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2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
JANUARY 19,2008
Kansas prevails in Border War
Kansas played just well enough to beat Missouri 76-70 on Jan.19. An upset looked likely after the Jayhawks missed free throws, were fouled and shot below average. "We didn't play good at all," junior guard Brandon Rush said. "We had a lot of mental breakdowns, so it felt good to just get a win."
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Jayhawks hold on after less-than-perfect performance
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Before Kansas took the floor against Missouri on Jan. 19, coach Bill Self told his team about a "crazy day in college basketball."
He just saw North Carolina fall to Maryland, Kansas State surprise Texas A&M and USC win the battle of Los Angeles against UCLA.
"You'd think Missouri would get their eyes wide open and think, 'That could be us,' senior guard Russell Robinson said. "So, it put a little more pressure on us, but we were
able to handle business like we were supposed to."
The then-undefeated Jayhawks hardly played perfect in the 76-70 victory, though. They missed free throws, picked up stupid fouls and shot below average. For a while, an upset looked likely.
Missouri, a team of maddening inconsistency, gave the Jayhawks its best shot early in the game. They led most of the first half, but late in the game, Mizzou pulled within three as guard Daniel Horton made some clutch shots. But for the rest of the game, Kansas again showed it could win even when not playing its best.
As junior guard Brandon Rush said, "We
didn't play good at all. We had a lot of mental breakdowns, so it felt good to just get a win."
More than a month had passed since Kansas played a close game. Since a tight victory at Georgia Tech, Kansas was steam-rolling big teams like Boston College, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Each game displayed crisp passing, relentless defense and sharp shooting. The Jayhawks looked unbeatable.
However, that team was gone on Jan. 19. Kansas made just 40 percent of its shots and bricked free throws down the stretch. Players who sizzled in earlier games froze up. Rush missed 12 of 14 shots, and Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur both got into
Self gave Missouri's shifting defense credit for the Jayhawk problems. In fact, Self said he hadn't seen Chalmers and Robinson as fast on offense all season.
foul trouble.
Despite the victory, Kansas dropped to No. 2 after the Memphis Tigers blew out Southern Mississippi on Jan. 19. The Jayhawks had to settle for second.
Self doesn't mind, though, but Robinson thought Kansas deserved recognition after defeating its rival in a close game.
"I think we're the best team in the nation," Robinson said, "but until you get out there and play that game, you don't know who's best."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN