Free throws secure victory

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

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Kansas Basketball vs. Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. — Free throws were a problem for Kansas all night, but the team made enough in the game’s final minutes to secure a 67-65 victory against Oklahoma.

Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers made 10 of his 12 attempts, including a perfect 6-for-6 in the final five minutes of the game.

“I just try to cancel out the crowd and stay focused,” he said. “We hit the free throws when we needed to.”

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In the game’s final minute, sophomore forward Julian Wright missed two free throws, sophomore guard Brandon Rush made one of two, and Chalmers and junior guard Russell Robinson converted both of their attempts.

Other players weren’t as successful, and for a stretch in the second half the Jayhawks made only slightly more than half of their attempts from the charity stripe.

The Sooners, meanwhile, were able to convert 79 percent of their attempts in the second half, enough to make the Jayhawk big men think twice about fouling.

Chalmers’ poise helped the Jayhawks to victory, and was also important because he hadn’t had a breakout game recently. Coach Bill Self said that the nature of the team is for different players to step up on different nights.

“You could almost ask me who our best player is at each TV time out,” he joked.

The final two from Chlamers, with 22.2 seconds showing on the clock, were especially crucial as they pushed the Kansas lead to five.

Oklahoma forward Nate Carter credited those late attempts with sealing the game.

“They are the No. 3 team in the country for a reason,” he said. “They made a lot of their free throws down the stretch.”

Robinson returns from injury:

Junior guard Russell Robinson returned to the court after missing Saturday’s game due to injury. Freshman guard Sherron Collins kept his starting spot, with Robinson joining him at the first timeout.

“Russell’s doing fine,” Self said. “He’s a little winded, but fine.”

Senior night in Oklahoma:

The Sooners honored four seniors for their contributions, but most notable was guard Kellen Sampson, son of former coach Kelvin Sampson.

The elder Sampson left Oklahoma last year after 12 seasons to become coach at Indiana, causing speculation that fans would boo him during his return. He looked visibly nervous as he came out of the tunnel, but broke into a smile when fans greeted him with a standing ovation.

He was introduced twice: The first time as Kellen’s father and at halftime he was recognized as the former coach.

“I’m excited to be here as a parent and support Kellen,” Kelvin said before the game. “It’s really the first time I’ve seen him. I saw him for 48 hours at Christmas. I haven’t had a chance to see him since then.”

One game from a conference title:

Kansas can win at least a share of the Big 12 title by defeating Texas at home this Saturday. Coach Bill Self said that winning the conference was one of the team’s goals, and that they were happy to have the opportunity to do so.

He won’t, however, be throwing any parties to watch Texas A&M play its remaining games. If the Aggies lose, the Jayhawks could win the title outright. Self will have problems of his own, though. Texas’ freshman phenom Kevin Durant has been terrorizing opponents all year.

“I can’t wait,” Self said sarcastically. “I’m really fired up about that.”

Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.

— Edited by Joe Caponio

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