Wednesday night in Lawrence, Kansas was all about Sherron Collins, the winningest player in KU history playing his final game in Allen Field House. But it was also about Kansas finding their way to the form that’s makes them one of the top favorites to win the national title.
Just four days after delivering their worst performance of the season against a fired up Oklahoma State squad, the Jayhawks came back to slap down their in-state rival Kansas State in the biggest game between the two since their meeting in the regional finals in 1988.
With a deafening home crowd behind them, Kansas shook off a tough and talented Wildcat team and won going away 82-65. While the margin was a large one in the end, I still came away very impressed with K-State’s team and their ability to go deep into the NCAA tourney.
Guard play will usually take you a long way in the tourney, which is one reason both KU and K-State have a chance to go far. On a night when Collins went 1-9 in the first half and had the teams only two turnovers, the Jayhawks managed to win in large part because guards Tyshawn Taylor, Brady Morningstar and Tyrell Reed stepped up big. Morningstar made the biggest shot in the game when he hit a three after K-State had tied it in the second half. Kansas has the depth to overcome an off night from one of their guards.
K-State doesn’t. But Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente are a one two scoring punch from the guard spot that’s about as good as anyone in the country. When they’re hot, they can be devastating. But what Kansas exposed in the Wildcats was their failure sometimes to distribute the ball, as evidenced by just 4 assists in the game. K-State has the talent to put points on the board from the inside as well, but their guards have to distribute the ball and not just shoot.
The two schools have proven they’re the best in the Big 12 this season. Soon they’ll get the chance to show the rest of the nation just how good they are.
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