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PAGE 12
MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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FROM NCAA PAGE 14
made a free throw. Traylor stole the inbounds pass and dished it to freshman guard Frank Mason, who missed an uncontested 3-pointer, just as the lajhwakes had all game.
"The main factor of the game was that we couldn't finish and make shots," Traylor said.
Though there was success within the season, Kansas not finishing with a run in the NCAA tournament leaves players who won't be returning with an uneasy feeling. Freshmen Wiggins and Joel Embiid will likely leave for the NBA. But it was Tarik Black, the only starting senior, showing the greatest disappointment after the game. He said the one of the main reasons he transferred to Kansas was to win in March and win big. Instead he was left with another early end to the season.
Edited by Chelsea Mies
"My mind is just a complete blank," Black said. "It's over now. That's all I can say."
FROM LOSE PAGE 14
of incompleteness Duke's star freshman Jabari Parker alluded to after his team was eliminated on Friday.
Senior forward Tarik Black was hoping for an opportunity to play in front of his hometown. A win for Kansas would've returned him to the Memphis arena where he played for the last three years.
His 18 points and six rebounds were one of the few reasons why Kansas even had a shot at overtime. But he fouled out with five minutes remaining and watched from the bench as his dream disappeared.
Not even the senior could answer what comes next. He could only think about what could've been.
"That was my last game of college basketball," Black said, fully feeling the weight of the words.
Black may go back to Memphis to train this summer. He might stay in Lawrence instead.
"I'm not sure right now," Black said. "I'm still right here in the moment."
Edited by Chelsea Mies
FROM BALL PAGE 14
innings allowing two runs on nine hits as well. He had the strikeout pitch working as he struck out seven and only walked one.
"I was able to make pitches when I had to," Duncan said. "Later in the game I was able to make some big pitches and get some strikeouts."
Senior closer Jordan Piché was given the loss. In his 2.1 innings of work, he let up the game winning run on one hit. For Piché, this was his first loss
of the season and fell to 3-1.
A bright spot for Kansas was that Justin Protocio reached base twice on Sunday and extended his on base streak to 34 games.
Kansas will travel to Omaha, Neb., Wednesday to take on the Creighton Bluejays.
"We have to give them a little payback," Protacio said. "We need to be ready for a big game on Wednesday."
Edited by Callan Reilly
NCAA
Mercer falls to Tennessee, 83-63
Tennessee guard Antonio Barton (2) celebrates with Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin near the end of the first half of an NCAA college basketball third-round tournament game against Mercer, Sunday, in Raleigh.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tennessee came to Tobacco Road and turned it into "Raleigh Top."
Jarnell Stokes had 17 points and a career-high-tying 18 rebounds, and the Volunteers denied Mercer a second straight upset in the NCAA tournament by routing the Bears 83-63 on Sunday night.
Josh Richardson had a career-high 26 points and Antonio Barton had 18 for the 11th-seeded Vols (24-12), who outrebounded Mercer 41-19 and kept the Southeastern Conference perfect in the tournament.
They joined Florida and Kentucky in the round of 16 — the first time three SEC teams made it that far since 2007.
Tennessee will face second-seeded Michigan (27-8) in a Midwest Regional semifinal Friday night in Indianapolis.
Stokes broke his 2-day-old school tournament record for rebounds.
Langston Hall had 15 points to lead the 14th-seeded Bears (27-9). They knocked off Duke in the signature upset of the tournament but couldn't answer Tennessee's size.
Mercer trailed by double figures for the entire second half before the Bears threatened to give themselves yet another fantastic finish.
They had the ball down 12 with about $2 \frac{1}{2}$ minutes left when Jakob Gollon — one of the heroes of the Duke upset two days earlier — threw the ball away in the lane, then fouled out a few seconds later.
the Tennessee lead to 77-61 with $ 1 \frac{1}{2} $ minutes left.
Jordan McRae hit two free throws, and Richardson added a fast-break layup to push
McKae finished with 13 points for the Volunteers, who have won eight of nine with the only loss coming to the top-ranked Gators in the SEC tournament.
They are in the round of 16 for the fourth time in eight years, and the third team to go from the First Four to the Sweet 16 since the introduction of the extra round in 2011.
They also got a bit of payback: Mercer ended Tennessee's season last year with a 75-67 win in the first round of the NIT.
Ike Nwamu scored 12 points, Anthony White Jr. had 11 and Daniel Coursey added 10 for Mercer, the plucky Atlantic Sun Conference school trying to match Florida Gulf Coast's run last year to the regional semifinals.
The Bears drew a perfect matchup for their first game
— and couldn't have had a worse one for their second.
They were bigger, more experienced and more precise
than a Duke team loaded with high school All-Americans and a leaky defense, carving them up down the stretch in a 78-71 victory that ranks among the top upsets in the history of the tournament.
Tennessee never trailed and held a 24-4 rebounding advantage in the first half. Richardson scored 10 straight points midway for the Volunteers to turn a tight game into a double-figure lead. His 3 from the right wing made it 29-18 with $ \frac{6}{2} $ minutes left.
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