**9:11 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** Pretty would be the last thing you’d call this one. And judging by the way the KU players talked about it in a humid, crowded locker room moments ago, they’d certainly agree.I think what benefitted KU the most Saturday was its depth, which as we’ve known since October, challenges that of anyone in the country. It was like a domino effect tonight, really.1) UNLV comes out defending harder than just about anyone KU has played this year.2) KU returns the favor.3) Ticky-tack fouls are whistled all night long.4) KU continues to sub in guys with plenty of fouls to give. UNLV is hosed.5) Joe Darger fouls out for the Rebels at the 9:33 mark in the second half. UNLV is further hosed.6) So on and so on.Kudos to UNLV for figuring out a way to score, though, on a night when it simply couldn’t buy buckets (to pull out an old NBA Jam reference, there). Wink Adams scored a game-high 25, but had to earn them all in a painful manner. Of those, 15 came from the free throw line. UNLV on the night, though, was just 12-of-45 from the floor, including just four made field goals in the second half.The keys tonight for KU were Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins.Robinson scored 13 points, had three steals, three rebounds and two assists. Collins, off the bench, had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.What the two had in common was timely scoring. The play of the game – and probably the only specific play many will remember from an overall ugly game – was Collins taking an inbounds pass out of a timeout in the second half with just five seconds left on the shot clock, muscling to the rack and scoring a seemingly easy two.That’s how it was drawn up, according to Bill Self and Collins. What a luxury for a coach to have. A guy you can tell that to in that situation.The team benefits now from not knowing who it plays next until tomorrow after the Villanova-Siena game. Whoever it is, though, there’s little question that KU should be a favorite to knock on the Final Four’s door again in next Sunday’s Elite Eight.**Now, final notes and numbers…**-Rodrick Stewart was indeed sick, according to Self, and was back at the hotel during the game.-Sherron Collins’ knee issues kept him from practicing Saturday, but Self said doctors told Collins he’s fine. That means he’s in much better shape heading into the Tournament’s second weekend this year than he was in 2007. That’ll be quite the luxury for KU.-The two teams combined for 46 personal fouls. Three players (Joe Darger, Rene Rougeau and Brandon Rush) fouled out. Three others had four fouls apiece, while three finished with, well, three.-UNLV’s Curtis Terry had trouble handling the ball against KU’s pressure all evening and getting things going for the Rebels’ offense. The team’s starting point guard finished with two turnovers and no assists. He scored 12 points in his final collegiate game on 3-of-10 shooting.-Brandon Rush’s offense wasn’t as plentiful as it had been in the three games coming into Saturday, but his final line was still nice – 12 points, six rebounds, three assists.-KU was 4-of-7 from three-point range in the second half after going 1-of-6 in the first 20 minutes.That’s pretty much it from Omaha. Time for a nice long haul back. Talk to you this week leading up to the trip to Detroit. Peace.—————–**8:15 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** Just like last year’s second round win over Kentucky, KU did enough to get the job done in an overall less-than-memorable performance. But, either way, the Jayhawks look to be headed to Detroit. Ford Field is a phenomenal venue. I was there this fall for a Lions game, and can completely confirm it’s top-notch.UNLV simply didn’t have enough offense, especially after Joe Darger fouled out. The Rebels defended hard, and certainly deserve credit there. As for Wink Adams, all 23 of his points so far have been brutally earned. He’ll be sore tomorrow for sure.My MVP tonight for KU has to be Sherron Collins. He’s kept the Jayhawk offense from falling asleep for much of the night. Russell Robinson also has been pretty key, scoring 13 points so far and playing pretty solid defense on both Adams and Curtis Terry.Be back after postgame interviews with some nuggets and numbers.—————–**7:54 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** UNLV’s chances of keeping this a game down the stretch just took a major hit with Joe Darger fouling out at the 9:33 mark. He was responsible for the Rebels’ last bucket – a three which made it 42-35 KU – and since then, UNLV has had to rely solely on free throws for points.KU could really use a solid offensive run as nothing more than some flow and continuity going into next weekend…should they be there. You never know with the way Wink Adams is controlling things on the Vegas end.—————–**7:15 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** OK, so I was wrong earlier about everyone being present and accounted for. Rodrick Stewart is not in attendance. The unofficial word is he’s back at the hotel, suffering from strep throat (sp?)Anyways, here are some first half numbers of note…-KU is only outrebounding UNLV 18-14. That’s a little surprising, given the Jayhawks distinct size advantage on the Rebels.-It’s surprising to see the Rebels are as close as they are given the two teams’ field goal percentages. KU was a selective 14-of-25 from the floor, while UNLV struggled to an 8-of-27 showing through 20 minutes. The Rebels found a crease, though, by slashing to the rack and getting to the free throw line. KU was whistled for 11 fouls in the first half, and Vegas turned that into a 10-of-12 job at the free throw line.-Cole Aldrich, Sasha Kaun and Russell Robinson each have two fouls for KU at the break. UNLV is a little deeper in foul trouble. With two apiece for the Rebels are Corey Bailey, Joe Darger, Rene Rougeau and Matt Shaw. Three of them are starters.-The Jayhawks were just 1-of-6 from three-point range. That’s unusual given KU’s recent proficiency from deep. Vegas is no better at 3-of-13.Anyways, UNLV’s pep band just started playing ‘Africa’ by Toto, which in the Journal-World newsroom makes Bill Cross sing a delightful tune. That also means the second half is ready to get going.Here are some thoughts…-Again, expect KU to show a lot of defensive pressure in the backcourt, with UNLV’s ballhandling so far being pretty suspect.-Brandon Rush could use a few open three looks to help KU pull away.-The KU big men need to do a better job of not hacking at Wink Adams when he gets inside. He’s smart enough to have figured out that’s his best shot at scoring a ton in the second stanza.-Joe Darger has been allowed just three looks from distance for UNLV, hitting only one. KU has to keep the watchful eye on him.—————–**6:57 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** Now, I’m no basketball coach, and I certainly don’t claim to ever aspire towards that. But if I’m Bill Self and I see the way Curtis Terry is handling the ball for UNLV, I’m licking my chops.Terry habitually looks down at the ball when the pressure is turned up on him, and I would not be surprised at all to see a hefty amount of traps applied to him in the second half.The longer UNLV hangs around in this one, the tougher the late game situation will be for KU. This team has plenty of capable scorers.—————–**6:36 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** Wink figured it out. He could give KU foul problems with his ability to get to the rack.—————–**6:10 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** For the first couple of KU offensive possessions, it looked like this is where the Jayhawks would truly have to prove their overall toughness, with UNLV punching them in the mouth defensively.That plan backfired on the Rebels, as they drew six foul calls in the first five minutes. Since then, KU has been able to spread things out a bit and is going inside repeatedly. There have only been two three-point attempts so far, and there’s really no need for an overabundance of them. UNLV looked like a small team when it ran onto the floor and, well, that hasn’t changed.Credit KU’s perimeter defense, too. Wink Adams hasn’t had a clean look yet.—————–**6:02 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** I wonder if Lon Kruger will stay at UNLV for awhile. I don’t know why you wouldn’t if you’re as good a coach as he is.-You can recruit plenty of good players to come live in Las Vegas.-You’re in an unbelievably winnable conference.-Uh, you live right by the Strip.Just a random thought there.—————–**5:39 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** It was just announced that the official starting time of the KU game will be 6:10 p.m.I’ve gotta tip my invisible cap to the KU fans in attendance during the final moments of the K-State/Wiscy game. With less than a minute to go, Frank Martin pulled seniors Blake Young and Clent Stewart, along with freshman (essentially senior) Michael Beasley. The Kansas fans stood and joined the Kansas State fans in the ovation. Very classy.Wisconsin just looks so much more solid than I had anticipated. They’ve got so many fouls to throw around it’s ridiculous. The Badgers had six players register three infractions. They could give plenty of teams – KU included – from here on.Nothing really notable sideline-wise from that second half earlier. I was surprised, honestly, to see Bill Walker go hard to the rack and draw a foul with his team down nearly 20 with less than three minutes to go. Figured he’d play the type of ball the KU players prefer when they go to the rec center in the summer – stay between the three-point arcs, launch shots and forget about defense. Good to see he and Beasley got through their one-year collegiate obligations injury-free and can now get rich.KU and UNLV just took the floor to warm up for the day’s second game. Nothing of note as far as players not in uniform. I’m still saying KU by 11 in what will probably be a game just like the Jayhawks’ second round win over Kentucky of a year ago – solid, yet without luster and overall easily forgettable.Talk to you again in a bit.—————–**4:13 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** According to our anonymous KU staffer, ‘it’s anybody’s game.’And, as middle of the road as it sounds, I completely agree with him. Or her.The thing is, right now, Kansas State is playing completely without pressure. The ‘Cats were never supposed to even be here this long. Michael Beasley and Bill Walker were supposed to already be answering questions about whether they’re staying or going.The key for KSU right now is perimeter scoring. The ‘Cats, who hit two threes right off the bat to set the tone against SC, have yet to nail one. Credit Wisconsin there. The Badgers are defending well. But that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.I still like K-State in this one. Not sure why. Just a hunch. Clent Stewart could be big in the second half.The best moment absorbed from absorbing the KSU bench culture came after Jake Pullen allegedly made a mistake (he took two wide open shots, missed, but showed some great hustle in the process. He was yanked from the game by Frank Martin and occasionally scolded several times over the next six minutes. Not six minutes of real time. Six minutes of game time.Poor guy. Next time he got in the game, he had to be freaked.Talk to you between the contests.—————–**2:41 p.m.: OMAHA, Neb. -** I’m not one to whine and moan about officiating, but I’ll admit, Ed Hightower’s crew truly ruined the first game of the day for me. Lying in the hotel room, waiting to head over to the Qwest Center, I watched the opening minutes of the Duke-West Virginia tilt (I picked WV to tip Duke in my bracket, which took a major hit yesterday).During those first few trips up the floor, I was completely reminded of the KU-MU game earlier this year in Columbia, where Hightower & Co. completely seized control of the game with their whistles, leaving little in the players’ hands. And I’m showing no bias here, because the calls were a little touchy going both ways.Once Bob Huggins was given a technical after Greg Paulus flopped off a screen to draw a whistle, I’d had enough.Then you could imagine my delight about an hour later, sitting down here in the Qwest after grabbing some lunch to see the Mountaineers up seven in the second half.(By the way, Bob Huggins is certainly deserving of some National Coach of the Year mention should he pull this off. The one-year turnarounds at both K-State a year ago and in Morgantown this winter are unreal)As for today, I’m gonna take another venture into the media seating behind the K-State bench to witness what goes down between Frank Martin and his players. Thursday gave me these observations…-Bill Walker has a potty mouth-Darren Kent has the role of whipping boy down pat.-The Wildcats seem pretty immune to Martin’s verbal lashings.**Predictions for today**: K-State beats Wisconsin, 70-68. KU downs UNLV 81-72Final sidenote: With WV leading Duke 47-40, 10:07 left to play, we asked the ‘unnamed KU staff member’ introduced earlier in the week in this blog for his opinion on the game. His response? ‘Don’t bet on it.’Good soldier.Talk to you all at halftime of the ‘Cats’ conquest.[Day three in Omaha][1][Day two in Omaha][2][Day one in Omaha][3][NCAA Home Page][4] [1]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/mar/21/live_omaha3/ [2]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/mar/20/live_omaha2/ [3]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/mar/19/live_omaha1/ [4]: http://www.ncaasports.com
