PONTIAC, Mich. – Scooter Barry didn’t want to skip anybody.
“Who haven’t I hugged?” the Kansas University junior bellowed in a jubilant locker room, after the Jayhawks’ 71-58 Midwest Regional championship win over Kansas State on Sunday at the Silverdome.
“Keith, I haven’t hugged you,” exclaimed Barry, who proceeded to bearhug Keith Harris – the fellow whose steal and dunk gave Kansas a 43-42 lead with 13:41 left.
That’s a lead the Jayhawks would not relinquish.
“This is so sweet, it’s honey. We’ve shown so much character the entire tournament. We deserve this,” said Barry, finally all hugged-out. “The reason we’re here is defense. We got some layups off steals. Those can break a team’s back, especially a patient team like K-State.”
Barry proved active on defense, snatching one of KU’s six steals, while grabbing a career-high five defensive boards.
He was merely sensational on offense, scoring a career-high 15 points on five of six shooting.
Barry buried a three-pointer with two ticks left in the first half, cutting KSU’s lead from five to a more manageable two, 29-27.
“I think it gave us an emotional boost,” said Barry, whose previous high-mark was 10 points earlier this season against Appalachian State. “I felt good shooting the ball. It was a set play. It was a screen, a good read from Kevin (Pritchard).
“I was open today. They were so worried about Danny, there was nobody within five feet of me. Coach told us we had to look to shoot some. Jeff had some roll in and out early. Coach sent me in for him. I knew I had to shoot if it was there.”
Starter Jeff Gueldner, in fact had his first two shots roll in and out. Experiencing an off-day, he didn’t score in 11 minutes.
“We needed to have the outside shot. We needed that when they beat us in Kemper (At Big Eight tournament),” said Gueldner. “I felt good, but my shots were rimming. Scooter came in and gave us what we needed.”
Barry, in fact, scored an important seven the first half, keeping KU in reach of the Wildcats, who, as usual, were playing their 3-2 zone to perfection.
Barry hit all three shots the first session.
“I was relaxed today,” Barry said. “I think there was a relaxed atmosphere because this was a rematch. K-State beat us (69-54) just a couple weeks ago. It was more a rematch than a Midwest Regional final.”
Barry kept the pace during tense moments in the second half. His 16-footer at 7:56 upped a three-point lead to five – 51-46. Milt Newton then hit a three-pointer, lifting the margin to eight.
“That jumper was the same as the shots I took at the beginning of the game,” Barry said. “They left me wide open. I felt I had to shoot.”
On this day, Barry resembled his daddy – basketball Hall of Famer Rick.
“There haven’t been any comparisons since high school,” said Barry. “Cause I’ve never scored more than 10 points until today.”
Barry’s effort certainly boosted the morale of the Jayhawks, who will take a 25-11 record into next Saturday’s Final Four semifinals against Duke.
“Scooter’s three right before half gave us momentum, it gave us a big lift,” said Harris. “It took us two down. There’s a big difference between five and two when you’re playing a team like K-State.”
“Scooter was great off the bench,” said forward Danny Manning, who scored 20 points on 10 of 18 shooting. “Scooter was confident. We know he’s capable of playing like that at any time.
“Our bench was great today,” continued manning. “Keith and Linc (Minor) got some big steals for us.”
Minor’s steal followed the Harris theft and dunk. They set the tone for the final minutes when KU ravaged the Cats, at one point opening a 16-point lead.
Harris stripped the ball from KSU standout Mitch Richmond, who scored 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
“It just came to me. I stuck my hand out and the ball was there. I’m glad it happened,” said Harris.
Indeed, another pivotal play came from forward Newton, who banked in a stickback, upping a 57-52 margin to a comfy seven points at 2:53.
“We peaked at the right time,” said Harris. “We came together as a team. We’ve got as good a chance as anybody to win it all.”
“Coming into this tournament, people said we’d get beat in the first round,” said Manning. “We played hard, a lot of things went our way. We had the attitude we had nothing to lose. We went through so much as a team, this just feels great.
“K-State had a great year, too,” concluded Manning, making sure the praise the Jayhawk rivals.
