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KU vs. Washburn

Washburn head coach Bob Chipman had seen this show before.

The last time the Ichabods came to Allen Fieldhouse for a regular-season game against Kansas University in December 1996, an injured Jayhawks guard returned to the lineup, and KU won by 25.

Chipman caught the rerun Thursday night when Brandon Rush returned from offseason ACL surgery, and KU beat the 'Bods, 92-60.

In his 29th season at the Washburn helm, Chipman said he vividly remembered his team's 90-65 loss to KU on Dec. 30, 11 years ago - a game that featured senior guard Jacque Vaughn taking the floor for the first time following an offseason wrist injury.

"I'll never forget it because they were so hyped, and it was so crazy," Chipman recalled of the '96 loss. "We got to the first TV timeout, and we couldn't even make a pass. I don't even think we scored. It had to be 16-0 or something like that."

The players weren't the only ones discombobulated. Chipman said he started heading toward the locker room that night during the first media timeout thinking it was halftime. A WU assistant had to stop him mid-stride.

"That was unbelievable. I mean, this (last night's game) was great, too, but that was a special night," he said.

The Ichabods fared a little better at the beginning of Thursday night's game, leading 11-10 after the first media timeout. But the Jayhawks, again, were too deep and talented for their Division II in-state foes.

Chipman shied away from comparing this year's Jayhawks to the 1996-97 team that featured Vaughn, Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Jerod Haase, to name a few. But he said the Jayhawks are always good.

"KU teams for the past 20 years have been pretty comparable," Chipman said. "Man, they're so good, and this team, their guards are so explosive. I always feel like you're as good as your guards, and they've got special guards in this group, and we didn't even see Sherron (Collins, out due to a stress fracture in his left foot).

"The guard play here is ... wow. Wow, wow. With a big 'W,'" Chipman said.

The 'Bods' coach was so impressed, he had to clap for the returning Rush, who scored seven in 12 minutes off the bench.

"I applauded when he hit that first one. I thought that was great. He's great for basketball - to have a kid like that stay and play," Chipman said. "He looks good. I hope he keeps going and has a tremendous year and plays many more years in the NBA."

The WU players also thought Rush looked good for a player coming off a major knee injury.

"Brandon Rush is a good player," junior guard Angel Santiago, who tied James Williams with a team-high 11 points, said. "You can tell he's still got it, even though he's not to his full strength. Brandon Rush is just Brandon Rush."

Williams, too, didn't expect to see Rush so active.

"He looked like he was still in the process of coming back, but for the most part I was impressed with him being able to move out there the way he was with that big old knee brace on," the junior guard said. "I was impressed with him, definitely."

The biggest problem for Washburn was KU's size. Big men Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson all scored in double figures.

"Size is the biggest difference," Williams said after KU outscored his team in the paint, 34-14. "They were just a little bit bigger, a little more physical."

KU also outrebounded WU, 43-36.

"When you get a rebound in that game, it's a rebound," Chipman said. "KU's coming at you. They're coming at you with some athletes that want it bad, and if you get one, you earned it."