Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Earlier this season, there were doubts that coach Bill Self’s crew could even make the NCAA tournament. A giveaway against Syracuse, an ugly loss to Massachusetts and a blowout at Michigan State all combined to create a lot of questions about this young team.
Now, No. 9 Kansas is thinking about a first-round matchup in Kansas City. It’s a great story, but are the Jayhawks one of the 10 best teams in the country?
Wiebe: First of all, let’s not give too much credibility to national rankings. There’s a reason they fluctuate so much week-to-week.
Does Kansas’ No. 9 ranking mean it’s the ninth best team in the country? Of course not. That is just a little bit too arbitrary.
But considering the Jayhawks’ recent victories over Oklahoma and Missouri, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they are among the top 10 teams in America on any given night.
Bern: I’ll put it this way. If the NCAA tournament started this weekend, would you expect Kansas to be around in the Elite Eight?
That’s basically what this argument comes down to. The Jayhawks deserve their current ranking because the teams in front of them lost.
Based on what we’ve seen from this team and the other top teams in the country, could Kansas handle the tournament pressure?
Wiebe: At this point — with Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich providing a dominating one-two punch — I think the Jayhawks have as good a chance as any to find themselves in the Elite Eight.
The real question is, can this young team string together three straight performances under maximum pressure to get to that point?
I think they can, but in March one mistake means you are going home and even veteran Kansas squads have folded under the pressure in the past.
Remember Bucknell and Bradley?
Bern: I was at the Bucknell game, so I’m well aware of that possibility. But there were preseason expectations for that team.
This year Kansas wasn’t supposed to do anything in the conference, let alone nationally.
That’s why the Jayhawks are one of the 10 best teams in the country. They’ve been playing under the radar and with a chip on their shoulder the entire season.
Kansas and Memphis are the most dangerous teams in the country right now, because neither was supposed to be here.
Wiebe: I’m inclined to agree. Last season’s eventual national champions lost that Bradley game because they came up against a veteran team with a few seasons together under its belt.
That Kansas team was supremely talented, but it was arguably even more inexperienced than this year’s squad.
Collins and Aldrich — along with guys like Tyrel Reed, Brady Morningstar and all those walk-ons at the end of the bench — have been through enough battles to know what it takes in March.
This isn’t the same team that took the court in October and November. Are there 10 better teams in the country? No chance.
— — Edited by Susan Melgren
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Comments
Does Kansas deserve to be No. 9?
If I hadn't read this from a link on a national site I might not have felt so compelled to send off this note. Mssrs. Bern and Wiebe, the national rankings are NOT arbitrary. They fluctuate week-to-week because teams play games during those weeks and things change. While not an exact science, the weekly rankings are based individually on; the RPI (I suspect this is self-explanatory); the AP coaches polls and the UPI, opinions of sports writers who have a vote. Mr Bern, your questions is well put, but answered with a table dance by your counterpart. Given the right match-up, the way they are playing and the potential locations of a Midwest seed there is no question they can make the Elite 8. And you Mr. Weibe "That Kansas team was supremely talented, but it was arguably even more inexperienced than this year’s squad." Are you kidding me?? Those 5 starters are off in the NBA (Ok, Sasha is in the Moscow NBA)??? Ask Bill if that statement even makes sense...Ask anyone you know if that statement makes any sense. God love you guys, but I'm guessing Dr. Bremner "ain't reading this stuff" anymore. See You in March, Rock Chalk lrk BA/J Wm.A.White School of J. 1977
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