Quote:
Originally Posted by Pepe Silvia
Unfortunately KU always plays great defense against Mizzou. I HATE Bill Self.
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It could very well play out that way, but Bill is clearly trying to find his footing after losing his two-way long wingspan guards on his backcourt from last year. Add in the lack of a true “big” (a stalwart on Self rosters) and it’s clear that while he has an incredible amount of talent, finding a balance in his rotations that allows Dick to do his thing offensively while finding reliable guys on defense has been a struggle. I’d say since his teams since the Mason-Graham era (outside of 2020 - the lost title year) have tended to struggle defensively early before he finds rotations he likes at the beginning of conference season. He then rides those rotations until they have the typical Self defensive dominance and consistency from the tourney. The funny thing about last year was seeing all the commentators lavish so much praise on our D in the tourney (deservedly), because at this point last year they looked like the most least athletic and soft defenses Self had ever had. They certainly rose the occasion as the season went on, though.