Y KANSAN
18,2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2009
KANSAS 57, MEMPHIS 55
5B
ETBALL REWIND
Weston White/KANSAN
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Sophomore forward Marcus Morris hits a shot with a hand in his face during the first half. Morris finished with 10 points in Kansas' victory to move to 2-0 on the season.
Defense shows strength while offense struggles
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
In the final seconds before halftime — in a first half that featured equally-matched sloppiness from both offenses — sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor stripped the ball from a Memphis player, dribbled up the court and flipped the ball ahead to senior guard Sherron Collins for a buzzer-beating layup.
It certainly wasn't pretty — Memphis hit big shots down the stretch to make it close — but it was exactly the gritty defensive performance good teams deliver when things aren't clicking on offense.
Sure, the play provided Kansas with a six-point halftime lead. But it also illustrated the bigger picture in Kansas' 57-55 victory against Memphis: Even on a night when the Jayhawks struggled offensively, their defense still managed to hold a lead.
"It was a tough
"It was a tough game, a low scoring game, so that shows you that both sides' defenses were good," Taylor said. "We're going to have games like that. It's good to get one in early because we're
going to have games like that in conference and even in a couple of weeks."
The jayhawks committed 21 turnovers. They didn't take care of the ball in transition, and they couldn't consistently find openings from three-point range.
"Defensively and rebounding the ball we were good. Offensively, we stunk."
So far this season, Kansas' offense has proved to be highly potent with multiple players capable of leading a scoring outburst. But Tuesday night, Kansas' offense simply struggled.
And it turned out to be exactly what Kansas needed.
"Defensively and rebounding the ball we were good," coach Bill Self said. "Offensively we stunk."
In the game's opening 20 minutes the Jayhawks routinely clamped down inside, forcing the Tigers to facilitate most of their offense from behind the three-
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It only made Kansas' defensive effort more important.
And it certainly wasn't a recipe for success.
BILL SELF Kansas coach
point line.
Memphis connected on just two of 14 three pointers in the first half, including a handful of air balls and shots that slammed off the glass without hitting the rim.
"They're a high-scoring team," sophomore forward Marcus Morris said. "I felt like that we did contain them really well."
After Kansas' lopsided victory in the first presseason game against Fort Hays State earlier this season, the Jayhawks emphasized the need for an improved defensive effort.
Kansas appeared to do just that against a young Memphis team. The Tigers made 35 percent of their attempts, often settling for contested shots.
"They didn't get many good looks." Self said.
After cutting Kansas' lead to five points midway through the second half, two Memphis players slashed through the lane on
consecutive drives to the basket.
The problem? Junior center Cole Aldrich blocked both attempts and gave Kansas the ball back in a crucial part of the game.
Aldrich finished the game with five blocks and altered a
"I think it was a great win just because we had to fight," Aldrich said. "We just had to show a lot of character, hunker down and get stops."
In the end, Kansas simply managed to make enough stops in the game's final minutes to shake off an early season upset bid.
handful of other attempts.
"I love blocking shots, and I was able to block a few tonight," Aldrich said. "And if I wasn't able to block it, I was able to make them think that every time that they drive in there, they were going to have me come over and contest it. That really helped us tonight."
If Kansas' sloppy offensive play kept Memphis in the game, the Jayhawks' defense allowed them to maintain a lead throughout the second half.
— Edited by Samantha Foster
Game to remember
Aldrich led Kansas with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots. He was disruptive on the defensive end and provided the Jayhawks with a reliable option down low on a night when Kansas' offense struggled. He was named the tournament's MVP after the game.
Junior center Cole Aldrich
Aldrich
Game to forget
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor
Taylor
Sophomore guard Fynnis Kaylor Taylor never really got going in this one. He missed all four of his field goal attempts and scored just two points. Worse, he committed seven turnovers against Memphis' high-pressure defense. As coach Bill Self said after the game, "Tonight wasn't his night."
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Stat of the night
That's the number of turnovers Kansas committed. The Jayhawks carelessly handled the ball for most of the night, allowing the Tigers to keep the game close until the final shot. Kansas simply needs to take better care of the ball.
Quote of the night
"One? Did you watch the same crap I did out there offensively?"
Bill Self when asked if there was one thing about his offense he needed to change.
Self
Prime plays
FIRST HALF
19:00 —Tyshawn Taylor alley-oop pass to Cole Aldrich to answer Memphis'
SECOND HALF
15:22 — Tyshawn Taylor stopped what seemed like an easy fast break layup by Memphis by knocking it out of the opponent's hands (4-2).
4:48 — Cole Aldrich dunks after a Marcus Morris miss, putting momentum in Kansas' favor (20-17).
End of Half — Sherron Collins' shot was blocked by Memphis' Will Coleman. Tyshawn Taylor stole the ball from Memphis on the fast break and threw it to a Collins all alone for a two-point lay-in.
three pointer to start the second half (28-23).
15:03 — Sherron Collins assist to Cole Aldrich for a wide open dunk (34-28).
12:59 — Markieff Morris grabbed an offensive board off a Tyshawn Taylor miss and slammed it down (32-38).
2:45 Collins drove to the hoop, and once inside the belly of the defense he gave it to Aldrich for a dunk (50-45).
5:35 — Marcus Morris threw down a two-handed dunk (46-39).
9:03 Cole Aldrich had not only one, but two consecutive Memphis shots (40-35).
Corey Thibodeaux and Jayson Jenks
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor and Senior guard Sherron Collins slap hands after the end of the first half. Collins finished with a layup at the end of the half after a steal from Taylor.
Weston White/KANSAN
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