In the past, some critics of Kansas basketball have called the Jayhawks “soft.”
Try telling that to Jayhawk freshman point guard Kirk Hinrich.
One day after taking an elbow from teammate Ashante Johnson above his right eye at practice — a CAT scan showed no major problems on Wednesday night at Lawrence Memorial Hospital — Hinrich totaled two assists, three turnovers and one steal in the Jayhawks’ 80-67 victory over Ohio State at Allen Fieldhouse.
“No way I was going to miss this game,” Hinrich said after playing 18 minutes. “It was a big game against a great team.”
Hinrich, who was credited for good defense on Ohio State All-America guard Scoonie Penn (5-of-23 shooting) described Wednesday’s hard foul:
“I took a pretty good shot. I drove past Drew (Gooden) and pump faked. Ashante cracked my head,” Hinrich said. “I was really dizzy (Wednesday), but I never felt I was seriously hurt. The doctor said it was either a first- or second-degree concussion.”
KU coach Roy Williams said Hinrich was completely cleared by doctors.
“I’ve had a little headache when I’m not playing or practicing,” Hinrich said. “I felt fine tonight.”
Of KU’s defense on Scoonie Penn, he said: “Jeff Boschee did a great job containing him. Coach told us how good their guards were and it was a big challenge for us.”
Hinrich was on the floor during a 10-3 run that upped KU’s 45-42 lead to 55-45 in the second half. He was joined on the court by Gooden and Nick Collison (both freshmen), plus soph Marlon London and junior transfer Luke Axtell.
“You don’t really notice who you are playing with. You just try to do the job,” Hinrich said.
Kansas basketball revisited: Williams was pleased with the Jayhawks’ effort Thursday.
“Coach said in the locker room, ‘That’s Kansas basketball.’ It’s the first time he said that this year. It means a lot,” center Eric Chenowith said after scoring 12 points with 12 boards.
Scouts attend: NBA scouts representing 15 teams attended Thursday night’s game, including former KU players Milt Newton (Sixers) and Mark Randall (Nuggets).
Loud fans: Williams and the Jayhawks applauded a loud crowd after the game.
“One time Kirk said he couldn’t hear what was being called on the court. I like that. I’ll take that every time. It means the fans are really into it,” Williams said.
“It was really loud,” noted Gooden. “I looked up and they had a blow-up doll in the top row and I said, ‘Man, they are crazy.’ The crowd really helped us.”
Notes: KU has used the same starting lineup in all nine games (Boschee, Nick Bradford, Kenny Gregory, Collison and Chenowith). … KU is 4-3 against Ohio State. KU is 30-32 against the Big Ten and 74-3 at home since Feb. 26, 1994. … KU has held all nine opponents to sub-50 percent shooting. The Jayhawks have shot a higher percentage than their foes in every game (47.7 percent to 35.9 percent Thursday night). … KU had a season-low 13 turnovers. … Ohio State outrebounded KU, 42-40, just the second time KU has been out-rebounded this year. … Jeff Boschee has made a three-pointer in 31 straight games. … Luke Axtell has made a three in every game of his KU career. … KU failed to hit a free throw in the first half, the first time KU failed to hit one in any half since March 8, 1998, against Oklahoma. KU was 0-2 from the line the first half and 14 of 21 overall. OSU was 14 of 20. … Nick Bradford had a season-high seven assists. … KU will travel to Illinois to meet the Illini at 11:05 a.m. Saturday at Chicago’s United Center.
