Gary Bedore’s KU hoops notebook

By Gary Bedore     Mar 21, 2010

KU vs. UNI

Nick Krug
From left, Kansas players Tyrel Reed, Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris hold back tears in their towels in the Jayhawks' locker room following their 69-67 loss to Northern Iowa, Saturday, March 20, 2010 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.

Box Score

‘This is terrible’

March sadness for Jayhawks

Press might have saved Jayhawks

UNI relishes victory

Staying or going?

Several Kansas University basketball players were asked about their futures after Saturday’s season-ending loss to Northern Iowa at Ford Center.

Junior Cole Aldrich and freshman Xavier Henry, who are expected to turn pro, both said they’d yet to make up their minds. Sophomores Tyshawn Taylor and Marcus Morris said they definitely would be back for another go-round at KU.

First up is Aldrich, who nearly turned pro after his sophomore season.

“I’ve got no idea right now,” Aldrich said after scoring 13 points off 6-of-8 shooting with 10 rebounds in 27 minutes.

Aldrich, who sprained an ankle, shrugged off that injury, but was not on the court at the end as KU tried to scramble back with a pressing lineup.

“Right now, there’s so many things coming through my mind, I’m just going to take a few days to rest my body and mind. I’m going to talk to the team and coaches and go from there,” Aldrich said.

Senior Sherron Collins said he felt Aldrich definitely would be leaving.

“Some people, this might be their last game,” Collins said. “I’m definitely for sure it’s Cole’s last game. I don’t know about Xavier yet, but I’m pretty sure (he’s leaving as well). You know, he can do some things.”

Expounding on buddy Aldrich, Collins added: “I’m pretty sure he’s done (with college career). It’s pretty evident. He’s been great at Kansas, given three great years.”

Henry, who entered KU as a likely one-and-done, said, “I’ve not even thought about it. Right now, I’m thinking about my team. I want to stay strong for my teammates and make sure everybody else stays strong.”

His dad, Carl, recently told the Journal-World that if Henry was a top NBA prospect, he “had to go.”

Meanwhile, sophomore Taylor, who had been subject of transfer rumors during the Big 12 season, said: “I’ll be back. I’m not going anywhere.”

And sophomore Morris, whose strong play this season had some thinking he might turn pro, said he’ll be back to KU.

“I know I’ll be back next year, and I’ll be a leader of this team next year. Summertime, I’ll work as hard as I’ve ever worked in my life and try to bring a national championship to KU before I go anywhere,” Morris said.

KU coach Bill Self said, “I’m not going to say anything about that,” when asked about futures of Aldrich and Henry.

No regrets

An emotional Aldrich gave Markieff Morris a long bear-hug before heading to the interview room with teammate Tyrel Reed.

Aldrich grew emotional when talking about Sherron Collins.

“You know, it’s tough for me. He and I have been through so much,” Aldrich said. “We made the hard decision to come back for another year, his senior year, my junior year. The main thing in coming back was trying to win a national title. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. I wouldn’t ever change my decision.”

Press talk

Collins doesn’t agree with those who thought the Jayhawks should have pressed earlier in the game.

“We had to press late. We needed to get steals,” Collins said. “We just missed some easy shots tonight.”

Taylor added: “The press worked. Honestly, I’m surprised it did. It brought us back and got us in the game. I just wish we started off better. I wish we never got down 10-2.”

Ali’s ace

Tyrel Reed on Ali Farokhmanesh’s three-pointer that upped a one-point lead to 66-62 with :37 left: “I mean, he just spotted up at the three-point line. I was kind of protecting the hole for a second. I really didn’t think he was going to shoot it. I thought he was going to try to run some time off the clock. He did and made a great shot.”

Reed on Collins’ last game

“Everyone is sad it happened, especially for Sherron because he’s the ultimate competitor. There’s nobody I wouldn’t go to war with, but Sherron. He’s the ultimate teammate, ultimate competitor. He’s been great for this program, and I wish we could have sent him out on a better note, but I’m proud of our guys, still. We had a good season. It just didn’t end the way we wanted it too.”

Overlooked?

Did KU overlook Northern Iowa?

“I don’t think we overlooked them at all,” Reed said. “We knew what they were capable of. They are just a great all-around team, play in a tough league and have great players around them.”

Self added: “When the brackets came out, the first team I looked at was Northern Iowa. A lot of people talked about Ohio State or Georgetown or Michigan State or whoever, Maryland in our bracket. The first team I looked at was Northern Iowa because I know how they play. In basketball the key to having a good team is getting easy baskets and not give up easy baskets. They’re a team that doesn’t give up easy baskets.”

Stats, facts

It marked the 14th time a No. 1 seed lost a second-round game, the first time since Kentucky fell to UAB and Stanford lost to Alabama back in 2004. … KU is 24-8 as a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs. … KU is 1-1 against Northern Iowa and 53-13 against current membership of the Missouri Valley Conference. … Self is 202-43 at KU and 15-6 in NCAA Tourney games. … KU finished the season with 2,003 all-time wins against 796 losses. … Collins ended his career with 1,888 points which ranks fifth on the all-time KU list. He also finished with 552 assists and joins only Darnell Valentine as the only two players in KU history to have more than 1,800 points and 550 assists. … Aldrich blocked one shot to bring his school-record season total to 124 and his career total to 252. He ends the season six shy of the KU career record held by Greg Ostertag (258 from 1992-95). … Aldrich moved up the KU all-time scoring list. His 1,038 points rank 46th. He passed Bill Bridges (1,028 from 1959-61) and Jerry Gardner (1,030 from 1960-62). … Kansas’ nine assists were a team season low. The previous low was 10, done three times. … Kansas used just eight players for the first time since the Texas game on Feb. 8.

Gary Bedore’s KU hoops notebook

By Gary Bedore     Mar 19, 2010

KU vs. Lehigh

Nick Krug
Kansas center Cole Aldrich and Lehigh forward Zahir Carrington compete for a loose ball during the first half, Thursday, March 18, 2010 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.

Box Score

Game spurs KU fans’ hopes for another championship

Jitter bugged

For KU, what’s up is down

Lehigh: Start ‘woke up’ KU

Up next

Kansas University has advanced to a second-round match against Northern Iowa (29-4), a 69-66 first-round winner over UNLV.

Game time will be 4:40 p.m. Saturday in Ford Center.

Missouri Valley regular-season and postseason tourney champ Northern Iowa claimed nonconference victories this season over Boston College, Iowa State, Iowa, Siena and Wyoming. The squad’s only losses came to DePaul, Wichita State, Bradley and Evansville.

UNI on Thursday was led by guard Ali Farokmanesh, who scored 17 points off 5-of-9 three-point shooting. He drilled a deep, game-winning three with 4.9 seconds left.

Northern Iowa has won five straight games.

“It’s going to be a fun one. They’ve got a skilled big guy,” KU center Cole Aldrich said of 7-foot senior Jordan Eglseder, who had 10 boards and nine points against UNLV. “They shoot the ball well. We know it’s a big challenge for us.”

KU coach Bill Self noted: “They are as sound defensively as any team we’ve played in a while, not just this year, but in a while.”

NIU coach Ben Jacobson on playing the Jayhawks

“Whether it was us or UNLV that won our game, it was going to be a nice reward if you will, for either one of us to get Kansas.

“We’ll dig into the film tonight. I’ve seen them play throughout the course of the season. They’re a terrific basketball team. We’ll put together a game plan and we’ve got a day and a half to do that and we’ll play as hard as we can on Saturday.”

McCollum shines

Tyshawn Taylor on Lehigh freshman C.J. McCollum who burned KU for 26 points off 7-of-21 shooting with 10 free throws made in 13 tries.

“He’s good. I did what I could and he still got 26,” Taylor said. “He’s just a freshman. He’s really going to be a great player.”

Halftime speech

What did Self tell his troops at halftime, with KU up just 35-29?

“He came in there and said they didn’t shoot well. He said we could have easily been down five. He didn’t yell at us too much, didn’t get too down on us. He probably wanted us to stay confident for the second half,” Taylor said.

Self noted: “The message was, ‘Guys, we’re very fortunate.’ We’d not made anything, and they were 1-for-9 from three. We executed well offensively the second half. We got anything we wanted offensively, but weren’t good defensively.”

Big O on record

Former Kansas University center Greg Ostertag is ready to relinquish his school blocks record.

“It stood for 15 years. Records are made to be broken,” said Ostertag, who swatted 258 shots from 1992 to ’95.

On a fishing trip in the Florida Keys, he returned a phone call to the Journal-World asking for comment concerning Cole Aldrich (246 blocks entering Thursday’s game against Lehigh) closing in on his blocks mark.

“Maybe if Cole breaks it, my son can come in and break his record someday,” Ostertag said with a laugh.

Cody Ostertag is a 6-foot-7, 190-pound sophomore from Scottsdale (Arizona) Christian High School.

“He has a chance to be a real good player,” the 7-foot-2 Ostertag said. “He has a good jumper. He’s got to work on his game. If he does that, he has a chance to be recruited. He wants to go to Kansas. That’s two years down the road. We’ll see.”

Back to Aldrich, the man of the hour …

Ostertag realizes Aldrich is trying to break his KU record in just three seasons. The Big O played four years at KU.

“He plays more minutes than I did,” Ostertag cracked. “If he doesn’t break it this year and decides to come back, I’ll come to the game where he breaks it next year in the fieldhouse. That’d be fun.”

Yet it’s a foregone conclusion Aldrich is off to the NBA after this season. Ostertag played 11 years on the highest level.

“More power to him, if he does (turn pro),” Ostertag said. “From what I understand, he’s a true big guy. He likes to get in the paint and push you around, block shots and rebound. He has to get a little stronger and bigger. He’s a big defensive guy. Everybody in the NBA is looking for guys who can play defense. He clogs the middle up.”

Ostertag provided some insight on what it takes to be a good shot-blocker.

“It’s all timing,” he said. “A lot come from the help side. Probably 65 percent of my blocks at KU came from the help side. I blocked guys straight up, too. If I go straight up in the air, I’m 10-feet tall. Cole’s about the same. That’s a long way to shoot over.”

Dooley on Hall wish list

KU assistant coach Joe Dooley is being mentioned as a candidate for the Seton Hall head coaching vacancy. Other names that have surfaced in media reports: Hofstra’s Tom Pecora, Siena’s Fran McCaffrey and Duke assistant Chris Collins. Dooley also has been mentioned as a possibility at Charlotte, UNC Wilmington and East Carolina. DePaul, Iowa, Oregon, Hawaii and other schools are also looking for coaches.

Gary Bedore’s KU hoops notebook

By Gary Bedore     Mar 7, 2010

KU-Missouri

Nick Krug
The Kansas Jayhawks celebrate next to Missouri forward Laurence Bowers on their way to the locker room for halftime.

Box score

Tiger beatdown

Marcus’ hard knock proves revealing

Tigers lick their wounds

Tourney talk

No. 1-ranked Syracuse’s loss to Louisville on Saturday means Kansas University will move back to No. 1 in the polls on Monday.

“I do think there are three teams (KU, Kentucky, Syracuse) that are solid No. 1’s,” KU coach Bill Self said, referring to No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

KU, which is No. 1 in RPI, ultimately could rank as the overall No. 1 seed, which could mean stops in Oklahoma City and St. Louis in the NCAAs.

“I won’t spend any time worrying about that. Hey, we played a regional in St. Louis six years ago and got beat,” Self said. “It doesn’t guarantee success. We have a good chance to be a No. 1 seed. I want to be a No. 1 seed. On the flip side, once you get in the tournament, it’s more about matchups. There are very few homecourt advantages. I’m sure our fans would think it’s great if they sent us to St. Louis, but if they send us to Houston or somewhere else, that would be fine, too.”

One more year

Marcus Morris (12 points, 10 boards), who figures to earn second-team All-Big 12 mention today when the league’s coaches reveal their all-conference teams, reiterated after the game he will return to KU for his junior season.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’m ready for the NBA. I think I should come back,” Morris said. “I want to enjoy my college experience. I like being here and love being a Jayhawk.”

Nice recovery

Tyshawn Taylor, who was 0-for-6 from the field and scoreless the first half, finished with a team-leading 13 points off 5-of-13 shooting with six assists, five rebounds and three steals with two turnovers.

“Today it was important to be aggressive, to match their aggressiveness,” Taylor said.

The Jayhawks, who at times had trouble with Mizzou’s press and other times broke it easily, finished with 19 turnovers to MU’s 11.

“I think the last few games we’ve been playing really well, and now it’s time to see who really steps up and what we can do as a team. If we can continue to play how we’ve been playing as a team, the chips will fall into place,” Taylor said.

Good week

KU junior Brady Morningstar, who is a Lawrence native, was happy to beat Kansas State and Missouri in a five-day span.

“It’s two good wins in a week,” Morningstar said, “especially to win on Senior Night (Wednesday versus KSU) and ruin their Senior Night. You do what you have to do.”

Stats, facts

Missouri lost its first-ever Senior Day game in Mizzou Arena after five victories. It was the final home game for J.T. Tiller (nine points), Keith Ramsey (eight) and Zaire Taylor (four). … The 21-point victory was KU’s biggest in Columbia since a 77-54 decision on Feb. 5, 1966. … KU won 15 league games for the fourth time (1997, 1998, 2002). … KU is 3-3 at Mizzou Arena. … Self is 198-42 at KU. He’s 15-3 versus MU, 12-3 while at KU. … One win from 2,000, KU has an all-time record of 1,999-795. … Morris was one off a career high in rebounds. … Xavier Henry (six shots, seven points) snapped a streak of seven games scoring in double figures. … KU outrebounded (45-28) its opponent for the first time in the last three games. In the first meeting with Missouri, Kansas outrebounded the Tigers, 56-28 … KU committed a season-low 10 fouls. … KU made four of its first 14 shots, then 13 of its next 20. … KU earned 1.5 points in the all sports Border Series competition with Missouri. KU now leads 11.5 to 11.

Gary Bedore’s Kansas basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Feb 4, 2010

KU vs. Colorado

Nick Krug
Kansas guard Sherron Collins defends Colorado guard Dwight Thorne II during the first half Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 at the Coors Event Center in Boulder.

Box Score

Rocky Mountain Sigh

This had odd air about it

Buffs lament missed chances

Altitude matters

Cole Aldrich huffed and puffed his way to 16 points and 14 rebounds in 35 minutes Wednesday night.

The 6-foot-11 junior admits he was one tired Jayhawk competing in the high altitude of Boulder.

“It’s tough,” Aldrich said. “You come up here. Coach (Bill Self) always jokes, ‘Once you guys are indoors, the altitude doesn’t matter.’ It’s his little joke. The freshmen believed it. All the veterans just laugh at him. It’s a little different up here. It’s always a tough place to play, but a fun place to win.”

KU appeared to have about 2,000 fans of the announced crowd of 11,027.

“We had our fans, but they had theirs, too. They were loud. The fans were great,” Aldrich said.

He said that no matter how much the Jayhawks practice against the Princeton-style offense of Colorado, it remains tough to guard.

“They have five guys that can shoot,” Aldrich said. “They bring our bigs away from the hoop, and then they can drive. It also creates lanes. It was tough to guard them again. It’s always tough here for some reason.”

Self impressed

Self applauded the play of the Buffs.

“As I told the players, ‘When you talk to the team, when you talk to the media or whoever, you have to respect their effort,”’ Self said. “They do respect Colorado’s effort.”

Self thought it was neat the Buffs stayed around after a disappointing loss to thank the CU students for their support.

“After the game, the players went over and thanked the fans. We have never had it like this here before,” he added of a hostile environment in which Buffs fans actually were a major factor. “It’s good for our league for all of our teams to get better. I am not going to say we played poorly because it doesn’t give them the credit they deserve.”

Whew

Self was asked if he was more excited or relieved.

“Probably more relieved,” he said. “We didn’t play our best by any stretch. Not that Colorado didn’t play great. I thought they were the better team. We were the best team by far the first 10 minutes. I thought without question they (were) the next 30. Then we were pretty good in overtime.

“Relphorde had a terrific game,” he added of Marcus Relphorde, who had 18 points and 11 boards. “He was probably the hardest for us to guard tonight.”

Stats, facts

KU is 21-1, the same record it had during the 2007-08 NCAA title season. … KU is 7-0 in the league for the second straight year. … KU has won 14 straight games versus CU. … KU leads the all-time series, 118-39, including a 38-26 KU advantage in Boulder and 23-7 in Coors Events Center. KU is 27-1 versus CU since the start of the Big 12 in 1996-97. … KU is 8-1 away from Allen this season. … KU played its first overtime game against the Buffaloes since March 2, 1964, a KU 73-71 victory. It was also KU’s first overtime game in Boulder since losing 50-48 on Feb. 6, 1950. … The Jayhawks played their first back-to-back overtime games since the 2004-05 season. … KU held Colorado to 37.5 percent shooting and has held 17 of 22 opponents to under 40 percent shooting this season. … KU shot a season-low 47.4 percent from the free-throw line. … Aldrich pulled down 14 rebounds to pass Mark Randall (1987, 89-91) for the 13th-most career rebounds in KU history with 734. He has nine or more rebounds in 11 of his last 13 games. Aldrich also moved up to the No. 6 spot for single-season blocked shots, recording five blocks to give him 80. He passed Eric Chenowith (1999). He has three-plus blocks in 20 games in 2009-10. … Sherron Collins scored in double figures for the eighth time in the last 11 games with 16 points. Fourteen of his points came after halftime. He also had four assists and has three-plus assists 18 times this season. … Xavier Henry had one steal and moved up one spot on the KU freshmen steals list. He is tied for the No. 6 spot with Jeff Boschee (1999) with 40 steals. … Tyrel Reed tied a season high with three rebounds.

Mad AD

Colorado AD Mike Bohn spoke to Big 12 officials observer Tom Robinson angrily during a timeout in the first half near the press section. Bohn apparently was upset at the officiating. He returned at halftime and spoke to Robinson in a much calmer tone.

Gary Bedore’s Kansas basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jan 26, 2010

KU vs. Missouri

Richard Gwin
Kansas fans gear up for the tip-off of the Kansas-Missouri game Monday, Jan. 25, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Box Score

Men among boys

Sharp shooting Reed knows all about rivalry

Lopsided loss mystifies MU

History lesson inspires Markieff

Money sings

National recording artist Eddie Money sang the national anthem.

Money, who lives in southern California, had the time of his life attending his first KU basketball game.

“I’m in Allen Fieldhouse. This is where Wilt Chamberlain played. I just saw Danny Manning. I had a chance to meet Gale Sayers. I’m in heaven,” exclaimed Money, whose hits include “Take Me Home Tonight,” “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Shakin'” and “Baby Hold On.”

Money, 60, said in a pregame interview with the Journal-World that he was nervous about singing the anthem.

“I played with the (Rolling) Stones, and I wasn’t nervous like I am now,” he said. “The only song I get nervous about singing is the Star-Spangled Banner. I sang it at a Chiefs game a couple years ago when they played the Raiders. This is the highlight of my life.

“My son goes to junior college. I wish he was here today to see how beautiful the girls are who go to school in the Midwest. I’ve been to UCLA, all over the place. The prettiest girls in the country are right here.”

Money, by the way, performed the national anthem at the Liberty Bowl, which is when he “ran into some friends who are from KU.” They had his agent contact KU about singing the anthem at a game.

In the house

Former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie, a close friend of KU coach Bill Self, attended, as did some members of the K.C. Chiefs. … Ishmail Wainwright, a 6-5 freshman from Raytown South, attended and sat behind KU’s bench.

Say what?

Cole Aldrich had a funny quote about MU’s press. KU had 23 turnovers to the Tigers’ five.

“We were up 20 at half. They continued to fight. They really turned us over today,” he said. “We had 23 turnovers. That’s a real lot. With those guys scrambling around … I can see why we turned it over a number of times. They are a tough team.”

Injury update

Self said he hoped C.J. Henry (bruised tailbone) would be able to return to practice sometime this week. Next game is 6 p.m., Saturday, at Kansas State.

Stats, facts

Brady Morningstar had nine points and five assists. He hit a crowd-pleasing three right before the halftime buzzer. … KU extended its home win streak to 54 games. … KU has won 11 straight over Mizzou in Allen. … Self is 14-3 all-time against MU, including 11-3 at KU. … Aldrich recorded his eighth double-double (12 points and 16 rebounds) this season. It marked his 30th career double-double. …Aldrich had 12 rebounds in the first half, most by a Jayhawk in a single half since Wayne Simien’s 12 in the first half against UC-Santa Barbara on Dec. 20, 2003. … Aldrich also recorded a season-high seven blocked shots, which were the most blocks by a Jayhawk since he had 10 against Dayton in the NCAA Tournament last season. His seven blocks were tied for fifth-most in a game by a Jayhawk. … Aldrich tied Manning for fifth place on KU’s all-time list with 200 blocks in his career.

Gary Bedore’s Kansas basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jan 24, 2010

KU vs. Iowa State

Nick Krug
Kansas guard Sherron Collins turns to the Iowa State student section after a late second-half dunk by forward Thomas Robinson, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. In back is forward Markieff Morris (21) and center Cole Aldrich (45).

Box Score

Poetry in motion

Withey presence in post

Brackins lauds KU

C.J. Henry bruises back

Kansas freshman guard C.J. Henry did not make the trip to Ames because of a severely bruised tailbone. KU coach Bill Self said he did not envision Henry playing in Monday’s 8 p.m. home game versus Missouri.

Henry was injured after falling hard on his back while trying to block a shot in Friday’s practice.

Self said tests showed no broken bones, just severe bruising.

“We’re nervous he may be out an extended period,” Self said.

X off target

Freshman guard/forward Xavier Henry, who hit two of 10 shots and scored four points, played just five minutes in the second half.

“He didn’t shoot the ball great the first half (2-of-8). He didn’t make shots early the second half, which is fine,” Self said. “With that said, the guys who came in were playing well. We could have gone back to him late. I thought the other guys were playing a little bit better. Don’t read anything into that. We want him to shoot it every time he’s open. It was a situation he was just not making shots. He will.”

Posing for cameras

ISU’s Marquis Gilstrap dunked in the face of Cole Aldrich and flexed his muscles for the crowd. He also flexed after another dunk.

KU’s Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor also flexed in response to Gilstrap’s actions after a couple of made baskets the second half.

“I mean, he deserved it. He got a good dunk on me,” Marcus Morris said of Gilstrap’s flexing. “I wouldn’t have flexed it. I guess it’s what he does.”

Boorish behavior?

ISU students directed several chants that would be considered in poor taste in the direction of several KU players, including Collins and Brady Morningstar.

“The fans talk so much, you want to shut ’em up immediately and get ’em out of the way,” said Collins, who said it was special going 4-0 in Ames in his career. “They never shut up. Regardless of whether they were down 20 or 30, they keep talking. It was all fun, though. I love it. Undefeated is a good way to get out of here.”

Taylor’s play

Self on the play of Taylor, who had seven points and five rebounds in 13 minutes.

“Ty played well,” Self said. “He had a couple nice plays, made a big shot. He may play more in the future. He may not. Thirteen minutes … it’s not what I want him to play. It’s the way I see it today.”

Taylor, who has been in hot water over a recent Facebook entry that reportedly implied he may leave KU, declined an interview request after the game.

Mizzou next

KU will play Missouri at 8 p.m. Monday in Allen Fieldhouse, then will travel to Kansas State on Saturday.

“It’s rivalry week for us. We will be pumped,” Self said. “Of course, to date, this is the biggest home game we’ve played so far this year, Missouri on Big Monday. Our most hyped game we play all year, except maybe for Texas, will be in Manhattan Saturday for (ESPN) Game Day. We’ll take ’em one at a time.”

“The fieldhouse will be rocking. All you’ve got to say is ‘Mizzou,'” Aldrich said.

Gary Bedore’s Kansas basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jan 17, 2010

KU vs. Texas Tech

Richard Gwin
Kansas fans try to throw off a Texas Tech free throw attempt Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Box Score

Motivated force

Brilliance, frustration in equal measure

Tech gagged, handcuffed

Morningstar, Reed rise to occasion

‘Active’ Aldrich

Kansas University center Cole Aldrich scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds with three blocks in 22 minutes.

It marked the 6-foot-11 junior’s first double-digit scoring outing in three games.

“They put three guys around Cole again. That’s how people are going to play us,” KU coach Bill Self said. “He was more active. We did get the ball to Cole better.”

Aldrich hit three of six shots and eight of nine free throws.

Tough critics

Self was asked if the No. 3-ranked Jayhawks, who are 16-1, have been “overanalyzed” this season.

“I don’t know. I would say, probably,” Self said. “We have some faults. There’s no question about that. I think the media here takes the ball and runs with it in certain areas … like I ever talk to my guys about some of the questions you ask them. That doesn’t even register with them.

“I do think it’s overanalyzed to an extent, but we can play better. We shouldn’t apologize by beating an opponent by 26, still that was a game … when you are up 30 with 17 minutes left, we had a chance to really crack somebody today and didn’t do it.”

Live and learn

Freshman guard Elijah Johnson thrilled the crowd with a slam dunk to beat the final buzzer. But he felt badly about the play after the game.

“I actually didn’t get a chance to speak to them (Tech coaches). I do apologize for that,” Johnson said of not running out the clock. “I was trying to back out of a situation (in which he was guarded closely). I saw it and went. After I dunked it, I realized there was not much time on the clock. I felt I should have come out. I shouldn’t have gone in like that. I should have brought the ball out and let the clock run out.”

Johnson, who played the final three minutes, added: “I know that’s what the fans want (high-flying dunks), but sometimes it’s about sportsmanship. I had all intentions of having good sportsmanship. I wasn’t thinking to go try to put a last ending on a team like that when we were already up a lot of points at home with the crowd celebrating already.”

This, that

Members of the 1952 national title team and 1974 Final Four team attended and were introduced to the crowd during a second-half time out. … The national anthem was sung by 8-year-old Paige Padgett, granddaughter of former KU player Gary Padgett (1954-55). … Intense Brady Morningstar (six) and Tyrel Reed (five) combined for 11 floor burns. … KU is 2-0 in conference play for the fourth straight season. … KU is 18-4 versus Tech, 11-0 in Allen Fieldhouse. … KU has won 52 straight home games.

Gary Bedore’s KU basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jan 3, 2010

KU vs. Temple

Nick Krug
A sizable gathering of Jayhawk fans cheer during the first half against Temple.

Box Score

Oh, Brother!

Collins, Aldrich still key for Kansas

Big impress Owls

Season opener

Kansas University coach Bill Self noticed extra fire in his basketball team Saturday afternoon.

“Our guys were in tune, ready to play today,” Self said after his No. 1-ranked Jayhawks pounded No. 18 Temple, 84-52. “We’d not really been away from home and felt nervous going into a game. I think the success Temple has had made us feel that way and was good for us.

“I thought today for the first time we played this year … it really didn’t matter who was out there. If Cole (Aldrich), Sherron (Collins) or Tyshawn (Taylor) wasn’t out there, it didn’t matter. Whoever was in there contributed and produced. A key for us is, because of our depth, Temple had a lot of guys play a lot of minutes. They may have been fatigued. We were pretty fresh. We didn’t have to play guys extra minutes.”

The Jayhawks improved to 13-0, yet … “I think in our guys’ minds the season started today,” Self said. “Not that we haven’t played tough games, but we played at home. Our season started today.”

KU will meet Cornell at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse.

Third time charmed

KU improved to 13-0 for the third time in the Self era. The Jayhawks were 14-0 in 2004-05 and 20-0 in 2007-08. … The Jayhawks lead the all-time series with Temple, 7-3. KU has won two straight in the series. … Self is 182-40 at KU and 389-145 overall as a head coach. He’s 3-0 against Temple.

Stats, facts

KU shot 54.5 percent from the field. It marked the sixth consecutive game KU shot over 50 percent and 10th time this season. .. KU shot a season-high 89.5 percent (17-for-19) from the free-throw line. It marked the highest percentage by the Jayhawks with at least 10 attempts since KU shot 95 percent (19-of-20) versus Colorado on Jan. 21, 2009. … KU has won eight games this season by 30 or more points. … KU’s 40 first-half points were most scored in a half by a Temple foe this season. KU’s 84 points surpassed the previous high of 70 allowed by Temple versus Western Michigan. … KU put up 84 points against a team that was leading the country in defense (54.2 ppg). … Temple’s 22.6 percent field-goal shooting in the first half was the third-worst shooting percentage by a KU opponent this season. … Temple scored just 16 points in the paint, second-fewest scored in the lane by a KU foe this season. KU had 42 points in the paint. … Collins scored in double figures for the 10th time this season. His 14 points moved him into 17th place on KU’s all-time scoring list, passing Ron Kellogg with 1,509 career points. … Marcus Morris, who had 13 points, reached double digits for the fourth-straight contest. … Aldrich posted his third straight double-double and sixth of the season, with 10 points and 10 boards. … Aldrich has led the team in rebounding 10 times this season and has 10 or more caroms in each of the last four games and eight times this year. … Aldrich had three blocks and has had at least three rejections in his last five games. … Taylor had a season-high-tying five boards. … C.J. Henry scored six points in seven minutes. … Tyrel Reed recorded three rebounds to tie a season high.

Releford ailing

KU red-shirt Mario Little made the trip, but Travis Releford did not. Self said Releford wasn’t feeling well and skipped this road trip. Red-shirts can take part in warm-ups, but not play in games.

Older Morris speaks

Blake Morris, older brother of Marcus and Markieff Morris who lives and works in Philly, gave some insight into how closely the out-of-state family members follow the Jayhawks.

“I mean, we mostly watch all the games on TV,” Blake said. “We’ve got family in Philadelphia and (Washington) D.C. A lot of family can’t get to see them in person. I think it meant a lot to them (brothers) to have so many family members here. It’s where they played, where they started out. They get much love here. It’s how it should be.”

Scoring machine

Henry has played 59 minutes this season. He has scored 40 points, committed nine personal fouls and has two assists. He is 11-of-18 beyond the arc, 3-for-3 inside it.

Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jan 2, 2010

Treadmill talk

Kansas University’s fabled treadmill has been situated just off the northwest corner of the Allen Fieldhouse court for two-a-day practices this week.

It’s used as a penalty for various transgressions, like soft play or sloppy play.

“The treadmill is out. The treadmill has been out,” junior center Cole Aldrich said, asked if he has been on it. “It’s not fun. It’s at the highest incline, the fastest it can go.”

“I don’t even like to see it,” sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor said. “They put it on fast on an incline. It’s tough. If you are not running fast, it’ll throw you off. Nobody’s got thrown off yet, but somebody will.”

This, that

KU leads the all-time series, 6-3, against Temple. The series dates to 1940 when the Owls defeated the Jayhawks, 40-35, in Philadelphia. … Five of the nine meetings have been played on neutral courts. … KU is 46-14 all-time against current membership of the Atlantic 10. …The Owls returned to the national rankings on Dec. 21 for the first time since Nov. 2001. Included in the current win streak are victories over then-No. 3 Villanova, at Miami and at Seton Hall. … The Owls are 4-0 in the Liacouras Center … Sophomore guard Ramone Moore and junior forward Craig Williams come off the bench to score 5.3 and 5.2 ppg. … KU’s last trip to Philadelphia was in 2004-05 and was a blizzard nightmare. The then-No. 2 Jayhawks were 14-0 on the season and lost to Villanova, 83-62, at the Wachovia Center. Following the game, KU’s players and coaches spent an extra night in Philly as the airport was closed for the first time in 25 years. … Taylor’s mom and two sisters live in Lawrence. Today, “my aunts and cousins are coming,” the Hoboken, N.J. native said. “They’ve only seen me play on TV.” … KU’s Thomas Robinson, a Washington D.C. native, noted, “This is like a home game for me. I’ll have a lot of relatives at the game.”

Self lauds Dunphy

KU coach Bill Self has served on coaching committees with Temple coach Fran Dunphy.

“He reminds me so much of coach (Eddie) Sutton,” Self said. “You have to go beat them. They don’t panic under pressure. Villanova had them down double digits and it didn’t rattle them a bit. They’ve got nice pieces, guys who can play anywhere in the country.”

Dunphy on a few topics:

• On the keys to the team: “The two rocks that we have are Lavoy Allen, who’s seldom ever out of position, and Ryan Brooks, who is a terrific on the ball defender. Everyone else is just filling in.”

• On Temple’s ranking: “Everyone’s excited about it. It’s been a hard road to get to where we are. It’s going to be an even harder road to try to stay there because we have some great games coming up against some really good basketball teams and we haven’t even started our league yet. Our league has just done a phenomenal job in terms of the nonconference schedule. We’ve got our hands full.

“We’ve put ourselves in pretty good position. We’re not a team that if we lose a game we’re going to fall three spots. We’re going to fall mightily. So we really need to concentrate our efforts each and every night out. It’s a tough, tough task to stay there. There’s a reason all those great teams are there each and every year. We hope to be one of them. Right now, we’re still a work in progress in many, many ways. We’ve had a great start, but we need to continue to play as good a basketball as we can.”

Gary Bedore’s KU basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Dec 30, 2009

KU vs. Belmont

Nick Krug
Familiar faces float around the northern student section of Allen Fieldhouse during the first half.

Box Score

Kansas yucks it up

Withey makes debut

Bruins laud Alrdich inside

Self blasts ‘lackluster,’ ‘soft’ play by Jayhawks

Brains and brawn

Kansas University center Cole Aldrich has done his part to earn first-team Academic All-America honors.

“I did pretty well. I finished with a 3.32 (overall grade-point average). Now I just need to get some media votes,” Aldrich said after Tuesday’s victory over Belmont.

The junior pivot recently told the Journal-World of his dream to become KU’s first Academic All-American since Ryan Robertson (1999).

To be eligible, he needed to increase his overall GPA from 3.2 to 3.3.

Mission accomplished. Now it’s up to the College Sports Information Directors of America panel that will consider Aldrich’s case in coming months. It’s a subjective award, the panel selecting first-, second- and third-team squads.

Aldrich wants first-team.

50 in a row

KU won its 50th straight in Allen Fieldhouse. The school record is 62.

“It’s a great feat,” Aldrich said. “We love playing in the fieldhouse, where our fans help our home-court advantage so much. We’re just trying to win games, at home and on the road.”

“There’s no place like Allen Fieldhouse,” Marcus Morris said.

Stats, facts

Fans sang “Happy Birthday” to birthday boy Mario Little as he entered the autograph line after the game. … KU has held 86 straight opponents to sub-50 percent shooting. … KU has won by 30 or more points seven times in 12 games. … Aldrich had a season-best six blocks. He has 19 blocks in his last four games. … Aldrich moved into 18th on KU’s all-time rebound list (627), passing Norm Cook. … Sherron Collins moved ahead of Tony Guy and is tied with Bud Stallworth for 19th on KU’s all-time scoring list (1,495 points). … Tyshawn Taylor has 29 assists and three turnovers over his last five games. … Belmont’s 23 turnovers were a season high for a KU foe.

Gary Bedore’s KU basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Dec 13, 2009

KU vs. La Salle

Nick Krug
Kansas forward Markieff Morris delivers a dunk over LaSalle forward Yves Mekongo off a feed from Tyshawn Taylor, not pictured, during the second half, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Box Score

Most excellent

Secret’s out: Xavier excellent

Taylor again solid – as sub

La Salle awestruck

Buddies

Kansas University’s Marcus and Markieff Morris visited with La Salle guard Rodney Green before and after the Jayhawks’ 90-65 victory over the Explorers on Saturday.

“I told him, ‘Good game, man,'” Marcus Morris said after watching his Philadelphia Prep Charter High teammate score 19 points off 8-of-21 shooting with four assists and three turnovers in 40 minutes.

“I told him (before game) we were going to beat them anyway. He can play on any level. We knew that coming out of high school.”

Markieff noted: “I talked to him a lot before the game. I told him, ‘It’s going to start out close, but eventually we’re going to pull away from you because all we had to do was get it together.’ Once we get it together, there’s no stopping us.”

No juice for E.J

KU freshman guard Elijah Johnson made his second straight start. He had one point and two assists in six minutes.

“I didn’t think Elijah had any juice today from an energy standpoint. He said his ankle was bothering him,” coach Bill Self said of an ankle Johnson sprained several weeks ago. “That (energy) is what he has to give us. He didn’t have it today because of health reasons.”

Self indicated it was a minor injury and Johnson would be fine heading into finals week.

Rebounding

KU, which was outrebounded, 22-17, the first half, won the board battle, 44-34.

“They killed us on 50-50 balls and rebounding the first half,” Self said. “To be plus-10 after being dominated early is good. That’s one of the better rebounding teams we’ll play all year.”

Stats, facts

KU is 9-0 for the third time in the Self era, 6-2 in Sprint Center, 191-76 all-time in Kansas City, 3-0 versus La Salle and 46-14 all-time against teams from the Atlantic 10. … The 18,830 fans made up the largest regular-season crowd at Sprint Center. … Xavier Henry had 31 points. The last KU player to score 30-plus was Sherron Collins, who had 32 against North Dakota State in last year’s NCAA Tourney. … Markieff Morris (12 points, 12 boards) had his first career double-double. He had a career-best four blocks. … Cole Aldrich’s five blocks pushed his career total to 160 and moved him into sixth place all-time at KU, behind Danny Manning (200) … La Salle hit 36.1 percent of its shots, marking the 83rd-straight opponent the Jayhawks have held under 50 percent. … KU has held eight of its nine opponents under 40 percent. … KU’s 11 blocked shots were a season high.

Zone

KU used a 2-3 zone part of Saturday’s game. “Statistically, it was good. They scored two possessions out of six,” Self said. “We’re not going to do any (highlight) videos on it in the near future.”

Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook

By Gary Bedore     Nov 10, 2009

Injury updates

Kansas University junior guard Tyrel Reed re-sprained his right ankle at practice over the weekend. Coach Bill Self said Reed still might play today in the Jayhawks’ 7 p.m. exhibition finale against Pittsburg State.

“He turned his ankle pretty severely on Saturday, the same one he hurt before. He may be ready to go,” Self said.

Self said guard C.J. Henry continues to be hampered by his swollen right knee and is listed day-to-day.

“He’s tried to practice, and it swelled back up, so I don’t know if he’ll play on Tuesday,” Self said, noting Henry is “70 percent or 60 percent.”

Self said Henry “has been checked out thoroughly. A lot of times there could be something to it and not be major in nature, but certainly is nagging and (could) keep somebody from being whole, and that’s what this particular situation is.”

Henry’s brother, Xavier, is hopeful C.J. — who missed last season at Memphis following surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot — will be ready to play soon.

“It just takes time to heal. Whenever he can get out there he will be out there. He doesn’t say too much about it, goes to treatment and works out while we practice,” Xavier said.

He said C.J.’s spirits remain high. “I guess it could be the support system. He has the whole team behind him (and) the coaches. He’s got his little brother here. I guess it’s an easy way to keep his head level.”

Xavier and his brother are extremely close.

“I don’t tell him anything specific. We just talk every day and do all little-brother stuff,” Henry said.

What’s “little-brother stuff?”

“Yesterday, he was with me all day at my place (Jayhawker Towers). We hang out a lot,” he said.

Meanwhile, Brady Morningstar (right ankle sprain) is expected to resume practicing this week. Tyshawn Taylor said his right ring finger, which he dislocated in last week’s game against Fort Hays State, was fine.

Red-shirt talk

Self said no decision had been made on possibly red-shirting Mario Little, Travis Releford or Conner Teahan. C.J. Henry is not a red-shirt candidate, Self said, because he sat out last season.

“Nothing is concrete,” Self said. “We kind of put the date on it, (but) you could still not play tomorrow and not red-shirt. If anybody plays tomorrow, it means they are not going to red-shirt.”

Starters undetermined

Self said he was unsure of tonight’s starting lineup. Taylor came off the bench against Fort Hays State because of some careless decisions with the ball at practice.

“I thought Tyshawn played pretty well in the game, especially the second half (against Hays). He responded fine. You guys make such a big deal out of nothing when it comes to starters. Who cares?” Self said. “But it is a big deal to some people. Everywhere I’ve been, it never matter who started. It was always more important who finished. To me, it’s blown way out of proportion even though it is a goal of our guys.”

Taylor has admitted he likes opening games.

“I want to (start), but I don’t know yet. I guess it all depends on today,” Taylor said of Monday’s practice. “Coach feels I’m a good player, just a little bit careless with the ball, make stupid decisions. It all falls back on me. I have to make better decisions.”

Opener Friday

KU will meet Hofstra in the regular-season opener for both teams Friday (7 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse).

“Our focus is getting us better. Not disrespecting anybody else, but this time of year you have to focus on your own team,” Self said, indicating KU would take part in its usual pre-game scouting report on Pitt State at the end of practice Monday.

Barnes to make announcement Friday

Harrison Barnes, a 6-foot-8 senior forward from Ames (Iowa) High, will announce his college choice at 3 p.m. Friday at his high school. At 3:10 p.m., ESPNU will join the news conference and carry Barnes’ signing live on its network.

Barnes, Rivals.com’s No. 2-ranked player, has a final list of KU, North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa State. He made an unofficial visit to Iowa State last weekend. He visited KU for Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 16.

Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook

By Gary Bedore     Nov 6, 2009

Self hoping Henry returns Tuesday

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self hopes injured freshman guard C.J. Henry will be able to play in Tuesday’s exhibition finale against Pittsburg State.

“He needs an opportunity to get out there and show what he can do with confidence,” Self said of the 6-foot-4 Oklahoma City native, who couldn’t play in Tuesday’s rout of Fort Hays State because of a nagging right knee injury.

“Not that he lacks for confidence, but he needs to see some good things happen because he hasn’t been out there,” Self added.

Henry, who gave up a pro baseball career after three seasons, sat out last hoops season at the University of Memphis because of a cracked bone in his foot.

“I am concerned, not concerned as much about the injury as the fact he’s missed so much time (week and a half),” Self said. “Once you start playing games, it’s hard to get that rhythm and be out there. Once you start playing games for real, you don’t put guys in the game just to get them in the game. He needs to be out there. As far as long-term health, I’m not concerned about that.”

Taylor will likely start next week

While noting he doesn’t put any stock in starting lineups this early, Self said “we’ll probably more than likely start Tyshawn Tuesday.”

He was referring to Tyshawn Taylor, who was replaced by Tyrel Reed in Tuesday’s opening lineup against Fort Hays State because of careless turnovers at practice.

Big O in town to hunt

Former KU center Greg Ostertag made a surprise appearance in the media room following Self’s regular weekly news conference Thursday. The 36-year-old former NBA player said he’s in town for hunting season. He told the Journal-World in September he hoped to make a comeback in the NBA, but has yet to receive an offer of a guaranteed contract. The 7-footer played 11 years in the league, retiring at the age of 33.

Red-shirting decisions not yet determined

Self said a decision on possibly red-shirting Mario Little, Travis Releford or Conner Teahan would be made prior to Tuesday’s game.

“I guess we could always say we are going to red-shirt somebody and take them off (later),” Self said. “You can’t do it the other way.”

He said: “I believe not all of them are going to red-shirt. They all want to play, but I would be disappointed if they didn’t feel that way. If you are a good player and the deck is kind of stacked against you right now, you feel maybe you are the odd man out, but if we feel you can be a starter here, that is not a bad scenario. If it ensures you graduating (without having to return to campus someday) it really is not bad.”

Self said the players will be the ones to make the call.

“I am not trying to convince them of anything. If you ask them what does coach want, they’d say, ‘Coach hasn’t said what he wants. All he wants us to do is have information so we can make the decision that’s best for us.'”

Recruiting updates

Harrison Barnes, a 6-foot-8 senior forward from Ames (Iowa) High, will make an unofficial visit to Iowa State this weekend. He is expected to choose either KU, North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma, UCLA or ISU next week, perhaps a week from today on ESPNU. The weeklong early signing period begins Wednesday. … Brandon Knight, a 6-3 guard from Pine Crest High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., likely will choose a school in April, his dad tells Rivals.com.

Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jul 2, 2009

Travel plans

Kansas University coach Bill Self said there’s a chance Xavier Henry will attend second session of summer school. C.J. Henry, who will be 100 percent recovered from a cracked bone in his foot by August, will definitely remain in Oklahoma City until school starts in August.

“I wouldn’t ask anybody to pay out of pocket,” Self said, noting the New York Yankees only pay for two semesters of ex-Yankee farmhand Henry’s schooling per year. “Xavier has a lot of dental work that needs to be done. They are working to see if he can get here second session. Even those 3 1/2 weeks I’m not sure that’s a must. Those guys are busting their butt doing as much as our guys here. I’d rather have them doing it with our guys, but those two will report in great shape.”

Living arrangements

Self said he believes the brothers’ mom, Barbara, still is looking into moving to Lawrence with Carl Henry planning on staying in OKC where he coaches Athletes First.

Self said C.J. would “probably not” live in renovated Jayhawker Towers. “It (C.J.’s decision) has not been finalized yet. I’d allow him to live off campus. At age 23? Yes,” Self said.

Injury update

Self said Elijah Johnson (arthroscopic knee surgery) should return to pickup basketball in two weeks. Jeff Withey (severely sprained right thumb) should be back in three weeks and Brady Morningstar (surgery to repair stress fracture, foot) one week. Mario Little (surgery to repair stress fracture, lower leg) is “close to 100 percent, doing everything everybody is doing. Reports are he is looking good in conditioning,” Self said.

Collins weight update

Sherron Collins strolled into Self’s office after a hard workout, indicating he’s already shed some weight since weighing in at the Deron Williams Skills Academy in Dallas at 228 pounds.

“I think in his case he knows he’s not in great shape,” Self said. “He’s been there before. I don’t believe it’s a serious issue of concern. Do I like it? No, but I don’t think it’s what occurred in the last 3-4 weeks; it’s what occurred since the season was over until the last 3-4 weeks. Part of that is our fault. After the season we told him to shut it down. I don’t see major negatives. I don’t like it, but it’s being addressed. He’s been great, working hard and all that stuff.”

Compton to join program

Former Free State High guard Douglas Compton will be part of KU’s program in some capacity this season. It’s been speculated on the Internet he’ll be a walk-on player. Self said nothing’s been officially decided yet.

“Douglas has come to me and expressed a desire to be a coach and he will be involved in our program in some form or fashion. I really don’t know what the job responsibilities will entail,” said Self, who has known Douglas for several years through friendship with Douglas’ dad, Lawrence businessman Doug Compton.

“I’m looking forward to having him around like everybody involved in our program — players, managers, office help. We are going to try to figure out a way he can be involved with our program through different duties. I don’t know what they will entail at this time.”

Gary Bedore’s KU basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jan 19, 2009

A&M’s slate rugged

The Big 12 schedule-makers did Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon no favors this season. The Aggies (15-3), who were picked to finish fifth in the preseason league coaches poll, play their first five games against five teams picked to finish in the top half of the Big 12, with three of the games on the road.

A&M, which beat Arizona, Alabama and LSU in nonconference play, dropped its league opener at Oklahoma State (72-61), then defeated Baylor (84-73) at home, before losing to Oklahoma (69-63) on Saturday in College Station. A&M plays KU tonight, then travels to Texas on Saturday.

Ouch.

No other team in Big 12 history has had to play every team in the top half of the preseason coaches poll in its first five games.

“As a coach, you’re hoping that you’re going to turn it on and play well,” Turgeon told the Bryan-College Station Eagle before the start of league play. “We are a veteran team (with senior Josh Carter and four juniors including point guard Donald Sloan), but a lot are playing new roles. They have seen (Big 12), witnessed it and been through it, so that will help.”

OU game revisited

Texas A&M held OU standout Blake Griffin to 16 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 69-63 loss to the Sooners in College Station. The Sooners’ Austin Johnson scored 19 points with seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks.

“He (Griffin) still dictated the whole game because he knows how to play,” Turgeon told the Eagle. “That one hurts. I thought my kids never stopped trying. We made a few runs at them. Bottom line is, they have a heck of player in Blake Griffin. When you double him, he opens everybody else up.”

A&M junior pivot Chinemelu Elonu, who entered with three straight double-doubles, had seven points and five boards in 25 minutes.

“Junior’s been carrying us, scoring down there for us, rebounding for us,” Turgeon told the Eagle.

Last visitor to win here

The Aggies were the last team to win in Allen Fieldhouse — 69-66 on Feb. 3, 2007. KU entered the game ranked No. 6 in the country, A&M No. 10. A&M trailed by 10 with 61/2 minutes left.

Acie Law IV (23 points) hit a three with :20 left to give A&M the lead for good. Carter started as a sophomore in that game and scored 11 points. Sloan (four points, two assists) and Bryan Davis (four points, four rebounds) played key roles in the victory as freshmen. Chinemelu Elonu, also a freshman at the time, made a brief appearance but did not score. The Aggies are the only Big 12 South division team to win in Lawrence since league play began in 1997.

Series history

Kansas leads the series, 13-1, and has won two straight. Kansas has a 5-1 edge in games played in Lawrence.

Sherron Collins on A&M

“A&M is really good. They didn’t lose too many guys from last year. It’ll be a real tough game. We’re going to be at home on Big Monday. Our crowd will be there to support us. It won’t be a walk in the park, though.”

Collins played 37 minutes in Saturday’s 73-56 victory at Colorado.

“I’m all right with it, all the minutes. I’m healthy, nothing’s wrong with me. Nothing’s dinged. I’m fine,” Collins said.

Busy day/night

KU coach Bill Self had a busy Saturday. He coached the Jayhawks in Boulder, Colo., then flew to Springfield, Mo., to watch recruit John Wall score 41 points in the title game of the Tournament of Champions Tournament. The 6-foot-4 Wall either scored or assisted on the last 25 points in Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Christian Academy’s 80-77 victory over Olympia High of Orlando, Fla. Wall is considering KU, Baylor, Memphis, Duke and others.

Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jan 10, 2009

Marquee game

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was asked this week about his No. 8-ranked Spartans trying for a “marquee win” against the defending national champs.

“I don’t know if there are any ‘marquee wins’ anymore, because our program is to the point where every game is a big game,” said the 14th-year MSU coach.

“There is no doubt Kansas is one of the storied programs in the nation. There are four or five of them out there. They are the defending national champions, and that means they are the defending national champions until someone takes that spot over.

“I think there is a lot of significance to the game for our team this year, for our program in the big picture. Yet, it is just one more big game, and we have definitely played enough of those. I am excited because Bill (Self) is a good coach and great guy. We have had some great games against each other and some great games against Kansas over the years. I don’t know if my players are excited, but I know I am.”

MSU tradition-rich, too

Izzo says he loves bringing top programs to Breslin Center, site of today’s game.

“Our whole program should be where Kansas, Duke, (North) Carolina and UCLA are. At least we should be in that same breath, but we haven’t earned the 50 years of it, and that is why teams like them coming in are big-program games,” Izzo said. “I don’t think they determine our season, but they help to build our program into what I am looking to building it into before I am done. We have a long way to go in that area, so hopefully we have a lot more Kansases coming in. If you win those games, it speeds the process up for the program.”

Home and home

Today’s game actually completes a home-and-home series between KU and MSU. The Jayhawks beat the Spartans, 81-74, on Nov. 25, 2003. It was the second game of the Self era.

“The building was juiced (with both teams ranked in the top 10). It was a great atmosphere, a fabulous game,” Self recalled.

He admitted it was a key game in getting the attention of his players, many of whom played for his predecessor, Roy Williams.

“Any time you play Michigan State it has to be a big game,” he said. “I didn’t look at it as, ‘Well I need to do this so I can win over fans.’ It was a game more so than anything helps validate (to players) what you are doing as a new coach coming in that just replaced a coach that just went to back-to-back Final Fours. It was a big game in that respect.”

Aldrich a force

Izzo knows all about KU center Cole Aldrich, who enters with a 15.4 scoring, 9.9 rebound average.

“He has improved a lot, and everyone knew it. He was a high school player we recruited and was a very good player then,” Izzo said of Aldrich, who prepped at Bloomington, Minn.’s Jefferson High. “They brought him along slowly last year, because of the big men they had, but going from averaging three or four points to what he is doing now. He has gotten a lot more physical, he sets a lot more screens, posts and moves people around down there.”

Aldrich did consider MSU for a time. “I like coach Izzo a lot,” Aldrich said. “But it seems like I was coming to Kansas forever.”

Point guard matchup

Guard Kalin Lucas, who has 84 assists against 17 turnovers, realizes KU’s Sherron Collins will be a formidable foe today.

“He likes to push it in transition. We’ve got to have six eyes on him,” Lucas said. “I think he’s a lot like Lawson (Ty, North Carolina who led the Heels to a 98-63 rout of MSU on Dec. 3 in Detroit). One thing we definitely have to do is try to contain Sherron Collins.”

Quotable

MSU center Goran Suton on playing the defending national champs at home: “It’s an honor,” he said. “Kansas is a young team that is getting better and better every day. We’ll have to do a couple things well to beat those guys. I compare them to Texas in that they have athletes.”

MSU beat Texas, 67-63, on Dec. 20 in Houston.

“They’ve got good spot-up shooters and will be a good matchup for us,” Suton said.

Izzo on KU being a young team: “They are looking a lot better, if you have been watching them lately. Right before Christmas they didn’t look as good against Arizona, but since then I think they have been playing a lot more consistent basketball. They have played a lot of home games so it is hard to gauge everything, and yet they played awfully well against Tennessee the other night, and I am sure they will be ready to play.”

Streaking Spartans

MSU has won eight in a row since the Carolina loss, including road conference clashes against Minnesota and Northwestern and a home victory over Ohio State on Tuesday.

“We have been on a roll since Texas. We come out every night playing hard 40 minutes with passion and energy,” Lucas said.

Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook

By Gary Bedore     Jun 6, 2008

Long gone

Darrell Arthur, who at last week’s NBA pre-draft camp indicated he had played his last game at KU, confirmed his decision to stay in the NBA Draft to coach Bill Self on this week’s trip to Washington, D.C.

“We’ve known all along this would be the case. He didn’t want to do anything (with regard to hiring an agent) in case of injury,” Self said. “He’s definitely going (to NBA).”

The 6-foot-9 Dallas native worked out for the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday. He’ll be in Charlotte today and Denver on Saturday.

Chalmers in Phoenix

Mario Chalmers, who has entered his name in the draft but has not yet signed with an agent, will work out for the Phoenix Suns today and Denver Nuggets Sunday.

Chalmers, who is expected to remain in the draft, has until June 16 to withdraw his name if he wants to play a final season at KU.

“Mock draft projections for Chalmers fluctuate between the late-first and early-second round, but one player-personnel director said this week that his team’s board had Chalmers ahead of Ty Lawson (North Carolina), and solidly into the first round,” SI.com’s Luke Winn said.

Rush in Toronto

KU’s Brandon Rush, who worked out for the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, had an individual workout with the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. He’ll be in New Jersey today.

He made it to the Toronto workout in time despite some travel problems caused by stormy weather in Florida.

“You’ve got to bring your best every time you step on the court,” Rush said in an interview on the Raptors’ Web site.

“My knee (repaired last spring with ACL surgery) is doing great. “They (teams) bring me in early. They X-ray it, pull on it. Every time it happens they say, ‘Perfect.’ I get it everyplace I go.”

Mock draft

Draftexpress.com, which is considered by many the best draft Web site, updated its projections on Thursday.

Rush, according to the site, will be tapped No. 15 overall by Phoenix and Arthur No. 16 by Philadelphia. Chalmers will be tapped seventh in the second round by Milwaukee and Sasha Kaun 23rd in the second round by Utah.

Boogie fever

Tickets remain for Bill Self’s basketball boogie, set for Saturday night at Kansas Speedway. About 1,200 fans are expected to attend.

Fans will be able to pose with the national-title trophy. There will be both live and silent auctions and free-throw contests involving Self and KU players past and present. Music will be provided by Sawyer Brown as well as Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls.

There also will be a disco-dancing contest late in the evening with Self and his wife, Cindy, expected to be decked in disco attire.

It should be noted there will not be a celebrity basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. The game instead will be held at a later date as a separate Assists Foundation fundraiser.

For information on Saturday’s events go to basketballboogie.org.

Elite camp

Self will hold a two-day Elite Camp for top high school prospects today and Saturday. It will be closed to the public and media. Xavier Henry, the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2009, is expected to attend, as well as No. 29 Elijah Johnson and No. 121 Stephan Van Treese plus unrated Jeff Reid of Topeka Hayden and Dorian Green of Lawrence High. Royce Woolridge, a 6-1 junior-to-be from Sunnyslope High in Phoenix, who has orally committed to KU, also will attend.

Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook

By Staff     Jun 5, 2008

Elite camp on tap

Kansas University coach Bill Self will hold his Elite Camp for top high school prospects this weekend.

Xavier Henry, the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2009, will attend, as will No. 12 Jordan Hamilton, No. 29 Elijah Johnson, No. 121 Stephan Van Treese as well as unranked Jeff Reid of Topeka Hayden and Dorian Green of Lawrence High. Royce Woolridge, a 6-1 junior-to-be from Sunnyslope High in Phoenix, who has orally committed to KU, also will attend.

Henry tells Rivals.com he has narrowed his college choices to KU, Memphis, UCLA and Texas.

Boogie coming

It’s full speed ahead for the inaugural “Bill’s Basketball Boogie,” set for Saturday night on the infield of Kansas Speedway. About 1,200 party-goers/fans are expected to attend.

“It will be the party of the summer,” Self said.

Fans will be able to pose with the national-title trophy. There will be both live and silent auctions and free-throw contests involving Self and KU players past and present. Music will be provided by Sawyer Brown as well as Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls.

Self – he said there would be a disco-dancing contest late in the evening with he and his wife decked out in disco attire – is hoping to raise about $500,000 in one night for his Assists Foundation.

Tickets are $250 apiece. For information go to basketballboogie.org.

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