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Volume 128 Issue 63
kansan.com
Tuesdav. Januarv 20. 2015
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COMMENTARY Kansas needed Alexander's extra hustle
Freshman forward Cliff Alex ander was the answer.
Two minutes left and Kansas only up by one, sophomore guard Frank Mason drove the lane and drew a double team, which left Alexander wide open under the hoop.
After the No.19 Oklahoma Sooners (14-6,3-3) made an unthinkable 20-point comeback, the Jayhawks needed someone to respond.
"[Alexander] made some clutch plays," sophomore guard Brannan Greene said.
Alexander finished the play with a dunk, and the Kansas Jayhawks (15-3, 4-1) took a three-point lead and never gave it back. That dunk gave Alexander his second double-double of the season, finishing the game with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The most important stats for Alexander were the 13 rebounds and the +13 mark, meaning Kansas outscored Oklahoma by 13 when he was on the court. Both of those stats show Alexander played with intensity as the Jayhawks stayed undefeated at home this season with an 85-78 win against the Sooners.
The frontcourt struggle between Alexander and Oklahoma forward Ryan Spangler was a sight to see. Spangler came into the game as a top-three rebounder in the Big 12, with eight per game, but Spangler said Alexander made it difficult because he's a "big guy"
"I think my motor was real good," Alexander said. "I got a lot of rebounds and ran the floor when I needed to."
Alexander relies on his grit and hustle to bully his way in the paint, and he showed a lot of both against Oklahoma.
Self said Alexander didn't have a motor against Iowa State, and that led to him only playing 14 minutes in the loss to the Cyclones. Alexander said he had a much better motor tonight.
The Jayhawks will need Alexander to keep his motor going to fight through the rest of the Big 12 schedule, especially against a tall Texas team Saturday at Austin.
"[The coaches] talked after the Iowa State game and they said that I need to get my motor back, so that's what I'm trying to do, just get my wind back up." Alexander said.
"It was a tough battle," Spangler said.
On Monday night, the difference was the intangible plays. His hustle on the offensive glass made a major contribution toward the end of the game. Alexander finished with seven offensive rebounds, which ties the most by a Jayhawk this season.
"Cliff has been a struggle because he hasn't brought the same energy level constantly," Self said. "When he doesn't play with energy and bounce he becomes average. The guys that aren't unbelievably skilled make it up by their intangibles and tonight he looked like he had skill because his intangibles were so good."
universe 1.0
OK, BYE
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
After 20-point comeback, Oklahoma falls to Kansas
Freshman guard Kelly Oubre Jr. celebrates after hitting a three against Oklahoma on Monday night. Oubre scored 19 points and had nine rebounds.
Freshman guard Devonte' Graham attempts a three-point shot. Graham scored six points and had four assists.
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_Dan
After how things started, it's hard to believe that Kansas would need to make clutch plays down the stretch to squeak out an 85-78 win on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
However, that comfortable lead, in front of a raucous home crowd filled with students back from winter break, would not last.
Backed by eight-for-eight shooting beyond the three-point arc, No. 11 Kansas seized a commanding 20-point lead over No. 19 Oklahoma with almost 10 minutes to go in the first half.
With 7:44 to go in the game, the Sooners would take a four-point lead to the surprise of an ear-splitting 16.300-person crowd.
"We did a good job fighting back," Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield said. "I'm proud of the guys fighting back. We should have done a better job and Kansas just made shots."
The Jayhawks shot the ball with ease in the first half, and led the Sooners 51-32 at half-time, but the 19-of-33 (57.6 percent) first-half shooting quickly cooled to 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) in the second.
While some teams may have folded after a tough road loss at Iowa State, followed by a quick turnaround and a blown 20-point lead, the jayhawks got tough.
"It was a great team effort," coach Bill Self said.
Texas (14-4, 3-2) this Saturday, where previous Jayhawk teams have fallen before.
Greene stepped up big for the Jayhawks on Monday night in 15 minutes, adding 12 points on 3 three-pointers, none more crucial than one late in the game with Kansas trailing by a point. Greene said the shot felt good as soon as it left his hand.
"Fans won't like to hear this." Self said, "but you can play really well and lose."
After having a convincing lead early and seeing Oklahoma snatch it back, the two teams exchanged baskets down the stretch. With Oklahoma leading 71-70 with 3:25 to play, sophomore guard Frank Mason found Greene in the corner for a big three-pointer.
The toughest Jayhawk may have been sophomore guard Brannen Greene, who has caught flak for toughness on the defensive end.
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
"I needed to improve on the defensive end," Greene said. "I'm still working to do that. I'm not a great defensive player, but it's all about improving and that's what I'm trying to do."
But for tonight, Kansas played exceptionally well in the first half while Oklahoma played nearly as well in the second, and it was the Jayhawks who ultimately came
Kansas would lead the rest of the game on its way to its fourth conference victory. The Jayhawks dug deep in one of their grittiest performances to date.
Things don't get easier anytime soon for the jayhawks. Kansas travels to No. 17
"We knew we wouldn't shoot like that in the second half and Oklahoma got hot in the second half," Greene said. "It's a game of runs. We made shots, they made shots. We definitely were hot in the beginning. We got into a rhythm, the crowd got into it, they're back for school. It was a lot of fun."
out on top.
Edited by Christian Hardy and Miranda Davis
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
Three-pointers lift Kansas over Oklahoma
Freshman guard Kelly Oubre Jr. celebrates after Kansas beat Oklahoma 85-78.
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@Ben Felderstein
Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr's sixth free-throw attempt of the game hit soft off the rim and fell into the arms of fellow freshman Cliff Alexander. Alexander found sophomore Frank Mason who kicked it to an open Brannen Greene behind the arc. As Greene tends to do so well, he hit the open three, putting Kansas up on Oklahoma for good and leading the Jayhawks to a 85-78 win.
Everyone in Lawrence knew they were in for something special as Devonte' Graham's three-point attempt with 8:18 to play in the first half bounced high off the back of the rim and gently landed in between the net. This was Kansas' eighth consecutive converted three-point field goal of the first half.
"They made a lot of shots," Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield said. "Credit to them, everything was falling." Graham, Greene and Ou-
effectively. The Jayhawks have shot 15 or more three-pointers in 12 out of their first 18 games this season.
This Kansas team has relied on the three-point shot more than most Bill Self teams in recent memory due to its inability to score the ball inside
bre led the way with two three-pointers each in the first half.
When Kansas has been hot from behind the line, it has been hard to beat. Coming into Monday night, the Jayhawks shot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc seven times on the season. Not only did those seven games result in seven wins, but they came by a margin of 16.1 points — three points higher than their average win margin.
"When you make your first eight threes, you're going to score a lot of points," Self said. "We need to play fast and play with pace to be successful in this league."
Among players who have played in more than half of the games this season, Mason leads Kansas with a 47.1 field goal percentage from the three-point line. As a team, Kansas shoots 38.9 percent from three.
After an efficient first half of three-point shooting, the Jayhawks cooled off a bit in the second. Just as the Jayhawks cooled off, the Sooners heated up. After going only 3-for-11 from three in the first, Oklahoma sank four of its first five attempts to tie the game with 10 minutes to play.
"We knew we wouldn't be
able to sustain that," Greene said about the strong first half shooting. "They started making their shots in the second half and we weren't."
The Jayhawks abandoned the three ball for a large portion of the second half and relied on their free-throw shooting to keep them in the game after a strong Oklahoma run saw the game tied with 3:45 to play.
Just as all hope from beyond the arc seemed lost, arguably Kansas' best deep ball shooter sent a bolt of energy through the Kansas crowd — Greene hit a wide-open three to put Kansas back on top by two.
"I thought it was good," Greene said. "It was a good rotation in rhythm, it felt good. That's up there as one of the best shots I've made here."
This time, Kansas took the lead for good.
"Brannen played very,very well," Self said. "He made shots all night that helped us win a great game."
- Edited by Emma LeGault