The Kansas Jayhawks had a terrific season. I think they were ranked high in the
preseason polls and picked to win the Big XII due more to their reputations and
history rather than true talent. Yet,
the Jayhawks played to their ranking and preseason predictions. They won their 8th straight
conference title and were ranked in the top 10 for most of the season. They earned a number 2 seed in the NCAA
Tournament. While these accomplishments
don’t seem like a surprise, I have to honestly admit they really exceeded my
true expectations.
KU featured a fine starting five and a very thin bench. When the season started, Tyshawn Taylor had
more career minutes played than all of his teammates combined at Kansas. Jayhawk fans are used to a solid rotation of
8 or 9 almost every season. This team
played its bench only when it was necessary.
Yet, they found a way to succeed and play to the seemingly unrealistic
preseason predictions. Mirroring the
toughness of their head coach, Bill Self, Kansas
fought and scraped their way to success.
Few games were easy or runaways and the Jayhawks seemed to be playing
from behind much of the season. They
found a way to win game after game.
The NCAA Tournament followed the established pattern for the
Jayhawks. They didn’t play well in the
first halves and those kids were able to turn things around in the second
halves, making furious comebacks in several postseason games. Even in the championship game, the Jayhawks
struggled early and found themselves digging themselves out of a hole late.
Kentucky is a
fine team. There has been little doubt
the Wildcats were the best team throughout a down year in college
basketball. They were young but talented
and athletic. Coach John Calipari got
them to buy into his system and to play defense, a deathly combination for the
opposition.
There is no doubt Kentucky
was more talented and athletic, player for player, than Kansas. The Wildcats dominated the first half and it
was all the Jayhawks could do not to be blown out and embarrassed. KU popped out of the locker room after the
half just as they did several other games.
Kansas made a couple of
shots and made a couple of defensive stops.
In my opinion, the key play of the game was when Jeff Withey failed to
get an easy dunk through the cords early in the second half. KU had cut into the lead and their fans were
just starting to feel the momentum swing.
If that dunk goes down, who knows if the outcome would have been
different. So much happened after that
play. Immediately though, UK
scored a basket and snuffed the Jayhawks’ growing momentum. I want to make it clear that I am not blaming
Withey for this loss. Without him, KU
would never have been even close to the championship game. It just happened to be his missed dunk that I
felt was the key.
From that point, KU ever so slowly scraped their way back
into the game but never really gained that feeling of momentum. The Wildcats seemed to be on the verge of
allowing the Jayhawks back into the game mentally but with that failed dunk, Kansas
seemed to lose a little something. They
eventually cut their deficit to 5 points but never closer. UK
kept them at arms length and eventually outlasted the comeback.
But that missed dunk wasn’t the only missed opportunity for
the Jayhawks. KU missed 3 dunks and 13
lay-ups through the course of the game.
The fantastic Anthony Davis had a lot to do with Kansas’
tightness around the rim. Still, KU only
lost by 8 points. If KU had cashed in on
just a few of those missed chances, things could have been much different. Make the dunks (the highest percentage shot
possible) and just a couple of the missed bunnies, then maybe there would have
been a different result in the outcome.
It is futile to play the “what if” game. It serves no purpose and it does take away
from a great performance by the Wildcats.
I mention these key blown opportunities because it shows that the game
wasn’t that far from having a different result.
I heard a talking head yesterday speaking about how this
only proves that Kentucky is the
best program and how John Calipari is by far the best coach in college
basketball. All of his arguments sounded
pre-written. I think if KU would have
won, this guy would have just replaced Kentucky
with Kansas and John Calipari
with Bill Self. His arguments would have
held weight for whichever school and coach, depending on who won the game. He went on and on about now it wasn’t even
close to which school and coach was best.
He said no one could argue the point anymore. My point is that the discussion is still
closer than this guy wanted to admit.
Three dunks and a couple of lay ups and who knows. Kentucky
had a fine season and played a heck of a championship game and they deserved
the title but KU wasn’t that far behind.
Bill Self proved that he must be counted among the game’s
finest coaches. He has shown in the past
that he is a top notch recruiter and has been able to get top players to adhere
to his system. He proved this season he
could coach a team with less talent but with huge hearts and still win. Coach Self and this team should be very proud
of their season and the final results. I
know the fans are. The worst thing is
that we now have to wait seven months for the next edition of the Kansas
Jayhawks.
Read my movie and TV reviews at jawsrecliner.com. Catch up on small market baseball news at
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