Archive for the Jayhawk Talk Category

Episode 105 – Schedulegeddon

Posted on: January 22nd, 2017 by jayhawktalk No Comments

The guys are back to talk about the #SCHEDULEGEDDON KU is about to embark upon. They get you and the team ready with the various ways to “prep to go into battle.” They also talk about Kevin’s experience in Ames, recap the Texas game, talk about the keys to beating West Virginia and Kentucky and do another #GoGoPowerRankers for the Big 12. Huge week for the Hawks, and a huge week for the Jayhawk Talk Podcast. Come on in, grab a beer, and have a listen.

Find the Podcast on iTunes HERE (Please rate, review, subscribe!)

Find the Podcast on Podbean HERE (non-Apple mobile devices)

ROCK CHALK!

Image Credit: Getty

Episode 103 – Big 12 Battle Heats Up

Posted on: January 8th, 2017 by jayhawktalk No Comments

As promised, the guys are back on a weekly schedule and want to talk some hoops. As you might expect, there are some fiery hot takes on Svi’s travel against KSU, New Big 12 Power Rankings, Love for Landen, Introduction to Sam Cunliffe, and Previews of the OU and OSU games. We also talk about Brandon Rush’s jersey retirement, and spend way too much time on Rio Adams. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy a little Jayhawk Talk Podcast!

Find the podcast on iTunes HERE (please subscribe, rate, and review!)

Find the podcast on Podbean HERE (non-Apple mobile devices)

ROCK CHALK!

Episode 57 – KU Football Preview Preview, Embiid, Wiggins, Recruiting, Nonsense

Posted on: August 10th, 2014 by jayhawktalk No Comments

In this, the 57th episode of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast, the guys get together to talk a little JHT Fantasy Football Party, Wiggins/Embiid, KU Basketball recruiting, and a lot of nonsense. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy a little Jayhawk Talk Podcast.

Just a reminder, if you’re interested in being a part of the Jayhawk Talk Fantasy Football League, simply “Like” our Facebook page and then post something to the wall. One catch — You HAVE to be able to be at the draft in person on August 27 at 7:00 PM at the P&L Johnny’s Tavern. We look forward to it!

FIND THE PODCAST ON ITUNES HERE (please rate, subscribe, and leave us a comment!)

FIND THE PODCAST ON PODBEAN HERE (for non-Apple mobile devices)

Rock Chalk, friends.

Photo Courtesy: Kansan, LJ World

Episode 37 – KU-Duke, Champ Classic, Alexander and Hats, KU-WV, and GOALPOSTS

Posted on: November 19th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Kevin and Andrew return for a loaded podcast after a huge KU week. We start with KU-Duke and also talk about Kevin’s escapades in Chicago breaking up fights with drunk UK fans. We talk in depth about Cliff Alexander’s recruitment and his hilarious diss of Illinois breaking the KU hat curse forever. We also talk KU-WVU and recap our favorite experiences with tearing down goalposts (complete with photos!). We also preview Iona and do our weekly Johnny’s Taverns giveaway.

Come on in, have a beer, and enjoy the Jayhawk Talk Podcast!

LISTEN ON iTUNES HERE (all devices except non-Apple mobile devices)

LISTEN ON PODBEAN HERE (non-Apple mobile devices)

If you’d like to support the show, please remember to go to iTunes and rate the show, leave a comment, and of course, subscribe. It takes about 30 seconds and truly helps a ton in boosting the podcast.

ROCK CHALK!

 

Video: KU-MU Goalposts coming down! (2003)

Video: KU-MU Goalposts go swimming (2003)

More old goalpost pics:

 

 

 

2013-2014 KU basketball preview and predictions

Posted on: November 8th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

My favorite quote about predictors and prognosticators comes from former Kansas City Star columnist, Bill Vaughan. He wrote: ”The groundhog is like most prophets; it delivers its prediction then disappears.” I generally have the same feeling about sports handicapping and preseason predictions.

They’re all made by groundhogs.

So let’s get this out of the way. I’m not a handicapper. I’m a fan. But I also hold my team to a higher standard than just about anyone else because I want what is best for them. In short, I like to think I can make impartial predictions, and I am happy to stand by them for the season and beyond.

This is the third iteration of the Jayhawk Talk season predictions blog post. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 predictions are linked. In 2011, I predicted KU to be a #2 seed in UNC’s bracket. Also predicted T-Rob to go from a 7 and 6 guy to a 17 and 10 guy. Nailed those. In 2012, I predicted KU’s non-conference and conference records accurately and said Withey wins defensive player of the year easily. Nailed those too.

I also predicted Big 12 championships for those two years, but that isn’t much of a prediction these days.

To be fair, I missed a bunch of stuff too. Namely that OSU would be #2 behind KU in 2011 (7th) and that Perry Ellis would lead us in scoring last year early in the season (lost his starting job). But the misses aren’t any fun to talk about. The same goes for this intro.

Let’s get into the 2013-14 Jayhawks, shall we?

(1) This Wiggins Fella. Forget talking about the Big 12 season or postseason. No Kansas blog post would be complete without spending an exorbitant amount of time on Andrew Wiggins. My prediction? He has a terrific season. Every reasonable college basketball fan will praise his athleticism and impact on the game. But to many, he’ll be a disappointment. That’s because I think he’ll average something like 15.5 points, 5.5 boards, 2 blocks, and 3 assists. He’ll potentially affect the game more on defense than offense (I think he’ll lead the team in blocks). And his presence on the court alone will open up the offense in other places. In short, I think he’ll be a difference maker. Even if his stats don’t bear it out.

(2) Non-Conference Record.  There are 13 non-conference games with marquee matchups against Duke, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Georgetown. It is a ridiculously difficult schedule — one that will be nearly impossible to navigate without yielding a loss. My prediction is that KU ends up at 11-2, which I think most reasonable fans would take. Most likely losses include Duke and Florida. The good news is that the Big 12 season should be an easier slate than the non-conference season, leaving the possibility for a great tournament seed and very high ranking by the end of the year.

(3) Conference Record. KU has an enormous advantage over the Big 12 due to its ridiculous home court advantage. Barring injury, the Jayhawks will be favored in every game played at home. With a 9-0 head start on the league, the team only has to go 6-3 or better on the road to pretty much guarantee a share of the season title. I believe that will be the exact record at the end of the conference season, 15-3. Losses could occur @KSU, @ISU, @OSU, or @Baylor. I will say this… I don’t think TCU will be one of the losses for the second year in a row.

(4) Big 12 Champs. It’s impossible to predict any other team to win the Big 12 regular season title until it actually happens. And, well, I don’t think it’s going to happen this year. It’s not that KU is overwhelmingly better than teams like OSU, Baylor, or ISU. There are some really good players in the league this year. The difference is KU’s incredible home court advantage, Bill Self’s in-season coaching, and the general pedigree of winning these things. The only remaining question is how long it takes to see a picture of Self wearing all ten rings.

(5) Rotation. The rotation seems to be the hot button topic among KU diehards. For the first time in a long time, there is a ridiculous amount of depth on this KU team. We know the starters are going to be Ellis, Tharpe, Black, Wiggins, and Selden. What we don’t know is how deep Self will go on the bench. I predict the main rotation to include Embiid, Traylor, White, and Mason. That’s 9 guys. Rarely has a Bill Self team gone beyond 8 or 9, much less 10. As a result, I don’t think we’ll see a whole lot of Greene or Frankamp this season, except when the team needs a spark.

(6) Don’t forget about the veterans. This team has a great deal of hype, largely due to the best recruiting class Bill Self has ever brought to KU. Wiggins, Selden, and Embiid will all play a lot of minutes and will be a huge part of the success of the team. But even though KU returns no starters from the 2012-13 season, it does have legitimate veteran presence. Perry Ellis is a monster (more to come on that) and if the two exhibition games are any representation at all, Naadir Tharpe is a different player (15 assists, 0 turnovers). Jamari Traylor also has a role on this team (reports are that Self has been having him watch tape of Kevin Young to show him the type of energy he needs to bring to get minutes). In short, the vets will be just as important as the freshmen, especially early on when the lights are still bright.

(7) Perry Ellis. This is a bad, bad man. He may be quiet. He may not do anything flashy. But Perry is a true assassin with the basketball in his hands. The last third of the 2012-13 season was his coming out party, even if some fans expected to see it earlier. My prediction is that he will lead this team in scoring. Even over that Wiggins guy. Sure, Baylor’s Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson have been named Preseason All-Big 12 first teamers and Ellis was not on the list. I predict Ellis will force voters to remove one of these guys at the end of the season.

(8) Offense. I believe the normal Bill Self offense will be on display most of the time. In fact if you aren’t watching closely, it may seem similar to past years. You’ll still see the high-low motion. You’ll still see the same ball movement and inside-out attack. There will be a few differences, though. Self will most certainly install a “Wiggins Package” of plays, designed to get Andrew one-on-one against a single defender. The same can be said for Selden, though his plays may revolve more around posting up his (much smaller) defender. These two players are too valuable on the offensive end not to feature them in NBA-type isolation sets. It will be interesting to see how often these plays occur and how they assimilate into the overall offense. It is also worth noting that because of the team’s depth, there are multiple opportunities for mismatches on the offensive end that could change game to game. We have the low block banger bigs (Black, Jamari), the skilled and quicker bigs (Perry, Embiid), the jet off the bench (Mason), and the 3-point assassins (Greene, Frankamp, White). Depending on the defense, the game plan could change from game to game when it comes to the rotation.

(9) Defense. It is impossible to replace Jeff Withey. His impact on the defensive side of the ball was immeasurable. He allowed our guards to gamble a bit because the guards knew Withey was behind them scaring penetration away from the paint. This team will need to be much more sound when it comes to on-ball defense because there isn’t a bonafide rim protector in the paint this year. Through two exhibition games, you have probably heard Self mention more than once that on-ball defense is the area where the team could use the most improvement. The good news is the starters should, in theory, be great on-ball defenders. Tharpe was a bit of a liability on the defensive end last year, but hopefully he has improved. Wiggins and Selden are both so long and athletic that they should, in theory, be able to learn to play great defense. Black also provides a new dynamic on defense that we did not have before he transferred to KU. Remember how Perry got knocked around the block by bigger guys last year? That won’t be the case with Black. He is the one who knocks.

(10) Overall Record. For those math majors out there, I have predicted 11-2 for the non-con schedule and 15-3 for the conference slate. That’s a lovely 26-5 record, good for a #2 seed in the tourney.

(11) Tourney. Last year I said the Jayhawks were an “Elite 8 caliber” team. This year is different. While college basketball as a whole has some great teams this year, it’s hard to argue with the sentiment that this team has the talent to compete at the very highest level. Success in the tournament has so many variables, including luck of the draw, so it is often difficult to predict. That said, I think most KU fans would be disappointed not to make it out of the second weekend this year. KU ran into a buzz saw with Michigan last year. I predict this team has a little bit of luck and the Jayhawks reach the Final Four in Dallas. Dallas…an enormous KU alumni city.

From there, you never know what could happen.

 

 

 

 

JHT PODCAST – Episode 24 – Gonzalez Twins, Tarik Black, Andrew Wiggins, and Titletown

Posted on: May 23rd, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

In this the 24th installment of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast, Kevin and Andrew get together to talk a variety of topics related to KU sports — the addition of Tarik Black, more Andrew Wiggins news, the NBA Draft, KU Football news and recruiting, and a super not creepy discussion on the Gonzalez Twins of KU women’s basketball. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy the Jayhawk Talk Podcast. Rock Chalk!

Find us on iTunes HERE (will be up later this evening if not yet posted) — use for Apple devices and desktop computers

Find us on Podbean HERE (available right now!) — use for non-Apple mobile devices

As always, please do us a favor and leave us a 5-star rating and a comment on iTunes. It really helps us out! Rock Chalk!

KU iPhone Wallpapers

Posted on: March 17th, 2013 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

Just in time for March Madness, my buddy Jared Dunn (@jaredadunn on twitter) has produced some pretty sweet KU iPhone 5 wallpapers, and I wanted to share them here. Click the links below for the full size of the photos.

Jayhawk

KU

McLemore

Find more work from Jared at his website, http://jareddunn.com.

Rock Chalk!

 

Jayhawk Talk Podcast – Episode 19 (Featuring CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander)

Posted on: March 12th, 2013 by jayhawktalk No Comments

The very first podcast episode recorded in the postseason. Andrew and Kevin are joined by CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander (host of the Eye on College Basketball Podcast) to talk Big 12 Tournament, Bracketology, Cinderellas, Subliminal Messages, and KU’s title hopes. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy the Jayhawk Talk Podcast!

Find us on Podbean here (non-iPhone users)

Find us on iTunes here (most everyone else)

As always, please do us a huge favor and subscribe/rate/comment on iTunes. It helps us spread the word on the podcast. Rock Chalk!

Jayhawk Talk Podcast – Episode 5 – Basketball Returns!

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Let's all make fun of this together!

In this, the 5th installment of the Jayhawk Talk Podcast, the guys talk some KU-Texas football, preview the exhibition basketball season, talk some Greg Ostertag, and relentlessly make fun of Kansas State and Missouri. If you like KU sports and have a little time to spare, we’d love to share our rants with you. Come on in, grab a beer, and enjoy. Rock Chalk!

FIND ON ITUNES HERE

FIND ONLINE HERE OR HERE

FIND ON MOBILE (non-iPhone) HERE

 

Jayhawk Talk Podcast Episode 4 – Late Night!

Posted on: October 17th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Courtesy of CJOnline

In Episode 4 of the Jayhawk Talk podcast, the guys discuss this last weekend’s Late Night in the Phog festivities, touch on some KU basketball recruiting, pontificate on Self’s rotation this year, and applaud the effort of the football team against OSU. Oh, and the triumphant return of Stat Boy! (#FF @KUStatBoy on twitter). Come on in, have a beer, and enjoy!

Here’s where you can find us:

On iTunes or iPhone

On JayhawkTalk

On your (non-iPhone) mobile

Please rate and comment on iTunes if you like us. It helps a ton. And, as always, thanks for listening and we look forward to hearing from you!

ROCK CHALK!