Hi. New contributor, but long term lurker here. Testosterone is an iffy guide to sex determination. There is a wide range of normal testosterone levels in people, with many women in the upper level of normal having higher levels than men at the lower level of normal. And suppressing testosterone can have serious health consequences; what might be a population-wide normal level may not be adequate for an individual. I often told my students that strict on/off, yes/no, this or that situations are rare in biology. The species concept, for example, is a human construct for making classification easier; in nature there are often intermediate forms between two species and where we draw the line is arbitrary. Likewise for testosterone (and many other hormones that can affect athletic performance), there is less difference between males and females than many suspect. While we need rules for who plays on which sports teams, any rules we make will be arbitrary and there will always be special cases that just don’t fit. And yes, I did study biology (immunology and microbiology) at KU!

I wonder if this might be an apt comparison? Although I taught mostly lecture courses (biology), I did teach discussion-based courses from time to time where I learned how different each group of students was. One year I’d find a strategy to get students enthusiastic about the material and it would work great. The next year I’d try the exact same strategy and it would be a total dud. Some years I’d find an alternative that would work, but occasionally there’d be a group that I never could reach. I think that’s what coach Self has now, that rare group for which none of his old motivational ploys work. NIL may have a lot to do with that, but Covid might as well. I taught a few classes after retirement during and after Covid and the changes in students were profound. Many post-Covid students were very poorly prepared for college both in lack of high school level knowledge and an appreciation for how to work effectively. They seemed to think class attendance and assignments were optional, they could take exams anytime they wanted, and that they deserved a B for the class just for showing up. Wonder if some of that attitude has drifted onto the court?

I think you need to add Mitch Lightfoot to that list. While not starter material there were many games where he came in and provided a quick spark with a couple baskets or a big rebound. A true 6th man, not a starter-in-waiting. And a National Championship on his resume.

Saw a Sports Illustrated article that ranked Flory Bidunga as the likely 6th best college center for the coming year. From SI: 6. Flory Bidunga, Kansas A former five-star recruit, Bidunga seems primed to explode as a sophomore taking over for Hunter Dickinson as the starting center at Kansas. He’s not your traditional Kansas center, lacking some of the usual post-scoring skill that Bill Self has traditionally valued. That said, Bidunga is a pogo-stick athlete who is elite at protecting the rim and should be a huge asset as a lob target for Darryn Peterson.

They also ranked Zuby Ejiofor at number 1.

While it was late in the game with nothing still on the line, I thought Zach C did a good job with his limited minutes. If I recall correctly, he had 3 rebounds, dove on the court for a loose ball and made a good outlet pass when he got it, and made a good pass on the fast break without taking a dribble. No fumbling the ball like earlier in the year. He always sprints up the court on O and D and gets involved in most plays. There will likely be a few games where, due to fouls and injuries, having a fourth playable big will be crucial, and I like seeing sign we may have one.

After watching the replay, the big thing that jumped out at me (other than Peterson) was that we finally have a defense that can chase the other team off the 3 point line. The last two years it seemed that opposing teams could launch a quality 3 any time they wanted to. It was also fun to watch a team with 2 mobile bigs who can rebound, block shots, and put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop. Flory’s improvement in that area is impressive, and Tiller seems to be a natural.

@Crimsonorblue22 No, I did grad school in the KU microbiology department. Then spent 30 years teaching undergraduates, most of whom were planning on going to medical school. Had that dream job of teaching (mostly) highly motivated kids with excellent character.

I hoped Zeke would be a solid addition, maybe a good 6th man. I was not expecting him to come in and immediately go off for 20+ against a top 10 team with so much speed. Good stuff!

A high flyer at the 3 and a freight train at the 4. Sounds like a fun combo.

@Zabudda I thought Zach had some good minutes against Howard, especially in the 2nd half. Got enough run time to get comfortable so he didn’t 't look lost. Made me think he’ll play some good minutes later when fouls or injuries star to pile up.

First 3 for Kohl, a smile of pure relief.

@BeddieKU23 he just makes it look so easy.

What a sweet put back for Kohl.

Flory with 4 straight free throws. And Council is fast!

3 for Tiller. Nice stroke for a big man

I like Kohl’s activity level. Ball doesn’t stick on offense, quick hands on defense. Hasn’t translated to points yet but I don’t think it will be long.

Pretty run out for flory

I’m less concerned with Flora’s problems this game than others seemed to be. He’s trying to learn how to be the outer big in a two-big set. Needs to able to put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop. He’s obviously not very good at it yet, but an exhibition game is the right place to try things out. I was more concerned with the 5 bricks he clunked off the rim from the free throw line. On the flip side, it looks like Paul Mbiya has pretty good touch from the line for such a big man.

After watching the replay, the big thing that jumped out at me (other than Peterson) was that we finally have a defense that can chase the other team off the 3 point line. The last two years it seemed that opposing teams could launch a quality 3 any time they wanted to. It was also fun to watch a team with 2 mobile bigs who can rebound, block shots, and put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop. Flory’s improvement in that area is impressive, and Tiller seems to be a natural.

I was going to watch but my local station in MN is playing infomercials! Guess they expected a route.