San Jose, Calif. – The Kansas Jayhawks knew they had to abandon the game they usually play to beat Southern Illinois. The Jayhawks admit they don’t like winning ugly – but they like losing even less.
When the Salukis slowed their NCAA Tournament run to a crawl, Brandon Rush and his Kansas teammates stooped down into the grit for a win that put them on the brink of the Final Four.
Rush scored 12 points without missing a shot from the field, and Kansas eked out a 61-58 victory over Southern Illinois in the West Regional semifinals Thursday night. Kansas advanced to face UCLA, a 64-55 winner over Pittsburgh, on Saturday.
Darrell Arthur and Russell Robinson scored nine points apiece to help the Jayhawks (33-4) barely avoid yet another Saluki surprise and another disappointing exit from the tournament.
Kansas went into the locker room bickering and muttering at Southern Illinois’ tenacity, yet still won its 14th straight game by nursing a small lead through the final minutes against a defense that made the Jayhawks’ future NBA stars work exceptionally hard for every basket.
“It shows that we can win whatever the circumstances are,” said Kansas guard Mario Chalmers, who scored just nine points. “Everyone knows we like an up-tempo game in the 80s, but we can take our time and slow it down with the best of them, too.”
When Tony Young missed a desperate 3-point attempt from half-court at the buzzer, Kansas dodged its second straight tournament loss at the hands of the Missouri Valley Conference, which takes the “mid” out of mid-major with each passing year. Bradley beat the Jayhawks last season.
Southern Illinois decisively won the matchup’s clash of styles, forcing a deliberate tempo on the high-flying Jayhawks while keeping the possessions long and the score low.
The Salukis’ defensive aggression and offensive rebounding were complemented by just enough big shots from its struggling scorers to keep it close.
But Kansas adjusted with a maturity that wasn’t present in coach Bill Self’s past two teams. Nine players got a field goal for the Jayhawks, who patiently waited for holes in the Salukis’ defense – and then threw themselves into defending the other end.
It was elemental basketball, and Kansas put all the elements together.
“Whoever plays Southern isn’t going to look good offensively,” Self said. “It just isn’t going to happen. … I was disappointed how some guys handled the heat, but when the game was on the line, we handled it pretty well.”
Jamaal Tatum scored 19 points in his final college game for the fourth-seeded Salukis (29-7), who couldn’t get the break they needed to reach the round of eight for the first time in school history with just their second loss in 17 games.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (29-7)
Falker 4-8 3-6 11, Boyle 1-3 1-1 3, Tatum 7-19 4-4 19, Mullins 0-3 0-0 0, Young 5-16 0-0 14, Green 1-1 0-0 2, Clemmons 0-0 0-0 0, Shaw 3-7 2-3 9. Totals 21-57 10-14 58.
KANSAS (33-4)
Rush 6-6 0-1 12, Wright 3-7 1-4 7, Kaun 1-1 0-0 2, Robinson 4-10 0-0 9, Chalmers 2-6 5-8 9, Arthur 4-5 1-1 9, Collins 1-3 0-1 2, Stewart 1-1 1-2 3, Jackson 3-3 2-2 8. Totals 25-42 10-19 61.
Halftime – Kansas 27-24. 3-point goals – S. Illinois 6-25 (Young 4-11, Shaw 1-5, Tatum 1-8, Mullins 0-1), Kansas 1-6 (Robinson 1-4, Chalmers 0-1, Collins 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – S. Illinois 31 (Falker 9), Kansas 27 (Jackson, Rush 5). Assists – S. Illinois 9 (Shaw 3), Kansas 16 (Rush 5). Total fouls – S. Illinois 21, Kansas 16. A – N/A.
