No more freshman follies
Even Kansas underclassmen have to contribute in March
Kansas University’s basketball team has been to two Final Fours in two seasons, and the Jayhawk veterans will offer plenty of postseason advice for their freshmen teammates prior to Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round contest against Illinois-Chicago.
“They just told me to focus on and off the court, do the right things, go to bed on time,” freshman guard J.R. Giddens said. “They’re being big brothers. They’re like, ‘Hey, we know you like to watch BET “Midnight Love,” or you might be up watching cartoons,’ or something like I’m always doing. They’re like, ‘Go to bed, or at least lay down and relax and think about the game.’
“I’m going to listen to those guys because they know. I’m afraid if I don’t, they might come over and beat me up, tie me to the bed or knock me out with some NyQuil or a brick.”
Giddens was joking about the potential beating, but he will listen to his more experienced teammates. Juniors Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles and Keith Langford lead the Jayhawks, but they expect Giddens, a starter, and freshman backup center David Padgett to do their part as well.
“You tell them just to play like it’s any other game,” Langford said. “They’re at a point where they know the stakes, and they know what’s going on.”
But the freshmen won’t get their first look at March Madness until KU meets UIC at 8:55 p.m. Friday at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
Langford remembers his first NCAA game well. He was a freshman backup in 2002 when starting guard Kirk Hinrich went down because of an ankle injury. Langford came off the bench to play a season-high 31 minutes and scored nine points — including 7-of-8 foul shooting — in a 70-59 victory over Holy Cross.
“It’s a mandatory-performance-type thing,” said Langford, who went on to score 15 points against Illinois in the Sweet 16 and a season-high 20 against Oregon in the regional final. “If you’re out there, you have to be doing something. You can’t just be out there, you have to have some kind of effect on your team.”
Giddens has had a positive effect on KU. The 6-foot-5 Oklahoman has scored in double figures in 17 of 29 games, including nine of the last 12. After shooting 36 percent (31-of-86) from three-point range in the first 17 games, Giddens has heated up down the stretch. He has made 45.2 percent (33-of-73) in the last 12 games.
Kansas University's J.R. Giddens clowns around during a photo shoot. The freshman guard likes to have fun but will be all business when the Jayhawks face Illinois-Chicago on Friday in Kansas City, Mo.
“He’s one of the few guys in America who can catch the ball and appears to be flat footed and shoots it deep,” KU coach Bill Self said. “He’s a gifted, gifted guy. When you talk about the most-improved players, he’s got to be toward the top of the list.”
Giddens, who averages 10.7 points per game, said his offensive improvement actually had a lot to do with his defense, which he struggled with early in the season.
“When I got some confidence in my defensive ability,” he said, “it made me feel a lot more comfortable on the court offensively and defensively.”
Giddens said his early-season struggles — such as a two-point outing in a loss to Stanford — made him question if he belonged at the Division One level.
“I was like, ‘They invited me? I’m a McDonald’s All-American what?'” he said. “Basketball is more than putting the ball in the hoop sometimes. It’s physical. It’s mental. All I was thinking was, ‘I’m very gifted physically, but yet I suck.’ I’m like, ‘What is going on?’
No more freshman follies
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Printable tournament bracket“In high school you can use your ability to overpower people, but in college you have to outsmart people. You have to box out. You have to pay attention to scouting reports. It’s a big difference.”
After 29 games, Giddens is beginning to see a difference in his performance.
“Coach says I can’t be a freshman anymore,” the 19-year-old said. “I have to be a man, a man-child. I have to go out there and rebound, hit shots and make smart decisions.”
Sometimes the man still feels more like a child, like when he thinks about playing in his first NCAA Tournament game.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Giddens said. “It’s a great big adventure, like I’m a little kid in the back yard with lots of worms and dirt to dig up.”
Now all Giddens has to do is get some rest, just like his “big brothers” told him.
“They just told me to be focused, go to bed on time, eat vegetables and take my Flintstones Vitamins so I’ll be supercharged and ready to go for the tournament,” he said.
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Balanced tourney: KU coach Bill Self, who had a chance to examine the NCAA Tournament brackets Sunday night, said Monday morning the 65-team tourney is up for grabs.
“It’s as wide open as it’s been,” said Self, whose No. 4-seeded Jayhawks will meet No. 13-seed Illinois-Chicago in a first-round game at 8:55 p.m. Friday at Kemper Arena.
“I think the favorites are the 1’s and 2’s (seeds). If you play a series over time, the 1’s and 2’s have the best chance. It’s not a series. It’s a one-shot deal.”
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Find tickets, somehow: Self wants to see thousands upon thousands of KU fans in Kemper Friday.
“Our fans have got to get creative. They’ve got to find a way to hustle tickets,” Self said Monday on his Hawk Talk radio show. “Calling our office isn’t the way to do it. I’m sure a lot of fans said, ‘We’re not going to be here (and didn’t buy tickets early).’ Now they have to hustle, get with Providence people, Pacific, Oklahoma State, have tradeoffs with people to make sure they are there when we play UIC.”
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Bumps, bruises: Keith Langford will not practice at all this week as he rests his right knee, which has cartilage damage and will need surgery after the season.
“He just plays in games. He’s showing toughness,” Self said of Langford. Wayne Simien, of course, will have very limited practice time this week as he nurses his groin injury.
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This, that: KU will play in the NCAA Tournament for a school record 15th consecutive season — the third-longest current streak — and the 33rd time overall. …
Kansas has the fifth-most NCAA Tournament victories all-time (70). …
The Jayhawks will play in the NCAA in Kansas City for the eighth time. KU has won 11 of its 16 games in K.C. …
The last time KU played a postseason game in Kansas City was 1995. The Jayhawks lost to Virginia 67-58 in the Sweet 16 (Midwest Regional). …
Kansas met seven of the 64 other teams selected for the NCAA Tournament during the regular season and compiled a 2-6 record against them. The Jayhawks defeated Michigan State and Texas Tech, but lost to Texas (twice), Oklahoma State, Nevada, Richmond and Stanford. …
Kansas has been a No. 4 seed twice previously with similar results. In 1994, the Jayhawks won their first two games, then bowed to Purdue in the Sweet 16. In 2001, Kansas also won twice before being eliminated by Illinois, then coached by current KU coach Bill Self. …
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Simien honored: KU’s Wayne Simien was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team along with Texas’ Brandon Mouton and Oklahoma State’s John Lucas, Joey Graham and Tony Allen. Allen was MVP.
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Travel plans: KU’s players and coaches are tentatively scheduled to depart to Kansas City via charter bus from Allen Fieldhouse sometime between 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.