4B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2006
Mitt Slocum/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sophomore forward CJ Giles and freshman forward Brandon Rush defend the basket against Texas forward P.J. Tucker in the first half in the Big 12 Men's Championship basketball game on Sunday, March 12.
It was the BEST of times...
Kansan file photo
Freshman forward Julian Wright scores against Oklahoma on Sunday, Feb. 5, in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks came back to defeat the Sooners 59-58.
Top 5 moments of the Kansas men's basketball season
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWIFTBLEU
Despite bowing out in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Bradley, Kansas still had some highlights from the season. Here are the top five moments from the 2005-2006 season:
1. Kansas' 80-68 victory against Texas in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament. Freshman guard Mario Chalmers capped his weekend of stellar play with 15 points and six assists and after the game was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Senior guard Jeff Hawkins also had one of his best games of the season, scoring 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point distance. He also dished out five assists. It was the first time in Kansas coach Bill Self's tenure in Lawrence that he was able to cut down the nets. Freshman forward Julian Wright was also named to the All-Tournament team. Wright had 12 points and seven rebounds in the game. Wright also had a dunk that made it on nearly every sports highlight show in the country that night when he connected on a 360-spin dunk late in the game to seal the victory.
2. Kansas' 59-58 victory over Oklahoma in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas trailed by as many as 16 points in the game, but Chalmers hit the game-winning shot with 20 seconds remaining to secure the KU victory. Wright also had a solid outing scoring 14 points and grabbing eight boards. He also had a dazzling no look pass to freshman guard Brandon Rush in the first half. Rush had a team-high 18 points and hit two crucial three-pointers in the second half to help the comeback.
3. Rush and Self garnering postseason accolades from the Big 12 Conference. Rush was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches and was named First Team All-Big 12 by the coaches as well. Rush finished the season averaging 13.5 points per game, which led the team. Rush was also named a Freshman All-American by the Sporting News. Self was named Big 12 Coach of the Year by the league's coaches and the league's media. Self led the resurrection of a team that started 3-4, but then went 22-4 the remainder of the season.
4. Kansas continued its domination of Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum. The Jayhawks won their 23rd straight game played in Manhattan and improved to a perfect 18-0 at Bramlage Coliseum. The victory was sweet for another reason as well because it clinched at least a share of the Big 12 Championship for Kansas. The Jayhawks led by 15 at halftime, but the Wildcats clawed back and made it a close game in the second half. Kansas managed to hold on and secure the victory. Rush led the team with 24 points and six rebounds. He scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, going 6-of-10 from the field and playing all 20 minutes in the frame. It would also mark Kansas State former coach Jim Wooldridge's last game at home as he would be fired a week later during the Big 12 Tournament.
5. Kansas' sweet redemption against Missouri After losing to Missouri by three points in overtime in Columbia, Mo., Kansas rebounded and beat its rival 79-46 in Alen Fieldhouse. Kansas played like it was playing with a chip on its shoulder, breaking out to an early 24-6 lead against Missouri. It was a lead the team would not let up again the rest of the game. Kansas had three players score in double figures with Chalmers leading the way with 14 points. Rush had 13 while Robinson contributed 10 points. Kansas shot 52 percent from the field and held Missouri to just 31 percent shooting. Kansas shot 10-of-22 from three-point distance to secure the victory.
Kansas' Mario Chalmers celebrates the Jayhawks 80-68 win against Texas in the Big 12 Men's Championship basketball game Sunday, March 12, in Dallas. The underdogs' victory was one of the top five moments of this basketball season.
Matt Slocum/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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