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Originally published December 22, 2007 at 11:35a.m., updated December 22, 2007 at 01:48p.m.

KU snaps Miami’s 44-game defensive streak, rolls RedHawks 78-54

By Ryan Greene

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2007-08 Dec. 22 KU-Miami Basketball

Final, KU wins 78-54

KU made snapping Miami's 44-game streak of holding opponents under 70 points look easy at times, cruising to a 78-54 win. Darnell Jackson and Darrell Arthur led the way for KU, as each scored 14 points. Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush each tallied 10, including Rush's late layup which clinched the 70-point barrier being reached.

The Jayhawks now get a few days off for the holidays, and will return to action next Saturday at 7 p.m. to welcome Yale into Allen Fieldhouse.

:50, second half, KU leads 75-54

Sherron Collins hit one of two free throws for KU out of the timeout before taking a seat in place of Tyrel Reed, makking his second appearance on the floor today. Dwight McCombs scored two inside for Miami, only to be matched by Cole Aldrich on the other end, who took a nice feed from Jeremy Case in doing so.

Carl Richburg, cold off the bench, hit a three for the RedHawks with the game drawing under the five-minute mark and KU well in control. Jeremy Case then scored his first two of the game after a pair of Miami missed free throws. Brandon Rush followed it by scoring two to give KU 70, snapping Miami's streak of 44 straight games of preventing opponents to do that. Tim Pollitz came back to score two, giving Miami's second-leading scorer nine on the day.

7:16, second half, KU leads 63-39

Darnell Jackson earned praise from the home crowd for chaseing down an offensive rebound near the KU bench off a Brandon Rush three miss. Jackson then got himself to the free throw line and hit one of two, giving him 12 points on the day. Nick Winbush came down to hit a deep three. Jackson responded by throwing home a lobbed toss from Sherron Collins to make it a 25-point game.

Mario Chalmers then hit his second three of the game, inching KU closer to snapping Miami's 70-and-under streak with a 59-31 score showing on the board. Sherron Collins made it a 30-point game at the 8:49 mark by driving in transition to give himself seven points on the afternoon.

Tim Pollitz hit a three from the corner after Miami called a quick timeout, and Dwight McCombs slammed home two off a Pollitz miss following a missed three for KU to give Miami a shot of life. Mario Chalmers came back down to lay one in and become the third Jayhawk to score in double figures, now with 10 points.

Kenny Hayes hit a three for Miami sending the game into a full break, with KU up by 24 points.

11:51, second half, KU leads 53-28

Kenny Hayes scored on a floater with the shot clock expiring out of the timeout to give himself eight points on the day. Russell Robinson tried to respond with a three, but saw it hit right iron, going back with the RedHawks.

Darrell Arthur scored again for KU, extending his game-high point total to 14 with a tip-in of a Sasha Kaun miss inside.

Miami called a full timeout just moments after the media timeout, and Sherron Collins opened up the scoring once play resumed with a swipe of an errant Kenny Hayes pass, swooping in for two on the other end. Another Miami turnover translated into the first points of the day for Rodrick Stewart, who threw one home with one hand in the open floor.

15:49, second half, KU leads 47-26

Tim Pollitz hit a two inside for Miami to start the second half scoring, with Darnell Jackson coming back with two of his own on a turnaround baseline jumper. Pollitz then scored again while drawing a foul on Jackson. His free throw missed, keeping KU up 41-24 in the second half's early onset.

KU woke up the Allen Fieldhouse crowd when Mario Chalmers registered his third steal of the game, fed the ball long upcourt to Brandon Rush and saw it get flushed hard with two hands.

The KU big men continued to go to work, with Darrell Arthur and Jackson each scoring inside, sandwiched around a hoop by Miami's Tyler Dierkers.

Halftime, KU leads 39-20

Miami was finally able to slug back a bit with Dwight McCombs throwing home a follow-up jam over the KU defense to quiet the home crowd a bit. Miami then took the ball back again after an offensive call against Kaun, and Eric Pollitz scored his first points of the game for Miami. Darrell Arthur came back to score his seventh and eighth points on yet another turnaround shot from close range. Miami's response was a three from Michael Bramos.

Arthur scored again, this time slamming home two off of a nifty feed inside on a drive by Sherron Collins, making Arthur the first Jayhawk in double figures on the day with 10 points.

KU was an efficient 16-of-29 from the floor in the first half, and has put itself on pace to be the first team in 45 tries to score 70-plus points against the RedHawks. Darrell Arthur led the way for KU with 10 points, while Darnell Jackson has seven and Sasha Kaun five. Mario Chalmers also has five points. Miami was held to a 7-of-25 showing from the field.

3:42, first half, KU leads 35-13

Mario Chalmers' took control of a Miami turnover out of the timeout, went the other way and instead of dishing in transition finished himself above the rim.

From there, it became a free throw battle for a bit. First, Kenny Hayes hit two for Miami, then Cole Aldrich hit both sides of a bonus one-and-one trip to the stripe. Hayes earned his way back to the line on Miami's next trip, and again sunk both, giving him a team-high six points.

Mario Chalmers then broke the monotony, as Russell Robinson kicked out from deep under the hoop to the junior guard atop the key. Chalmers hit a three, giving him five points. Darnell Jackson followed it with a tip-in on the other end after Brandon Rush missed a driving layup to put KU up 33-13 with just under five minutes to go in the half.

Darrell Arthur scored his third field goal of the game after coming back into the game for Jackson, flipping in a turnaround baby hook off the rim.

7:47, first half, KU leads 24-9

Michael Bramos ended the Miam drought with a three from the wing out of the TV timeout. Brandon Rush tried to answer back with a three of his own, but the long rebound was drawn down by Kenny Hayes. Rush then tried to score again, but his layup look in transition rattled off the rim. After KU took the ball back when it went out of bounds off of Miami, Rush slashed down the baseline and flushed home a two-handed dunk for his first points of the afternoon.

Rush scored again after Darnell Jackson collected a defensive board on the other end, this time swishing two from long range on the left wing to put KU up 24-9.

11:26, first half, KU leads 20-6

Out of the game's first full break, Sherron Collins checked in and casually cashed a three-pointer from atop the key. Then, after an aired three on the Miami end, Darnell Jackson lofted a lob pass for Sasha Kaun, which brought the crowd to its feet and forced the RedHawks to call a quick timeout, now down by six.

KU kept the points coming, as Sasha Kaun then took an entry feed and slipped in two under the glass while drawing contact. He hit his free throw, and after Miami again failed to stop the bleeding, Darnell Jackson took an offensive rebound right back up for two with a foul on top of it. His free throw gave KU an 11-0 run and an 18-6 lead.

Darrell Arthur became the third different post player to score in a matter of minutes, making it a 20-6 game with a sweet turnaround jumper on the baseline, forcing Miami to call its second 30-second timeout of the half.

14:48, first half, KU leads 7-6

Miami's Alex Moosmann controlled the game's opening tip, and the RedHawks scored right away with Adam Fletcher putting away a baseline jumper. Darrell Arthur answered back, needing four tries to finish off two inside, but eventually doing so to tie the game 2-2.

After an offensive foul call on Fletcher, Darnell Jackson came down to score a short two.

Tim Pollitz, Miami's second-leading scorer and top rebounder tried to go hard to the rack the next trip down but was short off the iron, with Darrell Arthur collecting his fourth rebound so far.

Jackson went diving after a loose ball following an empty KU possession, and wound up needing some medical assistance after banging his head on the floor.

Kenny Hayes drove and scored on the ensuing possession for Miami, but Russell Robinson came down and drilled his first three of the game to put KU up 7-4. Tim Pollitz, after grabbing another offensive board, scored for Miami to keep it close at 7-6.

Pregame

After securing its second road win of the season in as many tries, KU returns home for one last sliver of action before taking a few days off for Christmas.

If the Jayhawks want to go into the holiday season 12-0, however, they'll certainly have to earn it. Today, in a noon tipoff, KU welcomes in 5-4 Miami (Ohio), an NCAA Tournament team a year ago who is coming off of a huge road win Thursday night in a 61-58 overtime thriller at Illinois.

KU played two nights earlier on the road in Atlanta, knocking off Georgia Tech 71-66. It was more of a survival than a win, though, as KU let a 13-point lead nearly evaporate completely in the game's final 10 minutes. The Jayhawks were forced to play more conservatively than they had all season, hoisting just 46 shot attempts, which was by far a season-low.

Miami (Ohio) comes in with a reputation as a defensive-minded ballclub, having not allowed over 70 points in a game this season to an opponent. KU, on the other hand, is averaging 83.7 per contest, making it a situation where something will have to give.

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Comments

LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...

Anyone else out there having a problem with ESPN Fullcourt?

December 22, 2007 at 12:37 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Yes, I am. Sound in and out. Picture in and out, freezing, and flashing negative images. Sucks bigtime.

December 22, 2007 at 12:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

RckChalkJeff (anonymous) says...

and Lazer.com server is overloaded so cant listen to it on there....

December 22, 2007 at 12:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

Yeah, I'm trying to watch this on KMCI 38, but there must be a problem with the sattellite due to the thundersnowstorm. So I gave up and I've muted the sound while listening to Bob and Chris on KCSP-AM.

December 22, 2007 at 12:47 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

danimal33 (anonymous) says...

local tv sucks too. seems to be getting better now, but early on in the game the picture kept going out, then the sound was out while the picture was going. looks like the hawks are gonna walk allover this miami (oh) team. They are bigger, faster, more athletic, and way more talented. Miami is no match for them.

December 22, 2007 at 12:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

phoenixjayhawk (Rodney Stice) says...

KU looking good, TV feed sucks. I came all the way to KS and the columbian bank along with the KU commercials are nice to hear.

December 22, 2007 at 1:03 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

Brandon Rush harrassed the hell out of that one guy right before the turnover that led to Roderick Stewart's jam. He deserves an assist for that one!

December 22, 2007 at 1:22 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

Well here's our magic 70 points. Sorry, Charlie (Cole), you finally ran into a buzzsaw.

December 22, 2007 at 1:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

Kansas 78, Miami (OH) 54

December 22, 2007 at 1:46 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Random thoughts...

Projecting the Top Seeds in the NCAA Tournament (taking into account team's play and remaining schedule):

1. UNC
2. Memphis
3. Kansas
4. UCLA

Jackson would be a shoo-in for the pros if he developed a mid-range jumper.

Sasha Kaun is lethal in the paint, especially if you sleep on him. He's also knocking down fr'oes (uban dictionary: pr. froze', contracted form of "free throws")

Kansas' balance is a delicate one. Yes it's nice to see the scoring spread around, but with so many guys in the mix now, Stewart's minutes and ability to get going offensively is stymied. This is not his fault, it's just the nature of the beast at Kansas with so much talent. Incidentally, Coach Self is doing an absolute masterful job at orchestrating the proper rotation of guys in the game. Masterful, I tell ya!

I wonder how KU Nation would respond if we had a season like Kentucky's. Could that be a possibility next year with a young team?

Derrick Rose and Joey Dorsey of Memphis could BOTH be lottery picks. They have Memphis as a legitimate contender for the championship. I thought they were a paper tiger until I saw them today. But they've dismantled both Georgetown and USC, and did so in convincing fashion. I still think they don't want any part of Kansas.

Key to beating a teams like Georgetown? Solve the problem of the big man in the middle and that's where the game is won and lost ("...lop off the head and the body falls"). While Kansas doesn't have a center receiving accolades on par with Hibbert, we have a wave of bigs to throw at him. Hibbert would simply be worn down. In the case of Aldrich (who certainly doesn't have the skills to match up with a Hibbert), you tell him to just not let him score even if that means a hard foul. Remember how the "Oden problem" was solved that last season?

Bill Self has started his coaching career more successfully than any other coach in Kansas history. Big ups, Coach!!!! By the way, his concern after last game was that we needed to tighten up some things. Miami was the cure for what ailed us, I guess. Just a spoonful of sugar...

LOVE the ball movement in today's game (what I could see of it) to find the open man. Kansas' interior passing is the envy of many teams.

Once again, Sasha Kaun deserves much credit.

Two words: Connor Teahan.

December 22, 2007 at 2:08 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

jross1972, great post. But I'm beginning to think LJW needs to put a limit on how many characters you can have in one post...

December 22, 2007 at 2:26 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

scootja32 (anonymous) says...

Dorsey's not a lottery pick. He's a senior, and not a prolific scorer. He'll be an early second rounder.

& yes sasha does deserve credit.

We have way too many guys on this roster that can play. Even Case, Teahan, Reed, and Stewart could step in and play with the best of them under Self's tutelage. I'd like to see Teahen out there. I mean c'mon, dude is a freshman. I honestly think this guy is gonna be twice what Moody was as far as walk-ons are concerned. Anyone know if he's as good from the stripe as he is from downtown? I think If self can teach him a proper pump fake, it'll be lights out because they'lll have to come up and guard him.

This team is a great one.

December 22, 2007 at 2:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

beebe1 (anonymous) says...

Self's use of all the players was much improved. Had more than a 13 point lead and the guys got to play. He should see even better how they fit into the game. It looks as though we may have a good 10+ man rotation if needed. I wonder about Teahan -- he is one of the better shooters and scored more points than minutes again. He may be our salvation when we have to have three's falling. It would help if he covered well on defense.
Back in OH no TV coverage! But the radio does pretty well from laser.com. Guess you sort of have to imagine the game. It was a surprise that it wasn't a closer game -- we've had two good opponents, UCLA and GA Tech. Are there that few opponents? Maybe as many as 10 in the whole country? Hey, as well as we play most of the time, there really shouldn't be much opposition at all. Hope they can carry it to the end -- including the last game.

December 22, 2007 at 2:35 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ChicagoJHawk (anonymous) says...

I went to a KU bar here in San Fransisco to watch the game & the reception was really bad. Also, there weren't nearly as many people as I expected; never the less it was still fun to watch the game with some other KU fans. Great win guys, 12-0, Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!

December 22, 2007 at 3:02 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

jhawkfan1625...

they actually do.

December 22, 2007 at 3:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

Oh really? I never would have guessed...

Anyway, ESPN was showing highlights of our game earlier this afternoon. Given how bad the satellite feed was for the Jayhawk TV Network, I'm surprised they had anything worthwhile to show.

Is Jayhawk TV no longer run by ESPN-Plus? Cause I never see anything about ESPN-Plus when I watch J-TV games anymore.

December 22, 2007 at 6:28 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

APDJayhawk (anonymous) says...

JRoss can't help himself...he feels the need to share his thoughts on EVERY article, no matter how mundane and useless those thoughts are. It must be a very empty life.

December 22, 2007 at 7:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ohioburg (anonymous) says...

I got to listen to it via the M-OH announcers. They sounded pretty much in awe of Kansas.

December 22, 2007 at 7:59 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

jhwkfan1625...

You're better than that, arent you? No one abridges your right to speak here in this forum, and clearly you exercise it freely. I have nothing against you and I dont remember any particularly quarrelsome exchange we've had. I've never been one to back away from a dogfight but I try to approach most disagreements respectfully and find common ground when and wherever I can. Please explain your grievance more clearly if you dont mind.

APD...if I said, "Your opinion means little to me", even that would be wasting too much breath. For what it's worth, however, I feel no NEED to comment often. I do so out of enthusiasm for the Jayhawks. While people here often disagree with what I have to say at least no one questions my devotion to the Hawks, which is more than I can say for you from what I read. I don't know if that's sad or funny. Either way it amuses me.

December 22, 2007 at 8:29 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

tpeck1021 (anonymous) says...

I'll say it....APD...your opinion means nothing...

December 22, 2007 at 9:46 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

pjdeanwag (anonymous) says...

Mizzou loses to Illinois. Love that. Illinois fans chant BCS at the end of the game. Love that more. Ha.

December 22, 2007 at 10 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kcroyal (anonymous) says...

I thought we were all Jayhawk fans and you guys are blasting his entry. If you don't like it don't read it but don't get on his case for expressing his thoughts.

Let's just support the Hawks and have fun this year.

December 22, 2007 at 10:22 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

tpeck1021 (anonymous) says...

I would normally agree KC. But go and look at his postings. He attacks anyone and everything in almost every article on here. He has never had a positive thing to say about anything.

December 22, 2007 at 10:29 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

tpeck1021...

good idea. go look at my postings. My paper trail speaks for itself and I am not ashamed of it one iota. This is a discussion board, and no two people agree on 100% of issues as they relate to our Hawks. When the idea of a message board was the brainchild of the LJW staff, do you think they envisioned a forum where everyone agrees? Even someone hostile to my points of view will observe the imbalance of your statement, that I "...never had a positive thing to say about anything." Scroll the posts on this topic alone and reason will convince you otherwise.

But more to the point, would you rather we forsake the contributions of avid and loyal Jayhawk fans and turn this arena over to the malignant minds of those like APD? Those who are cancers to the Crimson and Blue we claim to love? Is this what you want? Im a 36 year old man who has followed KU since I was 4 and old enough to care about basketball. My heroes were people like Ted Owens, Darnell Valentine, Calvin Thompson, and Ron Kellogg. I remember when Mark Turgeon raced up and down the court with Cedric Hunter, coached by Larry Brown. I got goosebumps the first time I stepped into Allen Field House and it has happened every single time since. I loved Danny more than anyone and I chose his number 25 as my high school jersey number in honor of him. I never missed a game during the Roy Williams era and even though many fans race to crucify him I respect him for what he did for this institution. I have extolled the virtues of Coach Self for a long while now. Ive seen many players be recruited to this institution and graduate from it with class and dignity. These young men had more respect for this school in their little fingers than many here--who have never dribbled the ball once on a KU court, mind you--claim to have, and yet poison these messages with belittling remarks about our players. I have even defended the likes of CJ Giles and JR Giddens at various junctures when other fans hastened to excommunicate them. Why? Because they wore the uniform. Its a sad day when a loyal Hawk fan has to roll out his resume.

Constructive criticism is not synonymous with negativity, and disagreements are to be expected. I dont claim to walk on water, no, but if you think I am abrasive then have a listen to sports talk radio sometime. Surf the public radio channels and youll find it. There is where youll find some hardcore broohahas worthy of your venom. But it is misplaced here, I can assure you.

December 22, 2007 at 11:47 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

tpeck apologies...

I was just told by a buddy of mine that I experienced an idiot moment. Your criticism was aimed at APD and not me. Sincerest apologies.

Id just rather we talk basketball and get away from all of this interpersonal dynamic bull@#$%. I hope most everyone else here agrees.

December 22, 2007 at 11:52 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

beebe1 (anonymous) says...

Hey, jross, you write great stuff! There may be two or three others that write about as well -- and they all show up in good time. Keep it coming.

December 23, 2007 at 10:08 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tpeck1021 (anonymous) says...

No Problem Jross...i shouldnt have let APD get to me either. I enjoy your posts, keep it up!

December 23, 2007 at 2:16 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

ralsterKUMed95 (anonymous) says...

jross1972,
Always have enjoyed your posts; always thoughtful, and I usually agree with your sentiments. Um, about this "APD" character, I have noticed he/she/it always has a negative message, and is very fond of the slang "tool". He still thinks it sounds cool after the umpteenth time of using it. Others have theorized he is a closet Mizzou fan--oops, maybe I just 'outed' him--so sorry! Anyway, keep up the writin', as any of us KU fans and alumni (who also are fellow bballers) welcome your perspective and insight, as I do of other frequent posters such as Lebowski and jaybate, to name but a few. Keep it up guys. Go KU!

December 24, 2007 at 12:11 a.m. ( | suggest removal )