Immediate Overreaction KU vs Iowa State
It's time for some tough conversations
Every season when Kansas’ conference schedule is released there are a handful of games that are a toss up. I’ve come to accept that, that’s just how college basketball is. Homefield(court) advantage plays a larger role in College Basketball than any other sport. Iowa State is one of those games so I get it. In past years for this Kansas program it felt more like a toss up than what it has for the past few, these road losses are starting to become the norm. Granted, they are coming off two straight road wins to open Big 12 play but UCF and Cincinnati are a far cry from Hilton and this Iowa State team. The Big 12 is as strong as it’s ever been and as strong as any conference in the history of the sport. But it’s Kansas. The expectations that come from wearing that name across the chest are part of the deal (quite literally these days). I write this as an immediate overreaction to what I just watched, a good Kansas team went on the road to play a good Iowa State team in a great atmosphere. It was a game that was circled on both teams’ schedules for several months. I’ll admit I’m not surprised at the outcome, I think these teams will split on the season after Iowa State comes to Allen Fieldhouse. Again, that’s just how college basketball goes. I am going to try not to overreact to the loss but I have plenty of overreactions as to how it happened.
Inexplicable lineup decisions
I really hate to go down this road but it absolutely has to be addressed and I am most certainly the one to do it. I know there are countless people waiting for this post to come out. I want to start off by saying what doesn’t need to be said, obviously Bill knows what he is doing (2 National Titles, 16 Big 12 titles, all that stuff). I will not listen to any argument against Bill being anything other than the face of Kansas Basketball. Period. There is no argument that could ever be made short of a murder charge that would ever change my mind on the fact that Bill can coach here until he says he’s done. However, no coach in the history of sports has ever been above criticism. It should never be that way. It comes with the territory (and salary). So here goes.
I cannot understand these lineup decisions.
It makes no sense.
I gave these lineup decisions the benefit of the doubt last night after the game. I figured, "It can't really be as bad as I think right?". And then I pull up the box score, and oh buddy... It may be even worse.
Take a look...
In a combined 53 minutes of play from KJ and Hunter....10 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, 5 TO, 4-15 FG
In a combined 40 minutes from Flory, AJ, and Rylan...19 points (any combination of 2 of the 3 outscores KJ and Hunter, 11,13 or 12), 7 rebounds ( 5, 5 or 4 for any two man combination), 5 blocks (4 from Flory), 3 TOs ( all from Flory), 8-13 FG
More points in fewer minutes, more blocks in fewer minutes, and a higher FG %
To add more... TO/Minute rate KJ and Hunter- .094
TO/Minute rate Flory and AJ- .14
TO/Minute rate Flory and Rylan- ..13
TO/ Minute rate AJ and Rylan- 0.0 NO Turnovers in 29 combined minutes of play!
I don't want this to come across as a KJ and Hunter hate post. I absolutely love KJ and have always been a KJ defender. That will not change. He plays harder than anyone and brings a fire to this team that is irreplaceable. I like Hunter. I think Bill's teams are always better with a scoring threat on the block. This is also not a Bill Self hit piece, I will always trust Bill. However, I think that it is also fair to question why can't they be pulled when it isn't their night? The numbers don't lie, I can't imagine that Bill and the staff aren't seeing the same things that us idiots at home are seeing. So why?
We signed AJ Storr for a reason, we signed Rylan Griffen for a reason. We needed scoring. We needed athletes. We didn’t want to watch what we watched last year, and neither did Bill. He wanted 8 starters. He has 8 starters. It’s on him to figure out the formula.
The solution seems to be right there but sometimes we get an answer that we’re not prepared to accept. That seems to be the case right now.
AJ hasn’t been great. I’ll give you that. He looks lost. It’s hard to watch, you can’t help but feel for the kid. He struggles on defense (so does Hunter), he turns the ball over (Dajuan, KJ, Hunter), he takes and misses some bad shots (KJ, Hunter). However, those mistakes are amplified when you play limited minutes and have no opportunity to make up the difference. He simply has to play more. He is a big time athlete and perhaps the most talented pure scorer on this team outside of Zeke. I fully believe that he controls the ceiling for this Kansas team.
Rylan didn’t check into the game in the second half until after the 10 minute mark. Inexplicable. KU was down 10 at the time and struggling offensively and I see Rylan sitting on the bench in his warmup shirt. I almost fell out of my chair. I truly can’t understand this one. After hitting a big three near the end of the first half, our second best shooter sits on the bench for the next 10 minutes of action while the Iowa State lead continues to grow. I can’t make it make sense. He has to play. I could understand if you felt you were sacrificing offense for defense but neither was better with him off the floor so why not turn him loose?
Flory has shown flashes of a pure raw athleticism that I’ve only seen from a handful of Kansas players. (Joel, Doke, Wiggins, Josh Jackson, Ben McLemore come to mind). He is a game wrecker. This team transforms defensively when he is on the floor. He cleans up shots on the back end, much like Udoka, Withey and Joel to a certain extent. He changes every shot in the lane when he is in there. He catches lobs, gets extra possessions, runs the floor. So in the spirit of trading offense for defense as mentioned with the previous two transfers, why isn’t he playing more? Hunter is a liability defensively. He was last year and (I know it’s a shocker) but he still is this year. This was a game where you were trailing the entire way, in need of some defensive stops and we opted to leave in our 7’2” center that is a defensive liability for what? So we could throw it in to him on the block and trade two points on one end for two on the other? The math doesn’t add up.
I will be the first to say, I love KJ Adams. His story is inspiring, he plays harder than anyone. He truly is what I think of when I think of Bill Self’s Kansas Basketball. He is a national champion. He is everything that you would want in a player that you cheer for. Now here comes the tough part. He is a sixth man. He has to be a sixth man on this team. He is so limited offensively that it limits the ceiling of this team. He played the five spot on the 2022 team out of necessity. He started last year out of necessity. This year there is no clause that is forcing you to play him 30 minutes a game. There are pieces sitting there waiting to take some minutes and add some offense to this team. I understand what he brings to the table from a leadership standpoint, but he could be just as effective playing 15-20 minutes a game. I’m not saying he has to come off the bench but he cannot be one of your top options on a team that is struggling to score and find their way offensively. It just doesn’t work.
I will also say that I like Hunter. But he is a defensive liability. No other player besides KJ has as long of a leash as Hunter. He gives up so many easy baskets at the rim and from an offensive standpoint he bogs things down. When the ball enters the post, it is kicked out to set shooters that aren’t there. Zeke is the only option at that point. Not Juan, not Shak, certainly not KJ. So where is the offense supposed to come from? Flory has to take some of these minutes. Like I said, we are willing to give up offense for defense other places (KJ, Shak) so why not when it comes to Hunter?
I will end with this. I think it is human nature to hold a certain amount of loyalty to “your guys”, I get it. The “Big 3” have been a big part of the success of Kansas Basketball. I also think that as a fan you can appreciate while also wanting to see improvement. Both can be true. I still believe that this team can reach its ceiling, but I think there are some tough conversations that need to be had. The result of this game doesn’t change my opinion of this season, it was never going to. But the process by which it was reached amplifies some lingering questions that need to be addressed.
I will continue watching and supporting this team no matter what. I just think I speak for all Kansas fans right now when I say, "something has to change".
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