Caywood: Champ always has one like this

**Lzen** · 03-23-2007, 09:12 AM

Posted by
Kurt Caywood in Sports, CJ sports columnists, KU

Author
Kurt Caywood
SAN JOSE, Calif — Yeah, well, the Survivor winner looks pretty scraggly after a couple of weeks on the island, too.

The key in reality TV isn't to be clean. They key is to stick around, and here at HP Pavilion, in the granddaddy of all reality shows, Kansas is still on the NCAA Tournament island.
If you turned on CBS Thursday night looking for a beauty contest, you were appalled. If you tuned in searching the Ultimate Fighting Championship or the NCAA wrestling meet, you didn't find it, but you didn't touch that dial, either.

This was no-holds-barred basketball at its best, and the Jayhawks were better — by three points, 61-58 — than fourth-seeded Southern Illinois.

Look inside today's paper at the box score. It's one of the most bizarre you'll ever see. KU shot 60 percent from the field, but three of its biggest names — Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright — had 82 percent of its misses. The Jayhawks, who made 45 percent of their 3s in Big 12 play and 61 percent of them in their first two NCAA games, took just six from beyond the arc and made just one.

Meanwhile, Southern Illinois had more rebounds, fewer turnovers and was worlds better at the free throw line, where Kansas was just 10-for-19 and missed 4 of its last 5.

Was it perfect? Far from it. Was it pretty? Farther from it.

Was it satisfying? What do you think?

"Gawd yeah, I'm happy. We're playin' on Saturday," KU coach Bill Self said. "Did we play great? No. You're not gonna play great. Yeah, I'm happy. I thought we showed toughness. I thought we did a lot of good things. I'm disappointed some guys didn't handle the heat as well as I thought they could, but when the game was on the line we handled it well."

The team that wins the NCAA title always has to survive a game like this. Always. Florida beat Georgetown by four in the Sweet Sixteen last year. Two years ago, Villanova played North Carolina to two in this round. UConn needed a one-point win during its march in March 2004, and Syracuse's regional semifinal against Auburn was a one-pointer the year before that.

It's just the way it is.

Kansas lost this game last year. Not this one, but one like it. Bradley, another Missouri Valley team, gave the Jayhawks more than they bargained for, and they couldn't handle it. This year, they were more ready and more self-assured. When SIU took the ball and scored and took the lead and stretched it and held it for a significant chunk of the second half, they didn't panic.

They knew this was bare-knuckled. They were OK with bare-knuckled.

"I think it shows, whatever the circumstance is, we can adjust," sophomore guard Mario Chalmers said. "Even though we like to play an up-tempo game ... we can slow it down with the best of them."

SIU may not have been the best of them, but it was up there. Self raved, and rightly so. It was tough and disciplined and athletic and fast and it never yielded. The Valley probably won't ever get a team seeded higher than a No. 4, but this one might have deserved it.

The Jayhawks will see bigger, deeper teams. They'll see one Saturday in the West Regional championship.

They won't see a better defensive one. They could, but they'd have to play themselves.

Defense again was their constant — defense, and players, and when it was time to win or lose, Brandon Rush drove the lane, rose above the smaller Salukis and scored on what Self called "the biggest possession we had this year on offense."

Somewhere in the NCAA bracket, it takes a play like that in a game like this, and the teams the get it move on.

Kansas is moving on.

Kurt Caywood can be reached at (785) 295-1288 or kurt.caywood@cjonline.com.

http://blogs.cjonline.com/index.php?entry=2537

03-23-2007, 09:12 AM
Lzen Banded Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Oz Casino cash: $-529308	Caywood: Champ always has one like this Posted by Kurt Caywood in Sports, CJ sports columnists, KU Author Kurt Caywood SAN JOSE, Calif — Yeah, well, the Survivor winner looks pretty scraggly after a couple of weeks on the island, too. The key in reality TV isn't to be clean. They key is to stick around, and here at HP Pavilion, in the granddaddy of all reality shows, Kansas is still on the NCAA Tournament island. If you turned on CBS Thursday night looking for a beauty contest, you were appalled. If you tuned in searching the Ultimate Fighting Championship or the NCAA wrestling meet, you didn't find it, but you didn't touch that dial, either. This was no-holds-barred basketball at its best, and the Jayhawks were better — by three points, 61-58 — than fourth-seeded Southern Illinois. Look inside today's paper at the box score. It's one of the most bizarre you'll ever see. KU shot 60 percent from the field, but three of its biggest names — Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright — had 82 percent of its misses. The Jayhawks, who made 45 percent of their 3s in Big 12 play and 61 percent of them in their first two NCAA games, took just six from beyond the arc and made just one. Meanwhile, Southern Illinois had more rebounds, fewer turnovers and was worlds better at the free throw line, where Kansas was just 10-for-19 and missed 4 of its last 5. Was it perfect? Far from it. Was it pretty? Farther from it. Was it satisfying? What do you think? "Gawd yeah, I'm happy. We're playin' on Saturday," KU coach Bill Self said. "Did we play great? No. You're not gonna play great. Yeah, I'm happy. I thought we showed toughness. I thought we did a lot of good things. I'm disappointed some guys didn't handle the heat as well as I thought they could, but when the game was on the line we handled it well." The team that wins the NCAA title always has to survive a game like this. Always. Florida beat Georgetown by four in the Sweet Sixteen last year. Two years ago, Villanova played North Carolina to two in this round. UConn needed a one-point win during its march in March 2004, and Syracuse's regional semifinal against Auburn was a one-pointer the year before that. It's just the way it is. Kansas lost this game last year. Not this one, but one like it. Bradley, another Missouri Valley team, gave the Jayhawks more than they bargained for, and they couldn't handle it. This year, they were more ready and more self-assured. When SIU took the ball and scored and took the lead and stretched it and held it for a significant chunk of the second half, they didn't panic. They knew this was bare-knuckled. They were OK with bare-knuckled. "I think it shows, whatever the circumstance is, we can adjust," sophomore guard Mario Chalmers said. "Even though we like to play an up-tempo game ... we can slow it down with the best of them." SIU may not have been the best of them, but it was up there. Self raved, and rightly so. It was tough and disciplined and athletic and fast and it never yielded. The Valley probably won't ever get a team seeded higher than a No. 4, but this one might have deserved it. The Jayhawks will see bigger, deeper teams. They'll see one Saturday in the West Regional championship. They won't see a better defensive one. They could, but they'd have to play themselves. Defense again was their constant — defense, and players, and when it was time to win or lose, Brandon Rush drove the lane, rose above the smaller Salukis and scored on what Self called "the biggest possession we had this year on offense." Somewhere in the NCAA bracket, it takes a play like that in a game like this, and the teams the get it move on. Kansas is moving on. Kurt Caywood can be reached at (785) 295-1288 or kurt.caywood@cjonline.com. http://blogs.cjonline.com/index.php?entry=2537
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