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Extra Minutes: Kansas 90, Loyola 60

By Ryan Greene

Posted Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Some thoughts...from Allen Fieldhouse

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

“Sherron Collins played well, scoring 18 points and Jeremy Case had a nice game off the bench as KU finished non-conference play a perfect 15-0. Sasha Kaun continued his resurgence at the free throw line as the Jayhawks cruised. Mario Chalmers wasn’t needed this night. He can rest the groin injury a night and be ready for Nebraska, a game that will be much tougher than many expect.”

Tom Keegan, Journal-World sports editor

“How’s this for depth: Mario Chalmers (groin strain) couldn’t play, so Sherron Collins stepped into the starting lineup and had 18 points and three steals. Sasha Kaun, a starter his sophomore and junior seasons, is coming off the bench as a senior. He totaled 14 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes.”

Ryan Greene, KUSports.com editor

“I finally learned what ‘quads firing’ means. Bill Self and Sherron Collins have both used that term on multiple occasions as Collins has worked his way back towards being 100 percent. He clarified, the quote is below, and based on how he looked tonight, I agree that they’re both firing equally now. The offense took a bit to get going without Mario Chalmers, but the Jayhawks were sloppy without the junior in the first half and still scored 41 points. Time to see how they fare in the Big 12.”

Inside the numbers

18: Sherron Collins played 28 minutes, which were his most (by four) since returning from his foot surgery six games ago. More important was that he played them in an extended role as opposed to chopped up. He looked good shooting the three at times, and got to the hole with the same explosiveness as old. Factor in three assists, and he filled in for Mario Chalmers on both ends nicely.

14: They were far from pretty, but Sasha Kaun’s 14 points included a 6-of-8 showing from the free throw line. In his past five games, Kaun is 16-of-23 from the stripe, which is a great percentage for the big man who has struggled from that area throughout his KU career in long stretches. He also grabbed nine boards, as he continues to look comfortable coming off the bench.

10: Jeremy Case got some good run in, too, with Mario Chalmers out, making the most of it. The fifth-year senior looked good in stroking a pair of three-pointers, finishing with eight points, three assists and two steals. He also didn’t turn the ball over once in a game that was marred by giveaways for lengthy periods of time.

9: Bill Self appears to be growing a bit tired of asking Brandon Rush to be aggressive on the offensive end. He had to do so again at halftime of this game, with Rush scoring just one point in the first 20 minutes. He responded by scoring six right out of the gates after halftime.

15: The Jayhawks just continue to roll, remaining as one of just six Division-I teams who are undefeated to this point. KU is a perfect 15-0 heading into conference play. The Jayhawks swept their non-conference slate clean for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

Just in case you missed it...

Mario Chalmers spent the game on the bench for the first time this season after tweaking his groin in practice Monday, but Bill Self said the junior guard should be good to go at practice full speed by Thursday, thus making him ready for Saturday’s conference opener against Nebraska in Lincoln. Chalmers, who has been KU’s top steals guy all year, was filled in for well, with the Jayhawks still recording 12 swipes and forcing 20 Loyola turnovers.

Hopefully you didn’t miss it...

Chalmers’ injury was a blessing in disguise for both Sherron Collins and Jeremy Case, who each got a much-needed extended floor session before Big 12 play gets underway. Collins had been a part of the rotation the past six games since returning, but just not much of one. His minutes had come in fragmented portions. He played 18 of 20 minutes in the first half Tuesday, which was key.

They said it...

Sherron Collins on what the term ‘quads firing’ exactly means: “Just getting the strength back in the quad. When I got the cast off, the first time when I made a muscle in it, it felt like rubber, but now it’s just solid.”

Sherron Collins on where he’s at health-wise: “I’ve still got a lot more conditioning to do, missed a couple weeks there, so I was a little winded early. I felt better. Getting there, moving better. Everything’s just feeling better, everything’s going uphill now...I think the old Sherron’s back. A little bit more to give, but the old Sherron’s back...Best I felt by far since I’ve been back.”

Sherron Collins on the upcoming Big 12 season: “I think we’re ready. We’ve been playing good teams, but there’s nothing like conference - the crowds, you go other places, having the tight huddle, having grind-it-out games. We’re real eager to start conference.”

Bill Self on urging aggressiveness out of Brandon Rush: “I did tell Brandon to be more aggressive, but it’s pretty sad that three years into it, that a coach has to tell a really good player to be aggressive playing the game of basketball. So if that sounds like I’m pleased with him offensively or displeased, you guys can read into that however you want to, because a coach should never have to tell his leading scorer of the last two years to be aggressive. But we have to do that way too often...and that’s frustrating to me because here’s a good guy that we’re not gonna be a real good team unless he plays to his talent level offensively, and certainly he can do a better job of that, and he’d be the first to tell you that, but for whatever reason he shies away from shooting the ball.”

Bill Self on Sasha Kaun’s play of late: “Sasha’s really shot his free throws...(pauses to knock on wooden table)...you know, pretty good here of late. I thought Sasha played well.”

Bill Self on Sherron Collins’ health: “I think he’s getting closer to being 100 percent. I think he’s real close. It’s unfortunate Mario tweaked his groin, but probably fortunate for Sherron. I wanted to play him more than I what I did, but the game kinda got out of hand. But it was good to see him out there, because he hasn’t had the opportunity to play extended minutes like that for a long time. He did fine, just didn’t make his shots. and He’s been shooting the heck out of the ball, just didn’t make his shots tonight from three.”

Bill Self on how Mario Chalmers got hurt and when he’ll be back: “Yesterday, he landed funny shooting the basketball and just felt like he tweaked it. and He could have played tonight, but I didn’t want to play him. We got a big three-day stretch coming up here starting Saturday. Hopefully he’ll be close to full speed by Thursday and be ready to roll.”