Selby’s Shot Sinks S.C.

There are dozens of things that make me happy. King crab legs, kisses on the cheek and Kansas basketball are just a few. That’s why when the latter occurred on Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas, I was rapturous. The Jayhawks defeated USC 70-68 to preserve their consecutive home game winning streak. Third –ranked Kansas has 65 straight wins at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. Yesterday, Bill Self’s squad upended Southern California with the help of freshman guard, Josh Selby. Selby made his KU debut, finishing with a game high 21 points in 27 minutes. The Baltimore native went 5-for-11 from the field and hit the go-ahead bucket with 24 seconds on the clock. Not bad for your first college game.
The 10-0 Jayhawks steadily built a 39-25 lead against the Trojans in the first half. Selby sunk five of eight three pointers, including his first two attempts. The visitors trailed by double digits most of the game but the Jayhawks struggled to generate offense after halftime. The well-schooled, scrappy USC shooters took the lead in the game’s final minutes. Donte Smith led USC on an 11-0 run and Jio Fontan hit a pair of free throws to put the Trojans up by two points with two minutes to play. USC’s quick guards found their way into the lane and pounded away at KU’s poor post-defense. Donte Smith led the Trojans with 20 points, including five baskets from downtown. USC outscored Kansas 48-39 in the second half.
The Jayhawks held the rebounding edge throughout the game against one of the best rebounding teams in college basketball. KU fought back with their gritty freshman leading the way. Marcus Morris threw the ball to Selby with the game on the line. The clutch Kansas guard unfurled another three-point attempt in the final minute to give Kansas the lead for good. The Trojans called time out, trailing 69-68. USC blew its chance to win the game in the last five seconds when Fontan turned the ball over on an inbounds pass. Kansas’ Tyrel Reed made a free throw for the final margin. The starting senior guard had a game high five assists in the Jayhawk’s victory.

Parting Points: The second-ranked Buckeyes remain poised—79-57 winners over South Carolina.

Gilbert Arenas to the Orlando Magic---good move?

Midwest Mayhem

The Kansas Jayhawks were billed as the front-running national championship favorite and number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Anything short of the championship game would be a major disappointment for Kansas. It took a second round two-point win from a fundamentally-sound Northern Iowa squad to dash Kansas’ post-season hopes. Bill Self’s polished Jayhawks failed to reach the Sweet 16 after suffering a surprising loss in Oklahoma City last night. The Panthers finished off the mighty Jayhawks 69-67 Saturday at Ford Center to advance to St. Louis in the next round. The Missouri Valley Conference’s Northern Iowa will play the winner of today’s Midwest Michigan State-Maryland game.
The biggest upset in the tournament so far was complete after a colossal 3-pointer from UNI’s Ali Farokhmanesh . The long range basket put the Panthers on top by four. Farokhmanesh, the son of an Iranian volleyball player and first-round UNI hero, sealed the game with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds. The bracket-busting shot was one of 16 points, and one of four treys, for the Panthers’6’0” senior guard. The well-coached Panthers were seeded ninth but looked like the higher seed against a puzzled Kansas team. The deep and talented Jayhawks committed 15 turnovers and never quite found their rhythm. The Panthers proved difficult to guard on defense, especially seven foot lefty guard, Jordan Eglseder. The game was 12-9 in favor of UNI as the Panthers rattled off 10 straight points. Eglseder was credited with five during that run, and finished with 14.
The Jayhawks snuck by lower-seeded Lehigh in the first round. It wasn’t an easy win, but Saturday’s contest was twice as hard. Kansas coughed up the ball too many times and fell behind early against the Panthers. Veteran Sheron Collins ended his stellar Kansas career with just 10 points. Collins helped cut the margin to two points with 6:35 to play in the first half, but Farokhmanesh outshined the senior from Kansas. Farokmanesh derailed the Hawks by netting eight straight to close the half. Kansas went cold, trailing 36-28 at the break. The Hawks turned the ball over eight times in the second period, leading to one shy of a dozen Panther points. Things didn’t improve much in the second half for the number one seed and one of the nation’s highest scoring teams. UNI played with intelligence and patience. They continued to chase down offensive rebounds and score critical baskets after halftime.
Junior center, Cole Aldrich, drilled 13 points and picked up 10 rebounds for his 37th career double-double at Kansas. Marcus Morris led the Jayhawks with 16 points, including seven in the first half. The Jayhawks converted just 6 of 23 from the arc and 13 of 18 from the line. They were slightly better percentage shooters from the field than UNI. Self’s squad turned it up a notch with ten minutes left in regulation with the Jayhawks on the verge of an upset elimination. The Jayhawks outscored their opponent 39-33 in the second half. They out-rebounded UNI by five during the contest. Kansas used defense to pull within a point in the final 44 seconds, but Northern Iowa’s 18 second-chance points were too much to overcome. Tyrel Reed was charged with an offensive foul following Farokhmanesh’s crushing chip with 34 seconds, pushing aside any hope for an overwhelmed Kansas last-second comeback. Kansas’ last burst of full court pressure was too little too late, shattering many brackets around the globe. Saturday was Kansas’ earliest exit in the tournament since 2006. Prior to this year, UNI’s only tournament victory came in
1990.

Parting Points: Sunday spin-“Ruby Soho” by Rancid

Two teams impressing me this tourney- Cornell and Washington

Manhattan Meltdown

The Kansas State Wildcats hosted second ranked Kansas in Manhattan Saturday. The Jayhawks outlasted the home team in overtime 81-79 even after the Wildcats took a one point lead with 2:24 remaining in the extra session. Freshman forward, Wally Judge knocked in a pair of free throws to give the Wildcats a 76-75 edge. Kansas scored on their final three possessions to escape the upset in a gritty epic interstate battle. Cole Adrich secured a hook shot, and Sherron Collins played through back spasms to scoop a layup down the stretch. Collins’ shot with 9 seconds on the clock gave Kansas a three point lead. Adrich finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots as the Jayhawks survived a tough road test to remain undefeated in the Big 12.
Kansas State junior guard, Jacob Pullen, chipped in 22 points as the Wildcats chipped away at Kansas’ leads. The back-and-forth bout featured 20 lead changes and both teams fought off early jitters to settle into a rhythm. The tense finish was only fitting after the teams managed to tie the game 14 times Saturday. Kansas State trailed 40-32 at the half but took a 49-45 lead in the third period. Pullen’s defense and clutch baskets helped the Wildcats pull ahead, much to the delight of the Fred Bramlage Coliseum crowd. Pullen made four from downtown and led the Wildcats with five assists. Denis Clemente was 4 of 15 on shooting, but bucketed 13 points for K-State. Curtis Kelly added 10 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Wildcats and Marcus Morris snared a double-double for the Jayhawks. The Wildcats have already beaten four ranked teams this season, so it was hardly a surprise to Bill Self and the Jayhawks when they forced overtime. Kansas took a 69-66 lead when Rodney McGruder’s and-one layup tied the game with just over thirty seconds in regulation. Collins incidentally turned the ball over with the game notched at 69 and K-State recovered. Domnique Sutton made a steal just before the buzzer and tried to put the winning shot in the basket in the closing seconds. Kansas’ feisty defense thwarted Sutton’s last-ditch attempt.
Kansas had to play a critical portion of the overtime session without Collins. Self’s senior staple was replaced by Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor committed the costly turnover that resulted in McGruder’s three point shot at the end of regulation. Collins returned after working out the kinks in his back. K-State immediately fouled the veteran guard, but Collins missed the free throw. Adrich intercepted the rebound and Brady Morningstar finished off the Wildcats with two successful shots from the line. Morningstar finished with 14 points and three steals. The Jayhawks are winners of 26 in their last 27 games and have a commanding two game lead in the Big 12. Kansas State dropped to 17-4 overall and is 4-3 in conference play. The Kansas State Wildcats have nothing to be ashamed of because they hung tough with the best team in the conference. The Kansas-Kansas State rivalry is becoming paramount in the Big 12. The Wildcats have legitimately made a name for themselves in college hoops. The men from Manhattan are poised to win 20 or more games for the fourth straight season. You could argue the Wildcats deserved to win on Saturday because their strategy was effective and their offense flowed smoothly. They outrebounded the Jayhawks and had more assists and 3-pointers. But K-State melted down in the overtime. Their ball movement and shot selection was poor. You cannot make mistakes against the Jayhawks. Kansas will burn you every time, and yesterday they did.

Parting Points: Kurt Warner retired from the NFL this past Friday after 12 solid and memorable seasons. Class act.

Jayhawks Jostle & Jilt a Jaunty Jab

Kansas trimmed Memphis 57-55 in a rematch of the 2008 men’s Final Four championship last night in St. Louis. The Jayhawks narrowly escaped the Tigers when Elliot William’s three-pointer fell short of the basket and clanked off the rim as time expired. The Scotttrade Center showdown came down to the wire despite Kansas leading most of the game. These weren’t John Calipari’s Tigers, who performed wonderfully well in the clutch 18 months ago, but they did play exceptionally well until the end. The scrappy Tigers took full advantage of the sloppy Jayhawks’ 2 1 turnovers to hang with the number one ranked team until the final seconds.
The Tigers outscored Kansas in the second half, 35-31. Memphis kept the score low and was lead by Williams’ 21 points. Williams logged 39 minutes to lead all players in time and buckets. He was the lone Memphis shooter to score in double digits as the Tigers were woeful from three point range. The Tigers hit just 6 of 25 from the arc. Cole Aldrich compiled 18 points for Kansas with 11 rebounds and five blocked shots. Kansas’ leading scorer, Sherron Collins, added 12 points but left the game with a leg cramp. His exit helped Memphis rally, but Collins re-entered contest with just less than four minutes in regulation. Former Memphis recruit, Xavier Henry, perched 11 and Marcus Morris hung 10 for the Jayhawks.
Kansas dominated the first half by forcing shots and turnovers. KU maintained the lead, extending it to as many as six following a two-handed Aldrich slam off a rebound. Aldrich paced the Jayhawks with eight points and six rebounds in the first half. Collins nailed a shot at the buzzer to finish the first half on a positive note for the nation’s number one team. After the half, Bill Self’s Jayhawks opened the half by swirling the ball to Aldrich. The big man dunked an over-the-top pass from Tyshawn Taylor to jumpstart the Jayhawks. Taylor, a sophomore, was credited with a game high five assists. Kansas pushed their lead to ten on a Henry layup, and Aldrich dunked another dish from Collins to 52-45 with three minutes remaining. Memphis, playing for first year coach, Josh Pastner, came back to narrow the margin to three with a minute left. Memphis senior guard, Doneal Mack, bucketed a three pointer after Aldrich netted two from the charity stripe for Kansas. With just over 16 seconds on the clock, Williams hit falling-away three point shot to put the Tigers within one. Memphis was given one last chance because Collins missed one of two free throws with 15 ticks. Rebounding played a major role in the win for Kansas. The Jayhawks out-rebounded the Tigers the entire night, and it was the final one that eventually dispelled Memphis. Kansas secured the rebound on the Tiger’s final play to top Memphis, preserving the victory and an unblemished record.
Kansas goes into each game expecting to win. They won’t win every game unless all players chip in for Self’s Jayhawks. Aldrich and Collins are the two remaining players from the 2008 champions. The dynamic duo will rack up baskets but need their teammates to log a few themselves. Self’s longevity as a head coach has made Kansas a dangerous Division one dynasty. It won’t equate to championships unless all 12 men contribute. The Jayhawks hold the nation’s longest home winning streak with 42 victories. The Jayhawks barely escaped one in St. Louis on Tuesday. Perhaps the win will serve as a wakeup call that other teams aren’t going to lay down or let up against them this season. The Tigers came within inches of knocking off a number one team for the first time. Kansas’ depth and talent should have been more than enough to handedly defeat Memphis. Self struts a team with incredible balance and poise in the 2009 Jayhawks. The Tigers restrained their aplomb in the second half. It was an eye-opening game, and fortunately not a costly one for Kansas. But, Memphis justly joggled the Jayhawks last night.

Parting points: Song for midweek- “Here in your bedroom” by Goldfinger

Speaking of the Jayhawks, football coach, Mark Mangino , could be on his way out. A player complaint (not the first of an inappropriate conduct kind) may end the Mangino era in Kansas. An investigation is underway involving Mangino poking a senior linebacker in the chest.

Memo to the 0-11 New Jersey Nets- Scoring is kind of a requirement if you’re going to win games. Maybe it’s time for an overhaul so the Nets don’t keep getting obliterated.