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THE UNIVERSITY'S DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY MARCH 5, 2007
MONDAY, MARCH 5.2007
KU 90 - UT 86
5B
Top 3 Players
Sophomore guard Mario
Chalmere went 5-1 from
Sophomore guard Maho Chalmers went 5-for-5 from
three-
point
range,
scored 21 points and
had five
assists.
Chalmers
Junior guard Russell
Robinson scored 17 points
shooting and was
4-for-7
from the free-throw line.
Robinson
TS FO
Sophomore forward Julian Wright had a game-clinch
ring block
on a D.J.
Augustin
three-point
attempt
that would
have tied
the game
with
seconds
Wright
Texas all-star channels NBA legends
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN
Kansas coach Bill Self descends the ladder after cutting the final piece from one of the nets used in the game against Texas Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas beat Texas 90-86, securing the Bid 12 title.
remaining. Wright also had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
BY MARK DENT
Danny Manning was right
As Durant dropped three pointers, stole the ball from guards and pulled up for mid range jumpers, he looked like a former Celtic great.
He and Texas star Kevin Durant are not even comparable. Durant's display from Saturday left Kansas coach Bill Self thinking of some of the NBAs all-time greats.
A different type of athlete in that he can run the floor in a way Bird could never dream of. Durant's athletic ability is far greater than Bird's. What Durant did in the first half on Saturday — 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-5 from three-point range — was reminiscent of someone even more special.
"He's a different type of athlete than Larry." Self said, "but Bird may be the guy."
"Michael doesn't get on rolls like he got on there." Self said.
Durant was Michael Jordan good. The Texas freshman scored 32 points in his team's 90-86 loss on Saturday.
His 25 first half points were the most he made in a single half this season. The big half sparked his team to a 54-42 advantage.
Kansas forward Julian Wright and guard Brandon Rush were the poor souls charged with defending Durant. No matter what the sophomores did, Durant found a way to score. He started the game by making a three-pointer, and followed it with a jumper to give his team an early 8-4 lead. Then, he stole the ball and dunked it. On the next possession, he shot a turnaround over Wright. By the 14:14 mark, Durant had 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting.
"I didn't think he was going to miss at all," Rush said.
Durant did finally miss, but he also made shots that he had no business making. Rush and Wright guarded him tightly and put their hands in his face on nearly every one of his shots.
"When you're on fire, all you can do is contest." Wright said. "That's all you can do. He was on fire the first half."
It only got worse when Durant awkwardly stepped on freshman forward Darrell Arthur's foot with about 11 minutes left and fell to the ground grabbing his left ankle. Durant went to the locker room. He had hurt the ankle during Friday's practice and stepping on Arthur reaggravated the injury. But an ankle
The second half quickly turned sour for Durant. The Jayhawks scored 22 points in the first five minutes to take a 64-61 lead. In that time, Durant only attempted one shot and missed it. Self emphasized at halftime that they needed to limit his touches.
No.3 Kansas 90, No.15 Texas 86
Texas 54 32 — 86
Kansas 42 48 — 90
**Texas** — James 4-7 4-1 4; Durant
13-22 0-0 32; Abrams 6-17 1-1 18;
Augustin 7-14 3-4 19; Mason 1-6
0-0 3; Lewis 0-0 0; Hill 1-1 0
2; Winder 0-0 0-0; Atchley 0-1 0;
Pittman 0-0 0-0; Totals 32-68
8-9 86.
Kansas — Kaun 3-6 3-3 9; Wright
8-14 1-2 17; Robinson 5-9 4-7 17;
Chalmers 7-3 4-1 2); Rush 5-12 2-
15; Arthur 3-7 1-4 7; Collins 0-4
0-0; Stewart 0-0 0-0; Jackson
2-2 0-2; Totals 33-63 13-24 90.
Records Texas 22-8, 12-4 Gap
12 Conference Kansas 27-5, 14-2.
was not enough to stop him. Durant returned four minutes later.
"Coach already knows I stay in anyways," Durant said. "I just wanted to suck it up for my teammates. They did a great job while I was out. I just wanted to play for them."
Durant did all he could the rest of the game to give his team the chance to earn that No. 1 seed. With Texas trailing 88-80 and only 26 seconds left, Durant hit a three-pointer. Longhorn guard A.J. Abrams made one after that to pull the Longhorns
A chance for the Big 12 Conference title also motivated him. Texas came into Saturday on a six-game win streak that included a double-overtime victory against Texas A&M. If the Longhorns would have won, they would have clinched a three-way tie for first place in the Big 12 and would have owned the top seed in next week's Big 12 Tournament.
within two. But with a chance to tie in the closing seconds, his teammates couldn't find him.
Although he couldn't finish the game with a tying shot, Durant had a memorable, courageous performance in his first and likely last game at Allen Fieldhouse.
"He's done a lot of good things this year," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "What makes it impressive is what was at stake. I think he showed what he was about this game."
"He's one of the best players to ever play on that court." Self said. "He's on a different level."
Durant certainly showed enough to impress Self.
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
- Edited by Carissa Pedigo
Anna Faltermieier/KANSAN
Texas' Kevin Durant shoots over Kansas forward Julian Wright in the first half of the game in Allen Fieldhouse Saturday. Durant scored 25 points in the first half. He finished with 32 points after leaving the game for a few minutes in the second half with an ankle injury.
'TIS THE SEASON... FOR GREEN BEER & BASKETBALL
R "MONDAY MADNESS" — ONLY AT JAYHAWK BOOKSTORE
view from press row
> The Jayhawks converted just 54 percent of their free throws, a number that dipped even lower in the second half. Junior center Sasha Kaun made all three of his attempts, though. "When Sasha is your best free-throw shooter, that's a concern," coach Bill Self said.
I think that comparing Texas forward Kevin Durant to Jayhawk great Danny Manning is pretty accurate. Durant definitely has the ability to take his team deep into the NCAA tournament. I see a huge upside for him in the NBA, too. He's the skill of player who will score 20 points on his first
night and continue to contribute for several years.
> The Big 12 has three teams that are legit title contenders — Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M—and nine teams that are bringing the conference down. The conference is like feudal Europe this year: there's no middle class. Still, look for a fourth team to get a nod to the NCAA tournament depending on who plays well in Oklahoma City next weekend.
> The noise level inside Allen Fieldhouse was certainly the loudest I've ever been a part of, with the Georgia Tech game
coming in a very close second. The students are always great, but when the alumni start yelling it becomes even more intimidating. My ears are still buzzing.
> It wasn't just Senior Day for the band and team managers; it was also my last game at Allen Fieldhouse. From the e-mails I get to the people who stop me on campus, it still amazes me just how passionate this campus is about its basketball team. Thanks for letting me be your eyes and ears courtside this season.
Michael Phillips