Kansas University basketball players ate their pregame brunch Saturday in the James Naismith room located on the second floor of the school’s newly opened Booth Family Hall of Athletics.
“The Hall of Fame is nice,” senior guard Jeff Hawkins said Saturday of the building attached to Allen Fieldhouse.
“I haven’t had a chance to walk through there and see the displays. I’m looking forward to doing that soon.”
Upon doing so, Hawkins might find a tape of Saturday’s 96-54 rout of Nebraska – a game deserving of a place in the hallowed shrine.
Led by perimeter players Hawkins, Brandon Rush and Russell Robinson – who combined for 41 points off 16-of-19 shooting – the Jayhawks hit 72.4 percent of their first-half shots. It was KU’s best mark in a half since the inception of the Big 12 Conference.
By game’s end, Hawkins had hit for 17 points off 6-of-6 shooting – and 5-for-5 on threes. Rush had 17 points off 7-of-11 shooting (3-for-4 threes) and Robinson a career-high-tying 13 points off 5-of-8 marksmanship.
As a result, KU, which iced 59.7 percent of its shots, handed Nebraska its worst loss in Barry Collier’s six years as coach and fourth worst loss in school history.
The 42-point margin of victory was KU’s biggest in a conference game in six years.
“I wouldn’t say we came in mad,” Hawkins said of the Jayhawks, reeling from consecutive losses to Kansas State and Missouri. “A lot of us were disappointed. We wanted to show we still have a good team and are not out of the race yet. We still have hope of winning the league.”
KU improved to 11-6 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12, while the Huskers, who entered ninth in the country in field-goal-percentage defense, headed back to Lincoln with a 12-5 record, including 2-2 in the league.
“We played today with unbelievable energy,” said Hawkins, who also hit five threes a year ago at Baylor. “This was the toughest week of the year. We needed a win to get us out of a funk of our two losses.”
It was a tough week physically more than mentally.
The Jayhawks had an off day after Monday’s overtime loss at MU, but practiced three times Wednesday.
During practices that day, coach Bill Self had his players spending about as much time on the team treadmill as on the court.
“We had to get on it every time we turned it over,” Hawkins said of the Blue team players – the guys who see most of the minutes during games. “There was a point we had to run a sprint for 80 seconds on the highest level of speed. That’s a killer. My hamstring is still tight from that.”
The treadmill, which has been a staple at practice since before the California game Dec. 10, has been running overtime lately.
72.4
KU’s first-half shooting percentage (21-for-29)
59.7
KU’s overall shooting percentage against NU
38.6
NU’s field-goal-percentage defense coming in, ninth best in the nation
62
Field goals attempted by each team (KU hit 37, NU 17)
11-for-18
KU’s free-throw shooting and three-point shooting
6-for-6
Floor shooting for KU’s Jeff Hawkins (including 5-for-5 on three-pointers)
“Basically, anybody who is not doing what he’s supposed to do has to get on it. The Blue team got hit real bad this week. My body is still sore from it,” sophomore guard Robinson said. “It’s for us to focus on details, to do the little things. If it helps us, I’m all for it.”
The coach thinks it does help.
“The treadmill is good. It’s a good way to get their focus going,” Self said, noting of the post-Missouri mood, “I didn’t sense they were angry that much Wednesday. The coach was angry because we practiced three times.”
If not angry, the Jayhawks were at least intense from the start Saturday, Hawkins and Robinson scoring eight apiece in a 16-0 run to take a 36-15 lead with 7:21 left before halftime. KU led, 51-30, at the break, receiving four-point contributions from Darnell Jackson and Julian Wright, who finished with 13 and 12 points respectively. Jackson’s 13 was a career-best mark.
“We played great offensively,” Self said. “We made shots. The offense looks a lot better, and certainly we did (shoot threes) the best we’ve done all year.”
KU, which held the Huskers to horrific 27.4 percent shooting, made 11 of 18 threes and, coincidentally, 11 of 18 free throws.
Rush hit three of four threes, while Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Jeremy Case each had a three to go with Hawkins’ barrage.
“We probably didn’t play as well as the score,” Self said. “Shooting covers up a multitude of sins, I guess is the expression. They got the ball where they wanted to get it the first 10 minutes, they just didn’t convert.”
As far as KU’s three-point marksmanship, the coach noted: “Since the Kentucky game, we’ve not made any shots beyond the arc, or many. It’s kind of an inexact science. We have better shooters than we’ve shot it. Obviously, everybody today shot the ball well.”
KU will meet Texas A&M at 7 p.m. Wednesday in College Station, Texas.