Today’s non-conference finale pits Kansas University’s men’s basketball team against both a familiar opponent as well as an uncommon one.
The Jayhawks tip-off in Columbia, S.C., against the Gamecocks for just the second meeting all-time between the two. But the Jayhawks will face a recurring hurdle – trying to win on the road.
This season, the No. 9 Jayhawks (12-2) are 3-1 away from Allen Fieldhouse, but only one of those games resembled a hostile road environment. That was a 64-57 loss at DePaul on Dec. 2. It’s something KU will have to get used to overcoming with Big 12 play beginning this week.
South Carolina enters the game at 10-2. Three Gamecocks average in double figures in the scoring column, led by senior point guard Tre Kelley, who puts down 16.8 points and 5.27 assists per game. Though Kelley missed South Carolina’s 67-53 win over Western Carolina Wednesday after hurting his knee on Dec. 29 against Jacksonville. His status is questionable. Senior forward Brandon Wallace averages 11.9 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds per game, while freshman Brandis Raley-Ross has scored 10 points per contest for the Gamecocks, who are the two-time defending NIT champions.
FIRST HALF
South Carolina opened the game on a 4-0 run as the Jayhawks stumbled a tad. Following a Dominique Archie dunk and a Brandon Wallace layup, Brandon Rush stroked a three from the top of the key for KU, and the Jayhawks took the lead after forcing a Tre Kelley turnover on a layup inside from Julian Wright.
Kelley started the game for the Gamecocks, but hasn’t been too effective in the opening minutes, as KU holds a 5-4 lead with 15:46 left in the first half.
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Out of the timeout, Julian Wright scrambled almost the length of the court, battling a pair of Gamecocks for a loose ball. The trio tumbled to the deck and a jump ball was called. After that, Bill Self was whistled for a technical foul after jumping off of the bench. Bryce Sheldon hit one of the two free throws, tying the game, 5-5.
Mario Chalmers answered quickly for the ‘Hawks, slicing across the South Carolina defense and hitting a floater in the lane, for his first points of the game.
After stopping a potential fastbreak hoop for the Gamecocks, Sherron Collins then hit Chalmers for a deep three-pointer, to make it a 10-1 KU run. Chalmers then forced Sheldon into a five-second turnover on the defensive end.
Chalmers continued to surge after a Brandon Rush three rimmed out, he forced another turnover in the USC backcourt, but no offensive numbers came from it, just like the previous effort.
The same culprit, Chalmers, got the ball back again for KU in transition, this time throwing a lob for Brandon Rush. It was too high for Rush to slam, so he brought it down, and wisely went back up for an easy two, putting KU up 12-5.
Tre Kelley scored his first points of the game on the next trip up the floor, hitting a pair of free throws for USC’s first points in more than four minutes.
Darrell Arthur scored his first points of the game after the free throws, rolling off of a screen he set for Brandon Rush to take the easy feed from the sophomore wing and stuff home an easy two-handed slam. That was followed with a travel call on USC, keeping KU up 14-7 with 11:20 left in the first half.
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Out of the full timeout, KU had to face a zone defense for the first time. Darrell Arthur was effective once the ball was dumped in his way. First, he drew a foul from Ousmane Konate. And after the score, he scored on a goaltending call to put KU up 16-7.
South Carolina’s Dominique Archie scored on a tip-in off of a Brandon Wallace miss for the Gamecocks’ first field goal in more than eight minutes, but Sherron Collins answered in transition just seconds later to keep KU’s nine-point lead.
Kelley then missed the front end of a one-and-one just under the nine-minute mark, but it led to a missed three-pointer from Collins. South Carolina scored again on a tip-in.
Chalmers got yet another fastbreak opportunity, but was whacked hard by Archie while going up for the layup, and an intentional foul was called as the teams headed to another full timeout with KU leading 18-11.
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Chalmers hit both free throws out of the timeout, and followed it with his second three of the game to give him a game-high 10 points and KU a 23-11 lead. Brandon Wallace answered with two points inside on a quick feed from Kelley.
South Carolina forced a KU turnover after that, but quickly returned the favor as Russell Robinson swatted away a pass near halfcourt, and turned it into a fastbreak layup to put KU up 12 again.
Darrell Arthur gave KU a 27-13 lead after saving a nearly lost pass from Julian Wright under the hoop behind the backboard. He spun to his right and banked one in to give him six points off the bench.
South Carolina got a spark off the bench from freshman Evaldus Baniulis, but Arthur answered with his fourth field goal from the middle of the paint, keeping KU up 29-16.
The Gamecocks though continued to improve offensively, this time with a Brandon Wallace dunk, and that was followed by a Chalmers miss from deep with the USC crowd beginning to come alive. Dwayne Day kept them coming with a tough 17-foot jumper with a hand in his face to pull the Gamecocks within nine. Julian Wright was then whistled for a charge as the teams headed into a full timeout at the 3:12 mark with KU leading 29-20.
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Baniulis hit a three-pointer fresh out of the timeout to make it a six-point game and push USC’s run to 8-0.
South Carolina then had two open three-point looks, but both clanked. It turned into Mario Chalmers going coast-to-coast and drawing a foul under the USC hoop. He hit the first, missed the second, got the rebound off a tip and drowned a floater to put KU up again by nine at 32-23.
Mario Chalmers then left the game with apparent cramping in his right calf, and while he was hobbling around on defense, South Carolina got an easy bucket underneath. The Gamecocks then cut the KU lead to four points on a Dwayne Day three-pointer, making it a 32-28 game with :41.6 left until the break.
Darrell Arthur threw up a frantic three with less than 15 seconds to go, and the ball went out of bounds underneath off the miss and back to USC with :08.4 left. But Tre Kelley was called for a charge. Sherron Collins missed a floater at the buzzer, but KU leads 32-28 at the break. Mario Chalmers has 13 points, two assists and four steals at the break, while Darrell Arthur has eight points for the Jayhawks.
SECOND HALF
Julian Wright opened the half with a steal and fed Mario Chalmers, now back in the game. Chalmers hit Brandon Rush in the corner for a three-pointer and the first points of the second half.
Kelley missed a floater on the other end of the floor, and Rush scored again with a runner while crossing the lane against an expiring shot clock to put KU up 37-28.
Dwayne hit his second three of the game for USC after a pair of Gamecock misses, giving South Carolina its first points of the second half, but it was answered with yet another Mario Chalmers floater in the lane. Only USC came back with another Day three.
Darrell Arthur then moved into double figures with a tough inside turnaround jumper, putting him at or above 10 points for the first time since a Dec. 19 win over Winston-Salem State, when he had 13. Tre Kelley scored his first field goal of the game, making it a 41-36 game with KU still leading during the first full timeout of the second half.
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Dominique Archie made one of two free throws after a foul-ridden minute out of the timeout to pull USC within four points at 41-37. Sasha Kaun then followed his own missed dunk with a deuce off the glass for his first points of the game. Then Wright scored his second field goal of the game after picking off a pass at midcourt, swooping past a defender and throwing down a one-handed dunk to make it a 45-37 game.
Archie again split a pair of free throws to keep KU’s lead somewhat tamed at seven points. Kaun answered again with a two-pointer off of the glass from straight away, to put KU up 47-38. Brandon Wallace then scored will cutting across the lane, but Brandon Rush sunk his third three of the game to put KU up 49-40 at the 11:10 mark.
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After Brandon Wallace hit a pair of free throws out of the timeout, Darrell Arthur again scored on a goaltending call, as Wallace collected it in the air a little late, giving the freshman 12 points on the day.
Darrell Arthur continued to surge coming off of a bout with the flu as he completed an old-fashioned three-point play, putting KU up 54-42 and giving him 15 points ont he afternoon.
Sherron Collins scored on another layup to give KU a commanding 56-42 lead at the 7:28 mark.
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Evaldus Baniulis hit only one of three free throws out of a timeout, which were the result of him being fouled by Mario Chalmers while attempting a three. His free throw ineptitude kept KU’s lead at 13 points. It bumped up to 15 when Julian Wright tipped in a Chalmers missed three, giving KU its biggest lead of the game. Bryce Sheldon then whipped in a three for South Carolina, to keep the Gamecocks with a glimmer of hope approaching the six-minute mark. Darrell Arthur, though, threw home a lob from Julian Wright just seconds later, giving him 17 points on the day.
Sherron Collins hit a deep two, followed by Tre Kelley swishing his first three of an offensively difficult day for USC’s leading scorer. KU is holding on at 63-49 with 3:50 to play.
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Chalmers tied Arthur for a game-high total with 17 points on a baseline jumper out of a quick KU timeout, it was answered by a USC dunk from Brandon Wallace, who has 12. Russell Robinson then scored to continue KU’s closing out of the Gamecocks. Tre Kelley then hit his second three of the game to give him 10 points on the afternoon, but he has gone just 3-of-14 from the field.
Sasha Kaun slammed home his own miss to give him six points, all of which have come in the second half, as KU lead 68-54 with 1:01 to play.
Mario Chalmers scored once more for a game-high 19-point total as the Jayhawks finished off USC 70-54. Darrell Arthur also had 17 points for KU, while USC was led by Dwayne Day, who tallied 13. The Jayhawks are 13-2, with Big 12 play opening Wednesday night when KU hosts Oklahoma State.
