CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Larry Brown had a message for the country’s basketball pollsters late Thurday night.
“Our team is tremendously overrated,” the Kansas coach said following a hot-and-cold 68-63 win over unheralded Western Carolina. “We have no direction right now. We have a lot of kids trying to find themselves.
“It’ll take time. To play with adversity in games like this will help prepare you. There were a lot of good lessons out there tonight.”
The 16th-ranked Jayhawks learned – in the wistom of Yogi Berra – that it’s not over ’til it’s over.
Kansas saw a lead of as many as 23 points (49-26 with 15:02 left) dwindle to just five (66-61) with 41 seconds remaining. The Catamounts, aided by two three-point baskets by Robert Hutchinson, outscored KU, 17-1, and cut a 65-44 deficit to 66-61.
The Catamounts could have sliced the late deficit by two, but a three-point try by Robert Hill flew off the rim at :20.
Danny Manning was fouled at :16 and converted a pair of free throws to up the lead to 68-61 and end the Catamounts’ bid for a shocking win.
“Danny is not comfortable with his leadership role, something all great players learn to accept,” Brown said of his All-American who finished with a game-high 30 points.
Turnovers – KU had 19 to the Catamounts’ 21 – however, did not prove to be KU’s main bugaboo during the late-game fizz. Errant free throw shooting was the killer.
“We were very fortunate to win,” said Brown. “We didn’t attack their press, which I felt hurt us.”
The Jayhawks, who made six of 13 free throws, missed five front ends of bonus charities down the stretch.
Manning, who made 13 of 16 shots from the floor, missed two of the one-and-ones.
“They did a lot of good things. They made some really big shots,” Brown said of the Catamounts. “They caused some turnovers. Their effort got them back in the game. They played like a team that was never out of it. That’s something our team is lacking.”
The Jayhawks and Catamounts battled on even terms early, exchanging baskets from the outset, the lead turning eight straight times. Andre Gault, who like Hutchinson finished with 17 points, hit a jumper to give the Catamounts an 18-16 lead with 10:16 left in the first half.
Kansas then exploded for 18 straight points – Manning potted 12 in the surge. At 1:35, Carolina finally ended the long nine-minute scoring drought. Bennie Goettie (15 points) hit a jumper to reduce KU’s lead to 34-20.
In all, KU, which led 35-22 at halftime, hit 53.1 percent of its first half shots to Western Carolina’s 38 percent. The Jayhawks finished at 56.4 percent to the Catamounts’ 43.4.
“Kansas is a very good team, definitely a Final Four contender,” said Western Carolina coach Herb Krusen, who was named interim coach this week following the mysterious resignation of 10-year boss Steve Cottrell. “We knew if we played our game, we’d make a respectable showing.”
KU sophomore Kevin Pritchard joined Manning in double figures with 13 points. Center Marvin Branch scored eight and grabbed 11 boards. Manning and Archie Marshall had six rebounds apiece. Carolina’s Goettie had 10 rebounds and Gault nine.
“I knew they would be physical. I didn’t think Western Carolina would be intimidated,” said Brown.
If there’s any consolation, Brown’s players can at least now put away their suitcases for awhile.
The road-weary Jayhawks, who won one of three games in Hawaii last weekend, then returned home to beat Pomona-Pitzer in a short stopover in Lawrence on Tuesday, were to return home this morning.
The Jayhawks, 3-2, who will face 3-0 St. John’s at 8:10 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse, won’t have to hit the road again until Dec. 19 – for a TV game against North Carolina State.
Box Score
KU3533- 68
WCU2241-63
Kansas (68) – Danny Manning 13-16 4-7 30, Archie Marshall 3-6 1-1 7, Marchin Branch 4-11 0-0 8, Lincoln Minor 3-6 0-1 6, Kevin Pritchard 6-9 1-3 13, Otis Livingston 0-0 0-1 0, Mike Masucci 0-0 0-0 0, Milt Newton 0-1 0-0 0, Scooter Barry 0-2 0-0 0, Chris Piper 0-1 0-0 0, Team 31-55 6-13 68.
Three-point goals: 0-0. Assists: 10 (Minor 3, Gueldner 2, Manning, Marshall, Branch, Livingston, Masucci). Turnovers: 19 (Manning 4, Branch 3, Minor 3, Livingston 3, Gueldner 3, Marshall, Pritchard, Piper). Blocked Shots: 4 (Manning 3, Branch). Steals: 6 (Manning 2, Marshall, Minor, Pritchard, Gueldner).
Western Carolina (63) – Robert Hill 3-11 0-0 6, Bennie Goettie 4-13 7-8 15, Andre Gault 8-14 1-1 17, Robert Hutchinson 7-10 1-3 17, Kenny Brown 4-12 0-2 8, Maurice Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Mitch Madden 0-0 0-0 0, Jim Yates 0-0 0-0 0, Team 26-60 9-13 63.
Three-point goals: 2-9 (Hill 0-2, Hutchinson 2-4, Brown 0-3). Assists: 16 (Hutchinson 7, Brown 5, Hill 2, Goettie, Gault). Turnovers: 21 (Brown 6, Goettie 5, Johnson 3, Madden 2, Hill 2, Gault 2, Hutchinson). Blocked shots: 3 (Goettie, Gault, Madden). Steals: 8 (Gault 3, Goettie 2, Hill, Hutchinson, Brown, Johnson).
Officials: Rich Eichhorst, Bill Summers, Berl Sell.
Attendance: 4,603.
