2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
31
MARCH 16,2008
Texas two-step
Kansas beats Texas 84-74
Junior guard Mario Chalmers had eight three-pointers, helping Kansas to defeat Texas 84-74 at the Sprint Center in the Big 12 Tournament Mar. 16.
Name/KANSAN
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This was out of character for Mario Chalmers.
Oh, not the scoring. That's perfectly normal. He may have notched a career-high 30 points, but he always brings his best in big games.
The attitude was new. Chalmers, who usually shouts here and slaps a few hands there, upped his emotions to a new level late in the second half. With KU clinging to a one-point lead, Chalmers stroked his eighth three-pointer. 75-71. He kicked up his leg and flashed a deep smile, the type of smile you usually see in wedding photos and dentist offices.
Yep, Chalmers was beaming, and really, who could blame him? Behind his career high, Kansas (31-3) beat Texas 84-74 for its third straight Big 12 Tournament Championship in a game that featured seven double-digit scorers and 27 made three-pointers.
"There were some hard rocking guys out there," Self said. "That was some high level stuff."
And Chalmers played the best, making eight of his 12 three-pointers, including that big one late in the game. He called it the greatest game of his college career and couldn't remember a time he pieced together as good of a performance.
The game on March 16 certainly didn't resemble the game on the 15th for Chalmers. He scored four points against Texas A&M that game and suffered a minor knee strain.
Chalmers iced the knee the night before the Championship game and felt almost no pain in the morning. Teammates knew Chalmers would be fine by game time. Chalmers never holds back when the games mean a little extra. Russell Robinson said he liked taking important shots in games that count and so did Sherron Collins, but that Chalmers lived for the big moments more than anyone.
"He doesn't necessary want the spotlight, all the attention, all the publicity," Robinson said, "but at the same time, he wants the ball."
Chalmers dashed Texas' hopes in the Big 12 Tournament last season, making a threepointer to tie it at the end of regulation. He tried doing it in Austin a month ago but missed an off-balance shot. Chalmers didn't miss many at the Big 12 Championship. Then again, nobody did.
At one point in the first half, the teams scored on 11 straight possessions. Texas made eight of 11 three-pointers, shot 58 percent and led 46-45 at half. Kansas made nine of its 15 long balls and also shot 58 percent.
All the scoring reminded Bill Self of KU's championship game in 1988, and he let the players know.
"There ain't been ball like this since '88," Self told them, "back when Danny played."
And just like 20 years ago, the Jayhawks closed out the game. Chalmers hit the most shots, but other players stepped up. Brandon Rush made two big three-pointers. Darrell Arthur broke a tie with a ferocious dunk. Rebounding, a major reason in KU's February loss to Texas, became an advantage as the Jayhawks won the glass battle 42-29.
Kansas also slowed down the Longhorns' offense in the second half. D.J. Augustin, who poured in 18 points in the first half, couldn't get past Robinson, who slowed him down by timing his quick shot release. Augustin mustered a measly two in the second, and those were on free throws.
The victory not only meant another Big 12 Tournament title but also vengeance for KU's earlier loss to Texas. With the victory, the Jayhawks have now defeated two of the three teams (Kansas State is the other) that beat them earlier this season.
"We have the ball rolling in the right direction," Robinson said. "A loss today
would've set us back a step. We have the ball rolling, and we just have to keep it going in the tournament."
Yes, Kansas is ready to for the NCAA Tournament. A No.1 seed for the second straight year, the Jayhawks have plans to make it further than the Elite Eight.
They're focused already. That was evident on the floor of Sprint Center after the Championship game.
The nets were clipped. Rainbow confetti strands dotted the court. KU fans who stayed to watch howled and whistled for
their team.
It should've been a celebratory moment, but it wasn't. The players were thinking about something else. They huddled near the free throw line, put their fists together in the air, shouted "national champs" and walked off the court.
"We started off saying Big 12 regular season championship and we won that," Chalmers said, "said Big 12 tourney champs and we won that. Now, we move onto the national championship, and we're going to win that."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN