Quote:
Originally Posted by Chiefspants
Rams Fan, if you're interested, this was similar to how it felt to be a KU hoops fan in 2014-2017.
The pressure to win a second title hangs over everything. Regular season wins are fun, but always leave you wanting more. A small but loud portion of fans are calling for your coach to move on. A larger part of the fandom is simultaneously coming to the conclusion that your offense is a bit dated for what the game has evolved to. Meanwhile, your fellow blue bloods are continuing to outclass you in March, when it matters most.
Self, to his credit, adjusted with legendary results. Can't say I would have imagined a KU team being a part of a game where the most threes ever were hit in a final four game (in a winning effort), or a starting roster with no real big off to a 12-1 start the next year. And now that Self snagged that second title everything else feels like gravy.
Remains to be seen if Cal can adjust, and his losing/awful seasons in the middle of it all were certainly something we never had to experience, either.
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There was a major shift in Self’s philosophy at the beginning of the 2017 season.
The original starting lineup was:
Mason
Graham
Jackson
Bragg
Lucas
Doke and Svi came off the bench.
Bragg was really struggling and Svi was hot. It was also apparent that Doke was a star in the making, with upside that Lucas couldn’t match.
Self switched things up and started Jackson at the 4 with Svi at the 3. Doke took over center until he got hurt.
That stretch 4 lineup was almost unheard of for Self and his high-low. We almost always had a traditional 4-5 combo.
Since then, we’ve seen Self run with smaller lineups in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and now 2023.
That adjustment has really worked out. A true stretch 4 is such a tough match up in college. Big enough to defend forwards, but has to be defended around the perimeter. Can also defend guards. We really should’ve done this with Oubre and Wiggins in hindsight.