The Greene Room Live: KU-UMKC

By Staff     Nov 11, 2007

**9:50 p.m.**: Bill Self seemed OK with the end result, summing up that KU played better defense than Friday night, but it was still a bit porous.The fifth-year coach was pleased with the way his team attacked UMKC’s bevy of zone defenses, and the same went for both Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson, who showed up in the postgame interview room.Sherron Collins turned his ankle in the second half before being helped to the locker room. Self indicated that he’s fine, and Collins’ return to the court minutes later confirmed that.As for Cole Aldrich not playing until late, it was mostly a matchup thing. Self expected him to matchup on 7-foot-1 UMKC center Alex Pledger, but Pledger only played three minutes, mostly in the first half. Nothing was wrong with Aldrich health-wise, it wasn’t disciplinary and he had not been down in practice or anything. Just a matchup situation.The free throw shooting was also ugly, with KU going 16-of-31 from the stripe, but Self didn’t seem too concerned, summing it up kind of as a perfect storm, where several of his good free throw shooters – such as Robinson and Darnell Jackson – just had off nights at the same time.Self also pointed out that Darrell Arthur’s final line was a bit strange. The sophomore forward had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but left what Self counted up to be 10 points on the table with simple errors. No need for concern just yet.It was a fun, tiring and busy weekend. Glad I was able to spend it with you all here. Talk to you Thursday from the Washburn game. Peace.**8:58 p.m.**: Sherron Collins came back out of the locker room, everyone in the stands and on the KU benched breathed a sigh of relief, and KU began to pull away thanks to yet another Mario Chalmers three-ball.On paper, this one may look OK offensively for KU, but it’ll be interesting to see coach Self’s mood in the postgame interview room. I’ll be back in a bit with some postgame nuggets from there.**8:43 p.m.**: A strange night just got stranger. Sherron Collins, after a play in the paint, was left lying on the ground, walking eventually in a casual manner back to the bench with an apparent ankle injury. He was then escorted back to the locker room by trainer Bill Cowgill.Another prominent player out of the contest is freshman big Cole Aldrich, who had six points and six rebounds Friday night. He has remained in warmups all night. I’ll get back at you after the game with what Bill Self has to say about each situation.**8:38 p.m.**: Want some proof that the KU hoopsters are still the athletic department’s bride’s maids this year? The loudest this place has been all night was when PA announcer Hank Booth, during a TV timeout, addressed the KU football win at Oklahoma State from Saturday night, followed by a dramatic unveiling of the latest BCS standings on the jumbotron. Who would have thought that could _ever_ happen?**8:35 p.m.**: KU has looked pretty sloppy in the second half, which isn’t much different from how the first half went. The Jayhawks are staying ahead because, well, they’re the better team, but tiny errors keep getting in the way as KU continues to try and seal the deal.The Jayhawks have missed two dunks, are turning over the ball more than usual and have not hit the three-point shots with much ease in the second half.Bill Self might not be in such a hot mood after this one…**8:15 p.m.**: Halftime numbers that surprised…**-Darrell Arthur had just four points on 1-of-5 shooting**. Shady just didn’t look comfortable at all. He’ll surely play a ton of minutes in the second half, as he only played 12 in the first.**-Darnell Jackson hasn’t scored yet** following his career-high 21-point effort Friday against ULM. He’s been aggressive, at least.**-UMKC is hanging with KU in the rebounding department**, with the Jayhawks holding just an 18-14 advantage. UMKC picked up 14 personal fouls in the first half though. That can’t hold up if they want to stay in the game until it’s done.**-Brent Stephens hoisted 10 shots in the first half** for UMKC, hitting three of them and scoring eight points. Someone pointed out before the game that he _loooooves_ to shoot. He had two turnovers and one assist, and hardly ever let a possession continue through his hands. His shot isn’t bad, but you’ve got to wonder if he either has a green light or is just habitually running a red.And as I typed that, he just missed another three. Wow.**7:32 p.m.**: If you’re in the arena tonight and watch UMKC coach Matt Brown at all, you’ve got to like the guy. This is his first game as the Kangaroos’ head coach, and he is going to not have a voice for about two weeks, barring a mass intake of chicken noodle soup.The guy is fired up and already sweating. His team has matched the intensity, clawing at KU on the boards and hanging around in the first half. This team is not going to go away easily, as they’re gaining some confidence as the time drips off in the first half.**6:53 p.m.**: Before this one gets started, let us look at some stuff from around college hoops earlier today.**Former Jayhawk Micah Downs** scored six points on 2-of-7 shooting today as No. 14 Gonzaga [defeated Montana][1] 77-54 in Spokane.**The Michael Beasley hype train continues to gain steam (at least on this blog)**, as he dropped 30 and 14 today in a [10-point win over][2] Pittsburg State. Bill Walker returned to score 11.**Watch out for my boys in Ann Arbor**, as Michigan [blew by Brown today][3] in Crisler Arena. Freshman guard Manny Harris dropped 22 for the Wolverines. One of first-year coach John Beilein’s proteges will be on display tonight in Allen Fieldhouse, as his former assistant Matt Brown leads UMKC into its regular season opener.Perfect bridge to tip-off. Talk to you in a few.**4:36 p.m.**: I don’t think I’ll ever be in the kind of shape to be able to run a stellar time in a 26.2 mile marathon. But in work terms, this weekend has sure felt like one.But what a weekend if you’re a KU fan.Tonight’s hoops contest in Allen Fieldhouse against UMKC is almost like an added bonus for Jayhawk Nation.While football remains the talk of the town with Thanksgiving weekend now coming in the next fortnight, it’s easy to forget that there’s another top-five team in town.KU looks to keep itself in the spotlight against the Kangaroos. Here’s what I’ll be looking for tonight…**-The KU defense needs to send some kind of a message** here early in the regular season. While 107 points is all well and good, a guard-laden Louisiana-Monroe ballclub was able to score _waaaay_ too many points Friday night, despite losing by 29. It’s going to start in the paint, I think. While the Jayhawk guards had a difficult time keeping the Warhawks’ pesky little guys in front of them, tonight the bigs will need to keep UMKC’s backcourt from getting to the rack with ease.The Kangaroos also boast big guys who can shoot from the mid-range with great accuracy, according to coach Bill Self. Defensive versatility from the likes of Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun will be key.**-But despite the defense getting a little looser in a running game,** I want to see the running continue. In terms of conditioning, the Jayhawks appeared to be in top form physically on opening night, which is something quite amazing. If KU can keep running the ball up and down the floor at the rate it did Friday night throughout the non-con season, they’ll stay ripe to take over the nation’s top ranking should those ahead of them slip.**-Even though it sounds a bit cliche,** I want to see what the crowd is like. Sunday night games are weird. So are Friday night contests. This week, KU fans got both. Will the fans show a football weekend hangover?**Now tell me** what you’ll be looking for tonight in the comment space below. Or, if you want to chat KU football up until tip-off, I’m down with that, too. Get at me, lets dish. [1]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200711110233 [2]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200711110288 [3]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200711110357

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