KU cruises to tie atop conference, 75-46

By Ryan Greene     Feb 14, 2007

Update #10: Final, KU wins 75-46

Darrell Arthur became Jayhawk No. 3 to scoot into double figures with an easy layin out of the timeout as Bill Self began to empty the bench a tad, putting Brady Morningstar, Jeremy Case and Rodrick Stewart into the action.

Stewart, who missed Saturday’s game at Mizzou to travel to Mississippi for a family funeral, hit a three pointer on the left side with two minutes to play. After an inside CU hoop, Morningstar got into the action, hitting his first bucket of the game and putting KU back up by 30 points at 75-45.

KU dribbled out the remainder of the clock, cruising to a 75-46 win, improving to 22-4 overall and 9-2 in Big 12 play to tie themselves with Texas A&M atop the conference standings. Russell Robinson led all scorers with 14 points, while Sasha Kaun had 10 and nine rebounds for KU, and Darrell Arthur added 11 points. Richard Roby, who scored 30 on KU in Allen Fieldhouse, had just seven points. The Jayhawks take on Nebraska Saturday at home at 3 p.m.

Update #9: 3:56, second half, KU leads 67-40

KU went for another lob to Kaun after the timeout, and this time Colorado sniffed it out a little better than last time, sending the big man to the line instead. Kaun hit one of two free throws.

A couple of trips later, Chalmers hit Kaun for yet another lob, as he has seven points with nine rebounds. Along with that, both teams have become somewhat slopp with the game now completely in the Jayhawks’ control at 64-40.

Kaun continued to come alive offensively for KU, as he again scored, this time on a fed from Russell Robinson. He put this one off the glass while being fouled, and hit the free throw after becoming the second Jayhawk to get into double figures.

Update #8: 7:43, second half, KU leads 61-37

Chalmers hit one of two free throws, extending KU’s lead to 23 points, and he followed it with a steal as KU’s defense remained aggressive. He turned it over, though, while trying to force the ball back to Kaun in the paint.

After Colorado again proved fruitless on offense, KU continued its offensive dominance. This time, after drawing a couple of fouls, Darrell Arthur took down a long offensive board and fed Russell Robinson for a three in the corner, giving the junior a game-high 14 points.

Jackson-Wilson finally broke the Colorado drought with an and-one off of a KU turnover, but he missed the free throw, which really doesn’t mean a ton as KU is now under the 10-minute mark with a 24-point lead.

Julian Wright stayed aggressive on the offensive end, with the game well in hand, dropping a 12-foot jumper, and extended KU’s lead to 26 points at 61-35. Jeremy Williams hit a pair of free throws, but a Dominique Coleman travel call off of a KU turnover brought the game to another halt.

Update #7: 11:55, second half, KU leads 55-33

Sasha Kaun took down a big defensive rebound out of the timeout on a Jeremy Williams missed fadeaway, and on the other end, Mario Chalmers fed Darnell Jackson in the paint for a routine layup which became tougher with a free throw added after a foul. Jackson missed his third free throw of the game, but Kaun got on the offensive glass and fed Brandon Rush, who hit a runner from the wing.

Jackson then got his sixth rebound of the game following a Dominique Coleman missed free throw which was an add-on to his layup underneath. Jackson again took the offensive initiative after that, drawing another foul while attempting a short fadeaway. Jackson’s free throw woes continued, though, as his two misses made him 0-for-5 on the night at the stripe. Kaun, though, again got on the offensive glass, and it turned into a highlight-reel-worthy lob finish from Russell Robinson. Sherron Collins then scored on a layup while crossing the lane off of a steal to put KU up 53-33 and force Colorado into calling another timeout.

Collins got an easy-looking defensive rebound out of the timeout, and after Mario Chalmers missed a layup following a pump fake, Kaun followed it with his second field goal of the game, helping KU’s lead grow to 22 points.

Kaun then put up a huge defensive stand in the paint as Colorado got three looks at the hoop, but came up empty-handed. He then slapped the ball out long to Mario Chalmers, who earned his way to the free throw line before another full timeout.

Update #6: 15:28, second half, KU leads 45-31

Richard Roby, who had just three points in the first half, slashed to the hoop to drop in a runner to start the second half. But KU came right back by hitting the post in the form of Darrell Arthur, scoring his fourth field goal of the night. Roby came right back with two more inside, giving him seven on the night and prompting KU to switch Brandon Rush back to Roby defensively.

After Darrell Arthur missed a jumper from the top of the key, he grabbed a big defensive board just moments later and fed Russell Robinson, who became the game’s first player to score in double digits, pulling up for a 15-foot jumper that swished.

Jeremy Williams dunked home two points for Colorado in transition, but KU still maintained its big lead at 42-28. That prompted Arthur to call for the ball in the post, where he missed a fadeaway jumper but was fouled in the process. He hit one of two free throws before heading to the bench in favor of Sasha Kaun, who has continued with his brutal offensive struggles of late.

Xavier Silas came back with a three – his second of the game – to close Colorado back within 12 points, but the Buffs’ poor defense in transition continued as Mario Chalmers fired down the left side of the lane for an easy layin.

Update #5: Halftime, KU leads 38-22

Colorado took the ball back out of the first half’s final break, and Dominique Coleman hit a pair of free throws after going deep into the lane. Then, a blocked shot turned into Xavier Silas’ first points of the night. They came in the form of a three from the right wing, pulling CU within eight points at 29-21.

Robinson scored after KU was forced to call a timeout, coming off of a desperate tip pass from Julian Wright after an interior play went bad. Coleman came back down strong, again getting to the free throw line and hitting one of two charities.

Robinson responded by going hard to the rim and scoring on a twisting layup, giving him a game-high nine points. After a missed Colorado inside look, Julian Wright was hacked in transition, putting the Jayhawks in the double bonus. He hit both to put KU up 35-22.

Brandon Rush extended it to a 7-0 KU spurt, hitting a three from the corner after taking down a defensive rebound. Richard Roby then missed a pair of free throws, leaving KU with the half’s final possession. Jackson turned it into a trip to the free throw line on a foul by Xavier Silas.

Jackson then missed two of his own, bringing the half to an end with KU leading by 16 points. Russell Robinson leads all scorers with nine points, while Darrell Arthur and Julian Wright each added six for KU. CU’s Richard Roby has been held to three points.

Update #4: 3:47, first half, KU leads 29-16

Roby hit the first free throw to pull CU within 10 points in a turnover-marred first half. Between the two teams, they’ve given the ball away 17 times so far.

KU was forced into calling a timeout when Darnell Jackson was trapped in the corner with teh ball in his hands, and out of it, Collins missed an open three-pointer long off the iron, but Colorado was called for a charge on the other end, giving Jackson-Wilson his second foul of the game.

Russell Robinson scored for the second time when KU got the ball back down the floor with a three from the right side. He then tried another one off of a long Sherron Collins rebound, but missed it long. Julian Wright pulled down the offensive glass, but gave it right back with a bad pass in the interior, going down as KU’s eighth turnover.

Update #3: 5:28, first half, KU leads 26-15

Collins swished the free throw after the break to put KU up 19-5.

After Russell Robinson was called for a touch foul after knocking the ball away from Dominique Coleman, Darnell Jackson made up for it with his second block of the game, continuing CU’s cold stretch on the offensive end. A moving pick after Julian Wright threw the ball out of bounds in transition kept that going.

Brandon Rush tried to keep the fireworks coming by throwing a lob to Jackson, but as the junior forward threw it home, Rush was whistled for a charge. Right after that, though, the Buffs turned the ball over for the eighth time in the game’s first 11 minutes.

After an apparent steal, though, Colorado got the ball right back, and that turned into the Buffs’ first and-one opportunity of the night, with Jermel Jackson-Wilson feeding Jeremy Williams for a dunk with obstruction. He hit the free throw, and Colorado then forced another KU turnover. But the Jayhawks got the ball back off of the Buffs’ ninth turnover, and Sherron Collins was hacked going up to the rim in transition. He hit both free throws, putting KU up 21-8.

Jackson-Wilson again got in the mix down low, putting in an easy two off the glass, but Brandon Rush game back to score his first two of the game on a long two from the left wing.

Rush nearly scored again in transition after Arthur forced an errant CU pass in the paint, but he couldn’t find the bottom of the net from the same spot he’d just scored from, and Darnell Jackson’s miss on the follow led Ricardo Patton to call Colorado’s third timeout of the first half.

Kal Bay hit a three in the corner for Colorado, but Chalmers answered back with one of his own to negate it. Sherron Collins then tried to get a little too cute with an ill-advised lob to Darrell Arthur, which turned into an and-one in transition for Richard Roby, giving him his first points of the game.

Update #2: 11:16, first half, KU leads 18-5

Richard Roby finally entered the game out of the full timeout, but it didn’t matter as Darrell Arthur scored a hoop-and-harm underneath within seconds. He missed the free throw, but a CU turnover immediately thereafter turned into a soaring two-handed dunk for Julian Wright in the open court, putting KU up 8-3. It came off of a steal and acrobatic pass combo from Mario Chalmers.

Sherron Collins tried to extend the lead with a long three, but it missed short off the iron. Collins, though, grabbed a big defensive rebound off of a Kal Bay baseline miss, and turned it into two more points for Darrell Arthur for his second field goal since coming in off of the bench.

Arthur, after picking up his first foul of the game, grabbed another defensive rebound, and it turned into yet another inside deuce for the freshman forward off of a crisp entry pass from Darnell Jackson, extending KU’s run to 10-0. Jackson then swatted a Xavier Silas shot under the defnsive glass.

Darrell Arthur was sent back to the bench, though, after picking up his second foul in the open court on a loose ball scramble. Dominique Coleman then finally ended the Buffs’ offensive drought, but it was responded to with a long Darnell Jackson jumper and then an easy Mario Chalmers layin, thanks to a windmill feed from the hands of Julian Wright in the lane.

Colorado called its second timeout afterwards, but the fortunes didn’t change, as Julian Wright led another open-court break, this time feeding Collins, who laid the ball in while being fouled, sending the game to a break with KU on an 16-2 run.

Update #1: 15:59, first half, KU leads 4-3

Julian Wright picked up right where he left off at Missouri Saturday, scoring on a twisting layup right off of the opening tip. Colorado’s Dwight Thorne answered with a mid-range jumper, as the early story is Colorado’s Richard Roby not getting the start.

After a couple of failed offensive possesions on KU’s end, Colorado’s Marcus King-Stockton hit one of two free throws to put CU on top. But after getting the offensive board on the second attempt, the Buffs couldn’t do anything with the ball on three attempts, giving the ball back to KU. Though Sasha Kaun was called for an offensive foul, ending a third straight KU offensive trip empty-handed.

Russell Robinson finally put KU back on top after Darrell Arthur snatched a long defensive board for the Jayhawks, hitting Brandon Rush with a quick outlet pass. King-Stockton was then called for a foul on a loose ball scooped up by Mario Chalmers, sending the game to a full break with KU leading 4-3 after an ugly opening stretch.

Pregame

The Kansas University men’s basketball team has posted back-to-back 90-point-plus efforts since suffering its second conference loss of the season at home to Texas A&M. Both were wide-margined wins over rivals Kansas State and Missouri.

Now the Jayhawks look to go for the elusive third straight quality performance.

KU has played its way to a 21-4 overall mark and an 8-2 record in the Big 12 despite showing a good amount of inconsistency all along, But the Jayhawk offensive attack has clicked better than it has all season since falling 69-66 to A&M on Feb. 3. And now they must prove they can keep it going on the road.

The situation, though, is a favorable one for the Jayhawks, who tip off tonight against the 6-14 Colorado Buffaloes, who are just 2-8 in league play, but have posted one major upset at home this season – an 89-77 home win on Feb. 3 over Oklahoma State.

Keying the KU offense will be the sophomore duo of Julian Wright and Brandon Rush, who combined for 54 points in Saturday’s 92-74 stomping of Missouri. That included a career-high 33 for Wright, who on top of his 12 boards, became the first Jayhawk to score 30 or more points in a game since Wayne Simien did so, scoring 32 at home against Oklahoma State two seasons ago.

Colorado has capable guns as well. Three Buffs average in double figures on the stat sheet, led by junior Richard Roby, who scores 17 a game and dropped 30 in KU’s 97-74 win over CU in Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 27.

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23547KU cruises to tie atop conference, 75-46