2011 Jayhawks

I have ignored my blog for several days, and realize that I will probably ignore it more over the next couple of weeks.  You see, this is the time of year that I work for the Human Resources organization at my place of employment.  My next 2 weeks are full of Individual Performance Management discussions with each of my employees.  I actually like the meetings, but with 23 employees it takes many days and become tedious.  I don't blog during the work day, but often do use my lunch hour to write.  Even this time will be consumed for several days.  So in an effort to produce one more before I go dark I picked on of my favorite subjects, the KU Jayhawk basketball team.

This team has loads of potential.  That's funny.  I mean they are 17-0, on a 69 game home win streak, they are the favorite to win their 7th consecutive conference championship, and have somewhere around 155 consecutive home sell outs.  That sounds like much more than potential.  But I will maintain they haven't proven anything so far this season.

All we really know about this team is that when the Morris brothers show up, KU is difficult to beat.  They have carried the team though scoring droughts this year.  Without their play, KU would have 3 or 4 losses so far.  After you get past the Morris boys,  the only bright spots are simply flashes.  Brady Morningstar had a couple of great games early in the year.  Tyrel Reid has been fairly consistent all year, but his level of play doesn't carry a team.  Thomas Robinson has been very good at times, but only recently.  The only consolation is that he seems to be coming on strong and his performance provides some hope they are starting to gel.

The two disappointments so far this year are Josh Selby and Tyshawn Taylor.  Bill Self has said that Tyshawn is his MVP for the first half of the season.  Sorry, but I don't see it.  Tyshawn has one problem, turnovers.  He is very talented and can make the big play, but for every big play there are 5 turnovers trying to make the big play.  Taylor has frustrated me for a couple years.  I can't make too big a deal about Selby as he is a freshman who missed the first 9 games.  After a great game 1, he seems to have checked out.  Self even benched him last weekend after a couple of turnovers.

The Jayhawks won their first two conference games, neither by convincing margins.  The only consolation is that 2 wins is much better than both Kansas State and Missouri who now have 2 conference losses.  After tonight, one will have 3 and may be out of the title race - their earliest check out in recent memory. 

My concern with Kansas is that they haven't had a win over a top 25 opponent all year.  They haven't had a convincing win over any quality opponent either.  Tonight they take on Baylor in Texas.  Baylor usually gives the Hawks a good game, and it would not surprise me if they give Kansas their first loss.  On Saturday, Texas comes to Allen Fieldhouse and the 69 game streak will be in jeopardy.  If it doesn't end then, I suspect Missouri or Kansas State will end it later in the year.  After all, that is all either team plays for.  I suspect that KU will suffer 2 or 3 losses before the conference season is over.  Even so, they will still win their 7th consecutive conference title.

This is not a dominate Kansas team.  They are probably a legitimate 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.  Still, for today they are ranked second in the nation, and that is better that Kansas State and Missouri who dropped out of the top 25 today for the first time all year.  So it's good to be a Jayhawk fan.  It sucks to be a Tiger or Wildcat fan.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.