KU fans enjoy Nick’s time

By Mark Fagan Mar 28, 2003

Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

Linda Davis, Lawrence, celebrates the final seconds of Kansas University's 69-65 victory against Duke at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, Calif. The win puts KU in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. Davis is the wife of KU basketball sports announcer Bob Davis. For more on the game, see Sports, section C.

Anaheim, Calif. ? Danny and the Miracles?

Try Nick’s Survivors.

“Thank god for Nick Collison,” screamed Kansas fan Kathleen Kunkler, fighting goose bumps Thursday night as the seconds ticked away in the Jayhawks’ 69-65 victory against Duke. “He not only came to play, he literally — and not just rhetorically — stomped all over them. He was phenomenal.”

Collison’s 33 points, 19 rebounds and three blocked shots — while playing all 40 minutes — in the NCAA Tournament’s West regional semifinals carried the Jayhawks into Saturday’s regional final against Arizona.

Tipoff is set for 6:05 p.m. at the Pond in Anaheim. At stake: a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans.

Kunkler and others found Collison’s dominating performance comfortingly reminiscent of another KU star who carried his team to the promised land.

“It reminds me of Danny Manning,” said Kevin Pritchard, a guard on Kansas’ 1988 NCAA championship team. “All we had to do was give Danny the ball and get out of the way. We all jumped on his back. That’s what we saw tonight with Nick.

“That was the greatest KU game I’ve ever seen,” Pritchard said of the victory Thursday.

KU had come into the game 1-6 against Duke. The only previous victory: 66-59 at Kemper Arena in the 1988 national semifinals.

Mitch McInerney, who came to Thursday’s game with a “KU FAN” Kansas license plate hanging around his neck, wouldn’t mind history repeating itself.

“This is probably one of the biggest wins, ever,” the 16-year-old said, standing to cheer in section 206. “Domination.”

But there were troubling signs early: Jeff Graves on the bench for most of the first half with three fouls, Kirk Hinrich scoreless through the game’s first 27 minutes and “DUKE” on the front of those persistently ego-bruising, black-and-blue jerseys.

“I think the guys just refused to lose,” said John Lee Sr., who proudly joined in the “Rock Chalk Chant” after his son, KU guard Michael Lee, scored five points in 25 minutes. “They scrapped, played hard and did what they had to do.”

Next up: Arizona, which humbled Kansas 91-74 during the regular season in Lawrence.

“We get a chance to get them back,” said Jim Hinrich, whose son scored two points on one-of-nine shooting Thursday. “If nothing else, we’ll show them that we’re better than the last time.”