Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Looking back at Kansas’ 67-65 victory against Oklahoma, coach Bill Self was able to see it as part of a bigger picture.
“It’s the best scenario,” he said. “I just wish we’d played better.”
He’s referring to the NCAA Tournament, where the Jayhawks won’t be able to blow opponents out as they have in recent weeks. With the opening rounds approaching, everything is now viewed through the filter of March Madness.
The Jayhawks vaulted to No. 3 in the country Monday, but Self won’t allow himself to speculate about NCAA tournament seedings beyond Saturday’s game with Texas for the Big 12 title.
“We’ve only thought about winning the league,” he said. “Us winning the league will have a lot to do with the brackets when they come out.”
From there, it’s on the team to deliver victories in the big games, which is where Monday’s nail biter comes in. A close victory against a mid-tier team may help bring the Jayhawks back to earth.
“This will kind of ground us a little bit, and let us get refocused,” Self said.
The Jayhawks pulled out the victory after playing a half of largely uninspired basketball. The team didn’t attempt a three-point shot in the second half of the game, and only survived by getting to the free-throw line for 34 attempts.
It was also a step backward for freshmen Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins. Arthur, a forward, played only six minutes after getting into foul trouble early and being substituted out for veteran players late. Collins, a guard, may have been overdue for one of these nights after a superhuman month of February.
“There weren’t a lot of opportunities for him tonight,” Self said. “He’s been pretty good lately. He was probably due.”
It was also a learning experience for the freshmen, who have had to play games on Saturday and Monday in each of the past two weeks. That mirrors the NCAA tournament schedule, where teams sometimes play with less than 48 hours of rest.
“The tournament is a pretty trying and tiring time, depending on when your game is,” Self said. “You could get a 10 p.m. game. Then you shoot around the next day at 2 p.m., and you’ve been up all night trying to get ready.”
pullquote
The tournament is a pretty trying and tiring time, depending on when your game is.
-Bill Self
Kansas can thank the TV networks for that practice. ESPN scheduled the Jayhawks for Big Monday the past two weeks, and CBS has picked up this Saturday’s game for telecast. That popularity also means the Jayhawks will face some of their toughest competition in the final days of the season.
The biggest storylines are out of the Jayhawks control, though. If Texas A&M loses against Texas tonight, it could allow the Jayhawks to win the Big 12 title outright. If the Aggies defeat the Longhorns, it raises questions about whether the Jayhawks can be seeded higher even though they lost to the Aggies earlier in the season.
For now, Kansas continues to work and focus on doing its part by winning Saturday.
“That’s been a goal of ours since day one,” Self said. “So I can’t see them forgetting about that and moving on to something else.”
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
— Edited by James Pinick
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