Despite Syracuse’s 21-9 run to end the first half, Kansas dominated Sunday’s second-round men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament game. The Jayhawks started the game with a 6-0 run of their own, and used an effective defense to stifle the Orangemen for the rest of the game. The Rock Chalk Chant began with two minutes to go.
At the midway point of the first half, Kansas was up 23-9. At that time, Syracuse had made only four baskets. SU came alive at the end of the half, scoring 21 points in the final 5:20.
The second half ran along the same lines as the first, only more so. This time it took more than 11 minutes for Syracuse to make its fourth bucket of the half. Kansas, on the other hand, had no trouble finding the basket. The Jayhawks’ defense was nothing but stifling, limiting the Orangemen to just 24 points in the second half.
Jeff Boschee started the game with a three-pointer and ended up with 16. Drew Gooden was the standout of the day, hitting 17 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Kenny Gregory added 15 points and nine boards and Eric Chenowith added 12 points-including eight-for-eight from the free throw line. Kirk Hinrich scored 10 and Nick Collison added nine.
By far the most astounding stat of the game was the rebounding margin: 56 to 23 in favor of Kansas. KU shot 56 percent from the field, compared to only 30 percent for Syracuse. About the only area where the Jayhawks struggled was in the turnover department, losing 20.
The Jayhawks will return to Kansas Sunday night. The team’s charter flight is expected to arrive at 6:30 p.m. at Forbes Field in Topeka. The team will then arrive about 7:30 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse. Doors to the fieldhouse will open at 6:45 p.m.
See tomorrow’s Lawrence Journal-World, and KUSports.com, for full coverage of today’s game.
