Wednesday, February 18, 2009

College Basketball Thoughts

Missouri

Missouri has been a pleasant surprise this season. What Mike Anderson has done in Columbia deserves serious consideration for the big 12 coach of the year. (Probably wont win it see OU and Jeff Capel)That being said I worry about the Tigers sometimes. When they are going good and creating points off of turnovers and getting the max out of each one of their possessions they are a very tough team to beat. When they get stuck in a game with better teams that don't allow them to dictate tempo Missouri tends to struggle in their half-court sets.

Prediction: Mizzou makes it to the elite eight this season and pulls a major upset in the second weekend of the tourney.

Kansas

They Jayhawks will be a tough out in March because they are so well coached. Bill Self has been getting the most out of his players this season and may be in the middle of one of the best coaching jobs that he has ever done. It's one thing to coach a bunch of super talented players and manage the ego and talent. It is a completely different task to get more from average players and have them mesh together into a solid well balanced team.

Prediction: Kansas gets bounced in the sweet 16 round. A good step for a team that we were talking about at one point not making the NCAA tournament.

Kansas State

Really? Will the high school coach even get his team to the tourney? Probably not. However KSU is a scary match-up for people in the Big 12 tourney. If Pullen and Clemente get hot from the outside they have the ability to completely dominate a game from the guard spots. That makes them dangerous as hell. The key. Can the high school coach find a way to use these two weapons to make a run? If he does it will surprise me.

Prediction: KSU misses the NCAA Tournament.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Border War React!


So for 30 minutes Kansas out played the Missouri Tigers, built a 14 point lead and turned it over 20 plus times and still lost the game. Can you take anything out of this win for Mizzouri? The loss for Kansas?


*Missouri is a good basketball team and showed what their style of defense can do to a team that can handle the pressure. It wears them down. Kansas had nothing in the tank down the strech and that led to them getting no stops or even buckets for the final minutes of the second half. It wasn't the full court pressure that beat Kansas it was them being speed up and out of sync once the broke the full court pressure. Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend came on the show to give his thoughts on the game today check out the audio here.


Monday, February 9, 2009

#16 Kansas @ #19 Missouri


Big Monday tonight in Columbia looks to be a chance for Missouri to break a streak that dates back to the arrival of Mike Anderson in Columbia. The Tigers haven't beaten the Jayhawks in the past five meetings and on paper tonight looks like a match-up that should favor Missouri.


One of the biggest problems that I have with Missouri this season is the fact that in big games like tonight they haven't come to play. The Illinois game was a disaster and the Tigers looked uncomfortable, shell shocked and poorly coached. Since that loss we have seen a different Tiger team; that's the one that must show up tonight for them to have a shot to beat Kansas.


Kansas has been a pleasant surprise this season and Bill Self has done a masterful coaching job with such a young team. I love to see coaches that get more out of their players and are able to figure out how to motivate them perfectly. The players deserve credit too. Sharon Collins has been a very good floor general when he isn't turning it over and the addition of Mario Little has added another scoring option on the perimeter. Making the Jayhawks much better than I would have expected.


I like Kansas to win this game tonight. Missouri has to prove to me that they can handle a moment on this stage. Be big enough to get it done and that will make me a believer that this team could be dangerous in March.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Haley is In

Guess that there is no reason to pine for John Gruden now. Todd Haley was introduced as the head coach of the Chiefs today. Haley seems like a likeable person and I wish him well in Kansas City. He is arriving in the perfect situation and in the perfect city.
Kansas City is looking for change and that gives him a longer leash than most. Haley seems like a reach to me I would have much rather seen Chan Gailey take over this team as the head coach but the bottom line is this. The Chiefs new GM Scott Pioli has a good relationship with Haley and that is important for the decisions that they will make together as they try and rebuild the Chiefs. Listen to the show Monday for a complete breakdown.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Chris and Cowboy with LJ


LJ came on the show to set the record straight with what he expects to happen to him this season. A detailed account of the interview here. It’s clearly time for Larry to go. Now it depends on what the Chiefs decide to do with him. One thing is for sure if Larry is in Kansas City next season it will take a major change in his attitude and a leap of faith from the new head coach.

I vote no for Todd Haley + Synthetic Grass


Here is why:
Haley has only been the Offensive Coordinator in Arizona for count it ONE! Full season. During that season he had two of the most dynamic WR’s in the NFL at his disposal.

He has admitted that he has a hard time keeping his cool on the sidelines. Is this really the guy that you trust to be your coach of the future? I don’t , this is just another red flag for me. Young, inexperienced and not afraid to mix it up on the sidelines. Can’t do it as a head coach.

Finally. The trend of hiring coaches that you have never heard of will eventually bite someone in the rear end. Trends come to an end and I think this one is over. Plus Haley rolls with synthetic grass in his yard. Can we really trust that guy?


Tomorrow I will tell you why John Gruden should be the Chiefs next coach.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Super Bowl Recap + Todd Haley

Never travel on Super Bowl Sunday if the team that you have been pulling for all season is in the game. Guess that explains the level of faith that I had in the Arizona Cardinals when I booked my airfare the week of the NFC divisional rounds.

It was a tough game to follow and between stops in Phoenix and Dallas as I was able to catch the beginning and end of the game before watching the entire game when I got home on TiVo. Best Super Bowl that I have ever seen. Keep in mind I was born in 1981. Nevertheless a great game.

Let the Todd Haley talk begin. At this point I expect that the Chiefs have had contact with Haley and have an idea of wether or not he is willing to come to Kansas City. I hope he is not. More on that coming up tommorow.