By JIM O'CONNELL
Associated Press
GLENDALE, Arizona (AP) — Kansas guard Frank Mason III and Gonzaga coach Mark Few have won The Associated Press player and coach of the year awards, the news cooperative announced Thursday at the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona.
Mason led Kansas to its 13th consecutive Big 12 title. He received 37 votes Thursday from the same 65-member media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25.
Few has taken the Zags to the NCAA Tournament in all 18 of his seasons there. He was a runaway winner Thursday receiving 31 votes from the panel.
Mason, a senior point guard, averaged 20.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from 3-point range.
Josh Hart of Villanova was second in player of the year voting with 16 votes. Caleb Swanigan of Purdue had nine and Lonzo Ball of UCLA had three.
Mason is the first Kansas player to win the award. He is the first Big 12 player to win it since Blake Griffin of Oklahoma in 2009.
Sean Miller of Arizona received eight votes for the coach award while Chris Collins of Northwestern had seven and SMU's Tim Jankovich got six.
Gonzaga is the only head coaching job Few has had and he has compiled a 502-112 record. The Zags have reached the West Coast Conference Tournament final in all of Few's seasons.
He is the first WCC coach to win the award since Bob Gaillard of San Francisco in 1977.
Showing posts with label Kansas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kansas. Show all posts
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Oregon beats Kansas 74-60 to punch Final Four ticket
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Oregon lost one of its best players to an injury just before the NCAA Tournament, had to survive two nail-biters to reach the Midwest Regional finals, and then faced a top-seeded Kansas team that had romped to the brink of the Final Four.
Of course, the Ducks would rise to the occasion.
With swagger and verve and downright prolific shooting, the plucky team that everybody wanted to count out rolled to a 74-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday night, earning the Ducks their first trip to the national semifinals in nearly 80 years.
"You feel so good for so many people," said Ducks coach Dana Altman, who is headed to his first Final Four after 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament. "It's a team effort. You feel good for a lot of people."
Indeed, a whole lot of people had a hand in it.
Tyler Dorsey hit six 3s and poured in 27 points, Dillon Brooks added 17 and Jordan Bell finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in a virtuoso performance for the Ducks (33-5), who seized the lead with 16 minutes left in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way.
Now, they'll face the winner of Sunday's game between North Carolina and Kentucky in the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. It will be their first trip since 1939, when the Tall Firs won it all.
Player of the year candidate Frank Mason III had 21 points in his final game for the Jayhawks (31-5), but the offensive fireworks and steady poise that had carried them to a 13th straight Big 12 title fizzled just 40 minutes from campus on a night where very little went right.
Star freshman Josh Jackson was mired in early foul trouble. Sharpshooting guard Devonte Graham never got on track. And the swagger the Jayhawks showed in humiliating Purdue in the Sweet 16 simply evaporated for a team that rolled to the Elite Eight by an average margin of 30 points.
"I'm disappointed for them more than I am for me," said Kansas coach Bill Self, who fell to 2-7 in Elite Eight game, including four defeats as a No. 1 seed. "But the one thing that happened today, and it's hard to admit, the best team did win today."
The Ducks knew everything was stacked against them, but the point was only driven home when their bus passed the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City on the way to the arena. Thousands of fans in red and blue were rallying hours before the tipoff, turning it into a de facto road game.
But the torrid shooting of Brooks, Ennis and Dorsey quickly deflated the sold-out Sprint Center, and sent a warning shot to the Jayhawks that they were in for a fight.
"You've got to give them credit," Graham said. "They hit some big shots."
Foul trouble sent Jackson to the bench for much of the first half, allowing the Ducks carve to out a comfortable lead. Then Dorsey finished the half with back-to-back 3s, including a deep bank shot at the buzzer, as the Ducks pranced to their locker room relishing in a 44-33 advantage.
"When you play hard throughout the whole game," Brooks said, "you catch some breaks."
The Ducks kept dancing in the second half, beating the Jayhawks at their own game: Getting into transition, passing up good shots for better ones and knocking down 3-pointers.
The Ducks' lead swelled to 55-37 when Brooks drilled another shot from the perimeter, and frustration began to creep into the Kansas bench. It was only compounded every time Jackson or Graham tossed up a shot that clanked hollowly off the iron, the Jayhawks' sense of desperation slowly growing.
Jackson didn't score until midway through the second half, and said later he'd "never been in such a tough position." Graham was 0 for 7 from the field, missing all six of his 3s.
The Jayhawks eventually began to whittle into their deficit, doing most of the work at the free-throw line. But the Ducks kept answering just enough to keep the crowd from giving Kansas anything extra.
When Svi Mykhailiuk scored to make it 64-55, Ennis answered with a driving basket. When Mykhailiuk buried a 3 from the corner to make it 66-60 with 2:49 left, Dorsey answered at the other end with another 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired to give Oregon some breathing room.
A few minutes later, the Ducks were cutting down the nets to end a satisfying trip to Kansas City.
"The seven years we've been at Oregon, we've had great guys to work with," Altman said, "but I also feel good for all the other players, the ex-players, who have built Oregon basketball. Like we said, 1939 is a long drought, but we owe all the ex-players."
BILL'S BUMMING
The Jayhawks lost in the Elite Eight for the second straight year, while Self also lost for the seventh time as a No. 1 seed. That trails only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams, who have nine losses apiece, for most in NCAA Tournament history.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon wound up shooting 51 percent from the field and hit 11 of 25 from beyond the arc, taking advantage of a porous defense that never matched the standard set by previous Kansas teams.
Kansas may look a whole lot different next season. Mason and big man Landen Lucas will graduate, and Jackson is likely to turn pro, though he said afterward he hasn't thought about it. Graham and Mykhailiuk may also consider declaring for the NBA draft.
UP NEXT
The Ducks are headed to the desert to play for a spot in the national championship.
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Oregon lost one of its best players to an injury just before the NCAA Tournament, had to survive two nail-biters to reach the Midwest Regional finals, and then faced a top-seeded Kansas team that had romped to the brink of the Final Four.
Of course, the Ducks would rise to the occasion.
With swagger and verve and downright prolific shooting, the plucky team that everybody wanted to count out rolled to a 74-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday night, earning the Ducks their first trip to the national semifinals in nearly 80 years.
"You feel so good for so many people," said Ducks coach Dana Altman, who is headed to his first Final Four after 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament. "It's a team effort. You feel good for a lot of people."
Indeed, a whole lot of people had a hand in it.
Tyler Dorsey hit six 3s and poured in 27 points, Dillon Brooks added 17 and Jordan Bell finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in a virtuoso performance for the Ducks (33-5), who seized the lead with 16 minutes left in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way.
Now, they'll face the winner of Sunday's game between North Carolina and Kentucky in the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. It will be their first trip since 1939, when the Tall Firs won it all.
Player of the year candidate Frank Mason III had 21 points in his final game for the Jayhawks (31-5), but the offensive fireworks and steady poise that had carried them to a 13th straight Big 12 title fizzled just 40 minutes from campus on a night where very little went right.
Star freshman Josh Jackson was mired in early foul trouble. Sharpshooting guard Devonte Graham never got on track. And the swagger the Jayhawks showed in humiliating Purdue in the Sweet 16 simply evaporated for a team that rolled to the Elite Eight by an average margin of 30 points.
"I'm disappointed for them more than I am for me," said Kansas coach Bill Self, who fell to 2-7 in Elite Eight game, including four defeats as a No. 1 seed. "But the one thing that happened today, and it's hard to admit, the best team did win today."
The Ducks knew everything was stacked against them, but the point was only driven home when their bus passed the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City on the way to the arena. Thousands of fans in red and blue were rallying hours before the tipoff, turning it into a de facto road game.
But the torrid shooting of Brooks, Ennis and Dorsey quickly deflated the sold-out Sprint Center, and sent a warning shot to the Jayhawks that they were in for a fight.
"You've got to give them credit," Graham said. "They hit some big shots."
Foul trouble sent Jackson to the bench for much of the first half, allowing the Ducks carve to out a comfortable lead. Then Dorsey finished the half with back-to-back 3s, including a deep bank shot at the buzzer, as the Ducks pranced to their locker room relishing in a 44-33 advantage.
"When you play hard throughout the whole game," Brooks said, "you catch some breaks."
The Ducks kept dancing in the second half, beating the Jayhawks at their own game: Getting into transition, passing up good shots for better ones and knocking down 3-pointers.
The Ducks' lead swelled to 55-37 when Brooks drilled another shot from the perimeter, and frustration began to creep into the Kansas bench. It was only compounded every time Jackson or Graham tossed up a shot that clanked hollowly off the iron, the Jayhawks' sense of desperation slowly growing.
Jackson didn't score until midway through the second half, and said later he'd "never been in such a tough position." Graham was 0 for 7 from the field, missing all six of his 3s.
The Jayhawks eventually began to whittle into their deficit, doing most of the work at the free-throw line. But the Ducks kept answering just enough to keep the crowd from giving Kansas anything extra.
When Svi Mykhailiuk scored to make it 64-55, Ennis answered with a driving basket. When Mykhailiuk buried a 3 from the corner to make it 66-60 with 2:49 left, Dorsey answered at the other end with another 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired to give Oregon some breathing room.
A few minutes later, the Ducks were cutting down the nets to end a satisfying trip to Kansas City.
"The seven years we've been at Oregon, we've had great guys to work with," Altman said, "but I also feel good for all the other players, the ex-players, who have built Oregon basketball. Like we said, 1939 is a long drought, but we owe all the ex-players."
BILL'S BUMMING
The Jayhawks lost in the Elite Eight for the second straight year, while Self also lost for the seventh time as a No. 1 seed. That trails only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams, who have nine losses apiece, for most in NCAA Tournament history.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon wound up shooting 51 percent from the field and hit 11 of 25 from beyond the arc, taking advantage of a porous defense that never matched the standard set by previous Kansas teams.
Kansas may look a whole lot different next season. Mason and big man Landen Lucas will graduate, and Jackson is likely to turn pro, though he said afterward he hasn't thought about it. Graham and Mykhailiuk may also consider declaring for the NBA draft.
UP NEXT
The Ducks are headed to the desert to play for a spot in the national championship.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Home fans will boost Kansas in battle with Oregon
Stats, LLC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- En route to the Elite Eight, Kansas won its three NCAA Tournament games by an average of 30 points, averaging 96 points in that span.
Slowing down the top-seeded Jayhawks will be the task for third-seeded Oregon in the Midwest Regional final Saturday (8:49 p.m. EDT) at Sprint Center. To make it a little more of a challenge, the Ducks must do it in a hostile environment.
Sprint Center is less than an hour's drive from Lawrence, Kan., the home of the Jayhawks, so the arena will be filled with Kansas fans.
"We look forward to the challenge. It's an opportunity to play," Oregon coach Dana Altman said before Kansas easily dispatched Purdue 98-66. "Kansas is Kansas. Obviously look out there. There is a little green section and a dark blue section. Royal blue filled everything else. It will be a tough ballgame because it's a road game."
Kansas' players know the advantage of having most of the 18,000-plus fans behind them.
"Playing here in K.C. is great," Kansas guard Devonte' Graham said. "The crowd (is) behind us and they give us so much momentum and energy throughout the game. It's just great to be here."
Oregon is a good matchup for Kansas because of similar styles. Kansas relies on four guards in their starting lineup, while Oregon plays small with the loss of 6-10 forward Chris Boucher to injury late in the season.
"(I have a) ton of respect (for Oregon)," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "(They're) unbelievably athletic. They're like us, they're going to play small a lot of the time because they will play Dillon (Brooks) at the 4 like we play Josh and then play the best defender in the Pac-12, Defensive Player of the Year around the middle, kind of like we do Landen (Lucas). So I think it will be two teams that at least match up with each other pretty well."
Kansas is led by national player of the year candidate Frank Mason III. He was averaging 20.8 points per game coming into the NCAA Tournament. He scored 26 points against Purdue. He can drive to the basket, shoot from the outside (he was 4-of-5 from 3-point range against the Boilermakers and shoots 47.2 percent on the season), and he loves to pass, averaging 5.2 assists per game.
Oregon's go-to player is Brooks, who leads the Ducks with 16.4 points per game. He can bring the ball up court, though he plays the power-forward position for the Ducks with the absence of Boucher.
Altman and Oregon are back in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. They lost to Big 12 opponent Oklahoma with a spot in last year's Final Four. If they accomplish their goal Saturday, it will be the Ducks' first Final Four since the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939, when the Ducks won their only title.
"It's just an unbelievable feeling," Altman said. "I owe these guys (his players) so much, for putting us in this position. As a coach, you always dream of playing in the Final Four and winning a national title. I feel really fortunate to have really good players who have put us in that position."
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- En route to the Elite Eight, Kansas won its three NCAA Tournament games by an average of 30 points, averaging 96 points in that span.
Slowing down the top-seeded Jayhawks will be the task for third-seeded Oregon in the Midwest Regional final Saturday (8:49 p.m. EDT) at Sprint Center. To make it a little more of a challenge, the Ducks must do it in a hostile environment.
Sprint Center is less than an hour's drive from Lawrence, Kan., the home of the Jayhawks, so the arena will be filled with Kansas fans.
"We look forward to the challenge. It's an opportunity to play," Oregon coach Dana Altman said before Kansas easily dispatched Purdue 98-66. "Kansas is Kansas. Obviously look out there. There is a little green section and a dark blue section. Royal blue filled everything else. It will be a tough ballgame because it's a road game."
Kansas' players know the advantage of having most of the 18,000-plus fans behind them.
"Playing here in K.C. is great," Kansas guard Devonte' Graham said. "The crowd (is) behind us and they give us so much momentum and energy throughout the game. It's just great to be here."
Oregon is a good matchup for Kansas because of similar styles. Kansas relies on four guards in their starting lineup, while Oregon plays small with the loss of 6-10 forward Chris Boucher to injury late in the season.
"(I have a) ton of respect (for Oregon)," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "(They're) unbelievably athletic. They're like us, they're going to play small a lot of the time because they will play Dillon (Brooks) at the 4 like we play Josh and then play the best defender in the Pac-12, Defensive Player of the Year around the middle, kind of like we do Landen (Lucas). So I think it will be two teams that at least match up with each other pretty well."
Kansas is led by national player of the year candidate Frank Mason III. He was averaging 20.8 points per game coming into the NCAA Tournament. He scored 26 points against Purdue. He can drive to the basket, shoot from the outside (he was 4-of-5 from 3-point range against the Boilermakers and shoots 47.2 percent on the season), and he loves to pass, averaging 5.2 assists per game.
Oregon's go-to player is Brooks, who leads the Ducks with 16.4 points per game. He can bring the ball up court, though he plays the power-forward position for the Ducks with the absence of Boucher.
Altman and Oregon are back in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. They lost to Big 12 opponent Oklahoma with a spot in last year's Final Four. If they accomplish their goal Saturday, it will be the Ducks' first Final Four since the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939, when the Ducks won their only title.
"It's just an unbelievable feeling," Altman said. "I owe these guys (his players) so much, for putting us in this position. As a coach, you always dream of playing in the Final Four and winning a national title. I feel really fortunate to have really good players who have put us in that position."
Friday, March 24, 2017
No. 1 seed Kansas routs Purdue 98-66 to reach Elite Eight
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) It took about 10 minutes for Kansas guards Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham to slow down, gain their composure and get everything under control in their Midwest Regional semifinal.
When that happened, everything promptly sped up for Purdue.
The pace of the game turning in their favor, the high-flying Jayhawks proceeded to wear down the bigger, stronger Boilermakers on Thursday night. And by the time Mason and Graham finished pouring in 26 points apiece, No. 1 seed Kansas had coasted to a 98-66 victory and a spot in the Elite Eight.
"When we started to slow down and play our style of basketball, that's when we started rolling," said Mason, the player of the year front-runner, who also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Jayhawks will play No. 3 seed Oregon, which survived a nail-biter earlier in the night, on Saturday night for a spot in their first Final Four since 2012.
Josh Jackson added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Landen Lucas did a good job of keeping Purdue forwards Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas in check, as the Jayhawks (31-4) turned a seven-point halftime lead into their third consecutive blowout in the NCAA Tournament.
Their beat-down of the Big Ten champs followed easy wins over UC Davis and Michigan State.
"You just cannot let them get in transition like that," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "If they keep getting those types of opportunities and shoot like that, they can't be stopped."
Swanigan still had 18 points and seven boards for the No. 4 seed Boilermakers (27-8), but the 6-foot-9, 250-pound All-America candidate had to work for all of it. The Jayhawks kept collapsing on him in the post, forcing Swanigan to begin taking 3-pointers early in the second half.
It wasn't much longer before the game was out of reach.
"It was one of the best games we've played all year," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "The second half was about as complete as we played. We were pretty good at both ends."
The game shaped up as a contrast of styles: the slick, speedy athleticism that carried the Jayhawks to the Big 12 title against the bruising, post-dominated play of the Boilermakers.
Purdue promptly stunned a sold-out Sprint Center by hoisting up early 3-pointers.
Their underrated guards took advantage of constant double-teams of Swanigan and Haas in the paint, letting loose a barrage of deep shots. By the time Kansas realized the game had started, Painter's team had raced to a 25-18 lead midway through the first half.
The Jayhawks eventually found their footing, and the crowd that showed up a mere 40-minute drive from their campus in Lawrence provided the soundtrack to a 22-7 run to end the half.
Things got so loud inside the downtown arena that Painter, who always maintained Kansas earned the right to the quasi-home game, resorted to scribbling offensive sets on a dry erase board.
"It was unbelievable," Graham said. "They gave us so much momentum and energy."
The roars for Kansas only got louder in the second half.
Ryan Cline's 3-pointer got Purdue within 58-54 with 14:39 to go, and that's when the Jayhawks ripped off a game-defining 11-0 run. Mason started and ended it, but it was Lagerald Vick's acrobatic 360-degree dunk in transition that brought a roar that shook the playing floor.
When Mason knocked down his fourth 3, the lead had grown to 69-54 with 10 minutes left - and it just kept growing. It soon reached 20, then 30, as the Jayhawks began to party.
"It's basically our backyard," Graham said, "and we're just thankful we had the opportunity to play here. We took advantage of it."
STATS AND STREAKS
Kansas is the first team since UConn in 1995 to score at least 90 points each of its first three games. ... The Jayhawks were 15 of 28 from beyond the arc, setting a school record for makes in an NCAA Tournament game. ... Purdue is 1-3 against the Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament. ... Kansas had lost its last three games against teams seeded fourth or better.
WHAT'S NEXT
Asked whether he plans to turn pro, Swanigan replied: "I haven't thought about it." The sophomore went on to say he doesn't have a timetable to make a decision after emerging as a potential first-round NBA draft pick during his breakout season with the Boilermakers.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue got 12 points from P.J. Thompson and 11 from Haas, but it wasn't nearly enough. Vincent Edwards was held to eight points after big games against Vermont and Iowa State, while Carsen Edwards had six points on 1-for-10 shooting. He was 0 for 5 from beyond the arc.
Kansas was so far ahead that Self was able to empty his bench, a rarity for a regional semifinal. That meant his son, Tyler Self, was able to check in for the final couple of minutes, just as chants of "Rock, Chalk!" began to ring out through Sprint Center.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks play the Ducks on Saturday for a spot in Glendale, Arizona.
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) It took about 10 minutes for Kansas guards Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham to slow down, gain their composure and get everything under control in their Midwest Regional semifinal.
When that happened, everything promptly sped up for Purdue.
The pace of the game turning in their favor, the high-flying Jayhawks proceeded to wear down the bigger, stronger Boilermakers on Thursday night. And by the time Mason and Graham finished pouring in 26 points apiece, No. 1 seed Kansas had coasted to a 98-66 victory and a spot in the Elite Eight.
"When we started to slow down and play our style of basketball, that's when we started rolling," said Mason, the player of the year front-runner, who also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Jayhawks will play No. 3 seed Oregon, which survived a nail-biter earlier in the night, on Saturday night for a spot in their first Final Four since 2012.
Josh Jackson added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Landen Lucas did a good job of keeping Purdue forwards Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas in check, as the Jayhawks (31-4) turned a seven-point halftime lead into their third consecutive blowout in the NCAA Tournament.
Their beat-down of the Big Ten champs followed easy wins over UC Davis and Michigan State.
"You just cannot let them get in transition like that," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "If they keep getting those types of opportunities and shoot like that, they can't be stopped."
Swanigan still had 18 points and seven boards for the No. 4 seed Boilermakers (27-8), but the 6-foot-9, 250-pound All-America candidate had to work for all of it. The Jayhawks kept collapsing on him in the post, forcing Swanigan to begin taking 3-pointers early in the second half.
It wasn't much longer before the game was out of reach.
"It was one of the best games we've played all year," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "The second half was about as complete as we played. We were pretty good at both ends."
The game shaped up as a contrast of styles: the slick, speedy athleticism that carried the Jayhawks to the Big 12 title against the bruising, post-dominated play of the Boilermakers.
Purdue promptly stunned a sold-out Sprint Center by hoisting up early 3-pointers.
Their underrated guards took advantage of constant double-teams of Swanigan and Haas in the paint, letting loose a barrage of deep shots. By the time Kansas realized the game had started, Painter's team had raced to a 25-18 lead midway through the first half.
The Jayhawks eventually found their footing, and the crowd that showed up a mere 40-minute drive from their campus in Lawrence provided the soundtrack to a 22-7 run to end the half.
Things got so loud inside the downtown arena that Painter, who always maintained Kansas earned the right to the quasi-home game, resorted to scribbling offensive sets on a dry erase board.
"It was unbelievable," Graham said. "They gave us so much momentum and energy."
The roars for Kansas only got louder in the second half.
Ryan Cline's 3-pointer got Purdue within 58-54 with 14:39 to go, and that's when the Jayhawks ripped off a game-defining 11-0 run. Mason started and ended it, but it was Lagerald Vick's acrobatic 360-degree dunk in transition that brought a roar that shook the playing floor.
When Mason knocked down his fourth 3, the lead had grown to 69-54 with 10 minutes left - and it just kept growing. It soon reached 20, then 30, as the Jayhawks began to party.
"It's basically our backyard," Graham said, "and we're just thankful we had the opportunity to play here. We took advantage of it."
STATS AND STREAKS
Kansas is the first team since UConn in 1995 to score at least 90 points each of its first three games. ... The Jayhawks were 15 of 28 from beyond the arc, setting a school record for makes in an NCAA Tournament game. ... Purdue is 1-3 against the Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament. ... Kansas had lost its last three games against teams seeded fourth or better.
WHAT'S NEXT
Asked whether he plans to turn pro, Swanigan replied: "I haven't thought about it." The sophomore went on to say he doesn't have a timetable to make a decision after emerging as a potential first-round NBA draft pick during his breakout season with the Boilermakers.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue got 12 points from P.J. Thompson and 11 from Haas, but it wasn't nearly enough. Vincent Edwards was held to eight points after big games against Vermont and Iowa State, while Carsen Edwards had six points on 1-for-10 shooting. He was 0 for 5 from beyond the arc.
Kansas was so far ahead that Self was able to empty his bench, a rarity for a regional semifinal. That meant his son, Tyler Self, was able to check in for the final couple of minutes, just as chants of "Rock, Chalk!" began to ring out through Sprint Center.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks play the Ducks on Saturday for a spot in Glendale, Arizona.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Purdue faces tough road vs. top-seeded Kansas
Stats, LLC
In a stereotypical big vs. small clash, the small is actually favored as No. 1 seed Kansas “hosts” No. 4 seed Purdue in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
It’s listed as a neutral-site game, but Sprint Center is less than an hour from Allen Fieldhouse — the home of the Jayhawks — and the majority of the 18,972 in attendance likely will be clad in crimson and blue.
“We get a chance to play 35 miles away from Lawrence,” Kansas guard Frank Mason III said. “I think it’s just great for the fans and for us to get a chance to play there in the Sweet 16. We’re all so excited.”
Purdue is ready for the atmosphere.
“We know it’ll be hostile there, but we can draw energy from that,” center Isaac Haas said via Twitter. “Gotta put ourselves in best position possible.”
The two teams won their regular-season outright conference titles by multiple games. Purdue (27-7) won the Big Ten by two games while No. 3 Kansas (30-4) won the Big 12 by four games.
The Jayhawks start four guards, although two are Josh Jackson and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who both stand 6-foot-8. They get a majority of their scoring (more than 60 of their 83 points per game) from their four guards.
Purdue, meanwhile, depends heavily on its bigs, especially national player of the year candidate Caleb Swanigan, the double-double machine. He leads the NCAA with 28 double-doubles this season.
The Boilermakers also have 6-8 Vince Edwards (12.7 points per game) and the 7-2 Haas (12.6), creating matchup problems for Kansas. Swanigan is 6-9, 250 pounds, but he averages 18.5 points and 12.6 rebounds. He’s also a deft passer, averaging 3.0 assists.
Purdue leads the Big Ten and is 12th nationally with a scoring differential of 12.6 points per game. The Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten (13th nationally) in rebounding margin at 7.0.
Kansas boasts its own player of the year candidate in Mason, but he does his damage outside the post. He led the Big 12 in scoring at 20.8 points per game. The Jayhawks use two point guards, as Devonte’ Graham handles the ball as often as Mason.
Mykhailiuk is mostly a long-range threat for Kansas. He takes 63 percent of his shots from beyond 3-point range, connecting on 39.5 percent of them. But he’s not the only good shooter. The Jayhawks rank fifth in the country at 40.6 percent from 3-point range.
The matchup problem on Kansas’ roster is Jackson, one of the leading freshmen in the country. He’s averaging 16.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. His height makes him a tough matchup for opposing guards, and his athleticism makes him tough to guard for forwards.
Ironically, both teams reached this round by beating a team from their opponent’s conference. Purdue advanced with an 80-70 victory over Vermont. In the second round, the Boilermakers gave up a 19-point second-half lead, but rebounded to defeat Iowa State 80-76.
Kansas reached the Sweet 16 with convincing wins over UC Davis (100-62) and Michigan State (90-70).
Friday, March 17, 2017
Top-seeded Kansas ready to prove doubters wrong, starting vs. UC Davis
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Whether or not Kansas is a popular pick to work its way through the NCAA Tournament bracket this time around probably doesn’t matter to the Jayhawks.
This Kansas team has already overcome doubters this season.
When Jayhawks freshman center Udoka Azubuike, a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, tore ligaments in his left wrist in December it made Kansas’s quest for its 13th-straight Big 12 title seem in jeopardy.
All the Jayhawks did after that was go 16-2 in the Big 12 to win the conference yet again.
And now Kansas (28-4) is ranked No. 3 in the nation and has the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.
The Jayhawks will play University of California Davis (23-12) in the opening round on Friday evening at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
UC Davis defeated North Carolina Central, 67-63, in a play-in game on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.
Although a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Kansas coach Bill Self can see how it will be a challenge to stay out of tournament lore for such a blemish.
“I do think it’s a little bit of a disadvantage not knowing who you’re going to play the first game,” Self said earlier in the week. “We’re happy that we’re a 1 seed. I’m not sure that’s a huge advantage. We’re obviously happy that we get to stay fairly regional with our travel, especially going down to Tulsa the first weekend.”
As for the Aggies, they seem ready to dance with the Jayhawks.
“I think our guys are great about, as we prepare for a team, respecting all of our opponents,” UC Davis coach Jim Les said. “And we’ll do that. But we also like our competitiveness, and feel like in a one-game situation, we’re going to come, we’re going to play hard, we’re going to compete and let the chips fall where they may. So, we’re excited for this opportunity. And we’ll concede nothing. But we’ll be ready.”
The last time Kansas took the floor, TCU defeated the Jayhawks, 85-82, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. But Kansas was missing all-Big 12 first-team freshman guard Josh Jackson, who was suspended for one game for leaving the scene after backing his car into a parked car in February.
Jackson will return for the Jayhawks as they begin the NCAA Tournament.
“Josh Jackson has probably played about as consistently as any player in the country, I would say the last two months,” Self said. “I think 18 out of 20 games he’s scored 14 or more points and that’s not what he does. What he does is all the other things and then the points come as he does all the other things. I have every reason to believe that he’ll handle everything very well.”
If Kansas, which is trying to get to the Final Four for the first time since 2012, can advance past UC Davis, it will set up an intriguing matchup with the winner between No. 8-seed Miami and No. 9 Michigan State.
“You look at that potential matchup if you advance past the first game of Miami and Michigan State and you say, ‘Didn’t Miami beat Duke?'” Self said. “And then you look at Michigan State and you say, ‘Hasn’t he been to seven or eight Final Fours?’ So, I personally didn’t feel a ton of comfort or warm feelings by seeing that. It’s a hard first weekend without question.”
Whether or not Kansas is a popular pick to work its way through the NCAA Tournament bracket this time around probably doesn’t matter to the Jayhawks.
This Kansas team has already overcome doubters this season.
When Jayhawks freshman center Udoka Azubuike, a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, tore ligaments in his left wrist in December it made Kansas’s quest for its 13th-straight Big 12 title seem in jeopardy.
All the Jayhawks did after that was go 16-2 in the Big 12 to win the conference yet again.
And now Kansas (28-4) is ranked No. 3 in the nation and has the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.
The Jayhawks will play University of California Davis (23-12) in the opening round on Friday evening at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
UC Davis defeated North Carolina Central, 67-63, in a play-in game on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.
Although a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Kansas coach Bill Self can see how it will be a challenge to stay out of tournament lore for such a blemish.
“I do think it’s a little bit of a disadvantage not knowing who you’re going to play the first game,” Self said earlier in the week. “We’re happy that we’re a 1 seed. I’m not sure that’s a huge advantage. We’re obviously happy that we get to stay fairly regional with our travel, especially going down to Tulsa the first weekend.”
As for the Aggies, they seem ready to dance with the Jayhawks.
“I think our guys are great about, as we prepare for a team, respecting all of our opponents,” UC Davis coach Jim Les said. “And we’ll do that. But we also like our competitiveness, and feel like in a one-game situation, we’re going to come, we’re going to play hard, we’re going to compete and let the chips fall where they may. So, we’re excited for this opportunity. And we’ll concede nothing. But we’ll be ready.”
The last time Kansas took the floor, TCU defeated the Jayhawks, 85-82, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. But Kansas was missing all-Big 12 first-team freshman guard Josh Jackson, who was suspended for one game for leaving the scene after backing his car into a parked car in February.
Jackson will return for the Jayhawks as they begin the NCAA Tournament.
“Josh Jackson has probably played about as consistently as any player in the country, I would say the last two months,” Self said. “I think 18 out of 20 games he’s scored 14 or more points and that’s not what he does. What he does is all the other things and then the points come as he does all the other things. I have every reason to believe that he’ll handle everything very well.”
If Kansas, which is trying to get to the Final Four for the first time since 2012, can advance past UC Davis, it will set up an intriguing matchup with the winner between No. 8-seed Miami and No. 9 Michigan State.
“You look at that potential matchup if you advance past the first game of Miami and Michigan State and you say, ‘Didn’t Miami beat Duke?'” Self said. “And then you look at Michigan State and you say, ‘Hasn’t he been to seven or eight Final Fours?’ So, I personally didn’t feel a ton of comfort or warm feelings by seeing that. It’s a hard first weekend without question.”
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
No. 2 Kansas beats Iowa State 76-72 for 17th straight win
By LUKE MEREDITH
Associated Press
AMES, Iowa (AP) -- No. 2 Kansas passed its biggest Big 12 road test of the season, winning in a gym where losing was threatening to become a trend.
Frank Mason III had 16 points, Landen Lucas scored 14 and the Jayhawks held off Iowa State 76-72 on Monday night for their 17th straight win.
Svi Mykhailiuk added 13 for the Jayhawks (17-1, 6-0 Big 12), who snapped a two-game skid in Ames and opened 6-0 in the Big 12 for the 10th time.
"It's always tough (here)," Lucas said. "We should be proud to come in here and win. Our young guys maybe don't understand that."
Though it was never comfortable for Kansas, the Jayhawks led the entire second half. Iowa State star Monte Morris drilled a long 3-pointer and two free throws to make it 75-72 with 14.6 seconds left. But then Devonte Graham's free throw made it a two-possession game and Morris missed a 3 that would've made for an interesting finish.
Morris scored 23 points with seven rebounds and seven assists for the Cyclones (11-6, 3-3), who saw their recent string of success against the Jayhawks come to an end.
Iowa State had won four of its last six against the 12-time defending league champions.
"We've just got to figure out a way to become a better defensive team. They shot 14 layups in the first half. Layups. You can't give Kansas 28 points in layups and expect to beat them," Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said.
Deonte Burton had 21 points on 21 shots for the Cyclones, losers of two straight for the first time in six weeks.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas: This was a win Kansas has a right to be proud of. Hilton Coliseum is one of the most intimidating atmospheres in America - especially when the Jayhawks come to town - and over 14,000 fans braved an ice storm to scream at them. Victories like this are the reason Kansas keeps winning the Big 12. "No disrespect, but I think it was the best home court we've played in so far," Kansas coach Bill Self said.
Iowa State: The Cyclones let a huge opportunity slip by. Iowa State is very talented and remains a threat in the postseason because of its strong backcourt. But the Cyclones have lost tight games to Gonzaga, Baylor and Kansas, and their program has long since passed the day when moral victories mattered.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
In a slight surprise, voters picked Villanova over Kansas for the top spot on Monday. It'll be hard for the Jayhawks to pass the Wildcats after Villanova routed Seton Hall by 30 points on Monday. The defending national champions host Providence on Saturday. "It really doesn't matter. I told our staff that Villanova would jump us in (the) AP (poll). They beat Xavier by 25 last week. That didn't surprise me at all. We're in a pretty good spot right now," Self said.
TURNING POINT
Burton's three-point play brought the Cyclones within 67-63. But a quick 6-0 run capped by Mason's layup put Kansas up 10 with 1:57 left, and those baskets came in handy after Iowa State made its late surge. Given that the Jayhawks' first two road league wins were at TCU and scuffling Oklahoma, the resolve Kansas showed down the stretch was impressive.
THE DIFFERENCE
Kansas dominated Iowa State on the boards, 41-24, and scored 52 points in the paint. The Cyclones' guards did their part, with Naz Mitrou-Long chipping in 18 points, but the inability to hang with teams inside continues to haunt Iowa State against elite competition.
THE NUMBERS
Kansas shot 54.8 percent from the floor, helping mitigate its 18 turnovers. ... Iowa State was 9 of 27 from 3-point range. ... Graham had nine points and eight assists, freeing up Mason to attack the basket. ... Morris also had four steals, but he turned it over three times in the first half after committing just one such miscue in his first five Big 12 games.
UP NEXT
Kansas hosts Texas on Saturday. But next week will be brutal, with trips to West Virginia and Kentucky looming.
Iowa State plays at Oklahoma on Saturday.
Associated Press
AMES, Iowa (AP) -- No. 2 Kansas passed its biggest Big 12 road test of the season, winning in a gym where losing was threatening to become a trend.
Frank Mason III had 16 points, Landen Lucas scored 14 and the Jayhawks held off Iowa State 76-72 on Monday night for their 17th straight win.
Svi Mykhailiuk added 13 for the Jayhawks (17-1, 6-0 Big 12), who snapped a two-game skid in Ames and opened 6-0 in the Big 12 for the 10th time.
"It's always tough (here)," Lucas said. "We should be proud to come in here and win. Our young guys maybe don't understand that."
Though it was never comfortable for Kansas, the Jayhawks led the entire second half. Iowa State star Monte Morris drilled a long 3-pointer and two free throws to make it 75-72 with 14.6 seconds left. But then Devonte Graham's free throw made it a two-possession game and Morris missed a 3 that would've made for an interesting finish.
Morris scored 23 points with seven rebounds and seven assists for the Cyclones (11-6, 3-3), who saw their recent string of success against the Jayhawks come to an end.
Iowa State had won four of its last six against the 12-time defending league champions.
"We've just got to figure out a way to become a better defensive team. They shot 14 layups in the first half. Layups. You can't give Kansas 28 points in layups and expect to beat them," Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said.
Deonte Burton had 21 points on 21 shots for the Cyclones, losers of two straight for the first time in six weeks.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas: This was a win Kansas has a right to be proud of. Hilton Coliseum is one of the most intimidating atmospheres in America - especially when the Jayhawks come to town - and over 14,000 fans braved an ice storm to scream at them. Victories like this are the reason Kansas keeps winning the Big 12. "No disrespect, but I think it was the best home court we've played in so far," Kansas coach Bill Self said.
Iowa State: The Cyclones let a huge opportunity slip by. Iowa State is very talented and remains a threat in the postseason because of its strong backcourt. But the Cyclones have lost tight games to Gonzaga, Baylor and Kansas, and their program has long since passed the day when moral victories mattered.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
In a slight surprise, voters picked Villanova over Kansas for the top spot on Monday. It'll be hard for the Jayhawks to pass the Wildcats after Villanova routed Seton Hall by 30 points on Monday. The defending national champions host Providence on Saturday. "It really doesn't matter. I told our staff that Villanova would jump us in (the) AP (poll). They beat Xavier by 25 last week. That didn't surprise me at all. We're in a pretty good spot right now," Self said.
TURNING POINT
Burton's three-point play brought the Cyclones within 67-63. But a quick 6-0 run capped by Mason's layup put Kansas up 10 with 1:57 left, and those baskets came in handy after Iowa State made its late surge. Given that the Jayhawks' first two road league wins were at TCU and scuffling Oklahoma, the resolve Kansas showed down the stretch was impressive.
THE DIFFERENCE
Kansas dominated Iowa State on the boards, 41-24, and scored 52 points in the paint. The Cyclones' guards did their part, with Naz Mitrou-Long chipping in 18 points, but the inability to hang with teams inside continues to haunt Iowa State against elite competition.
THE NUMBERS
Kansas shot 54.8 percent from the floor, helping mitigate its 18 turnovers. ... Iowa State was 9 of 27 from 3-point range. ... Graham had nine points and eight assists, freeing up Mason to attack the basket. ... Morris also had four steals, but he turned it over three times in the first half after committing just one such miscue in his first five Big 12 games.
UP NEXT
Kansas hosts Texas on Saturday. But next week will be brutal, with trips to West Virginia and Kentucky looming.
Iowa State plays at Oklahoma on Saturday.
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