Eric Chenowith says Kansas is not a team in turmoil heading into the NCAA Tournament.
“If I had to rank the four teams I’ve played on here, this is the tightest team I’ve played on,” Chenowith, KU’s senior center said Sunday after learning the Jayhawks, who suffered some on-court bickering in Saturday’s Big 12 semifinal loss to Oklahoma, were awarded a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Regional.
“This team gets along more. We hang out more. We stick up for each other. It’s the tightest group. If anything was said on the court, it won’t affect us badly. We like each other.”
The Jayhawks may like each other, but they weren’t happy campers in the second half Saturday. KU coach Roy Williams held a team meeting Sunday and told the troops there never will be on-court words between teammates again.
No specifics are being discussed with the media, but Drew Gooden and Eric Chenowith appeared to be two of those who exchanged some words during Saturday’s game.
So how’s the chemistry on a KU squad that takes a 24-6 record into Friday’s 6:40 p.m., first-round NCAA Tournament game against Cal State Northridge at Dayton, Ohio?
“I’ve been here two years. I think we have a little better chemistry this year, but it’s … I’ve been on teams like my high school team that was total togetherness. That’s one thing that might be missing from us. The chemistry … the guys doing what they need to do together,” sophomore forward Nick Collison said.
He said was appalled the Jayhawks “were not executing our plays, not setting screens, not boxing out one possession and a shot. The mistakes we made are things we’ve known since we’ve been at Kansas. Mistakes we shouldn’t be making,” Collison said.
Williams lit into the Jayhawks during a team meeting Sunday.
“He said those kind of mistakes go with a lack of commitment to winning,” Collison said. “I think if you go in a game committed to winning, you’ll do everything you can to get a win. I don’t think we had that yesterday.
“Coach talked about a commitment to win. It’s something all year that’s kind of festered. When times get tough, in tough games we’ve had … it’s basically the same thing, people not doing what they are supposed to do and not taking responsibility.
“When things are going good, everybody’s happy. When teams start playing us tough and start coming back, we are not playing together all of a sudden. It’s something that needs to be corrected if we want to do anything in the tournament.”
Can KU get it together in the NCAAs? KU meets Cal State Northridge on Friday in Dayton, Ohio.
“Absolutely,” Chenowith said. “We need to play together a little more and worry about winning and losing … that’s it.”