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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, NOV. 17, 2016
Jayhawks triumph in upset over No.1 Duke
Senior guard Frank Mason III waves to the crowd after the Jayhawks defeated the Duke Blue Devils in the Champions Classic on Nov. 15.
SKYLAR ROLSTAD @SkyRalSports
Missu Minear/KANSAN
NEWYORKCITY- The dribble drives.
Enter senior guard Frank Mason III and his 20th and 21st points of the game, the last points of the game. A floater from about fifteen feet away sealed the deal at Madison Square Garden, 77-75. Duke's full-court prayer as time expired wasn't answered.
drives, the jumpers and the dunks from freshman guard Josh Jackson led to a surge for the Jayhawks in the second half. By the time Jackson fouled out with 15 points, Kansas built a lead as high as 12 points and held onto an advantage of some margin up until the last few seconds.
Mason's outstretched arms started spreading the news to the Kansas fans who cheered Mason off the court as Frank Sinatra's "New York New York" boomed from the speakers at Madison Square Garden. Kansas' first win of the season couldn't have been much bigger.
Kansas' lead disappeared in those seconds, when Duke guard Frank Jackson sank a three with eight seconds left to tie the game at 75-75.
"That was quite a play we called, 'just get out of his way,'" Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Yeah, it's good. He's made a lot of big plays for us. I don't know if he's made game-winners, but he's certainly made a lot of plays."
Behind the wave of
Jackson's outstanding second half, Kansas maintained the lead for but a few seconds in the last 15 minutes during the second half to win the game.
However, it didn't start easy for Kansas' second-half fire-starter Jackson. A cold first half left him with only 4 points and o-of-4 from the free throw line. Jackson made a mental mistake when he knocked the ball out of a Duke player's hands during the first half, earning a technical foul.
It was these types of fouls that kept Jackson from really making the difference Tuesday night.
"The thing about it
is, Josh, without being negative and all." Self said. "He can't let his emotions get the best of him and you know he's a pretty emotional guy and he's got to be able to contain that a little better.
That was quite a play we called, just get out of his way."
Bill Self Coach
"If he hadn't got the technical he wouldn't be in foul trouble," Self said. "But for just something silly, you know, knocking the ball out of a guy's hand for no reason."
The breakout performance from Jackson came after Kansas forced Duke into foul trouble. The Blue Devils' dependable big man Amile Jefferson reached four fouls with just under 15 minutes remaining.
"I think that they played out of foul trouble, and we played out of just as much foul trouble," Self said. "Those were makeshift lineups that we really hadn't practiced with all that much."
Shortly after Landen Lucas committed his fourth foul and forced Bill Self to take him out, freshman forward Udoka Azubuike made
a big impression on one of the biggest stages the Jayhawks will play on this regular season. His energy and strength on the floor complemented Jackson's explosion and added to Kansas' lead. Even when Azubuike picked up his fourth foul, he stayed in the game.
"I was really encouraged," Self said. "As he gets more comfortable, I can certainly see [Azubuike's] minutes going way up. He's going to be as important as anyone on our team on how good we can be."
In the first half, the Jayhawks hung in there with the Blue Devils. When undisciplined fouls stopped Kansas from getting in its
rhythm, it was poor shot selection and inability to finish at the rim that let Duke hold a slim lead. The two teams traded buckets toward the end of the second half, and Kansas stopped committing fouls that would have doomed them by the end of the game as they did against Indiana in Hawaii.
"We didn't compete in Hawaii like we did tonight." Self said.
After the loss to Indiana knocked Kansas down to No.7 in the nation, the win over Duke will be a big boost for the team. Kansas returns to Lawrence Friday to take on Siena at Allen Fieldhouse.
Jayhawks in New York City keep allegiance alive
Senior guard Frank Mason III waves to the crowd after the Jayhawks defeated the Duke Blue Devils in the Champions Classic on Nov. 15.
> SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@SkyRolSports
NEW YORK CITY — On the second floor of Cornerstone Tavern on 50th Street and 2nd Avenue, the Kansas alumni crowd began to build. The crimson and blue tablecloths and Jayhawk decorations contrasted the gray streets, the maroon awnings and the black skyscrapers outside.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
The crimson and blue were the only things reminiscent of Lawrence at the dimly-lit New York City pub. But for the Kansas alumni club that gathers to watch the Jayhawks for every game, the Cornerstone Tavern is home.
It was Nov. 15, and Kansas was about to face Duke in the Champions Classic matchup at Madison Square Garden, the first time the Jayhawks have played in New York since 2011.
Brandon Snook, a 2005 graduate and board member of the KU alumni chapter in New York City, said he wasn't going. He missed out on buying tickets because he was traveling.
"It's not the end of
Cormerstone Tavern is the official watch party site of the KU alumni chapter in New York City. Along with fellow chapter leader Kellie Johnson, Snook and Kansas alumni in New York City keep their allegiance to the Jayhawks alive in the big apple.
the world, it'll be fine," Snook said. "I'll enjoy myself at Cornerstone."
Snook moved to New York City after graduate school and works as a freelance opera singer. He graduated from the University with a music degree in fine arts performance.
You can very easily kind of just develop those connections."
Kellie Johnson
2006 Graduate
Johnson, a 2006 graduate with a degree in architecture, said being a Jayhawk has permeated nearly every part of her life. When she moved to New York City after one year living and working in Kansas City, she got a room in Harlem with
"Kellie is a longtime regular of ours and she just told us, 'If you play KU, I'll bring the people,'" Cornerstone Tavern manager Agnese
Mattia said. "And she did and we did."
Since so many people emigrate to New York City, bars hosting alumni clubs from schools all over the country to watch sporting events is nothing out of the ordinary. Cornerstone is also home to a group of University of Florida alumni, who host Florida football watch parties.
Tuesday afternoon, the second floor of the East Side Manhattan bar
a friend she went to the University with. She also works next to a Jayhawk at Rizzo Group, a real estate company where she handles building code and zoning consulting.
"This city is totally just about networking in general, and so when you have that common denominator of KU, or Big 12 or Midwest, it doesn't just need to be one thing, you can very easily kind of just develop those connections," Johnson said.
The group has been meeting at Cornerstone Tavern for five years. There used to be a big inflatable Jayhawk on the roof of the bar, Johnson said, but it "took something to the jugular" during a windstorm.
Most of her friends, Johnson said, are Kansas grads who she hangs out with at Cornerstone Tavern for alumni events like basketball and football watch parties. She helped bring these events to Cornerstone Tavern, and lived across the street from it when the alumni chapter made it its official bar.
looked a bit more like the Red Lyon Tavern. Kansas colors welcomed a growing crowd of alumni who were preparing to watch the game or take off for Madison Square Garden after a few drinks.
That involved getting in touch with the management at Cornerstone Tavern and working out a deal for specials and scheduled watch parties.
"No one sells inflatable mascots anymore so we can't get any of those," Johnson said.
When Snook first got to New York City in fall 2007 and involved himself in the alumni chapter, garnering excitement for the Jayhawks wasn't very difficult.
Mark Mangino's Jayhawks had just won the Orange Bowl in football.
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