KU 75-CU 46
5B
THE UNIVERSITY OF JARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2007
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN
Anna Faltermeier/KANSA
Above photo: Freshman forward Darrell Arthur goes up for a basket in the first half of the game against Colorado. Arthur finished the game with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
Photo at left: Coach Self points to the opposing teams basket while talking to sophomore guard, Mario Chalmers during the second half of Wednesdays game against Colorado. Kansas forced 18 turnovers from Colorado and shot 47 percent from the field. The Jayhawks won, 75-46.
After benching Kaun rebounds for personal best
BY ASHER FUSCO
BOULDER, Cola. — The first few minutes of Wednesday night's game at Colorado looked all too familiar to Sasha Kaun. The junior center picked up two early fouls and headed to the bench even before all of the fans had trickled into the Coors Frontier Center.
"It was just one of those days," Kaun said. "I just wasn't in the right mindset from the start."
Kaun compensated for his early follies by playing a stellar second half in which he scored 10 points and grabbed eight
rebounds. Kaun's personal turning point in the game occurred when coach Bill Self left him on the bench coming out of halftime.
"It was just one of those days. I just wasn't in the mindset from the start."
"He wasn't playing or going after balls," Self said. "But I thought he played as well as anyone in the second half."
A humbled Kaun hit the court running when he entered the game soon after halftime. Kaun gave his struggling teammates numerous second chances by pulling down offensive rebound after offensive rebound. He also helped trigger an 18-4 Kansas run with a powerful dunk on an alley-oop pass from junior guard Russell Robinson.
"I tried to play smarter after half-time," Kaun said. "I mainly tried to limit my fouls."
During his outstanding second half, Kaun avoided what has been his biggest obstacle throughout his career: foul trouble. After notching two quick fouls to open the game, Kaun finished his 15 minutes of
playing time without adding another to that total.
Meanwhile, the officials charged freshman forward Darrell Arthur with four fouls, placing the onus on Kaun's shoulders as the game wore
SASHA KAUN Junior center
Kaun's reaction to the pressure was remarkable. His 10 point performance marked the first time in nine games he had reached a double-digit point total. His nine rebounds
on.
were a season-high, while his four blocks tied a personal season best.
Junior guard Russell Robinson and junior forward Darnell jackson also put together strong efforts, but Kaun was the only Kansas player to stand out.
As Kansas pulled away from Colorado in the final minutes of Wednesday night's contest, it was clear that Kaun is one of the most important pieces in the puzzle that is this Kansas team.
When Kaun struggled early in the game, the Jayhawks did not fare well.
When Kaun finally hit his stride, the Buffalo hoes had no answer.
Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@kansan.com.
— Edited by Mark Vierthaler
view from press row
> A group of Colorado students distributed a flyer called "Buffalo Chips" before the game to help the section with its chants. The Kansan obtained a copy, which opens by saying that Jayhawk fans "don't have to pack much, seeing that they are able to drive their homes into our state." Along with instant messenger names, here's what they dug up on ...
Rodrick Stewart:"4 staples in head from bar fight last year in Lawrence."
Brady Morningstar:"Dad Roger was KU basketball stand-out, Chant:"Dad d'y bet-ter"
Sasha Kaun: "From Tomsk, Russia. Moms name is Olga."
Brandon Rush: "Bros Kareem,
JaRon both NBA [not correct].
Chant: 'Ja-Ron his bet-ter'"
Julian Wright: "Fell on face after missing windmill dunk against CU."
Brad Witherspoon: "Never plays, only on the squad to pull up team GPA."
> Foul trouble early for Kaun and freshman forward Darrell Arthur proved just how deep this team is. Coach Bill Self was able to substitute often enough to keep the two ready for the second half.
> Colorado's guard Richard
Roby and Rush fought to a duel in a rematch fans had been waiting for since Roby had a big day at Alien Fieldhouse. The two neutralized each other, and neither had a huge impact on the game.
> As predicted, the crowd at the Coors Events Center was overwhelmingly pro-KU. The Jayhawk chants drowned out anything else in the arena. One other interesting note: they serve beer at the game. I guess you've got to do something to keep people in Boulder interested.
> Colorado's guards had a very hard time protecting the ball. As a result, junior guard Russell Robinson pulled in a lot of steals, but many of them were passes aimed straight at Robinson's chest.
> The Colorado ski team was introduced as the defending national champions. The Jayhawks can dominate the basketball court all day, but it won't mean anything until they take down the Buffaloes where it matters: on the slopes.
Michael Phillips
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN
**Anna ratermente/RKSAI**
Above Photo: Freshman guard Sherron Collins goes up for a basket in the second half of the game against Colorado. Collins finished the name with seven points.
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN
Photo at left: Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers goes up for a basket in the second half of the game against Colorado. The Jayhawks improved to 9-2 in the Big 12 Conference.
SECOND HALF: Despite the fast pace, neither team scored a basket off a fast-break, making for plenty of assists. *Amanda Sellers and Michael Phillips/KANSAN junior guard Russell Robinson*. Chart shot information was compiled by Colorado Athletics.