Final, KU wins 85-55
Some might say Oklahoma was deflated when losing star freshman Blake Griffin five minutes into Monday night’s 85-55 KU win over the Sooners in Allen Fieldhouse.
Though, in all honesty, it might not have mattered had Griffin been able to play 35, as the Jayhawks never trailed in routing OU.
Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, led by 17 points from senior Darnell Jackson on 8-of-10 shooting. That went with eight rebounds on his final stat line. Darrell Arthur chipped in 14 points and eight boards alongside Jackson in the paint. Griffin, who figured to be the duo’s biggest road block, left early in the game with a sprained left knee.
Brandon Rush was aggressive and productive offensively for the second straight game, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds, with four of his field goals coming from three-point range. Mario Chalmers had 13 points, five assists and three steals for the Jayhawks, who shot 53.4 percent from the floor.
KU, 17-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, take on Missouri Saturday night in Columbia, with a 7 p.m. tip time.
3:33, second half, KU leads 77-51
Darrell Arthur stuck another turnaround jumper off of the glass to give himself 12 points on the night, one of four Jayhawks to be in double figures. It was followed by Crocker scoring his third field goal of the second half, though the Sooners’ top outside gunner has been limited all night while in foul trouble.
Darnell Jackson nailed his eighth field goal of the night with another outside jumper, giving him a team-high 17 points on the night. Arthur then matched him again with yet another turnaround jumper, this time with only one hand touching the ball.
7:20, second half, KU leads 71-43
Darnell Jackson and Sherron Collins each registered buckets out of the timeout, pushing KU’s lead past the 30-point barrier.
Jackson then became the first Jayhawk to miss a free throw, splitting a pair, and following it with another jumper in the lane. That gave him 11 points and eight rebounds on the night. Mario Chalmers then hit a deep three to go with five assists and three steals.
Heading into another full timeout, Jackson tipped in a Brandon Rush lob to put the Jayhawks up 71-43 with under eight minutes to play.
11:50, second half, KU leads 57-30
Darrell Arthur hit a turnaround two following an Oklahoma three coming out of the second half’s first media timeout. Taylor Griffin then worked himself to the free throw line, scoring a pair to give himself four points on the night.
Tony Crocker, still scoreless for OU, recorded his fourth personal foul just inside of the 15-minute mark, headed back to the bench for a seat next to Jeff Capel.
Rush then hit his first two-point bucket of the night with a long two past the free throw line. That was followed by two free throws from Cole Aldrich, making KU a perfect 14-of-14 from the line.
15:58, second half, KU leads 51-25
Taylor Griffin hit a pair of free throws out of the timeout, and after Darrell Arthur missed a turnaround jumper, Longar Longar hit one on the other end, drawing the third foul of the game on Darnell Jackson with it. He hit the free throw, but then Mario Chalmers took over, hitting two free throws and scoring a pair of buckets underneath, leading up to Brandon Rush hitting his fourth three-pointer of the game, putting the Jayhawks up 51-25 less than four minutes into the first half.
Halftime, KU leads 40-20
Brandon Rush swished his third three of the game before a quick timeout to push the Jayhawks’ lead to 20 points. Oklahoma missed a three at the buzzer, keeping KU ahead 40-20 at the break.
Brandon Rush led the Jayhawks in the first half with 11 points, while Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson each chipped in eight. Sherron Collins scored four late points, giving him seven in the first half after going scoreless in Norman a year ago.
KU outrebounded OU in the first half 23-13, and Blake Griffin leaving with a knee injury gave the Jayhawks an even bigger advantage underneath. The Jayhawks are also a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
1:55, first half, KU leads 37-18
Longar Longar scored his fourth bucket of the game after the timeout, drawing a foul on Sasha Kaun in the process, but his free throw was long off the back iron, keeping KU up by nine points at 25-16.
Darrell Arthur drew a foul on the other end, stroking both free throws to give himself six points on the night, then got himself to the line again after drawing contact on a turnaround jumper following a Taylor Griffin miss. He hit both, making KU 10-of-10 from the free throw line to start the game.
Darnell Jackson then checked in for Arthur, scoring two inside and then grabbing defensive rebounds on repeat trips up the floor. Sherron Collins then responded by taking an outlet pass awkwardly up to the iron, dropping in two off of the glass. Jackson continued his rampage on the glass with his third straight defensive board, and Collins cashed a three, giving him eight points so far on the night and KU its biggest lead yet at 35-16.
Cole Aldrich scored his first points of the game following the timeout and an OU hoop, and a turnover by Cade Davis gave the ball back to KU heading into the half’s final full break.
7:35, first half, KU leads 25-14
Brandon Rush hit two free throws out of the full timeout, giving him eight points so far for KU. Longar Longar then hit a turnaround hook shot off the glass from the right block, keeping him as the only Sooner to have scored so far.
That changed after a KU turnover, as David Godbold stroked a three for the Sooners, but it was made moot moments later. Darrell Arthur snagged an offensive rebound and kicked out to Sherron Collins. The sophomore guard swished a three of his own, keeping KU up by double digits, 23-11, even after Austin Johnson knocked home an alley-oop lob off the window. Godbold then hit another three for the Sooners to make it a nine-point game at 23-14.
The Jayhawks dropped in two more before the TV timeout to bump the lead back to 11 points, as Blake Griffin just returned to the bench with ice on his knee, moving gingerly.
11:32, first half, KU leads 18-4
A blown lob to Sasha Kaun and a three miss by Sherron Collins brought the Jayhawks out of the game’s first media timeout, but then the Fieldhouse went silent for a moment as OU star freshman Blake Griffin’s knee appeared to buckle a bit while landing from a rebound attempt.
Griffin was helped off the floor to the bench and replaced by his brother, Taylor, a junior forward for the Sooners.
The elder Griffin brother picked up two quick fouls, continuing the Sooner slide right out of the gates. After an Austin Johnson three miss, Mario Chalmers fired a crosscourt pass to Brandon Rush, who knocked home his second trey of the game.
Longar Longar scored his second field goal of the game after battling inside on OU’s ensuing trip up the floor, but Darrell Arthur made up for it with a short baseline two to give the Jayhawks a 16-4 lead.
Arthur then did it again with a turnaround jumper on the right block after Chalmers grabbed a long rebound on the defensive end in the lane.
15:53, first half, KU leads 11-2
After conquering one low post challenge in their Big 12 opener (Nebraska’s Aleks Maric), things get no easier for the KU big men tonight against a much deeper Oklahoma front court.
OU rolls into Lawrence at 12-4 overall, but the Sooners got off to an 0-1 start in Big 12 play, dropping their league opener to Kansas State at home Saturday afternoon, 84-82. Despite dropping the initial Big 12 contest, star freshman forward Blake Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds. Plenty of NBA scouts are in attendance tonight to not only watch him, but KU’s bevy of pro prospects as well.
Griffin on the season is averaging 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and has added a big body for coach Jeff Capel next to senior post stalwart Longar Longar, averaging 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
After conquering one low post challenge in their Big 12 opener (Nebraska’s Aleks Maric), things get no easier for the KU big men tonight against a much deeper Oklahoma front court.
OU rolls into Lawrence at 12-4 overall, but the Sooners got off to an 0-1 start in Big 12 play, dropping their league opener to Kansas State at home Saturday afternoon, 84-82. Despite dropping the initial Big 12 contest, star freshman forward Blake Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds. Plenty of NBA scouts are in attendance tonight to not only watch him, but KU’s bevy of pro prospects as well.
Griffin on the season is averaging 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and has added a big body for coach Jeff Capel next to senior post stalwart Longar Longar, averaging 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Pregame
After conquering one low post challenge in their Big 12 opener (Nebraska’s Aleks Maric), things get no easier for the KU big men tonight against a much deeper Oklahoma front court.
OU rolls into Lawrence at 12-4 overall, but the Sooners got off to an 0-1 start in Big 12 play, dropping their league opener to Kansas State at home Saturday afternoon, 84-82. Despite dropping the initial Big 12 contest, star freshman forward Blake Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds. Plenty of NBA scouts are in attendance tonight to not only watch him, but KU’s bevy of pro prospects as well.
Griffin on the season is averaging 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and has added a big body for coach Jeff Capel next to senior post stalwart Longar Longar, averaging 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
One Jayhawk who could use a bit of redemption in the paint tonight is Darrell Arthur, who last year as a freshman went scoreless just one time – in a road win at Oklahoma, 67-65.
KU is started Big 12 play off on the right foot with a 79-58 win Saturday night against Nebraska up in Lincoln. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. tonight on ESPN and ESPNHD (Sunflower Broadband channels 33 and 233).
