Kansas basketball: Jayhawks rebound their way to Final Four
By Stan Unruh
Kansas basketball is heading to San Antonio for the Final Four. Malik Newman led the Jayhawks past Duke 85-81 in an overtime thriller.
The Kansas basketball team is celebrating a Midwest Regional Championship and a trip back to the Final Four. The No. 1 seed Jayhawks knew going into the Elite eight battle they had battle the No. 2 Seed Duke big men on the boards. The Big 12 Champions had one of their best games on the glass all season. They dominated the Devils on the boards. The Jayhawks grabbed 46 rebounds to Duke’s 32.
Fans will always remember Svi Mykhailiuk’s huge 3 that sent the game into overtime. Svi’s ten rebounds were even more important. He played outstanding defense on the Devil’s big men, blocked shots and made a big steal in overtime. The senior saved his best all around performance of the season for the Elite Eight.
Silvio De Sousa also grabbed 10 rebounds and played a huge role with Udoka Azubuike in foul trouble. The freshman made a mistake or two but he fought the Devils in the paint. His size and athleticism played a huge role in helping the Jayhawks get this win.
The rebounders made the difference but Malik Newman was the team’s outstanding player Sunday. He scored 32 points including all 13 in the overtime. His defensive effort on the Devil’s senior guard Grayson Allen was just as valuable. Newman has been the team’s best player in the post season. The red-shirt sophomore came up big on both ends in the team’s biggest game of the season.
Devonte Graham is this team’s leader and his play in the title game was good not great. The Devil zone defense limited him to 11 points on 4-10 shooting. The All American also hit 3 from beyond the arc. Graham’s biggest play of the game was also the biggest assist of the season. He found Svi for the shot that tied the game in regulation.
Lagerald Vick get the assist of the year.
You can’t say enough about the play of Vick again this weekend. He followed his 13 points Friday with 14 more against the Devils. The junior found seams in the Devil zone and hit some huge shots in the second half. He played tough defense and blocked a shot.
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The Jayhawks won despite some questionable calls by the officials and 17 turnovers. They did what we saw them do all season. Play through the difficulties, fight and not give up. The Jayhawks won a number of tough, close games in the wild Big 12 schedule. They were more than prepared to win this overtime battle for a trip to San Antonio.