Post by MizzouTiger on Feb 2, 2008 11:22:23 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/166/story/471810.html
KU aims to turn up the defensive pressure against Colorado
By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star
BOULDER, Colo. | A night of uncharacteristic moments for the Kansas Jayhawks finished with yet another.
Russell Robinson, a senior point guard and team spokesman of sorts, brushed past reporters after Wednesday night’s 84-75 loss to Kansas State without saying a word. And it wasn’t because he didn’t have anything to say.
“I was upset,” Robinson explained Thursday, a day removed from No. 2 KU’s first loss of the season. “I didn’t want any emotions to come out, so I tried to run away.”
Robinson, of course, couldn’t run away from his or his team’s problems. Personally, he had what could only be described as a tough outing, shooting one for eight from the field and allowing K-State freshman Jacob Pullen to run by him all evening. As for the team, well, KU lost control in a hostile environment and didn’t show the experience it has gained since last year’s Elite Eight loss to UCLA.
“I was real shook up,” Robinson said. “I was stunned more than anything. We’ve been finding ways to win, even when we play bad. We’re very mature, and we showed our maturity throughout the season. It was stunning to go into a game of that magnitude and not perform at the level we’re capable of performing at.”
Seniors take losses harder, but it’s also their job to figure out what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Robinson knows that the root of the Jayhawks’ problems defensively began with the lack of pressure applied to K-State’s supposedly overmatched guards. KU coach Bill Self made that pretty clear during a long Thursday film session.
“Last night,” Self said, “our pressure was nonexistent.”
The Jayhawks forced only three turnovers from K-State’s principal ball handlers and 13 overall. For the year, on the road, KU is forcing 14.3 turnovers per game compared with 19.2 at Allen Fieldhouse. Self said it takes more energy to pressure on the road, where players’ emotions aren’t fueled by the home crowd.
“Whenever we haven’t played good defense,” Self said, “the ball just moves wherever it wants to go whenever it wants to do it. When we play great defense, we take a lot of that away. If you look at our road games so far, we haven’t been a team that creates a lot of havoc.”
Today’s 2:30 p.m. game at Colorado will present KU with a chance to reverse that trend. While a match against the Buffaloes, 9-11 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12, may look like a mile-high afternoon nap, the Jayhawks can’t afford to snooze defensively again. Kansas now trails K-State by a game in the standings, and Self doesn’t see the Wildcats losing many.
“I think the Big 12 race is one in which Kansas State is, without question, in the driver’s seat,” Self said. “They’ve beaten us. They’ve already played (Texas) A&M. They have Texas coming to their place. In all honesty, I say their road is probably easier than the other guys’ road trying to catch up.”
The Jayhawks may be playing from behind now, but Robinson isn’t worried. He’s calm again, and he even thanked K-State for helping to uncover KU’s flaws.
“We gotta pressure on the road,” Robinson said. “When we’re playing our best is when we pressure. It’s an intensity thing. It’s an energy thing. It’s always tough on the road, but we’ve got to find a way.”
KU aims to turn up the defensive pressure against Colorado
By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star
BOULDER, Colo. | A night of uncharacteristic moments for the Kansas Jayhawks finished with yet another.
Russell Robinson, a senior point guard and team spokesman of sorts, brushed past reporters after Wednesday night’s 84-75 loss to Kansas State without saying a word. And it wasn’t because he didn’t have anything to say.
“I was upset,” Robinson explained Thursday, a day removed from No. 2 KU’s first loss of the season. “I didn’t want any emotions to come out, so I tried to run away.”
Robinson, of course, couldn’t run away from his or his team’s problems. Personally, he had what could only be described as a tough outing, shooting one for eight from the field and allowing K-State freshman Jacob Pullen to run by him all evening. As for the team, well, KU lost control in a hostile environment and didn’t show the experience it has gained since last year’s Elite Eight loss to UCLA.
“I was real shook up,” Robinson said. “I was stunned more than anything. We’ve been finding ways to win, even when we play bad. We’re very mature, and we showed our maturity throughout the season. It was stunning to go into a game of that magnitude and not perform at the level we’re capable of performing at.”
Seniors take losses harder, but it’s also their job to figure out what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Robinson knows that the root of the Jayhawks’ problems defensively began with the lack of pressure applied to K-State’s supposedly overmatched guards. KU coach Bill Self made that pretty clear during a long Thursday film session.
“Last night,” Self said, “our pressure was nonexistent.”
The Jayhawks forced only three turnovers from K-State’s principal ball handlers and 13 overall. For the year, on the road, KU is forcing 14.3 turnovers per game compared with 19.2 at Allen Fieldhouse. Self said it takes more energy to pressure on the road, where players’ emotions aren’t fueled by the home crowd.
“Whenever we haven’t played good defense,” Self said, “the ball just moves wherever it wants to go whenever it wants to do it. When we play great defense, we take a lot of that away. If you look at our road games so far, we haven’t been a team that creates a lot of havoc.”
Today’s 2:30 p.m. game at Colorado will present KU with a chance to reverse that trend. While a match against the Buffaloes, 9-11 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12, may look like a mile-high afternoon nap, the Jayhawks can’t afford to snooze defensively again. Kansas now trails K-State by a game in the standings, and Self doesn’t see the Wildcats losing many.
“I think the Big 12 race is one in which Kansas State is, without question, in the driver’s seat,” Self said. “They’ve beaten us. They’ve already played (Texas) A&M. They have Texas coming to their place. In all honesty, I say their road is probably easier than the other guys’ road trying to catch up.”
The Jayhawks may be playing from behind now, but Robinson isn’t worried. He’s calm again, and he even thanked K-State for helping to uncover KU’s flaws.
“We gotta pressure on the road,” Robinson said. “When we’re playing our best is when we pressure. It’s an intensity thing. It’s an energy thing. It’s always tough on the road, but we’ve got to find a way.”