THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009
KU 64,BU 71
7A
ved 14 min
BALL REWIND
Weston White/XANSAN
e/KANSAN but only
doc for the Javahawks with two points in Thursday's quarterfinal loss. The loss ended Kansas' bid for a fourth consecutive Big 12 tournament title
BRECKUNITCH (CONTINUED FROM 12A)
Weston White/KANSAN
energy was never apparent in KU's post play as the Morris twins continued to settle for jumpers and layups and Aldrich battled just to get a shot off.
Nothing seemed to go the Jayhawks' way on Thursday. Three-point-shots weren't falling; the team shot 32 percent from behind the arc in the game. Sherron Collins shot one of eight from the floor.
The post play was the most shocking, though. Diene averages 1.6 points per game and turned in a performance to rival that of Aldrich. Freshman Marcus Morris turned in a solid effort with 12 points, but no one else did much.
The turning point may have come with just under eight minutes left in the game when Diene blocked Collins' layup. Self called it the "biggest block in the game". Yes, the biggest block in the game didn't come from Aldrich. Big 12 co-defensive player of the year; it came from Diene.
Kansas can't win every Big 12 tournament championship, though. The fact that the team entered the tournament as the number-one seed is a testament to its skill and it will get another chance to prove that in the NCAA tournament.
A dejected Kansas bench looks on as Baylor regains the lead over Kansas late during the second half. Kansas lost 71-64 against Baylor and will wait for Sunday evening selection show to find out its NCAA tournament seed.
— Edited by Liz Schubauer
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shot to cut the lead to 65-64 with 2:50 remaining.
But he followed it by missing layups on the next two possessions. Then came the air ball that assured Bavlor victory.
Collins finished with a team high 16 points and six assists, but shot 6-for-20 from the field. Sophomore center Cole Aldrich grabbed 14 rebounds, but had only eight points.
"The bottom line is our team is built around Sherron and Cole," Self said. "We need those two guys to perform."
No one could make sense of the defeat.
"I don't know what went wrong," junior guard Mario Little said. "We just stopped playing, I guess."
Edited by Sam Speer
VIEW FROM PRESS ROW
IT WAS OVER WHEN ...
Baylor guard Henry Dugat made two free throws with 20 seconds remaining. It came moments after Sherron Collins air balled a three-point shot. More importantly, it made it a two-possession game at 69-64. With the way Kansas was playing, it had no shot at a late miracle to win the game. Dugat had six points and four assists, but arguably recorded the two most significant points of the game.
GAME TO REMEMBER ...
Baylor guard LaceDarius Dunn
Dunn
Put simply, Dunn torched the Jayhawks. He came three points away from tying a career-high with 24 points and also had six rebounds and three steals. He went six-for-11 from three-point range. During the season, Dunn primarily came off of the bench and won the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year award. Maybe that was a mistake by Baylor coach Scott Drew. Dunn has started both games in the Big 12 tournament and had a significant impact.
GAME TO FORGET ...
Kansas coach Bill Self
Actually, he needs to make sure his team forgets about it. With the defeat, Kansas is now likely to be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament — prime position to fall victim to a first round upset. If the Jayhawks let this linger, that might just happen. Self now has a week to prepare his team for the rigors of the tournament and he'll need every minute of it.
Self
STAT OF THE NIGHT ...
8-for-25. That's what both teams shot from three-point range. What's that mean? Probably nothing, just a coincidence. But teams matching each other shot-for-shot certainly doesn't happen very often.
PRIME PLAYS
11:10 — Normally a spark off the bench, LaceDarius Dunn started for the second game in a row and scored 11 points in the first nine minutes. Dunn's three-pointer put Kansas up 24-11.
Case Keefer
0:06 — Yep, they did it again.
The first half isn't over until Kansas hits a buzzer-beater. Sherron Collins drove the lane and kicked out to Tyshawn Taylor, who drilled a three-pointer to pull within four.
7:06 — Baylor's Curtis Jerrells called his own number and hit a three-pointer with the shot clock winding down. Jerrells' shot put the Bears up 17.
4:05 — Kevin Rogers couldn't duplicate his 20-rebound performance from Wednesday, but this dunk did liven up a Baylor bench that was watching its lead slip away. Rogers' slam put the Bears up 10.
SECOND HALF
9:39 — Tyrel Reed gave Kansas its first lead since it was up 1-0 with a three-pointer from the corner. Things were looking up for the Jayhawks.
6:40 — With his team trailing by three, Dunn hit a three-pointer and then a layup to go up two. Baylor would never trail the rest of the way.
2:50 — After a Reed three, Collins' three-pointer rimmed in to make the score 65-64. Less than a minute later, Collins missed a layup that would have put Kansas ahead.
0:27 — With the game in his hands, Collins chucked up a three-pointer that hit neither the rim nor the net. Collins' uncharacteristic airball put an ugly bow on a disappointing day for the Jayhawks.
Taylor Bern
NCAA TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS
WE TALKIN' ABOUT PRACTICE
GAME NOTES
Kansas coach Bill Self kept his address to the team in the locker room after the game short.
The way Self makes it sound, it might not be the most fun time to be a Jayhawk the next couple days.
"We'll practice as hard the next two days as we ever have." Self said, "and a couple times on Saturday"
"He was just talking about practice," junior guard Mario Little said. "That was it."
Ten days ago, Kansas looked like a dark horse candidate for a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Instead of staying in Oklahoma City for two more days to play in a semifinal and championship, Kansas returned back to Lawrence Thursday night.
Now, it would be lucky to get a No. 3 seed. After losing two of their last three games, the Jayhawks are likely going to be a No. 4 seed.
"We've hurt ourselves. There's no doubt about it." Self said.
"We've put ourselves in a position where we are going to have a very difficult first round game."
The Jayhaws also probably knocked themselves out of a sub-regional at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Geographical considerations are taken into account for anyone with a top-four seed, but the higher seeds are considered first.
A few days after stressing the importance of a high seed, junior guard Sherron Collins contradicted himself after the defeat.
"It will make the tournament harder now," Collins said. "But it doesn't matter — anybody can beat anybody in the tournament."
COLLINS INJURED
Well, not really. He just walked with a slight limp after a Baylor guard bumped into his leg at some point in the game.
"I don't think it was on purpose. He adjusted his screen, I didn't adjust or something," Collins said. "It didn't have any effect on the outcome."
KU BRACKETOLOGY
- Case Keefer
Strength of schedule
12
RPI
7