Interesting tweets from Travis Hines

For KU maybe it doesn't, but most teams have to give up something in recruiting.

Many of them have improved. Some will just always be outmatched, which can make the entire team look bad as they try to cover. You can stomp your feet all you want, but some guys just will not be good defenders.

I do think the conference has figured a few things out about how to combat our offense by exposing the weak links in our defense. Our guards get essentially no help from our forwards, and are stressed by having to always double the post.

Have not seen us do it much the last four games. Our guards just guard loose at the perimeter. One guard expects his wingspan to make the difference.
 
Niang last night showed almost no emotion whole game which is weird. This team had 3 days to prepare for this game. This team doesn't have a true leader during games who will get on players I.e Ejim and Kane. Naz tries but I think they are afraid of BDJ snaping and going off if yelled at, honestly. CFH takes that loss IMO, he didn't use TOs in first half and the entire staff should have stayed on the court at half and let the players go to locker room and send a message. It is absolutely atrocious that Edozie hasn't seen court in 7 games after seeing how much he hustles and rebounds. I realize we were down 20 but also losing on the boards...a lot. WTS, TT had their best shooting performance of the year and will never ever happen again. 4-4 on the road can still win title but we sit at 1-2 by 5 pts. This team is 5-6 pts from being 3-0 on road and in sole command of winning the Conf. This team blew it and I hope it sets in and they start playing mad.
 
Get back to me Monday night, we're playing a team that was hyped to depose Kansas (remember we were picked 5th) and is now on death's door.

Somebody is DOA after monday night, here's to it not being ISU.
 
We have quite a bit to work on. Most teams do, even ones significantly more talented than us.

Also like most teams, it takes losing (more than just three games, gasp!) for a bunch of talented 18-23 year-olds to learn.

We have some faults that are not correctable, but the staff will get these guys to not be so dependent on out-shooting the opponent.

When you shoot as poorly as we did today, you are going to have a decent chance at losing even if you play well in most every other aspect.

We shot 43 per cent overall to 42 per cent for TT with us having ten more shots. Our free throws were 77 per cent to 82 per cent. Our three points was 19 per cent to 46 per cent. Ah, that is a PROBLEM. Matt missed six, Naz missed six, Georges missed five, BDJ missed four, Monte missed two, and Abdel and Hogue missed only one. Most of these misses floated off to side of rim or hit the front edge. Naughty, naughty, pretty much misses right from the go as players were really floating sideways last night.We shot 31 threes and made six. Wowser.

Won rebounding 35-31.
Lost offensive rebounds 10-11.
Won turnover battle 10-13.
Won steals 7-6.
Tied blocks 3-3.
Lost personal fouls 19-23 (Naz).

Fairly obvious four players missed TWENTY ONE THREES and the game was lost.
Hope these guys sometimes realize when they miss the 21 threes, we usually lose the rebound and we look a little lazy. Time to change back to doing the hard work.
 
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We shot 43 per cent overall to 42 per cent for TT with us having ten more shots. Our free throws were 77 per cent to 82 per cent. Our three points was 19 per cent to 46 per cent. Ah, that is a PROBLEM. Matt missed six, Naz missed six, Georges missed five, BDJ missed four, Monte missed two, and Abdel and Hogue missed only one. Most of these misses floated off to side of rim or hit the front edge. Naughty, naughty, pretty much misses right from the go as players were really floating sideways last night.We shot 31 threes and made six. Wowser.

Won rebounding 35-31.
Lost offensive rebounds 10-11.
Won turnover battle 10-13.
Won steals 7-6.
Tied blocks 3-3.
Lost personal fouls 19-23 (Naz).

Fairly obvious four players missed TWENTY ONE THREES and the game was lost.
Hope these guys sometimes realize when they miss the 21 threes, we usually lose the rebound and we look a little lazy. Time to change back to doing the hard work.




6-31 gets you beat.
 
What this team is really missing is not a player but a defensive coach named Doc. I was hoping that the team could have some defensive toughness after he left, but it really has not happened. In the end the players are the ones that need to realize that missing shots can happen against any team and you have to defend to stay in games. They did come back a couple times yesterday, but getting down by 20, it is just too hard without someone on the team that is on fire.
 
That's why I said before season that replacing Doc with Henry might be biggest challenge. Don't get me wrong I think Henry had bright future but every year cfh has had a seasoned vet coach to lean on or use as motivator. Not this year.
 
I don't understand how KU does it year after year. Playing them we really looked like the better all around team. We are just so inconsistent. Bill Self is a good coach. So is Fred but we need to find a way to fix this if we want a big12 season title. So far this is looking like another repeat year where the team frustrates the heck out of the fans and somehow brings it together at the end of the year. Unfortunately that means another KU win for the big12, but the upside is that we can make a final four because this team is really good when we show up.

KU lost at TCU in their first year in the Big 12, still went 14-4 and shared the title.
 
That's why I said before season that replacing Doc with Henry might be biggest challenge. Don't get me wrong I think Henry had bright future but every year cfh has had a seasoned vet coach to lean on or use as motivator. Not this year.

Don't think Kane and Ejim needed motivation. In fact, I think they had taken it upon themselves to keep everybody focused and make sure the intensity was always there. They were like big brothers to everyone on the team.
 
KU lost at TCU in their first year in the Big 12, still went 14-4 and shared the title.

KU looks on track to have a another 14-4 season if not better. So if anyone hopes to beat KU in the final standings, they've got to do better than that.
 
Had they not given back all those points after they closed it to 6, we would've ran away, but didn't.

This.

The most disappointing part of the game for me is that at the start of the 2nd half we spot them an early 3 to go back down by 14, but then make that run to get within 6 with all the momentum on our side...and then give up an 8-0 run to them to go back down by 14 again and we're forced to play catch-up the rest of the game. A really key moment that didn't work out in our favor.
 
This.

The most disappointing part of the game for me is that at the start of the 2nd half we spot them an early 3 to go back down by 14, but then make that run to get within 6 with all the momentum on our side...and then give up an 8-0 run to them to go back down by 14 again and we're forced to play catch-up the rest of the game. A really key moment that didn't work out in our favor.

That foul on the made three pointer was a killer.
 
My frustration with the team is that some players seem to lack awareness or a basketball IQ. I stopped counting the number of times we would defend for 25 -28 seconds then committ a bad foul with the shot clock under 10. During the first half TT runs, we acted like we couldn't get a shot off fast enough, rather than make TT work a little on the defensive end and get a higher percentage shot, just to slow Tech's roll. I realize we are a up tempo team, but too many possessions required little effort to defend before a shot went up.

Games will be lost, it happens. A team that aspires to championships should not lose a game like this and Fred knows it and basically said as much.
The inability of the players, both individually and as a collective group, to recognize and remedy
the recurring bad habits/tendencies is what frustrates me. Monte and Jameel are about the only players I would omit from my frustrations.
 
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What this team is really missing is not a player but a defensive coach named Doc. I was hoping that the team could have some defensive toughness after he left, but it really has not happened. In the end the players are the ones that need to realize that missing shots can happen against any team and you have to defend to stay in games. They did come back a couple times yesterday, but getting down by 20, it is just too hard without someone on the team that is on fire.


No Doc plus no Ejim, no experienced offensive presence in the middle to occupy defenders to let George do his magic. I am beginning to see why Ejim was player of the year. He occupied and had the respect of defenses. Houge reaped the benefits vs. UCONN.
Freds teams seem determined to outshoot anyone even when the shots are not falling, from day one, when the shots dont fall, plan B is rarely executed.
Just observations..and opinion.
 
Until we play DEFENSE & REBOUND you can forget any thoughts about winning a big 12 regular season title...KU wins on the road at Texas and we get bombed by a lousy TX Tech team that TCU hammered by 20......
 
Get back to me Monday night, we're playing a team that was hyped to depose Kansas (remember we were picked 5th) and is now on death's door.

Somebody is DOA after monday night, here's to it not being ISU.

Right on, the loser Monday night will NOT be a factor in the big 12 race even for 2nd place...

As my coach used to say...It's Time for a GUT Check Boys....

I loved Cornell Mann @ halftime "You have to feel it in your GUT to win on the road"...Obviously nobody in Lubbock was feeling anything but PAIN from missing all those trays.....
 
...who have KU and KSU taken behind the woodshed?

I think the Big 12 has lots of competitive teams, but I'm not sure why people all of the sudden think these teams are good.

If you need to find out, put Kansas against someone like Kentucky again and you probably see a similar result.


Is Kansas as good as Kentucky? Uh, no, ....but nobody is. Not even Wisconsin or Virginia. Not when Kentucky is on their game, which they were against Kansas. If they played again I think it would be a pretty close game. Depends on how fired up and focused Kentucky is.
 
I know a lot of people are missing Ejim and Kane but what we really need is a Willoughby, Horton, Pratt, Homan, Vroman, Sullivan, Thigpen, Bayless, Grayer, Hornacek, Thompson, Alexander, Meyer, Fizer, Nurse, Stinson, Tinsley, Ivy, Brackins, White, Garrett.
 

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