The Big 12 Conference coaches selections for All Conference Honors were announced on Tuesday with Darrel Stuckey among 10 Jayhawks named to the teams. 

Stuckey was the only Jayhawk on a loaded first team but several others received either 2nd team or Honorable Mention honors including:

• Dezmon Briscoe (2nd)
• James Holt (2nd)
• Caleb Blakesly (HM)
• Ryan Cantrell (HM)
• Jake Sharp (HM)
• Adrian Mayes (HM)
• Jake Laptad (HM)
• Mike Rivera (HM)
• Kerry Meier (HM)

Obviously the glaring missing Jayhawk would be Todd Reesing but with a stacked Big 12 it's not totally unexpected.  Things will likely clear out this season paving the way for Reesing to have a banner Senior campaign and a possible mention on the All Conference Squad.

Huge kudos to Stuckey for a well earned and much deserved honor.  Also felt like James Holt was a huge contributor on this team and in any other conference both Briscoe and Meier would certainly garner 1st team attention.

Also worth mentioning the oft rumored to be injured Mike Rivera for a gutsy Senior campaign and Jake Sharp another local boy for resurecting a non existent running game.

Jake Laptad, several key plays in the year and the lone bright spot for a pass rush that is beginning to see improvement

As for the big boys, Cantrell, Mayes, and perhaps most of all Blakesly.  It wasn't always pretty but they got it done and Blakesly certainly earned a lot of my respect throughout the season.

Jump into the post for the full story and entire list of awards...

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A look at news and notes about Jayhawks and upcoming opponents...

• A look at early reports from the Sharp and Meier injuries.
• Talk of the Insight Bowl begins at Kansas.
• We talked about the biggest losses here earlier in the season and it looks like Mangino would have voted for Talib.
• Kansas regroups and prepares for Missouri.
• OT: Derek Fine feature on his career with the Bills.
• Showdown draws near.
• Border War notes...

My Thoughts...Well I wouldn't be able to consider myself a Kansas fan if I ever picked against us in the Border War so don't expect an unbiased opinion on this one. 

Against Texas the Kansas defense came out inspired and performed admireably against an impressive and balanced attack led by Colt McCoy.  This week in the final Border War for this linebacker corps I expect and equal showing but what will make this week different is the offense will be there to support it. 

Missouri's defense is by no means the Longhorns and Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks will get back on track, back up their defense and give them the support they need to maintain a strong showing throughout the game.  Make no mistake your not going to shutdown Chase Daniel but Kansas needs to find a way stop the big play and create a couple turnovers. 

All said and done Kansas is a better team than their record indicates and they put together their first complete four quarter performance of the year upsetting the Missouri Tigers.

Final Score: Kansas 35 Missouri 31

Full List of Supplemental Notes and Quotes after the jump...

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			VS.
Conf	National	Actual	Category	Actual	National	Conf
Rank	Rank				Rank	Rank
8	71	134.91	Rushing Offense	161.27	49	6
5	11	295.73	Passing Offense	349.36	4	3
7	21	430.64	Total Offense	510.64	6	3
8	27	32	Scoring Offense	45.73	4	3
5	33	120.91	Rushing Defense	124.55	40	6
7	75	129.09	Pass Effic. Defense	129.02	73	6
8	90	395.27	Total Defense	392.73	89	7
7	T-86	28.82	Scoring Defense	23.27	55	3
10	96	32.64	Net Punting	37.04	20	4
3	24	12.33	Punt Returns	9.48	53	8
12	119	15.74	Kickoff Return	22.50	38	8
6	T-54	.18	Turnover Margin	.18	T-54	6
11	114	274.36	Pass Defense	268.18	111	10
7	19	145.40	Passing Efficiency	167.93	6	4
6	46	2.09	Sacks	2.36	34	4
4	32	6.45	Tackles for a Loss	7.91	11	2
10	T-92	2.36	Sacks Allowed	1	10	3

Kansas' Identity has seemingly been determined.  A very good offense in a league of great offenses and a less than great defense in a league that's full of them.

The weeks opponent Missouri brings a very similar defense to the table as the Jayhawks, but does boast a better offense and a style of play that has been bad news for Kansas this year.

Where this one might be decided is in the turnover department where both teams arrive with identical turnover margins.  However, perhaps the best news of all is you can throw all this out the window for the Border War this is going to be a game of will, heart and who wants it more. 

Rock Chalk

Head Coach Mark Mangino

Opening remarks:

“This Saturday we are preparing for our border rival, Missouri. It is a game that everybody in both states looks forward to and all of the fans look forward to. The players look forward to it as well. We have been off for a week and it seems like it has been a month since we have played a game. Our players are very anxious to get back on the field and play again. We have had about a week and a half of practice. The practices have gone very well and they have been very spirited. They have been very fast paced. Our players are looking forward to getting back on the field and finishing the season on a high note.”

“Missouri is a very good football team. They have a very explosive offense led by their quarterback, Chase Daniel. He has a lot of quality people around him, people like Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, Derrick Washington and others. They can run the ball, as well as throw the ball. They haven’t changed much on defense. They have a good group up front, led by Stryker Sulak. He is very active against the run, as well as the pass. They have good linebackers, led by Sean Weatherspoon, who runs very well. He makes a lot of plays sideline to sideline. Their secondary is led by William Moore, who is one of the best safeties in our league. He is a sure tackler, a good cover guy and a very physical player.”

“This is a very good challenge for us. We look at it as an opportunity and we are looking forward to playing a very good Missouri team on Saturday.”

On the Missouri offense:

“They take their time and they are very patient. They will take the short pass or run the ball when it is there. One thing I noticed about them is that they have a lot of things taking place behind the line of scrimmage. They have quick screens, reverses, wide sweeps and play action passes. That means that they have faith in their offensive line, they trust their offensive schemes and they do a good job of executing those schemes. They are a very well-coached offense.”

On the KU-MU rivalry

“The people here in this region want this to be a big game. It is being promoted in the Kansas City area very aggressively. I think the fact that both programs have been playing better football in the last couple of years has helped out the rivalry. I think it has a chance to be a great national rivalry, but both schools have to do their share of coming in with winning records and programs that are having success. If both schools can do that over a period of time then I believe this rivalry can capture national attention.”

On former KU coach Don Fambrough’s annual speech before the MU game:

“I think he enjoys doing it and we enjoy having him do it. It is fun and the players enjoy listening to him. It is something that he really enjoys and he is a part of the program. He comes to practice nearly every day. He loves the program, he loves the players and we have embraced him. He gets really excited about this game and he has earned the right to say what he wants to say about it.”

On the mindset of the team coming into this game:

“This game is against our border rival. It is the last game of the year. We want to finish strong. Emotion will be a factor, but you can’t win a game just on emotion. You have to go out and play good, smart, tough football. Emotions are great leading up to the game, but you still have to play smart, aggressive football.”

Player quotes after the jump...

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This week brings the 117th edition of the Border War.  This unique and historically rooted rivalry puts longtime foes in the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers against one another in a battle in Kansas City.  This years version again has two strong teams in this rivalries history and this year pride is a stake for both teams.

Why Kansas?	Edge	Scenario	Edge	Why Missouri?
Kansas and Todd Reesing will have an opportunity to redeem themselves in a matchup against the 111th ranked pass defense in the country.  Look for Reesing and the receiving corps to have a strong game against the Missouri defense and expect a possible Jocques Crawford siting from time to time.		KU Offense vs. Missouri Defense		Missouri can win this matchup in a few instances.  First, if it's poor weather.  Reesing has struggled in cold or rainy weather and hopefully we don't have a repeat of last years forcast.  Second, Kansas was disrupted by Texas and if Missouri keeps Kansas down early doubt could creep into the huddle resulting in another poor performance.
The inspired Senior day performance was impressive, but with little help from the offense it couldn't last.  If the KU defense plays equally inspired and get's some help from the offense, even an early lead, they could force Daniel out of his normal groove and win this matchup.  At least somewhat.		KU Defense vs. Missouri Offense		Different week, same story.  Another top 5 offense on the agenda for Clint Bowen and the Jayhawks.  Chase Daniel and company will be highly motivated in this final Border War appearance and I expect the Missouri offense to ulimately win this matchup.
Kansas needs to put some serious emphasis on this area in the offseason and look to regroup in 2009.		Special Teams		Two names:  Jeremy Maclin and Jeff Wolfert
I still say Mangino is a great coach because he has done more with less than anyone and that certainly includes Pinkel Mangino does have a knack for these rivalry type games.		Coaching		Even with my biased view of coach Mangino I sitll had to call this matchup a draw because Missouri does boast two of the most sought after Coordinators on the market this year

This anlaysis looks very familiar as all year it seems Kansas has been prepared to handle the game from an offensive standpoint but not from a defensive or special teams stance. 

This game will come down to how well Kansas can contain Chase Daniel on offense, Jeremy Maclin on special teams and if the offense can get back on track after struggling to score against a stout Texas Longhorn squad.

Kansas vs. Syracuse at CBE Classic

No. 24 Kansas takes a 3-0 record against 4-0 Syracuse in the championship round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Tuesday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. KU defeated Pac-10 foe Washington 73-54 in its semifinal, while Syracuse defeated No. 18 Florida 89-83. The game is a rematch of the 2003 NCAA national title game in which Syracuse edged Kansas 81-78 at the Superdome in New Orleans. Kansas is looking to go 6-0 overall at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Jayhawks went 4-0 in the facility last season with a regular-season win against Ohio and a sweep of the Big 12 Championship, its 10th league tourney title.

About Kansas

Kansas is 3-0 for the second straight season and fourth time under Bill Self following its 73-54 win against Washington Monday in the championship semifinal of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Kansas is scoring 76.3 points per game and allowing 51.7 ppg. The 24th-ranked Jayhawks are shooting 49.1 percent from the field, while their opponents are at 27.5 percent. Junior guard Sherron Collins has led the team in scoring all three games this season, including 18 points against Washington. Collins is averaging 19.7ppg and is second on the team with 10 assists. Collins is making 56.8 percent of his shots from the field, including 46.2 percent from three-point range. points per game - sophomore guard Tyrel Reed (7.7 ppg), freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor (7.3 ppg), freshman forward Marcus Morris (6.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg), freshman guard Travis Releford (6.0 ppg) and freshman forward Markieff Morris (5.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg). Sophomore guard Brady Morningstar is a starter who is scoring four points per game and leads the team with 12 assists. He and Aldrich are tied for the team high with five steals. KU is in its 111th year of college basketball. Last season, KU won its 51st league title, the most in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks return eight letterwinners from last season’s 37-3 national championship team, yet less than 20 percent of almost every statistical category.

About Syracuse

Syracuse is 4-0 on the season after its 89-83 win against No. 18 Florida Monday. Syracuse scores 84 points per game and yields 67.8. The Orange are controlling the boards with a +10.3 rebound margin. Sophomore guard Jonny Flynn leads the team in scoring at 20 points per game and in assists with 19. Junior forward Arinze Onuaku is scoring 14 points per game and he is second on the team with 7.5 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Eric Devendorf is scoring 13.8 points per contest. Junior forward Paul Harris leads SU with 8.8 rebounds per game to go along with his 12 points per game. Junior guard Andy Rautins leads SU with nine three pointers while Flynn has eight and Devendorf seven through four games. Rautins and freshman forward Kris Joseph lead Syracuse with seven steals each.

Roster info, notes and quotes after the jump...I won't be here for the open thread tonight but please feel free to participate and ryanwk, your more than welcome to join as Cole and Co. dominate the tangerines!!!

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Four Jayhawks scored in double figures as Kansas defeated Washington 73-54 on Monday evening here at the Sprint Center. Junior Sherron Collins led the Kansas charge with 18 points as KU remained undefeated on the season after collecting its third-straight win. UW dropped to 2-2 on the season.

The win advanced KU to the title game of the 2008 CBE Classic. KU will face Syracuse in the championship game at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Collins scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half helping the Jayhawks pull away from the Huskies after forging a 10-point halftime lead. The Chicago native knocked down 6-of-12 field goals on the evening and also dished out five assists in the win.

The Jayhawk defense held Washington in check for much of the game, as the Huskies made just 19-of-65 shots from the field, good for just 29.2 percent. Kansas finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field, knocking down 28-of-56 shots from the floor.

Sophomore Cole Aldrich turned in 16 points, while also recording a career-high six blocks. Aldrich also led the Jayhawks on the boards with nine caroms.

Freshman Marcus Morris set a new career high as he finished the game with 13 points, canning 6-of-9 shots from the field.

Freshman Tyshawn Taylor was the fourth Jayhawk in double digits as he finished with a new career-best 10 points, including a lay-up at the buzzer to give KU its 32-22 lead at the break.

Isaiah Thomas led UW with 17 points, while Jon Brockman pulled down 18 rebounds as the Huskies finished the game with a 43-34 rebounding advantage, including a 21-8 edge on the offensive glass.

Kansas and Syracuse will compete for the tourney title in a rematch of the 2003 NCAA National Championship game. Syracuse advanced to the CBE Classic final after defeating Florida, 89-83, in the evening's first game.

My Thoughts…Once again I have to say I am very pleased with this team early on.  I’ve seen several games year featuring other teams around the country ranked in the top 25 and few look put together very well and for whatever reason Kansas despite it’s youth looks to have a lot of the pieces working together.

Cole Aldrich continues to impress in a big way.  The big guy is a leader on the floor, extremely active on the interior and with 16 pts. 9 rebs and 6 blocks, he is showing what he is capable of as a big man in division 1 basketball.  I was impressed, Bob Knight was thoroughly impressed and if the kid can avoid the “dumb” fouls and snag a few more boards the sky is the limit.

Sherron “green light” Collins is showing a lot of leadership out there and seems to have a spring in his step I can’t recall from years past.

The Morris twins and Tyshawn Taylor are going to be a special group.  Along with the other freshman that saw limited action this crew has the potential to develop into the foundation for the next Bill Self run at the title.

Lastly, Self was noticeably sticking to a shorter bench in this game as he said he would be looking to do.  I think we will see a little bit of tinkering in the rotation over the next month or so as he fine tunes his squad and rotation for the conference stretch.  If there is one thing that he proves game in and game out it’s that this guy can coach and if you missed his halftime interview, he is one cool customer to boot.

Postgame Quotes, Stats, Notes after the Jump...

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Kansas at CBE Classic

No. 24 Kansas takes a 2-0 record into the championship rounds of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Nov. 24 and 25 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. KU will face Pac-10 foe Washington (2-1) in the semifinal Nov. 24 at 9 p.m. The Jayhawks will play either No. 18 Florida (3-0) or Syracuse (2-0) in the consolation/championship round Nov. 25. Tip times are 6:45 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. on Nov. 25. These four teams bring a rich tradition of college basketball to this year’s event. Kansas and Washington played in the 1953 NCAA Tournament semifinal, a KU 79-53 win. Kansas, Florida and Syracuse represent four of the last six NCAA National Champions with Syracuse winning the 2003 title – defeating Kansas in the championship game (81-78) - Florida in 2006 and 2007 and Kansas in 2008.

About Kansas

Kansas is 2-0 for the second straight season and fourth time under Bill Self following its 85-45 win against Florida Gulf Coast in the second round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Tuesday. Kansas is scoring 78 points per game and allowing 50.5 ppg. The 24th-ranked Jayhawks are shooting 48.7 percent from the field, while their opponents are at 26.5 percent. KU is also winning the battle of the boards with a +11 rebound margin through two games. Junior guard Sherron Collins is coming off a career-high 25 points against Florida Gulf Coast and leads the team with a 20.5 scoring average. Collins is making 60 percent of his shots from the field. Sophomore center Cole Aldrich is next in scoring at 12.5 ppg and he leads KU with four blocked shots. Sophomore guard Tyrel Reed is scoring 10.5 ppg, while freshman Travis Releford is at 7.0. Freshmen twin forwards Markieff Morris (10.0 rebounds per game, 6.5 ppg) and Marcus Morris (6.5 rpg, 3.5 ppg) lead Kansas in rebounds with Aldrich and freshman forward Quintrell Thomas (3.5 ppg) each pulling down 5.5 rpg. Redshirt sophomore guard Brady Morningstar leads KU with seven assists, while Collins, freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor (6.0 ppg) and Marcus Morris each have four steals through two games. KU enters its 111th year of college basketball. Last season, KU won its 51st league title, most in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks return eight letterwinners from last season’s 37-3 national championship team, yet less than 20 percent of almost every statistical category.

About Washington

Washington is 2-1 on the season and brings a two-game winning streak to Kansas City. The Huskies lost at Portland 80-74 in their season opener, then defeated Cleveland State 78-63 on Nov. 18 and Florida International 74-51 on Nov. 20 in the first two rounds of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Senior forward Jon Brockman is the Pac-10 Conference Preseason Player of the Year and leads the team in scoring with 20.3 points per game and in rebounding with an 11.3 average. Senior guard Justin Dentmon is next in scoring at 15 points per game and he leads the team with four threepointers and four steals. Freshman guard Isaiah Thomas is scoring 12.3 ppg and he has a team-high 10 assists through three games. Junior forward Quincy Pondexter is second on the team with 7.3 rebounds per game to complement his 7.0 scoring average. Freshman forward Darnell Gant rounds out the starters for the Huskies. Washington is scoring 75.3 points per game and allowing 64.7. The Huskies are outrebounding foes by 18 boards per game (50.0 to 32.0).

More basketball notes, roster information, jump into the post...and don't forget to join us for the open thread and talk Jayhawk basketball and whatever else while we watch the game!!

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The Wichita Eagle among other publications is reporting the Bill Snyder, the architect of one of the greatest football turnarounds of all time will return to Kansas State as its head coach at the ripe old age of 69. Interesting move to say the least.

The next question would have to be, what assistants are lined up?  Is there a transition planned?  A coach in waiting?  Not everyone can be Joe Paterno and surely Bill Snyder has no intention of coaching into his 80's.  Makes you wonder what the longterm plan is at Kansas State.