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Sunday, January 6, 2008

KU basketball notebook

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KU vs. Boston College

KU vs. Boston College

Rice is nice: Boston College's Tyrese Rice scored 14 of the Eagles' first 22 points and finished with 18 the first half.

He scored just two points the second half, hindered after picking up his fourth foul with 16:39 left.

"I told our guys if we really hunker down and guard we could hold him to 22 or 24 at halftime," KU coach Bill Self said. "Fortunately for us, he didn't score the last four minutes of the half. He kicked our butt. We caught a break when he got his fourth foul."

Rice hit five of nine shots the first half, including four of seven threes. He hit one of seven shots the second half, missing two three-point tries.

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Family affair: KU's Russell Robinson, who hails from New York, and Mario Chalmers, who has relatives in Boston, New York and North Carolina, each had family members on hand. "I probably had 15, 20 people here," Chalmers said.

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KU well represented in stands: There were at least 1,000 KU fans in the sellout crowd of 8,606. "I was surprised," Chalmers said. "KU fans do travel. It's one of the best things about KU fans. They travel to see the team."

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Faces in crowd: Ex-Jayhawk JoJo White, who works for the Boston Celtics, attended and sat near KU's bench. He received applause from the fans as he exited the game with about five minutes left.

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Bowl talk: Self was definitely impressed with KU's football victory in the Orange Bowl. "I just hope our basketball team plays to the level they played Thursday night," Self said. "If we do that, we'll be pretty good."

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Stats, facts: It was BC's worst home loss since an 78-53 loss to UConn on Feb. 11, 2001. : KU is 14-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when the Jayhawks opened the year 14-0 : KU is 2-1 all-time against BC : KU is 37-3 in men's and women's basketball and football this season. That's a 93 win percentage. : The win marked the 11th time KU has had a 10-point victory in a true road game under Self and the fourth 20-point victory. It was the largest KU road win since an 82-56 win at Baylor last season. : Kansas had a season-high 10 dunks. : KU outrebounded Boston College 39-24 to mark the fourth double-digit rebound advantage this season. : Kansas' 10 steals marked the 10th time this season KU has double-digit steals.

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Boston revisited: Saturday's game was KU's first in Boston since 1949, when Bob Cousy's Holy Cross team beat Clyde Lovellette and the Jayhawks, 57-53, at Boston Garden.

"KU basketball started with the man who invented the game (Naismith) coaching the team," Lovellette, who lives in Munising, Mich., told the Boston Globe in a history piece this week. "Dr. James Naismith taught the game to Phog Allen, who was the dean of college basketball coaches for so many years. From those beginnings, there's a rich history and a great tradition to Kansas basketball that has carried through to the present day."

Naismith invented the game in nearby Springfield, Mass.

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Knee brace: Brandon Rush told ESPN's Andy Katz his right knee brace is starting to bother him and he'll likely discard it in February. Self says it's up to Rush if he wants to wear the brace or not. Rush has said he likes the brace and the support it gives his surgically repaired knee.

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Comments

jaybate (anonymous) says...

With some time to reflect, and get over being puffed up about the fine day the bigs had, Brandon Rush looked much closer to his old self than he has all season. Every year that he has been at KU I have been impressed with him.

His first year it was amazing how he put the team on his back and carried it offensively.

His second year, it was amazing how he became Bill Self's jack of all trades man and defensive stopper par excellence, while still maintaining his scoring.

Now, his third year, he overcomes an incredibly traumatic injury, makes it back in near record time, and is able to be the quiet hub of a "guard driven" team with bigs who are also getting loads of luv. No matter what happens, Brandon Rush just keeps bringing it.

And despite all of the emotion of DBlock, the great ability of Arthur, all the talented guards stripping the opponents senseless, I still feel Brandon is fulcrum of the team. When he finally started playing, we got better. When he started getting better we got better. And when he began to look like his old self against BC, we improved by an order of magnitude.

The guy is just soooooooo cool and talented and confident.

By March, with BRush fully back to snuff, KU once again will have the greatest small forward in the country by a country mile.

January 6, 2008 at 5:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jazzttt (anonymous) says...

I agree, Brandon's gotten much better, and kudos to him for battling back from that knee injury so quickly. I'm thinking he probably had a weak knee anyway and the injury was going to happen sometime, so better it happened in an early pick-up game giving him a chance to heal. If he hadn't hurt himself, he'd have certainly been gone to the next level with Wright, and we wouldn't have a chance to enjoy him this year. Brandon certainly is a highlight, but others have also stepped up a notch, like my man DBlock, Shady, and Sasha. The overall improvement of several players will be playing a major role down the stretch to the Final 4. We need a deadly outside trey shooter, there's a couple who could step up[Case, Teahan], but we're not doing badly so far.

January 6, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

Like you guys said, BRush is looking healthier as far as the knee is concerned. I think he is starting to get confident in the strength and stability of the knee. He's starting to trust his body to do the things it can do again, and that is leading to a more dynamic player.

January 6, 2008 at 12:32 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

nicka (anonymous) says...

jazzttt -

could you please retract your last sentence? Case has had 4 years to make a 3 pointer in a game that counts and hasn't done it. Teahan is a garbage time player. I think Rush and Chalmers can take care of the 3 point shooting.

jaybate -

what happened to you while I was away? I completely agree with what you have to say. B.Rush does everything amazingly well. True All-American.

January 6, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Nicka...

RE: "I think Rush and Chalmers can take care of the 3 point shooting."

Here's a slap of reality on your face...no body cares what you think.

It's kinda hilarious to watch as you flounder on here. In fact I'm smiling now thinking about it. Not usually one to seek confrontation, I'll make an exception in your case. Why? Simply because you always demonstrate yourself to be the fool.

Your posts keep me in stitches. Post on, Joker!

January 6, 2008 at 12:58 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

nicka (anonymous) says...

ummmmmm....ok, jross1972. Clearly you care enough to send your very best. Please explain how I am the fool? Unless it is in defense of Case or Teahan, in which case you can keep your thoughts to yourself.

p.s. if I'm not mistaken, you are the english teacher here.....is it NO BODY that cares or does NOBODY care?

January 6, 2008 at 3:57 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

see? hilarious! lol...

January 6, 2008 at 6:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

tdub (anonymous) says...

Chalmers is a legit 3-point threat. He's become downright deadly over the years. 'Nough said.

January 6, 2008 at 7:47 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

APDJayhawk (anonymous) says...

Leave JRoss alone...he can't help himself, much like Jaybate. They are the written equivalent of the blowhard who loves the sound of his own voice. No matter, the topic, the geriatric JRoss has to print something, anything. Pay attention youngsters...get a hobby before you retire, or you will end up like old man JRoss...

January 6, 2008 at 8:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

I told you APD and Nicka were the same person! See? Who said there wasnt comedy on the LJW message boards? And of all places to find entertainment than from Mizzou fans. He he.

It must just really get your goat APD (...or nicka...or whatever you're calling yourself now) to be mocked and scorned. I bet you hate it, huh? *Lots of Laughs*

January 6, 2008 at 9:09 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

jross1972,

I've got tears streaming down my face I'm laughing so hard at "Here's a slap of reality on your face...no body cares what you think."

Heck, that right there put you in the basketball posting hall of fame.

That was the posting equivalent of a 720 freaking degree dunk! Your keyboard has springs.

I can't stop laughing yet....

January 6, 2008 at 9:38 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

jaybate...

Isn't it great to humiliate Mizzou fans? Its been a great year for Kansas Athletics. Great football season capped with an Orange Bowl win. Basketball again undefeated and in the top ranks nationwide. Heck, even our women under Heinrickson are showing the world was KU is all about.

And now...APD/Nicka/Mizzou-fan-masquerading gets owned on the message board.

Can it get any better?

January 6, 2008 at 10:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Nope, but if our hoopsters have anything to say about it, we're going to have to put up with even more wonderfulness, because they seem quite intent on getting a ring.

APDnickafizzou, get ready for ring pain. We can handle the disappointment of not winning because there's no shame in not winning a 65 team one cold night and you're out tourney. But can you handle the pain of KU hoisting another ncaa banner. Oh, jeez, I forgot, MU doesn't even have one yet, does it?

lol!

woot! We own the other Tiger.

rotflmao!

No, jross, it doesn't get any better than this.

This is actually more fun that watching MU go to a lesser bowl game than KU.

No wait! There is something more fun than that.

Its knowing that Phog Allen was from Missouri and that MU was too dumb to hire him, so MU is actually partly responsible for making KU so much better than MU.

Oh, this gets sweeter and sweeter.

January 7, 2008 at 2:35 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

APDJayhawk (anonymous) says...

Jaybate and JRoss...why not skip all the foreplay and get right down to it. Exchange personal email addresses and phone numbers and bore the hell out of each other. The board will thank you for it!

January 7, 2008 at 3:43 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Expect such classless remarks from the likes of a Mizzou fan.

January 7, 2008 at 7:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

APDJayhawk (anonymous) says...

We get old man...you think I'm a Mizzou fan...quit beating the dead horse...or are you suffering from alzheimers?

January 8, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. ( | suggest removal )