SportsLine.com Report
March 19, 2000

Round 2: Duke fights off late Jayhawk rally

Eigth-seeded teams generally aren't supposed to do what Kansas did to Duke. That is, scare them. Scare them silly. Jump out to an early lead and rally for a late one.

Yet, that's all it was. A scare.

Duke overcame a hot start and a furious finish by Kansas to post a 69-64 victory and move into the Sweet 16. The loss meant Kansas would not be in the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year -- the longest draught since the Jayhawks missed four in a row from 1982 to 1985.

Kirk Hinrich got things started on the right note for the Jayhawks, scoring 11 of his 12 points in the first six minutes, giving Kansas a nine-point lead early on. Duke eventually would reel them back in, taking a brief lead before eventually settling for a tie at the intermission.

After trailing much of the second half, Kansas took a 64-63 advantage on a Nick Bradford three-point play with 1:18 to play.

But then Duke's Carlos Boozer took over. He tipped in an errant shot on the next trip down court to give Duke the lead again, 65-64.

Then with about 30 seconds to go, the Jayhawks trailed by 65-64 when Boozer flicked away a Jeff Boschee pass near midcourt, setting up a pair of Chris Carrawell free throws that sealed the game.

Shane Battier collected 21 points, eight rebounds and eight blocked shots for Duke, which improved to 3-1 against the Jayhawks in NCAA Tournament play. The first three NCAA battles between the schools occurred in the national semifinals or championship game.

The previous NCAA Tournament clashes between the teams has made for a heated cross-country rivalry, with Krzyzewski and Kansas coach Roy Williams exchanging words midway through the first half. Williams, who was born in Spruce Pine, N.C., played and coached at North Carolina.

How They Got There

After earning an automatic NCAA Tournament bid by winning the Big 12 Tournament in each of the conference's first three seasons, Kansas made it in as an at-large entry. After beating Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, the Jayhawks had their lunch eaten by Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals, 77-58.

The Jayhawks won four of their final five games in the regular season to ensure an 11th consecutive season of 21 or more victories and solidify their claim to the at-large bid into an 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Starting Lineup

• G Kirk Hinrich (6-3, 180, Fr.): Hinrich became the starting point guard in early February and has been on the court more than any Jayhawk down the stretch. His ability to deal with pressure was reflected in his hitting two free throws in the final 12.9 seconds of an 83-82 victory against Missouri.
• G Jeff Boschee (6-1, 185, So.): Being the Jayhawks' only 3-point shooting threat wore on Boschee, who moved from the point when Hinrich became a starter. Even so, he has shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range, after hitting over 50 percent early in the season.
• G Kenny Gregory (6-5, 205, Jr.): Gregory was a mid-season candidate for the John Wooden Award. Despite being the team's leading scorer, however, he hasn't played to that level. He has shot over 50 percent from the field, but less than 50 percent from the free throw line.
• F Nick Collison (6-9, 240, Fr.): Collison has been among the most consistent of the Jayhawks, starting from the beginning of the season. The only game he and Gregory have not started was the final home game, when Williams went with four seniors and Hinrich.
• F Drew Gooden (6-9, 221, Fr.): Gooden was chosen to the Big 12 All-Bench team, starting only four games during the regular season. Even so, he led the team in rebounding. His inconsistency and defensive lapses have been a source of consternation for Williams. He can be a dominating presence, however, as indicated by his 20 points and 13 rebounds in the Missouri rematch. His board work earned him a place on the SportsLine.com Freshman All-American team.

Keys to Success

Freshmen Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich have to be able to handle the tournament pressure, with Gooden, in particular, stepping up. The Jayhawks were the best rebounding team in the Big 12, by far, out-rebounding conference opponents by an average of nearly seven per game.

The Jayhawks' free-throw percentage was among the worst in the conference, and certainly not good enough to be successful in the NCAA Tournament. They'll have to do a better job. Also, their 3-point shooting was the worst in the Big 12.

The Coach

Roy Williams has had to deal with the considerable pressure of the tradition at Kansas during his 12th season with the program. He was so frustrated during a stretch of three losses in four games, which began with the debacle at Missouri, that he characterized Allen Fieldhouse fans as a "wine and cheese" crowd.

He subsequently apologized for those remarks.

Criticism of Williams is unjustified. He had more coaching victories during the 1990s than any other Division I coach, and reached 300 career victories quicker than any in NCAA history.

His teams have won seven conference titles. The Jayhawks are going to the NCAA Tournament for a school-record 11th consecutive time, and they have reached the Sweet Sixteen in five of the last seven seasons. The problem is, Kansas has been to the Final Four only twice during that time.

The Jayhawks lost to North Carolina in the semifinals in 1993, after losing to Duke in the final game in 1991, leaving Williams with an undeserved reputation for not being able to win the big games and get Kansas a national championship, something it last got the season before he arrived.

The Bench

Chenowith (7-1, 260), Nick Bradford (6-7, 205) and Marlon London (6-4, 200) all have averaged more than 16 minutes per game. Bradford, a senior and an emotional leader, has been a starter most of the season and could be a starter in the tournament, depending on matchups. Ashante Johnson (6-9, 215), a late-season starter, and Lester Earl (6-8, 240) have been primarily situational players.

Earl, plagued by injury, and a suspension, can provide a defensive lift. Williams has plenty of options. Early in the season he was criticized for substituting too much and not allowing his players to develop continuity. That changed late in the season.

Offense

The Jayhawks have averaged over 80 points per game during Williams' tenure as coach, but they dropped below that in conference play this season, in part because of poor shooting. They hit only 43.2 percent from the field in Big 12 games. Boschee had little help as an outside threat.

Defense

The Jayhawks' pressure worked best at home. Their aggressive man-to-man defense wasn't as effective as it has been in recent seasons.