Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Take a bag of potato chips. Any brand, your pick. Open it, leave it on the counter and revisit it in May. That’s how stale the Kansas Jayhawks’ two-man show’s supporting cast was Sunday.
It is why Dayton missed nearly 80 percent of its shots, scored just 16 baskets and was still within five points of Kansas in the second half. Read that sentence again.
A historic performance from sophomore center Cole Aldrich and the 25 points we’ve come to expect from junior guard Sherron Collins this tournament delayed discussion of a few factors that, unaddressed or overlooked, can and will send the Jayhawks home empty-handed Friday night.
Apart from the need for sophomore guards Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed to hit open shots, the Morris twins to sink anything at all, and freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor to return to relevance, every player will want to make good on a few more freebies Friday if this squad intends to be Elite.
MARCH MADNESS REQUIRED READING
Perfect lead-in to this week’s March Madness Required Reading, courtesy of the latest Sports Illustrated. Alexander Wolff pens an essay on free-throw shooting, titled “Pressure Points.” It begins with Memphis coach John Calipari and his team’s famous missing four of five free throws within the final two minutes of last year’s title game. You know the story. It goes free throw-miss, miss, miss, miss, Mario’s Shot, overtime, bedlam on Mass. Street.
Wolff’s article reveals a number of telling facts on an elementary component of the game that, with proper coaching and an attention to mechanics, few Division I college players should ever struggle with.
To name a few: Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only two teams have won it all behind free-throw shooting of less than 66 percent. No team has cut down the nets having shot less than 62 percent from the line. (Through two games, Kansas is making 64.3 percent.) Also, a study found that while just a quarter of a team’s scoring comes from the charity stripe, winning teams score two-thirds of the game’s final points from the foul line.
And of course any tournament free throw story would be remiss without mentioning the 2003 title game, which Wolff calls “especially egregious.” Recall that Kansas lost by three points while missing 18 freebies.
Yep, Kansas may want to practice hitting a few free throws before Friday. If you take away Reed’s 6-for-6 performance, the rest of the team shot 5-of-16 for a Daytonesque 31.3 percent Sunday.
FISHY INJURY
Former Kansas City Royals great George Brett once broke his toe after running to watch Bill Buckner’s at-bat on television. Former Arizona Cardinals kicker Bill Gramatica once tore his ACL while jumping to celebrate a field goal. And now NASCAR driver Greg Biffle delivers the latest trophy injury.
Biffle missed Saturday’s Nationwide Series race because of a rib injury sustained after he slipped and fell while exiting his fishing boat.
Biffle gutted it out to compete in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race in Bristol, Conn., but early engine failure saw him finish 39th and likely longing to be back out on the water.
— — Edited by Melissa Johnson
Montemayor: Jayhawk freethrow proficiency key in wins
Freethrows a major component of Kansas’ 2008 National Championship and Wednesday’s win ...
Jayhawks hold off Wildcats once again
A 67-61 victory means that Kansas will face Texas for the Big ...
Gameday: Kansas @ Kansas State
Round three in OKC
In case twice wasn’t enough, basketball fans in Kansas will get a ...
Jayhawks lose it at the end
After maintaining the lead, letting go of free throws and possessions leads ...
‘Kansan’ picks players for own honor roll
Montemayor: Sweet (but not perfect) storylines
Despite Aldrich’s triple-double, the road was rocky for the Hawks.
Spartans escape with 67-62 victory
Sherron Collins missed a one-and-one free throw with 19 seconds left that ...
Jayhawks throw away free throws
Basketball team fails at the line, making only 14 of 30 in ...
Jayhawks overcome scrappy Golden Flashes to win ...
Aggressive play dominates Kansas victory against Kent State.
Post play key to Jayhawks’ success
Kansas is relying on its play in the paint to duplicate last ...
Freshman shines in game, junior hits free ...
Jayhawks improve low free throw record.
Kansas vs. Siena
Kansas holds on against Siena 91-84
Thibodeaux: Luck of the draw
The luck was with VCU, not Kansas on Sunday.
Kansas denies Dayton 60-43
Cole Aldrich recorded Kansas' first ever triple-double with 13 points, 20 rebounds ...
Kansas capitalizes on improvements, ends losing streak
Senior forward Kristen Boogaard scores her 1000th career point, helping the Jayhawks ...
Kansas wobbles on the bubble
Win or lose, the women's basketball team still has a chance to ...
Kansas visits Illinois State for WNIT sweet ...
Kansas women’s basketball team hopes for glory without injured senior guard Danielle ...
Team steps up as season progresses
Just one month after losing to the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, the Jayhawks ...
Legends of the Phog: Jayhawks in the ...
A weekly look at your former Jayhawks who are making a name ...
Feeling Defeat
It took overtime for Syracuse to beat Kansas 89-81 in the CBE ...
Breaking down Self’s triangle-and-two defense
If Bill Self out-coached North Carolina’s Roy Wiliams Sunday, his defense strategy ...
The high/low
The best and worst of the Kansas vs. Missouri game
Physical game doesn't bother Jayhawks
Tyrel Reed’s shooting wins close games
Sophomore guard proves reliable finisher with 39.7 percent from the three-point line
Texas Tech stuns Kansas
The Red Raiders' 84-65 victory sullies a night where the Jayhawks clinch ...
Kansas wins 103-58
The Jayhawks shot 80 percent from the field to open up a ...
Vernon: Releford is the unsung hero
Travis Releford only needs two practice free throws to prepare for stepping ...
Rallies take game down to the wire
FINAL: No. 4 Kansas tops UCLA, 77-76
The Jayhawks picked up their 64th-consecutive home win after a bizarre foul ...
Threes all over
Chalmers made eight three pointers in a game where neither Kansas nor ...
Brew: NBA's best free agents
With the lockout over, it's time to look at team's free agent ...
Bracket Bash
Men's basketball writers Tim Dwyer and Mike Lavieri shed insight on the ...
Detroit guards stand out among teammates
The Jayhawks will have to look out for Simon and McCallum on ...
Kansas men's basketball has advantage in game ...
Ethan Padway predicts a win for Kansas in Friday night’s game because ...
Schuster: Reed ignites amid tough games
Tyrel Reed steps up his game against tough opponents.
Tyrel Reed's threes guide Kansas' second half
Reed and Marcus Morris spurred the Jayhawks when Collins' shot went cold.
Robinson steps up his game at the ...
Thomas Robinson struggled his first two years at the charity stripe, but ...
Flew the Coop: Jayhawks in the NBA
A weekly look at your former Jayhawks who are making a name ...
Collins' career high 33 bails out Jayhawks
Jayhawks shoot 36.7 percent from the floor but squeak out a 71-66 ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID