KU student section begins to fill up in the Superdome!

“They don’t have an answer for Jared Sullinger down low in the post. … I think Kansas is also going to have problems with the matchup with DeShaun Thomas.”
Hubert Davis


“Couldn’t believe Davis and Bilas on Sportscenter tonight. They said nobody on KU could handle Sullinger! Are they joking! Withey will swat!”
@TomPenders


PREDICTION: OHIO STATE 69, KANSAS 65
Jon Rothstein CBS


Ohio State
Jay Bilas


Ohio State
Dick Vitale


Ohio State is a slight betting favorite, the first time in the NCAA Tournament that Kansas has been an underdog. After a late season wobble in which the Buckeyes lost three of five, they got their act together and have won eight of nine, losing only to Michigan State in the Big Ten tourney finale. This Jayhawks’ Final Four run seems improbable if only the offensive numbers are considered: KU is shooting 40.6 percent and a horrid 23.5 percent on threes. But Kansas is playing excellent defense and coming up with all the clutch plays. That will happen again.
Prediction: Kansas 71-68
KC Star

New Orleans Live Webcams


New Orleans bound to see Kansas in the Final 4
@AndrewWhite_34


Headed to NOLA...
‏ @b_greene14


Emory University was a blast last night! Thanks to everyone who came out for the show! Going to New Orleans for the Final Four! #RCJHGOKU!
@RobRiggle


KC Star photos: KU practice


LJW: Gameday Cram Session


On Friday afternoon, Self and Brown stood on the court at the Superdome as the Jayhawks held their open practice. Earlier in the day, Kentucky coach John Calipari, another former Brown protégé, had stood on the same floor. Down on the baseline, members of the KU pep band were clustered together, taking a break from their instruments. But up on the floor, the Jayhawks were playing in the perfect key.

“You know, I love John Calipari and I brag about him a lot,” says Brown, who along with Self is one of the two living coaches to win an NCAA title at KU, “… and I’m excited about what he’s doing at Kentucky; I just marvel at it.

“But I see what Bill is doing at Kansas, it’s amazing to me. To win eight straight (Big 12) championships, to respect the tradition at the university, to make sure everybody is part of it, from the old guys to the new guys, and then to see what he’s done this year, after losing six really, really quality players; I don’t think anybody could’ve foreseen this.”
KC Star


Intriguing as the players and teams may be, no one in college basketball demands attention quite like the coaches. The media-savvy Self, who has won more games than any coach in America since arriving at KU nine years ago, walked into the Superdome alongside mentor and Hall of Famer Larry Brown.

…Self gave his players Wednesday night off to walk the streets and soak in the atmosphere. As focused as he wants them to be, Self also wants the Jayhawks to remember the experience.
ESPN


The Atlantic: Bill Self is the Bill Belichick of college sports


The Atlantic: Final Four 2012 - Triumph of college basketball's one percent


SI Luke Winn: Leveraging Lineups - KU's key combos


San Diego Tribune: Withey rises to the occasion


San Diego Tribune: Young believes he made right choice


SI: Taylor leads Kansas into Final Four


SI Mandel: Confident Taylor holds key to KU hopes


TCJ: Taylor's earned right to play through miscues


NY Times feature by UDK writer: The view from Kansas; Toughness and Energy


LJW: Tyler Self saw success coming


Bucyrus Telegraph: Robinson perfect example for OSU's Thomas


Yahoo!: Welcome to 'the other game'


CBS: The view from the $180 seats


NOLA: Withey elevates his game


Sporting News: Preview

LJW Photos Media Day in New Orleans


LJW Video: Thursday at the Superdome


KC Star Video: Media Day


KC Star Photos: Media Day


Anthony Davis is The Associated Press' college basketball Player of the Year, the first Kentucky player and second freshman to win the award.

He received 43 votes Friday from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Balloting was done before the NCAA tournament.

Thomas Robinson of Kansas was second with 20 votes, and Draymond Green of Michigan State received the other two votes.
AP

This past summer, he worked on his game, and had an impressive performance at Chicago’s Nike Skills Camps in June against some of the best forwards in the country. He displayed the athleticism and skill around the basket that gave scouts their first true flashes of Robinson’s pro potential.

Robinson was equally impressive at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio.

“My whole motivation was me proving to people outside of the Kansas program that I am a good player, that I felt like I deserved to be named among the top players of the country,” Robinson said.

“I felt that coming into the season, I felt like I would be able to play to a high level. I wasn’t really too worried about how it would be if I would struggle or not because of my confidence level coming into the season, by me doing good in the summer camps and playing against all the previous pros that were back on campus. So my confidence was pretty high coming into the season.”

Now with Kansas in the Final Four and the riches of the NBA awaiting soon after, Robinson can savor the moment. His job is far from over, though.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Robinson said. “You get here and there is a band and people hand out beads. It’s exciting to be here. You have to cherish this moment, but at the same time, you can’t lose focus.

“I am excited to do anything. I am excited to be talking to y’all right now. We have been taking pictures all day. Like I said, I am just going to cherish this moment because not too many people are fortunate enough to get here. You just have to take advantage of it.”
NOLA


LJW: Ohio State's strengths, weaknesses, and players to watch


“All year, (Sullinger’s) been having problems with guys that size,” Penn said of Sullinger’s facing the 7-foot Withey. “The length has been hurting him. So I think it’s gonna be Sully and what the big fella can do with Jared. One of them’s gonna get in foul trouble, we just don’t know which one yet.” 


Penn was not the only Ohio State guy who tried to take the focus off of the showdown between big-time big men. Sullinger also took a turn.

“People are making such a big deal about this being Jared Sullinger against Thomas Robinson,” Sullinger said. “But at the end of the day, it’s The Ohio State University against Kansas.”

And it’s happening for the second time this season. The Jayhawks topped the Sullinger-less Buckeyes, 78-67, at Allen Fieldhouse back in December. Asked if he regretted missing that one, Sullinger complimented KU’s home arena.

“I was very disappointed,” he said. “It was hurtful because that’s one of the best places to play. It was loud. I left the floor with a headache, and I didn’t even play.”
LJW


Much has been made of the fact that Ohio State was without Jared Sullinger when it lost at Kansas in December, and the Buckeyes will be at full strength for Saturday's rematch. What few realize is how much Jayhawks point guard Tyshawn Taylor was hurting in that first meeting.

Taylor had 13 assists but scored only nine points, shot 3-for-9 and committed seven turnovers. Although he didn't want to make an excuse, Taylor Thursday said he hurt the knee a week before that game but waited to have arthroscopic surgery until the day after the game.

"I had to wear a big brace," Taylor said of the first meeting. "I was really uncomfortable. It played a big part that people don't really recognize because we didn't tell anybody I was hurt until after the game."

Taylor also might be inspired by the presence in the Superdome crowd of Bob Hurley Sr., his coach at St. Anthony in Jersey City, where Taylor was one of seven players to get a scholarship at a Division I school after going 33-0 and winning the mythical national title.

"He was huge for me," he said of Hurley. "I never really had too many male figures in my life, and he became one of the first who I could talk to and who demanded a lot from me and who I wanted to please. I didn't want to get in trouble because I would worry even before my mother how coach Hurley would be . . . I came to a really good college program prepared to play right away because I was so prepared in high school by him. I'm excited to see him this weekend."
Newsday


In case you haven’t noticed by now, I can be a little dense sometimes. For example, it took me 38 games to figure out what “a tough match-up for KU” means. It’s code speak for either Thomas Robinson is going to have to show he can defend the perimeter, or Jeff Withey will head to the bench for long stretches.

The latter is not an option in Kansas University’s national semifinal game Saturday against Ohio State because Withey will be needed to guard All-American Buckeyes center Jared Sullinger.

Robinson must make life difficult for 6-foot-7, 225-pound sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas, an inside-outside scoring threat averaging 21.8 points per game in the four NCAA Tournament games.

KU made it this far by coach Bill Self’s figuring out a way to mask Robinson’s defensive limitations, whether it was sending Withey to the bench or throwing in a junk defense at just the right time.

But Kansas can’t extend the season to Monday without Robinson, the team’s best offensive force and the nation’s best rebounder, extending the range of his defense the way he has his jump shot.

It might sound a little crass, a little greedy to ask more of a first-team All-American, but the Final Four is all about great athletes playing at their best. Robinson has come so far in three years at KU, but the one thing he hasn’t shown yet is that he can defend a power forward who has three-point accuracy in his arsenal.
LJW


Kansas University guard Elijah Johnson has felt like royalty since Sunday, the day the Jayhawks defeated North Carolina in St. Louis and punched their ticket to the Final Four.

“I’ve never felt like I had a red carpet laid out for me in my life. The experience is fun,” Johnson, KU’s 6-foot-4 junior out of Las Vegas, said Thursday at a news conference in the Superdome. “I’m enjoying it, but we are down here to play ball.”

KU’s five starters each held court in their own interview room, where they fielded a barrage of questions for 20 minutes. The Jayhawks practiced for an hour and a half after finishing with the media.

Johnson was asked about his clutch three-pointer that boosted a narrow one-point lead to four during crunch time against the Tar Heels.

“I think it was a shot everyone told me was a good shot. I didn’t shoot the shot thinking I could be a hero,” said Johnson. His three upped a 68-67 lead to 71-67 with 3:07 left in KU’s 80-67 victory in St. Louis.

“After the shot, I didn’t think I was a hero. I shot the ball. I knew I could make it. Our fan base, coaches and teammates saw something I couldn’t see. It was a big shot to them. They wanted to tell me how big they thought it was. I still don’t see it as a big shot because it’s something I can do, make that shot.”

…Former KU guard Tyrel Reed will be at the Nebraska Furniture Mart (1601 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kan.) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to sign copies of his book, “Reed All About It.” Reed played basketball for a pro team in Belgium first semester before returning to the U.S. to complete his studies in physical therapy.
LJW


Inside the biggest venue, on the biggest stage, during one of the biggest weeks of his career, Bill Self turned to the only person who could hear him.

"It's amazing this team is here, isn't it?" the Kansas coach said as he took the raised-court steps up to that stage for a Final Four practice.

The question was as bare as the Superdome is large in this football configuration that makes the site perhaps the largest in Final Four history. An answer hung in silence among 75,000 empty seats before a shot being launched.

Of course it's amazing Kansas is here -- except that few, beyond the coach, are going to say it. In a Final Four full of powerhouses, it's hard to label Kansas a Cinderella. This is the program's 14th Final Four. Self has guided the Jayhawks to at least a share of eight consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles. No one has done that in a major conference since John Wooden.

But when the coach doesn't expect to be here, you know there's a story. That's why I was the last guy Self spoke to before he took the court Thursday. I wanted to see what was left in the tank after he had gone through the media car wash. They asked him every conceivable question except how he did it. How he did this.

"Taking a team with lower expectations and performing pretty well gives the appearance you're doing a better job coaching," Self said during the media scrum.

…Sports are full of full-of-it labels. College basketball's are as worn as any sport. For ages, coaches have been divided into two categories. You're either a recruiter or a tactician. Kentucky's John Calipari is a recruiter. And a damn fine one, getting all those one-and-dones to mesh. Louisville's Rick Pitino is a mastermind. This is possibly the least talented the six teams he has taken to the Final Four.

Self, for better or worse, was perceived as a hoarder of talent. He recruited the guts of the 2005 Illinois team that Bruce Weber got to the Final Four. Dee Brown, the inspirational guard. Deron Williams, now an NBA star.

…"I think he's both," Taylor said when presented with the two coaching labels. "He's definitely a slick talker. He's a good recruiter for sure. I don't know anybody better."

…"Coach Self, he can't treat every player the exact same way. Sometimes guys are having bad days," Taylor said. "It could be because something is going wrong off the court. He won't be as aggressive or scream. He understands how to coach us."

Last week before the Midwest Regional, Self spotted a moody Taylor coming into practice. The two chatted for five minutes while Taylor shot free throws.

"He kind of laid off me that practice," Taylor said.

In the regional final, Taylor scored 22 points and had five assists against the Tar Heels.

…"This isn't a hard team to coach," Self said. "It's a lot easier coaching a team when everybody in your program agrees on who the five starters should be, everybody in the program wants those starters to play 30 minutes a game. ... That's not a hard team to coach. When a team cares a lot, it's pretty easy."
CBS Dennis Dodd


The best players stay in college barely long enough to scuff up a dorm fridge, so it can feel like an eternity when one actually completes a full career at a major program.

Tyshawn Taylor is finishing four years at Kansas that must have felt like 40 sometimes, both for him and the diehards in Lawrence who have bobbed along with his ups and downs.

He was the blue-chip recruit. He was the immature troublemaker. He was loved by fans, then shunned by them, then loved by them again.

His high school coach was offered a few adjectives Thursday to help sum it all up. Was it turbulent? Polarizing? Or do we really have to break out the old roller coaster cliché?

“How about just calling it ‘college?’ ” Bob Hurley answered.

In many ways, Taylor was no different from a lot of teenagers when they get away from home. He screwed up. It’s just for a starter for a program like Kansas, every mistake is magnified, and Taylor, a Hoboken native who starred for Hurley at St. Anthony, has had his share.

…Certainly, nobody doubted his ability as a survivor. Hurley, who has coached urban kids for 40 years, said he hasn’t had many players who survived rougher childhoods than Taylor’s.

Taylor had to help raise his two younger sisters when he was just 10, picking them up from school and watching them in the afternoons as his mother worked to support the family. His father, Tyrone Garner, was never part of his life, leaving him as the man of the house when he was just a boy.

There was a monthlong stay in a homeless shelter, and other times when they arrived home to find the power shut off. The family moved from the projects in Hoboken, to Clearwater, Fla., for a fresh break, then back to Hoboken when Taylor decided he needed the structure that Hurley and St. Anthony would provide.

“As (Kansas coach) Bill Self always says, Ty makes some plays that you’re just astounded at the ability he has,” Hurley said. “And then he makes some plays that look like he’s never been coached.”

Taylor helped lead the Friars to the No. 1 national ranking his senior year, so there would be symmetry if Taylor is the star as the Jayhawks clip the nets at the Superdome on Monday night.

If that happens? Everyone in Lawrence will look back on those four years that seemed like 40 and remember how they just flew by.
NJ Star-Ledger


Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor said the photographer who was shooting team pictures of the Final Four participants paid the Jayhawks a compliment.

“He told us it seemed like our team liked each other more than the other teams he just shot,” Taylor said. “We’ve had a lot of things we’ve gone through … Thomas’ (Robinson) story … we’ve had to bounce back from and show how together we were … and had to stick together through a lot of things.

“On the court, that shows a lot. Myself, being a leader, I try to keep us as close as possible on the court and off the court.”
KC Star


TCJ: Taking a moment to thank Tyshawn

VOTE for TRob Naismith POY online AND TEXT "VOTE" to 34763


VOTE for Coach Self USA Today Poll


VOTE for Coach Self NBCsports Poll


KU AD: Ohio State pregame notes


KU AD: Jayhawks meet with media, practice in New Orleans (Videos/transcripts)


Kansas Men's Basketball Head Coach Bill Self was presented with the 2012 Adolph Rupp Cup by the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky on Thursday at the New Orleans Marriott. Kansas Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony accepted the award on behalf of the Jayhawks' leader due to the team's NCAA Tournament Final Four practice schedule.

In his ninth season as head coach at Kansas, Self led the Jayhawks to the Final Four with a 31-6 record and a Big 12 regular season championship, adding to his 268-52 overall record at Kansas and eighth-straight Big 12 regular season title. In addition to being Self's 14th consecutive 20+ win team, the  Jayhawks went undefeated at Allen Fieldhouse and earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest division for the NCAA tournament. Self has also been named as one of four Finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award, which will also be awarded in New Orleans.

"As a former player of Coach Rupp's, I can tell you that Bill Self is the kind of coach that Rupp would have respected, and the kind he would have loved to play against. He's one of only four coaches in NCAA Division I history to have led three different teams to the Elite Eight. Success at multiple programs, and against the odds, is the mark of a great coach," said Gerry Calvert, Club spokesperson.
KU AD


The University of Kansas basketball team attended the NCAA's annual Salute Presentation and reception Thursday evening , which honors each school at the Final Four.

At their arrival to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the Jayhawks enjoyed a sit-down dinner along with participating teams Louisville, Kentucky and Ohio State. Following the meal, student-athletes were able to explore Bracket Town, an area of family-friendly activities set up adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.  Each player was also sized for his Final Four ring provided by the NCAA.

From there, sports personality Jim Nantz introduced the teams and coaches in front of a large crowd of supporters. The event was centered around the National Championship trophy staged at midcourt and also featured a sneak peak at the 2012 "One Shining Moment" video.

On Friday, March 30 KU will do more media interviews followed by an open practice at the Superdome from 3:10-4 p.m.
KU AD


Kansas legend and current assistant Danny Manning stepped off the team bus at the JW Marriott in New Orleans on Wednesday sporting a blue warm-up suit with a KU logo emblazoned on the chest.

Hopefully, someone snapped a good picture.

Manning will always be a Jayhawk at heart -- but his days of wearing his alma mater's colors are numbered.

Manning was named the new head coach at Tulsa on Thursday, meaning this weekend's Final Four will be the last time the former All-American and 15-year NBA veteran will bark instruction from KU's bench.

Since joining Kansas' staff in the spring of 2003, Manning has helped the Jayhawks program become one of the best in the nation at developing post players. Lately the school has even been referred to as "Big Man U."

Since Manning began providing tutelage nine years ago, only two Kansas post players who started at least 50 percent of the team's games in a single season have failed to be selected in the NBA draft.

David Padgett started as a freshman in 2003-04 before transferring to Louisville, where he battled injury problems. Walk-on Christian Moody started 25 games in 2004-05 but never pursued a professional career.

Otherwise, Manning has helped every other KU post player with the above-mentioned figures blossom into a professional-caliber player. The list of NBA draftees includes Wayne Simien, Julian Wright, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Darrell Arthur, Cole Aldrich, and Marcus and Markieff Morris. Others such as Padgett, Jeff Graves and C.J. Giles have earned money overseas.

"I'm blessed to have even met him," said Markieff Morris, who is in his first year with the Phoenix Suns. "He's the best big-man coach in the country. Any time that whistle blows and you look over to that sideline, he's telling you what to do.

"I owe most of my success to him."

…"Coaching is very rewarding," Manning said. "You see growth on the court, you see it off the court. These guys come to you as high school seniors, as college freshmen. They're still boys, embarking on young adulthood.

"Hopefully when they leave after playing for Coach Self and in our system, they're off on a good foot as they head toward manhood."

As much as he's helped the Jayhawks, the last seven seasons have been beneficial to Manning, too. Just like the young players he coaches, Manning had to learn a whole new side of the game when he joined Self's staff.

"For me, the hard part was, at times, not understanding or figuring out why it was so hard to get through to guys," Manning said. "Not only in coaching, but toward the end of my playing career, too. I was like, 'Hey, I want to help you. This is my thought process. This is what I see from where I'm sitting on the bench.' Sometimes guys are receptive to that, sometimes they're not.

"The biggest thing is creating a relationship with them away from the game, where they know when you say something to them, you have their best interest in the forefront. My father always told me it was like a bank account. You want to make sure you have more deposits than withdrawls."

…"Our big thing here is scoring before you catch the ball," Self said. "Even the best players are only going to make one or two great spin moves a game to get past their defender. So it's all about doing things to make sure you're going to score once you get the ball.

"Danny is the best when it comes to teaching guys about footwork and angles and putting yourself in a position to make something happen."

Self said Manning was known as a "cerebral player" during a pro career that was often slowed by injuries. A two-time NBA All-Star, Manning suffered three ACL tears during his time in the NBA.

"That obviously played a negative role in his playing career," Self said, "but it was probably a positive in his coaching career. He's had to teach guys to do it the way he had to learn to do it after he was hurt, as opposed to just being a superstar. A lot of guys can't do what superstars do.

"He's hungry. He's detail-oriented. He's beyond his years, basketball-wise. He's definitely ready to be a head coach."
ESPN Jason King


Brett Ballard leaving Baker U to join Manning in Tulsa


I wanted to share a cool story from KU director of basketball operations Barry Hinson, who accepted the Southern Illinois head-coaching job Wednesday.

Hinson, who spoke with reporters outside the locker room a few minutes ago, said right after KU's win over North Carolina last week, he gave Self a hug to celebrate KU advancing to the Final Four.

During the embrace, Self leaned over.

"The only thing that could make this better," Self told him, "is if you get the job."

"That's the kind of guy I've worked for for the last four years," Hinson said. "There are a lot of stories out there about coaches, but for a guy to turn around and say that right after he knows he's going to the Final Four, I think that speaks volumes of what type of guy Bill Self is."
LJW


LJW: Jayhawks excited for Manning, Hinson


TU hopes Danny brings the Miracles


How did @KU_Hoops Thomas Robinson overcome personal tragedy to lead his team to a possible 4th NCAA Championship? Watch CBS 3/31 at 4PM ET
March Madness TV ‏ @MarchMadnessTV


USA Today: Why Kansas will win the national championship

The Jayhawks are tough on the glass and relentless near the rim:  Kansas leads all tournament teams with 59 offensive rebounds and 61 second-chance points.  The Big 12 regular season champs have scored 23 percent of their points on second chances during the tournament, the highest by any team that played two games.

National Player of the Year candidate Thomas Robinson of Kansas leads all players in the NCAA Tournament with 47 field goal attempts in the paint — eight attempts more than any other player.

The Ohio State-Kansas game marks just the second meeting of #2 seeds in NCAA Tournament history.  The other took place in a national semifinal game in 1995 when Arkansas beat North Carolina, 75-68.

Since the Selection Committee began awarding the top overall seed in 2004, only one of those teams has won the national championship.  This year’s Kentucky Wildcats look to join the 2007 Florida Gators.
Link


NBC Video: The three big men who'll rule in New Orleans


USA Today Poll: Who will be the most important Final Four Player


A battle of heavyweights should feature a scintilating lead guard showdown between the Buckeyes’ Aaron Craft and the Jayhawks’ Tyshawn Taylor, who still has yet to make a 3-point shot in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas played its best basketball of the postseason in their Elite Eight win over North Carolina — but it will be difficult to replicate that type of offensive perfomance against Ohio State. The Buckeyes don’t wow you offensively but are exceptionally tough and seem to land every 50-50 ball. On Saturday, that will be the difference.
PREDICTION: OHIO STATE 69, KANSAS 65
Jon Rothstein CBS


KU's "blue team" will take on the Buckeyes Saturday. The names are familiar to college basketball fans – Thomas Robinson, Tyshawn Taylor, Jeff Withey, Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson along with reserves Teahan and Young.

The "red team" is made up of the no names. Juenemann, Merv Lindsey, Christian Garrett, Niko Roberts. They've played a total of 102 minutes (garbage time) at the end of games already decided. But for hundreds of hours, the red team works with the top seven players, providing practice fodder. But without the effort of the "scrubs" the starters wouldn't improve.

"The blue team gets on us in practice if we're not playing well or playing hard," Juenemann said. "It creates a real bond on the team. We work hard to make them better but we get better in trying to do that. It's a cool thing. The seven guys everybody knows about, we wouldn't be here without them. But we're a team and the guys who push them in practice, we're a part of the team.

"Everybody has a role on the team. It doesn't matter if you're the last man or the first man. I'm not as talented as the other players. But the guys on the scout team, we accept our role. We try to make the other guys better every day in practice."

In 2008, Teahan was one of "those guys." He was a freshman on a deep and talented team that delivered Kansas is third national championship. A native of Leawood, Kans., Teahan played a few seconds in the Final Four semifinal victory over North Carolina. The circle is now complete but it's not a perfect circle.

"It means a lot to get back here," said Teahan, who had played a total of 218 minutes in three season before developing into a valuable reserve. "Being a senior and being able to contribute, this means more than my freshman year. I was always hoping and thinking we'd be back."
Big 12 Sports


When the 7-foot center Jeff Withey showed up on the Kansas campus in 2009, he was a gawky San Diego kid who weighed a shrimp taco or two above 200 pounds. So how did he develop into the bruiser who has helped put the Jayhawks into the NCAA tournament's Final Four?

Withey credits two people. The first is Kansas assistant coach Danny Manning, a Jayhawk legend who won the 1988 national title, was selected No. 1 in the NBA draft and recently was named Tulsa's new coach. The other is a blonde-haired former college volleyball player named Andrea Hudy.

Withey describes her as "one of our secret weapons."

As a female strength and conditioning coach for a Division I men's basketball program, Hudy is a rare breed. She's believed to be the only woman in the country who holds that position. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, women account for just 5% of NSCA-registered trainers across all sports. But what really stands out about Hudy is her track record: She's worked with nine national-title teams and produced over two dozen NBA players who remain loyal to her. She is such an asset that elite high-school prospects point to her presence as an appealing reason to play for Kansas.

One of Hudy's projects, Houston Rockets forward and former Kansas star Marcus Morris, sings her praises loudly. "If it weren't for Hudy," he said, "I wouldn't be in the NBA."

Detroit Pistons guard Ben Gordon, who won the 2004 NCAA title with Hudy while they were both at Connecticut, put it this way: "There's no question she had as much to do with us winning a national championship as anyone."

…In the weight room, "she demands the respect," said former Kansas center Cole Aldrich, whom Hudy whipped from an admittedly chubby freshman into an NBA reserve with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Every big-time college sports program these days has a strength coach, usually a male one at that, but strength training won't necessarily stay a man's world for long, said NSCA founder Boyd Epley. "She's at the top of the top," he said. "You see the results on TV when you watch Kansas."
Wall St Journal


Just eight games into his Kansas career, Kevin Young scored 14 points and snared four rebounds off the bench against one of the top teams in all of college basketball.

The forward, however, never boasted about his stat line in the Jayhawks’ 78-67 victory over second-ranked Ohio State back on Dec. 10. Even today, Young has no problem admitting why the performance occurred.

“I probably caught them off guard a little,” the 6-foot-8 Young said. “I honestly don’t think they knew who I was.”

No one did.

Young was a virtual unknown when he transferred to Kansas in August. He averaged 10.7 points for Loyola Marymount as a sophomore in 2009-10 before sitting out last season.

…“The tradition and the winning here is something I wanted to be a part of.”

San Diego State coach Steve Fisher was livid -- both at Young and KU coach Bill Self -- but Young held strong and arrived in Lawrence in August.

Two months later, shortly after the Jayhawks began official workouts, Self told Young he was months away from making a significant contribution.

“I was like, ‘No, I’ll be ready in a week or two, Coach,’” Young said. “He said, ‘I won’t be shocked if you’re not ready until February.’ I thought he was joking, but it took me a while.

“I was used to playing rec ball. I wasn’t used to playing with a lot of structure.”
…“He’s pursuing the ball as well as anybody we have in our program,” Self said. “I have total confidence going to him off the bench. He does more with the stat sheet than anyone on our team.”

Comments such as those are almost overwhelming to Young. A year ago he wasn’t even on a college roster. Now here he is at the Final Four, a key factor for a team that is two wins away from a national championship.

“I knew from the first time I got in the gym with these guys that they were something special,” Young said.

He smiled.

“I definitely think I made the right decision.”
ESPN

ESPN: Don't forget about the point guards


Accuscore predicts KU victory over tOSU. Barely.


Making the NCAA Final Four in college basketball is a big deal. We’re talking a big, huge deal; both for the teams and their fans, as well as for the influence of those universities. The evidence is in the Klout Score—the further each team advanced in the NCAA tournament, the more its influence grew. When each team qualified for the Final Four, their Scores spiked.

The University of Kansas, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and the Ohio State University men’s basketball teams advanced to the Final Four in New Orleans this past weekend. The social media buzz surrounding each team has flooded news feeds and the fan bases’ thirst for more, more, MORE is unquenchable. Each school’s social media manager has answered these demands by using their heightened levels of influence for showcasing exclusive content and community building.

Annie Werner runs Kansas basketball’s social media. She said on non-game days the most successful content is pictures and videos of the players and coaches as opposed to user-generated content. The fans flock to this type of content and share it over and over again. In general, the best content, she said, is a final score Facebook update after a victory with a picture attached. Werner’s crowning achievement has to be this picture of Kansas Head Coach Bill Self after Kansas’ close win over Purdue in the NCAA third round.

Werner’s focus this week has been to provide a buffet of original content to hold over the fans until Saturday’s game.
KLOUT

Updated NCAA KU digital tournament guide


TV: Friday 8am CT ESPNU replay KU vs tOSU
    Friday 10am CT ESPNU Tournament Countdown: Road to the Final Four Kansas
    Friday Noon Open Practices MMOD (KU @3:10)


Pregame party and pep rally in New Orleans: The KU Alumni Association and Kansas Athletics will host a pregame party from 2-5 p.m. Saturday in the Celestin Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, 601 Loyola Ave. Admission is $10, and beverages, food and KU merchandise will be available for purchase. A pep rally featuring the pep band, Spirit Squad and mascots will begin at 4:45 p.m.

Tickets to the pregame rally will be available from 9 a.m.-noon Friday and 9-11 a.m. Saturday at the JW Marriott, 614 Canal St., which is the team hotel. Tickets also will be available from 2-7 p.m. Friday at Walk-On’s, 1009 Poydras St., which will be the official bar of the KU Alumni Association during the Final Four.

• Pregame radio show: The Jayhawk Final Four Preview Show, featuring Bob Davis, Chris Piper, David Lawrence and Josh Klingler will broadcast live on the Jayhawk IMG Sports Network from Walk-On’s from 6-7 p.m. Friday.


Superdome
Entrances:
Gates A Ground and Gates A, B, C, D, E, G and H Plaza

Door Opening:
2:30 PM

Parking:
Garages 5 & 6 - $25 Cash

Designated Taxicab Drop-off and Pick-up Zone
The designated taxicab drop-off and pick-up zone will be located on Perdido Street, between S. Claiborne and LaSalle Streets. Taxicabs will enter Perdido Street from Claiborne Avenue and will exit at LaSalle Street in a down town direction toward Tulane Avenue. Please click here to view map.

Final Four Tip-off Tailgate
Come celebrate in style at Champions Square before the big games begin! This event is free and open to the public.

Saturday, March 31, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Monday, April 2, 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Ticket Policy:
Each patron, regardless of age, must have a valid ticket for entry

Will Call Locations:
Gate A Ground (SMG Box Office) – ADA
Gate A Ground (Saints Box Office)
Gate H Plaza Box Office

Will Call Dates and Times:
Monday, March 26 → 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday, March 27→ 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Wednesday, March 28 → 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Thursday, March 29 → 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Friday, March 30 → 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Saturday, March 31 → 9:00AM – Halftime of the first game
Sunday, April 1 → 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Monday, April 2 → 9:00AM – Halftime

Camera Policy:
No video cameras allowed. No professional cameras with lenses longer than 4”. All other cameras are allowed.

Security:
Gym Bags / Backpacks / School Bags, Oversize Packages, Cans, Bottles, Weapons, Fireworks, Contraband, Video Cameras, Cameras with lens exceeding 4”, Recording Devices, Beach balls, Laser Pointers, Artificial Noisemakers and Containers of any kind are prohibited on Superdome property. Please note that enhanced security screening has been implemented which includes hand-held metal-detecting wands and/or pat down searches.
Superdome official site


The second annual All-American Championship, a doubleheader featuring the nation’s best high school boys basketball players, will take place on Sunday, April 1, in New Orleans, La., site of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Both games of the doubleheader will be carried on ESPN Networks.

Below are the rosters for the four teams.
Link ( Brannen Greene)


KU Alumni info, events, rally, etc


NCAA Final Four official site


NOLA Final Four official site


NCAA Final Four-related events

Friday

8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.: U.S. Basketball Writers Association Awards Breakfast. Arcadia Room, New Orleans Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal St. Tickets are $75 apiece and can be bought at www.sportswriters.net/usbwa.

Noon to 4 p.m.: Final Four teams practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Free. Gates open at 11 a.m.  (KU practices at 3:10pm CT)

Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town in Halls H-J of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

4 p.m. to 10 p.m.: KISS performs at Woldenberg Park. Free.

4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: College all-star game at the Dome. Free.

Saturday

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town. Shaquille O’Neal is expected to appear, and a game of former college athletes is scheduled to start at 12:30.

11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: The Black Keys play at Woldenberg Park.

1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Tailgate party at Champions Square.

Sunday

2 p.m.: Dribbling. On-site registration will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the first 1,000 people who didn’t sign up online. All participants must check in before 1:30 p.m.

Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town.

3 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Jimmy Buffett performs at Woldenberg Park.

Monday

Noon to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town.

4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tailgate party at Champions Square.


Louisiana Revised Statutes § 4:1 forbids the practice of reselling tickets for higher than face value.  In 2006, the statute was amended to allow the sale of tickets, at any price, for sales conducted over the Internet, so long as the organizer of the event and the event location’s operator have authorized the sale of the tickets.  Second, the web site’s operator must guarantee a full refund of the total sale price (including all charges) if the event is (a) canceled, (b) the purchaser is denied admission through no fault of his own, or (c) the ticket is not delivered as promised and this results in an inability to attend the event. Third, this guarantee must be posted on the operator’s web site. Finally, the prospective purchaser must be directed to the guarantee on the operator’s website prior to the completion of the transaction.  See the applicable section here.  Meanwhile the New Orleans Code of Ordinances § 54-484 prohibits scalping with no exceptions.


University of Kansas men's basketball fans will have the opportunity to watch KU's Final Four game on the video board at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas Athletics officials announced March 28.

The north, south and east entrances of Allen Fieldhouse will be open starting at 6 p.m. for Saturday night's contest vs. Ohio State. Tip will be approximately 7:49 p.m. from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. Members of the KU pep band, spirit squad and the mascots will be on hand.

 
The Fieldhouse will close immediately following the game.

Admission is free, and parking lots will be available at no charge. The parking garage adjacent to Allen Fieldhouse is pay by the hour. The KUstore.com and the Booth Family Hall of Athletics on the lower concourse will be open, while concession stands on all three levels will be available.
Link


Officials have discussed closing off Mass Street and other side streets from 6th to 13th streets. Officers will enforce the city’s no glass container ordinance as well. Khatib says the biggest difference will be police presence. More than 10 law enforcement agencies are expected to be represented downtown.
6News

From the North Shore to the South Side of Chicago, there might be doubts and disappointment.

But here in the promised land of the Final Four, there is applause for Illinois’ hiring of John Groce. These people ought to know. They’re here, right where Illini Nation wants to be.

“I think John’s terrific,’’ Kansas coach Bill Self told the Sun-Times on Thursday. “He came out after he got the Ohio job and spent a few days with us. He’s got energy. He’s got personality and bounce. I’m sure he’ll have everything energized up there quickly. In that locker room, he’ll have those guys won over in minutes.’’

Illinois’ fortunes have changed since Self left Champaign for Kansas nine years ago. Bruce Weber guided Illinois to the 2005 Final Four, but the program spiraled downward after that.

Self, though, is not among those who believe Illinois has lost its luster.

“It’s a top-10 or -15 program. Period,’’ said Self, who will trying to guide the Jayhawks to their second national championship in five years this weekend.

…Told that opinions are divided on Groce, who doesn’t have as flashy a resume as Shaka Smart, Brad Stevens or some others mentioned for the job, Self was puzzled.

“Why is he not being well received?’’ he said. “I got Tulsa to the Elite Eight when I got the [Illinois] job. He got Ohio to the Sweet 16. That’s huge. So often, the resume can be overrated. Him taking Ohio U to two tournaments in the last three years and going to the Sweet 16 this year is like several other programs going to the Final Four.’’

…Self also expects Groce to be a strong recruiter.

“When I came to Illinois, I’d never recruited north of Missouri or Kansas,’’ Self said. “This guy’s been in the Big Ten, been in the Midwest. He’ll have advantages I didn’t have because he’s already got built-in ties. Granted, I had a great staff. But he’ll hire a great staff, too. I like him a lot.’’
Chicago Sun-Times


Marshall wins Cousy Award


This is Kentucky's game to lose. It already beat Louisville on New Year's Eve 69-62, and clearly has better, NBA-ready personnel. Anthony Davis alone will make more money playing pro ball than the entire Louisville roster.

And yet when you perform a fan's accounting, the picture changes. The Wildcats lose their edge.

That's because this season has been, arguably, much more satisfying season for Louisville fans. The team faltered after a series of injuries, including to its best freshman recruit. There was a 30-point thrashing at the hands of the lowly Providence Friars. A sputtering offense produced nine losses in all.

Things were so bleak that three weeks ago I was planning on a different kind of column. It was titled: "When You Know Your Team Is Going to Lose."

The beauty of this team, and the beauty of college basketball, is to watch young people grow up before your eyes. Since the Big East Tournament, we've watched the junior Siva finally stop making freshman mistakes. Then there is The Pest: The lightly-recruited Russell Smith, a steals artist and 36% shot-chucker who has proved the team's go-to scorer.

Somehow, the 225th best shooting team in the country is playing Saturday in New Orleans.

There were never doubts for Kentucky, whose path to New Orleans has been clear ever since coach John Calipari inked a freshman class full of pre-fab, plug-and-play basketball Brahmins.

For Kentucky fans: Losing just doesn't feel bad. It feels personal.

That's why they've made peace with Calipari, a man who has pushed the mercenary limits of the amateur sport. The school's athletic department erected a billboard of Davis in New Orleans—copying a classic Michael Jordan pose. Rapper Jay-Z even appeared courtside in dumpy Rupp Arena for the regular-season Louisville game.

Calipari's two-loss team is dominating, and knows it. Their games, produced with few blemishes, feel like a business transaction.

This is what Kentucky fans wanted. They wanted to win, no matter what it took. And that's what they've got.

But if you were to ask them their favorite team, they would reflexively bring up the "Unforgettables"—the ragtag group of Rick Pitino-coached overachievers who infamously fell to Duke's Christian Laettner 20 years ago.

Two decades on, Pitino is now at Louisville, doing the same thing with a new bunch of overachievers.
Louisville fans now know where the real joy lies—the joy of the struggle.

And that's why I can't help but feel sorry for Kentucky fans. This season, they only know that pinch of relief, the joylessness of entitlement.
WSJ


SI Seth Davis: How to beat Kentucky


AP: Why 'trust' and 'Calipari' rarely share a sentence


''2008 was ridiculous," said Calipari, whose trip to the final later was vacated by the NCAA because of violations. "Guess what? This Final Four will be very similar to that."
Link

The 2012 Associated Press Washington all-state boys and girls basketball team lists:
Class 3A
Player of the year — Anrio Adams, sr., Rainier Beach.
Link


The N.C. Associated Press all-state basketball teams
Olympic’s Allerik Freeman, a 6-3 junior, averaged 18 points and six rebounds for a 28-2 team that was nationally ranked for much of the season. He has narrowed his college choices to Kansas and Villanova.
Link


Firing Bruce Weber may not damage Illinois' chances of landing Jabari Parker.

Parker's dad, Sonny, said his son would still consider the Illini after the school hired Ohio's John Groce. But he also said time was running out.

"We've been pretty consistent in taking everyone's phone calls," Sonny Parker told ESPN.com "In terms of recruitment, we're open, but it's getting late in the game. My son has to have a relationship with the coach. It's not something that happens overnight. It's like getting married. You don't say, 'Let's get married next week.'"

Parker, the nation's top-rated junior from Simeon (Chicago), is expected to make a decision next fall.

He is already familiar with Illinois. His relationship with Weber started when he was in fifth grade. He also knows assistants Jerrance Howard and Wayne McClain well. It unclear if either will be retained by Groce.

"Whatever school he wants to go to, he wants to make sure he fits in whatever system they run," Sonny Parker said. "Then, it's also he wants to know the type of team, type of players he's going to play with. The other part is development. The last part is he want to have an opportunity to win a national championship. Those are the things he wants to evaluate when making those types of decisions."
USA Today


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos now on Youtube

VOTE for TRob Naismith POY online
http://www.ncaa.com/naismithvote/ AND TEXT "VOTE" to 34763


VOTE for Coach Self USA Today Poll


VOTE for Coach Self NBCsports Poll


KU AD: Ohio State pregame notes


KC Star Photos: A history of KU in the Final Four


Mike and Mike Audio: Coach Self and Mario Chalmers


Brannen Greene @b_greene14
Love Coach Manning. Wish him the best. He's STILL a JAYHAWK for life!!!


Landen A. Lucas ‏ @LandenLucas33
Well if this is all true I'm very happy for Coach Manning! Bummed losing a great coach but I'm still excited to get to work out there! #KU


LJW: Manning headed to Tulsa (updated 1pm)


LJW: Hinson introduced by Salukis


KCTV5: Jayhawks receive warm sendoff


KC Star Photos: KU arrives in New Orleans


About 500 KU supporters intermittently performed chants inside the terminal as they awaited their beloved Jayhawks, who were departing for the Final Four.

A pep band blared KU fight songs as fans waved flags, pompoms, handmade signs and a floor mat.

Wait, a floor mat?

“We found this quite a few years ago. It has Roy Williams’ (autograph) on it,” Larry Russell, the rug’s owner, said as he proudly displayed it.

He wasn’t referencing the floor mat as a place to wipe unreconciled feelings toward ex-KU coach Williams.

It is simply an item Russell has people sign the back of, such as Williams, Danny Manning and Kirk Hinrich.

On Wednesday, he was hoping to add Bill Self’s autograph to the select few he has.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Hundreds of hands reached out for autographs or a simple high five as the KU team made its way to the back of the airport through a path kept clear by yellow rope.

Self told TV cameras amid a throng of fans: “It’s awesome. It feels like we’ve already won something. We haven’t won anything yet.

“We’ve got to go down there and take care of business.”
TCJ


Sirens filling the air, Kansas University’s basketball team bus received a police escort into downtown New Orleans at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Jayhawk players and coaches exited in back of the JW Marriott hotel to much fanfare. Workers placed beads over their heads, while a six-piece band played tunes like “When The Saints Go Marching In.”

“I love jazz, and this week I’m going to love it more than I ever have, I hope,” KU coach Bill Self said.

The team was to practice today at an undisclosed location and hold media sessions at the New Orleans Superdome. On Friday, it’s more media and a shootaround open to the public from 3:10 to 4 p.m. at the Dome.

“We’re not going to turn them loose on Bourbon Street, although I totally trust my guys,” Self said with a smile. “But they can go out and eat, walk around (Wednesday night). We’ll have curfew relatively early because tomorrow is a busy day. Friday will be a busy day.. It’s free time tonight, and beginning tomorrow they’ll be tied up every minute of the day for the most part.”

KU will play Ohio State in a Final Four semifinal approximately 7:49 p.m. Saturday in the newly named Superdome.

“I think what was cool was driving in (from airport) and seeing what used to be the Superdome. I guess it’s now seeing the Mercedes-Benz Superdome,” Self said. “It’s a cool view. Then driving by and seeing all the (Final Four) banners hung ... our guys are excited. I told our guys they have it seated for 75,000 (fans), and there won’t be more than 45,000 at practice. No reason to be nervous. I think these type of things will get our guys fired up.”
LJW


Tyshawn Taylor has quickly gone from the most polarizing Kansas player in recent memory to one of its most popular, from one of the most scrutinized to one of the most celebrated. That’s what a month can do for a college basketball player — if that month is March. Nothing converts a doubter like victory.

Many have doubted Taylor, from Hoboken, and the senior point guard loves nothing more than making them eat crow, with a side order of humble pie. He went from briefly homeless to the honor roll every year at St. Anthony’s High School. He led the Friars to a national title as a senior, and vows he can do the same for his Jayhawks.

..It is the kind of tough-love relationship impossible with one-and-done players. Taylor was involved in a 2009 fight between basketball and football players, was suspended for two games last year for violating team rules, and again for exhibition games this season. He even had a January spat on Twitter with his critics.

“I’ve always loved him as a player, no question,” Self said. “I’ve always liked him as a guy. If I was in college, I’d want to hang with Ty — he’s a cool kid. Ty’s been a guy that’s gotten in his own way some.

“He’s been as big a treat to coach as anybody I’ve ever had. I’ve always been fond of guys that have to go through some stuff to get where they eventually end up, and he’s had to go through some stuff. He’s been a treat to be around, and emerged as one of the better leaders we’ve had since I’ve been here. I really like this kid.”

…“I’m sure there are still a lot of critics. But if you can look at the body of work I’ve put in my four years, I don’t understand how you can’t love me,’’ Taylor said, smiling. “I made a lot of mistakes, but that’s just part of a young kid growing up. Look at the mistakes I made — they’re no different than any kid, writing statuses on Facebook, getting in a little scuffle. That’s stuff kids do at 18. I’m a lovable guy.’’

And two wins away from being a national champion. Again.
NY Post


“I don’t know if I could be more proud of a player, ever,” Teahan said of Taylor. “He’s done so well for us. And regardless of him making bad plays, he makes so many great plays for us. It’s really ridiculous how important he is to our team. We wouldn’t be anywhere without him.”

That’s true. Even with Taylor shooting 0-for-17 from three-point range so far in the NCAA Tournament, Kansas couldn’t have reached the Final Four without the extroverted native of Hoboken, N.J., forcing turnovers at one end, breaking down defenses at the other.

Teammates seemed every bit as elated that Taylor reached the Final Four as they were for themselves.

“It definitely makes it sweeter,” reserve guard Niko Roberts said. “I’ve really never seen him so happy.”

Added freshman Naadir Tharpe, who has taken notes on everything, good and bad, that Taylor has done: “He just had a huge smile, and he came in and told everybody that he loves us, and he wouldn’t rather do this with any other team. To hear that is just exciting, and it shows how much love he has for this team and how much love he has for Kansas.”

There’s a reason Taylor’s teammates love him, and it’s not the same one that inspired the initially reluctant fans finally to stand in his corner. Winning means a lot, but these guys respect Taylor’s struggle. Good games and bad. Suspensions and senior nights. Off-the-court trouble and on-the-court greatness. Taylor has experienced it all.

KU junior Kevin Young, a transfer from Loyola Marymount, is one of the few players on the roster who knew Taylor before teaming with him. Young, who played for Puerto Rico in the FIBA U19 World Championships in 2009 in New Zealand, said he remembered facing Taylor and Team USA in the championships and remembered thinking he was amazing. He also knew about Taylor’s troubles.

“Before I got here, I heard about all this stuff going on with him and his suspensions and all that,” Young recalled. “He’s been through so much. I’m just so happy he made it this far. He’s our leader. And he’s an extension of coach (Bill Self), and that’s what makes him such a good player.”
LJW


There is a temptation to peg Thomas Robinson for a loner, to understand the Kansas junior's success as a function of tragedy and forced evolution. Part of it is visual: Robinson, a 20-year-old who averages 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds a game, could be employed as LeBron James's body double. Andrea Hudy, the Jayhawks' strength and conditioning coach, attests that the 6-foot-9, 245-pounder, a projected top-five NBA Draft pick, can bench-press 300 pounds, clean 300, and parallel-squat close to 400.

Part of it is what can't be seen, too: many mornings, sometimes at 7 a.m., Robinson leaves for the practice court and is back before his roommate, guard Elijah Johnson, can pad into their living room, half-asleep. "T-Rob will already be in there, chilling," Johnson says. "I'll ask, 'What'd you do?' He goes, 'I just went and got some shots up real quick.' He gets something out of his time. He doesn't just sit around and let it pass him by."

…Talk to Robinson, however, and it turns out that so much heartbreak isn't where the story of this Final Four frontcourt -- maybe the best in the nation -- ought to begin. Yes, as Johnson puts it, Robinson is "a grown man now." But the evolution actually started years earlier in Lawrence, when a unanimous All-America was just an anonymous fourth-stringer. It started when the teammate who would appreciate Robinson most finally came to town.

…Little about the team's pecking order was surprising. The first time Withey had seen Robinson was in the summer of 2009, when Robinson was an incoming freshman snaring rebounds and dominating Self's basketball camp. "I didn't know too much about Thomas," recalls Withey, who hadn't paid serious attention to basketball until he began to be recruited in ninth grade. "I was like, 'Dang, who is this guy?'"

The center found out soon enough. Every time the 2009-10 Jayhawks would split themselves up into two teams, whether it was for practice or a summer pickup game, the fourth-string Robinson always wanted to go up against Aldrich and the Morrii, and he always wanted the fifth-stringer by his side. Elijah Johnson still cannot help but chuckle before doing a pitch-perfect imitation of his roommate's booming, almost hubristic demand: "Gimme Jeff! Gimme Jeff!"

…That June, even after Aldrich left early for the NBA, the bench-warming duo refused to separate. All along, Robinson kept shouting encouragement at the older but decidedly mild-mannered Withey, mainly trying to ratchet up the center's confidence: Jump hook! Keep getting your reps! Go hard! We need you! "Cole wasn't going to be here," explains Robinson, a late bloomer himself who had exactly one college offer entering the summer before his senior year at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. "The twins weren't going to be here one day. I just tried to get Jeff to be more aggressive, man ... I knew that time was running out."

…As the duo continued to run the Kansas scout team, their rapport became self-evident. The Morrii still had the edge on them in games, certainly, and Robinson's instructions for Withey -- Shoot the ball! -- didn't stop coming. But now, whenever either Robinson or Withey was trapped, the other would intuitively cut to the rim and receive the ball. If either Robinson or Withey was getting double-teamed -- already a small victory -- the other would collect the easy putback at the basket. If either Robinson or Withey took a risk defensively, the other would be waiting in the paint to erase the mistake.

They were getting better, and yet bigger, together. "We had a great vibe," says Withey, whose increasing weight (now into the 220s) mirrored his climbing offensive initiative (centered around that jump hook). Adds Johnson, "If you bang with T-Rob all day, or just work out with him all day, you can't be scared."

…It's still Sunday night, and awash in the glow of their coach's unlikeliest Final Four run, an ecstatic Robinson climbs onto a cart in the Edward Jones Dome hallway. He seems ready to speed off to the team's last news conference, and then onto New Orleans. As Withey plops down next to him, a strand of the net dangling from the center's celebratory cap, a reporter approaches with a simple question: "Thomas, how do you feel about your teammate?"

"Like a proud daddy," the 20-year-old says, grinning from ear to ear. And then he slings his arm around Withey's shoulders, keeping him firmly by his side.
SI.com


Teahan is a fifth year senior because he red-shirted during the 2010-2011 basketball season. He completed a business degree in finance last year and will graduate in May with an accounting degree. He said he didn't want to take two more years of school right now to get a master's degree but is thinking about taking the Certified Public Accountant exam. He is currently a teaching assistant for Finance 305, Survey of Finance and Finance 417, Business Valuation, both taught by business professor Lisa Bergeron.

"Being a TA has helped me understand finance better," Teahan said. "I already did a bunch of group work and being around other projects every day helps me better understand it."

Bergeron says Teahan makes a great TA.

"Over the course of the semester I got to know Conner and realized how bright he is and how hard he works," Bergeron said. "He really gets the concepts and is able to communicate them to the students."

Still, it's difficult to separate the two parts of his life. Teahan says the older he's gotten the more organized and mature he's become at balancing basketball and school.

"What coach Self always says is taking care of business off the court directly correlates with on the court," Teahan said. "If you're responsible and don't leave anything to chance, you'll be the same way on the basketball court and if you can take care of business on the court, you'll be less stressed out."

While Teahan is learning about finance from Bergeron, she is learning a few things from him as well.

"I have learned some fundamentals of basketball," Bergeron said. "I coach little ones and I would ask Conner for some tips and drills. He would help me out, sometimes with a polite chuckle at my novice questions."

Bergeron said Teahan could've taken easy classes just to fill his schedule this year, but what really says a lot about him is that he took difficult classes and will earn a second degree because of it.

"He is truly a student-athlete," she said.
KU School of Business


Students in one Topeka classroom are rooting for the Kansas Jayhawks to make it all the way. Their Farley Elementary School teacher says raising a star athlete starts in the classroom.

Debbie Withey is surrounded by four-footers daily, but lately, all she can think about her her seven-footer on the road to the championship.

Mrs. Withey usually has her mind on math, but lately, she spends her days worrying.

"Nervous. Like driving to school I just have to stop and pray all the time, just like all week worrying if he got hurt walking to class, it's just constant," Withey said.

"One day she was here when he was about to play and she kept on saying when we were taking our quiz, 'I hope KU wins. I hope KU wins!'" said Quinton Zweisler, Farley Elementary School 3rd grader.

See, Mrs. Withey loves all her kids, but one in particular stands a little taller than the rest. Mrs. Withey gave birth to Jeff Withey, KU's 7-foot star center, and the Big 12 defensive player of the year.

Mrs. Withey says Jeffree, as she calls him, was big from birth. He started playing basketball on a third grade team when he was in kindergarten.

"The coach had to call a time out to go out there and tie his shoes for him because he was in kindergarten, you know?" said Withey. "And when we went to Disney Land, he couldn't go into Goofy's house because he was too big. Yeah, I'll never forget that."
WIBW


Withey played a lot of volleyball growing up in southern California, on the sand and indoors, eventually hooking up with a competitive club team. But his basketball coach at San Diego's Horizon High put his foot down. He could play one sport or the other, but not both.

He went with hoops, and it took Withey first to college at Arizona. When coach Lute Olson abruptly retired, he moved to Kansas.

Self's high-low offense puts a premium on skilled big men. "It may be because there's not as many big guys to go around," he said, "but there's not a ton of teams you look at and say they definitely play inside-out. When we've played our worst is when we do not play inside-out. That's just kind of been a staple of what we do."

Withey also became the latest in a line from Cole Aldrich to Marcus and Markieff Morris to the 6-10 Robinson to blossom under the watch of former Kansas great and current assistant coach Danny Manning.

Coming off a broken right foot, Withey started just once and played only a little more than six minutes a game a year ago. Anticipating a greater role as a junior, Withey competed last summer with an Athletes in Action team that toured Greece, Germany and Macedonia.

He had some early-season moments, including his first career double-double in a loss to Duke in the Maui Invitational. But the breakthrough came in February.

Since his no-show at Missouri, Withey has shot 57% from the field and averaged 11 points, 6.9 rebounds and nearly 4.5 blocks. His 19 blocks in the tournament are fourth-most through four games, matching Alonzo Mourning's total for Georgetown in 1989.

Some of that, Withey said, is the old volleyball player in him. "It's timing," he said. "In volleyball, you jump so much, and you have to be quick off the ground. I think that helps with rebounding and blocking shots."

His 129 blocks this season are a school record.

"He went from being our fifth big guy two years ago to our fourth big guy with limited minutes last year to now, he's the league's defensive player of the year … and just continuing to get better and better," Self said. "We thought he was going to be a good player, but I didn't know he'd have this impact this soon.

"We wouldn't be here without him."
USA Today


I don't know about you, but for my money, despite all the overheated expectations and rivalry-oriented craziness surrounding Louisville-Kentucky ... I think Ohio State-Kansas has a better than 50-50 shot at being the best game of the weekend. What say you?

Myron Medcalf: I agree. I think Kansas-Ohio State is the game of the weekend. I love the buildup to Louisville-Kentucky. I'd actually like to spend a day in Kentucky before I leave for New Orleans to get a feel for the vibe in that state. But if you look at the matchups, Kansas-Ohio State wins. I can give you five reasons that the Jayhawks will win and five reasons that the Buckeyes will win. Thomas Robinson vs. Jared Sullinger. The emergence of Jeff Withey and Deshaun Thomas. Aaron Craft's hands against Tyshawn Taylor's explosiveness. This should be a great game.

EB: How many NBA scouts will be watching that T-Rob/Sully matchup? Answer: all of them, or at least all of those who have a top-10 pick to spare in this summer's draft. That actually seems to be one of the biggest debates about the upcoming draft, a sort of barometer for the kind of player you prefer -- explosive and slightly raw? Or polished but less athletic? I'd take either one of them. And seeing them tee up on each other could be a one-on-one matchup for the ages.

MM: I agree. And I'm even more excited for Robinson-Sullinger because of their personalities. Some guys would look at this as "just another game." I guarantee both Robinson and Sullinger are telling friends and loved ones that they're going to win that battle. I don't care what they say publicly. This is personal. Who's the best big man in college basketball? With Sullinger, Robinson and Davis in the field, we'll know by Monday. Sullinger didn't get the national player of the year love that Robinson enjoyed because of a bad back and a rough stretch in February. But who can doubt his premier status after watching him tear up Syracuse? Robinson takes a Kansas team that's not supposed to win its eighth Big 12 title in a row to the Final Four? Get your popcorn ready.

EB: Agreed, agreed. But as you said, there are other huge areas of intrigue here. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say the Robinson-Sullinger matchup will essentially be a wash. The swing-vote matchup (as Marquette coach Buzz Williams might say) might then be Aaron Craft and Tyshawn Taylor. Craft is a defensive genius. What he does to opposing guards is just ruthless sometimes. If Taylor gets eaten up by those slap-happy hands -- or even if Craft just cuts Taylor off and keeps him confined to the perimeter, where he has missed just about every shot he's taken in the past two weeks -- Kansas will be at a severe disadvantage.
ESPN


Craft’s role is the Buckeyes’ stopper at the top of the defense and playmaker at the head of the offense. A 6-foot-2 guard, Craft scores just 8.8 points per game, but he also averages 4.7 assists and 2.5 steals.

He has stepped it up in the NCAA Tournament with averages of 10.3 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.3 steals in four games, including his first career double-double in a win over Gonzaga with 17 points, 10 assists.

And unlike Kansas’ Jeff Withey, who was the Big 12 defensive player of the year because of his shot-blocking prowess, Craft was selected Big Ten defensive player of the year because of his pilfering ability. Craft’s 95 steals already have shattered Ohio State’s single-season record of 87 set by Mike Conley during 2006-07, when the Buckeyes last went to the Final Four.

“No player is safe when Aaron is on you,” Ohio State All-American forward Jared Sullinger said. “He puts the blue in blue collar.”

Craft will be matched up against Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor on Saturday night, and they battled to a draw when Kansas beat Ohio State 78-67 last January in Lawrence.

Craft scored 11 points, had six assists, three turnovers and two steals against the Jayhawks. Taylor, who was playing on a knee that would require arthroscopic surgery after the game, scored nine points and had 13 assists but was forced into seven turnovers, mostly by Craft.

“He was their catalyst in the first game, scoring the ball and distributing it,” Craft said of Taylor. “He’s a veteran guy who knows what it takes. He’s been around for a while. … He trusts in his teammates. He knows when to attack and when not to, and he never gets his head down.

“There are some games he turns the ball over quite a few times, but he always comes back and makes that next big play they need to win the game. That shows his resilience and how great of a player he is.”

Ohio State coach Thad Matta wouldn’t trade Craft for Taylor or any other point guard.
KC Star


These Buckeyes were a tough nut to crack.

The practice habits were so poor Thad Matta called it the worst practice team he coached.

Their pregame warmups were so uninspired and lighthearted ESPN commentator Dan Dakich called them "silly."

Their focus was so bad in February they lost three of five games in one stretch.

Their toughness was so questionable, they lost two of their final three home games after ripping off a streak of 39 consecutive victories in Value City Arena.

Yet this is the team that will play in New Orleans this weekend as part of the NCAA Final Four, Matta's second team to go this far in the postseason.

"This is probably the best coaching job he's ever done because of the different buttons that had to be pushed on a game-by-game basis and a practice-by-practice basis," Ohio State assistant coach Jeff Boals said. "He kept pushing these guys. It was a different group to coach."
Link


CBS:Scouting Kansas


CBS: Scouting OSU


ESPN: Game Plan KU vs OSU


ESPN: Breaking down the Jayhawks


SI Luke Winn: Visualizing the Final Foursome


CBS: Top 30 players in the Final Four


Everyone wants to say this is his best coaching job ever. I don't know, maybe it is. You can sure make that argument. But I'd like to know when he hasn't been good. The year after Kansas won their National Championship in 2008 and six of the players from that squad were drafted in the NBA, the Jayhawks won. Eight straight Big 12 Titles. Eight straight! Simply put, Bill Self is a winner. What this team has accomplished this year is just one more example of continued excellence.

Most are saying that by getting to the Final Four, this team has already overachieved from preseason predictions. While that may be true, I have a feeling that they are on a mission. As Coach Self says, "I don't think our guys are satisfied. I think they think this is our year. And I'm certainly not going to tell them differently." Neither am I. Good luck in New Orleans to the Jayhawks, the Big 12 is rooting hard for another Kansas National Championship.
Big 12 Sports


USA Today: Get to know your Final four officials


Sporting News: Greatest games of expanded bracket era


A Computer Simulation says Kentucky Will Down Kansas in the Men's Final

They have developed a powerful simulation engine that takes statistical performances of various players and teams into account in an attempt to allow users to simulate any sports matchup they wish.

The site's engine simulated each game 2001 times to determine a winner, then the staff chose one of those simulations that was representative of an average game among those simulations and posted it on their site.

According to the WhatIfSports simulation engine, Kentucky will down Louisville 68-63 thanks to a suffocating defense that will hold Louisville to just 31.8 percent shooting and will feature 10 blocks from freshman phenom Anthony Davis.

On the other side of the bracket, Kansas sneaks past Ohio State 72-68 in a game that was a back and forth affair until the 13 minute mark of the second half when Kansas went on a run that opened a 13 point led. The Buckeyes fought back but couldn't close that gap in the time remaining.
Link


USA Today Video: Building the Final Four floor -- starting at literally chopping down trees


Article: Ohio Floor Co. prepares floor to the Final Four


The maple court, designed especially for the event, is the centerpiece. It was built a few feet off the floor and is edged in kelly green with the New Orleans Final Four logo at midcourt. The shiny court was manufactured in Michigan and detailed in Ohio, a process that took five weeks.

The stage includes a new configuration of stands with some 17,000 temporary seats. The NCAA brought in stands that fit over the existing Superdome seats and smooths out the typical incline to improve basketball sight lines.

The NCAA’s signature octagon scoreboard — an authoritative video screen contraption — hangs from cables to give the venue a distinctly college fieldhouse feel.

“My jaw fell open when I saw how big it was and saw the high definition of it,” said Vince Granito, co-director of the local organizing committee. “It also really closes off the height factor in the building to me. It just pulls it all together and makes it much more intimate. It’s hard to say the building of 75,000 could be intimate, but it made it feel much more like a basketball venue than any domed venue that I’ve ever seen a basketball game in.

“I found that very cool,” Granito continued, “and I think the fans, when they come to the games, will be very excited and very impressed with it, and I think it will enhance their viewing ability and enjoyment of the game.”
NOLA.com

KU-OSU House Divided


With lights flashing and KU fight song blaring, the converted ambulance joined thousands of fans downtown to celebrate the KU team’s appearance in the Final Four.

“People were taking photos and asking questions, ‘Can I get a picture? Can I sit on the back?’ It was an incredible thing,” Kitcha Paranjothi said.

Three years ago, the Kanbulance was purchased by four Lawrence families: Wes Smith and his wife, Lisa Leroux-Smith; Kitcha and Adrienne Paranjothi, David and Amy Clark; and Paul and Jana Wallen.

The group has nine children among them, ages 8 to 13, and has ties to KU. The families started tailgating the traditional way, out of the back of SUVs. But, the men in the group were looking to expand their tailgating opportunities. Some of them were considering an old school bus.

“But then we thought where in the heck can you park a bus?” Paranjothi said.

Then they learned about the “ultimate tailgating machine,” or “fanbulances.”

As luck would have it, a police department in a St. Louis suburb was auctioning off a green and yellow striped ambulance that had been part of its DARE program. The group won the auction and brought the ambulance home to Lawrence.

It took AJ’s Custom Signs and Graphics three months to decorate the ambulance, which has blue and red stripes on the sides and lights on the top in Jayhawk colors. Football helmets and the words ResKU adorn the sides. A Jayhawk peeks out over the hood. Above the doors that swing open in the back is Allen Fieldhouse’s familiar warning: “Pay heed, all who enter. Beware of the Phog.”

The families made sure to get the proper permission from KU to use its logo and colors.

“They just want to make sure we weren’t going to make money off of this. We said not at all. If anything, it’s a money pit,” Paranjothi said.
LJW

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/03/09/best-cities-for-new-college-grads/


LJW: Jayhawks in the NBA


KU grad Tyrel Reed is hanging up his sneakers. He told @nate_bukaty that he's going to Phys Train prog @ KU Med rather than return 2 Belgium
https://twitter.com/#!/JBBauersfeld/status/184991264343732224

Updated KU digital tournament guide

Television

•     Friday 8am CT ESPNU replay KU vs tOSU
•     Friday 10am CT ESPNU Tournament Countdown: Road to the Final Four Kansas
•     Friday Noon Open Practices MMOD (KU @3:10)

Pregame party and pep rally in New Orleans:

The KU Alumni Association and Kansas Athletics will host a pregame party from 2-5 p.m. Saturday in the Celestin Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, 601 Loyola Ave. Admission is $10, and beverages, food and KU merchandise will be available for purchase. A pep rally featuring the pep band, Spirit Squad and mascots will begin at 4:45 p.m.

Tickets to the pregame rally will be available from 9 a.m.-noon Friday and 9-11 a.m. Saturday at the JW Marriott, 614 Canal St., which is the team hotel. Tickets also will be available from 2-7 p.m. Friday at Walk-On’s, 1009 Poydras St., which will be the official bar of the KU Alumni Association during the Final Four.

• Pregame radio show:

The Jayhawk Final Four Preview Show, featuring Bob Davis, Chris Piper, David Lawrence and Josh Klingler will broadcast live on the Jayhawk IMG Sports Network from Walk-On’s from 6-7 p.m. Friday.



The second annual All-American Championship, a doubleheader featuring the nation’s best high school boys basketball players, will take place on Sunday, April 1, in New Orleans, La., site of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Both games of the doubleheader will be carried on ESPN Networks.

Below are the rosters for the four teams.
Link ( Brannen Greene)


http://www.kualumni.net/wp/


http://www.ncaa.com/championships/basketball-men/d1


http://www.nola.com/ncaa/


NCAA Final Four-related events (from the New Orleans Times-Picayune aka nola.com)

Friday
8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.: U.S. Basketball Writers Association Awards Breakfast. Arcadia Room, New Orleans Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal St. Tickets are $75 apiece and can be bought at www.sportswriters.net/usbwa.
Noon to 4 p.m.: Final Four teams practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Free. Gates open at 11 a.m.  (KU practices at 3:10pm CT)
Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town in Halls H-J of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
4 p.m. to 10 p.m.: KISS performs at Woldenberg Park. Free.
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: College all-star game at the Dome. Free.

Saturday
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town. Shaquille O’Neal is expected to appear, and a game of former college athletes is scheduled to start at 12:30.
11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: The Black Keys play at Woldenberg Park.
1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Tailgate party at Champions Square.

Sunday
2 p.m.: Dribbling. On-site registration will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the first 1,000 people who didn’t sign up online. All participants must check in before 1:30 p.m.
Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town.
3 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Jimmy Buffett performs at Woldenberg Park.

Monday
Noon to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town.
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tailgate party at Champions Square.


Louisiana Revised Statutes § 4:1 forbids the practice of reselling tickets for higher than face value.  In 2006, the statute was amended to allow the sale of tickets, at any price, for sales conducted over the Internet, so long as the organizer of the event and the event location’s operator have authorized the sale of the tickets.  Second, the web site’s operator must guarantee a full refund of the total sale price (including all charges) if the event is (a) canceled, (b) the purchaser is denied admission through no fault of his own, or (c) the ticket is not delivered as promised and this results in an inability to attend the event. Third, this guarantee must be posted on the operator’s web site. Finally, the prospective purchaser must be directed to the guarantee on the operator’s website prior to the completion of the transaction.  See the applicaple section here.  Meanwhile the New Orleans Code of Ordinances § 54-484 prohibits scalping with no exceptions.


University of Kansas men's basketball fans will have the opportunity to watch KU's Final Four game on the video board at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas Athletics officials announced March 28.

The north, south and east entrances of Allen Fieldhouse will be open starting at 6 p.m. for Saturday night's contest vs. Ohio State. Tip will be approximately 7:49 p.m. from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. Members of the KU pep band, spirit squad and the mascots will be on hand.

The Fieldhouse will close immediately following the game.

Admission is free, and parking lots will be available at no charge. The parking garage adjacent to Allen Fieldhouse is pay by the hour. The KUstore.com and the Booth Family Hall of Athletics on the lower concourse will be open, while concession stands on all three levels will be available.
Link


Officials have discussed closing off Mass Street and other side streets from 6th to 13th streets. Officers will enforce the city’s no glass container ordinance as well. Khatib says the biggest difference will be police presence. More than 10 law enforcement agencies are expected to be represented downtown.
6News

The exact opposite of what I predicted happened. Kansas won its way to the Final Four while Missouri somehow got bounced in the first round (well, technically second, but who’s counting?) by a 15 seed.

Those that were whining when Frank Haith didn’t get Big 12 Coach of the Year can all be quiet now. He won National honors on the strength of Mike Anderson’s team, an honor he, in hindsight, didn’t deserve.

Norfolk State also played the game of their lives against Mizzou before shooting a horrendous 27 percent in their loss to Florida, but that’s neither here nor there.

What Bill Self did during a “down” year is incredible. The Big 12 Player of the Year only averaged 15 minutes per game last season and, should KU reach the National Championship Game, he should be strongly considered for the Wooden Award.
NW Missourian


Kansas State appears to have lost its top basketball recruit.

Robert Upshaw, a 7-foot, 275-pound center from Fresno, Calif., and the 43rd-ranked player in Rivals.com’s rankings of the class of 2012, has decided to reopen his recruitment.

Members of his family told Dave Telep, a reporter who covers recruiting for ESPN, that Upshaw probably will make a new decision in April but that he will not re-sign with K-State nor will he follow former K-State coach Frank Martin to South Carolina.

Upshaw is free to evaluate other schools because he signed a financial-aid agreement with K-State in November, rather than a binding national letter of intent, as most high school recruits do when committing to a school. K-State assistant coach Lamont Evans handled his recruitment.

Efforts to reach Upshaw were unsuccessful. He told the Fresno Bee he was glad he has options. Before picking K-State, he also considered Fresno State, Georgetown and Louisville.

“It’s going to take some time to process,” he told the Bee. “It’s a big deal where I’m going, so I’m not going to make a quick decision.”
KC Star


Jéan-Paul Olukemi's eligibility for Oklahoma State's 2012-13 basketball season is in question, due to confusion stemming from his final year at prep school in Simi Valley, Calif.

Olukemi, who will be a senior next season, could have either one semester, or a full season of eligibility remaining with the Cowboys, depending on the result of an appeal to the NCAA.
The Oklahoman


Assists have always been Siva’s specialty, and this was just an off-the-court example.

He had persuaded his mother to let a troubled high school teammate move into their home. When she found out the teammate was still involved with a gang, she said he no longer could stay in the house.

Siva knew why his mother had to take a stand, but he also knew that kid was homeless.

“Trouble always seemed to find him,” said Siva, a self-proclaimed momma’s boy who’s now the University of Louisville’s junior point guard. “Even though my mom said he couldn’t stay with us, he still had no place to sleep. He was like a little brother to me. I was just trying to get him off the streets and keep him safe.”

Gaston couldn’t really be mad at her son. He had watched her do the same thing countless times herself.
LCJ


Despite an increasingly complicated negotiation process, multiple sources confirmed to the Tribune late Wednesday night that Ohio's John Groce has been hired as Illinois' men's basketball coach.

One source said a Thursday news conference is expected.

Disagreement on terms of the contract had delayed the hiring the last few days, according to college basketball sources.

Differences in contract length and assistant coaches salaries had been the major obstacles in a deal being reached between Groce and Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas. Groce, who had coached at the Mid-American Conference program since 2008, asked for an average of $1.375 million annually over eight years ($11 million), while Illinois offered about $1.2 million per year for a five- or six-year contract, sources said.

Groce made $307,985 per season and it had been reported the most Ohio could offer was $500,000 annually.

Groce also wanted his top assistant to receive a salary on par with that of Jerrance Howard, whose contract as an Illinois assistant runs through next season for $180,000 per year.

A flight scheduled to head from Champaign to Athens, Ohio, on Tuesday was canceled when Groce introduced the demands that put a hitch in the process, sources said.

Thomas had told trustees he planned to have a coach in place before leaving Friday for the Final Four in New Orleans.
Chicago Tribune


Whatever Cal did or didn’t do that crippled UMass and temporarily handcuffed Memphis I don’t care about. Perhaps there’s a few members of the NCAA still flummoxed trying to prove something they’re quite certain of, but for the most part life goes on.

No, whatever Calipari may or may not be hiding in his closet isn’t why I’d prefer to see him lose, it’s what we see when the bright lights are shining: Cal’s charisma sends shivers up and down my spine.

His personality borders on con-artist friendly, too-good-to-be-true charming, which raises red flags and prevents me from trusting him and his motives.

He reminds me of a used car salesman.

From giving back-handed compliments to Charles Barkley after beating Iowa State, to telling Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg that Anthony Davis was just being a “momma’s boy” when he banged knees with Perry Jones III during South Regional finals, Calipari’s method of interpersonal communication rubs me the wrong way, and it leads me to believe he’s overcompensating for something. Whether or not it’s for allowing someone not named Derrick Rose to take Derrick Rose’s SAT, I don’t know. I haven’t been in the thick of this long enough to confidently formulate an educated argument, but I do know I would never send my kid to play basketball for John Calipari.

Sure he’d do his best to get my kid to the NBA if that was the best place for him, but there’s other schools that produce pro players too … and I’m probably not going to raise a professional athlete.

Fair or unfair, my dislike for Calipari has nothing to do with basketball, and everything to do with what I see through a number of mediums.

Maybe he really is a genuinely nice person. Maybe he’s cordial and doesn’t do things public figures are forced to do for the sake of maintaining a favorable perception with the masses, but I don’t buy it.
NBC Sports


Good grief, this year there's been more buzz about "Mad Men" than March Madness. Even the goofy students at Duke stopped jamming little Cameron Indoor Stadium, and when the Dookies are losing interest in hoops, it's a clue even Inspector Clouseau can't stumble past. The dispiriting fact is that attendance for the college game keeps declining throughout both the regular season and during the NCAA tournament.

So much of the problem is external: the competition. As the violent game of football grows more popular, and its season extends longer into winter, all hoops are squeezed. College basketball doesn't seem like a season anymore. It's more like a spring break. There's even talk now of not scheduling college basketball till after the New Year, running March Madness all through April. Seems like a good idea.

But because NCAA tournament games must be scheduled at the last minute at stale neutral sites that seem to be as far away as Bulgaria or Sri Lanka for most home-team fans, it means that, like the Olympics, March Madness is more and more a TV show.

However, unlike other competition-style TV programs like "Dancing with the Stars," and unlike other sports, March Madness is at its greatest disadvantage now because you don't get to know the characters. The brightest stars leave for the NBA after a year -- "one and done" -- just when they're beginning to attract interest. There's so little identity or continuity -- and basketball is the most personality-driven team sport. It's especially revealing that the biggest fuss made about March Madness are the brackets, and, essentially, filling out a 68-team bracket has as much to do with sport as does buying a lottery ticket.

It's representative of the whole situation that, for the Final Four, Kentucky is the huge favorite, because the Wildcats are a transient team made up mostly of freshmen who'll be gone next year, off to the NBA. Can we really say that "c" in the NCAA any longer stands for "Collegiate" if virtually a whole team doesn't spend much time in college? Let us say that, more correctly, the NCAA is now the National CBS Athletic Association.

But understand, the Kentucky way is all perfectly legal. If I were a good player I'd leave and go make some money, too, and if I were Mitt Romney I'd make the Kentucky coach, John Calipari, my running mate, because -- silver-tongued? -- hey, Calipari is absolutely platinum-tongued. He can talk anybody undecided onto his side. UK by a KO.
SI Frank Deford

Two columns of smoke rose into the darkened United Center just off the court, and through it, lit by a bright spotlight, walked Heights senior Perry Ellis as he was introduced as one of the 24 McDonald’s All-Americans Wednesday night at the United Center. Flashing at midcourt was 34, Ellis’ number.

It was a surreal moment for Ellis. A moment he had dreamed of. A moment he had worked for.

“That was pretty cool,” Ellis said after the game while standing outside the locker room. “That is a preview of how it will be in college every night. It was cool.”

Ellis had spent the previous 10 minutes or so in the locker room reflecting on how he had just played his last high school game; on his four championships while at Heights.

Yes, he had just played in front of thousands, in the United Center and on ESPN. But he viewed it as an ending.

“In the locker room, I’m just thinking, ‘it’s all over,’ ” he said. “It’s exciting, but I’m going to miss it, all my friends. It went by so fast. You’re doing something you love, it just goes by fast.

“But it’s time to move on to the next step. Time to keep working and get ready for college.”

Ellis, who has signed with Kansas and is Wichita’s first participant in the McDonald’s game in 31 years, didn’t have much of a chance to showcase his game in the 106-102 win by the West team.

It was a typical all-star game with little passing or defense. The West team was led by Shabazz Muhammad’s 21 points, while Alex Poythress led the East team with 19 points.

Ellis, who only played 3 minutes, 40 seconds in the first half and missed his three shots, finished 2-of-8 shooting with four points, four rebounds and two assists.

“That was just a subbing pattern,” Ellis said of his lack of playing time. “It ended up that way. It’s all right, though.”

But Ellis didn’t get caught up in the look-at-me-now actions of all-star games. No, Ellis played defense. On two straight possessions in the second half, the West team had three players racing up the floor for fastbreaks — and the only defender was Ellis. None of the rest of the players even crossed half court.

“We went down and turned it over, and I had to get back,” Ellis said. “I tried to get back, but I couldn’t guard three people.”

That Ellis still had a defensive mindset didn’t surprise Heights coach Joe Auer, who attended the game.

“Unselfish team ball is what he is all about,” Auer said. “Yes, he is the only guy worried about his defensive assignment.”

Ellis shrugged and said, “I did it for four years, so I’m still going to try to play defense.”

Ellis entered the game at the 15:27 mark of the first half and he promptly got a defensive rebound, passing it up the court to Kris Dunn, who scored on a lay-up.

After sitting for the final 11:47 of the half, he started the second half and in less than a minute took a pass on the left side of the basket and dunked for his first points.

“Everyone wants to score, so I tried, when I had a chance, to score,” he said. “… I felt I was playing my game. I felt comfortable for the most part, and I had fun, though, too.”

Later in the second half, he saved a loose ball from going out of bounds. Less than two minutes later, he drove and had a sweet up-and-under basket. On the other end of the court, he got a defensive rebound and passed it up ahead to William Goodwin, who dunked on the fastbreak.

While Ellis’ playing time and production were far less than what he’s used to, he was pleased he had a chance to play.

“It was real nice, especially because all the people who support me got a chance to see me,” he said. “All the KU fans got a chance to see me. I’m excited about that. I’m ready to get up there now.”
Wichita Eagle


ESPN Highlights: McDAA Game


Muhammad, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruiting prospect, has trimmed his list of schools to three -- Duke, Kentucky and UCLA.
Link


Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34)
3/29/12 12:36 AM
Shabazz need to go Kansas


From 2008 McD AA game: Top scorer was Willie Warren (23 pts), now in D-league. Greg Monroe, currently 16/10 for Pistons, was 0-2 from field
https://twitter.com/#!/wilnerhotline/status/185213067838230528


ESPN: The real Shabazz Muhammad


Mount Vernon point guard Isaiah Cousins has committed to Oklahoma, head coach Bob Cimmino confirmed to SNY.tv.

The 6-foot-4 Cousins chose the Sooners over Virginia Tech, UConn, Dayton and Xavier, Cimmino said.

“Isaiah is a 6-4 point guard who attacks the rim, hits the 3 and is a gym rat,” Cimmino said. “He never takes a play off and has elevated his game tremendously in the last year.”

The list of players to come out of “Money Earnin’ Mount Vernon” in recent years includes Ben Gordon of the Detroit Pistons, former Rutgers players Mike Coburn and Jonathan Mitchell, George Mason’s Sherrod Wright and West Virginia’s Kevin Jones and Jabarie Hinds.
Zags Blog


One of Chicago’s most powerful club high school coaches said Friday he doesn’t believe Shaka Smart turned down Illinois’ offer because of his reluctance to deal with Chicago recruiting and believes the perception of the city’s recruiting is wrong.

Mike Irvin runs one of Chicago’s most recruited club programs, the Mac Irvin Fire. Its recent players include McDonald’s All-Americans Wayne Blackshear and Jereme Richmond, Illinois sophomore Meyers Leonard and Ohio State freshman Sam Thompson. The Fire’s current roster includes the nation’s No.1 junior Jabari Parker and No. 2 sophomore Jahlil Okafor.

According to sourced reports, Smart was turned off by the politics of Chicago recruiting, and that played a factor in his decision to reject Illinois’ offer. Irvin said Smart has recruited Chicago before and doesn’t believe that soured Smart on the Illinois job.

“Shaka knows he can come in and recruit kids from here,” said Irvin, who took over the program for his recently deceased father Mac Irvin. “When Shaka was (an assistant) at Florida, all of our guys had Florida on their list. I didn’t even know who Shaka was before, and he called me 90 times before he got a hold of me. He knows he can come in here.”

Irvin also believes the media perception of Chicago recruiting being a dirty business is wrong.

“It makes me mad when I hear things about recruiting in Chicago,” Irvin said. “Half the people saying the stuff don’t come to Chicago, first of all. My father spent all his years helping build up the city of Chicago and making it a place a lot of college coaches can come and recruit these kids.

“About ¾ of the people, they don’t know where these kids are from. They’ve never been here. They don’t know what we do as AAU coaches. They don’t see it. Just because they’re from the inner city doesn’t mean they’re not smart and they’re gang bangers.

“From what they say, Duke and North Carolina run great programs. They’re coming in and recruiting Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor from our program. They apparently don’t see anything wrong with recruiting Chicago.”
Irvin said he has never taken money to influence a player’s decision and only assists players and their parents with information on schools.

“Never (have I taken money,)” Irvin said. “My father lived in the same house for 40 years. We do it for the kids. You have to have love for the kids. There’s no other way to do it. We want to make a difference for our city.”

Irvin believes recruiting Chicago comes down to relationships.

“We want somebody to come in, and we want a relationship with the coaches,” Irvin said. “For them to come in, they need to roll our up their sleeves and get to work. It’s no different than anywhere else. You just got to put in the time and work. If you don’t want to put in the time and work, yes, Chicago is a difficult place to recruit. If you want to put in the time and work, it’s an easy place.”
ESPN


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My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos now on Youtube

VOTE for TRob Naismith POY online AND TEXT "VOTE" to 34763


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KU AD: Ohio State pregame notes


KU AD Videos/Transcripts: Coach Self and players preview Final Four contest with Buckeyes


WHB: Danny Manning explains Kansas' improbable run to the Final Four (Transcript, link to audio)


Assistant coach Danny Manning could be the favorite for the Tulsa job, according to the source. Signs pointed to a decision soon on Tuesday when Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton, considered a favorite for the job, informed Tulsa that he was pulling his name from consideration.
KC Star


KU assistant Danny Manning is a serious candidate at Tulsa and has talked to Hurricane officials about the position, the Tulsa World reports. The paper said Tulsa was impressed with Manning’s recruiting ability and name recognition. Several KU big men, including Cole Aldrich, Jeff Withey and the Morris twins, have credited Manning for their development. Tulsa TV station 2 (KJRH) says Manning could be named coach next week.
LJW


KU’s game against Ohio State will be shown on the videoboard on Saturday night in Allen Fieldhouse. Doors to the fieldhouse will open at 6 p.m. Admission is free. “It’s just like in ‘08,” said KU associate AD Jim Marchiony. “We had such a great reaction then.” ... KU’s bus is slated to leave Allen for Forbes Field in Topeka about 3:30 p.m., today, KU officials said.
LJW

KWCH: KU's Road to the Final Four in photos


With the two teams set to meet in a rematch in the Final Four on Saturday night, Sullinger is determined to show what Kansas missed seeing in December.

“There is extra motivation for me,” Sullinger, a powerful 6-foot-9, 265-pound sophomore said on Tuesday. “I felt like I let the team down. When that final buzzer went off and we got done shaking hands, I walked off the court like all the weight was on my shoulders.

“I felt like I could have helped the team overcome the 10-point leads … the times when we had it down to four points, and we had a turnover or didn’t score a basket. I felt like everything was my fault. I’ll take that as a little bit of motivation going into New Orleans and getting ready to play Kansas.”

Sullinger, who has averaged 17.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, had been ruled out of the Kansas game — the second of three starts he did not make — before the Buckeyes arrived at Allen Fieldhouse.

But when Sullinger saw the festive, pregame atmosphere, he asked coach Thad Matta to reconsider when the team was in the locker room.

“He got caught up in the euphoria,” Matta said. “I still don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that when we went out there … it was a unique, unique experience.

“He’s a winner, he’s a great teammate, and he wanted to be a part of it. That was our first loss of the season … from that standpoint, I’m sure he was a little bit dejected, but by the same token, hopefully it motivates him Saturday night.”
KC Star


Not all of Kevin Young’s NCAA Tournament performance has been covered in glory, as Kansas coach Bill Self rolled the mental video clip.

“He made a great move and misses a dunk, hangs on the rim and falls down,” Self recalled.

But wait, there’s more.

“He doesn’t get back, his man scores.”

And …

“He tackles their guy when he sets a ball screen.”

This lousy sequence from Sunday’ 80-67 victory over North Carolina in the Midwest Regional championship game drew a laugh on Tuesday, and wasn’t intended to embarrass.

On the contrary, Young has played so well lately that such a moment can produce a laugh. The 6-foot-8 junior forward has brought value to every postseason game.

He had two points against the Tar Heels, but pulled down eight rebounds, including four of the offensive end, to match his season-best.

Against North Carolina State in the Sweet 16, Young had five points. Against Purdue, five boards. Against Detroit, nine points.

“He’s been great,” Self said. “In the last three weeks or so, he’s pursing the ball as well as anybody we have in program.”

He also takes charges, plays solid defense, and as Saturday’s opponent in the national semifinal knows, can knock down a three pointer. Young hit two in the Jayhawks’ Dec. 10 victory over Ohio State.

Coming off the bench suits Young for this team.

“I kind of like flying under the radar,” Young said.
KC Star


The departure of Aldrich to the NBA that summer gave Withey a shot at significantly more playing time as a sophomore, but bad luck again hunted down the 7-footer. He broke the metatarsal in his right foot during individual workouts in late September 2010, had surgery and spent several weeks on crutches while his teammates became better.

He needed to gain weight but lost 15 pounds.

“I was stuck in bed,” Withey said. “I couldn’t really move. It was hard to get to the kitchen. It was hard to get anywhere. My armpits were sore just from crutching everywhere. Coming into that year, I thought I was going to be a big contributor, and then I had the foot problem, and it set me back so far I felt like I just kind of lost my chance to contribute and play. It was really depressing.”

Withey reached double-digit minutes in six games and never scored in double figures. He didn’t play in two of the four 2011 NCAA Tournament games and played two minutes apiece in the other games, both blowouts.

…“It definitely made me a lot tougher,” he said. “When I come out and play, I don’t take it for granted at all.”

He credited his coach with playing a role in his increased toughness as well.

The most publicized instance of Bill Self’s fury aimed Withey’s way came in a practice after the center went scoreless in the loss to Missouri in Columbia on Feb. 4. Self made Withey run every step of Allen Fieldhouse, just before the center went on a tear that earned him national honors.

“It definitely makes you pretty upset,” Withey said. “After that, I had something to prove to him.”

Self still finds ways to prod his center into a foul mood.

“He definitely challenges me all the time, in practice, before the game,” Withey said. “He knows how to get me hyped up before a game. Sometimes, I definitely need that. That challenge gets me going. Sometimes it’s hard to jump-start my motor. I’m laid-back, so it’s hard for me to get, I guess, super angry and ready for games. It’s kind of easy now that we’re in the tournament.”
LJW


The next step on a micro level is Ohio State. Beyond that, win or lose, the future is bright but uncertain for Elijah.

The NBA has been a talking point between father and son for many years.

“Our goals were really set to the highest level, trying to get to the NBA and trying to get a college degree,” Marcus said.

Exposure was definitely a factor in his college decision.

“I wanted to go to a school where they were going to teach me how to play, and I play on TV a lot, so I always kept that in mind with all of the decisions that I’ve made,” Elijah said.

At last check, Elijah was on pace to possibly graduate early. He’s ranked 54th in Chad Ford’s top 100 prospects and may “have more to gain than anyone else” on the board.

Wrote Ford: “Speaking to scouts after the (Purdue) game, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one enamored with him. He has all of the tools of an NBA guard.”

…Marcus’ Wednesday itinerary goes like this: Wake up, get an oil change, clean out the car, make sure the laundry’s done, take a nap and then load his wife and two kids in the car bound for New Orleans.

He flew to the Sweet Sixteen in St. Louis, but with airline prices through the roof to the Final Four, it’s an old-fashioned road trip for the Johnsons. It's nearly a full day of driving to Houston, where they will stay with Marcus’ brother, then everyone is leaving from there for the Big Easy and Elijah’s big game.

Mature. Coachable. Athletic. All of these have been used to describe Elijah through the years, and when the ball tips, that’s all that will matter.

The flashing lights and the grand stage will give way to a game of basketball, the game he’s been playing since watching his father teach it many years ago.

“I honestly think it will be another game. I think I’m in control of myself,” Elijah said. “I’m definitely going to be excited, but I don’t think I’m going to have some nerves that I haven’t had before.”

Elijah’s work has led him to this game. The drive, literally in Marcus’ case, has been long and hard. And that’s just fine.

The easy way isn’t the Johnson way.

“It’s funny, when you plan things and you have these great aspirations in life when you’re younger, it’s something when you actually get to it,” Marcus said. “It’s almost like stepping into a dreamland.

“That’s what we’ve been through. We planned it and now we’re doing it. ‘Daddy, it was a lot of work,’ he said. ‘Yeah, son. But anything good is not going to come easy.

“‘If it comes easy, just say no thank you.’”
Las Vegas Sun


Which squad — 2008 or 2012 — would win a head-to-head match-up?

“The ‘08 team would be favored, but I’m not sure the ‘12 team would buy into that at all,” Self said of his No. 2-seeded Jayhawks, who take a 31-6 record into Saturday’s Final Four semifinal against Ohio State. The top-seeded ‘08 team, which has been called the best in school history, went 37-3 en route to winning the NCAA title.

“It’s unbelievable to me how much these guys enjoy competing,” Self added of this year’s squad, which like the ‘08 team won the Big 12 title. “The longer they compete with each other, the more they like each other. We’ve had some close teams in the past, but I don’t think we’ve had a team this close. That ‘08 team was so unselfish to have so many good players and still sacrificed and guarded.

“But there is something about this team and how they get on each other and hold each other accountable. Only teams that really care about each other do those things. It sounds easy in theory, but unless you really love your brother next to you, you’re not going to jump his butt when he does wrong. These guys hold each other pretty accountable.”

…Tyshawn Taylor was asked if this was a rebuilding year at KU: “Maybe in some people’s eyes. The guys that have been a big part of the team are the guys we had to rebuild with, been part of the program two, three, four years, in Teahan’s case five years. We’ve been around coach, the program, each other. We like each other. We never looked at it as a rebuilding year. We looked it as regrouping maybe. We had the same guys who were competing against the guys that left. We kept that attitude all year. If this is a rebuilding year, I hate to see what the next few years is going to be,” he added, laughing
LJW


Teams are normally forged after losses, not wins. Wins mask faults and problems. Wins give the impression that the status quo is acceptable. But losses bring everything to the front. Losses make teams inspect their warts.

Even in the moments after that Davidson game, Self and his players understood that problems existed. The Jayhawks couldn’t get stops when they really needed them. They didn’t play like the close-knit group that has come to define them in tight games down the stretch.

“Everybody was trying to focus in,” KU guard Elijah Johnson said after that game, “but every play it seemed we had one person that made a small mistake.”

Added Self that day, “I’d like for us to not give up layups and have enough discipline to use up the entire clock and not break down. I’d like for us to not play tired, to play with more energy and more passion.”

These are all things Kansas has largely done since that game. The only other game in which the Jayhawks didn’t play with the energy Self demands? Baylor in the Big 12 tournament. They lost.

Self has always maintained that losses can be good if teams learn from them. That Davidson loss slapped KU with a reality check after upsetting Ohio State at home.

“We just were kind of full of ourselves after the Ohio State game,” Self said.

Davidson reminded Kansas’ players that while this team is capable of beating a top-five team, it is also capable of losing to anyone at any time. The Jayhawks carried that edge throughout the rest of the season, right up to making the Final Four.

“That was probably the most devastated I’ve been after any single game since I’ve been at KU,” Teahan said. “Now losing against Baylor was really tough and losing against Missouri was just as bad, but the Davidson game was definitely a low for us.”
TCJ

Bill Self is headed to his second Final Four in his nine seasons at Kansas, but he’s the lowest-paid coach among the remaining NCAA Tournament teams. While Self has cashed in $150,000 in bonuses for winning the Big 12 regular-season title — the Jayhawks’ eighth in a row — and reaching the Final Four, his salary of $2,500,000 (not including retention bonuses) is less than Ohio State’s Thad Matta, Louisville’s Rick Pitino and Kentucky’s John Calipari. Of that group, only Pitino and Self have won NCAA championships.
KC Star
UPDATE: KU fans have determined the KC Star article to be erroneous. See USA Today Coaches Salary Database for correct info.


There is no hidden agenda or anti-Kentucky attitude out here in Montana. I'm an old-school basketball man who wore Chuck Taylors in high school and watched Lew Alcindor as an NBA rookie in Milwaukee.

I believe a true basketball team should consist of backcourt stars and frontline performers. So I voted for a center, two forwards and two guards on the AP All-American team.

Davis leads the land in blocked shots and during the regular season averaged 14.3 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 frosh from Chicago is considered a surefire No. 1 overall NBA pick, probably this year, and seems likely to continue Kentucky's "one-and-done" tradition under coach John Calipari.

But I don't think he's had a better season than Robinson, who made the first team on my ballot.

I see no reason to dis Davis whatsoever — he's great — but I picked Robinson.

I think Green and Sullinger are the best players in the best conference in the country, so they made my team. Neither do the guards that I picked require defending. I know many disagree, but that's how I selected the team.

If fact, I would suggest that the AP first team is flawed, for it consists of Robinson, Davis, Sullinger, Green and Creighton's Doug McDermott.

No backcourt players at all.

But what do I know? Not much, if you ask the reasonable folks in Kentucky.
Great Falls Tribune Scott Mansch


Why they'll win it: Defensively, Kansas is one of the best teams in the country. The Jayhawks have excellent perimeter defenders that contest shots and limit open looks from the outside, while having Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey inside to block shots and clean the glass. Tyshawn Taylor played much better during the second half of the season, and the supporting cast has provided a major boost in the NCAA tournament. This team is also tougher than most.

Why they won't: Offensively, Kansas has not been hitting on all cylinders in the NCAA tournament. Robinson and Withey have not put together a dominant inside performance at the same time, and it's still hard to completely trust Taylor in key moments. There's not a ton of firepower outside of those three players (and Withey is inconsistent), and Kansas can get into major trouble if either of the big guys gets into foul trouble. The Jayhawks haven't played their best in the tournament yet.
CBS Road To The Superdome


SI: Position-by-position Ohio State, Kansas fairly evenly matched (edge to OSU at small and power forward positions)


Greg Anthony on Ohio State-Kansas: "The one advantage Ohio State will have is they have faced [Thomas] Robinson. At least they have a sense of how he is going to attack. One thing I will say about Thomas Robinson is, he's the best player in the country in establishing post position. There is nobody in the country even remotely close to him with his ability to seal.

"In Ohio State's case, they don't have what Kansas has in a weak-side shot blocker [7-0 Jeff Withey], so if [Robinson] is able to catch in the low post position, he will be very effective. The other thing, when you look at it from Ohio State's standpoint, Kansas is a unique team. Only two guys take the majority of their shots: Tyshawn Taylor and Robinson are going to get the bulk of their shots. That, often times, can be easier to defend if you have the personnel, which I think Ohio State does.

"What's been most impressive to me about Ohio State, since they lost at home to Michigan State, is how the complimentary players have really elevated their game. ... I think ultimately the biggest key for me is Aaron Craft. Defensively I think he's the best guard in the country. I haven't seen one as good as him this millennium, to be honest with you. Offensively, at times, he has been more assertive, which I think it critical."

Clark Kellogg, former St. Joseph High standout, on Ohio State-Kansas:  "The two guys for Kansas that have to raise their level are Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson, and you saw that in the game against [North] Carolina. When Taylor is really good, Kansas goes to another level.

"Ohio State has really come together in terms of attention to detail, commitment to the defensive end of the floor, and better unselfishness offensively. Now they're really free-moving it, and playing with great confidence."

"I think it's going to be about the perimeter guys. The guards, will dictate what transpires in that game. The other thing is the matchup with [OSU's Deshaun] Thomas. Kansas does not have a natural matchup with him. It will be interesting to see how they try to defend him."

Steve Kerr on Ohio State-Kansas: "I agree with Clark. I think Thomas is the key to the game, matchup-wise. Kansas almost lost to Purdue because they couldn't match up with Robbie Hummel. ... dealing with Thomas is going to be interesting because it pulls either Withey or Robinson away from the basket.

"I agree with Greg. I think Craft is the best defender in the country at his position. If he is able to keep Taylor out of the lane, Taylor is 0-for-17 from the 3-point line in this tournament. If he can't get easy baskets, Robinson is their easiest bet to score."
Plain Dealer


I had a talk with Deshaun right before the Syracuse game (on Saturday),” Matta said. “I told him ‘You've got that look.' He said ‘No, I'm fine.' I said now you've got to trust me. Why would you not trust me now? We've come too far together and I know the look. When I get him to smile, he's in good shape.”

Thomas has evolved from a high school player who had to score virtually every possession in order to help his team win into a player who can score to help his team, but he also needs to do many other things on the court, and often with less of an emphasis on shooting.

Matta could sense before the Elite Eight game with the Orangemen that Thomas was losing his focus.

“His biggest challenge throughout the course of the season has been getting his mind focused on where it needs to be to play his best basketball,” Matta said.

Thomas didn't become the IHSAA's third-leading scorer (just one point short of ranking second) because he was gun-shy. It has taken Matta almost two full years of instruction to get the Bishop Luers High School graduate to believe what the Buckeye staff was trying to instill in him, which was to make him an all-around player, not solely a one-dimensional threat.

…A year ago, Thomas was so atrocious at the defensive end of the floor that Matta simply could not play the 2010 Indiana Mr. Basketball very much. Thomas averaged just more than 14 minutes per game.

But one thing that Thomas has never lacked is work ethic. He began to listen to his coaches, and he has made monumental strides in his ability to defend, as well as share the basketball. Now Matta can't afford to take Thomas out of the game (he's averaging more than 38 minutes per game in the NCAA Tournament).

“He's probably been our most consistent offensive player all season long,” Matta said. “(But) He now takes great pride in defending. He takes great pride in shot selection.”
News-Sentinel


When it comes to unpredictable, game-changing performers at a Final Four, most of the time the discussion revolves around a precocious freshman.

Ohio State fans, however, have grown accustomed to warily keeping an eye on the Buckeyes’ lone senior.

Which William Buford will show up?

Will it be the one who lit up Purdue for 29, Northwestern for 28, Kansas for 21 in the first meeting and Duke for 20? The cool team leader who hit a nerveless shot at the buzzer with a hand in his face to earn the Buckeyes a share of the Big Ten title at Michigan State?

Or the one who is shooting 34.7 percent from the field over the last seven games — arguably the Buckeyes’ seven biggest games to date — while averaging 11.3 points, 3 under his average?

No one doubts that Buford can decide the outcome of a game.

The problem is that works both ways.

“He’s made more big shots — more perimeter shots for sure — than anybody playing in the tournament, without question,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose Jayhawks take on Buford and the Buckeyes in the national semifinals on Saturday night. “I wouldn’t even think that that’s close.”

But it was also Buford who had a miserable game in last year’s round of 16 — hitting just 2 of 16 shots from the field and missing a hurried but wide-open 3 at the buzzer — as the top-ranked and top-seeded Buckeyes were ousted from the tournament by Kentucky, 62-60.

Buckeyes coach Thad Matta recognizes that many, many fans remain less than confident in Buford’s ability to have a big game in a pressure-packed environment like the NCAA.
AP

I just remember the play feeling like it was in slow motion. The whole game, everything seemed like it was going 100 miles an hour. But that play felt like 1 mile per hour. That one second felt like 10. When Warrick blocked the shot, I just thought, "Noooooo!" I was in disbelief. I thought, "Did Mike have time to pump fake or scoot over?" Looking back, who knows? It seemed like the whole entire season flashed in front of us. We worked so hard to get to that moment, and it all ended on a blocked shot. After the game I was pretty pissed off. I was mad. I felt like some of the guys on the team that had been saying, "Leave it all out on the court" didn't do that themselves. I wanted to go play Syracuse again, right then and there. I couldn't believe that team beat us.

There are a lot of ways you can feel about that game when you look back at it. In the end, though, I just feel blessed to have had an opportunity to play in the national championship game. There aren't too many people in the world that will ever be able to say that. I still think about that night all the time and I'm sure I will for the rest of my life. Every time I hear the name "Syracuse," it brings back the moment. We should've won. When Kansas won the title in 2008, it was both bitter and sweet. I was happy for those guys, but in the back of my mind I couldn't help but think, "That should've been us."
Jeff Graves


This is not really his game anymore, but it owes the man anyway. He is its living, breathing, upright history (and, at 82, “upright” is no small blessing), and that’s worth something even if Clyde Lovellette stands amazed these days at how basketball has changed on him once and again and an infinite number of agains.

“There’s guards my height now,” marvels Lovellette, who was 6-foot-9 back when they hardly ever grew ’em that big.

This was in the 1940s and 1950s, when Lovellette was the tall drink of water who nearly won Terre Haute Garfield a state championship, then went on to greater things. He wound up at Kansas, where he won Phog Allen an NCAA title in 1952, and was the college player of the year after leading the nation in scoring his senior year.

…Come the end of the week, see, Lovellette will take himself and all that history down to New Orleans, where a couple of things will happen. He’ll cheer on his alma mater in the Final Four and maybe spend some time with head coach Bill Self. And at some point in the weekend, he’ll be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

“It’s always nice to be voted into a Hall of Fame,” says Lovellette, who lives in North Manchester now and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.

And having it happen the same year Kansas is in New Orleans, too?

“That’s the icing on the cake,” Lovellette says.

…“I’ll have a great time if they raise the trophy,” says Lovellette, a Jayhawk forever. “I’ll have a great time, anyway.”
Journal Gazette


AND 1 – the bold basketball footwear and apparel company dedicated to on-court performance and off-court lifestyle – has announced the signing of NBA players and twin brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris to a three-year endorsement contract.

“The Morris twins are great young talent and embody everything we love about the AND 1 brand,” said Robert Purvy, AND 1 Brand President. “Markieff and Marcus bring it. With their hometown work ethic, hunger, and true passion for the Game, we’re proud to have them play a big part in the future of AND 1.”

"We've been fans of AND 1 as long as we can remember. We grew up on the MixTape, and to now be a part of the AND 1 family is really an honor," said Marcus Morris.

"For two guys from Philly, there's really no other brand we'd want to represent. We're excited to work together and promote the Game we love," said Markeiff Morris.
Press release


UDK: Jayhawks in the NBA


Former KU guard Jerod Haase has been named head coach at Alabama-Birmingham, UAB athletic director Brian Mackin announced Monday.

Haase, who turns 38 on April 1, played for Roy Williams at KU and has spent the last 13 years on Williams’ staff with KU and North Carolina. He helped the Tar Heels to national championships in 2005 and 2009. He has also served as the head coach for the junior varsity team five times in his nine-year UNC tenure.

A 1997 KU graduate in business administration, Haase served as KU director of basketball operations from 1999-2003. During that time, the Jayhawks reached the 2002 Final Four and the national championship game in 2003. Haase will be formally introduced at a press conference this morning.
LJW


Pat Kaufman, former Vice President of Finance and Accounting for the non-profit Swope Community Enterprises in Kansas City, Mo., has been named Chief Financial Officer at Kansas Athletics.
WIBW


Kansas women’s basketball junior Angel Goodrich was named an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention Tuesday. Goodrich becomes the first Jayhawk to be honored as an AP All-American since Danielle McCray in 2009.

Goodrich, a Tahlequah, Okla., native, was instrumental in Kansas’ postseason run in which the Jayhawks earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2000 and then advanced to the Sweet 16 for just the third time in program history and first since 1998. Through three NCAA Tournament games, Goodrich paced KU with 23.3 points per game and 5.7 assists per game.

The 5-foot-4 point guard leads the nation averaging 7.4 apg on the season and also ranks in the top 20 with a 2.07 assist-to-turnover ratio. Goodrich broke Kansas’ 24-year-old single-season assists record with 250 dimes, also a Big 12 Conference record. She collected 15-straight double-digit scoring games to end the season and chipped in 14.0 points per game on the year.

A Liebermann Award finalist, which honors the country’s top Division I point guard, Goodrich was also named a WBCA All-Region nominee and All-Big 12 Second Team selection this season.
KU AD


During his first few months in town, Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis made it clear that he was a big fan of college basketball. So toss him into the group of Jayhawks ecstatic about KU coach Bill Self’s run to the Final Four.

“This has been a great month for Kansas athletics,” Weis said at a news conference Tuesday. “With the men’s hoops team going to the Final Four, how exciting is that? Kudos to coach Self and the staff and the team, and good luck.”

This weekend’s match-up with Ohio State brings a little deja vu for Weis. It was the Buckeyes who came to Allen Fieldhouse the day after Weis was introduced as KU’s new football coach, and Weis sat courtside for the showdown between top-15 teams. The Jayhawks knocked off No. 2-ranked Ohio State that day, and since that time, Weis has attended several other men’s games and has taken to the KU basketball culture.

“I would love to not be the football coach on Saturday (night) about 7:40 and be hanging out on Mass Street,” Weis said. “Just watching (the downtown celebration) on video after (last week’s win against North Carolina) was pretty fun to watch. I hope there’s more fun yet to come.”
LJW

Eight-year-old Palmer Kiefer put on his University of Kansas jersey nearly two weeks ago, the night before KU’s first game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Kansas beat Detroit the next day – thanks in part, Palmer thinks, to the lucky blue jersey.

So he kept wearing it. Day and night.

The Jayhawks won the next game, too, a come-from-behind nail-biter against Purdue. Score one more for the lucky jersey.

Palmer – his family calls him “Poppy” – wore the jersey all through spring break. He wore it to Tanganyika Wildlife Park and the Sedgwick County Zoo.

He bathed but kept the jersey out of the hamper, away from the washing machine. He didn’t want to wash away the luck.

Palmer spilled some ketchup on the jersey during dinner at Freddy’s. There’s another stain he thinks might be sloppy joe, and a smudge of vanilla ice cream. The jersey started to smell bad. He didn’t mind.

He wore it last weekend when Kansas beat North Carolina State, though his mother made him change the T-shirt underneath.

He was still wearing the jersey – No. 15, like Elijah Johnson and Mario Chalmers – when KU beat North Carolina to get to this weekend’s Final Four.

Rock Chalk, lucky jersey!
WE


There is a unique hashtag that is trending on Twitter, and if anyone is a University of Kansas fan, they have probably seen it.

The hashtag is growing more popular by the minute, and the woman who started it is hoping it will bring the Jayhawks a little extra luck.

More pictures are being added by the minute on Twitter it seems, all with the now familiar hashtag #kuboobs.

"#kuboobs started when we were playing Missouri at the end of February ... and I thought they needed a little extra help," said  Tiffany Kent.

So she helped by taking a quick picture of herself, chest only, just the Jayhawk.

"It is like boobs. What else could there be?" said Kent.

And it worked.

"We came back from a 19-point deficit to win," said Kent.

Kent says she never dreamed just how popular it would be.

"One of my friends tweeted me and said, 'you should see the #kuboobs that you started.' and I was like, 'what are you talking about?'  All of a sudden they're everywhere," said Kent.

Everywhere is an understatement.  Time stamps show someone out there in Twitterland is hashtagging tweets with #kuboobs at least every few minutes, and the pictures are adding up.

Women of all ages, men and even statues all having one thing in common: they are all KU fans.

Kent, whose Twitter handle is "mommyloveswine" says her Twitter followers are growing like crazy, especially after a stint on 96.5FM  The Buzz.

"Since talking to Afentra yesterday, I've picked up 300 followers, but since this started about 850," said Kent.

…Kent says plans are already underway to eventually get donations for breast cancer research through the use of that incredibly popular hashtag.

As of Wednesday morning, Twitter has suspended the account @kuboobs.
KCTV5


USA TODAY Sports computer analyst Jeff Sagarin ran a computer simulation of this weekend's men's Final Four 4 billion times, and the overwhelming result was that Kentucky will win the national title over Ohio State.

This is nearly identical to the simulation he ran the day after Selection Sunday when the field of 68 was set.

Sagarin is not alone. From Vegas oddsmakers to ESPN analysts to office pools, the Wildcats are expected to finally give Kentucky its first national title since 1998.

Kentucky is an 8 1/2- to 9-point favorite Saturday over in-state rival Louisville, according to Mike Colbert of Cantor Gaming in Las Vegas. The Wildcats would then be about a 2-1 favorite over Ohio State in the title game, which Colbert is projecting.

Five ESPN analysts, including Jay Bilas, now pick Kentucky to beat Ohio State in the final. And of 5.1 million brackets filled out on CBSSports.com at the start of the tournament, more than 43% picked Kentucky to win the title.

Colbert says it has been more than 20 years since he can remember a team that was expected to do so well in the Final Four.

"The biggest buzz that I can remember before this is the UNLV team with Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon (that beat Duke 103-73 for the title) in 1990," he said. "That was bigger. There was no chance they were going to lose.

"Quite frankly I think this Kentucky team is a little better. The way Kentucky plays together, they are probably the most unselfish team I've seen in quite some time. They literally have five NBA players on the floor at all times, which is unheard of, but the way they play defense and the way they play together ... there's not one selfish player on the court. ... I'd be very, very surprised if they get beat. I have to give (John) Calipari credit. This has been his best coaching job by a mile."
USA Today


NBC Video: Props to coaching jobs by Self and Pitino


DID YOU KNOW?

Kansas forward Justin Wesley’s two older brothers, Keith and Kevin Langford, both played in the NBA. Freshman guard Christian Garrett is the cousin of former NFL player Mike Garrett and New York Yankees great Chris Chambliss.

For the inroads mid-majors have made in recent years, the national champion will come from one of the six power conferences for the 22nd straight year. UNLV in 1990 was the last smaller-conference school to break through.

Louisville’s Chris Smith is the younger brother of J.R. Smith of the NBA’s New York Knicks and Mark Jackson Jr. is the son of former NBA guard and current television analyst Mark Jackson.

Calipari played point guard at Clarion State from 1981-82, leading the team in assists and free throw percentage.

The Superdome is expected to hold more than 74,000 fans after the lower bowl was reconfigured. Attendance was 54,524 when it last held the NCAA title game in 2003.

Ohio State guard Shannon Scott’s father is former Boston Celtics great Charlie Scott.

Marquis Teague’s brother, Jeff, plays for the NBA’s (Atlanta Hawks) and his Kentucky teammate Terrence Jones is the cousin of former NBA player Damon Stoudamire.

Ohio State has finished as the national runner-up four times: 1944, 1945, 1946, 1968
AP


KCTV5: Shirts are flying off the shelves as fans gear up for Final Four


Coordinating producer Bob Dekas on the use of above-court camera angles: "We're using an angle that has been used on NBA telecasts. We've used it in previous years. We try not to overuse it. It does get some reaction, a lot of it positive. Some of it negative. It's a different view. It shows how the players are spaced in a better way. But I don't think we have overused it. It will be used sparingly as it has been in the past."
Plain Dealer

Huddled in front of a computer in New York City, Myles Kaufman, data analyst for the sports ticket website SeatGeek.com, has been busy crunching numbers figuring out the current rate for prized Final Four tickets.

It changes by the hour.

Since Friday, Kaufman said the daily average for the two-game ticket package — which includes everything from courtside to the nosebleed section — has shot up more than 85 percent, to $521.

As of Tuesday afternoon, thrifty ticket-buyers could still get seats for about $300 on SeatGeek.com, which is one of a number of sites that offer ticket-seekers a safe way to buy unwanted tickets.

Kaufman and his data team have also looked at trends in ticket prices from last year, and said this year’s Final Four tickets are going for about $100 more than last year’s.

Sam Soni, president of primesport.com — the NCAA’s official ticket-purchasing partner — said they’ve also seen a spike in price this year, something he attributes to the teams represented in the Final Four.

“Four big schools, four big basketball traditions,” said Soni, adding that their hospitality packages, which include food, drinks and entertainment, are going for up to 40 percent more this year than in 2011.

Final Four tickets that aren’t reserved for coaches and the participating schools originally sell for as low as $200, Kaufman said. People buy early, but later decide to sell when their teams don’t make it to the final weekend of the college basketball season.

With ticket-buying sites, it’s then up to the free market and supply and demand, Kaufman said.

So for KU fans still looking to make the trip to New Orleans, is it better to buy now, or wait?

Depends how much of a risk-taker you are, Kaufman said.

The $521 daily average is probably as high as it’ll be, he said, as people begin backing out of their plans, or find they can’t afford plane tickets and hotel rooms. But he advises making the safe bet and “book as soon as possible.”
LJW


The second annual All-American Championship, a doubleheader featuring the nation’s best high school boys basketball players, will take place on Sunday, April 1, in New Orleans, La., site of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Both games of the doubleheader will be carried on ESPN Networks.

Below are the rosters for the four teams.
Link ( Brannen Greene repping for KU)


It took less than 10 minutes for the party to begin on Mass Street after the final buzzer Sunday night. Fans in downtown Lawrence emptied into the street to celebrate the Jayhawks victory over UNC, bringing traffic to a complete standstill. Despite the chaos, the event went off without a hitch, thanks in large part to the Lawrence Police Department.

"I'm just extremely proud of the police department and the great work they did this past weekend,” says Tarik Khatib, Police Chief. “I'm familiar with their work in 2008 and I think it speaks very well that people think that downtown Lawrence is a great place to be to watch a basketball game.”

But just like the hawks, the Lawrence Police Department has put the Elite 8 in its real view, and is looking ahead to the Final Four. On Tuesday, Khatib told commissioners the department is close to finalizing its crowd control plans. Officials have discussed closing off Mass Street and other side streets from 6th to 13th streets. Officers will enforce the city’s no glass container ordinance as well. Khatib says the biggest difference will be police presence. More than 10 law enforcement agencies are expected to be represented downtown.
6News


The Kansas Athletics Department sent an email to the All-Sports Combo holders about the opportunity to see the Final Four for just $25. This offer includes both semifinals and the title game, and the seats are on the floor. Although it may sound too good to be true, this is a legitimate deal that students should take advantage of.

The 2009 Final Four in Detroit was the first time this student-seating model was used, and while North Carolina cruised to an 89-72 victory over Michigan State, the packed student sections were rocking the entire game.

…Last year’s Final Four is the perfect example of what’s at stake for the Kansas students. The Connecticut Huskies, winners of three national championships, are one of the nation’s elite basketball programs. The school has a proud history of success in both the men’s and women’s game, but their students’ absence in Houston was embarrassing.
KU Students. Don't be UConn. Be there!


KU Alumni events, pep rally info, news, etc (open to public)


NCAA Final Four official site


New Orleans Times-Picayune Tournament info


NCAA Final Four-related events

Friday
8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.: U.S. Basketball Writers Association Awards Breakfast. Arcadia Room, New Orleans Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal St. Tickets are $75 apiece and can be bought at www.sportswriters.net/usbwa.
Noon to 4 p.m.: Final Four teams practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Free. Gates open at 11 a.m.
Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town in Halls H-J of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
4 p.m. to 10 p.m.: KISS performs at Woldenberg Park. Free.
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: College all-star game at the Dome. Free.

Saturday
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town. Shaquille O’Neal is expected to appear, and a game of former college athletes is scheduled to start at 12:30.
11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: The Black Keys play at Woldenberg Park.
1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Tailgate party at Champions Square.

Sunday
2 p.m.: Dribbling. On-site registration will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the first 1,000 people who didn’t sign up online. All participants must check in before 1:30 p.m.
Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town.
3 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Jimmy Buffett performs at Woldenberg Park.

Monday
Noon to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town.
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tailgate party at Champions Square.


Louisiana Revised Statutes § 4:1 forbids the practice of reselling tickets for higher than face value.  In 2006, the statute was amended to allow the sale of tickets, at any price, for sales conducted over the Internet, so long as the organizer of the event and the event location’s operator have authorized the sale of the tickets.  Second, the web site’s operator must guarantee a full refund of the total sale price (including all charges) if the event is (a) canceled, (b) the purchaser is denied admission through no fault of his own, or (c) the ticket is not delivered as promised and this results in an inability to attend the event. Third, this guarantee must be posted on the operator’s web site. Finally, the prospective purchaser must be directed to the guarantee on the operator’s website prior to the completion of the transaction.  See the applicaple section here.  Meanwhile the New Orleans Code of Ordinances § 54-484 prohibits scalping with no exceptions.

John Currie looks like a fool today. The second-most valuable employee in his Kansas State athletic department just left for a bottom-feeding program without even bothering to hear about what would have been a considerable pay raise.

What’s worse is that Currie wants you to believe that he had “a strong relationship” with former basketball coach Frank Martin, who for the last few weeks has been telling friends he wanted away from Kansas State.

Some of those friends and associates have been leaking salvos back at Martin’s old boss, criticizing what the coach views as a micromanaging and sometimes undercutting style. Creating a fairy-tale world where no rift with Martin exists is delusional and counterproductive. The athletic director at a major college should be above such silliness.

And you know what else?

All of that should be irrelevant very soon.

…Martin loved to talk about how much he loved K-State, about how loyal he was to the place for giving him a chance, but then essentially used an Associated Press story last year to apply for the Miami job and apparently told Bill Self two weeks ago that he might leave.

Self is relevant in this story for other reasons, too. This is easy to forget now, but he once took over for a beloved coach who left in what some considered a lateral move. Nobody thought Self could match what the guy before him had done. Kansas and K-State are very different basketball programs, obviously, but what Self accomplished also might be an instructive precedent.

He embraced what his predecessor created, tried to use it to his advantage and never believed he had to live up to comparisons. Self pulled off an amazing thing, keeping KU basketball winning at an absurdly high level while totally remaking the way it won. So why can’t K-State find something similar?
KC Star Mellinger


If not for someone discovering a receipt for a wire transfer at a Dillons grocery store two weeks ago, Kansas State senior forward Jamar Samuels would have played against Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.

Athletic director John Currie said Tuesday an unidentified person found the receipt and turned it over to K-State on March 16, the day before the game. K-State sources have said Samuels accepted $200 from his former AAU coach.

By accepting the wire transfer, K-State decided Samuels had violated NCAA rules and would be suspended. Syracuse pulled away in the second half and won 75-59.

“It was found, basically, it was found just on the floor, in the trash at the grocery store and it was brought to the compliance office,” Currie said Tuesday. “I promise you, I wish it would have stayed in the trash.”

It is unlikely the receipt was found by accident. The only trash can on the customer’s side of the wire transfer booth where the transaction occurred was covered with a round lid. Unless the receipt wasn’t fully inserted into the receptacle, someone would have had to remove the lid to find it.

Wire transfer receipts include dollar amounts, sender and recipient information and signatures. Employees working at Dillons on Tuesday afternoon said they didn’t know how a receipt from their store could have made its way to the K-State compliance office.

Currie said K-State conducted a thorough but quick investigation and he made the decision to suspend Samuels. Coach Frank Martin said after the Syracuse game that he didn’t think Samuels did anything wrong and that he wasn’t a part of the decision-making process.

Some, including a source close to Martin, have indicated Samuels’ suspension was the breaking point in an already rocky relationship between the coach and athletic director. It played, at least, some role in Martin’s decision to leave for South Carolina.
KC Star


Three years ago, Kansas State looked toward Illinois State when it was searching for an athletic director.
It seems the Wildcats may be at it again.

Various media outlets are reporting that ISU basketball coach Tim Jankovich could be on Kansas State’s short list to replace Frank Martin, who resigned as the Wildcats’ head coach and accepted the same post at South Carolina on Tuesday.

Jankovich is a Kansas State graduate who played for three years for the Wildcats from 1979-82. He is a native of Manhattan, Kan., where the Wildcats’ campus is located.

“My policy has always been that I will only ever talk about the job I have and that is Illinois State,” said Jankovich on Tuesday.

Kansas State tried to lure another alum, then-ISU athletic director Sheahon Zenger, in 2009. Zenger declined and was later named Kansas’ AD in January 2011.

Jankovich has compiled a 104-64 record in five seasons as ISU’s coach after being hired from Kansas where he was an assistant under Bill Self. The Redbirds have gone to the National Invitation Tournament four times under Jankovich, advancing to the second round last week before losing in overtime at Stanford.

The Redbirds have advanced to three Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship games under Jankovich, losing in overtime in both 2009 and earlier this month to Creighton. Jankovich is the only coach in Valley history to take his first two teams to the tournament title game (2008-09).
Bloomington Pantagraph


Kansas City and St. Louis have varying levels of interest in hosting the SEC men's basketball tournament, commissioner Mike Slive said Tuesday while visiting a Missouri booster group.

Updating Missouri loyalists on the move to the SEC, Slive said on more than one occasion that the tournament is booked through 2016 but there are openings in 2017 and 2018. Kansas City has been the home of the then-Big Eight tournament (now Big 12) since the late 1970s. The Big 12 lost one of its anchors for that tournament when Missouri migrated to the SEC.

“The answer, is could we [get a proposal from Kansas City], yes?” Slive said. “Will we, I don't know.”

“We try to stay five years ahead [in awarding sites]. We'll open it up to RFPs [requests for proposals] and we certainly welcome applications.”

Slive also confirmed that a two-man delegation from the St. Louis Sports Commission had been in New Orleans earlier this month for the SEC tournament.

Slive could be doing nothing more than driving up the bidding price. He previously told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal that he expected Memphis to bid on the event at some point.

Kansas City would be the westernmost outpost for the SEC tournament. Nine of its last 15 conference tournaments have been held in Atlanta. The other sites during that time were St. Petersburg, Fla., New Orleans, Nashville and Tampa, Fla.
Link


Missouri seniors Marcus Denmon and Ricardo Ratliffe will take part in Final Four events in New Orleans. Denmon will compete in the three-point contest at 8 p.m. Thursday on ESPN, and Ratliffe will be one of 20 seniors who will play in the College All-Star Game at 4:35 p.m. Friday. The game will be televised at noon Saturday on truTV.
KC Star


“Every game we play is someone’s Super Bowl,” said Kentucky coach John Calipari, who like KU’s Self is from the Larry Brown coaching tree. “You think of this whole Final Four. We ended Ohio State’s season last year. We opened up this season beating Kansas (75-65, Nov. 15 in New York). You don’t think they want a piece of us?

“We beat Louisville earlier in the year. They are going crazy to beat us, but let me say this, so was Vandy, so was Florida, so was North Carolina. Everybody we play was that way. It’s not like this is any different from any game we play. The other team is going to play out of their minds. We know it.”
LJW


Not that you'll likely hear much about that on CBS' coverage. Typically, TV college sports don't dwell on whether players will make it to the proverbial "next level." Which makes sense for networks that have bought college sports and need to sell them. Steve Kerr, who'll call the Final Four with Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg and headed Phoenix Suns basketball operations (2007-10), says, "(CBS has) been a proponent of that, that this is about college. … We're not encouraged to talk about NBA prospects."

And Kerr, also a TNT NBA analyst, doesn't have a problem with Kentucky as an NBA feeder system — given the NBA won't draft players until a year after their high school class graduated. "(Kentucky coach John Calipari) has a niche going — convincing guys they'll be ready for the NBA after one year," Kerr says. "And I have a lot of respect for John's approach, given the rule is what it is."

Kerr's projections: Kentucky's Anthony Davis will be the first pick in the NBA draft — "there's a better chance of Andrew Luck not going first (in the NFL draft)," he says — and Terrence Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be lottery picks. Marquis Teague is a borderline first-rounder, he says: "If you're an NBA team, you don't look at him and say, 'He's our point guard of the future.' "

Meaning he should be staying another year at Kentucky? "It helps almost everybody to go back," Kerr says. "Even with stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, I'm convinced their off-the-court life would have been easier if they'd stayed a year or two in college and learned about life."

Kentucky's Doron Lamb and Darius Miller have NBA potential, he says. "They're not sure-fire long-term NBA players," he adds.

Kentucky doesn't have all of the future millionaires, he says. Among Final Four teams' players, Kansas' Thomas Robinson probably is the top pick after Davis, he says, with Ohio State's Jared Sullinger somewhere just after him and the Buckeyes' Aaron Craft also NBA-bound.
USA Today


Having seen them in the grim grayness of defeat, offering long faces and empty explanations, we realize even the finest coaches in college basketball history can crumble in the clutch.

But if John Calipari crumbles once more, at this time, with this Kentucky team, the failure will stalk him for the rest of his career.

Never in the history of the game have we seen a coach face more professional pressure than that now before Coach Cal.

As college basketball flocks to New Orleans for the Final Four, Calipari's team faces intrastate enemy Louisville. It's a battle for regional pride, featuring two proud programs, with rich traditions and patterns of success. The game alone has its own innate drama.

Calipari's challenge, however, goes beyond geography. The Wildcats are ranked No. 1, have been since January. They're heavily favored to win the national championship, favored because they are universally acknowledged to have the best big man, the most overall talent and, quite possibly, the highest collective basketball IQ.

The doubt exists on the bench, where Kentucky is suspected of having the fourth-best head coach among the Final Four.

…Coaching eight different players who became NBA lottery picks is a badge of honor. Failing to take those players to the top, however, tarnishes that badge.

After 22 years as a collegiate head coach, and another four in the NBA, Coach Cal is running out of places to go and options to pursue. He's running out of excuses. If he fails to win it all, he instantly becomes the biggest underachiever in the history of the sport.

Already having passed former Virginia coach Terry Holland, who in the 1980s couldn't parlay Ralph Sampson into a national championship, and UCLA's Ben Howland, who did less with Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook than Jim Harrick did with the O'Bannon brothers, Calipari is in position to become the king of Final Four underachievement.

Try wearing that crown, along with the stains of scandal.
Link


Rooting for John Calipari to finally win a national championship is like cheering for the head of the IRS to get a tax refund. Both institutions feign shock at the villainy attached to them, arguing they're merely following the rules as prescribed.

Wherever Calipari has walked during his coaching career, the NCAA has followed right behind, usually with a pooper-scooper.

He takes his third program back to the Final Four next weekend. (He also took Kentucky there last year, but lost to Connecticut in the semifinals.) The only thing, though, is that the NCAA no longer recognizes the first two programs. The tournament record book is pocked with asterisks notating Calipari's fingerprints at Massachusetts and Memphis. Both programs had their best seasons stripped from history because of serious transgressions under Calipari's watch.
Detroit Free Press

NBA scouts filed into a downtown gym Tuesday morning as Heights senior Perry Ellis shot jumpers by himself at the far end.

If Ellis noticed the men, it didn’t show. Clad in a black practice uniform, with his name on the back, and neon green Adidas shoes, Ellis continued with his own pre-practice workout as if he were readying himself for one at Heights.

Tonight’s not just another game, though. He will play for the East in the McDonald’s All-American game at the United Center in front of a national audience with 23 of the nation’s top high school players.

The Kansas signee is Wichita’s first participant in the McDonald’s game in 31 years.

The days leading up to this game have not been similar at all to his normal preparation. But that’s the life of a McDonald’s All-American selection.

Playing in front of NBA scouts — a hot topic among the players — could have been a high-pressure situation for Ellis, who won four Class 6A titles with Heights and is the only four-time All-State selection by The Eagle. But it wasn’t.

“I just wanted to try to go out there and show them I can play hard and have fun,” he said. “Just have fun because there’s nothing to stress about. I think that’s a good thing to have for success — play hard but then be relaxed because then you feel real comfortable playing and good things will happen that way.”

…The team spent about 10 minutes scrimmaging, much less than Ellis would have liked.

“I don’t know if I played that well today,” he said. “I wasn’t attacking much; I needed to attack more.”

He hasn’t felt the need to play perfectly, though, even though he’s playing with and against such a high level of competition.

“I don’t try to do that,” he said. “I try to keep playing. I don’t get down on myself because that won’t be good for the next play. I just try to keep playing. If I make a mistake, just keep playing.”

…They attended the Jam Fest on Monday night, which included a three-point shooting and skills competition, as well as a dunk contest.

While Ellis had fun watching, he had no desire to join in. Fonda Ellis laughed when asked why her son didn’t participate.

“He is not going to draw attention to himself,” she said. “He just feels like it’s an honor to be here. Enjoy it, have fun.”

Perry Ellis agreed.

“I don’t know, I’m just not a flashy type of kid who really wants to do that,” he said. “I am laid back, like to watch.”

…It’s been a good chance to spend time with guys he has known for years, either by playing with or against them in AAU circles. He said he’s pretty good friends with East teammates Tony Parker, from Lithonia, Ga., and William Goodwin, who is from Decatur, Ga., and has signed with Memphis. Parker is undecided on his college.

…The highlight of the week for Ellis, though, was when the players went to a Ronald McDonald House on Sunday and spent time with some of the families staying there.

“First we cooked with some of the kids, making cookies,” Perry Ellis said. “And then we did some arts and crafts, drawing some stuff. I played X-box (360) Kinect with some kids, and then we went outside and played basketball, shooting with them. And the last part, we got a tour of the house and got to see the rooms where the families stay.”

The time there had the greatest effect on Ellis, who knew little about the Ronald McDonald houses. They provide places to stay for families who must travel long distances for medical care for seriously ill or injured children.

“Being there, it just made me feel blessed,” Ellis said. “It just makes you want to take advantage of everything you have. Most people don’t have what you have and can’t do what you can do.”
Wichita Eagle


Shabazz Muhammad told reporters in Chicago at the McDonald’s All-American Game that three schools are standing out for him.

“I’m considering five but there are three that [stand out],” Muhammad said, according to Dave Telep of ESPN.com.

Telep added: “UCLA, Duke and Kentucky (in no order) are above Kansas and UNLV — the others in his top five.”

Sources say UCLA remains the clubhouse leader for Muhammad, who won the Mickey D’s Slam Dunk contest over Kentucky signee Archie Goodwin.

Muhammad had initially considered taking his final official to UCLA in early April, but the Nike Hoop Summit conflicts.

His father said he plans to announce April 11 at the Jordan Brand Classic — not April 10.
Zags


Muhammad has yet to commit to a college. but has narrowed his choices.

"UCLA, Kentucky, Kansas, UNLV, did I forget one?" Muhammad said, laughing. "I forgot one. Oh Duke, there it is. I can't forget Coach K."
Chicago Tribune


There is no doubt all 24 boys’ basketball players set to take the floor Wednesday at the United Center for the 35th McDonald’s All-American Game (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) are among the nation’s best.

The question is whether the East team can keep up with the scoring prowess of West ringleaders Shabazz Muhammad of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Archie Goodwin of Sylvan Hills (Little Rock, Ark.) and Marcus Smart of Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas).

…"I was talking to (East teammates) Tony Parker and Rodney Purvis about what they were reading on blogs how the West was playing hard and they were going to kill us," Anderson said. "So we're going to shock the world a bit and sweep them off their feet."
ESPN


Allerik Freeman, a 6-4 junior guard from Charlotte, N.C., who’s considered one of the top 20 overall prospects in the Class of 2013, has narrowed his choices to Villanova and Kansas.

“I just don’t know about a timetable,” he told CBSSports.com. “Just when the time is right. They are both even.”
Philly.com

VOTE for TRob Naismith POY online http://www.ncaa.com/naismithvote/
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Barry Hinson’s name continues to be mentioned as a serious candidate for the head coaching post at Southern Illinois University. The Southern newspaper in Carbondale, Ill., in fact says Hinson is one of the Salukis’ top candidates to succeed Chris Lowery. Hinson, KU’s director of basketball operations, is fourth all-time in wins at Missouri State. Also, ESPN reports that Tulsa “reached out” to KU assistant Danny Manning about its opening. KU assistant Joe Dooley continues to be mentioned as a strong possibility at Mississippi State.
LJW


Kansas frontliner Thomas Robinson, who became the first unanimous selection on the AP team since Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin in 2009, joins Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger and Kentucky’s Anthony Davis on the first team.

Robinson and Sullinger will face off in one national semifinal Saturday with Kentucky meeting Louisville in the other game.

As for future stars, check out any NBA Draft projection website. Draftexpress.com lists four players on Final Four teams — the three AP All-Americans plus Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist — among its top six projected selections.

“Everybody is talented,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “Yes, we have good players. So does everybody else. You think they just have a system and that’s why they’re winning? They do it because they’ve got good players.”

The teams’ regional championships have proved coaches have exceled at managing that talent. It’s not always easy on rosters loaded with high profile recruits and egos.

“A lot of coaches would agree that, at times, coaching teams with a ton a talent is probably more difficult because you’re constantly trying to get the maximum out of them,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said.

By comparison, Louisville’s players are absent from the All-America lists.

“We may not have as much talent in certain areas as other teams,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said.

But as the Cardinals proved by dismantling top-seeded Michigan State and rallying past Florida to win the West Regional, chemistry counts in college basketball.

“In the pros, 90 percent of the time, the best team is going to win a five- or seven-game series,” Pitino said. “In college, it’s a one-game stint. Maybe somebody shoots great, anything can happen.”

Robinson, Sullinger and Kidd-Gilchrist were chosen the most outstanding players of their regionals.

Inclusion on the Associated Press team made Robinson a unanimous All-American. He averages 17.7 points and 11.8 rebounds. His 426 rebounds on the season are the second most in program history behind Wilt Chamberlain.

In the Midwest Regional title game victory against North Carolina, Robinson had 18 points and nine rebounds.

Along with his inclusion on All-America first teams selected by the United States Basketball Writers Association, The Sporting News and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Robinson becomes the first Kansas player to be selected unanimously since Wayne Simien in 2005.

Sherron Collins was the last Kansas player to be chosen a consensus first-team All-American, making two of the teams in 2012.

Missouri and Kansas City product Marcus Denmon was chosen to the AP second team and KU’s Tyshawn Taylor was on the third team.

Also Monday, Robinson and Denmon were named to the 10-member Wooden All-America team. The award is based on basketball and academic achievement that requites players to be making progress toward graduation and hold at least a 2.0 GPA.
KC Star


Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and Kansas coach Bill Self both appeared on a teleconference Monday to preview their upcoming Final Four bout in New Orleans.

Here is a two-minute rundown of what both coaches had to say coming off big victories over No. 1 seeds in the Elite Eight over the weekend.
OZone


Kansas went directly through Arizona to get a priceless component to this Final Four team.

In June 2007, soon after Kevin O'Neill returned to be part of Olson's coaching staff, the Wildcats had so much muscle that they went after Louisville's top committed recruit, the 7-foot Withey of San Diego.

It took three weeks to turn Withey's head. Triple-teamed by O'Neill, Olson and Josh Pastner, Withey ultimately phoned Louisville Rick Pitino to tell him he would not play for the Cardinals after all.

Impressed by Arizona's recruiting strength, Withey chose the Wildcats and at that time told reporters "I think that's a national championship team right there."

(Pause here to dab at your eyes.)

Withey would ideally join forward Emmanuel Negedu, point guard Brandon Jennings and shooting guard Brendon Lavender in a four-man class of 2008 that some projected as the No. 1 class in the country.

"Lute Olson is a winner," Withey told Rivals.com. "Kevin O'Neill knows how to make NBA players."

And then it all came crashing down.

Negedu withdrew his pledge to be a Wildcat. He enrolled at Tennessee, averaged 1.9 points per game and, decked by heart problems, transferred to New Mexico. He averaged 4.7 for the Lobos before forced to quit basketball with more medical issues.

Jennings jumped to an Italian pro league and didn't play any college basketball. Lavender became a career sub at Arizona. Withey transferred to Kansas.

It took him a bit, but Withey developed into a fabulous player. He was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He has blocked 129 shots in 37 games. How good is that? Loren Woods, who was a shot-blocking machine on Arizona's 2001 Final Four team, set the UA's single-season school record with 102.

Can you imagine how good Arizona would have been with Withey's size and numbers (9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds) this season? The Wildcats would have gone from 23 victories to 30 or thereabouts.

Withey could still win the national championship he spoke of in the summer of 2007, but with Kansas, not Arizona.
Arizona Daily Star


For example, on Dec. 10, Kansas 7-foot junior Jeff Withey had two points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes. Now Withey averages 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game and on Sunday had 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks against the Tar Heels.

"From a rim protecting and defensive standpoint, I think Jeff Withey has come as far as anybody since we played Ohio State the first time," Self said.

He could provide the presence inside that Ohio State was lucky to miss against Syracuse when Orange 7-footer Fab Melo was suspended before the tournament. When Sullinger is on the court, he may be more likely to wind up matched up with Withey than head-to-head with Robinson.

In December, Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor had 13 assists and seven turnovers, with Self on Monday becoming the latest opponent to praise the defense of OSU point guard Aaron Craft. Self said he'd rather have a point guard with only five assists but no turnovers, especially against a team like Ohio State that can get out in transition. But he said taking care of the ball better has been his team's greatest improvement over the course of the season, and the Jayhawks had just eight turnovers Sunday.

The Buckeyes' biggest change from December has come from Deshaun Thomas, who had something of a breakout game with 19 points, then a season-high, against the Jayhawks. Now a 19-point game is just another night for Thomas, who has reached that mark in eight of his last 12 games.

"The first time we played we didn't have to guard Jared, so we were able to put all our concentration on [Thomas], and he still got numbers," Self said. "With Jared there, it's even more of a hard matchup."
Plain Dealer


ESPN Final Four Primer


ESPN video: Dick Vitale picks Kentucky vs Ohio State for the championship game


Sporting News: Ranking the Final Four Teams


Key Matchup: Aaron Craft vs. Tyshawn Taylor: It’s not a secret that Aaron Craft is the best on-ball defender in the country. How good is he? Luke Winn over at SI.com created a brand new stat just to measure how many turnovers a game Craft forces. (Hint: it’s a lot.) Now, where this gets interesting is that Tyshawn Taylor has developed a (well-earned) for being too turnover-inclined. Taylor was sensational in the Jayhawk’s win over North Carolina in the Elite Eight, but until he took over down the stretch, the four most memorable plays he were three turnovers and a horrendous three. I’ve maintained for a while that Taylor is the most important player on the Kansas roster. Can Craft keep him in check?

X-Factor: Lenzelle Smith Jr. vs. Elijah Johnson: Lenzelle Smith Jr. going up against Elijah Johnson. Johnson is averaging 15.8 ppg in his last six games. He’s really come into his own, providing the Jayhawks with a third scoring option alongside Robinson and Taylor. He was almost single-handedly responsible for the Kansas win over Purdue in the Round of 32. Smith has been just as good for the Buckeyes. He scored 33 points in the regionals and has his biggest games in Ohio State’s biggest wins.

Best Storyline: Did Sullinger duck T-Rob?: I don’t think he did. I guarantee Sullinger will tell you that he didn’t. You probably won’t get Robinson admitting as much unless he is no where near any kind of recording device. And whether or not it was intentional or simply the result of his back injury, Sullinger didn’t play and Ohio State lost to Kansas as Robinson went for 21 points.
NBC Previewing the Final Four


These last two seasons have been fun. Butler and VCU were terrific stories and their historic runs emblematic of the true parity permeating college basketball in the age of the one-and-done.

But for New Orleans you need brash.

You need big.

You need Bam!

And this Final Four is epic, a whirling dervish of a concoction that could make Mardi Gras look like a pocket-protector nerd convention by the time the weekend is over.

Kansas. Kentucky. Louisville. Ohio State.

It is a four-course menu even Emeril would appreciate, serving up a heaping plate of history with side orders of conference power, budgetary excessiveness, All-America talent, coaching prowess, rabid fans and a nice little dose of simmering hostility for dessert.

The only thing this Final Four doesn't have, in fact, is a Cinderella. The good news: Someone probably will dress up like her on Bourbon Street anyway.
ESPN O'Neil


ESPN: BPI and the Final Four


Yahoo! Dan Wetzel: Final Four-bound Buckeyes take cue from coach


LJW: Final Four field filled with royalty


It's hard to paint the Buckeyes as anything other than bullies. They've got a roster chock full of McDonald's All-Americans and Mr. Basketball winners in their respective states. Yet Matta knew he had a lot of work to do to form a cohesive unit out of several disparate parts.

The first problem he faced was a lack of grizzled veterans. Buford was the only senior on the roster. The only junior, backup big man Evan Ravenel, had never played a game in an Ohio State uniform after transferring from Boston College. That meant that 85 percent of the roster was freshmen or sophomores. Clearly, even though Sullinger and Craft had seen substantial minutes as freshmen, the Buckeyes still didn't have a forceful leader on the court, with the quiet and sweet-natured Buford hardly the fiery front man they needed.

…Ohio State lost to Indiana and Illinois on the road, but still led the Big Ten heading into a showdown with No. 11 Michigan State on Feb. 11. The Spartans physically challenged the Buckeyes while ending their 39-game home winning streak, relying on their toughness in a 58-48 victory in which Ohio State starters Deshaun Thomas, Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Buford combined for just 14 points.

That touched off a span of three losses in five games. Suddenly, a team that many thought might be a national contender was barely in the conference race. There were letters to the editor of the local newspaper disparaging Matta as a coach. Callers to sports talk shows questioned the heart of "prima donna" players.

The Buckeyes noticed how many people were leaping off the bandwagon.

"I appreciated everyone that doubted this basketball team, said we were the underdogs, we weren't good enough, (weren't) mentally strong enough, not physically strong enough, mentally immature -- we heard it all," a still angry Sullinger said after the Buckeyes beat Syracuse 77-70 in the East Regional final on Saturday. "When we were going through that slump in February, everybody was saying this basketball team was kind of on a downhill. We heard negative comments. I want to thank y'all because through all the adversity, we constantly pushed through that."
AP


The frenzy over Kentucky-Louisville has thus far overshadowed the other semifinals game, even though it’s between two No. 2 seeds who have spent most of the season in the Top 10 who each have first-team All-America big men, sophomore Jared Sullinger of Ohio State and junior Thomas Robinson of Kansas.

Robinson was the lone unanimous selection to The Associated Press All-America team announced Monday, something even likely national player of the year Anthony Davis of Kentucky couldn’t accomplish.

Sullinger, the first repeat All-America since Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina in 2009, didn’t play in the Buckeyes’ 78-67 loss to Kansas on Dec. 10 due to injury.

“That seems like two seasons ago,” said Kansas Coach Bill Self, whose team is in the Final Four for the first time since a 75-68 overtime victory against Calipari-coached Memphis in the 2008 title game. “Obviously, they’re not the team they are now with Sullinger, and we’re a much better team now because we’ve learned to cut down on our turnovers.

“I know that Thomas and Jared have great respect for each other. It’s terrific that they’re meeting in the Final Four like this.”

The presence of Robinson, Sullinger and Davis helps make this perhaps the most-pedigreed Final Four ever.
Between them, the four schools have a combined 47 Final Four appearance, 15 for Kentucky, 14 for Kansas, nine for Louisville and nine for Ohio State and in Calipari and Pitino the only coaches to take three schools to the Final Four.

“These programs are so rich in tradition it’s unbelievable,” Self said. “And it’s no major surprise that any of us are here. If you love tradition, this is going to be a wonderful weekend.”
NOLA


Charles Barkley, after Kentucky blew out Baylor, speculated Sunday who could beat the Wildcats: "The (NBA) Toronto Raptors can. The Charlotte Bobcats maybe. … But nobody in college basketball can beat this team. Period."

Clark Kellogg, who will call the NCAA Final Four and called Kentucky's suspenseless win Sunday, disagrees. The Bobcats, Kellogg said in a phone interview Sunday, could "definitely" beat Kentucky — "the pride factor would rise up if NBA teams played college teams."
USA Today


While Calipari tries to get the most out of a lot of talent, Pitino has been playing a different game this season. He is the only Final Four coach without an AP first-teamer. In fact, there were no Louisville players on the second or third teams either, or even on the honorable mention list.

According to most lists, not a single one of Pitino’s players would get drafted by the NBA if they left this year. Meanwhile, a raft of injuries and roster adjustments has turned every practice this season into an adventure. Pitino coaxed his sixth Final Four trip out of a team that reminds him in many ways of his first — an undersized, underappreciated group of players at Providence in 1987, headlined by Billy Donovan.

The Cardinals are led by point guard Peyton Siva and center Gorgui Dieng. Yet they went down the stretch in a tight game against Florida on Saturday with Siva gone from the game with five fouls and with a relatively unheralded freshman, Chane Behanan, taking over.

“We may not have as much talent in certain areas as other teams. But there’s young talent, and we’re going to develop,” Pitino said. “The great thing about March Madness and college basketball is that, generally speaking, in the pros, 90 percent of the time, the best team is going to win a five- or seven-game series. In college, it’s a one-game stint, maybe somebody shoots great, anything can happen.”
AP


Jeff Goodman ‏ @ GoodmanCBS
Final Four officials: Adams, Ayers, DeRosa, Eades, Harris, Jones, Luckie, Shows, Stuart, Whitehead


The addition of Gilbert Arenas meant there would be no chance for rookie Josh Selby to get playing time. So Selby was assigned to Reno -- the Grizzlies' NBA Development League affiliate.

This is Selby's second stint with the Reno Bighorns. He was last there February 13. Selby played in four games with the Bighorns, and averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.25 steals in 31 minutes. He shot 48 percent from the field, including 50-percent from three-point territory.

The plan was never to insert Selby into the rotation this season when Memphis selected him with the 49th pick in the second round. The organization always saw Selby as raw talent they figured would take time to develop. So the team would much rather than have Selby playing in the D-League rather than sitting on the bench and competing for reps in practice.
Memphis CA

Now, the tournament itself — the ostensible reason for this mass gathering — will start Saturday after a week of corporate-sponsored hoopla that began Friday with the delivery to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome of the actual floor on which the hoopsters will play. This being New Orleans, the floor’s arrival was heralded by a parade.
The floor reached New Orleans after a seven-city tour, not unlike the trek by runners brandishing the Olympic torch to hype interest in those games.
NOLA


VIDEO: Final Four floor journey (gives you a peek inside the Superdome)


The Kansas Athletics Department sent an email to the All-Sports Combo holders about the opportunity to see the Final Four for just $25. This offer includes both semifinals and the title game, and the seats are on the floor. Although it may sound too good to be true, this is a legitimate deal that students should take advantage of.

The 2009 Final Four in Detroit was the first time this student-seating model was used, and while North Carolina cruised to an 89-72 victory over Michigan State, the packed student sections were rocking the entire game.

…Last year’s Final Four is the perfect example of what’s at stake for the Kansas students. The Connecticut Huskies, winners of three national championships, are one of the nation’s elite basketball programs. The school has a proud history of success in both the men’s and women’s game, but their students’ absence in Houston was embarrassing.
KU Students. Don't be UConn. Be there!


KU Alumni events (open to public)


NCAA Final Four official site


NOLA tournament central


NCAA Final Four-related events

Friday
8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.: U.S. Basketball Writers Association Awards Breakfast. Arcadia Room, New Orleans Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal St. Tickets are $75 apiece and can be bought at www.sportswriters.net/usbwa.
Noon to 4 p.m.: Final Four teams practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Free. Gates open at 11 a.m.
Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town in Halls H-J of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
4 p.m. to 10 p.m.: KISS performs at Woldenberg Park. Free.
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: College all-star game at the Dome. Free.

Saturday
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town. Shaquille O’Neal is expected to appear, and a game of former college athletes is scheduled to start at 12:30.
11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: The Black Keys play at Woldenberg Park.
1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Tailgate party at Champions Square.

Sunday
2 p.m.: Dribbling. On-site registration will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the first 1,000 people who didn’t sign up online. All participants must check in before 1:30 p.m.
Noon to 8 p.m.: Bracket Town.
3 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Jimmy Buffett performs at Woldenberg Park.

Monday
Noon to 7 p.m.: Bracket Town.
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tailgate party at Champions Square.


Louisiana Revised Statutes § 4:1 forbids the practice of reselling tickets for higher than face value.  In 2006, the statute was amended to allow the sale of tickets, at any price, for sales conducted over the Internet, so long as the organizer of the event and the event location’s operator have authorized the sale of the tickets.  Second, the web site’s operator must guarantee a full refund of the total sale price (including all charges) if the event is (a) canceled, (b) the purchaser is denied admission through no fault of his own, or (c) the ticket is not delivered as promised and this results in an inability to attend the event. Third, this guarantee must be posted on the operator’s web site. Finally, the prospective purchaser must be directed to the guarantee on the operator’s website prior to the completion of the transaction.  See the applicaple section here.  Meanwhile the New Orleans Code of Ordinances § 54-484 prohibits scalping with no exceptions.


Best of New Orleans: History of the Final Four (*profanity)

Kansas State’s basketball players exited Bramlage Coliseum on Monday night, laughing as they walked to their cars and flashing peace signs at reporters and security guards assembled outside.

It was an odd conclusion to a hectic day in which their coach was set to take another job.

After five seasons with Kansas State, Frank Martin is expected to be introduced as the new coach at South Carolina on Tuesday, according to a source close to Martin.

South Carolina administrators have scheduled a trustees meeting to discuss “a contractual matter” Tuesday morning in the Gamecocks’ basketball arena. As long as the trustees approve the deal, Martin is expected to sign a six-year contract worth close to $12 million, according to a South Carolina source with knowledge of the negotiations.

Martin told ESPN in a text message on Monday night that he had accepted the job.

K-State president Kirk Schulz and athletic director John Currie will hold a news conference to discuss the coaching change at 10 a.m., around the same time Martin is to be introduced in South Carolina.

…Martin also will have a new boss in South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman. Martin’s decision to leave was due, at least in part, to a deteriorating relationship with Currie.

The two have never shared a deep connection, and Martin wasn’t a fan of his micro-managing style.

“Frank isn’t one to complain about someone behind his back,” the source close to Martin said last weekend, “but I can tell you he doesn’t get along with that gentleman.”

That sour relationship reached a breaking point during the NCAA Tournament, when Martin didn’t agree with the way Currie handled the decision to hold senior Jamar Samuels out of a game against Syracuse, which K-State lost.

Samuels, K-State sources said, was wired $200 by his former AAU coach. Currie said he found out about the possible NCAA violation between the Wildcats’ first and second tournament games and decided to suspend Samuels.

Martin said he didn’t think Samuels did anything wrong and also said he played no part in the decision-making process.

The situation upset Martin. He was so upset, the source close to Martin said, that he was ready to listen to South Carolina’s offer.

“Frank is just looking to be happy,” the source said. “He wants to work at a place where he has the full support of his athletic director and president. He wants to be left alone so he can do what he does best — coach.”

Martin, apparently, felt he could no longer do that at K-State. Martin, Schulz and Currie didn’t respond to repeated messages seeking comment. Players attending a meeting with K-State officials at Bramlage wouldn’t comment, either.
KC Star


The Wildcats should look long and hard at Illinois State coach and former Kansas State player Tim Jankovich as well as Georgia coach Mark Fox, a former Kansas State assistant, to replace Frank Martin. Jankovich has strong ties to the region and was once a junior college coach. He nearly upset Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Fox will have Georgia relevant again here soon if he were to stay in Athens. The Wildcats won’t replace the persona of Martin so they better get someone who is natural to the region.
ESPN Andy Katz


Jeff Goodman ‏ @GoodmanCBS
Texas freshman Myck Kabongo will return to Texas next season.


Quincy Acy kept his promise and didn't back down as the Bears tried to send the message early that they would not be intimidated by Kentucky.

But the senior's efforts did more to fire up the Wildcats as Baylor's Final Four dream ended with an 82-70 loss to Kentucky in Sunday's South Regional final.

Acy had 22 points but had too little scoring help as Baylor was overwhelmed by Kentucky's talent and depth.
Pierre Jackson had 21 points, including five baskets in the final 2 minutes. Baylor had only one other scorer in double figures and couldn't pull closer than 10 points.

Perry Jones III added 17 points for Baylor (30-8), which was denied its bid for its first Final Four appearance in 62 years. The Bears led 10-5 but Kentucky answered with a 16 unanswered points never lost the lead.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's 19 points led Kentucky (36-2), which will play in-state rival Louisville in the Final Four on Saturday.
KC Star


Enigmatic Mississippi State forward Renardo Sidney has signed with an agent and will declare for the NBA draft.

But who will take him?

“I would think [he would get chosen] at some point in the second round but his stock is really low,” one NBA scout told SNY.tv. “He needs to get to the Chicago Pre-Draft camp somehow.”

When asked if Sidney will get drafted, a second NBA scout said flatly, “No.”
Zags


Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters confirmed what many had suspected and what SNY.tv first reported Saturday night following Syracuse’s season-ending loss to Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament.

He is headed to the NBA.

“I’ve decided to pursue my dream of becoming a professional basketball player by entering my name in the NBA Draft this spring,” he said in a statement. “I plan on signing with an agent.
Zags


Overmatched Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas realizes he represents one of the proudest basketball traditions in the Big Ten and not the University of East Central Illinois, right? Is the stature of the program reduced enough to start using a hyphen: Illinois-Champaign?

Barring an 11th-hour surprise, a national coaching search that began amid such promise will end smacking of desperation. If Groce becomes the next Illinois head coach as several sources expect, he will accept the job knowing at least five other candidates decided it was not for them. That says more about the process than Groce, a reputable, indefatigable coach who indeed could restore pride to the Illini.

Lingering frustration has less to do with why hiring a 40-year-old with a 34-30 record in the MAC represents such a big risk in the Big Ten. It has more to do with how Thomas put the school in the position to settle for this year's March college basketball flavor of the month who could be the next Thad Matta — or the next Dan Monson.

As the search nears its clumsy conclusion, oddly I have more questions about Thomas than Groce.

…Consider: Smart and Stevens, two midmajor coaches, turned down a $21 million job everyone now can stop referring to as great for the comforts of home. Two 35-year-old fathers passed up generational wealth and an opportunity to coach in America's best basketball conference for … stability Illinois couldn't offer?

Blame the forced resignation of university President Michael Hogan for creating uncertainty. Blame fears of recruiting Chicago, where the perception of secret handshakes and backroom deals that scared away Smart exceeds the reality. Blame Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, whose harsh rebuke of Thomas' handling of Bruce Weber created questions in the coaching community how much support Weber's successor would have. Blame Thomas, an exposed novice, for making $3.9 million spent on Weber's buyout seem like a shakier investment every day.

Blame Groce for nothing, except being an unwitting understudy in an Illinois comedy of errors.
Chicago Tribune


So, to review: since the end of the Big XII tournament the Tigers have lost to a 15th-seeded small school which was then blown out in their very next game by a Florida team Mizzou would have been fairly heavily favored against, seen every other Big XII team in the tourney go further than them, been upstaged by the 'other' team from Missouri in the big dance, watched two of their rivals, one of whom they beat three times, advance to the Elite Eight, and now Kansas is once again poised to play for a national championship.

As good as the season was for Missouri, it seems now they're right back where they usually are, looking up at other Big XII teams and trying to answer their own questions about where they go from here.

It's all very depressing, really.
Riverfront Times


Upsets and underdogs have rendered many tournament brackets dead, but Applebee’s reports that online trash talking is alive and well in college basketball.

And, guess who’s talking the most smack? Women have posted 71 percent of the nearly 50,000 shout-outs and hundreds of photos uploaded to Applebee’s Fan Fanatics Facebook page. The online contest rewards college basketball’s biggest fans with Applebee’s gift cards.

“Our female Fan Fanatics are dishing it out online far more often than men,” said Jill McFarland, senior manager of digital and social media for Applebee’s Services, Inc. “We’ve given away thousands in Applebee’s gift cards and the smack talk is in high gear heading into the final games. Even if your bracket is busted and your team is out, you can still compete and win with Fan Fanatics.”
Link


Harrison Barnes came into my life on a Friday afternoon in 2009, when he held a press conference to announce his decision to attend the University of North Carolina. I've always held a perhaps unhealthy fascination with these Signing Day spectacles — they are tacky and weird and self-serving, sure, but there's something undeniably great about seeing a 17- or 18-year-old kid take his first public step toward greatness, bust-infamy, or the quiet, dark space of unmet expectations. Barnes, who in a recent Atlantic article admitted that one reason he returned to North Carolina for his sophomore season was to enhance his "brand," certainly proved himself to be the showman. After a long speech thanking every good thing in God's academic world, Barnes announced, "The school that I choose to be my alma mater, indeed, the place where I will leave my legacy, had the right balance of both academics and basketball that which I thought I could achieve the goals I wanted to pursue. Today, I'm proud to announce the school I will attend in the fall of 2010 will be the coach I'm going to Skype … "

And with that, ol' Roy Williams and his Tar Heel basketball team were projected onto a giant screen and all of North Carolina joined in a chorus of "Hark the sound of Tar Heel voices ringing clear and true … " My phone began filling up with text messages from friends from Chapel Hill, the crowd in Ames, Iowa, Barnes's hometown, cheered lustily, and I put my head in my hands and felt a bit uneasy. Not because I doubted Barnes's basketball abilities (that would come later), but because there had been something a bit too polished and produced about the entire thing. Call me a sentimental old softy, but I've always preferred the version where the kid from the sticks of Georgia or the farmland of Indiana sits in front of a table, sweats nervously, and mumbles through some inaudible thank-yous before he's swarmed by 15 relatives and his 250-pound mother.
Grantland

Jason Jordan ‏ @JayJayESPN
When asked if he thinks he can bring T Parker and Shabazz with him to UCLA, Kyle Anderson told me: "I don't think so, but I'm trying!"

Las Vegas Bishop Gorman's Shabazz Muhammad added to his high school legacy Monday by winning the Powerade Jam Fest in Chicago.

Ranked by Rivals.com as the top prep recruit, Muhammad scored a perfect 70 in the final round. The competition was part of the McDonald's All-American game that will be played Wednesday.

Muhammad is choosing between Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, USC, UCLA and UNLV.
USA Today

https://twitter.com/#!/ebosshoops (at the McD's practices)
Perry Ellis taking things pretty seriously. Also serious is is 4 state titles and 4 state player of the year awards.


Isaiah Lewis, one of the top point guards in the Class of 2013 out of New York’s Christ the King High School, will be contributing periodically to ZAGSBLOG during his junior season. Here’s his second entry in which he discusses cutting his school list to five schools: Louisville, Kansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Memphis.

**Louisville — “I really like the ‘Ville. I think Coach [Rick] Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach. He knows how to win and gets the best out of his players. He is an uptempo-style coach and I love to run. The fan base is great at Louisville.

**Kansas – ”A great tradition. Coach [Bill] Self is a great coach and a great guy also. I love how he runs his offense, letting his guards play pick and roll and letting them create. The fan base is crazy. Kansas fans support their basketball 100 percent and I love that. Coach [Joe] Dooley and coach[Kurtis]  Townsend are also cool. It’s also good to talk to them on the phone.”

**Florida State — “I love Coach [Leonard] Hamilton. Me and my dad talk to him a lot. I think Florida State is a great program. Coach Ham let his guards play and he has a winning approach to to every game. And I also feel like I can compete for a championship there.

**Georgia Tech — “I think Georgia Tech is gonna be great this up and coming year with their new recruits. I think that I can come in at Georgia Tech and have a chance to play in the ACC and for a up and coming coach like Coach [Brian] Gregory.”

**Memphis — “Coach P [Josh Pastner] is a great coach. I think with them coming to the Big East it is going to be great. Me and Coach P talk a lot on the phone and he just tells me how much I’ll fit in their type of system and with Coach [Damon] Stoudamire as an assistant I can learn a lot from him as well.”
Zags


NCAA president Mark Emmert came down hard on college basketball careers that last one season.

“I happen to dislike the one-and-done rule enormously and wish it didn’t exist,” Emmert said Friday during a panel discussion hours before the Midwest Regional semifinal round tipped off. “I think it forces young men to go to college that have little or no interest in going to college.

“It makes a travesty of the whole notion of student as an athlete.”

But Emmert is quick to remind that the one-and-done isn’t a college rule. The NBA requires players to be 19 years old or have completed one year of college before becoming eligible for the NBA Draft.

The rule went on the books in 2007, as players such as Texas’ Kevin Durant and Ohio State’s Greg Oden spent a year on campus. That was the first class not allowed to follow such players as LeBron James into the NBA straight from high school.

Memphis guard Derrick Rose was in the next class of one-and-dones.

Critics on the college level have howled. Coaches must continue to recruit the game’s top talent but one-year careers play havoc with future recruiting and roster plans.

School officials say the rule has made a mockery of the term “student-athlete.” To be eligible, an athlete essentially has to be eligible for the fall semester. Academic performance can slip in the spring semester but an athlete can complete a basketball season without consequence.

“It simply creates the wrong type of environment for us,” Emmert said.

…“I’m not critical of the kid who does that,” Emmert said. “Why would we object to a young man pursuing their life’s pleasure? If a young woman wants to dance with the New York City ballet at 16 we don’t see her on our college campuses. That’s fine. If someone is a great musician they may or may not come to us. We don’t think less of them.

“But if you’re coming to us to be a collegiate athlete we want you to be a collegiate athlete. We will give you the best opportunities in the classroom, in the training room, with coaches. If you want to become a professional athlete, there is no better place to go generally than to come to one of our schools to develop your skills and abilities. But if you do that, you have to be a student.”

There has been sentiment to change the rule, and NBA commissioner David Stern has expressed interest in a two-year minimum between high school and the NBA. The league’s union said it might be willing to change if colleges allow stipends above scholarship costs, an idea that has gained traction among major conferences as television contract revenue increase.
KC Star


McDonalds All-American Game 3/28


In case you missed it: Tony Parker's Inner Circle


Theo Pinson (High Point, N.C./Wesleyan)
2014, SG, 6-6, 180 pounds
He has high-level athletic ability and can play all three perimeter positions. His handle is good as he keeps his head and eyes up as the play develops and always looks to deliver an assist. He can drive to the basket at will thanks to his quickness and size and could be good at contesting shots and containing the drive if the he becomes serious on the defensive end. However, he needs better shot preparation on his jumper. It's early but his list consists of NC State, Kansas, Baylor, Texas, UNC, Duke, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest and Tennessee.
ESPN $


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos now on Youtube

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson has even more in common with Blake Griffin now. Not everything, though.

Robinson, who played through personal tragedy as a sophomore reserve, capped his junior season by being a unanimous selection to The Associated Press' All-America team Monday, a day after leading the Jayhawks to the Final Four.

The 6-foot-10 Robinson averaged 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds this season and he was a first-team pick by all 65 members of the national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25.

The last unanimous pick was Griffin in 2009.

"It's a blessing to be named even in the same category as Blake Griffin," Robinson said. "For that to happen, I'm glad all the hard work is paying off."

Robinson did find some similarities between them besides being Big 12 Player of the Year.

"That man jumps out the gym. He looks like a superhero when he takes off," Robinson said. "But we both try to be aggressive. He knows what he does well. I feel the same way. I know what I do well."

Joining Robinson on the first team were Jared Sullinger of Ohio State, the first repeat All-America in three years, freshman Anthony Davis of Kentucky, Draymond Green of Michigan State and Doug McDermott of Creighton.

Davis received 63 first-team votes while Green, the lone senior on the team, got 53. Sullinger had 30, one more than McDermott. The voting was done before the NCAA tournament.
AP


Kentucky's Anthony Davis, Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger -- all playing in this weekend's Final Four -- are on the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team, which was announced Monday.

Joining them are Isaiah Cannan of Murray State,Jae Crowder of Marquette, Marcus Denmon of Missouri, Draymond Green of Michigan State, Kevin Jones of West Virginia, Doug McDermott of Creighton and Tyler Zeller of North Carolina.
ESPN


VOTE for TRob Naismith POY online
http://www.ncaa.com/naismithvote/  AND TEXT "VOTE" to 34763


Regional MVP: Thomas Robinson, Kansas. The Jayhawks used an extremely balanced effort to get to New Orleans, but Robinson was the most consistent. He racked up three double-doubles, had came one rebound away from getting a fourth. In the four games, Robinson averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds. He wasn't as efficient from the field as he was during the regular season, but his strength and determination helped will Kansas through some of the struggles.

All-regional team

    •    Thomas Robinson, Kansas
    •    Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas
    •    Jeff Withey, Kansas
    •    Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
    •    Walter Offutt, Ohio
CBS Midwest Regional Wrapup


Sunday's title game drew 24,107 spectators, meaning that nearly 50,000 fans went through the Dome turnstiles for the three games. Kansas brought a big crowd from Lawrence for the championship game.

"We had a lot of love here," Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor said. "We have a good fan base and they turned out for us."
Link


@BarrySanders
Congrats to @CoachBillSelf &@KUAthletics for a great win yesterday - Good Luck at the Final Four


@Keefmorris
Great win for my youngins man.... Final 4 bound


Seth Davis ‏ @SethDavisHoops
Difference for Kansas was on the backboards (+9) and the free throw line (+9 FTM). In other words, they were tougher.


Josh Selby ‏ @joshselby2
Final 4!!


Otis Livingston ‏ @OLivingston24
Not bad for a rebuilding year! Let's get 2 more...#RockChalkJayhawk


Braeden Anderson ‏ @kingbraeden
Really proud of all jayhawk homies #KUalltheway


Brannen Greene ‏ @b_greene14
Final Four Baby!!! It's expected though...WE ARE KANSAS!


Tyrel Reed ‏ @treed14
Wow what a game! #RCJH


Stewart Mandel ‏ @slmandel
Kansas. Kentucky. Ohio State. Louisville. Even at 70K seats, the Superdome is going to be a tough ticket next weekend.


Justin McCay ‏ @JMcCay19
Kansas jayhawks to the final four yet again. Big time players make big time plays.


Conner Frankamp ‏ @CFrankamp_23
Final Four!


Russell Robinson ‏ @Next718star
Word is in! A Milz blowing up my phone #finalfour !!!!! Yeaaaaaa proud moment!!!! Rock Chalk!


MookMorris2
@Keefmorris got his career high today and @Trobinson0 going to the final 4 !!! Today is a good day!!!! #teamfoe


Brandon Rush ‏ @ KCsFinest4
Bet mass street is going crazy right now


Paul Pierce ‏ @ paulpierce34
Kansas Jayhawks please stand up and salute


Darnell Jackson ‏ @ DBlock_Official
RocccckChalllllk Jaaaaay-Hawwwwwk, Kaaaaaaaaaaay Uuuuuuuuuuuu!!! Congrats to the  # kubball team for making the Final Four.

Coach Charlie Weis ‏ @ CoachWeisKansas
Great job across the board. On to New Orleans! Congrats! And we get to beat the Buckeyes again!


Darrell Arthur ‏ @ darthur00I
just got tha best birthday present!!! Thanks to the KU boys!!! We put them haters on hush!!! Hopefully I can Get another win2nite


Keef Morris ‏ @ Keefmorris
Proudof my lil bros man......


Jason Whitlock ‏ @ WhitlockJason
8 straight conference titles. He gets it done in the regular season and he's turned into a great tournament coach. # billself


Sam Mellinger ‏ @ mellinger
Some of that Roy stink on 'em. RT @ WhitlockJason UNC looks soft. Giving up too many offensive rebounds.


olivia wilde ‏ @ oliviawilde
Congrats Kansas! Alas... I failed to locate the one bar in London playing the game. Sucks because I bet that dude's basement was super nice.


Paul Pierce ‏ @paulpierce34
Can I get a Rock Chalk on three 1 2 3 !!


tyshawn taylor ‏ @ _tee_y
can't even explain how proud I am of my team ... we came along way an we still pushing ... S/o to everybody who supports us ;  # SALUTE ;;


Travis Releford ‏ @ T_2releFOUR
"She" get her own seat on the bus ride back. http://pic.twitter.com/k2N58NK7


Ben McLemore ‏ @Humb1e_Hungry23
I never experience anything like that in my life


Merv Lindsay ‏ @MervDiggity22
No words!!!


Mario Little ‏ @riochitown23
Hell yeah! #proud2BeAJayhawk


Russell Robinson ‏ @Next718star
“@NickBahe: Congrats to the best coach in the nation, Bill Self! He has been simply magnificent this season. Final 4! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!


Champions Classic ‏ @championclassic
Kentucky looks unstoppable. Kansas fights to the end and knows how to win. Think we'll c Kentucky v. Kansas championship game?


Travis Releford ‏ @T_2releFOUR
Just wanna thank all the fans for coming out. Y'all were great. Made it feel like we were playing a home game. But we are not done.#NOLA


@RobRiggle
What time is it? Final Four time baby!!! ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!”


@joshselby2
I know I know sun sun Harrison Barnes was scared of them boys RT@bayfrazier: @joshselby2 u know how I feel about UNC & Kansas lol


Cole Aldrich ‏ @ colea45
Great win tonight. Along with my KU boys going to the final four!


keith langford ‏ @ keith_langford
@ justiniwesley WE going to the BIG EASY BABY BRO!!!! Had to stay up and watch. So proud of you guys!!!  # FINAL4 tweet... Love you bro!!!!


mario chalmers ‏ @ mchalmers15
Congrats to my jayhawks for makin the final 4. Let's make it happen like we did in 08'. Rock chalk jayhawks baby


Jay Bilas ‏ @ JayBilas
Most Disappointing Teams in NCAA: Missouri, Duke, Michigan. None competed well, and got beat by teams they should have beaten.


Brady Morningstar @bmstar12
big ups!!!! @Trobinson0 @_tee_y


Maui Invitational ‏ @EASportsMauiInv
Congrats to KU_Hoops on making the Final Four!


Fran Fraschilla ‏ @ franfraschilla
Just heard there's 8-9 thousand waiting at Allen Field for Jayhawks' return from Saint Louis. That's cool.


Fran Fraschilla ‏ @franfraschilla
Not many coaches would go with junk defense with 8 minutes to go in a Regional Final. Bill Self told me KU works on it 5 min twice a week.


@waynesimien
I-70 West w/ @Jizzle_11 bumpin @AmIshoBaraka celebrating @KU_Hoops big win. KU fans stopping in Columbia MO on purpose LOL


KC RUN GMC ‏ @KCRunGMC
Congrats to Travis and Conner on their way to the final four! Great to see the fellas enjoying the journey.


tyshawn taylor ‏ @_tee_y
S/o to everybody who doubted myself and this team ..y'all a huge reason for our success ...so y'all keep that hate coming ;;


Baylor Basketball ‏ @BaylorMBB
Congrats to @KU_Hoops on advancing to the Final Four in New Orleans. #GoBig12


Ken Pomeroy ‏ @kenpomeroy
For those wondering, up to the minute chances: UK 42%, OSU 34%, KU 17%, UL 7%.


NCAA March Madness ‏ @marchmadness
         Reply  Retweet  Favorite · Open
Congrats, #KUbball and welcome to the 2012 #FinalFour!


Jay Bilas ‏ @JayBilas
Each Final 4 team was rated in Top 5 in offensive (UK) or defensive (UL, OSU, KU) efficiency in http://KenPom.com ratings. #rpiajoke


Allerik Freeman@Al_freeman
@_tee_y yall did yall thing today! Get that championship @Trobinson0


Chris Walker ‏ @cwalkertime23
T rob doing his thing! !!


Brannen Greene ‏ @b_greene14
Final Four Baby!!! It's expected though...WE ARE KANSAS!
😁😁

Landen A. Lucas ‏ @LandenLucas33
FINAL 4!!! #KU http://instagr.am/p/InR5zXiKQv/

KU AD Photos


UDK Photos


ESPN Photos


KC Star Photos


LJW Photos


JayhawkSlant.com Photos


TCJ Photos


AP Photos


St Louis PD Photos

VIDEO: Wild sequence near end of game, AND ONE screams Tyshawn Taylor!


VIDEO CBS Game Highlights


VIDEO: Kansas postgame press conference (fixed link!)


VIDEO: UNC postgame press conference


VIDEO: Fans waiting at AFH for team return from St Louis


VIDEO: JayhawkSlant.com The Team returns to Allen Fieldhouse


VIDEO: The Kansas Jayhawks enter AFH as Midwest Regional Champs!


VIDEO: Mass St. reacts to the KU victory!


KCTV5 Video: KU highlights, fans in St Louis


KU AD: Box score, recap, notes, more


KU AD Video: Locker room interviews, net cutting, sweet homecoming


Sirius XM Sports Audio: Conner Teahan postgame

As Kansas players danced around the locker room with pieces of the Edward Jones Dome net pinned behind their ears, one of the greatest coaches in basketball history was stuck in traffic.

Hall of Famer Larry Brown -- the only man to win an NCAA title and an NBA championship -- hustled up the steps and out of the arena after the Jayhawks advanced to the Final Four by defeating North Carolina 80-67 Sunday.

As the cars backed up on Interstate 70, Brown had time to reflect on what he'd just seen from his former team -- and his former pupil.

When talking about Bill Self, Brown almost seemed in awe.

"I can't imagine how he's done it," said Brown, who hired Self as a graduate assistant at KU back in 1985. "The eight straight Big 12 titles, getting this team to the Final Four, I just can't imagine ..."

Brown paused.

"Our game has a lot of great coaches," he said. "But right now I can't think of many who are better than Bill."

That's because there aren't any.

All throughout Sunday's 13-point victory over the top-seeded Tar Heels, and even for a few hours after it, I kept asking myself the same question: Who in college basketball, right now, is better than Bill Self?

Not "Who has the best resume?" Self is more than 10 years younger than legends such as Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski. So comparing his Final Four count to theirs is unfair.

Instead, I tried to think of the No. 1 candidate I would target if I was an athletic director who had been given millions of dollars to start a basketball program from scratch. If I could have my pick of any coach in America, who would I choose?

To me, the answer is obvious.

Self.

"There's no one I'd rather play for," Kansas guard Elijah Johnson said. "He's the best coach in the country."

Or at least he has been since replacing Roy Williams at Kansas in 2003-04.

Since that time, no one has been more on top of their profession than Self, who has gone 268-52 in his nine seasons at Kansas. No coach in America has won more games during that span except for Kentucky's John Calipari (281-52). But 38 of those wins were vacated because of NCAA rules violations, so officially, Self is the leader.

Even more impressive is that Self's KU teams have won eight straight Big 12 titles, the longest streak of consecutive league crowns by a major-conference team since UCLA won 13 in a row from 1967-79.

"Year after year, we lose guys and people wonder if we're going to be down," fifth-year senior Conner Teahan said. "Yet, year after year, he finds a way to get it done. He just instills so much confidence in us. He makes us believe we're capable of doing anything."

..."A lot of people didn't think we'd be in this situation," point guard Tyshawn Taylor said. "No one knew how good we could be."

Indeed, there's no question that Self has done the best coaching job of his career this season.

He has a fourth-year starter in Taylor and one of college basketball's top post players in Thomas Robinson, who has blossomed into a Wooden Award candidate after averaging just 14 minutes off the bench last season. Otherwise, though, Kansas entered the season with a roster full of obscure players who had played minimal roles. Starters Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford (all juniors) struggled to get on the court last season.

In five months, Self has turned them into stars.

"Guys get better when they come here," Self said. "Guys go from playing 7 minutes a game to being a national player of the year candidate. You've got a guy [in Taylor] who was as criticized a player as there's been at KU since I've been here, and now people are saying he may be the best point guard to play here in a long time.

"It's amazing to me how much these guys have gotten better. I take pride in that."

...Six McDonald's All-Americans suited up for North Carolina on Sunday.

For Kansas?

Zero.

"It's always more fun to do something," Self said, "when no one thinks you can do it."

..."Bill is tough on his kids," Brown said, "but they know he cares about them. He gets them to respect the game and play it the right way. They defend and rebound and share the ball. It's incredible to watch. I love Bill.

"I love him."
ESPN Jason KIng


Video interview Jason King w/Coach Self

Kansas and North Carolina played a beautiful half on basketball on Sunday night in St. Louis. They ran up and down and traded shot for shot. Thomas Robinson showed his strength, Harrison Barnes showed his feathery touch, Tyler Zeller would have made George Mikan proud and Tyshawn Taylor found his shot again.

CBSSports.com’s Brett McMurphy told me a story at halftime about the 1988 championship game when Kansas and Oklahoma also played a beautiful half of basketball much like the one we had just witnessed.

All week before that game Larry Brown told his players that they couldn’t run with Oklahoma. They could not win that way. They needed to slow the game down and make them play KU’s style.

As the Jayhawks huddled together in the tunnel before they took the court, Milt Newton, the player who might have been the most athletic guy on the court that night, told his teammates: “F#*% that, let’s run with these guys.”

And much like the Jayhawks ran with the Heels on Sunday, playing to a 47-all tie, the ’88 Jayhawks ran with the top-ranked Sooners and played to a 50-all tie.

At halftime, Brown told his team, “OK, you proved you can run with them. Now we play our game.”

That’s exactly what Kansas did that April 4, 1988 night. They outscored OU 33-29 in the second half, and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tourney history. KU’s 80-67 win on Sunday would not quite rank with that upset, but the odds that this team would be headed to the Final Four was just as an unlikely story.

...On Sunday night, Larry Brown was behind the bench where Danny Manning sat, and somewhere one of the Miracles, Milt Newton, watched on TV.

Could the Jayhawks run with the Heels? Newton probably believed they could. And at halftime, Brown probably thought, “OK, it’s time to play Coach Self’s way.”

The Jayhawks did, and now their season continues.

“We’ve still got practice,” Johnson said. “We’ve got practice tomorrow. I can’t wait to go to practice tomorrow. I can’t wait. We’re going to New Orleans, man.”
CJ Moore


Self’s Jayhawks beat their old coach’s North Carolina team 80-67 on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four — KU’s 14th, and second with the coach who has kept the program at an absurdly high level while remaking it under his hard-cuss attitude.

The running Jayhawks are now the flexing Jayhawks, the pretty program now the one that likes nothing more than winning with muscle.

None of Self’s eight other teams had embraced that more than this one, symbolized most by Thomas Robinson’s rise from 2.5 points per game as a freshman to a possible national player of the year as a junior, an inspiring journey through heartbreaking tragedy in between.

Maybe now you understand why Self, the locker room doors enclosing that perfect mix of relief and joy, told his guys he’s never enjoyed coaching a team more than this one. He told them how proud he was, how far they’ve come, this team that exceeded his expectations more than any he’s ever had.

And then he told them the line that best embodies everything he believes and everything he’s turned KU basketball into.

We’ll get to that in a minute.

...“These guys,” Self said, “nothing fazes them. No matter what the situation is, they just think they they’re going to figure it out.”

...That’s part of the story today. Part of the joy. This is a blueblood basketball power able to celebrate like a midmajor, a team with modest preseason expectations wearing the road blues while beating a roster full of pros who know their season is a disappointment without making the Final Four.

So, yeah, it felt especially good for the Jayhawks to hear about the guys playing for the other powerhouse muttering things like “so physical” and “so tough” when describing an opponent.

Choosing to coach or play at Kansas usually means choosing to never be able to overachieve expectations. This is that rare exception, a team that Self says has played “closer to its ceiling” than any he’s had in Lawrence. That its crowning achievement came at the expense of the very personification of old March letdowns makes it at least a little sweeter.

Which brings us back to what Self said.

The Jayhawks just got back to their locker room and nobody knows quite how to act. Niko Roberts is nudging Jordan Juenemann and saying, over and over and over, “We’re going to the Final Four, man!”

This is the feeling they came to Kansas for, and it probably feels even better after hearing words from their coach that they’ll tell in stories the rest of their lives.

Self is looking them in the eyes and saying he’s never been more proud of a team. He tells them how much fun he’s had, that he hopes they feel the same way. He talks a little about how good North Carolina’s players are, how eight of them are McDonald’s All-Americans.

And then come the words that best define everything Self believes about basketball — and so much of what he’s built at Kansas.

The players scream when he’s finished.

“The guys in this locker room,” he says, “are better than the guys in their locker room.”
KC Star Mellinger


As Bill Self settled into a golf cart at the Edward Jones Dome on Saturday afternoon to be driven off for a CBS interview, he drolly said, “Time to answer more questions about Roy Williams.”

Williams has been the topic that won’t die for Self. He’d just gotten several Roy questions from reporters during his general interview session the day before his Kansas Jayhawks played Williams’ North Carolina Tar Heels in the Midwest Regional final. He has been hearing them for nine years, ever since he succeeded Williams as coach at Kansas. It’s a tired topic that should have been put to rest in 2008, when Self handed Williams an emphatic defeat in the Final Four, but it was resurrected here.

Today, it’s time to reverse the Q&A. Time for Williams to answer questions about Self. Specifically, it’s time for Williams to talk about being checkmated by Self on Sunday with the Final Four on the line.

Self’s lockdown of the Tar Heels was so crafty that Ol’ Roy literally had no idea what hit him. It was a triangle-and-two defense, playing man-to-man on Carolina shooters Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock and zoning point guard Stilman White and big men Tyler Zeller and John Henson. The junk defense shut down the Heels’ prolific offense as Kansas pulled away in the final eight minutes to win 80-67. Carolina scored just three points in the final 8:34.

I asked Williams what impact the triangle-and-two had on his team. His answer was stunning.

“I know they did for one possession, and they may have for another possession,” Williams said. “I’m not sure about that.”

Williams clearly was unsure because from press row it looked like the Jayhawks played the triangle-and-two for nearly half of the final 20 minutes. The Jayhawks confirmed that they played the combo defense for the final eight or nine minutes.

“It put their guys who are not used to scoring the ball in position to score,” Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor said. “It confused them a little bit. … We just switched our defense up a little bit, and it kind of took them out of what they wanted to run.”

In the final 8½ minutes, Carolina didn’t make a single field goal off its set offense. There was a putback by Zeller and a free throw by Barnes, and that was it. The Heels were shut out for the final 3:57.

...“I think this team’s probably played as close to its ceiling as any team I’ve had,” Self said. “… I don’t think you can give 110 percent. I think all you can give is 100. And I think this team has given as close to 100 as any team that I’ve probably ever coached.

“I will say this: I don’t know if I ever enjoyed coaching a team more than this one. I love them. We fight, it’s combative sometimes, all of those things. But I love coaching these guys. … It is just remarkable to me to see them cutting down nets out here because this would not be the year that anybody would have thought we would do it. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”

Here’s another cool feeling: Bill Self shouldn’t ever have to hear about Roy Williams again. Unless he’s being asked about having Ol’ Roy’s number.
Yahoo Pat Forde

This was the fifth all-time meeting between Kansas and North Carolina in the NCAA tournament (Kansas now leads 3-2) and the first since the Jayhawks beat the Tar Heels in the 2008 Final Four. The winner of the previous four showdowns has gone on to win the national title.

Kansas is now 4-0 versus No. 1 seeds in the regional finals, having also beaten Arkansas in 1991, Indiana in 1993 and Arizona in 2003. That matches Duke for the most such wins by any school, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
ESPN


"What Bill Self has done speaks for itself," Big 12 acting commissioner Chuck Neinas said. "Bill Self is in no one's shadow. Well, unless, it's Phog Allen."

The Jayhawks pulled away from North Carolina 80-67 on Sunday. Kansas' defense stifled North Carolina as the Tar Heels were limited to 22.6 percent shooting in the second half, the lowest percentage in a half for the storied program ever in an NCAA tournament game.

The victory gave the 49-year-old Self a second Final Four to go along with eight consecutive Big 12 titles, the 2008 national championship and, oh yeah, a 2-0 record against Williams in the NCAA tournament at KU.

While the Jayhawks were celebrating on the court, Cindy Self, Bill's wife, stood four rows behind Kansas' bench, tears streaming down her face.

"In November," Cindy said, "wow, who would have thought this?"

Not many people. Before the season, Bill admitted to Cindy the months ahead coaching the Jayhawks were "going to be a lot of work."

The Jayhawks had only one returning starter off last year's 35-win team and there were a lot more questions than answers about the upcoming season.

...Self's success at Kansas has been extraordinary and, quite frankly, taken for granted. He wins 84 percent of the time and the Jayhawks' APR has been a perfect 1,000 the past six seasons. There's no question he's had some hiccups in March, but his NCAA tournament record at Kansas is still an impressive 22-7, a 75.8 winning percentage.

Not bad for a guy who at 30 became a head coach for the first time at Oral Roberts -- where he recruited his first player while ordering lunch at a Subway restaurant. He had losing records his first two seasons at ORU, but since then he's only won fewer than 20 games twice in the past 15 seasons and has won at least 30 games the past three seasons and five of the past six years.

...After all of the Jayhawks had cut a strand from the net, it was Self's turn. He climbed the ladder to cut the final three strands.

Self then took the net in his hand and waved it to the Jayhawks' contingent inside Edward Jones Dome to his right and then to his left. He took one step and then jumped all the way down to the court from the third step onto the court.

Clinching the net in his hand Self beamed. There wasn't a shadow to be seen anywhere.
CBS (link includes postgame Sager VIDEO interview w/Coach Self and Tyshawn Taylor on the floor in St Louis)

The key to understanding this 2011-12 Kansas team is simple, once you wrap your brain around it. Kansas, you see, is not Kansas.

Kansas is Butler.

Makes no sense, right? But that's what Kansas is. That's how Kansas wins. That's why Kansas wins. Unlike every Kansas team I've ever laid eyes on, this Kansas team doesn't bludgeon you with talent. It has its share, don't get me wrong, starting with Thomas Robinson. He's a monster. He's a top 10 NBA draft pick.

But the rest of the roster? It's nice. Nice talent. Nice kids. Nice. Like Butler.

But when the game ends and the final scores are tallied, Kansas typically has more points than the other team. That has been the case 31 times in 37 games this season, most recently -- most importantly -- Sunday in the Midwest Regional final when the final score showed Kansas with more points than North Carolina, 80-67.

The game was a lot closer than that, but then, most Kansas games are close. The Jayhawks beat 15th-seeded Detroit in their first NCAA tournament game by 15, a game that was closer than that. They beat Purdue in the next round by three. They beat North Carolina State in the Sweet 16 by three. Purdue and N.C. State had shots at the buzzer to force overtime, too. Kansas wins games but doesn't make it easy, a bizarre criticism that has made its way to Kansas coach Bill Self.

I'm going to quote Self in a minute, but first you need to understand why. As Kansas was pulling away from North Carolina in the final two minutes on Sunday, I leaned over to colleague Brett McMurphy and told him what I would be writing, that Kansas is Butler. McMurphy smiled, said he had a quote from Self on that very topic. Turns out, at some point after the N.C. State game, Self told McMurphy that he's tired of hearing how Kansas isn't blowing anyone out.

"Butler won a lot of close games last year," Self said. "They made it all the way to the national championship game like that, and nobody had a problem with it."

Nor should anyone have a problem with this Kansas team. A problem? Shoot, Kansas folks should be in love with this team, because it has overachieved from Day One. The Jayhawks have overachieved by winning 31 games this season, overachieved by going 16-2 in the Big 12, overachieved by reaching the Final Four.

Kansas would have no business getting past Ohio State in the Final Four, but it could happen. Hell, it already did happen. Kansas defeated Ohio State 78-67 on Dec. 10, although Ohio State was playing without injured Jared Sullinger. Sullinger is healthy now, which means Kansas will have no business winning. But who would bet against the Jayhawks at this point in the season? It would have been like betting against Butler in either of the last two seasons -- Butler also had one top 10 draft pick, Gordon Hayward -- when the Bulldogs reached back-to-back national title games.

Kansas is this year's Butler: It knows how to win.
CBS Gregg Doyel


The Tar Heels said they had not seen a triangle-and-two defense all year, so Kansas coach Bill Self’s decision to switch to it in the second half made a big impact.

“I don’t know what they were playing, but they sagged the big man into the lane,’’ forward John Henson said. “And I think that really disoriented our defense. Me and [Tyler Zeller] couldn’t figure it out, and that’s why we’re here right now.”

Small forward Harrison Barnes said that what makes the triangle-and-two so difficult is that there is always “help” defense present. On one play, the sophomore said, he got Jayhawk Travis Releford to bite on a pump fake. But after he had taken one dribble, there was another defender there.

Barnes said the triangle-and-two was not on UNC’s scouting report.

Self said the Jayhawks played that defense the last eight or nine minutes of the game. During the final eight minutes, UNC scored only three points.
ESPN


“Thomas Robinson is a fantastic player,” North Carolina center Tyler Zeller said. “Somebody that can drive the ball, shoot the ball, and he can score from inside. There’s a reason he’s up for (national) player of the year.”

Robinson’s frontline teammate Jeff Withey had his second big game in St. Louis with 15 points and three blocks, including two in the game’s final 3 minutes while Withey was playing with four fouls.

“Jeff was a load for us inside,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “A lot of times a guy with four fouls won’t guard you because he wants to stay in the game. Those were two big defensive plays.”

The reserve big men also pitched in. Kevin Young had eight rebounds, four of them on offense, and Justin Wesley, in his brief 2 minutes, tipped in a Robinson miss.

For the game, the Jayhawks outrebounded North Carolina 41-35. Two days earlier, the Tar Heels had pulled down 63 rebounds against Ohio.

“We did a good job,” Robinson said. “Definitely Jeff coming down there and blocking those shots. And I just tried to be aggressive tonight.”

How aggressive?

“Coach Self said last night when going over the report that we wanted to throw the first punch,” Robinson said. “We wanted to make them feel us every play.”
KC Star


Thomas Robinson beckoned for more noise just as he applied scissors to the net. Giddy Kansas fans were happy to oblige.

Elijah Johnson ran through the tunnel punching clenched fists in the air.

Tyshawn Taylor shouted, “Gonna get me some gumbo!”

The sights and sounds that punctuated second-seeded Kansas’ 80-67 conquest of top-seeded North Carolina for the Midwest Regional championship on Sunday could not have been envisioned when the Jayhawks opened practice in October.

Not with one returning starter and an incoming class cut short because of ineligible players.

And not with a team that took earlier than expected pratfalls in each of its last two NCAA Tournaments.
But there they were Sunday in the Edward Jones Dome, cutting nets and ordering gumbo for their Final Four trip to New Orleans and a national semifinal against Ohio State at 7:49 p.m. Saturday.

“I think this would have been a year that if we got to the second weekend, most Kansas faithful would have been happy,” said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who’s in the Final Four for the second time after winning the NCAA title in 2008. “But I don’t think those guys would have been satisfied.”

...The Jayhawks ended the game on a defense-fueled 12-0 streak. The team that survived earlier-round scares against No. 10 seed Purdue and No. 11 seed North Carolina State by putting faith in its defensive will turned to its power once again.

But first, Johnson loosened things up with a three-pointer, launched a couple of feet from the KU bench after the Tar Heels’ defense gave him a slight opening.

“I wouldn’t want to go home tonight saying I could have shot that three when the defense backed off,” Johnson said. “I made them pay.”

Just as he did with the monster triple that proved to be the game-winner against the Boilermakers and a layup that gave the Jayhawks breathing room against the Wolfpack.

Kansas seemed energized by the shot. Two possessions later, Jeff Withey blocked Henson’s shot and then alertly tipped the ball to Taylor, who raced to the hoop for a layup and was fouled by Stilman White.

“(Jeff) made eye contact with me after the block,” Taylor said, “and as soon as he landed back on the ground he tipped it to me as hard as he could.”

The three-point play opened a 73-67 lead. Withey, playing with four fouls, then blocked a short jumper by White. This time Releford got the transition dunk with 1:29 remaining and the Jayhawks began to feel it.
KC Star


Harrison Barnes sat slumped near his locker, blue towel draped over his head, arms crossed, his gray Air Jordans pointing toward the middle of the room.

Three minutes passed. Five minutes. Ten minutes.

Across the locker room, sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall sat in a chair, his right wrist covered by a black brace, his purple tie still knotted. Just a few feet away, junior forward John Henson was buried in a mass of reporters.

But Barnes, a sophomore forward, stayed still, deflated and defeated.

“There wasn’t much to be said,” Barnes would eventually say.

…For North Carolina, the seeds of defeat took root in the final leg of the second half. With Kansas holding a 68-64 lead near the under 8-minute media timeout, Kansas slipped into a triangle-and-two defense, putting two in man-to-man and shifting three others into a zone. KU had employed a similar look in the final stages of its earlier-round victory over Purdue. And Self said the coaches on the Kansas bench seemed to think it would work again — if the Jayhawks could rebound.

At first, the North Carolina players seemed unsure of how to attack it. Marshall, sitting on the bench with his broken wrist, watched the offense start to sputter.

“I think it caught us off guard,” he said. “… It took us a couple plays to realize we could still run our regular offense, and it could still be effective. By that time, we had kind of dug ourselves into a hole that we couldn’t get ourselves out of.”

With 5:46 left, North Carolina senior center Kyle Zeller hit a jumper, cutting KU’s lead to 68-66. The Tar Heels wouldn’t make another field goal. Nine missed shots. Turnovers. Two blocks in the lane by Kansas center Jeff Withey that turned into KU points in transition.

“Everywhere you went, there was help defense right there and ready,” Barnes said. “I remember the one time: I caught it on the left wing, pump fake, Travis Releford goes in the air. I take one dribble and Elijah Johnson or Tyshawn Taylor is right there.”

Inside the North Carolina locker room, there seemed to be some confusion on what defenses the Jayhawks were playing in the final minutes — or if they were even in the triangle-and-two at all.

Barnes indicated that the North Carolina players didn’t know that the triangle-and-two scheme was part of Kansas’ defense repertoire.

“They haven’t done it in the past,” said Barnes, who finished with 13 points while missing all five of his three-point attempts. “But they tried it out against us.”
KC Star


Successful teams are a reflection of their coach. Self is a confident, intense, thick-skinned, combative, relentless competitor. His players were the same in outlasting an injury-torn-but-still potent North Carolina team.

The Tar Heels (32-6) were the leading rebounding team in the nation, and Kansas (31-6) beat them on the boards, 41-35. Carolina’s two top ball handlers, injured McDonald’s All-Americans Kendall Marshall and Dexter Strickland, didn’t play, but five other McDonald’s All-Americans did.

The Heels outscored KU’s bench, 23-4, but Kevin Young by himself outrebounded the UNC bench, 8-7.

All five Kansas starters scored in double figures and all made big plays in the decisive moments, when North Carolina made one of its final 14 shots and missed its last seven.
LJW


"We knew we were going to make a name for ourselves We knew we were going to come together and do this," teammate Travis Releford said as, one by one, Kansas players ascended a ladder and snipped the net behind him.

"We've still got another goal, though. This ain't it. This ain't it."
USA Today


LJW Keegan Ratings: Withey leads

“Sometimes they say teams that have one or two really good scorers and know, ‘This is our go-to guy,’ sometimes those are most dangerous teams,” Teahan said. “I feel like that’s what we have.”

Kansas’ supporting cast certainly didn’t leave all the toil for Robinson and Taylor against North Carolina. Jeff Withey looked every bit as good as Carolina’s Tyler Zeller and John Henson, scoring 15 points, making all five of his attempts and blocking two shots in the final minutes.

Travis Releford continued his junkyard play, stealing extra possessions and scoring 11 points. And Elijah Johnson, a player once questioned for his ability to serve as KU’s third wheel, added 10 points, including a 3-pointer with three minutes left that triggered KU’s 12-0 game-ending run.

After that 3-pointer, which put KU up four, Self patted Johnson on his backside and said, “Great shot.”

“Another huge shot from Elijah,” Taylor said. “That’s been his MO of late.”
TCJ


Fran Fraschilla leaned back in his chair, vocal cords strained by a furious half of radio commentary, and let out a long, audible, “Whew!”

That pretty much summed it up. Kansas and North Carolina played a beautiful half of basketball Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome, the kind of half that could send pregnant women into labor and cause wild dogs to howl. It was 20 minutes that seemed to last 12 seconds. It was thrilling and perfect and, for KU, unsustainable.

“They just wore us out,” coach Bill Self said.

As entertaining as the first half may have been, the only way the Jayhawks were going to play in the Final Four was to unleash the kind of defense they played in the game’s final 10 minutes. Aided by Self’s switch to a triangle-and-two, KU smothered the Tar Heels late and pulled away for an 80-67 win Sunday in the Midwest regional finals.

“I really figured that if it was a horse contest, we’d have no shot,” Self said. “At some point in time, it had to become a grind-it-out defensive game, and fortunately it was.”

Make no mistake: The Jayhawks enjoyed that first half, which ended with the score tied at 47. After watching shots bounce off the rim at every angle during their first three NCAA Tournament wins, they needed to see the ball go in the basket.

The first half restored a swagger KU hadn’t shown in the postseason, even if it was played at North Carolina’s pace.

“It felt good to make some shots,” said point guard Tyshawn Taylor, who scored 22 points. “It also felt good to get up and down, but we understood that’s how Carolina plays. They want to push the ball and score as many points as they can.

“We knew we couldn’t play into their hands, but when we did for that first couple minutes, it was good. We matched them.”
TCJ


Tarred and Feathered: On Being a Fan of KU and UNC by Brian Frederick


The network's production of UNC's game Sunday was maddening. The overhead camera in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis almost induced vertigo. If I wanted the view from what would've been the two-dollar seats, I've have bought that ticket.

On multiple occasions, CBS would split a screen during play, often to show a graphic. For those of us who don't have the 150-inch plasma screen, that's a problem.

Worse, UNC's first possession after halftime, after that raucous 47-47 first-half shoot-out, was all but ignored. CBS, during those NCAA-mandated 20 minutes of intermission, couldn't figure out a way to air the Bill Self interview during that time. Was what Charles Barkley had to say really more important?

And I lost count at the number of angles from which we were forced to watch free throws: From the VertigoCam, from a floor-level camera at midcourt, from the baseline with the arena's bright lights glaring and from behind cheerleaders' pom-pons. A free throw is a scoring play. It's important, and it's not a time for CBS to experiment.

Just because you have a technology box full of tools doesn't mean you use them all. Just show the game.

College basketball had a regional final, the last ticket being punched for New Orleans, of a quality that puts to shame any ol' midweek BCS bowl game.

Thing is, this Final Four could be one of the best in many years with the four powerhouse programs. And viewers should really enjoy the games — as long as CBS uses its technology to enhance the broadcasts and not ruin them.
LInk

“This game will mean a lot to him, and that’s just the way it will be,” North Carolina forward Harrison Barnes said. “The other day outside the hotel I saw a guy with a T-shirt that said, ‘Why play for Roy when I can play with MY SELF?’ I thought, ‘Wow, what’s that all about?’ We may not even get to play each other, and people are already thinking about stuff like that?”
Charlotte Observer


Could this (Sunday’s Elite Eight game against North Carolina), somebody asked on Saturday of KU senior guard Tyshawn Taylor, be the “defining game of your career?”

How much pressure can one tire take, for crying out loud.

“I think it could be because offensively I haven’t been playing too well,” Taylor said. “I don’t want to put extra pressure on myself, but I just know I can’t play too much worse offensively. I’m actually looking forward to playing.”

Somebody else wanted to know: “Do you think much about your legacy at Kansas?”

Responded Taylor: “I think it crosses my mind, time to time, because I’ve been one of those players who have been criticized a lot. Fans love me, they hate me. I think about it time to time, you know, being in a position where you come behind so many great players who people were embracing and showed so much love to. You want to be one of those guys.”

Another question throw his way Saturday: “Tyshawn, I was looking back through past tournaments today and in a dome you’ve never hit a three-pointer. Is there anything to that?”

Taylor: “Honestly, I haven’t noticed that, so thank you for putting that in my head. I appreciate that. I don’t know what it is, man. I don’t know what it is. I’m going to keep shooting it confidently. I feel like they’re good when they leave my hand, and so I’m going to keep shooting it.”

…Nobody can question his effort. He brings that every game. It’s evident he badly wants to win, sometimes too badly. He hasn’t looked loose shooting three-pointers and is 0 for 12 in the three NCAA Tournament games. It’s not a new development.

If Taylor’s thinking about legacy and the 144th game of his career defining that career and that other vague nonsense, his head’s in the wrong place.

“I think as far as my work on the court, I think I could possibly be one of those guys,” Taylor said when asked the legacy question. “(Today’s) game is a step in the right direction, but it’s not something I’m driving myself crazy thinking about because I think my teammates, the teams I played on, my coaching staff, I think they all understand what I’ve done to help us be an elite team the past four years. I’ve been a big part of all four of those teams.”

One game, regardless of his performance, can’t change that.

“I think they all understand that whether I get the love of a Jacque Vaughn or Kirk Hinrich or not, I think the people who matter the most understand,” Taylor said.
LJW


LJW: UNC's strengths, weaknesses and players to watch


If Bill Self is a little gun-shy when it comes to broken scaphoid bones among Roy Williams' players, it's hard to blame him.

In 2001, Kansas forward Drew Gooden broke the scaphoid bone in his right wrist late in the season and missed five games, but returned in time for the Big 12 tournament - and played against Self's Illinois team in the round of 16. (Illinois won.)

So as far as Self is concerned, he expects North Carolina's Kendall Marshall, who has the same injury, to play Sunday against his Kansas team.

"I know that when Roy was at Kansas, they told me that Drew Gooden had the same injury and they put a screw in and he was out about a week, if I'm not mistaken," Self said. "So I think that I would anticipate him playing."

Gooden actually missed five games in two weeks, but the point remains the same: Kansas is preparing as if Marshall will play for the Tar Heels.
Link


At least one Tar Heel believes the relieved mood on Friday might translate to better play on Sunday. Carolina didn't look very good against the Bobcats, but that game is over, and they get a chance to start fresh on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. Eastern (the Tar Heel Sports Network is on the air at 4 p.m.).

"Ohio wasn't a year-in, year-out powerhouse, so it was like people felt like we're supposed to beat them," Marshall said. "With a team like Kansas, maybe there's not as much pressure, because they're supposed to be good, too. I can see us playing more freely tomorrow."
Link


Stilman White, a true freshman who started in Marshall's place against Ohio, said going through Friday's game made him more comfortable in his new and wildly unexpected role. He also said he had not been told who would start Sunday.

"To be honest, I have no clue," White said. "Kendall looked good in practice, and it looks like he's healing really fast. But I'm gonna come with the mindset that I'm gonna start just in case he Kendall can't go. I gotta be ready for that."

Although Williams said Marshall was in better shape Saturday than he had been two days earlier, the general feeling inside the Carolina locker room was that the Tar Heels are not expecting the point guard to play.

"We're not planning on him coming back," UNC forward Tyler Zeller said.

If that's the case, a lot of the focus in this one will shift to White, who finished with two points, six assists and no turnovers in the victory against Ohio.

"It's definitely different now," White said. "I definitely got my feet wet the last game."

When asked about the advice Williams gave him prior to the Ohio game, the 6-foot, 160-pound guard from Wilmington, N.C., said the veteran coach's words had a calming influence.

"He just said play my game," White remembered. "'If Kendall's not out there, don't try to be Kendall.' It's been hectic, something I haven't expected. But crazy things happen in sports. People go down, other people have to step up."

As for KU's take on the will-he-or-won't-he-play status of Marshall, the Jayhawks are preparing for — and hoping for — UNC to put its best team on the floor.

"I gotta put pressure on their point guard and make it tough for them either way, whether it's Kendall or Stilman," KU senior Tyshawn Taylor said. "I think it helps us if he doesn't play because he's so good. He's so good, and he could create havoc for us. But I hope he does play."
LJW


Taylor said assistant coach Joe Dooley noticed in Friday’s game that he didn’t always follow through on his shot like he did during Big 12 play.

He missed six 3-pointers, but most of those were open looks. He missed three mid-range jump shots and three close to the basket. His only two baskets came on layups, although they were acrobatic finishes.

He said shots have felt good leaving his hand.

“That’s why I kept shooting it last night because I was like, ‘One of them is going to fall,’ Taylor said. “As I missed a couple, I kind of got down on myself. I can’t hang my hat on whether I’m making shots or not.”

Taylor’s biggest miss came at the free-throw line. With 16 seconds left and KU up by one, he missed the front end of a one-and-one. KU kept possession when N.C. State couldn’t secure the rebound. Elijah Johnson came over to set Taylor straight.

“I told him, ‘that happened 20 seconds ago,’” Johnson said. “That’s over. You can’t do nothing about it. But right now you can do something about what’s about to happen.’ Before I could finish my sentence I realized I didn’t even need to say that to him.

“I think in the past he’s been riled up or he’s been thinking too much, and I think last night he just let it be water off his back. He didn’t let it stress him or get him down.”

Three seconds later, while inbounding the ball along the baseline, Taylor held on just long enough to let Johnson get open for an easy layup that proved to be the game-winner.

“If his head was messed up,” Johnson said, “I don’t think he would have been able to make that pass.”
TCJ


About two hours before the Midwest Region semifinals Friday night, Kansas star Thomas Robinson received a text message on his cellphone that made him flash the smile that has become one of the great stories in college basketball this season. It was a message from his former AAU coach in Northeast Washington, Dwight Redd, a man Robinson calls “a father to me.”

Redd hadn’t told the 6-foot-9 junior forward he was coming to St. Louis, hoping to surprise him now that Robinson is on the cusp of completing his evolution from a skinny 13-year-old on the playgrounds of Southeast Washington to a chiseled physical specimen expected to be one of the top five picks in this year’s NBA draft. That, though, only made Robinson worry about tickets as the Jayhawks were getting ready for their Sweet 16 game against North Carolina State.

“Basketball didn’t always look so clear for me and when it didn’t look clear for me I was just a regular kid in D.C., and Dwight, he didn’t see it as that. He took care of me no matter what my situation was. Without him, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far.”

Redd, though, had already purchased tickets, knowing full well the last thing Robinson needed was another distraction.
Washington Post


The opportunity to reminisce allowed Williams to touch on a variety of topics. Among them:

■ A sense of kinship with KU coach Bill Self: “I understand what Bill is going through. I know the stress and the pressures and the expectations and the feelings and the love and the passion. It’s all of those, and some of those are good.’’

■ His arrival at KU with no head coaching experience: “I wasn’t as confident as Bill, because he says (he felt) apprehension. I was scared to death. But in saying that, I was pretty confident in what I could do.’’

■ The affection he still feels for KU: “I don’t know that it will ever be just another team. And I hope not, to be honest with you, because the love I have for that place, that was special. They gave Roy Williams a chance.’’

Kansas also gave him a loss the only time the Jayhawks and Tar Heels have met since Williams left for North Carolina. That was in 2008, when KU raced to a 28-point lead in the first half of the national semifinals. North Carolina rallied within four, but KU won 84-66 before going on to claim the national title under Self.

Not once Saturday did Williams express any desire to avenge that loss to KU.

Instead, he mentioned the KU sticker he affixed to his clothing while attending the championship win for the Jayhawks. He remembered spitting in the Mississippi River during one postseason trip with KU, an odd superstition the Tar Heels engaged in on this particular trip. And he gave a shoutout to Bob Davis, the KU play-by-play announcer whom Williams said, “makes me smile.’’

It was Self, actually, who brought up the 2008 matchup. He said he watched tape of that game Saturday morning to recall “certain actions that they run, because North Carolina has a system.’’

In addition, Self expressed a desire to play the Tar Heels in a home-and-home series, an invitation Williams declined when told of the offer.

“Too emotional for me,’’ Williams said. “That’s the bottom line.’’
TCJ


Part of the problem for Kansas fans isn’t necessarily that Williams left. It’s more that he left after previously turning down the job and after telling TV audiences immediately after Kansas’ loss in the 2003 national championship game that he didn’t care about North Carolina.

“I thought he was dishonest because he told us the first time he wasn’t going to leave us,” Lawrence’s Darin McDaniel said. “I think he made us believe he was there for the long haul. I think he led Kansas fans on a little bit.”

As a result, Kansas ended up with Bill Self. For Lawrence’s Kim O’Bryon, the moment when she completely got over Williams took place during the Final Four in 2008, a game that KU won 84-66.

“I can still remember looking at the scoreboard and seeing 40-12 and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh. It’s a new era,’” Kim O’Bryon said.

The Jayhawks won the national championship that year, something that Williams never did at Kansas. He has, however, won two championships at North Carolina.

“I’m glad he’s gone,” Feagans said. “I wish him the best, but I’ll take Bill Self any day.”

It’s that assorted emotion that defines most Kansas fans on the subject of Williams.

“I think Kansas fans are still mixed,” O’Bryon said. “I think there are people like us who have moved on. And I think there are people who see the North Carolina score in Allen Fieldhouse and they boo.”
TCJ


The Jayhawks like to say they’ve been battle tested this season, and in a way they have a point.

For the first time in the program’s history, Kansas played three of the four winningest programs in college basketball (Kansas is the fourth) while also playing UCLA, the program with the most national championships.

The Jayhawks will complete that quartet of games Sunday against North Carolina, but the Jayhawks said the other three games — losses to Duke and Kentucky and a win against UCLA — helped shape them into a grind-it-out team early in the year.

“The Kentucky game I think frustrated us so much, but after that we learned to love (that style of play),” KU guard Elijah Johnson said. “Duke, we loved that game. I think that’s going to show (Sunday), that we love it."

…With 15 rebounds against North Carolina State on Friday, Robinson moved into second place on Kansas’ single-season rebounding list.

Robinson now has 429 rebounds this season, putting him six ahead of Drew Gooden. The only player with more?
Wilt Chamberlain with 510.

“I am?” Robinson said when told of his ranking. “Wow. Like I said earlier, it really hasn’t hit me, everything that I did this year. I’m really now just getting smacked in the face with what really happened, but I just want to keep adding to it. I’m not ready for my career to be over with.”
TCJ


Taylor was letting his mind wander. What would it feel like, he asked Robinson, if Kansas could take down No. 1 seed North Carolina when the two goliaths meet inside the Edward Jones Dome?

“I was like, ‘Dang, man, if we just get past this,’ ” Taylor said. “And then he’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax bro. Relax. Take it easy.’ ”

Robinson was having none of it. Just last season, the Jayhawks were a No. 1 seed and entering a regional final against No. 11 seed VCU. They were confident, and a little brash, delivering some pointed trash talk toward the VCU players as both teams crossed paths the day before the game.

Robinson remembers. And he’s heard the lessons this season from the stars of last year’s team, Marcus and Markieff Morris.

“The mistakes they made,” Robinson said. “How they kind of overlooked everything.”

Still, Taylor couldn’t resist — if only for a moment. His tournament thus far has been an offensive nightmare, only spared by some commendable defense and three KU victories. Taylor has made 11 of 33 shots. He’s zero for 12 from thee-point range. And if you go back to the Big 12 semifinal loss against Baylor, Taylor has missed 15 straight three-pointers.

…“A win could mean so much to my legacy at Kansas,” Taylor said, “and for my life in the future.”

Self will say that Taylor doesn’t need to worry about that. He just needs to play. And Robinson will say the same.

...“Everybody watched him mature right in front of their eyes,” Robinson said. “I think his legacy is something he doesn’t need to worry about right now. Everything from here is icing on the cake.”
WE


“I’ve got mad respect for his game,” Taylor said. “He’s a great guard. He’s been killing it this year. As a competitor, I want him to play. I want that challenge. If he plays, I think the game would be that much better.”

Marshall ranks second in the nation in assists with 9.7 per game. If he isn’t able to go, North Carolina will likely start seldom-used freshman Stilman White for the second straight game. White averaged just 4 minutes a contest before he was thrust into duty Friday. He played 32 minutes against Ohio and finished with six assists and zero turnovers.

This will be the first time Kansas and North Carolina have played since the 2008 Final Four, when KU jumped out to a 40-12 lead and eventually won 84-66. Two nights later, the Jayhawks defeated Memphis in overtime to claim their first NCAA title since 1988.

“This is going to be one of the funnest games of our careers,” KU center Jeff Withey said. “We’re excited to play against them. We wouldn’t want it any other way than to play North Carolina to get to the Final Four.

“We match up really well with them. It’s going to be fun game, a physical game, one for the history books.”
ESPN Jason King


The Jayhawks may not realize it, but they are something of a test case against a time-honored trend in the NCAA Tournament. They are playing ugly offense and dominating defense in an event that's been mostly controlled by scorers.

Defense wins championships? Not in college basketball, usually.

Kansas is trying to change that.

Of the 36 Final Four teams since 2003, only 14 have ranked higher in defensive efficiency than offense. Seven of the last nine national champions have been better on offense than defense, and the two exceptions are UConn last year (16th in offense and 14th in defense) and KU in 2008 (second and first).

Only two champs ranked lower than fourth offensively, but four have been out of the top 10 on defense.

So in this context, Kansas being able to win its last two NCAA Tournament games while shooting a combined 36 percent is even more remarkable. Right now, KU is 19th in offense and fourth in defense.

College basketball teams just don't win championships playing the way Kansas is playing. Not usually, anyway.
This is something like a boxer entering a beauty contest. The Jayhawks are much better offensively than they've played recently - Taylor is supremely gifted and been bummy two games in a row - but maybe this is an identity they can take to New Orleans.

Or, at least, it's the one they've clung to. Some of the numbers might blow you away. Nobody has shot better than 40 percent against KU in six games. Nobody but Missouri has shot better than 42.6 percent since Jan. 28.

Detroit scored seven points over a 22-minute stretch. Purdue - even with all those three-pointers - scored its fewest points since January. North Carolina State scored 23 points over 22 minutes.

"Seemed like we were always trying to make tough shots," North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said.

You can see how this happens. Taylor and Elijah Johnson are two long, athletic and prideful guards. Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey - who just broke Cole Aldrich's school record for blocks in a season - give a suffocating presence inside. Travis Releford and Kevin Young bring versatility and the valuable commodity of knowing exactly what their role is.

This isn't the best defense Self has coached at KU. Every team he's had since 2006 has ranked in the top 10, and you can almost see him blush a little bit when he talks about that group of piranhas from 2008.

But this might be the team that most defines itself by defense - good and bad.

"If you look at some of the worst games that we played this year," Self says, "were games where we made shots early."
KC Star


Self rattled off the names Saturday afternoon: Roy Williams, Ted Owens, Dick Harp, Phog Allen, Larry Brown. Self is nearing that rare air as he prepares to face North Carolina and his predecessor for the Midwest Regional championship today at 4:05 p.m. at the Edward Jones Dome.

He has the Jayhawks in the Elite Eight for the fifth time in his nine seasons, boasts the top winning percentage (.837) of any coach in the school's history and has won eight consecutive Big 12 titles.

…There's little question that Self is at the top of his profession. He has a national championship in hand and has won more games since his arrival at Kansas than any Division I coach.

He has found a formula that seems to work everywhere, from Tulsa to Illinois to Kansas. At 49, he has a personality that allows him to connect with college kids. He recruits nationally and has a roster that draws from California to New York.

"We all love him," center Jeff Withey said. "He's really been patient with this team. We've gone through a lot of growing pains, but he's been patient the entire time. He wants what's best for us. He's a fun-loving guy who relates to us. He's just a people person."

…He has made 14 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas and taken each to the Elite Eight at least once. The common threads?

"For the most part we've been associated with teams that guard," he said. "Also, usually, you don't get this far unless your teams like each other. That sounds pretty trite but that is true. And I don't think you get this far unless your team really cares. Those three things are intangibles that are all pretty important as far as advancing in the tourney."

…Self has won an abundance of national coach of the year awards, starting in 2000 when The Sporting News chose him for leading Tulsa to a 32-5 mark. He compiled a huge haul of trophies in 2009. And The Sporting News gave Self its honor this season.

The Jayhawks were not expected to make this run. They were in rebuilding mode. But they are on the brink of doing something only one other Self team has accomplished.

…"If I was concerned about trying to win as much as Roy or being compared to that, I don't think I would have been the guy for the job," he said. "He's made my job better, there's no question about that. If anything, I'm going to use that to propel us into hopefully even more success and use that to benefit us."
St Louis PD


For the most part, though, the brackets provide order and sequence. No unexpected matchups before their time.
That’s why Sunday’s Midwest Regional finale between No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 2 seed Kansas is such a unique thrill to anyone with a true college hoop heart and soul. Kansas vs. North Carolina does not belong on the Elite Eight stage. Aim a little higher. In the long history of the NCAA Tournament, KU and North Carolina — the second- and third-winningest programs in college basketball history — have only met in the NCAA Tournament during the Final Four.

But now here they are at center stage in the Edward Jones Dome, giving St. Louis a little Final Four-like buzz.
As he sat in the interview room in the bowels of the Dome on Saturday afternoon, KU’s All-America forward Thomas Robinson was fully aware of what lies ahead. Someone wanted to know if he might be a little extra pumped because of the intriguing matchup of the Tar Heels’ future NBA big men against the Jayhawks’ future lottery-pick bigs. Robinson just shrugged his muscular shoulders and grinned.

“I don’t think anything else could add any more extra energy to this game,” Robinson said. “Kansas versus North Carolina should be all the energy you need right there. Like Coach (Bill Self) always tells us, these are the games we come to Kansas for.”
St Louis PD Burwell


SI Mandel and Pat Forde wrote essentially the same article. Mandel took Bill Self. Forde took Billy Donovan.


TCJ: Topeka's McGrath awaits career move at UNC


VOTE for TRob Naismith POY online
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LJW KU WBB vs Tennessee photos


Nothing came easily for Kansas University’s women’s basketball team this season.
The Jayhawks’ trip to the Sweet 16 was no different.

After seeing one of its top players unexpectedly transfer in December and its All-Big 12 forward suffer a season-ending ACL injury in February, KU rode junior point guard Angel Goodrich to some March Madness magic before Tennessee derailed the No. 11 seed’s roller-coaster season with an 84-73 victory Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our resiliency and our toughness,” Jayhawks coach Bonnie Henrickson said after tying the program’s deepest NCAA Tournament run with its third appearance in a regional semifinal.

That grit was on display throughout the first half, when KU (21-13) led by as many as 14 points, with everything clicking.

Goodrich (game-highs of 23 points and six assists) was her usual do-it-all self, but her teammates matched her flamboyance and productivity in the early going.

Freshman forward Chelsea Gardner, who only became a starter after junior Carolyn Davis tore her ACL, scored eight of KU’s first 10 points. Freshman guard Natalie Knight scored on a fast-break layup. Senior forward Aishah Sutherland, who had missed her first three shots, confidently drilled a baseline jumper. Goodrich scored seven straight points, and following a three from the left corner by sophomore forward Tania Jackson and a smooth reverse layup by Sutherland, Kansas had built a 26-12 lead on the No. 2-seed Volunteers (27-8).

Said Gardner, who finished with 14 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds: “The first couple minutes of the game, we came out with a lot of energy on defense and offense and were hitting a lot of shots.”

…Losing sophomore guard Keena Mays to transfer was one thing, but having Davis miss the final 10 games of the year could have been devastating.

Once that happened, Henrickson said her team regrouped as best it could.

“We just went around the circle and asked everybody to do a little bit more,” the coach said. “I know it seems crazy at that point to ask Angel Goodrich to do more, but we did. And she did. And she gave us more, and Aishah gave us more, and they all gave us more.”

Sutherland closed her KU career with 19 points and eight boards in the season-ending loss. Every other Jayhawk who played in the Sweet 16 game — Goodrich, Gardner, Knight, Jackson, sophomore guard CeCe Harper and junior guard Monica Engelman — should be back next season. The same goes for Davis and freshmen Asia Boyd and Bunny Williams, who didn’t play Saturday.

The year they just went through, Henrickson hoped, would provide an important lesson.

“When life gets tough,” she said, “you’ve got to suck it up and keep working.”
LJW


Scott Drew admitted to a little larceny after the game, saying that the few minutes of triangle-and-2 defense Baylor used to help slow Xavier’s superb backcourt of Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons was taken from its rival Kansas. “They used it a little bit this year,” he said. “We practiced it, and it was O.K., and that’s why we threw it out there today.”
NY Times


The future of Boynton and freshman guard Bradley Beal remain uncertain. Both said the Elite Eight loss won't impact their decision whether to come back or enter the NBA Draft. Beal is projected by most NBA mock draft websites as a lottery pick, while Boynton isn't projected to go in the draft's two rounds.

”I don't have an answer right now,” Boynton said. “Right now, I'm just trying to get over this loss. I'm not thinking of the future right now.”

Said Beal: “I'm not really focusing on next year right now. I'm still just affected by this loss right now. I want to bond with the team. We had a tough loss.”
Link

VIDEO: Coach Self post-game locker room remarks, forever to be known as the "Go take a leak" speech


Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops)
3/24/12 12:29 AM
I fully expect @TheBigLead to have Bill Self's "you guys gotta go take a leak" video up by tomorrow morning. That was TV history.

Withey has a better block rate than Anthony Davis. People know this, right?
https://twitter.com/#!/kenpomeroy/status/183386064642244609


Thomas Robinson set the Kansas season record with his 26th double-double. He had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Drew Gooden had 25 double-doubles for the Jayhawks in 2002.

Robinson also moved into second place on the KU single-season rebound list with 429, passing Gooden, who had 423 in 2002. Wilt Chamberlain set the record with 510 in 1957.
KC Star


VOTE for TRob Naismith POY online AND TEXT "VOTE" to 34763

Brady Morningstar  (@bmstar12)
3/24/12 12:15 AM
we give ourselves an opportunity every year.. what more can I say.


Brett Ballard (@brettballard3)
3/24/12 12:12 AM
Elite 8! #rockchalk


Keef Morris (@Keefmorris)
3/23/12 11:58 PM
#jayhawknation elite 8 let's get this next one.....


Julian Wright (@take1_4theteam)
3/24/12 12:09 AM
Great win Jayhawks! Almost had a heart attack tho lol.. All you gotta do is win and advance, that's all that matters! #kubball


Champions Classic (@championclassic)
3/23/12 11:49 PM
Can someone send us a new set if fingernails? We chewed all of ours off watching the last min of Kansas! What a finish. Congrats Jayhawks!


Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops)
3/23/12 11:49 PM
If Tyshawn Taylor had been merely bad Kansas would have won by ten.


Marcus Morris (@MookMorris2)
3/23/12 11:49 PM
Elite 8 let's go!!!!


Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference)
3/24/12 12:02 AM
This is the 8th time the #Big12 has advanced multiple teams to the MBB #ELITE8. The league has had one team rep in 10 of the last 11 years.


Kansas Jayhawks (@KUAthletics)
3/24/12 12:17 AM
The #Jayhawks will take on North Carolina in the Elite 8 this Sunday at 4:05 p.m. (CT). #kubball


Nick Collison (@nickcollison4)
3/24/12 12:44 AM
Jayhawks have had an incredible year.Overachieved the whole time. Coach Self &staff have done a great job & the guys have really stepped up


Nick Collison (@nickcollison4)
3/24/12 12:45 AM
Congratulations on the win. Lets get this one Sunday. Rock chalk


mario chalmers ‏ @mchalmers15
Heard my jayhawks won. Congrats fellas. Now let's take care of UNC like we did in 08. Rock chalk jayhawk

The Kansas team that everyone tagged as Bill Self's worst is turning out to be one of his best. Or at least one of his toughest.

For the second consecutive game, the Jayhawks found a way to grind out a win against double-digit seed despite struggling mightily on the offensive end. Kansas shot just 37.5 percent from the field against NC State, the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region. The Wolfpack, though, made just 28.6 percent of its shots against Kansas, which advances to play No. 1 seed North Carolina on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. ET at the Edward Jones Dome.
ESPN


"I wish it had been a triple-double, but 10 blocks feels great," Withey said. "I’m glad my play helped us win the game."

Said guard Elijah Johnson: "He might have only touched 10, but he altered probably 20."
St Louis PD


Inside the KU locker room, Thomas Robinson said he had a sour taste in his mouth. Instead of talking about his 10 blocks (just one shy of Shaq's NCAA tourney record), Jeff Withey answered questions about his teammates’ inability to make outside shots. As fans spilled into the St. Louis streets to celebrate, Elijah Johnson slumped in an Edwards Jones Dome chair and stared at the ground.

“We’ve got to do something,” Johnson said. “The way we’re playing ... we’ve got to fix it.”

Winning isn’t supposed to feel like this -- and at most schools, it doesn’t.

Things, however, are different at Kansas, where, fair or not, seasons aren’t viewed as a success unless the team reaches the Final Four. The Jayhawks have the talent to get there, but they realize they won’t unless their performance takes a dramatic turn in Sunday’s tilt with North Carolina.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” guard Conner Teahan said. “We’re not playing our best basketball.”

Less than a week after shooting just 33.9 percent in a 63-60 victory over Purdue, Kansas made just 37.5 percent of its shots Friday against an 11th-seeded NC State squad that barely made the NCAA tournament.

KU outscored the Wolfpack 44-22 down low, but once they stepped away from the blocks, the Jayhawks couldn’t have hit dirt if they fell off a camel. Kansas made just two of its 22 shots outside the paint, a stat that still had Self and his players baffled nearly an hour after the final horn.

“We couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” Self said. “We couldn’t make free throws, all those things. If anything we’ll spin this into a positive. Two shots outside the paint and we still won? That’s unbelievable.”

…Disappointing as they’ve been on offense, these Jayhawks have hardly resembled the KU teams of the past that played scared and tightened up against inferior teams in the NCAA tournament. No one can question the Jayhawks’ effort or toughness in any of their first three games.

Especially on the defensive end.

NC State connected on just 28.4 percent of its field goal attempts Friday. Kansas may have scored just two baskets in the final 7 minutes, 10 seconds, but it also made a handful of key defensive stops in the game’s waning moments to thwart NC State’s comeback attempt.

Kansas led by as many as 10 points in the second half.

“You can say what you want about our offense,” Robinson said. “But defensively, we’ve been great. When nobody scores, we can’t lose.”

…Even though Kansas wasn’t as efficient as Self would’ve liked on Friday, he said he wasn’t leaving the Edward Jones Dome discouraged. Instead he focused on the bigger picture. Five months ago, analysts predicted this year’s team would be Self’s worst at Kansas. The Jayhawks lost four starters from a 35-win squad and appeared to be destined for a rebuilding year.

Yet here the Jayhawks are -- 30-6, Big 12 champions for the eighth straight season and in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Self said. “If you’d have told us before the season that we’d have a chance on Sunday afternoon to play to go to the Final Four, we would’ve all said, 'Wow!' That’s how I feel. Considering what we lost and how far this team has come ... we’re one game away.”
ESPN Jason King


It's the bluest of the bluebloods in a Sunday showdown for the Final Four.

"They're a great team, great coach, great program," Robinson said. "It's two great programs and when we do meet, I'm pretty sure it's going to go down as a big one."
AP


When it finally ended, Thomas Robinson took a deep breath and the Kansas basketball fans waved their wheat and Craig Sager asked Bill Self questions while wearing another ridiculous suit.

The Jayhawks are moving on, somehow, and that’s not only the most important thing but also the second- and third-most important things. Survive and advance, they say, and any college basketball team able to do that three times in a row in the NCAA Tournament can be proud.

But the question right now — the one the Jayhawks will be answering from reporters today and against North Carolina for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday — is how much longer can it be proud playing like this?

…They’re getting by on guts and defense and toughness, three critical strengths that have helped define them all season. For all its talent, Carolina has struggled against top defenses and KU is one of the nation’s best. These are all good signs.

But the Jayhawks will also have to play much cleaner than this for it to matter.
KC Star Mellinger

Jeff Withey was gassed, heaving and huffing as he jogged downcourt midway through the second half on Friday night. He looked toward the bench, tugging his jersey as junior Kevin Young prepared to enter the game. Finally, rest.

Only Young wasn’t coming for him. He was checking in to give Thomas Robinson a quick blow, and Withey would have to wait a few more possessions for his breather.

No time to sit. Not when Withey, a junior center, was playing the best defensive game of his career. Not with Kansas in a slugfest with No. 11 seed North Carolina State.

In a game where a bucket or an extra possession might mean the difference between victory and the season’s end, Withey stood up when it mattered most, finishing with eight points and 10 blocks as Kansas gutted out an 60-57 victory over North Carolina State inside the Edward Jones Dome.

“We’d probably be talking about a loss right now without Jeff,” Kansas senior Conner Teahan said.

Withey’s 10 blocks were one short of the NCAA Tournament record, set by Shaquille O’Neal. But the biggest defensive play came in the final seconds, with Kansas protecting a 58-57 lead. North Carolina State’s Scott Wood had clanged a three-pointer off the rim, and the ball had ended up in the hands of C.J. Leslie, the Wolfpack’s leading scorer.

He headed straight for the basket, jumping toward the rim. Only Withey recovered, meeting Leslie and Thomas Robinson near the bottom of the backboard and denying Leslie with 18 seconds left.

“Everybody was kind of scrambling,” Withey said. “I don’t remember much.”

When Self met the media before a Tuesday practice at Allen Fieldhouse, Self suggested that Withey would finally be freed from a two-game tournament fog.
KC Star


UDK Photos


The attendance was 23,964, the smallest to see Kansas in the Edward Jones Dome, including the 2002 and 2004 NCAA appearances.
KC Star


Faces in the crowd: Former KU guard Ryan Robertson, regional sales director for Goldman Sachs in St. Louis, attended, as did his brother, Troy, KU’s official NCAA host for the Midwest Regional. Also on hand were former KU coach Larry Brown; former KU assistant Tim Jankovich, head coach at Illinois State; former KU guard Jeremy Case, assistant coach at SE Missouri State; former KU guard Terry Nooner, assistant women’s coach at Southern Illinois; KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and her husband, Shade; former KU guard Stephen Vinson; former KU guard T.J. Whatley; former KU guard Sherron Collins; and ex-KU forward Jeff Graves.
Graves, by the way, played for Erie of the NBA Developmental League, but left the squad in December because of an ankle sprain. He said he’d be back in Lawrence this summer completing work on his college degree.
LJW


Withey watched as one North Carolina State player after another dribbled into the lane with the idea of making a shot. After a while, it was probably all he could do to keep from laughing.

“Really, you’re coming in here again,’’ the 7-foot Withey must have been saying. “OK, if you say so.’’

North Carolina State was rejected more than a telephone solicitor. Withey, barely able to get from one end of the court together at times because of the heavy minutes he played, nonetheless found ways to get his long arms and big hands on 10 Wolfpack shots, changing at least as many others.

N.C. State never stopped attacking the rim. But Withey never stopped protecting it, either. And largely because of his impenetrable defense, the Jayhawks are moving on to the Elite Eight.

“That’s what I do is block shots,’’ an ashen Withey said after the game.

And he’s happy to have another chance to swat Sunday against North Carolina in a game that will decide which team reaches the Final Four. Yes, we’re headed for the second matchup between Williams, who coached for 15 years at Kansas before leaving for Carolina nine years ago, and Bill Self, who replaced Williams and beat Roy in their only meeting, the national semifinal game in 2008.

But before we get to much more about the coaches who will butt heads Sunday, it’s worth discussing the game the player whose head rises highest in almost every game he plays..

Withey has been a shot-blocking machine all season, averaging just more than three per game. But he had his third block just four minutes in against a North Carolina State team that obviously felt like it could pound the ball inside and do some damage.

That approach never changed, even as Withey summoned his inner Bill Russell. There’s not as much glamour in blocking shots as there used to be; perhaps Withey helped the art with his performance Friday.

It is an art, requiring timing, toughness and size. And Withey has them all, especially size.

While Kansas continued to struggle with its shooting, Withey did his best to keep North Carolina State from shooting. Or at least from getting many shots in a position to go in.

He had nine blocks against Long Beach State and Kansas State, but it seemed like he got a hand on almost every shot the Wolfpack was able to get near the basket.

He was particularly good trailing in transition and timing his jump to tip the ball as it left the hand of a North Carolina State player.

Withey played a season-high 33 minutes against an athletic North Carolina State front line. Kansas needed every second of his performance.

He went to the bench late in the second half breathing heavily and constantly wiping his head with a towel. His face looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Didn’t matter. Self waved Withey back in after just a minute or two on the bench and Withey went right back to doing what he does best — clogging the middle and owning the basket.

It was a memorable performance because of a skill that doesn’t get recognized as much as it should. If just a couple of those shots that Withey sent back go on, we’re not talking about a KU-North Carolina dream matchup Sunday. We’re talking instead of the bus the Jayhawks ride in back to Lawrence.
Wichita Eagle Bob Lutz


At the first practice of the year, Bill Self gathered his players and told them, in no uncertain terms, the type of team they needed to be.

Gone were the Morris twins, Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar. Gone was the depth and offensive firepower that defined Self’s previous teams. In their place stepped a group light on experience and, in some cases, on weapons.

So Self told his guys on that first day they would have to be a team content with winning ugly and winning because of their defense.

Now, more than five months later, Self’s words look prophetic after the Jayhawks slugged their way past North Carolina State 60-57 and advanced to Sunday’s Elite Eight against North Carolina.

“The guys take pride in not being picture perfect,” Self said. “The guys take pride in winning ugly. We finally convinced them it’s OK. It’s cool to do that, to win a muddy game.”
TCJ


During the past three months, North Carolina State’s men’s basketball team has faced the two teams left standing in the Midwest Regional of this year’s NCAA Tournament a combined four times.

That kind of makes the Wolfpack players well suited to break down Sunday’s Elite Eight showdown between top-seeded North Carolina and second-seeded Kansas, which knocked off N.C. State, 60-57, Friday at Edward Jones Dome.

“It’s pretty much just gonna be a battle,” junior center DeShawn Painter said of the KU-UNC game. “Kansas’ front line is big. North Carolina’s front line is big. So it’s gonna be a match-up of big guys in the paint.”

…Some, such as Painter, believe North Carolina has too much firepower for Kansas, which typically plays just seven guys.

“I think Carolina has the upper hand,” Painter said. “They’re just deeper. If Thomas Robinson and the other big kid (KU center Jeff Withey) get into foul trouble, it could be tough for them.”

…Asked why Marshall’s presence would be so important, N.C. State guard Alex Johnson pointed to the way KU guards Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson controlled the pace of play despite not playing their best games statistically. The N.C. State reserve said he also was impressed with the way the Tar Heels fought off an upset-minded Ohio squad, but did not seem so sure that the same type of effort would be enough to knock off Kansas.

“They did a good job out here tonight, playing against Ohio,” Alex Johnson said of North Carolina. “But Kansas is a whole different breed than Ohio.”

Friday’s loss was close on the scoreboard mostly because of a late N.C. State surge. Otherwise, Kansas held NCSU at arm’s length for most of the second half.

“They’re both two tough teams,” Johnson said. “I don’t think either one is tougher than the other. I think Kansas’ guards are a little better, especially if North Carolina has to play without Kendall Marshall. But it’ll be a good game.”
LJW


North Carolina sophomore Reggie Bullock was playing defense near Ohio’s bench with somewhere around 12 minutes left in regulation when he overheard a Bobcats assistant coach say it: “They can’t win without Kendall Marshall.”

And boy, that made him mad.

“That just got to me, for someone to say that my team can’t fight, can’t win without our starting point guard,’’ said Bullock, usually one of the most mild-mannered members of the team. “That lit a fire under me.”

And he took it out on the Bobcats, right when the Tar Heels needed it the most.

With Marshall (UNC’s Cousy Award finalist) on the bench in a suit because of a fractured wrist, and top scorer Harrison Barnes struggling to make just about anything, it was Bullock’s blaze -- from beyond the 3-point line and on the boards -- that helped push top-seeded UNC to a 73-65 overtime victory.

Bullock scored 12 of his 17 points after his accidental eavesdrop. As a result, the guard who missed the entire NCAA tournament last season because of knee surgery will be playing Sunday in the Midwest Regional final. The Tar Heels will play Kansas at the Edward Jones Dome.

“I think Reggie really grew up as a player tonight,’’ said Marshall, who declined to discuss the state of his fractured right wrist after the game. “People take it for granted, but he didn’t play in the NCAA tournament last year. This is his first time going through this. And … to have the [guts] to take those big shots and knock them down, that’s big-time. One of his downfalls is how unselfish he is. But he was huge for us tonight.”
ESPN


North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall said it was difficult watching from the bench as his team beat Ohio 73-65 on Friday. With his surgically repaired right wrist in a splint, he even had to be careful if he clapped.

"I had to pull back a couple of times, but I got a good fist-pump with my left hand going,'' he said. "That was my go-to a couple of times after a big play."

The sophomore, who fractured his wrist Sunday, would not talk about the state of his injury after the game, saying he wanted to concentrate on his team's victory. Meanwhile, coach Roy Williams said after the game that he has "no idea" if the Cousy Award finalist will be able to play in the NCAA Midwest Region finals on Sunday. The top-seeded Tar Heels will face No. 2 seed Kansas.

Asked if the player was able to do anything in the shootaround before the game, Williams said: "No."

"And I would love to give you guys an answer, but I really can't,'' he continued. "I have no idea. He is much better. And he's gotten off some of the medication and he's much better. He brushed his teeth today. He didn't jump down and do 10 one-handed pushups, which I told him he was going to have to do before I would let him play.

"Is there a chance he would play Sunday? There's a better chance he would play Sunday than it was today. I really didn't ever expect him to play today, but Oral Roberts University, they said expect a miracle, so I guess I was hoping for a miracle type of thing.

"But we tried to prepare all week that he was not going to play and that's what we'll try to prepare for for Sunday. But if he can play, needless to say, I would take him."
ESPN


By the end of regulation, Barnes had missed 13 of 15 shots from every imaginable spot on the floor. Now toss in a couple of travels and a charge or two just for laughs, and this was one really bad night. Whenever he hoisted up the next shot, half the building groaned (the Carolina blue half) and the other celebrated (that would be the Ohio cheering section).

But now, here it was in the tense opening moments of overtime in Carolina’s 73-65 victory, and guess who had the ball in his hands and turned into pure money?

Harrison Barnes.

"Ninety-nine percent of players that have the game like Harrison had and they think, ‘It’s just not my night, I’m going to stop shooting and change my game,’ " said UNC’s injured point guard, Kendall Marshall. "Harrison is that 1 percent who thinks, ‘Give me the ball, coach.’ "
St Louis PD


There was no such thing as a casual conversation with Ian Naismith, at least in volume.

When the grandson of basketball inventor James Naismith wanted to discuss something about the game that bothered him, usually sportsmanship related, Ian would dig in his heels, his voice rising as he spoke.

“I’m no wallflower,” Naismith would say. “I’m going to tell you what I think.”

Earlier this week, the most vocal link to basketball’s origin died while riding a train from Massachusetts to New York. Ian Naismith was found unconscious as the train pulled into Penn Station, according to The Republican of Springfield, Mass., which first reported his death. He was 73.

Naismith maintained a connection to Kansas that his grandfather started when he was hired by KU in 1898.
Proof of the bond could one day reside in Lawrence.
KC Star


KC Star Preview: KU WBB vs Tenn


Early in Bonnie Henrickson’s tenure at Kansas, she searched for a difference maker. She needed a program changer, someone to help her restore the KU women’s basketball team to prominence.

Henrickson found what she was looking for in the form of a 5-foot-1 eighth-grader playing AAU ball in the small town of Tahlequah, Okla. Henrickson saw something special in this whirling, spinning, darting ball handler and wouldn’t take her eyes off Angel Goodrich until she came to Kansas.

Goodrich, a fourth-year junior, has grown to all of 5-4, and her indefatigable spirit and scrappy play have carried Kansas to its first NCAA Tournament since 2000 and its first Sweet 16 since 1998.

And with an upset of second-seeded Tennessee on Saturday morning, 11th-seeded Kansas would make its first appearance in the Elite Eight ever.

“She came to Kansas to elevate a program, and it’s been fun for me to watch her be able to do that,” Henrickson said of Goodrich. “I told her it was an opportunity to be program-shaper and have a chance to play in the Big 12 Conference, the best league in the country, which is enticing to a lot of players, and gave her the reigns to run the program at the point-guard position.”

That faith in Goodrich made her the most important recruit, perhaps even more so than Olathe East’s Danielle McCray (2006-10) in Henrickson’s eight seasons at Kansas.

While McCray was an eventual first-round pick in the WNBA draft, she never played in an NCAA Tournament game. Goodrich has taken over this tournament. She scored 20 points with five assists and two steals in 39 minutes in the Jayhawks’ first-round win over No. 6 seed Nebraska and 27 points with six assists and two steals in 40 minutes in the second-round upset of No. 3 seed Delaware.

“It’s who she’s always wanted to be, and it’s who I’ve always thought she could be,” Henrickson said of Goodrich’s first two NCAA games. “It’s nice that a lot of people got to watch her play in those games.”

To reach this stage, Goodrich has had to overcome some devastating injuries.
KC Star


One person who wasn’t surprised by Goodrich’s superb outing was her high school coach Bill Nobles.



“It was like I was grading film back when she played here,” said Nobles, whose Sequoyah teams won three straight state championships and went 107-7 during Goodrich’s time in Tahlequah.



“You just go, ‘wow!’”



Clearly things haven’t changed too much for Goodrich. She is still a consistent playmaker and can torch opponents at the drop of a hat.



Perhaps, though, the biggest boost Goodrich has received is finally being healthy. With two good knees now, she’s finally able to showcase her skills, which Henrickson says she gets to see on a daily basis.



“Once she’s been healthy,” Henrickson said, “people are getting to see her play the way we get to see her play every day.”



Nobles knew that once Goodrich healed up, she’d be a force to be reckoned with.

http://tahlequahdailypress.com/sports/x1940316887/GUARDian-Angel

Video and article

Being a collegiate basketball player isn't easy, even at the big schools where hoops players are the big men on campus, literally and figuratively. Their sport spans two semesters, starting with October practices and culminating in March and April tournaments. They might work out in the morning, go to class, then practice in the afternoon, tend to injuries minor and major and attend study hall at night.

It gets a whole lot harder when you have to worry about your kid sister. She lives back home in Washington with her father.

"For me to feel comfortable the best way to do that was to be able to reach my lifetime dream and doing that will be able to take care of her," he said.

Robinson, a 6-foot-10-inch forward, has had a marvelous junior season, averaging nearly 18 points per game and 12 rebounds. He won ESPN.com's player of the year award. He's on many All-America teams. He'll likely be drafted among the top 5 players in April's draft and sign a contract worth nearly $4 million a year.

"He certainly has had a remarkable year in large part because I think he's been able to take a terrible situation, tragic, multiple situations and somehow use basketball as his outlet to somehow spin something positive out of it," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Everybody admires him that comes in touch with him around our camp because I don't know how many guys could do what he's done."