Once is a hiccup, twice is a trend. Another first-round exit by Kansas has Jayhawk nation asking more questions than a 10-year-old boy at an Angelina Jolie premier. Bill Self did something no coach in Lawrence has ever done (and there have been plenty of firsts there, most of them good). Hes overseen consecutive opening weekend losses, both of the stunning upset variety. All KU fans heard all week was this team wouldnt take 13-seed Bradley too lightly, that last years Bucknell loss was still fresh in their minds and, in the most absurdly ironic of theories, that the young Jayhawks were too inexperienced to get nervous. How did it happenÉ again? Heres the coroners report.
Most glaringly, KUs 77-73 loss was the product of this teams inexperience finally catching up. The theory, -they were too young to be intimidated by the surroundings- was nonsense as soon as it was uttered. It was simply spin doctoring by unrealistic opinion makers finding reasons to support their prediction. Yes, the Jays played remarkably loose for most of the Big 12 season and into the conference tourney in Dallas. But theres a huge difference between a February game against Baylor and a one-and-done scenario in the Big Dance.
Freshman sensation Mario Chalmers admitted afterwards, -It was nerves. For the freshmen, its a big stage, and we really havent been on this big stage before, and it took us awhile to adjust to it.- As Bradley gripped the lead, the sky began to cave for the KU kids. Everyone forced shots, while no one played within the teams framework. The prime example? Sophomore point guard Russell Robinson who hoisted up almost as many shots (13) as leading scorer Brandon Rush (14).
Clearly, Bradley was also far superior to the typical 13-seed, evidenced by the Braves smackdown of Pitt in round two and their upcoming Sweet 16 appearance. But memo to young aspiring Nantzs and Packers: dont blame the selection committee for undervaluing BU. In the modern NCAA tourney, seeds four through fourteen are simply shades of grey. TherŐs not a huge difference between Boston College and George Mason, Syracuse and Northwestern State. Through any perspective, BU was a scary matchup for KU from the start. As long as Bradley could hold its own on the boards (the Braves won the rebounding battle 31-29), control the tempo (streaking to an 11-0 run after KU cut the deficit to one) and build a lead, it could make this scary.
Very simply, Bradley was the better team Friday night. The Braves were impressively methodical and deliberate with every possession. BUs guards never hurried, the offense never forced shots and the bigs held the low-post. On the flip, KU forced shots, started pressing and continually looked lost while wondering who was gonna step up.
What does another first round upset say about Self? It says he will now have a crimson-and-blue monkey on his back for the foreseeable future. Unlike some suggest, Kansas hoops is not defined by national championships, not when theres only one of those banners hanging since the NIT stopped being relevant. It is, however, defined by postseason success and Final Four appearances, and Self is now 0-for-3. Theres no question Self shouldnt be fired, especially after winning the Big 12 regular season title AND tourney with the greenest team in the league. But at the end of the day, its hard to shake that tag as a -guy that cant win the big one- or worse, -guy that cant get within five games of the big one.- Self knew it would be tough walking into L-town. The players had to understand it was gonna be tough being a Jayhawk when they soaked in -Late Night- alongside 16,000 screaming fans watching practice and not-so-funny skits. But could they all have ever envisioned this? Even breaking up Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston never seemed this unlikely.
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and Carl agree... Damon is a nice name. SUPER BOWL XL: D.A. does his best investigative work ever. It's the field turf press conference from Detroit. INSTANT CLASSIC: The Mark Mangino Montage tastes better than ever! INSTANT CLASSIC: The 2007 Herm-Gasm. 'Nuff said. INSTANT CLASSIC: The Chiefs Dept. of Misinformation is at it once again. Are the Chiefs wearing white or not? Don't ask them. INSTANT CLASSIC: Chicago's legendary Mike North joins DA to preview Chiefs- Bears. Da Bears! INSTANT CLASSIC : The annual DA Show NBA Mock Draft is here... with a return from Stormbot. FEATURED AUDIO: Royals legend Denny Matthews has bought his first cell phone. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as 6-4-3. FEATURED AUDIO: A fond DA Show farewell to Buddy Bell. He really was "Our Buddy." FEATURED AUDIO
: Lauren Nichole has made quite an impression with her traffic reports. Great or gross? You decide. The
one, the only, Zach Greinke from Royals Spring Training. The
2007 One NIT NIT Moment.
The 2006 Caller Hall of Fame Track One: Christopher Walken's legendary roast
of the new class
First the staff. Then listeners. Now LJ has the Herm-gasm? Crazy
Ray sings the Growing Pains theme song. The
Royals 70's jingle that puts a smile on your face during another horrid season
in KC. The
local TV anchors slip up on the broadcast and luckily the D.A. Show was rolling
tape. 6-6-06:
The Crypt Keeper's Holiday Crazy
Ray displays his talent for singing. Could he make a run at the next American
Idol? Oklahoma
takes it on the chin with this famous call from R.B. Missed
any of the NIT NIT action? Check out the recaps of the games and a special
edition of The One NIT NIT Moment. We
couldn't leave Alex the Intern out of the mix, check out the drunk dial message
Alex left for D.A. The
D.A. Show tribute to Alan Thicke.
Is
Crazy Ray really crazy? Take a listen to find out.
A
D.A. Show Investigation reveals color commentators handing out the pink slip
to local college coaches.
Quinner's
feeling a bit down. We ask, what's wrong with Quinn Snyder? Herm Edwards gave us quotable material right from jump street. He gets a montage based on his introduction presser. A
staple of any good office party. It's the Dick Vermeil montage XP: final edition.
Duh, ok.
DA's Hometown Hottie contest created controversy throughout KC. Radio superstar Johnny Dare stuck his nose in the middle of it. The
callers finally had their own chance to put their stamp on the Vermeil montage Why
do the sista's hate the show? It all started here: Yvette's call of the day The original D.A. Show parody of Jim Rome's smack-off (circa '04). The '05 D.A. Show parody of Jim Rome's smack-off, complete with a certain national columnist. The '06 smack-smack, which brought all the D.A. Show legends together for one fab event. You asked for it. We delivered. DA Show icon Alan Thicke's first appearance.
Once is a hiccup, twice is a trend. Another first-round exit by Kansas has Jayhawk nation asking more questions than a 10-year-old boy at an Angelina Jolie premier. Bill Self did something no coach in Lawrence has ever done (and there have been plenty of firsts there, most of them good). Hes overseen consecutive opening weekend losses, both of the stunning upset variety. All KU fans heard all week was this team wouldnt take 13-seed Bradley too lightly, that last years Bucknell loss was still fresh in their minds and, in the most absurdly ironic of theories, that the young Jayhawks were too inexperienced to get nervous. How did it happenÉ again? Heres the coroners report.
