1 - Basketball!!! Give me one good thing and one bad thing about your team's win last night.
2 - Gotta address the situation with the Fat Man. If Kansas were 8-2 or 9-1 right now, would the story that has slowly been leaking out this week, regarding Mark Mangino potentially hitting a player a while back, warrant the same "will he/won't he be fired?" conversation? Or would it just be considered "tough love" from a "hard-nosed coach"?
3 - Picks!
Kansas State at Nebraska
Colorado at Oklahoma State (Thursday)
Kansas at Texas
Oklahoma at Texas Tech
Baylor at Texas A&M
Finally...
Iowa State at Missouri
4 - Following up on this list, give me a) your favorite SNL host of all-time, and b) your dream host (who, as far as you know, hasn't hosted).
The Beef.: 1 - I love the way Bowers continues to evolve into having more of a complete game. He was passing the ball very well last night and show a little more depth and range than he had before. Ramsey also showed up with some fire, and aside from a fall-away 2-footer he took, Steve Moore looked like he could make some contributions this season.
On the negative, we did not start out rebounding the ball well at all, and considering the size advantage we held last night, that was slightly maddening. I also saw Tiller and English REALLY pushing last night, and neither of them are going to be very good if they are doing that. In fact (and as I said in the game thread when it finished), I thought the team just needed to slow down just a hair on offense, because when they moved the ball around, they often were able to take advantage of the height thing.
2 - I think Mangino was pretty right on when (I think) I read he was asked that question and basically said no. I have heard a lot of different stories about what did or did not happen and how it did or did not happen. Some of the stories made it sound like old-school coaching and tough love. Others made it sound like it was motivated by something, which if true, Mangino should not even have a job right now. No matter how you slice it though, it is strange times there on Mount whatever-they-call-it and I don’t see it getting better before it gets worse.
3 - Kansas State at Nebraska – probably in an ugly one, but Snyder goes from Coach of the Year to not making a bowl game, I’ll take the Huskers
Colorado at Oklahoma State (Thursday) – Okie State continues their run towards MAYBE (and that is a big maybe) a BCS bowl
Kansas at Texas – UT, and kU is lucky that Mack Brown has been pretty good this season about calling off the dogs (as MU can attest)
Oklahoma at Texas Tech – Interesting game…not sure if this game is for an Alamo Bowl berth or not, but I will take OU as they got healthy last week in a hurry against aTm
Baylor at Texas A&M – aTm with the win and invitation to the Texas Bowl
Iowa State at Missouri - I just want the team to prove they really learned the lesson it appeared they learned last week. If they did, I like them at home by a few TD’s to send the few seniors out a winner and come into the kU game with as much momentum as possible. But ISU is quite SALTY and I could see this being close, because most of the games against them (for whatever reason) seem to be that way.
4 - I don’t want enough to be more original than Walken and Baldwin, though I have enjoyed Manning when he was on there. The Rock was actually pretty good as well if I recall. As for a dream host…I don’t dream about SNL so I will go morbid and dream about a dead cast reunion.
Michael Atchison: 1 - The guard play wasn’t very good, but I’m not worried about it, because we know the guards are good. The best thing, without doubt, was that Laurence Bowers was the best player on the floor. In a season where the Tigers need a frontcourt player to step up, he looks to be the one. We know the obvious things about him: the length, the hops. But last night, I was most impressed with his hands and his eyes. He’s really good at catching the ball in traffic, and some of the passes he made were sensational. He has a chance to be a special hybrid forward.
2 - Let’s ask this again in a week, because I suspect there’s a whole lot we don’t know right now. If it’s as simple as he poked a kid in the chest a month ago, it would seem to be a comically obvious pretext to fire a guy "for cause" (i.e., we’re not going to pay him) when it’s really about performance. Things are rarely comically obvious in situations like this. Details will follow.
3 - Kansas State at Nebraska Huskers by 12.
Colorado at Oklahoma State (Thursday) Pokes by 21.
Kansas at Texas Texas by many, many, many points.
Oklahoma at Texas Tech OU by six.
Baylor at Texas A&M I’ll pick Baylor in the upset.
Iowa State at Missouri. Big effort on senior day. Tigers by two touchdowns.
4 - I actually remember the original Steve Martin appearances, so it would be very hard for me to go with anyone else, though Christopher Walken’s performances have been outstanding. Somebody new? Let me think that over.
ZouDave: 1 - Well duh, bad thing is Tiller's got a foot sprain. Good thing is we're 1-0. I didn't get to see the game so I can't really speak intelligently about it. Not that seeing the game would have helped me there much.
2 - It would be swept under the rug, absolutely no doubt about it.
3 - Nebraska over KSU
OSU over Colorado
Texas over kansas
Oklahoma over Tech
aTm over Baylor
Missouri over ISU
4 - I'll have to answer this later, as I haven't watched SNL in like 15 years.
Doug: 1 - The good thing? It was a win over a team that looks like it will be significantly better than a lot of people expected. Oh, and Aldrich was pretty good coming off a some what pedestrian performance against Hofstra. The bad is fairly easy to see -sloppy play on both ends of the floor. I think at the end of the game KU had more turnovers than fieldgoals or it may have been tied, but that's no way to win consistently.
2 - Winning cures all ills and if KU were winning this would a nothing story. I think people were a little concerned about Mangino ripping into Pendleton on the sideline like he did in 2007, but it was quickly forgotten as the team did so well. I don't know if this is it for Mangino, but his two season stretch from 2007-08 is perhaps the greatest in KU history and I'll feel bad it was ultimately his anger issues that forced him out and on-the-field performance.
3 - Nebraska... please, please, please Nebraska. I can't handle the thought of K-State in the Big 12 championship game.
OSU - Talk about a coach losing his job for on-the-field performance, fare thee well Dan Hawkins.
Texas - Because I have no dellusions left.
Tech
Baylor
Missouri
4 - Watching SNL repeats on Comedy Central I always liked the episodes with Tom Hanks. As far as dream hosts, I'll go with Michael Weafherly of NCIS. He actually does comedy on that show quite well.
Sent from my iPhone
Bill C.: 1 - Saying I like Laurence Bowers is like saying The Beef has a crush on ZouDave's sister. It's so obvious that merely mentioning it seems boring and repetitious. But man oh man, do I like Laurence Bowers. He has the game we hoped Leo Lyons would have when Mostly Bad Leo was a sophomore, and as Atch mentioned, he has better hands than Leo ever did. We knew he was a great athlete last year, but what he's proven in the EARLY early going this year is that he is extremely well-rounded. His passing is great, and he seems to have a really good feel for where the caroms are going to go on missed shots. Couldn't be happier about what I've seen from him. Now he just needs to do it against real competition.
As for bad...yeah, I'm thinking the trip to South Padre will do Kimmeh a lot of good. If our theories are right, and he's putting way too much pressure on himself to perform in front of the home crowd now that he's BMOC, then a trip to a new gym with neutral fans looking on might be the perfect thing he needs to get rolling. He's pressing so much right now that it's hard to watch. Luckily we do have depth in the backcourt; while the struggles of guys like English and Tiller kept the game closer than it should have been, the play of guys like Dixon and (to a lesser extent) Paul made sure it never actually got too close.
2 - Obviously the losing hurts, but the more that comes out about his ALLEGED anger issues in the past, the more I think he might be on the super-hot seat even if he were closer to 7-3 right now. If you're threatening for Big 12 titles or national titles, then people will look away from just about anything ALLEGED or true, but it gets harder and harder to look away from his ALLEGED past actions if the ALLEGED past actions are indeed true.
3 - I think NU and MU are on a different level from the rest of the North teams in terms of athleticism, and it will show on Saturday. NU by 24.
Texas by, um, as much as they want.
OU by 6.
ATM by 7, though I REALLY want to pick Baylor.
ISU is built to keep things close, so I think this could be one of those "14-point blowout" types of games, where Mizzou isn't ever seriously challenged, but never actually puts ISU away completely. Like the 2007 MU-ISU game. Or last night's basketball game.
4 - Honestly? Timberlake's at the top of the list for me. He is just outstanding in that format. As for dream hosts...well...I'd love to see Kristen Bell on there, simply because a) she's really funny, and b) I'd get to look at her for 90 minutes.
RPT: 1. Obviously Bowers is the story, but outside of the botched layup, I was really impressed by Big Steve last night. I said that I was going to be concerned if the big man rotation was only three deep. I think my concerns are starting to be alleviated. The one bad thing is the sprain of J.T. Tiller's foot. Cold shooting can work itself out. I'm far more worried about Tiller getting healthy.
2. If the guy wins, there's no way in hell this story comes out. It's funny what people will put up with when they win and what they won't take when the lose.
3. KSU < NU
KU < UT
OU > TTU
BU < TAMU
ISU < MU
4. Timberlake has been the best in the last five years or so, I can say that much.
ghtd36: I'll admit, I'm a little upset that the "Keep rolling, poop roller" meme for JT Tiller hasn't taken off yet.
1 - Obviously, Bowers is the story. The man really might be coming into his own right now. There's a clear absence of a true No. 1 scoring threat on this team (though last year, the Tigers didn't really have one either, but irregardlessly), and if Bowers can step up to be The Man, well, you've got to feel good about this team going forward.
I'm a little concerned about rebounding. Again, I know that it's the same song, different verse, but especially in the first half, Mizzou got totally worked on the boards. Ramsey had a nice game, but I'd sacrifice five of his points for five more rebounds any day of the week.
2 - Mangino's alleged altercation with a player would be a footnote in a brief in a round-up in a small community newspaper outside of Wichita if Kansas was winning. The problem is, I feel like the players can sense that the end of the road is hurtling toward them. I maintain that Kansas caught lightning in a bottle for one season, and this has simply been a natural regression to the mean for KU. However, if you're a Kansas player, you were sold a bill of good likely on the heels of that 2007 season. The jarring realization that no, Kansas football is not a powerhouse and really could just be average for the next few years, probably has both the players and the fans a little disgruntled.
3 - Kansas State at Nebraska -- Kansas State. Sorry, but wow, I'm just totally unimpressed by Nebraska.
Colorado at Oklahoma State -- Oklahoma State. The Dan Hawkins Death Spiral is about to reach its top speed.
Kansas at Texas -- Texas. By the thousands.
Oklahoma at Texas Tech -- Texas Tech. Lubbock is still a tough place to play, and Oklahoma...well, it's Laundry Jones.
Baylor at Texas A&M -- Baylor. I believe in Nick Florence because I have to believe in Nick Florence. That and LOL @ TAMU.
Iowa State at Missouri -- Mizzou. I expect large days from Alexander and Weatherspoon.
4 - I'll take a road less traveled and call Ray Romano my favorite host of all-time. His SportsCenter skit remains, to this day, one of my favorites. Dream host? How about Zach Galifianakis?
RPT: So, I heard that Austen Arnaud and Alexander Robinson were the masterminds behind the Bay of Pigs invasion. Allegedly.
So, SCREW YOU AUSTEN ARNAUD AND ALEXANDER ROBINSON. (/needs more ISU hate)
The Beef:
Michael Atchison: Paul Rhoads was the ABC exec who cancelled SportsNight.
RPT: Paul Rhoads thought highly of Ron Prince's use of timeouts in Columbia in 2006 and 2008.
The Beef: No THAT makes me angry…
ghtd36: Someone asked Paul Rhoads what he thought of Laurence Bowers, and he replied with "Meh."
Bill C.: I did a search for "Angry Bill" in response to this...here were the top three google responses:
RPT: OK, I was hoping the YouTube clip was O'Reilly, but I was NOT expecting the Remix.
This video HAS to become some kind of meme. Everyone now go about finding a way to incorporate it into RMN on a consistent basis.
(Three hours later...)
ZouDave: Can there be any doubt at all that our lackluster roundtables are completely my fault?
I wasn't around last Wednesday and you guys were all over the place, and the team dominated because of it. Now I'm here today, we suck out loud, and I'm worried about Saturday.
My bad.
The Beef: The author has been noticeably absent as well…I say we pin it on him
ghtd36: I blame Obama.
[/just trying to be fashionable]
[/crosses politics Rubicon]
[/desperately tries to cross back]
[/remembers that it's the Rubicon]
[/cries]
ZouDave: You did what now?
The Beef: I think he got one of these and now wants to give it back or something
ZouDave: Either that or he's trying to get these 2 things into that vehicle
The Beef: Oooh…well played.
You know..the prolonged absence of our fearless "leader" does still give us time to crash this sucker wildly off the rails. Anyone game?
ghtd36: Drew Barrymore is probably my least-favorite human of all-time.
Discuss.
Bill C.: Hmm...nothing "fearless" about this leader right now...
ZouDave: how many more words can we "get" in quotation marks?