Friday, March 14, 2008
Sherron Collins yelled. Mario Chalmers began to walk toward the potential fracas. Kansas’ coaching staff yelled at its players to back away. Kansas’ emotional leader, Darnell Jackson, lay on floor on the Sprint Center, grounded by a painful elbow from Nebraska’s Ryan Anderson.
Senior forward Darnell Jackson stays down after a play in the second half. Kansas defeated Nebraska 64-54, outscoring the Huskers 42-27 in the second half.
Russell Robinson just watched.
“I just thought, “get up D-block, you don’t want to show anybody you're soft,” Robinson said after Kansas’ 64-54 come-from-behind victory against Nebraska in the quarter-final round of the Big 12 conference tournament.
Robinson made sure Jackson stayed upright on Friday night. Jackson did the same for Kansas.
The Jayhawks first half performance was sleep-inducing. After 20 minutes, the Kansas trailed Nebraska 27-22. The Jayhawks turned the ball over, hoisted up bricks, and played with the intensity and focus of Jeff Spicoli.
“It was the worst half of the year,” Jackson said.
Photo Gallery
Kansas Basketball vs. Nebraska
Photo gallery of Kansas men's basketball game against Nebraska in the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas needed a spark. A lift. A jolt. Any sports cliché would have done the job. Darnell Jackson came through with a tip. Yes, a tip.
Kansas raced out to a 12-4 run to start the second half. Leading 34-31, the Kansas crowd started to murmur softly. Nebraska ran through an offensive possession. A Cornhusker penetrated and kicked the ball out past the three-point line. Jackson, carrying his bulky 250-pound frame, leapt into the air and batted the ball toward Robinson. Kansas’ spidery senior guard flashed into the open floor and found junior guard Brandon Rush open for a three-pointer. Swish. Kansas 37, Nebraska 31.
“When Darnell got that tip, and I got the steal, I thought that changed the game. I thought the game was over right there,” Robinson said.
Jackson finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. Eight of the points came in the second half when Kansas outscored Nebraska 42-27. Jackson’s contributions weren’t just confined to offense. Nebraska’s four-guard line-up forced Jackson to spend the night running around picks and pressuring the perimeter.
“It was tough,” Jackson said, sitting in the locker room after the game. Jackson called Anderson’s elbow a cheap shot. It knocked the wind out of Jackson. That was about it. Resting against a locker room chair in his game shorts and an undershirt, Jackson continued to preach the same gospel. Kansas has experienced painful postseason losses before. They don’t want to again. No matter that this was the Big 12 tournament and not the “Big boy” tournament that starts next week. For Jackson, the postseason is the postseason.
Jackson said Kansas felt the memory of those agonizing losses on Friday.
“We just said, ‘do you want to go home or do you want to advance?'” Jackson said.
With the help of Jackson, the Jayhawks advanced – for now.
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