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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014
PAGE 5
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks clinch 10th consecutive Big 12 title
BLAKE SCHUSTER sports@kansan.com
Senior Naadir Tharpe wears a big smile before Kansas' game against Oklahoma on Feb. 24. After the game he'd also have plenty to smile about, scoring 19 points and helping Kansas clinch its 10th straight Big 12 title.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON
2/25/14
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
"10 Straight! 10 Straight! 10 Straight!"
After the heroics, after the final buzer and after the handshakes, Naadir Tharpe stood alone at center court, conducting a chorus of 16,300 fans who wouldn't leave the building until he did.
Each verse decreased the tension that had built up over the previous 40 minutes. Each verse got louder and louder as the screams sunk into reality.
No. 5 Kansas 83, Oklahoma 75 and a decade of Big 12 championships solidified.
There was no way Tharpe could just walk away from it. Not after knocking down 10 of the Jayhawks' last 14 points. Not with the entire building roaring.
"Usually we're on the road," Tharpe said of clinching the title. "To hear the crowd and see all the fans is just a beautiful feeling."
"That was a no-energy, tired team out there," Kansas coach Bill Seid said after the six lead change affair.
Playing at home, the Jayhawks had a rambunctious crowd behind them, willing the team to any sliver of a lead and hoping it could hold it.
Even if the Sooners weren't playing for a Big 12 title, it didn't mean they wouldn't try to stop Kansas from earning another.
The Sooners were unrelenting, making the types of plays that allowed them to stay in a game they otherwise had no business being in. The free throws kept falling (15 for 20), the paint was fair game (26 points) and the Kansas fouls kept piling up (21).
Of course, the Jayhawks have been forced to grind out clinching games before. In 2011, Kansas shot just 43 percent from the field and committed 26 fouls against Missouri en route to its seventh straight title.
It's also what the Jayhawks wanted. It's what they've harped on all year.
No pressure, no diamonds.
No pressure, no diamonds. The pressure was real and the diamonds were waiting. No one was going to hand
them over with four games to play. So with three minutes remaining in regulation and Kansas clinging to a threepoint lead, Tharpe went out there and took them.
He forced his way into the lane and danced around defenders until he was sure he had a shot. And when Oklahoma frantically fouled with time running out, it was Tharpe stepping up to the line and hitting each free throw (6 for 6).
"I think the last 10 minutes of the game that's as good as Naadar has played at KU," Self said. "He closed games the way point guards are supposed to."
And like point guards are supposed to, Tharpe made his teammates more of a threat than himself.
Each Kansas starter finished with at least 11 points. Tharpe led the way with 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half while he played with two fouls.
"The lane was open so I just tried to be aggressive and make plays." Tharpe said.
After the game ended, Tharpe was as open as he'd ever been, exposed to the Kansas crowd at center court and relishing a moment that's not guaranteed to happen again.
When he finally trotted back to the locker room, the rings weren't waiting. There was no trophy. There was no celebration. Assistant coach Jerrance Howard was
permitted a dance, but that was about it.
"I told our players we will celebrate whenever we win it," Self said. "Right now all we have done is tie."
Self was too busy with his postgame interview to even notice Tharpe stealing a celebration. If Kansas can win at Oklahoma State on Saturday the Jayhawks can finally dance together.