Posted on Wed, Feb. 04, 2004
KU rough and ready
Jayhawks grinding out wins with defense
BY RICK PLUMLEE
The Wichita Eagle
LAWRENCE - Smooth isn't part of Kansas' game.
The Jayhawks tried to be smooth -- or at least something other than get-down-and-get dirty -- at Iowa State last weekend and lost.
Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse, they got rough and defeated Missouri 65-56. Rough and as in, "Hey, let's play defense the whole game."
"I expected this to be a grind-it-out game," KU coach Bill Self said. "It's OK to win games like this. In fact, I'm not sure if we win this game if we don't play like that."
To go a step further, it's the only kind of game No. 20 KU can play and expect to win regularly down the stretch with five ranked teams on its plate in February. If the Jayhawks try to feed off anything but their defense in Saturday's game with No. 19 Texas Tech or Monday's date at No. 13 Oklahoma State, that cold chill that hit their game in Ames, Iowa, will return.
KU's players have come to grips with the fact their offense isn't going to flow as smoothly as it has in recent years. Iowa State was another reminder, and Monday was application time.
"We got stops," KU point guard Aaron Miles said. "It's important we do that, especially late in the game."
It's called finishing the game. The Jayhawks didn't do that at ISU, giving up 47 points in the second half after allowing only 21 in the first half.
Monday, KU allowed only two points in the final five minutes, and the Tigers made just one of their last seven shots.
Self has always been about defense first, second and third, but he has been preaching that message even stronger since he arrived and saw the offensive makeup on KU's shelf.
Much has been made about the Jayhawks needing time to make the transition to Self's approach, but he's having none of that.
"There is a period of time when the transition no longer exists, and that's long past," he said, "I've been a fourth-year coach in some places and guys weren't buying in. I have had guys for four years and I couldn't get them to do what I wanted them to do.
"But the fact is, sometimes guys don't play well, and sometimes coaches don't coach well. I think the transition stuff is way overblown."
And in case anyone missed the message, consequences always make the best teachers.
"After Iowa State, coach challenged us to get our acts together on defense," junior Keith Langford said. "That was pretty pathetic up there. We can be a very good team, but we have to play defense."
No one took the lesson more to heart than Langford. Monday, KU's leading scorer spent the night chasing MU's leading scorer, Rickey Paulding, around the court.
The result was Langford finishing with 10 points, seven under his average. With 14 points, Paulding was a little more than a point under his pace.
But Paulding also had four turnovers and no assists, while Langford had no turnovers and three assists. More significantly, he didn't give Paulding enough breathing room to even think about exploding offensively.
"A lot of people rag on me for my defense, but scoring wasn't my focus," Langford said. "Defense was a focus for all of us. We didn't want the intensity to lapse, and we kept it for most of the game."
Defensive intensity, of course, is easier to come by at home. When the rafters are rattling, the energy picks up on the court.
Road stops coming up at OSU, Texas, even Nebraska and certainly Missouri will let the Jayhawks know if they really have a defense that can carry them very far in the NCAA Tournament.
"We have to have that kind of defense," Miles said. "There's no other choice."
KU rough and ready
Jayhawks grinding out wins with defense
BY RICK PLUMLEE
The Wichita Eagle
LAWRENCE - Smooth isn't part of Kansas' game.
The Jayhawks tried to be smooth -- or at least something other than get-down-and-get dirty -- at Iowa State last weekend and lost.
Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse, they got rough and defeated Missouri 65-56. Rough and as in, "Hey, let's play defense the whole game."
"I expected this to be a grind-it-out game," KU coach Bill Self said. "It's OK to win games like this. In fact, I'm not sure if we win this game if we don't play like that."
To go a step further, it's the only kind of game No. 20 KU can play and expect to win regularly down the stretch with five ranked teams on its plate in February. If the Jayhawks try to feed off anything but their defense in Saturday's game with No. 19 Texas Tech or Monday's date at No. 13 Oklahoma State, that cold chill that hit their game in Ames, Iowa, will return.
KU's players have come to grips with the fact their offense isn't going to flow as smoothly as it has in recent years. Iowa State was another reminder, and Monday was application time.
"We got stops," KU point guard Aaron Miles said. "It's important we do that, especially late in the game."
It's called finishing the game. The Jayhawks didn't do that at ISU, giving up 47 points in the second half after allowing only 21 in the first half.
Monday, KU allowed only two points in the final five minutes, and the Tigers made just one of their last seven shots.
Self has always been about defense first, second and third, but he has been preaching that message even stronger since he arrived and saw the offensive makeup on KU's shelf.
Much has been made about the Jayhawks needing time to make the transition to Self's approach, but he's having none of that.
"There is a period of time when the transition no longer exists, and that's long past," he said, "I've been a fourth-year coach in some places and guys weren't buying in. I have had guys for four years and I couldn't get them to do what I wanted them to do.
"But the fact is, sometimes guys don't play well, and sometimes coaches don't coach well. I think the transition stuff is way overblown."
And in case anyone missed the message, consequences always make the best teachers.
"After Iowa State, coach challenged us to get our acts together on defense," junior Keith Langford said. "That was pretty pathetic up there. We can be a very good team, but we have to play defense."
No one took the lesson more to heart than Langford. Monday, KU's leading scorer spent the night chasing MU's leading scorer, Rickey Paulding, around the court.
The result was Langford finishing with 10 points, seven under his average. With 14 points, Paulding was a little more than a point under his pace.
But Paulding also had four turnovers and no assists, while Langford had no turnovers and three assists. More significantly, he didn't give Paulding enough breathing room to even think about exploding offensively.
"A lot of people rag on me for my defense, but scoring wasn't my focus," Langford said. "Defense was a focus for all of us. We didn't want the intensity to lapse, and we kept it for most of the game."
Defensive intensity, of course, is easier to come by at home. When the rafters are rattling, the energy picks up on the court.
Road stops coming up at OSU, Texas, even Nebraska and certainly Missouri will let the Jayhawks know if they really have a defense that can carry them very far in the NCAA Tournament.
"We have to have that kind of defense," Miles said. "There's no other choice."
