Rush The Court

Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCEastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCSouthregion and @RTCWestregion.

Three Key Takeaways: 

1. Kansas was excellent in the first half. The Jayhawks started tonight’s game with a considerable surge. Offensively, Bill Self’s group shot 55.6 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from beyond the arc en route to scoring 44 first half points. In building a 20-point halftime lead, Kansas also had to be fantastic on the other end of the court. The aggressive Jayhawks’ defense forced Connecticut into shooting an anemic 25.8 percent from the field in the opening stanza. Kansas is fortunate it did turn in such a dominant first half, because the Jayhawks were a bit sloppy in the second half and allowed Connecticut to hang around longer than they should have.
2. Landen Lucas’ emergence has solidified the Kansas frontline. National pundits have been in agreement all season that this Kansas team does not have a “star.” It has many “good” players, but no star. While that may be true, Kansas guard Wayne Selden and forward Perry Ellis have both shown on many occasions that they are capable of delivering their team a marquee performance. One member of the Jayhawks who has quietly turned in several tremendous performances during the back half of the season is junior forward Landen Lucas. Lucas is never going to be a guy who is going to dominate a game offensively, but his rugged defense and knack for making things happen on the glass have been crucial in Kansas’ emergence as national title favorites. It was a quintessential Lucas effort tonight: six points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots.
3. Kevin Ollie is no longer undefeated in the NCAA Tournament. A national title run in 2014 and a victory over Colorado in the first round had Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie’s NCAA Tournament record at 7-0. That hot start came to a screeching halt tonight. Ollie figures to have a great opportunity to get back on the winning track next March, as the Huskies return dynamic guards Daniel Hamilton, Rodney Purvis, and Jalen Adams. The future remains bright for Connecticut. Tonight’s loss should just be seen as a small bump in the road.

Player of the Game. Perry Ellis, Kansas. The senior big man was the portrait of efficiency tonight, finishing with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also grabbed eight rebounds and played great interior defense all evening. When Connecticut cut the lead to nine at the 9:32 mark of the second half, it was Ellis who made a couple of key baskets to keep the Huskies from making a substantial comeback.

Quotable.

• “I was proud of the guys and how they battled back. It just was not enough.” – Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, on his team’s inability to overcome its poor first half performance.
• “We dug ourselves a hole and you really cannot do that against what might be the best team in the country.” – Connecticut guard Rodney Purvis, acknowledging that it’s hard to expect to be able to make a comeback of that size against Kansas.
• “We played great in the first half. Everyone was ready to go and on point.” – Kansas coach Bill Self approved of his team’s early effort.
• “It looks like batting practice out there with him sometimes.” – Kansas guard Wayne Selden, talking about teammate Jamari Traylor‘s shot-blocking ability. Traylor had two highlight reel blocks in tonight’s win.

Sights and Sounds. Kansas was well-represented all weekend, as a strong contingent of supporters made the trek from Lawrence to Des Moines. When Connecticut trimmed the Kansas lead to nine in the second half, it was difficult not to sense a nervous energy in the building. But when the Jayhawks responded to keep the Huskies at arm’s length, the crowd returned to their raucous status quo.

What’s Next. Kansas advances to the Sweet Sixteen in Louisville where it will meet the winner of Maryland and Hawaii.