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Sunday, March 11, 2007

The stage is set

KU wins, stakes claim to top seed

By Gary Bedore

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Oklahoma City — At 29-4, Kansas University's basketball team owns one of the best records in the country.

Winners of 10 straight games, the Jayhawks possess one of the longest winning streaks in the land.

So as a reward for beating rival Kansas State, 67-61, Saturday in a Big 12 tournament semifinal at Ford Center, sweeping Bob Huggins' Wildcats three games to none and advancing to today's 2 p.m. final against Texas, the Jayhawks will at 5 p.m. be awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, right?

"I don't know," KU coach Bill Self said, refusing to classify the tournament selection committee's decision as a no-brainer. "I listen to the experts a lot. A lot of people say we should be on the 1 line. A lot of people say we don't belong. We could be (a No. 1). We also could be the sixth team (overall), too. I think our resume is pretty strong."

The Jayhawks, who had three players in double figures against the Wildcats (Mario Chalmers 16 points, Julian Wright 12, Sherron Collins 10), were planning to lose an hour's sleep because of the Daylight Savings Time change, not over what's going to happen during the Selection Sunday show on CBS.

"They are a weird group," Self said. "We have not talked about it (seeds). These guys, they are excited to get back in the room and play PlayStation. They don't seem to get rattled, like today.

"There's no excitement or celebrating in the locker room. It's like they did what they're supposed to do, let's go get our rest and get ready for tomorrow, which is not a bad approach. It's a businesslike approach."

Go figure

8

Kansas State's first-half rebounds

21

Kansas' first-half rebounds

23-13

Kansas State's second-half rebounding edge

33-32

K-State's second-half scoring edge

2

Points scored by Kansas State's reserves

23

Points scored by Kansas' reserves

2 p.m.

Time of today's Big 12 championship game against Texas on ESPN

5 p.m.

Time of today's NCAA Selection show on CBS

Junior guard Russell Robinson, who had five points and four assists in 33 minutes versus the Wildcats, agreed with his coach that tourney specifics are not on the players' minds.

"I think the focus is winning the next game, let the chips fall where they may," Robinson said. "Hopefully things will work out in our best interests."

Of course, as a proud flock of Jayhawks, the players think they're deserving of a top seed with the likes of Ohio State, Wisconsin, UCLA, Memphis, Florida and North Carolina.

"I think we deserve it. I think we're one of the best teams in the country now," sophomore Brandon Rush said after scoring eight points on a day he missed seven of 10 shots, including five of six threes.

"I think we're one of the four best teams," noted sophomore guard Chalmers, who scored a team-leading eight points the first half in helping KU build a 35-28 lead and also cashed two straight threes in a 10-2 spurt that opened a 47-33 advantage.

KU did see its lead dip to four points with 4:11 left, but regained composure form two free throws from Darnell Jackson and a bucket from Darrell Arthur.

"It was a grind-it-out win, which is not bad. It's the type of game you need to play," Self said.

Audio clips

2006-07 March 10 KU-KSU Hoops

There are plenty of things Self can do to prepare his team for today's conference title clash; there's nothing he can do about Selection Sunday seeds and the awarding of sites.

"Our goal coming here was to win the tournament," Self said. "If you play it, you might as well play to win. We look forward to the game. We look forward to everything that goes along with next week. We have bigger fish to fry as well (in NCAAs)."

KU's fourth-year coach said he's a believer his team's fate may have been decided Saturday, with today's game having nothing to do with KU becoming a No. 1 or not.

"Last year's game absolutely did not affect our seeding," said Self, whose Jayhawks beat Texas in the league final and were awarded a No. 3 seed.

"Maybe they can seed them differently based on how the performances go tomorrow. Based on last year, I think it'd be difficult to do. I'd think most would be done tonight."

Photo Gallery

Big 12 Tourney: KU vs K-State

Though he won't be devastated if KU does not get a No. 1 - "You accept it and get excited about it and move on," he said - he will not say his team isn't worthy of a top seed.

"I think our nonconference resume is good, with wins over Boston College, Florida, USC a double-digit win. Obviously, we had some bad losses," Self said. "I look across America, (and) I think everybody has one or two of those. We haven't had any recently."

KU in the Big 12 Tournament

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Comments

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Can't sleep. It's 230am and it feels like Im gonna wake up to Christmas (with Selection Sunday here). KU is playing for a Championship and number 1 seed on the line.

BIG DAY!!!

March 11, 2007 at 3:31 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Oops!

330...its daylight savings time! Guess that means theyll play one hour sooner than I anticipated.

March 11, 2007 at 3:32 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Trouthawk (anonymous) says...

Tickets to the Big 12 Tourney.......$200.00
Gas to get to OKC......$60.00
Beating K-State THREE times in one season......Priceless

we are ku !!!!!!

March 11, 2007 at 8:19 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Yes, agreed!

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

notabandwagonfan (anonymous) says...

You know, I said before when everyone was bitching that just wait til the end of the season, this team will prove itself. The time has come, and I would love to tell everyone that I told you so. This is awesome, and i cant wait for the NCAA Tourney! Hey jross, this is WAY better than Christmas, dont you agree!?!?!?!?!?!?

March 11, 2007 at 10:20 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

notabandwagonfan (anonymous) says...

yes sir karmaxs3! I love it baby! This is even better than the first time I got to finger a chick!!!!!!

March 11, 2007 at 10:25 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bdewitt (anonymous) says...

all i have to say is rock chalk jayhawk 4 life baby now lets go out there and kick some texas ***

March 11, 2007 at 10:38 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

karmaxs3 (anonymous) says...

Hey nabwf...I was right there with you, and sometimes it is fun to say I told you so, isn't it?!

Love those 'Hawks!

March 11, 2007 at 10:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Brock (anonymous) says...

Hey, Rush! Ainge and McHale are watching - get it together...

Brock

March 11, 2007 at 10:55 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tis4tim (anonymous) says...

All daylight saving time does is make me wait one less hour to watch us pummel Texas.

Here's hoping that if this team feels it's one of the best four in the country that they make it their mission to give each team they play from this day forward a top four beat down.

If a top ranking is going to go to our heads, we might as well transfer it to our opponent's a**! Today is going to be fun. No mercy from here on out.

Rock Chalk!

March 11, 2007 at 12:22 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

truthhurts (anonymous) says...

KU was #4 seed last year. They were a #3 in 2005.

March 11, 2007 at 12:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

notabandwagonfan (anonymous) says...

amen tis4tim.........................whats your point truthhurts?

March 11, 2007 at 1:08 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

filmhawk (anonymous) says...

good looking out truth. i read that self quote in another outlet and he got it right there. maybe the ljw missed it.

i wish we weren't playing texas today. we have absolutely nothing to prove, nothing to gain, and nothing to loose - except injuries. even if we get blown away by texas - which will not happen - the number one seed is already locked in. the selection comittee is devoted at this late hour to the buble, not to the 1 - 4 seeds. every year there are unjustified seedings compared to conference championship games. i'm not even certain they watch the games.

at least we can watch durrant one more time - which i know all real hawk fans can appriciate.

go hawks - don't get hurt

March 11, 2007 at 1:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

vwskywalk (anonymous) says...

I hope we are as focused as this article describes. If so, good things are going to happen.

March 11, 2007 at 1:32 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

It's time to face the facts. K-State and Mizzou are not our rivals. Texas is our rival. Since the 110-103 overtime game in 2002, nearly every game we've played has been a classic, and they've been in the hunt for a Big 12 title almost every year under Rick Barnes.

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

jaybate (anonymous) says...

"I think our nonconference resume is good, with wins over Boston College, Florida, USC a double-digit win. Obviously, we had some bad losses," Self said. "I look across America, (and) I think everybody has one or two of those. We haven't had any recently."

In retrospect, what were the bad losses, coach?

You had a horrible home game against aTm, which is one of the best teams in the country, and only lost by two. Every team has a bad game.

You lost to TTech, which beat aTm twice. TTech has the winningest coach in history and a great player in Jarrius.

You lost to Depaul away. DePaul has won 18 games, plays in the Big East, had some serious talent until injuries took their toll. And KU played them December 2 with Kaun still rehabbing and you still searching for a style of play having had do without Giles and then losing Kaun for November.

ORU has a good a center and guard. Scott Sutton is going to be a big time coach following in the Iba/Parrot/Sutton/Self tradition. And ORU won their conference and is going to the Madness.

Yeah, you would have been undefeated had Giles come back with his head right and had Kaun not gotten injured, but that wasn't the hand you were dealth.

No other coach in the country except Huggins has done as good of job overcoming adversity as you have. And I would argue that you have done the best job of any coach this year.

You completely lost your post game. Giles was banned rightly (something I'll always respect you for doing) and Kaun, post knee injury, plays like half a post man. Your bigs don't consistently rebound, so you have to rely on Rush and the guards for half your defensive boards. You have no depth at the three behind Rush. You have no 2 guard, just a wonderful 1 guard in Chalmers playing 2. And you've had to try to get serious mileage out of a foul prone frosh big man who asked not to start.

And with all of this you've sneaked, struggled, coaxed, chewed, praised, and juggled this talented bunch into a remarkable team with several glaring weaknesses that you've been able to mask.

You're a freaking genius in my opinion; this is the second year in a row that you've coached circles around everyone else and around every obstacle that was put in front of you. When they say you get out coached, there is always some extenuating circumstance I find. And even the greatest coaches get outcoached some times.

March 11, 2007 at 2:55 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Even for most of last year I was one of your biggest doubters. I thought you were a great coach who was not a good fit for KU's tradition, because you liked to play Eddie ball, you know, 70 possessions and take what they give us. I didn't like how you turned Simien and company from runners to walkers. I didn't like how you got upset by Bucknell and Bradley. I was worried that the exits of Padgett, Giddens, Downs, and Giles were because of you and would hurt us down stream, which they already are doing (wouldn't it be great to have Padgett thinking right on this team for post depth, wouldn't it be great to have Giddens and Downs thinking right for firepower and depth at the 2 and 3 spots?) and these defections will for another couple years, but you proved that you could do it your way with guys who wanted to play it your way. Padgett could have helped us, but Giddens, Downs and Giles never could have gotten their heads screwed on.

I suspect you may lose today against Texas. Durant is that good and its very tough to beat very good teams twice so close together.

You might get upset again early in the tournament. It took John Wooden TEN years to figure out how to win an NCAA ring at a school capable of drawing the talent needed to do the job.

But, Coach Self, you've been an absolute master of coaching the last two seasons, early exits or not. You have done more with the last two teams than ANY other coach in the country could have done. I really believe that now. People knock the early out to Bradley last year, but I doubt that any other coach would have gotten last year's team of freshman all stars and walkons like Moody and Williams washouts like Jeff Hawkins into the tourney at all.

As someone who thought you were exactly the wrong guy at exactly the wrong time when hired, I want to say, Coach Self, that you have coached brilliantly the last two seasons.

And I hope the recruiting gods will smile on you and find you a good wingman for next year still. Had Perkins and Hemenway not been trying to cover their asses at your expense and delayed giving you your extention, you would have Singler AND Anderson coming in next year, which would just about ice two years of final four appearances and probably two rings. But I think you are just so darned resourceful that you may even be able to overcome Perkins and Hemenway. Williams couldn't do it, but then Williams never really grew up beyond his dependence on Smith and never recruited the whole country the way you do. You ARE your own man. You KNOW your roots in Iba-Doyle Parrot--Hansen--Eddie ball. You learned how to build good teams by doing it yourself at ORU, Tulsa, and Illinois. I never thought Iba-Eddie-Bill ball would prevail as the "best" way to play the game, but at the present time, it now seems inarguable that it is on the verge of prevailing.

March 11, 2007 at 2:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Maybe Roy and Dean will pull another rabbit out of the hat with speed ball, but something tells me they won't this year...just a hunch. I know they've got a full house down there this year, but its not the royal flush everyone said.

No, I think that Iba-Parrot-Eddie-Bill ball is on the ascent and maybe ready for the pinnacle. Iba took it to the top. The game changed on Parrot and he never got the chance to push it back up. Knight and Eddie took it over, but Knight (who adopted it but was never from it) never really advanced it, he just perfected it. Eddie advanced it into something utterly contemporary, but the fates and the bottle conspired against Eddie even though he and not Knight was the greatest innovator and coach of his generation. So the torch has passed to you Coach Self. You are the one of this generation of coaches that is in precisely the right place, at precisely the right time, with precisely the right weapon to strike a blow and alter basketball history in favor of Iba-Parrot-Hansen-Eddie-Bill ball. You may not do it this year; this team has several weaknesses that Calipari at Memphis (with their scads of bodies), or some one like Roy, doing as he is told by Dean, might well be able to exploit and beat. Or we might get upset early again, while you continue to try to learn the nuts and bolts of winning all the games of this tourney. But you have a window, Coach Self, and you have the right stuff, and as often happens to exceptional coaches who coach at Kansas, the tradition rises up in you like a sixth man and pushes you farther than perhaps you would have gone otherwise. The tradition is a real myth, as I have written before. It is not enough on its own to earn a ring, but it is there nonetheless. You are fusing two of the grand traditions of college basketball. The Oklahoma hard scrabble brand of Iba and the play it straight, fast and dictate the tempo brand of KU hoops. True you have jettisoned the Kansas tradition for dictating tempo), but your guys can race when the opponent gives it to them and dictate tempo if the opponent refuses to try to.

March 11, 2007 at 2:57 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

No more talk about four bad losses Coach. No more talk about early exits, Coach, even if there are more.

The last two seasons have to rank as the seventh and eighth best coaching jobs in modern KU history. The '52 team was the best coaching job of all. The '88 team was the next best. All of Roy's Final Fours were remarkable. But these last two of yours, WOW!, they are just amazing to me, given the obstacles you were struggling with.

I know everyone says you are a great recruiter. Maybe, maybe not. I feel you still haven't gotten to play a season with a full hand for poker. You've been patching here and using mirrors there since you got here. What I really wish for you is a couple of seasons two deep at every position with no injuries. I really think you would go undefeated and get two rings; then we could watch Iba-Parrot-Hansen-Eddie-Bill ball really take over.

Good luck against Texas, but you've already shown you're one heck of a coach.

March 11, 2007 at 2:57 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

choffman,

I had to. I felt it. I owed the Coach an apology, even if he never hears it. I didn't size him up correctly at first. I knew he was good, but I just didn't want to go down this Okie ball path. I was too proud. I let it blind me to what this Iba-Parrot-Hansen-Eddie-Bill approach to hoops could do for KU and for college basketball, if it were ever given a proper stage. Eddie got the chance at UK, but politics there, plus their love of running, plus the bottle, prevented Eddie from taking this basketball philsophy to the ring it deserved. I think Bill is going to give it the showcase it deserves.

Sometimes you have to admit you were waaaaay wrong in public. This was one of those times.

March 11, 2007 at 7:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

planohawkfan (anonymous) says...

did anyone else see the offensive foul on kansas with 6:05 left in the second?

texas got a 1 and 1 off of it.

I thought that you can't shot free throws off of an offensive foul.

was anyone else wondering?

March 11, 2007 at 9:02 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jcsmith (anonymous) says...

no worries though jaybate.

Twice we catch a right hook from a top 15 team and twice we almost get TKO'd from a top 15 team, yet we prevail. Coming back from a 16 point deficit against a top 15 team once is very nice. Some might call it luck. But turning around 8 days later and coming back from a 22 point deficit against the exact same team, that is a show of brilliance. Brilliance on behalf of our players and brilliance on behalf of our coaching staff. Outstanding. simply Outstanding.

I, myself, have been a Coach Self supporter from day one. I knew he had what it would take to get us what we need. Sometimes people maynot agree with the change that a coach brings to a program. But this coach had proven himself worthy way before he accepted the offer from KU. Bill Self will be one of those coaches that, in 20 years, will be looked at as one of the hall of famers that so many other coaches look up to. His style of play and eye for talent will bring him not just one or two championships, but I see a handful of rings for this young man before his day of retirement. Congratulations Coach Self and staff. Congratulations Kansas University Basketball players. You have proven yourself worthy to me and I'm sure others. The season may not be over yet, but your presence on this team is deff. appreciated. Lets take this tournament and make it ours. Those championship banners hangin in the Ol' Allen Field House are getting a little dusty. Its about time to bring them down, knock the dust off of them and add another years championship to 'em.

Sock it to em Hawks.

rock chalk.... jayhawk..... go ku!

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