OMAHA, Neb. — Hey, bluebloods get typecast, too. Somebody says "Michigan State," you think of bloody knuckles, scraped knees, and basketball players who probably play Australian rules football in the off-season. Somebody says "Cincinnati," you think of flying elbows and broken noses. Somebody says "Kansas State," you think of two hours of bruises, and Frank Martin breathing down your neck.
But somebody says "Kansas," and you think of — well, grace. You think of 88-84 ballgames. You think of acrobatics, circus stuff. You think of future professionals who live above the rim and leave the dirty work to the also-rans.
"I think that might be a reputation that precedes us — of being soft," Jayhawks guard Connor Teahan said after his second-seeded Kansas squad thumped 15 seed Detroit, 65-50, in the last game of a wild Friday in the NCAA tournament.
"Maybe it's from before Coach (Bill) Self's era here. I think that kind of plays into it. But (defense) is something we definitely pride ourselves on."
Want to know Kansas' dirty little secret? The boys in blue will get after you. They'll bump you and grind you. They'll make every possession a living hell, if they feel like it.
Take Friday. Please. The Titans' speedy point guard, Ray McCallum, Detroit's engine, was 4-of-15 from the floor, 0-for-5 from beyond the arc. Senior wing man Chase Simon missed nine of 11 attempts. Cut off the head of the snake, the rest of the body dies. The Titans chucked 17 treys, misfired on14 of them, and quickly found themselves in a hole that Indiana Jones couldn't climb his way out of.
"It seems like to me when upsets occur, at least in our past — and we have had a couple — you let teams get comfortable, so when they do that, you're in trouble." noted Kansas coach Bill Self, whose NCAA tourney resume includes upset losses to programs such as Bucknell, Bradley, Northern Iowa and Virginia Commonwealth. "We didn't let Detroit get comfortable and we didn't do a good job early, but we did after the first 10 minutes."
Tyshawn Taylor, who was battling dehydration and cramps, wound up tag-teaming McCallum with the help of Elijah Johnson. Travis Releford, the Jayhawks' best wing defender, was challenged by Self before the game to make Simon invisible. Mission accomplished.
"To tell you the truth, I really don't know why people don't mention our defense," Releford shrugged after the game. "They overlook it because we have (Thomas Robinson) and Tyshawn and guys like that getting big numbers every other night. Once things like that happen, people are really not paying attention to the little things."
They should. The Jayhawks came into the Big Dance ranked sixth in the NCAA in field-goal percentage defense (.385), ninth in blocked shots (5.6 per game) and 53rd in scoring defense (61.9 per contest). Kansas has limited opponents to 59 points or fewer in 16 of 34 contests — and won all 16. The Jayhawks are 24-1 when that number is 69 or lower.
You know the old line about Darelle Revis taking away half the football field to opponents of the New York Jets? Kansas' 7-foot center Jeff Withey, the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year, a cat with the wingspan of a Learjet, effectively takes away most of the opposition's options in the paint. He also allows the guys in front of him to feel more comfortable taking risks.
"I know if I was on the another team, I would think about (that) a lot," offered Johnson, who wound up with 15 points on the night. "I don't think I would even want to go in the paint. It's probably a better advantage trying to stay out on the perimeter, honestly."
Of course, outside shooting can be mighty fickle in March, especially on unfamiliar courts. Between the last five minutes of the first half and the first six minutes of the second, the Jayhawks went on a 25-7 run, turning a 25-21 contest into a late-night anticlimax. Which was perfectly fine with Self, who's seen firsthand what can happen when a BCS power lets a mid-major with caviar dreams hang around.
"Coach was talking about (how) you've got to make other teams play bad," Teahan said. "You look at the Missouri game (a loss to 15 seed Norfolk State), Missouri, by their standards and everything, they played pretty solid, shot the ball well. But Norfolk State was able to hit shots also.
"When you can't stop the other team, then you rely a lot on your making shots. And that can be a dangerous game."
Especially in Bracketville, where the difference between renting and buying is often a critical stop. You have to waltz as well as you foxtrot. Teams that can dance to more than one tempo in March have a funny habit of sticking around for the long haul.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com
