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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Border warrior

Fired-up Wright has 33 in rout

By Gary Bedore

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Columbia, Mo. — Julian Wright looked up in disbelief at the center video board prior to pregame introductions of Missouri's starters on Saturday afternoon in Mizzou Arena.

Instead of a montage of Tigers in the NBA, or highlights of the Norm Stewart era, the big-screen TV showed key moments in Kansas University's overtime meltdown at Mizzou last season.

"I feel they were trying to get us rattled, make us think too much. That was last year. We have more experience now. It takes a lot more than that to get us rattled," a motivated Wright said after erupting for 33 points and 12 rebounds in the Jayhawks' 92-74 rout of the Tigers.

Wright had nine points in a 24-2 run that gave KU a 14-point lead 15 minutes into the game.

He acknowledged the video as providing the Jayhawks with extra energy early in Saturday's contest.

"It should fire you up if they show something like that before the game," Wright said after scoring the most points by a Jayhawk since Nick Collison's 33 versus Duke in 2003. Paul Pierce had 34 versus Vanderbilt back in 1997.

"It made me real mad. It got us angry inside," Brandon Rush said after burning the Tigers for 21 points and seven rebounds after the video was shown. "That was last year. They didn't show the game we won at the fieldhouse (on Jan. 15). It made me really want to win."

Photo Gallery

KU vs Missouri

KU coach Bill Self could be seen nudging some players to look at the board during the intros.

"I told the guys, 'Isn't it unbelievable the whole pregame is about Kansas?' I said, 'That should get you guys all fired up,''' Self said. "I said, 'That should make you guys feel good.' I wanted them to watch that."

Self isn't surprised Wright and Rush combined for 54 of KU's 92 points in helping KU's coach notch the 300th victory of his career.

The Big 12 co-preseason players of the year led the way during what Self called the best practice of the season Friday night at Mizzou Arena.

"Everybody was good last night. They were really good. I actually told Brandon, 'Save something for the game,''' Self cracked of Rush, who hit eight of 10 shots.

"Julian : today was just his day. He was so focused, in slow motion, not sped up. He has been so focused like at practice last night," Self added of Wright, who made a career-best 14 baskets in a career-high 21 attempts, shattering his old scoring mark of 23 points set against Rhode Island this season.

He said his high in a high school game back at Homewood-Flossmoor in Chicago was 24 points.

"It helps that they were pressing. I like when teams press," said Wright, who likes to run the open court. He hit the glass hard for eight offensive rebounds, several that resulted in stickback points.

He was under control with four turnovers in 36 minutes. Not bad on a day the 6-foot-8, 225-pounder handled the ball numerous times all over the court.

Audio clip

Bill Self's Feb. 10 postgame press conference

"He was making the simple plays today. That's what we try to tell him every game when we come out of the game. Make the simple plays. When he does that, he's the best player in the game," said freshman guard Sherron Collins who had 14 points and seven assists.

Wright said there's a good reason he was under control. And not just the pregame video.

"When I make a turnover, coach will put me at the end of the bench. I was tired of it. I had to play better so I can stay in the game," Wright said.

Go figure

33

Career-best points scored by Julian Wright

14-for-21

Wright's field-goal shooting

12

Career-high-tying rebounds for Wright

21, 7

Points, rebounds by KU's Brandon Rush

30

Three-pointers hoisted by Missouri

8

Three-pointers made by Missouri

(26.7 percent)

300

Career victories for KU coach Bill Self

133

Career losses for Self

Wright also had seven points in a key 13-1 run that turned a 60-47 lead into a 73-48 advantage. He also had a basket and foul shot immediately following a 13-1 MU run that cut KU's biggest lead of 25 points to 75-63 with 7:21 left.

Wright made sure the Tigers (14-9 overall, 3-7 Big 12 Conference), who hung within striking distance of the Jayhawks (21-4, 8-2) all day, never could crack the deficit to single digits the second half.

"Julian was MVP today," Rush said. "He was walking around last night saying he was going to go in 'Beast Mode' again. That's where he's doing everything, rebounding, blocking shots, running the court.

"He's the only person I know who can score 30 on this team."

Sherron Collins (14) and Darnell Jackson (10) also scored in double digits for the Jayhawks, who hit 54.7 percent of their shots to MU's 42.2 percent. MU made eight of 30 threes to KU's three of nine. The Jayhawks won the battle of the boards, 40-33.

KU did have 16 turnovers, not bad against the Tigers, who implemented their '40 minutes of hell' pressing attack.

"They hurt us with the press, we also got the ball to the middle. When we did that, good things happened," Self said. "Our team : we are good in the open court."

The Jayhawks next will travel to Colorado on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. tipoff.

KU vs. Missouri

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Comments

justinryman (anonymous) says...

beast mode needs to be implemented in every game not just the FL and MU games...from here on out every game Wright needs to be Beast Mode!!!!!

February 11, 2007 at 6:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawkinatl (anonymous) says...

I agree, justinryman. Why does Julian need to decide which games he wants to go into "beast" mode??? Make it every DAMN game, Julian!!!!

February 11, 2007 at 7:55 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Brunswickboy63 (anonymous) says...

Good game Julian Wright. It is too bad we have second class tv announcers that cannot get your name correct. It ticks off this old Jayhawk.
Go Hawks!

February 11, 2007 at 7:59 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

oldvet (anonymous) says...

You have to love it when Mizzoo puts up highlights showing our guys at a bad moment, just before the game... If they measured common sense the way they measure IQ, that decission maker would be in single digits...

February 11, 2007 at 8:11 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

GIHAWK (anonymous) says...

Or save the "beast mode" for the last six games of the year in the NCAA's...

February 11, 2007 at 8:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

notabandwagonfan (anonymous) says...

hey, if julian isn't in beast mode and we are still winning games, i dont care. It takes a team win games, and we certainly are doing a better job as a team of winning games. Starting to close out games better. I personally thought that would have been a closer game. Boy was I wrong.

February 11, 2007 at 8:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

CasperCorps (anonymous) says...

300 wins for Self!! Congrats to him and to Julian "the beast" Wright.. Great game all around... This team is starting to roll.. Rockem Hawks!!

February 11, 2007 at 9:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

goldlighting (anonymous) says...

What would you expect from Mizzou? Their hatred blinds their common sense, you would think we are all still carrying single shot long rifles wearing buckskins. Oh yeah, they lost that border war too.

February 11, 2007 at 9:06 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

leikness (anonymous) says...

All I can say is Hawks -5 1/2. Thank you Jayhawks

February 11, 2007 at 9:07 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

LAJayhawk5 (anonymous) says...

MU and their fans should play a video of them being on the wrong side of the civil war to remind them that, for the most part, that part of the state is trash. Didn't get to watch the game, was the idiot there with the Quantrill gear on?

Male students that wear dresses, jail house tapes and on and on. Shouldn't surprise anyone that they played that video.

"40 Minutes of Hell!?"

Please. More like...

40 Minutes of SUCK IT!

February 11, 2007 at 9:55 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

This has to be the greatest running team that hardly ever gets to run. God, what I would give for Greg Olden or Spenser Hawes on this team. We're just one great defensive rebounding big man away from running the legs off of everyone we meet including Roy's boys. Oh, well, maybe Arthur or Kaun will learn to clear the boards by next year. Or Aldrich will be able to. You'd think some top big man would just be drooling to step in at KU and play with this bunch. It would be instant ring if they could just rebound well enough to run game in and game out.

February 11, 2007 at 9:57 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

landon_2003 (anonymous) says...

idk about instant ring if they rebound...gotta score to win

February 11, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jbrownjib (anonymous) says...

I wish that Julian could have found the "Beast Mode' at the end of the games with Texas A&M and DePaul.

I feel for Mike Anderson. He is a good coach at a bone headed university.

February 11, 2007 at 10:37 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KU_Kiwi (anonymous) says...

It was just 40 minutes of "Hello, we don't have a clue." It was good that Julian was fired up in "beast mode," but the fact is, the hawks are just playing better than when they faced MU in Lawrence. Julian will be in beast more often as he matures as a player and a person. He needs to become intrinsically motivated rather than relying on coaches or videos (extrinsic motivation). That happens more with maturity. Most NBA players are far more likely to bring it every night. Julian will learn this.

February 11, 2007 at 11 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

killjoy (anonymous) says...

"Suck it", obviously the mentality of a 10 year-old.

February 11, 2007 at 11:09 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

feefifofum (anonymous) says...

Wow - that incredible winning steak in Mizzou Arena is finally over. I can't believe it is over. Way back in 2005 the Tigers started this unbelievable string.

Maybe they can build a new arena and start another "streak" or just change the name of the current place ? Great win - sad to see the future "journalists" of MU throwing crap on the court. Wait a minute - that's just extra credit towards their degrees. Way to go Tigers.

February 11, 2007 at 11:18 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Calm_in_the_Realm_of_Insanity (anonymous) says...

I was at the game in Allen Fieldhouse and we showed KU victories against Misery before the game as well. Maybe that's why that game was so close.

But does it bother anybody else that it takes a pregame video or even a coach pointing said video out to get fired up to play a rival.

Someone needs to call Coach Fam.

The difference in the last two games is that when we got up 8 or 9 instead of forcing three pointers and going for the knock out, we stuck with bill self's gameplan and just didn't get over excited and/or over comfortable. We didn't experience the attention deficit disorder problems that we have faced most of the year.

Hopefully, the men are proud of themselves but not revert back. Overconfidance is lethal. I would hate to see a step backwards between now and the beginning of April. It's like finishing the prescription drug. You don't want to have a relapse because that can be worse than the original illness.

February 11, 2007 at 11:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jamestoo (anonymous) says...

this team is still scary. we still haven't had everyone on thier game yet. i still see better things for this team coming down the road. we are still young,a true contender for a national championship this year. i just hope we don't lose to many players from this team at the end of the year. what will we be next year with this team still intact. WOW.

February 11, 2007 at 1:26 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

martyks (anonymous) says...

Mike Anderson? Good coach? Well, okay, maybe he had the poorest day of his career. Everyone has to have that one sometime. Think about it. The whole team settled for shooting threes the whole game, while their best shooter stood five feet from the basket for multiple possessions. Everyone stood around like it was a bus stop the whole game. They all played chicken with the referees by continuing to foul the whole game, hoping their wonderfully intelligent fans would intimadate the refs into not calling all of them, the old Georgetown strategy that did work for a while. Then, Anderson spends the entire game complaining to the refs, which sends the message to his players, "It isn't your fault. It's the refs. They're the reason we're down by 17." Anyone who can read lips knows he said "bull ___" about 20 times to the refs and seconds later, when his player comes over to offer an excuse for his poor play, Mike tells him, "Oh, bull ____." Wow. That may have been the poorest coached team I've seen since the University of Detroit had a bald, one eyed guy letting them play street ball the whole season.

February 11, 2007 at 1:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Jayhawk86 (anonymous) says...

You know, this is all Coach Self's fault. This winning and all. Still waiting for that post from Thomomys1 after a win. Oh, wait he and the other haters only post after a loss. How does it feel to come here and read every article, but only get to participate in a very limited fashion. Not very many losses, so not much participation.

February 11, 2007 at 1:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Leprechaunking13 (anonymous) says...

MartyKS, how about any quin snyder coached team? Mike Anderson is a good coach if you don't see what he did at UAB and how he has Missouri on the upslide of things than you shouldn't comment about basketball. Truth is KU was just way too much for any Missouri player to handle and it showed throughout the game, like Self said this was a good "practice"!

February 11, 2007 at 2:44 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

takeastand (anonymous) says...

Boo Birds,

Kansas is now 36-6 (85.7 percent) in its last 42 games

Who exactly do you want to come in here and replace Coach Self?

February 11, 2007 at 2:59 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

As I have insisted for the better part of the year, when Rush and Wright are going at the same time, this team is incredible.

Yesterday I saw something encouraging that may have been overlooked. Late in the first half when KU was making its push Mizzou was pressing. Julian threw a bad pass to Brandon and Self called time out. For the first time that I can ever recall, Brandon appeared to actually be yelling at someone for making a bad play. I understand that Brandon is low key and relaxed, but it felt good to see him get after a teammate (especially someone who was having a good game) for making a bad play. Not too long after that (I think) Julian threw down the meanest dunk I have ever seen him throw down in his career. Brandon is starting to step into a bigger leadership role on the floor.

Self had his guys ready to play after a very emotional week with no let down following a huge home win against K-State. The team is growing up. Although I am sure that if they play a close game then the haters will resurface to call for Self's job and say that this team has no leadership and heart. Forget the haters. Love the Hawks.

February 11, 2007 at 3:13 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KURUSH1530 (anonymous) says...

I'm a Bill Self hater and I'd just like to say, I'm very glad that he switched philosophies for yesterday's game. It was actually the first game all season I don't have much to criticize. However, beating Mizzou is never the highlight of my year, it all depends on what happens in March. Which I'm hoping will be a great outcome, but I have a feeling our big men won't be able to complement the guard play well enough. Prove me wrong. Please.

February 11, 2007 at 3:13 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

NavyHawk (anonymous) says...

KURUSH, what makes you think Coach Self switched philosophies? He has been saying all along that he coaches his players to take what the other team gives them. With the full court press that MU was bringing, it often left an opening for a quick pass from the middle of the court to a big man (Wright) under the basket. One-on-one there are few players in the country that can stop Julian, Brandon or Darrell, when they're inside of 10 ft.

When teams play halfcourt against KU, (I'll bet no other teams will try the press from here on...at least not the entire game), they pack the lanes under the basket and Coach's philosophy is to go high-low, or high-low-high. I think it was a well coached, well executed game.

When the 'Hawks shoot lights-out like last night, they'll usually win going away.

February 11, 2007 at 3:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kranny (anonymous) says...

kurush1530, Roy is gone. Get over it. There isn't another coach in the world that Jayhawk nation would rather have.

February 11, 2007 at 6:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KURUSH1530 (anonymous) says...

Don't worry kranny, I hated Roy more than I do Self. If there are only a few players in the nation that can guard those three 10 feet from the basket, then don't you think they should be contributing way more to the team? I don't see any double or triple teams.

February 11, 2007 at 7:15 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KURUSH1530 (anonymous) says...

By the way, I motion that instead of Julian "The Beast" Wright (because it stinks), we switch it to Julian "Baby Giraffe" Wright. Ok.

February 11, 2007 at 7:16 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

dbgjayhawk (anonymous) says...

has anyone else noticed that we've scored at least 90 points in the last 2 games. not that it really means anything, but i like to see that we're actually scoring well now. not many teams in college will beat you if you can score 90 points a game. lets just hope this trend continues.

February 11, 2007 at 7:20 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

fabio (anonymous) says...

This win is for Digger Phelps who picked Mizzou over KU in his "upset special". Maybe next time Digger.

February 11, 2007 at 7:52 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

I'll worry when Digger picks KU to win. I don't have anything against him but he is clueless when it comes to predicting.

February 11, 2007 at 7:59 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

fabio (anonymous) says...

War brings out the beast in every man.............

February 11, 2007 at 8 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Julian and Kaun both shot in the .50s on FTs last year. This year Julian's at .67 or something. What practice program did he follow? Kaun needs to follow it, too.

February 11, 2007 at 10:09 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

cap10d (anonymous) says...

Yep Kaun needs to practice free throws,Arthur needs to stay out of foul trouble,and Darnell Jackson needs to get a few more minutes,but we're winning!! Id rather be perfect in March!By the way just thought about it after reading someones post above about everyone coming back next year,but did anyone else notice that if that does occur,at the end of next season we will have 6 seniors counting Witherspoon that will be leaving for sure with the possibility of Rush,Arthur,Wright, and Chalmers.Thats a strong possibility of 8-10 players,not counting Collins (because I think he'll stay atleast 3 yrs).Even though I have confidence HCBS will reload,still the thought is a little scary that we could likely be really young and inexperienced after next year again.Anyways just an observation and a reason to say lets just enjoy the ride and not expect to much as long as we are winning.Go Hawks!

February 12, 2007 at 12:20 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Kaun started off looking much better from the line early this year. Then he hit a brick wall! Wright has more of the disposition to develop into a good shooter. Sasha will never have the range to make him a great free throw shooter. That's okay, because he plays strong, doesn't take ill-advised shots, and he gets the other teams' big guys in foul trouble. Would be nice if he can at least get up into the upper .60's though.

KURUSH... you hate Bill Self AND Roy Williams. I'll bet Coach K doesn't meet your approval, either, after Duke's 4 straight losses. Coach Knight must be terrible, so was Dean Smith, he probably only won because he had the best players. And you can say the same thing about John Wooden. is there a good coach out there? Or do all of them suck? All coaches throughout history combine for only a .500 winning percentage. That just won't cut it at a place like Kansas! I say we should just tell Self and all of his assistants to pack their crap up and leave. Who needs a coach?! We'll just throw all the equipment in the middle of the court and tell our players to have at it. Maybe they'll do better playing pick-up ball.

February 12, 2007 at 11:31 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

burntpuma (anonymous) says...

in the jungle the mighty jungle, julian wright sleeps tonight

what a beast
aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!

February 12, 2007 at 2:52 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawks4life (anonymous) says...

wow Julian is a stud. What a player. you know what muck fizzou. however i will say that it is alot more pleasant of a game without ole Quinney. This is the sort of intenseity that we need. I always thought that it would brandon or mario who will take over but after this it might be Julian. go hawks!

February 13, 2007 at 2:03 p.m. ( | suggest removal )