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FINAL SCORE: Kansas 87, Kansas State 71

By Taylor Bern

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

KANSAS 87, KANSAS STATE 71

Game Over

Kansas was never great on the boards, but the Jays dominated every other aspect of the game.

Self's crew shot 58 percent from the floor, 42 percent from beyond the arc and made five blocks. Kansas owned the paint, especially in the first half, and grinded out the last eight minutes for a solid victory.

Neither defense was spectacular and the game actually got sloppy about midway through the second half, but that was okay by Self because a sloppy game ensured a Jayhawk victory.

Check back to Kansan.com later tonight and tomorrow for plenty more coverage of this game, including Case Keefer's excellent "Blog" Allen Double Overtime post. Also, the Kansan will come back to paper form with the start of school on Thursday, so be sure to pick up your copy.

That's all from Allen Fieldhouse.

KANSAS 77, KANSAS STATE 64

3:54 left in the second half

It's going to be too little, too late for Kansas State.

The Jays withstood every Wildcat blow in the second half, and came back with bigger guns to all but end Frank Martin's hopes of escaping with a victory.

KANSAS 69, KANSAS STATE 56

7:58 left in the second half

Four fouls have planted Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich on the bench. While they're gone, Kansas State must continue its torrid pace to bring the game back to where it was just six minutes into the second half.

The Wildcats have fallen off from beyond the arc, but they're making up for it with a solid mid-range game and layups. They may simply run out of time to complete the comeback, but Kansas' defense is non-existent in the second half, so don't rule it out.

Offensively, Tyshawn Taylor has been on fire and he needs to pour some more gas on the fire to keep the Wildcats at bay.

Photo Gallery

Men's Basketball vs. Kansas State

A photo gallery of the men's basketball game against Kansas State.

KANSAS 58, KANSAS STATE 46

11:45 left in the second half

Just as Kansas State cut the lead to three, Kansas turned it on and stormed back to a 12-point lead. Collins and Aldrich were most responsible for the run, but Brady Morningstar keyed it with a three-pointer, his first points of the game, to make the score 48-42.

Wildcat forward Luis Colon fouled out with 12:14 left in the game. I have no idea why he was still in the game, but it was clearly a bad decision for Martin to leave him in. Colon wasn't playing great, but he was good enough to get in the way down low. Now Kansas' already sizeable size advantage has grown.

KANSAS 45, KANSAS STATE 37

15:20 left in the second half

Out of the break, the Wildcats are out-hustling the Jays. Kansas State already has eight rebounds in the second half and it hasn't cooled from long distance, either.

This has the makings of an epic collapse unless Self can get his group to calm down and return to the game that put them up in the first place: feeding the post.

KANSAS 37, KANSAS STATE 24

Halftime

Well, the Wildcats have clawed their way back into the game...sort of.

Kansas State is down 13, but it could have been a lot worse. The Wildcats finally started to hit some treys and they took advantage of Aldrich's rest on the bench.

Still, Kansas is going to have to stay in the locker room or tun into a poor high school team to blow this game. When he's on the court, Aldrich is dominating offensively and defensively. Wildcat guard Denis Clemente is quick, but he hasn't been able to keep up with Collins or Taylor's pace, and he's 0-for-4 as a result.

Most of the halftime stats are pretty even, except that Kansas is out-shooting K-State by 22 percent and it has been to the free throw line nine more times. Kansas State must continue to hit some treys and pray that Aldrich stubs his toe on his way to the court.

KANSAS 30, KANSAS STATE 20

3:34 left in the first half

The Wildcats are heating up from beyond the arc and it's made this game a bit more interesting.

However, Kansas Stat is still hitting less than 40 percent from the floor while Kansas is a solid 12-for-22. The Jays' shot attempts have slowed to a stand still thanks to to the Wildcats' defense. But when they get past the timeline, Kansas is still getting good looks and hitting most of them.

KANSAS 28, KANSAS STATE 16

5:14 left in the first half

It's weak, but Kansas State has a pulse. The Wildcats trimmed the lead to eight with pressure defense and a presence in the paint. But Kansas responded with a couple quick buckets, including an Aldrich slam.

Here's the most frustrating thing if you're a Wildcat: There's not one Jayhawk responsible for this pounding. Aldrich still leads the Jays with eight points, but two more have five points and six players have scored. There's no one to shutdown because nobody has gone off. Kansas is just playing superior basketball right now.

The Wildcats are shooting just 35 percent from the floor, but Luis Colon has started to wake up, notching four points and two rebounds in the last few minutes. He needs to put more pressure on Aldrich to see if the Minnesotan will falter and commit a couple of fouls. As long as Aldrich is on the floor, the Wildcats can't do much if anything in the paint.

KANSAS 20, KANSAS STATE 5

11:54 left in the first half

It took a three-pointer from a big stiff who bears a strong resemblance to yours truly for Kansas State to get on the board. With 13:51 left 6-foot-11 Darren Kent pulled up from the top of the key and buried a trey.

No matter. The Jays continued to pour it on and opened a 20-5 lead, thanks in part to a hammer dunk from Markieff Morris. Brady Morningstar's hustle after a missed free throw gave morris the ball with nothing but air between him and the rim.

If Kansas State can't make some three-pointers, or at least force consecutive defensive stops before the next timeout, go ahead and stick a fork in Frank Martin for tonight.

KANSAS 11, KANSAS STATE 0

15:50 left in the first half

So far, so perfect for the Jays. Kansas started quick with Cole Aldrich's jumper in the lane and it hasn't slowed down any as Aldrich already leads the way with six points.

Little, given his first start of the season, was short on a three-point attempt, but otherwise he played well. He hustled on defense and beat the defense back on a fast break.

I think LIttle started the game, in part, to keep Markieff Morris out of foul trouble. So much for that plan. Morris relieved Little and picked up his first foul in just 11 seconds.

Oh well, everything else is going Self's way so far.

7:05 p.m.

Earlier today we found out that Mario Little wouldn't take a redshirt, and tonight he's in the starting lineup. He probably won' see starter's minutes because he's not completely healthy, but this is a good way to get his legs under him and keep Morris & Morris out of foul trouble.

7:00 p.m.

In his "Blog" Allen for tonight's game, my esteemed colleague Case Keefer predicted a 77-71 Kansas victory.

We discussed it further, and Keefer sees the Jays opening a 15-point lead, then letting it slip a little before putting the game away.

Basketball-wise, I expect this to be a rather ugly game. Neither team is great, and I think the rivalry atmosphere may get too much adrenaline pumping in the opening minutes.

My prediction: the Jays will shoot about 38 percent in the first half and enter the break up three or four points. From there, Kansas grinds out a 73-62 victory in less-than stellar fashion.

I think we'll see a lot of running and gunning, but plenty of missed targets to go with it. Expect some missed layups and plenty of turnovers.

6:45 p.m.

There are few things I enjoy more than good old-fashioned hatred at a college sporting event.

Not the type of drunken stupidity that spills into a brawl. I'm talking about the pure desire to see the other team fail at everything it does. No obscenities needed, just some clever quips about the opponents GPA or inability to tie his or her shoes without the help of an adult.

That's the feeling I get in Allen Fieldhouse tonight. When Missouri comes to town, it doesn't get ugly, it starts hideous. There's no fun on either side because Missouri rarely wins and Kansas is too busy yelling at Mizzou to enjoy victory.

However, tonight is beautiful. The boos rain down and purple-clad spectators, but it doesn't cross the line. Without Beasley around to bring ugliness to this match-up, I expect a fun, run-and-gun game between two teams still trying to find themselves. And the ugliness is checked at the door.

6:30 p.m.

The student section has been packed to the rafters since 6 p.m., and the crowd is starting to buzz for tonight's game. There's not much hype from national media because neither team is playing too well, but this game will always carry big weight within the Sunflower State.

Last season, Michael Beasley led the Wildcats to their first victory over Kansas since winning in the Fieldhouse on January 14, 2006. Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas owns the series with a commanding 28-2 mark. I don't expect that to go the other way tonight, but you never know what's going to happen with these youthful Jays.

One game, they look seasoned and ready for a Sweet 16 run. Other games, I wonder if they will even make the tournament. Still, the overriding factor is home-court advantage. I don't expect Bill Self to let his team come out soft against an in-state rival at home.

That's just not going to happen.

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