Hoops notes: Jayhawks pull it together for March

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Forget what you’ve heard about March coming in like a lion. The most important month of the college basketball season blew into Allen Fieldhouse Saturday night like a flock of fired up Jayhawks.

Kansas welcomed the new month with a revived attitude and demonstrated some high-energy motivation as a resolution. The Jayhawks sprinted out of their locker room to greet Kansas State, ready to avenge their first loss of the season, eager to climb back into a tie for first place with Texas in the Big 12 Conference standings. They reached both goals by reverting back to a dominating style of play they had demonstrated in January.

It was the kind of aggression Kansas coach Bill Self admitted was missing in three road losses, starting with that trip to Manhattan on Jan. 30.

“Our guys were ready to play,” Self said after the Jayhawks dismantled Kansas State 88-74. “We haven’t been real good the last month. February wasn’t a great month, so hopefully March has started out very good. They handled us at their place with energy and hustle plays. But tonight, we were by far the aggressor.”

The Jayhawks were cruising along at 20-0 before the loss to K-State. That was followed by a 5-2 February, with the losses at Texas and at Oklahoma State. Those defeats sparked questions about the team’s defense, toughness and KU’s ability to handle games away from home. And, just before the Oklahoma State game, relatives of seniors Darnell Jackson and Rodrick Stewart were killed in violent acts that made it difficult to focus on basketball.

Self says there were other distractions as well, but he won’t elaborate.

“We’ve just been going through a lot of crap,” he said.

Self pulled the Jayhawks together and told them not to worry, that it’s just one of those phases that every team goes through. Now he thinks the Jayhawks have gotten it out of their system.

“We played with great energy at Iowa State,” Self said. “Other than Boston College, Iowa State is the best road game we played all year. So we had a pretty good week.”

There were several reasons for Self to feel that way. Start with the defense. The Jayhawks had 15 steals and K-State turned the ball over 20 times. It was the first time in nine games Kansas’ steal total had been in double figures and it illustrated the energy the Jayhawks devoted to this game.

“This is how geeked up our players were,” Self said. “At the pre-game meal, we always turn on the TV and watch games. Always. We turned on the Texas Tech-Texas game and I asked the guys if they wanted to watch it. They said no because [if they did] they were going to burn up energy pulling for Tech.”

More than anything else, the Jayhawks must feel optimistic over the declarations of health from Brandon Rush and Sherron Collins. Rush scored a season-high 21 points and was 5-for-9 from three-point range against the Wildcats. Collins came of the bench to provide the spark KU has been missing. He had 18 points, four assists and tied a career-high with four steals in 29 minutes. His playing time tied a season high.

Rush, who tore his ACL last summer, has been without a brace for almost a month. “I feel free,” he said Saturday. “No pain. I think I’m 100 percent.” Collins’ season started with a stress fracture in his foot. Lately he has been nursing a bone bruise in his right knee. But he felt better Saturday and it showed. “I’m not 100 percent,” Collins said. “But I’m very close to it.”

That’s music to Self’s ears.

“That’s what we’ve been missing for the most part of the entire year to have somebody that’s that explosive who can change a game,” Self said. “He certainly was a great spark tonight.”

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

There were seven players in Division I who scored 40 or more points in a game last week but Tyrese Rice of Boston College was the only one who accomplished the feat against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Rice, who can only be described as a pure scorer, had 46 points in BC’s 90-80 loss on Saturday. Rice made 8 of 9 three-points shots and had 34 points in the first half. Rice’s 46 is the third most ever scored against the Tar Heels and the most for a BC player in more than 40 years. The BC school record is 49, set by John Austin in 1964.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

O.J. Mayo of Southern Cal didn’t score 40 points but he did have a career-high 37 against Arizona State. But just like BC’s Rice, Mayo’s team came out on the short end of the score, losing 80-66 on Saturday. UCLA’s Don MacLean holds the Pac-10 record for points by a freshman. MacLean scored 41 against North Texas in 1988.  Mayo hit seven of his first eight attempts from three-point range and finished 7-for-10.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Monday, March 3
Pittsburgh at West Virginia
Both teams are trying to improve their NCAA status. Pitt pulled out a huge victory in the final seconds Saturday at Syracuse. The Mountaineers got off to a slow start at UConn and that loss keeps them on the NCAA bubble.

Texas Tech at Kansas
The Red Raiders had quite a week. After a 44-point loss at Texas A&M, coach Pat Knight kicked his players out of their dressing room and became a drill sergeant. Tech responded with an upset of Texas. It’s senior night at Kansas.

Tuesday, March 4
Purdue at Ohio State
Looks as if the Buckeyes will make the big transition from last year’s NCAA championship to this year’s NIT. But a win over Purdue might keep Ohio State on the bubble a little longer.

Florida State at North Carolina
The Tar Heels have Ty Lawson back and that means North Carolina is almost back to full strength for the postseason. This will be a tune-up for the next Duke game.

Wednesday, March 5
Tennessee at Florida
Passing the torch in the SEC. Bruce Pearl’s Vols now rule the conference after Florida won consecutive national championships.

Mississippi State at Vanderbilt
Mississippi State leads the SEC West and defeated Florida Saturday for its sixth win in seven games. After Vanderbilt lost to Arkansas, this becomes a big game for the Commodores.

Texas A&M at Baylor
These two teams started the season so well, but both have struggled down the stretch. Baylor scored 100 points against Missouri Saturday, while A&M managed just 37 in a loss to Oklahoma.

Thursday, March 6
Stanford at UCLA
The top two teams in the Pac-10 go head-to-head. Stanford could make a huge statement by winning this road game.

Connecticut at Providence
The Friars picked apart UConn in Hartford back in January. The Huskies followed that with a 10-game winning streak.

Xavier at Saint Joseph’s
Xavier just keeps rolling over opponents in the Atlantic 10, while Saint Joseph’s has closed in disappointing fashion.

Saturday, March 8
Louisville at Georgetown
The entire Big East has been waiting for this game since October.

North Carolina at Duke
There’s a lot on the line, as usual, when these two teams get together. The winner may emerge with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

UAB at Memphis
Memphis almost lost in Birmingham. Can UAB put another scare into the Tigers?

Sunday, March 9
Florida at Kentucky
The Billy Bowl. Donovan vs. Gillispie. Both need a boost heading into the SEC tournament.

Oklahoma State at Texas
Sean Sutton wants to keep his job. And Oklahoma State wants to go dancing, evidently. The Cowboys have won five straight heading into the week.

THEY SAID IT:

“We got beat. I mean, I can't be any more specific. Don’t let the final score be an indicator of how well Tech played and how well they beat us.” – Texas coach Rick Barnes, after the Longhorns lost 83-80 at Texas Tech

“Seriously, this is a brutal league. I’ve said many times, ‘We’re still sitting at the table – Kenny Rogers’ ‘The Gambler,’ we’ll count our money when it’s done.” – Georgetown coach John Thompson III after a 70-68 overtime victory over Marquette.

“The Pac-10 this year reminds me of being in the NBA, where certain teams match up well with other ones. No one really knows why. But everybody creates a little bit of a match up problem for the others. It’s just the way things are.” – Arizona interim coach Kevin O’Neill

“We want tacos!” – Michigan State fans during the first half of the Spartans’ 103-74 victory over Indiana. Fans can turn in their ticket stub for a free taco if Michigan State scores 70 points in a game.

“He’s a great player, but I don’t think he’s real tough minded at times. We got him on a bad track and he wasn’t able to get back on. That was our goal.” – Kansas guard Russell Robinson, commenting on Kansas State forward Bill Walker, who got into early foul trouble and scored nine points in an 88-74 Kansas victory.

“I think the ESPN people are more nervous than he is. I think he’s going to be great at it. Digger Phelps called me the other day because he wanted to bust [my father] and make sure he’s been studying up on all the players and the teams and what they run. He wants to make sure he can pronounce all the names.” – Texas Tech coach Pat Knight, addressing Bob Knight’s decision to work for ESPN as analyst during the NCAA Tournament.

NOTES:

The name of the game at Stanford is defense. Coach Trent Johnson reminded his team of that Friday after the Cardinal gave up 79 points and 53.1 shooting in a victory over Washington. Johnson capped the rims the next day to focus on defense and rebounding. It paid off against Washington State. The Cougars didn’t make a field goal in the final 6 minutes and 49 seconds. Stanford controlled the boards and won 60-53. Defense and rebounding has been the key for Stanford all season. The ability of Brook and Robin Lopez – Stanford’s twin 7-foot sophomores – to block shots will be of enormous value to the Cardinal in the NCAA Tournament. “When you’ve got two big 7-footers sitting on the back line, it really makes them good,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. “They do a good job of playing containment defense. They really lock in on their guy. They take away your driving lanes but if you do get by them, they have two excellent shot blockers sitting on the back line.”

Kansas State, led by fabulous freshman Michael Beasley, was nationally ranked throughout the month of February. Now the Wildcats are 18-10 overall, 8-6 in the Big 12, have lost four straight and five of six. Kansas fans taunted the Wildcats Saturday night with chants of “NIT, NIT, NIT.”  The Kansas City Star reported last week that first-year coach Frank Martin hasn’t made his deal with the school official and he is coaching without a standard contract. That is simply fueling speculation that Martin may be out after one year if he doesn’t get the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament. Things could get ugly in Manhattan.

Mike Krzyzewski’s 800th career coaching victory is a reminder that he could become the first – and quite possibly the only – men’s coach to reach 1,000 victories. Coach K’s mentor, Bob Knight, is the all-time leader at 902. If Knight stays on the sidelines (which doesn’t seem likely), Krzyzewski shouldn’t have much trouble moving into the top spot.                                                                                          

Kentucky and Oklahoma have experienced some trying times this season but both teams went into last week clinging to the dream of reaching the NCAA Tournament. That task became more difficult with injuries to Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson and Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin. Patterson will miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his left ankle. Kentucky fans have likely seen the last of Patterson, the SEC’s top freshman scorer.  It seems likely Patterson will head to the NBA after one season.  Griffin had surgery on his right knee Sunday and will miss the remainder of the regular season after tearing the medial meniscus against Texas A&M.

Cornell became the first team in the NCAA Tournament by beating Harvard 86-53 Saturday and wrapping up the Ivy League championship. It’s been 20 years since the Bears went to the Big Dance.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. The Wizard of Westwood suffered a hairline fracture of his left wrist and fractured his collarbone in a fall Thursday night. Wooden, 97, was in his Los Angeles-area condominium when the accident took place.

Stat of the week: Michigan State scored 59 points in the first half against Indiana Sunday – that’s more than the Spartans scored in four games this season.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds