THE UNIVERSITY HALY KANSAS
JESDAY FEBRUARY 2
KU 67 - OU 65
5B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
he struggled to get into the rhythm of the game and was too busy dwelling on his previous misses to find his shooting
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN
his shooting touch.
"I've got to play with a free mind," he said.
Self said that Rush's play will even become more important in tournament games.
of the pressure that will be coming his way throughout the month of March, and it was bittersweet.
"Brandon has got to step up," the coach
"My shot wasn't there for me tonight. But my teammates know they can count on me to do the other little things to help us get a stop."
He wasn't the only player who struggled, though. Freshman forward Darrell Arthur played only six minutes after getting into foul trouble early, and Collins went 0-for-5 shooting.
said. "He can't just score eight points or five points. He better than that."
Those performances surprised Self, who said that the team had fantastic practices this weekend that were reflected in their first deflale.
SHERRON COLLINS Freshman guard
a team-high 18 points in 35 minutes of play.
"My shot wasn't there for me tonight," he said. "But my teammates know they can count on me to do the other little things to help us get a stop."
He didn't back down from the pressure in crunch time, leaning on his teammates to
score the points as he pitched in on defense. Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers said that after the Jayhawks watched their lead slip away, they got right back to work.
"We made the plays at the end to pull out the victory," he said.
For Collins, it was his first taste
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
Anna Faltermieer/KANSAN
Freshman guard Sherron Collins contends with Oklahoma's pressure defense in the second half of Monday's game. Collins said that his teammates helped him defeat the pressure by getting open for passes.
Edited by Sharla Shivers
Standings
Top 3 Players
1. Kansas 13-2, 26-4
2. Texas A&M 12-2, 24-4
3. Texas 11-3, 21-7
4. Kansas State 9-5, 20-9
5. Texas Tech 7-7, 18-11
6. Missouri 6-8, 17-10
7. Oklahoma 6-9, 15-13
8. Oklahoma State 5-8, 19-9
9. Nebraska 5-8, 16-11
10. Iowa State 5-9, 14-14
11. Baylor 3-11, 13-14
12. Colorado 2-12, 6-18
Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers also scored 18 points,10 of which were off of free throws. He also dished out five assists and had two steals.
Kaun
Junior center Sasha Kaun finished with 11 points, off 4-for-6 shooting. He was just one rebound shy of a double-double.
Guard Mario Chalmers slides out of bounds near to the Oklahoma mascot during second half of the game against Oklahoma on Monday night.
Anna Faltermieer/KANSAN
Anna Faltermieer/KANSAN
The Jayhawks never could connect from behind the three-point line, finishing 1-for-7 with all those attempts in the first half. The Sooners found limited success inside, but came up with some big three-pointies in the second half. Both teams had a significant percentage of their scoring come at the free-throw line (not pictured). The Jayhawks made 22-for-34 and the Sooners went 19-for-25. Of the Jayhawks' 34 attempts, all but two came in the second half. Shot chart information compiled by Oklahoma Athletics.
view from press row
Don't try to press Sherron Collins. I don't know why every team thinks they're the first to try it, but it happens for about two minutes of every game. The strategy has never worked against him, but apparently that's not enough to stop teams from trying.
Brandon Rush is great at letting the game come to him, but that's not always a compliment. Sometimes he needs to force himself to score points, even during blowout games. It's not in Rush's personality, but coach Bill Self wants him to be "the man" for the Jayhaws.
» Interesting call by the officials to give Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel a technical foul at the start of the second half. There were probably better ways to send a message in that situation, though Capel probably won't complain too much about it: His team cut the Kansas lead to seven in the minutes after the foul.
>> If you're in a class with me this morning, I apologize in advance for my subconscious humming of "Boomer Sooner." After the 935th rendition, it became permanently ingrained in my memory.
» It was a white-out in Norman, where all the fans wore white shirts that were given out. It was the only impressive
color I've seen this year, and that brings me to my point: The only acceptable colors to coat an arena in are bright ones. Forget a "blue out," or red, or black. It's not visually appealing. The only way a crowd can stand out is with a bright color, like white, yellow or orange. If the Jayhawks want to try something similar, white or bright red are their only options.
》 Sherron Collins and Russell Robinson at the same time is a powerful combination. Both possess great slashing ability, which means that inside players have to keep an eye on both of them in case they make a sudden move for the hoop.
Michael Phillips