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Friday, March 14, 2008

Jayhawks to face Huskers again

Kansas has routed Nebraska twice

By Gary Bedore

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2008 Big 12 Tournament

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2008 Big 12 Tournament

A video tour of the Power & Light District, Sprint Center and College Basketball Experience

On day one of the Big 12 men's basketball tournament, here's a mini-tour of the new Power & Light District, the Sprint Center and the College Basketball Experience.

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Charlie Riedel/AP Photo

Nebraska's Steve Harley steps out of bounds against Missouri on Thursday. Harley is Nebraska's second-leading scorer at 9.4 points per game.

Kansas City, Mo. — It's not often a first-team all-Big 12 basketball pick fails to score a single point in a pivotal league game.

But that's exactly what happened on Jan. 26, when Nebraska senior center Aleks Maric went 0-for-6 from the field and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line in the Cornhuskers' 84-49 loss to Kansas University in Allen Fieldhouse.

"We did a great job on Maric," KU coach Bill Self said of Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson and Cole Aldrich suffocating the 6-foot-11, 270-pounder from Sydney, Australia in his unproductive 21-minute stint.

"How often is that going to happen he's not going to score? That's not going to happen again."

While KU hopes to contain Maric in today's 6 p.m., Big 12 tournament quarterfinal contest at Sprint Center, nobody's expecting another blanking.

Since the shutout in Allen Fieldhouse, Maric - he had 19 points against KU in the Jayhawks' 79-58 victory in Lincoln - has scored in double figures in 13 consecutive games.

He's also had double-digit rebounding efforts in 12 of those 13 contests, including 13 rebounds to go with 17 points in Thursday's 61-56 first-round Big 12 tourney victory over Missouri.

"We trapped him some when they had two bigs in the game, but for the most part just guarded him," Self said of Maric, who has failed to score just five times in his four seasons at NU - two of those games against KU. "He got off some good looks he'd normally make, but for the most part had limited touches."

Maric admittedly has had a tough time in averaging just 10.0 points and 5.5 boards in nine career losses without a victory versus the Jayhawks.

"They do everything. They've got so many big bodies, and they keep rotating and rotating and rotating to try and wear me down," Maric said after Thursday's victory. "They trap me, double down, rotate bodies. They keep coming, keep coming. It's like the ants' nest. You kill one, and what happens? A million more come."

Just two Huskers scored in double figures in the victory over Mizzou. Junior guard Steve Harley, who averaged 9.2 points and 1.6 assists overall in the regular season, scored 14 points off 6-of-11 shooting. He hit two of four threes on a night NU made just three of 13.

"Nebraska has played very well the last month. Harley is coming into his own," Self said. "Doc (Sadler, second-year coach) has them playing at a high level."

The Huskers (19-11) have won five of their last seven games and appear to be a lock for the NIT if they do not garner an automatic bid to the NCAAs by winning this weekend's tourney.

"We've played Nebraska twice and played really well both times," Self said of KU's 21-point win in Lincoln and 35-point victory in Lawrence. "You've heard the old adage: 'It's always tough playing a team a third time.' We have to be ready to play and be excited to play. I'd love to say we'd play great again. It will not be one of those games (where) the outcome will be decided early in the game."

KU junior Brandon Rush is a big reason the Jayhawks have devoured the Huskers twice.

He hit five of seven threes and had 17 points in Lawrence after also making five of seven threes and scoring 19 in Lincoln.

"Nebraska is playing well now," Rush said. "They have changed since the last time we played."

He's hoping for another big game against NU, this one in his hometown.

"I'm from Kansas City. I definitely feel love in Kansas City," said Rush, who will have his mom, dad, grandmother and brother JaRon in the stands tonight. "I feel good playing in the Sprint Center. It's a great arena, big like an NBA arena. We had a good game in there before. I'm looking forward to playing in there again."

Rush had 13 points off 4-of-11 shooting in KU's 88-51 victory over Ohio on Dec. 15 in Sprint Center, which opened this season in downtown K.C.

A victory today would guarantee KU another game in the arena - Saturday's 3:20 p.m. tourney semifinals. Finals will be 2 p.m. on Sunday, with CBS's Selection Sunday TV show set for 5 p.m.

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Comments

plasticJHawk (anonymous) says...

No Coach Self... I'd never heard that old adage before. I guess maybe I'm too young for that one.

March 14, 2008 at 7:33 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Timmay97 (anonymous) says...

So, what's the over under?

Actually, I pray to God that Self gets these kids motivated for this game. We all know that KU owns Nebraska, but these kids need to come out strong and aggressive. Don't let Nebraska beat them from the start. KU does not play well from behind.

We shouldn't have a problem throughout this tourney until the finals.......i want revenge with the longhorns!

March 14, 2008 at 7:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

SDSurferFan (anonymous) says...

Love his comment: "It's like the ants' nest. You kill one, and what happens? A million more come."
KU by 20!

March 14, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KUbsee69 (anonymous) says...

plasticJHawk ... just ask the '87-'88 Oklahoma team about that "old" adage.

March 14, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

Did anybody else on here see more horrible Pac-10 officiating last night? The over the back call on the put back dunk in the Arizona State-USC game was the third unthinkably bad game altering call/no-call in the last week of a major Pac-10 game. What is going on out there. Furthermore, if we end up in the Phoenix region (unlikely, but still) how can we avoid a Pac-10 officiating crew (since they will most likely do the games for non Pac-10 teams). The last week those guys have been brutal.

March 14, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

dsmith84 (anonymous) says...

we are meeting a different team than the team we played early in the big 12 season, they have won 5 of their last 7, including wins over K-State, A&M, and OU (who all finished higher than Neb in the standings) and they only lost by 4 at Texas (same margin as us)...
Maric has been unconsious and has really solidified himself as an elite player by having 12 double doubles in 13 games.
but there is no better cure for Maric than typical hardnosed Kansas defense. The way we match up with him is perfect, as our big men with speed and quickness are a good matchup for his "typical" big man skills. Our guys are big enough and strong enough to not let him back them in as well.

motivation will be the key. its easy to not take a team seriously when you have beaten them by about 30 points on average the last 4 times you have played them.

Rock Chalk!

March 14, 2008 at 10:38 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

leikness (anonymous) says...

Uh, why is anybody wasting their time talking about this game...

bring on the cats!!!!

March 14, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bhann (anonymous) says...

Forget the Cats, bring on TEXAS!!!

March 14, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

Uh, leikness, did you hear about Colorado pulling one on Baylor last night? If a 12-seed can win a game in the Big 12 Tournament, who's to say a 7-seed can't beat a 2-seed? Remember that line from Star Wars Episode I:

Obi-wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future.

Qui-gon: Not at the expense of the moment.

We focus on the here and now, or NU could make us pay.

And how do you know A&M won't upset K-State?

Granted, we are a step above Baylor, but we're not immune to upsets (the killer Bs and ORU-Kidding-Me). Let's not be providing the Huskers with bulletin board material, shall we?

March 14, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...

How can you provide a team that can't read bulletin board material? Just kidding!!!

Take care of business tonight, put it away early, get some bench players a few more minutes so the starters can grab some extra rest.

March 14, 2008 at 1:22 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

smitty33 (anonymous) says...

Forget Texas, Bring on Roy and the Final 4!

Tennessee is stuggling against South Carolina.... That alone is enough for us to get a 1 seed in my opinion. I'd love the 1 seed in the midwest with Tenn as our 2.

March 14, 2008 at 1:28 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

darnelljackson32 (anonymous) says...

Vote for Danny Manning and Wilt!!

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/sportsn...

March 14, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

Looks like the lower seeds are in desperation mode today. OSU only lost to UT by seven, and OU barely beat CU. Here's hoping KU can break the trend and grind NU into oblivion tonight!

March 14, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. ( | suggest removal )