Latest:
Rock Chalk Blog
Basketball RecapsKansas BasketballNCAA Tournament

Jayhawks run past Michigan State to clinch Sweet 16 berth

Ryan Landreth

All year, the goal for the Jayhawks has been simple: survive the first round and get to Kansas City for the NCAA Regionals. In a clash of super programs on Sunday afternoon in Tulsa, KU punched its ticket to play second-weekend tournament basketball.

Top-seeded Kansas beat No. 9 Michigan State, 90-70, behind a late run that turned a nail-biter into a decisive victory. As they’ve done so many times this year, the Jayhawks’ star trio keyed a game-defining run to bring home a victory.

Josh Jackson, who chose Kansas over Michigan State in April, was the best player on a floor full of star athletes. He overcame a slow start to score a game-high 23 points, going 9-for-16 from the floor. His extra gear lifted the Jayhawks in their game-sealing run, using an NBA-style, step back three and a dagger-inducing dunk at the end.

After an even first 15 minutes, the Jayhawks went on a 13-2 run to grab control of the first half. However, six quick points for Michigan State, including three free throws when Lagerald Vick fouled Miles Bridges with two seconds left, allowed the Spartans to close the gap. At halftime, KU led by five, 40-35.

Michigan State never took the lead in the second half, though the Spartans cut the lead to one, 54-53, at the 12-minute mark. After that, though, the Jayhawks took over, scoring 33 points over the last 12 minutes of action. Jackson was the hero, scoring 13 points in that stretch.

Overall, KU shot 53% from the game and 40% on threes, which are both great numbers considering Michigan State is one of the better guarding teams in the tournament. The key was getting Spartans forward Nick Ward into foul trouble. Michigan State simply wasn’t the same team without its best big man in the game.

Another thing that sparked KU’s surge was Dwight Coleby. Landen Lucas’ presence was vital in the first half, but when he got into foul trouble after halftime, Carlton Bragg’s ineffectiveness allowed Michigan State to climb back into it. Bill Self turned to Coleby with about 12 minutes left, and the difference he made in the game was immense. In eight minutes, Coleby had three points, four rebounds, and a steal, and his presence altered several Spartans shots. He was the X-factor in the second half.

Three Jayhawks scored at least 18 points: Jackson (23), Frank Mason (20), Devonte’ Graham (18).

Mason passed Darnell Valentine for sixth place on the all-time Jayhawk scoring list early in the second half. He now has 1,838 career points, which puts him exactly 50 behind Sherron Collins for fifth.

Up next for the Jayhawks: No. 4 Purdue on Thursday night in Sprint Center. The Boilermakers are the tallest team in the country, so KU will need all hands on deck in the frontcourt. However, an enormously pro-Jayhawk crowd should provide a big boost.

Notes:

  • Josh Jackson: 23 points (9/16 FG), three rebounds, and two blocks. He was the best player on the floor, and considering how much this game meant to him, it was great to see him shake off a slow start and dominate.
  • Frank Mason III: 20 points (6/16 FG, but 8/8 from the line) and five assists. He had his usual dose of “how the heck did he make that” driving layups.
  • Devonte’ Graham: 18 points (7/10 FG, 4/6 from three), which came out of nowhere. He had nine points before KU’s game-sealing run, and that’s when he caught fire to make some killer threes. He also had four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
  • Svi Mykhailiuk: nine points (3/5 FG), while Lagerald Vick added seven (3/7 FG).
  • Landen Lucas: 10 points (5/7 FG) and 11 rebounds. He was the best big guy in the first half, but foul trouble hampered him in the second half. Fortunately for KU…
  • …Dwight Coleby saved the day! He had three points, four rebounds, and a steal! He was so good, Inside the Paint‘s Daniel Cunningham is finally going to call him “Dwight!”
  • Carlton Bragg: 0 points, one rebound, and three fouls. Woof.
  • For Kansas, it’s the ninth time in Bill Self’s 14 years that the Jayhawks have advanced to the second weekend. They’ll draw Purdue on Thursday night.

Ryan Landreth

I’m a recent graduate of MidAmerica Nazarene University. In addition to writing for Rock Chalk Blog, I host the Inside the Paint podcast that covers KU basketball, and I write for Royals Review in the summer. My grandma has had season tickets to Jayhawk basketball for 30 years, and I have the privilege of going to most games with her.

You May Also Like

Monday Notebook: It’s March Madness time for KU!

Landen Fields

Monday Notebook: Conference play is here!

Landen Fields

Kansas’ Season Ends in the Elite Eight: What Went Wrong?

Ryan Landreth

63 thoughts on “Jayhawks run past Michigan State to clinch Sweet 16 berth”

  • Pingback: Jayhawks run past Michigan State to clinch Sweet 16 berth | Big 12 Blog Network

  • Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you actually realize what you are speaking about!
    Bookmarked. Kindly also visit my web site =). We can have a link alternate contract among us

  • Great info. Lucky me I ran across your blog by accident (stumbleupon).
    I have saved it for later!

    Also visit my page Allura Fresh

  • My brother suggested I may like this blog. He was once totally right.

    This post truly made my day. You cann’t believe just how so much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!

    Also visit my blog post; gema ok388

  • I do not even know the way I ended up here, but I thought this
    post was once great. I don’t understand who you’re but certainly you are going to a well-known blogger for those who
    are not already 😉 Cheers!

    Also visit my page Slimingo Keto Pills

  • Great beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site, how can i subscribe for a blog website?
    The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit
    acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept

    Feel free to visit my web site: 1 wm casino, https://mega888sg.com/wmcasino/,

  • I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good.
    I don’t know who you are but definitely you’re going to a famous blogger
    if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!

    Visit my web blog … ntc33 pc download (sg918kiss.com)

  • I read this piece of writing fully regarding the comparison of newest and
    previous technologies, it’s remarkable article.

    Review my web page – scan live22 apk

  • Very nice blog post. I certainly love this website.
    Keep it up!

    Also visit my blog – kiosk greatwall99; xe88sg.com,

  • I visited many web pages however the audio quality for audio songs current at this website is actually superb.

    Also visit my web-site – sky777 download

  • Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was
    wanting to know your situation; many of us have developed some nice methods and we are looking to swap techniques with
    other folks, why not shoot me an email if interested.

  • I am really loving the theme/design of your site. Do you ever run into
    any browser compatibility issues? A few of my blog visitors
    have complained about my website not working correctly in Explorer but
    looks great in Firefox. Do you have any suggestions to help fix this issue?

  • Howdy! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to
    make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when browsing from my iphone.

    I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this problem.
    If you have any suggestions, please share. Thanks!

    Look into my web blog … Dermal Pearle Reviews

  • Aw, this was an exceptionally good post. Taking the time and actual effort to generate a good
    article? but what can I say? I put things off a lot and
    never manage to get anything done.

    Here is my homepage :: BioReady Keto

  • I really enjoy the blog article.Really thank you! Fantastic.

  • hello there and thank you for your info ? I’ve definitely picked up something new from right here.
    I did however expertise a few technical points using this site,
    as I experienced to reload the site many times previous
    to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web hosting
    is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google
    and can damage your high-quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.
    Well I’m adding this RSS to my email and could look out for a lot more
    of your respective interesting content. Ensure that you update this again soon.

    Have a look at my web-site :: http://www.hltkd.tw

  • I really like and appreciate your article post.Really thank you! Awesome.

  • I was examining some of your content on this internet site and I conceive this web site is
    really informative! Continue posting.

    Also visit my page night skin

  • Hello.This post was really fascinating, especially since I
    was searching for thoughts on this subject last Saturday.

    My web blog … eat healthy

  • I have been examinating out a few of your stories and i must say nice stuff.
    I will surely bookmark your blog.

    Also visit my page :: cunnilingus tips

  • I every time used to study article in news papers but
    now as I am a user of web thus from now I am
    using net for articles, thanks to web.

    Here is my site; portable ac

  • Loving the information on this web site, you have done great job on the posts.

    My web page – Bessie

  • I and also my friends were actually reading the great solutions
    from your web site and then instantly got a
    horrible feeling I had not thanked the web site owner for those techniques.
    All the young boys are already thrilled to study them and already have undoubtedly been taking pleasure in these things.
    Appreciate your really being very considerate and then for using some good subjects most people
    are really wanting to understand about. Our own honest regret
    for not saying thanks to you sooner.

    Here is my webpage … diets that work

  • This is one awesome post.Really thank you! Cool.

  • You made some clear points there. I did a search on the subject and
    found most guys will approve with your site.

    Here is my homepage – kids smoking

  • Very informative post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.

  • I really liked your blog article.Thanks Again. Really Great.

  • Thanks so much for the post.Thanks Again. Will read on…

  • Great blog post.Really thank you! Want more.

  • Hello there, just became aware of your weblog via Google, and
    found that it is truly informative. I’m gonna be careful for brussels.
    I’ll appreciate in the event you continue this in future.
    Many other folks can be benefited out of your writing.
    Cheers!

    Look into my site weight loss vs fat loss

  • Thanks for the blog.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.

Comments are closed.