2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
11
KANSAS 71 GT66 GEORGIA TECH
DECEMBER 18,2007
Barely hanging on
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
ATLANTA - It should've been a sequel devoid of drama.
With a 10-point lead and less than three minutes remaining, Kansas should've eased its way to victory and made Georgia Tech fans long for the two schools' overtime classics of 2004 and 2005.
Instead, the Jayhawks erred down the stretch and didn't have the 71-66 victory under wraps until Tech's Matt Causey and Zack Peacock lost the ball at half court with about five seconds left.
The Georgia Tech-Kansas trilogy was a thriller for all three installments — not that Kansas coach Bill Self cared.
"I didn't expect it to go down to the wire when we were up 13 with five minutes left," he said. "Our missed free throws, Darnell's fifth foul and throwing the ball out of bounds — we certainly hurt ourselves late."
Causey cut Kansas' lead to 67-62 by making a three-pointer with 54 seconds left. His steal of a Sherron Collins pass and ensuing layup on Tech's next possession made it a three-point game.
Missed free throws by Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson allowed the Jackets' run to continue.
Finally, after Tech got within one point Collins made two free throws to give the Jayhawks a 69-66 lead with nine seconds left.
The victory brought more relief than celebration.
"In my mind," Self said, "you've got an eight-point lead against USC, you should finish it off. Tonight, we were also up eight with two minutes left. Hopefully, it's not a characteristic that we let teams back in it at the end of games, but it's good to make some plays at the end."
KANSAS 78 54 MIAMI OH
DECEMBER 22, 2007
Sturdy defense dismantled
Miami (Ohio) came into the game against Kansas with a vaunted defense. But the layhawks dismantled it.
Kansas became the first team in 45 games to score 70 points on the RedHawks and rolled to a smooth 78-54 victory.
The Jayhawks started the slaughter by going through their big men. Senior forward Darnell Jackson and sophomore forward Darrell Arthur scored 12 of the team's first 18 points. They pulled away midway through the first half with a 13-0 run.
The statistics indicate a typical Kansas game season as there was no stand-out performer. Arthur, Jackson, junior guard Brandon Rush and junior guard Mario Chalmers all scored at least 10 points. RedHawk players were impressed with the Jayhawks.
"Out of all of the teams, North Carolina. Duke and all of them, they are the best team that I have seen," junior guard Kenny Hayes said. "I think they are the best team in the country."
Case Keefer
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Sasha Kaun's dunk puts an explanation on a powerful effort by Kansas in its 78-54 victory against Miami (Ohio).
KANSAS 86 53 YALE
DECEMBER 29, 2007
Jayhawks steal victory
Senior guard Russell Robinson might as well have robbed a bank on this night because he was stealing everything.
Robinson led the Jayhawks to a 86-53 victory against the Yale Bulldogs by recording eight steals, one short of the Kansas single-game record held by Aaron Miles. It wasn't only Robinson. As a team, the Jayhawks swiped the ball away 18 times — the most for the team in 10 years.
Kansas' offense benefited from the defensive pressure. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, and two more had eight points.
"Getting out and getting steals is so great because we've got athletic guys that we can get out there and make some athletic plays in transition," Robinson said.
Mario Chalmers scored his 1,000th career point in the victory.
Case Keefer
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior forward Darnell Jackson soars for a slam against the Yale Bulldogs in a 86-53 Kansas blowout.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN