Kansas Jayhawks Soar To Elite Eight
 

Kansas Jayhawks Soar To Elite Eight

Brnadon Rush didn't miss a shot.

San Jose, CA -- The Kansas Jayhawks are on the brink of going to the Final four. Brandon Rush scored 12 points without missing a shot and Kansas eked out a 61-to-58 victory over Southern Illinois in the West Regional semifinals.

Darrell Arthur and Russell Robinson scored nine points apiece to help the 27-and-4 Jayhawks avoid the upset. Kansas won its 14th straight game by nursing a small lead through the final minutes against a defense that made the Jayhawks work for every basket.


Jamaal Tatum scored 19 points in his final college game for the fourth-seeded Salukis, who wind up 28-and-7.

http://www.wfmynews2.com/sports/arti...?storyid=81830

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RockChalk Jayhawk, KU!
RockChalk Jayhawk, KU!
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Go Baby Jays!

:KU:

Jayhawks Escape Against Scrappy Salukis
By GREG BEACHAM 03.22.07, 10:47 PM ET

The Kansas Jayhawks knew they had to abandon the beautiful game they usually play to beat Southern Illinois. The Jayhawks admit they don't like winning ugly - but they like losing even less.

When the Salukis slowed their NCAA tournament run to a crawl, Brandon Rush and his Kansas teammates stooped down into the grit for a win that put them on the brink of the Final Four.

Rush scored 12 points without missing a shot, and Kansas eked out a 61-58 victory over Southern Illinois in the West Regional semifinals Thursday night.

Darrell Arthur and Russell Robinson scored nine points apiece to help the Jayhawks (33-4) barely avoid yet another Saluki surprise and another disappointing exit from the tournament.

Kansas went into the locker room bickering and muttering at Southern Illinois' tenacity, yet still won its 14th straight game by nursing a small lead through the final minutes against a defense that made the Jayhawks' future NBA stars work exceptionally hard for every basket.

"It shows that we can win whatever the circumstances are," said Kansas guard Mario Chalmers, who scored just nine points. "Everyone knows we like an uptempo game in the 80s, but we can take our time and slow it down with the best of them, too."

When Tony Young missed a desperate 3-point attempt from half-court at the buzzer, Kansas dodged its second straight tournament loss at the hands of the Missouri Valley Conference, which takes the "mid" out of mid-major with each passing year. Bradley beat the Jayhawks last season, but Kansas advanced to face the winner of UCLA's late game against Pittsburgh.

Southern Illinois decisively won the matchup's clash of styles, forcing a deliberate tempo on the high-flying Jayhawks while keeping the possessions long and the score low. The Salukis' defensive aggression and offensive rebounding were complemented by just enough big shots from its struggling scorers to keep it close.

But Kansas adjusted with a maturity that wasn't present in coach Bill Self's last two teams. Nine players got a field goal for the Jayhawks, who patiently waited for holes in the Salukis' defense - and then threw themselves into defending the other end.

It was elemental basketball, and Kansas put all the elements together.

"Whoever plays Southern isn't going to look good offensively," Self said. "It just isn't going to happen. ... I was disappointed how some guys handled the heat, but when the game was on the line, we handled it pretty well."

Jamaal Tatum scored 19 points in his final college game for the fourth-seeded Salukis (29-7), who couldn't get the break they needed to reach the round of eight for the first time in school history with just their second loss in 17 games.

Julian Wright's free throw with 1:23 left put Kansas up 58-53, but Tatum hit a 3-pointer moments later. Chalmers hit a free throw, and Tatum added another jumper to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 59-58.

But Rush confidently drove the lane with 25 seconds left and flicked home a basket with the poise that might someday make him the best of his three basketball-playing brothers.

"Somebody had to step up down the stretch and make a good play, and I'm glad I did," Rush said.

Rush's layup provided the game's final points, but Tatum missed a chance to tie it on a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left.

"The shot I took is a shot I've practiced numerous times in the gym at night (and) in between classes," Tatum said. "It felt good. I don't know what to say."

Randal Falker got the rebound for Southern Illinois, but lost the ball. Wright then missed two potential clinching free throws, but Young couldn't hit his fifth 3-pointer of the night on the run, sending Kansas into a subdued, relieved celebration.

Young scored 14 points on a poor shooting night, and Falker added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Salukis.

Tatum, the MVC's player of the year, shook off a 1-for-8 first half with an outstanding second half. He particularly embarrassed Chalmers, hounding the Jayhawks' high-profile guard and stripping the ball from him at least twice.

Kansas entered last weekend's opening rounds in Chicago as a popular pick to win it all after its roster packed with NBA prospects lost just twice since Dec. 2. The Jayhawks lived up to that billing in a fluid second-round win over Kentucky - but Southern Illinois presented a defensive challenge that few teams had been able to overcome this season.

The Salukis earned their sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance and the highest seeding in school history after winning the MVC's regular-season title. Their second-round NCAA victory over Virginia Tech was their 29th, setting another school record.

"We do what we do to everybody, no matter what's on the front of their jersey," Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery said. "I'm disappointed in the final result, but I'm very proud of our guys."

Matt Shaw scored nine points for Southern Illinois on a sprained ankle - but he also missed an open shot in the final minutes.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/...ap3544589.html

Good game Salukis. I, like alot of people underestimated you. Your toughness and tenacity are amazing and very admirable. Majority of the game we were completely out of sync. Your defense IS much more than I had ever imagined.

With God as my witness, I thought Jayhawks could fly.

So, All the Kansas fans who bet the over tonight thinking they were going to trounce SIU are going shirtless tonight. :)

In my opinion they have the best defense in all of college basketball.

at least they can do it with a smile knowing their hawks will be playing for a shot at the final four on saturday

I took the under to bad I didn't bet :)

Yeah, baby.

If you go back and look at the posts from this past week you would see that I didn't think it would be easy. I don't remember my exact prediction, but I think I predicted a pretty close game. Perhaps not this close, but close.

Did Rush look good or what when the game was on the line? We've never given Rush the ball at crunch time but he proved why he's our best player. He made 3 or 4 huge plays that kept the game from being out of reach, or putting the game out of reach for the girly dogs.

Rush definatly is the man and it will be sad if he goes pro this year

In the prediction thread I said SIU 66 KU 61. SIU fell 8 pts. short.
:)

soar to elite 8 ..... :) more of broken hawk wing flutter limp in.....

1pt win counts the same as a 20pt

correct....moves you on to 8 teams. but 4...2....or 1?

most championship teams usually have one bad game that they struggle to win in the tourney this may very well just be ku's game that they struggle on their way to the title

KU played a close, tight game with SIU, a VERY good team. You guys played the kind of basketball that exposes KU's weakness, and you did it well. Some things went your way, others didn't.

What I don't seem to get is that you think by KU eeking out against your team that means they were playing down. Are you saying Southern Illinois is NOT a good team and that by KU not steamrolling over them, they proved that they're not ready to move on to the Final Four? Or the Championship?

Why would you talk down your team like that?

I mean, how much can you think of your team if you think KU can beat them with a broken wing and a limp?

who did StcChief used to be? sourgrapes mofo is who he is now...

ah, nm_dbf is the crybaby...

piss off. airhead.

My hats off to JayHawks. But not their fans I meet....

as we lose the game. :banghead:

Go luck you'll need it.

You guys played a good game, too bad your reaction makes us all want to wait to see you next Tuesday.

Had a few last nite..... I just don't like losing the game that way.....

no joy in mudville today. I'm sure you SIU Law grads co-workers are bumming too.

call me under-impressed with +10 pt favored JayHawks.

I'm Not sure how may "first round" NBA picks they got on the team :rolleyes:

The word is "unimpressed."

We probably have 3-4 projected 1st rounders too. Not necessarily this upcoming year either. Not that it makes any difference to you.

They didn't "soar". Although they may be "sore" today, the way the refs seemed resigned to allow SIU to hack and swat with impunity most of the game.

Call me unimpressed with SIU's lack of anything that resembles actual basketball...

Can you say Hack a Shak?

its a good thing that kaun didn't get more minutes in the second half, not that anybody else could make a free throw last night either

Les ? ROFL

Who know's what will happen once you get to the final four, but getting past the elite eight? I'm not really worried after watching the UCLA Pitt game. I was at the game and it was one of the saddest excuses of college ball I've seen. The way they played last night neither team belonged in the NIT much less the NCAA.

Neither team wanted to win that game last night, it was painful to watch. People will claim great defense but that was a sloppy sloppy game. Hell if pitt made even 30% of their shots within 3ft of the basket they would have won. I was rooting at that game for Pitt to win in the begining because the crowd was definately UCLA heavy and I didn't want the crowd in the game sat. But after watching the game I relized that it probably didn't matter. If UCLA keeps playing the way they've been playing the last 5-6 games, the game will be over by half time.

The Keegan Ratings: Darnell proves he's the pulse

By Tom Keegan
March 22, 2007 | 7 comments

After each KU basketball game this season, this is where you can find out the basketball equivalent of The Nielsen Ratings from Journal-World sports editor Tom Keegan. He'll rate the Jayhawks' individual performances from top to bottom, telling you who was worth tuning in to watch and who has seen better days. If you agree or maybe even differ, make sure to comment and tell Tom how you really feel.

1. Darnell Jackson: Repeatedly picked up loose balls, had a huge steal late, made both free throws with 1:44 left, did his job in composed fashion on the press break, battled hard for big boards, made all three field goal attempts, hollered encouragement to wake up slumbering teammates and generally played the best all-around game on the team on the way to eight points and five rebounds.

2. Brandon Rush: Scored eight of his team-high 12 points in the second half.

3. Darrell Arthur: Had trouble rebounding because of the physical nature of the game, but hit some big buckets on his way to a nine-point night.

4. Russell Robinson: Had three steals, including a huge one in the end. Didn't have his shooting touch and committed four turnovers, but didn't lose his aggressiveness.

5. Rodrick Stewart: Came off the bench, immediately took a charge and soon after soared in the lane for a jumpshot he swished. Also came up with a big offensive rebound that somehow escaped the notice of the stat crew.

6. Sherron Collins: The constant trapping gave him trouble and he turned it over three times. His coast-to-coast drive was a beauty though.

7. Julian Wright: He has fallen in love too much with the one-handed lefty shot. The ultra-physical play didn't bring out the best in him and he was limited to 28 minutes.

8. Mario Chalmers: The first sign this was going to be a long night for him came early when a loose ball was in his vicinity, he didn't dive on the floor for it, and an SIU player came up with it. Missed three free throws and committed four turnovers.

9. Sasha Kaun: The Salukis were too quick for him and he was limited to 11 minutes, three in the second half. He had just one rebound.

The Keegan Ratings: Season Standings (total points and average rank)
1. Brandon Rush (126, 37 games) 3.41 (Breaks tie with Wright for 1st)
2. Julian Wright (131, 37 games) 3.54
3. Mario Chalmers (133, 37 games) 3.59
4. Sherron Collins (161, 37 games) 4.35
5. Russell Robinson (163, 36 games) 4.53
6. Darrell Arthur (183, 37 games) 4.95
7. Darnell Jackson (221, 37 games) 5.97 (Jumps Kaun for 7th)
8. Sasha Kaun (198, 33 games) 6.00
9. Rodrick Stewart (263, 29 games) 9.07
10. Jeremy Case (178, 19 games) 9.37
11. Brady Morningstar (156, 16 games) 9.75
12. Matt Kleinmann (190, 17 games) 11.18
13. Brennan Bechard (150, 12 games) 12.50
14. Brad Witherspoon (131, 10 games) 13.10