KU hangs on and takes down UNLV

9-5

#13 11-2

Knowing that your opponent recently knocked off the #3 ranked team in the country is never a good feeling to have. Couple that with the fact that Kansas has taken down UNLV each of the 4 times these teams have met, will give any fan or sports writer that uneasy feeling before a game.

Kansas had struggled this season when teams have big threats inside. Kansas has found that driving the ball and shooting does not work. If anything can be learned from the loss handed down by Kentucky and Temple, it is this. That said, UNLV ranks #5 in the county for blocked shots!

Courtesy; kusports.com

Kansas got off to a great start. Kansas Sophomore Wayne Selden Jr. has been average as of late and needed a spark to set him off. He got that with a big 3 to start the game off. Then what all Kansas fans go to bed dreaming about, someone got hot! Selden nailed 2 more 3's, Ellis and Sophomore Frank Mason III both added bucks causing UNLV to call time. Just like that Kansas was up 13-4. Twitter caught fire, the neighbors called 911 again
and I swear I seen Coach Howard slip off to call the Fire Department! The Phog was rocking.

As usual my excitement was short lived. Less than 10 seconds after the UNLV timeout, Goodluck Okonoboh slammed one home to quiet the crowd. KU answered with turnovers, fouls and missed shots. Selden went cold, Junior Jamari Traylor missed a dunk which turned into a fast break and a dunk by Okonoboh. UNLV got hot and just like that the lead was cut to 3.

Courtesy: kusports.com

At the 13:10 mark, Kansas Freshman Cliff Alexander checked it. The big man has been cold offensively as of late losing his starting position to Traylor. Alexander didn't waist anytime showing some well needed aggressiveness at the rim. Shooting wise, Alexander struggled to get started, but he made up for that blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. Around the 10:36 mark, Alexander summoned his inner animal and set the crowd ablaze with a monster dunk.

Starting with the loss at Temple, the Jayhawks have seemed to lack some hustle on loose balls. That was not the case today. With bodies flying and chairs getting knocked over, the Jayhawks were a different team. Unfortunately so was UNLV. In this writers opinion, this game felt more like a final 4 battle than a non-conference game. Neither team let up. I can say this, every ticket holder got their monies worth today.

Courtesy: unlvrebels.com

After going cold for almost 3 minutes, UNLV got some life. By life, I mean they couldn't miss. KU kept hammering back and UNLV answered each time. With just over 8 minutes left to play in the 1st half, UNLV was within one. Mason, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ellis each kept hitting shots and gave Kansas a short lived run. Okonoboh came back in at the 6:31 mark and shut the inside down. I can say this till I'm blue in the face, but this team has to get over its shortcomings in the paint. Anytime they are faced with an inside threat, they shut down. Makes this writer dream of the Releford-Aldrich-Withey days of defense. After another big dunk by Okonoboh, UNLV had fought back and tied the game up at 27 all.

Mason was quick to answer off a fast break steal, but again UNLV answered back with Patrick McCaw and Christian Wood. That would be it for Kansas in the 1st half. UNLV had taken the lead. Heading into the locker room UNLV was up 33-29 on Kansas. UNLV had shot 41% while Kansas had averaged only 31%.

Courtesy: kusports.com

This writer has always wondered what kind of halftime speech Bill Self gives when KU is down at home, but whatever it was it worked! A quick bucket by Ellis and what some called a "Teenwolf" coast-to-coast dunk by Traylor, had it all tied up at 33.

Oubre nailed a 3 only to be countered with another 3 by UNLV's Cody Doolin. UNLV would not let up. The next 6 minutes would be a back and forth battle between both teams. Kansas had stepped up its defense at the rim, but was bombarded by 3's raining in from Christian Wood. With just under 13 minutes left, the score was tied up again 49 all. UNLV would take the lead again for about 10 seconds, but that was it for the Running Rebels.

Courtesy: kusports.com

Two layups off fast breaks from Ellis and Mason had Kansas back on top. One player that has been the solid backbone of Kansas, the rock, the bulldog, is Frank Mason. I don't want to undermine any player on this team, but Mason has been that much needed backbone. Today was no different. The crowd shifting bucket award has to go to Mason's 3 at the 9:56 mark. This lifted Kansas up 5 points over UNLV. The crowd, the bench and the entire momentum belonged to Kansas!

Kansas had taken over the boards as well. The Jayhawks were grabbing rebounds on both ends and had finally been able to shut down the inside threat from UNLV. Selden started heating up, Alexander was playing like a beast and the lefty Oubre Jr. were putting a hurting on UNLV. For the next 4 minutes, Selden and Alexander looked better than any duo in the league. More over, they looked comfortable, happy, solid like G.A.M. playing the game they love. I missed out on one hellova game, that much I can say! This is why fans camp out for days, sell out the Fieldhouse every game and love there Jayhawks so much.

Courtesy: kusports.com

With 3:10 left, UNLV called their last timeout. The damage had been done. UNLV had ran out of steam. Ellis and Mason finished it off for Kansas bringing the final score 76-61. Kansas had battled it out shooting 62% compared to only 31% in the 1st half with 20 points coming off forced turnovers on UNLV. The Kansas Defense had shined once again.

Now the true test is here to come. Kansas starts conference play this Wednesday the 7th.  The Jayhawks will travel to Waco, TX to take on the Baylor Bears. Tip off is at 8pm central time at the Ferrell Center. The game can be seen on ESPNU. The #21 ranked Bears are 11-2 on the season with a recent loss handed to by the Sooners.

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!