Slight cautionary note: we still have to come to play vs TT

I know the odds are 99.6 or whatever that KU wins at least a share of the title, but the fact of the matter is we need to win tomorrow vs. TT so that we don't have to sweat any bullets in having to win after that on the road vs. Texas or at home against a tough out in Iowa State.

In that vein, it bears noting that, in a conference where 6 teams are ranked in the Top 25, Texas Tech is just behind KU as the conference's hottest team. We've won 8 straight, they've won 5 straight--to include wins over Iowa State (whom we lost to), OU (very impressive), and at Baylor by 18 (where we just eked out a very close win). If those numbers don't sober you up to believe that tomorrow is no cakewalk (with all the media talk of confetti, celebrations, net-cutting, and putting a bow on the "inevitable" #12), I don't know what will.

Bottom line: we very much should win this game tomorrow. But don't kid yourself--this thing isn't sealed up until it's won on the court, and that will include beating a very game, surging TT game tomorrow at Allen.

Let's just get it done, then celebrate like crazy.

Rock Chalk...

Good stuff, Corpus.

RE this:

But Tech has only played above their rating by 17 or more once and KU has played below their margin by 17 or more twice (TCU at home and OSU on the road). Those two factors give KU a 90% chance of winning.

The numbers are nice in this case, but I think in the final analysis 95% of KU fans just go with their gut. That is, they see that the game is being played at Allen, against a team that may be surging but isn't in the upper tier of the Big 12, and they conclude "automatic victory."

That's not a critique (because I certainly go there as well), it's just a testament to the intangible yet very concrete effects of games played in the venerable Old Barn. (All the more so league games, since most of those upsets against Self over the years were by non-con teams)

I hate to use the word "spoiled" for KU fans (myself included), but when it comes to playing at home, let's admit it: we pretty much are. We not only expect but semi-demand wins there. And for that reason alone, you would've thought that our various teams over the years would've played with a lot more "pressure not to lose" and therefore coughed up more games than they have. It's just a ridiculously over-the-top dominance at home that then leads everyone (myself included) to think that #12 is pretty much automatic come Saturday. Certainly everyone in the print media has been casting it as such...

My cautionary post was written in response to that tiny little voice I'm hearing saying "anything can happen," "on any given day," and "that's why they play the games." That's the only reason--the guys still have to go out and execute to beat a determined, hot, well-coached team fighting for pride and tournament entry. I fully expect them to get the W, but just always have to register the cautionary note that the games are played for a reason.

Rock Chalk!!!

LOL, ElectricHawk going back a few years in the memory bank... Good recall!

For those that don't remember:

espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=280632305

(EH, hmmm, my stereoisomer!)

Don't expect a "meat necklace" tomorrow. Tubby has done a good job of making sausage this year, and while the process has been the proverbial mess to watch he has been delivering a pretty tasty brand of hoops lately.

I expect KU to win, but you read it here -- I've never said it wasn't gonna be semi-tough.