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The Kansas Jayhawks were still in search of their first true road win of the season when they headed into Boulder, Colorado for a conference showdown with the Colorado Buffaloes.  Head Coach Bill Self and his young Jayhawks had to struggle through a tough opponent that plays a difficult brand of basketball, but they were able to walk away with a 73-56 victory. Read the rest of this entry »

Under Bill Self we’ve all gotten a little spoiled. Winning has become second nature to Jayhawk fans, particularly in conference play. We’ve gotten used to winning the Big 12 every year, regardless of pre-season expectations or what the so-called “experts” are predicting. Some how, some way, every season Coach Self’s guys find a way to bring home the Big 12 championship trophy. Like most Kansas fans, I’ve forgotten what it feels like to not win the conference. However, this year may be different. This year we’ve got one of the youngest, most inexperienced teams in the country. This year the competition is stronger than ever. This year no one expects Kansas to win the Big 12. No one except Jayhawk fans.

 But there are some areas this team is going to have to address if it’s going to win the conference title yet again. Here are five things the Jayhawks need to win the Big 12 title for the fifth year in a row:

Help for Sherron and Cole – Junior guard Sherron Collins and sophomore center Cole Aldrich, as the only two returning players with significant minutes from last year’s national champion team, have stepped up their game. This one-two punch is as good as any in college basketball, but they can’t do it alone. In the games where Kansas has stumbled this season, one or both of these players has gone cold or disappeared for an extended period, with no one else picking up the slack. If this team will have a chance to hoist the conference trophy in March, they’re going to need Tyshawn Taylor, Mario Little, Travis Releford and the Morris twins all producing on a consistent basis.

Blocking Out – One thing that has been driving Kansas fans nuts all season is rebounding. This team doesn’t block out like they should and, as a result, opponents are killing us on the boards. Especially against tough opponents, you’re not going to win games if you’re giving them two and three chances on the offensive end. Danny Manning is on staff for just this reason, to teach the young guys proper fundamentals in the post. Unfortunately, it’s taking longer to get through to them than most fans had hoped.

Tougher Defense - Another sign of youth and inexperience, this team hasn’t shown the defensive grit that is the trademark of previous Self teams. Most of these freshmen coasted through high school and AAU ball on their athleticism, letting their superior speed and agility cover for any defensive lapses. Unfortunately, that’s just not possible in major college basketball. Defense is a skill, and needs to be developed just like a jump shot, and it’s one skill many of the young players are just now learning. A reason for optimism: Brandon Rush was a sub-par defender when he arrived on campus, but rapidly became one of the best in the country.

Offensive Movement – In the first half of the game at Arizona, it looked like the offense was finally starting to gel. We were seeing backdoor cuts and alley-oops. We saw pick-and-rolls and dishes to open shooters off dribble drives. For the first half of that game, you could see things starting to come together. Then it all fell apart. Sometimes it’s looked great, but at others, well, not so much. And there seems to be one recurring theme whenever Kansas’ offense goes stagnant: a lack of movement. Players are standing around waiting for the ball to come to them, and as a result, nothing is developing. To me, it seems like there’s one easy solution. Give Cole the ball. Cole Aldrich should get touches on every offensive possession. By getting him the ball down low, one of two things happens; either he makes one those sweet moves he’s developed and gets a good look at the basket, or else the defense collapses on him freeing up someone else for an open shot. Either way, the Jayhawks get a good shot.

A little help – Kansas benefits from playing in the Big 12 North, the weak sister of the conference. While early season favorites Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor have to play each other twice, KU only has to play each south team once. Personally, I’d rather play Colorado, Iowa State and K-State twice than have to face OU, Texas and Baylor both home and away. Luckily for us (and unluckily for them), the teams in the south will beat up on each other. But we still won’t be able to win the conference championship without a little help. The Jayhawks face tough challenges, especially on the road, and are likely to stub their toes somewhere along the line, considering the hostile environments they’ll be subjected to in Lincoln, Ames, and especially Columbia. Only the game in Boulder should be a gimme, and even that’s not guaranteed with a team loaded with freshmen.

Overall, this team is quite a bit further along than they should be, no doubt the product of quality coaching and superior talent. While their inconsistency is maddening at times, Coach Self’s teams have a history of peaking in conference play. This alone ought to put the Jayhawks in a position to challenge for at least a share of the Big 12 title. And while this team is probably a good year or two away from making another deep run in the big dance, with poise, practice and a little bit of luck, Kansas may be hoisting yet another conference championship banner in Allen Fieldhouse come next fall.

Erick McGriff knew there was something special about the University of Kansas when he was on his visit in early December. He knew it so well; he decided to commit to the Jayhawks less than a month later.

“My visit to Kansas was awesome,” McGriff said. “After talking to my parents, we just thought it was the best place for me. I really liked the coaching staff and the family environment there,” McGriff added about his decision to commit.

It’s been less than a month since McGriff committed to Mark Mangino and his Kansas program, but McGriff is already anticipating arriving on campus.

“I can’t wait to get there this summer,” McGriff said. “I don’t know the exact dates, but I’m sure I’ll so summer school. I’m just excited,” McGriff said.
McGriff has also put some consideration into what he wants out of his education while at Kansas.

“I plan on majoring in either Sports Management or Business,” McGriff said.

Now that his college decision is behind him, McGriff has been focusing his talents on the hardwood this winter. McGriff has been doing so well on the court, maybe there is a chance at being a two sport star in Lawrence?

“Man, everybody asked me that. I don’t know, I might try that, but it depends,” McGriff said about his basketball abilities.

“I think I am averaging like 15 points per game right now,” McGriff added.

When McGriff arrives in Lawrence, it will be on the field where he will showcase his athletic ability first. According to McGriff, he will bring his playmaking ability with him, but he also knows he has some things to work on.

“I go get the ball. I love the jump ball and running deep routes,” McGriff said.

McGriff attacks defenders and isn’t afraid of contact from defensive backs. He also has the ability to pick extra yards after catching the ball.

“I run a lot of underneath stuff, screen and stuff, and I can just make that quick first move and pick up extra yards like that. My footwork and timing are two things I know I will need to work on,” added McGriff.

The Kansas Jayhawks need Mario Little. On a team whose defining characteristic is its youth, injury-plagued swingman Mario Little will bring some much needed poise and maturity. But as he’s been unable to stay healthy, there’s a lot of talk among Kansas fans regarding whether or not Little should be redshirted, and it’s a decision that has to be made now.

The Michigan State game was the last game of the first half of the season. That means if Little plays one more second for the Jayhawks this year, he’ll be ineligible for a redshirt under the NCAA’s medical hardship rule. So the question remains: should Little be redshirted?

Self brought in Little from Chipola Community College, Marianna, Fla., to help add veteran leadership to a Kansas squad that lost eight players, six of whom played significant minutes, to graduation and the NBA draft last year. Unfortunately, the 6-foot-5 junior has been struck by a rash of injuries, starting with a stress fracture in his leg, which was just beginning to heal when he broke a finger in practice.

So far, Little has played in only three games this season, averaging 1.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists, in only 7.3 minutes per game, all a substantial drop from his numbers last season, where he averaged 15.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in leading Chipola into the National Junior College Championship Tournament.

 As for the redshirt, the Michigan State game made the decision painfully apparent. Regardless of how Little has played so far this year, the Jayhawks need him. Both road games this year have exposed the youth and inexperience of this Kansas team. When faced with hostile environments or staunch defensive pressure, the Jayhawks have looked rattled and unsure of themselves.

In the Syracuse game, at Arizona and at Michigan State, Kansas’s young players, particularly Tyshawn Taylor and the Morris twins, each of whom has been called upon to play significant minutes, have looked intimidated. Even the acknowledged leaders of this team, Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, have at times looked overwhelmed. By keeping Little active, Coach Self adds the poise of an upperclassman, as well as the diverse play of a true swingman.

Though most KU fans haven’t seen enough of him to form an opinion, Coach Self has drawn comparisons between Little and another Jayhawk favorite, Brandon Rush. While I think most Jayhawk fans have been pleasantly surprised by the play of redshirt sophomore Brady Morningstar, playing a two guard in the three spot has caused a number of problems for the team, not least in the rebound category. And this is a category where Little will be able to contribute immediately, even with a bandage on his left hand.

The Jayhawks also benefit from the inside-out game he brings. With the Morris twins not living up to their hype as jump shooters, Coach Self’s squad is in dire need of someone who can bang inside, as well as pull up and hit a jumper. And while Morningstar and Tyrell Reed have done a fine job from behind the arc, neither of them has the size required to hit both the offensive and defensive glass. Freshman Travis Releford has shown glimpses of brilliance, but has been painfully inconsistent, as freshmen are known to do. However, throw a healthy Little into the mix and you’ve got added depth to battle the hiccups of a maturing team.

Of course, as much as many of us would love to see Little in conference play and into March, where we’re going to need him, it really all depends on his health. Is a Little at 80% for the rest of the season better than having him at 100% for the next two years? To me that’s a no-brainer. In the next two years, this year’s freshmen will mature and develop into basketball-savvy young men, under the guidance of Coach Self and his staff. Barring another mass exodus to the NBA, they’ll in turn be able to mentor future freshmen, helping them through the transition from high school to college, both athletically and socially.

As it is, if this Kansas team is going to be in a position to defend the National Championship come March, it needs all of the veteran leadership it can get on the court and Mario Little, even at less than 100%, is going to play a big part in that.