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I was in attendance for this game and thought KU’s first half was, by far, the best first half they’ve played this season, particularly on the defensive end. Coach Williams himself said: "It's the most excited I've been the entire season about our defense. It's the first time I've been even halfway pleased with what we've done defensively." I have been critical of the Jayhawks 3-point defense so far this season and I was watching intently as the game got underway to see if I could notice improvement. Within the first few minutes of the game, I turned to my friend and said, "Their perimeter defense is much better tonight." Yes, indeed, they were much more active guarding the perimeter and their help-defense improved as well. There were also a lot more arms flying around as the Jayhawks tipped/deflected many passes from the Boise State players. The biggest challenge going forward will be getting the players to recognize how dominating they can be when they add intense defensive pressure to their incredibly potent offense. Speaking of offense: This team can score, no question about it. And they have several guys that can score in a variety of ways, which makes them that much more difficult to defend. KU had five players in double figures, with Nick Collison coming one point shy of being the sixth. With all of their offensive success, it is essential that the players understand there will be nights when the points don’t come as easy as they have thus far in the season. What will carry them to victory when the shots aren’t falling? Defense. I can’t wait for Luke to get back. He really should be out there enjoying the game with the rest of his teammates. It’s just sad that an injury has slowed down his "comeback." Some may be wondering if inserting Luke will have a negative impact on the fluidity of the offense, as the current players seem to be playing so well together. I’m not worried about it at all. Luke fit in just fine in the exhibition games, and this team will welcome him back with open arms. The most important thing for Luke is to let the game come to him when he gets out on the floor. If he tries to force shots in order to show he’s "still got it," his game and the team’s success will suffer. Kenny Gregory (27 minutes, 11-15 FG, 1-1 3FG’s, 11 rebs (5 offensive), 4 assists, 2 steals, 25 points, and only 2 fouls). Now stop right here and go back and read that line again. Kenny earns this week’s "STUD" stamp of approval. I don’t know why, but I keep waiting for him to come back down to earth and get frustrated out on the court. Well, the wait is over, because it’s not going to happen... at least not very often. Why? Because he is hitting the boards like a madman, creating easy baskets for himself and his teammates. He now realizes that using his uncanny leaping ability to rip rebounds out of the air keeps him, his teammates, and the fans more involved in the games. In addition, all of the work he put in over the summer on his shot is paying dividends. No longer can teams back off of him when he stands on the 3-point line. He only took one 3-pointer tonight (he made it), but knocking down those outside shots opens up the middle and also gives him more flexibility to create off the dribble. Coach Williams gave KG a big vote of confidence as well, saying, "He shot the one three and it was OK with me. I am a lot more confident in Kenny now than I was last year. If he wants to do that every night, I'll let him." Now that is as close to a "green light" as Kenny has ever had in four seasons at KU. Eric Chenowith’s numbers looked good tonight (15 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks), however, in my opinion, are still misleading as to how effective he has been. He was playing against much smaller Boise State players tonight and I can’t recall him ever truly posting up hard, demanding the ball, and finishing strong. Sure, he had one monster dunk in the second half, but the game had been decided long before that point. I want to see Eric post up strong on the block (not 3-4 feet away from it), demand the ball, make a strong low post move, and FINISH. He continues to shoot the turnaround jump shot (or some version of jump shot) as his #1 offensive option. It is becoming more and more apparent that Eric doesn’t have a very big repertoire of low post moves and this limits his effectiveness in the paint. He has a finesse player’s mentality stuck inside of a big man’s body. Oh what I wouldn’t do to see Eric get ticked off in a game and totally dominate in the paint. Unfortunately, his passive nature ensures that we won’t likely ever see that in a Jayhawk uniform. I don’t want to diminish the fact that he did put up good numbers. That being said, my thinking is this: When you are that big, have athletic ability, and get to play 25-30 minutes a game, you should average about 10 points and 10 boards a game almost by default. Perhaps I am setting the bar too high, but it is frustrating that Eric’s game is not more polished in his senior season. I’m not giving up on him. I just want him to find that hunger deep down to completely dominate his opponent. Drew Gooden continues to work toward his degree in STUDOLOGY, with 20 points (on an incredible 9-10 from the field), 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, and only 2 fouls in 25 minutes of action. I always refer to Nick as "Mr. Consistency," but Drew is doing his best to steal the title. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Drew is so ACTIVE. He is everywhere on the court and seems to be playing more determined this season, as if he will simply not allow himself to play poorly over the course of an entire game. He is clearly expecting more of himself and it is showing on the court. Many people have said that if Coach Williams were to have his "best five" out on the court to start the game, that Drew and Nick would start and Eric would come in off the bench. While there is certainly an argument to be made, it won’t happen for two reasons in my opinion: (1) That would crush Chenowith’s confidence. He put in the work over the summer after getting blasted by media and fans last year, and has openly admitted that regaining his starting spot was important to him in his senior season. No way will Coach Williams do anything to mess with Eric’s fragile confidence. Let’s put it this way, if Eric were a package that Coach Williams was going to mail, Eric would be covered from head to toe in bubble wrap. (2) I think Coach Williams likes having Drew come off the bench, because he provides an instant spark offensively and defensively. In addition, Drew’s self-confidence is strong enough to handle coming off the bench. I am almost more impressed by his willingness to accept this role than I am with his play this year. He’s a great kid and a great team player. Jeff Boschee went 4 for 6 from 3-point land, finishing with 14 points. I love watching Jeff shoot the ball when he is in a rhythm. That being said, I couldn’t help but notice how he was getting beat off the dribble, particularly early, on the defensive end. Jeff is unquestionably one of the best 3-point shooters we’ve got, but it is time for him to bring something else to the table. He has seemed content to let others take the leadership role. He has seemed content to let others hit the backboards. He has seemed content to let others do the scoring. He has seemed content with his own game. Jeff needs something else that makes him a factor for this team, because, to be honest, if an opponent is guarding him closely on the perimeter all night, Jeff is basically shut down. I know, I know, he had 4 assists the other night against North Dakota, but he should get at least four assists when he’s not scoring and he’s playing a good amount of minutes. Bottom line: Jeff is one-dimensional and he, and the team, would benefit greatly if he added another dimension to his game. It was nice to see Chris Zerbe get six points and a few minutes of playing time. He is living his dream and loving every minute of it. Not only is he living his dream, but also he can clearly play. Will he ever work his way into the rotation? Not likely. But it is nice to see Coach Williams reward Zerbe’s hard work with a scholarship this season. Jeff Carey only logged 8 minutes again, getting 2 points and 2 rebounds. I’m still confused on why Coach Williams isn’t giving him more minutes, particularly when the Jayhawks had a forty-point lead in the first half. Jeff needs the experience and now is the time to give it to him. I can see it now... Nick Collison and Eric Chenowith both get 3 fouls early in the first half of a game and Coach Williams turns to Jeff. Now I’m not saying Jeff won’t do an admirable job and provide solid minutes, but how much more quality could we get out of his minutes if he had more of an opportunity to play during these blowout games? Kirk Hinrich: The good? 10 points, 10 assists. The bad? 6 turnovers, most of them on ill-advised passes. There were a couple of occasions where I caught myself thinking, "Kirk, what are you doing?" as he drove into the lane, jumped, and then didn’t know who he was going to pass to. I guess I need to remember that he’s only a sophomore and that he is undoubtedly the floor leader. In reality, I don’t mind a few turnovers with everything else Kirk brings to the table. It’s like sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast and complaining that the rolls aren’t warm enough. Washburn is up on Saturday, which will give John Crider a good chance to look at his future team. Of course, that is only speculation until something becomes more "official." I did see Crider in his street clothes and his facial expression made me think that he was really hating not truly being a part of this Kansas team. I hope everything works out for him. He’s a hard worker and a good kid. ‘Til next time, Jayhawk fans...

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Keep Rockin’ and Chalkin’... MJ