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Sunday, March 24, 2013
KANSAS-NORTH CAROLINA
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L AWRENCE J OURNAL -W ORLD
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photos
KANSAS GUARD BEN MCLEMORE AND ANDREA HUDY, assistant athletic director for sport performance, watch the Colorado State-Louisville game as McLemore stretches in the locker room before the team’s practice Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
game earlier this year — he’s 506-163 in 20 seasons — today goes for his 300th victory in 10 seasons at KU. He’s 299-58. “There are good players on both teams,” Self said. The Tar Heels, in fact, start five McDonald’s All-Americans (guards Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston, Marcus Paige, Dexter Strickland and center James Michael McAdoo), while KU brings AllAmerican Perry Ellis off the bench. “They (teams) are tradition-rich, intertwined with coach (Dean) Smith playing on the (KU) 1952 national championship team and him being maybe as innovative and great a leader of a program we’ve ever seen at North Carolina and coach (Larry) Brown being a great player there and winning a national championship here. Coach Williams obviously had 15 great years here, now being the head coach there,” Self added. “There are some bitter rivalries out there, but I don’t see anything bitter about this at all. What’s unbelievable (is) in the tradition-rich years of both our programs, we’ve only played 10 times, and almost all have been in the NCAA Tournament. They (meetings) are few and far between, so I’m sure the fan base of both programs will enjoy the game.” UNC is 6-4 against KU all-time. Five of the meetings have come in NCAAs.
KANSAS PLAYERS ELIJAH JOHNSON, RIGHT, AND KEVIN YOUNG make their way to the team locker room before practice. Most fans remember the two games involving UNC coach Williams against his former school. KU won, 80-67, in last year’s Elite Eight in St. Louis and also prevailed, 84-66, in the 2008 Final Four semis in San Antonio. Self went 1-1 versus Williams’ Jayhawks when Self coached at Illinois. “I thought McAdoo was the best big guy in the game (last year). He’s a load,” Self said of 6-9 sophomore McAdoo (14.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg), who is the only big man in UNC’s four-guard lineup. “They are playing small with Hairston (6-5, 220 soph., 14.5 ppg) at the 4. He’s still a good-sized guy. They will try to take advantage of taking our bigs away from the basket. We have to take advantage of scoring the ball inside.” The two teams played to a 47-47 halftime tie a year ago. “I remember the second half coming out and creating some separation,” KU senior point guard Elijah Johnson said. “It was back-and-forth the whole
time. We finally got the separation we wanted.” McAdoo had 15 points and four boards in that game. Of KU’s returning players, Jeff Withey had the best game with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. “They have four guards, can stretch the floor. We can do that math, and we know how to go about it,” Johnson said. “We can also stretch the floor. I don’t think it (four-guard lineup) is something we haven’t seen. We also played Iowa State three times this year (and won three against the smaller, three-point-shooting Cyclones).” The Jayhawks, who edged No. 16-seed Western Kentucky, 64-57, in Friday’s second round, say they totally respect UNC, despite the 8 seed. A year ago, KU was seeded second and UNC first when KU prevailed. “That number doesn’t matter. It’s two teams, 10 players, and they’ve got to play,” Johnson said. The Jayhawks are extraenthused playing a tradition-rich program such as
Carolina. KU enters second in all-time victories with 2,100. UNC is third at 2,090, with Kentucky leading the pack at 2,111. “North Carolina and Kansas ... just seeing these two great programs and now being able to play at Kansas and play against another great program is what I’m looking forward to,” KU freshman Ben McLemore said. “I’m really excited about this game.” It was suggested he might have had a case of the jitters Friday when his NCAA debut resulted in 11 points, four turnovers and two assists. “Not at all. I definitely wasn’t nervous,” McLemore said. “My shots weren’t falling (2-of5), but I got to the line (7of-8) and got an alley-oop. I was trying to get in the game and help my team any way I could. I don’t want to rush anything, force anything, just play my game and have fun like I’ve been doing.” As far as today’s game, to be shown on CBS, Johnson said: “Yes, it’s a big game. It’s what you come to Kansas for. You don’t sit back and want it to happen. You’ve got to make it happen. “When coach offers you a scholarship, you know you come here to play against teams like this, the Dukes, the Carolinas, the Kentuckys. That there is enough. You’ve got to be ready to play. You get a chance to advance.” Today’s winner will advance to next Friday’s Sweet 16 and a game against Michigan at a yetto-be -determined time in Dallas.
North Carolina vs. Kansas Probable Starters No. 8 SEED N. CAROLINA (25-10) G — Reggie Bullock (6-7) G — P.J. Hairston (6-5) G — Marcus Paige (6-5) G — Dexter Strickland (6-3) C — James Michael McAdoo (6-9)
No. 1 SEED KANSAS (30-5) F — Kevin Young (6-8) C — Jeff Withey (7-0) G — Ben McLemore (6-5) G — Elijah Johnson (6-4) G — Travis Releford (6-6)
Tipoff: 4:15 p.m. today, Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo. TV: CBS (Knology Cable channels 5, 13, 205, 213)
Rosters NORTH CAROLINA 0 — Joel James, 6-10, 260, Fr., F, West Palm Beach, Fla. 1 — Dexter Strickland, 6-3, 180, Sr., G, Rahway, N.J. 2 — Leslie McDonald, 6-5, 215, Jr., G, Memphis. 3 — Wade Moody, 6-0, 175, Jr., G, Mount Airy, N.C. 4 — Luke Davis, 6-0, 172, Soph., G, Raleigh, N.C. 5 — Marcus Paige, 6-5, 157, Fr., G, Marion, Iowa. 11 — Brice Johnson, 6-9, 187, Fr., F, Orangeburg, S.C. 14 — Desmond Hubert, 6-9, 220, Soph., F, Cream Ridge, N.J. 15 — P.J. Hairston, 6-5, 220, Soph., G, Greensboro, N.C. 21 — Jackson Simmons, 6-7, 220, Soph., F, Webster, N.C. 22 — Frank Tanner, 6-4, 210, Sr., F, Charlotte, N.C. 25 — J.P. Tokoto, 6-5, 185, Fr., F, Menomonee Falls, Wis. 30 — James Manor, 6-6, 210, Jr., F, Carrboro, N.C. 34 — Denzel Robinson, 6-4, 215, Jr., F, Chapel Hill, N.C. 35 — Reggie Bullock, 6-7, 205, Jr., G, Kinston, N.C. 43 — James Michael McAdoo, 6-9, 230, Soph., F, Norfolk, Va. Head coach: Roy Williams. Assistants: C.B. McGrath, Steve Robinson, Hubert Davis.
KANSAS 1 — Naadir Tharpe, 5-11, 170, Soph., G, Worcester, Mass. 2 — Rio Adams, 6-3, 190, Fr., G, Seattle. 3 —Andrew White III, 6-6, 210, Fr., G, Richmond, Va. 4 —Justin Wesley, 6-9, 220, Jr., F, Fort Worth, Texas. 5 — Jeff Withey, 7-0, 235, Sr., C, San Diego. 10 — Evan Manning, 6-3, 170, Fr., G, Lawrence. 11 —Tyler Self, 6-2, 165, Fr., G, Lawrence 15 — Elijah Johnson, 6-4, 195, Sr., G, Las Vegas. 20 — Niko Roberts, 5-11, 175, Jr., G, Huntington, N.Y. 21 — Christian Garrett, 6-3, 185, Soph., G, Los Angeles. 23 — Ben McLemore, 6-5, 195, Fr., G, St. Louis. 24 — Travis Releford, 6-6, 210, Sr., G, Kansas City, Mo. 31 — Jamari Traylor, 6-8, 220, Fr., F, Chicago. 33 — Landen Lucas, 6-10, 240, Fr., F, Portland, Org. 34 — Perry Ellis, 6-8, 225, Fr., F, Wichita. 40 — Kevin Young, 6-8, 190, Sr., F, Perris, Calif. Head coach: Bill Self. Assistants: Joe Dooley, Norm Roberts, Kurtis Townsend.
Gary Bedore’s KU basketball notebook Jayhawks call team meeting Less than impressed with a seven-point victory over No. 16-seed Western Kentucky, Kansas University’s seniors conducted a players-only team meeting in the locker room Friday night. “We talked about not letting nerves get the best of us and talked about how this is our last go-round,” senior center Jeff Withey said. “Ben (McLemore, freshman) is probably going to go to the NBA, and we’re all seniors (other four starters). If some things went wrong, we could have been done. Our season would have been done, and we’d never played again at Kansas. We’ve got to be more intense and focused and not let nerves get the best of us.” Senior Elijah Johnson said the Jayhawks’ frame of mind will be fine for today’s 4:15 p.m., third-round game
against North Carolina in Sprint Center. “Be aggressive, have fun, not be uptight,” Johnson said. “Getting off to a good start. That starts in the morning when we wake up, having fun. You’ve just got to relax. It can be tough if you make it tough. Last night we made it tough.” KU coach Bill Self acknowledged his squad “tried hard. We were just tight. That game is behind us. I don’t think that game will have anything to do with how we play (against North Carolina) at all.”
personal milestone as much as a team thing and what it took to get there and all the players who have come through and all the players he’s had the privilege to coach. “I think he’s just trying to win another game in the NCAA Tournament, and not looking at it trying to get his 300th win.”
Press Western Kentucky forced 17 turnovers against KU on Friday, making some wonder if UNC will press the Jayhawks. “Well, I think we had op299 and counting portunities to dunk a couple Self’s next coaching vicballs if we could just play tory will be his 300th at KU. catch as opposed to being Earlier this year, he won his at second base and throw500th game. He is 506-163 ing it into the stands,” Self in 20 seasons overall, 299- said. “It was almost like 58 at KU. that. So we didn’t do a great “I highly doubt he is job against the pressure. aware of that,” said KU “Carolina will try to freshman guard Tyler Self, pressure us. I don’t know the coach’s son. “I don’t if Carolina will try to press think he looks at it as a us, but I think they’ll try
to pressure us. We got to get better getting open one pass away. We have to get better at passing and handling. Once you are better at that, you have to be better at attacking pressure and scoring behind the pressure. That’s something we didn’t do a good job of at all yesterday.” KU prepared for WKU’s press. “We practiced against seven or eight guys (at a time) last week and didn’t do a good job,” he said. “I think it’s something we can attack better and will attack better.”
Like the Cyclones? North Carolina has been compared to Iowa State in terms of running four guards around a big man. “Well, they don’t run the same stuff,” Self said. “I think personnel there are some similarities, except Carolina’s got a guy you can throw it to at 10 feet or
throw it to him at three feet (James Michael McAdoo), and you can come away with two points or a foul, where Iowa State liked to spread it all over, all five spots. “Certainly we haven’t played against a so-called 4-man that can stretch it and shoot it with the range that (P.J.) Hairston does, not at all. Iowa State did have some 4-men that could make threes, but this is ridiculous how he makes threes and how many he can make, what a streak he can get on. That’s a little bit different. But I do think the fact that we have played somebody that can stretch it from at least four spots at all times hopefully will be a benefit playing in the game tomorrow.”
Talent North Carolina has five McDonald’s All-Americans in its starting lineup. “I mean, that’s great,”
said KU’s Travis Releford, “but I don’t know. We’ve got one (Perry Ellis). I don’t know if that means anything. After McDonald’s, you’ve still got to prove yourself in college all over again.”
More from Friday In defeating Western Kentucky, KU won the school’s 2,100th game and became the first school in NCAA history to have won at least 30 games for the fourth straight season. Memphis won 30 for four straight seasons from 2006-09 but later vacated the 2008 season. Series talk UNC leads the all-time series against KU, 6-4. KU has won the last two meetings in the NCAA Tournament — 80-67 in last year’s Elite Eight in St. Louis and 84-66 in the 2008 Final Four semifinals in San Antonio.