Earl Richardson/Journal-World PhotoSAN ANTONIO ? The monkey that Kansas University took off Roy Williams’ back a week ago was replaced Friday night by an over-powering Fighting Illini.
Led by Big 10 Player of the Year Frank Williams and his 30-point effort, the Illini outmuscled Kansas 80-64 in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
The 16-point margin was the worst tournament loss suffered by a Roy Williams-coached team in his 37 NCAA Tournament games.
Illinois, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, used a solid first half to control the No. 4-seeded Jayhawks, then held them off with a plodding, foul-filled second half for the win.
The Jayhawks, 26-7, trailed by 14 early in the second half, pulled to within five twice, then were outscored 10-0 over the final 1:24 to make the game look more lopsided than it really was.
Sophomore Nick Collison led Kansas with 23 points, but he missed five straight free throws down the stretch. He was 6-of-14 at the line, and the Jayhawks were a wretched 18-of-35. They also were outrebounded 45-33 after averaging 27 more boards than their opponents in the opening weekend of the tournament.
The loss ended Kansas’ best NCAA showing since 1997.
The Jayhawks are scheduled to return tonight to Lawrence. According to the KU athletics department, the Jayhawks’ plane is to arrive at 9 p.m. at Forbes Field in Topeka, and the team bus is to be at Allen Fieldhouse by 10 p.m., where fans are encouraged to gather.
