In-between day
Friday happenings in Omaha and handicapping KU's game with UNLV for Saturday.
March 21, 2008
By Mark Dent
Another beautiful day in Omaha, a city that a friend of mine once referred to as the armpit of the nation.
Hey, it’s not that bad, but days like this make you think the place could use a little Old Spice to freshen it up. It’s cloudy, cold and March 21. I wasn’t about to say anything but that just ain’t right. Elsewhere in the Midwest, the temperature is closer to 70. Thank God us media types never have to go outside.
In fact, the Hilton we’re chilling at on 10th Street connects to the Qwest Center by a skywalk. You can skip the wind-chill and head straight from the luxurious hotel to the dungeon-like innards of the Qwest Center. Add that dank basement atmosphere to the clouds outside, and you could envision even the Watson’s pool girl getting depressed here.
Luckily, we have basketball to cheer us up. Kansas didn’t take the court today for a game, but the Jayhawks practiced at the Qwest for about an hour and a half in the late morning. They take on UNLV tomorrow. The Rebels had the luxury of playing against Kent State, which had a historically awful performance on Thursday.
Here’s the scoop on UNLV. The players are small and like to shoot. The Rebs’ lineup almost always includes four guys who can make threes, and sometimes all five guys can light it up from deep. They’re also good at applying pressure on defense.
No starter for the Rebels stands taller than 6-7, meaning the Jayhawks will have a tremendous size advantage. It will be interesting to see what Kansas does with that edge.
Against Portland State, the Jayhawks saw the smaller Vikings’ double teams inside and resorted to playing from the outside. Sure, Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson got a few touches, but they should’ve been able to exploit the height advantage in spite of the double teams. Instead, the guards turned the game into a chuck-fest. They made the threes –12 of em – but can that continue? Kansas struggled for nearly a month behind the three-point arc in February.
The Jayhawks need to impose their will tomorrow and kill the Rebels in the post. It’s the safe and smart thing to do. Three-point shooters need not apply.
Still, Kansas is hot from the outside and the players know it.
“We’ll shoot until we miss,” Russell Robinson said.
Go ahead Jayhawks but remember these cautionary tales. The three almost killed Duke Thursday against Belmot –damn killer B’s. The Blue Devils made just six of 21. In 1996, the Jayhawks shot three-pointers til their hands blistered against Syracuse in an Elite Eight loss. Jerod Haasse fired up nine from deep and didn’t make a single one.
He couldn’t help it. Neither can most teams. They can’t stop shooting the three even when they do miss. The three ball is an addiction. The distance and the extra point give you a feeling of power.
I’m not saying UNLV will beat Kansas if the Jayhawks settle for threes. The Rebels will just have a better opportunity to do it. Robinson, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers can keep shooting it if they want on Saturday, but they’d be smart to send the ball inside.
Notes
Poor litte Ron Ron
Sherron Collins just can’t stay healthy. Kansas coach Bill Self said the guard was still not 100 percent and probably wouldn’t be for Saturday’s game. Collins bumped his knee while diving for a loose ball in practice on Tuesday. He wore a brace in Thursday’s game and didn’t practice all-out on Friday.
Hilton Hell
OK, check this out. We ordered a pizza from room service last night (we swear Kansan we hadn’t eaten all day) and the menu said it cost $13.95. Not too bad of a price but then the Hilton added a 17 percent gratuity to the bill and charged some other extra fee that’s more than the normal seven percent or so tax rate. Then, the bellboy who brought it up still expected a tip. Really Hilton, really?
And that’s just the start. It costs money to access the Internet and use the workout room. What’s next, rationing water for showers?
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