddler or blowing by opposing coaches after a loss, he’s definitely caught the eye of college hoops fans.

On Tuesday night, Crean crossed over to trying to con officials a la Gordon Bombay. Where’s the respect for opponents and the game as a whole? Where’s the integrity he is supposed to be instilling in college kids?
LostLettermen


Court-storming Minnesota fans weren't the only ones excited about the Gophers' upset victory over top-ranked Indiana on Tuesday night. Watching No. 1 go down also elicited plenty of cheers some 1,400 miles to the West.

Gonzaga students watching the game from a cafeteria on campus erupted after Minnesota finished off its 77-73 victory because it gives the second-ranked Zags a chance to take over the No. 1 ranking next week. If Gonzaga can win at BYU on Thursday night and at home against Portland on Saturday, the Zags will be in line to inherit the top spot in both polls for the first time in program history.

The above video, shot by Gonzaga student Mike Fangman, shows the excitement the Zags are generating on campus these days. Gonzaga defeated Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Baylor in non-league play and has rolled up an undefeated WCC record so far by mowing down league opponents by an average of more than 18 points per game.

A No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament would be more significant than the No. 1 ranking in the polls, but Gonzaga coach Mark Few admitted seeing his team's name atop the AP Top 25 would be a milestone.

"It would be something we haven't accomplished yet in this program," Few said Tuesday night on SportsCenter.
Yahoo


Former University of Tennessee men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach Troy Wills was arrested this week on burglary and vandalism charges after police say he used a saw to break into a locked office at Thompson-Boling Arena early Saturday morning.

Wills, who spent eight seasons working with the basketball program before being let go last offseason by head coach Cuonzo Martin, was observed on surveillance video by officers investigating the break-in at the campus arena, according to an arrest warrant acquired Tuesday by the News Sentinel.

The warrant said Wills, using a saw, broke into the office of Bill Whitesell, a UT event management director, then “ransacked” the room, causing $750 in damages to university property, and took $4,150 in cash from Whitesell’s desk. The incident was reported to police Saturday afternoon.

Police say video shows Wills walking down a Thompson-Boling Arena hallway “with what appears to be a saw in his hand” and “attempting to hide (the saw) underneath his coat” at 3:53 a.m. Saturday. The affidavit said he was next seen on camera leaving at 4:31 a.m.
Link


Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results


RPI and SOS Team Comparison Calculator

Game night tonight at North against Campus! #StateBound
https://twitter.com/CFrankamp_23


After Saturday’s sellout, Tift County High has determined that 1,600 tickets will be sold to the gymnasium for tonight’s game. The Performing Arts Center has been set up to hold 750 more and will provide live video and radio coverage.

If Tift is able to advance to the semifinals, the game (or games) will be held Saturday, March 2 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Tifton Gazette (Brannen Greene)


Jahlil Okafor, a 6-foot-9 junior from Chicago Whitney Young and the top-ranked recruit in the nation according to several recruiting sites, told Chicago Hoops he plans on visiting Michigan State some time after the season ends and said Izzo is often in contact with him.

“I think once the season ends there is one visit I plan on taking to Michigan State,” Okafor said. “Coach Izzo’s been on my back about getting down there. I love that guy, so I’m definitely going to get down there once the season ends.”

Okafor added he has spoken most with Izzo and Ohio State coach Thad Matta while Baylor, Kansas and Arizona have been the other schools he has talked with the most recently.

He also said once again it his intention to play with guard Tyus Jones, another top-five national recruit from Apple Valley, Minn. When an announcement might come is still up in the air.

“I was just thinking about that,” Okafor said. “My dad and I were talking about it with Tyus Jones. I’m not sure. I might want to do it before (my senior) season starts and get it over with or take my time and wait till after the season.”
Detroit News


I’m not sure why this TV station didn’t interview either Emmanuel Owootoah or Marlon King, or Cordia (Ky.) coach Rodrick Rhodes, but this is a sad commentary on the state of America in 2013.
For those who missed it, the Canadian players of Caribbean descent were reportedly tagged in Twitter and Facebook photos depicting a noose and a flag burning. The boys’ guardians, Eduardo and Jessica Flores, also said the back door of their home was shot at and that he kids have been attacked “repeatedly.”

Of the “USA” chants directed at the Canadians last Friday, Owootoah told Ben Roberts of Kentucky.com: “They should have better class than that, man. But at the same time, I thought it was funny. I don’t let stuff like that get to my head.”

Numerous people have chimed in on Twitter in response, with @btcoop71 saying, “That is an absolute embarrassment. Those idiots do not represent the state of Kentucky.”
Zags Blog


On Wednesday, the same day that Andrew Wiggins will take his official visit to Kentucky, the school will present the 1996 team with championship rings during halftime of the Mississippi State game, as reported by Jerry Tipton on Twitter.

Of course, the irony is that Calipari’s UMass team lost the ’96 national semifinal to a Rick Pitino-coached Wildcats team, meaning if this move ends up helping Kentucky land Wiggins, Calipari will have used one of his own losses (and one of his Final Four forfeitures) to secure the best amateur player in the world.

The 6-foot-8 Wiggins is the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2013 and will visit Kentucky, followed by Kansas (March 4) and North Carolina (March 9). He has already visited Florida State, his other option.

Wiggins told SNY.tv exclusively Friday that he was awaiting a “moment” of clarity before picking his school.

“I haven’t found it yet, so I am just waiting for that moment that will convince me it’s the right place,” he said.
Zags Blog


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Kansas (Ben McLemore, Jeff Withey) and Duke (Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee) join Indiana with two candidates each on the top-30 list. Creighton junior Doug McDermott, a 2012 Naismith Trophy finalist, once again is among the elite players in the race to be named the best player in men’s college basketball.

The top-30 candidates were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances to this point in the season. In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the list to four finalists. The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year will be awarded on April 7, 2013, in Atlanta.

For the ninth consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to text their votes for the player of their choice and help determine the 2013 Naismith Trophy winner. Voting will open to fans on March 25. Presenting sponsor AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, enabling even more fans to participate.
NCAA

2/25/13, 10:22 PM
This game over... Iowa State plays #Zero defense... Elijah is turnt up
https://twitter.com/tootall2knoso1 (Jordan Henriquez)


2/25/13, 10:23 PM
Iowa st fans salty right now lol
https://twitter.com/keefmorris


2/25/13, 10:23 PM
What's all this talk about elijah johnson you jayhawk fans speak of ?
https://twitter.com/tyshawntaylor


2/25/13, 10:32 PM
EJ got ppl crying
https://twitter.com/brush_4


2/25/13, 10:32 PM
Elijah Johnson could run for mayor in Lawrence and would win easily.
https://twitter.com/espn


2/25/13, 10:33 PM
The good news for Kansas fans is that the Jayhawks just stole a win at ISU. The bad news is they have to stop hating Elijah Johnson now
https://twitter.com/clubtrillion


2/25/13, 10:41 PM
Yes he does!!!! #RCJH RT @jdawg918 As Darnell Jackson would say EJ gots big cajones
https://twitter.com/dblock_official


2/25/13, 10:41 PM
Way to go Jayhawks! ....that's MR. Johnson...
https://twitter.com/robriggle


2/25/13, 10:41 PM
Lodge put in workkkk tonight tho!
https://twitter.com/b_greene14


2/25/13, 10:41 PM
S/O to my #jayhawks great game way to fight #KUCMB
https://twitter.com/f_mason15


2/25/13, 10:46 PM
Big Lodge I know y'all saw him "SHINNING BRIGHT LIKE DIAMOND"
https://twitter.com/ntharpe1


2/25/13, 10:47 PM
Big lodge shut it down tonight, good win for the team ! #KUCMB
https://twitter.com/wayneselden23


2/25/13, 10:51 PM
I said before, I'll say it again. I have complete faith in my POINT GUARD. #biglodge
https://twitter.com/justinwesleyiv


2/25/13, 11:08 PM
Great game for Elijah tonight. Big time performance! #RockChalk
https://twitter.com/cfrankamp_23


2/25/13, 11:12 PM
Baby Hoiberg is going to have Elijah Johnson nightmares well into his mid-twenties. #kubball pic.twitter.com/KAhdy3ASRe
https://twitter.com/notkucompliance


2/25/13, 11:16 PM
Big LODGE!!!!
https://twitter.com/j_mari31


#InLodgeWeTrust
https://twitter.com/riochitown23


#biglodge
https://twitter.com/evan_manning10


Elijah.. That's too Strong.... Wayyyy Too Strong
https://twitter.com/AndrewWhite03


Man that was fun. My boy big lodge is cold blooded. #beastmode #biglodge
https://twitter.com/T_Self11


Good Thing About People Hating, It's Never Too Late to change it. Nobody Deserved it more than Lodge, 39pts.. 500 W's for coach too
https://twitter.com/AndrewWhite03


Elijah Johnson scored 39 points, the most by a @KU_Hoops player in the past 17 seasons (it was Paul Pierce with 34 in 1997)
https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo

2/25/13, 10:36 PM
Congratulations to @CoachBillSelf on his 500th career win! #kubball pic.twitter.com/4OH4dzWMIp
https://twitter.com/kuathletics


2/25/13, 10:34 PM
Congrats to Coach Self aka the best coach in the country on his 500th win!!!
https://twitter.com/landenlucas33


2/25/13, 10:34 PM
Congrats to my coach on the 500 #kubball
https://twitter.com/jojo_embiid


2/25/13, 10:36 PM
Congrats to coach on win #500 ! #RockChalk
https://twitter.com/b_greene14


Congrats to my pops to on getting his 500th win. #bigtime
https://twitter.com/T_Self11


2/25/13, 10:23 PM
Meantime Kansas has 100 points. Is that legal this season?
https://twitter.com/espndanaoneil


This season, Iowa State has the 1st and 3rd most points ever scored vs. a Bill Self-KU team, and Clones lost both.
https://twitter.com/BlairKerkhoff


2/25/13, 10:26 PM
More resilient than great, this #Kansas team en route to earning second impressive road win in a week. A No. 1 seed still very possible.
https://twitter.com/ericprisbell

For those wondering about this photo After Self TV interview, that fan charged at Self, got shoulder-to-shoulder. Policeman pushed him back.
https://twitter.com/jessenewell

The game was less than three minutes old, but coach Bill Self was already fuming, or at least he appeared to be. Senior point guard Elijah Johnson had just been called for a defensive foul, but Self wanted a travel.

“Are you kidding me?” Self screamed at the officials. The rest of what he said was harder to decipher, but it was enough to warrant him a technical foul.

“I told (official) Mark Whitehead afterwards, I said ‘You know I tried to get that,’ and he said he knew,” Self said. “It was too early in the game to get upset. I thought that was the best thing to show our team that we came to fight.”

…“I won’t remember 400 or 300 or 200 or 100, but I guarantee I’ll always remember this one,” Self said. “This was a good one.”
UDK

Big time game KU... The growth by the seniors is great to see... For those that jumped off the wagon a few weeks ago... Stay off!! #RCJH
https://twitter.com/keith_langford


2/26/13, 4:38 AM
It's Official we are back on campus safe Tweeps talk to y'all Saturday!! #KUCMB
https://twitter.com/ntharpe1


2/26/13, 4:42 AM
Made it back to Lawrence safe, feels good to back.
https://twitter.com/humb1e_hungry23

Iowa State fans who attended the game were emotionally bruised by the unnecessary slam. They booed and threw cups.

Those who saw the play on TV demanded atonement through the Twitter-sphere.

That's fair. But it's not right to end the conversation about emotions and feelings there.

What about the feelings of a young man who had been told by his own coach that he wasn't good enough to run his program a few weeks ago?

What about the veteran who had to read tweets about his apparent inadequacy? What about the guy who heard the whispers -- and screams -- from fans who wanted a new point guard?

That guy did not cry. He did not whine. He did not blame. He did not quit, even when Bill Self told reporters, "We don't have a point guard," following a loss to Oklahoma State earlier this month.

Johnson expressed his emotions through that dunk and the mosh pit that ensued on the KU sideline. He'd been redeemed in a game that allowed Kansas to maintain its first-place tie in the Big 12 with Kansas State.

This season, Johnson has faced as much doubt and scrutiny as any player in the country. His naysayers suggest Kansas can make a serious run in March as long as Johnson doesn't screw things up (3.0 turnovers per game).

A point guard, like any player, can handle that criticism. It's expected.

He needs to know, however, that he's trusted. And trust is what Johnson seemed to lack within the Kansas program as the Jayhawks suffered three consecutive losses earlier this month. Then, Monday happened.

"Me and Coach had a conversation, a personal conversation, a locker-room kind of conversation, it just happened to happen during the game," Johnson said. "I feel like that kind of sent some fire through my body. My teammates saw me responding. It felt good for [Travis Releford and Jeff Withey] to walk up to me and tell me no matter what they're riding with me, they're playing with me whether I'm playing as bad as I can or I'm playing like I played tonight. To hear that right after having that kind of conversation with Coach, it just did something to me, and I didn't look back."

We trust you. Now lead.

That's all Johnson needed to know.

With his team aching for buckets and losing its poise within the tremors produced at Hilton Coliseum, Johnson's swagger returned.
ESPN

It was overtime on Monday night. And the Jayhawks led by four points with 54 seconds left. And the fact they were still playing defied proper description. They had trailed by five with 45 left in regulation, then four with 23 seconds left. There had been a fury of late three-pointers, and some panicky defense, and a mad scramble under the basket that produced a controversial call and two game-tying free throws.

But that had only set up this, a prayer from the fingertips of Elijah Johnson, another miracle against Iowa State. All season long, Johnson had been the guy immune to such luck.

“He’s had such an up-and-down senior year,” Kansas coach Bill Self would say.

But here was the shot, spinning through the air, swishing through the bucket in the final minute of overtime. The Jayhawks now led by seven, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. On a cold night in Iowa, in a place known for its hometown magic, the Jayhawks survived in overtime.

Kansas 108, Iowa State 96.

Johnson, a senior guard, finished with 39 points, the most ever by a Kansas player in the Big 12 era. And Self earned his 500th victory in the most thrilling and Self-ian way possible. Against all odds, on the opponent’s court, with boos and debris raining down as Johnson got a police escort back to the locker room.

“It’s great to win no matter what,” Self said, standing outside the Jayhawks’ locker room. “But it’s always better to win if you have to go through some crap and show some toughness to do it.”

…When it was over, and Johnson arrived at the post-game press conference, he cited two conversations on Monday as defining moments. The first came early in the day with Kansas trainer Bill Cowgill. Johnson, who had arthroscopic knee surgery last summer, has struggled to regain some of his old athleticism and bounce this season. Much of the problem, Johnson concedes, has been mental.

It’s taken him some time to realize that he had the knee injury — but he doesn’t anymore.

“Most people cater (to) you and baby you through that,” Johnson said. “And right now, he’s just telling me to ‘man up.’”

The second conversation came in the opening minutes of Monday’s game, when the Jayhawks fell behind 14-7 and Self thought Johnson needed a push.

“I thought he made a couple of bone-head plays early,” Self said, “and I know I went to him and got onto him, and he said ‘Coach, next play. That’s what you always say. Forget it.’

“And I said, whoa-whoa-whoa, I’ll forget it when I finish talking about the last play. That was our way of me getting him to be stubborn and me getting him to be competitive.”
KC Star


Johnson regretted his fast-break dunk in the final seconds with the Jayhawks already up by 10 points.

“I want to apologize to the head coach of Iowa State for that last play of the game,” Johnson said. “I shouldn’t have dunked that ball. And right now, I’m feeling that. I should have dribbled that ball out. I just got caught up in the moment. I saw an open basket and I attacked it. I kind of got tunnel vision, and I guess it was rubbing off that whole end of the game.

Self said Johnson probably should have dribbled out the clock as well, but he didn’t think it marred what was a classic game.

“It wasn’t right,” Self said. “But it shouldn’t take away from him being an unbelievably classy kid.”
KC Star


It wasn’t just Johnson, though; he had help from many of his seniors, especially Travis Releofrd, who kept the team together when the front court struggled through foul trouble.

“He kept us in the game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We didn’t have a lot going, and Travis made two or three big plays and shots. He’s a winner and competitor. Our seniors stepped up big.”

Releford finished the game with 19 points, but it was his smooth stroke from long range that helped his team prevail. He finished five of nine from 3-point range.

The third senior to step up for the Jayhawks was senior Kevin Young, who, like on many recent occasions, gave the Jayhawks a spark out of the gate. He led the Jayhawks in scoring and rebounding for much of the first half.

The last senior with major contributions for the night was senior Jeff Withey, who was battered and bruised and eventually fouled out the game — but not before he collected another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
UDK


ESPN Video: EJ postgame interview w/Myron Medcalf

The final minute of regulation of Kansas' 108-96 overtime victory over Iowa State on Monday is under review by the Big 12 Conference, the conference's coordinator of officials told ESPN.com Monday night.

At issue was a block or charge call that wasn't made when Elijah Johnson drove inside as Kansas trailed 90-88 with five seconds remaining. Iowa State's Georges Niang appeared to have his feet set, but no call was made as Johnson made contact with Niang.

Instead, Niang was called for a hold when Johnson's shot missed and the ball came loose on the floor. Johnson went to the free-throw line and made the two free throws to force overtime.

Monday's officials were Tom O'Neill, Mark Whitehead and Bert Smith.

Curtis Shaw, a former longtime official and now the league's coordinator, watched Kansas' win. Shaw wouldn't say whether the officials made the right call at the end of regulation.

"We will handle the situation and approach the teams appropriately," said Shaw. "We review every play and take the appropriate action."

Under normal reviews, Shaw will look at the position of the officials, where they are when they make calls. He said there are plenty of tough calls to make during a game and officials aren't perfect. Calls are missed, no calls occur and this happens at different times of the game, even when a team doesn't have time to recover.

When asked what kind of accountability could occur for officials, Shaw said that because officials are independent contractors, the way the conference handles any kind of disciplinary action if warranted is through future assignments.
ESPN


2/26/13, 5:24 AM
Of course the third and fourth fouls on Withey were pretty bad too, so I guess it evens out. Huge confidence boost for Elijah Johnson.
https://twitter.com/sethdavishoops

Johnson had the most points of any KU player in a Big 12 Conference game in history. His 39 points were most by any KU player overall since Terry Brown had 42 against North Carolina State on Jan. 5, 1991.

…Johnson, in one of the most amazing clutch performances in KU history, actually scored 25 of KU’s last 36 points — all those points coming after ISU grabbed a 79-72 lead with 5:17 left.

He hit two free throws — the second following a timeout designed to ice him — with 4.9 seconds left. Those free throws tied the game at 90 and forced overtime after a last-second 40-footer by Korie Lucious missed.

“I didn’t pay it any mind,” Johnson said of ISU coach Fred Hoiberg calling time to shake him.

Johnson also tossed in a deep three as the shot clock expired with :59 left, increasing a 100-96 lead to 103-96.

“I begged for the ball,” Johnson said.

Perhaps Johnson’s only blunder of the night was dunking in the final seconds instead of letting the clock run out. ISU fans threw objects at the Jayhawks as they exited the court.

“It was wrong,” Self said, “(but) Elijah apologized. I said something to Fred and the media. I wasn’t very happy about it, but nobody can say that last play took away from the game and our seniors.”
LJW


Self likened an athlete’s body to a race car, saying, “You just get off a little bit, and it can throw the whole engine off or how it runs. This morning his knee was bothering him, and he’s had some stomach issues. Finally, Cowgill got into him, ‘I don’t want to hear that crap. You’re not hurt. You’re not hurt. Quit making excuses. You’re not hurt.’ And I think was probably good for him to hear that.”

Johnson agreed.

“It takes a little push to go a long ways sometimes,” Johnson said. “I feel that little push taking me real far right now.”

Self pushed him early in the game during a break in the action by lighting him up in a manner that usually takes place behind closed doors. Looking back on the moment after the game, Johnson said the coach did it on purpose and pushed just the right buttons.

KU’s comeback not only put the Jayhawks in good position to win a ninth consecutive Big 12 title, it ended Iowa State’s homecourt winning streak at 22 games, and it showed Kansas is capable of winning games played at any pace.

What Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg is doing with his team isn’t a great deal different from what Big 12 football coaches have been doing for years to the delight of audiences across the Great Plains.

Hoiberg floods the basketball court with long-range shooters, who have quick triggers and no conscience. He makes the opposing defense cover so much more territory, and it makes for such an entertaining brand of basketball to watch.

Hoiberg’s Cyclones have inverted the game of basketball, turned into an outside-in Fan Fest. When the Cyclones play at home, they feed on their boisterous fans, led by an especially vibrant student section. The fans feed on the excitement of watching the long arc of shots raining in from every angle, every man.

It’s such a stark, welcome contrast to the way so many games are played in this season of historically low scores.
LJW Keegan


LJW Ratings: Elijah takes over


"They kick it back out and hit a shot, then come back down and hit another one and I thought we defended it pretty well," said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. "I thought Georges stepped in there and made a good play at the end, but it didn't go our way. Then it gets to be a little bit of a scrum and another tough call. Then they hit the two and we go into overtime.

"Can't fault our effort. Our guys went out and fought hard for 45 minutes, played this team two times to overtime, top-five team in the country. Unfortunate that we walk away with zero wins against them."

Johnson led Kansas with an extraterrestrial closing 4:34 of the game, scoring 17 of the last 21 points in regulation for the Jayhawks — including 10 in the extra period — giving him an even 30 in in the second half and overtime and 39 on the night.

"He was unbelievable," said KU coach Bill Self. "He was the best guard and the best player in the country tonight. I've had some guys get 30 before, but I've never had a guy get 30 in a half."

Monday's game resembled that of a heavyweight prize fight with both teams exchanging blows the entire ballgame. The Cyclones (19-9, 9-6 Big 12) had the game at hand, but then let the game slip through their fingers after they held an 87-82 lead with only 40 seconds left in the game.

After the game, Niang was asked whether he thought they had the game at hand after his 3-pointer gave them a five-point lead in the waning parts of the game.

"With the way this season's gone — no," Niang said. "But I thought we had a good chance to win it — especially at the end — but a call is a call. We're men here and we're going to move on and I promise you one thing, we're going to come back even harder the next day."

Then, Johnson canned back-to-back 3-pointers to bring it to 89-88, leading to Korie Lucious' making one of two free throws and Johnson then tying the game and sending it to overtime.

Iowa State broke the school record with 17 3-pointers, shooting 48 percent in regulation before missing all six in the extra period. On the other end, Kansas made 13 of their 25 shots from behind the arc as well, getting five from Travis Releford and six from Johnson.

Niang, who came into the game averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting better than 53 percent from the field, made only three of his 17 shots, still finding a way to score 15 points, making three 3s and all six of his free throws. Niang did "facilitate" as Hoiberg put it, dishing out seven assists with no turnovers.   

"He had a couple of those that went in and out, and I think he showed you the type of kid he is not being afraid to step up and knock down that big one that put us up five with 40 seconds left," Hoiberg said. "I thought he stepped up; even though he didn't shoot the ball great, he made plays for his teammates all game long."

Iowa State now has three games left and three games to improve their NCAA tournament resume before the Big 12 tournament. The stretch begins on the road against Oklahoma on Saturday, sitting at fourth in the conference in front of Iowa State.
Iowa State Daily

Maybe Iowa State and Kansas are just destined to play overtime games.

It happened again on Big Monday at Hilton Coliseum, five weeks after they played an extra-session thriller at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

The result was the same, too, sixth-ranked Kansas owning the extra five minutes to the tune of 18-6, this time for a 108-96 overtime victory against a Cyclone outfit that led by five points with 44.5 seconds left in regulation.

Iowa State led 87-82, then fell victim to Elijah Johnson, who took the game over with Kansas' next eight points.

The final two were free throws with 4.9 seconds to play, and they came as the result of a frantic exchange underneath the basket that left a raucous 14,376-fan sellout up in arms.

Johnson drove into the lane and collided with the Cyclones' George Niang. Much to the Hilton faithful's chagrin, no charge was called, and the gripes were compounded when Niang was whistled for a foul as he and Johnson scrambled for the ball on the ground.

"I can't get too much into that call," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said.

What's inarguable, however, is that this contest was another Big 12 Conference classic.

There were 18 lead changes during a game in which Johnson scored 30 of his 39 points after halftime — and 10 in the overtime.
USA Today


From start to finish, Monday night was another classic Bill Self coaching job. Two minutes and six seconds into the game, the arena was rocking and Self was hopping mad. A ref called what seemed like a pretty normal foul on Johnson. Self exploded. He got in the ref’s face, screaming like a maniac and seeming to lose control. He was called for a technical foul.

Dumb move by an overemotional coach?

No. Self knew exactly what he was doing.

As Iowa State’s Korie Lucious shot the subsequent free throws, the Iowa State student section razzed Self. “Somebody’s angry!” one student yelled. Self looked over at the student section, caught the kid’s eye — and winked at him.

As always, Bill Self knew exactly what he was doing.

“I told (referee) Mark Whitehead afterwards, ‘I tried to get that,’ ” Self said. “It was too early in the game to get upset. I hadn’t had (a technical) in like three years. I thought that was the best thing to show our team that we came to fight.”

In a game where Iowa State put up three after three — perhaps it’s no coincidence that the Cyclones’ coach, Fred Hoiberg, led the NBA in 3-point percentage his last year in the league — Self’s team kept fighting back. Redshirt freshman sensation Ben McLemore disappeared for much of the night, not making a shot until there were only two minutes left in the first half and ending with only seven points. But in typical Self fashion, it was the seniors who shined.

We’re in an age of the one-and-dones, when players jump to the NBA as soon as they get a chance, and when the huge talents rarely fully develop under their college coach. But Self’s signature is having juniors and seniors — guys like Thomas Robinson or Mario Chalmers or the Morris twins — who carry the team. That happened again on Monday. Senior Kevin Young dropped 13 points and added nine rebounds. Senior Jeff Withey had 13 points and 10 boards. Senior Travis Releford had 19 points, including five 3-pointers, many of them at clutch moments.

But the biggest senior of all was Johnson. The shooting guard has been forced to play point guard for much of this season, and has been publicly called out by Self for his inconsistent games. On this night, he played like a man possessed.

…As for Self? He’s looking at another 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. He’s had enormous success at every stop in his career — lifting Oral Roberts from the dead, taking Tulsa to its first Elite Eight in school history, putting together the Illinois team that went to a national title game under Self’s successor, winning a national championship at Kansas in 2008 and nearly winning another last year. He’s won every award a coach could ever win. The amazing part? He’s only 50, and has a long, long way to go.

After the game, Self didn’t want to be bothered by talk of 500 wins or his legacy. He’s too young for that. And he’s too focused on the next game. Win No. 500 meant something because it took this season’s team one win closer to March. And that is exactly what makes a great coach a legendary coach, and perhaps someday one of the greatest coaches of all time.
Link


KC Star: Self's 500 victories by the numbers


KC Star: Self's 500 victories by the season


UDK: A look back at Self's 500 victories

VOTE for Wooden Award nominees McLemore & Withey


VOTE FOR COACH SELF (West Region, for god's sake people vote! Weber is ahead of Self!)


VOTE for Kansas players, team, and moment in NCAA 75th Anniversary of March Madness (Vote for Wilt, Clyde, Danny, 51-52 Kansas, Mario's Miracle)


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

By winning, Kansas remained tied with Kansas State atop the standing at 12-3, but this was the Jayhawks’ most losable remaining game. Nobody else had won at Hilton Coliseum this year, and the Cyclones had rolled up 22 straight in one of the nation’s loudest buildings, one that may have been as edgy as it had ever been.

...The Jayhawks are playing to extend one of the college basketball’s remarkable streaks. By winning their next two at home against Texas Tech and West Virginia, Kansas will go to Baylor on the season’s final day with an opportunity to finishing no worse than tied for first.

That’s if Kansas State can keep up. The Wildcats travel to Baylor, get TCU at Bramlage and tip off at Oklahoma State about 31/2 hours earlier than Kansas-Baylor.

…There was a time when most seasons unfolded like this, with KU and K-State scoreboard watching every game.

That period lasted for decades, starting just after World War II. The Big Seven lasted 11 years, and a Kansas team won eight titles.

When Oklahoma State joined in 1958 to make it the Big Eight, the Sunflower dominance grew even more profound. Over the next 20 seasons, the Jayhawks or Wildcats finished first 16 times. These were the days of Tex Winter and Ted Owens, of Jo Jo White and Mike Evans.

No national championship banner was raised in that stretch, but each program advanced to the Final Four twice. The rivalry was so evenly matched that when the teams were invited to the 1988 Midwest Regional it marked the 18th NCAA Tournament for both programs. KU’s edges were the 1952 NCAA title and Wilt Chamberlain’s stay.

But the separation would soon begin and widen. It started with the Jayhawks’ triumph over the Wildcats in Pontiac, Mich., that vaulted them into the Final Four.

Kansas joined the short list of consistently highly ranked programs, and the Wildcats largely fell into dormancy.

Now, they’re on the final lap with history at stake. Kansas and the conference streak, K-State seeking its first conference crown since 1977, and three games to settle the issue.

The tie-breaker would go to KU because of the season sweep. If there’s deadlock with more than two, the teams are slotted by round robin standing. If Oklahoma State beat K-State to create a three-team tie, Kansas would emerge as the conference tournament’s top seed because of a 3-1 record against the other two.

Other riches to consider for a strong finish among the top three contenders: favorable NCAA Tournament seed and a short trip to the Sprint Center to open postseason play.

“There’s still a long way to go,” Self said.
KC Star


Karl Hess leads with 79 games worked, Higgins at 75, Valentine at 71
Link


Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results


RPI and SOS Team Comparison Calculator

Grid, a weekly magazine in Chicago, noticed that the best public high schools for basketball in Chicago—a city where high school basketball gets foldout sections in newspapers and crowds pack the stands for big match-ups—wear a lot of Nike gear. Gridcorrectly assumed that most of those schools lack the budget flexibility to buy the apparel themselves, and zeroed in on Simeon, whose phenom Jabari Parker recently committed to Duke, and which has been a force in Chicago hoops from Ben Wilson's ill-fated tenure in '80s to Derrick Rose's happier one in the mid-aughts. It turns out Nike has its tendrils pretty deep in Simeon basketball:


The young star has been obligated to wear Nike gear on court since his sophomore year, when [Simeon head coach Robert] Smith signed a four-year contract with the Oregon-based shoemaker. The contract, obtained by Grid through a Freedom of Information Act request, provides players at Simeon, a public high school, with new Nike shoes and apparel worth about $26,000 per year. And it has resulted in more than $1 million worth of exposure for Nike, mostly thanks to Parker's rarefied status.

The contract also offers a rare glimpse into the world of unregulated deals between public schools and sports marketers. Sponsorship deals like Simeon's have become common for top-tier high-school athletic programs - but public schools without blue-chip talent get little or no corporate largesse. Apparel-makers and other companies cut deals with individual schools without the involvement of Chicago Public Schools, allowing sponsors to lavishly underwrite some schools and ignore others. The district lets individual schools sign sponsorship deals and doesn't track the contracts, according to a spokesman. Nike and other companies won't disclose how much they spend or which schools they do business with. Nike's contract contains a confidentiality clause prohibiting Simeon staff from discussing the deal's terms.
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PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jeff Withey, Kansas, C, Sr., 7-0, 235, San Diego, Calif./Horizon

Withey averaged 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in two Jayhawk victories last week.  The senior center opened with his third straight double-double, tallying 17 points and a season-high 14 boards in a double-overtime win at Oklahoma State.  He then contributed 18 points and six rebounds against TCU.  He shot 52.6 percent (10-of-19) in two outings and connected on 83.3 percent (15-of-18) of his attempts from the free throw line.  Withey also had seven blocked shots last week, increasing his Big 12-leading career total to 272.
Big 12 Sports

Iowa State-Kansas basketball — it’s always a big deal regardless of the backdrop, but Monday night’s extravaganza at sold out Hilton Coliseum is huge.

It’s Big Monday — the real Big Monday.

Iowa State hasn’t been on this national platform since 2006, so yes, it’s a very big deal.

“As far as the game, they’re all big at this time of year,” Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said.

However ...

“We’re playing Kansas,” he went on. “It’s Big Monday.”

…A Who’s Who will be among 14,000-plus at what is certain to be a raucous venue.

Besides the high-profile announcing crew, and Iowa State all-American Gary Thompson sitting where he always sits during Hilton Coliseum games, Big 12 Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby will be there, too.

NBA scouts?

You betcha — representatives from the Cavaliers, Pacers, Trail Blazers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Heat, 76ers, Mavericks, Suns, and Bulls focusing primarily on the Kansas guys.

Former Cyclone coach Johnny Orr might be there, too. He attended Saturday’s win against Texas Tech.
Des Moines Register


KUAD: Kansas vs ISU pregame notes


Iowa State leads the Big 12 in free throw (.750) and field goal (.455) percentage and is second from three-point territory (.382). What’s amazing about the FG% mark is that Iowa State has attempted 84 more three-point shots than any of its league peers.

Usually, the best FG percentage belongs to a club with an inside presence and lots of shots close to the basket.

No school in Big 12 history has led the conference in FG% and three-point attempts in the same season. The closest to do so were the Cyclones last year (finishing fourth in percentage). In fact, the team with the most attempts from three has finished 10th or worst in overall shooting percentage 10 times in 16 seasons.

The Cyclones are averaging 10.08 three-point makes per game in Big 12 play. ISU has reached double figure three-pointers made in nine league games this winter. The rest of the league has combined to make at least 10 three pointers in a conference game just eight times.

You read that right. Oklahoma State has done it three times, West Virginia and Kansas State twice each and Baylor once. Neither Kansas nor Oklahoma nor Texas no TCU nor Texas Tech has reached double figures for 3’s in a game even once in league play.
Link


“The one game I want to play is Iowa State at Iowa State,” Young said earlier in the year. “That loss still wakes me up at night.”
Kevin Young in UDK


As Kansas’ Ben McLemore released the shot, a pleasant thought crossed Iowa State point guard Korie Lucious’s mind.

“I was, like, ‘That’s off,’” said Lucious, who saw happiness turn to horror as the basketball smacked the the glass and found the bottom of the net, forcing overtime in the ninth-ranked Jayhawks’ eventual 97-89 win over the Cyclones Jan. 9 in Lawrence. “I knew he’d shot it hard … but it went in. It was tough.”

It’s a memory not easily erased for ISU’s players, coaches and fans alike — but a bright, fresh, buoyant one could displace it if the Cyclones (19-8, 9-5) upend Kansas (23-4, 11-3) in Monday’s ESPN-televised 8 p.m. Big 12 game at Hilton Coliseum.

“I think this is probably one of our biggest games of the year to keep in that hunt for the NCAA Tournament and the Big 12 (race),” said Cyclone guard Chris Babb, who is shooting 53 percent from 3-point range the past eight games. “We have to play a great game. We’ve got to come out with great focus and energy and continue to move the ball like we have been and get stops.”

Tall order against McLemore, Travis Releford, Jeff Withey and company?

Maybe, but a multi-faceted task ISU nearly accomplished the first time despite Lucious enduring the one of only two negative assist-to-turnover ratio games (two assists, three turnovers) in conference play.

…As for McLemore — who could go high in this year’s NBA Draft if he declares, Lucious tips his cap.

For now.

“A good, lucky shot, man,” said Lucious, who was guarding the other side of the floor when McLemore delivered the off-by-just-enough heartbreaker. “Can’t take anything away from him. He made it.”

Somehow.

Someway.

“I don’t think I’ll ever flush the memory of that three,” Hoiberg said.
The Gazette

Bill Self will attempt to win his 500th career game Monday night in Ames, Iowa, against Fred Hoiberg's Cyclones. The odds certainly say that Kansas' head coach will accomplish the feat against Iowa State -- since his record at Kansas is 292-57 and he's 135-27 in Big 12 contests (yes, I know Iowa State is undefeated at Hilton Coliseum this season).

Self turned 50 this past December, but he's a young 50.

He's averaged 33 wins per season over the past six years, more than anyone else in the nation. If he can go 15 more years and average 33 victories, that would put him in the 1,000-victory range. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has 951 wins and just celebrated his 66th birthday earlier this month. He could go another five years and put his record out of reach in the 1,100 range. Jim Boeheim is 68 years old and recently surpassed the 900-win plateau, but could also wind up with more than 1,000 when he ultimately decides to call it a career.

Everyone wants to know who could challenge Coach K as the men's all-time winningest coach? A familiar name that surfaces is Butler's 36-year-old Wonder Boy, Brad Stevens. However, Stevens is still nearly 800 victories behind Krzyzewski. That's a lot of wins, folks.

Self is almost halfway to the 1,000 mark. It's still not exactly within spitting distance, but as long as Self remains at Kansas he'll have a chance to win 30 games just about every year -- and then it becomes a matter of longevity. His head coaching career began with a 55-54 mark in four seasons at Oral Roberts, but it was at Tulsa when he began to rack up wins. He won 74 games in three seasons with the Golden Hurricanes before leaving for Illinois, where he won 78 in three years.

Self has gone to the NCAA tournament in each of his last 14 seasons -- and has a national championship on his resume. He is a proven recruiter -- and also displayed he was more than just that when he took the Jayhawks to the national title game. I'm not sure how long Self will continue to coach. My guess is he doesn't have any idea, either. Some close to him feel there's no chance he'll still be roaming the sidelines when he is eligible to collect social security; others wouldn't be surprised if he goes well into his 60s.

However, he's in Year 10 in Lawrence, and continues to rack up the victories at an alarming pace. It's taken him 661 games to reach 500, which ranks as the ninth quickest in NCAA history (Adolph Rupp was first in 583 contests). However, while the focus will be on Self and 500 Monday night at Hilton Coliseum, the Jayhawks coach will be more concerned with another number: Nine.
CBS


One of the reasons may be that the milestone isn't all that elite: There are already more than 50 members of the club, though it encompasses some of the all-time greats. Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim and Bob Knight top the list, and it includes Phog Allen and Roy Williams, a pair of coaches who helped to establish and nurture the Kansas basketball tradition.

And Self would rather win championships.

"You go back through the years, he holds so many current records," Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger said. "If you were to ask him, though, he'd probably keep it inside."

Along with eight straight regular-season Big 12 titles, Self has guided Kansas to five Big 12 tournament titles. He won two regular-season Big Ten championships and the league tournament when he was at Illinois, and two regular-season WAC championships when he was at Tulsa.

He guided the Jayhawks to their fifth national championship in 2008 and nearly won another last season, when Kansas made the title game against Kentucky.

His winning percentage of .755 is among the best in college basketball.

"He's always going to be humble and take those things in stride," Zenger said, "but there are only a handful of guys in the country who can come close to comparing numbers with him."

Self's players insist that they have a vested interest in seeing their coach win his 500th game.

"We want that for him also," said Withey, who transferred to Kansas from Arizona. "He's done a lot for us, so if we can get that win for him, that means a lot to us and him."
Yahoo


Mario Chalmers believes a kinder, gentler version of Bill Self chases his 500th career coaching victory tonight in Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum.

“He’s a lot more mellow than when I played at KU. I was telling him that yesterday. He’s a lot different than he was with us,” said former Kansas University combo guard Chalmers of the Miami Heat after watching his mentor lead a two-hour practice in Allen Fieldhouse.

While never admitting to becoming a softie — oh, how KU’s 10th-year coach hates “soft” basketball teams — Self acknowledges he’s a different “cat” (one of his favorite words) in Year No. 20 of his career than Year No. 15.

“I don’t know if I’ve changed from a philosophical standpoint or how we teach things. I think I’m more understanding, more patient,” said the 50-year-old Self, who takes a 499-162 record (292-57 at KU) into today’s 8 p.m. battle between the Jayhawks (23-4, 11-3) and Cyclones (19-8, 9-5).

“Previously, I’d worry about things that had nothing to do with winning,” he said. “I believe I am able to see the big picture better than I used to. I probably understand more about kids and how to deal with them than five years ago.”

Self, whose current players insist he remains plenty tough — evidenced by preseason Boot Camp, time on the treadmill and fieldhouse stairs at practice — certainly has evolved over the years.

One constant?

His burning desire to win.

“One thing he does that is very good … he knows every win is a big win no matter what,” said KU assistant Norm Roberts, who has worked with Self two seasons at KU and also at previous stops Illinois, Tulsa and Oral Roberts. “It doesn’t matter if we are playing Southeast Missouri to start the season or playing Oklahoma State in the conference. He understands you have to go for every single one because it’s so hard to win at this level on a consistent basis.”

…“It’s been a humbling and great privilege to work at Kansas and work for Bill,” Dooley said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach and better person.”

“He’s more than a friend. We’re family. We’ve always been family,” Roberts said.

“He never changes day to day. He’s considerate of everybody. I hope I can be like him if I’m ever a head coach,” Townsend noted.

“He’s remained one of the most humble people I’ve ever come across. That’s a credit to him, an unbelievable quality. He’s always a guy you can pick up the phone and call and he’ll always be that way,” said Sadler.
LJW


Kansas coach Bill Self is a man with a near mastery of his sport’s history. Self, for instance, can tell you that neither former KU coach Larry Brown nor All-American Danny Manning ever won inside Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum.

In other ways, though, Self can claim ignorance. Like the fact he needs just one more victory to reach 500 for his career.

“I don’t even know how many I got,” Self said on Saturday, after posting career win 499. “But I’d like to win the next game.”

Those two story lines will intersect on Monday night at Hilton Coliseum, when Kansas (23-4 and 11-3 in the Big 12) faces Iowa State in a Big Monday matchup in Ames, Iowa.

The Cyclones have compiled a 15-0 record at home, with third-year coach Fred Hoiberg rekindling some of that old “Hilton Magic”. For years, Self was mostly been immune to the building’s powers. The Jayhawks had won seven straight in Ames before falling last season, a day that ended with Iowa State’s students flooding onto the floor in a raucous court-storming.

“It’ll be packed,” Self said. “And it’s loud. A lot like our place in a lot of ways.”

...“I don’t believe anybody’s won in Ames yet,” Self said, “so if we’re able to go up there and pull one off, we would have done something that no one else has done yet.”

It would also mean this Kansas squad accomplished something that last year’s team couldn’t. Kansas senior Kevin Young can still remember what it felt like to watch Iowa State’s student storm the court. And Withey says Kansas knows what is at stake tonight.

“This is for a conference championship,” Withey said. “I think that if we win our next couple road games, we’re fine. So this is a huge game coming in for us, and we gotta come ready to play.”
KC Star


Does McLemore expect the Hilton denizens to try to rattle him?

“I’m sure they will,” McLemore said, smiling. “I’ll listen to my teammates like I always do, and we’ll try to play the best we can.”

ISU’s fans chanted “We Want Kansas” during the final two minutes of an 86-66 home victory over Texas Tech on Saturday.

“I remember it,” ISU coach Fred Hoiberg said to the Associated Press of McLemore’s shot. “I don’t think I’ll ever flush the memory.”

Hoiberg’s Cyclones “are good and they score easier than anyone in our league,” KU coach Bill Self said. ISU hit 14 threes in that OT meeting in Allen. “We have to do a great job individually, defensively, and our ball-screening has to be great. We were fortunate to get a win the first time. I think we have a great opportunity going there to beat a dangerous team. We are going to have to play our best game away from home.”
LJW


7. Kansas Jayhawks (Previous ranking: 8)

The Jayhawks wore throwback uniforms against TCU and threw down the Horned Frogs, dispatching them in the first four minutes. Kansas has won four in a row since the three-game slide that caused widespread panic in the greater Midwest, even though Bill Self has 499 wins and is the most reliable conference champion since John Wooden. Kansas now has double-digit conference wins for the 19th straight season, and is working on its ninth straight conference crown.

The Jayhawks guard the lane and funnel all action to Jeff Withey, who protects the rim better than any big man in America. Although Kansas lacks rock-solid guard play, the KU guards are good. While America salivates over Victor Oladipo, and rightfully so, let us not forget that Travis Releford leads the nation (Oladipo included), in true shooting percentage at 71.5 percent. Releford, a lockdown defender, is having an outstanding season and has been incredibly efficient on the offensive end as well, averaging 12 points per game and leading the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 60.4 percent.
ESPN Insider: Bilas Index ($)


Monday's slate is sparse, with only four games involving projected NCAA tournament teams.

One, though, presents a massive opportunity for Iowa State.

Under former Cyclones star Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State reached the NCAA tournament last year and remains in contention this year. Alas, the man dubbed the Mayor has not done much to extend his rule beyond the city limits of Ames.

Iowa State can't solve its road-court shortcomings (3-7) on Monday, but it can collect its biggest victory of the season when Kansas pays a visit to Hilton Coliseum. A triumph would even the Cyclones' record against top-100 teams (6-6) and give them wins in back-to-back seasons against the Jayhawks for the first time in eight years.

Oh, and it would provide Iowa State a much-needed cushion entering the final three weeks of the season.

The Cyclones could still play their way out of the field of 68 even if they beat Kansas, but it would take a much more substantial collapse than would otherwise be the case. That gives them as much to gain as anyone in Monday's action.

Number of the day: 500. Kansas coach Bill Self goes for his 500th career victory tonight. It doesn't figure to come easily as the No.9 Jayhawks head to Iowa State (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Cyclones have won 22 in a row at Hilton Coliseum, and a 23rd would give their postseason profile a healthy boost.
USA Today


"Kansas has bounced back strong following its three-game skid to open the month of February. The Jayhawks are the vastly superior defensive team, and their low post duo of Jeff Withey and Kevin Young should help them win the battle of the boards just like they did in the first meeting. But given their struggles with the Cyclones in recent meetings, Iowa State's strong home-court advantage and their legitimate revenge angle, I'm expecting an Iowa State victory tonight."

ATS Pick: Take Iowa State
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After Indiana, then what?

With less than three weeks until selection Sunday, at least 10 teams harbor realistic hopes of joining the top-ranked Hoosiers as No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

The combination of Miami's loss at Wake Forest, Georgetown's victory at Syracuse and Kansas steering its season back on course in recent games has clouded the picture near the top of the seed lines.

"I don't think there's that much difference between the best teams and others," Kansas coach Bill Self said.

If Indiana is one No. 1 seed, in alphabetical order, the top contenders for the other three slots:

KANSAS (23-4)

For: The Jayhawks are 10-3 against top-50 RPI teams and 8-3 record in road or neutral-court games.

Against: It is only one game, but the loss at TCU stands as one of the more jaw-dropping upsets by any team in recent years.
USA Today


Dashing end to end with the ball and attacking the basket from the Longhorns’ half-court offense, Myck Kabongo showed the talent that he once used to become a big college basketball recruit and a first-round NBA draft prospect.

But it didn’t matter enough to the Longhorns.

Kabongo, a sophomore, scored a career-best 24 points, but the Longhorns lost to 13th-ranked Kansas State 81-69 Saturday night in front of 8,106 fans at the Erwin Center.

The 6-foot-1 guard hit 8 of 12 shots, including 2 of 4 3-pointers, in his fourth appearance since returning from a 23-game NCAA suspension.

Kabongo did not receive nearly enough help. Kansas State (22-5, 11-3 Big 12) led by 19 midway through the second half.

“If I were Myck, I’d be upset with the post players,” coach Rick Barnes said.

Sophomore guard Sheldon McClellan, sentenced by Barnes to the bench at TCU Tuesday after playing for just one minute, returned to full-time duty in his role as a reserve. McClellan scored 15 in 28 minutes, proving that he is capable of success and providing further evidence that sometimes he needs a shove to shift out of neutral.

Back on Jan. 12, Barnes used McClellan for one minute during a defeat at Iowa State. He scored 18 the next game, when the Longhorns played competitively during a 64-59 loss to Kansas.

“It’s not anything that really motivates me,” McClellan said. “I put that in my past.”

Barnes suggested that McClellan is not that different from other Longhorns.

“That’s kind of our team,” Barnes said. “You look at the way certain guys played tonight, we should re-do the lineup again. Guys get complacent, they think they’ve arrived.”
Austin-Statesman


The Ohio State Buckeyes needed a win at home on Sunday afternoon, that much was known.
No, the Buckeyes are not a bubble team or anything of that sort, but entering the contest, Ohio State was carrying a 2-3 mark over the course of their previous five games. With Michigan State in town on Sunday, the Buckeyes were searching for a top five victory and their tenth conference win of the season.

Well, it was ugly at times, especially with the early shooting struggles of junior forward Deshaun Thomas. However, when head coach Thad Matta and the Buckeyes needed plays the most, it was their point guard who stole the show.

Aaron Craft scored a season-high 21 points on Sunday, adding six assists in addition to his scoring output. Not only were his numbers crucial in the team’s 68-60 victory, but it was the countless amount of hustle plays that kept the pressure on the Spartans. From taking charges to forcing turnovers, the reigning Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year from a season ago, truly paced the tempo and game for the Buckeyes.

Thomas finished the contest with 14 points, but needed 16 shots in order to do so. Craft was an efficient 7-of-12 from the field overall, getting to the rim with ease at times in the second half.
Link


Blake Griffin had an opportunity to leave college after just one season, but opted to stick around in Norman, Okla., for his sophomore season and it's paid off for the NBA All-Star. Griffin said the one-and-done rule might work for guys like Kevin Durant, but his advice to young players looking to fast-track themselves to the league as quickly as possible: Don't rush.

"I felt like staying another year was the right move for me," Griffin told me on SiriusXM's Inside College Basketball. "It was one of the best decisions I ever made. It enabled me to mature and get better as a basketball player. If I came out after my freshman season, it would have been a different story."

…"Everyone's in kids' ears for a payday," Griffin said. "The chance to get paid and take care of your family. … But it's about being ready, not necessarily about taking that big payday right away, but giving it time. You might drop a few spots, but you might end up with a team that's a better fit -- and end up making more money in the long run."
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Andrew Wiggins is the Naismith High School Player of the Year. Just confirmed with the good folks at the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
https://twitter.com/jimhalley


Do you think he’s interested in announcing at the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 3 or anything like that?

I think he has absolutely zero interest in doing that. … He honestly just does not like that (sort of attention). He just feels awkward.

What do you think of the notion that it’ll be Florida State or Kentucky as the favorite, as opposed to Kansas and North Carolina?

No, they’re all still in it. I think whoever wins the visits is going to have a one-up. Then after, they sit down and evaluate rosters. I think deep down he wants to win a national championship. I can’t figure any kid wouldn’t, but he has to evaluate the fit, style of play, how everything works for him in a team aspect with all rosters. Right now with Kentucky, for example, they have a lot of kids coming in, and they have a lot of kids that I’m not sure are ready for the draft. But Andrew, I point-blank asked him, ‘If Julius Randle commits to Kentucky, are they out?’ He said, no. So it’s not going to be who’s where. It’s going to be who’s where with the team. He’s not going to eliminate Kentucky because the Harrison twins are there; I mean that’s crazy. That’s been made too much about not only about Andrew but also Julius. I mean they’re great players. They’re pros.
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My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Others receiving votes: Colorado State 49, VCU 45, Akron 43, Wichita State 35, Saint Mary's (Calif.) 24, Illinois 19, UConn 18, UNLV 13, North Carolina 8, California 5, Middle Tennessee 2, Belmont 1, Missouri 1, Stephen F. Austin 1.

See ballots online

Love Kansas bringing back the Circus font unis today. Trajan font's reign of terror must end.
https://twitter.com/LostLettermen


Entire TCU bench watching the intro video
https://twitter.com/UDK_bball


Allen field house with the bros @trejones03 @Tyusjones06 #RockChalk pic.twitter.com/M8B37YLzMN
https://twitter.com/Chief_Justise


In here at Allen Field House, gonna catch this KU game wit @Chief_Justise #RockChalk
https://twitter.com/Tyusjones06


Kevin Young just did a "fro salute" up to his little brother, who has the exact same haircut. Awesome.
https://twitter.com/rustindodd


The reality is TCU fans will never forget beating KU this season. KU fans will forget by Monday they covered the 25-pt spread in rematch
https://twitter.com/johnnykane9


The fact KU lost to a team it leads 38-9 at the half is exhibit A of this strange season.
https://twitter.com/notthefakeSVP


38 - 9 #ku
https://twitter.com/BRush_4


LOL at Kansas/TCU score
https://twitter.com/kenpomeroy


McLemore dunk had us all out our seat... Crazy! I had to hold the crowd back.
https://twitter.com/Chief_Justise


Dude. Can. Fly. #MacAttack
https://twitter.com/nate_bukaty


2/23/13, 7:47 PM
Low key, I'm a lil star struck getting to hang w/ JoJo White, Walt Wesley, Mark Randell & Zo Jamison. #StillAFan @KU_Hoops
https://twitter.com/waynesimien


2/23/13, 9:54 PM
115 years of KU basketball! So amazing to see greats like Jojo White, Bud Stallworth and Ted Owens.
https://twitter.com/jeff_hawkins_ku


My CBB atmosphere rankings: 1) Kansas 2) Indiana 3) Arizona 4) UNC 5) Illinois 7,382) Penn State
https://twitter.com/clubtrillion


Bill Self is 50 years old and has a chance to win his 500th game on Monday. If he goes til 65 and averages 33 wins, he'd have 995 total.
https://twitter.com/GoodmanCBS/


2/24/13, 6:32 AM
Early Bird gets the worm #Jayhawks
https://twitter.com/chief_justise

None of TCU’s starters scored in the first half. The Horned Frogs shot 4-23, committed 10 turnovers and recorded only one assist.

“Tonight we played as a team tonight,” freshman guard Ben McLemore said. “Down there we just seemed like we just moving fast and we didn’t have that pace, that Kansas pace that we usually play. We just had that momentum today.”

And Kansas’ offense made sure that nothing TCU did in the second half would let it back in the game.

The Jayhawks had four dunks in the first six minutes of the game, while freshman forward Perry Ellis had the confidence to drain a long 2-point jumper at the top of the key on his way to 12 points off the bench. Senior forward Kevin Young had six rebounds in the first seven minutes, three of which were offensive rebounds that led to points.

“Every game we want to score easy buckets inside and get that going because that leads to easy shots on the perimeter,” senior center Jeff Withey said. “Our guards helped us out and we knew that they weren’t going to really run in transition too much unless they had numbers, like three on one. We knew that we could crash the boards and we had everybody going in and trying to rebound.”

It got so bad for TCU that coming out of a timeout in the first half they committed a 5-second violation on the inbounds pass.

And then there was McLemore.

Air McLemore took off from Allen Fieldhouse late in the first half, driving the baseline and degrading the rim with a vicious one-handed tomahawk slam.

“After the game Coach Townsend told me that was one of the best dunks I had this year,” McLemore said. “I think the windmill was (the best) at the beginning of the year.”
UDK


"Obviously they were upset. I don't know for what," joked TCU coach Trent Johnson.

The nine points scored in the first half by TCU were the fewest in any half in the last 15 years of Big 12 games - the fewest the Jayhawks had ever allowed in a Big 12 game. And they were the fewest allowed in a half by Kansas since Cornell scored nine on Jan. 2, 1996.

Devonta Abron had 18 points to lead the Horned Frogs, who have lost five straight by an average of nearly 22 since their victory over the Jayhawks. They have also lost 13 of 14 overall, their most recent win against anybody else coming Dec. 30 against Mississippi Valley State.

"We started out kind of rough all we could have done was keep our heads up and play through it," Abron said. "We had open shots. We just weren't making them."
AP


These are the kind of novelties that occur when KU and TCU play in the same conference. The Horned Frogs now are 10-17 and 1-13 in league play, the lone win coming against KU three weeks ago in Fort Worth. The Jayhawks are 23-4 and stationed in first place at 11-3, having officially moved past one of the weirdest upsets in school history.

“It’ll hopefully be not discussed much moving forward,” Self said. “We just need to start thinking positive thoughts.”

The Jayhawks are finding it easier to feel the positive vibes after shaking off the three-game losing streak that dogged them earlier this month. Everything is relative, of course — “Three games? Give me a break,” TCU coach Trent Johnson groaned — but that stretch, and especially the loss at TCU, represented the low point of KU’s season.

To fully purge the unpleasant memories, KU needed to inflict some pain on TCU. The Jayhawks did exactly that, holding TCU scoreless for the first 5:09 and the final 8:37 of the first half en route to a 38-9 halftime lead.

“We had to let these guys know that it wasn’t going to be the same game as last time,” forward Kevin Young said.

…Point guard Elijah Johnson scored seven points and played 29 minutes despite dealing with a stomach ailment.

“He’s had some stomach issues that we thought potentially may be serious the last three or four days,” Self said. “But we know what’s wrong, and he’s going to be fine. He was struggling a little bit out there today.”
TCJ


For his part, Johnson appreciated the opportunity presented Saturday. He and his team toured the facility and viewed tributes to James Naismith and Phog Allen, while learning of KU legends such as Jo Jo White and Wilt Chamberlain.

Fitting, really. Saturday happened to be the 115th-year celebration for KU hoops, which was attended by roughly 200 former players. White was among those at the reunion, along with his coach, Ted Owens.

The Jayhawks were aware who was watching and realized another letdown against TCU was unacceptable.

“We knew we had to beat these guys by a lot to prove ourselves to the older guys,’’ said center Jeff Withey, who led KU with 18 points. “It’s just great to have everybody come back and support you. That’s what makes Kansas Kansas.’’
TCJ


“I’m a big basketball historian and a big basketball guy,” Johnson said. “Phog Allen (Fieldhouse) was eye-opening for us.”

Johnson also said his players were able to meet former KU guard Jo Jo White — he was in town for KU’s 115-year reunion — at their team hotel.

Three of TCU’s players didn’t even know that Wilt Chamberlain played for KU before learning more about him this weekend.

“When you get a chance to experience something like this,” Johnson said, “you don’t want to take it for granted.”

…“We knew what we were expecting when we came up here, especially with the crowd. They really got fiery with the crowd,” TCU sophomore forward Devonta Abron said. “It’s a beautiful atmosphere in here. All I can say is they came with it.”
LJW


Jeff Withey and his Kansas University basketball teammates watched Jayhawk legends Jo Jo White, Walt Wesley, Dave Robisch, Bill Hougland, Bill Lienhard, Wayne Simien, Ted Owens and approximately 190 others settle into their seats behind the Jayhawk bench during warmups on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.

Talk about extra motivation to perform well against TCU, a team that had defeated the Jayhawks on Feb. 6 in Fort Worth, Texas. ...

“I don’t know too many schools that have all the (former) players come back and have a banquet. We wanted to show up and keep the tradition going and keep on winning,” KU senior center Jeff Withey said after scoring 18 points in the Jayhawks’ 74-48 rout of the Horned Frogs.

“We knew we had to beat them by a lot to prove ourselves to the old guys,” Withey added.

The (23-4, 11-3 Big 12) Jayhawks made sure a good time was had by former Jayhawks of all ages and time periods — players from the ‘52, ‘88 and 2008 title teams attended — during KU’s 115 Years of Basketball celebration weekend.

“I think so,” KU coach Bill Self said, asked if the current players wanted to perform well for the honorees. “We talked about that. I think they more wanted to play better for themselves. We played so poorly the first time.”
LJW


Next up for KU is Monday’s 8 p.m. contest against (19-8, 9-5) Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones are 15-0 at home this season. The game is meaningful as far as the conference race; KU and K-State remain tied at 11-3.

Also, it is an opportunity for KU coach Self to snare his 500th career coaching victory in this, his 20th season. He’s 499-162, including a 292-57 mark at KU.

“We want that for him,” Withey said. “He’s done so much for us. It means a lot to us to be able to get that for him.”
LJW

More than 200 current and former coaches, players, managers and staff concluded a two-day-long celebration of 115 years of Kansas men’s basketball with a banquet in the Horejsi Family Athletic Center, adjacent to historic Allen Fieldhouse, here Saturday evening.

A crowd of approximately 550, including families, guests and KU’s current team, which defeated TCU 74-48 earlier in the afternoon, was entertained for approximately two hours with highlight videos and speeches from every era of Kansas’ rich men’s basketball tradition. Naismith Hall of Fame guard Al Kelley represented the older generation and specifically the 1952 NCAA National Championship squad. Kelley followed former Kansas coach Ted Owens, who talked about his many highlights during 23 seasons on the Kansas sidelines, including 19 as the Jayhawks’ head coach.

“I think I have over 100 people here from my time that played for me as a head coach or assistant or we brought here to recruit,” Owens told the crowd. “We have a lot of managers and trainers, and I want to say to all of you what an incredible privilege it was to have the opportunity to coach you and be a part of your lives.”

Reliving one of the most famous plays in Kansas basketball history, Owens playfully asked  KU legend Jo Jo White, “Jo Jo, were you inbounds or not?”

“In bounds, coach,” responded White from the audience, to the delight of the KU faithful.

After Kelley, R.C. Buford, an assistant coach at Kansas from 1984-88 and current general manager of the San Antonio Spurs, then discussed his five seasons under head coach Larry Brown. Included in this year’s festivities was a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Kansas' 1988 NCAA National Championship. For Saturday’s KU-TCU contest, the 2012-13 Jayhawks wore retro attire resembling the 1988 uniforms.

“The 1988 team wasn’t the most talented but they really enjoyed playing together,” Buford said. “They went through a lot of difficult circumstances, but by the end of the year they were really a team. I remember Larry (Brown) told us to play smart, play hard and play together, and that team at the end of the year defined that as well or better than any team we had when I was here.”
KUAD


Tony Guy remembers one play more than the rest from Kansas’ Nov. 28, 1981, game against North Carolina in the Charlotte Coliseum.

Guy was guarding a highly touted 6-foot-5, 189-pound freshman for Dean Smith’s Tar Heels that went by the name Mike Jordan. It was the first college game of Jordan’s career.

Guy, a second team All-Big Eight player himself, specifically remembers trying to block Jordan out for a rebound. Jordan “slipped” by Guy, and skied to the basket. Guy said by the time he tried to jump, Jordan’s hands were already at the rim. Jordan missed the put-back dunk attempt.

“It was clear he was extremely talented,” Guy said, “but he was raw.”

These are the kinds of stories that can be heard once every five years when Kansas basketball holds its reunion. The Jayhawks hosted more than 200 former players commemorating the 115th year of KU basketball in its 74-48 win over the TCU.

Many of these stories were heard during a reception before the game, as Jayhawks from different generations gathered in the Horejsi Family Athletic Center.

Perhaps the oldest tale came from the 96-year old Fred Bosilevac, who played for KU in 1937. Bosilevac spoke about his underhanded free throws and the three-point shot, but that didn’t seem to be his favorite subject from his playing days.

Each time Bosilevac spoke about his time at KU, he mentioned his coach: Phog Allen.

“There never will be another coach like Phog,” Bosilevac said. “Everything was fundamentals. We practiced fundamentally morning, afternoon and evening.”

Along with the many stories told, the KU alumni were able to put their accomplishments — and the program’s accomplishments — in perspective.

Former Kansas coach Ted Owens, who guided the Jayhawks from 1964-1983, is one of the best at explaining where the program is now. He mentioned how fans don’t quite understand how difficult it is to sustain success like Bill Self has in his 10 years at KU.

“People don’t know how difficult it is in this conference to win eight straight championships,” Owens said. “What an incredible run he’s had.”

Owens didn’t stop there, either.

As he stood amongst the hundreds of former Jayhawks and their families — at the event where different KU players would shake each other’s hands and talk about the good ol’ days — he wanted to thank the current coach for how welcome he’s made all of the alumni feel back at their alma mater.

“It’s one of those great moments every five years,” Owens said. “I just feel so privileged to be a part of Kansas basketball and the great people involved.”
TCJ


Douglas "Booty" Neal, another Owens player with a sweet shooting stroke, grinned when asked if any Jayhawk in history could put up 10 points quicker than Neal.

“I doubt it,” said Neal, who works as a special education teacher in the Washington, D.C. area. “And with the three-point line now? I roll over every night and say, 'Take me back; take me back.'

“I love Bud Stallworth to death, but if we could turn back the clock, it’d be an awesome shootout. You have other great shooters like Billy Thomas, (Terry) Brown, Ron Kellogg. If I’ve overlooked somebody, I don’t mean to. I would hope I was in the top three,” added Neal, who still plays in 50-and-over leagues.

Moulaye Niang, who played for Bill Self and Roy Williams, sells mutual funds in Austin, Texas.

“I think we’ve got the tools to win — a great freshman, great inside presence,” Niang said of the current Jayhawks. He spoke as he stood next to Jeff Hawkins and Christian Moody of the Self era. “We definitely have a chance to go far. And we have coach Self.”
LJW


2/24/13, 4:36 PM
Happy Birthday to @evan_manning10!
https://twitter.com/coachdmanning


2/24/13, 11:47 AM
Louisville, KU, Cal, SLU and Memphis are all peaking @ the right time.
https://twitter.com/johngasaway


2/24/13, 11:50 AM
Good game on tap tomorrow night: KU @ Iowa State. Big 12's best D on home floor of league's best offense. Something will give.
https://twitter.com/johngasaway


The Jayhawks face a tall task in their next game, taking on Iowa State in Ames, where the Cyclones have won 22 in a row. But say this for KU: The Jayhawks enter that game with momentum. During this four-game win streak, Kansas has made 51 percent of its 2s, 14 percentage points better than what its past four opponents can claim. Ben McLemore might be the best pure scorer Self has ever had, and Jeff Withey is dominating the paint defensively yet again (while rather quietly assuming a larger role on offense). True, KU's offense currently ranks a not terribly impressive No. 5 in the league in Big 12 play; however, this defense is superb and getting better, allowing just 0.82 points per possession over the past four games.
ESPN Insider ($)

Stick a fork in Baylor. The Bears are done. Scott Drew’s squad was embarrassed in a 90-76 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday. Or, heck, maybe they didn’t feel embarrassed at all. For the past few weeks, the Bears -- who trailed 47-21 at halftime Saturday -- have hardly seemed like they care. Baylor has now lost six of its past eight games. Drew’s team is 7-7 in league play but only 1-7 against teams in the top five of the Big 12 standings. The Bears aren’t going to make the NCAA tournament, which is inexcusable for a squad that features the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year in Pierre Jackson -- who leads the conference in scoring and assists -- along with future lottery pick Isaiah Austin and one of the nation’s premier 3-point shooters in Brady Heslip. Sure, the Bears lost three players from last year’s Elite Eight squad to the NBA draft. But there are still enough pieces on this roster to have significant success during a somewhat down year for the Big 12.
espn


Baylor's struggles make me wonder who was the last major conf team to boast the Preseason POY & highest ranked FR in the conf & miss tourney
https://twitter.com/BHanni


After a rocky start, Oklahoma State ran past West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, to beat the Mountaineers 73-57.

After a tough double-overtime loss against Kansas earlier in the week, a letdown was expected. Facing a rowdy crowd in West Virginia, the team had trouble shooting and was down 12-5 early. Even worse, all star guard Marcus Smart picked up three fouls two and a half minutes into the game.

Oklahoma State caught up and led by two at halftime. In the second half the Cowboys took control early and pulled away.

Smart did not return until the second half, and made a pair of steals in a 14-second span that turned into easy baskets. They were part of a 13-2 run that put the Cowboys ahead 58-43 with 9:29 remaining.

From there the Cowboys cruised.
Link


Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results


RPI and SOS Team Comparison Calculator

#selfiesunday KU visit with @Tyusjones06 & Lil Tre #RockChalk @ Allen Fieldhouse instagr.am/p/WIGYSviAnz/
https://twitter.com/chief_justise


2/24/13, 7:00 AM
Bout to catch this flight home. Adios #KU 🚀✈ pic.twitter.com/eSzQq4yCVT
https://twitter.com/chief_justise


2/24/13, 11:02 AM
5k tweet goes to @KU_Hoops for showing me lots of love this weekend on my visit to Lawrence. The Phog was Live! #RockChalk
https://twitter.com/chief_justise

Man we did it!! We should be up there in the rankings. We beat huntington prep and Andrew Wiggins by more 10 and we were dominating

And i was MVP of the tournament #BLESSED
https://twitter.com/jojo_embiid


The Rock (FL) defeats the USA #1 team Huntington Prep (with Andrew Wiggins) 54-44. The independent league in Florida is incredibly talented.
https://twitter.com/fbcsbball

Wiggins, the 6-foot-8 forward from Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, is down to UK, Florida State, Kansas and North Carolina. He’s already visited FSU — his parents’ alma mater — and will visit UK, then Kansas (March 4), then North Carolina (March 9).

“They’re all still in it,” Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford said. “I think whoever wins the visits is going to have a one-up. Then after, they sit down and evaluate rosters. I think deep down he wants to win a national championship. ... But he has to evaluate the fit, style of play, how everything works for him in a team aspect with all rosters.”

Speculation from recruiting analysts and fans tends to suggest Wiggins is leaning toward Florida State.

But Fulford said that if Wiggins is favoring the Seminoles, he has never expressed it, although he said the player enjoyed his December trip to Tallahassee.

“I think he’s taking the visits seriously,” Fulford said. “He and I had a little discussion. He doesn’t talk much, but he said he enjoyed his Florida State visit, and he felt it and he could feel himself going there.

“He knows they have holes. He knows as far as the team aspect they’re not where they need to be, but he likes the fact that his parents (basketball player Mitchell Wiggins and track athlete Marita Payne-Wiggins) both were athletes there. He has familiarity there. He got a good vibe from the visit, but he’s going to take all the visits, and if somebody beats out Florida State, then they beat Florida State. He’s not going to go there just because his parents went there.

Fulford said: “I think it’ll go pretty quickly after he gets his visits over, and that’s just my opinion. He hasn’t said that, but once it’s over with, after the visit to Carolina, I wouldn’t anticipate it being too drawn out after that.”
Louisville CJ

In a game that featured a turnaway crowd and a Harlem Shake halftime dance from students, the main attraction was the air show provided by the Tift County Blue Devils gave them an insurmountable early lead on their way to a 100-83 win over the Westlake Lions. The Devils will play a home game in the quarterfinals against North Cobb, an 80-76 winner over Morrow at a time yet to be determined.

Any nervousness the Devils might have had playing against the team that eliminated them in the first round in 2012 were ended early. Head coach Dr. Eric Holland said seeing the fans had a big impact. “We’re at home, we see the crowd and everyone was excited,” he said.

For as excited as Tift was going in, Westlake would draw first blood. Their advantage would last all of 1:30. Tadric Jackson tied the game at two. Then D.J. Bryant nailed a three. Then it was Brannen Greene. Westlake scored to make it 9-4, but then the Devils were off again.  Five minutes into the game they had 23 points, had scored on multiple dunks and a stunned Westlake barely had a moment to collect their thoughts before the onslaught started back up again. At the end of the first quarter Tift had 36, Jackson 15 and Westlake 12.

…Two minutes into the third, the lead jumped to 30, 64-34, after Jackson was fouled on a made basket and made the bonus. It would reach 32 in the quarter before Westlake started chipping away. Greene would be called for a technical foul at 1:20 and Jackson would be injured a minute later and when Andre Elam wrapped up the scoring in the period, it was 76-49.

Jackson returned early in the fourth, but even his wizardry was unable to keep the Lions out of the basket. When Greene fouled out at 4:07, they had cut it to a 20-point game, 86-66, and when Ali Vaughn was called for his fifth at 2:00, it was a 13-point game.

…Tift, who improves to 25-4, hit the century mark for the first time this season and also had several players with big nights. Jackson led with 27, Greene had 23...
Tifton Gazette


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Danny Manning, star of Kansas University’s 1988 NCAA championship team, and Larry Brown, coach of the squad, won’t be in Allen Fieldhouse today for the Jayhawks’ 115 Years of KU Basketball celebration.

Manning has business in Orlando, Fla., and Brown in Dallas where their Tulsa and SMU teams will be playing games against Central Florida and East Carolina.

In fact, just two of the 10 players who played against Oklahoma in the title game 25 years ago — Jeff Gueldner and Mike Maddox — were able to get away to watch KU’s 2012-13 Jayhawks play TCU in ‘88 throwback jerseys. Also on hand for the 3 p.m., tip against TCU will be ‘88 assistant coach R.C. Buford, plus team members Mark Randall and Marvin Mattox and perhaps some late additions/surprises.

“We don’t talk every day, but whenever you talk to them it seems like you talked to them yesterday. That’s everybody (on ‘88 team),” Manning said in an interview with the Journal-World.

…In all, about 200 former Jayhawk players, coaches and managers will attend today’s game, which is a rematch of KU’s 62-55 road loss to the Horned Frogs on Feb. 6. They’ll attend a pre-game reception in Horejsi Center, watch the game, then attend a banquet.

“I’m sure other places in America do it, but I don’t know if anyone does it any cooler than what they have at KU for years, with the reunions (every five years),” KU coach Bill Self said. “Them coming back and being with each other, to me, is what’s really cool. Nobody ever forgets those (college) days.”

Self was on Oklahoma State’s staff back in ’88.

“I remember going to see Larry Brown Sunday night before Monday’s game against Oklahoma in Kansas City. I thought it was really cool. He wanted to know how we broke the press against Oklahoma. I’m thinking, ‘You’re going to ask me, but I know for a fact that you’re not going to listen,’” Self said, laughing. “He had a 6-11 guy he could throw it into and break it that way. I wasn’t a part of it, but it was nice to feel somewhat included because of my past history with coach.”
LJW


The calendar says it has only been 17 days since TCU shocked college basketball with its upset over then-fifth-ranked Kansas.

But the frenetic, I-don’t-believe-what-I-just-saw moment feels like a lifetime ago.

No matter what Kansas does the rest of the season — whether the Jayhawks go on to contend for a national title or fizzle early in the tournament —the win is surely to remain the Horned Frogs’ all-time greatest upset and remain in the conversation of biggest upsets by anyone in the past 20 years.

For TCU coach Trent Johnson, though, “that’s a long, long time ago.”

“It was just one of those games,” Johnson said before a practice this week. “The ball didn’t go in for them for whatever reason. A lot of stuff happened there that needed to happen for us to have a chance.”

The ninth-ranked Jayhawks (22-4, 10-3 in the Big 12) have regained their footing since losing three consecutive games, with the Frogs’ 62-55 upset sandwiched in the middle. KU has won three in a row, including a double-overtime nail-biter at Oklahoma State on Wednesday, entering its rematch with TCU at 3 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.

…Johnson didn’t agree that in some ways TCU played a better game in the Texas loss than in the Kansas win. TCU shot better in the loss (45.7 percent) and outrebounded the Longhorns. He also disagreed that the upset made sure TCU had the full attention of its ensuing opponents, the next three of which beat the Frogs by an average of 24 points.

“There’s too good of coaches and too talented of teams in our league for anybody to have a lack of respect for competition,” he said. “Bottom line is, since we’re talking about Kansas under Bill Self’s tutelage, I don’t think those guys have ever taken anybody lightly.”

Especially at home. The Jayhawks had won 33 consecutive home games until OSU beat them on Feb. 2. It was only the eighth loss at Allen Fieldhouse in Self’s 10-year tenure. Johnson marvels at the steady success of the programs at Kansas and Texas. He’s hoping to build something similar at TCU.

“People don’t realize how hard it is to win games in college basketball, because of the turnover, because of how many talented, well-coached teams there are. It’s not easy,” he said. “You look at some of the teams that are really talented and really well-coached and some of the upsets and losses they’ve got. Energy and playing hard is so much a part of everything. Winning is hard. That’s why you have so much respect for what Kansas has done under Bill.”
FW Star-Telegram
KC Star


BOTTOM LINE: With TCU sandwiched between road games at Oklahoma State and Iowa State, Kansas must avoid a letdown. After what happened at TCU, that shouldn’t be a problem.
KC Star game preview


If you live in the Midwest, there was an 83 percent chance your car probably got stuck in the snow during Thursday’s apocalyptic storm.

Of course, if you live in Lawrence, there's a smaller chance your car was rescued with the help of an NCAA champion basketball coach.

Bill Self, good Samaritan?

Here's the background:

On Thursday, Lawrence resident Brad Harrell, 27, was trying to push a car out of a precarious situation when Self, KU's head coach, drove by, saw Harrell's group struggling and offered to help.

“(He) walks up,” Harrell wrote, recalling the encounter, “and says ‘looks like you boys need a man with some muscle,’ and we made it happen.”

After Harrell posted about the story on his Facebook account, it soon went viral. Turns out, though, Harrell wasn’t the only car that Self had to help set free on Thursday.

Doc Sadler, Kansas director of basketball operations, also got stuck in the parking lot of a local store. So after helping Sadler, Self was on his way back toward campus when he spotted Harrell.

“Doc Sadler can’t drive worth a crap in the snow,” Self said on Thursday, “so I had to go help push him out. And fortunately there was some strong back that jumped out to help me push him.”

About that muscle part?

"I think I was being sarcastic," Self said, smiling.
KC Star


The Untold Story of Dallas Dobbs (Check out the historical game footage)


If one NCAA Tournament team ends with a victory and the other 67 with a loss, does that mean only one team can cherish the memory?

Local business owner and former Lawrence High basketball star Joe B. Jones thinks not. He believes he can turn the fresh memory of a favorite team of his into big bucks for charity.

Jones and wife Nancy acquired 50 pieces of last April’s Superdome Final Four floor — each laser-engraved and measuring 18 inches by 12 inches — and he personally will solicit contributions for Douglas County charities in exchange for each of the pieces. The Joneses approached Kansas University coach Bill Self about signing and personalizing each item to enhance the value. The coach already has signed the pieces and agreed to personalize them.

Self’s attention is trained solely on winning a ninth consecutive Big 12 title, so don’t think he’s looking anywhere but straight ahead, but he agreed recently to discuss the 2011-12 team’s appeal because he knew doing so would help raise money for a good cause.

“What was so great about last year’s team was we lost two lottery picks, plus another NBA player, plus Brady Morningstar, plus Tyrel Reed and Mario Little,” Self said. “That was supposed to be the rebuilding year of all rebuilding years that we’ve had here. To see how that particular team led by Tyshawn (Taylor) and Thomas (Robinson) with a bunch of guys who hadn’t had the opportunity to play here yet and really took a magical ride to New Orleans and had a chance to play for it all in a game that featured the two winningest programs of all-time, that was really cool.”
LJW


VOTE for Wooden Award nominees McLemore & Withey


VOTE FOR COACH SELF (West Region, for god's sake people vote! Weber is ahead of Self!)


VOTE for Kansas players, team, and moment in NCAA 75th Anniversary of March Madness (Vote for Wilt, Clyde, Danny, 51-52 Kansas, Mario's Miracle)


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

An additional block of tickets for the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship has been made available for sale to the general public. The purchasing opportunity begins at 10 am CT on Tuesday, Feb. 26 (while supplies last) and is available online only. Fans may visit sprintcenter.com for the opportunity to purchase up to four (4) all-session tickets for the 2013 Championship. Each ticket includes all sessions for the four-day event. Tickets are subject to availability and all sales are final. Acceptable forms of payment include Discover, MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Tickets will be available for pick up by presenting valid photo ID and credit card used for transaction at Sprint Center Box Office on March 11 starting at 10 a.m.

The 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship, scheduled for March 13-16 at Sprint Center, marks the 12th time that Kansas City has hosted Big 12 postseason competition - more than any other city in the conference. For additional information, call 816.949.7100.
Big 12 Sports

Video: Jalen Rose explains how he gave World Wide Wes his nickname


Which is worse? Super Dome's worst Final Four seat? (yhoo.it/Hc24Zb) Or Carrier Dome's worst seat Saturday? (yhoo.it/WfkdOj)
https://twitter.com/JeffEisenberg/


Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results


RPI and SOS Team Comparison Calculator

KU Bound #RockChalk  prepared for the snow... I think!
https://twitter.com/Chief_Justise


KU bound this morning..!!
https://twitter.com/Tyusjones06

Prestonwood Christian 6'8" forward Julius Randle is considered the number 2 national high school recruit this year and he was in action over at Cougar Gym Friday night taking part in the TAPPS 5A regional basketball tournament.

The Lions game against Houston St. Thomas was just his second game back since breaking his foot back in November.

Randle had 35 points in Prestonwood's 67-56 win. That coming on the heels of 19 points and 10 rebounds in the regular-season finale against Bishop Lynch.

Texas A&M Men's Head Basketball Coach Billy Kennedy was in the stands watching Randle in action.

Prestonwood Head Coach Chris Mayberry said Randle plans on announcing in mid-March where he will go to college.
KBTX


Frank Mason knew he could dunk it at any time, but he saved his only one of the game for just the right time.

The Massanutten Millitary Academy post-graduate guard went soaring in the air for an alley-oop off an inbounds play and came down with a thunderous dunk which helped give MMA a final surge in its 101-86 victory over Rise Academy on Friday night.

The game was part of the First Bank Invitational held at Central. MMA will play in the championship game today at 4 p.m. against Believe Prep Academy. The consolation game between Mt. Zion Academy and Rise will be played at 2 p.m. Believe Prep beat Mt. Zion, 79-73, in the first semifinal.

With MMA clinging to an 11-point lead with a little over nine minutes left in the game, Mason, who has already signed to play at Kansas next year, made his dunk, which brought the crowd to life.

"I knew I was athletic enough to do it," Mason said. "It was nice. It got the crowd more energized. I like getting the crowd excited."
NV Daily


Going into their second round game against the Westlake Lions, the Tift County Blue Devils are not only ranked No. 1 in the state, but have the best player in the state to go along with it. Brannen Greene has been named Mr. Georgia Basketball by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and will be honored at the Naismith Awards Banquet on Tuesday, March 19 at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.

Greene’s coach, Dr. Eric Holland was pleased, but not entirely surprised.

“I felt like coming in this season, Brannen was the best player in Georgia,” he said. “It’s nice to have it confirmed.”

Greene is averaging over 25 points per game, with a high of 37 at Westover on Jan. 15. He has scored over 2,000 points in his prep career, his first three seasons spent at Mary Persons High in Forsyth before he transferred to Tift for his senior year. Recruited by several colleges, he signed with the Kansas University Jayhawks shortly before the season started.

Holland believes it goes back to Greene’s work ethic, established when he was a child.

“Brannen has been working at this thing for a long time,” he said. Holland also credits his star’s father, Jeffrey. “It goes back to the two of them working since he was eight.”

Eric Oberman of the Atlanta Tipoff Club said that the coaches on the committee met last weekend to discuss honors, Mr. Georgia Basketball and the Metro Atlanta Player of the Year. They suggested a list of 32 players and debated the merits of each. On his Twitter feed, former Milton coach David Boyd said, “Brannen Greene's choice as Georgia Player of the Year may have been [as] lopsided as ever in Georgia high school basketball.” Oberman said the voting results will not be made public.
Tifton Gazette


A week ago North’s Conner Frankamp might not have given the ball up to his teammate on an easy fast-break opportunity.

But when he did in the second half on Friday in the team’s 69-51 win over West, allowing Tristyn Villa to score, it was a sign that any pressure of trying to set scoring records or win City League titles was out of mind.

“That’s a big relief off his back,” North coach Gary Squires said. “Now he can just go out and play, not worry about it. I thought he did a good job with that.”

Frankamp finished with 18 points in his final regular-season game, and helped avenge a Jan. 22 loss at West — North’s only City League loss — a game Frankamp didn’t play in.

“They beat us earlier this year … so we wanted to come out and beat them and have good momentum going into sub-state,” Frankamp said. “It was nice not having any pressure and kind of helping teammates. They played awesome tonight.”

Junior Tarius Williams matched Frankamp with 18 points, while junior Zach Beard added 12.

Williams’ play got North started, as he had 8 points after one quarter, with only two coming from Frankamp.

But Frankamp got going in the second quarter and had 9 points by the half.

North led 33-16 at halftime and pulled away in the third quarter to lead by as many as 29 points.

“It was crazy to think that this is my last regular-season game here,” Frankamp said. “It’s been a crazy four years but an awesome four years. It was good to come out with a win.”
Wichita Eagle


6A, 5A Substate Pairings


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

When was the last time KU made one three-pointer or less … and still won the game?  Well, you actually don’t have to go back as far as you might think. The Jayhawks shot one for 14 from three-point range in their 60-57 victory over North Carolina State in last season's Sweet 16 matchup in St. Louis. KU’s Jeff Withey finished with 10 blocks, and KU held the Wolfpack to 28.4 percent shooting.

And that’s just the beginning, really, the start of what might be the weirdest statistical oddity in college basketball – if not sports. Dating back to the 2005-06 season, Kansas is 10-0 in games in which it hit one three-pointer or less. You read that right. A perfect 10-0 on nights the Jayhawks chucked mostly bricked from deep.

Even more remarkable: Eight of the victories have come away from Allen Fieldhouse. And the one time during the streak that Kansas went oh-fer from three? The Jayhawks simply hit triple digits in a 100-90 victory over Baylor on Feb. 9, 2008. (KU was helped by going 36 of 46 from the free-throw line.)

Of course, maybe it’s not surprising that Kansas has its worst shooting performances away from home. But to win 10 straight with shooting like that? Crazy stuff, right?

This is not to suggest the Jayhawks haven’t been bitten by three-point issues; they shot just two of 21 (9.5 percent) in their Elite Eight loss to VCU in 2011. But perhaps Wednesday night’s victory isn’t as singularly spectacular as it seemed upon first glance.

Then again, you might recall the last time Kansas lost after hitting just one three-pointer. It came in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2005. Bucknell held the Jayhawks to just one of 11 from deep.
KC Star


“They did what all teams are going to do to me throughout the season and throughout my career at the University of Kansas — just face-guarding, trying to deny me the ball, stuff like that,” McLemore said. “I’ve got to do a good job getting myself open and try to create shots for me.”

McLemore got some open looks, Self said, but went 0-for-8 in the first half. His 3-pointer with 6:30 remaining in regulation was KU’s only make in 11 attempts from behind the arc.

“You don’t make shots and kind of shy away from it a little bit,” Self said. “They do a good job of face-guarding him tight. They can put a guy as athletic as Ben on him, which a lot of teams can’t.”
TCJ


The nickname for Kansas University’s 1988 NCAA basketball championship team has stood the test of time.

Twenty-five years after the fact — heading into this weekend’s 115 Years of KU Basketball reunion — the mere mention of “Danny and the Miracles” brings to mind a 27-11 team that stuck together after a 12-8 start and embarked on a magical Danny Manning-led, six-game postseason run. It was capped with KU’s 83-79 victory over Oklahoma (35-4) in the title game in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.

“Danny’s unbelievably humble. He’s the one who complains about the name, ‘Danny and the Miracles,’’’ said 1988 title team reserve guard Scooter Barry, a 46-year-old businessman from San Francisco who retired from professional basketball six years ago after a long playing career in Europe and Australia.

“Everybody else says it’s a perfect name. Danny always says, ‘It wasn’t me. It was all of us.’ Everybody knows he and coach (Larry) Brown carried the weight of the team. With their experience and ability to communicate and take over games ... it gave us the opportunity to be in position to win.”

… I thought about coaching in the States. I have a good list of people to ask: Larry, Roy, Turg (Mark Turgeon). Most of those guys told me, ‘If you want to see your kids, don’t coach.’ I made a decision based on their feedback. I’d be lying if I said basketball was not a part of me.”

Barry, like current SMU coach Brown and Tulsa coach Manning, won’t be able to make it back to Lawrence for this weekend’s festivities, which include about 200 former players, coaches and managers being introduced at halftime of Saturday’s 3 p.m. game against TCU. Milt Newton (Washington Wizards front office) and Kevin Pritchard (Indiana Pacers) also haven’t signed up because of their ongoing seasons.

“If I had something I would say to everybody (it’s that) I’m really disappointed I can’t be there,” said Barry, whose new job responsibilities prevent him from attending. “I was at the 20-year reunion and had a great time.

“We ended up winning it all that year, so they should fly us in all the time,” he joked. “Knowing a lot of the team won’t be able to make it there took a lot of pressure off me to where I feel I’m not letting anybody down. I want to try to reconnect with Kansas basketball. Being overseas as long as I was, I wasn’t privy to a lot of opportunities to be with the team. I’m glad Bill (Self) is keeping the tradition together and bringing back the former players. It’s a super opportunity for guys who played there to feel appreciated for what you did for your school. I’d love to thank Kansas as a school for giving me all these opportunities and memories.”
LJW


The Phoenix Suns again have a set of twins on their roster after making a trade to bring Marcus Morris from the Houston Rockets.

The move, officially announced by the Suns on Thursday, unites Marcus with identical twin brother Markieff in Phoenix.

Only once before in NBA history have twins played for the same team, when Dick and Tom Van Arsdale were together with the Suns in 1976-77.

The Suns sent a 2013 second-round draft pick to Houston to get Marcus Morris, who was the 14th pick in the 2011 draft. Markieff was the 13th pick overall by Phoenix. The twins played together at Kansas, and on the same team through all their other levels of basketball until reaching the pros.

To make room for Marcus Morris, Phoenix waived forward Luke Zeller.

Not surprisingly, the brothers were elated with the developments.

"Can't explain this feeling!!!'' Markieff said on twitter shortly after the trade was made official.

On Wednesday night, when news of the trade broke from unnamed sources, Markieff talked about the joy that the reunion will bring.

"I'm super excited,'' Markieff said after the Suns lost at Golden State. "It can't get no better for me. This is what I definitely wanted from the beginning, to be the same as college. I'm just excited to be able to play with him again. Honestly, all of this has been a dream to me. God is blessing it to be better and better for me and him.''

…"We have been intrigued for quite some time about the potential synergy from having both Morris twins on our team,'' said Lon Babby, Suns president for basketball operations, in a news release announcing the trade. "So we are excited to have the opportunity to welcome Marcus to the Suns.''
AP


Suns.com: Q&A with Coach Bill Self on the Morris Twins


The current Sacramento Kings owners have proven time and time again that they do not care about the squad’s fans, the community that surrounds the team, and the product on the court. The Sacramento Kings owners are sniveling, conniving front-runners that do not understand the game of basketball, much less the ideals that help buttress attempts at tact, poise and reason. Also, they just traded a rookie lottery pick in order to save a few hundred thousand bucks as their final miserable season as Kings owners nears its end.

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report on Wednesday that the Kings have shipped rookie Thomas Robinson – the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft – to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team deal. The Rockets will send center Cole Aldrich, impressive power forward Patrick Patterson, and Toney Douglas to Sacramento for Robinson, Francisco Garcia, and Tyler Honeycutt. The Rockets also sent Marcus Morris to Phoenix in the transaction for a second round pick.
Yahoo Sports


What is your favorite basketball memory from KU?

“The whole experience was amazing. I still get chills sometimes thinking about all of the experiences. I look back and think that I should have been a sports journalist; I should have had my own camera and notepad (with me at all times) because there are so many amazing memories I have from college. It’s weird because you don’t really remember all what happened until later on when you are with old teammates and you say, ‘You know that one time so and so did this,’ then things start to come back crystal clear. Some of the best memories are things that I can’t even talk about. It’s stuff that’s just too personal or too funny, but it’s the camaraderie that I miss the most. I miss being able to have 15 guys in a locker room when you are 18 to 20 years old. You can imagine the kind of conversations you have or the kind of activities you do, just being kids. I think, more than anything, I miss those kinds of fun experiences.”

Any final thoughts on your time at KU?

“It’s funny because I’m still living in Kansas City so I make it back to all the games I can. I still feel very much a part of it, and still get into it, but I also have kind of that perspective (of someone on the outside). People get so caught up in the day-to-day stuff and I know what it’s like to actually be in the locker room. People say that the names on the back (of the jerseys) change but the name on the front never changes. The names on the back do change and guys with different personalities and different lives (come in and out of the program). I am always really intrigued by that. Guys from all over the country, and sometimes all over the world, come to Kansas and you know this place shapes them. I think that is something that not enough people really value; a lot of the guys that I have been fortunate enough to be teammates with have had profoundly differently lives, and almost all for the better, because of being able to be a part of the community in Lawrence, Kansas. That’s the cool thing for me. I just got an email the other day from Aaron Miles, out of the blue; Aaron lives somewhere in Russia and that’s a special thing. People still care about a town in Kansas because of the fans and because of the treasure. I couldn’t say anything better other than I still love being a part of it.”
KUAD: Throwback Thursday - Matt Kleinmann


UDK: Jayhawk basketball a longtime family tradition


VOTE for Wooden Award nominees McLemore & Withey


VOTE FOR COACH SELF (West Region)


VOTE for KU Student Section (Last day I think)


VOTE for Kansas players, team, and moment in NCAA 75th Anniversary of March Madness (Vote for Wilt, Clyde, Danny, 51-52 Kansas, Mario's Miracle)


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

A handful of Kansas' eight straight Big 12 titles have come with relative ease. But if the Jayhawks claim the crown again this year, no one will be able to say they didn't earn it. Bill Self's squad nearly fell out of the picture by losing three games in a row earlier this month. But now KU is tied for the league lead again after Wednesday's double-overtime victory at Oklahoma State. The championship is hardly in the bag, but history suggests it'd be foolish to doubt the Jayhawks this late into the season. Here are the latest power rankings.
ESPN


"Ten is the right size for us," said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. "We have taken a look at all of the circumstances. We went through the entire process.

"There could be circumstances that change, but 10 is the right position for us. We will be prepared for anything. We won't just wait around and watch. But, we feel confident that 10 is the right number."

Bowlsby spoke to about 600 people at the Hyatt Regency in Tulsa on Thursday as part of the Tulsa Business Forums presented by the Oklahoma State University Spears School of Business.

"All of us are singing off the same sheet of music," said Bowlsby of the Big 12's new spirit of cooperation.

In a wide-ranging interview before his speech, Bowlsby seemed to hint that it would take some major movement for the Big 12 to change its position on size or makeup of the conference.

"I haven't been around (he's been on the job less than a year), but from what I've been told, there hasn't always been this high of trust level among the members as we have now," said Bowlsby, in what most would agree is a major understatement.

…Bowlsby said Big 12 members would like to have the option of adding a Big 12 championship game, without needing 12 members or two six-team divisions. The league plans to challenge the current rules, which would prohibit a 10-team league from having a championship game.

Yet, he said there are no plans to add a Big 12 championship game. The league simply wants the right to add one if they feel it necessary in the future.

"It simply isn't in our plans right now," said Bowlsby.

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione and OSU athletic director Mike Holder have said in recent weeks that cooperation in the Big 12 has never been higher.

The 10-team model has been wildly popular with all the members.

In addition, the outrage over the Longhorn Network has gone away as individual schools have made deals for third-tier products such as Olympic sports and other television products.

In other words, the Longhorn Network may have been much ado about nothing. That issue, which Texas A&M claims was a major factor in its decision to leave the league, has died out as a wedge issue among members.
Tulsa World


Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has some advice for OSU star freshman Marcus Smart: staying in school has its advantages.

Bowlsby spoke Wednesday at the Executive Management Briefings, presented by OSU's Spears School of Business, at the Cox Convention Center.

Among Bowlsby's topics was the transient nature of college basketball, which he called “an embarrassment for higher education.”

Bowlsby said about 10 percent of all major-college basketball players transfer every season, which eventually means on average, 40 percent of a team's roster has transferred.

“It's an astonishing number to me and one we have to change,” Bowlsby said.

One-and-done — players declaring for the NBA Draft after their freshman seasons — has become common.

“I say that knowing Marcus Smart may declare for the draft,” Bowlsby said. “He may be completely ready to go the NBA. He may have family reasons for going to the NBA. But I would suggest another year of college wouldn't be bad for him.”

Bowlsby said the ideal rule for college basketball is the baseball model. Major League teams are allowed to sign players right out of high school, but if a player goes to a four-year college or university, he's ineligible for the draft until after his junior year or until he's 21 years old.
The Oklahoman


Add another check mark on Iowa State’s NCAA Tournament resume to-do list.

Significant road win?

Check.

That’s thanks to Wednesday’s 87-82 victory against a once-ranked Baylor outfit that was a five-point favorite to send the Cyclones back home reeling again.

It didn’t happen, and thanks to solid 3-point shooting, among other things, Iowa State not only ended a six-game losing streak at the less-than-intimidating Ferrell Center, but also remained in a fourth-place tie in the Big 12 Conference.
DMR


Three former Miami assistant coaches filed a motion on Thursday with the NCAA asking that their infractions cases be dismissed because of the mistakes that governing body for college athletics made in their long investigation of the Hurricanes.

Former football assistant Aubrey Hill and former basketball assistants Jake Morton and Jorge Fernandez had their motion delivered to the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side authorized the release of any information.

The motion, according to the person, says the three coaches believe the NCAA's alliance with the attorney for the former booster at the center of the Miami scandal has created a scenario where they cannot "get a fair and reasonable proceeding."

A conference call on the matter is scheduled for Friday with the NCAA.
AP


The Miami Herald has learned through a public records request of the specific Notice of Allegations that the NCAA delivered to former University of Miami basketball coach Frank Haith — now the coach at Missouri.

Haith’s Notice of Allegations reads as follows:

[NCAA Bylaw 11.1.2.1]

“It is alleged that after June 10, 2010, through the time that his employment ended at the institution in March 2011, Frank Haith, then head men’s basketball coach, failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance within the men’s basketball program.

“Specifically, Haith was aware that Nevin Shapiro, a representative of the institution’s athletics interests, threatened that unless Jake Morton, then assistant men’s basketball coach, or Haith provided money to Shapiro, Shapiro would make public a claim that Shapiro provided money to assist in the recruitment of a men’s basketball prospective student-athlete.

“After learning of the threat, Haith failed to alert anyone in the athletics department administration about Shapiro’s threat, ask reasonable questions of Morton to ensure that Shapiro’s claim lacked merit or disclose the fact that Morton engaged in financial dealings with Shapiro.

“Rather, Haith gave Morton funds that Morton then provided to Shapiro.”
Miami Herald


The old saying, "talk is cheap" took on a new meaning during a regular season Atlantic 10 basketball game.

Saint Louis play-by-play announcer Bob Ramsey didn't agree with a foul called against the Billikens' Dwayne Evans during Tuesday's game against VCU.

"They're going to call a cheap foul on Evans and I'll tell you what," Ramsey started to say on the live broadcast. The referee who made the call just so happened to overhear Ramsey's "cheap" labeling and didn't take too kindly to the announcer's criticism, confronting him live on the air.

The referee, Bo Borowski, probably wished he didn't start to jaw with the WXOS (ESPN) radio announcer, who didn't back down one bit.

"Stay away from me," Ramsey said, putting his hand near the official's face.

In reality, who was out of their element in this case? Sure, Ramsey was disrespectful, but isn't it part of his job to be somewhat critical while calling the game, even if it's a biased "cheap" jab? Officials have heard worse from coaches and not issued technical fouls before. Yet Borowski decided to respond to that?

"The official (is) trying to get into our broadcast," Ramsey said, making a good laugh for the audience. "Not going to have it. Not going to have it here. This is 101's broadcast."
USA Today


Toward the end of his Oklahoma tenure, Tubbs says, he could feel the culture changing, veering toward the conservatism he both embraces outside of the game and despises within it. (In 1991, a few years before Tubbs left Oklahoma for TCU, overall scoring peaked at 77 points per game, and it's been trailing downward ever since.) Tubbs brought up the shadow of "political correctness" with me several times, which seems like a bit of an oblique connection, but I think what he was trying to say is that the coaches who should be willing to gamble — coaches, like Tubbs, who are blessed with superior talent — simply don't think it's worth the risk anymore. And so they take command of everything that's happening on the floor. They slow the game down to call offensive sets, and they play it safe on defense rather than risk giving up easy layups in transition. And the very notion of running wild like Tubbs's teams did, or of throwing caution to the wind like Paul Westhead's Loyola-Marymount teams did, or of raising hell like Nolan Richardson's Arkansas teams did, becomes a concept too fraught with potential danger to even consider implementing. The favorites now play at the underdog's pace. And this, one coach told me, is how a team like Kansas loses to an obvious inferior like TCU.

"When you're watching games now, just watch how they catch the ball in scoring positions and don't even think about shooting it because they're trying to get it to another option," Tubbs says. "When I coached, you put five players on the floor who could score, and you never played them out of position. Wayman Tisdale never caught the ball more than 15 feet from the basket.

"The thing you've got to look at is if the stands are empty in the arena. I'm seeing a lot of empty seats. You can play really conservative if you fill the gym. At Wisconsin, they don't know any better, do they?"
Grantland: College basketball's scoring problem


Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results


RPI and SOS Team Comparison Calculator

OK, well I know everyone wants to hear about my visit to Kansas.

Well, when I got to the airport Coach (Norm) Roberts picked me and my mom up in a Mercedes van. That was real nice. It’s about an hour drive from the airport to campus so I was definitely comfortable riding in that.

He took us straight to College GameDay and when I walked in the fans went absolutely crazy. Those fans were really loud. I mean those fans were just crazy. They might’ve been the best fans I’ve seen. They chanted all throughout the game and they were loud. I heard it pretty loud at N.C. State, but these guys were just loud.

The game was fun too. They had a lot of alumni there and I already knew Thomas (Robinson) so it was cool catching up with him. Then the Morris twins were there and Mario Chalmers had his jersey retired that night. Every time they showed that clutch shot that he made against Memphis the crowd went crazy. And they showed it like 20 times. I loved that. It showed me how much the fans love their players even after they leave. I really liked that part.

That night I got to hang out with all of the players and we had a good time.

Sunday we met with the academic advisors and took the tours and things like that. They gave me a lot of good information. Then I finally got to meet their strength coach Andrea Hudy. She’s just a beast, man. She’s the best I’ve seen. I would love to work with her. Just seeing how she does stuff is crazy.

Then I got some shots up after that. I just love to workout so to be able to do it there was pretty cool.

Later that night, we all got together at Coach (Bill) Self’s house and had a crazy spread of food. It was good too. Everybody had a good time just hanging out and talking.

That was a great visit. Kansas really made a big impression on me. I know I’d have a legit chance to win a national championship there.

Now all of the visits are done and I’ve got to really start to think about what I want to do. It could be a really stressful situation because this thing is hard. I know the truth is that all of these schools would be perfect. But I’m not letting it stress me out; I’ve just got to go to the best system for me.

The place that fits me and the place that I’ll be happy. Wherever I felt the happiest is the place that I’m gonna go to.

It’s hard though! I can’t lie; it kinda kept me up last night. My mind was racing and I couldn’t go to sleep so I just stayed up and watched some TV. I think it’ll help that I’m so focused on winning the state title now. Then I’ve got spring break to take my mind off of things so that’ll be good.

I haven’t set any dates to decide or anything like that just because I don’t know where I want to go.

...Coach (Mark) Gottfried and Coach (Orlando) Early from N.C. State came in to see me the other day and we had a really good talk. They basically just wanted to answer any questions I might’ve had. It was cool.

I think, at this point, I’m gonna shut all of my visits with coaches down. I’ve got all the information now I’m gonna take time to process it all. So I won’t be meeting with any more coaches.
USA Today Julius Randle blog


Can't tell you how many recruits I talk to that RAVE about KU strength coach Andrea Hudy
https://twitter.com/JayJayUSATODAY

Earlier today, Tift County High School (GA) shooting guard, Brannen Greene was awarded the honor of Mr. Georgia Basketball. The 43rd ranked player in the ESPN 100 for the Class of 2013 and Kansas commit has put together an impressive basketball resume this season. He is averaging 27 points and nine rebounds per game and recently passed the 2,000-point mark for his career. He made a major contribution to help Tift County reach an impressive 22-4 regular season record.

Brannen Greene’s selection as Mr. Georgia Basketball makes it the first time in 13 years that a player outside of the metro Atlanta area has won. The last being Kwame Brown.

I saw the 6’7″ Greene play at the Spalding’s Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, MA against St. Anthony High School (NJ) and he really impressed me. He contributed 14 points going 4-10 from the field (4-6 from three) and 2-2 from the free throw line, five rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks. His size and ability to score off the drive, mid-range pull-ups and from deep kept defensive eyes focused on him. This enabled his teammates to seize opportunities for high-percentage shots.

Greene is part of an already impressive recruiting class for Kansas that is currently ranked third in ESPN’s 2013 class rankings. The other commits include Wayne Selden (SF), Joel Embiid (C), Conner Frankamp (PG) and Frank Mason (PG).
Link


Pile another accomplishment on to Tift County basketball player Brannen Greene's superior resume. It's only fitting the state's best team should have the state's best player.

Announced on Thursday morning, the Atlanta Tip Off Club has named Greene as Mr. Georgia Basketball.

The Kansas Jayhawk commit is averaging 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Blue Devils this season. Greene will be recognized at the Naismith Awards Banquet in Atlanta on March 19.

Greene is the first South Georgia player to be named Mr. Basketball since Glynn Academy's Kwame Brown in 2001 while Tift County's Pablo Machado received the award in 1996.
Link


The Blue Devils started the second quarter on a 9-0 run and the show belonged to Greene. He first dazzled with his shooting, scoring 14 in the first half, then he dazzled with his passing, setting up multiple baskets under the basket for his teammates.  The margin crept up to 10 during the period, but McEachern five of the last seven in the second to keep it 35-25 at halftime.

Neither squad was able to singularly grab momentum in the third. The Indians kept Tift out of the paint with multiple blocks but were unable to make much progress at their own offensive end. Greene scored eight more and Donell Tuff had three, including a sweeping reverse lay-up. With the score 48-36, the Devils headed into the final frame and it would be there where they caught fire again.

While Greene remained the scoring sensation, he received plenty of able assistance from Jackson, Tuff and Ali Vaughn who all had multiple baskets in the final eight minutes. McEachern was unable to keep up with the barrage as the Devils’ firepower  and quick hands keep the ball on the hosts’ end and eliminated any chance at a comeback by the Indians. It would be Vaughn that put them up by 20 with two minutes to play and when Jackson became the final man off the floor after a pair of free throws, they were up 22. That would prove to be the final margin as the Blue Devils’ subs closed out the 70-48 victory.

…Wins by both Tift County teams enable them to host the second round of state in a doubleheader Saturday night. The Devils will next play the Westlake Lions at 7:30 p.m.
Tifton Gazette


The GHSA will crown 14 basketball champions in Macon in early March, the first time in years all of the championships will be decided at one venue and the first time ever 14 brackets will stretch across the state of Georgia. After reclassification and the decision to split the Class A schools into separate public and private brackets, high school basketball fans will have even more action to follow over the new few weeks as the 2012-13 season races to beat the buzzer.

Due to GHSA probation, the Milton boys basketball program will not be able to defend its championship run of one year ago. Milton, behind Shaq Johnson, Evan Nolte and several other stars, won the Class AAAAA title in Gwinnett last year, but a new favorite has stepped up and taken over the mantle of big, bad wolf in Milton’s absence. Tift County features the state’s top recruit in Brannen Greene for the Class of 2013 and a candidate for 2014 top recruit in Tadric Jackson. The Blue Devils rode those two to a Region 1-AAAAAA title as Greene tallied 36 points while Jackson netted 22 in a win over Brunswick.
Link


2/21/13, 6:53 PM
Wow they just talked about talked about @F_Mason15 on ESPN recruiting nation how he's a top five sleeper in the class of 2013:keep it up cuz
https://twitter.com/raedavis_42

In general, there are simply not many great point guards in college basketball this season. Looking at most mock drafts, there are only five point guards projected as first-rounders: Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, Smart, C.J. McCollum and Lorenzo Brown.

Not to fear, though. The high school classes of 2013 and 2014 are filled with elite point guards at the top of the rankings -- guys who can come in and immediately be impact players.

Tyus Jones, 2014, Undecided: Jones emerged as a truly elite player a couple of summers ago, when it was clear he was arguably the best pure point guard out of anyone in the classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014. He has improved his scoring ability lately, and his basketball IQ and court vision are outstanding. He knows how to win games and get everyone involved.

Emmanuel Mudiay, 2014, Undecided: More similar to Andrew Harrison than the other players on this list, Mudiay uses his size and quickness to be a matchup nightmare on the offensive end. He can knock down shots in the mid-range but is at his best when getting to the rim and finishing. He can also see over the defense and find teammates for easy buckets.
CBS

Before his life gets really complicated, Wiggins will make one last trip home. He’ll be in Hamilton on Sunday with Huntington Prep, his high school team.

At this point, they are charting Andrew Wiggins’ travel plans like troop movements.

He’s already been to Florida State, alma mater of his parents.

He’ll visit Kentucky in a couple of weeks, Kansas the week after that and then round it out at the last stop in college basketball’s Valley of the Kings at North Carolina.

Then he’s going to have to make a choice. Where will he spend his one — and it will only be one — year in college before he becomes the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

“He just wants to be a kid,” someone from Canada Basketball said of the famously shy 17-year-old from Vaughan the other day. He should hop to it then; he’s not going to be a kid for much longer.

As is the way these days, you will know Wiggins from his YouTube resume and his superhuman superlatives. This is the kid who jumps so high he jumped over the standard device to measure such things. Eventually, they figured it out — 44 inches. Wiggins can jump onto the roof of a car from a flat-footed start.

He’s six-foot-eight, but has a nearly seven-foot wingspan. He can play anywhere from 2 to 4, though he will certainly settle at the 3.

He’s still growing, having added an inch in the last year. His second jump comes so quickly, he appears to be riding an invisible pogo.
Link


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube