‘Guard Talk’ meetings aid KU basketball in NCAA run

The meetings take place before the team gathers as a whole, the guards gathering in Wayne Selden and Jamari Traylor’s hotel room.

Remember in school when you got friends together to study for a big test? Turns out the Kansas men’s basketball players have found benefits from doing the same.

Devonte’ Graham, with the team’s scouting report in hand, will quiz Frank Mason about what the opposing point guard likes to do. A few minutes later, Graham will get similar questions from teammates to test his knowledge.

The organic 20-minute meetings — players made up the name “Guard Talk” for them — are just the latest example of the team rededicating itself to defense during an impressive late-season run.

The toughest defensive challenge might be Saturday, as top-seeded KU takes on second-seeded Villanova in the Elite Eight at KFC Yum Center. The Wildcats have made 64 percent of their twos and 53 percent of their threes in victories over UNC-Asheville, Iowa and Miami.

“We don’t want to have ‘what if’ moments, like, ‘What if I would have looked at the scouting report a little bit longer? What if I would have did this?’ ” Graham said. “You don’t want to have any doubts after the game.”

And that’s where “Guard Talk” comes in, an idea from guard Frank Mason who began the sessions before KU’s NCAA Tournament opener against Austin Peay last week. Mason believed that as a leader, it was his responsibility to do whatever he could to help his team succeed.

“It’s really been working for us,” Mason said.

Graham says the extra sessions have helped crystallize how important scouting can be. He says there have been moments the last two weeks where test answers have played out in front of him, his man showing the exact tendencies KU’s coaching staff outlined.

“It makes it a lot easier to guard them,” Graham said.

Not everyone is invited to the exclusive meeting, though. Forward Landen Lucas says it is for guards only, though Traylor gets special treatment and gets to hang around because he’s Selden’s roommate.

Even that’s not a bad thing, though. With the way KU often defends — coach Bill Self’s frequent “41” call is signaling to switch all ball screens from the 1 through 4 spots — Traylor oftentimes is matched up against a smaller player, and getting that tiny edge can help.

“It’s one thing for the coaches to talk about it and put it in front of us,” Traylor said, “but when we’re all together and do it, I just feel like we focus in a little bit more and we just hold each other more accountable.”

It’s been hard to argue with the results, especially in the last two games.

KU’s defense held Connecticut to 0.91 points per possession, the Huskies’ fifth-worst offensive performance in 36 games. Maryland was only slightly better at 0.92 PPP, the team’s fourth-worst mark, also in 36 contests.

“When we guard and we’re hungry on defense and getting after it, we know we can beat teams,” Graham said. “It just motivates us to guard even more.”

Villanova’s Jalen Brunson, Ryan Arcidiacono and Josh Hart are next on the deep dive for KU’s guards. Who goes to his right best? And what is each player’s favorite move?

Expect KU’s guards — and Traylor as well — to have done their homework before the biggest game of the season.

“I just know how important it is, with it being one game at a time,” Mason said. “It’s win or go home.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 7:03 PM with the headline "‘Guard Talk’ meetings aid KU basketball in NCAA run."