What a roller coaster of emotions in Lawrence, Kansas tonight. What seemed like sure defeat suddenly turned to euphoria for Jayhawk fans as Kansas stormed back, ending regulation on a 21-7 run, and then executing in overtime en route to an 84-80 victory over West Virginia. Let’s take a quick look back.
Crazy Stat of the Game: A combined five players fouled out, including three for Kansas. Granted, both West Virginia players that fouled out did so in desperation in overtime, but still five is a lot in one game.
Player of the Game: Frank Mason, Kansas. Little obvious here, but Mason willed his team to victory. On a night where his shooting was horrendous (3-13 from the field), Mason made himself valuable in other ways, finishing with 24 points, 16 of which came from the charity stripe, and 5 assists.
Unsung Hero: Landen Lucas, Kansas. Lucas was unstoppable on the boards all night, grabbing thirteen rebounds, including five offensive boards. Lucas did struggle from the free throw line, going a miserable 2-7, but more on that later.
There were a couple of boneheaded moves in the waning seconds of overtime. Nathan Adrian of West Virginia allowed an easy, uncontested rebound off of a Landen Lucas missed free throw to go through his arms, off his upper thigh and out of bounds, giving Kansas possession again. On the ensuing possession, Josh Jackson let his inexperience show, throwing a pass well over Frank Mason’s head, allowing for an easy put-back dunk by Adrian on the other end. Obviously West Virginia could not hang on, but Jackson’s momentary lapse almost cost Kansas.
Also, Kansas’ free throw shooting down the stretch has to be concerning correct? Come March, a weakness like that can lead to an early exit or a heartbreaking defeat. Bill Self and the 2008 Kansas team know this firsthand.
Three Takeaways:
- Even when they are bad, Kansas is still pretty damn good. As a team, the Jayhawks shot a paltry 34.4% from the field. Usually that means an ugly loss, but when you force 21 turnovers and shoot 75% from the free throw line, those mistakes are forgiven.
- Josh Jackson is starting to heat up. That is a scary thought. Tonight, despite 4-13 shooting, Jackson ended with 14 points and 11 rebounds. That gives Jackson his fifth double-double in his last six games, and impressive run by the highly touted freshman. Jackson also upped his season total to nine double-doubles, solidifying his status as one of the top NBA Draft prospects.
- Home court advantage is alive and well at Allen Fieldhouse. Yes, it is true, home court advantage still exists in Lawrence. Bill Self has only lost ten games at home during his almost fourteen years at Kansas. To put that in perspective, I once coached a rec basketball team that lost ten games in a row. But, I guess that is one of the differences between myself and Bill Self when it comes to successful coaching.
