Kansas defense dandy

By Gary Bedore     Nov 19, 2000

Kansas University basketball players take it as a compliment when opponents bomb away from the outside.

“I think it’s a tribute to our defense,” KU senior Kenny Gregory said after the Jayhawks held North Dakota to 9-of-34 three-point shooting in a 92-61 victory on Friday at Allen Fieldhouse.

“When teams shoot outside like that, it means we are not giving up easy layups. It means they really don’t have many other options. They were taking a lot of threes fortunately they were not making a lot of them,” Gregory added.

The 34 threes tied for the second most long-range shots attempted by an opponent in Roy Williams’ 13 years at KU.

“A lot of teams that can’t match up inside try to outgun us outside,” KU senior center Eric Chenowith said. “But 34 really is a lot of threes.”

The Jayhawks (3-0), who hit 56.3 percent of their shots, held North Dakota to 31.6 percent shooting in the Sioux’s season opener.

Nobody was all that impressed after the 31-point rout.

General consensus was KU wasn’t quite mentally into it after winning two big games to open the season at the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic.

“I’m going to try to get the guys to be a little more focused when we know we have a little more talent than the other team,” Gregory said. “We must concentrate a little harder early and not wait until the second half.”

The Jayhawks led by just 13 at halftime.

“Coach challenges us to be ready,” KU junior Jeff Carey said after scoring six points in eight minutes. “No matter who you are playing, whether North Carolina or as he says, ‘St. Marys Sister of the Blinds.’ You have to come out with the same intensity. You can’t take nights off or you’re not going to get better.”

Concentration is the key, Carey maintains.

“You have to be disciplined to run the stuff coach wants us to run play good defense, move the ball and not turn the ball over. You have to play solid in games like this,” Carey said.

“I don’t think we made a very good step forward in the first half. The second half coach was much happier. We played a lot better defense and mixed it up. He was pleased afterward.”

Carey hit two of two shots and two of three free throws with two boards.

“I got out there and played pretty well I thought. I could’ve played better defense, but it’s always fun to be out there on the court,” Carey said. “I’d like to think I help the team out in practice, but I have more fun helping them out on the courts doing the games.”

The Jayhawks will next meet Boise State at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse. Boise State opened its season with a narrow 73-61 loss at Cincinnati on Saturday.

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