OKLAHOMA CITY ? Kirk Hinrich will wear a Kansas University basketball uniform at least once more.
It wasn’t because the senior All-America candidate played a great game Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“I played like (expletive),” Hinrich said after he scored eight points in a 64-61 victory against Utah State at Ford Center. “I couldn’t get into it. I don’t know what they were doing to me. I don’t know what I was doing offensively.”
He sure wasn’t shooting. Hinrich made two of three three-pointers in the first half, helping second-seeded Kansas (26-7) build a double-digit lead. But after his three-pointer with 6:09 left in the first half, Hinrich didn’t take another shot until there was just 5:41 remaining in the game.
His only basket of the second half was a layup that gave Kansas a 62-53 lead with 2:36 to play.
No. 15 seed Utah State (24-9) still had a chance to tie on its final possession, but the Aggies missed a pair of three-point shots.
“The last 10 seconds were the longest 10 seconds ever,” said Hinrich, who made three of seven shots in 38 minutes. “I feel relieved. I feel real lucky we won this game. I was so relieved. It would have been the end of my career. To end my career and season like that would have been terrible.”
It also would have been only the fifth time in NCAA Tournament history that a No. 15 seed had knocked off a No. 2 seed.
Hinrich entered the game averaging 17.6 points. He had scored in double figures in 19 straight games, and his seven field-goal attempts were his fewest in 23 games.
“It was a weird game,” KU coach Roy Williams said. “We never could get Kirk to be aggressive enough or get him open enough.”
Utah State’s zone stifled Kansas, and Hinrich was unable — or unwilling — to shoot the Aggies out of it. KU attempted only six three-pointers in the game and didn’t make any in the second half.
“I was struggling to get open looks,” said Hinrich, who said he felt fine physically. “I got out of a rhythm because I hadn’t taken a shot in so long. I backed down on a couple I probably should have shot. Credit their defense. I wasn’t as active as I should have been.
“They had a good game plan, and they did a good job with their zone. At times, we were on our heels.”
KU starters Hinrich, Aaron Miles and Jeff Graves combined for 18 points. Fellow starters Nick Collison and Keith Langford combined for 40 of KU’s 64 points.
“We were standing around a lot,” said Langford, a sophomore guard who led KU with 22 points. “We weren’t making them work out on the perimeter. I was trying to get dribble penetration, whether it was to set somebody else up or to score myself. We had to break down their zone.”
Though Collison scored 18 points, Williams wasn’t satisfied with his other senior All-America candidate.
“We didn’t get Nick Collison enough shots,” Williams said of the forward. “He was 9-for-12. We have to get him more shots. Kirk … hopefully, we’ll get him a few more shots, too. I feel very lucky.”
So did Hinrich, whose line included three rebounds, two assists, three turnovers and one steal.
“The bottom line is, we played well enough to win,” he said. “We did some nice things. Sometimes you need luck.”
Hinrich insisted the Jayhawks didn’t take the victory for granted.
“We didn’t take them lightly,” he said of the Big West tournament champions. “We got up 6-0. We were ready to play.”
The Jayhawks will have to be ready at 7 p.m. Saturday when they face Arizona State in the second round. No. 10 seed ASU (20-11) knocked off No. 7 seed Memphis, 84-71, Thursday.
