Post game pressers

...his foot in particular, were really affecting him today, causing him to lose focus in more than one critical moment. It's the only thing that makes sense to me when he has been so solid in decision making recently. Difficulty in focusing (seeing through the pain) can really mess up a PG's game.

I am looking forward to Frank and all the guys (Perry's knee? Devonté's leg?) getting the chance to rest and recuperate from the injuries of the past few games this week. Looks as if they will be playing on Thursday, but not sure whether they will be CBS or TBS and the early or late games. Waiting to complete the TBA data!

Your anti-Landen pitch continues to go over like a lead balloon. LL's proved his worth in the 16 game winning streak, and he just keeps playing better and better as he plays more.

Other than that, you raise good points about their size, but size alone is not enough. It's what they do with it. Carter has impressed, the other two have not of late. Hawai'i didn't have their size, and was doing well against them until Melo woke up. As to their guards, Buddy Hield is 6'4, and KU did okay against him when it counted. DG is 6-2 and an excellent defender and Frank makes up in tenacity what he lacks in size. As long as his foot is not bothering him, Frank will be bothering them, to good effect.

Finally, I have not seen MD that much this season, but I trust the opinions of those who have, e.g., Corpus, Senex and Konza. It all comes down to which MD shows up, and whether or not the Jayhawks bring their A game. If KU does, it doesn't matter which MD shows up. If KU doesn't, it could be a long game.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but re: Corpus's comment comparing them to UConn, all I can say is (1) one regular season nonconference game does not a season or a *team* make, (2) I'm sure Corpus was looking at the computer models, including his own, in his assessment, and (3) allowing for the argument that Maryland has potentially better talent per position (do they? I don't know), that does not necessarily make a team better than another squad that doesn't match up individually but plays better team basketball.

As to your comment "anyone who thinks they can't beat KU is dreaming" -- I agree, of course, but who has said that here? I have seen high levels of confidence stated, but I have not read any comment that I interpret as "KU can't lose" or "MD can't win". Again, if the Jayhawks are off their game, it could be a very long night.

HE--I can't speak for JR, but I read his "anyone" comment as not being directed at you, but anyone in general who feels that way.

As for his pushback on the notion of UConn being better than Maryland, I have to say, I concur with JR on that one. UConn was a bubble team in many ways, played in a far weaker conference (AAC), and managed to get a little hot in time for their conference tourney. Maryland, on the other hand, was in the Top 20 all year long, and even made a run up to #2 at one point, when they were hitting on multiple cylinders. Their talent and depth is also much better than UConn's. Beyond the wins and losses (clear edge to Maryland, especially given their league), the advanced metrics (at least Pomeroy) show them as being more even: Maryland #22, UConn #25 (but Maryland way more balanced: #24 adjO, #37 adjD; UConn #67 adjO, #13 adjD). Of course, there's also the head-to-head game, won by Maryland in UConn's backyard. Just my $.02 on that aspect...

Lastly, re your comment earlier:

It all comes down to which MD shows up, and whether or not the Jayhawks bring their A game. If KU does, it doesn't matter which MD shows up. If KU doesn't, it could be a long game.

I second this in spades. If we perform to our fullest extent, nothing Maryland can do will get them to a win.

Of course, we've only done that a few games this season (the Texas road game stands out...the UConn game would've registered if we only counted the first half), so it's hard to bank on an "all cylinders" game by KU.

Just win, that's all that matters!

Rock Chalk...

Okay, I can see where you are coming from, but to me that's standard Senex for you. When KU is going really well, he's exceedingly optimistic, usually with good cause. I see his "they could beat us" as an acknowledgement that it is possible, and his "but they won't" as his optimism blasting through, not a statement that "they can't".

I think I appreciate his optimism more than some as it tends to offset my pessimism, making for a good internal balance for me -- at least until game day. Then my stomach roils a bit like this , with the smiley face and the wink the norm at the end because KU has won it's latest battle.

I was looking for a Jayhawk related peace symbol to finish this post with, but found this instead, and since I never pass up an opportunity to point out how our uniformed services pay homage to The Jayhawk, I thought "what the h***...
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Or if you prefer -- and here's hoping Sir Charles is correct:

One of the wonderful things I rediscovered upon retirement was our local library. I think I've bought exactly 1 new book in the last year. Took a while to get there, but it has saved us bunches. Of course, the book industry made it easier when our local Borders and HalfPrice Books closed down a couple of years ago. There are still several locally owned bookstores in town, but they've never really appealed to me when I would drop in. These days most of my book buys are on Amazon. I do still miss the days of spending some down time browsing the bookstore while sipping on a hot cuppa java.

Hey, you weren't in DC during "The Hot Zone" incident in Reston, VA in 1989, were you? Richard Preston's book is one scary true history thriller. Highly recommend.