KU-UNC Matchups

By Tom Keegan     Apr 5, 2008

Final Four

Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1, Sr., vs. Ty Lawson, 5-11, So.: No point guard in America is better at making his team play at a fast pace than Lawson, averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists. UNC coach Roy Williams called Robinson, “the most important seven-points-a-game scorer in America.”

Edge: North Carolina.

Mario Chalmers, 6-1, Jr., vs. Wayne Ellington, 6-4, So.: Chalmers leads his team in assists, steals, and, among regulars, three-point accuracy (.489). Ellington ranks second on UNC in scoring (16.6 ppg) and makes a pair of three-pointers per game.

Edge: Even.

Brandon Rush, 6-6, Jr., vs. Marcus Ginyard, 6-5, Jr.: Since the end of the regular season, Rush has made 22 of 45 three-point shots in seven games. Long and quick, Ginyard was the leader vote-getter on ACC coaches’ All-Defense Team.

Edge: Kansas.

Darrell Arthur, 6-9, So., vs. Deon Thompson, 6-8, So.: Arthur is in the midst of his first streak of three consecutive games without scoring in double figures. He’s due. Thompson is averaging 11.8 points during the NCAA Tourney. In a victory at Duke, he had seven points, nine boards and five blocks.

Edge: Kansas.

Darnell Jackson, 6-8, Sr., vs. Tyler Hansbrough, 6-9, Jr.: Averaging just 6.7 points in the past five games, Jackson has been bothered at times by a bad back, but keeps quiet about it. Hansbrough, a two-time consensus first-team All-American, had 28 points and 13 rebounds in East regional final against Louisville.

Edge: North Carolina.

Bench: UNC’s Danny Green, a 6-6 junior, hits threes, scores on put-backs, blocks shots, gets steals, shoots .873 from the line and pretty much does it all, averaging 22.3 minutes per game. Alex Stepheson blocks shots and does strong board work. Quentin Thomas ran the team well during Ty Lawson’s absence but is no three-point threat. For Kansas, Sasha Kaun will be counted on for heavy minutes, as will Sherron Collins, who will make Lawson work hard on the defensive end. Cole Aldrich’s fouls will come in handy.

Edge: North Carolina.

Extra! Extra! Write the headline

So, just how would you capture the euphoria of victory – or, god forbid, the agony of defeat – in just a few words?

As the Jayhawks get ready for their big game against North Carolina in the Final Four, we’re giving everyone a chance to submit their suggested headlines for Sunday morning’s paper.

Some advice: Be clever, descriptive and, of course, concise. Remember: Your optimistic words just might end up being prophetic.

For now, we’ll stick with taking ideas for the national semifinal, the one pitting Bill Self and the No. 1-seeded Jayhawks against Roy Williams and his No. 1-seeded Tar Heels.

Show off your headlines by going to www2.ljworld.com/headline and leaving your suggestion in the comments.

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