A bigger, stronger, quicker, deeper, better poised band of Kansas Jayhawks ended Illinois-Chicago’s winningest basketball season 78-53 here Friday night. And it was no fluke.
Kansas, seeking to reach the NCAA tournament Final Four for the third straight year, opened tourney play by whomping the Flames in every phase of the game: shooting, passing, rebounding, defense, bench strength. You name it.
The Flames didn’t quit after they fell 20 points behind in the first 15 minutes. Cedrick Banks’ 15 points helped them play evenly through parts of the second half. But the outcome never really was in doubt. J.R. Giddens’ 17 points led Kansas.
The victory enabled the Jayhawks (22-8) to advance into Sunday’s second round against Cinderella team Pacific, the No. 12 seed that upset No. 5 Providence 66-58 earlier Friday night.
Friday’s loss snapped a string of 12 straight UIC victories and ended the Flames’ season with a 24-8 record. However, UIC’s three senior leaders–Banks, Martell Bailey and Armond Williams–all may be back next season.
The three players are in their fourth year at UIC, but they didn’t play their first year because they failed to meet NCAA academic eligibility requirements.
If such athletes graduate in four years, NCAA rules allow them to play a fourth season in their fifth year in college. Banks, Bailey and Williams are all on course to graduate this spring. All three said they intend to return and shoot for a fourth straight 20-victory season, a third trip to the NCAA tournament and a deeper advance into the playoffs.
At Thursday’s practice, coach Jimmy Collins cautioned his players “the crowd here at Kemper Arena will be larger, louder and more hostile than the ones you heard in Milwaukee or even crowds in old Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.”
When the Flames took the Kemper floor for pregame warmups Friday, they realized what Collins had meant. A chorus of loud boos greeted them. The noise intensified into a crescendo of cheers a moment later when the Jayhawks came out.
The noise may have unsettled both teams in the opening minutes. Shooting was off target. Turnovers were frequent. Bailey’s first three plays resulted in a turnover, a foul and a shot that wedged between the rim and the backboard.
When coach Bill Self went to his bench, he hit the jackpot. Michael Lee came in and drilled back-to-back three-pointers for a 14-6 lead. Jeff Hawkins, another sub, sank a three. David Padgett came off the bench and scored on a hook and a rebound to up the Jayhawks’ lead to 22-8 after nine minutes.
Self brought back his starters, and as though embarrassed by their so-so start, they widened the lead. Keith Langford made it a 20-point spread, 32-12, with a driving layup after 15 minutes of play.
