This chart does a good job of summing up Kansas’ 67-point drubbing of Alcorn State:

• — — StatSheet.com

Your eyes don’t deceive you. According to StatSheet.com‘s calculations, KU had the contest sewn up by the 1:40 mark of the first half.

At that point, the Braves were attempting to crawl out of the hole dug by the Jayhawks’ 36-0 run (as Gary Bedore pointed out in his KU hoops notebook, the second biggest scoring spurt in NCAA history). Predictably, Alcorn State never made things interesting. KU led by 41 at halftime and 67 at the merciful final buzzer.

How did KU lay such a pummeling on a Division I opponent?

One word: defense.

http://worldonline.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/blogs/entry_img/2009/Dec/03/sherronglare.jpg
Nick Krug/LJW Photo — KU guard Sherron Collins hunkering down for some defense

A look at basic stats reveals Alcorn State’s 31 points were the fewest allowed by KU in the past 58 years and the fewest ever scored by an Allen Fieldhouse visitor.

Advanced metrics paint a more vivid picture of KU’s dominance. The Braves scored .38 points per possession, the worst by a Division I team since Samford scored .35 per possession against Ohio State in Nov. 2008. The .38 point-per-possession mark was the fifth worst performance by a Division I team in the past 13 seasons. The Braves scored on 23.5 percent of their trips down the floor, the worst by any Division I team this season. Alcorn State turned the ball over on 36.5 percent of its possessions. No matter how you slice it, KU’s defense stymied Alcorn State to a nearly historic degree.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What went right for KU

• All that aforementioned defense, specifically…

The fact that KU put the clamps on an overmatched opponent on the heels of its worst defensive performance of the season had to have pleased coach Bill Self. Five Jayhawks posted steal percentages greater than five percent and three posted double-digit block percentages. On top of applying turnover-prompting ball pressure, KU forced Alcorn State into 23.1 percent field goal shooting, a season-low for even the 0-10 Braves.

http://worldonline.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/blogs/entry_img/2009/Dec/03/cole-dunk.jpg
Nick Krug/LJW Photo — KU center Cole Aldrich somehow finishes despite the physical contact

• Cole Aldrich gained back a bit more of his mojo

KU’s junior center was anything but assertive on offense Wednesday night, taking shots on just 13 percent of KU’s possessions while he was on the floor, but he converted at a 5-for-6 clip and earned three trips to the line. Aldrich absolutely covered the offensive and defensive glass. The Jayhawks’ 6-foot-11 toothless wonder grabbed 40 percent of the possible defensive rebounds and 17 percent of possible offensive rebounds to tally 16 rebounds in 24 minutes. Of games in which Aldrich has played more than 20 minutes, Wednesday’s contest was the third-best rebounding game of the center’s career in terms of rebound percentage.

What went wrong for KU

• Surprising periods of inefficiency on offense

KU wasn’t bad — or close to it — on offense Wednesday night. But the Jayhawks weren’t at their best, either. KU’s 1.2 points-per-possession was its second worst such number of the season. The problems? Average shooting and so-so ball-handling. KU’s shooting and turnover problems started with freshman guard Elijah Johnson and sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor. The pair combined to make just one of eight shots and turn the ball over six times. However, each contributed on defense and Johnson wrangled a career-high nine assists.

The Bottom Line: There isn’t much fault for the Jayhawk faithful to find here. KU is playing like the nation’s No. 1 team, no matter the level of competition.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This entry would not be complete without a link (originally brought back into my mind Wednesday by KUSports.com editor Jesse Newell) to ESPN.com’s fantastic piece on Alcorn State basketball. The story Dana O’Neil told was eye-opening when it hit the Web nearly two years ago, and it doesn’t seem much has changed for one of the smallest schools in Division I. The day-to-day uphill struggle of college basketball’s less fortunate 24 conferences is just as much a part of our beautiful game as Dick Vitale, John Wooden or Allen Fieldhouse.