The third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks rolled into Ames on Saturday afternoon and proved why they are regarded as one of the best teams in America. The Jayhawks got out to an 8-0 run to start the game and defeated Iowa State 84-61.
A few links from the game are listed below.
FINAL BOX SCOREDes Moines Register’s Game StoryIowa State University Release
Chris’ Thoughts
Listen, the game didn’t go as anybody had planned. I was hoping for a celebratory Cyclone Soundoff on KXNO this afternoon. That didn’t happen. Instead, I talked to a bunch of passionate fans who are hungry for success. That’s a good thing. We turned away something like three or four callers because we had run out of time. People still care. And they care a lot. More on this below.
As far as the game goes, I really feel like Justin Hamilton’s foul trouble ultimately did Iowa State in. The Cyclones were short on numbers heading into this thing. Now, eliminate your best defensive big man from a team that is trying to defend Cole Aldrich. That’s not a good combination. Aldrich notably went 8-of-11 from the field and scored 19 points, while collecting 11 rebounds.
I know that a lot of fans are currently down on Craig Brackins. Craig went 5-of-13 today while scoring 13 points. I don’t see that big of an issue with his scoring numbers going down. The fact that Brackins only recorded one rebound is what is alarming. Iowa State was outrebounded 44-34. If you expected the Clones to outrebound Kansas, you’re simply not realistic.
Other issues include Diante Garrett’s game. He struggled again today, going 0-for-5 from the field, not scoring a point. Garrett did however record eight assists in the game compared to five turnovers.
The free throw problems continued as well, as the Cyclones went 17-for-26 from the charity stripe.
The most important stat of the day hasn’t been mentioned yet in this piece. That is Iowa State’s turnover problem. When you’re down on men and you’re playing Kansas, turning the ball over 17 times makes it nearly impossible to win.
This is my final point about the negatives from this game. During tonight’s show and all over our forums, I’ve seen a lot of finger pointing. Some are at Greg McDermott, some towards Craig Brackins and some towards Diante Garrett. I just would like to see more people say, “hey, we lost as a team.” You win as a team, you lose as a team, you go down fighting as a team. The losses are not one person’s fault.
How about some positives?
I was proud of Scott Christopherson today. After Wednesday night’s 3-of-10 performance, many, including myself, were down on the Wisconsin native. I don’t think that anybody ever expected him to come out and drop 20 on the Raiders, but he never looked comfortable in that game. He was solid today going 4-of-7 from the field. He just looked consistent. That’s what this team needs out of him.
Another positive was Marquis Gilstrap. With his 18 points and 12 rebounds, Gilstrap collected his fourth straight double-double. That is impressive, considering they are the first four Big 12 games of his career.
The Clones will head to Oklahoma on Wednesday night.
