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MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DA
KANSAS 64.
Kansas 25 | 39----64
Ohio State 34 | 28----62
JAYHAWK STAT LEADERS
Points
ROBINSON
Rebounds
19
10
Assists
JOHNSON
9
TAYLOR
KANSAS
Player Pts FG-FGA Rebs A TO's
T. Robinson 19 8-18 8 0 2
T. Releford 15 5-7 6 1 0
J. Withey 4 2-4 8 0 4
T. Taylor 10 3-11 3 9 5
E. Johnson 13 6-9 10 1 4
C. Teahan 3 1-5 1 2 0
K. Young 0 0-2 5 1 2
Totals 64 25-56 41 14 17
OHIO STATE
Player Pts FG-FGA Rebs A TO's J. Sullinger 13 5-19 11 2 2 D. Thomas 9 3-14 4 1 1 A. Craft 11 4-11 0 3 2 L. Smith, Jr. 10 2-5 4 2 2 W. Buford 19 6-10 7 1 3 S. Thompson 0 0-0 2 1 0 A. Williams 0 0-0 0 0 1 E. Ravenel 0 0-0 2 1 1 Totals 62 20-59 30 11 12
GAME TO REMEMBER
Travis Releford, junior forward
Known for his defense, Releford had one of the biggest baskets of the season to end the first half. After Jeff Withey blocked a shot in the closing seconds, Tyshawn Taylor raced up the near sideline and found Releford darting to the hoop. He laid it in with less than a second to spare and it ended up being the difference in the two-point Kansas victory.
Relefora
GAME TO FORGET
Connor Teahan, senior guard
His shooting woes continued Saturday night against the Buckeyes. Teahan was 1-of-5 from the field and just 1-of-4 from beyond the three-point line in 17 minutes of work. He hasn't shot above 33 percent from the three-point line since Feb. 27 against Oklahoma State when he went 2-for-5.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
Teahan
"That Memphis team is very similar. The Memphis team was really good, no question about that. But I think this Kentucky team is better than the Memphis team."
Bill Self
Selft
KEY STATS
Jeff Withey broke Danny Manning's Final Four record with seven blocked shots against Ohio State.
Jeff Withey now has 136 blocks on the season
136
Kansas is playing in its third National Title Game in the last 10 seasons.
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100
Thomas Robinson now has 100 points for his career in the NCAA Tournament
10:39- William Buford hits a three-pointer, extending the Buckeye lead to 16-9 midway through the first half.
FIRST HALF (SCORE AFTER PLAY)
PRIME PLAYS
8:16- Aaron Craft connects on a jump shot from the wing to give Ohio State its biggest lead of the game. 21-13.
SECOND HALF
0:01- Jeff Withey blocks Craft's layup and outlets it to Tyshawn Taylor who finds a streaking Travis Releford for a layup as the clock expires. 34-25 Ohio State.
16:32. Releifdrive drives the lane and finishes a layup to cut the Ohio State lead to just five, 31. Buckeye coach Thad Matta calls a timeout to slow Kansas.
O:07- With Kansas up one with 10 seconds to go, Lenzelle Smith, Jr. fouls Taylor to stop the clock. Taylor makes both free throws to give the Jayhawks a three-point lead.
0:02- Instead of giving Ohio State a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer, Bill Self elects to foul when the Buckeyes inbound the ball. Craft makes the first free throw but is called for a violation while trying to miss the second. 64-62 Kansas.
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MEN'S BASKE Withey in the history books
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KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
NEW ORLEANS - If fans were asked which player broke a Final Four blocked shots record on Saturday night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, most would have probably answered Kentucky's National Player of the Year and shot-blocking machine Anthony Davis.
It was junior center Jeff Withey, whose seven blocks in the 64-62 victory over Ohio State broke his coach and former layhawk Danny Manning's previous record of six from 1988. Withey was dominant early and often, swatting three Jarred Sullinger shots less than
Most fans would be wrong.
three minutes into the game.
While the Sullinger and Thomas Robinson showdown received most of the hype leading up to Saturday, Withey was the one guarding Sullinger, not Robinson. Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas' ability to thrive on the perimeter would have been a much more difficult matchup for Withey, so any hopes of slowing down Sullinger rested firmly on his shoulders.
"Big fella here," Bill Self said after the game, motioning to Withey. "I thought he played as good of low post defense on a great player as he could."
A First Team All-American, Sullinger averaged 17.6 points per game this season and averaged 20 points in the three tournament
games leading up to Saturday night.
It's the 11th time this season Withey recorded at least five blocks in a game and he's been on a tear as of late, averaging 5.3 blocks since the Big 12 Tournament semifinal loss to Bavior on March 9.
"He was just playing hard," Sullinger said of Withey. "Seemed like he stepped up his defensive intensity."
He walked off the court with just 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting.
As aggressive as Withey has been, he's been able to stay out of foul trouble most of the season. He's picked up four fouls just once since Feb. 8. Withey credits his volleyball background for his ability to perfectly time shots to send away.
"My teammates definitely look at me and see me as a protector," Withey said after the game. "They know if they get beat, I'm there."
He was there a lot Saturday night against the Buckeyes — more often than any other player in Final Four history. Self said he isn't sure if there's another player in the country that alters shots better than Withey does, even if Davis actually blocks more.
Self and everyone else will see that statement put to the test against Kentucky Monday night.
"Anthony Davis is the best shot blocker in the country," Self said. "But I think Jeff is probably second best."
Edited by Max Lush
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Kansas Jayhawks huddle up before their game against Ohio State in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The team has become well known in the tournament for their covertness.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN total points with 8
Junior forward Thomas Robinson shoots over Ohio State sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas during the first half of the game. Robinson scored 19 total points with 8 rebounds.
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