PAGE 6
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY
Kansas 44 | 39 — 83
Texas Tech 22 | 28 — 50
JAYHAWK STAT LEADERS
Points
ROBINSON 16
Rebounds
ROBINSON / WITHEY
KANSAS 83. T
8
Assists
ROBINSON 5
KANSAS
Player Pts FG-FGA Rebs A TD's
T. Robinson 16 6-10 8 5 4
J. Withey 9 1-2 8 0 1
T. Taylor 9 3-8 0 4 4
E. Johnson 6 2-6 3 3 1
T. Releford 12 3-4 5 3 0
C. Teahan 11 3-5 1 1 0
J. Juenemann 7 3-3 2 0 0
K. Young 10 5-7 3 2 2
Totals 83 27-48 32 20 13
TEXAS TECH
Player Pts FG-FGA Rebs A TO's
J. Tolbert 12 4-12 4 1 1
R. Lewandowski 0 0-4 0 2 0
T. Nurse 11 4-5 1 1 3
J. Willis 17 6-10 2 1 4
L. Adams 0 0-3 3 1 4
D. Minnis 4 2-2 4 2 4
J. Crockett 6 2-8 3 3 3
Totals 50 18-44 21 11 20
GAME TO REMEMBER
Kevin Young, junior forward
Young wasn't spectacular, but he also wasn't a mess. That's a big step for a player who used to aggravate coach Bill Self with his every move. On Saturday, Young finished with 10 points in 17 minutes. Six of those points came in just seven minutes played in the second half.
Young
GAME TO FORGET
Tyshawn Taylor, senior guard
Taylor played spectacularly in the first half like the rest of his team, but in the second half, he was one of the main reasons why the Red Raiders cut into the lead. In 13 second half minutes, he missed both of his shot attempts and recorded three turnovers compared to just two assists.
Taylor
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"I knew we were in trouble in the first half whenever they put the Thomas video on the board and everybody watches it and they are laughing and giggling."
Bill Self, coach
Self
KEY STATS
>30 All five of the Kansas starters played fewer than 30 minutes.
Texas Tech surrendered 20 turnovers.
33. 3% Texas Tech shot this percentage from the field in the first half.
MEN'S BASKET Not all about the starting five
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
mirothman@kansan.com
There are certain risks by entering March with a six-player rotation. The pains of fouls are magnified. An off night from one player can end a team's run. The worst sometimes just happens.
Going into Saturday's game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, coach Bill self had deployed his five starters, guards Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, forward Thomas Robinson and center Jeff Withey, and his sixth man, senior guard Conner Teahan, for 88.7 percent of the team's minutes in conference play.
So once the Jayhawks found a comfortable lead against the Red Raiders, Self let some of the other guys loose.
"Balance is the key," Self said after the 83-50 victory. "The better that
Elijah, Travis and Conner shoot the ball and the better Jeff plays, it makes the game that much easier for Ty and Thomas."
Freshman guard Naadir Tharpe, who replaced Taylor not even eight minutes into the first half, played a conference-season high 12 minutes. Junior forward Kevin Young played 17 minutes, his second highest total of the season, and scored 10 points, six of which came in seven minutes played in the second half.
Jueneman hit all three of his shots, including a high arcing three-pointer from the center of the perimeter.
and Thomas was in the game, wed probably put Justin in. Hed probably be better defensively guarding a low post guy."
Those are calls Kansas fans have heard before. But on Saturday night, in those four minutes he played,
"I don't think it's any predetermined thing that we're going to go with him," Self said of Young's playing time in the future. "If they had two really good low post players
Growing pains were still evident among the less experienced group. Despite a few quick, accurate passes, Tharpe still found a way to peeve his coach. In the second half, Tharpe dribbed the ball at the top of the key without moving for a few seconds. Self, wondering the reason for the inactivity, called a timeout with 21 seconds left on the shot clock. He then asked Tharpe what was going on.
"It was a lot of fun," Teahan said of Juenemann's finale. "I think the whole team enjoyed it."
Self admitted after the game that Young is a more talented offensive player than sophomore forward Justin Wesley, however Wesley still remains the top backup as a post defender.
When senior guard Jordan Juenemann entered in the game's closing minutes, a group of girls from the student section screamed: "We love you, Jordan!"
Up on the video board, with the game out of hand and Juenmann knocking down shots, Self revealed a rare game-time smile. When the starters were through, the bench had their time, out-scoring Texas Tech's bench 31-10. While Self said it wasn't all pretty, his bench players logged valuable minutes. In limited time on Saturday, Tharpe made some of his best passes of the season. Young said he felt more comfortable on the court and Juenmann's shots said it all.
"Coach Self gave them the challenge to step up," Releford said. "Today I think they met that challenge."
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Junior forward Thomas Robinson dunks against Texas Tech junior guard Ty Nurse during the second half of the game. Robinson scored 16 points with eight rebounds.
Kansas won against Texas Tech B3-50.