arieljvan.com

Was anyone else screaming at the TV last night? Well, not only did KU’s wild come-from-behind win give Sherron Collins huge bragging rights (three 3-pointers, back to back!), but it impacted KU’s NCAA seed like an asteroid crashing into the Bread Basket. This is according to Rush the Court, the “ubiquitous college basketblog”:

The biggest story of Monday night is out of Norman, where the Blake Griffin-less Sooners fell at the hands of a young Kansas Jayhawks team quickly ascending up the ranks. Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and Tyshawn Taylor are playing phenomenal basketball, and Kansas now has the upper hand for the Big 12 title. Does Kansas have enough to pass Oklahoma for a #1 seed? Check out how close their resumes are (RPI vs. top 25, 26-50 and 51-100):

• Oklahoma- 25-3 (11-2), 4 RPI, 26 SOS, 2-1, 6-1, 8-0, beat UAB, Purdue, Davidson, USC, Utah, VCU, Kansas State, Texas, Oklahoma State.
• Kansas- 23-5 (12-1), 7 RPI, 16 SOS, 4-2, 3-2, 6-0, beat Washington, Temple, Tennessee, Siena, Kansas State (2), Oklahoma State, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma still maintains a top-4 RPI, but Kansas holds the lead in SOS and wins over the RPI top 25. Oklahoma has the better overall record and quality wins, yet Kansas has the 1-game lead in conference and a victory at Oklahoma. The overall resumes are eerily close. Slight, slight edge to Oklahoma right now. And before you argue that head-to-head should trump all, you’re wrong. It’s your overall performance throughout the season that trumps head-to-head.

1 Seeds: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, North Carolina, Oklahoma
2 Seeds: Memphis, Louisville, Kansas, Michigan State

It looks like I might have some justification for picking KU in the Final Four again this year…especially if they win the Big 12 regular season title, beat Oklahoma again in the Big 12 Tournament, and steal a #1 seed. Good time to be a KU fan. I don’t think anyone thought they would be this good again this soon.

“I’m going to try to avoid all situations like that and walk away from everything and always smile at the ref and smack ’em on the butt and say, ‘Good call,’’’ [Morris] added of his future demeanor in games. – KUSports.com

Ha ha, that’s definitely a time-honored strategy. Another good idea would be to avoid inadvertently walking into referees.

Despite this incident and similar bonehead mistakes in Columbia, look for a beatdown in Allen Field House on March 1.

Bottom Line Communications, maybe KC’s premiere news source, served up this bit from a recent TV interview with NCAA hero Mario Chalmers. At least it was supposed to be a TV interview. Ha ha ha… To their credit, they reserved the more serious rip for K-State alum Michael Beasely, who should maybe still be in middle school. Again, ha ha ha.

Blogging has been on the back burner for awhile, and for the sake of my sanity, I’ll need to reintroduce some reflection/writing into my life. But mental health can wait a little longer…

For the moment, check out the upcoming match-ups in this year’s Big 12 – Pac 10 Hardwood Challenge. KU vs Arizona and Texas vs UCLA will be marquee games.