SAN
009.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009
KU 87, OU 78
5B
ANSAN
BALL REWIND
Weston White/KANSAN
Sooner sophomore Blake Griffin had reached in Big 12 play in this year.
Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor skies to samd down a dunk after grabbing his only steal against Oklahorma Monday night. Taylor helped the Jayhawks rebound from an early 14-point deficit by scoring 16 of his 26 points in the first half.
Though guards Taylor and Sherron Collins will steal hearts and headlines with their twin
26-point, three-assist performances, it was Aldrich's workhorse effort that perhaps played the biggest role in the Kansas victory.
DWYER (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Oklahoma's rotation of posts
consisted of Taylor Griffin, Ryan Wright and Juan Pattillo. Those three combined for 19 rebounds.
That fact is staggering. Aldrich outrebounded the
entire Oklahoma frontcourt.
Granted, Oklahoma was missing the consensus national player of the year in the younger Griffin brother, but that is nothing to take away* from Aldrich's performance.
There is no question that Griffin would have gone out and gotten his, likely posting a double-double had he been at full health.
But Aldrich's performance was a tour de force of the abilities that have NBA scouts drooling at his potential, one that likely would have been slowed but not stopped had his counterpart come into the game.
After pulling down a then-career high 18 rebounds against Oklahoma State, Aldrich said it wore him out to grab that many boards. Imagine how tired he must be after 20.
To complement his glass- cleaning capabilities, Aldrich finished with 15 points for his third straight double-double and his 16th of the season.
Get some rest, Cole. You've earned it.
Edited by Susan Melgren
VIEW FROM PRESS ROW
IT WAS OVER WHEN ...
Oklahoma forward Juan Pattillo missed a dunk with 1:41 remaining. He went up from the left side and the rim rejected his one-handed attempt. That's when it became clear that the Sooners could not keep up with the blistering pace set by the Jayhawks. Markieff Morris grabbed the rebound on Pattillo's miss and pushed it up court to freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor. After a couple missed free throws, Taylor turned the gaffe into a layup. Kansas led 80-71 and it signaled the end of Oklahoma's comeback attempt.
GAME TO REMEMBER ...
Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor
Taylor
Taylor carried the Jayhawks in the first half with his 16 points. They were down 22-8, before going on a 16-0 run that Taylor initiated and maintained. He got the run started with consecutive three-point shots — one a picturesque swish and the other an ugly bank job. He added a fast-freak layup and three free-throws before the end of the half, when Kansas led 36-29. Taylor finished with a career-high 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting and three assists.
GAME TO FORGET ...
Sophomore guard Brady Morningstar
All the things that have made Morningstar so valuable to the Jayhawks — persistent defense, timely three-point shooting and constant energy — were nowhere to be found at the Lloyd Noble Center. Morningstar started the game guarding Willie Warren and promptly let him score 10 points. Sherron Collins had to take over. Morningstar also limited his minutes in the second half by quickly picking up his fourth foul. Morningstar finished the game with two points on 0-for-3 shooting and four fouls.
Morningstar
STAT OF THE NIGHT ...
26. That's the number of points Taylor contributed. It's simple, but probably the best important figure of the night. No one expected a slumping Taylor to have that kind of impact. It drowned the Sooners.
- Case Keefer
FIRST HALF
PRIME PLAYS
11:35 — Oklahoma freshman Willie Warren put on a show in the first 10 minutes, scoring 10 points, including this three-pointer to beat the shot clock.
8:02 — Cole Aldrich hit a shot right before this, but Tyshawn Taylor's first three-pointer was the real catalyst in Kansas' 16-0 run.
0:02 — Did you really expect Tyrel Reed's off-balance three-pointer to do anything but fall through? Not if you've been following Prime Plays. Reed's three in the waning seconds of the first half made Kansas 9-1 in such situations in its last 10 games.
5:03 — Taylor banked in an other three-pointer, but his third trifecta was the most important, as it put the Jayhawks up 23-22. Taylor finished with 16 first-half points and Kansas took the lead and built it into a seven-point advantage at halftime.
SECOND HALF
7:42 — Oklahoma's Cade Davis, just a 34-percent three-point shooter, exploded in the second half. It started with a three-pointer to cut the Sooner deficit to nine.
2:29 — Sherron Collins capped his own game of "anything you can do" with Oklahoma by burying a deep three to put Kansas up 77-71. Collins finished with 22 second-half points.
3:36 Davis showed he's more than just a shooter when he blocked a shot, which led to an Omar Leary three to cut the lead to 71-68. Davis would finish with three big three-pointers, that block and one assist.
1:50 Oklahoma effectively lost the game when Juan Pattillo was stuffed by the rim on his dunk attempt. The Sooners were forced to foul the rest of the way and the Jayhawks made enough to keep the lead safe.
-Taylor Bern
GAME NOTES
POLL POSITION
After beating both Iowa State and Nebraska last week, Kansas moved only slightly in the ESPN/ USA Today Coaches Poll released Monday.
The coaches ranked the Jayhawks No.15 in the country, three spots ahead of their No. 18 ranking last week.Kansas remained the same in the Associated Press Poll at No.15.
Oklahoma moved down in both polls after a 73-68 defeat at Texas. The Sooners are ranked No.3 in the country in both polls after holding the No.2 spot last week.
COLLINS HONORED
Junior guard Sherron Collins shared Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honors for his performance last week.
Collins averaged 22 points and five assists in victories against Iowa State and Nebraska. James Anderson of Oklahoma State was the co-Player of the Week. Anderson helped the Cowboys defeat both Baylor and Texas Tech last week by averaging 22 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Oklahoma's Willie Warren took home Newcomer of the Week honors after scoring 27 points with six assists against Texas.
ESCAPING GRIFFIN AGAIN
Consider the Jayhawks lucky. For the second straight year, they played Oklahoma without Blake Griffin, who sat on the sideline in a collared shirt and jeans with a concussion.
Last year, Griffin only played five minutes against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. He left after injuring his knee. Kansas went on to win 85-55.
SPOTTED IN THE CROWD
Former Kansas standout Nick Collison watched the game behind the Kansas bench.
Collison played for Kansas from 2000-2003 and was an All-American his senior season.
He currently plays in the NBA for the Oklahoma City Thunder and averages eight points and seven rebounds per game this season.
Case Keefer
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