2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
29
KANSAS 77 71 TEXAS A&M
MARCH 15,2008
Kansas advances in Big 12
Rush scores 28 points to help Jayhawks win, prepare for championship game against Texas
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Late in the second half of the Big 12 Championship semifinal game, Mario Chalmers' mind started floating back to a June 2004 day in Colorado Springs.
His USA Youth Developmental team was waiting for a game to end before it took the floor. While Chalmers sat there, he watched Brandon Rush put on a show, scoring 31 points.
"He was hot like this," Chalmers said. "He was doing everything. Brandon was one of those players who could do anything."
The Big 12 semifinal game results in a victory for the Jayhawks, who won 77-71 against Texas A&M. Junior guard Brandon Rush secured the victory with free throws at the end. "I wanted to take him out in the second half," Kansas coach Bill Self said, "but he was just on such a roll."
He could do it all in this March 15 game, too. In KU's 77-71 victory against Texas A&M, Rush wasn't quite as hot as he was in 2004, at least that's what Chalmers thought, but the junior guard did come close. He scored a career-high 28 points on nine of 13 field goals, helping his team to a victory and a spot in Sunday's championship against Texas.
"I was doing everything," Rush said. "I was slashing to the rim, getting to the free throw line, not just making threes like I usually do."
Rush came out to this semifinal game wanting to do something special. The previous night's game certainly wasn't worth remembering. Against Nebraska, Rush couldn't make a shot and admitted playing terribly.
This was Sprint Center. This was Kansas City, his home. Rush couldn't disappoint again.
After halftime, it became apparent that he wouldn't leave Kansas fans, family or friends with an empty feeling. Rush made six of eight field goals and three of five three-pointers and didn't sit on the bench once.
"I wanted to take him out in the second half," Kansas coach Bill Self said, "but he was just on such a roll."
As good as Rush was, the Aggies
wouldn't go away. They trailed by only two with 54 seconds left. Russell Robinson scored on a layup to give Kansas a 75-71 lead, but it was Rush who sealed the game with free throws at the end.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Games like these don't happen too often for Rush. The dominant Rush who Chalmers saw in 2004 has rarely made appearances in college. He'd only led the team in scoring four times this season before Saturday, and Self has pled with Rush to assert himself more often.
But perhaps surprisingly, Rush is finding out that less might be more. He attempted only 13 shots on Saturday, far fewer than he's taken on less successful days.
"When he lets the game come to him," Chalmers said, "he's automatic."
If that's the key, Rush was finding out how to play his best just in time. Kansas was one game away from NCAA Tournament play, and these games were likely Rush's last opportunity to impress NBA scouts. His draft stock plummeted earlier this season as his production lagged, partially because of his injured knee, and most projections had Rush in the second round. A good March run could have pushed him back into the first.
"If we were watching an NBA guard out there today," Self said, "and if he keeps playing like this or close to it, then I can't imagine that this would be very impressive for a lot of people down the road."
In Sunday's championship game, Rush will have to focus on helping his team notch a third straight Big 12 Championship. It's going to be a test. The Longhorns dominated Kansas on the glass in a 72-69 victory in February. Self even used the s-word (soft) after the loss.
That was the team's only meeting this season but Texas and Kansas have played each other in the tournament championship the past two years. The Jayhawks won both of them.
Texas will want revenge for that reason. Kansas will want it because of the February game. And a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament could have been on the line.
"Our guys understand it will be one of the more fun games of their career," Self said. "They'll be playing for a championship, it will be a great crowd, partisan Kansas, and the stakes will be high."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN