Nick KrugKU scoring — Marcus Morris 16, Aldrich 13, Colllins 10, Markieff Morris 10, X. Henry 8, Reed 8, Taylor 2.
KU was 24-for-54 from the floor (44.4 percent), 6-for-23 from three (26.1 percent) and 13-for-18 from the free-throw line (72.2 percent).
UNI was 22-for-55 from the floor (40 percent), 9-for-26 from three (34.6 percent) and 16-for-19 from the free-throw line (84.2 percent).
KU out-rebounded UNI, 38-30. KU had 15 turnovers, while UNI had nine.
UNI defeats KU, 69-67
Farokhmanesh is fouled, and he makes the first free throw to seal it. He adds the second for good measure.
Marcus Morris hits a three with 0.4 seconds left, but it’s too late. UNI inbounds the ball, and the clock runs out.
Marcus Morris drops to his knees, openly weeping on the court. It takes a couple minutes for teammates to pick him up.
UNI completes the 69-67 shocker.
UNI 67/KU 64 — 6.2 seconds left in game
Ahelegbe is fouled, and he makes one of two free throws.
Collins misses the Mario Chalmers play drawn up for him. Taylor misses a three. Reed gets the tip-in, but KU needs a true miracle to win this one.
UNI 66/KU 62 — 23.4 seconds left in game
UNI breaks the press, and Farokhmanesh is left by himself. He thinks about taking the three, then takes it. Swish. UNI up four again.
Reed passes up a three, and he drives to the lane, banging into the UNI defender for a charge before getting a pass off. He lays his head on the court for a few seconds after the call.
UNI 63/KU 62 — 42.8 seconds left in game
Farokhmanesh misses a three. KU with the board.
Marcus gets another generous whistle inside, and he makes one of two free throws.
Reed with a remarkable steal, saving the ball from going out of bounds just like Collins did two years ago in the title game. KU can’t capitalize, though, as Xavier Henry misses the front of a one-and-one.
Jake Koch is fouled, and he calmly sinks two free throws.
Collins takes it all the way to the basket, but he’s called for a charge. Self screams to himself on the sideline, in disbelief about the call. It did look like the UNI defender was still sliding defensively.
Adam Koch with another offensive rebound inside, this time over Collins. The conference player of the year slams it home, giving UNI a seven-point lead.
Taylor is fouled, and he makes two free throws with 1:07 left.
UNI launches its inbounds pass the length of the court out of bounds, and that’s the steal that KU needed.
Marcus Morris gets the benefit of a late, late call underneath, and he makes both free throws. KU is down three with 53.8 seconds to go.
Marcus gets away with a push on the full-court press, and Ahelegbe steps on the end line. Another backcourt turnover for UNI.
Collins forces things, taking two steps in the lane before putting in a short floater. Timeout KU, which has cut the lead to one.
UNI 59/KU 53 — 3:38 left in game
Markieff Morris with a two in the lane, drawing a rare foul on a shot attempt. He makes the free throw — just KU’s seventh free throw attempted today.
Marcus drives into traffic, bangs into two bodies, then gets a foul call on UNI. That whistle was questionable. Marcus makes one free throw, and KU is down five.
Adam Koch gets away with an offensive foul inside, using his head to shove off Markieff Morris before putting in a turnaround. Self jumps twice up and down on the sidelines, furious for the no call.
KU gets it to Markieff inside, and he puts in the bunny.
Marcus steals it away on the other end, and Collins is grabbed in transition. He makes both ends of the one-and-one, and this place is going nuts with KU down just three.
Johnny Moran answers with a three from up top — the biggest shot of the game for UNI.
Taylor and Collins both miss threes, and UNI comes down with the board. Even with the comeback, KU still is in a deep hole with 3:38 left.
UNI 52/KU 45 — 6:54 left in game
Collins puts in a floater in the lane, but on the other end, Adam Koch throws in an uncontested alley-oop. Give those two points to Jacobson on the sideline.
If KU is going to press, Self needs to put Taylor back into the game. Reed has improved his defense, but Taylor’s the guy you need for steals.
Aldrich gets it inside, and he puts in another jump hook.
Farokhmanesh misses a three, but Collins is out of control in the lane, turning it over yet again. He’s a liability out there for the Jayhawks right now.
Marcus Morris with a spin move in the lane, and the Jayhawks cut the deficit to seven. Jacobson’s “shoot-whatever-shot-you-want” philosophy served the Panthers well in the first 30 minutes, but it hasn’t in the last three, as UNI is taking some wild shots.
UNI 49/KU 39 — 11:03 left in game
Aldrich with an offensive rebound, and he puts in a jump-hook for two.
Finally, KU presses, and Marcus Morris gets a steal on the sideline. Collins’ layup is swatted, but Marcus comes away with the loose ball. Xavier Henry uses good body control to avoid a charge and put in a short shot in the lane.
Timeout UNI, as Jacobson will reset his team’s offense.
Kerwin Dunham follows with a drive for two with a foul, and UNI has quickly regained its 10-point lead and the momentum.
UNI 47/KU 35 — 12:31 left in game
Collins with a turnover, and his bad day continues.
Xavier Henry puts in a three from the corner. That’s big, but KU hasn’t put together many runs all game.
Add another turnover to Collins’ stat line. He’s trying to do way too much out there.
Jake Koch buries a three for UNI, and the lead is up to 12. Timeout Self. KU hasn’t tried anything new defensively, and it seems like it’s about time to try something.
UNI 42/KU 32 — 15:26 left in game
Collins with a drive to the rim, and he drops the ball to Aldrich for a layup.
Aldrich blocks Eglseder on the other end, and KU gets possession after the ball caroms out of bounds off a UNI player.
Farokhmanesh with a behind-the-back pass in transition, and Adam Koch puts in the layup.
Eglseder follows with a shot over Aldrich, and the lead is up to 10.
Collins with a layup, but Eglseder with another jumper. He screams out to the crowd to get the fans going.
Self has to throw a press at UNI. The Jayhawks are running out of time, and they need to speed the pace of the game up.
Collins forcing things now, as he puts up a guarded 18-footer that bricks away. That’s going to cost the Jayhawks 30 seconds on the other end.
KU scoring — Marcus Morris 7, Aldrich 7, Reed 6, Markieff Morris 3, X. Henry 3, Collins 2.
KU was 10-for-24 from the floor (41.7 percent), 4-for-11 from three (36.4 percent) and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line (66.7 percent).
UNI was 12-for-26 from the floor (46.2 percent), 6-for-12 from three (50 percent) and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line (75 percent).
Both teams had 16 rebounds at halftime. KU had eight turnovers, while UNI had four.
Halftime thoughts
• An eight-point lead is more daunting against a team like UNI. The Jayhawks will need to outplay the Panthers by quite a significant margin to make up eight points in 20 minutes, especially when the possessions are going to be so limited.
• Sherron Collins hasn’t been able to get anything going against UNI. He was just 1-for-4 in the first half with two turnovers. UNI is packing everything into the lane, making it difficult for him to drive. Which leads me to my next point …
• KU needs to start firing away from three. Because the Panthers are focusing their defense in the middle, the opening appears to be on the outside. The Jayhawks also have had some success getting offensive rebounds on three-point tries.
• Just like last year against Michigan State, turnovers are just killing the Jayhawks. UNI forces just 12.1 turnovers per game, but KU has eight giveaways already. The Jayhawks absolutely have to value every possession from here on out to have a chance at a comeback.
UNI 36/KU 28 — Halftime
KU is getting beaten badly on the offensive boards. Not only does one UNI possession take a minute off the clock, but Lucas O’Rear ends the possession with a tip-in over Aldrich. UNI has six offensive rebounds, and there’s no excuse for that for the Jayhawks.
Collins tries a drive, but good defense is waiting for him, and UNI forces a tie-up.
The Panthers don’t get a shot off in the final seconds, but they still take a commanding eight-point lead into the break.
UNI 33/KU 26 — 2:59 left in 1st half
Farokhmanesh puts up a stepback, fadeaway three from the corner that swishes through. He’s not missing today (3-for-3 from three-point range). Meanwhile, UNI has hit six of 10 threes (60 percent).
Farokmanesh with his first two, a fadeaway in the lane that falls through. The Panthers have their largest lead at nine. Self calls another timeout.
KU with a well-designed play out of the break. The Jayhawks run the weave, and Taylor curls into the lane before throwing a lob to Marcus Morris for an alley-oop slam.
UNI 28/KU 23 — 5:28 left in 1st half
Tyrel Reed with a wide-open three from the corner. KU now 3-for-6 from deep. The Panthers are giving up open looks from the outside.
The loudest cheer of the day comes at the 10:15 mark, as UNI is called for its first foul. A few seconds later, the ovation is even louder when the Panthers pick up foul No. 2.
Aldrich gets it in deep, and he’s bumped on his way up for the shot. He makes one free throw.
KU is picking up the defense now. Eglseder has the ball slapped away in the post. The Jayhawks come up empty on two key possessions, though.
Another deep three, this time by Ali Farokhmanesh. His range knows no bounds.
Reed answers with a three for KU. He’s now given the Jayhawks two big threes.
Eglseder answers, rattling in another three. He’s doubled his three-pointers for the season in the first 13 minutes of this game.
Aldrich puts in a jumper, and the pace picks up. Sherron Collins takes the ball to the rim for two, and the Panthers aren’t adjusting well to the faster pace.
Farokhmanesh answers once again, though, swishing an open three. KU can’t get the deficit under two.
UNI 17/KU 12 — 11:44 left in 1st half
Kwadzo Ahelegbe puts in an 18-foot jumper. The Panthers have hit five of their first seven shots (71.4 percent), a trend that can’t continue.
Northern Iowa doesn’t force a whole lot of turnovers, but KU is still giving it away at a high rate. Markieff Morris launches a pass well over Tyrel Reed’s head and out of bounds, and that’s KU’s third giveaway.
Marc Sonnen gets all the way to the rim for a layup, and UNI has rebuilt its eight-point lead.
Self is pretty high-strung on the sideline. He yells at Marcus. He yells at an official. He yells at Markieff. Not sure it’s the best thing to do with this team playing tight already.
Marcus Morris rattles in a three. The Jayhawks’ best looks are coming from deep.
After a foul from Marcus Morris, Self screams across the court to an official: “Six to nothing!” Sure enough, KU has six team fouls, while UNI has none.
UNI 12/KU 9 — 15:39 left in 1st half
Before the tip, Xavier Henry hugged each of KU’s starters and whispered something in their ears. I haven’t seen him do that all year.
Cole Aldrich puts in a long jump-hook on KU’s first possession to start the scoring.
Jordan Eglseder was only 1-for-9 from three this entire season, but on the Panthers’ first possession, he’s determined to get one to go down. He misses the first, but after an offensive rebound, he drains the second.
Eglseder follows with a jumper over Aldrich, and Kwadzo Ahelegbe is fouled in the lane by Aldrich, hitting both free throws.
Marcus Morris’ shot rattles out, and Johnny Moran follows with a deep three. That’s a 10-0 run for UNI, and the Jayhawks have dug themselves a 10-2 hole. Timeout KU. An eight-point deficit to UNI seems like more considering how few possessions the Panthers play.
Aldrich misses inside, but he grabs the loose ball and puts in the second try for two.
Eglseder gets the ball deep inside, though, and drops it into the hoop with his left hand. Aldrich didn’t offer much resistance there.
Xavier Henry knocks down a contested three for KU. Hitting those outside shots will be a huge key for the Jayhawks, as UNI gives up a lot of points from beyond the arc.
Marcus Morris with a strong move on the baseline, putting in a layup high off the glass.
Markieff Morris doesn’t do something Self wants, and Self lays into him at the media timeout. Nice comeback for KU, though, to cut the eight-point deficit immediately.
4:28 p.m.
Honestly, I’m a bit shocked at our poll on the left and with the predictions below that have KU scoring 70 and even (gasp!) above 80.
Northern Iowa plays the third-slowest of any team in the NCAA at 59.1 possessions per game. KU’s average is about 1.2 points per possession. Multiply the two, and KU would score about 71.
But UNI’s defense is much better than an average defense. And I would think that the Panthers might even try to play slower than normal today to try to pull off the upset.
To me, this game is more likely to be in the 50s than it is the 70s.
Give me KU 62, UNI 56.
4:20 p.m.
Looks like the bad weather is keeping some folks away from today’s game. With 20 minutes to go till tip, still two-thirds of the upper deck remains unfilled.
3:12 p.m.
Here are some interesting quirks I found out about Northern Iowa yesterday (that didn’t make this story):
1. UNI coach Ben Jacobson coaches like an offensive coordinator in football.
The Panthers run offense much differently than many other teams in Div. I.
UNI has more than 100 plays it can run (based on 20-30 original sets), and all of those are learned through repetition in practice. In fact, 6-foot-6 junior guard Kerwin Dunham told me that it takes the Panthers at least a half-hour to go through their offensive plays in practice.
Here’s where Jacobson comes in. After scouting the opposing team, he picks out a few sets that he believes will be effective against the opposition. Then, in practice, the Panthers go over those sets.
Not only do the Panthers have plays, they have counters to those plays. So if Jacobson sees his team getting defended one way, he’ll run the counter play to expose the opposing team’s weakness.
Much like a football offensive coordinator changing the play after the defense is set, Jacobson tries to dial up the correct set once he recognizes how the opposition is trying to defend his team.
2. UNI’s players are free to take any shot they want.
“He tells us that,” 6-foot-1 guard Johnny Moran said. “He says, ‘I won’t take you guys out for a bad shot or a turnover. But if you’re not playing defense — our team defense — if you’re dogging it out there, I’m going to get mad. I’m going to take you out.’ He holds to it.”
According to guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Jacobson had an interesting halftime message during Thursday’s UNLV game when UNI was trailing by one:
“Do all the things defensively that I want,” Ahelegbe recalled Jacobson saying, “and you guys can do whatever you want offensively within our scheme.”
Koch said Jacobson won’t get upset as long as his players are being aggressive offensively.
“If you have someone screaming at you all the time, you get more nervous. You get worked up,” Moran said. “With him, if he is mad, he’ll take you over and tell you what you need to do and put you back in the game to give you another shot.”
3. Jacobson does get upset … just not that often
Though Jacobson is known as a mild-mannered guy, Koch said there was one time during a practice that he punted a basketball.
“That’s just so out of his character, it was almost funny to see,” Koch said. “You wanted to kind of laugh at it, because that’s not him at all.”
Moran said it was a few months into his freshman year before he’d heard Jacobson curse. Finally, it happened during a practice.
“Not giving 100 percent — that’s the one thing that will make him freak out,” Moran said. “When you’re not giving it everything you have, when you’re not playing defense, that makes him mad.”
Still, Jacobson seems to keep his cool even when nearly every other coach in America doesn’t.
“He never gets too crazy. He never gets too low. He’s, like, perfect,” Ahelegbe said. “It fits for all of us. Everyone has their own individual characteristics, but it works for all of us.”
2:23 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from the Ford Center in Oklahoma City where the No. 1-seeded Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the ninth-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers.
If you’re interested in testing out a new form of live game coverage that we will be converting to in the future, send Jonathan Kealing an email at jkealing@ljworld.com with your kusports.com username in it.
Jonathan will e-mail you back with a link to the test application, and some instructions.
I’ll have some analysis on Northern Iowa coming in a little while, but in the meantime, make sure to vote in our poll on the left and use the hashtag #kubball to have your Tweets appear on the left side of the page.
For more on the NCAA, check out NCAA.com.
Nick KrugKU scoring — Marcus Morris 26 (12-for-15 shooting), Collins 18, Reed 12, Aldrich 11, X. Henry 11, Taylor 6, Morningstar 4, Markieff Morris 2.
KU was 38-for-69 from the floor (55.1 percent), 9-for-21 from three (42.9 percent) and 5-for-10 from the free-throw line (50 percent).
Lehigh was 25-for-62 from the floor (40.3 percent), 7-for-19 from three (36.8 percent) and 17-for-21 from the free-throw line (81 percent).
KU defeats Lehigh, 90-74
It’s only fitting that KU goes into one of its lulls to end the game.
McCollum hits two free throws. Buchberger puts in a three. Carrington puts in a layup with a foul. The 9-2 run cuts KU’s lead to 13 with just under two minutes left.
KU composes itself offensively, holding the ball until late in the shot clock before Reed puts in his fourth three.
C.J. Henry misses a three for KU’s reserves, and Elijah Johnson later dribbles out the clock.
KU comes away with a 90-74 victory.
KU 83/Lehigh 64 — 3:32 left in game
Self calls a play out to his team, then his players run it to perfection. From the left wing, Morningstar lobs the ball across the glass to Marcus Morris, who grabs it above the rim before slamming it home.
“Execute it! Execute it!” Self screams from the bench before an inbounds play. After some screens, Reed does get an open shot from the corner, but misses it. Marcus cleans up the rebound, though, putting it in for two with a foul.
Reed is left alone again, and he knocks down a three from the right wing. KU having no bench points at halftime seems like a distant memory. Reed is now 3-for-5 from three-point range this half for nine points.
Every time Self calls a set play, it seems to work. After Self gives the instructions, Taylor fires in the lane to Marcus Morris for an uncontested dunk.
KU’s defense has been shoddy in the late stages of this one, but it doesn’t matter because the Jayhawks’ offense has been so good. McCollum is up to 21 points, but it’s taken him 22 shots to get there.
KU 68/Lehigh 53 — 7:52 left in game
Morningstar shows some leadership offensively, passing up a wide-open three to get it to Reed, who has been a hotter shooter lately. The unselfishness pays off, as Reed swishes the long attempt.
Morningstar gets his own try a few seconds later, as Collins pitches out after driving into the lane. Morningstar buries the three from the corner.
Another pitch to the outside, and another open three-pointer for KU, as Reed cans the three.
Perhaps it’s fatigue, but Lehigh isn’t putting up much resistance on the defensive end any more. Morningstar misses a layup, but Marcus Morris is there for the rebound and stickback.
Collins swishes an 18-footer, and Brett Reed signals for timeout, griping to the nearest ref for a few seconds. KU has its largest lead at 68-53.
KU 52/Lehigh 44 — 11:59 left in game
The double-digit lead doesn’t last long.
Marquis Hall drills a three, and Knutson follows with a long jumper. The two teams trade five-point runs.
KU executes well with the lead down to six, as Reed sets a solid screen inside, freeing up Aldrich for an alley-oop slam. Give the assist to Collins.
KU 50/Lehigh 39 — 14:29 left in game
KU looks much more crisp to start the second half.
Aldrich gets a bounce pass deep in the lane, and he drops it in with his left hand. On the other end, Xavier Henry reaches out on the baseline for a steal.
Xavier Henry gets the ball in transition, and he takes two big NBA steps before putting in the contested layup.
Marcus Morris picks up a silly foul on a reach-in, and that hurts the Jayhawks a few seconds later. While helping on a screen, Marcus shuffles his feet well, but picks up a ticky-tack foul call. That’s his third whistle, and Self shakes his head in disbelief at the whistle. Marcus has to check out.
Carrington picks up his own cheap call on a bump in the post, and that’s three fouls on him. He gives a shocked look to the official.
McCollum with a deep three, and though the Jayhawks are playing better in the second half, their lead isn’t any bigger than it was at halftime.
Collins once again starts a mini run for KU, as he hits a three from the left wing. He’s picked a good day to not have a bad shooting game (5-for-11).
Xavier Henry follows with a steal, and Taylor gives it back to him for a one-handed sky jam. Lehigh calls timeout, and KU’s lead is up to double figures.
KU scoring — Marcus Morris 12, Collins 11, Taylor 6, Aldrich 3, X. Henry 3.
KU was 14-for-32 from the floor (43.8 percent), 3-for-11 from three (27.3 percent) and 4-for-8 from the free-throw line (50 percent).
Lehigh was 12-for-33 from the floor (36.4 percent), 1-for-9 from three (11.1 percent) and 4-for-7 from the free-throw line (57.1 percent).
KU had eight first-half turnovers, while Lehigh had seven. KU out-rebounded Lehigh, 23-20.
Halftime thoughts
• Should we start with some positives for KU? Well, C.J. McCollum, the leading freshman scorer in the nation, mustered just six points on 2-for-10 shooting with four turnovers. Give credit to Tyshawn Taylor (four steals) and Cole Aldrich (three blocks) for slowing him down.
• Another positive for KU: Lehigh hasn’t been able to get it going from the outside. The Mountain Hawks are just 1-for-9 from three after coming in as the ninth-best three-point shooting team in the nation (40.1 percent).
• OK, here’s a negative: eight turnovers for the Jayhawks. It might be a bit more acceptable if the Jayhawks were trying to hammer the ball inside, but they’re not exactly doing that either.
• KU’s bench had 24 minutes but contributed no points, 0-for-4 shooting and just three rebounds. For a team that has won many games because of its strong bench this year, I’m sure this isn’t the kind of effort that Self was looking for.
• Lehigh’s Zahir Carrington said quite a few things yesterday, but he’s backed up his talk so far. He had 12 first-half points on 6-for-11 shooting with five rebounds, a block and a steal. He also played all 20 minutes, so he might wear down a bit (especially with Aldrich now rested after sitting with foul trouble).
KU 35/Lehigh 29 — Halftime
KU’s game Saturday will be at 4:40 p.m. That is, if the Jayhawks win today.
McCollum hits a stepback two, and Lehigh draws within one. The Mountain Hawks have stayed close without shooting well, too (32 percent).
Markieff and Aldrich both have two fouls, forcing Self to go to Robinson in the post. I’m a bit surprised the Jayhawks don’t just play a smaller lineup, though, to put in the more experienced Morningstar or Reed. It’s not like Lehigh is churning out 7-footers.
Collins hits a three from the wing, and KU needed that shot badly.
Robinson gets beaten in the post, as Carrington spins around him for a layup with a foul. KU’s lead is trimmed to two again.
Collins answers, going under the basket for a reverse layup.
Robinson with a big block, and it leads to transition for KU. Collins finds Taylor for a layup, and the Jayhawks put together a much-needed 4-0 spurt in the final 40 seconds.
Still, the Jayhawks lead by just six.
KU 25/Lehigh 23 — 3:24 left in 1st half
Marcus Morris is killing Lehigh single-handedly inside. He adds another layup, then rips down two more offensive rebounds on the next possession before getting fouled. This all happened after he was called soft by Self earlier this game.
Taylor picks McCollum’s pocket out top, and he takes it all the way for a two-handed throwdown. No pose afterwards, either.
KU gets two cheap fouls away from the ball offensively, one on Marcus Morris and the other on Aldrich. Self disagrees with both of them, screaming at the referees afterwards. Either way, it’s two straight turnovers for KU.
Carrington puts in a jumphook over Marcus Morris, and the two get tangled up before heading down the floor. I don’t think there’s any love lost there from the two Philly natives.
Another turn-around in the lane from Carrington. Lehigh has trimmed KU’s lead to two.
Like the Jayhawks today, the KU fans start to bring their best only when the game gets close.
KU 21/Lehigh 14 — 7:58 left in 1st half
McCollum tries another layup that’s swatted away by Aldrich. I guess Aldrich’s first block on McCollum didn’t scare him enough.
Marcus Morris, after a slow start, has had an impressive last minute. He puts in a layup around a defender, then on the next possession, grabs an offensive rebound before putting in a baseline jumper.
Lehigh coach Brett Reed calls timeout, as KU has upped its run to 12-0.
Xavier Henry adds a wide-open three from the left wing. That’s more of the shot that KU is looking for.
Carrington breaks Lehigh’s drought, as he grabs a defensive rebound and dunks it over the top of Thomas Robinson, hanging on the rim until Robinson clears out of the way. That’s two current Jayhawks that Carrington has dunked on in his career now.
Lehigh 12/KU 11 — 11:53 left in 1st half
KU once again settles for a three from the top, but this time, Marcus Morris’ try hits off the back iron then gets a friendly bounce before dropping through.
Collins’ pressure defense helps to force a steal, as Tyshawn Taylor steps in the passing lane. After a spin move, Taylor finishes on the other end with a layup.
Aldrich is starting to have his way inside. He’s now blocked Carrington and C.J. McCollum — Lehigh’s two best players. Those two might think twice about putting up shots in the lane.
Aldrich puts in a shot in the lane with a foul. The Jayhawks have a 7-0 run following Self’s timeout.
Lehigh 12/KU 4 — 13:58 left in 1st half
Collins puts in a layup, but Markieff Morris gets beat down the floor, and he’s forced to foul Gabe Knutson on a layup attempt. Aldrich checks back in for KU.
The Jayhawks are settling for too many outside shots. Markieff hoisted up a quick three a few seconds ago, and Xavier Henry followed by chucking up a deep three without setting his feet. KU should at least try to look inside before hoisting up the deep ones.
Self screams to Marcus Morris, “How soft are you?” after he fails to set a solid screen.
Carrington puts in a jumper over Aldrich, and Self calls timeout with KU trailing, 12-4. I can’t imagine a worse start for the Jayhawks.
Lehigh 4/KU 2 — 15:59 left in 1st half
KU starts horribly offensively.
Tyshawn Taylor and Sherron Collins combine to miss three shots on the first possession, and it doesn’t get much better after that for the Jayhawks.
Marcus Morris, Cole Aldrich and Collins post four turnovers in the next two minutes, and KU coach Bill Self is quick to substitute Markieff Morris and Brady Morningstar into the game.
Marcus Morris finally gets a layup to go in for KU’s first points at the 16:31 mark.
8:40 p.m.
KU should tip off at about 9:05 p.m. after the Northern Iowa-UNLV game ran a bit late.
And, looking around, Lehigh is going to have other teams’ fans cheer for it, as I can barely see any brown-shirted fans in the bleachers.
7:30 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from the Ford Center in Oklahoma City where the No. 1-seeded Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the 16th-seeded Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
There’s an interesting subplot that will take place tonight between KU forward Markieff Morris and Lehigh forward Zahir Carrington.
During high school, the two faced each other during a game in Pennsylvania. The way Carrington tells it, after he missed a free throw, the rebound was tapped back out top. Once he retrieved it at the three-point line, he took one dribble before throwing down an emphatic dunk in the lane.
Right over Markieff.
“It was pretty far,” Carrington said. “I’m sure I caught him by surprise.”
Markieff and brother Marcus actually watched Lehigh’s Patriot League game against Lafayette last week in their hotel room in Kansas City during the Big 12 tournament. The bad memory of Carrington immediately came to Markieff’s mind.
“You should never get dunked on,” Markieff said. “He caught me. My back was turned. He just ran down the lane and dunked it.”
Markieff said having a player dunk over him — even in high school — was not something to laugh about.
“I definitely owe him one. I definitely owe him one,” Markieff said. “Maybe if I get him, I get him. If I don’t, I don’t.
“I’m just going to go into the game playing up my game and not worried about dunking on him. But if I get him, I get him.”
When I told Carrington that Markieff said he owed him one, the 6-foot-7 senior responded immediately.
“Good luck with that,” Carrington said. “I’ve never been dunked on in a game. That’d be a first.”
Be sure to vote in our poll on the left, and also use the hashtag #kubball to have your Tweets appear on the left side of this page.
For more on the NCAA Tournament, check out NCAA.com.
