Brandon Rush’s shooting touch, at least for the time being, has completely abandoned him.
“They fell short, were going long, off the backboard : every way you can miss, I did,” Rush said, critiquing himself after missing 11 of 14 shots, but still finding a way to score 13 points in the Jayhawks’ 72-62 victory over Southern California on Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse.
The sophomore wing, who entered in a 13-of-41 shooting slump over the last four games, wasn’t the only Jayhawk not to shoot straight against the Trojans (5-2).
Sherron Collins, who had 11 points, missed eight of 13 shots, and Julian Wright, who had 10 points, missed seven of 11, while Russell Robinson missed four of five en route to five points.
However, KU’s 38.1 percent shooting didn’t cost the Jayhawks the game, mainly because of a Rush- and Mario Chalmers-led effort on the defensive end.
Rush asked KU coach Bill Self if he could guard USC’s leading scorer, Nick Young “as soon as DePaul’s (Sammy) Mejia went off for 23 on me (in Saturday’s loss in Chicago). I didn’t want it to happen again,” he said.
Rush helped KU hold the Trojans to 43.5 percent shooting. KU forced 25 turnovers and had 15 steals. Chalmers plucked six steals himself.
“I told the coaches I wanted to take him out of the game,” Rush said of Young, who had eight points off 3-of-13 shooting. “I feel good because I played defense on their best player.
“Our defense picked up big-time. We did great except for not containing one guy who got 23.”
That would be Lodrick Stewart, who scored 23 off 9-of-15 shooting.
“He’s a deadly shooter,” Rush said of the brother of KU’s Rodrick Stewart. “He reminds me of my brother (JaRon, former UCLA player), left-handed and everything.”
KU’s defense was so intense, it drew rave reviews from coach Bill Self, who had lit into his team at what Rush called a “long meeting” Saturday after KU returned from the DePaul game.
“He was happy. He came in the locker room with a big smile,” Rush said of his coach. “He said we played good defense, just didn’t make shots.”
Self indeed was a happy man Monday.
“If we had guarded like that against DePaul or Oral Roberts, we would be 9-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country,” Self said. “Our defense was excellent. We rebounded well (39-30 advantage, with Darnell Jackson getting nine). We ran good offense. We just didn’t make shots. We made enough.”
Rush only made three, but the preseason All-American isn’t panicking.
“I don’t think I’m in a sophomore slump,” he said. “I’ve just missed some shots. My teammates tell me to stay aggressive and they’ll start going in. I feel better. I hit a couple today.”
Self is glad to hear confident statements coming from Rush, who in the coach’s eyes has been pressing.
“You can look at his face and see it,” Self said. “Yeah, he’s worried. We have talked to him about it. Today he didn’t back off his shots. Every time he is open, I want him to shoot it. We are not going to be a great team unless he shoots it.
“It will come back. How many baseball players have been in slumps?” Self added. “Some last a week, two weeks. His has been extended a bit. Our team will not be a great team if he is not a great shooter, not even close.”
It was not an easy victory for the Jayhawks (7-2), who did lead, 24-17, after Rush canned a three with 6:01 left in the first half. Lodrick Stewart scored seven points in an 11-3 run that gave USC a one-point lead at 4:01.
KU, however, paced by Jackson’s five points and Collins’ three, answered with eight straight points and led, 35-28 and 37-33 at the break.
The Jayhawks led, 48-45, with 14:14 left, then went on a 6-0 run, sparked again by a bucket by Jackson (11 points), two free throws by Collins and 15-footer by Chalmers (13 points, four assists with six steals). However, Chalmers fell after a steal, and Stewart hit a trey at 11:21, slicing the gap back to six points.
The Jayhawks, who hit seven of 10 free throws the final five minutes, were able to do enough to keep the Trojans at bay.
“It was kind of like a dogfight,” Chalmers said. “We had nothing going for us on offense, so we kept fighting on defense.”
The grittiness pleases Self.
“It’s good to win games when you shoot 38 percent,” Self said. “It shows you are guarding, doing some other things.”
KU next will meet Toledo at noon Saturday at Kemper Arena.
