NORMAN, Okla. | No need for an asterisk if the Jayhawks hold on to this lead.Their 87-78 victory at Lloyd Noble Center over the third-ranked, Blake Griffin-less Oklahoma Sooners was impressive enough, gutsy enough and thrilling enough to justify a Big 12 regular-season title.There will be no apologies issued for Kansas’ 12-1 conference record, one-game advantage with three to play and damn-good shot at a fifth straight championship.The cliché is true: You have to knock out the champ. You don’t unseat Muhammad Ali on the judges’ scorecard. No one cares about fluke injuries and mitigating circumstances.Oklahoma, 25-3 and 11-2, stepped into the ring Monday night with plenty of swagger and determined to prove it was more than a one-man team. For 11 minutes, the Sooners absolutely did not need Griffin, college basketball’s best player, who watched in street clothes, still shaken from a concussion suffered in Oklahoma’s loss at Texas.Relying on one-on-one plays, fancy dribbling, aggressive forays to the hoop and feathery shooting from beyond the arc, the Sooners jumped to a 22-8 lead. They dripped with confidence that bordered on arrogance. Willie Warren and Tony Crocker played as if their Kansas defenders were physically overmatched.Warren’s and Crocker’s boldness turned infectious. Soon, everyone on the Oklahoma roster went one-on-one at the offensive end. The normally efficient Sooners turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and imploded offensively the final 9 minutes of the half.Kansas coach Bill Self helped fuel the implosion by pulling Brady Morningstar off Warren and putting point guard Sherron Collins on the Sooners’ top weapon. Oklahoma’s offense ground to a near-complete halt. Kansas outscored the Sooners 28-7 the rest of the half.The Kansas onslaught continued in the second half. The Jayhawks built a 58-38 lead midway through the second half. The Sooners rallied down the stretch behind the three-point shooting of two little-used subs — Cade Davis and Omar Leary — but eventually Collins’ late-game three-point shooting buried the Sooners.As much as the Sooners would like to blame their two-game skid on Griffin’s absence, their collective rag-tag play contributed greatly to the loss at Texas and Monday’s defeat.Kansas’ composure separated the two squads on Monday. The Jayhawks — Sherron Collins in particular — played like a team that knows how to and expects to win conference championships.They fed off the angry crowd. They avoided any panic when things started poorly. And they rode their hot hands in each half. Tyshawn Taylor scored 16 points in the first half and finished with 26 for the game. Collins scored 22 points after the break and 26 for the game. In the second half, Collins drained five of six three-point attempts.Other than last year’s national championship game — when Collins outplayed Derrick Rose — Monday’s performance was his best and most important as a Jayhawk.Cole Aldrich was unable to exploit Griffin’s absence. Aldrich’s jump hook wasn’t working. The Sooners’ bigs were athletic enough to contest Aldrich’s post game. The Sooners also had little trouble eliminating Morningstar and Tyrel Reed as threats on both ends of the court. Warren, Crocker and Austin Johnson blew by Morningstar and Reed at Oklahoma’s offensive end and crawled inside Morningstar’s and Reed’s jerseys at the other end.Kansas desperately needed big nights from Collins and Taylor. They delivered in heroic fashion.Why apologize? Why pretend that luck — Griffin’s injury — is the reason Kansas sits atop the Big 12 standings?It’s not luck. It’s what the Jayhawks do with Bill Self as coach. They own the Big 12. He’s the best coach in the conference.Now the race isn’t settled. The Missouri Tigers and the Texas Longhorns will both travel to Allen Fieldhouse in March. They’re both capable of beating Kansas. I don’t expect it. There’s no reason to.It appears the Hawks won their fifth straight regular-season title Monday night. Are they better than Oklahoma? Not when the Sooners have Griffin. But no one is going to remember or care about that when they look at the conference record book.

Posted on Mon, Feb. 23, 2009 10:15 PM

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No asterisk for this Kansas win

By JASON WHITLOCK

The Kansas City Star

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NORMAN, Okla. | No need for an asterisk if the Jayhawks hold on to this lead.

Their 87-78 victory at Lloyd Noble Center over the third-ranked, Blake Griffin-less Oklahoma Sooners was impressive enough, gutsy enough and thrilling enough to justify a Big 12 regular-season title.

There will be no apologies issued for Kansas’ 12-1 conference record, one-game advantage with three to play and damn-good shot at a fifth straight championship.

The cliché is true: You have to knock out the champ. You don’t unseat Muhammad Ali on the judges’ scorecard. No one cares about fluke injuries and mitigating circumstances.

Oklahoma, 25-3 and 11-2, stepped into the ring Monday night with plenty of swagger and determined to prove it was more than a one-man team. For 11 minutes, the Sooners absolutely did not need Griffin, college basketball’s best player, who watched in street clothes, still shaken from a concussion suffered in Oklahoma’s loss at Texas.

Relying on one-on-one plays, fancy dribbling, aggressive forays to the hoop and feathery shooting from beyond the arc, the Sooners jumped to a 22-8 lead. They dripped with confidence that bordered on arrogance. Willie Warren and Tony Crocker played as if their Kansas defenders were physically overmatched.

Warren’s and Crocker’s boldness turned infectious. Soon, everyone on the Oklahoma roster went one-on-one at the offensive end. The normally efficient Sooners turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and imploded offensively the final 9 minutes of the half.

Kansas coach Bill Self helped fuel the implosion by pulling Brady Morningstar off Warren and putting point guard Sherron Collins on the Sooners’ top weapon. Oklahoma’s offense ground to a near-complete halt. Kansas outscored the Sooners 28-7 the rest of the half.

The Kansas onslaught continued in the second half. The Jayhawks built a 58-38 lead midway through the second half. The Sooners rallied down the stretch behind the three-point shooting of two little-used subs — Cade Davis and Omar Leary — but eventually Collins’ late-game three-point shooting buried the Sooners.

As much as the Sooners would like to blame their two-game skid on Griffin’s absence, their collective rag-tag play contributed greatly to the loss at Texas and Monday’s defeat.

Kansas’ composure separated the two squads on Monday. The Jayhawks — Sherron Collins in particular — played like a team that knows how to and expects to win conference championships.

They fed off the angry crowd. They avoided any panic when things started poorly. And they rode their hot hands in each half. Tyshawn Taylor scored 16 points in the first half and finished with 26 for the game. Collins scored 22 points after the break and 26 for the game. In the second half, Collins drained five of six three-point attempts.

Other than last year’s national championship game — when Collins outplayed Derrick Rose — Monday’s performance was his best and most important as a Jayhawk.

Cole Aldrich was unable to exploit Griffin’s absence. Aldrich’s jump hook wasn’t working. The Sooners’ bigs were athletic enough to contest Aldrich’s post game. The Sooners also had little trouble eliminating Morningstar and Tyrel Reed as threats on both ends of the court. Warren, Crocker and Austin Johnson blew by Morningstar and Reed at Oklahoma’s offensive end and crawled inside Morningstar’s and Reed’s jerseys at the other end.

Kansas desperately needed big nights from Collins and Taylor. They delivered in heroic fashion.

Why apologize? Why pretend that luck — Griffin’s injury — is the reason Kansas sits atop the Big 12 standings?

It’s not luck. It’s what the Jayhawks do with Bill Self as coach. They own the Big 12. He’s the best coach in the conference.

Now the race isn’t settled. The Missouri Tigers and the Texas Longhorns will both travel to Allen Fieldhouse in March. They’re both capable of beating Kansas. I don’t expect it. There’s no reason to.

It appears the Hawks won their fifth straight regular-season title Monday night. Are they better than Oklahoma? Not when the Sooners have Griffin. But no one is going to remember or care about that when they look at the conference record book.

To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.

Posted on Mon, Feb. 23, 2009 10:15 PM

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