_After each KU basketball game this season, this is where you can find out the basketball equivalent of The Nielsen Ratings from Journal-World sports editor Tom Keegan. He’ll rate the Jayhawks’ individual performances from top to bottom, telling you who was worth tuning in to watch and who has seen better days. If you agree or maybe even differ, make sure to comment and tell Tom how you really feel._**1. Brandon Rush**: In the second half, he stopped watching the game and started dominating it. At the point of the game that he checked out, he had scored 13 second half points, compared to 12 for Oklahoma. His 16 points led the team and he was second with six rebounds.**2. Sasha Kaun**: Longar Longar contributed 13 points and 14 rebounds for Oklahoma, but as the game progressed, Kaun slowed him down and did a better job in that regard than the other KU big men. In one first-half possession, Kaun blocked two Longar shots in a few-second span. Kaun’s seven rebounds led KU on a day in which the Jayhawks fared no better than a draw on the boards.**3. Mario Chalmers**: Got his quick hands on the ball often and made both free throw attempts, as usual. **4. Sherron Collins**: Still slumping from long range but returned to his aggressive, attack-the-basket ways.**5. Russell Robinson**: Did his usual reliable job of handling the ball (four assists, one turnover) and was terrific defensively, as always, but his tendency to miss free throws (2-of-5) is becoming a cause for concern.**6. Darrell Arthur**: Didn’t do a good job on the boards, but showed offensive flashes that hinted at a 25-point game at some stop along the way during March. The good: 10 points in 16 minutes. The bad: One defensive rebound. The ugly: Three personal fouls.**7. Julian Wright**: Foul trouble limited him to 15 minutes of playing time and his absence was felt on the boards.**8. Darnell Jackson**: Couldn’t get any of six field goal attempts to drop, but did pick up five rebounds in 15 minutes.**9. Rodrick Stewart**: Always brings defensive energy.**10. Jeremy Case**: For a while in the first half, when KU struggled against the zone, was I the only one thinking Case could see rare first half playing time?**11. Brady Morningstar**: Had the ball in his hands when the game ended. (You try thinking of something to write about someone who played two minutes).**12. Matt Kleinmann**: Had two personals in two minutes. Cops tend to give more speeding tickets to drivers of red cars. Might refs whistle more fouls on redheads?**13. Brennan Bechard**: Got the playing time nod over Brad Witherspoon.**The Keegan Ratings: Season Standings (total points and average rank)** **T-1.** Julian Wright (111, 32 games) 3.47 **T-1.** Brandon Rush (111, 32 games) 3.47 (**_Jumps into tie for 1st_**) **3.** Mario Chalmers (115, 32 games) 3.59 **4.** Sherron Collins (141, 32 games) 4.41 **5.** Russell Robinson (145, 31 games) 4.68 **6.** Darrell Arthur (153, 32 games) 4.78 **7.** Sasha Kaun (158, 28 games) 5.64 **8.** Darnell Jackson (196, 32 games) 6.13 **9.** Rodrick Stewart (239, 26 games) 9.19 **10.** Jeremy Case (161, 17 games) 9.47 **11.** Brady Morningstar (134, 14 games) 9.57 **12.** Matt Kleinmann (165, 15 games) 11.00 **13.** Brennan Bechard (136, 11 games) 12.36 **14.** Brad Witherspoon (119, 9 games) 13.22
Norman, Okla. ? It was time for a reality check for Kansas University’s basketball team Monday night in Noble Center.
The Jayhawks, who vaulted to No. 3 in the polls earlier in the day as reward for piling up six consecutive victories by an average of 28.8 points, blew a 17-point lead before regaining their composure in a 67-65 victory over Oklahoma, a team that now has dropped five straight games.
“We’d been on kind of a roll. This will ground us a bit, help us get refocused,” KU coach Bill Self said after the Jayhawks improved to 26-4 overall and 13-2 in the Big 12 Conference.
A victory over Texas on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse would guarantee Self’s fourth KU squad at least a share of the league crown.
“The most important thing is we won the game. Our guys made enough plays to win the game,” Self said.
Yes, but the Jayhawks, who suffered 12 second-half turnovers against OU’s press and netted no points from fab freshmen Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur, definitely wobbled after dominating the past couple of weeks.
Some have said the Jayhawks needed a close game after a batch of blowouts and a nine-pointer at Kansas State.
They got their wish Monday night.
“It’s the best scenario. I just wish we’d played better. But it’s the best scenario to have a grind-it-out game and win (this time of year),” Self said.
1-for-11 Oklahoma’s first-half three-point shooting5-for-8 Oklahoma’s second-half three-point shooting1-for-7 KU’s first-half three-point shooting0-for-0 KU’s second-half three-point shooting4, 2 KU’s first-half turnovers, OU’s points off those turnovers12, 17 KU’s second-half turnovers, OU’s points off those turnovers
He liked the fact Julian Wright scored 12 points early in helping KU blaze to a 33-16 lead. And he was tickled Mario Chalmers hit 10 of 12 free throws the second half on a night KU’s other players made 12 of 22.
He didn’t like the fact Brandon Rush missed five of seven shots and scored nine points with four turnovers in 33 minutes and Collins had his first sub-par game in a while with no points off five misses in 33 minutes.
“Our best performers got timid. We can’t play that way,” Self said. “Brandon shied away from plays tonight. That’s what he can’t do.
“No question, Sherron has been our best player in crunch time until tonight. Maybe he was due. Julian and Mario were good (with 18 apiece). Shady (Arthur) didn’t play much. I won’t throw him under the bus. You can make the case more than one guy didn’t have it. I also wanted to go with experienced guys down the stretch. There was nothing he (Arthur) did that made me mad.”
OU’s Nate Carter, who was fired up playing on Senior Night, scored six of his 20 points and David Godbold four in a 19-7 run that turned a 33-16 deficit into a five-point game (40-35) with 14:40 left.
OU finally tied it on a Michael Neal three with 6:06 left. Suddenly, a dead crowd had come to life.
“We forgot press offense against soft pressure,” Self lamented.
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“We made easy plays the first half,” said Wright, who hit eight of 12 shots and had eight rebounds and four assists. “The second half, we were giving them confidence by not making the easy play. We had to dig down, and we did that.”
“The reason they came back strong,” Chalmers noted, “is they started making shots and forced us into some turnovers. We had a lot of good possessions the first half.”
Tentativeness against OU’s press was a killer.
“We’ve got good ballhandlers,” Collins noted, “but you can’t dribble against two or three people. Your teammates have to make the right cut. My shot wasn’t there for me tonight, but my teammates know they can count on me to do other things, like get a stop.”
How did KU pull out a win?
Rush actually put KU ahead for good by making one of two free throws at 5:28, busting the 51-51 tie. Chalmers followed with four charities, answered by a Bobby Maze bucket as KU led 56-53 at 4:07.
Wright’s scoop shot boosted the lead to 58-53 at 3:29.
Another big bucket came when Sasha Kaun horsed in a rebound of a Rush miss at 1:29, keeping KU in front, 60-55. Rush’s two free throws at 1:07 upped the lead back to seven, but OU outscored the Jayhawks 10-5 down the stretch. Wright missed two free throws and Rush one of two, but Chalmers and Russell Robinson swished two apiece.
“We kept our poise for the most part,” Chalmers said, “in making free throws and getting some stops down the stretch. Now we go home and regroup, work on some things and hope to play better Saturday.”
“We were a little frustrated at times,” Wright noted, “but give Oklahoma credit. They turned up the pressure. They’re a pretty good team at home and gave us a great game.”
Tipoff for Saturday’s game against Texas is 11 a.m. at Allen Fieldhouse.
