The Rock Chalkboard

Bill Self sets new goal for Udoka Azubuike's free-throw shooting
"Just stating the obvious, in late game situations, what do you do?" Self said when asked about Azubuike's free throw shooting following KU's second exhibition game. "Because he’s got to be able to make at least 50 percent or they’re just going to Hack-a Shaq him every time, and as strong as he is, people aren’t going to just give up layups. They’ll try to make sure that he has to earn them, and that’s just something he’s got to do. I still believe he’s going to do it and it’s too early to push the panic button on everything, but it’s certainly something we need to get better at for sure."

247Sports Countdown: No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks
The biggest reason why is Azubuike (7-0 270), who reworked his body in the offseason in the hopes of playing a full season for the first time in his Kansas career (he just missed that mark as a sophomore, playing in 36 of Kansas’ 39 games). And his impact goes way beyond the box score stats. Because while 13.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game is impressive — particularly while shooting 70.5 percent from the field (the year after leading the nation in field goal shooting at 77 percent) — that doesn’t start to tell the whole story.

DeMeer Blankumsee looking at all options after de-commitment
"I did speak to Kansas today and they were at my school to see me today," he added. "It was good talking to the Kansas coach and there's a chance I could be taking an official visit there. They said they're very interested and I will look at them. I have also spoken with Indiana and Pittsburgh recently."

Kickoff time, TV info announced for Kansas vs. Oklahoma State
The Jayhawks are in the midst of their second off week, which came following a loss to Kansas State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Seven days from this Saturday they'll be back in action, as the Jayhawks will have the chance to take on the Cowboys for what will be their third-to-last game of the Big 12 regular season.

Conference Call: Week Eleven
We're onto the back half of the 2019 Big 12 football season and the Big 12 Conference race is heating up. The Baylor Bears sit at the top right now with a 5-0 conference record and Oklahoma is right behind at 4-1. But those teams are far from separated from the pack. At 3-2 in Big 12 play sits Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas, all with games left on the schedule that will allow them to potentially climb into the Big 12 Championship picture.

Duke Basketball Game Preview: #4 Duke vs #3 Kansas
After nearly seven long months, college basketball is back. The season tips off on Tuesday night with four of the nation's elite programs competing in the 2019 State Farm Champions Classic live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Jeff Goodman makes his Final Four picks
“I have Kansas, I have Michigan State. They have Cassius Winston, who’s a senior point guard and a hell of a coach in Tom Izzo. So those two are kind of your safe picks right?” Goodman said. “And then I’m going with Florida and I think Mike White’s got a terrific team down there and the key addition was the grad transfer Kerry Blackshear. Put his name in for the NBA Draft, went back and forth about 10 times. Decided to go back to school and picked Florida to transfer to as a fifth-year grad transfer over Kentucky. And that was a major need for Mike White who’s got a really good point guard in Andrew Nembhard, a talented freshman wing, Scottie Lewis, and then you throw Blackshear in there.

Bits o Chalk

76ers vs. Suns - Game Recap - November 4, 2019 - ESPN
- Devin Booker was pouring in buckets from every corner of the court during the second half, and the home crowd loved every minute of it, serenading the Phoenix Suns star with MVP chants as he finished with 40 points in a 114-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

MetLife Stadium says black cat still on loose after evading officials
The black cat that delayed Monday night's Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game to the delight of millions as it wandered onto and about the field has evaded officials -- for now.

Lakers' Anthony Davis again teases possibility of playing for hometown Bulls
"Honestly, it's nothing like playing at home," Davis responded, after the room filled with laughter. "I don't know. ... I mean, I am a free agent next year, but we'll see. It's a possibility."

Kellen Winslow Jr. takes plea deal, faces 12-18 years in prison
Former NFL player Kellen Winslow Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to raping an unconscious teen in 2003 and to sexual battery involving a 54-year-old hitchhiker in a deal that spared him the possibility of life in prison.

Brandon Ingram of New Orleans Pelicans silences injury talk with career-high 40
"I'm a tough cookie," Ingram said with a sly grin after the game. "I don't know who was going to tell me to stay out, but I wasn't going to stay out."

Eraser Dust

Mormon family brutally killed in Mexico: At least 10 dead
At least ten members of a prominent Mormon family, three mothers and their young children, were killed in a shooting attack relatives suspect might have been a case of mistaken identity by drug cartel gunmen. About a dozen family members remain missing.

One Year From Election, Trump Trails Biden but Leads Warren in Battlegrounds - The New York Times
Despite low national approval ratings and the specter of impeachment, President Trump remains highly competitive in the battleground states likeliest to decide his re-election, according to a set of new surveys from The New York Times Upshot and Siena College.

Why the Popeyes chicken sandwich tastes like 2020 (opinion) - CNN
In the process, Popeyes gave the world a free lesson on how the internet has transformed what was once the relatively controlled process of "rollout" -- that is, the introduction of new products, ideas and initiatives into a crowded marketplace -- into an ever more volatile and high-stakes game. And it's important to reflect on the fact that what causes spicy chicken to go viral is also, fundamentally, what put a reality TV host in the White House. Momentum marketing is the new normal, for consumer brands and for candidates, and the impact on our democracy has already been enormous. And the future implications, as social media becomes simply "media," are incalculable.

Opinion | Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain. - The New York Times
Cinema is an art form that brings you the unexpected. In superhero movies, nothing is at risk, a director says.

Man using racist slurs killed in Waffle House fight in Georgia, police say
Responding deputies found 27-year-old Nicholas Phinazee Bryan mortally wounded. An investigation determined that Bryan "was using racial slurs" toward 36-year-old Robert Lewis Henderson Jr. and 39-year-old Antonio DeMarty Evans. Waffle House staff told Bryan to leave. Then their argument became physical. Police say Henderson fired a single shot at Bryan, who later died at a hospital

MTV EMAs: See Liam Gallagher Revisit Oasis Classic ‘Wonderwall’ – Rolling Stone
Accompanied by his band, a large string section and several backup singers, Gallagher opened with an emotional rendition of “Once” before seamlessly transitioning into “Wonderwall.” During the chorus the musician referenced the awards’ location by changing the lyrics to, “There are many things I’d like to say to you, but I don’t speak Spanish.”