Kansas defeats K-State for 6th title
COLLINS DELIVERS STRONG SECOND HALF TO CLAIM FINAL HOME VICTORY, by Wayne Hodges
LAWRENCE, Kan – Sherron Collins, perhaps shakin’ up by an emotional pre-game party, started slow but finished fast in #2 Kansas’ 82-65 victory over in-state rival Kansas State (24-5). The Jayhawks (28-2) struggled defensively in the first half as K-State, ranked 5th in the nation, scorched the nets by shooting over 50%. Jacob Pullen had a sensational first half for KSU; scoring 15 points. Freshman Xavier Henry mimicked Pullen’s effort and continued his recent string of stellar play by pacing KU with 15 first half points on a marksman-like 5 of 6 shooting. Henry finished with 19 points. K-State guard Denis Clemente led all scorers with 21 points.
However, this night belonged to Collins. The Chicago native is currently KU’s all-time leader in victories. Remember, in the 2008 NCAA Championship it was Collins’ steal and three-pointer that allowed Kansas to get back into the game against a talented Memphis team. So his legacy is clearly intact. The win over K-State extended KU’s home-court winning streak to a ridiculous 59 straight games. Unbelievable. For the game, Kansas shot 51%. K-State could only counter with 40%. But the most telling stat is the number of assists for each team. In this department, KU compiled a respectable 16 assists to K-State’s 4. Up next for Kansas is the regular season finale at Missouri on Saturday. K-State will close out it’s regular season on Saturday at home against Iowa State.
Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He is also an adjunct professor, MPA at Kansas University, and intern with the Kansas Senate. Wayne welcomes your comments at whodges@massappealnews.com
To view Frank Martin’s interview on ESPN’s Game Day, click the arrow.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Congrats KU on another Big 12 Championship! Now lets win our 2nd national championship in 3 years. ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!!!!