Mmmm, 10-piece Basketball Nuggets: Kansas vs California Santa Barbara

Kansas basketball opened the season at Allen Fieldhouse with a 69-59 win over the University of California, Santa Brabara Gauchos on Friday night. Below are some interesting facts, figures, and quick hits from said game.

• Some found it a bit surprising that freshman guard Kelly Oubre Jr. only played four minutes in his regular season debut for the Jayhawks. Bill Self said after the game that it was purely a coaching decision, nothing more. He said it wasn't a knock to Oubre, but he's young, and suggested that he's got a ways to go to get more time on the court. It'll be interesting to see where his role goes from here. Oubre didn't seem too upset about it after the game, and he even tweeted out some encouraging words for Devonte' Graham after the win.

Big s/o to my brother @Devonte_Graham4 on leading us to a great team win tonight!! #KUCMB
— Kelly Paul Oubre Jr. (@K_Ctmd22) November 15, 2014

• Former Kansas coach Larry Brown said this week that Kentucky can go undefeated this year. When it came up in the press conference, Self laughed it off, but said the following. "Who knows what Larry's doing. He may be mad at Cal about something. ... They’re a team that could obviously make a (undefeated) run like that. ... Every game they play, they’re probably going to be favored. So if you're a favorite every game, the chances are probably pretty good you're going to win." The No. 5 Jayhawks take on No. 1 Kentucky in Indianapolis, Ind. on Tuesday.

• Kansas forward Cliff Alexander left the Fieldhouse with an ice pack on his wrist. He bruised it in the last exhibition against Emporia State, but appears to be okay. Alexander dropped nine points and grabbed four boards in the win. Four of those points came from a pair of jumpers, which impressed Bill Self. Self said he reacted to those jumpers with a "No, no, no!... Good shot, Cliff. Self added: "He acted like he knew what he was doing. He played well."

• Perry Ellis picked up his seventh career double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. There's plenty where that came from. It's only the beginning of what we're going to see from Ellis this season.

• Devonte' Graham made a good case for the starting shooting guard spot. He shot 5-of-8 from the floor for a team-high 14 points, was very efficient, and came out as a starter in the second half. Brennan Greene didn't play badly, but he had only three points, and didn't do anything to etch his name into the starting spot. Graham may not get the spot immediately, but Greene certainly doesn't have it locked down, by any means. The freshman is right on his tail.

• 13 NBA scouts were at Allen Fieldhouse to witness UCSB big man Alan Williams, and he didn't shy away from the attention. He dropped 22 points on the Jayhawks, snatched 13 boards, and shot 9-of-18 from the field. Williams is a bad, bad man. He will go through you, and he's going to make fools of a lot of Big West defenders this year, as he did last year. This is a name to keep on your radar in the future, as he's very, very talented. 

• The Jayhawks won their 42nd consecutive season-opener at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, which dates back to 1973. IT was also the Jayhawks 13th straight season-opening victory. Bill Self has never lost a season-opener in his tenure at KU. But there were some disparities in the win. Kansas' 69 points were the lowest points scored by a team in its opener since the 2004 Jayhawks scored 68 against Vermont. 10-points was also the lowest season-opening victory since that 2004 game. 

• Perry Ellis scored the first points of the season for the Jayhawks, just 12 seconds in. Legend. Ary.

• Only six Jayhawks have scored more points than Graham (14) in their first regular season game in a Kansas jersey: Xavier Henry (27), Josh Selby (21), Andrew Wiggins (16), and Perry Ellis, Mario Chalmers, and Greg Ostertang (15). 

• Self called Jamari Traylor "unnoticed" after the game. He picked up 10 boards for only the second time in his career, and was given the task of defending Williams with most of his time on the court. He notched two blocks as well. Both Traylor and Alexander deserve the starting spot next to Perry Ellis down low, so it's going to be interesting to see how Self handles that situation.

Kansas vs. Washburn, from the student section

The University of Kansas basketball team opened their search for an 11th straight Big 12 title with an 85-53 win over Washburn University in an exhibition game on Monday night. It’s hard to judge some things in a game like this, where KU simply is bigger, faster, and stronger than the team they’re playing. But there were still takeaways. Here are some quick updates and thoughts from that game.

• Cliff Alexander is that dude who gets “in the building” proclamations. Alexander is that guy that children will put so much effort into imitating on seven-foot goals during this season, and beyond. The curtain was pulled back on Alexander in the crimson and blue on Monday, and the show was more than compelling with him down low. In his first five minutes on the floor, the freshman posted 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting. He was getting after it harder than anyone else on the floor in what some would consider a scrimmage. Though it’s an overused cliche, Alexander quite literally looked like a man amongst boys against this undersized Washburn team. Alexander looked and played like an absolute Goliath. Despite the mismatch in game one, it’s easy to see that Alexander is the real deal. His aggressive defense style is a bit terrifying for Jayhawks fans, but if he can temper that side of him, there’s not much of his game that isn’t at an elite level. He finished with 17 points, 9 boards, and 3 blocks on the night.

• Frank Mason III put on the best performance of the night. While Alexander was a show-stopper, Mason was consistent on both ends of the floor, and may have ended much of the debate at the point-guard position with his performance. He posted 13 points, 7 assists, and 6 boards. He was control of the floor for much of the second half, chipping in nine of his 13 points in the final 20 minutes. His passing looked much improved from last season, and he led a Jayhawks team that allowed only 13 points in the first half. 

• Kansas loves Svi Mykhailiuk. If it wasn’t clear from the media already jumping on every angle they could with this kid, Allen Fieldhouse left no doubt in his first time stepping on James Naismith Court. It might be the nicknames, it may be his age, or the fact that he’s a long ways from home. Regardless, he’s a hotter commodity than Tyler Self. We’re going to hear a lot of “Svi for Threeeee!!!” and “Svi-fense” this season. *Men's Warehouse voice* I guarantee it.

• Kelly Oubre Jr. might just replace Andrew Wiggins as dunk master. He had a big one that rocked the Fieldhouse in the second-half of Monday’s game. Okay, so it was only one dunk on a fastbreak, which I've embedded below. I really just wanted a chance to force you to watch Oubre dunking, because it’s pure gold. This guy can really throw down, and he has a cool haircut, too.

• Brannen Greene has a concussion. It was picked up on a second-half screen from Washburn, where the Ichabod lifted his hands above his shoulders and put a football-type block on Greene. Play stopped, and Greene dropped to the floor on the other end of the court before getting up and walking to the locker room with a trainer. Greene was expected to start tonight, until his defense in Sunday’s practice derailed that, Self said. Of course, as with any concussion, there’s no timetable for his return.

Below are highlights from KU's official website.

Vontaze Burfict deserves suspension for dirty plays against Panthers on Sunday

Vontaze Burfict is not your ideal football player. From a skills standpoint, Burfict has always been on top of his class of linebackers. But his issues staying level-headed both on and off the field have kept Burfict from being respected as an elite player that he is on the gridiron.

The 6'1" Centennial High School (Ca.) standout was a five-star recruit and ranked as the top middle linebacker by both ESPN and Rivals during his senior season. He originally committed to play for USC, but switched to Arizona State on signing day, something that is often frowned upon in the world of recruiting. He hardly qualified to meet NCAA eligibility standards before joining the Sun Devils in 2009. Nonetheless, by the end of the year he was named the Pac-10 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year, and was named as a Freshman All-American. His talent won out in that season.

But during his sophomore season, Burfict was benched for his "unusually high number of personal foul penalties." He later finished the season as an All-American and with a team lead in tackles. In his final 26 college games, he was tabbed with 16 personal fouls, and when he entered the NFL Draft, teams were concerned of his anger issues and controlling his emotions on the field. 

That, mixed with an ultimately underwhelming NFL Combine where he told many teams that he had smoked marijuana, failed the drug test, didn't help his draft prowess. He ran a 5.09 second 40-yard dash (the lowest of any linebacker in the combine), came in heavier than expected, and benched 225 pounds only 16 times. His broad jump and vertical jump were among the worst in comparison to the other linebackers. 

There were plenty of red flags for NFL teams, and it caused him to plummet in March's draft. He fell from an elite prospect that was expected to go in the first round to completely undrafted. He's been a star for the Bengals on the field since being signed after the draft, but in his third season in the NFL, he's still leaving people baffled by his pure stupidity on the field.

On Sunday, in a 37-37 tie with the Carolina Panthers, Burfict first was flagged for roughing the passer on Cam Newton in the first quarter. Then, after Newton's third quarter rushing touchdown, Burfict was caught on film blatantly twisting Newton's ankle, using the force of his body to try to injure him. The GIF of that is below.

Newton clearly felt the twist, and wasn't happy about it, as he turned around immediately after and attempted to get Burfict's attention by kicking his helmet. But Burfict's aggression wasn't done. Later, in the fourth quarter after Greg Olsen's go-ahead touchdown with 4:51 to go, Burfict grabbed the tight end's left leg and used his body to attempt what looks like a wrestling move. His intent, again, was clearly malicious. 

Obviously emotions were high in a game like this, which went back-and-forth, especially late in regulation, where it ended up at 34-34.

It is clear that Burfict has become better with his temper and blatant personal fouls during his tenure with the Bengals. In fact, he was the first to rush to Panthers linebacker and friend Luke Kuechly's side when he went down with a mild injury in the third quarter, beating teammates and trainers to the spot Kuechly was down at. But in a sport that is already being toned down during actual play, there's no excuse for Burfict's actions after the whistle.

Talking a storm after the play, or even physical aggression that goes both ways, is one thing. That's football, and it's passion. But attempting to injure a fellow player with malicious intent has, unconditionally, no place in the NFL.

The NFL hasn't announced the review of either of these plays, but it should. Simply, Burfict has to be punished, financially, and maybe even suspended for his actions. It wasn't just a dirty hit to the head in the heat of the moment; it was a blatant attempt to injure another player. As for the Bengals, who have crowned Burfict as a captain for the defensive side of the ball, have to rethink tabbing him as the voice and face of their defense after make boneheaded mistakes such as this.

Something has to be done, and hopefully the NFL or the Bengals won't leave it in the dark, and take action before the Bengals take on the Colts next Sunday.

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Edit: After the posting of this article, it was brought to my attention that the ankle which Burfict attempted to injure was the same one that Newton had surgery on this offseason. Any other developments on this situation will be posted here.

Panthers kicker Graham Gano tweeted about Burfict's actions after the game. He didn't have nice things to say.

Unbelievable that a player would intentionally try to hurt my teammates twice. I hope the NFL lays down the law hard. #Unacceptable
— Graham Gano (@GrahamGano) October 13, 2014