Showing posts with label Travis Releford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travis Releford. Show all posts

Monday, March 25, 2013

Kansas Defeats North Carolina, Advances To Sweet 16

As usual, the Kansas Jayhawks are the only Big 12 team left in the NCAA tournament. KU overcame a poor first half on Sunday to eventually take down UNC 70-58. The win advances the Jayhawks to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.

The first half couldn’t have gone worse for Kansas, as the team continued the sluggish play it showcased in its narrow round one victory over Western Kentucky. The Jayhawks constantly turned the ball over and failed to make several layups. Some timely baskets by Travis Releford and solid defense kept Kansas in the game, and the Jayhawks entered the break down by nine.

The second half was a completely different story for KU, as the Jayhawks ultimately outscored the Tar Heels 49-28 in the period. Kansas finally hit some threes, and Jeff Withey dominated the paint on both ends of the floor. Withey finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks, while Releford added 22 points and 8 rebounds in his last college game in his hometown of Kansas City. Naadir Tharpe also finally woke up for the Jayhawks, burying a couple of threes in the second half to help KU secure the victory.

Withey has emerged as a consistent force for Kansas, but Releford may be the biggest X-factor on the team. The fifth-year senior is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country and also an efficient scorer. Often as Releford goes, so does Kansas – the Jayhawks are 26-0 this year when he scores at least nine points and 4-5 when he doesn’t. Given Elijah Johnson and Ben McLemore’s inconsistent play, the Jayhawks will need Releford to continue to produce if they want to make a second-consecutive Final Four.

Up next for Kansas are the Michigan Wolverines. The Jayhawks will play at 6:37 p.m. this Friday in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Kansas Storms Back To Beat Iowa State In Overtime

The Kansas Jayhawks moved closer to a ninth consecutive Big 12 title with a thrilling 108-96 win over Iowa State in Ames last night. The victory was Bill Self’s 500th career win, and the Jayhawks now have three winnable games remaining on their regular season schedule.

Elijah Johnson, who has been criticized all season for some poor play, had one of the most legendary performances in Kansas history. The senior scored a career-high 39 points, including eight in the final 29 seconds of regulation and 12 in overtime. Travis Releford added 19 efficient points, and Jeff Withey was a force in the paint to help Kansas keep pace with the red-hot Cyclones in the first half.

Iowa State nearly pulled off the win by hitting an insane 17 three pointers – a school record. The Cyclones’ 22-game home winning streak was snapped when Iowa State went cold in overtime as Johnson continued to score at will for the Jayhawks.

The Iowa State fans proceeded to throw plastic megaphones and concessions at the Kansas players after the game, due to Johnson dunking the ball with only a few seconds remaining on the clock. Johnson and Self both apologized for the dunk after the game.

Kansas has now passed the two toughest games it had on the backend of its schedule – on the road against Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Kansas hosts West Virginia and Texas Tech in its next two games, and the Mountaineers and Red Raiders are two of the weakest teams in the conference. The Jayhawks finish the season on the road against Baylor, who has been inconsistent all season. Kansas State, currently tied with Kansas in first, still has to travel to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State and also plays Baylor on the road. The road wins over OSU and ISU have put Kansas in a great position to once again win a Big 12 championship and earn a high seed for the NCAA tournament.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Kansas - TCU Preview

For only the second time this season, the Kansas Jayhawks will be looking to rebound from a loss. TCU may provide the perfect opportunity for KU to right the ship, as the Horned Frogs are winless in conference play. Tonight’s game will begin at 8:00 p.m.

Kansas has struggled offensively over the past month, and the poor play finally caught up to them on Saturday. Against Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks shot only 41 percent and committed 16 turnovers. Much of the focus has been on Elijah Johnson’s struggles, and rightfully so – the senior has 19 turnovers in KU’s past five games while shooting a dismal 24 percent from the floor.

Self has said that he will stick with Johnson at point guard, and KU fans have to remain optimistic that the senior point guard will regain the form he displayed in last year’s NCAA championship game run. While Johnson figures things out, the Jayhawks will continue to rely on freshman sensation Ben McLemore for scoring. McLemore is now averaging 16.4 ppg and has become a consistent force for Kansas, while Jeff Withey and Travis Releford have also been consistent.

TCU has struggled to adjust to the Big 12, and hasn’t been very competitive in league play this season. The Horned Frogs are averaging only 49 points and shooting 35 percent in league play, and shot only 33 percent from the floor while getting blown out on Saturday at Texas. Despite Kansas’ offensive struggles, the Jayhawks still boast one of the top defenses in the country. If the Horned Frogs want to keep this one close, they’ll need some early shots to fall.

This game on paper has all the makings of a blowout, but Kansas has played down against inferior opponents several times this season already. Still, the Jayhawks are too talented for TCU, and Kansas should be able to get rid of the bad taste in their mouth from Saturday’s loss fairly quickly.

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Monday, February 4, 2013

Elijah Johnson Continues To Struggle For Kansas

Kansas’ 85-80 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday seemed shocking to many, given how dominant the Jayhawks have been at home for the last several years and Kansas’ high ranking in the polls. However, the Jayhawks had been asking to be upset for months, narrowly escaping several inferior teams before Saturday. The problem in Lawrence all starts at point guard, as Elijah Johnson continues to struggle for KU.

Johnson nearly single-handedly lost the game for Kansas on Saturday. The senior shot 3 of 14 from the floor and committed four costly turnovers in the second half that led to easy transition buckets for the Cowboys.  The Jayhawks had a four point lead late in the second half, and good point guard play would have allowed KU to put the game away. Instead, Johnson handed it to OSU on a silver platter.

Johnson has 19 turnovers against 19 assists in his last five games, while also shooting a poor percentage from the floor. After excelling as a shooting guard late last season next to Tyshawn Taylor, Johnson simply hasn’t looked comfortable playing the point this year.

The problem for Kansas is a lack of depth – Naadir Tharpe is the only other player capable of playing the point, and the young guard has struggled with consistency this season. Tharpe hit some big shots for KU on Saturday, but he is best used as a change-of-pace of the bench. A Tharpe-Johnson backcourt also presents problems for Bill Self, because it means he has to sit either Ben McLemore or Travis Releford, both who are playing at an extremely high level for Kansas.

Self has said that he will stick by Johnson, and really he doesn’t have any other choice. Kansas fans will continue to hope and pray the senior figures it out and plays at a higher level. The Jayhawks have all the pieces to win a ninth straight Big 12 title and make another deep NCAA tournament run. However, if Johnson continues to play poorly, KU could be in trouble.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

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