For a while Monday night, it looked like Boise State’s Abe Jackson would score as many points against Kansas as Abe Lincoln or Abe Vigoda.
“Kansas did a tremendous job on him,” Boise State coach Rod Jensen said following KU’s 101-61 rout over the Broncos in Allen Fieldhouse. “They made him work so hard.”
Jackson, a native Kansan, came to Allen Fieldhouse after scoring 17 points and collecting 14 rebounds in a 73-61 loss at Cincinnati on Saturday night.
Kansas held the 6-foot-7 Jackson to nine points all in the last 15 minutes and all on three-point goals and just two rebounds.
Born in Marion, a small central Kansas town, Jackson moved to Boise with his parents when he was about a year old. He still has relatives in the Sunflower State including KU volleyball coach Ray Bechard and he attended Roy Williams’ summer basketball camps after his sophomore and junior years at Boise’s Kelly High.
“He had like 40 or 50 people here and he wanted to do well, but Kansas wouldn’t let him,” Jensen said.
Jackson shrugged off the suggestion he might have been tight in the early going.
“I was nervous, but I’m nervous before every game, so that wasn’t different for me,” Jackson said.
Jackson logged 14 minutes in the first half, missed four shots, had only one board and was tooted for a technical foul.
“Kansas plays pretty good defense,” Jackson said. “They’re a lot better than Cincinnati. They’re a really good basketball team.”
Amen to that, said Jensen, now in his sixth season as the Broncos’ head man.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on Roy (Williams),” Jensen said, “but I think he has a chance to win the national championship, no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
Kansas’ patented press, trap and run blitzkrieg overwhelmed the Big West Conference team.
“They’re always in an attack mode,” Jensen said. “You get shell-shocked. They put you on your heels so quickly.”
Jensen had warned his players, but his words went unheeded.
“We didn’t do what the coaches asked us to do,” Jackson said. “They said Kansas would run, was athletic and that we needed to box out. When you don’t do that, that’s the ending you’ll get.”
Senior guard Clint Hordemann couldn’t remember ever losing by 40 points.
“A couple of years ago we lost to Indiana, but nothing like this,” Hordemann said. “They pretty well dominated us. This was probably the worst loss of my life.”
Hordemann wasn’t the only Boise State player or coach with his head down. All their daubers were down after playing Cincinnati so close the other night.
“Forty-eight hours ago for 36 minutes it was the best of times for Boise State,” Jensen said. “Now we’re as down as you can get. We’re in outer darkness now.”
But tomorrow is another day and so is Friday, when the Broncos will open at home against Albertson College.
