THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007
SPORTS
7B
BASKETBALL
Big plays highlight Friday's 107-78 victory
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Rodrick Stewart, senior guard, goes for a steal during the game against Louisiana-Monroe. Friday night in Allen Fieldhouse. Stewart had three points and eight assists in the name.
Who had the best highlight?
Questions about Brandon Rush's health, Cole Aldrich's progress and Sasha Kaun's rebounding can be answered later. After Kansas' 107-78 romp against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, the biggest question is this:
Darrell Arthur, Sherron Collins and Darnell Jackson dunked, floated and banked in scintillating shots in Kansas' impressive victory in the first round of the hajawk Classic
round-robin tournament.
The Jayhawks (1-0) used a 25-10 run during the first seven minutes of the second half to build an insurmountable lead.
"They are a real good team," Lou i s i a n a-Monroe guard
"They are a really good team. Without them even having Brandon Rush, they are still a very tough team."
"If I was the 10th man on the team, I'd be fine with that." jackson
that he was able to finish three plays when he was fouled.
Tony Hooper said. "Without them even having Brandon Rush, they are still a very tough team. They are top five in the country. There's not too much you can say about that."
Just don't expect Jackson to ever think of himself as a star. Hed rather bang in the paint than do the fancy stuff.
But his finest highlight came when he entered the lane untouched. Junior guard Mario Chalmers hit Jackson as he ran down the middle of the paint. Jackson leaped several feet away from the basket, threw down a one-handed jam and looked like an NBA big-timer in the process.
Now back to those highlights.
Jackson, a senior forward, isn't going to forget this night anytime soon. He bested his old career high of 13 points by pouring in 21 points in only 18 minutes. No one could stop Jackson. His 6-foot-8 frame withstood the shoves well enough
TONY HOOPER Louisiana-Monroe guard
said. "If I got in there and played one minute and got two rebounds, I'd be happy with that. I'm just glad Coach Self has the confidence in me to go out there and help the team."
Not to be outdone by Jackson.
Collins also made a run at a career high. The sophomore guard let Kansas coach Bill Self know he has a tough decision to make concerning his guard rotation when Rush comes back. He scored 22 points(one short of his career high) and did so on a variety of dribble-drive floaters and transition lay-ups. Oh yeah, let's not forget the three pointers.
Collins tickled the twine twice in a row in the second half to give Kansas its 86th and 89th points. He
made 4-of-7 from behind the arc.
Arthur didn't approach career highs like Collins or Jackson, although he did make the crowd ooh-ah a few more times including when he made the first three-pointer of his career.
Arthur stumbled backwards and tossed the ball off the backboard as time expired in the first half. He didn't call glass.
"I didn't know it was going in," Arthur said. "I just shot it up there out of desperation."
So, who had the better play; Arthur with the alley-oop, Collins with the consecutive three pointers or Jackson with the one-handed slam? Judge Darrell Arthur made
Monroe between his legs.
"If I was the 10th man on the team, I'd be fine with that. If I got in there and played one minute and got two rebounds, I'd be happy with that."
Nice, but not as pleasing as his second-half dunk. Arthur finished an alley-oop with an unsuspecting Mitchell Hampton of Louisiana-
DARNELL JACKSON
Senior forward
the pick.
"Darnell's dunk through the lane because he dunked on two people down there." Arthur said. "He reminded me of KG a little bit or Amare because he just powered through the lane on everybody. It
was amazing."
Sasha Kaun, senior center, high fives Darrell Arthur, sophomore forward, after Kansas' victory against Louisiana-Monroe Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse. The final score was 107-78.
Mindy/KANSAN
The Jayhawks had their way with the Warhawks in transition and on the glass. Louisiana-Monroe's speedy four-guard lineup looked like turtles as Kansas players swiped the ball 15 times and ran for 14 fast-break points.
The highlights were good for more than just time on Sportscenter. They showcased Kansas' athleticism and speed.
Of course, Self wasn't raving about the offensive highlights and transition buckets; he cared about the defense. Kansas let Louisiana-Monroe shoot 51 percent from the field. Only UCLA shot the ball that well last season.
"That's one of the poorest defensive performances we've had in a long time," Self said.
But he still nominated a top play.
"That play where Darnell showed on the down screen and deflected it. Rod ran it down and dove for it, and Darnell finished with a three-point play." Self said about Jackson's and-one lay-up in the second half. "That's about as good as a play we've had in a long time."
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur celebrates a dunk over a Louisiana-Monroe defender Friday night. Arthur had 11 points and six rebounds in the game. Kansas defeated Louisiana Monroe in its regular season opener.
RUSH UPDATE
Basketball notes
Coach Bill Self gave an update on the status of junior Brandon Rush after the game. Self said that nothing had changed and that Rush was still on track to return the first week of December.
"The exact date has not been set, but he's basically doing everything," Self said.
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But will Rush return for the USC game in Los Angeles on Dec. 22.
Self also said that once Rush returns, he would continue to wear the knee brace that he has been sporting in pre-game warm-ups.
"I don't want to give away the exact odds, but I'll say 51-49," Self said jokingly.
BEASLEY WATCH
The Jayhawks weren't the only ones filling up the stat sheet on Friday night. Kansas State's Michael Beasley had 32 points and 26 rebounds — a Big 12 conference record — in a 94-63 victory against Sacramento State. Former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant and former Kansas forward Nick Collison previously held the record of 23 rebounds. Durant and Collison are now teammates on the NBA's Seattle Supersonics.
UPSET WATCH
THE CHANGING FACE OF WARFARE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Michigan State lost to Grand Valley State, Ohio State fell to Findlay, Kentucky was upset by Gardner-Webb and Mercer defeated USC. The college basketball season
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has been turned upside down, and Darnell Jackson said Kansas has noticed.
"It has been on everyone's mind entering this game, the coaching staff and the players. We are watching other teams fall against Division II schools, and we don't want that to happen to us like it did against Oral Roberts," jackson said.
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