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2009-10 Result: 33-3 (15-1 Big 12) lost to Northern Iowa 69-67 in the second round of the Midwest Region.

Coach: Bill Self 409-148 17 seasons (202-43 in 7 years with the Jayhawks).

Fifty-four Jayhawks have made their way to the National Basketball Association. Current players include Cole Aldrich, Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Nick Collison, Drew Gooden, Xavier Henry, Kirk Hinrich, Darnell Jackson, Paul Pierce, Brandon Rush and Julian Wright.

Kansas has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 39 times winning national titles in ’52, ’88 and ’08. Kansas has advanced to the Final Four on 13 occasions.

Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 11/27 vs. Arizona, 12/2 vs. UCLA, 12/7 vs. Memphis, 12/18 vs. USC, 12/22 at California, 1/9 at Michigan.

Stat of Identity: 16.9 assists per game (fourth in the country).

Key Returners:

Marcus Morris 24.7 mpg, 12.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg

Tyshawn Taylor 23.1 mpg, 7.2

Markieff Morris 17.6 mpg, 6.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Tyrel Reed 15.6 mpg, 5.1 rpg

Brady Morningstar 21.4 mpg, 4.1 ppg

By Paul Casey Gotham

Last year held great promise for the Jayhawks, but the 2009-10 version wilted under the pressure of expectations. Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry left at season’s end.

Last year’s disappointment could lead to this year’s satisfaction.

Inside and out Bill Self’s squad has a balanced attack that could make a run deep into March.

Marcus Morris returns to the front court one year wiser and a little more experienced. It was Morris who was limited to just four rebounds when Northern Iowa “Faroooked” the Jayhawks. The junior now has plenty of motivation to drive him this year.

Tyshawan Taylor joins Morris as the two retuning starters.  At best, Taylor was the fifth option most often for Kansas a year ago. That will change this year. The 6’3″ guard took just 56 shots from behind the arc. That will need to improve.

A year ago, Brady Morningstar was a distraction for the Jayhawks. His off-the-court troubles brought unnecessary attention to the Allen Field House. The red shirt senior does a little of everything. He can knock down shots as he did against Kansas State with 14. His 79 assists were thrid on the team, and he had nine games with multiple steals.

Markief Morris (twin brother of Marcus) brings size and athleticism off the bench. He only played 17 minutes but averaged six points and five rebounds.

The Jayhawks like to get up and down the floor, and freshman, Josh Selby will carry much of the ballhandling responsibilities.

Tyrel Reed brings consistency to the lineup. The snior has been a regualr in the lineup for two years. He can play a variety of roles including point guard.

By Paul Gotham

Don’t sweat the small stuff…

…unless you lose a conference game in overtime, at home.

Preparation for a basketball game does not get much more basic than free throw box outs. Defensive players wait for the shooter’s release, step in front of the opponent, and maintain contact. Easy. Right?

Saturday night, that concept cost Kansas State a win over Kansas. On two occasions late in the second half, Kansas State players committed free throw lane violations. One to no consequence. The other resulted in a point for Kansas.

Remember, the game went into overtime.

The Wildcats misfortunes in the lane did not stop there. Twice, the Jay Hawks rebounded their own missed free throws. One time, with two minutes remaining in regualtion, Brady Morningstar grabbed a Cole Aldrich miss and reset the offense. Eventually, Tyshawn Taylor hit two free throws and Kansas led 69-66.

In overtime, Aldrich grabbed a Sherron Collins missed free throw. Again, the Jay Hawks reset the offense, and the Wildcats committed a foul.

How much rebounding work do you think the Wildcats did the next day in practice?

Cornell in the Top 25

It took 59 years, but the Cornell Big Red made the rankings. This week’s ESPN/USA Today poll had Cornell ranked 25th. The Big Red just missed earning a spot in the AP poll.

Princeton’s ’97-’98 team was the last Ivy League school that earned a spot. The Tigers finished eighth in the final poll of that season.

Cornell spent some weeks in the rankings during the 1950-51 campaign.

Cornell currently ranks 36th in the RPI.

It’s official; Carolina is rebuilding

Over the weekend Carolina lost to Virginia, 75-60. With the defeat, the Tar Heels have dropped four of five and have fallen to 13-8 overall. Any chance last week’s snub from the rankings provided motivation proved futile. The Heels continue to struggle. That’s what happens when you lose a boat load of first round picks.

Things don’t get better any time soon for Roy Williams and his Heels. UNC plays their next two on the road – tomorrow at Virginia Tech and Sunday at Maryland.

This can not be good though. It only means one thing. The biggest game(s) of the season for the Heels will come on February 10th and March 6th when they play Duke. The Heels can erase a mediocre season by spanking their Tobacco Road rival.

Who says you can’t go home?

With a conference record of 1-8 and an overall mark of 8-13, it’s hard to imagine that the DePaul Blue Demons once had a proud basketball tradition. From 1976 to 1989 the Blue Demons missed the NCAA Tournament just twice. Keep in mind, ‘The Dance’ consisted of just 32 teams through the 1978 season. DePaul reached the Elite Eight in ’78, the National Semis in ’79 and made Sweet Sixteen appearances in ’84, ’86, and ’87.

Since 1992, the Blue Demons have made just two appearances: 2000 and 2004.

As a freshman, Mark Aguirre led DePaul to the National Semi-Finals in 1979.  They lost 76-74 to Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores. Aguirre knows a thing or two about DePaul hoops.

According to Chicago Breaking News, the former NBA all-star and current assistant for the New York Knicks is interested in the job.

It would be nice to see DePaul return to prominence. Is Aguirre the man for the job?

How valuable is a coach?

Sometimes, it is easy to overlook the wisdom of the guy on the sidelines.

UConn’s recent struggles should serve as a reminder that a coach has value.

The Huskies won’t take Jim Calhoun for granted. With the hall of fame coached sidelined for medical reasons, the Huskies have dropped their last three games. With a record of 13-9, UConn’s chances for the NCAA Tournament are starting to look bleak.

Niagara’s Tyrone Lewis

ESPN’s Dana O’Neill did a great story on Tyrone Lewis from Niagara University. When you get a chance, click here to give it a read.

1st Team All Casey

PG Scottie Reynolds – Villanova

SG Jeremy Hazell – Seton Hall

SF Wesley Johnson – Syracuse

PF Al-Farouq Aminu – Wake Forest

C Cole Aldrich – Kansas

2nd Team All Casey

PG – Sherron Collins – Kansas

SG  Jordan Crawford – Xavier

SF  Evan Turner – Ohio State

PF  DeSean Butler – West Virginia

C Greg Monroe – Georgetown

Got any college basketball splinters? Share them here.

Leading up to the 2009 NIT Season Tip Off on November 16th, Pickin’ Splinters will be counting down the top 25 of the college hardwood nation.

’08 – ’09 Results: 27 – 8 (14 – 2 Big 12) Lost to Michigan State in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, 67 – 62.

Coach: Bill Self  169 – 40 (6 seasons at Kansas) 376 -145 (16 seasons)

Key Returners:

Sherron Collins – 18.9ppg, 2.9rpg, 5.0apg

Tyshawn Taylor – 9/7ppg, 2.2rpg

Brady Morningstar – 6.5ppg, 3.0rpg

Marcus Morris -7.4ppg, 4.7rpg

Cole Aldrich – 11.0ppg, 8.0rpg

Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 12/6 at UCLA, 12/19 vs. Michigan, 12/22 vs. California, 1/2 at Temple, 1/6 vs. Cornell, 1/10 at Tennessee

Stat of Identity: 38.3% field goal percentage defense 5th in the country.

By Paul Gotham

Controversy can have a polarizing effect. Kansas coach, Bill Self, hopes his teams off-season shenanigans will convert to wins.

Fights and off-the-court problems have clouded the Jayhawks recent happenings. Self instituted a boot camp to focus his troops.

Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins lead as talented a Kansas lineup the Phog Fieldhouse has seen – and that includes the recent national champions.

Self’s best recruiting efforts might have been getting these two to return to Lawrence. Aldrich established himself as an indefatigable force in the paint last season. Some of the junior’s best performances came against the toughest opponents – 15 points and 20 rebounds versus Oklahoma and 19 points and 14 rebounds against Missouri.

Collins had 1.5 assist to turnover ratio to go with 39 last year. The senior scored double figure points in all but two contests a year ago.

Brady Morningstar led the Jayhawks in assist to turnovers at 2.0. The junior will return from suspension after the first semester.

Tyshwan Taylor and Marcus Morris round out the starting five.

Freshman, Xavier Henry, Elijah Johnson, and Thomas Robinson will find playing time difficult to earn in this loaded lineup.

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