“He got it off. It’s good. No doubt.”Gabe DeArmond, moments after the ESPNU replay showed K-State’s Rodney McGruder’s desperation three-pointer in Boulder on Saturday night was good according to the on-screen clock, Twitter
GH: My wife and I attended a Valentine’s dinner party with nine other couples on Saturday night. After leaving the restaurant, we all headed to one of the couple’s homes. I convinced the host to flip on the second half of the KSU-CU game, despite his belief that he didn’t think his cable service provided ESPNU. Even the wives were riveted to the tube for the game’s final minutes. The wave of up and down emotion that swept through that rec room was scintillating. When Pullen was picked by Burks, the Mizzou and Kansas fans in the room cheered. When Pullen answered with a three the K-Staters went wild – only to be crushed by Frank Martin’s ill-timed TO. But McGruder’s catch, twirl and heave with 1.1 showing on the clock that went from game-winner to possible NIT clincher was one for the ages. It reminded me a lot of Nebraska’s thought-they-won-but-lost game against Colt McCoy’s Longhorns in last year’s Big 12 football title game.
“I don’t know what else can happen to K-State this year. That was unreal.”
Todd Leabo, Twitter
Todd Leabo, Twitter
“Can you imagine that happening in the NCAA Tournament?”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: The K-State players and the Wildcat fans behind their bench exploded when McGruder’s heave hit home. It was only after the video replay showed the ball still in McGruder’s hand and the scoreboard outlined in a sickening red glow did we realize the Buffs were the surprise winners. The game of basketball is known for producing heart-wrenching endings. I cannot think of another that was more emotional than what I’ll forever remember as The McGruder Time Bomb.
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: The K-State players and the Wildcat fans behind their bench exploded when McGruder’s heave hit home. It was only after the video replay showed the ball still in McGruder’s hand and the scoreboard outlined in a sickening red glow did we realize the Buffs were the surprise winners. The game of basketball is known for producing heart-wrenching endings. I cannot think of another that was more emotional than what I’ll forever remember as The McGruder Time Bomb.
“K-State I guess could win Monday (against Kansas), but even that wouldn’t save Cats’ season. Abysmal game tonight. Bad timeout by Frank before Pullen hit 3.”
Gary Bedore, LJW writer, Twitter
GH: I was surprised to read Kellis Robinette’s game story Sunday in The Star and not find mention of how Martin’s overcoaching cost his team Pullen’s game-tying three. I thought I saw a wry smile cross Coach Frank’s lips as he met his team for the timeout. Maybe Frank is learning not everything lives and dies with what a 20-year-old does on a basketball court. If he can evolve to that point as a coach, maybe this season wasn’t such a disappointment.
Gary Bedore, LJW writer, Twitter
GH: I was surprised to read Kellis Robinette’s game story Sunday in The Star and not find mention of how Martin’s overcoaching cost his team Pullen’s game-tying three. I thought I saw a wry smile cross Coach Frank’s lips as he met his team for the timeout. Maybe Frank is learning not everything lives and dies with what a 20-year-old does on a basketball court. If he can evolve to that point as a coach, maybe this season wasn’t such a disappointment.
“K-State’s season has been so gosh awful to date, their fans should not storm the court if KSU wins Monday; I realize they’ll storm, however.”
Gary Bedore, LJW writer, Twitter
GH: What is it with Kansas folks who abhor fans who storm the court on the rare occasion the Jayhawks get knocked off in hoops? I think Bob Davis hates court-stormers more than he hates refs who dare whistle fouls on the Hawks. If K-State somehow gets KU’s scalp in Manhattan, those purple people should flood Bramlage like a river of grape Kool-Aid.
Gary Bedore, LJW writer, Twitter
GH: What is it with Kansas folks who abhor fans who storm the court on the rare occasion the Jayhawks get knocked off in hoops? I think Bob Davis hates court-stormers more than he hates refs who dare whistle fouls on the Hawks. If K-State somehow gets KU’s scalp in Manhattan, those purple people should flood Bramlage like a river of grape Kool-Aid.
“Anyone care to predict a KU-K-State score for (Monday). Kansas is favored by 4. I think they’ll win by 8-10 points (But don’t hold me to that).”
Jason King, Twitter
GH: Kansas beat K-State in Lawrence last month as badly as any Big 12 team has beat another conference foe. It would not be a stretch to say Martin’s team was so demoralized chasing Kansas’ talent that they quit in desperation. After watching KSU’s offense struggle in Boulder, I wonder what the bookies know if KU is only a four-point favorite in Manhattan.
GH: Kansas beat K-State in Lawrence last month as badly as any Big 12 team has beat another conference foe. It would not be a stretch to say Martin’s team was so demoralized chasing Kansas’ talent that they quit in desperation. After watching KSU’s offense struggle in Boulder, I wonder what the bookies know if KU is only a four-point favorite in Manhattan.
“You get expectations like (K-State had this season) and it makes you appreciate what Bill Self has done throughout his career.”
Mitch Holthus, 810 AM
Mitch Holthus, 810 AM
“Yeah, I know polls don’t matter, but Big 12 could go 1-2 in the next one. But how would you position KU and Texas?”
Blair Kerkhoff, KC Star columnist, Twitter
GH: I have to rank Texas ahead of Kansas – and it’s not a real difficult pick. Both are legit top-5 teams. Texas won convincingly in Lawrence. Case closed.
Blair Kerkhoff, KC Star columnist, Twitter
GH: I have to rank Texas ahead of Kansas – and it’s not a real difficult pick. Both are legit top-5 teams. Texas won convincingly in Lawrence. Case closed.
“Texas has 3 losses but won at KU. Plus, I just think they’re a little bit better right now. Not trying to be too logical, just subjective.”
Seth Davis, Twitter
Seth Davis, Twitter
“Watching this Kansas team this year share the basketball is a thing of beauty.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: When Kansas moves the ball around the perimeter and then in and out of the post, they are very difficult to stop. I don’t know of a better team in the country at moving the ball on offense and forcing the defense to constantly move and adjust. It is the kind of basketball I remember being coached to play.
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: When Kansas moves the ball around the perimeter and then in and out of the post, they are very difficult to stop. I don’t know of a better team in the country at moving the ball on offense and forcing the defense to constantly move and adjust. It is the kind of basketball I remember being coached to play.
“They (the Morris Twins) need to watch that elbows stuff. They’re starting to get the reputation as dirty players.”
Doug Gottlieb, ESPN college basketball analyst, 810 AM
GH: I’m not so sure Bill Self and his Jayhawks mind getting labeled as a bit of a dirty team. It might shock Kansas fans to read that but there is something to be said about a team that dishes out more punishment than it is willing to take – even when it is sometimes outside the rules. Nebraska football has won a lot of games and titles wearing black hats.
Doug Gottlieb, ESPN college basketball analyst, 810 AM
GH: I’m not so sure Bill Self and his Jayhawks mind getting labeled as a bit of a dirty team. It might shock Kansas fans to read that but there is something to be said about a team that dishes out more punishment than it is willing to take – even when it is sometimes outside the rules. Nebraska football has won a lot of games and titles wearing black hats.
“I know this, if Ricardo Ratliffe had thrown an elbow, Kansas fans would be calling the station and calling him a thug.”
Nick Wright, after KU’s Markieff Morris was called for intentionally hitting MU’s Justin Safford last Monday night, 610 AM
Nick Wright, after KU’s Markieff Morris was called for intentionally hitting MU’s Justin Safford last Monday night, 610 AM
“I did not call the Morris twins thugs. What I said was that Kansas fans would be calling the Morris twins thugs. I do not like the term ‘thug.’ I think it’s racially charged.”
Nick Wright, 610 AM
GH: So instead of calling the Morris twins thugs, Wright insinuated that the Kansas fan base is full of racially charged individuals who would do what Wright says he would not – but is the only one who did. I got it.
Nick Wright, 610 AM
GH: So instead of calling the Morris twins thugs, Wright insinuated that the Kansas fan base is full of racially charged individuals who would do what Wright says he would not – but is the only one who did. I got it.
“I think this might be it. Is Mike Anderson going to be an elite coach? Probably not.”
Soren Petro, on his thought that this is about as good as it gets for the Tigers under Mike Anderson, 810 AM
GH: I heard Kevin Kietzman talk at length about an interview Petro had with Mike Anderson last week. KK and Petro seemed to think Anderson was a difficult interview because he obviously avoided some of Petro’s questions. Neither KK nor Petro mentioned the possibility of Anderson being miffed at Petro for how hard Petro had been riding him on his show the past few days. I am going to guess that Anderson was far more hospitable during that interview than Petro would be to me if I were to interview 810’s midday host for a column.
Soren Petro, on his thought that this is about as good as it gets for the Tigers under Mike Anderson, 810 AM
GH: I heard Kevin Kietzman talk at length about an interview Petro had with Mike Anderson last week. KK and Petro seemed to think Anderson was a difficult interview because he obviously avoided some of Petro’s questions. Neither KK nor Petro mentioned the possibility of Anderson being miffed at Petro for how hard Petro had been riding him on his show the past few days. I am going to guess that Anderson was far more hospitable during that interview than Petro would be to me if I were to interview 810’s midday host for a column.
“I think 10 (Big 12) wins should be the goal (for Mizzou). Anything less will be disappointing.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: Mizzou plays like the Celtics at home and the Cavs on the road. For now, I am keeping them on my short list of dark horse teams to get to the Elite Eight. Anderson’s teams might not be built to win the conference but they are a bitch to prepare for on a single days notice.
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: Mizzou plays like the Celtics at home and the Cavs on the road. For now, I am keeping them on my short list of dark horse teams to get to the Elite Eight. Anderson’s teams might not be built to win the conference but they are a bitch to prepare for on a single days notice.
“If Missouri is going to make any kind of push to get a good NCAA seed, Mike Anderson needs to get Kim English in the starting lineup.”
Jack Harry, Twitter
Jack Harry, Twitter
GH: Has Mad Jack even watched the Tigers play the past two years? Kim English is about as important to the success of this Mizzou team as the King’s English.
“Missouri played so well in the first half (against Kansas) that it made me think maybe Mike Anderson isn’t doing as good a coaching job as he should. If they’re good enough to play like that, they shouldn’t have lost the games they lost.”
Nick Wright, 610 AM
Nick Wright, 610 AM
“(Missouri) has to show more toughness. Regardless of how competitive you played in the first half, you can’t feel good about how you played the game.”
Mike DeCourcy, after Mizzou’s loss at Kansas, 810 AM
Mike DeCourcy, after Mizzou’s loss at Kansas, 810 AM
GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24
KU vs KSU
As a KU fan, jumping up to # 1 always scares the hell out of me. You become an even bigger target than you are at #2 or #3. The game tonight has upset written all over it. Would love to be wrong, but……
close game
vegas odds makers have seen both kansas teams play 20+ times. they know what they’re doing with a 4 point spread. most of us are fans. those guys are pros.
Morris twins have a bit of dirty player in them, but they’re competitive and loyal, and any team who wouldn’t want them is crazy.
Martin
You can not fault Martin for calling the TO. That was a crap shoot.
What you CAN fault Martin for is NOT requesting a video review (to put an additional .5 ticks back on the clock). It was obvious that there was 1.6 seconds left – not 1.1 – on the inbounds play. If the refs don’t automaticly take a peek (which you’d think they would/should have done), then the coaches can request it. That one is on Martin.
This one hurts.
ALL THE EXPERTS IN TOWN ARE PICKING MU TO
UPSET KU IN COLUMBIA.
JACK HARRY….CLINKHEAD….KEVIN “mISSION HILLS IS FOR LOVERS” KIETZMAN…
NONOTHING PETRO…ETC..ALL PICKING MU TO UPSET KU IN COLUMBIA…
I SAY NO WAY….this years mu team is a bunch of run and gun shooting artists…
no real plan to win a game….butat home they play good….
ALL THE EXPERTS IN TOWN ARE PICKING MU TO
UPSET KU IN COLUMBIA.
JACK HARRY….CLINKHEAD….KEVIN “mISSION HILLS IS FOR LOVERS” KIETZMAN…
NONOTHING PETRO…ETC..ALL PICKING MU TO UPSET KU IN COLUMBIA…
I SAY NO WAY….this years mu team is a bunch of run and gun shooting artists…
no real plan to win a game….butat home they play good….
A couple of things
First, Greg, when you say that Nebraska has won a lot of games and titles wearing black hats, I call bullshit. At least until Pelini got there, Nebraska absolutely REFUSED to admit that its program was anything less than spotless and filled with choir boys and even know it’s only Pelini who seems comfortable being the bad guy. When a few chinks in the armor (Lawrence Phillips) started to appear, NU fans were all “Osborne knows what he’s doing and he is TOTALLY going to discipline Phillips.” As a KU fan I know well when fans buy into their own hype (yes, we do it too) and NU Fans absolutely love their image as “The Greatest Fans in College Football” and Osborne inculcated that to the day of his retirement and he continues to do so today. They’d run up the score on you and after beating you 73-6 they’d give your school a standing ovation and all the fans would say “good game” to visiting fans when it was over. They run screaming from a dirty reputation faster than Kansas City meteorologists run from vaginas.
Second, I’m not sure Mike Anderson’s teams are all that tough to prepare for on short notice. Yes, their style is unorthodox, but what is the deepest his teams have ever gone in the NCAA? I’m asking because I really don’t know. But his results in a short turnaround non-league tournament setting (non-league because every team in the Big XII has had the chance to prepare for them during the season, so it’s not accurate to suggest that they only had a single day’s notice.), in other words, the NCAAs, don’t suggest that he is any tougher to prepare for than any other school. I remember when he was still at UAB and KU faced them and didn’t really have all that much difficulty getting ready. I forget, though, whether KU had one day or several days to get ready for that game so that may not really prove my point.
Don’t get me wrong; I like Anderson and I think he is a good coach but I’m just not sure his tournament record really shows that he is any bigger a threat than a team that doesn’t press and harry the ballhandler.
CASE CLOSED
GH: I have to rank Texas ahead of Kansas
I doubt seriously Anderson even knows who Petro is …
… so I really don’t think he would treat him any differently than any other interviewer. I don’t listen to Petro much so I have no idea what you mean when you say he might have been avoiding questions. But, why would Anderson care what a mid-day sports talk radio host has to say?
Anderson is not a great interview on these talk shows. He sounds like he just wants to get them over with. If you ever catch him on the postgame shows, while the adrenalin is still pumping, he’s much better.
Mizzou under Anderson is never going to win a lot of conference titles. Officials are too influenced by the home crowd to allow his style to be overly successful on the road. And by that I mean they get some no-calls at home and some bad calls on the road. But, the postseason is a different story. I don’t know that it has as much to do with only one day of preparation as it does the more aggressive play that is allowed in the tournament.
rankings
Personally, I kind of wanted Texas to get the #1 ranking. Not because I think it’s some sort of jinx or because I like Texas but because I think this KU team plays better with a chip on its shoulder and that would have given them a huge chip. Still, Greg, you like head-to-head comparisons and I get the allure. I’m not saying your’e wrong, but I think there’s a lot of arguments to be made against you.
First, do you think the poll is supposed to be a snapshot of THIS WEEK and the season at THIS point in time or do you think it’s supposed to be over the course of the season? Because over the course of the season, KU has been better. KU has lost fewer games and in the common opponents KU and UT have faced, KU has done better. While it was closer than maybe I’d have liked, KU beat USC (at home, yes,) while Texas got spanked by seventeen (yes, on the road, but still). Texas took Baylor to the woodshed, but they did it in Austin. KU also administered a spanking to Baylor but they did it in Waco and if you want to credit KU with beating USC because they were home, that’s fine but you also have to conclude that KU’s domination of Baylor was more impressive than Texas’ domination of Baylor.
So, maybe you think that the ranking should be based on how things are right now, today, and this week’s poll is just a snapshot. I think that’s reasonable too, but I’m not sure you can make a case that any team is playing better than KU is playing right now either. I think Texas has been on fire but they haven’t been dominating teams quite like KU has been dominating them.
I guess the critical question is “what is the basis of your ranking UT ahead of KU?” Because it can’t be the season-long body of work or KU is more impressive. And it can’t be because UT is “better” right now than Texas, because that just isn’t compelling. If the sole basis of your ranking is that UT beat Kansas (which isn’t necessarily unreasonable), then you have to seriously consider ranking UConn as #1 because they’re really good AND they already beat Texas.
And none of this reasoning considers the emotional and physical exhaustion that KU may have been feeling when KU actually played Texas. Not that it’s an excuse. I didn’t apologize for beating Oklahoma a couple of years ago when Blake Griffin had a knee injury, so I’m not going to use Thomas Robinson’s mother’s death as an excuse here, but it certainly is a factor worth at least considering, isn’t it?
Bottom line, this is all going to be resolved in a tournament anyway and I like my team’s chances. For now, though, this is just a fun argument of zero consequence.
Oh, the case is not closed?
Oh,…Well if the case is not closed, then consider all the things Gavin said….. and the FACT that the poll is the poll….. and also consider the RPI……. and consider that the poll people are not 1000% blindly biased against KU like derp-hall is…….. and the fact that KU was kicking the shit out of Texas when the funk came in and that is no excuse, it is what is.
KU gave away a game that night….. and it is the only loss, and only a person with a is jealous crazed blind hatred of KU would say a team with 3 losses is better than a team with only 1 loss ( and a goofy loss at that)…. but that is OK. We have come to expectthis silly behavior form KU haters, it is funny
The really fun part is watching/reading all of the KU haters bash on, and wish the worst, for KU, year in and year out …… while KU fans happily watch KU kick ass year in and year out. It is a blast. How many BIG12 titles in a row is it now??? How many NCAA invites IN A ROW IS IT NOW?? and KU IS RANKED #1 TODAY in the polls today, no matter how much the haters wish they were not.
One game at a time, staying humble.
Good luck to ksu tonight, you guys need a good showing…… at some point,
RPI is the best ranking
RPI is really the best ranking,
if you looked at it last year, you saw Northern Iowa coming, I did, and that is why I did not take it too hard when KU did not win against them. All I askfor is a good showing and Coach helping the Kids become men, that is a good year. For me, KU does not have to win it all, I just like to see them do well….. and… they do…well.
CBSSports.com RPI
Rk. School W L RPI SOS Rank SOS
1 Kansas 24 1 0.6810 11 0.5953
2 Brigham Young 23 2 0.6773 14 0.5929
3 Georgetown 20 5 0.6728 2 0.6304
4 Ohio State 24 1 0.6727 33 0.5729
5 San Diego State 23 1 0.6713 35 0.5703
6 Pittsburgh 23 2 0.6634 20 0.5872
7 Duke 23 2 0.6596 37 0.5652
8 Texas 22 3 0.6576 18 0.5885
9 Notre Dame 21 4 0.6476 26 0.5793
10 Purdue 20 5 0.6433 24 0.5805
11 Florida 20 5 0.6394 6 0.6018
12 North Carolina 18 6 0.6390 5 0.6020
13 Connecticut 19 5 0.6363 16 0.5903
14 Kentucky 17 7 0.6356 10 0.5974
15 Arizona 21 4 0.6326 54 0.5537
16 Vanderbilt 18 6 0.6289 13 0.5941
17 St. John’s 15 9 0.6279 1 0.6313
18 Wisconsin 19 5 0.6274 36 0.5662
19 Xavier 18 6 0.6238 29 0.5769
20 Villanova 19 6 0.6207 27 0.5785
21 Syracuse 20 6 0.6181 25 0.5801
22 West Virginia 16 8 0.6177 4 0.6056
23 Utah State 23 2 0.6153 144 0.5058
24 George Mason 21 5 0.6142 74 0.5421
25 Louisville 19 6 0.6100 34 0.5712
It’s kind of like those spook movies …
… when a spirit enters, the room temperature falls to below freezing. When Jayhawk Fan enters, the average IQ level falls to room temperature.
Sunflower
I’ve counted up the tatoos and its Kansas tonight in a wire job.
Sunflower
I’ve counted up the tatoos and its Kansas tonight in a wire job.
UT Should Be No. 1
There is no argument worth intelligent cosideration for ranking Kansas above Texas. If Texas is at 3 losses and beat Kansas in Austin, perhaps. But they slapped Kansas in Lawrence. The only entertaining element to considering why Kansas is ranked higher is because Bill Self schedules patsies like Bill Snyder.
Nice work ksu
as I said ….
“Good luck to ksu tonight, you guys need a good showing…… at some point,”
now keep it up ksu it is good for the BIG 12 if you are in the NCAA tourney too.
Basketball is a game of inches and the good guys missed too many close baskets tonight….. not to mention too many sloppy give aways……. Oh well, this will make all the KU haters very happy, give em something to blab about, which is always funny.
It is a simple game….gotta get that ball in hoop more than the other guys………. anyway……. BIG PROPS TO PULLEN,,,, HE PLAYED GREAT, CONGRATS KSU.