THE UNIVERSITY OF JALAY KANSAN
TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2007
KU 76 - NU 56 7A
past Nebi
ac KANSAN
rd, dunks
56 victory
Nebraska
aska during Kansas' 76-56 victory.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 12A)
"Our guys were pretty loose there in the second half, and Nebraska was playing hard," Self said.
time-out kept the pace slow and the margin of victory large.
Kansas will return home on Saturday to face Texas A&M in a battle for Big 12 superiority, and Wright knows that the fans will be there with their magnifying glasses ready to analyze every move.
Towards the end of the night there was nothing left to do but fritter time away in the usual fashion. The TV announcers talked about Wright's bowling passion, sophomore center Matt Kleinmann got his clean-up time and junior guard Rodrick Stewart tried to imitate Vince Carter with a monster jam on top of a Nebraska
player, but came up about three feet short on the vertical portion of the jump.
"Everyone around cares so much and wants the best for us," he said. "We know how much we have to do and what we're capable of."
of playing their best basketball of the season. Self called it "about the best 17 minutes a team can play."
For the first half, they were capable
That should be enough to silence the nitpickers — at least for a couple days.
Kansan senior sportswritter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
Edited by Joe Caponio
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Russell Robinson, junior guard, dribbles past Nebraska during Monday's game
View from press row:
Sometimes players just need to make a certain shot. I think that Julian Wright has spent the past two weeks needing a three-point basket to fully regain his confidence. After hitting it with six minutes to play in the first half, he made a swishing motion and allowed himself to smile while running back downcourt. The three-pointer had helped define his identity as a forward who could play the perimeter, and getting it back will be huge for him.
If junior forward Aleks Maric jumps to the NBA at the
end of the season, Nebraska is going to be hurting inside. When he left the game, the average height of the five players Nebraska had in the game was 6-foot-2. That might fly in the Missouri Valley, but not in the Big 12. Coach Doc Sadler needs Maric back in a big-time way.
We are far enough into the season that Brandon Rush can finally play without worrying about the "Preseason All-America" label. It's a shame that all of Rush's good games have been viewed through that filter, because without it
he would be celebrated for what he is: One of five great players on the court for the Jayhawks at any given time. Can't we let that be enough?
It was a tough night for the Nebraska students. They arrived at the Devaney Center early in the morning for prime seats - a rarity at the football-mad school. After making some noise at the start, they took a seat at the eight-minute time-out. How bad was it? Inflatable mascot Lil' Red had a deflated head for a portion of the game.
Michael Phillips
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Sherron Collins, freshmen guard, drives past his defender. He scored nine points Mondav night.