Thinking back across the season, and the tournament, I’d love to hear your reflections.
Big 12 Officiating
I will start my reflections with penance for my criticism of the Big 12 officials. I declared, right here in this community, that the physical style of game that B12 officiating allowed was going to hurt us in the tournament.
I was wrong.
That crazy crew created a crucible that forged two National Champions (Baylor and Kansas) in two years.
The officiating this year was a mess for everyone. It was not limited to the B12. I have no idea what is a block and a what is a charge… I had friends over for the NC with kids and I lost it with some f-bombs in the second half. Not proud of that.
But, it appears to have made the B12 strong and prepared KU well for the epic run. Even Iowa State, who was really not at the level they’ve been in the past, was well prepared to play incredible defense which allowed them to make a run.
If It Weren’t For Bad Luck, I’d Have No Luck at All
After all the years of bad luck in the tourney, this year was different. Things broke our way. And this is not to take away from the team and their amazing efforts… but sometimes thing just work out.
Our regional was the best setup I think I’ve ever seen. The matchups were, for the most part, favorable. Injuries made competitive teams (Creighton and Villanova) weaker and upsets removed a few challengers (Iowa LOL, Wisconsin and Auburn) out of our path. But no Kentucky, no Gonzaga, no Duke, no Purdue, no Illinois, no UCLA and no UNC.
Plus, we benefited from the Coach K drama combined with the typical march madness upset drama that overshadowed KU and allow us to stay “under the radar” all the way to the NC game. For a team that always has a target on its back, that target was a bit smaller and a bit more faded than normal.
Remy and the Immaculate Vibe
Let me start by saying the Championship was a Team Effort with a capitol T.
That said, WTF. The dude doesn’t really play for the conference regular season. When he’s in, it looks like he is out of sync with everyone else. Even as recently as the B12 tournament, there seemed to be confusion when he was on the floor. I recall more than once him looking for direction to the bench or Och pointing to where he’s supposed to be.
We are left to wonder: Does he know the system? Is there friction with the other players? Can he, WILL he, ever play defense? What about that injury?
And then, suddenly, he began to fit with our offense or vice versa. Suddenly, our team had two gears. Two very different, distinct styles to the offense. This gave KU a unique advantage: teams trying to scout would look at most of the season and see a monster car. But then they would see the most recent games and see that we could mutate into a race car.
On a dime Remy could flip the switch. I’ll be darned if that isn’t a reflection of how this team flipped the switch in the second half against Miami and again against UNC.
We don’t get past Creighton or Providence without Remy. And we don’t beat UNC without Remy. He took the shots – and MADE the shots – that others were either unable to because the defense was keying on them or they deferred (afraid). Remy personified confidence and courage.
I have always hated hearing Rafferty say “ONIONS” when someone makes a clutch shot, but Remy delivered the quintessential example of that phrase. He forced tough, contested shots at absolutely crucial moments… and nailed them.
This is not to take away from Ochai who is THE MAN and did this multiple times in multiple games throughout the season.
But, consider this as context on Monday’s performance: Remy shot 4/6 from 3; Mario shot 3/7 from 3 in the 08 NC. The drama of Mario’s one shot is undeniable, but the stats should help us appreciate Remy’s performance in this NC. Self — who so values blood, sweat and tears — seemed flummoxed and hesitant to shower adoration on Remy because he defied the formula; Remy still, absolutely crushed it even though he was coming off more than a month of lost practice and playing time.
Come to think of it, back to the luck theme… let’s put Remy choosing to come to KU last summer in that category. This is the conclusion we all dreamed was possible when he said he was transferring here. But I don’t think anyone could have imagined Remy’s journey.
Team, Toughness and Treasures
I heard one talking head on Tuesday credit the 2nd half comeback to “the law firm of McCormack, Martin and Braun.” That sounds about right. Big Dave (Good Dave) finally gets the spotlight he deserves. Jalen Wilson was a rock throughout the tournament. Dave and Jalen are a perfect reflection of this team: under the radar all year. Part of that was their own doing. But midway through the B12 season, there was no reason for anyone to sleep on Jalen or Dave. They both did all the dirty work.
And speaking of dirty work, Dejuan: how I underestimated thee. (I’m so glad we don’t need to talk about the final 4 seconds). The team credited his defense as the spark for the 2nd half run. And why not? Runs can’t happen without stops, and his steals and energy triggered the comeback.
Finally, what a treasure to have kids that grew up wanting to be Jayhawks. Christian Braun, hailing from a small town in Kansas is the classic Jayhawk. Toughness incarnate. Mitch and Ochai fall in this category.
Again, how lucky are we that we had so much experience and so much love on this team? And how lucky are we to have this forum (thx @approxinfinity) and this community to share our love of the team and the program throughout the year.
Rock Chalk.
Ok, TLDR:
I apologize to the B12 officials. Remy delivered in the most heroic way. Jalen and Big Dave (Good Dave), flying under the radar, overshadowed, delivered again and again. I underestimated Dejuan. And FINALLY… KU had the stars align just a bit. Nice way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our first championship.
PS:
Why couldn’t the national announcers get the names of our players right (Braun, pronounced: Brown, Ochai Agbaji, pronounced Oh-chi Ah-bah-gee.) They had 3 weeks and 67 games.
