http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2018/08/kansas-preview.html
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Kansas JayhawksNovember 21, Barclay's Center (Brooklyn, NY)
Coach: Bill Self (447-96 at Kansas, 654-201 overall)
3-Year RPI Average: 3.0
3-Year kenpom Average: 6.0
2018-19 T-Rank Projection: 1
Projected Starters: PG Charlie Moore (5'11" So), SG Quentin Grimes (6'5" Fr), SF Lagerald Vick (6'5" Sr), PF Dedric Lawson (6'9" Jr), C Udoka Azubuike (7'0" Jr)
The Jayhawks have a good chance to come into this game ranked #1. They have won 14 straight Big 12 titles & are coming off a Final Four appearance. Most experts expect them to be better this upcoming season.
Their starting lineup blends experience with newcomers. Vick & Azubuike tested the draft waters before returning to school. Moore & Lawson are highly regarded transfers. Lawson is already getting consideration as a preseason All-American & National Player of the Year candidate. Then there is Grimes, an expected one-and-done lottery pick. The bench is nearly as impressive with a mix of proven D1 competitors (Silvio De Sousa & KJ Lawson) & highly-regarded freshmen (Devon Dotson & David McCormack).
Self's mantra is that the easiest shot is a layup. For years, that led to an offense that focused on attacking the rim & a defense that was designed to contest shots & limit 2PFG%. While Kansas did focus more on threes the past 3 years, sharpshooters Frank Mason, Devonte Graham, Svi Mykhailuk, & Malik Newman are now gone. Expect Kansas' three-point shooting to come back down to earth (they were top-10 each of the past 3 years) & the focus to go back to getting angles to score points at the rim. The defense never really changed their approach, so contesting shots & limiting interior opportunities will still be the plan.
On paper, Kansas is the toughest opponent on Marquette's schedule & a national championship favorite. Despite Kansas' lofty rankings, if Marquette is hot from three, a team that focuses on stopping twos plays to their advantage. Further, there are a lot of new pieces trying to fit together on this Jayhawk roster & while they will almost certainly win the Big 12, they will likely be more vulnerable in November than March. Finally, while the game is in New York, it isn't in the Marquette house of horrors that is Madison Square Garden. Marquette will be underdogs for certain, but I'm saying there's a chance. Of course, if Marquette's 2PFG% defense hasn't improved, all the chances in the world may not matter.
Marquette Connection: The last time these two teams faced off was in 2003. Marquette came into the Final Four fresh off a victory over #1 Kentucky on the back of Dwyane Wade's triple-double. The Jayhawks proceeded to absolutely decimate Marquette, walking out with a 94-61 victory that frankly wasn't as close as the final score indicated. For months, Marquette fans woke up in cold sweats seeing visions of Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich torching nets in their heads. For fans too young to remember, missing out on Quentin Grimes wasn't the first time Marquette suffered a disappointing loss to Kansas.
So what you're trying to say isssss...
we got this?
This should be an interesting snapshot. Unless 3 starters sustain season ending injuries, a loss will not define the season. A win will propel MU into the top 15.
Again, protecting the paint will be key for MU. Buzz ran Self's paint touch offense. I know Joe is getting a lot of the buzz on defense as Drewski's replacement, but I maintain Ed will be the bigger add defensively.
Howard will continue to give up a lot of height. The Grimes match up will be interesting. Greg may key in this game, sliding Markus to PG for stretches.
This is definitely a best of times type situation. I'd much rather play Kansas early, though they will be more tested than we are by this point. Their three games prior to NYC are Michigan State, Vermont, and Louisiana. It really does look as simple as threes versus twos. If we are hitting our threes and can provide some semblance of resistance inside, this is a winnable game. Especially against a team that will likely need time to gel (6 of their projected 9-man rotation are newcomers) and frankly isn't likely to be able to match us from long range.
Another thing to watch will be the foul line. Kansas was excellent at defending without fouling last year, but much of that was because of Graham, Newman, and Mykhailuk. Replacing those three with players not as accustomed to Self's defense may allow our guys to get to the line more often. This is a team that will challenge just about everything at the rim. Might be worth driving in hopes of drawing fouls.
Quote from: brewcity77 on August 25, 2018, 10:33:00 AM
This is definitely a best of times type situation. I'd much rather play Kansas early, though they will be more tested than we are by this point. Their three games prior to NYC are Michigan State, Vermont, and Louisiana. It really does look as simple as threes versus twos. If we are hitting our threes and can provide some semblance of resistance inside, this is a winnable game. Especially against a team that will likely need time to gel (6 of their projected 9-man rotation are newcomers) and frankly isn't likely to be able to match us from long range.
Another thing to watch will be the foul line. Kansas was excellent at defending without fouling last year, but much of that was because of Graham, Newman, and Mykhailuk. Replacing those three with players not as accustomed to Self's defense may allow our guys to get to the line more often. This is a team that will challenge just about everything at the rim. Might be worth driving in hopes of drawing fouls.
Driving may be difficult as Kansas has a lot of interior length for rim protection.
Quote from: Nukem2 on August 25, 2018, 12:40:08 PM
Driving may be difficult as Kansas has a lot of interior length for rim protection.
That's what I was talking about when I said they challenge everything, but that's the point I'm making. Go at guys like Azubuike. You may get blocked, but he fouls a lot (7.5/40 mins). That's worth testing.
Quote from: brewcity77 on August 25, 2018, 12:54:28 PM
That's what I was talking about when I said they challenge everything, but that's the point I'm making. Go at guys like Azubuike. You may get blocked, but he fouls a lot (7.5/40 mins). That's worth testing.
True, but looks like Azubuike has more help this year?
Quote from: Dr. Blackheart on August 25, 2018, 10:17:36 AM
Again, protecting the paint will be key for MU. Buzz ran Self's paint touch offense. I know Joe is getting a lot of the buzz on defense as Drewski's replacement, but I maintain Ed will be the bigger add defensively.
Howard will continue to give up a lot of height. The Grimes match up will be interesting. Greg may key in this game, sliding Markus to PG for stretches.
I would imagine Markus will matchup with Moore defensively with Joe on Grimes ....don't think height will be that huge of an issue for him when the starters are in the game.
Quote from: MuMark on August 25, 2018, 01:21:15 PM
I would imagine Markus will matchup with Moore defensively with Joe on Grimes ....don't think height will be that huge of an issue for him when the starters are in the game.
It could be for this game but Joe's value to the defense will be his height and positioning on PG's to prevent to blow by penetration and to use his size to space/block the passing lanes. Folks here railed on Andrew's defense, but Markus hasn't been much better on the blow-bys. Yeah, Andrew's stats looked worse as he was the primary PG defender, but other teams went after Markus as well.
Listen, Joe is here to improve the defense. If he is primarily out on the perimeter guarding the SG and not on the PG, the MU defense will not be significantly better. MU must prevent paint penetration if the defense is to improve. With Self's offense like Buzz's, stopping the PG first is critical as that position is the key transit point and almost always initiates the offense in the half court.
With both our projected starting guards with below average foot speed, positioning and scheme will be critical. If we are floating Joe on the perimeter a lot (beyond this game), then I am then not hopeful for a signifcant defensive improvement then. (I don't think this is Wojo's intent). I am glad to hear Markus is working to improve his defensive game.
This could be a long game for MU defensively but I am happy to get them early with our experience and well-rounded depth. Honestly, this may be MU's most well-rounded depth in a long time...maybe in my lifetime 1-13. We haven't talked much on that nor have the too early predictors.
I think Wojo will mix and match the defensive assignments in the backcourt. Sometimes the point guard is the most important guy to slow down.....sometimes it might be the 2 guard. Quite a few teams have 2 guards that can iniate offense playing together( like Grimes and Moore) so putting Markus on the guy who he matches up with physically might be the best option.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
I agree that this will be a very tough matchup for us regardless. They have the talent advantage but we have great depth and lots of guys with experience.
They were a good but not great defensive team last season. If our offense is humming we can make life difficult for almost anyone.
I expect Moore to start, but we could see Dotson a decent amount too, and possibly even three guard sets. It's true that we have a deep, versatile lineup, but so do the Jayhawks. From a coaching perspective, this will be a very interesting game.
Best offense in the country per Gassaway. If we have trouble stopping them people need to relax......
. Kansas
2017-18 in-conference PPP: 1.13
RPMs: 42 percent
Start with the fact that Udoka Azubuike made 77 percent of his 2s last season while carrying a normal offensive workload. Should Azubuike develop a jump shot, it would be great for him and fantastic for Kansas fans and the NBA personnel who will be evaluating him this season. But we shouldn't understate the damage that a 77 percent 2-point shooter does to an opposing defense. Azubuike is getting as many points per 100 attempts as would a 51 percent 3-point shooter. That'll do.
Better still, Azubuike will have a ton of help. Freshman Quentin Grimes is projected as a 2019 lottery pick and Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson already has 65 Division I games under his belt wherein he was his team's featured scorer (and he still seems to possess untapped 3-point potential). Lagerald Vick hit 52 percent of his 2s and 43 percent of his 3s for KU in the 2018 NCAA tournament. California transfer Charlie Moore is a plug-and-play point guard, unless freshman Devon Dotson fills that need for Bill Self.
If the Jayhawks stay healthy and play to their potential (and especially if Azubuike or Marcus Garrett or both improve at the free throw line), this should be the best offense in the nation in 2019.
Quote from: MuMark on September 05, 2018, 10:23:38 AM
Best offense in the country per Gassaway. If we have trouble stopping them people need to relax......
. Kansas
2017-18 in-conference PPP: 1.13
RPMs: 42 percent
Start with the fact that Udoka Azubuike made 77 percent of his 2s last season while carrying a normal offensive workload. Should Azubuike develop a jump shot, it would be great for him and fantastic for Kansas fans and the NBA personnel who will be evaluating him this season. But we shouldn't understate the damage that a 77 percent 2-point shooter does to an opposing defense. Azubuike is getting as many points per 100 attempts as would a 51 percent 3-point shooter. That'll do.
Better still, Azubuike will have a ton of help. Freshman Quentin Grimes is projected as a 2019 lottery pick and Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson already has 65 Division I games under his belt wherein he was his team's featured scorer (and he still seems to possess untapped 3-point potential). Lagerald Vick hit 52 percent of his 2s and 43 percent of his 3s for KU in the 2018 NCAA tournament. California transfer Charlie Moore is a plug-and-play point guard, unless freshman Devon Dotson fills that need for Bill Self.
If the Jayhawks stay healthy and play to their potential (and especially if Azubuike or Marcus Garrett or both improve at the free throw line), this should be the best offense in the nation in 2019.
No matta, Markus is gonna shoot 60% from 3 this year
We are going to throw 9-10 guys who will go hard at them hard the whole game. Theo , Matt and Ed are big bodies who are not afraid to mix it up inside .We can throw some length at them on the perimeter as well.Our three point posse will do it's thing. I think it will be a close hard fought game. MU tends to have a good crowd at New York area games, so that should be a small help as well.
It seems that there are opportunities to exploit, despite an undeniable talent advantage for Kansas. It will be a good test for the team, and for Wojo's coaching of what will be a talented, deep squad with plenty of versatility.
A win is possible, but not probable. A loss means little, unless at Tower notes we lose starters to injury, while a victory could mean a helluva lot.
I'm hopeful but not expectant. Go Warriors!
Quote from: MuMark on September 05, 2018, 10:23:38 AM
Best offense in the country per Gassaway. If we have trouble stopping them people need to relax......
. Kansas
2017-18 in-conference PPP: 1.13
RPMs: 42 percent
Start with the fact that Udoka Azubuike made 77 percent of his 2s last season while carrying a normal offensive workload. Should Azubuike develop a jump shot, it would be great for him and fantastic for Kansas fans and the NBA personnel who will be evaluating him this season. But we shouldn't understate the damage that a 77 percent 2-point shooter does to an opposing defense. Azubuike is getting as many points per 100 attempts as would a 51 percent 3-point shooter. That'll do.
Better still, Azubuike will have a ton of help. Freshman Quentin Grimes is projected as a 2019 lottery pick and Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson already has 65 Division I games under his belt wherein he was his team's featured scorer (and he still seems to possess untapped 3-point potential). Lagerald Vick hit 52 percent of his 2s and 43 percent of his 3s for KU in the 2018 NCAA tournament. California transfer Charlie Moore is a plug-and-play point guard, unless freshman Devon Dotson fills that need for Bill Self.
If the Jayhawks stay healthy and play to their potential (and especially if Azubuike or Marcus Garrett or both improve at the free throw line), this should be the best offense in the nation in 2019.
How about we win this game, aina? "Win everyday!"