Taylor’s big steal
Freshman point guard Tyshawn Taylor, who started the second half, hit a layup, then had a steal following the inbounds pass and cashed another layup to boost a narrow 42-37 lead to nine points with 14:41 left.
“He just lost it,” Taylor said of a UMKC player. “I was there. It seemed it changed momentum. Everybody got hyped. It seemed we started rolling from there.”
‘A struggle’
UMKC, which lost its opener to North Dakota on Friday, led a jittery KU team, 16-9, with 11:35 left in the first half. The Kangaroos led most of the half, KU finally tying the score at 32 off a Brady Morningstar layup with a couple seconds left on the clock.
“It was a struggle,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Travis (Releford) sparked us at the end of the half, and we went on a 6-0 run and got it tied. It was pretty frustrating, but we hung in there.
“I’m not that discouraged at all. I thought we played a good second half. We’re not near as good a team without Cole (Aldrich, who played just three minutes the first half after picking up his second foul; he scored 13 points the second half). When we got Cole in there the second half, we actually looked a lot better and defended a little bit better. It wasn’t picturesque, (but) I’ve seen a lot worse. I’m not remotely discouraged.”
Aldrich’s two fouls in the first 3:17 were ill-advised, Self said.
“Cole obviously makes a huge difference, but how about the three fouls that he had? I know he is just a sophomore, but he can’t do that. They were all silly fouls,” Self said.
Banner ceremony
Fans are asked to be in their seats by 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, when the national championship banner will be unfurled in the north rafters. The game against Gulf Coast will start at 8.
“It should be special. It’ll be broadcast nationally as well,” Self said of the ceremony being part of ESPN’s all-day coverage of hoops in the U.S.
Johnson to sign today
Elijah Johnson, 6-2 senior from Cheyenne High in Las Vegas who has orally committed to KU, will sign a national letter of intent with KU in a noon ceremony today at his high school.
Pollard in stands
Former KU center Scot Pollard attended the game. He was wearing his brand-new Boston Celtics 2008 world championship ring on his right hand.
“I came here for the weekend to see football, basketball and volleyball. I’m 0-for-2. We need a win,” Pollard said before the UMKC game.
Pollard has his Web site – planetpollard.com – up and running. He’s not officially retired and is staying in shape in Indianapolis in case a team calls for his services. Pollard has homes in both Indy and Lawrence.
Stats, facts
Tyrel Reed had 12 points, six in the early going when nothing else positive was going on for the Jayhawks. … Quintrell Thomas was the first freshman to start a season opener since Sherron Collins started against Northern Arizona in 2006. … The Jayhawks went without a field goal for nine minutes, seven seconds in the first half, until a steal by Collins led to Morningstar’s layup. … KU opened the second half on a 14-2 run to grab a 46-37 lead. KU hit 11 of its first 13 shots the second half. … The second half starting lineup was: Aldrich, Marcus Morris, Reed, Collins and Taylor.
Signing day
Thomas Robinson, one of the two blue-chip basketball recruits who have committed orally to Kansas University, will sign a national letter-of-intent with KU today, the first day of the weeklong early signing period.
Robinson, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound power forward from Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., chose KU over runner-up Memphis on Oct. 10.
Elijah Johnson, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Cheyenne High in Las Vegas, will sign his letter Monday in a ceremony at his high school.
Robinson is Rivals.com’s No. 18-rated player; Johnson is No. 27.
“Signing date is tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll sign one tomorrow,” KU coach Bill Self said.
“I don’t think we’ll sign a second tomorrow based on availability with family as far as a press conference,” he added, apparently referring to Johnson. “I don’t anticipate any surprises.”
The November signing period runs from today until Wednesday. Michael Snaer, a 6-4 shooting guard from Rancho Verde High in Moreno Valley, Calif., is expected to have a news conference Thursday or Friday to pick either KU, Florida State or Marquette.
Thomas’ shoulder OK
Freshman forward Quintrell Thomas had his left shoulder whacked late in the game and left the court in pain.
“It slipped out of place a couple weeks ago. It’s not that bad unless somebody hits it. It’ll be fine by our first game,” Thomas said of Sunday’s 7:30 p.m. home game versus UMKC.
He started and had five points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.
“It was fun coming out and having them call my name, especially at a place like Kansas,” Thomas said of the introductions.
Of Thomas, Self said: “He was active tonight. He had a good carryover from last week.”
Collins hits elbow
KU guard Sherron Collins went down hard after getting hammered by ESU’s Doug Moore on a lay-up try with a second left in the first half.
“I hit my elbow on my funny bone. It went numb so I was a little scared. I was cool after that. It was all right,” Collins said.
Jayhawks sizzling
KU hit 24 of 30 shots the first half for a sizzling 80 percent.
“I hope every game we’re going to make every shot. That would be the best picture. I’m being sarcastic,” Self said, acknowledging, “We made everything we looked at.”
Tidbits
Emporia State coach David Moe’s daughter, Lyndi, sang the national anthem to the delight of KU’s crowd. … In all, 16,300 seats were sold, but there were no-shows in the northwest corner, which is the student section. Fans began leaving in droves with 10:25 left … Self today will be one of several dignitaries to speak at the Get Motivated Seminar at Sprint Center. Others include Colin Powell and Rudy Giuliani.
Kansas University coach Bill Self was at the polls bright and early to cast his vote on Election Day.
“I was in the voting lines at 6:25 (a.m.) thinking it was going to be crowded,” said Self, who voted at Free State High.
There was just a handful of others in line for the start of voting at 7.
“I thought the lines would be so long. People told me they walked up with no line at all. I could have slept two more hours,” he said, smiling.
KU junior Sherron Collins also voted. He said his candidate for president won.
“Yes he did,” Collins said of Barack Obama.
Has he ever met the fellow Illinois native?
“No, his block is closed off now,” he said with a smile, referring to Obama’s residence.
Buford out
KU sophomore walk-on Chase Buford did not dress for the game. He sprained a knee last week and is slated to miss another week of practice, Self indicated.
Henry update
Xavier Henry, a 6-foot-6 senior guard from Putnam City (Okla.) High, might not pick between Kansas and Memphis this week after all.
Henry is slated to undergo surgery Thursday to repair a broken cheekbone he suffered in a recent automobile accident. His dad, Carl, told Rivals.com that because of the surgery, his son’s decision likely would not be made and announced on ESPNU until next week.
Lotsa whistles
Marcus Morris fouled out while playing seven minutes.
“I joked with him. I said, ‘You only played seven minutes. You played two more minutes than your number of fouls,” his brother, Markieff, said.
Of the foul fest, Self said: “I’ve been telling our guys you’ll foul out in five minutes the way we guard. That turned out to be prophetic. C.J. (Giles) may have fouled out in six minutes one time. Seven may have been the next closest.”
Early exits
All but the northwest corner of the fieldhouse appeared full for the game. Fans streamed for the exits with 7:50 left.
Self’s gripes
Self was not happy with KU’s defense.
“This is the second-most points we’ve given up (in exhibition game) since I have been here. We have a lot of work to do on the glass and the defensive end,” he said.
KU allowed 83 points in an 84-83 victory over Carleton in Canada over Labor Day weekend.
Bombs away
Tyrel Reed hit five threes, obviously not caring the line is a 20 feet, 9 inches this year, back a foot from last year.
“I don’t think it’ll affect too many people. Like Conner (Teahan) said, most people shoot two or three feet behind the line anyway,” Reed said.
You better guard
Self sent a message to his newcomers about possible playing time.
“If you are not going to guard or can’t guard, you will not get many opportunities to shoot it. You won’t be in as long,” Self said.
Red-shirting works
Self thinks red-shirting Brady Morningstar last year will prove beneficial.
“I hope so. Time will tell,” Self said. “I think he’ll be better as a 26-year-old senior than a 23-year-old sophomore.”
Stats, facts
KU has won 30 straight home exhibition games and is 50-7 overall in exhibition play. KU is 41-4 in exhibition games in Allen and 18-0 under Self. … KU scored 57 in the first half after scoring 58 in the first half against Washburn last season. … Washburn led, 14-13, before KU rolled to a 17-5 run, jump-started by two threes from Reed.
Self Reacts: On Thursday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches said it strongly opposed oral commitments from students who have yet to complete their sophomore year of high school.
“I agree with the fact that freshman year is a little early,” Self said. “A lot of it’s not the coaches that are spurring this on. A lot of it is parents and recruits that get impatient. But I agree that they should at least get through their freshman and sophomore years.”
Self said even if a rule is passed to prevent recruits from committing before their junior years, it would be difficult to make sure schools follow the guideline.
Besides the fact that younger recruits won’t have much of an “academic resume before pulling the trigger” Self said it’s also beneficial for schools to wait in order to get a better idea what kind of players they will be.
“LeBron (James), you would know. There’s a few that you would know,” Self said. “O.J. (Mayo), you would know. But there’s not very many guys like that. I think it’s probably a safer play for the kid and also for the schools.”
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Early to rise: KU coach Self spoke at 610 Sports radio’s Breakfast series bright and early at 6:30 a.m., Friday, at Hilton President Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. He fielded questions from the fans in attendance – questions relayed to host Roger Twibell.
Self told the gathering he believed he could use Paul Pierce’s winning the 2008 NBA championship with the Boston Celtics as a positive in recruiting.
“I think there’s a pretty good chance it’ll be mentioned from time to time,” Self cracked. “We certainly have the opportunity to talk about a lot of greats here (at KU).
“Paul is one of the best 10 to 15 players in the world. The other thing is … Wayne Simien won a ring three years ago (with Miami Heat). Jacque (Vaughn) won his last year (with San Antonio). Paul and Scot won theirs this year.”
Indeed, Scot Pollard, who did not play in the postseason because of injury, also nets an NBA title ring with the Celtics.
“How many programs can say they’ve had world champions the past three years? That’s pretty nice,” Self said.
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Summer League: The Kansas City Pro-Am is off to a rousing start.
A standing room only crowd of 1,500 watched The Hawks beat Team Lue and NBA guard Chauncey Billups, 116-80, Friday at Penn Valley CC’s Pohlman Fieldhouse.
Former KU guard Nick Bradford scored 20 points, while current Jayhawks Cole Aldrich scored 18, Mario Little 17, Tyshawn Taylor 11 and Tyrel Reed four for the winners.
Former Colorado standout Billups of the Detroit Pistons scored 11 points and former Nebraska great Tyronn Lue of the Dallas Mavericks eight for Team Lue.
Current KU guards Reed and Taylor took turns guarding Billups of the Detroit Pistons.
“The KU guards did well on him. Everybody had their chance,” said league vice president Eric Stamps. “It was more a pick-up game for Chauncey. He didn’t play like it was an NBA game, of course. It was a great opening night. The KU guys helped the night; Chauncey helped make the night great.”
In the other game, former KU player Billy Thomas had 15 points in Fadeaway’s 93-81 win against Wolves Klub.
League play continues Monday at Penn Valley CC.
Kansas University coach Bill Self said he would take the call if Oklahoma State phones him about its coaching vacancy.
“It’s my alma mater,” he said. “I said this last week I would recommend they go in a different direction. I still feel that way. I’m not going to say that couldn’t potentially happen because I guess it potentially can,” he added of being contacted by AD Mike Holder or booster T. Boone Pickens.
“I love Kansas. I love my job. Hopefully I’ll spend a long time here. I’m not looking to leave.”
Self said he would meet with KU athletic director Lew Perkins in coming days. Perkins has said Self is in line for a raise after such a successful season. Rumors indicate OSU booster Pickens may fund a $6 million signing bonus with a 10-year contract at $4 million a year.
As far as KU’s players with NBA aspirations, junior Brandon Rush said he’d “take some time off” and announce his plans in a couple of weeks.
It’s long been believed he and soph Darrell Arthur will turn pro.
Arthur and soph Sherron Collins both said they’d not been thinking about the NBA the past couple of weeks while pursuing the national title. Mario Chalmers’ dad, Ronnie, also said the family hadn’t discussed his son’s NBA options at all.
¢This one’s for Rod: Rodrick Stewart, who couldn’t play in the Final Four because of a freak knee injury, was helped up the podium steps by teammates to take part in the trophy presentation after Monday’s overtime victory over Memphis.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about this weekend,” Stewart, KU’s senior from Seattle, said. “If I was told we’d lose if I was healthy and win if I was hurt, I’d rather be hurt,” said Stewart, who fractured his right kneecap in a dunk drill at the Final Four shootaround Friday and will have surgery Wednesday.
“This is a dream come true. My teammates say they did it for me. It’s a great feeling to win the national championship. There have been great teams at Kansas, and we are now part of history, too.”
¢Julian on hand: New Orleans Hornets rookie Julian Wright, who left KU after two years for the NBA, watched the game, stood on the podium during KU’s victory celebration and also was in the winning locker room after the contest.
“This is a great story. The players, the coaching staff and fans deserve it,” Wright said. “I feel a part of it. The guys say I helped by cheering them on. I’m so proud of Mario (for hitting game-tying shot with :02 left). That’s why you go to a school like Kansas, to make a shot like that. We are now the last team standing. It feels great.”
¢Chipping at lead: Collins on KU erasing a nine-point deficit in the last two minutes.
“We chipped at it, made some stops. They missed free throws and played into our hands.”
Of his steal and three that cut Memphis’ lead to 60-56 at 1:45, he said: “I tried to show some heart like the rest of the guys. Once we tied it (at buzzer), we knew we’d win it. We knew we’d win after regulation was over.”
¢Mom’s take: Chalmers’ mom, Almarie, on the victory. “I think it’s going to bring the community closer together. I’m so happy for the players, coaches, Cindy (Self), everybody. It’s an awesome feeling.”
¢Manning nets another ring: Danny Manning, who led KU to a national title in 1988, is part of another national championship. KU’s assistant coach hugged head coach Self after the final horn.
“It’s different. This is more vivid. It’s more recent,” Manning said. “To win the national championship is very special. I’m happy I played on that team, but this is a new part of our tradition. This is for the guys, coach Self, the university. Both are very special.”
How’d he feel watching “One Shining Moment” in the arena on the victory podium Monday?
“Beautiful, beautiful,” he said.
¢Travel plans: KU associate AD Jim Marchiony said the team hoped to board a flight for Forbes Field by noon today. The team bus will go straight from Forbes Field today to KU’s Memorial Stadium for a celebration. The bus could arrive as early as 2 p.m. in Topeka, Marchiony said, but there’s a chance of a delayed departure in San Antonio by up to 90 minutes.
¢Roy in the house rooting for KU: North Carolina coach Roy Williams sat about 10 rows behind KU’s bench with his wife, Wanda, and daughter Kimberly. The former KU coach was wearing a black shirt with a big Jayhawk sticker on it. UNC assistant Joe Holladay, a former KU aide, also was in the area.
Other former KU head coaches in the KU section were Larry Brown and Ted Owens. In other words, all of KU’s former head coaches who are alive attended the title game.
¢Faces in crowd: Former KU basketball players Alonzo Jamison, Greg Gurley, David Johanning, Mike Maddox, Greg Ostertag, Scot Pollard, Ryan Robertson, Bud Stallworth, Rex Walters and Walt Wesley were among those spotted in the stands. KU football coach Mark Mangino attended.
¢OT talk: It was the seventh overtime game in NCAA title game history. It was the first since 1997 when Arizona beat Kentucky, 84-79.
Tears began to stream down Kansas University senior Rodrick Stewart’s face as crimson-and-blue-clad fans in the Alamodome began to chant his name in the closing moments of the Jayhawks’ 84-66 Final Four semifinal victory over North Carolina.
“I couldn’t help it. It made me feel so good. I hope people realize how great that made me feel,” Stewart said after watching the Jayhawks’ 84-66 victory from the end of the bench.
The Seattle native couldn’t play because of the freak season-ending knee injury he suffered trying a dunk at the end of Friday’s shootaround.
He fractured his right kneecap on the dunk try and will have surgery Wednesday in Lawrence.
“It’s definitely depressing being my senior year. You work your whole life for this moment, and now I can’t play,” Stewart said. “I was in so much pain over there (sitting on bench). The final buzzer took the pain away.”
The Jayhawks made Stewart feel great as they entered their winning locker room at the Alamodome.
“They said, ‘This is for you,”‘ Stewart said. “We’re all like brothers here. We’ve been through so much together. It meant a lot to me.”
Sophomore guard Sherron Collins said: “This whole thing (tonight) was for Rod. He means a lot to everybody on the team.”
Stewart said he’d be back on the court in four months or so and will try to continue playing professionally.
“I saw the X-rays. It was nasty,” he said of his fractured kneecap. “I watched the replay on TV. I got all tensed up watching my knee. I could have had the surgery the day it happened, but I want to be here to see this. I want to be with my teammates.”
Stewart, like the rest of the Jayhawks, said he was impressed by coach Bill Self’s pregame speech to the troops.
“He said, ‘You practice every day for this. Don’t be satisfied getting to he Final Four. Don’t be satisfied until you win the whole thing.'”
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KU vs. Memphis: KU will meet Memphis at 8:21 p.m. Monday in the national title game.
“They’ve got great guards, great all-around team. They’ve been on top most of the season,” senior Russell Robinson said of the Tigers, who have just one loss against 38 victories.
“We probably are 1-2 in the country in lobs,” Self joked. “We know they have a great team. It’ll be a great challenge. I just told our guys, ‘I’m looking forward to practice tomorrow.’ It’s our last practice, and we get to prepare for the biggest game of the year.'”
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Williams to watch finale: North Carolina coach Roy Williams indicated after the game he would stick around for the national title game. Rest assured he’ll be rooting for KU. Williams posed for pictures for hordes of KU fans on a Friday night walk on the River Walk. He even hung out for a bit at KU hangout “Rita’s,” chatting with KU fans.
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Manning to be inducted: KU assistant coach Danny Manning will be named an inductee in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, which is located in Kansas City, today.
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Faces in crowd: Former Jayhawks seated in the KU section included: Eric Chenowith, Greg Dreiling, Greg Gurley, Jeff Hawkins, Mike Maddox, Scot Pollard, Ryan Robertson, Bud Stallworth. Former KU head coaches Larry Brown and Ted Owens attended as well as former KU assistant Tim Jankovich. Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie also attended in support of his buddy, Self.
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Big trey: Collins, on his clutch three that upped a five-point lead to eight with 5:31 left: “I was open, and when I’m open coach tells me to shoot it,” Collins said. “I took something from coach before the game today. He said, ‘Don’t wait for things to happen, take it. If you want it, take it.’ All of us tried to do that today.”
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Words of wisdom: Darnell Jackson, relating the team’s unofficial motto: “Anything is possible for us.”
Kaun intense: Sasha Kaun tossed and turned all night.
“I couldn’t fall asleep. I was so excited for the game I couldn’t calm myself down to go to bed. I finally fell asleep at 3 a.m.,” Kaun, Kansas University’s senior from Tomsk, Russia, said of Saturday night slumber time leading up to Sunday’s Elite Eight game against Davidson.
“I really wanted this game. I wanted it so bad.”
Thus, he became the team leader Sunday. He tried to fire up his Jayhawk teammates both on the bus ride to Ford Field and in the locker room before tipoff.
“He was so fired up, I couldn’t understand everything he was saying,” senior Russell Robinson said.
Kaun, who hit six of six floor shots and one of three free throws, good for 13 points, and collected six rebounds, explained his change of demeanor.
He’s normally pretty soft-spoken.
“I tried everything I could to get the team going,” Kaun said. “I tried to encourage the guys. I said, ‘Let’s go guys! Let’s go!'”
KU coach Bill Self couldn’t have been happier with the effort of Kaun.
“If we’re going to give Player of the Game, you give it to Mario (Chalmers) the first half, because Mario carried us when we didn’t have any offense, made three or four shots,” Self said. “Then you’d give it to Sasha in the second half. I think he’s played very, very well for the last three or four weeks. He played well against ‘Nova, as well. He had a great tournament.”
KU’s Kaun, Chalmers and Brandon Rush were joined on the all-regional team by Stephen Curry and Jason Richards. Curry was MVP.
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Not a pretty win: The Jayhawks did not have one of their best outings of the season or postseason.
“We were nervous,” senior Darnell Jackson said of a game in which KU hit 44.2 percent of its shots. He had nine points and seven boards. “I was so sped up early, making mistakes. Sasha came through for us. He wanted it so bad. I was proud of him stepping up for us.”
KU coach Self said he spent much of the game merely encouraging his tight team.
“I said (at timeouts), ‘Guys, this is supposed to be fun. We knew they were good. We knew it was going to be a close game. Have fun.”‘
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Great Final Four: This Final Four will be the first to match all No. 1 seeds: “It might be the best collection of teams they’ve had at one time. If Davidson had won, it still would have been great – 1, 1, 1 and a 10,” Self said.
“It means a lot to us,” Chalmers said. “It makes us part of history. We wanted to come in here and be part of history and be part of our first Final Four, and we were able to do that tonight.”
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Stats, facts: KU is headed to its 13th Final Four and first since 2003. KU is seeking its first national title since 1988. KU won its 35th game, tying the 1986 and ’98 teams for most victories in school history.
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‘Attack the attacker’: Davidson College became a national favorite because of its No. 10 seeding, exceptional play of sophomore Stephen Curry and because it has a coach, Bob McKillop, who avoids tired basketball cliches and speaks from the heart.
“The sadness of this whole situation is that we can’t celebrate the four months of greatness because now we’ll reflect upon what finished the season,” McKillop said. “My father was a New York City cop. He used to always tell me to polish the backs of your shoes because that’s the last thing people see of you.”
Davidson took a 25-game winning streak into the game and finished 29-7.
“Attack the attacker,” McKillop said of his team’s style. “We will not back down from anybody.”
Collins says he’s OK: Sophomore Sherron Collins, who has tonsillitis, said he’s feeling fine and will play in today’s game.
“I feel better,” he said. “My temperature has gone down (from 102 degrees).”
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Card-game fun: The Jayhawks have been playing the card game of “Spades” regularly this postseason to kill time at the team hotels.
“Me and Mario (Chalmers) are a team,” junior Brandon Rush said. “Right now ‘Shady’ (Darrell Arthur) and (Jeremy) Case are the best team. We’ve lost the last six or seven times to them.”
l
Late night: The Jayhawks didn’t go to bed until about 2 a.m., Saturday, following Friday’s late game against Villanova.
“Some guys had to do blood tests,” Case said of NCAA drug tests. “So they were up later.”
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Stats, facts: Davidson’s mascot is the Wildcats. KU is 3-1 versus teams with the nickname Wildcats this season, with a 1-1 mark against Kansas State and wins over Arizona and Villanova …This is the first meeting between the schools. KU is 5-0 versus current members of the Southern Conference: 1-0 against Appalachian State, 3-0 against Western Carolina and 1-0 against Furman. … A Kansas win would make the Jayhawks 35-3 and match the most victories in school history with the 1998 and ’86 teams that went 35-4. It would extend KU’s win streak to 11 games, second longest of the season … Bill Self is 19-9 in NCAA Tourney games. He is 9-4 at KU. … KU is trying to reach its 13th Final Four.
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Wright encourages Robinson: Even at a time of disappointment Friday night, Villanova coach Jay Wright had the class to wish KU guard Russell Robinson well.
“I know Jay Wright. He recruited me early. After the game he said, ‘Go ahead and take it all the way. You obviously have the team to do that,”‘ Robinson said.
Informed a TV reporter said Davidson had the nation’s best backcourt, Robinson raised his eyebrows and said, “Hmm, I never heard that one before. Honestly I think we have the best backcourt in the country because we can get after you on both ends of the court.”
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One loss ends it all: Robinson said it’s scary to think his career is almost over.
“I was just thinking about it. I said earlier it kind of scares me this could be my last game,” Robinson said. “It just makes me work that much harder on each play. That way, when all is said and done, there are no regrets.”
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Win it all: Rush, asked if he’s looking at it as if this is KU’s big chance said: “Especially with the class we’ve got, with all seniors and everybody else that’s departing to the NBA, I guess this is our time to shine.”
Rush and Arthur are considered locks to leave for the 2008 NBA Draft, while there’s a chance Chalmers and Collins also will bolt to the pros.
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Blessing in disguise: Rush was asked if he agrees with mom, Glenda, who has told her son his ACL surgery might be a “blessing in disguise” a couple of weeks after the operation.
“I say I agree with my mom there a little bit because you never get to experience something like this, getting to go to a Final Four. Being back with my teammates, being back with my family, I think it was a blessing in disguise,” he said.
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Self on Curry: Self respects Davidson guard Stephen Curry, who averages 25.9 points a game – 34.3 points in the ’08 NCAAs.
“There are not a lot of guys out there playing that have somebody that eats at the same dinner table every night that’s probably scored 15,000 points in his NBA career and been one of the greatest shooters in NBA history,” Self said of Curry’s dad, Dell, who played at Virginia Tech before moving on to the pros.
“There are some things you can teach, but it’s hard to teach feel, and he’s got feel. I mean, the stroke is beautiful, and I’m sure he learned that at an early age, but he’s got feel. I mean the feet, the shoulders, everything. He puts himself in a position to shoot it before he ever catches it. There are a lot of things he does very well.
“I know Bob (McKillop, Davidson coach) has a lot to do with his improvement, no doubt about that. But as far as that stroke, I’m sure he learned that at a very early age.”
Collins has tonsillitis, too: Sherron Collins’ left knee felt fine Friday night.
The rest of his body did not.
“Sherron wasn’t himself today, you could see that,” KU coach Bill Self said after the Jayhawks’ 72-57 Sweet 16 victory over Villanova at Ford Field.
“He caught what Rod had, the tonsillitis,” Self added of Rodrick Stewart, afflicted last week in Omaha, Neb. “Sherron didn’t go to the (afternoon) shootaround, was in bed all day. I was glad to have him out there.”
Collins finished with four points, four assists, three turnovers and two steals in 21 minutes.
“I’ve got a little head cold,” Collins said. “I don’t have the flu, just a cold.”
¢ Davidson next: KU will meet 29-6 Davidson, a team that has won 25 straight games, in the Elite Eight.
“They are one of the hottest teams in the country. They are good,” Self said.
“They’ve got good guards, a great team. They are really hot right now,” Brandon Rush noted. “I think they are good, but I think this is our year. We want it for our coach, our seniors, everybody. I want to get there once and see what it’s like.”
¢ So close: Self has taken KU to three Elite Eights in five seasons. He was asked about some of the players saying he wanted it even more than they did.
“I would say it’s probably very fair to say,” Self said with a smile. “It’s not the reason I want to win. I want to win for the players, the program, the school, fans, everybody. We’ve been close. You guys (media) will do a great job documenting that. We feel it’s our time. (Yet) nobody will give you anything. You’ve got to take it.”
¢ KU’s road: The Jayhawks have defeated No. 16 Portland State, No. 8 UNLV and No. 12 ‘Nova, with No. 10 Davidson remaining in the way of a Final Four bid.
“It’s my senior year. We’re close and really want to get there. UCLA stopped us last year. We think we learned some things from that game that can help us get there now. I think we’re hungry,” Russell Robinson said.
¢ Stuck with nowhere to go: KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony and KU radio legend Max Falkenstien were stuck on a Dearborn Hyatt Regency elevator for 40 minutes Friday. No KU players had similar problems at the hotel.
¢ Roy recalls: Former KU coach Roy Williams’ North Carolina Tar Heels meet former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals today for a spot in the Final Four.
Williams was asked Friday about KU’s 150-95 victory over Pitino’s UK team on Dec. 9, 1989, in Allen Fieldhouse. That was the game in which Pitino flashed Williams an obscene gesture late in the game when Williams asked Pitino if he wanted him to call timeout to help Pitino’s short-handed team take a breather.
“I think he only had about eight guys, but they kept pressing, and we kept running through it,” Williams said. “And he had some guys foul out, and it was a fortunate day for us and an unfortunate day for them. But it was wild. I hadn’t been involved in anything like that. But it has absolutely nothing to do with tomorrow’s game. It had nothing to do with our game we played them at Rupp the next year, except it’s the only time I’ve been booed by 24,000 people in harmony (during UK victory). As many games as Rick and I have coached it’s way, way down the list right now.”
Of the obscene gesture, Williams said: “Rick and I have talked about that. It was unfortunate things and probably my fault more than anybody’s, but we’ve had discussions many years ago about that and put it behind us. We’ve played golf together. He was the first guy that got me on Shadow Creek in Vegas, so I owe him one big-time because I haven’t been able to do anything like that for him. But when we played out there it was me and Rick and Gene Keady and Nolan Richardson and, I have zero, zero problems with Rick. The only thing I have for Rick is a great deal of respect, and I mean that sincerely.”
Stewart has tonsillitis: Kansas University senior Rodrick Stewart, who had complained of a sore throat Friday, was unable to attend Saturday’s KU-UNLV game.
Saddled with a tonsillitis, Stewart watched the game at the Embassy Suites Hotel.
“He’s at the hotel. We have him quarantined,” KU coach Bill Self said. “He was sick yesterday morning. He said no way he could go today. He’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
Stewart and the Jayhawks’ traveling party took two buses this week from Lawrence to Omaha. Stewart was to ride on the second bus back to Lawrence on Saturday night, so as to not infect any teammates.
KU sophomore Sherron Collins said he spoke with Stewart at the hotel right before leaving for the game.
“He’s got a little bug, but he’s pretty sick,” Collins said. “I feel sorry he couldn’t play today, but we told him we’d try to get the win and he’ll be ready to go the next game.”
¢ Collins ‘OK’: Collins wore a wrap on his bruised left knee during the game. He didn’t score the first half, but finished with 10 points off 5-of-8 shooting.
“I don’t think it took me a while to get going. I just played into their hands the first half,” Collins said. “It’s a little sore, but I’m OK.”
Self said Collins is not 100 percent.
“He couldn’t practice yesterday,” Self said. “He couldn’t move (on the court). The doctors talked to him today. They said, ‘You bruised your knee again. You are fine.’ His biggest basket may have been when we called time with five seconds on the shot clock.
“He comes back on the court and makes a play.”
Collins headed into the paint and scored just ahead of the shot-clock-violation horn to give KU a 46-37 lead with 13:58 left.
What did Self tell Collins during the huddle?
“Just drive it,” Self said.
¢ Mario’s fall: Mario Chalmers landed hard on a drive to the goal late in the game.
“I landed on my wrist and banged my knee. I’m fine,” Chalmers said.
Also, Darnell Jackson was whacked in the face during the game. Self said Jackson’s only injury was his eyes watering for a moment.
¢ K-State’s season over: Self was sorry to see K-State lose to Wisconsin in the first game on Saturday.
“I talked to Frank before the (KU) game,” Self said of KSU coach Frank Martin. “Also Blake (Young), Michael (Beasley) and Clent (Stewart) to say, ‘You had a great year, one they should be proud of.’ I like Frank. He wished us the best.”
¢ Stats, facts: KU improved to 33-3, matching last year’s 33 wins. … The Jayhawks have won nine straight games. … KU has reached its 25th Sweet 16. KU has made the Sweet 16 six times in the last eight years dating to 2001. … KU is 5-1 in NCAA games played in Nebraska. … KU is 4-0 versus UNLV. … Self improved to 138-32 at KU. … Brandon Rush nailed two three-pointers to move his season total to 75, which ties his effort from last season for ninth place on the KU single-season list. The two treys increased his career total to 200 made threes and tied him with Terry Brown (1990-91) for fourth place on the KU career list. … Chalmers has 1,285 points and ranks 26th on KU’s all-time list. … Chalmers has 85 steals this season. … Rush fouled out for just the second time in his career.
Kansas coach Bill Self says he has great respect for the Jayhawks’ second-round opponent, University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
The Rebels rolled to a 31-10 halftime lead en route to a 71-58 victory over Kent State on Thursday at Qwest Center.
“Coach (Lon) Kruger is a great coach. Everybody knows it. He is fabulous,” Self said of the former Kansas State player and coach, who was Self’s predecessor at the University of Illinois.
“He was a perfect guy to follow at Illinois. The guys (Illini) were well-taught. He has no ego. He just wanted our guys to be successful. I was happy for his great run (advancing to Sweet 16 in NCAAs) last year with his son (Kevin). They lost a lot of guys and are back. They are undersized, (but) very athletic. They play well on both ends.”
KU assistant Joe Dooley scouted the Rebels’ rout of Kent State.
“They are good, balanced, have good guard play. They are very athletic in all five spots,” Dooley said. Guards Wink Adams and Rene Rougeau had 17 and 12 points respectively, while forward Joe Darger tallied 18 in Thursday’s victory.
“They (Golden Flashes) couldn’t make a pass. They (Rebels) didn’t let the ball get reversed. The pressurized passes set the tempo.”
Dooley said the (27-7) Rebels are for real.
“They have seven losses. How many teams in America have (just) seven losses?” Dooley said. “That tells you a lot right there.”
¢ Free throws clang: Sasha Kaun hit just one of six free throws against Portland State on a day KU made seven of 15.
“It was just one of those days when the shots don’t fall,” said Kaun, who had seven rebounds and three points in 12 minutes. “You’ve got to bounce back and hit them the next game.”
¢ Ailment: KU senior Rodrick Stewart had two points, two rebounds and two turnovers in eight minutes.
He was looking forward to not having a game until Saturday.
“It allows some guys to get treatment. I’m a little bit sick,” Stewart said.
The flu?
“No, my throat is sore,” he said.
As far as the key to KU holding Portland State to 38.2 percent shooting, Stewart said: “It had to do with us locking them up on defense. We were aggressive from the beginning.”
¢ Stats, facts: Brandon Rush became the 21st player in KU history to score 1,400 points. One spot ahead of Rush on the all-time scoring list is Wilt Chamberlain, who tallied 1,433 points in his two-year career (1957-58)…. KU’s 12 threes in 25 tries were second most by a KU team in NCAA play, tying the Kentucky game in 1999. KU hit 13 against Niagara last season. … Rush has averaged 21.7 points over his last three games (28 versus Texas A&M, 19 against Texas, 18 versus Portland State). … Sherron Collins hit three treys and has 82 for his career. He passed Greg Gurley for 21st on KU’s all-time list. … Russell Robinson dished four assists to up his career total 487 and move him past Ryan Robertson (485, 1996-99) into eighth place on the KU career list. … KU hit seven of 15 free-throw attempts for 46.7 percent, which is the second lowest percentage for a KU team in an NCAA Tournament game. The all-time low was 45.5 percent against UCLA in 2007. … .KU won its 23rd NCAA Tournament first-round game in the last 25 years dating to 1978. … KU is 77-36 all-time in the NCAAs. … KU is 4-1 in NCAA Tourney games played in Nebraska. … KU is 10-0 against the current membership of the Big Sky Conference, including 3-0 in 2007-08.
Rush, Chalmers honored: Brandon Rush (most outstanding player) and Mario Chalmers were KU’s representatives on the all-tournament team. They were joined by Texas’ D.J. Augustin, A.J. Abrams and Damion James. Rush also was all-tourney last year. He’s the fourth Jayhawk to be named the tourney most outstanding player, joining Chalmers (2006), Paul Pierce (1997, 1998) and Jeff Boschee (1999).
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Stats galore: KU also hit 15 threes against North Carolina State on Dec. 10, 1994. The school record is 16 against Baylor on Jan. 25, 2005. … KU dished 25 assists on 26 baskets. … Chalmers hit a career-best eight threes, a season high for a KU player. He bested his previous mark of six threes made versus UMKC on November 11, 2007. … Chalmers’ eight threes were the most for a Kansas player since Billy Thomas made eight versus Texas on Jan. 10, 1998. … Chalmers’ 30 points were most by a Jayhawk this season, topping the 28 scored by Rush in a semifinal win over Texas A&M. His 30 points tied a KU record for points in a Big 12 Championship. Pierce (vs. Missouri, 1997) and Wayne Simien (vs. Oklahoma State, 2005) also hit for 30. … Rush’s six threes tied a career high. He had six versus Kentucky on March 18, 2007. … Rush hit 13 threes in the tourney for a KU Big 12 Championship record. Boschee iced nine in the ’99 championships. … Sherron Collins tied a career high with seven assists. He also made four of four free throws in the last five minutes on his way to nine points. … Darrell Arthur (16 points) has scored in double figures in 26 games. … Sasha Kaun had a season-high eight rebounds. … KU outscored the Longhorns 15-0 in fast-break points and 16-2 in bench points.
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Statistical anomaly: KU coach Bill Self pointed out one crazy stat:
“They had four turnovers, and we won that game,” Self said of the Longhorns, who had four bobbles to Kansas’ 10.
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Playground basketball: Of the fast-paced game, KU’s Russell Robinson said: “It was like a game of H-O-R-S-E out there. We were just trading threes back and forth. We got that last little run and opened it up.”
Chalmers strains knee: KU junior guard Mario Chalmers said he suffered a strained patellar tendon in his left knee when going up for a layup with 2:47 left in the first half.
He played 14 minutes the second half.
Chalmers, who wore a strap on the knee to put pressure on it to “take the pain away,” said he’d be fine after icing the knee Saturday night.
“I stretched too far,” Chalmers said of skying for a possible dunk. “I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
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Arthur struggles again: Darrell Arthur had just seven points off 3-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds in 23 minutes. He had six points and five boards in the first round versus Nebraska.
“I’m gonna be blunt. Part of it is his fault. You can’t get into foul trouble early,” senior Russell Robinson said. “At the same time, you’ve got to get him the ball, and get him going, keep his head into it. He’s had two rough games here, but if anything, he’s able to turn it around.”
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Thirty wins and counting: KU (30-3) reached the 30-win mark for the second year in a row and eighth time in school history. KU has won 30 games in back-to-back seasons for the third time in school history.
“It’s a pretty good year when you win 30,” coach Bill Self said. “When the season started, we’d have been disappointed if you’d told us this team would not win a lot of games. It serves absolutely no purpose as a milestone. You’ve got to play well from this point forward, or 30 is not very significant.”
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Selection show today: KU, which meets Texas at 2 p.m. at Sprint Center, will learn its NCAA Tournament fate during the 5 p.m. Selection Show on CBS.
Self was asked if the winner should receive a No. 1 seed.
“If we don’t win, we won’t get one. If Texas doesn’t win, they won’t win one. I think I can go that strong,” Self said. “I don’t see how the winner tomorrow wouldn’t be under serious consideration to deserve one.
“The best team in this league is probably going to be one of the best three, four, five teams in the country. We get a chance to determine who that will be tomorrow. I’m not going to campaign for it or politick for it because nobody’s going to listen, anyway.”
Self said he thought the committee likely would have KU and Texas in an either/or scenario entering today’s action.
“I think the winner goes here and the loser goes here. I think tonight it’ll be done with,” Self said.
Of the No. 1 seed, Self said: “After the initial thing comes out and everybody jumps up and down and says, ‘Ooh, we’re a No. 1 seed,’ after that I don’t know if it means much.”
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Texas talented: Today’s foe, Texas, defeated KU, 72-69, on Feb. 11 in Austin.
“They are a physical team, a great rebounding team like A&M,” KU freshman Cole Aldrich said. “They will give us a strong fight on the boards.”
“It’ll be a great game for the conference championship. They are a great team,” senior Sasha Kaun said.
Self noted: “Physically they handled us the second half of that (first) game. They have a great team. I’m OK with us not winning that game. I didn’t particularly care for the way we didn’t win it, which was them beating us to loose balls and outhustling us on the glass and things like that. That’s what I remember of that game.
“We also got lucky D.J. (Augustin, 1-for-13) didn’t shoot well. We have clips ready (to show KU players on Saturday night). That was five weeks ago. They’ll be doing something a little bit different and having a few different tendencies.”
Signs, signs, everywhere there are signs: A KU student could be seen three hours before the game making a sign that read, “Bill Walker, the bathroom is this way.” It was in reference to the KSU freshman urinating into a towel on the KSU bench late in a preseason game at Bramlage Coliseum, rather than racing out of the tunnel to use the bathroom.
Other signs: “Welcome to Africa,” “Hey Beasley, if you can win here, I’ll pay for your safari,” “Gatorade, Is it in you? It was in Bill Walker,” “Bill Walker show up? It depends.”
¢ NBA scouts on hand: In all, 11 NBA scouts attended, including 1988 title-team member Milt Newton, director of player personnel of the Washington Wizards.
KSU freshman Bill Walker said he ignores the scouts.
“When you press, you don’t do the things you need to do. You just go out and play your regular game,” said Walker, who had nine points in 19 minutes.
¢ Faces in crowd: Ex-Jayhawk centers Eric Chenowith, Greg Ostertag and Moulaye Niang attended. Blue-chip junior guard Elijah Johnson of Las Vegas sat behind KU’s bench on an unofficial recruiting trip.
¢ Senior Day: KU will meet Texas Tech at 8 p.m. Monday on Senior Night. Postgame speeches will be given by seniors Jeremy Case, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Russell Robinson and Rodrick Stewart.
Brandon Rush, who is expected to turn pro after the season, was asked if he’s treating it as his Senior Night. “That’s a trick question. No comment,” he said with a laugh.
¢ GameDay chatter: About 3,000 fans showed for the 10 a.m. ESPN GameDay show starring Jay Bilas, Rece Davis, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps.
Highlights included former Notre Dame coach Phelps dancing with one of KU’s cheerleaders and fans spotting Sherron Collins at the proceedings, the fans giving the sophomore guard a prolonged ovation.
Phelps had this to say about the crazy season and coming postseason:
“Kansas has so much going for itself right now. Obviously losing at Oklahoma State was a wake-up call. What is amazing : when you look back over a season : I remember last year when Florida was No. 1 and lost to Vanderbilt. They were just waiting for March. It was like the Yankees and the old Yankee tradition. They wait ’til October for the pinstripes to show up.
“Florida : they lost some games in the regular season. When the postseason came they kicked it in and went 6-0. What people forget is their toughest game was against Butler in the Sweet 16. That was a close game for 38 minutes, then they (Gators) won by eight. Taking care of business against UCLA and Ohio State (in Final Four) was easy. Why? Those teams took themselves out of the game. Those teams combined 9 for 46 (from three),” Phelps noted. “You can’t get to the Final Four and go 4-for-20 shooting threes. That’s not what it’s about. You have to be inside, outside and have a balanced attack. That’s how teams win national championships.”
Kansas, of course, with its top four scorers averaging between 13.7 and 12.2 ppg, has a balanced attack.
¢ Pullen has chip: KSU guard Jacob Pullen, who entered with a 10.3 scoring average and team-leading 90 assists, said he plays every game with a “chip on my shoulder because I feel people don’t respect me. Like when we play against D.J. Augustin (Texas), people don’t respect us. I want to prove I’m a good player and we’re a good team.
“It’s hard to focus on us (KSU guards) when you’ve got guys like Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. They are NBA-type players. They do things that NBA players do, so you go into a scouting report on Kansas State, you’re looking at those two, trying to control them. Most teams will give up 20, 30 points to the guards as long as they can stop those two.”
D.J. denied: Kansas University’s basketball team held standout Texas guard D.J. Augustin to 10 points on 1-of-13 shooting, yet still lost to the Longhorns, 72-69, on Monday at Erwin Center.
“I think it’s very frustrating. He is the key to their team,” KU sophomore Darrell Arthur said. “We did a good job on he and A.J. (Abrams, 14 points, 5-of-13 shooting), but other players killed us.”
Connor Atchley, who stands 6-foot-10, hit four threes. Damion James and Justin Mason combined for 23 points and 21 rebounds.
“It’s surprising when anybody goes 4-for-4 from three. Guards don’t do it all the time,” KU coach Bill Self said of Atchley’s effort. “He’s a good shooter. Damion had a chance to sit on the bench and boil (playing three minutes first half because of foul woes). He came out and kicked our butts the second half.”
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Sherron Collins on the game: “I don’t feel they outhustled us. They outrebounded us.”
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Stats, facts: Texas snapped a three-game losing streak versus KU. UT has beaten KU three straight times in Austin, the last two by 15 and 25 points. … Arthur led KU in scoring with 22 points and in the process notched his second-straight game with 20 or more points. … Collins posted four assists for the third straight game. It ties his season-most against a conference opponent. … Mario Chalmers had five assists, marking the fourth straight game he had at least that many. He is averaging six over that span. … Sasha Kaun’s seven boards were his most during the conference season. His season-high of eight was established in the final nonconference game against Loyola.
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Faces in crowd: Beth Buford, mother of KU’s Chase Buford and Texas’ Alexis Wangmene, wore a jersey with both KU and Texas colors to honor both players. Wangmene, who hails from Cameroon, has legal guardians in Beth and R.C. Buford. … Former Texas quarterback Vince Young attended.
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Self before the game on Abrams: “He has as quick a release as anybody I’ve coached against. The other thing that amazes me … I know A.J. is a small guy. He can make shots off the move as well as anybody with a quick release. He’s on a roll right now,” Self said of the 5-11 junior from Round Rock, Texas.
“He reminds me on (Allen) Iverson from a physique standpoint. A defender chasing him can’t catch up.”
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Self supporter: Texas coach Rick Barnes is a fan of fifth-year Jayhawk coach Self.
“Bill’s won everywhere he’s been,” Barnes told the Austin American-Statesman. “I think before he’s done, he’ll win a national championship.”
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Rumor talk: The American-Statesman was the latest to ask Self about rumors Oklahoma State booster Boone Pickens will come after him with bucketloads of money to coach the Cowboys if Sean Sutton is replaced after this season.
“I think it’s a dead issue. There’s nothing to talk about. It’s a disservice to everyone involved,” Self told columnist Kirk Bohls.
A close friend of Self told Bohls: “If he’s going to leave KU for Oklahoma State, he’s not as smart as I think he is.”
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Title talk: Sure, KU could win a national title this season. Many other teams could, too.
“If 30 legitimate teams have a chance at it, one out of 30 isn’t great odds, is it?” Self told the American-Statesman.
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Brown to Bulls?: The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday that former KU coach Larry Brown might be a candidate to coach the Chicago Bulls. Brown, the Philadelphia 76ers’ executive vice president, led the Jayhawks to the 1988 national title.
The Bulls are led by interim coach Jim Boylan, who replaced Scott Skiles on Dec. 24. Brown has been out of coaching since 2005-06 when he went 23-59 before being canned by the New York Knicks.
Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self was saddened to learn of Texas Tech coach Bob Knight’s retirement on Monday.
“I’m disappointed for selfish reasons,” Self said. “He is great for our league. From a selfish standpoint, I’d like him to come here one more time (for KU-Texas Tech game on March 3). I felt the same way when Barry Sanders retired. How can he do that with so much left? I’m happy for Coach; still, I feel it takes away from the interest level in our league. I’m happy for Pat (Knight, replacement) and know he will do a great job. And I’m happy for Coach. Whatever he wants to do, he has a right to do that.”
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Faces in crowd: San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, the father of KU baseball pitcher Brett, attended and sat with former big-league pitcher Rick Sutcliffe. … Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson sat behind the Missouri bench to support his former assistant, MU coach Mike Anderson.
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Bowl celebration: KU’s football team was honored at halftime. Coach Mark Mangino stood between Chancellor Robert Hemenway and athletic director Lew Perkins for presentation of the Orange Bowl trophy after a highlight video was shown.
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Perkins comments on TV time: Athletic director Perkins, who was shown on international TV numerous times while sitting in the Gatorade suite in the row below Peyton Manning at Sunday’s Super Bowl, was back in time for Monday’s game.
Perkins said he received about 50 text messages during and after the game from friends stunned to see the KU leader on TV.
“It was crazy, all the texts, the calls,” Perkins said.
So which team was he rooting for? New York or New England?
“I wanted either team to win,” he said. “I have ties to both teams (friends either in front offices or coaching staffs). I actually grew up a Giants fan because the Patriots weren’t there yet,” noted Perkins, who grew up in Massachusetts.
Perkins’ wife, Gwen, who also received a lot of TV time at the Super Bowl and is a Giants fan, Perkins said.
Manning, by the way, tried to avoid the cameras at the bowl, which was played in Glendale, Ariz.
“He said to me before the game he was sitting in the back row so he wouldn’t be noticed. He was there supporting his brother (Eli, Giants quarterback),” Perkins said.
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Majok to visit: Ater Majok, a 6-foot-10, 220-pound high school senior center who attends the American International School in Carlingford, Australia, will make official recruiting trips to KU and Connecticut sometime in March, according to Rivals.com. Majok, 20, a native of Sudan who has played for Heat Basketball Academy in Virginia, has also heard from West Virginia, Baylor, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgetown, St. John’s and others.
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Appleton update: Texas is trying to schedule an official visit with Tyrone Appleton, a 6-3 guard from Midland (Texas) College, who recently visited Kansas. Appleton told Rivals.com his final list consists of KU, Kentucky, Iowa State, Texas and Indiana. The Gary, Ind., native is averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals a game. He has cited immediate playing time as his main factor in picking a school.
Fans flock to Boulder: At least 50 percent of the 10,347 fans at Coors Events Center were KU supporters.
They made a lot of noise during KU’s late 12-1 run that turned a 55-50 lead into an insurmountable 67-51 advantage.
“We had 50-50 (of the crowd) at least. It was a great crowd,” KU coach Bill Self said. He stopped after the game to acknowledge the fans, waving his hand and giving them a thumbs-up gesture.
“A lot of Jayhawk fans in western Kansas and Colorado paid a pretty penny to see the game. They’ll come no matter what.”
CU had a special ticket plan for the KU game. Fans had to purchase tickets to three games to land a KU-CU ducat.
¢ Tough to breathe: KU junior Mario Chalmers said part of KU’s problems the first half was altitude, not attitude, related.
“It was mainly breathing. A lot of guys had trouble breathing. I did, Shady did,” Chalmers said of Darrell Arthur.
¢ He’s fine: KU sophomore Sherron Collins bumped knees with Colorado’s Dwight Thorne II and went down in a heap in the first half. Collins went to the locker room to be examined, returning shortly after.
“I jump-stopped, went knee to knee. It hurt, but I’m OK,” Collins said.
Indeed, he scored nine points while playing 11 minutes the second half after getting blanked with four turnovers the first half.
¢ Looking down: KU, which dipped into second place in the league after Wednesday’s loss to Kansas State, now is a half-game ahead of the Wildcats, who lost Saturday at Missouri. KU is 6-1, KSU 5-1.
“I told the guys I’m happy Missouri won, but we don’t want to feel too good about those guys. They are probably our most hated rival. We’ve got to be ready Monday,” Self said. MU will enter 3-4 in the league and 13-9 overall.
¢ Coaches V. Cancer: Self and CU coach Jeff Bzdelik wore tennis shoes on Saturday to call attention to Coaches Vs. Cancer National Awareness Weekend. All the assistants wore sneakers as well.
¢ Pats to beat Giants, duh: Football fan Self gave his Super Bowl prediction.
“I will go out on a limb and pick the New England Patriots,” he cracked.
¢ Trivia Question: Name the Big 12 school with two former Kansas University quarterbacks on its administrative staff. Answer: Colorado.
Mike Bohn, CU’s athletic director since 2005, started one game at QB for the Jayhawks during the 1982 season. Scott McMichael, a CU assistant AD for a year or so, quarterbacked several KU games from 1974-1976.
Bohn talked about KU’s program in an interview with the Boulder Daily Camera.
“Trying to emulate what they are doing is not realistic,” Bohn said. “But with the enhancements and the type of basketball we’re going to play under Jeff (Bzdelik), it’s going to give us an opportunity to change the perception of college basketball in Colorado.”
Of his recollections of games in Allen Fieldhouse, Bohn said: “Every game was a real marquee event for the program, the institution and the state.”
¢ Crawford attends CU: Casey Crawford, a 6-9, 230-pound sophomore from Blue Valley North High, is practicing daily, but cannot play in games this season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. Crawford, the son of former Kansas City Royals pitcher Steve Crawford, started his college career at Wake Forest.
¢ Stats, facts: KU has won 10 straight against Colorado and four straight at Coors Events Center. … KU has won 12 of its 13 road games. … Darnell Jackson made a career-best 10 free throws in 10 attempts. KU was 21 of 25 from the line, its second consecutive game shooting over 80 percent from the line and fourth time in seven Big 12 games shooting 81 percent or better. … Mario Chalmers had a team-high six assists with three steals and two blocks. … Sasha Kaun’s 12 points were his most in Big 12 play and most overall since Jan. 8 vs. Loyola when he had 14. He made four of five free throws. … KU outrebounded CU, 34-21, tying its biggest rebound advantage in Big 12 play.
Sign of the times: Tom Younger of Victoria held a sign that read: “Jayhawk Fan for 66 years: First game in fieldhouse.”
Younger, 75, attended with five friends who made the long trip via limo.
“I see every game on TV or listen on the radio but just never made it down for a game,” Younger said. “Finally somebody asked me to go. I love it. I’ll get down here more often now.”
¢ Recruiting: Tyrone Appleton, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Midland (Texas) College, had some travel problems and was unable to attend Saturday’s game. He was to be in town for today’s KU clinic with Special Olympians. Appleton, who averages 12.7 points and 5.5 assists per contest, is considering KU, Iowa State, Kentucky, Texas and San Jose State. He’s the No. 3 juco prospect in the country. KU already has landed a commitment from No. 1 juco player Mario Little of Chipola (Fla.) CC. : Junior Xavier Henry, 6-6 from Putnam City, Okla., will make an unofficial visit to KU for the Colorado game on Feb. 16. His dad, Carl, will be part of KU’s basketball reunion weekend. All former players are invited back for the CU contest.
¢ KU vs. Tigers someday?: Memphis coach John Calipari said after Saturday’s victory over Gonzaga he’d like to schedule a game with KU perhaps as early as next year on a neutral floor.
“I’d like to play that game. I don’t know if it’d happen based on the way our schedule is now,” said KU coach Bill Self, who figures to have an exceedingly young team next season. “I hope that happens when the time is right.”
KU senior associate AD Larry Keating said he’s had preliminary discussions with Memphis “I don’t think so at this point, maybe the following year,” Keating said.
¢ Chemistry the best: Self was asked about the chemistry of this year’s team.
“It’s as good as I’ve ever had. Our Tulsa team my last year was a great team,” he said. “We had some really good Illinois teams where the chemistry was not quite this good – some good Kansas teams the chemistry not quite as good. I think this is the best I’ve been around.
“You can have great guys, unselfish, and sometimes the pieces don’t quite fit right. This is one of the rare occasions, at least after four months, the pieces fit. Hopefully we’ll continue to play unselfishly.”
¢ Is 20 victories a huge milestone?: “No, no” Self said. “You guys (media) will be the first to admit to this : when we get to March, nobody will be thinking how many we won to start the season. We’ve got to keep getting better.”
¢ Flu bug hits: KU director of basketball operations Ronnie Chalmers missed the game. He’s been suffering from the flu.
¢ This, that: Nebraska’s 14 first-half points marked the fewest points in a half by a conference opponent since Iowa State scored 14 points in the first half on Feb. 24, 2007. : KU is 5-0 in league play for the first time since the 2004-05 season when KU opened 10-0. : KU has won 28 straight regular-season games and has won 19 straight at home. : Self won his 125th game at KU against 29 defeats : Darrell Arthur (18 points) scored in double figures for a team-best 18th time in 20 games. : Darnell Jackson set a career high with five assists. His previous best was three versus Winston Salem State on Dec. 19, 2006. Jackson dished all five assists in the first half. : Mario Chalmers had seven assists. He was 0-for-1 from beyond the arc breaking a string of 11 straight games with a made three. : Russell Robinson had four steals, most since he totaled eight versus Yale on Dec. 29. : KU had assists on 25 of 32 baskets (78.1 percent). KU had a season-high 26 assists versus Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 9. : KU made 9-of-16 threes. The 56.3 percent mark was best since 62.5 percent versus Kentucky on March 18, 2007.
Title forfeit: Darrell Arthur’s alma mater will forfeit its 2005-06 Texas high school state basketball championship.
Dallas TV station WFAA reported that former South Oak Cliff player Kendrake Johnigan should have been academically ineligible for the 2006 regional and state tournaments.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Dallas schools superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa did not name Johnigan at a Wednesday news conference, but said that a former player was academically ineligible late in the 2005-06 season.
It was determined the unnamed athlete’s failing grade in an English class was changed from 50 to 73.
Hinojosa said that no one at the school currently is responsible for the grade change. Coach James Mays was not at the news conference and had no comment when the Morning News contacted him.
“It’s a painful situation,” SOC principal Regina Jones told the Morning News. She began working at the start of the 2006-07 school year. “It is overshadowing the great things that are happening at SOC.”
KU’s Arthur commented on the situation after Wednesday’s victory over Iowa State: “I heard about it. I haven’t talked to my coach about it. I am mad about it (losing the title), but I’ve not talked to my coach and don’t know what’s going on with it.”
¢Giles reaction: KU coach Bill Self on ex-Jayhawk C.J. Giles getting kicked off Oregon State’s team: “I don’t know details. Certainly it’s unfortunate for C.J. and also unfortunate for Oregon State because when Oregon State took C.J. they took a guy they thought they could depend on.”
¢Beasley boasts: Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley said this to CBS Sportline’s Dennis Dodd: “We’re capable of doing anything (this season). We can go 16-0 I think in the Big 12, win the Big 12 championship and go far in the tournament.”
¢Faces in crowd: Royals GM Dayton Moore attended with players David DeJesus, Billy Butler, Joey Gathright and former player Dennis Leonard.
¢Tough competitor: ISU’s Rahshon Clark fell hard after failing to convert a dunk in the first half. He returned and later converted a vicious slam and was fouled by Cole Aldrich on the play.
¢Stats, facts: KU’s 19 victories to start the year are the most since the 1996-97 team won a school-record 22 games before suffering a loss. It ties for the third best start in school history. KU was 19-0 in 1989-90 and 1908-09. … KU is 4-0 in the league for the first time since the 2004-05 season. … KU has won 27 straight regular-season games. … KU’s senior class recorded its 100th victory. The seniors are 100-20. … Self is 124-29 at KU and 8-2 versus ISU. … Darnell Jackson has 51 points in KU’s last three games. He tied a career-high with nine field goals made and set a new career-high with 14 field-goal attempts, which ties for the most by a Kansas player this season. … Brandon Rush has 12 threes over the last four games. He has connected on 12-of-23 from beyond the arc during the last four outings. He tied a career high with six assists. He had six in a win over Niagara last March. … Rush is in seventh place on KU’s all-time three-point-baskets-made chart with 155. Rush moved past Kevin Pritchard, who is now in eighth place with 154 threes made. … Mario Chalmers scored in double figures for the ninth time in his last 10 games with 10 points in the victory. … Rush ranks 32nd on KU’s all-time scoring chart; Chalmers 38th. … Robinson moved into 10th place on the all-time assist chart with 426. He passed Jeff Boschee, who amassed 425 assists in his KU career.
Robinson has cold: KU senior Russell Robinson had to leave the game early in the second half for a short spell.
“I’ve got a little cold, had a little shortness of breath. After I used an inhaler, I was fine,” he said.
¢ Antlers update: The Antlers cheering section arrived early, ready to razz the Jayhawks during warmups. Their seats, however, were behind Missouri’s hoop. Thus, their insults could not be heard by the KU players. Kansas Citian Brandon Rush was treated to a chorus of “traitor,” a reference to his being from Missouri and his brother Kareem a former MU Tiger. Yes, many of the male Antlers were wearing dresses, per custom.
“I don’t think they did a good job. The fans were pretty weak if you ask me,” Robinson said with a grin. “The Antlers … you can’t hear anything. The shootaround is when you should be able to hear them, and we couldn’t.”
¢ Stats, facts: KU snapped MU’s 13-game homecourt win streak. … KU is 18-0 for the first time since 1996-97. .. KU is 3-0 in the league for the second straight year. … MU’s DeMarre Carroll missed nine of 11 shots and scored five points. He missed five of six free throws. … MU was led by Stefhon Hannah, who had 23 on 7-of-20 shooting. … KU had four players in double figures. Mario Chalmers had 18 followed by Darnell Jackson and Rush (13 apiece) and Darrell Arthur (10).
¢ Reed knows MU: KU freshman point guard Tyrel Reed was recruited by Missouri.
“I took an official visit,” Reed said. “I just remember meeting players, getting to know the coaches. It was a good visit. I knew Kansas was the place for me ultimately. Now I’m wearing the Kansas uniform, so everything is bad blood toward Missouri.”
¢ Pritchard recalls Antlers: Portland TrailBlazers’ general manager Kevin Pritchard, who had a 3-6 record versus Missouri during his KU career, went 1-3 at Hearnes Center in Columbia. He has a vivid memory of MU’s student cheering section, “The Antlers.”
“I remember one year The Antlers drove to Lawrence and followed our bus to Columbia before the game. They drove 30 miles an hour in front of the bus and 30 miles an hour behind it. I don’t think coach (Larry) Brown was too happy.”
¢ Gurley on the Antlers: Ex-Jayhawk guard Greg Gurley, who works as color analyst on Sunflower Broadband broadcasts of KU games, went 6-2 versus MU, including a 3-1 mark at Hearnes.
“It was always more fun to go out early and do the shootaround and how The Antlers were always yelling. They were creative,” Gurley said.
“Greg Ostertag was such an easy target. They got Greg more than anybody,” he added of the 7-footer from Duncanville, Texas. “The better player you were, the more they messed with you. They didn’t mess with me much.”
Another memory: “Coach (Roy) Williams and Norm (Stewart, former MU coach) would go back and forth. Coach Williams always said if it came down to it, he would fight Norm. We always sat in the back going, ‘No matter how aggressive you are, Norm is about 6-foot-6.’ It would have been a fun fight.”
Huge victory: The 30-point margin of victory tied for the second largest in Lawrence against OU. It tied for KU’s third-largest overall versus the Sooners. KU beat OU by 37 points back in 1970 and 30 in 1978, both at Allen. … KU is 133-64 versus OU and has won nine in a row in the series in Allen Fieldhouse. … KU has won 25 straight regular-season games. … Cole Aldrich tied a season high with three blocks.
¢ Pritchard in the ‘House: Portland TrailBlazers’ general manager Kevin Pritchard attended and was one of 14 NBA representatives at the game.
Pritchard said regrettably he can’t attend KU’s 1988 basketball reunion weekend – the weekend of the Feb. 16 KU-Colorado game. He has to speak to all NBA general managers at the NBA All-Star game in New Orleans.
All former KU players and coaches are invited back that weekend. KU traditionally invites all players back for a game every five years.
“A few pounds heavier, a lot of hair ago,” Pritchard joked of how the ’88 Jayhawks have changed in 20 years.
“It’s great to be back at the fieldhouse. I’ve been shaking a lot of hands,” added Pritchard, who received a thunderous ovation when introduced to the crowd.
¢ Faces in crowd: ESPN SportsCenter anchors Neil Everett and Scott Van Pelt, who like to take in a game a year at Allen Fieldhouse, attended with ESPN’s NFL analyst Sean Salisbury. … Wayne and Margaret Simien, parents of ex-Jayhawk Wayne, were on hand. … Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett sat a few rows behind KU’s bench.
¢ Thomas erupts for 25: KU signee Quintrell Thomas made a strong bid for inclusion on the McDonald’s All-America team over the weekend.
He played well where it counts – before the media masses in the Big Apple.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from St. Patrick High in Elizabeth, N.J., scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 64-56 victory over St. Raymond of New York on Sunday in the Nike Super Six at Madison Square Garden.
Thomas hit nine of 11 shots and had three blocks in 30 minutes.
Thomas, according to Adam Zagoria of the Herald News in West Paterson, N.J., “threw down a bunch of dunks” and earned MVP honors.
“He brought an intimidation factor for the quick guards that like to slice,” St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle told ESPN.com.
St. Patrick’s is 12-1 and ranked sixth in the country by PrepNation.com. St. Patrick junior guard Dexter Strickland recently orally committed to North Carolina
“Winning our state (New Jersey) is most important but winning a national championship is another goal,” Thomas told ESPN.com, referring to a goal of being ranked No. 1 at the end of the year.
¢ Henry has big game: Xavier Henry, a 6-6 junior from Putnam City (Okla.) High, scored 30 points in Saturday’s 73-61 win over Putnam City North in the finals of the Putnam City Invitational. Henry grabbed nine rebounds and had three blocks. He has a top three of KU, Memphis and North Carolina.
Putnam City High, 14-1, is ranked No. 23 in the country by PrepNation.com.
¢ KU coach Bill Self on OU standout Blake Griffin: “I’ve known Blake a long time. We thought we might have an outside chance (of signing him out of Oklahoma Christian High in Edmond) until Jeff (Capel, OU coach who replaced Kelvin Sampson) got the job.”
¢ Self on OU coach Capel: “He’s good. They wouldn’t have hired him (from Virginia Commonwealth) unless they thought he’d do a good job. His team is sound. They rebound. They guard very well.”
Ever wonder where athletic directors of all Big 12 Conference schools sit during their home men’s basketball games?
The Journal-World’s Nate Reed received responses from all schools in the league with the exception of Colorado.
Lew Perkins sits right next to KU’s bench and the scorer’s table on the west floor of Allen Fieldhouse.
Others:
Tom Osborne, Nebraska: Sits in stands at Devaney Center and in a suite for the team’s games at Qwest Center in Omaha.
Tim Weiser, Kansas State: He and university president John Wefald have seats at center court, behind the scorer’s table, at Bramlage Coliseum. Sometimes, he sits with KSU’s associate AD for operations at center court at the scorer’s table.
Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma: Sits at courtside table on south baseline of Noble Center.
Jamie Pollard, Iowa State: Sits six rows up from the bench at Hilton Coliseum. He sometimes mingles with media.
DeLoss Dodds, Texas: Sits in stands at Erwin Center. He mingles in all areas – with press and donors.
Gerald Myers, Texas Tech: Sits in athletic director suite and serves as host to his guests at United Sprint Arena.
Mike Holder, Oklahoma State: Sits in stands at Gallagher-Iba Arena. He has donated enough money to have two seats on the floor. He visits with donors and potential donors before the game and at halftime.
Bill Byrne, Texas A&M: Sits in stands at Reed Arena. Sometimes mingles with media.
Mike Alden, Missouri: Sits with his family in the stands at Mizzou Arena.
Ian McCaw, Baylor: Sits in stands with family members at Ferrell Center. Also mingles and spends some time in media room.
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Fun fact: The Omaha World-Herald (citing stats guru Ken Pomeroy) reports that Nebraska plays the shortest lineup of any BCS conference team and ranks 317th out of 341 Div. I schools in height. The Huskers do have 6-foot-11 Aleks Maric, but then go short with 6-5 Ade Dagunduro, 6-4 Ryan Anderson, 5-7 Cookie Miller, 5-11 Jay-R Strowbridge and 5-11 Steve Harley.
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Just 15 can make trip: KU walk-ons Brennan Bechard and Chase Buford did not suit up for the game. They sat behind KU’s bench in the stands after driving to the game on their own. Big 12 rules allow for just 15 players to make trips to games as part of the official traveling party. KU walk-ons Buford, Bechard and Brad Witherspoon will take turns skipping league road games. Red-shirt Brady Morningstar, as a scholarship player, will make the road trips, as will Conner Teahan, who has emerged as a deadly three-point threat. As a fourth-year player, Matt Kleinmann also will make all the trips.
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Stats, facts: Aleks Maric had a five-stitch cut on his eyelid after banging his head on the floor. … NU had a 12-game homecourt win streak snapped. … It was NU’s first sellout since Creighton came to Lincoln for the second game of the 2006-07 season. … Paul Velander scored all of his eight points in the first half. … KU outrebounded NU, 37-24.
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Tough league: The Big 12 went 133-40 in nonconference contests. It is one of two leagues, along with the ACC, with all of its teams above .500.
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Morris twins excelling: Incoming KU players Marcus and Markieff Morris of Philadelphia are performing well for Apex Academies in Pennsauken, N.J. Markieff, 6-10 and 220 pounds, is averaging 34 points and 15 rebounds per game, according to Rivals.com; Marcus, 6-8, 230, averages 33 points and 11 rebounds. The team is off to an 11-1 start.
“We love watching them play,” Marcus told Rivals.com, referring to the Jayhawks. “We love how they get up and down the court as a group. Kansas is a running group, and that fits our style of play. My brother and I are definitely excited about next year. We can’t wait to put on the uniform and start our careers.”
In the eight games previous to Kansas University’s 90-60 victory against Loyola of Maryland, senior guard Jeremy Case did not get off the bench twice and averaged five minutes of playing time in the other six games. Mario Chalmers’ groin injury took Chalmers out of the rotation Tuesday night, a factor in Case playing 12 minutes.
He wasn’t half bad. Case tossed a lob pass to Darnell Jackson on the run for one assist and spotted Rod Stewart open under the basket for another. Case drove to the hoop for one basket and nailed two three-point shots. He finished with eight points, three assists and two steals, yet wasn’t doing any bragging afterward.
“I don’t feel like I guarded well,” Case said. “Coach (Bill)
Self didn’t think I guarded well, and I agree with him. He knows I can guard better than that. I just have to get coach Self’s confidence and his trust and that way he knows I’ll be OK when I’m in a game in a tight situation.”
¢ Moody in house: Former KU player Christian Moody attended and sat behind KU’s bench. Moody reports he will travel to Australia to play pro basketball from March to August. He then will decide whether to continue a pro career or begin medical school.
“I’ve been accepted to KU Med School,” Moody said, indicating he can delay start of school a year if he desires. “I’ll go play, have fun and see what happens.”
Moody and his wife live in Asheville, N.C. Loyola guard Garrett Kelly hails from Asheville and is best friends of Moody’s brother, who is a walk-on player at North Carolina.
¢ Watson attends: Also in the house was Hunter Watson, 7, from Salina. Hunter, who lost his sister Chloe after a yearlong battle against a brain tumor on Oct. 17, shot the basketball with the Jayhawks on Tuesday afternoon and watched the game with his mom and aunt. Their seats were behind KU’s bench.
Salina company Blue Beacon adopted the Watson family for Christmas and contacted Self, who phoned Watson with the offer to attend the game and also provided him a signed basketball.
¢ Stats, facts: Loyola is 0-18 all-time against ranked teams. No. 3 KU was the highest ranked team to play Loyola since No. 3 LaSalle in 1953. … Chase Buford scored his first points in a regular-season game. He had two against Fort Hays State in the exhibition season. … Russell Robinson’s steal tied him for fifth place with Kirk Hinrich for most career steals at KU (206). … Chiefs fullback Boomer Grigsby attended.
¢ Patsos ‘thanks’ Rush: Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos on Brandon Rush attempting just seven shots. “Tell him I said thank you for taking it easy on us.”
Patsos on Self sitting Chalmers, who tweaked his groin at practice Monday. “Smart. Save him.”
Mario sets mark: Mario Chalmers, who scored 11 points, hit a three-pointer at the 8:32 mark of the first half to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career.
He became KU’s 50th 1,000-point scorer and joined Brandon Rush as active Jayhawks in the 1,000-point club.
“It’s a good thing for me. I’m happy for myself. My teammates are happy for me,” Chalmers said. “I couldn’t have done it if it was not for my teammates. I dedicate it all to them.”
Chalmers and Rush are the first teammates to share the distinction since the 2005 squad had three players who reached the 1,000-point mark in Wayne Simien, Keith Langford and Aaron Miles.
¢ Tough night for twins: The Holmes twins, who starred at Olathe South High School, had rough nights. Nick Holmes scored three points off 1-of-4 shooting in 18 minutes. Caleb Holmes had two points off 1-of-6 shooting with four rebounds and six turnovers and three assists in 21 minutes.
“It felt good. At the same time I felt a little sorry for them,” KU senior Russell Robinson said. “They had some air-balls. That’s not a good feeling when you come back home. Being seniors, it’s a tough way to come back home. They are good players. I am sure they’ll bounce back,” Robinson added of the duo who worked Bill Self’s camp and played pick-up games with the Jayhawks last June.
¢ Recruiting: Zach McCabe, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound shooting guard from Bishop Heelan High in Sioux City, Iowa, attended on an unofficial recruiting visit.
¢ Jackson revisited: Fans and KU players alike marveled at Darnell Jackson’s steal and acrobatic spin move that led to a basket and free throw in the second half.
“I was more impressed he made the free throw. Normally guys get happy and miss the free throw,” Robinson said, adding, “that was probably the No. 1 move by KU this year.”
¢ This, that: KU made just 12 of 25 free throws. “We’ve got to do better than that because we’re better shooters than that,” Self said. : Tyrel Reed exploded for eight points in 10 minutes. He hit all three of his shots, including two threes. : KU is 13-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when the Jayhawks opened the year 14-0. KU is 13-0 for the eighth time in school history. : KU is 3-0 all-time against Yale and 13-0 versus the Ivy League : Robinson has 203 steals, placing him three shy of Kirk Hinrich for fifth all-time on the KU list. He has 401 assists, making him the 10th player in Jayhawk history to record over 400. Robinson is 24 assists shy of entering KU’s career-top ten. : Yale scored 19 first-half points, marking the third time this season KU has held its opponent to under 20 first-half points. : Jackson scored a game-high 20 points, finishing one shy of his career high. It was his second-career game with 20 or more points. Jackson’s nine field goals and 12 field-goal attempts were each career highs. His nine made shots tied Sherron Collins for the most by a KU player this season. Over his last six games, Jackson has shot 32-of-41 from the field (78 percent.)
The Jayhawks headed home for the holidays after Saturday’s game. Kansas University’s 17 players are required to be back for practice Wednesday night.
Sasha Kaun, who hails from Russia, traveled to upstate New York to stay with a family that served as his host family when he attended Florida Air Academy.
Russell Robinson of the Bronx, N.Y., was the only out-of-state Jayhawk who decided to remain in Lawrence.
“I’d like to see my family,” Robinson said, “but it’s a short break, not much time. I’ll get some rest at my place. I’ve got my tree up. I’ll probably watch a movie (on Christmas).”
KU coach Bill Self is ready to spend some time with extended family.
“All we talk about anyway is ball,” Self said of conversations with his dad, a former coach and head of the Oklahoma high school activities association, his mom and others. “It won’t be much different than normal. I’ll be thinking of practice tomorrow, the next day and Christmas.
“We all need a break. Our guys need to be with family.”
Self is glad to enter break on a winning note.
“I’ve had teams not play well going into Christmas. It made coming back after Christmas a dreaded thing,” Self said. “This time, they (players) won’t be happy coming back. It won’t be because of basketball. It’ll be because they wished they could spend more time with their families. Our guys only get three full days. They’ll take advantage of it.”
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Perfect at 12-0: Self is pleased his team takes a 12-0 mark into Christmas break.
“There’s room for improvement,” he said. “It’s good to be playing well going into a break.”
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Packed house: The fieldhouse was jam-packed in all corners despite blizzard-like conditions outside Saturday.
“Unbelievable, wasn’t it?” Self said of the crowd. “Terrible weather, and it was an awesome crowd. The crowd was great.”
“I figured it would still be full,” Robinson said. “What better way for people to start their holiday than watch the Jayhawks?”
Darnell Jackson said the players never take the fans for granted. “I’ve always said we have the greatest fans. I’m thankful they came out.”
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Collins progressing: Sherron Collins, who is slowly but surely returning to full speed following surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, had eight points and three assists in 19 minutes.
“He’s closer, but he still doesn’t look like Sherron to me,” Self said. “I talked to the doctors before the game. They are confident his quads will start firing real soon. He doesn’t have the leg strength he had before. Hopefully he’ll be 100 percent the next week or two.
“To me he gives us something we don’t have. He gives us an extra weapon from the perimeter.”
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Stats, facts: KU is 12-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season when KU won its first 14 games. : KU is 1-0 versus Miami all time, 8-1 all-time against Mid-America Conference schools. : The 78 points scored were most allowed by Miami since Michigan scored 87 on Dec. 22, 2005. : Nine KU players recorded assists on a day Robinson led the team with just four. : Conner Teahan, who hit a late three, has made 10 of 13 on the season. : Brennan Bechard hit a late three for his first field goal since Nov. 15 versus Washburn. : KU’s six turnovers were the squad’s lowest total since six against Texas Tech in 1999. : KU outscored the RedHawks 44-24 in the paint.
NBA scouts from 30 of the 32 teams in the league attended. There were a total of 31 scouts in all. San Antonio Spurs’ general manager R.C. Buford, whose son Chase plays for the Jayhawks, attended.
¢ Crane guards: Chicago’s Crane High School is the alma mater of current KU sophomore point guard Sherron Collins and former Georgia Tech lead guard Will Bynum, who now plays pro ball in Europe.
To his credit, Bynum did not try to pressure his good buddy, Collins, to choose the ACC school over KU in recruiting.
“He didn’t tell me to go there. He wanted me to go where I was most comfortable,” Collins said. “I still talk to him once in a while. He’s playing overseas, so there’s a big time difference. I’m close to him, especially when I go back home. We get together and play basketball.”
¢ Feeling better: Collins, who had 11 points, three assists and three steals versus the Yellow Jackets, said he’s inching closer to 100 percent recovered from Nov. 12 surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot.
“I feel better. It’s not a pain, but a strength thing,” Collins said.
Of coming off the bench: “I am all right with it. It’s like last year. Coach said I was good enough to start and should be starting. Mario (Chalmers) and Russell (Robinson) are playing good, and Brandon (Rush) is playing good. I just want to win, actually.”
¢ Buchan works at Tech, now: Dean Buchan, former KU assistant athletic director/media relations who worked at Wake Forest in a similar role for the past seven seasons, now is assistant AD at Georgia Tech.
He attended KU’s shootaround Tuesday morning and the Tech-KU game Tuesday night.
Buchan, who worked as KU’s basketball publicist from 1990 to 2000, was asked if he was rooting for KU or Georgia Tech.
The answer was Tech, of course.
“They pay my checks,” he said.
¢ Stats, facts: Rush had a career-high-tying four blocks. Sasha Kaun had three blocks. … Darrell Arthur did not score in double figures for the first time all year. … Russell Robinson’s 17 points were a season high. His three steals moved his career total to 191 and moved him past Kevin Pritchard for sixth on the all-time steals list. .. KU is 11-0 for the first time since 2004-05 when KU opened 14-0.
¢ O’Shea lauds KU again: Ohio coach Tim O’Shea, whose Bobcats were thumped by KU, 88-51, on Saturday at Sprint Center, was lavish in his praise of KU immediately after the game.
A day after the game, he told ESPN’s Andy Katz, “I must have been off my medication when I scheduled that one. Their second five could probably win 25 of the 31 conferences. I’m not sure how they’re not favored to win the (national) title. Everyone in their top 10 is going to play basketball at a high level.”
O’Shea told Katz he’s spoken to Boston College coach Al Skinner, whose B.C. team plays host to KU on Jan. 5. The message? “Good luck with that one.”
Bruises: Kansas University senior Sasha Kaun sprained his left ankle five minutes into the game.
He had his ankle re-taped in the locker room, returned and finished with seven points and three rebounds in 12 minutes – five minutes the first half and seven the second.
Freshman Tyrel Reed sprained his left ankle with 8:12 to play. A right-ankle sprain had kept him out the past two games.
Reed was able to return to the game without getting the ankle re-taped. He finished with two points and three assists in 15 minutes.
“Tyrel’s beat up. Sasha’s beat up. Sherron’s beat up,” KU coach Bill Self said of Sherron Collins. “We’re not quite healthy. Everybody deals with that, I guess.”
Collins, who had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot three weeks and four days ago, is not expected to play in Saturday’s game against DePaul.
“He may be a little bit ahead of schedule,” Self said. “He’s not moving the way he could. I don’t think it will be the entire six weeks (original prognosis).”
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3-talk: After making five of 10 3s in KU’s first two games, Russell Robinson has cashed four of his last 20. He made one of three Wednesday night.
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Bowl fever: Three members of the Orange Bowl committee attended and sat on press row. KU’s fans cheered wildly when an Orange Bowl commercial message was shown on the video board. KU’s cheerleaders had Orange Bowl emblems on their skirts.
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Guarantee: Eastern Washington of the Big Sky Conference received $60,000 guarantee money for playing the game.
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This, that: Eastern Washington was held scoreless for the first three minutes, 10 seconds as KU built a 7-0 lead. : Darnell Jackson had nine rebounds after grabbing 13 on Sunday at USC. The 22 boards mark his best two-game total since 17 in consecutive games two previous times, most recently at Missouri (six) and at Colorado (11) last season. : Darrell Arthur, who had 15 points, has scored in double figures eight straight games. : Mario Chalmers matched career highs with six steals and eight assists. : Chalmers’ six steals were the most by a Jayhawk since he had six against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight last season. : Robinson’s six free throws made were a season-high. He also matched a career high with a pair of blocks. Robinson was 6-of-6 from the line, his best free-throw percentage in a game since 6-of-6 at Missouri in 2006. : Brandon Rush’s 10 boards were a season high and the most since he collected 10 against Tennessee State last Nov. 21. : Cole Aldrich set season highs with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. : Matt Kleinmann scored his first field goal of the year. : Reed had a career-best three rebounds. : KU set season highs in two-point field-goal attempts (49), free throws (20), free throw percentage (80 percent, 20-for-25), defensive rebounds (31) and total rebounds (48). The Jayhawks matched season highs in steals (15) and offensive rebounds (17). : It marked the 17th time under Self that KU has held an opponent under 50 points (142 games). : KU is 8-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when KU opened 14-0. It’s KU’s 19th 8-0 start in history.
¢ KU leads the all-time series, 8-5. The Jayhawks have won the last four meetings.
¢ Five KU players scored in double figures as the Jayhawks upended USC. 72-62, last season in Allen Fieldhouse. Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush had 13 points apiece, while Sherron Collins and Darnell Jackson added 11 apiece. Julian Wright scored 10 points, Darnell Jackson grabbed nine rebounds, and Russell Robinson dished eight assists. Lodrick Stewart had 23 points and Taj Gibson 15 for the Trojans.
¢ USC dropped its opener to Mercer, 96-81, at the Galen Center, then rattled off wins over Citadel (74-47), South Carolina (85-75), San Diego (60-50), Miami (57-53), Southern Illinois (70-45) and Oklahoma (66-55).
“The most impressive win of the college basketball season so far by anybody is their win over Southern Illinois,” said KU coach Bill Self, whose Jayhawks beat SIU, 61-58, in last year’s NCAA Sweet 16. “Beating SIU by 25 is like beating anybody else 40, 45, the way they grind it out.”
Stuff me now, not later: Brandon Rush, who had 17 points off 6-of-14 shooting in 19 minutes, had a dunk try snuffed by high-flying FAU player Xavier Perkins in the first half.
“His move to the basket is not quite what it will be. When he tried to elevate, the guy blocked it,” KU coach Bill Self said. “It’ll be a finished play a month from now.”
Rush had right ACL surgery on June 1.
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Faces in the crowd: Ex-Jayhawk Greg Ostertag, who is a retired NBA player living in Arizona, attended, as did former KU player Sean Pearson, who lives in Kansas City.
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Nwoji fares well in home state: Former Wichita South player Carderro Nwoji scored 14 points with five rebounds, three assists and three turnovers in 35 minutes.
He enjoys playing for former KU standout and current FAU coach Rex Walters.
“Coach Walters is tough. He’s played for the best coaches around. He’s a winner. I respect that. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.”
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Jayhawk ties: Walters, who played for Roy Williams and Matt Doherty at KU, keeps in touch with both. He was an assistant to current SMU coach Doherty during Doherty’s sole season as Owls’ head coach.
“I attended the Hall of Fame ceremony for coach (in September in Springfield, Mass.),” Walters said of Williams. “We do everything he did, offense, defense, thought for the day. That guy is so frickin’ smart. I can’t do half the job he does.
“Coach Doherty : I sent him my practice plan the other day, and he sent me his. We talk on the phone, text. Both have been really good to me.”
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Stats, facts: KU is 6-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season – when the Jayhawks opened 14-0 – and for the 27th time in school history. : KU is 1-0 against Florida Atlantic and 15-2 against current membership of the Sun Belt Conference. : Rodrick Stewart tied a career high with eight assists. : Jeremy Case had a career-high six assists and a season-best seven points. : KU held FAU to 31 percent shooting. The Jayhawks have held five of six opponents to under 50 percent and 77 of its last 80 opponents. : KU has shot better than 50 percent from the field in all six games this season including 57 percent against FAU. : Russell Robinson had a season-best five boards.
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Reed update: KU freshman Tyrel Reed dressed but missed the game because of a sprained right ankle. Self said he probably could have played if needed and likely would return to practice this week.
Reed hurts ankle: Kansas University freshman guard Tyrel Reed had one assist and no points in seven minutes. He didn’t play the second half after spraining his ankle on the last play of the first half.
“I think when he went to challenge the shot (of Jerryd Bayless on baseline) at the end, Darnell (Jackson) landed on his ankle. He just rolled his ankle, rolled the inside of his ankle,” coach Bill Self said.
Self said he figured Reed’s status would be day-to-day. The Jayhawks have off today, then will practice Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday’s 7 p.m. home game against Florida Atlantic.
KU freshman center Cole Aldrich played just a minute the first half and none the second. His reduced minutes were Self’s decision with no injury involved.
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Praise for Rush: Arizona’s players were impressed with Brandon Rush, who had 17 points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes.
“Knowing him, he did kind of favor that knee a little bit,” Chase Budinger said. “But he looks good. He was attacking the basket very hard. I really saw that he wasn’t concentrating on his knee at all, so that’s a very good sign, and he’s a great player.”
Said Kirk Walters: “It’s really amazing these days what doctors can do. I know my sister has torn her ACL twice, and it was pretty much a year where she was just done for. He’s already out there running around, looks like he’s jumping good and moving good. It’s amazing that doctors can get that kind of stuff done.”
Arizona interim coach Kevin O’Neill said, “I wasn’t paying attention to Brandon that much. I wasn’t sitting there saying, ‘Boy, that guy looks like he’s recovering pretty well.’ I didn’t even know he had an ACL, to be honest with you.”
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Stubborn play: Self said the Jayhawks played “stubborn” on Sunday.
“It’s very frustrating,” Self said.
“We know what we should do, but there’s inside of us, ‘Well, yeah, but I can do this myself,”‘ Self said. “It doesn’t work. It didn’t work tonight.”
Also disappointing: “Our big guys don’t rebound,” Self said.
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Thousand-point club: Rush scored 17 points, which gives him 1,000 for his career. He’s the 49th player to score 1,000 or more in his career.
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Faces in crowd: Ex-Jayhawks Greg Ostertag (retired NBA player) and Milt Newton (director of player personnel, Washington Wizards) attended. : Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, brother of KU associate AD Chris Howard, attended.
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Students fail to show: The northwest corner of the fieldhouse was empty until fans from more crowded sections of the arena ventured over to the section. Many KU students who had tickets elected to not attend, despite the strong opponent.
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Stats, facts: KU is 7-3 all-time against Arizona including a 2-1 mark at Allen. : KU has won four straight OT games and is 24-14 in OT at Allen. : Sophomore Darrell Arthur’s 20 points were a season-high. It marked Arthur’s first game with 20-plus points since he scored a career-high 26 against Towson on Nov. 19, 2006. : Sasha Kaun matched a career high with three steals. : Mario Chalmers’ seven assists set a season-high and were one away from his career high of eight, which he has matched four times. : Rodrick Stewart had a season-high 13 points, best mark as a Jayhawk. He had 14 twice at USC. : Russell Robinson had three steals and passed Jerod Haase to move into a tie for ninth place on KU’s all-time list (with Alonzo Jamison).
Morningstar injured: Kansas University sophomore Brady Morningstar, who is red-shirting this season, did not dress for the game. He sat on the bench with a boot on his left foot. He has a high-ankle sprain and likely will miss a week of practice.
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Rush hits two 3s: KU junior Brandon Rush scored six points off two 3-pointers with two rebounds in 16 minutes in his second game since his return from ACL surgery. Coach Bill Self said Rush would not return to the starting lineup for Sunday’s game against Arizona. Rodrick Stewart (eight points, four assists, two steals) figures to get the call again.
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Robinson wears brace: Russell Robinson, who has tendinitis in his left knee, wore a black brace during the game. He had five points, three assists and three rebounds in 23 minutes. He had been wearing the brace at practice of late.
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TV is good enough: KU’s basketball players will not attend the KU-Missouri football game on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
Remember, the Jayhawks have a big game Sunday against Arizona.
“It’s because of the time. If you go at 7 (p.m.), there’s no way you get home before midnight. I don’t want to have to worry about them getting home that late,” Self said. “It would be after curfew. If the game was in the afternoon I would let them.”
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600th win: Public-address announcer Eric Danielson, who was subbing for Hank Booth, at the final horn made mention of the fact the victory was KU’s 600th in Allen Fieldhouse history. KU has lost 106 games in the 52-year-old palace. Danielson is public-address announcer at KU’s women’s games. Booth is recovering from injuries sustained in a fall at his house.
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Football fans in crowd: Folks in the sellout crowd of 16,300 included one fan wearing a Missouri T-shirt, a dad and his two children wearing LSU T-shirts and one elderly fan wearing a Tennessee T-shirt.
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Chatty coach: Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras, whose squad fell to 3-2, had words of encouragement for injured KU guard Sherron Collins in the handshake line and also chatted with Self for a couple of minutes before heading to the locker room.
He’s regarded as one of the friendliest coaches in the business. “Last year I got a couple or a few calls (from reporters) in the days before coming here. This week, nothing,” Adras said with a smile.
A member of KU’s media-relations department informed him it likely had to do with KU’s amazing football success and upcoming game against Missouri.
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This, that: Devoe Joseph, a 6-foot-2 high school senior from Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday signed with the University of Minnesota. For a time, he had KU on his list. … Arizona, which plays KU at 7 p.m., Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse improved to 3-1 on Wednesday with an 88-64 win over Adams State in Tucson. … Darrell Arthur put down a first-half dunk so forcefully it almost popped up through the goal. : Freshman Conner Teahan erupted for nine points off three 3s in seven minutes. : Northern Arizona’s six free-throw attempts marked the fewest since UNC-Ashville had three attempts on January 2, 2003. : KU held NAU to just 16.7 percent (4-24) shooting in the first half. It is the lowest field-goal percentage by an opponent since Oklahoma hit for 16.1 percent in the first half on Feb. 20, 1999. : KU frosh Tyrel Reed had four assists in the first half to set a career high. He finished with five.
Destination Basketball: In no hurry to join the 9-to-5 rat race after graduating from college, best friends Dave Bensch and Andrew Hemminger devised a way to have fun and make money at the same time.
The two 22-year-old former Oak Harbor (Ohio) High School basketball players, who attended Baldwin-Wallace and Bowling Green universities, respectively, in June 2006 decided to interview as many college basketball coaches as possible – in person – and write about each coach in a book.
The result? “Destination Basketball: A Once in a Lifetime Adventure to Meet the Best Coaches in College Hoops,” which is for sale at the Web site destinationbasketball.com.
The book includes Kansas coach Bill Self, which is why the two were in town for Thursday’s KU-Washburn game promoting their book, which includes interviews with Self and 27 other mentors including John Wooden, Denny Crum, Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Lute Olson, Jim Boeheim and others.
They’ll sign copies of the book with Self from noon to 1 p.m. today at the Oread Books on Level two of the Kansas Union.
“My buddy and I were shooting hoops in the driveway and thought, ‘What a fun project it’d be,”‘ said Hemminger, who put more than 27,000 miles on his Honda Civic in a 15-month span driving to meet all the coaches.
“Chris (Theisen, KU assistant AD media relations) called us one Friday at noon. He said, ‘Coach Self will meet with you guys tomorrow in his suite at the football game.’ We drove 131â2 hours. We met coach Self, then went to Gates and had dinner. We were gone 32 hours – 27 in the car.”
They missed connections with Bob Knight at Texas Tech, which, along with other anecdotes, is chronicled in the book.
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PA switch: Brian Hanni of KLWN, host of Rock Chalk Sports Talk, worked the public address at Thursday’s game. Hank Booth, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a fall at his house, missed the contest.
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Slow start: KU led just 22-16 with 6:31 left in the half before embarking on a 10-0 run. Mario Chalmers had a dunk following a steal by Brandon Rush in the surge.
“Our starters didn’t come out ready to play,” Self said. “We were flat. We fouled at the end of the shot clock a couple of times and bailed them out. We didn’t have much energy.”
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Better in second half: KU pivot Sasha Kaun picked up two quick fouls and missed two free throws while playing two minutes the first half. He finished with 10 points and seven boards in 12 minutes.
“Sasha made a couple of nice moves,” Self said of second-half play. “A senior doesn’t foul 75 feet from the basket on his second foul. The mental mistakes we make : it’s just unbelievable to me. I told Sasha, ‘You contributed to us getting off to a bad start just by making a boneheaded play (fouling after free-throw miss).’ He played better the second half.”
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Notes: The Jayhawks had a season-high nine blocks, including six in the first half. : KU won its 599th game in the fieldhouse against 106 losses. : After trailing 11-10 at 11:42, KU closed the half on a 24-7 run to forge a 34-18 halftime advantage. : Conner Teahan scored eight points in the final five minutes. : Chalmers failed to collect a steal for the first time in 15 games. : KU’s bench outscored Washburn, 41-21. In three wins, KU’s bench has outscored foes, 103-71. :. Darnell Jackson posted a season-high seven rebounds, most in a game since seven versus Niagara on March 16, 2007.
Reesing lauded: Kansas University football quarterback Todd Reesing sat in the first row of the west bleachers near KU’s bench.
He received a thunderous ovation, with fans in the end-zone student section standing for him, as he left the building with 4:05 to play.
¢Better than the ‘Cats: Comparison lovers will note KU beat Fort Hays State by 37 points three days after Kansas State stopped the Tigers by 36 points. The Wildcats won, 95-59; KU prevailed, 93-56.
¢Big payday: Fort Hays State, like Pittsburg State, received $20,000 guarantee money.
¢Big men flip flop: Sasha Kaun started the first half, Darnell Jackson the second at the center spot. The other starters in both halves: Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson, Darrell Arthur.
¢Red uniforms: KU wore red jerseys Tuesday night. Don’t look for the Jayhawks in red many more times this year.
“I don’t like wearing the red very much,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Coach (Danny) Manning talked me into getting one of the appearances out of the way tonight. There’s no reason we wore red other than we’ve got to wear them once or twice (for Adidas).”
¢Notables: KU is now 46-7 all-time in exhibition games, including a 42-4 mark in games played in Allen Fieldhouse. KU is now 14-0 in exhibition games under Self, including a 10-0 mark in games played at home. : This was the third year KU has played Fort Hays State in an exhibition game, and the Jayhawks improved to 3-0 against the Tigers in those contests (won 95-41 in 2003-04 and 96-62 in 2005-06). : KU opened the game on a 14-2 run and then had a 22-3 run to take the game from 16-6 to 38-9 in the first half. : Both teams opened the game shooting 1-for-8 before KU made four straight field-goal attempts. : Arthur had 20 points. Last year, he had two 20-point games, with 22 vs. Oral Roberts and 26 vs. Towson State in games two and three. : Robinson had 10 assists. His career high is nine vs. Baylor in 2006. The last Jayhawk to record 10 assists in a game was Jeff Hawkins who had 10 vs. Arkansas in the 2005-06 season. : Robinson also had six rebounds (all in the first half). His career high is eight at Missouri in 2006. : Chalmers had six steals. His career high is six, which he has accomplished seven times.
¢Little producing big-time: Future KU player Mario Little, a 6-5 small forward from Chipola (Fla.) Community College, has scored 18, 27 and 16 points in his squad’s first three games of the season.
“The areas that I’m working on the most right now are my jump-shot and my defense,” Little told Rivals.com.
“Those are the two areas of my game that I will continue to focus on. I would say my biggest strength is that I can score any type of way. I just have the ability to score points.”
He recently was deemed the top juco player in the country by Juco Junction Web site.
Brady Morningstar was the only Kansas University basketball player not to enter a 94-59 exhibition rout of Pittsburg State on Thursday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
It likely will be a pattern that continues all season.
Morningstar, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound sophomore out of Free State High, is leaning toward red-shirting – practicing but not playing in games – this season.
“I’d say it’s 60-40 (in favor of red-shirting),” Morningstar said. “There’s really not a downfall to it, a year to improve. It’s probably a good decision. I probably will red-shirt. I’m not sure yet, though.
“I was going to get the same playing time as last year,” Morningstar reasoned, “which is not what I came here to do. I came here to make an impact on the program, and this year I probably won’t make an impact so with me getting better next year and so many people leaving, I’d have a better chance to make an impact (next year).”
KU coach Bill Self has met with Morningstar and his parents to discuss the red-shirt option.
“We’ve not made a decision yet,” Self said. “The decision is not mine.”
He will allow Morningstar to make the final call.
“I have an opinion. The decision is certainly Brady’s and his family’s decision. Brady came to me today and said, ‘Coach, I’ve not made up my mind 100 percent. I’d rather not play and forfeit my red-shirt year in case I decide to do it.”
Playing in the exhibition would have taken away the red-shirt option.
“I told Brady I think he can help us, but when Brandon (Rush) comes back, if he’s 100 percent (recovered from ACL surgery) there are some talented guys probably ahead of him. It’s something he has to think about.”
Morningstar is a 21-year-old sophomore, having attended prep school a year out of FSHS.
¢Rush dresses: Rush suited up and looked good during warmups. He had a heavy black brace on his right knee.
“He said he didn’t have any clothes,” Self cracked of the reason Rush wore his uniform and warmups.
On a serious note … Rush in the very near future will practice with contact. He currently can do everything his teammates can do except get hit.
“I do believe he’ll be released for limited contact soon,” Self said. “He’s chomping at the bit. He looks good to me.”
¢Aldrich fares well: KU freshman Cole Aldrich hit four of six shots and had eight points in 17 minutes.
“The guy I was most pleased with tonight was Cole,” Self said. “Cole has been battling against Sasha (Kaun), Darnell (Jackson) and Shady (Arthur) every day. You see today when he doesn’t have to play against them, he looks better. You saw him at Late Night. He’s improved a lot already in a short period of time.”
¢Reed hits trey: Freshman Tyrel Reed hit one of two threes and had four assists in 15 minutes.
“My defense was not good at all tonight. They scored way too many on me,” Reed said. “That is one thing I know with a little experience guarding all our guards, it will get better in the future.”
¢Arthur blanked early: Darrell Arthur scored 12 points, 10 the second half.
“He had zero attempts (at half), but had been fouled three times,” Self said. “We were disappointed because we have to play through him. In the second half, to start the half, I told our guys that is what we are going to do, play through him. He scored so easy when he scored.”
He hit five of eight shots and just two of seven free throws.
¢Notes: KU has won 27 straight home exhibition games and is 45-7 overall in exhibitions. KU is 13-0 in practice games under Self. … KU hit 53.2 percent of its shots but was outboarded, 36-33. “We didn’t block out,” guard Sherron Collins lamented. … Mario Chalmers made his first four threes before missing one late in the first half. … KU will meet Fort Hays State at 7 p.m., Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Bill Self definitely felt the fourth time in the Elite Eight would be the charm.
“From my standpoint, it hurts. I really felt like this was our year,” said KU’s coach, who is 0-2 in the Elite Eight at Kansas University, 0-1 at Illinois and 0-1 at Tulsa.
“I’m not saying a year to win it all, but I felt we were the best-equipped team to make a strong run. And we did. But it wasn’t good enough.”
UCLA, which lost in the national title game a year ago, prevented Self from reaching his first Final Four, by downing the Jayhawks, 68-55.
“I’m not going to look and say, ‘Poor pitiful me.’ It’s not about that,” Self said. “It’s about getting your team there. I feel bad for our guys because they’ve given us a great opportunity to have a great year because of their focus and unselfishness. This isn’t about me.”
¢ Collins hobbled: KU freshman point guard Sherron Collins, who has been hobbled by a left knee injury the past couple of weeks, did not score in 15 minutes, with four misses and no makes from the field.
“He was limping visibly,” Self said. “He has some stuff going on in there. He’ll need some time off.”
Self said he didn’t think Collins would need surgery. Earlier, it was indicated he had tendonitis.
¢ Low-water mark: The 55-point outing was KU’s second-lowest-scoring game in the NCAA Tournament. The all-time low was in a 54-53, triple-overtime loss to North Carolina in the national championship game on March 23, 1957.
¢ All-tourney: KU’s Russell Robinson and Brandon Rush made the West Regional all-tournament team, with UCLA’s Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison, plus Southern Illinois’ Jamaal Tatum.
¢ Kaun plays 13 minutes: Center Sasha Kaun scored four points in 13 minutes. His limited minutes were because of coach’s decision, not injury.
“It was a tough night for us,” Kaun said. “Something went wrong. We don’t normally miss layups. We did tonight. Sometimes it happens in games. It’s really disappointing.”
¢ Stats, facts: KU finished two shy of a school record for wins in a season. : KU is 12-6 in regional title games. : KU is 0-5 against UCLA in NCAA Tournament play and 9-5 against the Bruins overall. : KU scored a season-low 55 points. The previous low was 57 versus DePaul on Dec. 2 in a 64-57 loss. : The 32 combined steals marked an NCAA Tournament record. : KU hit a season-low 45.5 percent from the free-throw line. : Rush finished his sophomore season with 970 career points for an average of 13.7 ppg. : KU missed 19 inside shots. Overall, KU was 14-for-33 on layups and dunks.
¢ UCLA’s Arron Afflalo on KU: “This was the best team we faced. It wasn’t a one-point win, but it was the best team we faced.”
¢ Big trey: Afflalo on Josh Shipp’s momentum-building three at the halftime buzzer: “With six seconds left and five guys staring at you, you figure someone else is going to be open,” said Afflalo, who dished to Shipp in the corner.
¢ Fan support for UCLA: UCLA’s fans definitely outnumbered KU supporters in the West Coast arena.
Did the crowd play a role in the outcome?
“I don’t think so,” Self said. “For the most part, we’ve operated best under those situations. We’ve been in situations where the crowd definitely helped us. But we haven’t been in very many where we felt the crowd hurt us. And I don’t think that was the case today.”
¢ Big-time player: Self on Afflalo, who hit 10 of 15 shots: “There really wasn’t anything we wanted to do differently to try to slow him except maybe to deny him at the end of the clock. We had our best defender on him (Rush). With five seconds on the shot clock, he jabbed, jabbed, jabbed and shot the deep three on Brandon. We didn’t switch a ball screen, which we were supposed to, and he made a 17-footer. There’s a reason he’s a first-team All-American.”
No. 1 seed Kansas University has advanced to an Elite Eight meeting against No. 2-seeded UCLA, a 64-55 winner over Pitt on Thursday night.
Game time will be 6:05 p.m. Saturday.
UCLA is one of the toughest defensive teams in the country.
“This game will prepare us for that game,” Russell Robinson said of KU’s 61-58 victory over SIU.
“We’re playing UCLA. Tough, tough team,” Brandon Rush said of his brother JaRon’s former school.
Coach Bill Self said: “This wasn’t the toughest region to get up and down in,” he said of a running game. “It’s a grind-it-out region. UCLA under coach (Ben) Howland has a great defensive team and can score the ball as well. We definitely have our work cut out.”
¢ Off night for Collins: Freshman point guard Sherron Collins had two points, one assist and three turnovers in 23 minutes.
“Tonight he wasn’t himself. His knee was bothering him,” Self said of Collins’ swollen left knee, which has bothered him off and on the last several weeks. “He should excel in a game like that against pressure.”
Collins said the Salukis had a tough defense to crack.
“They had great defense,” Collins said, “but most of the trouble was caused by ourselves. We tried to move too fast.”
“Our bench saved the day,” Collins added, noting Rodrick Stewart had nine solid minutes, with Julian Wright, Mario Chalmers and Rush sitting out the last five minutes of the first half with two fouls.
“Our bench did a great job holding it down until the starters could come back.”
¢ Sasha sits: Sasha Kaun scored two points with a rebound in 11 minutes. He played just three minutes the second half, with Darnell Jackson (eight points, five boards) and Darrell Arthur (nine points, two boards) having big games.
“We knew Sasha was going to have a hard time in this game because they were just so little and so fast,” sophomore Chalmers said. “Shady and Darnell gave us great minutes.”
“It’s a a hard game for Sasha to play,” Self confirmed. “Shady and Darnell were both great.”
Kaun said he was fine with the coach’s decision. “Our bench was great,” Kaun said, noting he was fine health-wise. “I’m just an old man.”
¢ Glad he returned: Rush, who scored 12 points off 6-of-6 shooting, was just happy to be in HP Pavilion.
He came awfully close to declaring for the NBA Draft after his freshman season, he indicated.
“I had a talk with my grandma and my mother and brother (Kareem), and they told me they wanted me to come back,” he said. “If it was up to me, I would have gone. I’m happy I came back. We’re in the Elite Eight.”
¢ Nice throws: Jackson hit a pair of free throws with 1:44 left that gave KU a four-point lead.
“I always say I make them for my mother, my grandmother and my friend, Don Davis,” he said of his father figure in Edmond, Okla.
Jackson said his other father figure, Self, fired up the team at halftime and the second half.
“Coach Self kept telling us, ‘Be ready to hit. Don’t cry about it. Just keep on moving,”‘ Jackson said.
¢ Tubby talk: Self on his buddy, Tubby Smith, leaving Kentucky for Minnesota.
“I don’t know his situation inside-out,” Self said. “I hope he made the decision based on what he wanted. He is a great coach, one of the best in the country. He’s a good friend.”
Self was asked by a reporter if he’d be the next Kentucky coach.
“That,” Self said, “will not happen.”
¢ Preparation: KU’s recent practices helped prepare for the Salukis’ pressure.
“We had two practices where the defense was grabbing, fouling, trapping,” Rush said. “This game was just like that, except they weren’t intentionally grabbing.”
Kansas University’s Sherron Collins, who had eight points off 4-of-11 shooting with two assists in 26 minutes, needed attention from the trainer in the first half.
Collins, who said he bumped knees with a Kentucky player, has been bothered by a swollen knee lately.
“He’s had a banged-up knee three weeks. It swells on him. There’s nothing we can do for him this time of year,” KU coach Bill Self said, noting the point guard couldn’t afford to take a week or so off. “He can play.”
¢Wright has good, bad moments: Self was visibly upset at Julian Wright more than once Sunday, when Wright had 21 points off 8-of-12 shooting. He hit five of six free throws.
“He can live with me getting mad at him when he gets 19,” Self said, noting Wright had a “dipsy-do layup instead of going up strong,” as well as some other technical errors on defense.
“It was a great weekend for everybody, especially those two guys from Chicago,” he added of Wright and Collins. “Today is Sherron’s birthday, too. That’s neat he could come here and play well.”
Collins said he had a great 20th birthday.
“To get to the Sweet 16 and win back home, I can’t ask for more than that,” he said.
¢Windy City fun: Self, the former Illinois coach, was happy to win a pair of games in his old stomping grounds.
“I’m always excited to come back here, to be in Chicago in early spring. The weather was not bad, either. There was a lot of green beer flowing, which I’m sure you guys enjoyed,” he added of media assembled to celebrate Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day.
“I got here feeling pretty good about going 30-4 and winning the Big 12 and Big 12 tournament and every question was about losing in the first round. I won’t say I was uptight. I’m a little relieved now. It’d be nice to win a couple of games next week as well (in San Jose).”
¢Hinrich’s talk: Ex-Jayhawk Kirk Hinrich attended and spoke to the team after the contest.
“I’m just glad I get to see it,” Hinrich said of the game. “Potentially, they (Jayhawks) are a lot deeper than my senior year. They are younger, but a lot deeper. They lack tournament experience. Who knows? If they can guard teams, they have a chance to win it all.
“I didn’t see them much until conference (play),” he added of following his alma mater this season. “I love their depth. They are deep in the frontcourt, deep in backcourt, but young.”
¢‘Beasted’: Freshman power forward Darrell Arthur, who played just two minutes the first half because of foul problems, had five points and two boards in nine minutes. UK outrebounded KU, 32-30.
“They ‘beasted’ us, obviously,” Arthur said. “Randolph Morris (eight boards) did a good job down there. We fouled him a lot.”
Morris hit 14 of 16 free throws and four of eight floor shots for 22 points.
Sasha Kaun opened on Morris and had six points, three rebounds and a block in 23 minutes.
“He is obviously a great player,” Kaun said of Morris. “He was a load down low. We tried to the best we could denying him the ball and making it difficult for him to get good looks.”
Darnell Jackson contributed four points and four boards in 11 minutes.
“We were pretty intense on him, a little too intense in fouling him,” Jackson said. “The refs told us to stop it (pushing him), but we kept doing it so they called it. We need to listen to the refs more.”
¢Calm locker room: Russell Robinson, who had nine points and three assists in 25 minutes, said there was a reason there was no crazy celebration in the locker room.
“We expected it,” he said of the team advancing to San Jose. “We were able to get out and run and get the shots we wanted.”
¢Good offense: Self was elated his team could score 88 points and shoot 56.6 percent against a defensive-minded squad.
“I never dreamed we’d score 88,” he said. “I thought the first one to 70 would win the game. It was a weird game. It was slow-paced, but we got some easy baskets, too.”
¢Day of rest: The Jayhawks will take a day off today.
“We may meet as a team, maybe,” Self said. “We won’t do anything.”
Of playing at 6:10 p.m. Thursday in California, he said: “It is not a disadvantage because Southern Illinois has to do the same thing. They played today as well,” Self said.
A reporter reminded Kansas University’s Russell Robinson that the Jayhawks not only drilled Kentucky, 73-46, last season in Allen Fieldhouse, but also stopped UK, 65-59, his freshman year in Rupp Arena in Lexington.
“Yes, but we had ‘Big Dub,'” Robinson stated of the game two seasons ago.
Not exactly.
KU’s Wayne Simien did not play against the ‘Cats in Lexington because of injury. Also, Robinson played just two minutes the second half after getting whacked in the head, and Keith Langford went out late because of a concussion incurred diving for a loose ball.
“That’s right. Moody played really well that day,” Robinson said of Christian Moody, who had 11 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes (including the first three of his career), prompting announcer Billy Packer to deem Moody the “best walk-on of all time.”
Then a freshman, Sasha Kaun scored seven points with four boards in 12 minutes.
“It was one of my better games the whole year,” Kaun said. “It was a great game. We had freshmen stepping up without ‘Dub.’ It was a fun game.”
KU freshmen J.R. Giddens and Alex Galindo combined for 15 points. Current UK starters Bobby Perry, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford had 10, 2 and 0 points respectively.
¢No time to sightsee: Chicago native Julian Wright was asked if the Jayhawks had any spare time to wander downtown Chicago.
“A little free time, but it’s cold outside,” Wright said of wintry temperatures on St. Patrick’s Day. “I think some of the guys have walked to Niketown. Some have met family in the lobby.”
He hasn’t done much wandering of Michigan Ave.
“I kind of forget my bearings now,” he said with a smile.
Tomsk, Russia, native Sasha Kaun said: “I would like to come back here sometime on vacation. It kinds of reminds me of where I grew up in terms of a lot of people and a lot of traffic downtown with the buildings. I like this city a lot.”
¢‘Cats are darn good: How good is No. 8 seed Kentucky?
“Good enough to make a deep run in the tournament,” KU’s Self said of the SEC team that entered the tourney with six losses in nine games spurring talk that Tubby Smith might be on the hot seat.
“They’ve got a lot of losses, but all have been close games,” Robinson said of the 22-11 Wildcats, who have just four double-digit setbacks.
¢Proud of Big Apple: Robinson had his New York Yankee hat resting next to him during his interview session in KU’s locker room.
“Always,” Robinson said, asked how often he has the hat with him. “I’m proud of New York, lot of good years in the Bronx.”
He loves his stay in Lawrence.
“At first there was culture shock,” he said. “You get over it in 10 minutes. I love it now.”
¢Powerhouses meet early: KU and Kentucky would make for half of a strong Final Four.
“We’d never have figured we’d have this matchup so soon. If you told us we’d be playing Kentucky in the second round before the season started, we wouldn’t believe it,” Brandon Rush said. “Nobody would expect this.”
¢Hot seat: Smith on “showing class” despite critics saying he should be replaced as UK coach: “It’s just the way I am. I don’t see any controversy. There will be critics on any level, in any profession. If you stay in the business long enough, you will have detractors and critics. You have to be secure and confident.
“It doesn’t bother me. It’s not something you should dwell on. I’ve been in the business long enough to understand it.”
¢Smith on the Jayhawks: “Brandon Rush can take you to the basket. (Mario) Chalmers, Russell Robinson, they can bring Sherron Collins off the bench. There are so many weapons, so many ways they can beat you.
“Robinson is a heady player. Julian Wright : I haven’t even mentioned him yet. They have too many weapons to guard.”
The only player on the Kansas University roster who didn’t score was walk-on Brennan Bechard, who missed two free throws.
“We’ll get on him all night about that,” KU’s Brandon Rush joked.
KU’s reserves played extensively down the stretch of the blowout. Jeremy Case had nine points and Brady Morningstar five to lead the way. Case played nine minutes.
“We want to see everybody play because we’re a tight-knit family,” sophomore Julian Wright said. “We always say we’re a family, and we bond. It doesn’t get a lot of attention outside our locker room, but I really think that’s what’s key for us. We want everyone to succeed. It shows within ourselves.”
¢ Tongue-tied: KU’s Wright, who sometimes speaks with a rapid-fire delivery, became tongue-tied on the podium in the interview room.
“Woo, let me get myself together,” Wright said as coach Bill Self and Mario Chalmers broke up in laughter.
Later, asked the same question, Self cracked: “I agree with everything Julian said : the second time he described it.”
¢ Stats, facts: KU made 13 three-pointers, breaking the school’s previous record of 12 versus Kentucky in 1999. The Jayhawks had 14 steals, matching the school’s tourney-record 14 against BYU in 1993. : KU has scored 100 points three times in the Self era, all in tournaments. KU had 102 against Chaminade at the 2005 Maui Invitational and 100 against UAB in the 2004 NCAAs.
¢ Speedy Jayhawks: Chalmers, who had 19 points off 8-of-9 shooting, was asked about KU establishing a fast pace.
“We knew Niagara was going to come out and play their best game and come at us hard, and we just tried to counter with a run of our own. We were able to run, knock our shots down. They were missing, and the ball fell our way.”
¢ Relatives on hand: Walt Harris, the uncle of KU freshman Sherron Collins, wore a “Welcome Back Home, Chicago’s Finest” T-shirt, as did other members of the Collins clan who attended the game.
Emblazoned on the shirt was a picture of KU’s Chicagoans – Collins and Julian Wright.
Collins had about 15 to 25 friends and family members in the United Center stands, while Wright had four family members on hand.
“I’m his biggest fan,” mom Stacey Harris said of Collins, who finished with 15 points, six assists and four steals in 20 minutes.
Wright had 10 points and 10 boards in 23 minutes.
“I thought Julian played fine. I think he was a little excited. It’s good he was able to get rid of that tonight. I think he’ll be fine on Sunday. Sherron didn’t have as many (jitters),” Self said.
¢ Jordan attends: NBA legend Michael Jordan attended the action at the United Center. He sat in one of the luxury suites.
Banged-up Kansas University big men Darrell Arthur and Sasha Kaun practiced two hours (with physical contact) Thursday at Moody Bible College and took part in a shootaround in the United Center. They proclaimed themselves fit for tonight’s game.
“I’m 100 percent now. I had a good practice yesterday, and today I didn’t feel any pain. I went through everything,” said Arthur, who suffered a bruised pelvic bone in Saturday’s Big 12 title victory over Texas.
“It definitely feels better,” Kaun said of the back he bruised after falling hard against Texas. “I can sleep and everything. As long as I do not put too much pressure on it, it’s fine.”
He explained his week.
“It was never ridiculously terrible,” Kaun said of his back pain. “When I woke up Monday, it was really sore. Other than that, the pain hasn’t been bad at all.”
¢ Home of da Bulls: Sherron Collins says he’s pumped to be playing basketball in the United Center, home of his favorite NBA team, his hometown Chicago Bulls.
“They are my Bulls,” KU’s freshman guard out of Crane Tech High said.
He went 3-0 in the United Center during his high school career.
“When I hit a shot,” Collins said, “I think, ‘That’s the same spot Mike hit a shot.'”
Of course, he’s referring to Bulls legend Michael Jordan, who helped Chicago claim six world championships.
Collins, by the way, said he left a message on his cell phone this week telling buddies to contact his uncle if they need tickets.
“There’s a lot of messages on there,” he said.
¢ Wright likes Chicago, too: KU’s other Chicago native, sophomore Julian Wright of Homewood-Flossmoor High, went 1-1 in high school in the United Center.
“I like it,” he said. “I like being home, but we came here to take care of business. It doesn’t really matter where we are playing because we’re so focused on what we want to accomplish this postseason.
“That first trip here taught me and Sherron a lot,” he added of a Dec. 2 trip home which resulted in a loss to DePaul in All-State Arena in Rosemont.
¢ Stopping Brown: Brandon Rush was asked who would guard 6-foot-7 Clif Brown, who scored 32 points in Niagara’s victory over Florida A&M in Tuesday’s tournament play-in game in Dayton, Ohio.
“I think I or Julian will take him,” Rush said. “He’s a great shooter. I was kind of surprised at their whole team. Their whole starting five can shoot threes.”
Of Brown, Kaun said: “They’re always on the three-point line. You always have to close out on them and stuff, knowing they can shoot the ball. It’s always a matter of thinking about finding him on the three-point line as well as under the basket.”
¢ Pierce likes KU still: Former Kansas University forward Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics is rooting for one team in the NCAA Tournament.
Obviously, that’s his alma mater.
“Kansas Jayhawks,” Pierce exclaimed to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, identifying his pick to win it all. “You expect my answer to change every year or something?”
Pierce hasn’t shifted his loyalty to North Carolina. UNC coach Roy Williams, of course, coached Pierce at KU.
“I like Roy,” Pierce told the paper, “and I hope a lot of success for him, but my heart is with Kansas.”
¢ Recruiting: Murphy Holloway, a 6-7, 210-pound junior forward from Irmo, S.C., told Rivals.com he had been offered a scholarship by KU. The No. 68 player in the Class of 2008 also is considering Arizona, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, DePaul, Florida, Georgia, Miami, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest and others.
“Kansas is probably my leader now,” Holloway told Rivals.com.
¢ Former teammates to clash: Niagara’s Charron Fisher was a teammate of KU’s Russell Robinson at Nike camp during their high school days.
“I might say something to him if I see him before the game. But it’s all business,” Robinson said.
Kansas freshman Darrell Arthur prepared to take a charge two minutes into the second half when Texas’ D.J. Augustin’s knee came crashing into his groin.
Arthur tried to play with what has been called a bruised pelvic bone, but to no avail.
He lasted just two minutes in the second half of KU’s 88-84 overtime victory over the Longhorns on Sunday in Ford Center.
“It was hurting when I was running. Coach asked if I was 100 percent. I said, ‘No,'” said Arthur, who said he was a bit woozy on painkillers after the game. “Coach said, ‘We need you for the NCAA,’ so I didn’t play much the second half.”‘
Arthur said, ‘It’s a bruise to the bone. It’s not that bad. It’s just sore. We’ll look at it back home.”
KU coach Bill Self said the bruise might hinder Arthur awhile. “Those things can be painful,” Self said. “He’ll have to grind it out and be tough to play through it. We need him.”
Arthur had a rough week. Last Monday, he woke at 6 a.m. with shortness of breath and chest pain.
“I was scared I had a heart attack or something. I called my mom (in Dallas) wondering what was going on. I didn’t have one. I thought it was one.
“When I went to the training room, I knew it was no heart attack. When I got to the hospital, I knew it wasn’t a heart attack. They (lung specialists) did a scan and said it was a virus. I was relieved when they figured out what it was. Everybody was relieved.”
Medication helped, and Arthur was practicing two days later.
“I feel better. They’ll do some more tests to make sure everything is OK,” said Arthur, who on Friday said he was quite disturbed at rumors of his having a heart attack that were posted on Internet message boards.
¢He’s OK, part two: Sasha Kaun, who had no points and three rebounds in 19 minutes, fell hard on his back while chasing an offensive rebound a minute-and-a-half into the second half. He played extensively down the stretch.
“I bruised my lower back a little bit,” Kaun said. “We’ve got time before our next game. It’ll be fine.”
¢All-tourney team: KU’s Brandon Rush and Julian Wright made the all-tournament team with Kevin Durant (MVP) and A.J. Abrams of Texas and Curtis Jerrells of Baylor.
¢Collins exceptional: KU’s Sherron Collins scored 20 points with six rebounds in 30 minutes. “I thought he was the best player in the game with the exception of Durant (37 points, 12-of-30 shooting),” Self said.
¢Big three: Rush, who had 19 points while playing 44 minutes, was enthused to say the least when Mario Chalmers tied the game with a three to force overtime.
“My heart dropped when that went in,” said Rush.
Was it Chalmers’ biggest shot ever?
“I think so,” Chalmers said with a grin.
Rush, by the way, held Durant to 4-of-16 shooting the second half and overtime, good for 15 points.
“I tried to pressure him, make his use his right hand more,” Rush said. “My teammates helped out a lot.”
¢Close to home: Self, who is a native of nearby Edmond, Okla., commented on the tournament being held in Oklahoma City.
“Today I was able to call my high school coach and my best friends in high school and come up with extra tickets. I thought it was cool they could come to the game because they wouldn’t have had a chance other than that,” Self said. “It meant a lot to have my family and a lot of close friends here also.”
It’ll be in Kansas City next year.
“It needs to come back to Kansas City. I’m selfish from that standpoint,” Self said. “We like it in Kansas City the most. But Oklahoma City did a fabulous job.”
¢Stats: KU won its fifth Big 12 tourney title. … KU won its 30th game, most wins since the 2003 Final Four season, when the Jayhawks went 30-8. … The game was Kansas’ first overtime contest in conference tournament history and the first ever in any Big 12 title game. … Self is 8-2 in Big 12 tournament play. He has the highest winning percentage in the tourney of any coach in championship history. … Durant averaged 30.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in three tourney games. … Durant’s 37-points was second-most in a Big 12 tourney game. Iowa State’s Marcus Fizer had 38 against Baylor in 2000.
Darrell Arthur, who had been slowed by a lung virus this week, had eight points off 4-of-5 shooting in 17 minutes.
“He felt good. He played six minutes the second half. I should have played him more,” Kansas University coach Bill Self said. “He should be rested enough to play 20 tomorrow.”
¢ Lots of fouls: It’s hard to believe, but center Sasha Kaun picked up three fouls in a 14-second span, heading to the bench with his fourth foul with 9:02 left.
“Did that set any records?” Self cracked.
“It’s definitely the first time that has happened to me,” Kaun said. “Bad timing; wrong place, wrong time.”
He did not return to the game, but not because of injury. He sported a shiner under his left eye after the game.
“I got kicked diving for a loose ball,” he said after getting booted by Kansas State’s Luis Colon. “But I’m fine. It was more foul trouble.”
Self said Kaun was not on the bench late because of his sometimes spotty foul shooting.
“They didn’t have a big guy in, and our other guys were playing a little better. We were going with press offense,” Self said.
¢ Perfect against new KSU coach: The Jayhawks were asked if they’re surprised KU went 3-0 against Bob Huggins this season.
“Not shocked, but we didn’t think about that,” said Sherron Collins, who scored 10 points with six assists in 23 minutes. “We took it game to game three times. They’re very talented. How they played today, they were an NCAA Tournament team.”
“Why not?” Russell Robinson said of KU sweeping the new KSU coach. “We were focused and came out with the right mind-set all three games.”
“There’s a lot of talk about it with people (fans). For us, it’s just another game,” Kaun said.
“It was our team, players, coaches, everybody. The coaches did a lot of scouting of the plays they run. They’ve got a good team. I think they deserve to be in (the NCAA Tournament),” Brandon Rush noted.
“We fought hard. They were all hard-fought games,” Mario Chalmers said.
¢ Bad end to half: Self was a bit concerned when Akeem Wright made a steal and ripped a slam dunk at the first-half buzzer. That cut KU’s nine-point lead to 35-28.
“We gave them two points on a terrible play,” Self said. “We won the game. We did enough today to get it done.”
¢ Nice tap out: Darnell Jackson, whose two free throws with 3:57 left gave KU a 58-49 lead, went high to bat an offensive rebound off a missed free throw by Chalmers with 36 seconds left, KU up, 62-55.
“Darnell’s play was as good a hustle play on a rebound as we’ve had all year,” Self said.
¢ Title town: A lot is at stake for KU against Texas today. “If we are able to win, it’d be our fifth championship in four years – three league titles and two conference (tournament) titles. That’s be good. We’d like to be able to go and do that,” Self said.
¢ Distractions aplenty: Self on the difficulty of players maintaining focus in the postseason: “So many things can throw your focus off. It can be agents, runners, media requests, friends’ requests, girlfriends, family members, tickets, cell phones. All of a sudden you try to be something to a lot of people. The next thing you know, you lost it. We’ve got to keep the guys level-headed.”
¢ Faces in crowd: Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon was on hand to cheer the Jayhawks. NBA executives Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale attended, as did dozens of scouts.
¢ Clarke scores 30: Rotnei Clarke, a junior guard from Verdigris High, scored 32 points off 9-of-30 shooting in a 58-53 Class 3A state semifinal loss to Oklahoma City Millwood on Friday night. Clark is considering KU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and many others.
Friday’s victory was Bill Self’s 100th at Kansas University against 28 losses. Does the 100th win mean much to KU’s fourth-year coach?
“No, but I figured you’d bring it up,” he cracked. “We’ve got a lot of work left. We’re off to a good start this year. We’ve got to finish strong.”
A check of the record books shows Larry Brown and Phog Allen reached the 100 win milestone in their 127th games at KU and Roy Williams in his 129th game.
¢ Illinois State opening: KU assistant Tim Jankovich is one of several coaches mentioned by the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph as a possible replacement for Porter Moser at Illinois State. ISU’s athletic director is Sheahon Zenger, who is former associate AD at Kansas State, Jankovich’s alma mater. He also worked at Kansas. Moser was fired last week after serving four years as Redbirds’ coach.
¢ Jackson misses slam: Darnell Jackson, whose mom, sister, uncle and two aunts were seated a few rows behind the KU bench, had five rebounds in 16 minutes. He missed six shots, including a dunk try. The errant dunk rocketed high in the air.
“I had one like that against Detroit,” the Oklahoma City native said. “I was just trying to get to the rim.
“I wasn’t nervous today. The shots were not falling.”
¢ No. 1 talk: Did KU wrap up a No. 1 seed Friday? “No. There’s work to do,” Self said. “We better play tomorrow. There’s a lot of teams with chances to win their tournaments, too.”
¢ Screech: Self’s postgame interview at the podium was interrupted by a loud screech of the microphone. “If coach Knight had been here, he would have walked out right now,” Self said of fiery Tech coach Bob Knight.
¢ Recruit scores 60: Jankovich was one of several college coaches on hand to watch Rotnei Clarke explode for 60 points in Verdigris High’s 90-68 victory over Vian on Thursday night in Choctaw, Okla. Clark, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, is considering KU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and many others. Clark’s 60 points were most by a player in Oklahoma state tourney history.
¢ Subbing: Self was asked about removing his best players with 3:40 left, then again at 1:30 in a blowout. “The only primary player in the game late was Julian (Wright), and that’s because he hadn’t played the whole game (because of foul trouble). I wanted him to see something good happen. I put everybody else in to sub, and we didn’t get a stoppage, so I called the timeout (at 1:30). There was no rhyme or reason. We weren’t doing anything to try to embarrass anybody.”
¢ This, that: Mario Chalmers tied a career high with two blocks. : Russell Robinson had three steals for the 11th time of his career. : OU’s four second-half field goals were the fewest by a KU opponent since Jan. 24, 1998, when Texas Tech also had four in the first half. School record is three field goals in a half by Cornell in 1996. : KU has won 11 straight Big 12 tourney openers.
Kevin Durant, who is just 18 years old, has quite a presence about him.
“Before we came out to warm up, his team was out there, and he was ready to go, looking around in the crowd. I was like, ‘Man, he might do something special tonight,”‘ Kansas University’s Darnell Jackson said after Texas’ freshman phenom blistered KU for 32 points – 25 in the first half – in a 90-86 loss to the Jayhawks on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
“He came down and just hit shot after shot, five of five from three the first half, and he’s a 6-10 big man who can play every position. It’s crazy.”
Brandon Rush – who spent time guarding Durant, who made 10 of 14 shots the first half and 13 of 22 for the game – shook his head wildly side to side when asked if he wanted another matchup against Durant in the Big 12 tournament.
“Nah, not right now. I’ve got to let him cool off,” Rush said.
The two players traded some good-natured banter Saturday.
“He said I was too small. I couldn’t guard him ’cause I was too small,” Rush said.
¢ Wooden Award: Rush and Durant on Saturday were named two of 22 players on the final ballot for the Wooden Award, which goes to college basketball’s player of the year.
¢ Comparisons difficult: Self said it was tough to compare Durant with other standouts in history. Pressed, KU’s coach says Durant reminded him a bit of 6-foot-9 former Duke sharpshooter Mike Dunleavy.
“How many guys can shoot the three that are that tall?” Self said.
A media member suggested a Larry Bird comparison. “That might be right. That might be the guy,” Self said.
¢ He likes to start: Russell Robinson, who has been hobbled by a foot injury, learned before the game he’d be starting at point guard in place of Sherron Collins, who had started the past two games.
“I didn’t ask coach (Friday). I didn’t want to think about it. I found out today,” Robinson said.
“It is important to me,” he said of starting, “just because it’s what I’m used to, setting the tone for the game, things like that.”
Robinson responded with a season-high 17 points off 5-of-9 shooting (three of four threes) with four rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes. Collins didn’t score, going 0-for-4 from the field with five boards and five assists in 19 minutes.
¢ All in the family: Robinson’s dad, Russell, and mom, Theresa, attended. It was Theresa’s first trip to the fieldhouse. Collins’ mom, Stacey Harris, also was on hand.
“They loved it,” Robinson said. “After the game, they were just proud. The crowd was loud. They enjoyed it. It was a great atmosphere. I loved it.”
¢ Tourney next: KU wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament and next will play at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Ford Center in Oklahoma City. KU will meet the winner of Thursday’s 11:30 a.m. game between No. 8 seed Iowa State and No. 9 Oklahoma. The league’s seeds were determined by tiebreaker Saturday despite the fact a Monday game between Oklahoma State and Nebraska remains. Complete pairings on page 9C.
¢ Faces in crowd: Ex-Jayhawk Howard Engleman, whose jersey hangs in the rafters, attended. Also on hand were a pair of top high school junior recruits – Willie Warren, 6-2 from North Crowley High in suburban Dallas, and Steve Moore, 6-9, from Truman High in Independence, Mo.
¢ Donation: Several members of the Booth family were on hand for a halftime ceremony. The family has donated an additional $5 million for the Booth Family Hall of Athletics. The building will be extended north to south in the front of the fieldhouse.
¢ Senior Day: KU honored senior managers Molly Bachand, Fairway, and Matt Wolff, Herington, before the game. They were introduced with their parents. There are no senior players on the roster. : D.J. Augustin’s 13 assists were most ever by a KU opponent, surpassing the 12 by Oklahoma’s Mookie Blaylock in 1989. : KU wrapped up the 1,900th victory in school history. The Jayhawks have won 50 league titles.
Saturday’s game against Texas will be Kansas University’s home finale. Normally that means it’s Senior Day.
Not this year.
“We don’t have any seniors so we won’t have a Senior Night for the first time in a while. No speeches,” KU sophomore Brandon Rush said.
A reporter joked that Rush wouldn’t have to give a speech since he’d be back next year, right? Rush smiled.
Then the question was put to him formally. Will he be back for a junior campaign?
“I haven’t decided yet. I’m pretty sure I’m coming back, though,” he said.
¢ Foot feels fine: Russell Robinson, who had seven points and two assists in 19 minutes, left the arena wearing a boot to protect his sprained right foot, which felt “fine” during Monday’s game.
¢ Good practices of late: KU coach Bill Self was surprised his team squandered a 17-point lead versus the Sooners.
“I am serious. Yesterday we were as good as we’ve been all year, and shootaround today we were terrific,” he said. “The first five minutes were great. It was one of those games we got off to a big lead, relaxed, let them get back in and their play kept them in it. I’m really happy to get a ‘W.'”
¢ Swish: Mario Chalmers on hitting six of six free throws late.
“We basically cancel out the crowd, focus, concentrate on what is in front of you,” he said.
¢ Faces in crowd: Former KU coach Ted Owens attended with his son. Former KU guard Carl Henry and his son, major-college prospect Xavier, were on hand. : Former KU assistant Jerry Green flew on a private jet from Indiana with former OU coach Kelvin Sampson. Kelvin was on hand for Senior Night festivities. His son, Kellen, started the game. : OU football coach Bob Stoops watched with family members.
¢ Tough scout for KU, OU: Kansas closes the regular-season portion of its slate against two teams from the South (Oklahoma, Texas). OU closes its slate against two teams from the North (KU, Kansas State).
It makes for extra work for the coaches this time of year.
“We’ve played five schools twice (in North) and now it’s the first scout for our last two opponents. Sometimes I think that’s tough,” Self said. “I do wish it was different. I’d almost think ESPN said, ‘Hey we want to put the Kansas-OU game on. We’ll do it on Big Monday,’ and CBS said, ‘We want the Texas-KU game.’ You do it where it falls. I’d think television has a lot to do with it. The Big 12 usually does a great, great job in scheduling.”
¢ Praise of Self: OU coach Jeff Capel wouldn’t discount Self as a league coach-of-the-year possibility.
“Bill Self doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves,” Capel said. “Kansas is playing great basketball, as well as anyone in the country right now.”
¢ Kleinmann’s class: KU sophomore center Matt Kleinmann is one of the “Architecture Students for Social Action” who will be holding a fundraising and awareness event for the rebuilding effort in New Orleans on Wednesday on the east lawn of Marvin Hall.
The “Shade Structure for New Orleans,” which is a project in one of Kleinmann’s classes, will be set up all day so the public can stop by for updates on current conditions in New Orleans.
Kansas University coach Bill Self said Russell Robinson (sprain on bottom of right foot) likely would play Monday night at Oklahoma.
The junior point guard likely will come off the bench instead of start, however, with his total number of minutes in question.
“I anticipate Russell at least being available,” Self said.
Will he start?
“I don’t think so,” Self said, “because we don’t know how many minutes he can go. He’s done great. He worked out today, on (defensive) slides and shooting. He couldn’t have played today unless he had plenty of time to recover, not with a game 48 hours away on Monday.”
¢ Case doesn’t enter: Junior guard Jeremy Case, who has been practicing about half the time because of a stress fracture in his left foot, did not play against Iowa State.
“It’s sore. He has a hot spot down there,” Self said. “He’d have been available in a pinch. There was no reason to use him.”
¢ Rush ankle OK: Brandon Rush turned his right ankle after hitting a three right before halftime. He went to the locker room to get retaped before the second half.
“I tweaked it, rolled it. It’s a little sore. It’s fine,” Rush said.
Rush missed six of eight shots, scoring six points in 30 minutes.
“He’s not playing badly. He’s not been real aggressive shooting the ball,” Self said. “As you all know, he’s not really fixated on points. With the score out of hand the second half, I’m not sure he had the mind-set of making plays.”
¢ Senior Night at OU: KU expects a charged Noble Center on Monday for an 8 p.m. Big Monday game against Oklahoma. It’s OU’s Senior Night. Nate Carter, Michael Neal, Kellen Sampson and Chris Walker will be introduced in a pregame ceremony. Former OU coach Kelvin Sampson, who is Kellen’s dad, will attend.
“Every team in the country will play on somebody’s Senior Day unless you are playing Kansas. I know you guys (media) are disappointed there will be no speeches this year,” Self cracked of next Saturday’s 11 a.m. Senior Day game against Texas. KU has no seniors on the roster this year.
¢ Aldrich an All-American: KU signee Cole Aldrich, a 6-foot-11, 245-pound center from Jefferson High in Bloomington, Minn., will play in the McDonald’s All-America game March 28 in Louisville.
“I knew about it for almost a month. McDonald’s has an agreement with ESPN, so I couldn’t say anything to anybody,” Aldrich said Saturday. “It was definitely hard. Knowing for almost a month, there’s been a lot of people who’ve asked about it.
“It’s going to be real cool. I really wasn’t sure what my chances would be. I was probably one of those guys on the bubble. Last summer I had a few nicks and bruises that kept me from playing my best, but this high school senior year I’ve been able to play real well. I think they were able, too, to not only look at last summer, but previous summers and how I played then.”
Aldrich, who is averaging 23 points and 17.5 rebounds a game, hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with three seconds left to lead Jefferson to a 59-57 victory over Apple Valley on Friday. That game was for first place in the conference.
“It’s gone real well. The team (18-5 record) is playing real well, and the last two weeks we’ve won some real big games,” Aldrich said.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune said this week Aldrich was now a 7-footer. He said he’s still listing himself at 6-11, however.
Aldrich also will play in the Roundball Classic, sponsored by Reebok, on April 3 in Chicago. He said at this time he’s completely healthy, last spring’s foot injury not a factor any more.
¢ Stats, facts: Mario Chalmers, who had 18 points and tied a career high with seven rebounds, helped hold ISU’s Mike Taylor to seven points. : KU has won six straight games. … Rodrick Stewart played a season-high 16 minutes.
Kansas University coach Bill Self was asked if he mentioned KU’s 18-game winning streak in Bramlage Coliseum, 23-game overall win streak in Manhattan and/or Bob Huggins’ guaranteeing a Wildcat victory in his speech to the team before the game.
“I won’t tell you what I mentioned to the guys,” Self said with a smile. “You know what? I think Bob Huggins is supposed to say that. Joe Namath is supposed to say that. You are supposed to generate interest.”
Huggins had guaranteed a KSU win at the Wildcats’ Midnight Madness; Namath guaranteed a New York Jets win in Super Bowl III.
¢ Atmosphere: Kansas State’s students, who were wrapped in a line around KSU’s Wagner Field much of Monday afternoon, entered Bramlage Coliseum at 5:45 p.m. for the 8 p.m. tipoff.
A pep rally of sorts was held prior to the game. KSU assistant coach Frank Martin addressed the student section after radio play-by-play announcer Wyatt Thompson.
“We hope to end one streak and in two weeks end another streak and get more banners in this place,” Martin said to wild cheers.
He was referring to KSU ending a 23-game home losing streak to KU on Monday and a 10-year NCAA Tournament drought on Selection Sunday.
Wildcat freshman phenom Bill Walker, who is injured and could not play, shook hands with fans in the student section and didn’t even mind when one KSU student swiped his headband as a souvenir.
¢ Torn sign: Three K-State fans ran up to a pair of female KU fans, grabbed their “Allen Fieldhouse West” sign and tore it in half to loud cheers about 45 minutes before the game. One of KU’s staff members approached the two women to make sure they were OK.
KSU fans brought some signs of their own, including, “Tim Hardaway hates KU,” and, “KU, lack of institutional control.”
Also, the KSU student section had sheets of paper with the names of all the KU players’ mothers so the fans could jeer the Jayhawks on a personal level during warmups.
The students chanted, “On probation,” at the same time the public-address announcer informed any fans throwing objects on the floor would cause automatic ejection from the building.
¢ Bird’s the word: Three live chickens were thrown on the court during introduction of KU players.
“My first year here one of them hit me,” Self said. “I’m glad we were on the other side of the court this year. It didn’t upset me. That’s tradition here that’s gone on many years, I guess. I only saw one (chicken). Security got them off the court.”
Of the atmosphere, Self said: “It was classy, the way a rivalry should be. I thought the crowd was great and our guys responded well again.”
¢ Five or six bids?: Self still likes the Big 12’s chances of landing multiple NCAA Tournament berths with the March 11 Selection Sunday approaching.
“I think we’ll get a minimum of five,” he said Monday on the Big 12 coaches teleconference. “I would say Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma are all right there in serious discussion. I think we’ll have a minimum of five, a great chance of six.”
¢ Flu-ridden: Huggins coached on a day he wasn’t feeling well.
“Yes sir,” he said on Monday’s Big 12 coach’s teleconference when asked if he was sick, his coughing heard in the background. He did not attend the team’s shootaround Monday and said he headed home right to bed after Sunday’s workout.
¢ Durant the best: Self spoke in glowing terms about Texas freshman power forward Kevin Durant Monday. He said he thought Durant was not only Big 12 freshman of the year, but the top freshman nationally.
“He has everyone’s attention,” Self said. “We haven’t seen him first-hand yet, and I’m not looking forward to it.”
KU plays Texas on March 3 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas University’s basketball players will put a 23-game winning streak in Manhattan on the line Monday night.
That’s when the Jayhawks meet Kansas State in a rematch of the Jayhawks’ 97-70 victory Feb. 7 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I won’t have to mention it to them. You guys (media) will talk about that,” KU coach Bill Self said of ‘The Streak’ – one that includes an 18-0 mark in Bramlage Coliseum. KU won five straight to close old Ahearn Fieldhouse.
“There’s no big streak in my mind. We’ve been here three years. You can’t have a massive streak in that period of time.”
Will Self remind his troops of KSU coach Bob Huggins’ guaranteeing a Wildcat victory over KU in Manhattan this season?
“We might,” Self said.
At KSU’s “Madness in Manhattan,” Huggins said: “Remember, Feb. 19 is when we beat ‘The Streak.’ Then we will have a rivalry.”
“That is not motivation,” Self said. “Something that somebody said is not motivation. Why wouldn’t you say that? You are trying to generate interest. That’s not my motivation. Motivation is, we are playing K-State. It’s a real important game. Something I said or he said or players said is totally irrelevant to how you’ll play. There’s plenty more motivation than that.”
¢ Brady in Denver: KU freshman Brady Morningstar did not attend Saturday’s game. He and family members were in Denver for the funeral of JoAnn Ficke, wife of Bill Ficke, who has worked in the shoe business and in AAU basketball for many years.
“A very close family friend. She’s been like an aunt to Brady,” Self said.
¢ Ouch: Aleks Maric took a hard shot in the ribs from Sasha Kaun and didn’t play the last 12:52, though he said he could have played had he been needed. It looked to KU players like Maric was hit in the groin area.
“Sasha is good at hitting people down there. He hit me down there. He gets everybody, he’s so wild,” Brandon Rush cracked.
¢ Turn of phrase: Self may have created a new word in discussing Kaun’s two fouls in the first two minutes.
“Our big guys can make some of the ‘foolishest’ fouls,” Self said. “His first foul to start the game was 94 feet from our basket after they rebounded. He knows he’s important. He and ‘Shady’ (Darrell Arthur) have been culprits in that area.”
¢ Congrats: KU athletic director Lew Perkins presented Self a basketball commemorating his 300th coaching victory, which had been attained a week earlier at Missouri. The fans gave Self a loud ovation during the presentation.
¢ Bench work: Self said he was amazed at the play of the subs the final five minutes.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a game where our second group shot the ball so well,” he said. “They are usually only in there a minute or two. Maybe breaking a sweat loosened them up a bit.”
¢ Facts: KU and Texas A&M remain tied for first in the league at 10-2. : KU has won eight straight over Nebraska and eight straight in Allen. : Jeremy Case scored a season-high nine points. Russell Robinson tied a season high with eight assists.
Memories of ’57?
Were you at the 1957 national championship game to watch KU and North Carolina in Kansas City, Mo.? If so, we want to hear your stories.
Also, if you have mementos of any kind from that game, let us know, so we can make it part of our 50th-anniversary special coming next month in the Lawrence Journal-World and on KUSports.com.
If so, call Ryan Greene at (785) 832-6357 or e-mail to editor@kusports.com
Various Web sites continue to speculate about Julian Wright possibly turning pro after this season.
“I hear stuff. I get messages (from friends). That’s all distractions. I want to be focused when I play,” Wright said.
He has said several times he’ll return for his junior season.
“Yes,” he said, asked if that was still the case. “I’m not worried about that (talk). I just look forward to finishing the year strong, get better in the offseason for next year.”
¢ Acrobatic shot revisited: Wright on his high-arching shot off the top of the backboard that opened Wednesday’s win at Colorado.
“I chased it down. It was a hustle play,” he said. “I slipped (and threw it up high). I wasn’t trying to do that. It hit the top (of backboard) and came back down.”
¢ Faces in crowd today: Don’t be surprised if former KU player Kirk Hinrich attends today’s game. The Chicago Bulls guard is in the Kansas City area for the NBA all-star break. Other possibilities include Nick Collison (Seattle) and Wayne Simien (Miami). Billy Thomas has returned from a stint overseas and Friday practiced with the KU team. He’s enrolled in classes this semester as he completes work toward his degree.
¢ Title winners here: Some members of KU’s 1952 title team watched practice Friday. They’ll be honored at today’s game.
“Hopefully I’ll get to see them after the game as well,” KU coach Bill Self said.
¢ White off NU team: The Huskers are down to just nine scholarship players on the active roster after sophomore guard Jamel White was suspended for the remainder of the season.
Coach Doc Sadler announced Feb. 11 that White violated team policy. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., White played in 22 games this season and 55 games over the past two years while averaging 8.9 points and 2.1 assists per game.
Kansas University’s Sasha Kaun started as usual, but did not score and had just a rebound in six-foul plagued minutes in the first half.
So coach Bill Self made the decision to go with Darrell Arthur at center to open the second half.
“What was my motivation? He wasn’t playing very well,” Self said after watching Kaun erupt for 10 points and eight boards in nine minutes after intermission.
“He was not going after balls. I thought it’d be good for him to sit there. I thought he played as well as anybody the final half.”
Kaun said Self spoke to him at halftime. “I was horrible,” Kaun said. “He said, ‘We need you to play. We need you to step up and make plays.”‘
He didn’t mind sitting out. “Whatever coach thinks is best to help the team,” said Kaun, who had a vicious dunk off a lob from Russell Robinson.
“It was a heck of a pass,” Kaun said. “One of the coaches said I should scream for Russell every time.”
¢Still friends: Brandon Rush and Julian Wright appeared to have words on the court after a Rush miss in the second half.
“We weren’t mad at each other,” Rush said. “Julian said I took a shot when there was nobody there to rebound. Nobody was mad. It’s just basketball.”
¢Faces in crowd: Former KU player Mark Randall, who works for the Denver Nuggets, attended after speaking to a KU alumni gathering.
¢Stats, facts: KU’s bench outscored Colorado’s bench, 28-21, to mark the 16th time in the last 18 games Kansas’ bench has outscored its opponent’s. : Kansas outshot Colorado 47.6 to 27.3 percent to mark the 22nd time the Jayhawks have shot better than their opponents this season. The Buffaloes’ 27.3 field-goal percentage was a KU opponent season low and the Buffs’ lowest mark since hitting 29.9 percent against KU in 2005. : Kaun’s four blocks tied his career high, and his nine rebounds marked a season best. His 10 points were the most since he had 13 at Iowa State on Jan. 13.
¢KU a big draw: KU has been responsible for seven of the top 10 crowds in Coors Events Center history and 13 of the top 25. The building, which opened in 1979, seats 11,064.
Wednesday’s game drew just 6,608 fans because of a snowstorm. CU officials had announced Tuesday just 500 tickets remained for the game.
CU had averaged 2,345 fans in 12 home dates this season entering the KU-CU tussle.
¢Aldrich nets defensive honor: KU signee Cole Aldrich, a 6-foot-11, 240-pound center from Bloomington, Minn.’s Jefferson High, has been named St. Paul Pioneer Press defensive player of the year for the third straight year.
Aldrich, who has a 7-foot-5 wingspan, has averaged four blocks a game over his four-year high school career.
Kansas University has been rebounding well the past four games, since KU coach Bill Self chastised his big men for being “soft” after a home victory against Colorado.
KU outrebounded Missouri, 40-33, after outboarding Nebraska (47-21), Texas A&M (40-29) and Kansas State (46-24).
“We went from a ‘called out’ soft team : I said it and you guys reported it : to a team that’s been rebounding the ball,” he said. “We’ve been doing a better job and a better job of making plays.”
¢Off day for Chalmers: Mario Chalmers scored six points off 1-of-8 shooting. He had four steals in 34 minutes. KU had 12 steals to Missouri’s seven.
“He and Russell shot a combined 2-for-13,” Self said. Russell Robinson missed four of five shots and scored four points with five assists in 29 minutes. “Without going into detail about individuals, we’ve had phases where guys’ confidence has been doing this and this,” he added, moving his hands high, then low. “We are getting to the point of the season everybody needs to do this,” he added, moving his hands sideways on an even keel. “Mario is a better shooter than what he’s shot it. He can impact the game in so many ways. He needs some good things to happen, to get that swagger back.”
¢Back-to-back wins: Self likes the way his team has bounced back with wins over K-State and Missouri since last Saturday’s defeat against Texas A&M.
“I’m proud of our guys. As you know, the sky is falling when you lose at KU. It’s good to see them respond in such a favorable way,” Self said.
¢Nice bench player: Don’t expect any lineup changes soon regarding Sherron Collins, who has been a spark off the bench. He had 14 points and seven assists in 27 minutes Saturday.
“I just want what’s best for our team,” Self said. “I feel I have a decent handle on chemistry on our team. He (Collins) could care less if he starts or not. He has emerged as a real good guard off the bench. He’s played well.”
Collins, who went against his former high school nemesis, Stefhon Hannah (19 points, five assists, five turnovers, five fouls), had a blast playing in loud Mizzou Arena.
“This was by far one of the best atmospheres we played in on the road so far. I loved it,” Collins said.
¢Miffed fans: Fans pelted the court with debris as the officials headed out of the tunnel at halftime. One police officer was hit with a plastic bottle.
¢Bad day for Butterfield: MU’s Darryl Butterfield, who had seven points in 20 minutes, pulled his jersey over his eyes as he exited the court. The dejected player ran smack into a tray full of beverages. He was OK as he continued to the exit.
¢Wipeout: KU’s 18-point margin of victory was the widest for Kansas at Missouri since a 77-54 win Feb. 5, 1966, a span of 17 victories for KU in Columbia.
¢Stats, facts: KU is 8-2 in Big 12 play for the second straight season. : KU is 1-2 in Mizzou Arena. : The Jayhawks are 5-2 in true road games this season. : : Kansas is now 36-6 (85.7 percent) in its last 42 games. : KU’s bench outscored Missouri’s bench, 28-12, to mark the 15th time in the last 17 games KU’s bench has outscored its foes : Kansas has held its opponents to under 50 percent shooting in 31 straight games dating to last season’s Texas contest. : Eighteen of Kansas’ 21 wins have been by 10 or more points this season. Sophomore Julian Wright’s 33 points were the most for a Jayhawk since Nick Collison also scored 33 against Duke on March 27, 2003, in the NCAA Tournament. It was the most in a conference game since Danny Manning scored 37 at Missouri on Feb. 27, 1988. : Wright tied his career high with 12 rebounds. He has accomplished the feat five times this season – vs. Oral Roberts, vs. Ball State, vs. Boston College, at Iowa State and at Missouri : Sophomore Brandon Rush’s 21 points tied a season high. He also scored 21 against Northern Arizona and versus Colorado this season.
Kansas State center Jason Bennett didn’t score or grab a rebound, but had three blocks in 11 minutes. He also had five fouls and expressed his displeasure with the refs as he exited after fouling out.
Later, he punched his seat on the bench as KU’s student section in the south end zone taunted him.
“I think Bennett has an anger-management problem,” KU’s Brandon Rush cracked, adding, “He’s a big body. He clogged the lane, had a couple of blocks the first half.”
¢Huggins, fan interact: KSU coach Bob Huggins, who did not respond to the students’ chants of “DUI, DUI” in the second half, did get into a shouting match with a KU fan as the Wildcats headed to their locker room. A security guard said the KU fan shouted insults at Huggins, instigating an oral exchange between the two.
KSU officials were upset at an illustration in the KU student paper Wednesday depicting Huggins in jail with the words, “Hugs and Thugs” included in the drawing.
¢Maybank excels: Senior Jermaine Maybank, who had a previous career high of nine points against North Dakota State, burned KU for 26 points off 7-of-10 shooting. He also made 12 of 15 free throws.
“We didn’t do a good job on him,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Had we played five more minutes, he probably would have shot 25 free throws. He did a great job driving the ball.”
Of Maybank, Rush said: “He did everything. We knew he was a driver. We didn’t know he was capable of getting 26.”
¢Stewart headed to funeral: KU junior Rodrick Stewart, who played six minutes, will not be traveling to Columbia, Mo., for Saturday’s KU-MU game.
Stewart plans to head to Aberdeen, Miss., for the funeral of his great-grandfather Pompie Randle, who died earlier this week at the age of 98.
“I fully support him,” Self said of Stewart, who also will visit his mother, Lisa, who has been hospitalized in the Mississippi town.
Rodrick’s twin brother, Lodrick, a senior at Southern Cal, also will leave his team to attend the funeral and visit their mother.
¢The key to victory: “We played that game 40 minutes,” Rush said. “It’s one of the first times we played 40 minutes against a tough team like K-State.”
¢Just one game vs. South: KU officials said there is no truth to the rumor the Jayhawks will play a team from the South Division more than once a season in upcoming basketball campaigns.
It had been rumored on the Internet that KU would play Texas or Texas A&M one year at Sprint Center in Kansas City and the next in Dallas to go with the team’s regularly scheduled game in Big 12 play.
¢Numbers: Self’s Jayhawks won their 20th game. He has led teams to 20 victories in nine straight seasons. KU has won 20 games for 18 straight seasons. : Self now has 299 career victories. : The 27-point victory was KU’s largest margin in the series since a 35-win in 2002 in Lawrence. : Self is 8-1 versus Kansas State. KU has won 33 of 34 versus KSU. : KU attempted a season-high 68 field goals, making 33 two-pointers, a season high. KU hit five of 13 threes. : KU’s 29 fouls were most by a Jayhawk team since 30 in 2000 versus Ohio State. It’s the most in a league game since 30 fouls against Oklahoma State in 1992. : Sherron Collins tied a season high with seven assists. : KSU’s 41 free-throw attempts were most by a KU foe since Ohio State attempted 42 in 2000. KSU’s 30 makes were most by a foe since Texas Tech made 30 in 1999.
¢Debuts: KSU coach Huggins on Wednesday tried to become the first Wildcat coach since Cotton Fitzsimmons to win his first game against KU at Allen Fieldhouse.
Fitzsimmon’s Wildcats won on March 8, 1969, in Lawrence. Coaches who dropped their openers since the late Fitzsimmons: Jack Hartman, Lon Kruger, Dana Altman, Tom Asbury and Jim Wooldridge.
It looked as though Texas A&M was trying to foul Sasha Kaun with KU up 64-61 and about 1:30 left on the clock. After Marlon Pompey was tangled up with Kaun more than once as KU dribbled up court, a foul finally was called and Kaun – a poor free-throw shooter – clanked the front end of the 1-and-1.
Pompey and Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie insisted fouling Kaun wasn’t the plan.
“Not at all,” Pompey said. “(Gillispie) told us all to deny the ball.”
It did end up working out for the Aggies, who tied the game up on the ensuing possession and went on to win.
“I didn’t know his stats,” Pompey said of Kaun’s free-throw percentage. “I’ll probably get in trouble for saying that because they gave us a pamphlet to read (with Kaun’s numbers in it). He missed the first free throw, so I’m glad he missed that one.”
¢ SRO: The fire marshal informed KU officials the building was full with some ticketed students not yet in their seats. KU officials offered refunds to a few students and ushered some 50 or so others into Hadl Auditorium where the students could watch the game on TV until they eventually were seated.
“Some were in Hadl until the students (in the student section) squeezed in to let them in,” KU associate AD Jim Marchiony said. “Students save seats until a certain point, and then they have to move over to let others squeeze in.”
¢ Curses, Sasha: An adult screamed an obscenity, ordering Sasha Kaun to “make your free throws” as Kaun exited through the northwest tunnel after the game.
The Jayhawk players had more sympathy than that fan for their teammate, who missed two 1-and-1s late.
“I wasn’t surprised at all Sasha was in there. I have faith in my teammate to knock them down,” Darnell Jackson said. “Some go in, some don’t. He’ll make them.”
¢ South gets one: Texas A&M became the first South Division team to win in Allen Fieldhouse in the history of the Big 12 after 31 straight losses.
¢ Simien donation: Former Kansas University forward Wayne Simien of the Miami Heat has donated his 2006 NBA championship ring to KU’s athletic department. The ring, worth $35,000, will be displayed in KU’s Hall of Athletics.
¢ Clinic set: KU’s players this afternoon will hold their annual clinic with the state’s Special Olympians in Allen Fieldhouse.
¢ Hoops lover busy: ESPN announcer Dick Vitale stopped by press row to talk to a pair of Journal-World reporters before the game.
“You hoops junkies will appreciate this: I’m here tonight, do A&M-Texas Monday (in College Station), Duke-Carolina on Wednesday (in Durham) and Florida-Kentucky Saturday (in Lexington). That’s what keeps me going,” the always-energetic Vitale said.
“These Kansas students are amazing.”
¢ A&M in prime time: College GameDay on Saturday in Lawrence followed by Big Monday two days later at home against Texas.
It’s quite a three-day spell for Texas A&M.
“It’s going to tell a lot about our team,” senior guard Acie Law said. “This is why basketball players come to college. Top 5 team, one of the best teams in the country, and on top of that, you get to go to their house,” he added of the trip to historic Allen Fieldhouse.
¢ Digger takes dig at KU: Digger Phelps’ much-anticipated “Digger of Oz” skit took place as planned during Saturday morning’s GameDay show in front of 3,500 fans at Allen Fieldhouse.
Phelps said the key for KU avoiding a first-round NCAA Tournament loss would be not only avoiding tornadoes, but “Killer B’s” – a reference to Bradley and Bucknell. He said the Jayhawks would be fine if they could escape Butler this season.
“It’s very good Digger did that piece,” joked KU coach Bill Self, who was sitting at the table with the GameDay hosts for an interview at the time the segment showed on the scoreboard.
62-52KU’s lead with 6:33 to play
17-4Texas A&M’s game-closing run
42.1KU’s field-goal percentage against the nation’s best defense
34.9Opponents’ field-goal percentage against A&M coming in
46.3A&M’s field-goal percentage against KU
37.6Opponents’ field-goal percentage against KU coming in
1-31Big 12 South’s record in Allen Fieldhouse
3Teams (KU, K-State, Texas) tied for second behind A&M in the Big 12
Nebraska big man Aleks Maric did not score in the first half and finished with just nine points off 3-of-8 shooting with seven rebounds in Kansas’ 76-56 rout of the Cornhuskers on Monday.
He also didn’t score in the first half Saturday at Kansas State, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds in a 61-45 defeat.
“He had a couple of fouls early that helped us. We defended him well the first half,” KU coach Bill Self said.
“We were trying to cut the head off and attack Aleks,” Brandon Rush said. “He played really well the second half.”
¢Rush on Wooden list: Rush has been named to the 30-player Wooden Award Midseason All-America Team.
Made up of the top 30 players who will compete for this season’s player-of-the-year award, the midseason list is based on individual player performance and team records during the first half of the season.
The others who are on the list: Aaron Affalo, UCLA; Morris Almond, Rice; Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State; Corey Brewer, Florida; Aaron Brooks, Oregon; Glen Davis, LSU; Jared Dudley, Boston College; Kevin Durant, Texas; Nick Fazekas, Nevada; A.J. Graves, Butler; Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh; Taurean Green, Florida; Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina; Jarrius Jackson, Texas Tech; Dominic James, Marquette; Acie Law, Texas A&M; Chris Lofton, Tennessee; Josh McRoberts, Duke; Randolph Morris, Kentucky; Drew Neitzel, Michigan State; Demetris Nichols, Syracuse, Joaquim Noah, Florida; Greg Oden, Ohio State; Sean Singletary, Virginia; Curtis Sumpter, Villanova; Al Thornton, Florida State; Alando Tucker, Wisconsin; Marcus Williams, Arizona; and Brandan Wright, North Carolina.
Players not on the midseason list still can make the final ballot, which comes out in March.
¢Big Monday talk: First-year NU coach Doc Sadler was appreciative his Cornhuskers were awarded a rare appearance on ESPN’s Big Monday.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, the last time the Huskers played as part of the true Big Monday package on ESPN was at Kansas in 1996, and the last time at home was against Missouri in 1994.
The Huskers played one Monday game in 2000 and 1997 on ESPN2. The game in 2000 was a 62-54 loss to Oklahoma in Devaney Center.
“It cannot do anything but help us down the road because kids watch it,” Sadler said. “There are a lot of teams that have never been on Big Monday. It’s an honor to be chosen to play on it. We need to take full advantage of it (in recruiting).”
“You always think it would be great to coach in one of those games,” Sadler said. “You get the opportunity, and it’s against Kansas, you say, ‘Wow, be careful what you wish for.”‘
¢Not true: Sadler on the Jayhawks allegedly playing to the level of their competition. “I think that’s a knock,” he said. “I don’t think that’s necessarily true. I think they’re so talented, they make it look easier than what it is. It’s like people going to NBA games and saying they don’t play very hard. Well, I don’t think that’s the case. I think they’re so good, that it makes it look easier than it is.”
¢Recruiting trip: Self and assistant Joe Dooley didn’t spend Saturday night celebrating KU’s win over Colorado.
They hit the recruiting trail.
It was off to Kilgore, Texas, to watch a game of Marcus Thornton, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard from Kilgore College.
He’s considering KU, Kansas State, LSU, Memphis, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Southern California, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others.
Thornton scored 22 points Saturday off 8-of-17 shooting in a losing cause.
“Marcus is just trying to graduate and win as many basketball games as possible,” Kilgore coach Scott Schumacher told Rivals.com. “I would imagine that Marcus will wait until the end of the season before he does anything,” he added of the player who has already made visits to KU and Kansas State and has yet to decide if he’ll make any more.
Kansas University’s 19 steals tied for its most in a conference game. KU also had 19 versus Baylor in 1998.
“I think guys were focused on getting some steals. We were focused on defense,” said Russell Robinson, who had three steals. Julian Wright tied a career high with six.
Rush says Roby ‘cool’: KU’s Brandon Rush, who guarded, and was guarded by, Richard Roby, chatted with the Buffalo standout during the game.
“I know him from some all-star games. He’s cool,” Rush said.
The two chuckled when Wright lost control on a first-half dunk try. Wright lost the ball out of bounds, went down in a heap and hobbled off the court.
“Me and Rich started laughing,” Rush said. “The windmill, the fall, pretending he got hurt thing, that was pretty funny to me.”
Rush said the players would continue to tease Wright about the missed dunk.
“I never missed a dunk like that, not in a game. Maybe a practice,” Rush said. “I don’t have the guts to try to windmill in front of 10,000 people and then fall. I’d be embarrassed. I wouldn’t even show my face around town tonight.”
Rush on his defense on Roby, who hit 10 of 15 shots and scored 30 points: “I thought I did a pretty good job. He had eight turnovers. I thought I forced some of those. We tried to not let him get easy shots.”
Roby on the atmosphere: “When they score, the crowd erupts, and it seems like the points count for more, like six-pointers or something. That’s just the type of atmosphere that you have to get used to playing in. After you play here, everywhere else will be easier.”
Ouch: KU center Sasha Kaun exited after taking a shot to the groin in the first half. Kaun was able to return after a few minutes. : A hard pass from Rush hit Wright flush in the nose in the second half. Wright didn’t need to leave the game.
Faces in crowd: Ex-KU forward Sean Pearson, who works in the escrow business for a title company in Kansas City, attended. He said he still played pick-up ball occasionally. : Detroit Pistons general manager Joe Dumars sat on press row with a batch of NBA scouts.
Big Monday up next: KU travels to Nebraska on Monday for an 8 p.m. tipoff as part of ESPN Big Monday. KU coach Bill Self pointed out after the game that after this season KU will have played four Big Monday games at home and 11 on the road in his four years at KU.
“It’s a different deal. On the flip side, we’re happy to be playing on Big Monday,” he noted.
Rematch: Ricardo Patton on the rematch against CU on Feb. 14 in Boulder: “I thought they were going to cancel the second game. I think it’s going to snow that day, and we’re just going to tell them not to come in.”
Stats, facts: KU forced 30 turnovers, tying for the most by an opponent against KU in a conference game. CU also had 30 in 1982. The school record is 34 by Marquette and Hawaii-Loa in 1990. The previous high by an opponent this year was 25 by Winston-Salem State. : KU hit a season-high 11 threes. : Roby’s 30 points were most by a KU foe since Missouri’s Thomas Gardner scored 40 on Jan. 16, 2006, in Columbia. Previous high by an opponent in Allen was by Nevada’s Nick Fazekas, who scored 35 on Dec. 1, 2005.
¢ KU leads the all-time series 111-39. The Jayhawks have won seven straight in the series.
¢ Ricardo Patton, who is in his 12th and final season at Colorado, has a 1-21 record versus KU. Bill Self is 4-0 versus the Buffs. Patton is 182-151 overall.
¢ KU is 47-5 versus CU at Allen Fieldhouse. CU last won in Lawrence on Feb. 10, 1983.
¢ The Buffs’ last win over a ranked team on the road was an 80-78 overtime decision at Texas Tech in 1997. CU has beaten at least one ranked team at home the past four years.
¢ CU is 11-49 against ranked teams in the Patton era.
¢ Xavier Silas has led CU in scoring three straight games. He’s the first CU player since the 2004-05 season to lead the squad in scoring in three straight games, other than Richard Roby.
¢ The Buffs’ wins this season are against Denver, Utah, Northern Colorado, Central Florida and Iowa State. CU was crushed by New Mexico, 106-65; Air Force, 84-46; Texas 102-78 and Oklahoma 78-54.
¢ On Oct. 25, CU coach Patton announced this would be his last season of coaching at CU. Patton said he would not seek or accept an extension of his contract which expires June 30. In 11 years, he has 182 victories, four NIT appearances, two NCAA appearanaces and three 20-win seasons.
¢ KU leads the all-time series, 11-1. The Jayhawks have won five straight in the series since an 85-77 loss in 2001 in Waco, Texas. KU trailed by 25 points at halftime in that game.
¢ Bill Self is 3-1 all-time against Baylor; Scott Drew 0-3 versus KU.
¢ KU won the last meeting, 76-61, last Feb. 21 in Allen Fieldhouse. Julian Wright scored 20 points, while Russell Robinson had nine points and nine assists. The Bears kept it close by hitting nine of 13 threes. Curtis Jerrells led BU with 17 points.
¢ The young Bears, with nine freshmen and sophomores, are playing a full schedule and have a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four seasons.
¢ Baylor lost to South Carolina, 64-59, on Dec. 9 in Waco. KU beat South Carolina, 70-54, on Jan. 7 in Columbia, S.C. The Bears lost nonconference games to Gonzaga (78-69) and Syracuse (94-71). BU in Big 12 play is 1-1 at home with a win over Texas Tech (73-70) and loss to Texas A&M (61-51). On the road, BU has lost to Oklahoma State (81-77), Kansas State (69-60) and Oklahoma (91-51).
¢ Drew is 32-59 in four seasons at Baylor. Prior to Baylor, Drew spent 10 seasons at Valparaiso, the last as head coach after nine seasons as an assistant to his father, Homer. He went 18-11 in his one year as head coach at Valpo. During his decade at Valpo, the Crusaders earned six NCAA Tournament berths, including five straight from 1996-2000. An outstanding recruiter, Drew is responsible for five national top-20 recruiting classes over the last eight years.
¢ Baylor’s 11 wins are the most in a season in Drew’s four seasons.
¢ Baylor is 2-31 in its last 33 true road games. BU has lost 19 straight Big 12 road games dating to a 67-61 win over Texas A&M in February 2004.
¢ BU’s Mamadou Diene has just five blocks over the last nine games after blocking 23 shots in the first eight games. He’s been slowed by ankle and knee injuries.
¢ Baylor is undefeated (15-0) in the Scott Drew era when scoring 80-plus points.
¢ True freshman Tweety Carter is Baylor’s first-ever McDonald’s All-America signee.
ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla is in the midst of working four consecutive Kansas University games – Wednesday’s home victory over Oklahoma State, Saturday’s game at Iowa State, Monday’s home game versus Missouri and next Saturday’s game at Texas Tech.
He is not yet ready to proclaim KU’s backcourt as No. 1 in the entire country.
“I think it’s the best defensive backcourt,” Fraschilla said before Saturday’s 68-64 overtime victory. He was able to fly into the airport in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday despite morning snow.
“A guy who never gets credit for his defense is Brandon Rush,” he noted. “Remember the job he did on Nick Young (USC)? He shut him down. If and when Brandon makes the jump to the NBA, it’s going to be because of his defense, the way he moves his feet.”
What does Fraschilla like the most about KU’s team?
“The key is their defense, the way they disrupt the opponent’s backcourt, especially (Mario) Chalmers,” noted Fraschilla, former coach at Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico, who has worked in broadcasting since October of 2004.
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The series: KU since 1999 holds a 10-7 edge over Iowa State. The Jayhawks have won three straight in the series and three straight in Hilton Coliseum. : ISU is now 18-17 versus KU in Hilton. Bill Self’s KU teams are 3-1 at ISU. : KU is 14-7 against ISU in Big 12 play, not counting a 2-0 mark in the Big 12 conference tournament.
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Hall anniversary: KU’s Booth Family Hall of Athletics on Monday will celebrate its one-year anniversary. More than 27,000 visitors have passed through the Hall’s doors since its opening on Jan. 21, 2006. Former KU radio announcer Max Falkenstien will sign autographs in the Hall prior to the MU game, which has an 8 p.m. tipoff.
The F.M. Acro tumbling team from Fargo, N.D., which thrilled the fans here Saturday, will perform Monday at halftime.
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Young league: The Des Moines Register points out that of 60 starters in the most recent games for the Big 12 Conference’s 12 teams, only nine were seniors. Five teams started no players in their final season of eligibility.
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No patsy: “Playing against a team like Kansas is a challenge for anyone, not just freshmen,” ISU’s Wesley Johnson said.
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Stats, fact: Julian Wright’s 12 rebounds tied a career high. : Rush had nine rebounds for the third time in his career. : Sherron Collins has scored 10 or more points in three of the last four games. KU’s 52 rebounds (to ISU’s 36) were a season high. : Dodie Dunson’s streak of 18 consecutive free throws ended Saturday. : Mike Taylor has hit a three-pointer in 13 straight games. He recorded his sixth 20-point game. : Wesley Johnson recorded his ninth double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. : ISU had eight blocks to KU’s five. The Jayhawks entered ranked fifth in the country in blocks.
Kansas University freshman guard Sherron Collins impressed again Wednesday with 10 points and six assists against three turnovers in 22 minutes. He hit two threes in two tries.
“The little man is playing well,” Kansas coach Bill Self cracked of the 5-foot-11 Collins.
Collins actually is shrinking. He says he’s just under 200 pounds now, which is a lot of lost weight for a guy who weighed about 220 when he arrived at KU.
“He takes pride in his diet now. He weighs himself every day,” Self said. “It’s saying a lot. He’s a guy who ate fast food two meals a day, or at least one, 18 years of his life. I don’t think he bought into it completely until a month ago. He’s really playing well. He’s had peaks and valleys already. He’s been very coachable.”
“It’s a lot of cardiovascular, watching what I eat,” Collins said. “I feel really good right now. The team is playing very well.”
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Stats, facts: Self is 5-5 against his alma mater, Oklahoma State. : KU opened the game on a 25-8 run in which five Jayhawks scored. Brandon Rush had 10 in that surge. : Rush set career highs in free throws made (nine) and attempted (10). His nine made free throws and 10 attempts in the first half were most in one half by a Jayhawk since Wayne Simien hit 11 of 11 against Colorado in 2005. : Mario Chalmers tied a career high with six steals. : KU’s 30-point victory margin was its largest in the series against OSU since a 104-72 win on Feb. 2, 1997. It was the largest margin of victory over a top-10 foe since a
33-point win over Marquette on April 5, 2003. : KU has won 16 straight conference openers; the last loss was to Oklahoma on Jan. 8, 1991.
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Sean is doing well: Self is not surprised Sean Sutton is off to a 15-2 start in his first year at Oklahoma State.
“He had an opportunity last year to begin the stages of making it his team,” Self said of Sean, who took over for his dad, Eddie, late in the campaign after Eddie took a leave of absence prior to his official retirement.
“That may have been a blessing in disguise as far as the transition. It seems to me they played better late last year and got confidence from that. They picked up where they left off last year at a much higher level. Usually when you have an outsider such as me (coming to KU) a few years ago or Mike (Anderson, Missouri) or Bob (Huggins, Kansas State) coming in, there may be a faction of guys that may fight it a bit. There’s no fighting it there (at OSU). They already knew it.”
Self actually coached Sutton when he was an assistant to Eddie Sutton at OSU.
“He was very smart beyond his years, playing with unbelievable feel for the game,” Self said. “He’s tough, competitive, understands the game, has a great offensive mind.”
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In the house: Travis Releford, a high school junior from Roeland Park Miege, attended, as did Xavier Henry, a sophomore guard from Putnam City, Okla. The Jayhawks are recruiting both players, who attended on unofficial visits.
Former Kansas University walk-on guard Scott Novosel, who has lived in Tokyo the last seven years, attended, as did former KU guard Nick Bradford, who plays professional basketball in France. Novosel is front man of Jai Live, a band that fuses rock ‘n’ roll and rap genres. The band’s first album is due out this spring.
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Signee, recruit in house: Travis Releford, a junior guard from Roeland Park Miege who is considering KU, Duke, North Carolina and others, attended and sat behind KU’s bench with KU signee Tyrel Reed of Burlington.
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Home for holidays: The Jayhawks broke for the Christmas holiday after the game. The only Jayhawk to remain in town is Darrell Arthur, who elected not to make the trip back to New York.
Sasha Kaun, who hails from Russia, will be visiting friends in upstate New York for Christmas. Sherron Collins had a flight to Chicago on Saturday night, while fellow Chicagoan Julian Wright drove back with his relatives. Darrell Arthur drove to Dallas with his former AAU coach, Jazzy Hartwell.
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Block artist: B.C. junior Sean Williams fell three blocks short of recording the second triple-double against KU in history.
He had 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven rejections. Magic Johnson of Michigan State scored 12 points, with 11 assists and 10 rebounds, in 1979 in East Lansing, Mich.
Williams’ seven blocks were most by a KU opponent since Duke’s Shane Battier had eight blocks on March 19, 2000. His five first-half blocks were most since Missouri’s Travon Bryant recorded five in the first half on Feb. 2, 2004.
Williams, who hit seven of 12 shots, impressed the Jayhawks.
“He’s the best shot-blocker I have ever seen. He comes from nowhere and gets you,” Robinson said.
Brandon Rush added: “He was laying back and waiting on the person to shoot. He would try to block every one. He’d just wait for you to shoot so he could block it. He was ballin’.”
Rush said Williams, whose 15 boards were most by a KU foe since Iowa State’s Jackson Vroman grabbed 19 on Feb. 21, 2004, also talked a good game.
In pre-game warmups, Rush said Williams rubbed his hands together over and over, implying the Eagles would feast on the Jayhawks.
“He turned around and said, ‘You ain’t bleep,”‘ Rush said with a smile. “Williams talked the whole game.”
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Brady plays one minute: Brady Morningstar entered in the first half after Rush had picked up his second foul with KU up, 16-10. Morningstar guarded senior Jared Dudley, who scored an immediate inside bucket as B.C. went on a 6-0 run.
“They were playing a matchup zone, and Brandon had two fouls. Do we want to play against the zone big or have a shooter in there? I decided to put in another shooter,” KU coach Bill Self said of Morningstar. “He was only in a minute. They were going to post (Jared) Dudley against him. It’s tough for him (Morningstar) to do.”
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Collins’ minutes down: Collins, who took a shot to the face early in the game, played just nine minutes, four the second half. He wasn’t hurt. It was a coach’s decision.
“I wanted to play Sherron. I didn’t think he was playing as well as some other guys at the time,” Self said. “The game was so slow the second half with us playing zone, not too many guys get tired and ask to come out.”
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Stats, facts: KU is 10-2 for the third time in four seasons and sixth time in eight years . : Mario Chalmers set season highs with 22 points and 15 field-goal attempts. His 22 points were one shy of his career high of 23 set on Feb. 11, 2006 versus Iowa State. : Julian Wright‘s 13 field-goal attempts were a season high, and his four assists and three steals tied season highs. Wright had his second career double-double with 13 points, 12 boards. : KU has held 17 straight foes to under 50 percent shooting and 48 of its last 50. : Rush and Wright both missed dunk tries, as did B.C.’s Sean Marshall.
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Fans miffed: CBS’ Kansas City affiliate cut away from the game with just over a minute left, angering KU viewers who missed late dunks by Darnell Jackson and Wright.
¢ Boston College is located in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Enrollment is 14,500. Nickname is Eagles. Colors are Maroon and Gold. The school competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
¢ Boston College leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Eagles won, 78-62, in the first round of the 1969 postseason NIT. Sophomore guard Jim O’Brien led B.C. with 24 points while senior forward Terry Driscoll contributed 21. KU was led by Richard Bradshaw, who had 19 points.
¢ Boston College is 5-1 versus the Big 12. B.C. is 3-0 versus Iowa State, 1-0 against Oklahoma State and 0-1 against Texas.
¢ Boston College has lost to Vermont and at Providence and defeated New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Michigan State, UMass, Fairfield, Maryland and Sacred Heart. The Eagles have won six in a row.
¢ Al Skinner is in his 19th season as a head coach, 10th at Boston College. He is 182-110 at B.C. with six straight postseason tourney berths.
¢ Boston College’s five starters average 63.4 points a game, while the team averages 77.4.
¢ Boston College was picked third in the 2005-06 ACC preseason media poll. North Carolina and Duke were tapped 1-2.
¢ Sean Williams has blocked 38 shots in seven games. His 12 blocks at Providence set a school single-game record and was two shy of an NCAA single-game mark set by David Robinson (Navy), Shawn Bradley (BYU), Roy Rogers (Alabama) and Loren Woods (Arizona).
Russell Robinson, who was hammered twice on intentional fouls, left the game for a spell the second half as a trainer and team doctor tended to a cut lip.
Robinson needed no stitches to close the gash.
“It wasn’t deep enough,” Robinson said, noting he had no hard feelings against the Rams. “I just felt they were trying to make the hard play. It’s just hard competition in a basketball game.”
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Ouch: Sherron Collins, who had 11 points, including three treys, banged knees with a Winston-Salem State player in the second half.
“It got stiff on me a minute, but it’s OK,” said Collins, who said he’d been working extra hard on cardiovascular work of late and may have dropped a few pounds. “I feel I’m in pretty good shape.”
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Kaun feeling better: Sasha Kaun, who missed three games because of a knee injury, missed a couple of practices last week because of a sprained ankle.
“I’m glad that (ankle) healed quickly,” he said. “I still get a little sore, but I’m working through it.”
He made his first start of the season, with Darrell Arthur coming off the bench but starting the second half for the second straight game.
“Whatever coach thinks is best,” Kaun said.
“I’m not sure what I like yet,” KU coach Bill Self said of Arthur starting or coming off the bench. “I like Darrell when he’s out there. Starting Sasha takes some pressure off him.”
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Case, Morningstar shine: Jeremy Case had eight points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. He hit two of three threes. Brady Morningstar had four points and three assists in 11 minutes.
“I thought Jeremy and Brady really brought something to the table,” Self said. “It’s good to get those guys’ confidence up.”
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This, that: The rout tied for the biggest margin of victory in the Self era. KU also beat Dartmouth by 51 points this season. : Assistant Tim Jankovich did not attend the game. He was out of town on a recruiting trip.
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Guarantee game: Winston-Salem State received $65,000 guarantee money for playing the game. The game was the last game added to KU’s slate, in September. WSSU plays six games at home and 23 on the road as it completes the transition to Div. I.
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Peterson planning visit: Jamine “Greedy” Peterson, a 6-6, 210-pound senior forward from Notre Dame Prep School, plans to take an official recruiting visit to KU this season.
Peterson, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., tells Rivals.com he also will make official trips to Illinois, Rutgers, Providence and Cincinnati. Maryland, St. John’s, and Miami of Florida are also on his list.
Peterson, who is Rivals.com’s No. 117-rated player in the Class of 2007, averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds during his junior seasons at Boys & Girls High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. He’s currently averaging 27.1 points a game at Notre Dame Prep, located in Massachusetts.
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Jones likes KU: Verdell Jones, a 6-4 junior from Central High in Champaign, Ill., tells Copley News Service he favors KU, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Florida over DePaul, Xavier and Southern Illinois.
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Legendary coach: Basketball Hall of Famer Clarence “Big House” Gaines won 828 games against 447 losses in 47 seasons at Winston-Salem State.
Gaines, who died on April 18, 2005, at the age of 81, is fifth on the all-time coaching win list behind Dean Smith, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp and Jim Phelan.
“He was a class guy, and everybody in the coaching profession thought the world of him and the job he did,” Self said. “He was there a long, long time. Now they are going through a transition (to NCAA Div. I basketball), and they are off to a rough start. They’ve got one of the toughest schedules in the country (just six home games all year).”
¢ Winston-Salem State is located in Winston-Salem, N.C. Enrollment is 5,557. Colors are Red and White. Nickname is Rams. The team plays at the 3,200-seat C.E. Gaines Center.
¢ This is the first meeting between the schools.
¢ First-year coach Bobby Collins is 66-70 in five years as a head coach. He led Hampton to a MEAC championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament last season.
¢ Barring a great finish, this will mark WSSU’s first losing season since 1995-96 when the squad went 7-18.
¢ Winston-Salem State opened the season with three losses at a tournament in Fresno, Calif.: to Fresno State (85-63), UC Irvine (53-41) and South Alabama (76-58). Other losses have been to Auburn (95-62), Georgia State (94-87), Coppin State (81-56), Georgia Southern twice (70-41 and 59-49), Lipscomb (62-46), Notre Dame (90-45), South Florida (63-43), Akron (79-67) and Georgetown (76-32).
¢ Tonight’s game is the third on a current seven-game road trip.
¢ WSSU has made just 34.2 percent of its floor shots and 27.9 percent of threes.
¢ WSSU will play a full slate in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference next season but not be eligible for the NCAA Tournament until 2010-11.
¢ WSSU has 49 winning seasons throughout history, including 23 20-win seasons and a 30-win season in 1967 when it won the NCAA Div. II title at 31-1.
¢ “Big House” Gaines is fifth on the all-time coaching win list behind Dean Smith, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp and Jim Phelan.
¢ Winston-Salem State last beat a ranked team on Feb. 11, 2006 in Charlotte, N.C. The Rams stopped Johnson C. Smith of NCAA Div. II, 81-57.
The crowd was announced as 16,488 in a building that seats 17,818 for basketball.
It was a mostly silent throng. One of the loudest cheers was mock applause when Mario Chalmers swished a free throw with 28 seconds left, a charity that followed a stretch in which Kansas University banged six of nine off the rim.
“The crowd was dead, but I don’t blame the crowd. Gosh almighty. Based on what I saw, heck, I can understand that,” KU coach Bill Self said.
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Block party: Led by Brandon Rush and Sasha Kaun, who had career-bests four blocks apiece, KU totaled a school-record 15 blocked shots. The old mark was 14 against Iowa State on Feb. 7, 1996.
KU had eight blocks in the second half, the most in a half since eight against Texas Tech on March 9, 2002, also in Kemper Arena.
Despite all the swats, KU was outrebounded, 37-35.
“Sometimes rebounding stats can be a little misleading,” Self said. “They got six offensive rebounds that went out of bounds. If you break it down : our big guys combined for two offensive rebounds, which is absolutely bad.”
Rush said: “They shot a lot of threes, so there were some long rebounds. They were quicker than us to the defensive rebounds. : We contested every shot and we had 15 blocks, so I think we did some good things on defense.”
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Role reversal: Junior Darnell Jackson (seven points, four boards, 15 minutes) started in place of Darrell Arthur (nine points, four boards, three blocks, 22 minutes).
Arthur had started the last seven games. Jackson, who started the first two games, had come off the bench the last seven.
“He (Arthur) came to me and asked if he could not start. We talked about it two weeks ago. I said, ‘No, you are going to start,”‘ Self explained.
“This past week he said, ‘Coach I feel better coming off the bench. I like it better.’ I said, ‘We’ll try it.”‘
Asked what Arthur liked better about coming off the bench, Self said: “Not having two fouls at the first TV timeout. I’d say that would be the biggest thing.”
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Minutes down: Chalmers, who had two quick fouls, played just eight minutes the first half.
“He got two, and we actually played better when we went to the bench. I wasn’t going to put him in with five minutes left,” Self said.
Julian Wright played 21 minutes, just six the second half. Kaun logged 22 minutes, 11 the final half.
“Sasha was obviously better for us in the game from a size standpoint, getting a couple of easy baskets than Julian probably would have been,” Self said. “I told Julian that after the game. Julian’s advantage playing against big guys is to outquick them. Tonight we knew that wouldn’t be the case.”
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Crane High fares well: Chicago’s Crane High was well represented Saturday at Kemper Arena.
Toledo senior forward Florentino Valencia scored 11 points and had six rebounds in 32 minutes, and sophomore Tyrone Kent two points, four rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes.
Sherron Collins, KU’s freshman guard out of Crane, had five points, four assists, six turnovers and two rebounds in 19 minutes.
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This, that: KU has 37 blocks in its last four games to opponents’ three. : KU finished 80-24 all-time at Kemper. : KU had a season-low eight offensive boards.
Practices have been mediocre to sub-par at Kansas University this season, and Bill Self knows why.
“A lot is leadership. There’s a void of leadership,” Self, Kansas University’s coach, said after the Jayhawks’ 72-62 victory over USC on Monday. “Until we step up and have one guy take charge, it’ll be hit and miss. I can’t do it. Our staff can’t do it.”
There is an obvious candidate for team leader: Russell Robinson.
“It’s got to be Russell. He is the only candidate now,” Self said, indicating Julian Wright also was “trying.”
“Russell has the internal toughness he needs to do it. He hasn’t done it. Tonight it was like he was on an island trying to survive. He’s the best candidate,” Self said.
Self said Robinson, who had five points, eight assists and five turnovers, “is not a quarterback yet, barking out instructions, making sure everybody is matched up after substitutions. Our guys are yearning for it, wanting it. To me Russell is Mr. Intangible.”
Robinson admits leading is difficult.
“Every team I’ve been on the main focus is everybody holding their own, doing what they need to do,” Robinson said. “I’ve got to figure it out. Hopefully I will soon.”
He said he planned to meet with Self.
“I’ve got to talk to him and see exactly what he wants me to do,” Robinson said. “I’m trying.”
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Turnover trouble: USC’s Taj Gibson had 11 turnovers. “That’s imposs…,” Brandon Rush said, stopping himself from saying the word impossible. “If I had 10, I’d say don’t pass me the ball any more.”
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Twin talk: Rodrick Stewart, the brother of USC’s leading scorer in the game, Lodrick, had an assist in three minutes, all in the first half. Lodrick had 23 points in 31 minutes.
“I thought Lod played great,” Self said. “I thought Rod played good when he was in there. I wish he would have played : I should have played Rodrick more.”
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Twin talk II: Rush was asked if he could tell the difference between the Stewart twins.
“He has a fatter face,” Rush said of Lodrick. “His cheeks are fatter.”
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Bull session: Bull Stewart, the father of the Stewart twins, sat in the front row behind the Trojans’ bench wearing a white sweatshirt with USC’s logo on the left side of his shirt, KU’s logo on the right.
He was joined by the Stewarts’ high school coach, Mike Bethea of Rainier Beach High, as well as 14 other friends and family members.
“I just wanted to see a good game, and it’s a good game,” Bull Stewart, a former U.S. powerlifting champ who owns his own gym in Seattle, said at halftime.
“I’m proud of both of them. Lodrick had a good half (12 points). Rodrick came in and looked relaxed, confident out there. I wish he’d have played more, but that’s cool.”
“My twin sons, Hikeem and Kadeem, keep texting me. They’ve been texting me the whole game, saying how excited they are,” Bull said of his second set of twin sons, who are in the eighth grade back in Seattle and will attend Rainier Beach High next year.
Has Self offered the up-and-coming twins a scholarship?
“I’d probably need to play Rod a little more to do that,” Self cracked.
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Rankings: Ranked 10th in the country, Wichita State is ahead of No. 12 KU in the AP poll for the first time since Dec. 6, 1983. At that time, the Shockers were ranked No. 14; KU was unranked. Monday marked the first time since March 27, 1988, that an in state-school was ahead of KU in the poll. K-State took a No. 20 ranking into an NCAA regional final contest against the unranked Jayhawks in Detroit.
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Pruitt to be back soon: USC will receive a boost when one of its top players, 6-4 junior guard Gabe Pruitt, becomes academically eligible. Pruitt was first-team all-Pac 10 a year ago.
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Mayo to face KU next year: KU will return the game to Los Angeles next year and compete against blue-chip prep guard O.J. Mayo, who signed with coach Tim Floyd’s Trojans program in November. Mayo is a shooting guard from Cincinnati.
¢ USC is located in Los Angeles. Enrollment is 33,000 with 17,000 undergrads. Nickname is Trojans. Colors are Cardinal and Gold.
¢ KU leads the all-time series, 7-5. The Jayhawks won the last meeting, 107-78, on Dec. 12, 1998. KU has won three straight in the series.
¢ USC freshman Dwight Lewis at one time committed to KU, but changed his mind and reopened his recruiting, eventually picking Southern Cal. KU’s coaches had challenged him to pick up his play during AAU ball prior to the decommitment on Aug. 8, 2005. Lewis played his senior season at James Taylor High in Katy, Tex., after being uprooted by hurricane Katrina. He hails from Metairie, La. He’s averaging 6.7 points in 21.7 minutes per contest his freshman season.
¢ USC lost its opener to South Carolina, 80-74, in OT on Nov. 16, in Los Angeles. Since then the Trojans have beaten St. Mary’s (69-63), The Citadel (74-58) Long Beach State (79-61), Mississippi Valley State (63-39) and Loyola Marymount (67-50).
¢ Tim Floyd is 263-144 in 14 seasons as a college head coach at Idaho, New Orleans, Iowa State and USC.
¢ USC was picked to finish sixth in the Pac-10. UCLA was tapped first.
¢ USC has a great one coming into the program next year. O.J. Mayo, the country’s No. 1-rated recruit out of Cincinnati, signed with USC on Nov. 15.
¢ USC has established a Ryan Francis Endowment Scholarship. Francis, an honorable-mention selection to the Pac-10 all-freshman team last year, was shot and killed on May 14 while in his hometown of Baton Rouge, La., visiting his mother.
Kansas University sophomore Mario Chalmers, who had 15 points and two assists against three turnovers in 34 minutes, played with his right hand taped. He has a severe blister on the palm of his shooting hand. : Darrell Arthur fell hard in the first half and banged his head on the floor, but was able to continue playing after a short stay on the bench.
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Rotation cut: KU coach Bill Self used just eight players.
“We didn’t use Rod (Stewart). Maybe we should have. I didn’t feel from a fatigue standpoint it was ever a factor,” Self said.
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Windy City lover despite loss: Self, who formerly coached at the University of Illinois, was asked if he’d return to play again in Chicago.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We play DePaul next year (in Allen Fieldhouse). Who knows if we’ll extend the series? We want to recruit here. If you are fortunate enough to get a player from the area, you want to at least give them an opportunity to go home.”
Julian Wright and Sherron Collins hail from Chicago.
“It was probably too soon for Sherron (five points, five rebounds, two assists in 14 minutes), but a pretty good thing for Julian (12 points, five rebounds),” Self said, indicating both players were nervous.
“They both were tight, yeah. Julian played better after the first five or six minutes. Sherron did fine. He usually is a great layup shooter. He missed two or three bunnies.”
Self added: “I love Chicago. I have since I was in Champaign. I know there’s a lot of people who love me up here,” he quipped of Illini fans miffed at him for leaving U of I after three seasons. “Certainly what happened (Saturday) will not be a determining factor if we come back or not. We’ll do what is best for our team.”
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Meyer’s memory honored: Members from 34 of Ray Meyer’s 42 DePaul teams were on hand Saturday for “Ray Meyer Day” festivities. Ceremonies were held before the game and at halftime to celebrate the man who won 724 games at the school.
Three of Meyer’s children presented the game ball. A video was shown at halftime honoring “The Coach” who died on March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – at age 92.
Fans attending the game received a Meyer basketball card with the caption, “A Celebration of Coach: December 2, 2006.”
“He’s always going to be up there,” Meyer’s son, Joey, coach of the NBADL’s Tulsa 66ers, told the Arlington Heights Daily Herald. Joey played for Ray at DePaul and succeeded his dad as Blue Demons coach in 1984. “He’s not going to be forgotten. I can guarantee you that.”
Athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said the school wanted to have the celebration in December in honor of Meyer’s birthday (Dec. 18).
Self remembers meeting with Meyer on several occasions, including Big Ten postseason tournaments held at Chicago’s United Center during Self’s three years at Illinois.
“He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word,” Self said.
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Heavyweight bout: DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright, whose team had been idle since the Maui Invitational 10 days ago, prepared heavily for the KU game.
“When you play a heavyweight,” Wainwright said, “you have to have respect for their knockout power.”
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Celebration: A few students swarmed the court after the game. The Demons’ Wesley Green hopped on the back of Marcus Heard and received a ride through the tunnel after a brief celebration.
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Stats, facts: There appeared to be at least 5,000 KU fans in a crowd of 16,922. : For the second straight game, Kansas held its opponent to just six field goals in the first half. : KU’s 12 rebounds in the first half were the fewest since also pulling down 12 in the opening stanza last year at Texas A&M (Jan. 25, 2006). : It was the first loss of the year against five wins with a lineup of Arthur, Chalmers, Russell Robinson, Rush and Wright. : KU’s two losses have both been by seven points. : DePaul shot 26 free throws to Kansas’ 14 to mark the first time this season an opponent has shot more free throws than KU. : Freshman Collins had a career-high five rebounds.
Kansas University radio play-by-play announcer Bob Davis, who worked the KU-Missouri football game on Saturday morning/afternoon in Columbia, Mo., arrived at Orleans Arena two hours before tipoff for the KU-Florida basketball game.
“Ask me after the game,” Davis said good-naturedly, asked if he was tired after a 3-hour, 15-minute flight on the university jet with athletic director Lew Perkins, former KU color commentator Max Falkenstien and Larry Hare, assistant AD/equipment operations.
“I wanted to do it,” Davis said of working the KU doubleheader. “Lew made it happen.”
Davis has worked KU football and basketball games on the same day before, but the games were played in Lawrence. However, he has made several similarly grueling trips during baseball season. Davis also is play-by-play man of the Kansas City Royals.
“We’ve done football Saturday night and a baseball game the next day – Dallas one night and Tampa Bay the next day,” he said.
Perkins said the day started at 7:30 a.m., when the university plane took off from Lawrence for Columbia.
“I thought it was important for football and wanted to come here and see this game,” Perkins said, well aware the football game had bowl implications.
Perkins said it was a waiting game to see if KU would reach a bowl game at 6-6.
“We know nothing more now than we did before the game, just wait and see,” Perkins said.
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Ref’s brother works at UConn: One of the three refs for Saturday’s KU-Florida game was Duke Edsall, brother of Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall. KU’s Perkins hired Edsall when Perkins was AD at UConn. The crew was an Atlantic Coast Conference crew. KU plays in the Big 12 and Florida in the SEC.
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Exempt tourney lineup unsettled: Like most powerhouse programs, KU plans to play in an exempt tournament every year, since the courts overturned an NCAA rule that limited teams to playing in two tourneys every four years.
KU was to have played in the Preseason NIT next season, but has backed out because of a new tournament format in which teams play two games at neutral sites, not campus sites.
Kansas could reconsider if the NIT returns to the old format where the Jayhawks would play two home games with semis and finals in New York.
Attendance was not strong at the neutral sites this year.
In 2008, KU will compete in the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Mo. The format features two home games and two at Kansas City’s Sprint Center.
KU has not yet signed a contract to return to the Maui Invitational in 2009.
“We are eligible to go back to Maui (in ’09),” KU senior associate AD Larry Keating said. “What tends to happen is, it tends to be many of the same teams every four years. For example, Arizona is going back in ’09. We’ve got some things we’re looking at.”
KU will play at Georgia Tech, Boston College and Southern California next season.
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Tough love: Florida coach Billy Donovan isn’t afraid to bench some of the star-studded players who led the Gators to a national title last season.
Tuesday, junior power forward Joakim Noah was banished off the court for the last 12 minutes of the first half of the Gators’ 94-33 Las Vegas Invitational victory over Prairie View.
“I thought I was playing hard, but I wasn’t,” said Noah, the son of former tennis great Yannick Noah. “I was ready to go back in the game, but he (Donovan) said no. I said I was ready, but he said, ‘You should have been ready from the opening tip.’ He was right.
“I love coach Donovan. He’s such a genuine person, and he keeps it real for me.”
Noah responded to his extended time on the bench by finishing with 19 points against Prairie View.
Noah told the Las Vegas Review Journal that winning a national title was all it is cracked up to be.
“It has been an amazing experience,” he said. “To have impacted so many people’s lives, to have brought so much joy to our campus and community, it has been wonderful.”
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Gator aura: Florida coach Donovan says people who deem his team invincible forget last year’s performance in the SEC regular season. The Gators went 10-6.
“We have created an aura that we are an unbelievable team,” he said. “Our guys are grounded in who they are. They realize a year ago we weren’t ranked, went 10-6 in the league. We won six games (in NCAAs), but they realize where we came from and how we still have a lot of work to do.”
The Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association expect former Kansas University forward C.J. Giles to join the pro team this week, according to the Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic.
The Sun Kings’ coach said Giles was back in his hometown of Seattle preparing to join the Kings’ preseason camp.
KU assistant Kurtis Townsend, who was instrumental in Giles’ recruitment, said he talked to Giles on Friday. Giles indicated he had not yet decided whether to report to the CBA team or an NBA Developmental League team, perhaps one in Oklahoma.
“You do what you feel is best, and he feels this is his best chance (to get to the NBA),” Townsend said.
Giles has moved out of Lawrence, Townsend indicated. He was kicked off the team earlier this month after he was cited by police for battering a female KU student. He was given a notice to appear in court Dec. 6 for the battery charge and has a Jan. 8 court date for failure to pay child support to the mother of his son.
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Only in Vegas: It was legal for gamblers to bet on Friday’s game, in which the Jayhawks were 20-point favorites over Ball State.
KU’s Sherron Collins dribbled out the clock on the final possession, prompting several fans to wave their hands wildly, wanting a final bucket, apparently to break even on their bets.
KU won the game by 18, thus bettors who took the Jayhawks lost.
“Score,” one fan screamed behind the press table. “I bet $20 on KU to win!”
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Lots of KU fans in house: KU had at least 5,000 of the fans out of the announced crowd of 8,400. The arena holds 8,500.
“There are a lot of KU people here,” KU coach Bill Self said, admitting, “If we play like we are capable of, the crowd could become a factor (in tonight’s 10 p.m. game against Florida). I don’t think Florida will be rattled by 5,000 Jayhawk fans, not what they accomplished last year.”
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Energy: KU figures to play more inspired basketball tonight than it did against Ball State. “The whole team will come out sky-high, with a lot of energy and all ¢
Good D: One strong point in Friday’s win was defense. Ball State hit 34 percent of its shots and two of 15 threes.
“Nah, it wasn’t great defense. It was probably average defense,” Self said.
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Fun in Vegas: “We were able to see that magic show (Penn and Teller),” KU freshman Sherron Collins said. “Other than that, we’ve been spending time in guys’ rooms focusing on the tournament.”
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Milt on hand: Ex-Jayhawk Milt Newton, player personnel director of the Washington Wizards, attended. He was besieged for autograph requests by KU fans at halftime of Friday’s game.
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Kaun scores two: Sasha Kaun had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting with three rebounds. He played nine minutes for the second straight game since returning from a knee injury.
“I think we have a better chance against Florida with Sasha in there than if he wasn’t. He’s practiced just three times (since returning from injury). It’s new and he’s not yet in shape,” Self said. KU’s bench had just 12 points against Ball State.
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Rough play: Tempers flared a bit Friday. KU’s Mario Chalmers and Ball State’s Jalon Perryman barked at each other. Darnell Jackson and Micha Rollin also had words.
The Jayhawks wore red uniforms for the first time since a loss at Villanova on Jan. 22, 2005. KU is 5-1 in red uniforms under Bill Self. Prior to Self becoming coach, the previous time KU wore red was in the 1986 Final Four under coach Larry Brown.
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Board work: Brandon Rush grabbed 10 rebounds to go with his 14 points in 23 minutes. His career high is 12 boards.
“The ball pretty much fell in my hands, so I had no choice but to go up there and grab it,” Rush said. “I made a couple of good block-outs. Coach has been stressing good block-outs.”
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Itinerary: The Jayhawks will practice today in Allen Fieldhouse, then head to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Invitational.
The players, who will attend a show on the famed Vegas strip tonight, will have a 10 p.m. curfew in Glitter City, Self indicated. He will have the players practice twice on Thanksgiving, with two Thanksgiving meals – “a lunch and a dinner,” Self said.
“The coaches’ (curfew) is a little later than that. It will be the same as the scribes,” he quipped. “It is a business trip,” he added in a serious tone.
The team will not stay in a casino, but in a hotel off the strip.
“We are at a non-gaming hotel,” Self indicated of the Marriott Renaissance.
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Ball State, then Florida: KU will play 2-1 Ball State – a 70-55 loser to Tennessee Chattanooga in Muncie, Ind., Friday night; then 5-0 defending national champion Florida on Saturday.
“It’s tough not to look past them, still we’ve got to play Ball State tough,” Rush said. “I think everybody is looking forward to playing Florida. I’ve been thinking about it ever since they won the national championship and I heard they were on the schedule. They have a good team; Ball State does too.”
KU soph Julian Wright proved to be a team leader of sorts, cutting short questions about Florida by grabbing the microphone from Rush in the interview room to the laughter of Rush and media in attendance.
“Every game is a stepping stone. Coach told us we’ve got to focus on Ball State,” Wright said.
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He’s a leader: Self liked Sasha Kaun’s return for many reasons. One that might come as a surprise is the player’s ability to lead.
“We’ve been talking about leaders. That may be the guy. He has changed the excitement of our team in the locker room just being there,” Self said. “He is pretty vocal. Of course he speaks Russian. I think he definitely speaks Russian when he’s upset with me.”
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Happy for J.R.: Russell Robinson said he was happy for former teammate J.R. Giddens, who scored 21 points with 10 rebounds in New Mexico’s victory over Kansas State on Tuesday night. Robinson said he still text-messages Giddens.
“Me and J.R. talk, e-mail, text,” Robinson said. “He’s one of the main reasons I came to Kansas. He made me feel so welcome on my visit. I wish him luck. I don’t agree with everything he does, but he’s a good kid.”
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McLendon’s school: KU graduate John McLendon coached Tennessee State to three consecutive NAIA championships (1957-59). At that time, the school was known as Tennessee A&I. He was the first African-American coach to win three straight national titles.
McLendon, who is from Hiawatha, is a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Brandon Rush, who was named to the Associated Press’ Preseason All-America team Tuesday afternoon, didn’t play very well the first half Tuesday night.
“I didn’t know about it (AP honor) at all. I found out at halftime. Coach (Bill Self) told the whole team. He said it’s the reason I played the way I played the first half. At halftime, coach was throwing a fit. He just put on the board ‘press clippings,’ and thought I knew about it….He kicked the board, it was just regular him. Regular Self.
“Coach said it’s the reason I played so bad the first half. I told him I hadn’t heard about it, (but) I played terrible,” Rush added.
Self said Rush, who had seven points and three turnovers the first half (he finished with 12 points and six boards), had a bad half because “he’s human.”
As far as Rush not knowing he was named All-American, Self believes that is the case.
“Yes, because he’s still got his all-Big 12 trophy up in our office. He doesn’t care about that stuff,” Self said. “He cares about the team. To me, he didn’t prepare to play like he normally would.”
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Bumps, bruises: Mario Chalmers, who sprained a toe on his left foot in last Thursday’s game against Washburn, sat out Tuesday’s game.
He could have played had it been an important regular-season game, Self indicated.
“We thought he’d be back practicing. He tried a couple of times, but he’s not moving well,” Self said. “We decided to shut him down a couple of days. If he had to play tonight, he could have. There was no reason. We think he could be fine Thursday, full speed for sure Friday and ready Saturday (for the season opener against Northern Arizona).”
Jeremy Case, who has a pulled groin, is doubtful for the opener. He could be back for Game Two against Oral Roberts on Nov. 15.
As far as Sasha Kaun (knee injury): “He’s getting better, on the accelerated path. It’s been a week and a half. Hopefully with him it’ll be closer to three weeks than six.”
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Wright doubles up: Julian Wright, who received preseason All-America votes and thus was named honorable mention, had 14 rebounds and 10 points, with five assists, three blocks and two steals in 26 minutes.
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Happy birthday: Darnell Jackson celebrated his 21st birthday. “I’m getting old. I think I’m going to grow a beard now,” he said. “It’s been a great birthday.”
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This, that: KU has won 26 straight exhibition games and is 11-0 under Self. : KU outrebounded the Hornets, 52-34. : ESU went 10:58 the second half without a field goal. KU in that stretch went on a 27-2 run. : KU had six players in double figures. : Rodrick Stewart had six points and two boards in 16 minutes. He made one of four shots and four of eight free throws. He did a good job defensively on ESU guard DeAndre Townsend the second half. : Matt Kleinmann, who entered early in the first half, had four points and three boards in 12 minutes.
The Jayhawks planned to fly back to Topeka at 10 a.m. today. There was no scheduled time of arrival in Lawrence, but it figures to perhaps be in the vicinity of 1 p.m.
NW State beat Cowboys, too: Northwestern State, the No. 14-seed that shocked No. 3-seed Iowa, 64-63, on a Jermaine Wallace three from the corner with one second to play Friday in the day’s first game at The Palace of Auburn Hills, is the same team that won at Oklahoma State, 68-64, Dec. 5 in Stillwater, Okla.
“I’m not ashamed to lose to those guys. That’s a good team, an NCAA Tournament team,” OSU coach Eddie Sutton said at the time.
Northwestern State also lost at Wichita State, 57-55 on Dec. 3; lost at Missouri, 81-72, on Nov. 20; lost at Texas A&M, 73-61, on Dec. 31 in College Station and fell to Iowa State, 81-77, in overtime on Dec. 22 in Hawaii.
KU will play Northwestern State in football on Sept. 2 at Memorial Stadium.
“I’ve known about them. They have a good program, but we’ve not talked to them about scheduling a (basketball) game ,” KU senior associate AD Larry Keating said. “Bill Raftery (CBS announcer) told me yesterday they were really athletic, and he was impressed with them.”
Deja vu?: Prior to Friday, the last time a No. 3 seed beat a No. 14 was a year ago when Bucknell stunned Kansas by the exact same, 64-63, score. : Iowa coach Steve Alford also lost a No. 3-14 matchup as a player at Indiana. The Hoosiers fell to Cleveland State, 83-78, in the 1986 NCAAs in Syracuse, N.Y.
Job status of Alford: Alford, who is rumored to be Mike Davis’ replacement at Indiana, was asked flat-out if he’d be Iowa’s coach next season.
He did not give a direct answer.
“It’s two minutes after the game. My focus and energy haven’t changed,” he said, indicating his only concern at this time is returning to Iowa City as soon as possible helping his five seniors get over such a crushing loss.
Wrapping up: Three seniors – Jeff Hawkins, Christian Moody and Stephen Vinson – played their final game Friday.
And, while most of KU’s locker room was without much expression, Moody had puffy eyes near the end of interviews, speaking about the KU jersey he had grown to love each time he put it on.
“This is going to be hard,” Moody said, “to take off.”
Hawkins, in five seasons (including a 2001-02 redshirt) was a part of two Final Fours, an Elite Eight and two teams which bowed out in the first round.
Not much difference: Self was asked at the podium about another KU first – the first time KU has lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons.
“I get sick and tired of the firsts,” Self said. “:When you play good teams, anything can happen. When you’re not a 1- or 2-seed, the difference in the teams is minimal.”
Self said his young players might have felt the heat of expectations.
“No matter how much you talk about it,” Self said, “the pressure does seem to rest on the higher-seeded teams.”
This and that: Before these back-to-back, first-round losses in the tournament, Kansas had won 21 consecutive first-round games. KU is 29-6 in first-round games. … The 10-point halftime deficit was the largest for KU this season and it was the ninth time it has trailed at halftime. … Bradley shot 16 percent (9 for 56) from three-point territory in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and 11-for-21 in the first-round victory over KU. Bradley senior Marcellus Sommerville made a career high five three-pointers in nine attempts. : Mario Chalmers fouled out for the first time in his career. Chalmers, with 15 points, all in the second half, gave him 379 for the year, sixth best in KU history for a freshman. : Brandon Rush played the second-most minutes by a freshman all-time for KU with 1,047. Danny Manning played 1,120 minutes as a freshman.
¢ Doctors will remove the seven stitches over Kansas University sophomore Russell Robinson’s right eye Monday, but that doesn’t mean his bandage will disappear.
“The ladies like it. Everybody likes it, but we’re just playing good when I have it on,” Robinson quipped.
¢ NBA talk: Now on the national stage, KU freshman Brandon Rush was asked when he’d decide whether to return to KU another year or head to the NBA.
“I’ll decide right after the tournament,” he said.
He said his mom had told him she wanted him to return to KU.
“I’ll listen to my mom and my brother,” he said of NBA player Kareem, who played at Missouri three years.
Rush was asked what he thought about Iowa State’s Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock declaring for the draft.
“I think it’s kind of silly,” he said. “They had a losing season. They’ve got one more year. Stinson is real good, one of the top scorers in the league, but you’ve got to win (first).”
KU coach Bill Self said: “I wasn’t surprised. I was surprised it happened so quickly after the season. We wish them the best. I hope they both leave their options open to come back if not projected where they should be.”
¢ Langford to sign 10 day?: Speaking to the Journal-World on Thursday at the Palace, Self was asked about reports ex-Jayhawk Keith Langford would be signing a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat.
“That would be cool if he was called up. That really would be cool if Keith gets to play in the NBA soon,” Self said.
¢ No chemistry woes: KU senior Jeff Hawkins thinks this team can advance, unlike last year’s, which fell to Bucknell in Round One.
“When I think about this team, everybody wants to help each other. Last year we had a lot of distractions with chemistry and a couple of players on the team,” Hawkins said, not naming the players.
It has been speculated Langford and J.R. Giddens did not mesh a year ago.
¢ Knee woes: Freshman center Matt Kleinmann was asked if he’d been simulating the play of 7-footer Patrick O’Bryant at practice.
“No, because my right knee has been bothering me,” said Kleinmann, who was wearing a brace Thursday. Ex-Jayhawk Moualye Niang has been simulating O’Bryant at practice.
¢ Recruiting edge?: Self on playing in Motown: “It’s special we are in the tournament and getting to play in a venue like this. From a recruiting standpoint, it’d be great to get into Detroit and make some inroads there and maybe open some eyes.”
¢ No delay?: Self on possible security problems at arenas like San Diego, where a bomb threat cleared the building.
“It’d be very difficult for any team to deal with,” he said of game delays. “Hopefully that’s the end of those.”
¢ Expectations: Self was asked if he was comfortable with the fact many will judge his coaching ability on how his team does in this year’s NCAAs.
“I don’t think it’s whether or not I’m comfortable. I’ve been around long enough to know that will be the case,” Self said. “At Tulsa, you get in the tournament, everybody is happy. At the last two stops I’ve made (KU and Illinois), you get into it, that’s expected. You need to deliver once you are in, and at Kansas you will be judged on how you perform during the season, during the preseason, during the Big 12 tournament and the postseason. You are going to be evaluated day-to-day. If you don’t like where you are, improve it tomorrow. If you like where you are, you better work your butt off to stay where it is. To be honest, it’s not fair, but the reality of the way the game is when you coach at Kansas. We understood that when we came here.”
¢ Go, Shockers: Self on former KU player Mark Turgeon’s Wichita State team beating Seton Hall in Round One: “I think it’s great for Wichita State. We want all the teams in our area to do well. Mark obviously had his team prepared.”
Kansas University power forward Darnell Jackson was downright upset when his teammate and buddy, Jeff Hawkins, was flattened by Oklahoma State’s David Monds on a layup try with 10:28 left.
Monds, who was called for an intentional foul, was shoved by Jackson.
Monds shoved back, and both were called for technicals.
“I shoved first,” Jackson admitted, adding, “any big guy would do that for their point guard. I thought it was intentional. I saw ‘Hawk’ fall back on his neck. I rushed him (Monds) and told him what was on my mind.”
Hawkins was appreciative of the support from Jackson.
“I told Darnell early in the season he could be that guy like Jeff Graves. If you mess with one of his teammates he’d go out and get ya,” Hawkins said. “After I got up I told him, ‘Thanks, man.”‘
KU coach Bill Self said he expected his players to support each other.
“I’ll be honest with you, that doesn’t bother me. It was a hard foul,” Self said. “Teammates should stand up for one another. You should never, ever, ever make body contact, but that doesn’t bother me. Competitors are supposed to do that. OSU guys did it. We did it, and that was the end of it.”
Surprise foe: Self on KU’s surprise opponent, Nebraska, a 69-63 winner over Oklahoma in Friday’s late quarterfinal:
“We played two of our best games of the year so far against them,” Self said. The Jayhawks beat NU, 96-54, on Jan. 21 in Lawrence and 69-48, on Feb. 8, in Lincoln. “The first game we didn’t play as well as the score indicated, but the second time we did play very well up there. You’ve got to contain (Wes) Wilkinson and (Jamel) White on the perimeter and keep (Aleks) Maric away from the glass. They are playing some great ball here in the tournament. They didn’t play their best either time against us, so it’ll be an interesting setup tomorrow.”
Maric had 16 points and 11 boards in the second meeting versus KU, which has won five straight against NU and 13 of 14.
He’s not hurt: Christian Moody didn’t play Friday, Self shortening his rotation to eight players. “I’ll be more rested for tomorrow,” Moody said with a grin.
Facts: KU’s senior class of Moody, Jeff Hawkins and Stephen Vinson earned its 100th victory. All of KU’s senior classes since the 1986-87 season won 100 games. : KU is 10-0 in first-round tourney games. Brandon Rush, who had six points off 2-of-6 shooting, nonetheless moved into second place on the all-time freshman scoring list. He has 414 points, moving ahead of Kerry Boagni. All-time leader Danny Manning scored 496 points in 1985.
Miles, Langford on hand: Ex-Jayhawks Keith Langford and Aaron Miles attended. They are members of the Fort Worth Flyers of the National Basketball Developmental League.
“MVP. You’re MVP,” Miles told gritty Russell Robinson in the KU locker room.
To reporters, Miles said: “They (Jayhawks) play hard. They are tough-minded. I like the way they’ve got each others’ backs,” Miles said, impressed Jackson stood up for Hawkins. “Russell is so tough. He doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves because he doesn’t score as much. He is the heart and soul of the squad.”
Wait your turn: There was a humorous moment when Miles hopped into a group of reporters to shake Self’s hand outside the locker room.
“Good to see you, Aaron, but you are interrupting,” Self said.
“OK, coach,” Miles replied, waiting his turn then engaging his former coach in a long conversation.
Recruit in final: Darrell Arthur, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior forward from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High who scored 33 points in a 95-90 state semifinal victory over Angleton High, today will play in the state finals against Fort Worth Dunbar.
“Darrell had a breakaway dunk late in the game that really helped us to hang on,” coach James Mays told Rivals.com.
Arthur is considering KU, Texas, SMU and Baylor, with Kansas the “slight leader,” according to Mays.
Kansas University’s players arrived via charter at 4 p.m. Thursday. Coach Bill Self watched the OSU-ISU game at American Airlines Center after discovering the game was blacked out at the team hotel, The Fairmont.
“They are playing well. They’ve been playing well since we played ’em,” Self said of OSU, 4-3 under the direction of head coach designate Sean Sutton, who took over for dad, Eddie, the night of the KU game.
“Obviously, they are scoring better than when we played them. We’ll be excited, no question,” Self added. “We had three of four really good practices this week. Hopefully we’ll play well, not like we did on the one bad day.”
Sunflower adds CBS feed: Sunflower Broadband digital cable subscribers will be able to choose between two games during the NCAA Tournament next week. Digital cable channel 93 will be an alternate feed from CBS, carrying a different game than what will be shown on Sunflower Broadband channels 5 and 13. Sunflower Broadband subscribers with a digital cable box will receive the channel free of charge from March 16-19.
The Big D: Self says he liked Dallas, but, “I think it (tournament) should be in Kansas City,” the coach said of the traditional home of the old Big Eight tournament. “If it can’t be in Lawrence, I think it should be in Kansas City. My personal opinion is, Kansas City has to be a site every year or every other year. If not every other year, I’m not opposed to moving it around at all. Dallas is a great venue. Back in the Big Eight days, this tournament was so well supported in Kansas City. I hope after the new arena is built, Kansas City gets its due.”
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Say what?: The Dallas Morning News on Thursday speculated KU, Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M each still have a shot at playing first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games in Dallas next week.
The paper indicated KU fans might not be eager to travel all the way to Dallas to support the team, however.
“Changes to the Wright Amendment are a blessing for Kansas fans hoping to come to Dallas two straight weeks. But Dallas seems too far away for Jayhawks fans to travel en masse to make a major, vocal difference,” the paper wrote.
KU has a huge alumni base in Dallas. In fact, that’s one of the reasons the football Jayhawks wanted to play in the Fort Worth Bowl.
Cowboys: Oklahoma State is 7-0 in the Big 12 tournament the past three years. Mario Boggan, a 6-7 junior who hit 58.5 percent of his shots during the regular season, has come on strong lately. He had 21 and 25 points in the final two games of the regular season against Oklahoma and Baylor.
“We’ll get a great effort from Oklahoma State,” Self said. “We can’t let them get comfortable offensively. We can’t let their athleticism bother us. Brandon (Rush) had one of his poorest games against Oklahoma State (12 points, nine boards, three steals, four turnovers). If it’s a poor game for a guard, it’s still pretty good.”
Big 12 Tourney info
The No. 1-seeded team in the Big 12 Tournament will play either the No. 8 or 9 seed at 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 10, at Dallas’ American Airlines Center. The No. 2 seed will play the No. 7 or 10 seed at 6 p.m. March 10. Texas A&M is the only team to have locked up a seed – the Aggies are the No. 4. The top four seeds receive a bye.
Self lauded
KU coach Bill Self, who is the obvious choice for Big 12 Coach of the Year – the team’s top seven scorers are freshmen or sophomores – has received the support of ESPN’s Pat Forde, who writes: “Roy Williams’ replacement had his own Roy-style rebuilding job this year, replacing four key players with a cast of raw rookies. After some early wobbles, the Jayhawks went on a 10-game winning streak that solidified their NCAA bid – and solidified Self as the coach of the year.”
Aldrich honored
Minnesota high school junior forward Cole Aldrich, who has committed to play at KU, has accepted an invitation to play for the U.S. Albert Schweitzer prep all-star basketball team that will compete next month in Germany, the St. Paul newspaper reports. Aldrich is a 6-foot-11, 260-pounder from Bloomington Jefferson High.
Chenowith MVP?
Former KU center Eric Chenowith is one of the leading candidates for most valuable player in the CBA. Fans can vote for their own MVP at cbahoopsonline.com. The 7-foot-1 Chenowith averages 12.0 points and 12.7 rebounds in 43 games for the Idaho Stampede. He has 45 blocks. Other candidates for the award include Ronnie Fields, Rockford; Willie Simms, Michigan; Anthony Goldwire, Yakama; Kasib Powell, Dakota; Noel Felix, Sioux Falls and T.J. Thompson, Albany.
This, that
Darnell Jackson, who has been hit hard by the flu bug, practiced Thursday. … KU is 17-0 all-time in Bramlage Coliseum. The Jayhawks won the last five games played in old Ahearn Fieldhouse. … How important is rebounding? The Jayhawks’ victory Wednesday over Colorado was just the team’s second this season when getting outrebounded. The other victory was Feb. 5 against Oklahoma.
¢Official game time today is 2:50 p.m., five minutes later than on the official team schedule. CBS announcers Craig Bolerjack and Dan Bonner will work today’s game.
¢KU leads the all-time series, 161-93. The Jayhawks have won nine of the last 12 meetings.
¢KU is 81-33 in Lawrence and 61-52 in Columbia, Mo. The Jayhawks were 14-18 at Hearnes Center and are 0-2 at Mizzou Arena. KU is 14-8 against MU since the inception of the Big 12.
¢Bill Self is 7-2 versus Missouri. Today’s game will be the 400th career contest for Self, who is in his 13th season overall as a coach with a 272-127 mark
¢Interim coach Melvin Watkins has compiled a 110-134 coaching record which included two seasons at his alma mater, UNC Charlotte (1997-98) and six at Texas A&M (1999-2004). He is 1-0 since replacing Quin Snyder.
¢MU won the last meeting, 89-86, in overtime on Jan. 16, 2006 at Mizzou Arena.
¢MU has lost four straight road games and is 1-7 away from Mizzou Arena this season.
¢This marks the 100th season of intercollegiate basketball at Missouri.
¢At 14.3 ppg, Brandon Rush is vying to become the leading freshman scorer in school history. Danny Manning averaged 14.6 ppg in 1985.
¢Julian Wright has grabbed eight or more boards in four of his last six games. He has shot 50 percent or better in five of his last six outings and has 18 assists in six games.
¢Sasha Kaun is averaging six rebounds in his last five games.
¢Mario Chalmers’ five 20-point efforts have come against Big 12 teams. His consecutive free-throw string ended Monday at Oklahoma State at 22 straight. He has made 84.5 percent of his free throws in league play.
Kansas University freshman Brandon Rush, the brother of former Missouri player Kareem Rush, on the crowd booing him all night.
“They said some things. It wasn’t that bad,” Rush said. “I really wanted to win because my brother went here.”
The Antlers, MU’s student cheering section, were on Rush when the Jayhawks took the court at 4:40 p.m.
“Rush can’t read,” chanted the Antlers, many of the males wearing dresses.
“You are wearing the wrong jersey,” was another chant as well as, “Your scoring average is higher than your I.Q.”
One fan had a banner reading, “The only good Rush played for Mizzou.”
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Max cheered: MU’s fans cheered KU broadcaster Max Falkenstien loudly, many of the fans standing, when the legendary broadcaster was recognized by the public-address announcer in the second half. Falkenstien is retiring after this season.
Falkenstien said he was “astonished” at the ovation, and, “it ended up being really nice.”
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Hall to open soon: The Booth Family Hall of Athletics may be open for viewing for Saturday’s KU-Nebraska game in Allen Fieldhouse.
Trophies, pictures and exhibits, including a timeline of the history of KU athletics, have been installed the past several days.
“It’s spectacular,” KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said. “We’d like to open it this weekend. They worked hard all weekend setting up the exhibits, putting in artifacts.”
A Saturday opening would be eight months to the day from ground-breaking ceremonies.
“You can’t do it all in 15 minutes,” Marchiony said of fans viewing everything as they pass through the one-floor Hall on the way into, or exiting, the fieldhouse.
He noted it’d probably take four to five trips to soak everything in.
“Also, there’s the flexibility to change, add, delete things,” Marchiony said.
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Stats, facts: Thomas Gardner’s 40 points was second-most by a Tiger in a game against KU. Anthony Peeler had 43 points in 1992. Kim Anderson (38), Arthur Johnson (37), Tom Johnson (33), Melvin Booker (32), Derrick Chievous (31) and Mark Atkins (30) also had big games in the Border Showdown series. : KU is 1-2 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time since the inception of the league in 1997. : Mario Chalmers had a career-best four steals to go with career-high 22 points and eight assists.
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Big troubles: KU’s big men had been a disappointment heading into Monday’s game. The five big men combined for 12 points in Saturday’s loss to Kansas State.
“We thought it would be the strength of our team all year long,” Self said. “We thought we could generate about 32 points a game out of our five big guys. The Colorado game we generated 38, thanks primarily to Christian (Moody), who had 18.
“Other than Sasha (Kaun)’s eight points the other night, we had no inside game. That’s very discouraging. We’re not a good enough perimeter-shooting team consistently. We’re streaky, not good enough consistently to play through the perimeter.
“We’ve got to get C.J. (Giles) playing to his size, getting us more than zero points, one rebound (against K-State).
“It’s the opposite of what we thought six weeks ago. We thought we could deliver through our big guys. It’s the opposite.”
Kansas University sophomore power forward C.J. Giles did not start for the second straight game. He missed three of four shots, including two outside bombs, scoring two points with two boards in 10 minutes.
“I’ve got to be real honest. He hasn’t played well enough to deserve to play more minutes than he is,” coach Bill Self said. “He and Sasha (Kaun, six points, four boards) both have to give us more from a production standpoint than they are doing. Tonight, he was not a confident player, trying to make bad plays to get his confidence back, not what guys off the bench should do. He’ll be fine. Our big guys have to play tougher.”
What about Downs, Stewart?: Freshman Micah Downs and sophomore Rodrick Stewart, who, like Giles, hail from the Seattle area, did not play. They were not sick or injured.
“We made a decision we were going to try to play less guys,” Self said. “During the start of the game, you can’t switch saying, ‘Well these guys have played the best, we’re going to play him (Downs) instead.’ Practice has to mean something.”
Self said KU needed the size Downs and Stewart could provide on the perimeter.
Special outfit: KU student assistant Moulaye Niang, above, wore an olive-green khaftan to the game. It’s traditional garb worn by natives of Senegal. The outfit was wide at the bottom and on the sleeves.
“I told Moulaye if he had any Christmas lights you might find a present under that tree,” Self said.
Self said Niang asked if he could wear one of his “outfits from Africa.” Self said it was OK if it was “conservative.”
“He said it’s very conservative,” Self said with a grin. “He looked good. I’m giving him a hard time.”
Niang explained: “It’s like here when people wear a suit. It’s the dress young people wear on special occasions.”
Bahe in town: Former KU player Nick Bahe, who transferred to Creighton, attended and sat behind the KU bench next to KU signee Brady Morningstar. Bahe doesn’t make Creighton road trips, and the team is out of town.
“I decided to come down and spend some time with my friends,” Bahe said. “It’s great to be here. I love Lawrence and KU.”
Moody OK: Christian Moody, who had no points in five minutes, dislocated a finger on his right hand in the second half. Self said he would tape it up and be fine. : Official Ted Hillary was whacked in the shoulder by a New Orleans player on the opening tip and suffered a right triceps injury. He went down to the floor, but was able to continue.
Kansas University sophomore guard Jeremy Case exploded for a career-high 11 points in 11 minutes. He had been hobbled lately by a left foot injury.
Let him explain:
“I hurt my foot three weeks ago. I tore a tendon in the middle of my foot and was out a week and a half. I kept playing on it. It’s a little sore. It’s nothing I can’t play through.”
¢ Starters, lineups: C.J. Giles did not start for the first time this season. Battling flulike symptoms, he had four points and five boards in 10 minutes. Christian Moody started the first half, tying a season high with four field goals. He opened next to Sasha Kaun, Jeff Hawkins, Russell Robinson and Brandon Rush, who have started all 10 games.
Self used a lot of combinations the first half, indicating he and his assistants scripted all situations before the game, wanting to play a lot of players so everybody would have a positive feeling entering winter break.
¢ Faces in the crowd: Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett attended with family members. Former Royal Joe Randa also attended, both sitting behind the Northern Colorado bench by UNC athletic director Jay Hinrichs.
Hinrichs worked for the Royals 18 years before taking over as KU’s Williams Fund director.
¢ Home for holidays: The Jayhawks will leave town today for the winter break. Sasha Kaun, who hails from Russia, will spend the holiday in New York City, where he has friends.
¢ No banners yet: The Big 12 Conference title and Final Four banners that are missing from the fieldhouse rafters will be replaced with new banners, KU officials stated. The original banners blocked the view of the new center videoboard. The new ones have not yet arrived.
¢ Rodrick, Lodrick shine: This was a good week for the Stewart twins. Rodrick Stewart’s brother, Lodrick, scored 18 points in USC’s 74-59 victory over North Carolina on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Stewart was 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. His three with 2:40 to play gave the Trojans a 68-57 lead. Rodrick hit a layup and two free throws, scoring his first points in a KU jersey.
The USC transfer had played just one minute in Monday’s victory over Pepperdine. That was the first game in which Rodrick Stewart was eligible to participate.
¢ Stats, facts: Jeff Hawkins tied season highs with three field goals and two free-throw attempts. … Julian Wright had a career-best seven rebounds and six field goals. … Rush and Case tied team season highs with three three-pointers apiece. Rush’s three treys tied his career high. … UNC’s Cory Lowe had a KU-opponent-high six offensive rebounds. … KU held UNC to 17 defensive rebounds, a season-low for a KU foe. UNC had no blocks and just three steals.
Kansas University sophomore Sasha Kaun did not practice Sunday or Monday because of his flu-like symptoms.
“He’s really a run-down kid right now,” KU coach Bill Self said. “With finals (this week) we want to go as light with him as we possibly can.”
Self said doctors were doing “some routine bloodwork to make sure we eliminate some stuff. We don’t think it’s anything major. I don’t know if positively it’s a flu or just what it is,” added Self, who noted Julian Wright and C.J. Giles also have had the bug this season. “Sasha is tough enough to play through anything. He just can’t go right now.”
¢ Crowd total explained: The attendance for Saturday’s KU-Cal game at Kemper Arena was listed at 16,180. That’s 16,180 tickets sold for the building that seats 17,818.
“My guess is somewhere between 15,000 and 16,000 were in the building,” KU associate AD Jim Marchiony said. “For every game, you want every seat filled. Any time it doesn’t happen in any sport it is disappointing. I don’t think people knew how good Cal is. The 11 a.m. start didn’t help, either. It’s a tough time to get up and go.”
Marchiony expects KU will continue to play one nonconference game a year in Kansas City as the Jayhawks have the past nine regular seasons and 14 of the past 15 years.
¢ More Vinson: Self was asked on the teleconference if the “Stephen Vinson experiment” would continue.
“I think so. It’s not really an experiment,” he said of playing the senior guard 25 minutes against Cal. “Stephen allows us to be a better team so far when he’s in there. He probably deserved to play more than what he had. I’m not saying Stephen will play significant minutes every game, but I do believe when we are stale he can help get in there and allow our team to be better.”
¢ Hinrich, Pierce in Olympics?: Ex-Jayhawks Kirk Hinrich and Paul Pierce are on a list of three dozen NBA players being considered to play in the 2008 Olympics, the Chicago Tribune reports. Hinrich declined comment about the selection process.
Self hinted on his radio show that Hinrich’s jersey number someday would be hung in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse.
“I like Kirk’s chances, to be honest,” said Self, who thinks the honor should come a few years after the player has departed.
“I’m not saying wait as long as Wilt and Jo Jo,” he added of Wilt Chamberlain and Jo Jo White, whose waits lasted decades. “But there should be some minimum period. That way when they are inducted or put in the rafters, it’ll mean so much to them, after they’ve been away a bit of time.”
¢ KU leads the all-time series 13-3 and has won all seven games since the Bears prevailed, 65-62, on Dec. 29, 1954, at the Big Seven tournament in Kansas City, Mo. KU won the most recent matchup, 80-67, at the Pete Newell Challenge on Dec. 28, 2002, in Oakland, Calif.
¢ California’s six-game win streak is the team’s longest since an eight-game spurt midway through the 2002-03 season. That season — the last year the Bears reached the NCAA Tournament — Cal defeated San Francisco, then won its first seven Pac-10 games. The Bears went on to finish 22-9 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-10.
¢ Cal’s 80.0 ppg scoring average is nearly 13 points more than the Bears averaged last year.
¢ Leon Powe was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on Monday after scoring 26.5 ppg and grabbing 10.0 rpg in victories over San Jose State and Akron. He followed up those efforts with a 22-point, eight-rebound, three-assist performance vs. San Diego State on Tuesday.
¢ Powe, who went 629 days between games (March 11, 2004 to Nov. 30, 2005) because of a pair of left knee surgeries and a minor stress fracture in his right foot, was the 2004 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and is rated the No. 1 power forward in the country by CBS Sportsline.
¢ As a team, Cal is shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc, up from 32 percent last year and 31 percent in 2003-04. Cal was 10-for-18 on three-pointers vs. San Diego State, making at least 10 in a game for the first time since Feb. 5, 2004, vs. Arizona.
¢ Brothers Omar and Jordan Wilkes are the first set of siblings to play for Cal since the Hughes brothers — Solomon and Gabriel. Solomon played at Cal from 1999 to ’02, while Gabriel played from 2001 to ’04. Ryan and Tashaan Forehan-Kelly played together at Cal during the 2002 season. Ryan, a 6-5 wing, lettered for four years from 1999-02, and Tashaan walked on for the ’02 and ’03 campaigns.
¢ Cal has committed a meager 88 turnovers in six games.
¢ Cal coach Ben Braun, a 1975 Wisconsin graduate, is in his 10th year in Berkeley and 29th season as a college head coach. His record at Cal stands at 172-111, while his career mark — which includes 11 years at Eastern Michigan and eight seasons at Siena Heights College — is 505-346. He has led the Bears to the postseason six times in his first nine years.
¢ Ex-Jayhawk Omar Wilkes averaged 17.8 points a game during Cal’s trip to Italy during the summer. Jordan Wilkes, a freshman, averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds a game his senior year at Loyola High in Los Angeles.
Jayhawks fine: Kansas University freshman guard Mario Chalmers said he suffered a sprained right big toe after getting knocked into the base of the basketball goal by Nevada’s Chad Bell, who was called for an intentional foul with 13:41 left. Chalmers didn’t return to the game, but said he was fine.
The play seemed to ignite the Jayhawks. Jeff Hawkins, subbing for the injured Chalmers, hit a pair of free throws, then a lefty layup that cut the gap to 43-42.
“It should have lit a fire,” Self said. “I tried to play it off to light a fire. I didn’t think it was a good play. I’d have to see it on tape.”
C.J. Giles’ right foot, which bothered him last year, has been giving him discomfort lately. He wore a boot this week as a precautionary measure. Like Chalmers, he said he was fine. Sasha Kaun was wearing a pad on his left elbow. He said his elbow was bruised.
¢ Downs shines: Freshman Micah Downs, whose three cut the gap to 71-70 with :17 left, finished with eight points in 19 minutes.
“He helped us because Brandon (Rush) didn’t give us any offense the first half,” Self said. “Micah came in and at least got us a couple of baskets. He made the big three to get us in striking range late. That was a big shot that will help his confidence rise, I’m sure.”
¢ Stats, facts: Nevada received $40,000 guarantee money for playing the game. … KU is 0-2 against ranked teams this season and 6-9 under Self. … Rush’s eight boards marked a career high. Kaun’s six offensive boards tied a KU season high, and his 34 minutes were the most by any Jayhawk this season. … It’s KU’s ninth loss in the last 11 years in the fieldhouse. … Fazekas’ 35 points were the most by a KU foe since Arthur Johnson of Missouri hit for 37 on March 7, 2004, in Columbia, Mo. It was most by a KU foe in the fieldhouse since Gerald Brown of Pepperdine scored 35 on Dec. 18, 1997. It marked a career high for Fazekas, his old high 33 points last January at Tulsa.
¢ Faces in crowd: Former major league baseball player Andy Van Slyke was on hand. He’s the father of former KU player A.J. Van Slyke. KU football coach Mark Mangino also attended. In all, 17 NBA scouts worked the game.
¢ Arthur visits Indiana again: Darrell Arthur, a 6-foot-9 senior forward from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High, attended the Duke-Indiana game Wednesday in Bloomington, Ind.
His mother and AAU coach also were on hand on the unofficial visit.
Arthur, who has made official visits to KU and Indiana, will be back to KU to attend a game on an unofficial visit later this season. It’s believed it will not be the Kentucky game Jan. 7, because his high school has a game that night.
Indiana and KU are Arthur’s leaders, though SMU and Baylor still are in the running.
“This (Indiana) is an incredible atmosphere,” Arthur told the Indianapolis Star before Wednesday’s IU loss to the Devils.
“The thing I’ve always liked most about Indiana has been coach (Mike) Davis and the way the players have made me feel at home, but the atmosphere here was something I had to see for myself.”
University of Colorado basketball center David Harrison and Kansas University forward Wayne Simien hung out together while serving as counselors at the Nike camp last summer in Indianapolis.
In fact, it’s rumored the two are friends.
“You get along with David, right?” Simien was asked after the Jayhawks’ 70-51 victory Sunday over Iowa State at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Uh … sure,” Simien said, doing a double-take, then breaking into a big grin. “I mean, we are pretty good buddies off the court. Last summer we talked a lot and everything.
“You guys (writers) know how he is sometimes,” Simien said of Harrison, who clashed with KU’s Drew Gooden a year ago and has made some colorful statements about KU in the past. “It’s hard to tell with him.”
Simien was asked whether players in the Big 12 Conference — not specifically the 7-foot, 250-pound Harrison — would try to attack his tender right shoulder in upcoming games.
CU big men Harrison and Stephane Pelle come to town for a game that tips off at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Hopefully it’s not the case,” said Simien, who was hacked hard from behind by Iowa State’s Marcus Jefferson on Sunday, tweaking his shoulder in the process. “I’ll go at their heads just like they’ll come at mine. As the season goes on, the mind-set of all players is a will to win.”
KU coach Roy Williams said Simien’s shoulder, which was dislocated Jan. 4, is not 100 percent and “probably won’t be 100 percent the rest of the season.”
Simien tweaked his shoulder in Sunday’s game and again in practice Monday.
“He will tweak it again. He may tweak it three or four more times. He tweaked it today just reaching for a ball,” Williams said Monday.
“It’s like playing with a sprained ankle. We hope he can improve and get a few more minutes each and every game. We take it each day at a time. I’ll back off (today) and hopefully he’ll be ready for Wednesday.”
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Buffs expect tough crowd: Colorado coach Ricardo Patton was asked what the atmosphere would be like Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Hostile,” he said. “There will be 16,000 screaming fans. For whatever reason that environment has always been hostile toward us. Certainly with David there is some bad blood. I don’t expect anything to be different than it has been. It won’t be anything new to us.”
Last year, a fan screamed insults at Harrison outside CU’s locker room after KU’s 100-73 win. Harrison showed class and defused the situation by shaking the fan’s hand.
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Walking Larry: An Iowa reporter asked Williams if at halftime Sunday he complained to the officials about ISU coach Larry Eustachy’s penchant for wandering out of the coach’s box.
“There’s no telling what I say to the officials during the course of the game,” Williams said with a laugh. “I don’t recollect if I did that or not.”
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Tickets available: A limited number of tickets are available for Wednesday’s game and also the Texas A&M game Feb. 26. The seats are available through the KU ticket office at 1-800-34-HAWKS.
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Incident humbles Giddens: KU signee J.R. Giddens, a 6-5 guard from Oklahoma City’s John Marshall High, said he had learned a lesson from his recent brush with the law. He was arrested on felony theft charges at a Wal-Mart in December, but the case was resolved with Giddens facing no punishment.
“It’s kind of a little wake-up call,” said Giddens, who attended Sunday’s KU-ISU game. “You’ve got to grow up. You are in the eye of the media and have to do everything on a straight line. If you do something wrong, everyone will know about it.”
Asked if Williams had made him run as punishment for showing poor judgment, Giddens said: “I don’t have to run laps. Coach Williams told me what’s going on. I’m cool. Everybody will be mad, but we can’t look back. We have to look ahead.”
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Early start: Wednesday’s game starts at 6:30 p.m. Here’s why:
“It’s a Jayhawk TV game, which means it is not part of the Big 12 package,” KU media relations director Mitch Germann said. “If you televise a game the same night as a Big 12 (TV) game, there is a window. You can’t be in the same window of that game.
“We had to start the game at 6:30 or play it on a different day. If we played at 7 p.m., we would be going head-to-head against the Big 12 game (Oklahoma State-Oklahoma). Playing at 6:30, we will overlap a half hour at most.”
Wearing a stocking cap and Kansas University basketball sweat shirt, Jeff Hawkins held a sub sandwich, preparing to devour a post-game snack late Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Hawkins, KU’s red-shirt freshman guard, had a hearty appetite and wide smile on his face just 40 minutes after experiencing some scary chest pains in KU’s 101-66 victory over Washburn.
“Before halftime I felt a chest pain and shortness of breath. In the second half, after I got in, my chest started hurting so I told coach to take me out,” said the red-shirt freshman guard, who scored eight points in eight minutes.
“They’re going to have me run on the treadmill in the morning. They gave me a little inhaler. I’m all right.”
Especially after sinking a pair of three-pointers.
“It felt pretty good. I was more focused this time. I had confidence when the ball came to me,” said Hawkins, who air-balled his first three in an exhibition game against EA Sports.
Hawkins, who said he wasn’t elbowed in the chest despite TV replays that looked like he was hit at one point, left the court early – with about 12 minutes left – to be checked by doctors in the locker room. His parents also went back to the locker room with Hawkins, who was fine afterward.
“We tried to be cautious and sent him down to the locker room. Now he’s fine. He’s in the locker room laughing at Aaron missing a dunk,” KU coach Roy Williams said. “I told him he must not be in shape. I told him we’ve got to run him harder in practice.”
Added sophomore Keith Langford, “I don’t know if he’s out of shape or too tired. He’s fine.”
Langford, by the way, scored 11 of KU’s first 13 points to start the second half. He finished with 15 points after changing shoes at halftime for good luck.
“Yeah, I changed shoes. I just wanted to assert myself. I saw the opportunity to take shots and score,” he said.
Earlier, he’d helped the team by tightly guarding former Jayhawk John Crider, who was held to four points on 2-of-7 shooting.
“I don’t know his numbers. I don’t know if he was tense or what. I just didn’t want him to come in and bust me,” Langford said.
Williams was happy to see Crider. He hugged his former player during introductions as the crowd gave Crider a loud ovation.
“He’s a great youngster and I’m very happy for him,” Williams said. “Bob (Chipman) is going to have a good team. It’s a nice situation having five seniors who have been with him four years.”
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Simien sits out game: Williams said Wayne Simien, who missed the game because of tendinitis in his right ankle, came over to the coach’s house on Monday night “lobbying” to get to play in the exhibition.
“It’s just tendinitis in the ankle. We’re trying to be very careful,” Williams said. “If it had been the regular season he would have played. I’d have played him if he felt good at the shootaround. We’ll let him relax a little tomorrow and probably Thursday as well and see what happens Friday or Saturday.”
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Dunk backfires: As mentioned, Miles missed a dunk on a breakaway in the second half.
“We’re going to have an early practice tomorrow. Christian Moody will give Aaron some lessons on how to dunk,” Williams quipped.
Moody had a vicious dunk late in the game.
Walk-on Brett Olson, who has been cleared to play by the NCAA clearinghouse, entered late and scored the bucket that put KU over 100 points.
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Pierce talks up KU: Former Jayhawk Paul Pierce bragged about his alma mater to the Boston Globe this week.
He told media types he expects the Jayhawks to pound Holy Cross in next Tuesday’s NIT opener.
“They’re going to wish they were at chapel,” Pierce said of the Crusaders. “They’re going to be there and like, ‘So this is what college is like?'”
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Adonis headed to Italy: Former KU player Adonis Jordan, who said he landed a job playing for a pro team in Italy, was impressed with Pittsburgh guards Brandin Knight, Julius Page and Carl Krauser in last Saturday’s 84-66 loss at Pitt.
“Actually, it kind of reminded me of Rex Walters and Steve Woodberry,” Jordan, who is playing for the EA Sports East All-Stars, said of Pitt’s backcourt. “We were like that back at Kansas. It’s very impressive.”
Asked who would win a KU-Pitt matchup, Jordan said: “I’d like to see that game.”
KU beat the All-Stars, 111-94, last week.
Larry Eustachy realizes Iowa State will get Kansas’ best shot the Jayhawks’ A-game today.
“Kansas’ loss at Baylor definitely adds fuel to the fire,” said Eustachy, the Cyclones’ men’s basketball coach. “I think you’ll see the best Kansas team come in here.”
KU has dropped three of their last five games, including Monday’s 85-77 loss at Baylor. Just 12 days ago, ISU tripped KU, 79-77, at Allen Fieldhouse.
“The big question is, can we match their intensity?” Eustachy said. “It isn’t the end of the world if this doesn’t work out for us. There’s still a lot of basketball to be played.”
The Cyclones enter with an 9-2 Big 12 Conference record. The Jayhawks who are without the injured Drew Gooden and Luke Axtell are 8-3.
“I expect this game to come down to the last possession,” Eustachy said. “Kansas has fantastic players, and they are as well-coached as anyone in the nation. I think Kansas has one of the best backcourts in the country. (Kirk) Hinrich is a pro one day, and (Jeff) Boschee is as pure a shooter as you’ll see in the country.”
The Cyclones, who have won four straight in the series, certainly respect KU.
“As we all know, Kansas is amazingly talented,” said senior forward Paul Shirley, a native of Meriden. “We have to match that with determination and toughness on our end. The personnel doesn’t matter. We all know the various parts of the system. Kansas has a load of talent. They’ve got what, eight McDonald’s All-Americans? I was recruited by Dartmouth, and Nick Collison was recruited by the top 50 programs in the country.”
Williams lauds Tinsley
Kansas coach Roy Williams will not object if Iowa State’s Jamaal Tinsley is named Big 12 Player of the Year. Tinsley, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., has firmly convinced Williams he’s one of the best point guards on the planet.
And he will play today. He’s returned from Brooklyn where he spent several days with his grandmother, who is recovering from a stroke.
“Jamaal Tinsley is as good with the basketball as anybody in the game of basketball NCAA, NBA, any league anywhere,” Williams said. “Maybe there’s somebody in heaven who plays better, but nobody on this earth. The problem we have is getting somebody to play defense at that level.”
Tinsley scored 18 points with six assists in Iowa State’s 79-77 victory over KU on Feb. 5.
For the year, Tinsley, who hit three three-pointers versus KU, averages 14.2 points while dishing out 5.8 assists per game. Tinsley has turned it up a notch in Big 12 play, scoring 17.3 points per contest.
The flu-ridden Kantrail Horton, who averages 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, burned KU for 19 points on 4-of-4 three-point shooting.
One of his threes was a good 28 feet from the hoop.
“The thing about Horton and Tinsley is they are so competitive,” Williams said. “They have a confidence, really a belief, that they are going to win the game.”
Kansas University sophomore Drew Gooden is listed as questionable for tonight’s ESPN Big Monday basketball game against Iowa State.
Gooden, a 6-foot-10 forward from Richmond, Calif., suffered a sprained ligament in his right wrist in the second half of Saturday’s 82-66 victory over Texas.
X-rays taken Sunday showed no signs of any fractures in the wrist. However, Gooden is experiencing swelling and did not practice on Sunday.
Gooden ranks second on the team in scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.7).
Coincidentally, he has several relatives in town for KU’s three-game homestand, including his grandparents from California and his mother and stepdad from Arkansas.
Native Iowan Nick Collison does not want Kansas to get in the habit of losing to Iowa State.
“I’d be lying to you if I said it was just another game, especially after last year dropping three (games) to Iowa teams,” said Collison, KU’s sophomore forward from Iowa Falls.
He’s 0-2 in his career against the Cyclones. He’s also 0-1 against the University of Iowa as the Jayhawks fell in Iowa City last season.
“I’d really like to get a win. I’ll put it that way,” Collison said. “First of all, they’re second in the league (ISU is 19-3, 7-2; KU 18-2, 7-1). That’s why it’s a big game. Second of all, it’s Iowa State. I want to play well. Any time you lose to a team twice the year before you want to beat them. It’s a big game for a lot of reasons.”
His roommate and co-1999 Mr. Basketball of Iowa sophomore point guard Kirk Hinrich takes a similar attitude into the contest.
“I get really excited (about playing ISU) not just because I’m from Iowa, but because it’s a big game,” Hinrich said. “They have a great team and a great point guard (Jamaal Tinsley).
“When we lost to Iowa and Iowa State back-to-back (last Jan. 29 and Feb. 3) it was a low point in our season. It was really tough to handle. We’re going to be here at home so it should help. We have to go out, execute and be tough enough to get a win,” the Sioux City, Iowa, native said.
KU, 10-0 at Allen Fieldhouse this season, has won 13 straight home games, last losing to ISU, 64-62, last Feb. 16. Led by Tinsley, who had two steals and driving layups, ISU erased a nine-point deficit in the final five minutes. Marcus Fizer, who left ISU after last season for the NBA Draft, hit a late 16-footer to assure victory Iowa State’s first in Lawrence since 1982.
“I just remember how loud it was,” Iowa State senior Paul Shirley of Meriden told the Des Moines Register. “Probably the loudest I’ve ever heard anything in my life. Allen Fieldhouse, no matter what anybody says, is the loudest place we play. And it was at an all-time high.
“I’m sure they are pretty torqued about that whole situation. They’ll definitely be ready for us.”
Tinsley he matched a career high with 26 points in Saturday’s 84-78 home victory over Kansas State wasn’t awed by the experience.
“Allen Fieldhouse is just another gym,” he told the Register.
ISU coach Larry Eustachy does not think history will be much of a factor.
“You ask Jamaal who Wilt Chamberlain is and he wouldn’t know. I don’t mean that in any disrespect, but I always bring these names up and they look at me like I’ve got three heads and I’m talking about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, let alone all the history of Kansas,” he said.
“I think it’s the combination of coaching and very good players that make it difficult (to win at Allen). I’ve always said that as the season goes on, the crowd diminishes no matter how big it is. So I would be surprised if we get rattled by the crowd.”
Eustachy realizes KU will be fired up trying to snap a three-game losing string versus ISU.
“It’s going to be our most difficult game to date. I’m sure they want to beat us because of the most recent games that we’ve played,” he said. “We have a plan to go down there and give us a chance to win.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
x-0 Drew Gooden, F, 6-10, 230, Soph., Richmond, Calif. (El Cerrito HS).
3 Brett Ballard, G, 6-0, 175, Jr., Hutchinson (Hutchinson CC).
4 Nick Collison, F, 6-9 1/2, 250, Soph., Iowa Falls, Iowa (Iowa Falls HS).
10 Kirk Hinrich, G, 6-3 1/2, 180, Soph., Sioux City, Iowa (Sioux City West HS).
13 Jeff Boschee, G, 6-1, 185, Jr., Valley City, N.D. (Valley City HS).
15 Bryant Nash, F, 6-6 1/2, 200, Fr., Carrollton, Texas (Turner HS).
20 Kenny Gregory, G/F, 6-5, 208, Sr., Columbus, Ohio (Independence HS).
22 Jeff Carey, F/C, 6-11, 250, Jr., Camdenton, Mo. (Camdenton HS).
24 Lewis Harrison, G, 6-0, 165, Jr., Kansas City (Kansas City CC).
x-33 Luke Axtell, G/F, 6-10, 220, Sr., Austin, Texas (University of Texas).
34 Chris Zerbe, F, 6-5, 230, Jr., Andover (Hutchinson CC).
44 Eric Chenowith, C, 7-1, 270, Sr., Villa Park, Calif. (Villa Park HS).
50 Todd Kappelmann, F, 6-9, 230, Jr., Augusta (Butler County CC).
00 Richard Evans, F/G, 6-5, 190, Sr., Dallas.
3 Brandon Nicol, G, 6-3, 170, Soph., Graettinger, Iowa.
4 Kantrail Horton, G, 6-1, 225, Sr., Covington, Ga.
10 Omar Bynum, F, 6-7, 210, Soph., Omaha, Neb.
11 Jamaal Tinsley, G, 6-3, 195, Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.
21 Shane Power, G, 6-5, 210, Fr., Crown Point, Ind.
23 Tyray Pearson, F, 6-7, 210, Jr., Hammond, Ind.
24 Jake Sullivan, G, 6-1, 190, Fr., Oakdale, Minn.
x-30 Zach Fortune, G, 6-3, 185, Fr., Bellevue, Neb.
33 Clint Varley, F, 6-4, 225, Soph., Menlo, Iowa.
40 Brad Davis, G, 6-2, 185, Soph., Knoville, Iowa.
42 Justin Fries, G, 6-2, 185, Soph., Sioux Falls, S.D.
45 Paul Shirley, F, 6-10, 230, Sr., Meriden.
51 Martin Rancik, F, 6-8, 230, Sr., Bratislava, Slovakia.
54 Andrew Skoglund, C, 7-1, 220, Fr., Minnetonka, Minn.
x-injured, will not play.
Note
ISU has won four straight in the series. No conference school has defeated Kansas five consecutive times since Oklahoma State won five straight over KU from 1982-84.