Jayhawks Dominate Eagles
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – How good is Kansas? On Saturday, the Jayhawks looked almost unbeatable with the way they dominated Boston College in their 85-60 win over the host Eagles.
If you didn’t see the game, you didn’t have to look far in the box score to see the domination. The first two players listed, starting forwards Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson, combined for 47 points on 19-25 shooting from the field and grabbed 16 rebounds. Then a quick look at the specialty stats adds to it: a 54-26 edge in points in the paint, 21-10 in second chance points (the Jayhawks had a 39-24 rebounding edge) and 16-4 in fast break points.
In case you’re wondering, BC’s starting forwards managed to combine for six points on 3-9 shooting and seven rebounds.
Arthur is the team’s most improved player and started the game with the Jayhawks’ first six points en route to 22 for the game. But it is Jackson who has really turned it up a notch of late, scoring a career-high 25 points on Saturday in his second straight game of scoring over 20 points. For the season, he’s shooting 67 percent from the field.
“He’s got a free mind for the first time since he’s been in college because so many bad things have happened to his family,” said head coach Bill Self. “He’s having fun and he’s playing well.”
For his part, Jackson has his eyes on what the Jayhawks have to do. That was never more apparent than when the Eagles mounted a rally in the second half to cut the lead down to as low as 14 points. In each of the first two road games this year, the Jayhawks built up a big lead, but couldn’t put the opponent away and the games came down to the end of the game. That’s been about the only negative one can find from their 14-0 start thus far, and on Saturday they didn’t let it happen again.
“We just came out in the second half with the mindset that the score is still 0-0 and we have to come out and play hard,” said the senior forward. “When they cut it down to 14, we knew that we had to pick it up, so that’s what we did.”
Jackson has been a real leader for the team of late. He’s been more energized and more active, and giving this team some inside scoring that Self said they will need if the game slows down. Arthur might be the frontcourt player NBA scouts look at the most, but Jackson is making this team go.
“He’s energized us in practice lately,” said Arthur. “If it’s going bad, it’s because of him, if it’s going good it’s because of him. He just sets the tone for the team.”
Lately, it’s clear that he’s simply been good, which bodes well for the Jayhawks.
The guards collectively didn’t have their best game on Saturday, but they didn’t have to. Mario Chalmers played a solid game with six assists and four steals while not turning it over once, and while Sherron Collins had just two points, he had five assists and one turnover. Russell Robinson didn’t play his best game, but he’s been solid all season as a quality senior leader.
Entering the season, it was clear that this team has the personnel to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Two years ago they were talented but very young. Now they’re an experienced bunch, and Saturday’s game looks like evidence that it’s starting to come together.
“Everything is clicking right now,” said junior guard Brandon Rush. “Our chemistry is good on the offensive end, and we’ve turned it up on the defensive end.”
If this keeps up, Jayhawk fans may get what they’ve been longing for: another Final Four appearance and perhaps more.
Other Notable Games
Syracuse 89, South Florida 77: The Orange start Big East play 2-0, both home wins. That should only help this team.
Wisconsin 64, Iowa 51: The Badgers have now won six straight and are 2-0 in the Big Ten. At this rate, they’re not going to be under the radar much longer.
UCLA 79, California 58: A good road win for UCLA gives them a 2-0 start in Pac-10 play.
Washington State 56, Washington 52: The Huskies gave it all they had, and this game was tied late, but the Cougars pulled out their fourth straight in the in-state rivalry to remain undefeated.
Oregon 84, Arizona 74: The Ducks rebound from Thursday night’s loss with a solid road win behind 29 points from Malik Hairston. They shot the lights out, going 55.9 percent from the field and 10-22 from three-point range.
Notre Dame 73, Connecticut 67: Kyle McAlarney’s career-high 32 points led the way for the Irish as they held off the Huskies after building up a big lead in the first half. They’ve won 11 straight now.
DePaul 70, Providence 65: Providence couldn’t complete its comeback in this matchup of two teams going in opposite directions. The Blue Demons start off Big East play at 2-0 after beating Villanova on Thursday, while the Friars come home with an 0-2 start.
Maryland 76, Charlotte 72: After three straight home losses, the Terrapins have come alive with three straight wins. This was Charlotte’s first home loss of the season.
Butler 73, Valparaiso 65: Two traditionally good mid-majors in Indiana meet for the first time as conference rivals, and the Bulldogs come out on top. They could very well see each other late in the Horizon Tournament.
Vanderbilt 97, Massachusetts 88: The Commodores finish their non-conference slate with a nice win on Saturday and no losses to this point.
Arizona State 72, Oregon State 53: The Sun Devils quietly open Pac-10 play at 2-0 and now stand 12-2 overall with eight straight wins. James Harden (24 points) topped 20 points for the third straight game and has scored in double figures in every one of their wins.
Akron 69, Miami (Ohio) 54: The RedHawks have gone from being a team some thought should be an at-large candidate to under .500 for the season, as they are now 6-7.
Sam Houston State 60, UCF 58 (OT): This win makes 44 straight non-conference home wins for the Bearkats, who are 12-1 as Southland play beckons.
Illinois State 56, Southern Illinois 47: Quick, how many people thought Illinois State would be the team to come out of this game at 11-3 and 3-0 in the Valley? The Redbirds look like the favorites thus far.
Indiana State 74, Northern Iowa 56: How many people figured the Sycamores would be atop the Valley at 3-0?
Delaware 67, Drexel 63: After one weekend of play, the Blue Hens are all alone atop the CAA at 3-0, with two wins on the road.
George Mason 72, Towson 63: The Patriots get back on track after losing at Georgia State on Wednesday.
South Alabama 65, Western Kentucky 61: A nice win for the Jaguars in an early Sun Belt showdown that was close throughout.
UNC-Asheville 61, South Carolina 58: Big Kenny George gets a double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds) to lead the Bulldogs, who are 11-3, to a nice win.
Cleveland State 68, Illinois-Chicago 51: How many figured Cleveland State would start Horizon League play with three straight wins?
Holy Cross 67, San Francisco 63: Eddie Sutton is still looking for win number 799. Meanwhile, Holy Cross continues to get back on track.
Cal State Northridge 88, UC Santa Barbara 84: A huge game for Deon Tresvant, as he scores 31 points to lead the Matadors past the Gauchos. It’s the first home loss of the season for UC Santa Barbara, while the Matadors are 2-0 early in Big West play.
Niagara 96, Manhattan 86: The Purple Eagles go to 4-0 in MAAC play and just keep looking stronger.
Oral Roberts 71, Centenary 62 (OT): The Golden Eagles aren’t going away quietly despite losing two studs. They’re now 3-0 after holding the Gents scoreless in overtime.
