2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
27
KANSAS 72 AM 55 TEXAS A&M
MARCH 8,2008
Seniors clinch conference
BY RUSTIN DODD dodd@kansan.com
Junior guard Mario Chalmers and sophomore guard Sherron Collins slap hands during their game against Texas A&M. The Jayhawks defeated the Aggies 72-55, improving their Big 12 record to 5-3 and winning the Big 12 Championship for the fourth consecutive year. Chalmers, Collins and Russell Robinson forced 15 turnovers and made 13 steals during the game.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - With 33 seconds left in Kansas' 72-55 victory against Texas A&M, Bill Self could finally relax. Kansas' coach marched down the sideline and high-fived each player along the way. As Self passed Darnell Jackson, the senior forward held up four fingers. Jackson's four-fingered salute translated to mission accomplished. Self and his seniors called themselves Big 12 Conference champions for the fourth consecutive year.
"I think you develop your identity away from home," Self said after Kansas improved its Big 12 road record to 5-3. "This was probably the most complete road game we've played."
Complete might have been just the right word. If the Jayhawks made a to-do list before their March 8 game, they probably could have checked off nearly every item on the list.
1. Play through their big guys. Check. Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur scored 16 points, which helped Kansas to 44 points in the paint.
2. Pressure Texas A&M's guards. Check. Senior guard Russell Robinson, junior guard Mario Chalmers and sophomore guard Sherron Collins spent most of March 8 harassing the Aggies backcourt, forcing 15 turnovers and finishing with 13 steals.
"That's who we are," Self said. "Our guards need to be able to get after other people."
3. Be balanced on offense. Check. Kansas had at least five guys in double-figures for the second consecutive game, including Chalmers, who tied Arthur for a team-high 16 points.
4. Have a healthy Collins. Check. Kansas' sophomore guard played 32 minutes and finished with 13 points and seven assists.
5. Send the seniors out right. Check Kansas' four seniors walked out of Reed Arena with the Big 12 regular season trophy in tow.
"Emotions were flying high," Collins said. "We just wanted to do everything possible to send them out with a bang in a perfect way."
The game started in the perfect way for Kansas when Robinson found Arthur for an alley-oop off the opening tip. Arthur stayed active against a lengthy Texas A&M front-
court that featured 6-foot-9 senior Joseph Jones and 7-foot freshman DeAndre Jordan. With Kansas trailing 15-14, Arthur, a Dallas native, scored six of Kansas' next eight points to help Kansas stake a 22-14 lead. Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon called a time-out, and Kansas never trailed again. Arthur's 16 points came on 8-of-10 shooting, and Self credited his guards for most of Arthur's easy looks.
"We didn't get much from our big guys except off guard penetration," Self said. "Our guards did a real good job of getting into the paint."
Arthur exploited Jones and Jordan on offense, but he also helped contain them on defense. Kansas double-teamed Jones
and Jordan whenever they touched the ball. Jordan attempted only three shots in 26 minutes, finishing with five points, while Jones made two of his seven shot attempts and managed just seven points.
The defensive tactic seemed to frustrate the Aggie big guys.
"Anybody's going to get frustrated if you've got two guys — every time you catch the ball — coming and swarming you," freshman forward Cole Aldrich said.
The Jayhawks extended their defense to the entire Texas A&M roster in the second half, holding the Aggies to 24.1 percent shooting after the break, and 31.9 percent for the game.
Meanwhile, Kansas shot 50 percent from
the floor despite making only 2-of-11 three point attempts. Kansas' offense wasn't flawless, but it executed when it mattered.
"We're still first in the league in three point shooting." Self said.
Yep, it was sure tough to nitpick the Jayhawk's performance on March 8. When it was over, the Jayhawks were presented with their Big 12 championship trophy in a locker room celebration; a ceremony that became quite standard for Kansas — especially its senior class.
"There's no lottery picks in that group, and there were no McDonald's All-Americans," Self said of his seniors. "To win four in a row in such a competitive league is such an incredible accomplishment."
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN