The Kansas Jayhawks had some close games in their run to the final four but in the end they found a way to win and that is all that matters. Below is a recap of Kansas’s wins in the tournament to get to New Orleans.
Second Round
Kansas- 65 Detroit-50
-Thomas Robinson was once again unstoppable inside. He finished this game with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
- Elijah Johnson finished with 15 points including 3 three’s.
- Tyshwan Taylor also finished with 10 points and Jeff Withey had 9 rebounds.
- The Jayhawks played outstanding defense holding Detroit to 32 % shooting from the field.
-The Jawhawks did have some negatives in this game. They were outrebounded and had more turnovers than assists.
Third Round
Kansas-63 Purdue-60
-Kansas was down most the game but they just found a way to win in the end, that’s what good teams do.
-Kansas star’s Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor did not have their best games. Robinson had 13 rebounds but he just finished 2 of 12 from the field. Taylor finished with 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting.
- Kansas outrebounded Purdue by 3. The Jayhawks also had 15 offensive rebounds. If they want to go far they will have to shoot better.
- One player who really stepped it up for Kansas was Elijah Johnson. He finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. He also made 3 three’s.
Sweet 16
Kansas-60 NC State-57
-The story of this game was the play of the Kansas big men and the defense of Kansas.
- Thomas Robinson had another monster game with 18 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Six of those rebounds were offensive. Robinson did only shoot 7 of 17 from the field and 4 of 9 from the free throw line. So he left a lot of points out there.
- Jeff Withey only had 8 points and 5 rebounds but his impact on this game was with block shots. Withey, the Big 12 defensive player of the year finished the game with 10 blocks. NC State just kept on trying to go at Withey with no success.
- The Jawhawks won this game because of defense. NC State only shot 28 % from the field, and from three. In three NCAA tournament games Kansas opponents are only shooting 33 % (59-180) from the field. That is great defense. Even if they are struggling on offense they can also count on their defense. The Jayhawks forced 14 turnovers.
- Kansas star point guard Tyshawn Taylor really struggled in this game. He finished with 6 points on 2 of 14 shooting. He was also just 2 of 5 from the free throw line. Taylor also committed 5 turnovers. He did however impact the games in other ways. He did finish with 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. If Kansas wants to go to the final four he needs to play a lot better.
-Elijah Johnson continued his hot play with 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting. He also added 3 assists.
- Travis Releford had 7points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. While Conner Teahan and Kevin Young each had 5 points off the bench
- They Jayhawks need to shoot better. They were just 1 of 14 from three and 11 of 20 from the charity strike.
Elite 8
Kansas-80 North Carolina-67
- Kansas was up 68-67 with about 3:30 minutes left, and all they did to finish the game was go on a 12-0 run. After allowing 47 points in the 1st half the Kansas defense really turned it up in the 2nd half only allowing 20 points. A major reason for this was the triangle and two defense Bill Self used. What a great coaching move.
- The story of this game was Kansas star point guard Tyshawn Taylor, who was really struggling coming into this game. Last game he was 2 of 14 from the floor. Against UNC Taylor finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Talk about filling out the box score.
- Thomas Robinson was his usual dominant self-finishing the game with 18 points and 9 rebounds. He even hit a three in this game. After struggling at the free throw line last game Robinson was a prefect 5 for 5 in this game. Robinson could shoot a higher percentage, as he was only 6 of 16 from the field.
- Jeff Withey had a huge game; he finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. He was 5 of 5 from the field and 5 out of 6 from the free throw line. However, he made his impact on the defensive end. He really shut down Tyler Zeller and John Henson. The two only combined to score 22 points.
- Travis Releford finished with 11 points but his biggest impact on the game was defense. He held Harrison Barnes to 5 of 14 shooting and really frustrated him at times.
- Elijah Johnson was only 3 of 11 from the field but he hit a clutch three late that put the game away. Johnson also had 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
- Kevin Young only had 2 points but he brought down 8 rebounds. Four of those rebounds were offensive.
- The Jayhawks out rebounded the best rebounding team in the nation by 10. They also took care of the ball only committing 8 turnovers.
- North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller great career has come to an end. He finished this game with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
- You can play the what if game but if Kendall Marshall played in this game I think the Tar Heels would have won. Without Marshall, the best passer in the game, the Heels had no one who could penetrate the lane. Barnes really needs Marshall without him he really struggles. Don’t forget besides Marshall UNC also lost two guards for the rest of the season. The injury bug continued for UNC in this game as John Henson sprained his ankle. Henson already had a sore wrist in this game.
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Tags: Kansas