More important, Kansas lived up to its own expectations after failing to do that the last two years. But it was in Sunday’s never-in-doubt win over UConn, a team that had never lost in the NCAA Tournament under coach Kevin Ollie, that the Jayhawks issued notice to the rest of the nation that they’re the team to beat in this edition of March Madness. It was another case of playing down to the competition, and in the case of the Hawaii game, the Terrapins had to come back to win. Sophomore point guard Melo Trimble continued his uneven play, connecting on only 1-of-7 shots from downtown yet still totaling 17 points.
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It was a very balanced offensive performance for the Terps.
Luckily for Maryland, three-point defense has been a strength most of the season.
Stone scored eight consecutive points to cut Maryland’s deficit to 16-15 with 7:11 left in the opening half.
Mason came through with so many big plays in the second half that he scored on accident.
Over the next eight or so minutes, the Jayhawks upped the intensity defensively. Kansas’ electric shooting and lock-down defense allowed it to build a lead as big as 16, which was also the final margin. In the end, the Terps just didn’t have enough.
Maryland has run hot and cold this season.
It’s all about the guards when it comes to the Jayhawks.
Lucas stands at 6’10 averaging 6.4 rebounds a game while Stone stands at 6’11 and averages 5 rebounds a game. He has a knack for attacking the rim and finishing once he arrives at the basket.
The Jayhawks managed a 36-34 lead at halftime after hitting 40.5 percent of their shots. The only matchup that the KU basketball team could lose this game is between Selden and Maryland’s Jake Layman, a senior small forward. If so, the game could be decided early depending on how head coach Bill Self is able to orchestrate his boys. “Let’s stay here another two, three days, “‘ Bragg said.
Kansas: Lucas achieved a double-double for the third consecutive tournament game….
Kansas went 5½ minutes without a field goal but fought back to take its first lead at 27-26 on two Devonte’ Graham free throws with 5:33 remaining in the half. Kansas decimated Maryland on the glass (43 to 28) and dished out 14 assists compared to nine for the Terps. His shooting percentage is down, and turnover averages are up. The teams then traded 6-2 runs with the Jayhawks making the last one for a slim edge, better than they could have expected after shooting 41 percent. However, the Terps do possess guards with size and forwards with a considerable amount of length.
Kansas started very strong and jumped out to a double-digit lead, but Juan doesn’t want to hear anything from Kansas fans who still think they should have won that game.
It took a little while for the blades to fully sharpen, but the Kansas buzzsaw eventually emerged Thursday night, cutting down Maryland’s chances of cutting down the nets. All the drama and insane finishes seemed to seize to exist for now as all the top ranked teams advanced to the elite 8. Junior forward Robert Carter Jr. also had eight.
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The problem for the Terps is that they don’t have the depth to match the Jayhawks.
