Jayhawks Disappoint in Close Win over Tech

To put this in perspective, let's acknowledge how bad Georgia Tech is this year. They are now 4-5, and have little hope of improvement. Four of last year's starters are gone. The two star freshmen, Javaris Crittendon (PG) and Thaddeus Young, went to the NBA, and (Super)Mario West graduated. Today, it was announced that Ra'sean Dickey, the senior center and leader, will take a medical redshirt this year. The point guard play throughout was terrible and is not fully reflected in the box score (7 assists and 7 turnovers between Causey, Miller, and Bell). Even on the road, Kansas should have handled the Jackets easily. Only two players (Clinch and Morrow) appeared capable of scoring for much of the game, and it was truly amazing the team broke 50 points. Paul Hewitt was literally stomping mad multiple times when his team did not know the plays or failed to execute them.

Kansas, on the other hand, is undefeated and #3 in the nation. However, the Jayhawks failed to establish a post presence the entire game, and frequently settled for outside shots. Kaun, Arthur, and Jackson (the three big men) combined for a total of 9 shots and only 17 points in 66 minutes. The Jayhawks frequently resorted to a 4 guard offense, which involved lots of dribbling around the perimeter. The team never seemed in sync with each other. While both teams struggled with the terrible officiating, it really detracted from the Kansas post game. Even though KU had a double digit lead for much of the second half, you never really felt you were watching a great team.

The coaching was bad too. Bill Self called off the dogs with 5 min left, opting to burn time and encouraging his players to pass on open shots, a strategy which made this game much closer than it should have been. Georgia Tech closed to within 1 pt with 10 seconds left. Kansas needs to learn how to put bad teams away, even on the road, or they will not go far in the tournament. GT could have sent the game to OT with a 3 on their last possession with 8 seconds left. The Jayhawks should never have been in that position.

Highlight of the game: A Chalmers one-handed slam off an offensive rebound, the 6'1" guard coming down the lane and skying over the forwards as if from a trampoline.