March 3, 2007: Jayhawks claim outright title after rallying past Texas, Durant

Athletic director Lew Perkins paraded around the Allen Fieldhouse court, gnawing on a fresh stogie.

Julian Wright and Darnell Jackson hoisted the Big 12 championship trophy while their teammates slipped on T-shirts commemorating their third straight league title. Russell Robinson waved to mom in the stands, Mario Chalmers high-fived fans behind the bench and Brandon Rush hugged Sherron Collins.

It was a celebration all right, yet still, in the back of his mind, Kansas coach Bill Self was already looking ahead as he stood atop a ladder and snipped away at the net.

“That’s not how it is with me,” Self said. “For me, now is when the real work begins.”

Self wasn’t the only one in Lawrence on Saturday looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament. Whether a fan or impartial observer, anyone who follows Kansas basketball has to be feeling good about the postseason following the Jayhawks’ 90-86 victory over Kevin Durant.

OK, it was actually the Texas Longhorns that fell victim to Kansas here Saturday. But it didn’t really feel that way after Durant scored 25 points in the opening half. The performance set the stage for a thrilling comeback by the Jayhawks, who fought back from a 16-point deficit.

Kansas concluded the Big 12 season with a 14-2 record, meaning the Jayhawks won the crown outright over Texas A&M, 13-3, and Texas, 12-4. KU had to settle for being conference co-champions in 2005 and 2006.

“This time,” guard Brandon Rush said, “we didn’t want to share it with anyone.”

No one can say the Jayhawks didn’t earn their hardware. Not after Saturday, when Kansas staved off one of the more jaw-dropping efforts in recent Allen Fieldhouse memory.

The Longhorns connected on 57.1 percent of their field-goal attempts in the first half and hit 11 of 14 three-pointers. During one stretch Texas made 12 straight shots. All of it led to a 54-42 deficit for KU at intermission.

“Those guys must’ve been on something,” Rush said. “I thought (Durant) was going to have 50 at halftime.”

Kansas, though, got back in the game with a 17-4 run opening the second half. Darrell Arthur’s layup with 13 minutes left made it 66-65, and Kansas never trailed again. The Jayhawks outscored Texas 48-32 and shot 54.5 percent after intermission.

“This was a great stage, a perfect setup,” KU guard Russell Robinson said. “Winning the Big 12 at home on national television -- and doing it against a team that’s hot with a great player. We had to take advantage of it. There was no way we could let that slide and end up sharing (the title) with two other teams.”

The game was played at such a high level that fans actually applauded for Durant when he emerged from the locker room after being treated for an ankle sprain in the second half. They wanted him back in the game, simply because he made it better.

Durant and A.J. Abrams made back-to-back three-pointers that shaved KU’s lead to 88-86 with 27 seconds left. Julian Wright split a pair of free throws on the other end and made it 89-86.

Moments later, Wright blocked what would’ve been a game-tying three-pointer by Texas’ D.J. Augustin. The ball ended up in the hands of Robinson, who secured the win with a foul shot that made it 90-86 with 5 ticks remaining.

“Winning a game like this shows you that even when you’re down, you’re not out,” said Self, whose squad is 27-4 overall. “Winning (this title) is pretty special.

“The league is better. Texas is comparable to where they were last year. A&M is a lot better. K-State and Texas Tech are capable of beating anyone. Oklahoma State is talented. There are a lot of good teams in this league.”

None of them, though, is playing as well as the Jayhawks, who will take an eight-game win streak into this week’s Big 12 tournament. Kansas hasn’t lost since a Feb. 3 setback against Texas A&M.

“Ever since that loss, we never worried about what other teams were doing,” Wright said. “We just kept winning and kept focusing on the next game, because we knew we controlled our own destiny.”

Wright and Robinson each scored 17 points for Kansas, while Mario Chalmers had a team-high 21. Durant (32 points) and Augustin (19) were the top performers for Texas, which fell to 22-8 overall.

Along with giving Kansas the Big 12 title, Saturday’s win also increased Kansas’ chances of earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe then, Self will have another chance to stand atop a ladder.

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Self said, “but based on how we performed the last several weeks, I think we’ll play well (in the tournament). Cutting down the nets today was great, but it will mean a lot more if we have a couple more net-cutting ceremonies before it’s all finished.”

This story was originally published March 4, 2007 at 12:00 AM with the headline "March 3, 2007: Jayhawks claim outright title after rallying past Texas, Durant."