THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2007
KU 97-CU 74 5B
to stea
the ball by knocking it away. The team had a total of 19 steals
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Michael Phillips/KANSAN
The Jayhawks have held every opponent this season to under 50 percent shooting. Colorado finished at 44 percent. That's not bad, but the Buffalooes also didn't take many shots. They relied on guard Richard Roby to carry the team, and he scored 5 of the team's 11 first-half baskets. The Jayhawks had a lot more green around the perimeter than they usually do — they finished the game 11 for 17 from behind the three-point line. Shot chart information: compiled by Kansas Athletics.
Roby's efforts don't go unnoticed
BY MARK DENT
Richard Roby only had to beg one person for attention Saturday.
It was late in the first half, and the Colorado guard nearly ran into sophomore guard Brandon Rush trying to intercept a pass. After Roby tipped the ball, it rolled out of bounds, and the Jayhawks gained possession.
Believing he knocked the ball off Rush, he pleaded to the official, "You didn't see it. You didn't see it."
Roby didn't have to yell at anyone else to get them to notice the match-up between him and Rush. All eyes were on the two guards as they provided enough offensive fireworks to keep fans interested during a routine 97-74 Kansas victory.
By the time Roby walked off the court with 2:45 left in the game to a generous round of applause, he had torched the Allen Fieldhouse nets for 30 points. Rush, who had exited a few minutes earlier, tied a season high with 21 points.
"I heard that he said something in the paper about how he was going to stop me, but I challenged
myself to go out there and compete every possession." Roby said. "We were just two competitors out there trying to win the ballgame"
Early on, Rush was unquestionably the more competitive of the two. He dominated Roby offensively and defensively at the beginning of the first half. Rush scored on a pull-up jump shot to give his team a 4-0 lead and followed it up by finishing a fast-break dunk despite an obvious shove from Roby. No foul was called on the play, and Rush, visibly upset, stared down the referee for a few seconds.
20 minutes. Defensively, Rush also shined. Roby didn't attempt a field goal until the 11-minute mark and
"It made me mad a little bit," he said, "but you got to keep playing."
He channeled his anger well throughout the rest of the first half, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in the first
turned the van over five times.
For more photos from Saturday's game visit Kansan.com.
that I've seen him play."
The two switched roles in the second half as Roby heated up for the Buffaloes. Rush said he tried to limit his opponent's easy shots, but it didn't matter. Roby created his own looks on a variety of drives and crossovers.
"I think he's one of the best offensive players I've played against," Rush said. "He finds a way to score no matter what by getting to the free-throw line and just taking over the game."
"He had a hot start and really took the ball to the basket," Roby said. "It is one of the better games
That was evident when he almost single-handedly brought Colorado back in the game. He scored 10 early second-half points to bring his team
with nine at the 12-minute mark. But his individual heroes weren't enough to stop Kansas. Of course, Rush had plenty do with that.
A minute after Roby brought the Buffalooes to within nine, Rush made a crucial three-pointer in the left corner to extend the layhawks' lead to 68-54. Colorado never came close the rest of the way.
"The best players are supposed to carry your team and do what they have to do," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "Offensively, he's going to score points, and he needs to be our best perimeter defender."
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
Rush continued a streak of solid outings with his play Saturday. In his past four games, he averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while guarding explosive scors such as Roby, Baylor's Aaron Bruce and Missouri's Matt Lawrence.
Edited by Ashley Thompson
big 12 rankings
| Team | Big 12 All |
| :--- | :--- |
| Kansas | 5-1 18-3 |
| Texas A&M | 5-1 17-3 |
| Texas | 5-1 15-5 |
| Oklahoma State | 4-2 18-3 |
| Kansas State | 4-2 15-6 |
| Texas Tech | 4-2 15-6 |
| Oklahoma | 3-4 11-8 |
| Missouri | 2-4 13-6 |
| Iowa State | 2-4 11-9 |
| Nebraska | 1-4 12-7 |
| Baylor | 1-6 11-9 |
| Colorado | 1-6 5-12 |
Source: Big12sports.com
Brandon Rush, sophomore guard, tries to block Colorado's junior guard Richard Rohr