KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011 / NEWS / 5P
KLAHOMA 70
TBALLREWIND
Chris Bronson/KANSAN
d 10 rebounds in the Jayhawks 82-70 win over Oka-
Senior guard Brady Morningstar takes a shot during the second half of Saturday's game against the Sooners held at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OKa. Morningstar had nine points and four assists in the Jayhawks 82-70 win over Oklahoma.
Chris Bronson/KANSAN
Chris Bronson/KANSAN
Saturday's game against the Sooners. Morris had 23 points in the Jayhawks 82-70 victory over
Despite victory, Self not satisfied with defense
BY NICO ROESLER
nroesler@kansan.com
www.twitter.com/nicoeosler
If Saturday's game against Oklahoma had ended at half time, coach Bill Self wouldn't have had much to complain about, except maybe a slippery floor.
When a team shoots more than 70 percent from the field for 20 minutes, how can you complain? Well for Self, it was simple: Kansas was only up by 12.
"That means we obviously didn't guard very well," Self said.
Junior forward Marcus Morris put up 23 points and nine rebounds in a dominating performance, and his brother, junior forward Markieff Morris, had 19 points. Oklahoma could feel the connection among the
Now, as the basketball season accelerates toward conference tournaments, even though things are starting to fall in line for Kansas, defensive play remains inconsistent.
"I wouldn't trade our front line for anybody." Self said.
The alignment, in Self's mind, stems from the Morris twins inside, towering over each side of the paint. Now, more than ever, they display consistently parallel mindsets and statistics.
two. Oklahoma's senior guard Cade Davis said he couldn't explain the complexities of guarding the twins.
"That chemistry, they're twins." Davis said. "I'm sure it's even better for them."
Outside the blocks is where the team sputters as far as consistency and production goes. Senior guards Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar have been described as the calming forces on the队。So when sophomore guard Elijah Johnson went down and his role seemed, for a minute, to be lost, Reed didn't panic.
"There's going to be adversity every step of the way and we've dealt with a lot of different forms of it," Reed said about dealing with the injuries and absence of teammates. Marcus Morris saw how Johnson molded himself into a key piece for the starting lineup, especially on the one end of the ball that Self continually harps on improving.
"He is trying his hardest to guard." Marcus Morris said, "We can really tell and a lot of us are really thanking him for being out there and trying to give us his best shot at guarding because that is what we really need right now."
The team only managed to create six turnovers, as opposed to Oklahoma, which created 13. Marcus hopes that when junior guard Tyshawn Taylor returns from his suspension, he will be able to hold that key in place and add to the defensive threat of stealing the ball.
Johnson will be set to go despite the injury scare on the court Saturday. It turns out the injury was just a stinger in his neck and Self said he would've been able to play in the late minutes of the game had Self needed him.
The brains behind the act, the constant critic and the assistants that surround him are what the players think will — and has — kept the team going in the right direction despite losing players to injury, suspension and even to the NBA Draft last year.
"The coaching staff is one-in-a-million to me." Marcus Morris said.
Even though the Jayhawks left Norman, Okla., with a victory, Self left unsatisfied, knowing his team could have broken away but didn't.
- Edited by Helen Mubarak
Game to remember
Morris twins, junior fowards
It's not surprising that Marcus and Markieff Morris put together impressive numbers again in the Big 12 — not to coach Self and not to their teammates. Marcus put up 23 points, nine rebounds and two blocks while Markieff tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds. Coach Self knows the combination is the one of the best in college basketball and said he wouldn't trade them for anyone in the country. They completely dominated in rebounds against Oklahoma, combining for 19. Oklahoma as a team only brought down 16.
Mk. Morris
Game to forget
Thomas Robinson, sophomore forward
Reed
seemed neither mentally or physically ready to go. He was taken out halfway through the second half after it looked as if he had aggravated his knee. However, Self said he was completely fine after the game.
Coach Self said Robinson was 100-percent mentally ready to play on Saturday,however his knee was only 90 percent ready. It seemed quite the opposite on the court Saturday. Robinson matched the points he scored with his turnovers, all of which came in the first half. Despite bringing in five rebounds in just 10 minutes of play, he
Quote of the game
"When they're on, I don't see it. They're just so talented. They can bring you out on the perimeter, they can go at you on the inside or mid-range, and they're unselfish. They'll pass the ball when they're guarded."
Tyrel Reed on if he thinks anyone in the country can match what the Morris twins do on the court
Prime plays
FIRST HALF (SCORE AFTER PLAY)
16:49 — Elijah Johnson makes the third three-pointer for Kansas. Everything for both teams is going in at this point. Oklahoma has also made three three-pointers. (13-11)
16:23 — Andrew Fitzgerald air balls a shot, and Josh Selby pushes it up the court. Thomas Robinson looks to have most, if not all, of his explosiveness back. Selby finds Marcus Morris at the top of the key and he drains a three. (20-13)
7:24 — Oklahoma goes to a zone.The Jayhawks pick it apart by passing it around, getting Tyrel Reed open in the corner for a three. (34-24)
3:04 — Thomas Robinson spins toward the baseline and goes up and under to lay it in. (43-28)
SECOND HALF
16:33 — Thomas Robinson grabs an offensive board off of a missed Marcus Morris layup. Robinson misses his layup, but Morris is there for the put-back dunk. (58-37)
5:22 — Brady Morningstar catches the ball down low from Markieff Morris. He pump fakes and his man goes flying by giving Morningstar an easy layup. (73-59)
3:18 — Markieff Morris throws down a wrap around dunk on an assist from Mario Little. (79-64)
Notes
- Kansas shot 70.8 percent in the first half
- Markieff Morris tallied his 11th double-double of the season
- Morningstar has 56 assists to 10 turnovers in Big 12 Conference play (5.6 assist/turnover ratio)
Key stats
19
Kansas' shooting percentage during the first half. Despite the touch from everywhere on the court, Kansas was only up 12 at half.
The total number of rebounds by the Morris twins Oklahoma's team totalled 16 for the game.
70. 8
2
COLUMN (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Kansas only missed two shots from inside the three point line for the entire first half.
character wouldn't be a problem if he had the talent of the often childish DeMarcus Cousins, last draft's No. 5 pick. But he's no Cousins either, so his stock may be dropping. Regardless, Taylor is a gift combo-guard with elite speed and athleticism. His quick first step leads to open looks, but his jump-shot is still a bit streaky. I think Ford's ranking is too low, but Taylor may have a hard time finding the first round, whether justified or not
Thomas Robinson is an undeniable fan favorite. We watched the Morris twins grow from raw prospects as freshmen into vocal
leaders as juniors. Selby and Taylor are electric talents whose skills will surely bemissed. The good news for college basketball fans is that the NBA will likely have a lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement, or CBA, expires in July. This means that games will continue but the players won't be paid. This is expected to result in several unexpected returns to college from pro-ready prospects. Also, none of these five Jayhawks have to leave and could all improve their resumes by staying. March will tell us much more.