Game, set, match . . . season. nfm

RC

But for the first time I'm saying, "What's wrong with the Jayhawks." We are a better team than this. The litany of issues is enormous.

If there is any fool's gold in our basketball program, it is the ridiculous belief that a top 25 recruit will accomplish much as a freshman. Other than Carmelo Anthony, much to our heartbreak, has there ever been such a recruit that was worth that much? I'd would argue that if more of the Bragg/Diallo minutes this year and the big guy's minutes last year [sorry, I can't remember his name] had gone to Mickelson, we would be much better off. But of course that assumes that Self would ever play Mickelson.

Frankly, I would not blame Hunter if he were to quit tonight/tomorrow when they get back to Lawrence. Sad to say, but quitting does not seem likely to affect his minutes.

But your larger point is 100% accurate. Self seems to have totally lost his way. Could he not tell that we had forgotten our offensive scheme? And when he called the 2nd timeout (I believe) of the 2nd half, why did we come out looking worse than before? What did he tell them? Did he tell them it was time to panic? Maybe he said, "Either Frank or Davonte, one of you needs to drive into nowhere and lose the ball each time you can"?

How many times does it take to learn that we can't leave their shooters alone on the 3-pt line.

Of course, there is the possibility that Self is screaming at them saying the same stuff I'm griping about and the players just ain't responding. Maybe that is why he is so flummoxed.

I thought they played well for the first half. They looked much like that great team I saw earlier this year. Then they come back from half time and it's as if someone let the air out of a balloon.
This team is broken and I don't understand why.

This team is a joke- they just freaking collapsed when ISU punched back. HCBS has lost this team and for gods sake what and when did that happen? I hope this team loses every game from here on out because that is what these charmin soft, mentally soft team and coaches deserve. Yep I am mad, freaking mad, and we can discuss X's and O's but somewhere after playing in Lubbok these guys all took a mental dump and have not reset. Losing to ISU in Ames, happens, but to get blown out of the gym again in the 2nd half Is an embarasement to the name on the front of the jersey and to all those teams that played tough and hard..no freaking D...argghhhh it's like thes guys expect to lose and don't give $.02 ...give me 5 walk one who play with heart.

This is deja vu all over again. Our guards stink. Yes, they stink. 16 turnovers and 13 assists. The drives to nowhere. The complete lack of court sense, and the total inability to maintain any semblance of an offense for 2 halves.

Perry is fine. He played hard, and he played smart, but without decent guards he's on an island. Selden is not any good without two competent partners in the backcourt, and right now they look like the 3 stooges.

And what the hell has Hunter done to Self? What could account for his situation? If Self is that unhappy with him, why not suspend him and end his misery? This is simply bizarre. And you know that Self knows it, yet he won't address it. I believe that Hunter's teammates know about the issue, and that it is affecting them.

And do we actually know how to dunk? Can Lucas dunk? Can Perry dunk from a standing position? Mysteries abound on this team, and I don't seem any Columbos coming around any time soon.

I'm not optimistic. In fact, I am anticipating an implosion soon, with one or more guys either quitting the team or getting suspended. This is a team in crisis, and everyone appears to be clueless as to how to cure the problem. And I do agree that the current crop of assistants are not doing much to help. I truly wonder what Self is thinking right now. And frankly, I don't feel sorry for him, or for this team. I am becoming disconnected from the team, primarily because I don't sense the passion we have always shown, even when we weren't very good. Very disappointing.

Amen, I wish you were wrong, but I agree 100%. I feel bad for Perry, but he can't do it alone, HCBS has been marginal the last 3 years.

May we flameout and have a total collapse... There is not one redeeming quality of how this team plays. They have just completely lost it, no reason as to why or how, they are just flat out a bad bad basketball team.

Green played very well. Very well.

3 assists to 1 turnover. Mason on the other hand was 3 and 6.

It's almost like it gets tight and Frank tries to start forcing the issue.

Yes my alma mater, proud Jayhawk, but a little beaten down and just hard to watch this team fall apart so often so frequently in the last three seasons. Maybe an utter collapse is what needs to shake people out of their comfort zone. three subpar seasons by KU standards. Meanwhile we watch the likes of Wisc ( like their team) go to b2b FF, UK, Duke win twic since 2010, MSU mark countless trips to the FF. All the while since a trey Burke bomb, this program has faltered. Just my honest opinion of how I see the last three seasons. I'll still watch and cheer Kansas University but frankly KU basketball has not been th same since 2012-13 and this season is just a culmination of 2.5 mediocre seasons... No faith in these guys pulling out of this tailspin, I hope I am wrong, but the evidence is staring to say otherwise.

It wasn't just a Trey Burke 3, it was a coaching mistake to allow a total breakdown of guard play during the last 2 minutes. All we had to do was actually bring the ball across the half court line within 10 seconds and we win the game. We didn't, and I will always wonder why.

I actually dislike this team, yet I cannot 'hope' for a total breakdown. We were 2 injuries away from 2 probable Final 4s, and maybe a title in those 2 years, so it's not that Self cannot coach. And it's not that our guys cannot play. I am coming to the conclusion that there is something wrong with the team dynamic, something intangible that is causing otherwise competent players to play like high schoolers. It might be a combination of fatigue (physical), mental makeup, and a team that is simply not constructed well.

We have one 5 who can score, MAYBE 2. One is raw and clearly hasn't picked up our plays, but the other one has repeadedly demonstrated that he can score a bit, block shots and rebound. We play a guy who knows what to do most of the time, has a big body, gets his share of rebounds, but cannot score. Teams are adjusting to him, and although he was fine during the 1st half last night, his effectiveness ended as soon as ISU decided to simply not guard him at all. If we had put in Hunter, and he had hit a couple of shots, it would have changed the entire game.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this team is mentally shot. I watched the ISU PG play the entire game without a single turnover, and he was controlled, confident and VERY careful with the ball. He never forced anything. Our guards, particularly in the 2nd half, played recklessly at times, and carelessly at times, and for almost the entire 2nd half, simply refused to move the ball back and forth, forcing ISU to react. Instead they put their heads down and drove to nowhere. Absurd.

Until Self figures out how to put 5 guys on the floor that can score, we are not going to be good on the road. With the lineup we had last night, we'll lose 4 more road games. I don't think we'll be winning the league for a 12th consecutive time.

Wonderful post and appreciate your insight and feedback. I was at that game in Jerry World, and I point to the Trey Burke Shot as it was the most visible.. But yes missed FTs, failure to call a TO on 10 sec violation, Ben Mclenore losing a key rebound because he forgot we had the arrow.

I am taking a nihilistic approach, that way if this current team can pull out of this nose dive, it will be a pleasant surprise. Otherwise, it will be as expected and we'll all have another long post season trying to dissect what went wrong.


It would be nice to to know what the heck, if mental, has caused this team to get into a funk. Big 12 is stronger than years past, but their is something afoot at KU.