THE UNIVERSITY OF DARLY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008
KANSAS 72, TEXAS A&M 55
5B
Collins pushes for a victory
Guard proves that his injury was a thing of the past
BY RUSTIN DODD
dodd@kansan.com
dodd@kansan.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Kansas coach Bill Self had to have asked himself this question at least once on Saturday: "What if Kansas' lightning-quick guard, Sherron Collins, had been healthy all season?"
Maybe Kansas wouldn't be sharing that Big 12 title with Texas. Maybe the Jayhawks could have avoided that February slide. After Collins' 13-point, seven assist performance on Saturday, Kansas' 5-foot-11 might-mite guard proved that the Jayhawks' most valuable player might just be starting games on the sidelines.
"There was a stretch in the second half, it was Sherron's game," Self said. "He controlled the game."
Collins, who played a season-high 32 minutes, scored in double figures for the third consecutive game. More proof that the injuries that have plagued Collin's season are behind him. His stat line wasn't eye-popping. But Collins imposed his will on Saturday's game. His quickness gave Texas A&M's guards fitted, and his pesky hands accounted for three
steals and two easy lavups.
"He's that spark we need," senior mardruss Robinson said.
But Collins hasn't always been there to give Kansas that spark. After scoring 22 points in the season opener, Collins injured his foot in the following game against UMKC. He missed six games and returned to the lineup against DePaul on Dec. 8. But the rest of Collins' season has been a constant battle to get back to 100 percent. By the time Collins regained his strength from the early-season foot injury, he suffered a bruised knee and has been playing through the pain ever since.
After scoring six points in the first half, Collins took over the game in the second. Sophomore Darrell Arthur had to go to the bench when he committed his third foul with 17:51 left in the game. With the Arthur-less Jayhawks floundering on offense, Collins entered the game a minute later and scored the Jayhawks' next six points.
"Coach said we needed a spark," Collins said. "I just tried to come in and provide that, and speed up the game."
The Chicago native did just that, pushing the tempo and sliding into
the lane at his own will.
"I don't know if he's got an extra gear," Self said. "But he's so low to the ground or whatever it is, he's just hard to keep in front of."
Texas A&M's guards would probably agree with Self's assessment. Collins burned every guard who Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon assigned to guard him. If Collins wasn't scoring, he was driving into the lane and dishing off to teammates. He also finished with zero turnovers in 32 minutes.
Self said he knew that a consistent Collins resulted in a better 'Cansas.
"That's something that people that follow us know that we haven't had consistently at all this year," Self said. "Hopefully we can continue to get better and progress and get him playing with that full head of steam."
With Collins at full throttle, the mojo that carried Kansas to a 20-0 start seems to be back. At least, that's what Collins seems to think.
"I think we're getting it back," Collins said. "Hopefully, we can keep rolling."
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur fights for the tie-up during the game Saturday against Texas A&M. Arthur scored a total of 16 points during the game, contributing to the Jayhawks' 72-55 victory.
E GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY KUHISTORY.COM
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Sophomore guard Sherron Collins celebrates with junior guard Mario Chalmers after Chalmers made a layup in the second half. Chalmers and sophomore forward Darrell Arthur scored 16 points each, the game high.
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Darmell Jackson, senior forward, shoots a layup during the first half of Saturday afternoon's game. Jackson scored two points and seven total rebounds.
PRIME plays
FIRST HALF
19:56- Darrell Arthur slams down a pass from Russell Robinson which gives Kansas a 2-0 lead. You probably didn't get to see this one if you were watching on TV.
9:30- Dominique Kirk makes a free throw, giving the Aggies a 15-14 lead. A&M never led again.
7:32-Sherron Collins assists Darrell Arthur on a jump shot. Collins gets an assist on the next four possessions. He finished the game with seven.
SECOND HALF
5:13: Mario Chalmers throws down one of Collins' passes for a fast-break dunk.
16:02- Here's why Kansas is playing so well: Collins steals the ball and two seconds later, gets an open layup. Collins is really energizing this team.
19:16 Russell Robinson completes his and-one layup by making the free throw. Kansas leads 41-28 and is on a 23-12 run going back to the first half.The Big 12 title is close.
2:38- Brandon Rush delivers the play of the day with a posterization of Joseph Jones. Jones fouls out in the process, and Kansas leads 68-53.
0:00- The Jayhawks clinch a share of their fourth straight Big 12 title with the victory.
the HIGH low
HIGHS
RUSH'S DUNK
The Corps Cadets at Texas A&M are a great tradition, but even better are the way certain members of the corps lead cheers at Texas A&M sporting events. The hand movements and gestures that the corps members use are truly unique to Texas A&M.
BUFORD GETS SOME TIME
Freshman Chase Buford, a San Antonio native, played 11 seconds on Saturday while returning to his home state. As Buford left the locker room and moved past a cluster of reporters, the freshman joked, "Hey, I played 11 seconds and nobody wants to talk to me?"
LOWS
AGGIE CORPS
Brandon Rush struggled from the field on Saturday. But Rush punctuated Kansas' victory with a vicious posterization of Bryan Davis.
JOSH CARTER
"It felt nasty," Rush said of his second half dunk.
Mark Dent
Last season Carter shot 50 percent from the three-point line. On Saturday, Carter couldn't throw it into the ocean. He shot 1-of-11 from the field, forcing too many contested shots.
THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Kansas shot 2-of-11 from three-point land, Even Kansas coach Bill Self admitted after the game that the Jayhawks need to shoot better if they want to go far in the NCAA tournament.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
5
Who likes losing an hour of sleep for daylight-saving time? Anyone? Especially when you almost miss your flight back to Lawrence.
Rustin Dodd