TILT.
It’s as good a way as any to sum up how No. 1-ranked Kansas lost to Long Beach State, 64-49, on Monday night.
“It was a total breakdown. I’m sorry I can’t analyze it more, but the more you analyze it. . .fellas, we just got our butts kicked,” KU coach Roy Williams said.
At Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas had won 52 of its last 54.
“We lose to them by 15 and they lose to (Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday) by 35. I don’t really believe VCU is 49 points better than we are, but that’s college basketball,” Williams said.
The Jayhawks came in averaging 90.7 points a game and scored their fewest points of the Williams era.
“I can never remember sitting over there feeling that helpless,” Williams said. “I don’t care if it’s UTEP or at Oklahoma or at Oklahoma State or what. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.”
FOR GOODNESS sake, Kansas the passin’est, shootin’est, scorin’est team around finished with only five assists.
“For us to have five assists. . .sometimes we have five assists in five minutes,” he said.
The kicking was probably even worse than it looks. Kansas only had 39 points with 1:53 to go before Long Beach State basically stopped contesting shots and conceded layups.
The Niners pulled in front for good with 10:44 to go in the first half and pulled away for good with a 14-0 run that ended 1:34 before halftime. They made 15 of 20 first-half shots, including 13 of their last 14.
“I congratulate Long Beach State. I never thought I’d see the day anybody shot 75 percent against us,” Williams said. “It was a nightmare. That’s all I can say.”
IT WAS SO bad that during the TV timeout with 2:25 left, Williams stood outside the huddle and let assistant coach Steve Robinson instruct the team.
“As coaches you try a lot of things to shake you team out of it,” Williams said. “I tried that and it didn’t work. Everything I tried tonight didn’t work.”
At times it seemed the only thing Kansas had working was junior forward Darrin Hancock, who finished with a career-high 16 points and 13 rebounds. Hancock buckets bookended two long KU droughts one of 5:11 in the first half and one of 5:44 in the second.
Kansas went to halftime trailing by 39-21 its lowest output in any half this season and Williams said he sensed trouble then.
“I challenged them a little at halftime,” he said. “I said maybe we can’t come back this time. That didn’t work either. I think we tried extremely hard in the second half, but they got every loose ball and made every play.”
AND THE NINERS’ lead did nothing but grow. As late as 2:35 they led by 21. Coming in, KU hadn’t trailed by more than 12 this season.
Overall, the Jayhawks made just 42.3 percent from the field, 13.3 percent below their nation-leading season average. From the free throw line they hit a miserable five of 16. They were outrebounded, 29-25.
Kansas, now 16-2 overall, has until Saturday to prepare for NCAA Div. II Rollins College and until next Monday to get ready for Missouri.
KU remains atop the Big Eight at 4-0. Long Beach State improved to 14-3.
