THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
PAGE 7
COMMENTARY
Kansas excels as a hunter
By Sam Kovzan skovzan@kansan.com
Heading into the 2011-12 season, some pundits omitted Bill Self from college basketball's elite group of coaches. In his eight years at Kansas, he had reached just one Final Four and fell victim to a series of ESPY-winning upsets.
Self hushed all doubters Sunday as Kansas defeated North Carolina in the Elite Eight, advancing to Kansas' 14th Final Four.
"At Kansas, winning is a relief, and losing is a disaster," he said in Saturday's press conference. "We've got to relish the opportunity to be the team that is chasing as opposed to the team that is chased all the time."
To lead this team to college basketball's final weekend is a masterstroke. After all, this was supposed to be Self's rebuilding year. Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson were the only returning players with legitimate experience.
But Self has led this team to heights greater than the previous two Kansas squads, which oozed NBA talent and boasted gaudy records of 35-3 and 33-3, respectively. Self is a prime candidate for National Coach of the Year.
So how did this Kansas team advance further in the NCAA Tournament than those led by Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and the Morris twins?
Self may have partially answered that question the day before his team's 80-67 victory against the Tar Heels.
Indeed, when Kansas is hunted,
it tends to play tight and therefore
fails to showcase its abilities. This
usually happens when the Jayhaws
play lower-seeded (and often "mid-
major") opponents. Does VCU ring
a bell? How about Northern Iowa?
And who could forget Bucknell and
Bradley?
Taking an in-depth look at Self's NCAA Tournament performances is eye-opening. Every year from 2000 to 2012, Self has led a team to the tournament. During this 13-year period, he has accumulated 12 losses. Nine of them have come to lower-seeded teams. Since 2000, Self has lost to an equal or higher-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament just three times.
Case in point: Kansas' two most recent wins against North Carolina — the first in the 2008 national semifinal, the second on Sunday. When the pressure is gone, so is the weight of the world on the Javhawks' shoulders.
Simply put, Kansas is as vulner able as Goliath, but as lethal as David.
And that's just the role Kansas should embrace heading to New Orleans — the hunter, sporting its road blue jerseys and clashing against teams that had greater expectations at the beginning of the season. Kentucky was ranked second in the preseason polls, Ohio State third. Louisville seventh.
Self summed it up before his team's Elite Eight victory:
"I like the thought of our guys thinking that were the hunter"
It's a positive, stress-free mind-set that may just give Kansas an edge Saturday night in the Louisiana Superdome.
Edited by Ian Cummings
Defensive risk seals Kansas victory
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PAT STRATHMAN
pstrathman@kansan.com
An unorthodox defense helped win the men's basketball team a trip to face Ohio State in the Final Four
In basketball, defense can win championships, and Bill Self knows that.
At the 11:52 minute mark of the second half of the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina had 61 points. Over the previous eight minutes, the Tar Heels scored 14, and in the eight minutes before that, they scored 16. The Tar Heels were setting the tempo and were on pace for 80 points.
Then, with 6:36 left in the half, Kansas coach Bill Self reached into his bag of tricks. He stopped playing man-to-man and ordered the Jayhawks to play a the triangle-and two defense. Kansas beat North Carolina 80-67.
Self also ran the triangle-and-two against Purdue in the third round, which Kansas won.
Both Purdue and North Carolina saw their shooting percentages drop under 30 percent when Kansas ran the triangle-and-two. The hybrid
In the North Carolina and Purdue games, Kansas' two man defenders were junior forward Travis Releford and junior guard Elijah Johnson. Against Purdue, both had to guard senior forward Robbie Hummel and junior guard D.J. Bvrd.
The other three Kansas players played zone. Junior forward Thomas Robinson and junior center Jeff Withey stood on the left and right sides of the basket. Both players have to defend the post and extend to the corners if the ball goes there.
Sunday, Self put Releford and Johnson on North Carolina sophomore forward Harrison Barnes and sophomore guard Reggie Bullock.
Then, the fifth player stands at the free-throw line. Usually, this position is reserved for the team's best, quickest and hardest-working defender. Senior guard Tyshawn
defense is a mix between a man-to-man and a zone defense. Most teams use this to defend two excellent scorers and three average players.
In this strategy, two defenders play man-to-man against the two scorers.
Taylor earned this role with his quickness. Taylor's responsibility included covering the free-throw line area and above while also sliding down and covering the low part of the lane when the ball flies to the corner.
The defense is tricky and can be beat by cuts to the basket. Even wide-open shots are sometimes given up.
That didn't happen in Kansas' road to the Final Four.
In the victory against Purdue, sharp-shooter Robbie Hummel scored 22 points in the first half. The defensive switch held Hummel to just four points in the second half. The Boilermakers only scored 24 points and shot just 28.6 percent in the second half after shooting 54.5 percent in the first, and the Jayhawks escaped with a 63-60 victory.
Sunday, the same thing happened to North Carolina.
The Tar Heels shot 63.6 percent in the first half and then were confused by Kansas' triangle-and-two. North Carolina shot 22.6 percent in the second half. The top-seeded team in the Midwest region collapsed down the stretch, missing the final nine shots and 14 of 16 in the teeth of the lethal triangle-and-two.
The Tar Heels did not score a point after a Harrison Barnes free-throw with four minutes left to play, and the Jayhawks marched out
The triangle-and-two defense can be risky, but for Bill Self, it's just another coaching adjustment made to put another Final Four banner in Allen Fieldhouse.
of St. Louis with the victory.
Edited by Ian Cummings
The All-American clash: Robinson vs. Sullinger
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IFSSICA IANAS7/KANSAN FII F PHOTO
Junior forward Thomas Robinson raises his arms to get the crowd excited as the Jayhaws prepare for defense during overtime against Missouri on Feb. 25. Robinson will face off against Jared Sullinger on Saturday for the first time.
KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
Although the Bluegrass State showdown between Kentucky and Louisville is stealing most of the headlines this week, the national semifinal match up between Kansas and Ohio State features something that Kentucky's first-round picks and Rick Pitino's years of experience don't have: First Team All-American against First Team AllAmerican.
At the same position, no less.
And while Saturday will be the second meeting between the schools this season — Kansas defeated Ohio State 78-67 in Lawrence on Dec. 10 — it will be the first time junior forward Thomas Robinson and Ohio State sophomore forward Jared Sullinger will face each other.
Sullinger was unable to play during the first meeting because he suffered from back spasms, which led to a lighthearted exchange between coaches before the game.
"Merry Christmas early," Buckeye coach Thad Matta said to Bill Self as they shook hands, referring to the injured player.
Self described the encounter a little differently.
"I don't think his exact words were, 'Merry Christmas,' Self said, smiling. "I think there were some other words in there, maybe describing the holiday."
There won't be any such funny encounters Saturday night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Sullinger is healthy and has scored 18 or more points six of his last seven games.
Robinson is healthy, also finishing with 18 points in Kansas' last two victories against Purdue and North Carolina.
It's not certain if the duo will match up with each other, though, due largely in part to Deshaun Thomas' versatile game.
He said the coaches will see how things pan out and that Robinson and Sullinger will definitely guard each other a little bit, but they'll have to wait to see how the match-up down low unfolds.
"Deshau is more inside-outside slash post," Self added. "He can stretch it."
With Sullinger sitting out the first game, Robinson had 21 points in one of his most efficient games of the year, going seven of nine from the field and seven of eight from the free-throw line.
Now, the country will get to see both All-Americans at full strength with a chance to play on Monday night for the national championship.
"Yeah I'm excited, but at the same time it doesn't matter who I'm going against, because it's the Final Four," Robinson said of playing Sullinger. "I don't care if it's a sixth grader."
Edited by Taylor Lewis
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Recent performances prove Young's versatility
ICI MATSON
cmatson@kansan.com
He scored two points from free throws and made zero field goals in the biggest game of the season. That means junior forward Kevin Young played no important role in the Jayhawks' victory against the Tar Heels, right?
Wrong.
Young was an invaluable player off the bench for Kansas, providing instant energy, grabbing eight rebounds and battling against the formidable Tar Heels' frontline, arguably one of the best in the country.
"I'm a hustle player, go after loose balls, get extra possessions, set screens, move the ball, score when I have the opportunity to score, don't force nothing and play within the offense," Young said of his game.
It's hard to describe Young's style of play, but he's a versatile, multidimensional player who understands his role.
Kevin Young's playing time has increased to 16.5 minutes per game during the NCAA Tournament. Witje Willey describes Yug as the team's "energym奴."
JESSICA JANASZ/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
In a critical stretch during the game when the Jayhawks were ahead 62-61 with just under 12 minutes remaining, Young pulled down three offensive boards in the span of a minute. When Young
recorded the third offensive board in that span, he dished it out to Tyshawn Taylor, who converted a two-pointer to extend the lead to three points. Young's rebounding essentially started an 18-6 run for the fayhawks, which propelled them to victory.
"He is our energy guy," junior center Jeff Withey said of Young. "When he came into the game, he grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds, tipped them back out and he started the run for us. We love him. He's a scrappy player."
Coach Bill Self has leaned on Young more in the NCAA Tournament than the regular season. In conference games, Young averaged 11.2 minutes per game, but during the NCAA Tournament, he is averaging 16.5 minutes.
"He's been great," Self said of Young's performance in the NCAA Tournament. "The last few weeks or so, he's pursuing the ball as well as anybody we have in our program. I have total confidence going to him off the bench. He and Jeff are fine; he and Thomas are fine. There is no problem going to him in any situation."
has indicated that Kansas does have some players who can significantly contribute off the bench. Young's specialty is his ability to take charges, thus forcing opponents to turn the ball over to the Jayhawks and swing momentum in their favor.
"Kevin has been coming in and giving us good minutes," junior forward Thomas Robinson said. "When he comes in, he's a spark of energy right away, either with a put-back or a dunk or tapping the ball to give us an extra possession. Kevins play in the tournament has been big for us."
For a team that has relied heavily on its starters because of the lack of depth, Young's recent performance
When Young joined the basketball program, Self thought he would be the best loose-ball player on the team. Kevin does more on the stat sheet than any other player on the team. Self said.
"If he plays eight minutes, he's going to find some way to get on the stat sheet," Self said. "He's one of those guys that finds a way to impact the game as soon as he checks in. He's definitely active. We haven't had anyone like Kevin in awhile."
eight shots, including two threepointers. Young said even though Ohio State was ranked higher than Kansas going into the game, he knew his team was better.
Young's performance against the Buckeyes Saturday could once again determine the outcome of the game. He knows this will be
Young was the biggest reason why the Jayhawks defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes on Dec. 10, scoring 14 points in 24 minutes. In that game, Young made six of his
the final or only opportunity some players have of winning the national championship.
"Some of us aren't coming back next year," Young said. "I don't want to send anybody off with a loss."
Edited by Taylor Lewis
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