Survive and advance

It's trite but it's true--advancing in the NCAA Tournament is about "surviving and advancing."  They don't give out style points in the tournament.  The selection of entrants has long been made so there is little debating about how teams won versus that they won.  Yes, lucky bounces happen...and sometimes cause a win.  At other times, a referee's call makes a huge difference (can you say "Syracuse over UNC Asheville?")  Then, there is the old-fashioned gut check--when a team simply wills itself to victory and finds a way to win.  That happened last night with Kansas.

Elijah Johnson is deservedly getting the credit for stepping up big time and filling the void from the quadruple teaming on Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor's inability to penetrate against Purdue.  Johnson deserves that credit--his late season play is the best of his career and he is showing why he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school.

But, let's point out three other candidates, shall we, for why this game turned in Kansas' favor.

First, little-used Naadir Tharpe came in and spelled Taylor when he picked up two first half fouls.  Tharpe has been a turnover machine all season.  Last night, he canned an unexpected three-pointer and generally took care of the basketball.  Think about the outcome of the game had Tharpe not made his basket.

Next is Kevin Young.  Young has had quality minutes, at times, for the Jayhawks and last night was one of them.  In 13 minutes, Young had seven rebounds (five on the offensive glass.)  It was important that Young produce last night given the odd match-ups being thrown at Kansas.

Finally, let's tip our hat to Bill Self.  Self knows when his team is struggling, when they're tight and when a grind-it-out game is taking shape.  He seems to relish these types of games--one's where his team's toughness is questioned; one where an unlikely hero is made.  Self matched wits with Matt Painter, who did a masterful job in preparing Purdue for this game.  It was Self's move to the triangle-and-two (it sometimes looked like a box-and-one) defense which limited Robbie Hummel to four second half points after scorching KU for 22 in the first half.  He also countered Purdue's substitution patterns with a small lineup as a way to rest Robinson yet also provide match-up problems of a new variety to Painter and the Boilermakers.

This victory is the type of win which KU has had in all but two of its Final Four runs since 1974.  Whether it's Davidson in 2008, Illinois in 2002, New Orleans in 1991 or Murray State in 1988, Kansas has had to survive one of these types of games in order to advance.  And, in every case, their next game was one where they played loose and won big.  Let's hope that happens late on Friday night against North Carolina State.

Survive...and advance.