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Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Extra Minutes: Kansas 80, Missouri 77

By Ryan Greene

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What this means...from the Fieldhouse

Gary Bedore, Journal-World KU men's basketball beat writer

"Wow. A great basketball game.

Missouri came to play, that is for sure. The Tigers did not look like a team that was 0-3 in the conference.

I guess the cliche about throwing the records out the window when the teams play is true.

Great play by Collins late. Great defense by Rush on the three at the buzzer to tie.

Say what you want about KU not blowing out the Tigers. MU definitely came to play and it was a good win for KU. Collins and Arthur played well down the stretch, but Collins was the star."

Tom Keegan, Journal-World sports editor

"Sherron Collins took one look at old rival Stefhon Hannah and it was as if he was back at Chicago's Crane Tech and the team was counting on him to guide them through another win. He took the challenge head-on and didn't let Kansas lose.

He's shown flashes of greatness in previous games. He was great, period, in this one.

Darrell Arthur wasn't too shabby down the stretch, either, blocking two consecutive shots in a late Missouri possession. Combined, the two freshmen scored 17 of KU's final 19 points."

Ryan Greene, KUSports.com editor

"Funny thing I've noticed about this team is that every game it seems like there's someone else to talk about as a breakout performer. The players in this rotation seem to go in cycles, and they really don't seem to mind.

Tonight was Sherron Collins' turn. It was all a matter of who took Missouri's 15-2 run after KU had built a 58-50 lead most personally. The freshman point guard is truly finding a comfort zone, which only makes KU more dangerous down the stretch. By the way, Collins needs to keep the new haircut. As someone who was disappointed to see him show up on campus without his signature braids from his high school days, the new shaved look with a graphic design cut in the front left portion of his temple is pretty sleek. Anyways...

Brandon Rush's defense on Matt Lawrence, giving him next to no look at the potential game-tying three shouldn't go overlooked. He's would be neck-and-neck as an early contender with Mario Chalmers for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors...if such an honor existed."

Inside the numbers

1: This marked the first time all season Missouri lost when outrebounding its opponent. The Tigers held a slim 43-42 edge over the Jayhawks on the glass when it was all said and done, but KU simply showed off its depth in having more players make more big plays down the stretch.

10: That's how many minutes Missouri junior Stefhon Hannah played in the second half, after having to sit a generous portion of the game's stretch run with four fouls. Hannah was the Tigers' most reliable spark and answer for big shots, but the Tigers definitely lost some punch when he was left watching. He finished with 15 points in 28 minutes. Five of those points came in his limited second half playing time.

20: That's how many lead changes this game displayed, which in any case will make for an entertaining contest. The most important one for KU, however, came with 3:02 left to play, when two Brandon Rush free throws out of a television timeout put the Jayhawks up 71-70. KU had constructed a 58-50 lead at 13:43, but a 15-2 Missouri run put the Tigers up by five with 9:01 to play. For KU to fight back after that showed some guts.

0: That's how many Big 12 wins Missouri came into Lawrence with, and it's also how many they headed back east down I-70 with. Though if the Tigers play like they did Monday, there should be a couple more notches in their conference win column before they host the Jayhawks in Columbia, Mo., on Feb. 10. Mizzou has five games between now and then, and those opponents have a combined conference record so far of 5-8.

Just in case you missed it...

Mario Chalmers had what you could call his first 'bad' night since, well, last season. It's now been three full games since the sophomore last hit a three-pointer, he dribbled the ball off of his lower body twice, with both headed out of bounds, and he had just one assist to a season-high five turnovers. That made Sherron Collins' breakout performance, with 23 points and five rebounds, even more important. Russell Robinson also tied his season high with two three-pointers to help fill the void.

Hopefully you didn't miss it...

Collins not only broke out, but he hit big shots at big moments. Aside from a huge three-pointer in the corner to put KU up 76-72 with 1:44 to go, he was knifing the lane and finishing consistently, as he has been for several games now. Bill Self had nothing but the highest praise for his freshman point guard's performance.

They said it...

Bill Self on Sherron Collins' breakout performance: "He was excited to play against Stefhon. He's played really well since Christmas. He's been really good. Tonight, that's the point guard that coach (Kurtis Townsend) and I saw just about everytime he played in high school or AAU games, just in attack mode, aggressive. It's tough to come in when you're thinking instead of playing, but tonight there was no thinking going on. He was just out there ballin'. I thought he was fabulous."

Bill Self on where Collins' performance ranks in his time coaching at KU: "I was trying to think after the game, we've had some unbelievable wins here where guys have taken games over, you know, that kind of stuff, but I can't remember where one individual took over a game more in a big game late like he did today, and for a young kid, that's pretty strong."

Sherron Collins on taking the team on his back: "I really didn't envision myself carrying the team, but I know I'm capable of doing things like that, and I just stepped up when we needed somebody to step up."

Sherron Collins on the Border War rivalry: "I really didn't know about it. I really got to know about it at halftime."

Brandon Rush on guarding Matt Lawrence's final shot attempt: "We knew it was going to go to Lawrence. He was lighting me up the whole game, so they figured they'd pick on me for the last shot, and I think I played I played pretty good defense at the end, just walled up."

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Comments

vmyers (anonymous) says...

Just for the record, in '05 Wayne Simien had 32 points and 12 rebounds to beat Oklahoma State 81-79. So that might have been better than Sherron's performance. But he can have second place, and that's still pretty good.

January 16, 2007 at 12:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawker_97 (anonymous) says...

just watch this Sherron Collins kid in future games. i believe he'll become key player just like what he did in taming the Tigers tonight. i'm also a strong believer in Arthur. both these freshmen have got to be some of the best KU valuable recruits so far. they both are capable of doing what they're best at. it's just a matter of time that the team and coach Self realize their potentials. go Hawks!!

January 16, 2007 at 1:32 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

KU sneaks out with a win by shooting 47% trey while scrappy MU shoots 23% trey. Put it another way, all MU had to do was shoot 30% trey and it was a win for them in our house. This is really getting scary. How are they ever going to stay in a game with a good team having even an average night?

Sherron had a BIG game offensively, but man I've never seen a guy as quick as he is get burned as often as he does. The guy has a ton of confidence, which a shooter needs. A defender on the other and, has to be deeply aware of his limitations, so he can try to compensate for them. Sherron seems to think he has no defensive weaknesses, but the truth is he's just not quick enough to play belly button defense in D1 the way he did in highschool.
But the real surprise, if its not a misprint in the box score, was that while Sherron was stealing the spot light, RusRob played 34 minutes, shot well, got a couple treys and had a good floor game. Self better start patting him on the back, not just railing about that late TO.

Also, Rush was 5 of 14 over all and 3 of 8 inside the trey stripe. Brandon continues to seem to have lost his inside game. Its embarrassing and will surely kill us against a team with a guy who can really defend.

You have to love this team for being 16-2 even against weak competition. They find ways to win.

Let's hope they eventually find ways to play half court offense.

Once again, when they run the double high post, they look pretty good. But when they go to this other offense they really look clueless.

Another advance tonight was that Wright and Arthur seemed to figure out how to play zone offense for chippies. That will stand them in good stead many times this season.

January 16, 2007 at 1:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawker_97 (anonymous) says...

one comment about tonight's game: give the Tigers credit. they played hard(er than the Hawks?) and made it difficult for our kids to score baskets. i was surprise, there's no flagrant foul called, as i expected, from the Tigers, like previous years.. lol.. in the end, Rock Chalks, babyyy!!

January 16, 2007 at 1:37 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Muska (anonymous) says...

This was SUCH a better win than many of you realize...did any of you catch the 1998 ESPN classic game between KU and MU yesterday? It reminded me of the nightmares that Brian Grawer and Monty Hardge used to give us, even with a #3 ranked team. Mizzou will always play us tough, whether it is 1919 or 2045. It's gonna be a battle every single game. Personally, I am glad that our boys manned up (even when they were down) and won a tough rivalry game. Any pessimists (Jaybate), please refer your comments to my southern sexual region, because I'm tired of negativity! go hawks!

::..

jross included in that last comment of mine...we are all 'hawks fans...let's all agree that we didn't play nearly to our capability, but still, any win against Misery is a win! Look at all of our best teams from the 90's, and they still had more than their fair share of trouble with Miz-zero. We showed a lot of guts tonight (Sherron & Co.), whether you guys want to admit it or not.
:

Gosh, I hate to toot my own horn, but JROSS, one thing you said still bothers me..."This team will not survive in the NCAA tournament very long if their play resembles anything like it did this evening." ...Are you bleepin' kidding me? Mizzou (as much as I hate admitting this) ranks first or second in many, many defensive categories within the Big 12 Confrence. ESPN clearly pointed this out, if you were watching the game on TV, which I just got the chance to watch. Personally, I am a very lucky individual who had the opportunity to witness the game as a student and spent my Monday night fighting the officials at the Fieldhouse, but the fact of the matter is Missouri always plays us close. I know you probably love the 'Hawks as much as I do, but c'mon, we're on a roll! A min against Mizzou is a win against Mizzou!

January 16, 2007 at 2:39 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Geekinout (anonymous) says...

I'm just glad Self finally got Chalmers out of the game. How many unforced turnovers did he have? That crap is why Mizzou hung around and it let them keep crawling back in it, when it really should have been a blow out at half.

I also caught the 98 KU/Mizzou game...Keep in mind how awful that game was officiated. All Pierce's fouls were pretty touchy and it put him in trouble early and just think what the game would have been like if LaFrentz was playing. That team was built though to make a legit run if only we had a coach that'd let his star players take over. I'll never understand why Roy kept trying to make Chenowith a key component.

January 16, 2007 at 4:10 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

TrueBlue92 (anonymous) says...

Two sub-par games from Julian Wright in a row; thank goodness Kaun has been solid and steady since Christmas!! I have to think that Julian needs to get his head back into it (do we really need him dribbling on this team??) or I look for Arthur's minutes to start climbing.

One aside: The TV analyst said last night that he "feels" that all players will return next year. WOW that would be freakin' amazing!!

OK, enough, back to this season, this conference . . . .

January 16, 2007 at 7:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

coolhawk (anonymous) says...

I watched the game on tv last night. An Interesting comment from Fran Fraschilla about mid-way through the first half - "I have a feeling that none of these guys on the KU team are going pro after this year. There are several that could and maybe should. But, I just have a feeling this team may stick together for the long haul. I sense something here." Interesting comment and I don't know why he would go out on a limb and say that unless he knows something we don't. He also went on to say that Kevin Durant will be the second pick in this year's NBA Draft. Just food for thought.

Outstanding game and very entertaining. Even if you are not a basketball fan, you would have to be drawn in to watching this game.

January 16, 2007 at 8:19 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

U2freak (anonymous) says...

People like Jaybate have to realize it was the third game in 6 days...plus very importantly the Tigers came in to play to win, not to lose. Mike Anderson also wanted a revenge on KU, do you guys remember his former UAB team got blown out by us in 2004 NCAA tournament? Yes we did not play a good game, but I would take this win. Collins is unbelievable!!!

January 16, 2007 at 8:51 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

digitalkookie (anonymous) says...

would someone please inform keegan and especially (!!) fran fraschilla that collins did not attend crane "tech", rather crane high. it is lane tech...you chicago hawks know what i'm talkin about...please check your facts!! good win last night, way to battle til the end!! go hawks!!!

January 16, 2007 at 9:38 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawktownie (anonymous) says...

i would also put langford's new year's day performance against georgia tech a couple years ago ahead of collins' game. i'm not sure his stats were that great but i've never seen a player demand the ball and deliver in the final possessions quite like that.

January 16, 2007 at 9:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

klmammo (anonymous) says...

I know Bill Self wasn't here yet, but anybody remember Nick Collison rocking 24 points and 23 boards against Texas? That was a performance for the ages.

January 16, 2007 at 10:14 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bangaranggerg (anonymous) says...

The 40 minutes of hell was met by 40 minutes of superior personel.

January 16, 2007 at 10:29 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Neom (anonymous) says...

The reason Mizzou stayed close was because they played zone at the moments and we seemed to have no clue what to do until late. Hopefully this will serve as a valuable lesson as more teams will zone us up and we need to consistently break the zone.

January 16, 2007 at 10:34 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bangaranggerg (anonymous) says...

Or... How about- "40 minutes of false morale"? eH? There you go!

January 16, 2007 at 10:41 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

FlaHawk (anonymous) says...

I hate to defend Jaybate, but Collins is easily the worst defender in the KU rotation. He is very quick offensively, but on defense he gave up as many points as he scores!

He might push RussRob to the bench, if he improves his defense!

RussRob played his best game since before X-Mas although he did almost blow it with his mindless pass to Rush with 11 seconds left. Coach Self should have chewed his ead off all the way tohis butt for this one.

Chalmers played what probably was his worst game of the season. He has had trouble against Taylor of ISU and now Hannah of MU. They both were as quick as Chalmers and they could shoot all over him because of his lack of size. Fortunately, both Taylor and Hannah did not have especially good shooting games or KU would have gone 0-2.

KU needs to attach the zone better. They got a lot of good shots near the bucket, but missed a surprising number of gimmies!

Still I will take the two wins! Just hope that KU learns from these games and starts to put teams away rather than letting them hang in until the end.

January 16, 2007 at 11:19 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kickazzkurtz (anonymous) says...

You can't look at a team's record and say we should have blown them out. You have to look at how they played this game; not last week. You can't say that just because we played this way against MU that we can't beat a good team on an average night. Look at how we played Oral Roberts and a week later beat Florida. MU played great it is as simple as that. KU had plenty of energy and offensive power. MU was quick and gave us problems on defense. MU also got alot of shots to roll in and KU had some clank out. That can happen any night.

January 16, 2007 at 12:35 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

cornerstorebum (anonymous) says...

Sherron Collins = Mighty Mouse

He's a blur on the court. He can fly through the air (see Mcdonalds all america game last year). He is built like a tank. He's reliable and he saves the day.

January 16, 2007 at 1:16 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

isolve4x (anonymous) says...

I will never understand why you naysayers talk about this game as if it were black and white, with no variables involved. Just "fix this, replace him, bench that guy, fire the coach." There is so much more that goes into coaching, playing, winning or losing. So many factors affect the outcome of every game that are out of our hands.

I'm a coach, and we tell our players and their parents before every season that there coaches, players, fans, and officials, and you can only pick ONE of them to be. Sit back and enjoy the ride if you're a true fan, but send in a resume if you want to coach so you can get paid for all of your 'expertise!'
go hawks!!

January 16, 2007 at 1:26 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

CMKUbLu304 (anonymous) says...

isolve4x-

thank you. i'm tired of people thinking they know what will solve the "problems" they see. IF that were true, they would be coach, not Bill Self, and last time I checked, It was coach Self as head coach of this team.

On another note, Sherron played amazing offensively, but did screw up a few times defensively. He's a freshman though, remember Brandon's defense as a freshman, in the begining he barely knew how to slide his feet, now he's one of the best, if not the best defender on the team. Give Sherron some time, Bill Self is a defense-guy, so I don't think we have to worry. You can't learn something like that overnight. But when it happens, look out.

I also thought Russ played a good game. Everyone's looking to that one turnover, that could have possibly cost us the game. But he didn't play bad, in fact I think I read he had 7 assists and 2-3 from deep? Mario had the bad game guys, hence why he was on the bench most of the 2nd half. But he'll be back, everyone has their down days.

Julian...it may have looked like he wasn't playing well, but honestly, he set up a couple of those finals easy buckets...10 rebounds 5 assists, thats the most assists he's had in one game in a while. He did have some turnover problems, but hey not many power forwards can do what he does anyway, let alone without the turnovers.

And Darrell seemed kinda ghostly until we really needed buckets, props to him for waking up, we needed those buckets and those blocks too.

January 16, 2007 at 4:40 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

phoenixjayhawk (Rodney Stice) says...

Kudos to
-isolve4x
-CMKUbLu304

To all of you that do nothing but complain about the performance from our team. They played better then the last 10 (ten) teams that they have faced. Quit being a Self-hater and buy into the fact that he is a good coach with great talent to work with to try and bring us a championship.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!!

January 16, 2007 at 7:27 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

BigTrav (anonymous) says...

Some people *Jaybate* just seem to be full of hot air with nothing really worthwhile of saying. First of all, Sherron is a frosh, name 1 frosh that's ever came into KU and played stellar D with the potential to also carry the team down the stretch in one of the biggest rivals in college basketball. What I find interesting is KU's ability to step up, even when their not at their best and still pull games out like this. If you look at their season as a whole, how many times have they had a different person carry them through a stretch or seemed to be a go to scorer. For awhile it was Chalmers, Rush had a stretch, Wright had a game or two. At anytime, KU has 4 or 5 guys they can go to down the stretch to hit a big bucket. More than I can say they've had in the past.

January 17, 2007 at 3:04 p.m. ( | suggest removal )