2,000 and Counting

by Owen Kemp on Mar 11, 2010 1:36 PM CST in Basketball Comment 42 comments

It wasn't always pretty, it wasn't always easy, but today the Kansas Jayhawks joined an elite group as just the third program in all of college basketball to reach 2000 wins. The landmark victory comes in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament with a 80-68 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The Jayhawks were tested early and woke up late but their talent and depth ultimately proved too much. With the win the Jayhawks move to the semifinals on Friday where they will square off against either Nebraska or Texas A&M.

a look ahead to tomorrow and more open threads to come soon...

It's not uncommon for the top four seeds in the Big 12 tournament to come out slowly. The teams they are playing are coming off a win the day before, have their legs under them and usually hit the ground running. The important thing in a game like today is stay in control which Kansas did for the most part.

For the Jayhawks it was a fairly balanced performance for the most part. Five players in double figures, 33 trips to the free throw line and a +14 edge in rebounding. Marcus and Markieff Morris combined for 23 points and 14 rebounds at the four spot and Kansas shot 8-16 from three.

At the same time as balanced as Kansas appears this game was still controlled by the undisputed leaders of the team in Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins. Aldrich dominated the interior to the tune of 12 points and 18 boards. Collins shot 5-8 from the field including 3-5 from behind the arc to add 19 points of his own to go along with 6 assists. Plain and simple this is an improved version of Kansas '08-'09.

Last year the knock on Kansas is they were a two man team. If Sherron and Cole weren't producing it couldn't be done. Now this year there are two or three guys a night giving something to the cause. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't pretty, but when push came to shove there was always an answer. Kansas looked like a team going through the motions at times but down the stretch a 12 point win isn't bad. Perhaps the better news is the Jayhawks remained healthy and it's likely the only other chance for Kansas to play this early in the day will be in the first round of the NCAA tourney. If tat's the case, let's face it, one would have to believe Kansas can sleep walk through a 16 seed.

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In the wiiiin, two thousaaaaaaand!

/Got nothin’

"Here are our top priorities: recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the North, recruit, win the Big 12, and in most cases if you win the Big 12 then you're playing for a National Championship. And then we're going to recruit."

by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Mar 11, 2010 1:46 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

All I know is….Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are to bad mother fers

by dester30 on Mar 11, 2010 1:50 PM CST reply actions

odd bracketology

I don’t know enough about the other #1 seed schedules, but this is our latest bracketology:

#1 Kansas
#15 Robert Morris
#8 Clemson
#9 Marquette
#5 Temple
#12 Memphis
#4 Tennessee
#13 Kent State
#6 Texas A&M
#11 Cornell
#3 Villanova
#14 Oakland
#7 California
#10 Missouri
#2 Purdue
#15 Vermont

How many of the #1 seeds have eight teams they’ve already played in their bracket?

by DCJayhawk0208 on Mar 11, 2010 1:57 PM CST reply actions

I don't know...

but I’ll take that bracket…Missouri would sure be fortunate to get Purdue there.

Villanova is probably the team in there that concerns me most.

53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!

by Owen Kemp on Mar 11, 2010 2:09 PM CST up reply actions

That's crazy...

like you said, I can’t prove that it’s that weird…but sure seems like an incredible coincidence.

Denver…you think Missouri would get a chance to play Purdue?

Very much agree that ‘nova is the scariest team there…we’d own them inside, but we would have A LOT of trouble defending them, as they’d pull one of our bigs away and spread us out…plus we don’t defend the three point line all that well, and they can light it up there…

by hiphopopotamus on Mar 11, 2010 2:18 PM CST up reply actions

actually no I don't...

I think MU looks like a one and done now…so I guess I should say anyone in that half of the bracket should be excited about Purdue as the 2. Cornell could cause some problems for people in there.

53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!

by Owen Kemp on Mar 11, 2010 2:21 PM CST up reply actions

Nova

I agree about villanova. I feel like our hawks always have trouble with good guard play, almost regardless of the opponents talent down low.

by chiefsandhawks on Mar 11, 2010 4:08 PM CST up reply actions

Is A&M a 6 seed every year?

No seriously I swear they are

Shit happens when you win championships

by KU Grad 08 on Mar 11, 2010 2:20 PM CST up reply actions

I think I've seen them at an 8 or 9 several times

53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!

by Owen Kemp on Mar 11, 2010 2:21 PM CST up reply actions

Nope, 6 seed every time...

Well I know they were an 8 seed the year we won it all, because they almost beat UCLA in the second round, think they lost like 51-50 or something.

Shit happens when you win championships

by KU Grad 08 on Mar 11, 2010 2:22 PM CST up reply actions

Actually...

Here are their last 4 seeds…
2006 – #12
2007 – # 3
2008 – #9
2009 – #9

So they haven’t been a #6 since their resurgence. The 08 game against UCLA in the 2nd round was the game where UCLA fouled Sloan(?) hard at the very end, and nothing was called. UCLA actually had several other calls go their way as well. I hated that team (Love, Westbrook, etc.)

by kujasonh on Mar 11, 2010 2:32 PM CST up reply actions

Why you gotta make me look bad?

its really hard to do

Shit happens when you win championships

by KU Grad 08 on Mar 11, 2010 3:18 PM CST up reply actions

one day you'll learn

that when using sacrasm font, you will need to add an extra space. One day.

Man crush. Sherron.

by labbadabba on Mar 11, 2010 3:24 PM CST up reply actions

add extra space?

whatchutalkinboutwillis

Shit happens when you win championships

by KU Grad 08 on Mar 11, 2010 3:27 PM CST up reply actions

Where is that bracket?

Im looking around and have only found 1, does CBS have one?

by Bestofthewest on Mar 11, 2010 2:36 PM CST up reply actions

That's

ESPN’s updated Bracketology found here

by jco8394 on Mar 11, 2010 2:41 PM CST up reply actions

Cool thanks

I have that one, and the one from Fox sports and they are like night and day.

by Bestofthewest on Mar 11, 2010 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

yeah...that Fox Sports bracket is really different

Wow, Georgetown as KU’s #5 seed? That’s not something I’d like to see. Maybe they’ll move up if they keep winning.

Although, Baylor, Maryland and Oklahoma State aren’t very comforting in Kentucky’s bracket, either

by DCJayhawk0208 on Mar 11, 2010 3:04 PM CST up reply actions

Some quick eyeballing:

Kentucky has 1: Sam Houston.
Duke has 2: Wisconson (L), Wake Forest
Syracuse has 1: Georgetown (L).

by sax solo on Mar 11, 2010 3:16 PM CST up reply actions

just strange

The more I think about it, the stranger it seems. KU, a #1 seed, ends up with almost a third of its scheduled opponents during the regular season in its bracket for the tournament?

I’m sure that the committee won’t end up doing that.

by DCJayhawk0208 on Mar 11, 2010 3:18 PM CST up reply actions

Not sure if it would be in our favor or not

It does just seem wrong.

Both brackets seem determined to give us Tennessee again, I see.

by sax solo on Mar 11, 2010 3:39 PM CST up reply actions

How can this be?

We didn't play anybody good this year!!!

Operation Final Four is a go. Proceed to target.

by Bensa on Mar 11, 2010 3:18 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Lolz

Shit happens when you win championships

by KU Grad 08 on Mar 11, 2010 3:20 PM CST up reply actions

Let's just say

this is why it’s good to have the #1 seed, so you can play poorly, but not get sent home for doing so. This was not a very well played game, certainly, but we move on, and HCBS gets plenty of ammunition with which to pepper our players until they play better.

Operation Final Four is a go. Proceed to target.

by Bensa on Mar 11, 2010 2:40 PM CST reply actions

Wow...Miami/WF

Miami is beating Wake Forest 77-54 with 3 minutes left.

That’s a bad loss to a bad team. Does Wake drop out of bubble status with that?

by DCJayhawk0208 on Mar 11, 2010 3:11 PM CST reply actions

I doubt it.

Bad late losses are overrated, I think. Obviously, it doesn’t help a team like Wake, but if they weren’t really in danger before today, they shouldn’t be just on account of one bad loss.

But that’s just me.

Operation Final Four is a go. Proceed to target.

by Bensa on Mar 11, 2010 3:14 PM CST up reply actions

Wake has really been falling apart lately

Shit happens when you win championships

by KU Grad 08 on Mar 11, 2010 3:20 PM CST up reply actions

Big East Tournament

The Big East is crazy to watch right now. Marquette up four on Nova? Georgetown upsetting (kind of, G-Town is good) Syracuse? And Cincinnati might be ready to make a run tonight? Upset city. And terrific basketball.

by DCJayhawk0208 on Mar 11, 2010 3:20 PM CST reply actions