| Can Kansas find switch to win it all? |
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| Sports | |||
| Written by Gene Morris | |||
| Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:00 | |||
No one really knows if the University of Kansas men’s basketball team, fresh off its third victory against rival Kansas State for another Big 12 tournament championship, will get it done in the NCAA tournament and win its second national title in three years.  Obviously, Kansas could go all the way with its dramatic one-two punch of lightning quick guard Sherron Collins and the big man inside, Cole Aldrich. What is really scary? The No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks (32-2) have yet to play their best basketball. They have lapses in games that would sink the likes of Kentucky, Syracuse and Duke. Kansas could not make a shot inside the paint early against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, missing 11 baskets from point-blank range, including layups and dunks. Yet, with six minutes to go, and Texas Tech trailing by just two points, 65-63, the Kansas Jayhawks did what they have been able to do all season — find the on switch and flip it. Collins and Xavier Henry hit consecutive 3-pointers for the Jayhawks and Kansas finished the game on a 15-5 run to secure an 80-68 victory in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday. It was no ordinary win, either, notching the 2,000th in the program’s storied basketball tradition as Kansas became only the third school in history to accomplish the feat, joining Kentucky and North Carolina. Texas A&M, ranked No. 23 in the country, took a three-point, 38-35, lead against Kansas in the semifinals. For 20 minutes, it looked like this might be a basketball game — a real test for the Jayhawks. The Aggies lead grew to as many as nine points early in the second half. And, then ... Someone found that switch again. Kansas turned it on. Texas A&M got hit with a Kansas zone and never found its rhythm, going through a nine-minute bucket drought as the Jayhawks reeled off a 21-2 run to turn off the lights. The very next day, the Kansas Jayhawks had to play its rival, Kansas State Wildcats, ranked No. 9, and beat them a third time. One of the hardest things to do in a season is beat a team three times. Check. Been there. Done that. Kansas may have yet to play a complete game, but the Jayhawks know how to finish a basketball game and turned the Wildcats back for a 72-64 victory, claiming the Big 12 championship Saturday evening. No big deal. This tournament title just sets the stage for another run at the prize — the national crown. Question is, can the Kansas Jayhawks really go all the way without hitting on all cylinders for a game and putting 40 minutes of basketball together? If they have scoring droughts inside and go through the motions allowing opponents to build nine-point leads, one also has to ask, where is that switch and will the Jayhawks be able to find it in the NCAA Tournament when they need it? As good as they have been finishing games, one also has to wonder, is any lead safe against Kansas? I think not. And, I grew up in Missouri.
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