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Sporting News, The, Feb 12, 2001 by Mike DeCourcy

When it is February in Kansas, it is time to talk about March. The Jayhawks are winning games, drawing poll votes, raising suspicions. They know what sort of greeting they'll receive the moment their name appears in a lofty position in the NCAA Tournament bracket. They know their school's recent history in this event, though many weren't around when the most harrowing chapters were written.

"That's something I think about a lot," says sophomore forward Nick Collison. "We've lost in the second round three straight years."

"We always have great regular seasons and bow early in the tournament," says senior wing Kenny Gregory. "I'd rather have a decent regular season and do well in the tournament--or both, have a great regular season and do well in the tournament."

In 1997, Kansas was No. 1 in the nation, No. 1 in the Southeast and 34-1 entering its regional semifinal game against Arizona. The season ended there. "It still bothers me to this day," coach Roy Williams says. In 1998, Kansas was the top Midwest seed with a 34-3 record and lost in the second round to Rhode Island.

That's all fine for ESPN Classic, but this team's sophomore nucleus thinks fondly of its tournament experience. Collison, point guard Kirk Hinrich and power forward Drew Gooden were just beginning to establish themselves as the core of KU's future when they earned a comeback victory over DePaul in last year's NCAA opener, then led top-seeded Duke in the final minute before falling by 5. Those efforts formed the foundation for this season's 18-2 record.

"The whole season, whenever we were behind we never came back," Collison says. "And the Duke game, we just kept battling, played tough. Duke was a 1 seed, and I thought we were every bit as good as they were. That gave us confidence."

The argument against Williams as a tournament coach tends to be a little overproduced, like some car-chase movie that exhausts both taste and logic trying to find new ways to crash Fords. It is true no other coach has led four No. 1 seeds that failed to reach the Elite Eight. But neither of his Final Four teams, in 1991 and 1993, was seeded to get there. He has not lost a first-round game. His NCAA Tournament record is 23-11.

Rejecting the opportunity to return home to North Carolina quieted Jayhawks fans who were growing restless about this issue. But the NCAA Tournament--and bashing coaches who lose in it--is a national event.

"I get tired of it," Williams says. "One of the biggest reasons I'd like to win the whole dadgum thing one time is just so they'd stop saying that."

The beauty of this team is it's not so good yet. The Jayhawks have made a habit of storming into the season like lions and skittering out of March like lambs. Instead of killing time trying to stay sharp, this team can spend February improving by:

* Executing on offense. The team has threats at each position, but knowing when to push which buttons is a challenge. Guard Jeff Boschee's streaky shooting is directly proportional to the quality of his attempts. When square to the basket and in rhythm, he's consistently accurate. Gooden is mixing in too many fadeaway jumpers, which hinders offensive rebounding because more shots fall short, directly to the defender. Center Eric Chenowith is attacking the goal but does not finish plays.

* Defending against penetration. There is an ominous link here to the premature tournament eliminations of Williams' four top seeds. All lost to teams with small, quick guards. Defense at the point of attack is not a weakness now, as long as Hinrich is in. But more teams are attacking from the wings, so Boschee must be strong.

* Starting faster. The Jayhawks were down 14 at Missouri and 13 at Wake Forest, their two defeats. They trailed at halftime in their past two Big 12 road games. Against Texas, big men Collison, Gooden and Chenowith were a combined 3-of-17 from the field at the break, and the Jayhawks were ahead only 2.

* Finishing stronger. Gregory says the balance in Kansas' offense is a blessing but adds, "When times get tough you need that one guy or two guys, like, `Man, we need a basket. Go get us a basket.' At some point soon, someone or a couple guys need to take that role."

The Jayhawks have struggled most in the NCAA Tournament when the expectations have been the highest, which is why it was almost a blessing they left Missouri with their near-annual loss to the Tigers and avoided the top poll ranking.

This is not the best team. But Williams also knows the best team doesn't always win it. He knows that disguising a team's flaws and maximizing its gifts can deliver a group as capable as his Jayhawks to the Final Four.

"This team has been through tough times, whereas maybe some of the other teams hadn't," Collison says. "So when we get down to that, we're not going to be scared to lose maybe as much. Maybe we won't be as tight."

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