Jayhawks’ Brown lauds rival KSU coach Kruger

By Gary Bedore     Jan 31, 1988

Larry Brown knows what it’s like to beat rival Kansas State.

“We’d beaten Kansas State a number of times in a row,” said the Jayhawk basketball coach, who had his 10-0 record against the Wildcats dented on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

While the fifth-year Kansas boss had been perfect prior to the 72-61 loss…KSU coach Lonnie Kruger had been winless versus his arch-enemies in two tries.

The two coaches chatted briefly after an intense game – several players should be nursing floor burns today – that ended oh, so many streaks, including KU’s awesome 55-game homecourt win skein.

“I don’t know what I said to him. I called him an SOB,” Brown said grinning, when asked what he said to the former KSU guard following the final horn. “I told him he did a great job. You look at the score. It was an 11-point game, but I’ve got a feeling it was a good game.”

A good game, certainly, with some bad shooting. Along from Mitch Richmond’s 35-point effort…the KU killer had to be the Jayhawks’ 44.1 shooting percentage against KSU’s rugged 3-2 zone, yes the same one that made ex-KSU boss Jack Hartman famous.

Shots would go up…and bound into Wildcat hands. KSU outrebounded KU, 36-22.

“They packed it in and wanted to make us beat them from the outside,” said senior Chris Piper, who did not score in 23 minutes. Plagued by his nagging groin injury, he did not practice Friday.

“We didn’t hit. They did and did a great job on the boards,” Piper added.

Sophomore Jeff Gueldner did spark the Jayhawks with 10 second-half points. He knocked in four of four shots, two three-pointers while playing six minutes.

“We’d get the open 10 to 15 footers, but they wouldn’t drop,” Gueldner said, referring to teammates’ attempts. “K-State hit their shots in pressure situations.”

KSU’s Match Richmond made 11 of 24 shots, while Will Scott was four of seven. Danny Manning led Kansas with eight of 12. Guards Lincoln Minor and Kevin Pritchard, however, were five of 15 and three of 12 respectively.

“I feel very bad,” said Pritchard. “I take responsibility for this loss. I was three of 12 taking 15-footers. I shoulda hit ’em. To me, that’s the game right there. If I hit those shots, we win.”

Junior Milt Newton banged in four of seven shots, but was foul-plagued in a 28-minute stint.

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