Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoLINCOLN, NEB. ? Working through lunch. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. Most people who work for a living have at one time or another delayed lunch to tend to business.
And that’s basically what Kansas University’s men’s basketball team did Saturday in the Devaney Center.
The Jayhawks brought their lunch pails for the unusual 11 a.m. tipoff — does ESPN stand for Early Starts Programming Network? — toiled through the lunch hour to dispose of Nebraska, then filled their bellies on the bus back to Lawrence.
In the aftermath of the Jayhawks’ methodical 78-65 victory over Nebraska, it was as plain as the nearby Tower of the Plains, Nebraska’s imposing state capitol, that Kansas has arrived at the sense-of-urgency stage of the season.
From now on, the Jayhawks mean business.
No more sluggish first halves. No more sinking spells. No more just showing up. And no more freshmen.
In November, the standard line of thought was that by January and February, the Jayhawks’ five-man freshman class would have reached the stage where at the least one or two would be making meaningful contributions during the run for the Big 12 Conference championship.
So much for speculation.
Two of the freshmen — C.J. Giles and Alex Galindo — are out because of injuries, and the other three more or less have been removed from the on-the-job training curriculum. The lone freshman KU coach Bill Self used against the Cornhuskers was Sasha Kaun, and the 6-foot-11 yearling logged a mere eight minutes, contributing three rebounds, two fouls, one turnover and no points.
Guard Russell Robinson, who was supposed to supply much-needed bench minutes for point guard Aaron Miles, has only seven minutes of court time in the last four games. Forward Darnell Jackson did not play for the second straight game.
Instead of Robinson and Jackson, Self went with fourth-year junior Jeff Hawkins and junior Moulaye Niang — two veterans consigned to mop-up duties in November, December and most of January.
“We’ve shortened our rotation, no doubt about that,” Self said. “It’s reached the point where we have to go with guys who know what to do in crunch situations.”
In other words, with the Big 12 championship — and beyond — now a faint light at the end of the tunnel, Self will not jeopardize the destiny of this senior-laden team by putting a freshman in a potential blame-worthy situation.
Look at the Kansas-Nebraska box score, and check the minutes played by the seniors — Aaron Miles 36, Wayne Simien 36, Keith Langford 34 and Michael Lee 19. Only four times all season has Lee logged more than 19 minutes in a game.
Yep, Self now is committed to dancing with who brung him. And why not?
There will be times down the stretch — particularly on the two remaining Saturday-Monday weekends — when the veterans will require more rest, but Miles, Simien, Langford and Lee proved once again Saturday they don’t need an extra blow when they’re playing on several days’ rest.
The same goes for sophomore J.R. Giddens and junior Christian Moody, who were credited with 30 and 26 minutes. When you get right down to it, Self used a six-man rotation Saturday because Kaun, Niang and Hawkins had just 19 minutes on the floor combined.
Don’t be surprised if Self goes to the well with the same six players Wednesday night at Kansas State or Saturday against Colorado in Allen Fieldhouse. However, two nights later at Texas Tech could be another story. A healthy Giles and Galindo would look awfully good in Lubbock, Texas.
If you’ve studied KU’s schedule, you’ve probably noticed the Jayhawks’ potentially toughest remaining road games are on Monday nights following Saturday home games — Tech on Valentine’s Day and Oklahoma a week later.
Self probably will have to go deeper into his bench on those Monday night road games, but again that’s speculation. Right now, it’s pretty clear, though, that Self will be hitching his wagon only to the best horses in his corral the rest of the way.
6Sports video: Jayhawks make up for last year’s loss
Hear Bill: Nebraska postgame comments
Photo Gallery: KU vs. Nebraska
Get the stats: KU vs. Nebraska box score
Scorecard: Grade KU’s performance against Nebraska
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