Bum Steer

LJW image

2/1/14, 3:20 PM
So we're not calling Judo throws in college basketball? What was that with Ridley on Embiid?
@MedcalfByESPN


Hey, KU fans. I'm wearing a purple tie today. Don't worry. It's not a secret signal to Bruce Weber. :)
@franfraschilla


Texas-Kansas will be Horns' first sellout in three years since .... well, Texas-Kansas, of course.
@kbohls


KUAD: Kansas vs Texas postgame notes, recap, box score, video

His team was putting the cherry on top of its most impressive win in three years, but as Rick Barnes stalked the sidelines, it was clear the Texas coach was angry.

Not with the Longhorns.

But with their fans.

“OH-ver-RATE-ed!” Texas’ student section chanted at No. 6 Kansas, which was trailing by 14 at the time. “OH-ver-RATE-ed!”

Barnes flailed his arms and made a shooing motion as he looked into the stands, trying his darnedest to shush the hecklers. He succeeded somewhat, but that the incident even occurred left the coach peeved after the Longhorns’ 81-69 victory.

“I really think that’s the dumbest thing our fans have done,” Barnes said. “What, we just beat a team that isn’t any good? Why would you chant that? Kansas is not overrated.”

Hard as that is to fathom after the way they were molly whopped Saturday, Barnes is right. The Jayhawks aren’t overrated.

They’re simply human, which is basically how they—and their coach—defended their dismal performance Saturday at the Erwin Center. The loss dropped Kansas to 7-1 in Big 12 play. Texas improved to 6-2.

“It happens,” said forward Perry Ellis, shrugging his shoulders in the postgame press conference.

…“I said before the season that 14-4 would win it,” Self said. “I’m not sure I’m going to be far off on it. It’s going to come down to the last week.”

…“We just lost to the second-place team in our league today. While I’m not leaving out of here happy by any stretch—none of us are—it’s more important to get ready for Baylor (on Tuesday) than it is to dwell on this one. I probably didn’t do that last year.”

Self apparently delivered that same message to his team following Saturday’s defeat in Austin. As they left the Erwin Center, the Jayhawks sounded as if they were already looking forward to what lies ahead instead of moping about Saturday’s performance.

Kansas seemed confident that the issues that led to last season’s losing streak don’t exist this season.

“We’ve got a tight bond,” said guard Brannen Greene. “I don’t feel like from a relationship standpoint, as a team, we’ll break down. I feel like we’ll just come together and be even stronger.”
Jason King


Nearly an hour after Kansas’ first conference loss, Bill Self chomped down on a piece of beef jerky and moved up a ramp inside the Erwin Center.

The jerky was a gift from Texas coach Rick Barnes, some consolation prize after No. 25 Texas had finished a convincing and thorough 81-69 victory over Self’s sixth-ranked Jayhawks.

As Self chewed on a piece of jerky, he attempted to keep some perspective. For the third straight season, Kansas had started 7-0 in Big 12 play … and then fallen flat. For the first time in nearly a month, the Jayhawks were exposed, looking tired and slow for stretches against a bouncy and active Texas squad.

Self didn’t have a great explanation for his team’s lackluster performance. Just simple math, the law of averages playing out on a basketball court in Austin.

“I think that’s sports,” Self said. “I don’t think that you can say that every game a team is going to come out and play a certain way.”

For seven Big 12 victories, Kansas shot 54 percent from the floor. On Saturday, the Jayhawks shot 38.5 percent.

For seven games, KU outrebounded Big 12 opponents by nearly 10 boards per game. On Saturday, Texas’ post men Cameron Ridley and Jonathan Holmes outmuscled the Jayhawks in the paint, paving the way for Texas’ 44-37 advantage on the boards.

For seven games, Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins averaged 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. On Saturday, Wiggins was 2 of 12 from the field, finishing with seven points before fouling out with 2:36 left.

“The law of percentages will prevail eventually,” Self said. “The way you win on the road is to make sure your opponent plays bad, and I think that we did not have the mind-set.”
KC Star


When Kansas fans are filling out their brackets on Selection Sunday, they might try to keep an eye out for potential opponents in the Jayhawks' bracket that have good shot-blockers. KU's offense appears to struggle against teams with rim-protectors, and Saturday's first half was the latest example when the Jayhawks made just  7 of 25 2-pointers (28 percent).

KU's offensive gameplan still confused me, though. Much like the San Diego State loss, the Jayhawks continued to try to challenge big men on Saturday after it had been established in the first half that KU wasn't having much success inside.

I understand that the Jayhawks' interior offense is a strength, and I also get that KU coach Bill Self would like to have his team do what it does best in as many games as possible.

Saturday seemed like an obvious example, though, when KU should have adjusted to shoot more 3-pointers.

It's not exactly a secret: The Longhorns struggle to defend the 3-point line. According to KenPom, 36.6 percent of opponents' field goals against UT have been from 3 (59th-highest mark nationally), as others have recognized the Longhorns' strength inside and tried to not play into it.

…While it's noble to try to always play your own style and always play inside-out, the math says KU would have stood a better chance by adjusting its gameplan to shoot more outside shots.
TCJ


Texas sophomore guard Javan Felix will miss the 25th-ranked Longhorns’ game at TCU on Tuesday night because of a concussion, the school announced Sunday night.

Texas (17-4, 6-2 Big 12) moved into second place in the conference with an 81-69 victory over No. 6 Kansas on Saturday. Felix was in a hard collision with Jayhawks 7-foot center Joel Embiid late in the game.

Felix was knocked to the court, but was able to keep playing and made 7 of 8 free throws over the final 2:36 to help Texas seal its fourth consecutive victory over a ranked opponent.
AP


Bottom line: Kansas and Texas each have 10 conference games left. For a second, let’s assume KU beats the Longhorns at Allen Fieldhouse. If so, the Longhorns will have to be two games better than KU in the other nine games just to earn a tie. In other words: KU is still in the driver’s seat to earn at least a share of the title. Of course, a loss on Tuesday at Baylor might change things.
KC Star


Baylor, this is why we love you and hate you. Going into Stillwater and winning 76-70 over Oklahoma State? That's really nice. But to do it without starting point guard Kenny Chery? Nobody had that. Consider the place was close to packed, thanks in part to OSU Travis Ford begging the students to show up. Marcus Smart, who's been mediocre as of late, wasn't able to put forth a signature performance. He had 15 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four turnovers. Not bad at all, but OSU didn't appear to be ready for the effort Baylor gave.

Now the Bears are at 4-4 in the Big 12 thanks to a team-high 20 points from Brady Heslip and 11-23 3-point shooting. BU looked as active as we've seen it all season long. And now there's a huge home game against Kansas looming on Tuesday.

That's a great win: Texas hands Kansas its first Big 12 loss.

The 17-4 Longhorns are a clear-cut top 25 team right now, and as the season goes on, it's kind of hard to believe that to be the case all the while watching it unfold. Rick Barnes is somehow making this work. Anyone that watched this game knows that Texas so clearly outplayed Kansas; just 11 turnovers and 19 fouls for UT. Isaiah Taylor, an emerging factor for the Horns, led the team with 23 points. Given the roster, it really is one of the better coaching jobs being done to this point, nationally.

Andrew Wiggins had a non-showing, fouling out after scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds.
CBS


KUAD: WBB defeats TT post game notes, recap, box score


Kansas University junior forward Chelsea Gardner scored a career-high 34 points and added 12 rebounds to lead the KU women’s basketball team over Texas Tech, 70-62, on Saturday at United Spirit Arena.

Seven of Gardner’s points came in the final 2:18 as the Jayhawks (11-11 overall, 4-6 Big 12) held off the Red Raiders (6-15, 0-10).
LJW


Lawrence has received a $15,000 grant to promote the city's basketball roots.

The Lawrence Journal World reports that the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism awarded the money Friday to the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau. The money will be used to develop a documentary on Lawrence's basketball history and a logo that promotes the city as the ``cradle of basketball.''

Although James Naismith didn't invent the game of basketball here, Lawrence was his longtime home, and he was the University of Kansas' first coach. Longtime Kansas coach Phog Allen often is cited as the father of basketball coaching and was the leader of the effort to get basketball added as an Olympic sport.
AP


VOTE for Kansas fans at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest


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

Big 12 / College News

#Big12MBB has moved into the No. 1 conference ranking in latest @USATODAYsports Sagarin ratings. #Big12 now No. 1 in both RPI, Sagarin.
@Big12Conference


2/2/14, 12:18 AM
Marcus Smart's 3FG% (28.6) is now below last season's figure (29.0).
@JohnGasaway


2/1/14, 12:21 PM
UK vs Mizzou...hope they tie
@evan_manning5


2/1/14, 12:23 PM
I haven't seen someone not fouled as hard as Jabari Brown just was since Phil Pressey was body slammed at Kansas.
@JoeWalljasper


2/1/14, 2:52 PM
Boeheim/Krzyzewski battle today. Proof that the universe needs balance, Ford/Drew are dueling it out today too
@mickshaffer


If the Canadian national team, which was set to feature Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Ennis, is going to become a player on the international stage, it is going to have to wait until at least the 2016 Rio Olympics.

This summer’s FIBA World Cup (formerly FIBA World Championships) will be contested from Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in Spain, but the Olympic qualifier will not include the Canadians, who were not one of the four wildcard teams selected for the 24-team event early Saturday morning. Those four spots went to Brazil, Greece, Turkey and, surprisingly, Finland.

To qualify for Rio in 2016, Canada will need to go through the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship. The host country and participating teams have yet to be finalized.
Link


Stevie Clark is becoming known more for his off-the-court actions than his contributions to the Cowboys.

And once again, his status with the team, both short- and long-term, is in question.

The Oklahoma State freshman was arrested for a second time in the span of little more than a month early Sunday morning, this time in Stillwater on a complaint of “outraging public decency.”

The Stillwater Police Department said Clark was arrested at 12:46 a.m., after police had received a call reporting a man urinating out of a vehicle window. Clark was released from jail after bond was posted several hours later.

A police report will be made available Monday.

The arrest is the latest in a string of missteps for Clark, who is in his first season with the Cowboys.
The former Douglass High School star and two-time State Player of the Year by The Oklahoman was suspended and sent home from OSU’s trip to Florida for the Old Spice Classic in late November for what was termed a violation of team rules. He missed all three tournament games in Florida, before returning to play 12 minutes against South Carolina on Dec. 6.

Then on Jan. 1, Clark was arrested and booked into jail in Edmond for possession of marijuana during a traffic stop along Interstate 35.
The Oklahoman


It's gut-check time in Stillwater.

The Cowboys season — the important part of the season, the Big 12 Conference run — now reads .500.

And their 4-4 league mark involves a two-game losing streak of Bedlam and Baylor, leaving a disgruntled fan base which hates losing to Oklahoma in anything, even in Norman; and also despises losing at home, especially to an unranked and uninspiring squad like the Bears.

More bad news arrived Sunday in the form of a second arrest of backup point guard Stevie Clark, leaving his status with the team uncertain.

So there's all that.

Yet it's inside the program where a response is needed.

This team, once picked as a Big 12 co-favorite and propped up as a Final Four contender, no longer looks the part.

While all is not lost, with more than a month still remaining in the regular season, OSU's confidence and swagger and long-term appeal have certainly gone absent.

And at a time when they need it most.

Now everyone is watching to see where the Cowboys go from here.

At one point Saturday, with OSU scuffling with Baylor, the ESPN.com home page featured the Cowboys amid this headline: “Battle to Remain Relevant.”
The Oklahoman


Justin Cobbs hit a step-back jumper with 0.9 seconds left, and California stunned No. 1 Arizona 60-58 on Saturday night to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.

Cobbs dribbled to his left and beat Nick Johnson, then pulled up in front of a defender to sink the winning shot that sent a raucous crowd at Haas Pavilion spilling onto the court.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery and security had to usher fans away before the final play.

Gabe York’s full-court pass was knocked down to give the Golden Bears (15-7, 6-3 Pac-12) their first victory over a top-ranked opponent since Jan. 30, 1994, when they beat UCLA 85-70 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Arizona (21-1, 8-1) was one of just three unbeaten teams left in Division I. Now only second-ranked Syracuse (21-0), which beat No. 17 Duke 91-89 in overtime Saturday, and No. 4 Wichita State (23-0) remain.
AP


Arizona had feared the worst, after sophomore forward Brandon Ashley went down with a foot injury during the first half of Saturday's game at California -- and those fears were realized.
Arizona announced Sunday night that Ashley, the team's third-leading scorer, will miss the remainder of the season.
USA Today


And the only lock NCAA tourney team Wichita State has beaten is Saint Louis -- who hasn't beaten a tourney team.
@GoodmanESPN


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


ESPN College GameDay Schedule


2013-14 TV Schedule

Recruiting

1/31/14, 10:19 PM
This game is insane on the highlights. Kelly Oubre just destroyed the hopes and dreams of everyone on the court just now with a single dunk.
@Jermcon


Findlay Prep routed Phase One Academy (Ariz.) 101-69 at Henderson International.

Kelly Oubre, a Kansas signee, finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and two assists for the Pilots (23-4), who play against No. 3 Foothill and No. 7 Desert Pines on Friday and Saturday during a showcase at Coronado.

…The Pilots led only 23-22 midway through the first half until taking control with a 14-2 run. Oubre capped the spurt with a thunderous follow-up jam
Las Vegas RJ


Official list...No Favorites...Thank you to all of the schools that have been recruiting me!
@YoungIvee

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Recruiting Calendar


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