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Today's the big one. Time to get excited, boys and girls!
As to be expected, most of the coverage today is focused on the roundball.
Also, today is your last chance to submit articles for the first ever Weird Wednesday post. Scour the web for any really strange story, preferably sports related, and get your name immortalized in the first edition!
Kansas Basketball
Kansas-Duke features freshmen stars, championship coaches and more - KansasCity.com
ESPN slated Kansas and Duke for an 8:30 p.m. primetime tip, relegating No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Michigan State, the opening game of the doubleheader, to undercard status. Courtside seats are going for $3,250 apiece on StubHub.com. And, of course, Kansas and Duke both feature 6-foot-8 freshmen who have played in one college game — and each appeared on one cover of Sports Illustrated.
It is crazy to think that this matchup has out-hyped the matchup of the teams ranked 1 and 2. Although I think the winners of these two games will be the new 1 and 2 this time next week.
Kansas-Duke basketball preview - KansasCity.com
The fifth-ranked Jayhawks are 0-2 in the Champions Classic after losses to Kentucky and Michigan State the last two seasons. And it’s been more than 10 years since Kansas last defeated Duke, a Sweet 16 victory in 2003 on the way to the NCAA title game.
Kansas’ Bill Self: ‘We need to win this one’ | KUsports.com
Times like these make Self glad he’s a basketball coach, not coach of another major sport. “It’s a little different for football coaches. If you lose in football, it could be over for you if you have the high, high plans, BCS plans,” Self said. “Basketball is not like that. We have had it handed to us by Kentucky in the first game and ended up a 2 seed (reaching national title game in 2011-12). We had it handed to us by Michigan State last year and ended up a 1 seed (losing in Sweet 16).
Kind of a contradictory article here, but I agree with the overall sentiment. While losing wouldn't break our season- we really need to win a Champion's Classic game.
Top recruit to attend KU’s Champions Classic game - KansasCity.com
Chicago native Jahlil Okafor, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, is expected to be in attendance at the United Center when Kansas tips off against Duke. Okafor, a 6-foot-10 senior center from Whitney Young High School, is reportedly still considering Kansas, Duke and Baylor.
Should be a good chance to show off in front of a recruit. I'm hoping that the decision won't come down to who wins this game, although I sure want our team to play like it does.
A look back at Kansas-Duke history | KUsports.com
Not pretty for us, regardless of the time frame. Good thing history doesn't matter here.
Not sure how Keegan can rank us so low. I mean, I understand the top 4 he has and I can be ok with 5 and 6, but to put us all the way down at 9th?
Friday quickly becomes huge day for KU hoops recruiting | Tale of the Tait | KUsports.com
It looks like Friday will be a huge day for KU basketball recruiting, as three of the top prospects in the Class of 2014 reportedly will be announcing their decisions at 3 p.m. They are Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Cliff Alexander. KU is in the running for all three of them and each made a visit to KU's campus at some point during the process, with Alexander being the most recent to hit Lawrence, as he was here this past weekend.
I'm thinking as long as we get one of them, I'll be happy.
A KU fan's guide to the 2013-14 season | 'Hawks in the NBA | KUsports.com
The 2013-14 NBA season is just a couple weeks old now, so we'll get things started by catching up with the 14 former Kansas Jayhawks currently making their marks — or trying to earn playing time — around The Association. From rookie Ben McLemore to vet Paul Pierce, this should be an exciting season in the NBA for the guys who honed their skills in Allen Fieldhouse.
I know we are doing our own series on Jayhawks in the NBA, but this is a good overview.
How former Jayhawks fared in NBA games of Nov. 11 | KUsports.com
Kansas Football
Kansas not only Big 12 team struggling at QB | KUsports.com
To Jayhawk fans, it might seem as if the Kansas University football team’s search to find a quarterback to take the reins and run has been a bigger struggle in Lawrence than anywhere else. But a quick look around the Big 12 Conference shows the opposite is true.
Somehow this isn't too comforting....
Reynolds' sack of OSU quarterback Clint Chelf in the third quarter gave him a sack in four of KU's past five games. During the rest of the game, Reynolds added another tackle, recorded a career-high two pass break-ups and consistently got close enough to Chelf to make him get rid of the ball just a tick earlier than he probably would have liked. That was reflected in his 19-of-37 passing numbers, which included several balls thrown prematurely that either missed the mark or were dropped by wide receivers not quite ready for them.
Lots of good defensive play gets overshadowed when they wear out and then get torched.
Big 12 football unsung heroes: Week 11 - ESPN
Kansas linebacker Darius Willis: The senior was productive in spot duty for the Jayhawks in their 42-6 loss to Oklahoma State. He had a season-high six tackles, including four solo stops, and looked like one of the few KU players who was engaged and excited to compete against the Cowboys.
Misc.
KU bowling takes 5th at Leatherneck Classic | KUsports.com
Tip sheet for ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon - ESPN
Creighton Bluejays' Doug McDermott should be a superstar - ESPN
Big 12 weekend rewind: Week 11 - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
Baylor Bears offense faces injury adversity without Tevin Reese - ESPN
Urban Meyer votes Ohio State Buckeyes as No. 2 in coaches poll - ESPN