Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoBoulder, Colo. ? As a reward for their recent play, Kansas University’s basketball players get a break in the schedule — an amazing nine-day break in the schedule.
“I’m just glad we won. I’m tired, beat up, short of breath. I’m just glad we’ve got some time off now, to go home and rest,” flu-stricken Keith Langford said after scoring 18 points in 35 gutsy minutes in KU’s 77-62 win Monday over Colorado at Coors Events Center.
The Jayhawks, who have beaten Binghamton, Villanova and Colorado since that unsightly loss to Nevada before winter break, don’t play again until Jan. 14 against Kansas State.
“I almost hate we have a break, we’re playing so well since Christmas,” said KU coach Bill Self, who, without classes to worry about until the last week of January, plans to spend about six hours a day with his players — counting practice, film sessions and weights — after taking it easy today.
How will the break affect the 9-2 Jayhawks?
Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo“I don’t know,” Self said. “Nine days is about as long as I’ve had. We’ll enjoy this. It’s easier to be hard on a team when it’s playing well. We’re playing well. We’ll get better. We’ll get after it.”
He was impressed with the effort of his team Monday.
“For Keith, Aaron and J.R. to play 35, 38, 34 minutes … that’s impressive,” Self said of Langford, Aaron Miles and J.R. Giddens. “I’ve played here before. I think it’s a bear to win here. It’s always tough to win here.”
KU had four players score in double figures. Wayne Simien led the way with 21 points, Langford had 18, Giddens 15 and Miles 12.
“We played well. We executed the offense,” Self said. “We lost all momentum when we got in such foul trouble.”
Big men David Padgett and Jeff Graves fouled out, and Giddens had four fouls.
Langford and Miles scored seven points in a pivotal 7-2 stretch late — a stretch that turned a six-point lead into an 11-point margin.
“I’m happy the team got the win. We’ve formed our own identity now,” Langford said, of the Jayhawks proving they can win without Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison. “It’s good for this team to get a road victory in the Big 12 opener. If you’d told me we’d win by 15 at Colorado after losing to Nevada and Stanford, I might not have believed it.”
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On Harrison: CU seven-footer David Harrison scored 13 points off 2-of-7 shooting. He had 11 rebounds in 26 foul-plagued minutes.
“He’s good. He just about fouled all our big guys out,” Self said.
KU’s Graves said it was a physical, but clean, game, which was witnessed by several former CU players, including Harrison’s brother, D.J., who sat in the third row, center court, and cheered wildly for the Buffs.
“They played hard. Harrison played hard,” Graves said. “It’s just a good feeling to come in here, play hard and get a win.”
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Scouts: Sixteen NBA scouts attended the game. Former Duke player Danny Ferry, who played on the 1986 Final Four team that defeated Kansas, attended as a scout for the San Antonio Spurs. Former KU assistant coach R.C. Buford, general manager of the San Antonio Spurs, was expected to attend, but had a conflict.
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Self on Buffs: Self can understand why the Buffs entered the KU game on the heels of a two-game home losing streak.
“They had a little bit of stuff going on that was probably on their minds,” he said of an eligibility issue involving Michel Morandais. “Colorado has a good team. David Harrison is the best true, legitimate center. He is a load inside. He has a chance to be a high lottery pick.”
Kansas University’s baseball team is mired in last place in the Big 12 with no chance for parole, but don’t suggest to KU coach Bobby Randall the Jayhawks have nothing for which to play when they close out the Big 12 season this weekend.
“We’ve got a lot of things left to prove,” Randall said Thursday, the eve of the home-and-home series with in-state rival Kansas State. “This is a series that is interesting to everybody. We have an obligation to our fans. We really haven’t done well in the Big 12 Conference. We just haven’t won the games we needed to. We lost so many close games. We haven’t scored enough runs. We’re still trying to prove we can win those games.”
KU (21-29 overall, 5-22 Big 12) will travel to K-State (24-24, 9-15) for a 4 p.m. game today.
The series will continue at 7 p.m. Saturday at KU’s Hoglund Ballpark and conclude at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hoglund.
KU also plays home-and-away series with Missouri.
“I like it,” Randall said. “I suggested it. This way, we all get a home game every year. Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor do that. They’re close enough they can do it. I think it’s better for everybody.”
Kansas, which never has qualified for a Big 12 postseason tournament, is guaranteed a last-place finish in the 11-team league. Last year, the Jayhawks went 10-20 (ninth) in the league and finished a game out of qualifying for the final bid to the league tournament.
KU hasn’t won a league series this season.
“I told them the other day, I’m proud we play hard every day,” Randall said. “The headline in the student paper the other day said all we have to play for is pride. I told ’em I’m proud of ’em. Texas Tech those were three of the toughest losses we’ve had all year. It would have been easy after the first one to lay down, but they didn’t. They’ve had every reason to lay down, yet they never have. That says a lot about their character.
“Our nonconference record is pretty good. It’s just our conference record that has us not playing well. That’s disappointing to all of us, but it hasn’t transferred to anybody laying down or quitting.”
KU’s pitching plan is to start ace Pete Smart (8-3) today, Doug Lantz (2-6) Saturday and Sam Gish (1-0) on Sunday.
The series also has a bit of local flavor on the K-State side. J.D. Loudabarger, a 1996 Lawrence High graduate, is KSU’s starting second baseman, while Scott Tallman, a 1997 LHS grad, is a pitcher for the Wildcats.
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