Eric Chenowith’s head was hurting after Kansas’ 84-62 victory over Nebraska on Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
“My nose is tingling. I can’t feel it,” said Chenowith, Kansas’ senior center who may have suffered a broken nose after taking a second-half elbow from NU’s Justin Boeker.
“I went for the tip out and boxed out and the guy swung back and hit me. He didn’t try to do it. The cartilage is separated from the bone. All I know is it hurts.”
He’ll have X-rays taken today.
“They can’t do anything for a broken nose anyway,” Chenowith said. “It would be my second broken nose. Last year I got cold-cocked by a Russian dude in an exhibition game. You’ve got to be tough.”
Chenowith, who was in foul trouble and fouled out late, hit one of four shots and scored two points with three boards in 15 minutes. He did not start as KU coach Roy Williams continues his recent trend of rotating big men Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Chenowith in the starting lineup.
NU’s Kevin Augustine gave KU some bulletin board material with one pre-game statement:
“I don’t see any difference between our team and Kansas’ team besides the name on the jersey. I think it will be good for us to go out there and have a good showing at their place,” Augustine said in the Omaha paper.
“It sounds like something Kevin would say. I grew up with him,” Chenowith said of his fellow Southern Californian. Augustine had two points and three turnovers with two assists.
“Coach said they were coming into the game confident they could beat us.”
Jeff Boschee’s first half technical was the first “of my life,” he said. Miffed at the ‘T,’ Williams said the Jayhawks’ entire team would run penalty sprints at practice.
Boschee expected his coach to be upset.
“I thought he was going to rip my head off,” Boschee said. “He said, ‘Jeff, that’s not a smart move,’ or something like that. I apologized to him. That was uncharacteristic of me and just stupid on my part.”
KU coach Roy Williams was miffed freshman Bryant Nash fired up a three-pointer shortly after checking into the game.
“You’ve got to be as dumb as dirt to take that kinda shot,” Williams said. “In the game three seconds and shoot a three-point shot. I was about to go crazy and skin him. Kenny (Gregory) says, ‘Coach I’ll take care of it.’ He knows I’m about ready to shoot his butt. You got to play smarter than that.
“I thought that showed some leadership by Kenny. He’ll go say, ‘Bryant when you get in a game, it’s a lot better off if you go up and down a couple times before you decide to shoot a three-point shot when you are not a three-point shooter to begin with.”
KU is 3-0 in conference play for the sixth straight year. KU has won 18 straight conference home openers. KU has won four straight against Nebraska. NU had the same amount of field goals (23) as it did turnovers. Nick Collison tied a career high with six blocks. He had six at Nebraska last year. Kenny Gregory’s 19 field-goal attempts are a career high. Kirk Hinrich has made 13 straight free throws.
