But then something strange happened. Trailing by 12 points with less than seven minutes remaining -- the deficit had been as large as 18 -- the Jayhawks rose from their chairs after a timeout, walked onto the Superdome court.

And smiled.

"No one could tell us that we were going to lose except for the scoreboard," guard Elijah Johnson said. "We said, 'If they're going to beat us, they're going to remember us. They're going to feel the last of us.'"

Kentucky certainly did.

KU coach Bill Self may have come up short in his quest for a second NCAA title, but he and his players will leave New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon brimming with pride. Instead of folding against a Wildcats squad stacked with future pros, the Jayhawks clawed back and threw a scare into Kentucky before eventually succumbing 67-59.

"We didn't lay down," point guard Tyshawn Taylor said, "and we easily could've. If anything, we can feel good about that."

... "We always say somebody -- sometimes even me -- could've given 5 percent more or even 10 percent more," Self said. "But with this group, I don't know if they had any more to give.

"They gave us just about everything they had."

... "From Day 1, we heard about how we weren't going to do this or we weren't going to do that," Johnson said. "Ever since the [Morris] twins decided they were going to the draft and we lost all our seniors -- for us to get this far with the worst-talented team that I've been a part of at Kansas, I'm proud of this team. I love this team. I'll remember this team forever."

Johnson paused.

"The whole ride felt so good," he said. "I just wish the ending was a little different."
ESPN Jason King

Temple’s basketball team will meet sixth-ranked Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 6. The tip-off time was set by CBS on Sunday. The television network will broadcast the game.

The Owls (9-2) host Bowling Green on Monday before traveling to Kansas. The Jayhawks (11-1) own a 29-game winning streak at their fieldhouse.
Philly Inquirer


Tharpe, who has made nine of his last 11 shots and seven of his last nine threes, shattered his previous career-high assist mark of five set against Chattanooga this season and Howard his freshman campaign. The 12 assists were sixth-most in a game in KU history, just six off Tom Kivisto’s record of 18 dimes in 1973.

All in all, it was spectacular play in just 20 minutes.

“I definitely played better than this in high school, but I’m not going to compare a high school game to a college game. I had a game where I had 16 assists, close to 20 (at Brewster Academy). I just have a different mind-set right now when it comes to basketball,” added Tharpe, a Worcester, Mass., native.

The modest Tharpe didn’t list himself when asked who was “responsible” for his emergence as a solid sub to Elijah Johnson.

“I would say mostly my older brother, Tishaun,” Tharpe said. “We’ve been sitting down and talking to each other a lot, as well as coach (Bill Self) and my teammates encouraging me.”

Tharpe, who lost his dad, Ronald Edward Tharpe, to cancer in 2006, has a mentor and role model in 34-year-old brother Tishaun Jenkins, who was a first-team NCAA Div. III All-America point guard at Salem State University in Massachusetts.

Jenkins led Salem State to its first and only Final Four appearance in 2000 and was recently named to the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

…“He was down, almost to the point, ‘I don’t know if I can do this, Ti,’” Jenkins related. “I was like, ‘You don’t quit. When the going gets tough, you get tougher. When it gets tougher you get tougher and tougher. That’s how it goes. You take that motivation to get better and show what you are about. Meet the challenge.’”

Sensing a need to catch his brother’s attention further, Jenkins after the Saint Louis game told Tharpe of a conversation he had with Self last January.

“Last year, coach said, ‘Tishaun, let’s be honest. Naadir is not going to go and dominate a basketball game,’” Jenkins said. “I am one of those guys … my coach told me as a junior in college that I reached my pinnacle. I put signs everywhere in my dorm room to stay motivated because this guy thought I was as good as I was going to be. I told my brother, ‘Coach Self said you can’t dominate a game.’ I don’t know if that put a little fire under his butt. It seems it has.

“I think coach Self is one of the best coaches in the country. I said to him (Tharpe), ‘If he thinks you can’t dominate, either that’s a lack of effort in practice or you are not showing him what you can do. On the court, you are definitely not showing him what you can do.’”

That was about the time Jenkins asked Self if KU could provide a counselor to help Tharpe work on some issues regarding his dad’s death.

“He spoke to someone the course of the whole year,” Jenkins said, expressing thanks to KU and Self for the forum for Tharpe to speak about his dad. “When you lose your father, you lose your sense of security. You could talk to him. He didn’t make decisions for you but gave you options, methods, ways to go. When you lose that, it’s on you.”
LJW


KU ran the table in 2001-2002 en route to a 33-4 record that ended in the Final Four in Atlanta with a semifinal loss to national-champion Maryland and never has done so again.

The conference schedule is two games longer now with 18 games, which makes the feat even tougher. If the Jayhawks pulled it off this season, it would come as no greater a shock than some of the remarkable streaks going on of late with a team that only vaguely resembles the squad that lost Nov. 13 to Michigan State in Atlanta in the Georgia Dome, site of this year’s Final Four.

Streaks such as:

In the past four games, sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe has played 71 minutes without committing a turnover and has 22 assists. He has made seven of nine three-pointers in the last three games.

Senior starting power forward Kevin Young has not missed a shot from the field in three consecutive games. In 69 minutes of action, he has shot 8-for-8 from the field against Richmond, Ohio State and American.

Since busting out of an 0-for-11, season-opening three-point shooting slump, senior guard Travis Releford has made 16 of 25 three-pointers (64 percent), nine for 11 (82 percent) in the last four games.

In the last five games, scholarship players have made more three-point shots (43) than they have missed (42) for a percentage of .506. During that span, each opponent had an overall shooting percentage of less than .40.

KU’s home-court winning streak stands at 29 games, second only to Syracuse (31). Saturday’s victory against American, the weakest team on KU’s schedule, pushed the Allen Fieldhouse winning streak against nonconference competition to 62 games.

Just eight of those 62 victims have lost by single-digit margins since Oral Roberts defeated Kansas, 78-71, Nov. 15, 2006. Would you believe 27 of the 62 victims (44 percent) have lost by margins of 30 points or greater? In both the 2007-08 and 2009-10 seasons, KU blistered seven teams by 30 points or more.

Bill Self’s record stands at 152-7 in his favorite basketball building.

If KU can defeat Temple and win each of its nine conference games in Allen Fieldhouse en route to a conference championship, Self would finish the season with two more consecutive Big 12 titles (nine) than Allen Fieldhouse losses (seven). Remarkable.
LJW Keegan


One year ago today — Dec. 31, 2011 — the Kansas Jayhawks were 9-3 and preparing for a New Year’s Eve matchup with North Dakota. Remember? KU was ranked outside the top 15 – and still just two weeks removed from a non-conference loss to Davidson at the Sprint Center. Maybe the Jayhawks could regroup and win their eighth straight Big 12 title. But on that day, nothing was guaranteed.

What a difference a year makes.

Kansas, which entered Monday ranked sixth in the AP poll, is now prepared to leave another calendar year behind. The Jayhawks will play Temple at Allen Fieldhouse in six days, but first, it’s that time of the year, a time to look back and digest the last 12 months, a time to compile KU’s top five moments from 2012.

…That brings us to the top three moments, all quite obvious picks, with apologies to Jeff Withey’s triple-double and Ben McLemore’s performance against Ohio State earlier this month.

The top three:

** The Last Border War at Allen Fieldhouse

** Kansas’ victory over North Carolina in the Elite Eight

** Kansas’ victory over Ohio State in the national semifinals

There are cases to be made for all three games. The Missouri victory featured an emotional, 19-point comeback and could be the last time the two old rivals will ever play at Allen Fieldhouse. The North Carolina victory sent Kansas to the Final Four – a key benchmark – and pushed KU’s record to 2-0 against Roy Williams. And the victory over Ohio State in New Orleans clinched a spot in the NCAA title game; if the point of college basketball is to win titles, there’s only one game more important than a national semifinal.

So, my original inclination was to put Ohio State at No. 1, followed by North Carolina, and then Missouri. The Ohio State victory, another dramatic comeback, put KU on the brink of an unlikely NCAA Championship, and that seemed to outweigh whatever emotions came from the victories over North Carolina and Missouri.

But when the question was put to Kansas fans on Twitter, my feed and email inbox filled up with a prevailing sentiment: My original inclination, according to most KU fans, was wrong.

In a very unscientific poll that included close to 50 voters, the victory over Missouri at Allen Fieldhouse was the nearly overwhelming choice. Here’s how the numbers shook out:

(We assigned three points to a first-place vote, two to a second and one for a third.)

1 Missouri at Allen Fieldhouse (117 points, 26 first-place votes)

2 North Carolina in the Elite Eight in St. Louis (89 points, 14 first-place votes)

3 Ohio State in the Final Four in New Orleans (77 points, nine first-place votes)

There’s room for debate, of course. In our unscientific poll, there was a clear winner … but only a slight majority for the victor. And maybe another 50 KU fans would vote another way. Essentially, it breaks down like this: If you’re a calculated pragmatist, maybe you preferred the Ohio State victory – and many did. If you’re a traditionalist, maybe the environment during the last Border War put it over the top. And if you’re the type that holds grudges, well, we'll note that the North Carolina victory was still pretty popular.
KC Star


A 12-day gap in the schedule between their nonconference finale at Cal and their Big 12 opener at home against Kansas State afforded members of Kansas University’s women’s basketball team the chance to get away for the holidays.

They’ve been back in town a few days and broke up the monotony of semester-break practices leading up to Wednesday’s rivalry clash with the Wildcats by entertaining close to 300 girls and boys, as well as some of their family members, at KU’s annual Holiday Hoops Clinic Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

Of course, Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson made sure her players practiced beforehand, in the morning. She didn’t want the youngsters wearing out the No. 22 Jayhawks (9-2) before the coaching staff had a crack at doing the same.

“The most important thing here is just the energy our players have to teach and to interact,” Henrickson said of the clinic. “We’re teaching some, but it’s more about being able to show your personality.”

KU senior forward Carolyn Davis called it a fun afternoon with the youngsters, kindergartners through eighth-graders.

“They just want to play, shoot the ball, run around and have fun with us,” Davis said.
LJW


@KU_Hoops


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

The conference is down and the members have changed, but the reigning champs remain.

And in Big 12 hoops, providing a stark contrast to football season, everything begins (and has ended the past eight seasons) with Kansas.

Here's five Big 12 storylines, starting with the powerful Jayhawks but expanding leaguewide, to get you prepared for the impending conference season:

Can anyone dethrone Kansas from its regular-season pedestal?

Eight titles in eight years. Without much resistance, coach Bill Self's Jayhawks have consistently maintained a stranglehold on the Big 12's regular season crown. Can anyone change that? There's a trio of viable candidates (K-State, Baylor and, most notably, OSU), but Kansas once again enters as the heavy favorite to repeat.
The Oklahoman: Big 12 Preview


1. Kansas (11-1). Since an early loss to Michigan State, the Jayhawks have reeled off 10 straight wins to re-establish their place among the nation's elite. Behind center Jeff Withey and freshman Ben McLemore — and a strong supporting cast that includes veterans Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford — KU looks like the league's most complete team. Best win: at No. 10 Ohio State, 74-66.

2. Oklahoma State (10-1). The Cowboys bolted out of the gate with an impressive run to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship, hinting at a restoration of pride to the program. Freshman Marcus Smart has transformed the feel of a squad that now relies on rugged defense and toughness over Lob Stilly showmanship. Still developing — and recovering from injuries — the Cowboys carry upside, too. Best win: No. 23 North Carolina State, 76-56, in Puerto Rico.

3. Kansas State (10-2). The Wildcats seem to be making a smooth transition from coach Frank Martin to Bruce Weber, winning 10 games in the nonconference for the seventh straight season. Weber inherited a veteran and talented roster, featuring a scorer in guard Rodney McGruder, who has three 30-point games to date. Best win: No. 14 Florida, 67-61 in Kansas City.

4. Baylor (8-4). It's been an uneven start for Baylor, where Scott Drew has gathered talent — again — yet has so far struggled to produce any consistency. A solid win over Kentucky is overshadowed by bad losses, including a setback to the College of Charleston in Waco. Still, the Bears have a lethal backcourt in Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip and serious upside. Best win: Kentucky, 64-55.
The Oklahoman: Big 12 Power Poll


“Over the past couple of years, Oklahoma State basketball has been down the drain,” said Cowboys point guard Marcus Smart. “This is a game that can really establish things.”

Establish legitimacy — to outsiders and a fan base apparently needing reason to hop on the bandwagon.

Establish confidence.

Establish momentum.

“It'll be a big game for us, a statement game, and one to prepare us going into the Big 12,” said OSU forward Michael Cobbins.

“It'll be a great test for our team, to see where we're at and how the rest of our season could go.”
The Zags have already mowed through four Big 12 teams, recently adding Baylor to a list of conquests that also includes Kansas State, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
The Oklahoman


John Calipari is crafty.

Russ Smith of Louisville fouled Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel in the lane late in the first half Saturday. The ref points at Smith, and the box score has a foul charged to Smith. Noel, a 52 percent foul shooter, steps to the line. Then, at the :23 mark, you see Noel look to the bench, and No. 22 on Kentucky, Alex Poythress, does the same. Then, Noel heads to the Kentucky bench to get a word with Calipari.

Poythress slyly replaces him at the foul line.

The refs completely miss it, as does everyone on Louisville. Poythress made one of two free throws.

Louisville staved off a furious Kentucky rally, winning, 80-77. The Wildcats could have used better free throw shooting – 11-of-23 (47 percent) isn’t going to cut it. Would Calipari be as brazen to try something like this in an NCAA tournament game? [video via Mark Ennis]
The Big Lead (Video at the link)


UK associate athletic director DeWayne Peevy said in a phone interview Sunday that UK’s bench argued to officials after the whistle that Poythress should be the foul shooter on the play, that the officials concurred and acknowledged to the scorer’s table that "No. 22" (Poythress’ number) would be the shooter in the official book. He said Noel was never ruled the official shooter.

"As I recall, there was some confusion over who the shooter was between Nerlens Noel and Alex Poythress. I know our bench was arguing that No. 22 was the shooter, and the official acknowledged it to the table that ‘22’ was the shooter. And I didn’t really think much more of it after that."

Peevy later posted on Twitter: "Our bench argued that Poythress was fouled & the ref notified the official scorer that #22 was the shooter. It wasn't a switch-a-roo."

He said he and coach John Calipari hadn't discussed the play.

Poythress is a 64.2 percent free-throw shooter, and Noel shoots 52.2 percent.
Lexington CJ


Big 12 Composite Schedule

Midway through the first half, with Kansas on the verge of burying American under an onslaught of perimeter shots, Naadir Tharpe found himself gliding toward the basket.

For parts of two seasons, Tharpe, a reserve sophomore guard, had been waiting to be in this position. Leading a fast break. Making plays. Dishing off to Kansas’ bevy of big-man options.

So here he was, and Tharpe figured he’d dump the ball off to Travis Releford. But for some reason, the timing was off, and Tharpe took off for the goal, looking for a foul.

Maybe last season, Tharpe would have lost his head and forced a bad pass. But on Saturday night inside Allen Fieldhouse, Tharpe was right on time, flipping the ball back to senior Jeff Withey for a monster jam.

“Luckily,” Tharpe said, “he was there.”

In this moment, Kansas was in the midst of a 16-2 run, a first-half blitz that would eventually turn into an 89-57 drubbing of American, an overmatched school from the Patriot League. And Tharpe, the guard known simply as “Na” to his teammates, was in the middle of the best night of his career, posting a stat line that included nine points, 12 assists and zero turnovers in 20 minutes.

“Nobody just comes in and is just automatically the superstar,” Tharpe said.
KC Star


Tharpe always had one quality that gave him potential to fit in eventually. He’s fast, really, really fast and plays on a team at its best when flying up and down the court. But when a player looks as if he’s not quite sure he’s good enough, it’s difficult for anyone else to hop on board.

Suddenly, Tharpe’s bandwagon’s getting mighty crowded by the game and he’s at the wheel. For the fourth game in a row, Tharpe played inspired basketball and had a big hand in Kansas playing at such a rapid pace.

The most impressive individual game statistic of this getting-better-all-the-time season now belongs to Tharpe. He had 12 assists without a single turnover. He consistently attacked, penetrating into the paint and zipping passes to open shooters behind the arc and underneath. He mixed in nine points on three of four three-point shooting and picked up four defensive rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

By halftime, Tharpe had eight assists, driving, shooting and passing Kansas to a 53-26 advantage. This was more a case of a sophomore fueled by soaring confidence than a superior athlete exploiting inferior competition.

Kansas won’t again play a team as talent-challenged as American, but Tharpe's rapid improvement predated Saturday.
LJW Keegan


After Saturday’s victory against American, KU coach Bill Self lavished praised on freshman Perry Ellis, who came off the bench and recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes.

“It’s the best game Perry’s played,” Self said. “He was aggressive. He went after the ball."

Ellis, who has struggled to find his rhythm, entered the night averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. And his numbers have decreased as the competition has become tougher. But on Saturday, Ellis became the first KU freshman to record a double-double since Thomas Robinson had one against Alcorn State in the 2009-10 season.

“I thought he looked more comfortable than he’s looked,” Self said. “I thought Perry played very well.”

…Comedian Jason Sudeikis, a native of Overland Park and best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, attended Saturday’s game with longtime girlfriend and actress Olivia Wilde. Sudeikis and Wilde sat behind the KU bench and visited the Jayhawks’ locker room after the game. Were KU's players excited to see Wilde?

“Our guys were pretty excited to see ... Jason,” Self deadpanned.
KC Star

Kansas University defensive stopper Travis Releford has been known to pass up a wide-open shot or two on the offensive end during the course of a basketball game.

“I don’t think about it. Afterward they (teammates) all come up to me and say, 'Trav, I need that assist. You are a good shooter, just shoot it,'" the 6-foot-6 senior guard said after hitting a career-best five three pointers in six attempts in the Jayhawks’ 89-57 rout of American University on Saturday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

“This week in practice, coach (Bill Self) came up to me and said I need to look for my shot more,” added Releford, who went 7-for-8 overall and finished with a game-high 19 points. “My teammates told me to look for it more. They looked for me out there. They got me open. I stepped up and made shots.”
LJW


Other faces in the crowd included former KU players Aaron Miles, Calvin Thompson, Christian Moody and Stephen Vinson.

Coincidentally, KU’s Naadir Tharpe dished 12 assists against no turnovers on the same night Miles, KU’s all-time assists leader, was in the stands. Miles is on break from Russia where he plays pro ball.

“It’s funny, because he was at practice yesterday. He was working with us,” Tharpe said of Miles. “He probably hit me with a little bit of his assists or something. I don’t know what it is.”

Stat of interest: “Our top six minutes guys had 23 assists and two turnovers. I don’t know if I ever had a team get that many assists with that few turnovers before,” Self said his five starters plus Tharpe.

Popular video: Self was subject of a “Pop-Up Video” on the big screen during the second half. The fans gave Self and/or the video a standing ovation after it played.
LJW

The Jayhawks shot 15-of-24 from three-point range, one make shy of tying the school record for three-pointers in a single game. The Eagles felt every one of them.

"It wasn't one or two guys," Jones said. "It seemed like it was the entire team."

Added American senior Stephen Lumpkins, who led the Eagles with 16 points: "It was tough to defend them. We really tried to focus on protecting the rim and not letting them get a bunch of easy dunks. It's tough when a team gets going like Kansas did."

When asked what he did — or at least tried — to counter KU's hot hand from behind the arc, Jones' answer provided a glimpse into just how helpless his defense was in this one.

"It'd be one thing to say, 'Get up on 'em and contest,'" he said. "But with Tharpe, he was getting into the lane and, if you're playing good help defense then you're reacting to that penetration. ... The way they were shooting the basketball, we just didn't have much of a chance."
LJW


“Tonight was a good night for us,” coach Bill Self said.

Here’s how good it was: With 18 seconds to play, freshman Tyler Self launched a 3-pointer that would have tied a school record for 3s made in a game. The shot missed by only a foot or two, and KU settled for a 15-for-24 performance from behind the arc.

“We’re going to call an attorney and see about a name change, maybe,” said the elder Self, who was stifling laughter along with the rest of his staff after the baseline shot sailed long.

Since a blowout was virtually inevitable, the Jayhawks made sure to enjoy it. The highlights included Jeff Withey trailing a fast break and soaring for a one-hand slam, Travis Releford throwing down a windmill dunk and Jamari Traylor chasing down his own steal for a dunk and a foul. And that was just the first half, which ended with KU ahead 53-26.

If two quick fouls on Ben McLemore were the basketball gods’ way of leveling the playing field, it didn’t work.

The Jayhawks were just fine with their leading scorer on the bench, as sophomore Naadir Tharpe checked in and dished eight assists in the first half.

…Tip-off for KU’s Jan. 6 game against Temple will be announced Sunday. The game, slated for national broadcast on CBS, will begin at 12:30 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. depending on the NFL playoff schedule.
TCJ

Coach Self on CBS pre game on Russ Rob in 2008: "Kansas fans knew he was our leader even if the nation didn't."


12/29/12, 3:38 PM
Much LOVE for a great a coach and mentor @CoachBillSelf #kubball ROCK CHALK BABY!
Russell Robinson (@Next718star)


Long term, the question is what type of role McLemore can grow into in the NBA. Is he a “3 and D” player, meaning a spot-up 3-point shooter, transition finisher and defensive stalwart, or can he be more than that? Most starting shooting guards in the NBA need to be able to function in pick and roll and isolation settings, which is something he doesn't do at Kansas very often (under 10% of time according to Synergy Sports Technology). It really depends on what the expectations from him well be, which will be decided in large part on where he ends up being drafted.
Draft Express NBA Draft Prospect of the Week: Ben Mclemore


“Junior year in high school, I went to LeBron James’ camp and to Paul Pierce’s camp,” McLemore said in a recent interview. “First time meeting Paul Pierce, watching his footwork and style of play, I said, ‘That’s how I play. That’s my game.’ I started moving in slow motion just like him, told myself, ‘I need to imitate his game and see how far I can go with this.’”

Funny, Pierce’s name has been coming up a lot lately in the same sentence as McLemore’s, as in, “KU’s best player since Paul Pierce.”

McLemore also has studied LeBron’s game.

“He’s such a great player, offensively and defensively, giving 110 percent every night,” McLemore said. “He’s just aggressive every night. He’s 6-8, what, 250? And he’s so quick on his feet. Awesome player. I really like his game. He’s always in attack mode. He’s strong, and he’s fast, and he’s ready to play every time.”

McLemore said the highlight of the James camp came when he played on a team that played against LeBron’s team.

“We were winning the whole game, and then he just took over,” McLemore said. “I had a smile on my face the whole camp.”

After what amounted to a most productive basketball summer school for McLemore, he set about trying to apply what he had learned.

“My senior year in high school, I tried to put those two (Pierce and James) together and play my game of basketball,” McLemore said. “I have the same mind-set of both players, and I try to put them together as me.”

Since coming to Kansas, McLemore said he has studied the game of Travis Releford, whom he calls “a great player. He knows what he’s got to bring to the team.”
LJW Keegan


Does Kansas – not Kentucky – have the best freshman in the country in Ben McLemore?

Braziller: McLemore is a tremendous talent and Kentucky has a number of elite freshmen, but the best newcomer in the country doesn’t belong to either blue blood program. That title belongs to UNLV’s Anthony Bennett, an athletic freak averaging team-highs of 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8 forward isn’t just a dunking machine, though watching him soar for slams is a treat, as he’s also shooting over 35 percent from beyond the arc, a major reason UNLV is off to an impressive 11-1 start. He’s been remarkably consistent, with four double-doubles and and has yet to score in single figures.

Sulla-Heffinger: Bennett is great, but I have to say yes, the Jayhawks have the best freshman in America in Ben McLemore. McLemore is playing 30 minutes a game, unheard of for a freshman, leading in scoring (16.8 PPG), is second in steals (1.2) and is third in rebounding (5.7) and assists (2.3) for the No. 6 team in the nation. If that is not enough, look at his .488/.860/.408 shooting line and tell me that he is not the cream of the crop amongst first year players.

…Does Temple’s upset over Syracuse mean anything in the long run?

Braziller: It spoke volumes about Syracuse’s weaknesses as we near Big East play. Despite its surprising home loss to Canisius, Temple’s a good team. Khalif Wyatt is a big-time talent capable of taking over games against the finest teams in the country and forward Anthony Lee can be a handful, but that’s hardly news. The Owls gave Syracuse’s Big East foes a blueprint of how to beat the Orange: Make Michael Carter-Williams a scorer, not a distributor, and challenge Coach Jim Boeheim’s team in the paint. Temple stayed with shooters Brandon Triche and James Southerland and Carter-Williams was unable to carry the scoring load, making 3-of-14 shots from the field. Additionally, underclassmen Rakeem Christmas and DaJuan Coleman weren’t quite ready for primetime. It’s just one game, so I’m not ready to say Syracuse’s first 10 wins were the result of a soft schedule, but the loss to Temple raised several red flags.

Sulla-Heffinger: You know what it means? It means I have been right all along when I say the A-10 is one of the best basketball conferences in America. Temple’s upset of Syracuse is the second time an unranked A-10 school has beaten a top-three opponent (Butler’s dethroning of Indiana was the first). Now that I’ve stroked my ego a bit, I’ll get into why it means a lot for the Orange. Zach hit the nail on the head here, and this is what MCW will need to work on if he’s going to be the lottery pick that he can be, and that’s shooting. At any level of basketball, you need to have confidence in your primary ball handler to be able to make shots and hit his free throws, two things that Carter-Williams did not do at the Garden on Saturday, and that is a huge problem. Also it shows what happens with Syracuse actually has to play an opponent outside of the Carrier Dome and one that isn’t taking a massive pay day to play Jim Boeheim’s club.
NY Post


CBS Video: 75 Years of March Madness: A coach's perspective (Coach Self)


LJW: Years in Japan shape KU forward Landen Lucas' outlook


TCJ: Cold nights on street help Traylor find true warmth


At the rate he’s been celebrating 40th birthdays, Kansas coach Bill Self shouldn’t have much trouble catching Mike Krzyzewski for the all-time wins mark in Division I basketball.

“I turned 40 this year,” said Self, who actually celebrated his 50th birthday on Thursday. “It’s embarrassing to say, but I turned 40.”

Self, who spent his birthday conducting his annual holiday youth clinic at Allen Fieldhouse, didn’t spend much time reflecting on the milestone, except to say he was glad to be around to see it.

“I used to be a young coach,” Self said. “Now I’m one of the older coaches around. I guess when you get to be on the downward half, or spiral, or whatever it is, birthdays are great, because that means you’re still having them.”
TCJ


Self’s birthday — and the fact he’s just 14 victories away from 500 for his career — led to a question Thursday about the possibility of him someday approaching Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s record for all-wins by a Division I coach. Krzyzewski, 65, is at 938 victories and counting, and a recent Sports Illustrated story suggested that Self may have the best chance among current college coaches.

“Zero,” Self said. “Whoever wrote that, doesn’t know me very well. I don’t think that I’ll want to coach near that long.”

In case you’re wondering, Self averaged 29.8 victories during his first nine years at KU after recording 207 wins at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. If he continues on this pace, he would surpass 900 victories right around his 65th birthday.

Wesley recovering

Junior forward Justin Wesley has returned to non-contact practice after suffering a broken pinkie on Dec. 13. Self said Wesley, who is averaging five minutes per game, should return to contact practices within a week.
KC Star


In today’s Arizona Republic, Coro didn’t have to try very hard to get Markieff to open up about the NBA lifestyle. And, specifically, the ultimate goal of Morris: Be the NBA’s best dresser. He thinks he has a secret weapon to do it, too: His “hundred million,” “hundred-thousand trillion” swag.

Q: How many pairs of sneakers do you have now?

A: I’ve got about 50 or 60, maybe 100. I have a lot of shoes I don’t wear but I keep them close just in case I might pull off something that goes with them. I’m a casual guy. You’ve seen me dress before. I’m the best dressed guy on this team by far.

Q: Can you outdress Marcin Gortat? He says he wants to be the best-dressed European in the league.

A: He wears suits and stuff. He can only get away with suits. I’m not wearing any suits. I’m a casual guy. Long sleeves. Rolex. Louis Vuittons. Guccis in there. Jeans. Casual but look nice.

Q: You’re just shooting for best-dressed on the team?

A: I’m going to be best-dressed in the league by next year, for sure. It’s just that my style doesn’t come with a lot of different styles. I have my own swag. My swag is hundred million. A hundred-thousand trillion.
Dime Mag


The Rockets fell at home on Saturday despite Marcus Morris' season-high 24 points, which included four 3-pointers.

Morris was 9-of-14 from the field overall, and he grabbed six rebounds with one steal in 32 minutes.
Link


@KU_Hoops


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

Baylor has suspended post player J'mison Morgan because of a violation of university policy.

Bears coach Scott Drew said in a release Saturday night that the 6-foot-11 Morgan, a fifth-year senior who has played only one game this season, will not return to the team.

Drew didn't elaborate, and Baylor officials said there would be no further comment.
AP


Texas showed signs of progress in the second half of a 57-41 win over Rice on Saturday at the Erwin Center. After a sluggish 26-26 first half against a 3-9 Owls team ranked in the 300s in most categories, the Longhorns (8-5), an 18.5-point favorite, turned up the intensity and defense and held Rice to 15 points after intermission.

“Locking down defensively, that’s been our main focus,” point guard Javan Felix said. “That’s what we preach every day: defense, blocking out and finishing possessions.”

The Horns are as stingy as they come. They are No. 1 in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (33.2), and they helped that number by holding the Owls to 31.9 percent.
Austin-Statesman


Freshman guard Shabazz Muhammad scored seven of his game-high 27 in overtime as UCLA took down No. 7 Missouri Friday night 97-94 at Pauley Pavilion.

Muhammad was clutch all night long and with a minute to go, Muhammad knocked down a 3-pointer to give UCLA a 95-93 lead, a lead they would not give back. Missouri would make it a one-possession game, however UCLA would respond from a pair of UNC transfers. Larry Drew, like he did on the Muhammad three, found Travis Wear inside as he hit a shot in the lane with 12 seconds to go to put the Bruins up 97-94.

Missouri had two looks to tie it and send it to a second overtime. Phil Pressey’s three was off the mark, Laurence Bowers grabbed the offensive board, but he couldn’t get a look at the rim.
NBC Sports


UCLA's Parker homesick, not transferring?


Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis has ceased his pursuit of a major event to open the 2013-14 college basketball season and entertain U.S. troops in Texas.

"It's off," Hollis said today after emailing officials at the other seven schools that were going to participate with MSU in the event at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas — site of the 2014 Final Four.
Link


1. Louisville will win the national title. After picking Indiana in the preseason, a few things have changed my mind: The Cardinals' No. 1-ranked defense has been stingier than it was last season, allowing 0.802 adjusted points per possession --- and that's even with interior anchor Gorgui Dieng missing the past six games with a broken wrist. He'll be healthy well before March. Louisville's offense, which was mediocre in 2011-12, has been surprisingly strong due to the huge scoring-efficiency strides made by guards Russ Smith and Peyton Siva. And finally, I'm just not convinced that Indiana's interior D is national-title caliber, whereas Louisville is, without question, the best defensive team in the country.

2. Kentucky won't recover in time to win the SEC or make a Final Four run ... but they'll open 2013-14 at No. 1. The Wildcats have plenty of room to improve, but their offense seems too flawed to ever be dominant. This feels like a "finish third in the SEC, get knocked out in the Sweet 16" kind of season, which, while a letdown, will be incentive for at least two of their freshmen to stay out of the NBA draft. They'll then serve as key contributors on a team heavily favored to win the 2014 title. John Calipari's next recruiting class, with the Harrison twins, James Young and (very likely) Andrew Wiggins, should fix all of UK's offensive issues.
SI Luke Winn


As hard as it is for Creighton's Josh Jones to give up basketball, he says it's not worth risking his life to keep playing.

Doctors advised Jones to stop playing after he underwent a procedure Dec. 18 to locate and correct an atrial flutter. He faces more procedures to treat the heart condition that caused him to faint before a game three weeks ago.

He said he wanted to let their words soak in a few days before he made his announcement this week.

''My life is more important,'' he said Thursday as teammates practiced behind him at the Vinardi Athletic Center. ''The game has gotten me this far. I'm the same person with or without it. But right now, and maybe forever, I'm just stepping away from the game.''
AP


The NCAA released a package of proposals Friday that would change the recruiting calendar, lift restrictions on how and how often coaches can contact recruits and allow athletes to accept more money for participating in non-scholastic events.

All the proposals are expected to be voted on Jan. 19 at the NCAA's annual convention near Dallas. If approved, they could take effect Aug. 1.

It was the first detailed glimpse into how the NCAA intends to rewrite its massive rulebook and Jim Barker, chairman of the NCAA rules committee working on the plan, said the goal is "smarter rules and tougher enforcement."

If the package is approved, the overall result would provide coaches with more leeway in recruiting. The hope is that athletes will build more meaningful relationships with their coaches, and they will get more opportunities to showcase their skills in front of college and pro scouts.

One key recommendation would create a uniform recruiting calendar for all sports and allow coaches to begin contacting potential recruits after July 1 of their sophomore year, though coaches would still have to abide by the no-contact periods.

"The rules group believes that the uniform recruiting date will create significant ease of administration on campus, make the rules more understandable and allow for better recruiting decisions from both the coach and prospective student-athlete," said Barker, the Clemson president.
CBS wire report


Big 12 Composite Schedule

With Dick Vitale in attendance at Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Fla., top 2013 prospect Andrew Wiggins of Huntington Prep (W.Va.) was expected to put on a show at the prestigious City of Palms Classic.

He delivered.

The 6-foot-7 wing tallied 31 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots as the Express beat HCYA North (Houston) 77-50 in a showcase game Thursday. Wiggins connected on 15 of 22 field goal attempts.
Max Preps


A woman with a Kentucky key chain came up and wished him a Merry Christmas and good luck. A Florida State fan started chanting, "Go Noles, Go Noles." Wiggins' father, a former NBA player with Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia, and mother, a Olympic sprinter, both went to Florida State.

Wiggins is expected to choose between FSU and Kentucky.
Naples News


Jackson (Miss.) Callaway topped Tifton (Ga.) Tift County, 59-43, in the consolation semifinal on Friday afternoon.

Callaway sophomore Malik Newman led all scores with 21 points. The 6-foot-3 guard is currently ranked No. 3 at his position by ESPN and is being recruited by Kentucky, North Carolina and Arizona.

Sophomore guard Tradic Jackson paced Tift County with 17 points. Kansas-committ Brannen Greene, a 6-foot-7 guard, added 16 points.
Naples News


City of Palms Tournament scores and stats, links to news articles


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

I hear the rock chalk chant inside the Value City arena #kubball
https://twitter.com/UDK_bball


Elijah Johnson sees Saturday’s eight-point victory at No. 7-ranked Ohio State as an early-season statement game.

“(It was) real big,” Kansas University’s senior point guard said of the 74-66 win before 19,049 fans in Value City Arena. “Now we know we’ve got the same kind of team we’ve always had. We will fight back. We will not lay down for anybody.”
LJW


The venue apparently doesn’t make any difference. Kansas has the formula for beating Ohio State anywhere the programs play.

…The star was already on the rise, but McLemore confirmed he belongs in the conversation among the best scorers in the country by answering the biggest challenge of his young career.

McLemore was a threat from all over the court, knocking down open 3-pointers on the outside and putting back offensive rebounds on the inside to keep Kansas afloat against Ohio State’s stingy defense. It hardly seemed to matter whom the Buckeyes used to try to slow him down. McLemore used his athleticism to get in productive spots and convert.

…Coach Thad Matta dropped to 76-3 in his career at Ohio State against nonconference opponents at home. ... The Buckeyes had a 39-game winning streak at home against non-Big Ten teams snapped. The last team to knock off the Bucks on their home floor was West Virginia on Dec. 27, 2008. ... Kansas leads the all-time series with Ohio State 8-3.
ESPN


Bill Self stood deep inside the bowels of Value City Arena, around the corner from the Kansas locker room, just a few feet away from his latest basketball gift.

It was nearly 30 minutes after Kansas’ 74-66 victory over No. 7 Ohio State on Saturday evening, a signature win for a team that needed to experience a little fire. But for a moment, Self couldn’t stop talking about his gift — all 6 feet 5 and 195 pounds of him.

Ben McLemore stood just a few feet away, wearing Kansas warmups, fresh off a 22-point performance in front of a packed house in his first ever road game.

“My first time,” McLemore said.

The ninth-ranked Jayhawks won for many reasons on Saturday. Senior guard Travis Releford shut down Ohio State leading scorer Deshaun Thomas. Senior Jeff Withey had another double-double.

And the Jayhawks played tough — the kind of toughness that Self demands.

But when McLemore’s name came up, Self flashed a sly little smile. And then shook his head for emphasis.

“I’ve never had anybody like this guy,” he said.

…All week, Self wondered how his team would respond to this atmosphere. Would they have a tight huddle? This would be a test, he said. A real test.

Kansas was entering hostile territory for the first time. They were playing a ranked squad, a tough and physical Big Ten team. And maybe — just maybe — Self could learn something. That opportunity came midway through the first half, when Ohio State rolled off 14 straight points and took a 31-23 lead. The red-tinted arena came to life. And Self needed two timeouts to calm his squad.

Self, though, didn’t have to say much.

“We have a good group of vets,” Withey said. “We’ve been in tough situations before. And we just bounced back.”
KC Star


The offensive skills are just as good on the road.

So Ben McLemore just might use them to drive Kansas right back to the Final Four.

Despite dealing with some nerves as he stepped out on the floor at Value City Arena for his first true road test against a top-10 opponent, the redshirt freshman needed less than a minute to shake them off and hit his first shot, setting the tone for another dynamic outing as the No. 9 Jayhawks once again knocked off No. 7 Ohio State with a 74-66 win on Saturday afternoon.

And while there were plenty of familiar faces in a lineup that won two high-profile matchups with the Buckeyes a season ago, it was one that didn’t appear in last spring's national semifinal featuring these programs that had Kansas looking more than capable of a return trip in a few months.

“You know, it was my first time playing an away game and stuff like that, playing in front of this type of crowd,” McLemore said. “At first I was a little nervous, but you know, that’s what happens when you play your first game away. Going up and down the court a little bit, I just played my game, stayed with intensity and tried to play my game.

“This experience was great.”
ESPN


Moved Ben McLemore into the Top 5 on our Big Board. Best NBA prospect KU's had since Paul Pierce.
https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider


Things I learned today. There are three constants in life --- death, taxes, and Bill Self.
https://twitter.com/JonRothstein


Kansas has a terrific collection of players around McLemore, including three seniors who are either excellent (point guard Elijah Johnson) or dominant (center Jeff Withey, small forward Travis Releford) on defense.

Those guys could leave McLemore back in the dorm the next 2½ months and still go win another Big 12 championship. Having him grow into the focal point of their offense, however, will allow Kansas to seriously take a swing at winning the school’s fourth NCAA title. He must function as a star-level player in the circumstances that require the signature of a star.

“To be honest with you, you don’t score off of plays late in games. You score off of players,” Self said. “We did a better job today. They played good defense, so you beat a guy, force help and go get a basket.

“He makes plays you can’t coach. You run average offense, pitch it to him and he jumps over someone and he makes a shot. That’s not great offense. That’s just a good player. That’s what I like.”

The honest truth about the Ohio State game is that McLemore’s partner on the wing played the greatest role in KU’s victory. Although McLemore led KU in scoring and hit 3-of-6 from 3-point range, Releford was the one responsible for eliminating Buckeyes’ star Deshaun Thomas in the second half.
TSN DeCourcy


Senior guard Travis Releford, with a little inside help from center Jeff Withey, was able to frustrate Ohio State leading scorer Deshaun Thomas.

“You could see it,” Releford said. “Not just in him, you could see it in the team; their coaches; throughout the bench.”

Kansas coach Bill Self devised a pretty simple plan for defending Ohio State leading scorer Deshaun Thomas. Step one: Put senior guard Travis Releford, a lockdown defender, on Thomas, a powerful 6-7 forward with touch from the outside. Step two: Send center Jeff Withey over to trap if Thomas came down into the post.

The plan was mostly successful as KU took down Ohio State 74-66 at Value City Arena in Columbus. Thomas finished with just 16 points — four under his season average — and made just four of his 11 shots.

“I wasn’t really worried about him taking me inside, because I’m kind of strong myself,” Releford said. “And then I had Jeff behind me to help out and eliminate him posting me up. So coming into the game, I wasn’t too worried about that. I was just more focused on making him take tough shots and making him force a lot of shots.”
KC Star


Kansas University senior Travis Releford stuck to preseason All-American Deshaun Thomas like wrapping paper on a Christmas present Saturday afternoon in Value City Arena.

He held the 6-foot-7, 215-pound junior sensation to 16 points off miserable 4-of-11 shooting in the No. 9-ranked Jayhawks’ 74-66 victory over the No. 7-rated Buckeyes.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Releford’s inspired defense seemed to break the spirit of the Buckeyes of the Big Ten, who hit just 25 percent of their shots the final half, going just two-of-18 from three.
LJW


Just like he did a year ago in Lawrence, Kevin Young subbed in and changed the tempo of the game with a resounding dunk and-one that lifted Kansas.

“Kevin started it,” Jeff Withey said. “He got fouled a couple of times and it slowed everything down. We just bounced back.”

In those last six minutes Kansas came back with a 12-4 run and took a 37-35 lead into halftime.

Led by Young’s pace-changing presence, and aided by Ben McLemore’s aerial acrobatics, the Jayhawks began trading shots with the Buckeyes and came out ahead.

McLemore finished with 22 points and Young with six, but Young may have had the more valuable buckets. He helped Kansas claw back into contention when another two or three misfires would have put Kansas in its most vulnerable position all year.

“Kevin had a three-point play and we got a couple stops,” Self said of Kansas’ battling back. “That gave us as much confidence as anything,”

After the stars had realigned for Kansas, life went back to normal.

The Jayhawks took a lead with 13:31 left in the second half and never gave it up.

And a new streak begins.
UDK


Dec. 25 can’t come soon enough for Ohio State men’s basketball coach Thad Matta.

“I asked Santa for Christmas to improve our jump-shooting,” Matta said with a wry smile following OSU’s 74-66 loss to Kansas University on Saturday afternoon.

The Buckeyes kept their turnovers down (13) and performed well on the offensive glass (17 offensive boards) but simply couldn’t overcome a poor shooting night.

OSU made just 20 of 65 field goals for a frigid 31 percent.

“You gotta put the ball in the basket in a game like this,” Matta said. “We couldn’t do it, and it became contagious throughout.”
LJW


“I think we just slowed them down. That’s the main thing (coach) wanted us to do was slow them down in transition,” McLemore said.

In the second half, when the Jayhawks found their lead fluttering between one and two possessions, McLemore found his own way to stall the Buckeyes, by taking over the game.

First he slowed their momentum by driving to the hole and drawing a foul.

“He puts his head down and attacks the basket,” senior guard Travis Releford said. “Sometimes he gets fouled or he creates something for Jeff or Kevin to make easy baskets, so he put a lot of pressure on the defense.”

The Jayhawks next trip down the court, following a miss from Ohio State guard Aaron Craft, McLemore nailed a jump shot.

And he put the exclamation point on his mini-run by slamming home the alley-oop pass from Johnson, extending the lead to double-digits with 5:22 left in the game.

“He’s fun to coach because you can tinker around and draw up some plays that you can’t draw up for anybody else and just throw it up there,” Self said.
UDK


There were plenty who said that the St. Louis native would never become a go-to guy, that he didn't possess the personality and the desire to be the top option. This was a guy who took a back seat to Brad Beal in the summers, but he's quickly matured and begun to understand that his talent stacks up with just about anyone in the country. McLemore is ultra-athletic. He's got a natural position as a two-guard -- and he shoots it with more consistency than many ever gave him credit (McLemore came into the game shooting 40 percent from 3 and wound up making 3-of-6 from deep against Ohio State).

With McLemore's emergence, it's allowed Elijah Johnson to be who he is -- a solid point guard. It's enabled Releford to be who he is -- a role guy whose most valuable attribute is his ability to defend. Self now has a big man in Withey who has begun to gain confidence on the offensive end, and is arguably the most dominant defensive presence in the entire country.

Kansas has multiple options. Ohio State basically has one -- and that's a major reason why the Jayhawks went into Columbus and came away with a 74-66 victory.
CBS


McLemore’s defensive improvement has kept pace with his scoring. Lenzelle Smith Jr., McLemore’s primary assignment Saturday, scored six points, five-and-a-half below his average.

“He tries so hard,” said Releford, the team’s top perimeter defender. “When we watch tape, coach shows every little detail for the team. And all the little stuff, it counts. It helps us out a lot.”

Predictably, the first hostile crowd didn’t derail McLemore. At all levels of basketball, the better the player, the less his game falls off away from home.
LJW


If recent dominant wins in Lawrence over Colorado, Richmond and Belmont showed Kansas would be tough to beat at home, then the Jayhawks' ability to outplay a fellow top 10 team on the road suggests they'll be pretty formidable anywhere. Kansas validated its status as one of the nation's elite teams, showcasing unselfish offense, stingy defense and an emerging go-to player.

Thanks to the shot-blocking presence of Withey in the paint and a bevy of formidable perimeter defenders, Kansas had not allowed a opponent to shoot 40 percent or higher from the field since its loss to Michigan State. The Jayhawks extended that streak with ease on Saturday, limiting Ohio State to a season-low 30.8 percent shooting from the floor and 8 of 31 from behind the 3-point line.

The concern for Ohio State entering the game was whether any other players could emerge as weapons if Kansas focused its defensive attention on slowing down prolific scorer DeShaun Thomas.

Shannon Scott complemented Thomas' 16 points with 15 of his own, but no other Buckeyes scored in double figures.

What Kansas' masterful performance emphasizes is the size of the gap between the Jayhawks and the rest of the Big 12.
Yahoo Sports


At one point in the second half, coach Thad Matta said he turned to his assistants on the bench and said, “Hey, let’s call a play where we score.”

Unfortunately for Ohio State, and its first sellout crowd of the season, there weren’t many of those when the Buckeyes most needed them yesterday in Value City Arena.

It was déjà vu Duke for the seventh-ranked Buckeyes as they went more than 10 minutes of the second half without a field goal and lost for the second time this season, 74-66 to No. 9 Kansas.
Columbus Dispatch


It would be a mistake to say that Ohio State shot itself in the foot against Kansas, because it obviously would have missed.

The Buckeyes lost 74-66 because they put on an impressive display of poor shooting in the second half, missing open shot after open shot after open shot, much as they did in the only other high-profile game of the nonconference season, a 73-68 loss at Duke.

At one point in the second half, OSU was 2 of 17 from the floor and hadn’t scored a field goal in more than 10 minutes. It went 2 of 18 from three-point range after halftime, an indelible reminder that whatever offensive success this team achieves down the road likely will come from transition baskets created by good defense and not from its pure shooting skills.

Is this an overreaction? Maybe. This is what happens when the schedule has more clunkers than a junkyard. The Buckeyes have shot the basketball well at times, but you draw conclusions from good shooting displays against Albany, Savannah State or UNC Asheville at your own risk.
Columbus Dispatch


The basketball trilogy between Kansas and Ohio State has taken on a green-eggs-and-ham type of theme in the past 13 months.

The Jayhawks can beat the Buckeyes in Lawrence, Kan., as they showed in December 2011.

They can beat them in New Orleans in the Final Four, as evident last March.

And the Jayhawks can beat Ohio State in Columbus, as they did Saturday in a showdown of top 10 teams.

Much appeared familiar besides the outcome in the latest meeting. Kansas started four seniors in its 74-66 victory and played the type of stout defense that has been a staple of Bill Self's 10 seasons as the Jayhawks' coach.

However, the new wrinkle to this Kansas team provided fresh evidence yesterday as to why it's not far-fetched to think the No. 9 Jayhawks (10-1) can return to the national championship game for a second consecutive season.

His name is Ben McLemore, and rumblings about the redshirt freshman's smooth game has been building from out on the prairie since he crashed the veteran Kansas lineup in game one.

Already known to basketball junkies, McLemore is now a secret no more to rest of the college hoops world after dropping 22 points on the Buckeyes in Saturday's win to lead the Jayhawks to their ninth consecutive win.
SI

I've exchanged my TV three times already this game and Illinois & Mizzou are still wearing those colors.
https://twitter.com/mickshaffer


With 16,303 purple-clad crazies watching from their seats, the unranked Wildcats pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the college basketball season thus far by thwacking No. 8 Florida 67-61. As big as it was for K-State’s program -- not to mention the struggling Big 12 -- the victory was even more important for Weber, who notched his first significant victory as the Wildcats’ coach.

It couldn’t have come at a better time.

Hired last spring to replace fan favorite Frank Martin, Weber had gotten off to a bumpy start in Manhattan. Kansas State was 8-2 but had been whipped decisively in its only two games against formidable opponents.

No. 2 Michigan defeated Weber’s squad by 14 points on Nov. 23 at Madison Square Garden. And it was only a week ago that No. 14 Gonzaga gave the Wildcats a 16-point scolding in Seattle.

“Embarrassing,” guard Will Spradling said of the setback.

Considering he’d just been axed by Illinois, Weber’s hire had already been met with some skepticism, and it only intensified after those two defeats. It wasn’t that people truly expected K-State to beat the highly-ranked Wolverines or Zags -- especially away from home. But the Wildcats’ overall lack of cohesion, energy and fire was a reason for concern.
…The victory was Kansas State’s first since 1981 against a nonconference opponent ranked in the top 10. Read that again. In just his 10th game, Weber accomplished something that hadn’t been done in Manhattan in 31 years.

“Coach gave us a great motivational speech before the game,” senior Rodney McGruder said. “We let each other down the last time we played against top 25 teams. We didn’t want to have another meltdown like that.”
ESPN


For Derrick Nix, who hasn't always had it easy at Michigan State, it was a good time to have a great day.

The senior who lost 70 pounds and overcame an arrest to become one of the Spartans' captains had 25 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 20 Michigan State surge past Texas 67-56 on Saturday.
CBS



The NCAA has suspended Texas basketball player Myck Kabongo for 23 games for accepting impermissible benefits and providing false statements during an investigation into the infractions.
The Division I committee on student-athlete reinstatement announced the suspension Friday.

Kabongo also must repay $475 to a charity of his choice. The suspension includes the 10 games he has already missed.

The NCAA said Kabongo accepted airfare and personal training instruction and then provided false and misleading information about the infractions during two interviews with university officials.

Yahoo Sports has reported that the NCAA was examining whether Rich Paul, the agent for LeBron James, was involved in a trip Kabongo took to Cleveland last spring that included at least one workout with professional trainer Jerry Powell.

University officials were notified of the decision last week, the NCAA said. An appeal was heard Thursday, and the NCAA decided to overturn the original decision to suspend Kabongo for the entire season.
AP


If winning and improving stood as Georgetown's most basic goals entering its just concluded four-game homestand, mission accomplished. At least one could make that case following Saturday afternoon's 65-48 win over crosstown foe American at the Verizon Center.

The glass half-empty crowd also has its arguments even as Georgetown claimed its seventh straight victory. As one might expect from a head coach, John Thompson III's postgame reaction to No. 15 Georgetown's final non-conference performance and its 10-1 record entering Big East straddled both sides.
Link


Three days after a woeful effort against Canisius, Temple beat a bigger New York state team, handing No. 3 Syracuse its first loss of the season.

The reasons were simple: The Owls played a better fundamental game, shooting well from the free throw line, where the Orange were awful; taking their time to find the open man, while Syracuse opted for one-on-one isolation plays, praying someone would make a play; and simply outplaying and outhustling the Orange.

Maybe it shouldn’t be too surprising. In Syracuse’s last game, its myriad of mistakes -- coughing up a 20-point lead to allow Detroit to make it a 4-point game -- were overshadowed by the news of Jim Boeheim’s 900th win.
ESPN


Big 12 Composite Schedule

Congrats to Joel Embiid being named the MVP of the Kreul Power96 Elite Challenge.
https://twitter.com/SvendWilbekin


Joel Embiid of The Rock had 12 pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts & 3 blks in a win today. Embiid saw limited action, was rested most of the 2nd half.
https://twitter.com/RussHoops


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Kevin Young’s energy and hustle, ability to push the basketball and score around the rim, have made him a fan favorite in this, his senior year, at Kansas University.

One other thing, too ...

“The fans just love his afro,” said one of Young’s biggest supporters — younger brother, Donovan, who, along with the siblings’ mom, Alicia, watched Kevin score eight points and grab nine rebounds in KU’s 87-59 rout of Richmond on Tuesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

Donovan and mom have been in town since Saturday — they saw Kevin score eight points and grab six boards in a 89-60 battering of Belmont — and will remain indefinitely. They’ve decided to move from Perris, Calif., to Lawrence for second semester of Kevin’s final KU campaign.

“He loves KU. He loves all of his fans who love him here at KU,” added Donovan, 15, who will attend Free State High School as a freshman after starting out at Kevin’s alma mater, Perris High.

It was easy to spot Donovan Young outside the northwest tunnel, just past a pack of autograph seekers who sought signatures a full hour after Tuesday’s rout. The length and width of Donovan’s afro rival his big brother’s.
LJW


There hasn’t been a television broadcaster yet who, when calling a Kansas basketball game, hasn’t mentioned that 6-foot-8 freshman Perry Ellis “needs to get tougher.” Or “has to play more physical.” Or, the best, “must find a mean streak.”

OK, we get it. Ellis has some work to do in the ferocity department. The case can be made that he hasn’t been as good as many expected him to be after becoming a McDonald’s All-American at Heights, where he led the Falcons to four consecutive Class 6A championships and was a four-time All-State player.

Such accomplishments lead to great expectations at the next level and Ellis, who lost his job in the starting lineup early to senior Kevin Young, has too often strolled through the park when KU coach Bill Self wants him to leap over the trees.

But just because Ellis is soft-spoken doesn’t mean he’s soft. Slowly but surely, he is finding a comfort zone. He looked more involved and engaged during KU’s easy win over Richmond on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse and he’ll get another chance when Kansas plays at Ohio State on Saturday.

“Every day I’m feeling more comfortable,’’ Ellis said. “The more this season goes on, the more comfortable I’m feeling.’’

Ellis admittedly has taken some time to get a lay of the land in Lawrence. He arrived with tremendous fanfare by a fan base that thought he would need to produce at a high level for the Jayhawks to be successful.

…The more Ellis watches the man who took his starting job, the more he is inspired by him.

“We’ve gotten close,’’ Ellis said. “Kevin and I talk a lot. He really helps me out by motivating me throughout practices and telling me to go and get that ball. I notice how much better he’s gotten as a player since last season. He’s just gained so much confidence.’’

Confidence has a way of striking when a player least expects it. Ellis is waiting for that strike.

At Heights, confidence was never an issue. Ellis became one of the best high school players in the state’s history by showing up every day, for every practice and every game. He was almost always the best player on the floor whenever he was on the floor.

Not so at Kansas, where the learning curve has been of the 12-to-6 variety. Becoming a college player, and a college student, hasn’t come easily for Ellis. He, like most freshmen, has needed time to adapt. The pace is quicker, the players are bigger and stronger. And at times it doesn’t even seem like the rims are 10 feet high anymore.

That’s normal life for a college basketball freshmen, except for that select few who find their niche early on and never look back.

Of the 24 McDonald’s All-America players from 2012, all of whom are playing at big-time schools this season, Ellis ranks 20th in minutes. He’s not had the impact of UNLV’s Anthony Bennett, Kentucky’s Alex Poythress, Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon, UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad, Baylor’s Isaiah Austin or Kentucky’s Archie Goodwin.

But those who believe Ellis to be a disappointment simply aren’t grasping reality. Kansas is loaded with veterans. And because of Young’s production, the Jayhawks haven’t needed Ellis to be a double-digit scorer and top-flight rebounder. His minutes have fallen off, but lately his contributions have risen.
Wichita Eagle Lutz


It might sound simple, but a huge reason for the Kansas men's basketball team's success so far has been making close shots while allowing very few.

Hoop-Math.com's numbers list KU as the best layup/dunk defensive team in the nation, with opponents only making 43 percent of those shots. In addition, KU leads the country by blocking 30 percent of those close tries.

On the other end, the Jayhawks have thrived at getting layups and dunks, helped by strong transition play and good passing.
LJW


Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics (W, 103-91 vs. CLE)

40 points (13-16 FG, 6-7 3P, 8-8 FT), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover in 34 minutes
Jayhawks in the NBA


Marcus Morris played well in his 31 minutes of action with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and two 3-pointers against the Sixers.

He has made two 3-pointers in each of his three starts and logging 32.3 minutes per game over that stretch.
Link


LJW: KU athletes play up spirit of giving


@KU_Hoops


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

Texas guard Myck Kabongo will be suspended by the NCAA for the rest of the season, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

…In most impermissible benefits situations, players usually are suspended from three to 10 games and ordered to repay the amount of the benefits received. In this case, the penalty was made more severe because Kabongo provided inaccurate information to NCAA investigators when he was interviewed, sources with ties to Texas' basketball program said.

The season-long ban is consistent with the penalty applied to former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant in 2009 when he lied to the NCAA.
Yahoo Sports


Tyrus McGee couldn’t believe it, and neither could Fred Hoiberg, his coach.

Iowa State’s top perimeter sharp-shooter had a pair of airballs, of all things, during Wednesday morning’s practice. Thankfully for the Cyclones, it didn’t carry over to a 76-61 victory against Missouri-Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium.

McGee scored 17 of his 20 points during the second half as the Cyclones head to a holiday break with a 9-3 record.

“Tyrus was in one of those zones,” Hoiberg said of McGee, who was 5-for-6 from 3-point range during a second half in which Iowa State outscored the Kangaroos 46-32.
Link


Two days after missing a potential game-winning 3-pointer, UTEP’s Konner Tucker got a second chance in a big home game against an elite opponent Wednesday night.

This time Tucker drilled it.

The senior transfer’s shot with 13 seconds left in triple overtime against Oregon broke open a one-possession game and led the Miners to a 91-84 victory, almost exactly 48 hours after Tucker’s miss at the buzzer in a 62-60 loss to No. 21 UNLV.
Link


In his 15th season leading a Division I squad, Maryland men’s basketball Coach Mark Turgeon can diagnose physique issues with a quick glance. Point guard Pe’Shon Howard, for instance, was too bulky last season, putting unnecessary pressure on his surgically repaired right knee. Center Shaquille Cleare was too robotic in his movements. Others, such as center Alex Len, needed to add weight and become tougher. Simply put, the Terrapins needed sculpting.

So last spring, Turgeon laid out his vision for the program’s offseason workouts. And if Turgeon is the architect, Kyle Tarp is the builder.

...After graduating from UC Davis in 2006 with a degree in exercise biology, Tarp worked in the private fitness sector until graduate school at the University of Texas. In Austin, he studied under Todd Wright, college basketball’s first sport-specific strength coach, learning a nontraditional approach that emphasizes movement and fluidity over brute strength.

During his freshman season at Xavier, Dez Wells said he “lifted like football players.” But at Maryland, each exercise serves a basketball-specific purpose. There are no bench presses or hang-cleans meant solely to build brute strength. Instead, players jump with basketballs hooked to air-resistance machines to hone vertical explosiveness, and dribble medicine balls beneath low-hanging ropes to enhance lateral agility.

After practices, Tarp solicits intensity ratings from the players on a 1-to-10 scale and adjusts the ensuing weightlifting session accordingly. He’s the first strength coordinator Turgeon has ever seriously asked, “How do you think their legs are doing?” The better Tarp understands Turgeon’s system, the more effective his workouts will be.

“I think what Kyle has is common sense,” Turgeon said. “In the offseason, he goes full-bore. I tell him what I want. This kid has to do this, gain weight, lose weight, have a stronger base, his foot speed is slow. We sit down and talk about each kid, then he might see something I don’t see.”
Washington Post


2012-13 Early Season Events List


Big 12 Composite Schedule

After suffering a 62-55 loss Tuesday to the second-ranked team in the nation, Long Beach Poly (Calif.), the Tift County Blue Devils bounced back strong Wedneday.

Playing in their second game of the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., the Devils defeated Eagles Landing out of McDonough, 81-72.

Brannen Greene led the Devils with 26 points and four assists.
Tifton Gazette


Simeon basketball star Jabari Parker is set to make the announcement that everyone has been waiting for: which college will he attend? Parker, an All-American and the No. 2 rated senior in the country is deciding between Duke, BYU, Michigan State, Stanford and Florida.

He’s made visits to all five campuses -- unofficially -- and “official” visits to every school except Stanford.

He will make the announcement during a press conference on Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. on the campus of Simeon Career Academy.
NBC Chicago


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

All of this tuning up has Kansas somewhere close to perfect pitch.

The No. 9 Jayhawks thumped Richmond 87-59 Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse, which makes three straight games the Jayhawks have dominated at home. They had Jeff Withey intercepting passes, Perry Ellis slamming alley oops and Naadir Tharpe burying 3-pointers, which doesn’t leave much to polish before the Jayhawks head to Ohio State on Saturday.

Maybe the ball reversals could be a little crisper or something, but realistically, it’s time for the Jayhawks to bump up the difficulty level.

“We’ve done a good job holding serve at home and playing with energy,” coach Bill Self said. “Now we’ll find out how good we are.”

Colorado, Belmont and Richmond don’t necessarily represent a murderer’s row, but they aren’t a bunch of pushovers, either. All three conceivably could end up in the NCAA Tournament, and the Jayhawks (9-1) led each by at least 37 points en route to big blowouts at Allen Fieldhouse.

…“My teammates have been encouraging me in practice to just keep on shooting,” Tharpe said. “I knew I’m going to miss shots, because that’s basketball. When my teammates are encouraging me as well as my coach and they want me to keep on shooting, I know there’s a time when they’re going to fall.”

Self wants Tharpe to shoot 3-pointers, which might seem counterintuitive for a guy who was shooting 29 percent from behind the arc. Still, Self would rather see him shoot an open jumper than attempt to drive for a tougher shot.

“He gets confused,” Self said. “He wants to dribble in there amongst the giants and shoot over them as opposed to shooting an open 3. The highest-percentage shot for him is to shoot open jump shots, because he can shoot the basketball.”

…After three straight games like this, the Jayhawks are ready for another challenge.
“Let’s be serious,” Self said. “The season starts Saturday.”
TCJ


Elijah Johnson is not the type of player to look ahead. He’s a senior, and there’s practice tomorrow, and that means Kansas coach Bill Self will get after his team about defending and rebounding being tough. Yes, Self will probably say something about toughness.

So late Tuesday night, just about 30 minutes after Kansas had ripped through some more mid-major chum, Johnson said he wasn’t looking too far ahead. The Jayhawks still needed to arrive at practice and work today. There were issues to be sorted out, areas to improve.

No matter what lies ahead on Saturday afternoon: a heavyweight showdown with No. 7 Ohio State in Columbus; a rematch of last year’s Final Four clash; a chance for KU to finally go out and claim a signature victory.

“We got a couple more days,” Johnson said.

Then again, Johnson is also the type of player that understands what this Ohio State game means. This is Kansas, after all, and that’s why you come here, Johnson says, to going on the road and trade shots with another contender.”

“I think that’s what we do at Kansas,” Johnson said. “I feel like that’s the only thing we haven’t done. We played on a neutral floor, we’ve played at home. We’ve played great shooting teams, we’ve played good driving teams. I feel like the only thing we haven’t done is go to somebody else’s house and try to bring the pain.”

…On Tuesday, for the third straight game, Kansas outclassed an overmatched opponent, drilling Richmond 87-59 in a game that didn’t feel that close. Senior center Jeff Withey finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks as KU’s defense dismantled the Spiders for 40 minutes.

Johnson has a phrase for these games (“Just showing them what the Fieldhouse feel like,” he says.) But if Kansas gained something on Tuesday — other than more confidence — it came from the shooting stroke of sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe, who finished with 11 points off the bench and made three of his four three-pointers. Self says he’d like to cut down on Johnson’s minutes — maybe slice off three or four in the first half — but that largely depends on the development of Tharpe.

On Tuesday, for once, Self said Tharpe defended with the right amount of intensity.

“He guarded the ball harder,” Self said. “He got over ball screens; he was just more aggressive.”

Tharpe has always had the ability to shoot from deep. Mostly, though, he’s just lacked playing time and confidence. He entered Tuesday shooting just 28.6 percent (six of 21) from three-point range.
KC Star


Senior center Jeff Withey blocked four shots during Tuesday’s victory, surpassing former KU center Scot Pollard for fifth on Kansas’ all-time list. Withey entered the night with 215 career blocks, three behind Pollard, who sat on the baseline Tuesday while doing color commentary for a local Lawrence broadcast.

Withey now trails only Greg Ostertag (258), Cole Aldrich (253), Nick Collison (243) and Eric Chenowith (242), Nick Collison (243), Cole Aldrich (253) and the school leader Greg Ostertag (258).

“I think Jeff is a great player,” Pollard said. “He’s really come into his own, and doing what we’ve all wanted Jeff to do for years. And I wish him success. And I think he’s got a chance at (the record).”

Withey added 17 points and 13 rebounds to go along with his four blocks. Pollard, who had a lengthy NBA career after leaving Kansas, said he thinks Withey can carve out a long pro career as well.

“The one thing he can do,” Pollard said, “is be 7-foot-tall. And as we know, in the last few years, Jayhawks have been getting drafted and not playing a whole lot because their height has been exposed. Well, Jeff’s height cannot be exposed.”
KC Star


While Withey is not the dominant low presence that Thomas Robinson was last season, he has emerged as a key offensive cog for the Jayhawks, scoring in double-digits in five of the Jayhawks last six games.

Self said Withey is still getting easy baskets, but that his low post game is improving.

“He’s not a natural scorer yet, but he’s scoring the ball more naturally than he ever has since he’s been here,” Self said.

But while his offense is improving, he also added a new defensive element to the Jayhawks game by grabbing two steals.

At halftime, Self told Withey that he could take away the elbow from the Spiders.

Fourteen seconds into the half, Withey did just that, popping out and stealing the ball.

“A lot of times I let it go through because I’m worried about the pass game or not getting a foul. I just was being aggressive but coach told me to run through it. The first time I didn’t think they expected it at all, but then they did it again.”

Each time after getting the ball, Withey found an open Travis Releford racing down the court for the easy layup.

The steals quickly put to bed any thought the Spiders had of starting the half with a run to put them back in the game.
UDK


Kansas University sophomore Naadir Tharpe has some epic 1-on-1 battles with senior point guard Elijah Johnson at Jayhawk basketball practices.

“We get after each other way more than we get after other people,” Johnson said after watching Tharpe score a career-high 11 points while dishing three assists against no turnovers in KU’s 87-59 rout of Richmond on Tuesday in Allen Fieldhouse. “I don’t understand why we are doing that. We talked about it. It’s something we are fixing right now.”

Backup point guard Tharpe, who hit four of five shots including three of four from three, said he likes challenging himself while playing on the Red Team (second team) and going against the Blue Team starters.

“I’m trying to not put myself on the Blue Team as much. I need to go against these guys (like Johnson) and get ready for the game,” Tharpe said.

…Coach Bill Self said Tharpe had the “yellow light” not the green light as far as shooting the trey.
LJW

“I thought they were every bit as good as advertised,” Mooney said. “And we weren’t able to compete as well as we would’ve liked. ... I’m most impressed with how they share the ball. This level of player and recruit and things like that, and to share the ball so well and so easily is really impressive.”

Although they acknowledged how talented and tough a team KU fielded, the Spiders (9-3) said they most regretted how they let the game get out of hand so quickly, a fate suffered by the Jayhawks’ last three opponents.

“Just to come out with more energy,” said Richmond guard Darien Brothers, asked what he would change if he could do it all again. “We let them get on a couple of runs in the beginning, and we let that get to us.”
LJW


It’s not often 235-pounders like Withey can shuffle their feet quick enough to get in position for steals that lead to layups.

“Early in Jeff’s career, people wanted him to be a different type of player,” said Pollard, who joked that he is still “the best San Diegoan in KU history.” Both Withey and Pollard are from S.D.

“They wanted him to be a banger and mess people up inside. That’s never been Jeff’s game. He’s always played this way, he just didn’t know how to display it. Last year and this year he’s finally been able to play Jeff Withey-style basketball. As Jayhawk fans are seeing now, it’s a pretty effective way of playing basketball.”

KU coach Bill Self was impressed, noting: “There’s no question who the best player of the game was ... Withey was terrific, denying elbow passes and leading the break.”

Withey scored 11 points off 5-of-7 shooting and had eight boards the first half as KU stormed to a 39-18 lead and never felt threatened the second half.

“They played a weird defense, so a lot of times I got matched up with a guard on the post. That made it a lot easier,” Withey said.
LJW


McLemore is scoring 16 points a night while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. He’s shooting 48 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. He’s also good for at least one highlight-reel worthy dunk a game. He’s a standout athlete even by NBA standards.

Known mostly for his offense at this point, with his foot speed and length McLemore has all the tools to be just as good on the defensive end as well.

Referring to him as a freshman is a little bit deceiving because he is going to be 21 years old by the time of the 2013 NBA Draft. Oklahoma State freshman guard Marcus Smart, who is also a top-ranked guard from an NBA Draft perspective, will only be 19 by comparison.

That’s about the only negative you’ll hear about McLemore, though. The fact that he is as old as most juniors isn’t going to hold him back much. He’s improved since the beginning of the year and there are areas where he can definitely get better at, like with his ball handling and defense.

In fact, it’s not too early to rule McLemore out of the discussion for the top overall pick. With three months left before the tournament, there’s no reason why his ascent up the mock draft boards can’t continue.
hoopsworld


CBS Freshman of the Year: McLemore in 3rd

In Columbus, a main event that features No. 9 Kansas against a No. 7 Buckeyes squad seeking to avenge losses from a season ago in Allen Fieldhouse and in the Final Four in New Orleans, where giant rats ran around the press room like they owned the place.

Senior point guard Elijah Johnson, who left 16,300 tongues hanging with a wicked cross-over dribble that resulted in him setting up freshman Perry Ellis for an easy bucket, knows Kansas can’t prove itself without getting the job done away from the nation’s most significant homecourt advantage.

…How Withey’s defense and the team’s terrific ball movement at the other end withstand the hostility brought by the 19,200 spectators who will pack the Schottenstein Center will be revealed Saturday.

Regardless of the outcome, there is a great deal to like about the latest Kansas top 10 basketball team. For one, it seems drama-free. No bad body language. Nobody seeming to play favorites. No glory hogs. No ballhogs. Nobody comes off as if he is forcing the right words out of his mouth when saying nice things about a teammate.

When the team’s best player has an ego unaltered by the constant worship thrown the way of college basketball stars, that doesn’t hurt in developing strong team chemistry. When the best player so rapidly and constantly improves during his senior season, that challenges teammates to keep pace. Withey’s confidence is soaring and that of opponents withers at the sight of him.

Self sounds confident about his team, but not all of his curiosity about it has been satisfied.

“Now we can go up there and hopefully take a real enthusiastic team up there, hunker down, see how tough we are and find out a lot about ourselves,” Self said. “... We need to have a good three days of preparation and go up there feeling good about ourselves, but understanding that this is going to be a true test of where we are right now. Right now, even though we played better, I still don’t know. This will clear some things up for us.”
LJW Keegan


@KU_Hoops


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule



Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

When they needed it during the second half Tuesday night, Ohio State leaned on what the Buckeyes think will always be there: Deshaun Thomas' scoring and the defense of guards Aaron Craft and Shannon Scott.

After missing nine straight shots at one point, Thomas scored 10 points in less than three minutes. And the Buckeyes stopped Winthrop on 10 straight possessions thanks to their backcourt, with Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey calling Craft a “piranha” on defense. Eventually those two parts of the game paved the way for the No. 7 Buckeyes (9-1) to hold off the Eagles 65-55.

But with Ohio State getting ready to host No. 9 Kansas on Saturday, the first half and parts of the second half showed the Buckeyes at their worst, slacking on both ends of the floor and unable to generate any offense outside of Thomas, who was still desperate, and desperately needed by his team, to shoot despite going 2-for-9 in the first half.

Kelsey said the underdog Eagles (4-5) had to “muddy” the game and limit possessions, and they did.

“It's certainly not a work of art,” Kelsey said. “It looks like a tractor pull sometimes.”

After scoring 90 points and running and pushing the tempo almost at will in Saturday's win over UNC Asheville, the Buckeyes on Tuesday didn't know how to get out of the muck.
Link


For more than two decades now, John Lucas' Houston-based treatment program has gained national acclaim for helping athletes and coaches who have steered off path.

A former NBA star whose career was nearly derailed by substance abuse, Lucas has gained most of his fame for his attempts to rehabilitate sports figures struggling with drugs and alcohol.

Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu sought help from Lucas last fall following his dismissal from LSU's football team for repeated marijuana use. Lucas also has counseled college basketball coaches such as Strickland, Larry Eustachy and Billy Gillispie about issues relating to alcohol.

Lucas' program, however, isn't limited to people with chemical addictions.

After he was cut by the Washington Wizards last summer because of poor conditioning and work ethic, Andray Blatche spent three months in Houston, where Lucas helped him lose 20 pounds and regain focus. Former San Diego guard Brandon Johnson, one of the key figures in a point-shaving case at his alma mater, is working out at Lucas' gym this month along with ex-LSU point guard Tack Minor, who is having trouble catching on with a team overseas because he's also 20 pounds overweight.

While the program may seem like a haven for wayward souls, even athletes with no apparent off-court issues make pilgrimages each year to work out with Lucas, who also runs camps across the country for the nation's top high school prospects and prepares college stars each year for the NBA draft.
ESPN


2012-13 Early Season Events List


Big 12 Composite Schedule

Tift County (5-1), which got a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds from Kansas-bound forward Brannen Greene, trimmed the deficit under 10 points opening the fourth quarter but couldn’t overcome 26 personal fouls and 20 turnovers. Tadric Jackson added 20 points and five steals for Tift County.

“I thought we got some calls and missed some calls. It’s all part of the game,” said Tift County coach Eric Holland. “But overall we wouldn’t listen a lot of times. That’s been our main problem all year. So it’s good to get a loss when you don’t listen. Go back and regroup and maybe they’ll listen next time.”

Poly (62): Roschon Prince 6-13 4-7 17, Jordan Bell 5-12 9-10 19, Chris Sullivan 2-5 3-3 7, Ke’Jhan Feagin 0-1 0-0 0, Brandon Staton 3-8 6-8 12, Artis Parris 0-0 0-0 0, Kamari Hunter 0-0 0-0 0, Kameron Murrell 2-5 3-6 7, Josh Jackson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-44 25-34 62.

Tift County (55): Ladarius Stewart 1-4 1-2 3, Tadric Jackson 7-18 6-8 20, Brannen Greene 8-14 3-5 21, Rashawn Canady 3-4 1-1 7, Donell Tuff 2-4 0-1 4, Tyrek Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Gerald Pledger 0-0 0-0 0, Ali Vaughn 0-0 0-0 0, D.J. Bryant 0-1 0-0 0, Steven Waters 0-0 0-0 0, Montez Galmer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-45 10-14 55

LBP 14 16 17 15 — 62
Tift 16 8 11 20 — 55
News-Press


They all came to see Tyus — including me.

The Apple Valley High School gym was filled to the rafters Tuesday night. Days before the game, a sellout was expected. Nearly everyone wanted to see what the boy wonder, Apple Valley junior point guard Tyus Jones, could do against another one of the state's best teams.

Yet while we all came to see Tyus Jones, the nation's top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2014, we got to see him for all of six minutes. During that time he turned the ball over twice and failed to score a point before back spasms forced him to leave the game.
Link


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Andrew White remembers recruiting visits and pickup games on Richmond’s campus, which was located about 15 minutes from his hometown of Chester, Va.

“This staff probably recruited me harder than anybody ever has,” said White, a freshman guard at KU. “I had a great relationship with the staff.

“The unfortunate part of recruiting is calling the school you’re close with and telling them you’re not going there. I’m sure they understand that I had a good situation in both places.”

White knows better than any of his teammates what the Jayhawks will see when Richmond visits Allen Fieldhouse at 6 p.m. Tuesday. He got to know coach Chris Mooney during the recruiting process and estimated he was on campus twice a week for pickup games with the Richmond team.

As of Monday afternoon, Self hadn’t contacted him for any scouting pointers.

“He made it known that I know this team pretty well, but coach can handle the scouting report,” White said. “He’s pretty good at it.”
TCJ


Against Belmont, White debuted in a new role, playing the four spot in the offense when the Jayhawks decided to run the pick-and-pop offense.

White said although he’s playing at a forward position in the pick-and-pop, the style of play is similar to what he does as a guard and didn’t take much of an adjustment for him.

“Andrew is a good player, he’s one of the best shooters on our team,” Senior guard Travis Releford said. “So to see him out there with the confidence he has and the confidence coach has in him is a good sign for our team.”

…White doesn’t think he will have trouble focusing on Richmond, despite the Jayhawks having a highly anticipated rematch from last season’s final four against Ohio State on Saturday.

“I’ve been playing basketball long enough to know that every game has to be taken seriously. I’m not a player that just has the star power to look past anybody,” White said.

“Every game I play, I have to prove something to my coach. I’m going to have that same approach, just to do whatever I can to show my coach I can be out there on the court and I’m not a liability.”
UDK


Formerly coached by Jerry Wainwright, Richmond defeated KU, 69-68, in Allen Fieldhouse during Bill Self’s first season at KU. The Jayhawks stopped the Spiders, 77-57, on March 25, 2011, in an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game in San Antonio.

“I watched that game live (on TV),” White said of the NCAA contest. “KU had guys like the (Morris) twins, Brady (Morningstar) ... as a matter of fact, four weeks ago, before I even looked to this game, I watched that tape along with the VCU tape (KU’s 71-61 loss in Elite Eight) to see what was going on a couple years ago. I have a fresh memory of that Sweet 16 game in my head.”

White is coming off his finest outing of the season. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward scored a career-high 15 points off 6-of-8 shooting while playing 10 minutes of Saturday’s 89-60 rout of Belmont.

“I have a lot of confidence going into this game,” White said. “I always try to be confident. Just because I had a good shooting game doesn’t change a whole lot for me. If I get in, I’m going to go with the same approach, play as hard as I can and contribute on both ends of the court.”

Of White, KU coach Self said: “I think he can add some things to our team. He’s another weapon. He’s learning, growing. He’s a fabulous kid. He just wants to try to fit in and help. He’s a guy you can put in there, and if he makes a couple (threes), great. If not, he’s good enough in other areas he’s not going to hurt us. I need to play him more, to be candid.”
LJW


Travis Releford likes things subtle. That might be the best way to put it. He likes his moves crafty and unorthodox. He talks with the sort of understated efficiency that mirrors his game.

Kansas coach Bill Self likes to say that Releford, a senior guard, has an “old-man’s” game, the sort of stop-start, herky-jerky stuff that you see from the most resourceful guy in your Saturday pickup game.

“He doesn’t go fast,” Self said, “but he gets by people.”

So maybe that’s why the post-dunk staredown was so unanticipated. It came earlier this month, a few moments of unfiltered emotion in Kansas’ 90-54 victory over Colorado. Releford found himself on a fast break. Colorado’s Jeremy Adams hustled backward, timing his steps for the block. And Releford took off, skying above Adams and hammering home a one-handed dunk.

The momentum took him toward the baseline, right where a cameraman had positioned himself. And Releford made eye contact with the camera, unleashing a piercing death stare.

This was nothing subtle.

“A lot of people was giving me crap about it,” Releford said softly on Monday, shifting back toward his naturally quiet state. “So I just laughed at it.”

The moment, though, offered a little window into Releford’s transformation from junior role player to senior leader. After serving as a defensive stopper during KU’s NCAA Tournament run last season, Releford has emerged as an efficient cog in Kansas’ offense.

“I think it’s me just waiting my time,” said Releford, who also redshirted during the 2009-10 season.
KC Star


Red-shirt freshman guard Ben McLemore, who averages 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game, said Monday he won’t spend a minute thinking about possibly entering the 2013 NBA Draft during this current season.

“I’m just here focusing on college,” said McLemore, who is projected to be picked 17th in the first round by draftexpress.com and third by nbadraft.net. “It’s all I’ve been doing, focusing on school. The semester is over. Now I’m just focusing on basketball. I know a lot of people are talking about NBA. As far as me, I just strictly talk about basketball and school.”

McLemore’s brother, Kevin, is a senior guard at Normandy High in St. Louis.

Is Kevin being recruited by any major colleges?

“Not that I know of,” Ben said. “He’s getting looked at by small schools. He’s just started the season. Things can change.”

Wesley update: KU junior forward Justin Wesley, who broke his left pinkie finger at practice on Dec. 13, could return to action by Dec. 27, Self said.

“They’ll start taping his fingers together here in about two weeks,” Self said. Wesley has appeared in six of KU’s eight games and averages 5.8 minutes, 0.8 points and 1.7 rebounds.

Withey-mania: Fans can follow Jeff Withey’s progress this season at witheyblockparty.com. Withey has 50 blocks, an average of 5.6 blocks per game. He has 215 career blocks, 43 shy of tying Greg Ostertag’s KU record.
LJW


The Spiders (9-2), off to their best start since 1987-88, defeated Stetson 76-57 on Saturday for their fifth straight victory. They've been very good offensively in the last three, averaging 79.7 points and shooting 55.5 percent.

"We guarded it pretty well a couple of years ago in the Sweet 16," Self said of Richmond's Princeton-style offense. "We'll have to practice it for a couple of days and hopefully have some success and play well this next week to set up a good holiday break."

Three-point shooting could be key, as the Spiders are hitting 43.8 percent during their win streak after a 1-2 stretch during which they hit 25.9 percent.

Darien Brothers, who averages a team-best 14.8 points along with Derrick Williams, leads the way at 51.9 percent on 3s. He's 8 for 13 over the past two games.
Yahoo Sports AP


BOTTOM LINE: Kansas must avoid looking ahead to Saturday’s showdown with No. 7 Ohio State in Columbus. The Jayhawks are coming off two impressive performances at home. If senior Elijah Johnson continues his maturation at point guard, the Jayhawks should be able to handle Richmond with ease.
KC Star


Withey, the Jayhawks’ senior center, had five blocks in the team’s 89-60 victory over Belmont, each swat generating more force than the last, or maybe the crowd made it seem that way.

Whenever Withey rose up Allen Fieldhouse jumped with him. He has no reason to shout after a block, the roar of the crowd would make it impossible to hear anyways.

“It’s about as demoralizing a play for the other team,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

…Withey affects shot selection merely by standing on the floor, once he gets his arms moving he’s a whole other animal — an animal that hardly needs to jump to block a shot.

If you can’t see Withey setting up for a swat, the crowd will let you know. They live off every step he takes on defense, humming along until they see Withey get a step on his defender.

The Kansas faithful gasp and erupt at the same time, creating a sound only a Withey block could produce.

“It brings just as much energy as if someone went up and got a dunk,” Travis Releford said of the crowd. “They’re always going to be excited about it.”

Yes, as long as Jeff Withey is at Kansas the students will throw up the “W” sign with their hands and bow down to their beloved blocker.
UDK


KC Star: KU Chalkboard - Jayhawks still looking for tests


Columbus, Ohio (Kansas at Ohio State): Illinois-Missouri might have the whole rivalry thing covered, but Kansas-Ohio State is the marquee matchup of the weekend. Both teams look a good deal different from when the Jayhawks handled the Buckeyes in Lawrence last season, but there are plenty of familiar faces, too. Kansas will have to figure out how to stop Deshaun Thomas, while Ohio State's Aaron Craft will have his hands full defending against the Jayhawks' guards, including Elijah Johnson and bouncy freshman Ben McLemore. Keep an eye out for OSU's LaQuinton Ross, a talented sophomore who has picked up his scoring in recent weeks.
ESPN Weekly Look Around


@KU_Hoops


Kansas 2012-13 MBB Schedule


Kansas 2012-13 WBB Schedule

With the conference season just around the corner, the Big 12 Conference has debuted its basketball-themed public service announcements that will be broadcast during the league portion of the 2012-13 campaign.

The Conference has commissioned a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) that will be aired beginning in January. The PSAs deliver messages that continue to reinforce the strength, success and stability of the Big 12.

During each televised men's basketball conference game, the competing teams and their conferences receive one 30-second commercial segments that will be broadcast. This year, the Big 12 had added two basketball-specific commercials that highlight the athletic excellence of its programs. For the first time, the Conference PSAs use the men's basketball head coaches in individual spots. The creative director for the project was Ken Maxwell of Hill + Knowlton Strategies, the Big 12's public relations partner.

In addition to the two new men's basketball spots, previously produced commercials that highlight the member schools' academic achievements may be seen. Another PSA involving Special Olympics, a long-time Big 12 partner, will also be in the rotation.
Big 12 Sports


Before hiring Gary Williams in 1986, Ohio State reportedly sent a representative to Syracuse to meet with Boeheim. In 37 seasons as the Orange head coach, it's the only time Boeheim has been linked to a job outside the city.

On Monday night, Boeheim joined Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight as the only coaches in Division I Men's Basketball history to win 900 career games. Boeheim, 68, improved to 900-304 with a 72-68 win over Detroit at the Carrier Dome.

"Those are two of the great coaches of all-time," Boeheim told ESPN after the game. "I'm happy I've stayed along long enough to get to that point. I've won 900 games because of the coaches I've had all these years and players like these guys who've done so much."

The 74.8 winning percentage ranks higher than marks compiled by contemporary legends Jim Calhoun (70.3), Lute Olson (73.6), Pitino (72.9) and Knight (70.9).

In a profession marked by self-promotion and outsized egos, Boeheim has distinguished himself with his selflessness. A survivor of prostate cancer, Boeheim's work with Coaches vs. Cancer has helped raise more than $4.5 million for the American Cancer Society's Central New York chapter over the past dozen years. Boeheim and his wife, Juli, also support several other organizations, including the Children's Miracle Network, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Easter Seals and Special Olympics through their eponymous foundation. Still, the reticent Boeheim is reluctant to discuss any of his accomplishments -- whether it is on or off the court.

"The sooner we get through it, the better we'll be able to focus on the season,” Boeheim said of the milestone following his 899th career victory on Saturday night. “This team does not care about how many wins I have. They care about getting the next win. That's it. Everything else does not matter. It really doesn't.”
CBS


2012-13 Early Season Events List


Big 12 Composite Schedule