THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1234567890
MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 119
(JAYHAWK NATION WAS SPEECHLESS, SO YOU GET TO WRITE THE HEADLINE)
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH 71, KANSAS 61
Jerrv Wanq/KANSAN
Sophomore forward Thomas Robinson, and junior forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris look down as the final seconds of the Jayhawks loss slip away. The team couldn't maintain its second-half run and lost its chance at the Final Four.
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
Want to know how much it hurts? How about this: Thomas Robinson, Jersey rumped on his lap, with the "LR" patch commemorating his late mother staring back at him like an unblinking eye.
Or Tyshawn Taylor, doubled up, face buried in his hands, muffling his sobs as a lone photographer offered a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
Kansas Brady Mormongar, left, and Tyrel Reed react in the locker room after their team lost 71-61 to Virginia Commonwealth at the Westmoreland regional final game in the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, in San Antonio.
Or the sobs that interrupted Conner Teahan's answer to a question about Tyrel Reed. Or Reed, the winningest jayhawk ever, with red-rimmed eyes as he fielded questions after one of the worst shooting days of his career. Or Brady Morningstar, next to him, so choked up that he could barely speak.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Or Marcus Morris, bent double with his head resting on arms folded across his knees and media standing around, waiting for minutes before bothering him with a question.
Or Markieff Morris, sitting next to his brother, staring at a box score with a blank expression on his face, as if looking at the numbers long enough could change the fact that Kansas lost, again, to a team that nobody gave a shot.
"In sports," Kansas coach Bill Self said, "it's such a microcosm of life, because when you care so much you certainly put yourself out there, that you can be disappointed real easy."
The Jayhawks came out flat, while the Rams came out scorching. The Rams charged out to a 14-point halftime lead behind 60 percent shooting from three-point range.
The lesson the Jayhawks were supposed to take away from the Northern Iowa loss last season — that the little guy could do just as much damage as the blue bloods — maybe didn't stick.
"When you don't defend, you dig yourself a hole and you have to try to make a comeback," Morningstar said. "It's a lot easier to play with the lead than without the lead."
There was a moment there, right in the middle of the second half, when everyone in the gym thought the Jayhawks were going to do it. VCU coach Shaka Smart had just gotten a technical and Kansas had cut the deficit to two. The VCU fans were quiet, deaf to the pleas of their cheerleaders, while the Kansas fans were raucous, sure that their Jayhawks were going to rise from the ashes of that terrible first half.
Kansas, for all its talent and all its depth and all the things that made them the last one seed in the NCAA Tournament, just couldn't come back.
But a comeback isn't complete until it's all the way complete. And Kansas couldn't quite get there. That two-point deficit was as close as they got. VCU answered. Jamie Skeen, who was named the region's most outstanding player, scored seven of the game's next 14 points, and the comeback was over before the Rams ever even trailed.
"I don't know what happened," Self said. "And next thing you know, two becomes seven or two becomes six. We just didn't have it where we kept putting pressure on them. We kept saying the pressure would shift to them with the lead, if we can keep it within distance."
If the Rams felt pressure, though, they
didn't show it. They were relaxed at the start, and at the finish they were estatic.
And the Jayhawks were left with the tears on their faces, and it all just hurt.
Edited by Amanda Sorell
GAME DAY | 10A
Kansas was the last No.1 seed left in the tournament, falling to Virginia Commonwealth 71-61
AJayhawk defeat
LOCAL | 3A
Businesses suffer
Lawrence stores and bars see fewer profits as fans walk away disappointed from Sunday's game
Classifieds...10A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
INDEX
Opinion...5A
Sports...12A
Sudoku...4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
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