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KU defeats Albany 79-43

By Mark Dent

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

FINAL Kansas wins

The last seven minutes were much better than the first part of the second half.

Kansas took control. Brady Morningstar made a couple threes. Marcus Morris added another. Sherron Collins made a nice reverse layup. Kansas pulled away even more.

The Jayhawks had looked stagnant before that in the second half. Finally, they spread apart and ran the ball more often. The offense finally had a nice flow to it.

It was an encouraging ending for the team and the fans. Tennesse comes to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. Should be a tough one.

That game will be more of a litmus test to see if Kansas has recovered from the Arizona loss.

7:55 Kansas leads 58-35

This Jayhawks team isn't a second half team. Not even close. Not yet at least.

Kansas is slogging through this second half, outscoring the Danes by two at this juncture in the second half. Not so good. Especially considering last week.

You all know what happened. The Jayhawks had a nine-point lead early in the second half against Arizona. They lost by 17. That wasn't the first second half letdown.

Against Syracuse, Kansas had a double-digit lead in the second half. It was in control for nearly the whole game. It lost. In overtime.

Second halves just haven't been as good as the first for KU. Yes, there are exceptions. The Temple game comes to mind as one. But second half play has been a problem.

And yes, this is Albany. Kansas will still probably win by at least 20. But the Jayhawks need to play better in the second half if they want to beat Tennessee on Saturday.

15:42 Kansas leads 46-23

Sherron Collins will check in after this TV timeout. It appears that he just got his ankle wrapped. Nothing big at all.

You could say the same for the first part of this half. KU has extended its lead a little bit. Albany probably doesn't have a chance.

So here's the question: Can we see some more Releford?

This blog is starting to sound like the Releford show, but seriously. He had the best five minutes of his career in the first, why not let him get some serious playing time in a blowout. It would be a nice change of pace and could give him some confidence. Plus, this isn't Brady Morningstar's night. Did anyone else see that airball on his layup a couple minutes ago?

18:22 KU leads 40-19

Sherron Collins hobbled off the floor a minute ago. Tyrel Reed replaced him.

Doesn't look like anything serious, but he is getting attended to by trainers. More updates to follow.

HALF - KU leads 40-19

Yes, that was Travis Releford. You know, the one you've heard about. The one who was in the top 75 on Rivals as a recruit but hasn't quite made it off the bench for hardly more than a handful of minutes this season.

Yes, that was Releford. He played about seven or eight minutes in the first half and scored seven points. The last two came at the buzzer on a nice layup. He also had a three-pointer.

Overall, the Jayhawks have looked sloppy during the last five minutes, but they lead by 21. That's not too bad. Expect an easy ride in the second half and perhaps, maybe, who knows, but possibly, more Releford.

6:54 Kansas leads 28-10

So this is looking like a blowout.

Kansas is having no trouble, even with the reserves in. Travis Releford has played a few minutes so far, more than he's seen in a long time, and he's performed better than he has in a longtime.

Tyrel Reed has come off the bench as well, contributing six points. Quintrell Thomas even had a nice offensive rebound and a couple of free throws.

Now the regulars are back in with the Jayhawks up 18. The team looks fresh and motivated, a good sign given that they haven't played in a week and the last time they played they got blown away by Arizona. This is Albany, but it's an impressive performance early on nonetheless.

11:25 Kansas leads 18-6

Cole Aldrich sure looks ready to put last week behind him.

Case in point came at the 15:30 mark. Albany got the ball inside, and Aldrich rejected the shot several feet to another Danes player. That guy put it up. Aldrich blocked it again.

He's playing with smart intensity. Aldrich has yet to pick up a foul at this point. And that's an accomplishment. He also has four points.

Tyrel Reed has come off the bench and added two three-pointers. Kansas looks to have pretty good control.

PREGAME

It sure seems like more than a week ago.

Bad losses have that effect. There's no question the Jayhawks wanted the holiday break to go by fast so they could get an opportunity to make up for the letdown last week in Tucson.

You all know what happened. Kansas took an early lead, then led at half by three. Then, the Jayhawks stretched it to nine, and things didn't go as planned. Arizona ended up winning by 17.

After a couple days off for Christmas, the players got back to Lawrence on the afternoon of the 27th. There are no limitations on practice time over break. As Bill Self says, you could watch film for three hours. The guess here is that Kansas has done just that.

The players know exactly what happened in that second half against the Wildcats. Now they finally have their opportunity to play again.

Albany is nothing special. Though the Great Danes have one of the best mascot names in all sports. And they have another claim to fame. The Danes nearly knocked off No. 1 Connecticut as a 16-seed in 2006. They'll need the same magic to have a chance in the Phog tonight.

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