Yesterday Kansas head coach met with the media. Self talked about his teams ceiling, where Tyshawn Taylor ranks nationally in terms of guard play, Thomas Robinson as a person and a player, and of course the Texas Longhorns.

Head coach Bill Self

On this year's team getting the most out of its potential:

"They have pleased me as of late. I didn't really like them much and they didn't really care for me much, up until after Christmas. They have pleased me with their effort and their toughness for the most part. We're a big-time work in progress, but to say they've reached their potential, that's one thing I don't agree with. I think this team can play better and I think we've got some guys who still haven't made shots consistently. You look at Thomas (Robinson) and Tyshawn (Taylor); they aren't going to play much better than what they are playing right now. I think other guys can even play a little bit better and the better they play, the more confidence they get.

I will add this though, to me, more so than any other team we've had here, I think our energy keys us more than anything else. Before, the common denominator was talent or depth. Here, it's got to be energy because when we're turned up, we're pretty athletic and we play defense so much better."

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January 4th, 2012

7 PM CST

Who: Kansas Jayhawks vs Kansas State Wildcats

Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence Kansas

TV: Big 12 Network

Online: FirstRowSports

ESPN3.com

Radio: Jayhawk Radio (Listings across Kansas)

Welcome to Rock Chalk Talk and your open game thread for the Kansas Jayhawks vs the Kansas State Wildcats. Tonight should be a great conference battle and a nice early test for Kansas as they welcome a gritty Frank Martin team to town. If you're going to win the conference you have to hold serve at home. Let the chase for eight begin.

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Rock Chalk and Beak em Hawks!

Beat the no. 2 team in the country and you earn some respect right? Wrong, not when Jared Sullinger is on the bench. Despite Kansas controlling the game from pretty much the opening tip to the closing buzzer, the Jayhawk gained only one spot in both the Coaches and AP poll this week.

That's right folks, Kansas is number 12, and honestly that's probably about right. I don't see any reason to really catapult Kansas up the charts for this one win, but I sometimes wonder what would have happened had a Duke, North Carolina or Kentucky done as much? Would they gain a mere one spot in the polls?

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It's that time of year where teams are playing no name schools left and right.  You occasionally get an upset or a competitive battle but for the most part you get made for Sportscenter highlights from freshman who you've never heard of outside of what some recruiting analyst tells you. 

Just as we have been doing whenever Kansas plays, Kentucky's "A Sea of Blue" has been kicking the tires and discussing what identity the Wildcats will have in 2011-2012.  Who are the leaders?  What do the freshman look like?  How does this team fit into the National picture?  etc. 

Glenn Logan, manager of "A Sea of Blue", was kind enough to provide us a few answers to some of my questions heading into this one.  Who should we watch?  Who guards Thomas Robinson?  Is this Calipari's best opportunity since arriving in Lexington?  And of course, is it UK or KU?  I'd like to think we're the only KU and I've always believed that they referred to themselves as UK but you here that piece butchered by the media constantly.  

Anyway, on to the questions and if you want to check out the Kentucky view of things, head on over and check it out at "A Sea of Blue".

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ESPN released it's 2012 Big Monday schedule and it's no surprise that Kansas will once again play a prominent role in one of the premier weekly matchups in conference play.  For years Kansas has dominated the Big 12 Big Monday slate and with 4 of 7 slots scheduled this year, that continues.

This year's schedule does look a little different than the typical year however.  Usually Kansas plays the likes of Texas, Missouri and Kansas State.  This coming year Baylor, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State will make up three of the matchups with Kansas State making the fourth.  That means Kansas will likely play both Texas games and both Missouri games on a Big 12 Saturday.  I wouldn't rule out a trip from ESPN's College Gameday somewhere in that mix as well although the anticipated down year from the Jayhawks may sway that elsewhere for a year.

H/T To Fetch for the Link

The phrase foundation class tends to get thrown among Kansas fans when talking about the 2011 recruiting class.  A group of five that could grow to six along with one transfer means that the Jayhawks will have quite a different look and feel than they did a year ago.  To many it's a situation similar to 2008 when the Jayhawks added seven players following the mass departure on the tail end of a National Title. 

It's something that happens to most major division one programs on some level in this "new era" filled with one and done's and early departures.  Kentucky deals with it on an annual basis, other teams run up against it after a deep run in the tournament. 

For Kansas the class in 2008 included the Morris twins, Tyshawn Taylor, Mario Little, Travis Releford and a pair that have now transferred in Quintrell Thomas and Tyrone Appleton.  The class had a solid reputation coming in with the Morris twins being viewed as a duo with great potential.  It took a little more time but overall the group did very well winning three straight Big 12 titles to date.  Next year Taylor and Releford will be the lone remaining pair from this class and all in all it would be fair to say that the group provided a strong transitional group for Kansas. 

What about this upcoming 20011 class?  Are they a foundation class or are they a transition class?  Are the two one and the same?  And for that matter would you consider the 2008 class more of a transition class or would you call the Morris twins and Tyshawn Taylor a foundational group?

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The story late in the night seemed to be the plummeting stock of Kansas one and doner Josh Selby.  Selby had a fairly disappointing freshman campaign at Kansas after arriving with huge expectations.  Suspension and injury played a major role in that but regardless of the reason, Selby might be the best example of a player that was substantially harmed by the one and done rule.

A year ago Selby would have been a top 10 pick most likely.  Today, well he's late second round and that isn't the pay day that was expected.  Fact is he needed another year at Kansas to recover that draft stock.  As we've learned here recently, you don't sell low.  The winner in this might be Memphis who was able to buy low according to ESPN's Chad Ford.

"I have no idea whether Josh Selby will pan out. But at No. 49, the Grizzlies drafted a player with lottery talent."

"A medical red flag concerning a swollen knee and a skipped MRI was partly to blame for Selby's drop. But teams were more worried about his character and his poor season at Kansas. Still, when you watch his game film from college or watch him work out, you see that he has the potential to be special."

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Jayhawk number two on the night, Marcus Morris.  Just a few short minutes after hearing his brothers name called, Marcus Morris hugged his family, hugged head coach Bill Self and assistant Danny Manning.  Great moment for Kansas basketball, great moment for the twins.  Hard to believe the development that the duo displayed in their three years with Kansas. 

Marcus came into Kansas the less heralded of the two, left with more fanfare but in the end it was his versatility that might have worked against him just a bit as the draft talk centered around Markieff having a true NBA position whereas Marcus would be a tweener.  Either way, Houston is the destination and based on the talk out of Houston the biggest thing they saw in Marcus was very similar to what Phoenix saw in Markieff.

"We think he is a very talented power forward, scorer. He's tough inside and can score close to the basket and can take you outside.  He's just tough - a tough player that can also defend."  

- Rockets director of global scouting Arturas Karnisovas

Go back to the Bill Self Illinois days when Roy Williams and a young Nick Collison and Drew Gooden squared off against the Illini.  Those teams were tough inside.  Self develops tough big men and with Danny Manning the bigs at Kansas aren't just developing toughness, they are also developing a great skillset on the offensive end.