2008 NCAA Tournament
Audio Clips
2007-08 March 20 KU NCAA Day 1
- Bill Self talks about his team again advancing from the tourney's first round
- Brandon Rush talks about staying in his recent offensive groove against PSU
- Darnell Jackson talks about a triumph over a 16-seed for the second straight year
- Darrell Arthur talks about how well KU adjusted to the early tip time Thursday
- Mario Chalmers talks about his three-point stroke and the recent offensive surge from Brandon Rush
- Sherron Collins talks about stopping a smaller guard in Jeremiah Dominguez
- UNLV's Curtis Terry talks about what to expect Saturday against KU
- UNLV's Wink Adams talks about the motivation that comes with facing a KU team the Rebels have watched all year
Omaha, Neb. — One down. And this one was a clinic in superiority.
Kansas University's men's basketball team started its quest for a national championship exactly how it was expected to: by dispatching 16th-seeded Portland State, 85-61, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the Qwest Center.
In front of a largely pro-KU crowd that included Chancellor Robert Hemenway and football coach Mark Mangino, the top-seeded Jayhawks (32-3) athletically overwhelmed Portland State, racing to a 14-3 lead early and keeping the Vikings a safe distance away throughout the game.
Portland State tried to stop Kansas inside and hoped the Jayhawks would be off the mark shooting. Instead, KU was 8-of-13 from three-point range in the first half and drained 12 three-pointers total in the game. The Vikings (23-10) never had much of a chance.
Brandon Rush led all scorers with 18 points. Darrell Arthur had 17 and Mario Chalmers added 16.
Afterward, Kansas stayed and watched the opening half of the first-round game between No. 8 Nevada-Las Vegas and No. 9 Kent State. UNLV won, 71-58, and will play Kansas around 5:50 p.m. Saturday.
The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 and head to Detroit for next week's regional semifinals.
KU Basketball
- Early to rise: KU wide awake for rout (03-21-08)
- Keegan: Rush comes to play (03-21-08)
- Kansas basketball notebook (03-21-08)
- PSU's gamble costly (03-21-08)
- Robinson's D dandy (03-21-08)
- Balanced UNLV to face KU (03-21-08)
- NCAA frenzy enlivens workday (03-21-08)
- Extra Minutes: Kansas 85, Portland State 61 (03-21-08)
- The Keegan Ratings: Rush's run continues (03-21-08)
- KU-Portland St. Box Score
- 2007-08 Roster
- Full 2008 NCAA Tournament coverage
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