2008-2009 KANSAS BASKETBALL
11
JANUARY 24, 2009
Collins outshines Brackins
ckeefer@kansan.com
BY CASE KEEFER
AMES, Iowa — Rap blared, Sherron Collins bellowed and the rest of the Jayhawks cheered.
Kansas' locker room on the southwest side of Hilton Coliseum got a little rowdy after its 82-67 victory against Iowa State. That was no surprise. Not after Kansas started Big 12 Conference play 4-0 to establish itself as one of the conference's main contenders.
"It feels like it's coming together," Collins, a junior guard, said. "We're finding out about ourselves. We're not there yet, but we're finding an identity."
Collins is the largest part of that identity. He tied a career-high with 26 points and added five assists and four rebounds in a contest where Kansas never trailed.
Arguably, Collins compiled the best game of his career. Undoubtedly, Collins put on the second best performance of the game. But the day belonged to Iowa State forward Craig Brackins.
Brackins, a sophomore, scored 42 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He was two points away from breaking the Big 12 scoring record.
Weston White/KANSAN
Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor drives to the basket for a layup. Taylor put up 10 points in the Jayhawks 82-67 victory against Iowa State.
JANUARY 31,2009
Kansas slips past Colorado
BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
Kansas coach Bill Self has a theory about talented teams.
Self says teams with "really good players" — like the jayhawks — can win games in two different ways. Preferably, they play great and cruise to victory. If not, they play poorly and are forced to make something happen late when it matters. There's not much in between.
For the second straight game, Kansas used the second option. It resulted in a sluggish 66-61 victory against Colorado in Allen Fieldhouse.
"Individually, we played terrible. It wasn't very good," Self said. "We're a lot better basketball team than we played today."
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
For now, the Jayhawks are happy they escaped the Buffaloes. Kansas extended the nation's longest home court winning streak to 36 despite an off-day from junior guard
Junior guard Sherron Collins makes a grab for the ball as Colorado's Dwight Thome II looks for an open lane to the basket during the second half the game against Colorado in Allen Fieldhouse.
Sherron Collins.
Collins, who finished with 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting, missed seven of his first eight shots.
"It was just one of those games," Collins said. "My teammates carried me — especially Cole."
Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor fights to maintain possession of the ball on the floor. Taylor scored six points and turned the ball over six times in the Jayhawks 68-62 victory against Nebraska.
Weston White/KANSAN
Scuffle sparks Jayhawks
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer.kansan.com
LINCOLN, Neb. — Kansas coach Bill Self said it was nothing.
Self thought a loose ball scuffle between junior guard Mario Little and Nebraska guard Cookie Miller with nine minutes remaining in Kansas' 68-62 victory at the Devaney Center was meaningless. Junior guard Sherron Collins disagreed.
"That was the biggest thing," Collins said. "When someone tries to punk us and do something like that, that's when we come out fighting."
Self and Collins both have evidence to support their opinions. Self would say the game wasn't decided until eight minutes later when Collins hit four consecutive free throws in
the final 30 seconds to put the game out of Nebraska's reach.
Collins pointed out that it was 44-44 at the time of the mix-up. From then on, Kansas outscored Nebraska 13-7.
But what exactly happened? No punches were thrown. The referees called no fouls. What triggered the officials and Kansas assistant coaches to come out on the floor to separate the players after Little and Miller tangled for the ball at the top of the key? The Jayhawks say it was Miller.
"All I'm saying is he was talking." Little said.
"I felt very fortunate that we were only down five at halftime," Self said. "They dominated the first half."
The first half belonged to the Cornhuskers. They were ahead by as many as 13 points and held the Jayhawks scoreless for a four-minute stretch in the middle of the half.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
APRIL 27, 2009