What this means…from the Fieldhouse
Gary Bedore, Journal-World KU men’s basketball beat writer
“Wow. A great basketball game.
Missouri came to play, that is for sure. The Tigers did not look like a team that was 0-3 in the conference.
I guess the cliche about throwing the records out the window when the teams play is true.
Great play by Collins late. Great defense by Rush on the three at the buzzer to tie.
Say what you want about KU not blowing out the Tigers. MU definitely came to play and it was a good win for KU. Collins and Arthur played well down the stretch, but Collins was the star.”
Tom Keegan, Journal-World sports editor
“Sherron Collins took one look at old rival Stefhon Hannah and it was as if he was back at Chicago’s Crane Tech and the team was counting on him to guide them through another win. He took the challenge head-on and didn’t let Kansas lose.
He’s shown flashes of greatness in previous games. He was great, period, in this one.
Darrell Arthur wasn’t too shabby down the stretch, either, blocking two consecutive shots in a late Missouri possession. Combined, the two freshmen scored 17 of KU’s final 19 points.”
Ryan Greene, KUSports.com editor
“Funny thing I’ve noticed about this team is that every game it seems like there’s someone else to talk about as a breakout performer. The players in this rotation seem to go in cycles, and they really don’t seem to mind.
Tonight was Sherron Collins’ turn. It was all a matter of who took Missouri’s 15-2 run after KU had built a 58-50 lead most personally. The freshman point guard is truly finding a comfort zone, which only makes KU more dangerous down the stretch. By the way, Collins needs to keep the new haircut. As someone who was disappointed to see him show up on campus without his signature braids from his high school days, the new shaved look with a graphic design cut in the front left portion of his temple is pretty sleek. Anyways…
Brandon Rush’s defense on Matt Lawrence, giving him next to no look at the potential game-tying three shouldn’t go overlooked. He’s would be neck-and-neck as an early contender with Mario Chalmers for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors…if such an honor existed.”
Inside the numbers
1: This marked the first time all season Missouri lost when outrebounding its opponent. The Tigers held a slim 43-42 edge over the Jayhawks on the glass when it was all said and done, but KU simply showed off its depth in having more players make more big plays down the stretch.
10: That’s how many minutes Missouri junior Stefhon Hannah played in the second half, after having to sit a generous portion of the game’s stretch run with four fouls. Hannah was the Tigers’ most reliable spark and answer for big shots, but the Tigers definitely lost some punch when he was left watching. He finished with 15 points in 28 minutes. Five of those points came in his limited second half playing time.
20: That’s how many lead changes this game displayed, which in any case will make for an entertaining contest. The most important one for KU, however, came with 3:02 left to play, when two Brandon Rush free throws out of a television timeout put the Jayhawks up 71-70. KU had constructed a 58-50 lead at 13:43, but a 15-2 Missouri run put the Tigers up by five with 9:01 to play. For KU to fight back after that showed some guts.
0: That’s how many Big 12 wins Missouri came into Lawrence with, and it’s also how many they headed back east down I-70 with. Though if the Tigers play like they did Monday, there should be a couple more notches in their conference win column before they host the Jayhawks in Columbia, Mo., on Feb. 10. Mizzou has five games between now and then, and those opponents have a combined conference record so far of 5-8.
Just in case you missed it…
Mario Chalmers had what you could call his first ‘bad’ night since, well, last season. It’s now been three full games since the sophomore last hit a three-pointer, he dribbled the ball off of his lower body twice, with both headed out of bounds, and he had just one assist to a season-high five turnovers. That made Sherron Collins’ breakout performance, with 23 points and five rebounds, even more important. Russell Robinson also tied his season high with two three-pointers to help fill the void.
Hopefully you didn’t miss it…
Collins not only broke out, but he hit big shots at big moments. Aside from a huge three-pointer in the corner to put KU up 76-72 with 1:44 to go, he was knifing the lane and finishing consistently, as he has been for several games now. Bill Self had nothing but the highest praise for his freshman point guard’s performance.
They said it…
Bill Self on Sherron Collins’ breakout performance: “He was excited to play against Stefhon. He’s played really well since Christmas. He’s been really good. Tonight, that’s the point guard that coach (Kurtis Townsend) and I saw just about everytime he played in high school or AAU games, just in attack mode, aggressive. It’s tough to come in when you’re thinking instead of playing, but tonight there was no thinking going on. He was just out there ballin’. I thought he was fabulous.”
Bill Self on where Collins’ performance ranks in his time coaching at KU: “I was trying to think after the game, we’ve had some unbelievable wins here where guys have taken games over, you know, that kind of stuff, but I can’t remember where one individual took over a game more in a big game late like he did today, and for a young kid, that’s pretty strong.”
Sherron Collins on taking the team on his back: “I really didn’t envision myself carrying the team, but I know I’m capable of doing things like that, and I just stepped up when we needed somebody to step up.”
Sherron Collins on the Border War rivalry: “I really didn’t know about it. I really got to know about it at halftime.”
Brandon Rush on guarding Matt Lawrence’s final shot attempt: “We knew it was going to go to Lawrence. He was lighting me up the whole game, so they figured they’d pick on me for the last shot, and I think I played I played pretty good defense at the end, just walled up.”
