Talk about a 1-2 knockout punch.
Ten years ago, Kansas University’s men’s basketball team was victimized by one of the most amazing two-man shows in NCAA Tournament history.
Glenn (Big Dog) Robinson and Cuonzo Martin combined for all but 10 of Purdue’s points in an 83-78 Sweet 16 victory over the Jayhawks in Knoxville, Tenn.
Specifically, Robinson, a 6-foot-8 junior who turned pro after the 1993-94 season, scored 44 points, and Martin, a 6-6 junior, contributed 29.
“Glenn Robinson … the dude’s a good basketball player, frankly,” KU’s Richard Scott said. “At the same time, he wasn’t the key to the game. Cuonzo Martin hit some shots nobody thought he’d take. Cuonzo put it in the hole tonight.”
Robinson scored 30 in the first half, including the Boilermakers’ first 10 points.
During intermission, media wags wondered if the Purdue point-machine would breaks Austin Carr’s NCAA scoring record of 61. But Robinson settled for 14 points in the second half as Martin took over, scoring 18 of his 29 points after the break.
Martin, who was averaging 16 points a game, made nine of 18 shots, including eight of 13 from three-point range. Robinson, meanwhile, hit six of 10 treys. Between them, the pair took 51 of Purdue’s 65 shots. Only three other Purdue players scored.
“Great players rise in big games,” KU coach Roy Williams said. “If the best players play on game day, you’ve got a great chance to win. I don’t think Glenn Robinson beat us by himself. Cuonzo Martin was just as big.”
Purdue won because it made its threes and because it made its ones. The Boilermakers hit 15 of 27 three-pointers and converted 14 of 17 free throws. Curiously, the Boilermakers made only 12 of 38 conventional field-goal attempts.
Kansas lost despite shooting 50 percent from the field (31 of 62) and receiving a career-high 20 points from guard Sean Pearson. Scott added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Williams’ 1993-94 team had been accorded a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional after concluding the regular season with a 25-7 record. The Jayhawks went first to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., where they disposed of UT-Chat-tanooga, 102-73, as Scott scored 26 points in 24 minutes, and Wake Forest, 69-58.
In the win over the Demon Deacons, the Jayhawks overcame a 16-point, 15-rebound performance by Tim Duncan; freshmen Jacque Vaughn and Scot Pollard scored 14 of the Jayhawks’ last 16 points, and senior Steve Woodberry led the way with 18 points and seven assists.
This was a Kansas team that started fast, winning the Preseason NIT, and finished in a rush by capturing 16 of its last 17 outings. In between, however, the Jayhawks suffered through a three-game Big Eight losing streak that included a 68-64 loss to Kansas State in Allen Field-house. K-State has not defeated KU since.
Seniors Woodberry and Scott were the team’s leading scorers at 15.5 and 13.7 points a game respectively. Junior Greg Ostertag contributed 10.3 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds. Ostertag also led the Big Eight in blocked shots.
Noteworthy, too, were a pair of nail-biting victories. Vaughn, later voted the league’s newcomer of the year, hit a three-point goal with :00.2 on the clock in overtime to produce an 86-83 win over Indiana in Allen Fieldhouse. Also, Wood-berry’s three-pointer with :01 remaining in OT sank Okla-homa State, 62-61.
Williams’ sixth KU team wound up with a 27-8 record.
Purdue, incidentally, lost its next NCAA Tournament game to Duke and failed to reach the Final Four.
