Monday, February 16, 2009
MANHATTAN — Deep inside the concrete bowels of Bramlage Coliseum, Bill Self congratulated his triumphant players on their way to the visitors’ locker room, a wide grin stretched across his face.
The joyous postgame banter between Kansas’ players and their coach was, for the most part, pretty predictable following a gutsy 85-74 comeback victory. There were plenty of ‘atta boys’ and pats on the back to go around.
But amid the celebration, one jubilant reaction said far more than the rest.
“This is our house.”
For the 20th time in 21 games, Bramlage Coliseum belonged to Kansas. One year after finally breaking the Jayhawks’ 24-game winning streak in Manhattan, the Wildcats had looked poised to create their first winning streak against their in-state rivals in their own building.
Kansas State was as hot as any team in the Big 12. Six consecutive conference victories had fans and media alike forgetting the four consecutive losses that marred the Wildcat’s disastrous conference start.
Before the game, lines of rowdy students snaked along the parking lot, accosting anyone seen wearing Kansas apparel and even chanting “Lawrence sucks” in response to a Channel 6 vehicle driving past on its way to media parking.
The stands themselves were filled to the brim, and homemade signs poking fun at junior guard Sherron Collins’ questionable behavior in elevators and freshman forward Markieff Morris’ marksmanship with an airsoft gun dotted the white-clad student section.
Even the Kansas Athletics billboard on Highway 70 between Lawrence and Manhattan showed signs of purple. Four enormous painted purple letters — EMAW or ‘Every Man a Wildcat’ — dominated the advertising space intended to promote the Jayhawks.
K-State fans were confident before tipoff, but even they couldn’t have predicted how thoroughly their team would dominate the first 12 minutes and 25 seconds. Denis Clemente’s layup gave the home team a 30-16 advantage, and Kansas’ heads went down.
Through the resulting din, you could sense what the crowd was thinking. Allen Fieldhouse West was no more. This was their house, and today would be the day they finally exorcised the final demons The Streak had hung over their heads, proving last year’s victory wasn’t a fluke.
Thirty-one seconds later, sophomore guard Brady Morningstar buried one of his four three-pointers to cut the lead to 13. By the time Kansas capped off a 28-13 run with another Morningstar three, closing out the second half trailing by one, the mood inside Bramlage had changed completely.
In the second half, Clemente’s and Jacob Pullen’s three-point strokes dried up and the Jayhawks’ triangle-and-two defense began doing its job. Kansas’ young players drew on the composure of Self and the dominating post play of Aldrich, and the end result was never in doubt after Clemente’s elbow sparked a 7-0 run from the visitors.
This was, after all, Kansas’ house for all intents and purposes. One loss to Michael Beasley and Bill Walker wasn’t going to change the fact that the Jayhawks had owned the Wildcats in their own building for more than two decades.
On the Kansas State bench, Clemente held his head in his hands, the tears flowing freely. Fans shuffled out of the building, and those remaining sarcastically cheered when Aldrich was called for his first foul with just over 30 seconds remaining.
The Streak is over, but, as with anything else, there are always new beginnings.
— — Edited by Liz Schubauer
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