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Thanks to you, our book celebrating Kansas State’s historic lack of championships became:

• #1 Bestselling Basketball Book on Amazon

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Turns out, KU fans have a good sense of humor 😂

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GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Forward receipt to [email protected] or tweet to @M_Vernon by Friday 11:59pm CT. No purchase necessary - email with subject "Basketball Giveaway" to enter without purchase. One entry per person. Winners selected and notified by Dec. 14. Must be 18+ and U.S. resident.

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• 🏀 KU-Creighton: Hearing, Pro Money & Prediction

• 🏀 Anonymous ‘Writer X’ on KJ Adams

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• 📝 Quick Links: Football Signing Day, Neal thanks fans

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

KU @ Creighton: Hearing, Pro Money & Prediction

• 🏟️ Kansas @ Creighton, 7:30pm CT Wednesday

• 📺 FS1

• 💰 Kansas favored by 4 points

Hearing: Rylan Griffen Doubtful (Illness)

I'm Hearing that Rylan Griffen is DOUBTFUL to play vs. Creighton due to an illness.

It sounds really unlikely he’ll be able to go… but I’ll keep working to find out if anything changes before tipoff.

I first shared this with VIP subscribers last night.

I’ll be able to update paid subscribers ASAP if I Hear anything different via Scoops Texts (it’s part of why I love that feature).

Quick Look: Creighton

• Has dealt with injury issues this year, leading to the 5-3 record.

  • Star center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been banged up. He’s considered a game-time decision, but I’d guess he’ll play.

  • Creighton is also dealing with a flu issue. Pop Isaacs missed the last game because of it, but is likely to play.

• Struggled shooting threes this year (No. 241 in 3P%), but still takes a high volume of deep shots.

• Defense is designed to allow mid-range jumpers. They allow the most midrange jump shots in the country.

  • Note: KU has been very successful and willing to take mid-range shots this year.

• Doesn’t run a lot of pick-and-roll, but grades out as ‘excellent’ on PnR action (Synergy).

Betting Breakdown

• Current Line: Kansas as a 4 point favorite (1:19pm CT, Friday)

• Betting Splits: 

  • DraftKings: 80% of bets on Kansas, 69% of money on Kansas (via VSiN)

  • Circa Sports: 35% of bets on Kansas, 54% of money on Kansas (via VSiN)

💰 Analysis: No clear sharp action or line movement.

Prediction🔮

Creighton is one of the hardest teams to get a read on this year. It hasn’t been healthy, and it’s unclear if the three-point shooting issues are here to stay or not.

You’d have to think Creighton will shoot it better in front of a hot home crowd today.

At the same time, KU is one of the best midrange shooting teams in the country. Zeke Mayo, Dajuan Harris, and AJ Storr are all comfortable with midrange looks.

Gimmie the Jayhawks again. They have enough size and the right group of scorers to match up favorably.

👉 Score: Kansas 80, Creighton 73

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Anonymous ‘Writer X’ on KJ Adams

I’ve brought in a special and prominent guest writer on the condition of anonymity. He has appeared multiple times in KUHearings’ existence.

College Basketball ‘Writer X’ has covered college hoops for most of this century. He also has takes.

I’ve only caught parts of four Kansas games this season, including the victory over Duke, and didn’t really see a minute of their previous game against North Carolina-Wilmington, so major caveats here. I’m sure your readers are more educated on KU than I am.

The last time we exchanged thoughts, I wasn’t too bullish on Kansas as a national title favorite, or maybe even top contender. I thought Zeke Mayo might be the key. I thought he had to play like a borderline pro in the backcourt as a shooter and playmaker, and … well, color me impressed. So far, pretty good. It looks like he's adjusting to better competition and he was a little loose with the ball against Duke, but I like the dynamic he offers alongside Dajuan Harris. Storr gives them a real driver off the dribble. Rylan Griffin has been about what I expected. But he’s certainly competent. Same with Dickinson and Harris. I'm not sure Harris has taken a huge step forward, but he's playing with the confidence of a six-year senior.

One of the reasons I didn’t love KU at No. 1 was the lack of NBA talent. Who’s in the league five years from now? I wouldn’t bet that Zeke Mayo is, but he looks like the kind of player who will at least be in summer league. Love his range, but love his feel for making the extra pass and seeing the floor more. Storr has NBA attributes, too. It’s just a matter of fit and if he wants to buy into a role.

But the one player who has really impressed me is Bidunga. It seems like freshman bigs haven't done anything under Self in like a decade. His movements are super raw. But I like his touch and his motor. I’m not sure how you’d grade his basketball IQ right now, but it looks, at least, like he’s really trying. It looks like HE THINKS he knows what he’s doing. Which counts for something. I don't think it's right to say Kansas is better with him than Dickinson. But they're different, and the guards played a little faster and with more freedom when he was on the floor against Duke.

Let’s say KU has three to four borderline NBA players on the roster. Maybe they can make up for the lack of first-round talent with volume. TBD. I may change my mind here.

Real question I have for KU fans: What to make of KJ Adams?

I’ve always loved watching that guy play. He’s always in the right spot. He’s smart as hell. He tries his ass off. He’s so fun to watch play defense away from the ball. There’s very little wasted movement and he’s always in the perfect help spot with the quickness to close out. He's great at keeping guys in front of him. I don't think Cooper Flagg knew what to do when he couldn't routinely get his shoulders past Adams. The advanced metrics last season had him as an elite defender overall. He never turns it over, either.

Here’s what’s confusing to me. He seems like the classic high IQ player that coaches love. He was damn good against Duke. And I get why Bill Self plays him so much. But he doesn’t rebound at all. If I was a coach, I wouldn’t give a shit that KJ can’t shoot. But if he’s your Draymond Green, well, Draymond’s whole thing is he hits the boards like a motherfucker. I don’t get why Self puts up with the lack of rebounding.

KJ is a winning player. No doubt about that. He should play a lot. I’ve always thought he wasn’t a great fit with a point guard like Harris because they both can’t really shoot. But if I was Bill Self, I’d try to back off KJ to 30 minutes per game and just tell him he needs to rebound if he wants to play more. I like Bidunga getting a few more minutes, Dickinson getting a few less, and Harris/Mayo/Griffin/Storr on the floor at the same time. But that’s probably why I’m a writer and not a coach.

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Yes, today is football signing day. I’ll have a follow up tomorrow catching you up on everything you need to know. Things were smooth for the Jayhawks.

🏈 Devin Neal thanks KU fans with this excellent post.

🏈 The Jayhawks Iowa transfer RB Leshon Williams. This one highlight will get you fired up. It’s a big get (more on him tomorrow).

 🏐 Watch KU Volleyball find out they’re hosting NCAA Tournament games after landing the 3-seed.