The void is all we have at this point

Reminds me of a old baseball coach calling for a bunt for his power hitter. By God we are getting the bunt down or strike out **** driving the ball over the wall

At least March won't be stressful. I guess that's...a thing.

It will still be stressful, just maybe a bit less stressful. I mean I'm going to be sweating out the first round 6-11 game.

We officially out of the top 25 yet?

If we can't beat teams like K State and Utah outside of Allen Field House, I don't have big expectations for us to beat any team that we would have to face the first weekend of the tournament.

I don't care anymore

23rd in one, 25th in the other.

Bang up job this season.

Utah yes.

KSU not so much. We played them when they had been playing some pretty good ball. They backed up beating us by beat UofA, who is pretty good.

That Utes game was absolutely brutal and I'm glad I chose the hockey game over watching that.

The whole thing is starting to feel like UK when Cal was stacking up talent and under performing.

We aren't very talented IMO outside of Bidunga.

The good news is that will change next year.

Is KJ leaving next year?

Of course.

Self is still coaching the team in this scenario, yes? Hard to imagine KJ leaving if given the choice.

He's a senior

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NEWS: The NCAA is considering allowing five years of eligibility for players in all sports moving forward, according to an NCAA official.<a href="https://t.co/XLIhOdLxl5">https://t.co/XLIhOdLxl5</a></p>&mdash; Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1875234918097416201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

If ignoring Michigan 2021-2022

Kansas Basketball ever since starting KJ Adams:

68-27 (.716) Record
31-19 (.620) Conference Record

Kansas Basketball before that under Bill Self:

552-123 (.817) Record
250-63 (.799) Conference Record

Regardless of this, Self will move mountains to try to find KJ one more year. Hell he's probably spearheading this rule change.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There are two teams that I&#39;m buying low on today. Despite the public sentiment being against them, they have all the attributes you look for in a team who improve in March. <br><br>I&#39;m calling it, one of these two will make a Sweet 16 this year 👇 <a href="https://t.co/JxR4la5KrS">pic.twitter.com/JxR4la5KrS</a></p>&mdash; Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanMiya/status/1891597632285364597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

We're a sleeper team.

Ya sleepwalking through the season

We’re winning the whole ****ing thing!

PBJ PBJ PBJ PBJ PBJ

This is why I don't freak out over every loss like the average KU fan. It's not the ideal roster, but they've proven they can be pretty good when they play with intensity. They've generally done well in the hyped matchups. It's the average and unheralded teams that sneak up on them. They don't have the talent to sleepwalk through those games.

In the tourney, I expect to see the version that plays with intensity.

I get that way of thinking. And quite frankly KU has earned the benefit of the doubt because of their pedigree. But with each passing uninspiring loss, I think very recent history needs to be considered when predicting their tournament chances. When I do that, I see this KU team not getting past round 2. However, there is still time for them to get it together, but the clock is ticking...

Sleeper team for the S16?

Oh how the mighty have fallen

Yeah like I'm supposed to get excited about a S16 run. Get the **** outta here with that poverty program shit. That's for mutts and kstaters

I don't see how anyone has watched this team for the last 3 months and sees anything but a bipolar mess that is gonna drop the first tough test they face.

Got exactly one month to turn the shit around but I'm not holding my breath.

KJ plays with a TON of intensity every single night. He's the most intense guy out there and you see where that gets you.

I get the knocks on KJ.....
TBH...
This team is so flawed from all the other players.
HD scores but he has no intensity or can cover his own shadow.
Harris has digressed more than any other player in Self's tenure.
Mayo can score but is terrible on D and turns the ball over more than Harris.
Griffen....SMH...Shocked that this guy was a double digit scorer for Bama and went to FF.
Storr....Again, SMH.....Wisky must of sucked big time to have this guy as their top player.

Flory is about the only one on the team that isnt severely flawed.

Why would anyone care about a random season 3 years ago when we have been watching him play at KU for the last 2?


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">• Kansas Basketball ever since landing the #1 transfer portal player in Hunter Dickinson:<br><br>40-19 (.677) Record<br>18-14 (.563) Conference Record<br><br>• Kansas Basketball before that under Bill Self:<br><br>580-131 (.815) Record<br>263-68 (.795) Conference Record</p>&mdash; College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBKReport/status/1890997811379892632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I've been picking on Dickinson a lot the last week. I don't want you all to think I have lost my hatred for KJ.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The night KJ got hurt, KU lost for the 4th time in a 9 games. Flory became a starter and averaged 10 &amp; 10 for a stretch where Kansas went 3-1, with the loss being the fluky Houston collapse. It was at THIS point that Self put KJ back into the starting lineup. KU is 2-3 since!</p>&mdash; Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/RockChalkBlog/status/1891347390235333115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Oh you're right about all of them, this is another piss-poor roster construction centered around HD

KJ is just the most glaring weakness and Bill loves the dude more than Tyler Self.

Because that was the only time in his career Dickinson played with other top level offensive talent instead of KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris and his team was elite? Feels relevant to point out.

It’s exceedingly clear what the biggest issue has been for 3 seasons now and Self seems determined to ignore it even when he has a NBA big on his bench.

The non-KJ games were predictably the best the team has looked all year (particularly against Houston). Turns out playing a NBA big over KJ has major benefits both offensively and defensively, too bad we will never see it again.

This season is 100% on Self.

It's a damn shame.:banghead:

Fact...He constructed it....he owns it.
I just feel the players own some of it too.....
Hustle, working hard, intensity, being proud of the name on the jersey.
Not sure any of the starters have those attributes....

I see this a lot, but I don't really get the logic. "Said team has underwhelmed, so the leading scorer and rebounder must be the problem."

It's especially confusing because we've seen what the team looks like without Dickinson. The blowout loss to a mediocre Cincinnati team in KC last year was the worst I've seen a KU team look in my lifetime.

Does anyone actually think you could replace Dickinson with the average center and improve those records greatly?

These last two years haven't gone as hoped, but there's no doubt that things would've been much worse if Dickinson had been on the bench.

Some of Self’s best corner stone players were guys who saw limited playing time early then really took off in years 2, 3, and even 4.

That just isn’t reality anymore with the portal and NIL. Guys who stick around through modest playing time will be guys like Harris and Adams.

While Self owns this season, it’s hard to fault him when so much of what made him a great coach is suddenly different.

You think Withey just waits for 2012?

What about Frank Mason? You think he stays patient behind Tharpe.

What about Thomas Robinson? You think some team wouldn’t pay him a brinks truck to not sit behind the Morris Twins?

This list goes on and on. It’s just a different world.

Self either figures it out or this is what the program will be.

I don't think we would be much worse or much better with Flory playing all of minutes and Dickinson not on the team. I don't think it makes any difference. We would probably be better actually, but Flory would foul too much.

By playing through these mistakes though he would get better and better over the course of the year.

By kind of hiding him I hope this is a blessing in disguise and we get him next year. I hope Self buries him even more this year.

Considering KJ would still be starting on said team and you'd be removing the team's best offensive player (by far) with no real replacement, I don't see how you could possibly think that.

And you aren't hiding Flory from NBA scouts, they've already figured out who and what he is if they were watching the Houston game tape.

How's KJ getting a 5th year?

So replace the guy who leads the team in scoring, while being doubled/tripled constantly, with a raw freshman who can't shoot and doesn't draw double teams, and you'd be better?

You seriously believe this?

Yes.

I would replace KJ before Dickinson but Self will never do that. Perhaps Self will get angry with Hunters antics. That would be fun.

One has a much higher ceiling.

That is our only chance to actually be what we call...good.

I was referring to the hypothetical of this year's team without Dickinson, but check the tweet I posted yesterday from Jon Rothstein for that answer.

2025-2026
Darryn Peterson
Elmarko Jackson (Houston Quinten Grimes except with more athleticism!)
Zeke Mayo (pray to the gods for a 5th season of eligibility. He is wonderful)
Bryson Tiller
Flory Bidunga

Zach Clemence!

What else do you need?

KJ Adams

He and Bronny will be taking the NBA by storm.

I don't think the hypothetical "maybe Dickinson starts giving a shit" ceiling is higher without him, but can't imagine a team that wasn't built around him would be any worse, and of course would have quite a bit of room for improvement.

It's a stretch for sure to say benching him right now would make the team better... if he walked off the team to never return, I'd guess the end result might be slightly better in terms of knowing you now have to figure it out without the slug on the court (as opposed to eating up minutes without him whenever he kicks a player or needs to catch his breath from walking down the court, game to game)... but again, you've somewhat built the roster around him, so you're just stuck making it work since there's generally no "what if my $4 million center plays well below his supposed potential most of the time" contingency.

Another reminder again that he's been statistically the 3rd best player in college basketball this season and that the team falls apart completely any time he's off the court. If that's playing below his supposed potential most of the time, I wonder what that makes what everyone else on the roster is doing.

Bronny would be a much better fit at the 4 for this team.

Yeah, a team that's already somewhat offensively-challenged would obviously be better by replacing the most consistent scorer with a player who has limited offensive skills.

That would be one of the easiest teams in the country to defend.

Imagine playing a pickup game, and there's a dude on your team who's bigger than everybody else and getting triple-teamed, while still outscoring and outrebounding everybody on the court. He also passes well out of the double team.

BWillie's takeaway: "We'd have done so much better without that guy!"

Brilliant.

It's obvious that just removing Dickinson from the roster and replacing him with Flory or anyone else currently on it would destroy the team. The stats suggest they wouldn't even be a tournament team the last two years if he wasn't on it.

The actual argument, I think, is whether you could have better spent the $2M you're paying Dickinson on someone else and/or a collection of players that would improve this team more than he has.

Considering his production level (top 3 in college basketball) and the fact that you're still hamstrung with KJ Adams playing 35 minutes a game in any scenario, I still don't think even that really accomplishes anything. You're not finding a better player than Dickinson on the market and any group of players you get still aren't getting significant minutes as long as Self's favorites remain on the roster.

Adams and Harris seriously lower the ceiling for the team. Harris peaked (or simply had his deficiencies hidden by a very talented roster) on the title team.

Apparently it's not obvious to some.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Flory Bidunga&#39;s stats in his 4-game stretch as a starter (the first four starts of his career): 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 74% FG, 29 MPG.<br><br>KJ Adams&#39; stats in his 14-game stretch where Kansas is 7-7: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 46% FG, 29 MPG.</p>&mdash; Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/RockChalkBlog/status/1891960103634403648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The students need to do the Flory chant again on Saturday.

KCC, these stats are meaningless when you don’t consider each player’s presence.

Nobody (outside of maybe BWillie) is saying bench Dickinson. I think most of us are saying he's not the great player you 2 think he is. He isn't the problem on the team, but he's slow, easy to guard..... outside of his over the head cross court pass out of a double to the corner.... and he's an average defender. KJ and Harris are the problems, less so Harris, because in order to be decent Dickinson needs way better players around him than he currently has.

Thread logic says we can't blame him for anything now.

Harris with enough shooting is not a problem. Harris, KJ and Hunter is criminal. Its why we've been bad for two seasons. Harris is one of our better scorers on this team, though. Which is hilariously sad.

Dickinson is just not a winning basketball player. Some guys arent. They are stat chasers and analytics cannot properly account for them. If you watch KU bball and come away thinking Hunter Dickinson is the thing that could make us a championship contender or not I wonder if your eyes work. The player this team can most ill afford to lose is probably Mayo. Then it's probably Harris even though it should be Bidunga but he's not allowed to play enough to matter as much aa he should. Then down the list would be Dickinson.

Dajuan Mayo KJ Flory Dickinson

Odd starting lineup

Dear god

“KJ is a problem because he can’t shoot, let’s move him to the perimeter”

Dajaun already laying bricks

Terrible

These ****ing clowns I'm about to turn this shit off already

This is ****ing stupid.

How do you have 3 bigs and allow the other team to get offensive rebounds?

Top 4 defense!!!

Turns out playing KJ at the 3 and destroying your offense even worse isn’t the solution after all

How in the living shit did we ever beat great teams early and now look like a pile of puke?

I think it's too early to go to bed at halftime like I did the other night. :shake:

The real question is do BYU fans even bother storming the court?

lol just lol

When basketball is going heavy on 3s it’s nice to know we start with Harris being the 2nd best shooter

Please retire Bill

Getting KJ his 35 minutes a game is more important than trying to win games

KJ throws the ball away then allows the guy to make a layup. :shake:

Is KJ a big?

He's bigger than me? :shrug: