KU remembers loss to Illinois

Call it a coincidence.

Or a twist of fate.

In what everybody in college basketball has to admit is a weird development, Kansas University, the top seed in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional, will meet No. 4-seeded Illinois in a Sweet 16 contest on Friday in Madison, Wis.

It’s a KU-Illini rematch of a year ago when Illinois, then the top seed, rolled over the fourth-seeded Jayhawks, 80-64, in a Sweet 16 battle in San Antonio.

“Kansas has had a better season than us,” Illinois coach Bill Self said Sunday after the U of I’s 72-60 victory over Creighton. “They deserved to be seeded No. 1 and we deserved what we got. Roles are reversed from last year, but we only have to be better than them only one day.”

The Jayhawks (31-3) had big-time problems against Illinois (26-8) a year ago. The Illini forced 13 early turnovers in racing to a 17-7 lead.

“We got our butts kicked,” said KU junior guard Kirk Hinrich, who committed three turnovers that led to seven Illini points while his counterpart and current IU junior Frank Williams scored 30 points of 11-of-24 shooting.

“Hopefully our team learned what it takes to be able to fight and be tough enough this year. I was shocked at how physical that game was,” noted Hinrich, who had 14 points, five turnovers and two assists. “I learned I had to prepare myself in the offseason to stay energized when I was worn down.”

KU big men Drew Gooden and Nick Collison also remember the Illini.

“I remember how they manhandled us,” said Gooden, who had 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

Illini big man Sergio McClain, who has used up his eligibility, had 10 points and 10 boards in that game.

Senior center Robert Archibald had four points and eight boards and junior forward Brian Cook had six points and four boards. Senior guard Cory Bradford missed 12 of 13 shots with just four points.

Those three players start for the current Illini squad.

“People talk like we got beat up, that we got punked,” Collison said. “I don’t think we did. I talked to Robert Archibald after that game and he thought we were as physical as anybody they played except Michigan State.

“I don’t think we got punked like everybody said. Everybody labeled us soft. I don’t think we were soft last year. They did wear us down.”

So KU’s players went to work in the offseason.

“It made a difference,” Collison said. “Kirk was motivated after the game. He felt he didn’t play well. He got stronger. Drew and I got stronger. We wanted to go farther this season.”

Illinois has finished strong after losing five of eight at one point, rallying to win a share of the Big 10 title.

“Illinois may be playing as good a basketball as anybody in the country,” KU coach Roy Williams said. “They had a tough stretch early in the season and are somewhat like us  in four of five games people had been saying bad things about them. I think they’ve gotten it together. They had a couple injured players back (Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalijia) and are playing as well as anybody.”

Frank Williams, a junior guard who will turn pro after this season, says the Illini will come to play once again.

“We’re not going to get a confidence boost from having beaten Kansas last year,” Williams said. “We’ll get our confidence boost from our great play over the last month of the season.”

Â

Recruiting update: Kansas is recruiting Devin Smith, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound freshman guard from Coffeyville Community College.

Recruiting analyst Russ Blake says Smith is considering KU, Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma and UNLV.

Smith, a freshman, hails from New Castle, Del. His older brother Steve, a sophomore, also plays on the Red Raven team.