Posts Tagged Jeff WIthey

Episode 144 – We Didn’t Win the Title

Posted on: March 11th, 2019 by jayhawktalk No Comments

The guys are back with a new post-streak podcast, and have a few things to say, both about the streak and about this team. They reflect, look back, and look forward on what potential this remade squad can potentially do in March.

The guys also DEBUT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE NEXT JAYHAWK TALK STUDIOS BANGER, “We Didn’t Win the Title” — a song in the style of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” that includes references of all the funny shit that happened during the streak — dating back 14 years! Let us know what you think. Because the lyrics come at you fast, I’m posting them below.

Thanks so much for listening and leave us that 5 star rating on iTunes. It helps us get the pod to new listeners, and any new reviews with 5 stars will get shout-outs on the podcast.

ROCK CHALK!

Find the Podcast on iTunes HERE.

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Find the Podcast on most other Podcast Apps as well…

 

“WE DIDN’T WIN THE TITLE”

K Freeze changing shoes Wayne’s speech Beat Big Blue / Galindo Bucknell Moon Bar bombshell (04-05)
 
Ronnie Chalmers Micah Downs Moody free throws got us down / Ouch Maui See ya Max Dooley clowned Fazekas (05-06)
 
Arthur’s dream Brandon’s knee C.J. Giles gotta leave / K.D. superstar Bruins in their back yard (06-07)
 
Henry T’s Pyscho T Bill Walker had to pee / Derrick Rose ACT free throws are not free
Roy sticker meat necklace Mass Street was a mess / Mario miracle lets cut some effing nets (07-08)
 
CHORUS:
We didn’t win the title. IT’s a new beginning, 14′s all we’re winning. 
We didn’t win the title. Since the trophy’s missing, time for reminiscing.
 
Blake Griffin Appleton Morri and their airsoft gun / Sherron “Ain’t no seats!” unranked to a four-peat (08-09)
 
Carl Henry Sam Ryan football team fighting / Brady’s throw, Cole’s tooth Farokhmanesh and point plank’n (09-10)
 
Ticket scandal Sun Spots Pump Brothers T-Rob /Mario Little wouldn’t pass, Lew traveled high class
Angel Morris Doug Compton Fieldhouse streak was rockin’ / F.O.E. Midcourt lay will Garrett get Deandre?? (10-11)
 
CHORUS
We didn’t win the title. IT’s a new beginning, 14′s all we’re winning. 
We didn’t win the title. Since the trophy’s missing, time for reminiscing.
 
Juenneman Party Rock #FreeSelby Clean Block /Fake Withey Merv Lindsay drinking game by Joe Dooley (11-12)
 
Ben’s dance Rio’s soup Harlem Shake peace Mizzou / Back flip Bank Shot Weatherwax and Nut Tap (12-13)
 
Perry mmm lemonade Embiid could have played /Cliff pulled a “hat trick” Naadir took a bad pic (13-14)
 
Redhead Nathan Powers Snacks caught with marijuana / Cave fight with some jabronis someone call Marchiony (14-15)
 
CHORUS
We didn’t win the title. IT’s a new beginning, 14′s all we’re winning. 
We didn’t win the title. Since the trophy’s missing, time for reminiscing.

#PerryDunk Korea Wayne “Dick Move Brannen Greene / Uncle Ant Buddy Hield “Ma’am I’m Hunter Mickelsen (15-16)
 
Josh Jackson kicked a car outside the Yacht Club bar / Svi’s travel, KC Star Soofi fell and Frank’s a star (16-17)
 
Ask Fran #SviFor3 Billy’s eligibility / Silvio joined the team / Nova just hit another three
Three stripes FBI Jim Gatto Bugged lines / Townsy Zion Gotta pay yo “We good?” “Always.” (17-18)
 
CHORUS OUTRO
 
 

@FakeJeffWithey’s 2013 Dating Advice (Valentine’s Day Edition)

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

(Editor’s Note: The following dating advice column comes courtesy of @FakeJeffWithey, the entertaining alter ego to KU basketball player, Jeff Withey. Follow him on Twitter for lively in-game commentary and general shenanigans and rascality. Warning, explicit/awesome language to follow).

 

What should I get my girlfriend for Valentine’s Day?

In a perfect world you would be enough to satisfy your girlfriend and you wouldn’t need to buy her a gift.  But since you’re not me, a gift is probably a good idea.

I really feel that Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake brought gift giving to a whole new level with D*** In A Box. Unfortunately this isn’t always practical. For example, I have only pulled this move off one time,  when I was able to track down an old box that was previously used to house a refrigerator (Side Note: Don’t give this gift at your girlfriend’s grandmother’s 70th birthday. Awkward for everyone).

Since I am laying claim to all the dimes in the area, I assume most of you are dating uggo’s.  With that in mind, I think the best gift you can get her is something that benefits both of you.  Pick something about her appearance that you don’t like.  It could be anything from her weight, to her complexion, to her boob size.  Next, find a way to subtly suggest that she improve this area.  You might think this is insulting, but trust me women are a goal-driven species.  And nothing is going to drive home your point like buying a bra two cup sizes too large, or a scale with a target weight written on the base.  Be careful not to set your goals too high though, because if they get too hot they’re probably just going to leave you for a basketball player.

Do you condone online dating?

Online dating is tough.  The best-case scenario here has you banging a 7 or 8 with trust issues.  Worst-case, your Ms. Right turns out to be an overweight Mizzou fan named Steve.  I’ll share a story below on why I think the positives of online dating do not outweigh the negatives.

The names of those involved have been changed to protect the victims’ identities.

The year was 2011 and a young man on a college basketball team was having a tough time meeting women.  This was an uncommon problem for members of this particular basketball team, but senior guard Gordan Guenemann had high expectations for his women.  Because of these expectations, Guenemann turned to dating website ChristianMingle.com

Through online chats and late night phone calls, Guenemann fell in love with a wonderful, kind-hearted woman.  Then early in the season, tragedy struck and Gordan Guenemann’s girlfriend was killed in a car accident.  Amazingly, he was able to turn this tragedy to triumph as his inspired play in mop-up minutes propelled his team to within one win of a national championship.  It wasn’t until after the season that Guenemann was told his girlfriend was actually his teammate (and international sex symbol) Jeff Witheyasosopo playing an elaborate practical joke on him.

In the end, Guenemann lost the big game, lost the big award, and is generally considered to be a weird dude for falling in love with a woman who never existed. Moral of the story…online dating is sketchy.

How do I land an older woman?

The key to landing any woman is to find common interests.  Unfortunately, in your question you didn’t mention the age of the older woman you’re going after.  To help solve this problem, I have put together a table of common interests broken down by age, which should help you through your journey.  Cut this out and keep it in your wallet for advice on the fly.

 

Age

Interests

16-18

Prom, posting duck face pictures to Facebook, Dollar Night at The Hawk, shoes

19-30

50 Shades of Gray, posting pictures of their food to Instagram, yoga pants, any one of the Kardashians, shoes

31-40

HGTV, their ex-husband, Adele, gluten-free meals, that cute thing their kid did once, shoes

41-60

The way things used to be, Stephen King, Home Shopping Network, gardening, shoes

61+

The Great Depression, naps, Roosevelt (either one), shoes

 

 

My girlfriend is great, except she doesn’t know anything about basketball.  Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Stop dating K-State fans.

 

2012-2013 KU basketball preview and predictions

Posted on: November 12th, 2012 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

Time for one of my favorite times of the year: way too early predictions! Yes, I’m one of those guys that likes to speak his mind on the team at the beginning of the season so that I can take credit (rare) for such brilliant foresight (or, you know, ignore that I wrote such a terrible prediction piece).

I wrote this piece on November 12, 2011 last year. In that piece, I predicted KU to be a #2 seed in North Carolina’s bracket. Nailed that one. Also predicted we win the league (shocker) and that we’d finally have some good luck in the tourney. In the interest of full disclosure, I also predicted Oklahoma State would be good and that we’d see a lot of Tharpe, so what the hell do I know.

I do think predictions will be much tougher this year. We had a pretty good idea what we had in last year’s group. We knew T-Rob was a beast. We knew Tyshawn had all the talent in the world if he could keep his head on straight. This year there are so many unknowns.

Can Withey function absent Thomas drawing all the defense’s attention? Can Elijah run the offense? How will the freshmen react to playing huge roles right away? There are a million questions.

That’s what makes the predictions for the season all the more fun. Here we go:

(1) Big 12 Champs. Listen, there are challengers once again. But there have been challengers each of the last 8 seasons. Baylor looks phenomenal on paper. K-State will actually be really good. Once again, I’m a fan of Oklahoma State’s team. Texas and West Virginia both look legitimate. But I’m not looking through crimson and blue glasses here. I will not bet against Bill Self. Make it nine straight.

(2) Freshmen will lead. I believe a freshman will lead the Jayhawks in scoring this year. I think it will likely be Perry Ellis early (non-conference) and Ben McLemore late (conference). Perry will be 2nd team Big 12 by the end of the year and Ben will be Newcomer of the Year. They’re two very different players though. Perry is so polished. Ben has the crazy high ceiling. They’re going to be a blast to watch.

(3) Withey. I think KU fans might be expecting a little too much from Jeff this year. I think he’ll have a great year, but he may not meet the expectations some appear to be setting for him. He is a preseason first team all Big 12 selection and probably deserves to be. He can average 12.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game and be the best player on this team. What he brings to the defensive end cannot be overlooked or replicated. He is a true rim protector and if he rebounds and plays efficiently on offense, he’ll be perfect for this team. And he will be defensive player of the year in the Big 12.

(4) Rotation. We know the starting 5, and I expect it to remain the same all season: Elijah Johnson, Ben McLemore, Travis Releford, Perry Ellis, and Jeff Withey. I believe Kevin Young will be the first man off the bench and will average the most minutes outside the starters. Naadir Tharpe will likely be the first guard off the bench. That makes 7 and generally Self doesn’t go beyond an 8 man rotation. Traylor will certainly get minutes, and I think that leaves Andrew White III and Rio Adams somewhat on the outside in terms of playing time. I think they’ll both play roles, though. Just not regular rotation guys.

(5) Non-Conference Schedule. KU has a 13 game non-conference schedule with marquee games against Michigan State, Ohio State, and Colorado. There are certainly some potential losses in that bunch, and we all saw through the exhibition season that this team will struggle at times. The good news is that this team will improve with every week of practice and should be primed for a great conference season run. I predict the Jayhawks will be 12-1 when Big 12 play opens against Iowa State.

(6) Big 12 Season. I predict we’ll have 4 losses in Big 12 play and will once again win the regular season championship. The Big 12 is strange this year in that there are quite a few teams that are “good” but I’m not sure there are any “great” teams. But here’s the deal. KU has 18 conference games, 9 at home and 9 on the road. At worst, KU wins 8 games at home, and will likely win all 9. That leaves 9 road conference games of which the Jayhawks will be favored in at least 7. I believe 4 losses sounds about right. And it should be enough to at least grab a share of the Big 12, if not win it outright.

(7) Postseason. For all the math people out there, I have thus far predicted 5 losses in 31 tries, which would give the Jayhawks a 26-5 record going into the Big 12 tourney. I believe that will be good enough for a #2 seed in the Midwest bracket. It ought to also be enough to give the Jayhawks a great chance to make a run in the tourney. This is an Elite 8 caliber team and anything above that will be absolutely house money. If McLemore ends up reaching anywhere close to his ceiling, it could be a very special year.

 

 

(8) Defense. They Jayhawks will have the best defense in the nation when Withey is on the court. It may not be all that close. The only weak link is Ellis, but with Withey on his other side, the paint will be covered against most teams. This particular team seems far more advanced on the defensive end early in the season than on the offensive end. They’re only going to improve from here. As I mentioned in my last post, we’ll struggle to score at times this year, but we’ll always be in the game because of defense.

(9) Offensive strategy. The key to Bill Self’s offense is ball movement. When the ball is swinging and the offensive is going inside-out, there will always be a wide open jump shot available. The difference between this team and last year’s team will be whether we settle for that jump shot or attempt to feed the post. We don’t have a replacement for Thomas Robinson. It will have to be a combination of multiple guys that will all need to step up. I said before that I believe Perry could lead us in scoring early and Ben could lead late. Elijah will also be a big factor in scoring. Beyond that, I believe Kevin Young, Withey, and Releford will all be around that 7-13 point range every game. I think the offensive breakdown will actually mirror the 2008 championship team relatively closely, where a different guy will lead in scoring each game.

(10) Overview. As far as expectations, I am somewhat lower on this team than I was last year’s team. I think we’ll struggle at the point guard position and will routinely rely on jump shots. I think we’ll go through periods in games where we just can’t score. The good news is our defense will always keep us in games and Self will have the guys on the same page after the Christmas break.  This is definitely an Elite 8 caliber team with a whole lot of upside. It could be a fun run in 2013.

Enjoy the ride and rock chalk!

 

Reactions from KU-SEMO game

Posted on: November 10th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

This was an ugly game. In many ways, it was an extension of the exhibition season where we saw Kansas struggle to score, but still maintain a solid margin of victory thanks in large part to its defense.

Just no offense.

By now you’ve probably heard that KU went a paltry 2 for 21 from three point range on Friday night. The Jayhawks weren’t much better from two point range either. Really the only nice thing you can take away from the box score is a nice 86% from the free throw line (24 of 28). If we continue to shoot the ball like we did tonight, we’ll certainly need all the free throw help we can get.

As I watched the game, I scribbled down some notes that I thought I’d share in bullet form. Most of them apply to this game, but are longterm concerns and/or observations. Many will be a part of the season preview blog post forthcoming. For now, here’s some thoughts:

1. Feeding the post. An underrated skill of any guard (or any player, really) is his ability to feed the ball to the post. Feeding the post requires two things. First, the post needs to have position. Whether that’s position on his defender or relative position to the basket, he must have position. Our posts weren’t great at that tonight, but there were more times than not where position was obtained and our guards could not feed them. There were turnovers, batted balls, just all around ugliness. I’ll give some of the new guys a pass (get it, pass?), but I will not give a pass to the veterans. This will undoubtedly be something we work on a lot in practice. It’s a vital part of Self’s offense (and another reason we’ll miss Tyshawn more than people think). It will start with ball movement and spacing, both of which are easily correctable. We’ll get better.

2. Jeff’s offensive gameplan. For those expecting T-Rob numbers from Withey this year, you’re going to be disappointed. Granted, tonight he put up nearly exactly T-Rob’s averages last year in 17 and 12. I don’t think it will be a regular occurrence.  I love Jeff and I will sing his praises soon on defense, but his offensive game still needs some improvement. Just once, I’d love him to catch the ball on the block and without any hesitation, go up as strong as he can with it. Stop waiting for the double team. Attack. And if you get fouled, terrific. Just want to see a little more decisiveness in his offense.  Teams are going to double him all year. And when they do, he will do a good job of kicking the ball to the open man. But sometimes, he should beat the double teamer to the basket. Haven’t seen it yet.

3. Ben McLemore. Near the end of the first half I wrote down the following: “Impressed by Ben’s rebounding. Getting every ball that leaves the block. Attacking rebound at highest point, almost like a football wide receiver.” He went on to gobble up 12 total rebounds, tying him with Withey for the team lead. This is a slight indictment on Perry, but I do think there’s a legitimate chance that Ben is our second leading rebounder this year. His combination of quickness, hops, and instinct could make him one of the best rebounding guards we’ve ever had at Kansas. We’re going to need those boards this year, too.

4. Post defense. It is incredible how much different KU’s defense is when Withey is off the court. Teams are fearless driving into the paint. Posting up Perry Ellis or Jamari Traylor all of a sudden doesn’t sound like a bad idea because that big palm from the weak side isn’t there to scare you away. Just his presence on the court changes the opposing team’s demeanor. Tonight, he played well on defensive end. Perry Ellis, on the other hand, did not. He was getting pushed around by SEMO’s big guys. Doesn’t bode well for him when he has to play against some serious size. Hopefully Withey can stay on the court because I’m afraid Perry will need that weak side defensive threat more often than not.

5. Perry’s offense. My goodness is he fun to watch when he catches the ball anywhere inside  7 feet from the basket. I don’t have a “Next Level” stat here, but my eyes sure told me that he scored or got fouled on nearly every single one of those possessions. If he keeps that up, teams are going to have to devote some help defense, which should free up lanes for guards to penetrate or pass to the opposite post. Perry may end up being the best thing that’s happened to Withey’s offensive game since Robinson. Little side note: I do think it’d be interesting to see how Perry would do if we ran more isolation to him. Clear out some space and let the man go to work. Going to be fun to watch him this year.

6. Attack attack attack. I’m sick of hearing about how athletic Elijah and Ben and all the other guards are. Prove it. Use that athleticism and attack the basket with some fire. I know they have it in them because I have seen it in flashes. Elijah’s aggressiveness carried us all tournament last year. I want to see it again. Penetration by the guards opens up the entire offensive game plan. Frees up the post as defenders have to slide off. Frees up the wing as defenders shift to the paint. Creates mismatches. All predicated on dribble drive. Let’s see some. And that means you too, Ben. You had two sick moves to the basket tonight ending in points. Don’t stop.

7. Duke (Light). If we’re going to be a soft team this year, we better start making some of those three pointers. Hate to say it, but this looks on paper like somewhat of a jump shooting team. Until we get some of the interior post game in place, we’re going to settle for open jumpers. Like Duke, if they’re not falling, you’re going to see games like you did tonight. The difference between us and Duke, though, is that we can still win games ugly because we can guard. Still, we’re going to have to be able to knock down open shots at a much better rate than we saw tonight.

8. Rotation. Only one game into the season, and I think we’re starting to get a pretty good idea what the rotation is going to be. Withey, Ellis, Releford, McLemore, and Elijah starting. First guard off the bench is Tharpe and first big off the bench is Traylor (I think Young splits this role with Traylor when he is fully healthy). That’s eight deep. Don’t see Self going much further than that. I think Rio Adams and Andrew White will get some time, but probably not a lot this year. Wesley played some minutes, but those will be divided among Traylor and Young. It also seems that Peters and Lucas could both be in line for red shirts this season.

9. Andrew White III. While I just stated I don’t think he gets more than a handful of minutes this season, I do think he could be a valuable player off the bench when his number is called. My hope for him this year was to be a “better Conner Teahan.” By that I mean a sharp shooter that you can bring off the bench for instant offense, but will hopefully be less of a liability on the defensive side of the ball. I think he’ll eventually get there and could play a key role in a few victories this season (much like Conner did last season).

10. Finally, wow. These guys are going to be maddening to watch at times. They’re going to drive you straight to crazy town with their lack of discipline and youthful boneheadedness. But my goodness they’ll be fun to watch. Take comfort in knowing that today is the worst this team will ever be. They’re literally going to improve daily as they get more comfortable playing together and get a few more wrinkles added to Self’s playbook. Despite tonight’s troubles, I do believe the framework is there. With some more practice and continued familiarity with one another, these guys will start to reach some of their potential. Just hang in there, because I promise this won’t be the last game like this.

Rock Chalk!

 

 

@FakeJeffWithey’s Dating Advice

Posted on: February 14th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Editor’s Note: @FakeJeffWithey on twitter is a great follow. Check him out if you haven’t. What follows is his first installment of guest pieces to JHT. Just in time for Valentine’s Day…I present, @FakeJeffWithey’s Dating Advice.

“I met a really hot girl and she gave me her number.  The only problem is she goes to MU.  What do I do?”

I find that the most effective way to deal with rivalries (and most of life’s challenges) is through stereotypes.  In the same way that you would never marry an Asian girl because you couldn’t trust her to drive your kids to school, stereotypes should keep you from ever considering a Missouri or K-State student, alum, or fan as a dating possibility.  Just think of all that could go wrong with this relationship.  When the happy ending to a love story involves you having a lame “House Divided” license plate on your car, the relationship is not worth pursuing.  And that’s the best case scenario.  How are you going to feel when you’re in your living room watching KU play in the Final Four and your house blows up because of the meth lab in the basement?  My guess: not very good.   The best advice I can give you in this situation is to nail and bail.  No relationship, no feelings.  I’d rather marry a Kansas 4 than a Missouri 10.

“How do I get my girlfriend to agree to a threesome?”

Threesomes will always hold a special place in my heart seeing as how I lost my virginity in a three-way.  Unfortunately I haven’t had to think about them in quite some time.  When you become a star, three becomes four, four becomes five, and five becomes six.  These numbers keep increasing as you inch closer to becoming a cultural icon.

For those of you that aren’t seven foot superstars, threesomes can be intimidating.  The key is confidence.  To get started you should work on another girl behind your girlfriend’s back.  Pretend you’re James Bond and be as sly and secretive as possible.  Once you know the new girl is down, you now have to get your girlfriend comfortable with the idea.  How do you do this?  My personal preference is tequila.  Once your girlfriend is drunk enough, call the other girl over and start getting Withey with it.  Good luck!

“What is the best way to decorate a bachelor pad?”

Most people think that the goal of a bachelor pad is to impress a girl with your decorating skills.  Most people are wrong.  Once a girl is back at your place, you’ve already done the impressing.  Your bachelor pad should be designed to send one message: It’s time to get down to business.

The living room and any common space should be designed to deter lingering.  This means no TV, no coffee table, and absolutely no furniture.  Now to the important part, the bedroom and it’s three necessities.  The first step is finding the right bed, because as the old cliché goes, that’s where the magic happens.  The bed should be comfortable, but not so comfortable that she wants to sleep over.  Next you’ll need a mini fridge stocked full of Red Bull and Gatorade.  This will give you the energy and hydration you need to go multiple rounds.  Finally, you need lava lamps and lots of them.  We live in the 21st century now people, if lava lamps haven’t replaced your need for overhead lighting; you need to get with the times.

Withey is a big distraction – in a good way

Posted on: January 19th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Courtesy of Nick Krug - KUSports.com

Editor’s Note: Following is the first post by new Jayhawk-Talk contributing writer, Nico Roesler. Nico is a former UDK Sports Editor and current sports reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican. We’re very excited he’s joining the team. Follow him on twitter at @NicoRoesler.

Jeff Withey is more than the bloodied face staring back at you from your computer desktop or Twitter avatar.

Withey is a seven-foot distraction – in the best sense of the term. Without Withey, Thomas Robinson isn’t the double-double machine we all know him as. Without Withey, Kansas doesn’t defeat the tall, athletic Baylor Bears in Allen Fieldhouse. It’s hard, undoubtedly, to ignore a seven footer when game planning against the Jayhawks. It must be even harder, to think of him as an after-thought with the likes of Robinson standing next to him.

Withey is averaging 7.8 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game.  Defensively, Withey’s length cannot be overstated or underappreciated (56 blocks). On offense, however, his real strength is not in his numbers, it’s in his presence as it pertains to Robinson.

Robinson has proven he can take any defender in the country in a one-on-one situation. His jump shot has become reliable and his first step off the dribble is ludicrous. It’s no wonder we see Robinson in the repeated position to take advantage of both abilities.

Robinson receives the ball night after night at the top of the key and surveys the floor. Although he has proven that he can hit the long jumper, Bill Self puts him in that position to become the architect of one of the hardest plays to defend in basketball – the high-low pass. When Robinson has the ball at the top of the key, he reads what his defender is going to do. The defender has two options: a) get in Robinson’s face to take away the jumper or b) slow play it and protect the paint and the other threat simultaneously posting up – Jeff Withey.

Defenders in this scenario will almost always let Robinson have his shot, likely, because Robinson will miss the virtual three-pointer more often than Withey will miss a shot three feet from the basket. Withey is making 54 percent of his shots from the field. Give him a chance to play with his back to the basket, and there are few people in the country that can challenge his shot.

Without Withey’s presence in the post, Kansas’ offense could look a whole lot different. There is a reason Bill Self has called him the most improved player on the team. He has improved his game from his physicality to his touch, but the biggest thing Withey has done is improve the Kansas offense as a whole.

After the Baylor game, Elijah Johnson vocalized the importance of Withey. “When we get Jeff going, it really gets a lot of us going, and a lot of people don’t know that,” Johnson said. “Jeff is a key player to our team, especially with getting us started. When he is on track, it can be a long night for some teams.”

Baylor now knows that. Withey’s double-double distracted the Bears’ defense enough to allow Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor to have career-high nights.

With Withey on the floor, defenses cannot double-team Robinson on every possession. With Withey, defenses cannot solely focus on Kansas’ deep threats while they buckle down on Robinson. And when they do, Withey is open. Open for a lob dunk or a simple entry pass to the post.

So you may love the lanky big man who proudly bleeds from his nose and whose feet need barely to lift off the ground for a jam. But remember that these moments not only distract the fan from the game with funny posters and fake Twitter accounts.

They distract defenses from the weapons that truly make Kansas the dangerous team it is.

Kansas, Baylor by the numbers

Posted on: January 19th, 2012 by jayhawktalk 1 Comment

Robinson rises for the alley-oop. This eventually goes into the basket for 2 of his 27 points.

By @HailToOldKU

First things first, sorry I’ve gone missing over the last couple games. Kansas wrecked some fools, I have a real job, things got a little hectic. Is what it is. But when Kansas wrecks some highly ranked fools? Time to come back out of the woodwork. No more slacking.

I’m going to break this up a little bit differently than I have been, because putting stats on there for the bench guys would be completely irrelevant. So I’m going to ignore those guys – because Kansas is essentially a 5-man team anyways – and do numbers for the starters, and then some game stats that I thought were the key. Without further ado:

Thomas Robinson: 1 foul
Baylor can run out five guys with the size and ability to frustrate most posts. All of them, except maybe Quincy Acy, are stretch-fours who can get a traditional post into trouble by dragging him out to the perimeter and either drawing fouls or getting by them for a bucket. Robinson did an incredible job of staying out of foul trouble. With the Jayhawks’ lack of depth, he needed to stay on the floor for 30-plus minutes. He played 35. Oh, and he had 27 and 14. Which doesn’t suck.

Tyshawn Taylor: 10 points
I know Taylor finished with 28. The 10 I mention are the 10 that came during KU’s 13-0 run to end the first half. Taylor’s run entering the break gave the Jays all the momentum entering the second half and put his team up a dime at half. He came out and played a brilliant second half, hitting 10 of 14 shots in his most efficient night of the season.

Jeff Withey: 9 offensive boards
This number just makes me laugh. Seriously? NINE? That’s insane! Here’s the best part, though. The Bears, with all their ridiculous length, combined to get eight offensive rebounds as a team. Man, if it weren’t for the fact that Thomas Robinson is the Greek God of Thunderdunking, we’d all be going nuts about how much Withey has improved. As it stands, I’m going nuts about it anyways. He’s the most improved player on the Jayhawks roster by far.

Elijah Johnson:  1 three-pointer attempted
We’re getting dangerously close to having Good Elijah and Bad Elijah nights just like we do with Tyshawn. The bad Elijah isn’t out of control or turnover prone or anything like that, he just jacks up an insane amount of threes with little regard for Bill Self’s offense.  Self’s offense usually works. Let’s just stick with it. Elijah was great Monday because he played within himself, didn’t do too much and let the two best players on the team be the two best players on the team. Johnson has the talent to be the star, but so did Thomas Robinson last year. Sometimes you have to know your spot, and EJ’s is as the third option, at best.  Great night all-around from him, though, as he embraced the role. 11 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 4-of-7 shooting. Did it all well.

Travis Releford: 36 minutes
Releford had the biggest challenge of any Kansas defender last night. Not because he was guarding the Bears’ best player (that honor went to Withstar who D’d up on PJ3), but because he was outmatched by five inches and didn’t have much, if any, advantage in quickness against freshman Quincy Miller. Miller went for 17 points, but needed 12 shots to do it and only pulled down a couple boards. Releford played the most minutes on the team because he’s as good as it gets defensively for the Jayhawks right now, and he should be an all-conference defender by the time the season ends. Startling how similar Releford’s numbers (11 points, 3 boards, 4 assists, 5-of-7 shooting) were to Johnson’s.

Key Team Numbers

48-34, 39-24, 17-8: The Jayhawks worked Baylor in the paint, outscoring the Bears 48-34 in the lane and outrebounding them 39-24. Withey and Robinson deserve much of the credit. Also, the Jayhawks won 17-8 on second chance points, courtesy of Withey’s nine (seriously! NINE!) offensive boards. Love that number. Baylor has one of the best frontcourts in the country (I’d put them behind Kentucky and North Carolina only), and the Jayhawks shredded them.

114+: I wasn’t in the building, so I don’t know the exact number, but the highest I saw was somewhere over 114 decibels in the Fieldhouse Monday night. I’m going to toot our own horn here for just a minute: The best fans in college sports live in Lawrence, Kansas.

KU, OU preview

Posted on: January 7th, 2012 by jayhawktalk No Comments

Kansas faces Oklahoma today at 1:00 PM in the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK. For those looking for the game, it will be televised on ESPNU. Judging by my twitter timeline, it sounds like there will be a few KU fans making the trip south, which is pretty freakin’ awesome.

I think most fans are looking at this game as an easy one considering Missouri recently beat Oklahoma by a ridiculous 38 points. I truly believe that game was an aberration. While Oklahoma certainly struggled against the Tigers, they are still 11-3, and have beat Arkansas and should have beat Cincinnati (outscored late to lose by one point).

Oklahoma plays a similar game to Kansas State. They crash the boards with authority and have better outside shooters than the Wildcats. While the Sooners were picked by Big XII coaches to be tied for last in the league this year, they have surprised some with their good rebounding and perimeter shooting. Should Oklahoma do both of those well, they will hang with this KU team.

Kansas certainly has the edge in the interior. At this point, you can pretty much give Robinson his double-double. What I am looking forward to is seeing whether Withey will maintain the kind of production he had against Kansas State. He played strong, and had a true presence on both ends. If he can find that every game, we are going to be tough to beat.

I’m also looking for Tyshawn to have a really good game. He sounded off on twitter last night, calling out those who criticize him and don’t know how to play basketball. While I’m not that worried about the twitter rant, it would certainly do a lot to quiet his critics with a big game. I think he’ll do it.

As for a prediction, I believe KU wins an ugly matchup. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 72-60. Safe travels to all making the trip, and Rock Chalk!