KU in Manhattan

00:31 left, and we are up by eight. I am really hoping that it is safe to start typing now. Ok, final score: 85 - 74.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, standing...standing...standing...SIT DOWN!**

If you closed your eyes, would you think you were sitting in a high school basketball game? 1 win in the last 26 home games against the Jayhawks, and suddenly the Grapes have some swagger. And, with this win, KU enters its 20th straight 20-win season; now that calls for some swagger. The Hawks showed some serious moxie to win this basketball game, coming off a tough game at Missouri, into a hostile environment in Manhattan, and being down 16 early in the first half.


In my opinion, the obvious MVP of this game was Cole Aldrich. The guy puts up 21 points and grabs 7 rebounds; the new Rip Hamiltonesque mask works well. As KU fans have come to expect, Collins came to play as well, scoring 19 points just over a 1:1 (6 and 5) assist to turnover ratio. But, the unsung MVP of this game has got to go to Marcus Morris. McMorris was an absolute spark plug for the Hawks today, effective from all over the floor on both ends. He was the catalyst for our team when we started our comeback in the first half. He finished up with 15 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and only 1 TO. Sherron Collins had this to say:

“That’s the real Marcus, aggressive, making plays, hitting threes, jumpers, posting, doing it all. He keeps teasing us, showing glimpses of it, but he is coming around, turning the corner. I look forward to seeing more of that from him.”

It is great to watch Wildcat fans leave their own building with over 1:00 left in the game, and, as a fan, I could not be more impressed with the poise of our young team.

To throw K-State a bone, I have been pretty impressed with Denny Clemente over the last couple of weeks. He makes shots from all over the floor, and plays pretty solid defense. It really is too bad he's such a thug... Oh, and KU has won 38 of the last 40 meetings with the Wildcats.

**In reference to the KSU student section after Tyshawn Taylor and Brady Morningstar fouled out. After rewatching the game, I have concluded that Tyshawn is a genius. After his 5th, he waited until Denis Clemente was in the middle of shooting his free throws to sit down. Those Grapes, thick-headed and short-sighted, still yelled, and Clemente missed both free throw attempts. It was beautiful.