Kansas Pulls The Upset Over A Shorthanded Ohio State
by Owen on Dec 10, 2011 4:23 PM CST
in Kansas Jayhawk Basketball 2011-12
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PrintHeading into this game Kansas was an underdog on their home court for the first time since the 1980's according to some estimates. It was only a 2.5 point margin, but the Jayhawks were still the underdog in a #13 vs. #2 matchup.
Then of course came the news that Ohio State super sophomore Jared Sullinger would not play. The matchup within the matchup of Thomas Robinson vs. Sullinger would not take place and if you rally relooked at this one, Kansas might have been slightly favored heading into the matchup due to the late scratch. But at the end of the day this one is an upset on paper for a Kansas team that has already played no. 1 Kentucky and no. 5 Duke early on this season and finally found a way to break through.
With no. 2 Ohio State in town Kansas took advantage of an energized crowd and a hot shooting night from Elijah Johnson and the rest of the Jayhawk team to take an early lead in this one. Take away the turnovers and Kansas could have really capitalized on the hot start but as it stood the Jayhawks held Ohio State at arms length for most of the contest.
The Buckeyes definitely have the look of a talented team and they obviously have the pieces to be a contender, but without Sullinger and on the road for the first time all season it all proved just a bit too much to overcome.
For Kansas the guard play was crucial. While Thomas Robinson struggled to get going Elijah Johnson was shooting lights out from beyond the arc and Tyshawn Taylor was an assist machine despite drawing more attention for his turnovers most of the time. On the interior Kevin Young stepped in and provided an eighth man in the Kansas rotation with his best game all year.
Kansas just always seemed to have an answer. Ohio State would pull it to six, Kansas would push it to 12. Ohio State would fight back to within five, Kansas would push it to 11. It was a good win and a nice confidence builder for Bill Self and Kansas. This team still needs to continue to develop but if they can clean things up as the season goes on, they'll be a fun team to watch during Big 12 play and a potentially dangerous team come March.
Kansas wins this one by a final score of 78-67. Thomas Robinson would ultimately get things going in the second half and lead the team in scoring with 21. Elijah Johnson would add 15, while Kevin Young would contribute 14 off the bench.
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woo
I write everywhere. You're probably better off following me on twitter
by fetch9 on Dec 10, 2011 4:33 PM CST reply actions 2 recs
Ugh.
TT with a torn meniscus according to Self. Will have surgery tomorrow. Miss 2-3 weeks. Played with it the last two games.
pretty crazy toughness of him to play with it and wait so he could miss the crappier teams on our schedule
I write everywhere. You're probably better off following me on twitter
No kidding.
I get on him a lot, but he showed some major toughness getting out there for 34 and 35 minutes this week. As ugly as his TO’s have been, I’m not sure we win either game this week without him.
USC and Davidson games are going to be pretty tough. Heck, even Howard gave GTown a bit of a struggle in the second half today. Hopefully TT is back by the K-State game in 3.5 weeks.
He has been a turnover machine, but he's also been an outstanding scorer
Tharpe is going to have to step up in TT’s absence.
WHAT.
Oh my dear lord...this is RETARDED boss...
by tequilaprophet on Dec 10, 2011 5:01 PM CST up reply actions
He knows how important he is
And I definitely appreciate him playing through the pain, we need him almost as much as we need T-rob. Get some rest and heal quick T2!
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 5:57 PM CST up reply actions
It cracks me up how soon a college player can recover from surgery.
Somebody on work comp would milk it for at least four months.
It doesn't crack me up
Especially since the most common way to quick-heal a torn meniscus is just to remove part of it…therefore removing irreplaceable cartilage that you need for a long basketball career (just as Brandon Roy).
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:04 PM CST up reply actions
That all depends on the type of tear...
How they fix him will almost entirely depend on what type of tear is in there. This is not a Brandon Roy risk.
by hiphopopotamus on Dec 10, 2011 6:35 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
No, definitely not
I don’t think it becomes as much as an issue until you are a professional and you are trying to get back on the court to win, make money, get a contract, etc. The problem with Roy was that he had to have is meniscus “repaired” so many times that by the end it was pretty much gone in both knees.
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 7:43 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah, he had none left; it was bone on bone
and if he had continued to play, he likely would have been unable to walk for the rest of his life. Makes me sad as a Blazers fan but he did what he had to do from a medical perspective, and that’s more important.
"There is nothing shrewd about running a red light and later finding out it kept you from being hit by an asteroid." - philofthenorth
by KeepItCopacetic on Dec 10, 2011 7:46 PM CST up reply actions
KIC, are you in Portland?
The poster formerly known as DCJayhawk0208
by PDXJayhawk on Dec 11, 2011 9:05 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Nope, I'm in KC.
I sort of randomly chose the Blazers as my favorite team but I follow them closely.
"There is nothing shrewd about running a red light and later finding out it kept you from being hit by an asteroid." - philofthenorth
by KeepItCopacetic on Dec 11, 2011 10:56 AM CST up reply actions
I think you just hit on my point of view - motivation to recover.
I’m obviously not saying that injury is humorous. Yes, you are correct about the what meniscus surgery involves.
Has more to do
with the fact that Tyshawn is an elite athlete and has access to elite rehab than any sort of motivation.
True.
That being said, it is statistically proven that injured people involved in litigation have a longer period of recovery.
great opportunity
For tharpe to get some meaningful playing time. If it’s going to happen, it’s best that it is now
by JHAWKS85 on Dec 10, 2011 5:01 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Really surprised that we were able to lead wire to wire without cutting down on dumb mistakes
I feel like we game planned to try to get more open looks from the perimeter because of Sullinger’s presence inside and just went ahead and followed through with that game plan even after he was out. And it worked because OSU was sagging to compensate for Sullinger’s absence.
We couldn’t stop Thomas in the 1st half or Buford in the 2nd half, but overall I was happy with our defense.
Tough to know what to make of it without Sullinger in there, but it’s nice to get a win and keep that non-conference streak going.
When Releford guarded Buford, he shut him down
Neither Tyshawn and especially Teahan could stay in front of him. Most of Buford’s points came in bursts when Releford was on the bench or guarding someone else because of a switch.
by Connor Moylan on Dec 10, 2011 5:34 PM CST up reply actions
No change in game plan
or they sagged all the more to compensate, so we took the extra open shot from the perimeter.
Could also explain TRob not getting much in the first half until we force them to also defend outside by making 3’s.
Young taking 2 charges when he was first inserted
The first one was good D (for a change?), and when he got the 2nd I said, "That guy may have just earned himself a bunch of PT.
Wesley had a bonehead (D) play early in his turn, but still surprised to see the major disparity in PT.
The points have been there all year
in fact I think there were significant threads regarding a rather ridiculous per minute rate.
In seemed that the lack of D was the deciding factor wrt his PT.
If he’s in the game, he’ll contribute pts and boards.
I was very
encouraged by Kevin Young. Once he gets the defenseive thing figured out he is going to really help us. He has a good looking shot and can force some match up problems. Watched Sullinger walk on and off the floor and would have to say he does not look very comfortable. Wish he would have played so we don’t have to hear the excuses and it’s always nice to watch a potential lottery player.
by jb4 on Dec 10, 2011 5:50 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
I thing Young's deal is that he doesn't like straight up guarding
If he can mix up his chaos-creating defense with HCBS-approved defense he is going to be a spark on both ends of the court.
Unless he's out for the rest of the year and they tank
it will still factor positively into the SOS, RPI, or whatever.
Fortunately, at least it’s not a conference game, and it is a long time to March when it will become relevant again.
Young looks good.
Tip of the cap to pen, he was on it early. I thought he looked really good a few times against LB state and he looked good today.
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
Rock Chalk Talk
by Warden11 on Dec 10, 2011 6:11 PM CST via mobile reply actions
He's definitely coming into his own as a integral part of the rotation
I think with him it is partially learning the defensive system, which he still has to get better at, and getting rid of the rust of not playing for a year. The rust looks like it is coming off, and once his defense comes along he will be a great sparkplug off the bench.
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:16 PM CST up reply actions
I've been hesitant about getting my hopes too high for this team.
Young changes that a bit for me. Appears to be a guy with a lot of upside.
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
Rock Chalk Talk
Even with the turnover problem
I feel like this team (like all Self teams since 07-08, probably) has overachieved to this point. The Duke loss hurt, but when a player makes a shot (or two) like that you can’t worry too much about it. The UK loss was pretty much unavoidable, but we did a great job of rallying after that in Maui and seem to have really bought in on the defensive end, which is great and exactly what this team needs to do. I’m becoming more cautiously optimistic about our chances of winning the Big XII again, but I do not look forward to putting our guards up against Mizzou. They are absolutely rolling under Frank Haith right now.
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 7:22 PM CST up reply actions
Agreed
this has been fun mainly because almost every game they’ve played better overall than I thought they could. Perhaps I’m becoming old and crotchety but I really think they’re developing at a better rate than we could hope. Keep it up.
PS: How are we doing this despite the turnover problem? That’s not really a minor problem.
I'll have something about this sometime this week.
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
Rock Chalk Talk
Man the ending to the IU-UK game was unreal
After Watford hit that 3 Tom Crean had a look on his face that just said “That was diiiiiirty.”
In a good way.
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:37 PM CST reply actions
It has been a long time coming for them
Can you imagine how desperate for prominence KU fans would be if we had to live through what IU fans have since Calvin Sampson left? I’m glad I hopefully will never have to come close to that as long as Bill Self is here.
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:42 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, they were crushed by the Sampson fiasco.
This is the first really good thing to happen to them for years.
by hunter s. royal on Dec 10, 2011 6:44 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah, it was warranted.
And I don’t want to be the snobby “we only storm for national championships” type. I guess I just haven’t paid much attention to Indiana for a while.
I agree with you
That a big win doesn’t deserve a court- or field-storming. But a symbolic win does, in my opinion.
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:45 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, they've been in freefall for about the last 10 years or so
with the exception of the one Eric Gordon year.
A kid growing up now would be forgiven for not thinking of Indiana as an elite basketball school. Definitely a statement game for a program that is legitimately back on the rise.
"There is nothing shrewd about running a red light and later finding out it kept you from being hit by an asteroid." - philofthenorth
by KeepItCopacetic on Dec 10, 2011 7:31 PM CST up reply actions
Sounds like the recruiting
is near the top of the Big 10 as well. Crean was already on the mildly warm seat last year. Hopefully this cools it a bit as I think he’s a GREAT pick to bring them back from Siberia.
Really
unranked beat #1. That’s stormworthy. Now, we’ll never be unranked but :)
weren't we briefly unranked in '08-'09?
I discovered at a very early age that if I talked long enough, I could make people believe whatever I wanted them to. So, either I'm God, or truth is relative. Either way, booyah.
Yes and in 05-06
We weren’t ranked till after we beat OU midway through the big 12 season
Shit happens when you win championships
by Andrew Clark on Dec 11, 2011 11:08 AM CST up reply actions
Indiana has been way worse than unranked
They’ve finished last in the Big Ten a couple years recently, right?
i think they were the worst BCS conference team a couple years ago if i'm not mistaken
I write everywhere. You're probably better off following me on twitter
That was a fun game to watch.
College basketball has had some great games so far this season.
Having a season with so many great early season non-con matchups
Is great given the fact that the NBA isn’t on the airwaves yet. Could they just move the start of the NBA season to Christmas every year and only play 70 games? I wish….
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:43 PM CST up reply actions
I'd be fine with that.
Love to have all these big match-ups year after year if we could get them.
The Champions Classic is definitely a start in the right direction
It would be great if there was a set of early-season non-con rivalries that occurred every season though.
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:49 PM CST up reply actions
UNC is just mailing in the end of this half
Reminds me of us at times
by 2.1 seconds left on Dec 10, 2011 6:44 PM CST up reply actions
Assuming they win their tournament, they could do some serious damage in the NCAA tourney.
Reminds me of a few years back when Davidson played a brutal nonconference schedule and didn’t quite pull off any of the upsets, but then made the Elite Eight run.
"There is nothing shrewd about running a red light and later finding out it kept you from being hit by an asteroid." - philofthenorth
by KeepItCopacetic on Dec 10, 2011 7:45 PM CST up reply actions
man the crowd
Was unreal today. Great job by all the fans. I can barley talk
by dester30 on Dec 10, 2011 11:40 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
yeah i definitely lost my voice
I write everywhere. You're probably better off following me on twitter
You're welcome
Shit happens when you win championships
by Andrew Clark on Dec 11, 2011 2:13 AM CST up reply actions
Is there any indication that it has a positive effect on the FB recruits?
It would seem that the lack of FB crowd support/tradition/BBSchool negatve recruiting would be used against us. I’ve always hoped (more koolaid please?) that players would see that the fans are there if given a reason to show up and cheer.
Is there any word on recruits, besides Crist, that were in town? Do we have to wait until something is officially posted on another site? During TG’s first summer, it seemed that we were getting a lot more recruiting info here.
Now, it will be interesting to hear about the player and coach recruiting.
I wonder if Self severely restricted Tharpe's minutes this week
because he knew TT would be gone and didn’t want to risk Tharpe getting injured.
Or maybe so Tyshawn would know these were his games and not worry about getting pulled.
Or maybe just because Tharpe sucks and HCBS wanted to win …
i think
he doesn’t think Tharpe is ready for the big time yet.
I write everywhere. You're probably better off following me on twitter
Yep
For all the bitching we do about Taylor, we can’t live without him. Sad but true, I know, but still. At one point in the game, we had Taylor and TRob on the bench and OSU cut the lead from 9 to 4 in about 30 seconds.
Everyone who plays plays a big role, which terrifies me. An injury or two would destroy this team.
Shit happens when you win championships
by Andrew Clark on Dec 11, 2011 2:17 AM CST up reply actions
Elijah was automatic from 3.
If he can be consistent from beyond the arc, it makes life easier for TRob, and makes us so much more dangerous.
Also – Releford’s defense is outstanding, and even better, dude loves diving for loose balls, scrappin, etc. Hopefully his offense keeps coming along.
Shit happens when you win championships
It would be nice to have Conner become a bit more consistent from deep as well.
It seems that he is in a bit of a slump, tho obviously has the ability. Hopefully, he doesn’t wait until the senior game.
At least opposing teams respect his shot
He hit his first three yesterday and OSU really focused on him after that. Felt it opened the lane up a bit more for Taylor.
I’m interested in the Young shooting threes wrinkle. Had no idea he had range. I think he was 2-3 yesterday, and his one miss went halfway down (and lead to an And-1 for TRob). Wonder if Self thinks about playing him at the three more if we play a team that doesn’t have a very quick wing, or if we use him similar to Marcus on offense at times.
Shit happens when you win championships
by Andrew Clark on Dec 11, 2011 3:26 PM CST up reply actions
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