Hinrich in a foul mood

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Mar 23, 2002 by Pete Goering Capital-Journal

By Pete Goering

The Capital-Journal

MADISON, Wis. --- Ten seconds into Friday's Midwest Regional game against Illinois, Kirk Hinrich hit a 3-point basket.

It may have been the worst thing that could have happened.

"I think it got me a little too pumped up," said Hinrich, already psyched up about getting another shot at the team that knocked Kansas out of last year's NCAA Tournament. "I had a lot of adrenaline going."

That extra adrenaline quickly got Hinrich into foul trouble, however, a nightmarish reminder of last year's game when Illinois won 80-64. This one had a similar script for Hinrich but a happier ending.

"Obviously, I'm real happy that we won," he said after the Jayhawks hung on to beat the Illini 73-69.

He wasn't, however, real happy with the way he played. That quick 3-pointer? It was his only basket of the night, a night filled with foul trouble and a lot of time on the bench.

"I was just over there cheering," he said. "Obviously, I was ticked off, I'm not going to lie to you. But I can't sit over there and pout."

So, instead, he led the cheers for KU's unlikely band of heroes, the freshman trio of Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and Wayne Simien. The three combined for 35 points and 16 rebounds, numbers that more than compensated for a rare poor night from Hinrich.

"The freshmen had a lot to do with us winning," said Hinrich, who finished with a season-low three points. "We needed them to step up, and they did a great job. They've been big all year."

Hinrich came into the game thinking he'd be the guy who would step up. The ankle he turned so severely last week in St. Louis was fine, and while he wasn't literally drooling at another shot at Illinois and its star guard, Frank Williams, he was really, really pumped up.

Then he hit the 3, and it was a struggle the rest of the way.

He picked up two quick fouls in the first 5 1/2 minutes, then --- horrors --- his third with 12:02 left in the half, sending him to the bench for good until the break.

Hinrich tried to be diplomatic while talking about the fouls --- "I don't know what the rules are" about commenting about officiating, he said --- but he made it clear he blamed himself.

"I've just got to play smart," he said.

He didn't Friday. He called a couple of his early fouls "silly," a term that also described No. 4, which came with barely 4 1/2 minutes into the second half.

Without Hinrich, the Jayhawks were forced to use a big lineup extensively for really the first time this season.

"I'm not sure it changed anything we were trying to do because we play a certain way," Kansas coach Roy Williams said when asked what adjustments KU had to make with Hinrich in deep foul trouble. "The only thing is I probably went with the bigger lineup longer."

To Hinrich, it seemed like forever.

"It was hard the whole game," he said after playing only 17 minutes. "I don't know how many minutes I played, but it wasn't much."