Big 12: Kansas survives Tech
In Oklahoma City last March, Kansas went home from the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, with Baylor delivering an upset. Thursday in Kansas City, the Jayhawks seemed on the ropes again.
Texas Tech forward Darko Cohadarevic (31) loses the ball in front of Kansas forward Thomas Robinson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big 12 Conference men's tournament, Thursday, March 11, 2010, in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas won 80-68. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Pesky Texas Tech wouldn’t go away, and when John Roberson’s layup was accompanied by a foul on KU’s Cole Aldrich, the Red Raiders were within 65-63 with 5:55 left in the game. But Roberson missed the foul shot, then a jumper that 33 seconds later would have tied it.
And Kansas closed the door. Sherron Collins made a 3-pointer with 5:02 left, then Xavier Henry made a steal and hit another 3-pointer. Kansas led 71-63, and that was as close as Tech got.
Henry, the freshman from Putnam City, finished with 13 points and six rebounds. He made three of five 3-point attempts.
“We got the balls moving,” Collins said. “We didn’t move the ball as well as we should move it the entire game, but we got a good reversal, and I was open. Then we got a steal. We ran the floor. We hit some big shots. That’s what we needed. The crowd got into it, and we fed off that.”
KU coach Bill Self noted that the Jayhawks often seem to struggle with the quarterfinal. The Jayhawks have been a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in 11 of the 14 Big 12 Tournaments.
Self reeled off some tight quarterfinal victories. In 2008, KU beat Nebraska 64-54 despite trailing big early. Self said the Jayhawks “struggled” with OU in 2007, but that’s nonsense; the final was 64-47. In 2006, KU did indeed struggle with Oklahoma State, surviving 63-62 in Dallas.
“We probably played better today than we did in all those games, if that’s any consolation for us at all,” Self said. “But certainly we have to play better tomorrow.”
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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