NCAA Tournament: Kansas Run Ends With Stanford, 60-57

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The worst sound wasn’t the opposing crowd or even the clanging of the rim of second-seeded Kansas’ missed shots. Although both debilitating, the worst was a whistle blown with 5:25 to play, forcing the game’s leading scorer – senior Tarik Black – to the bench for his last time as a Jayhawk. Even with freshman guard Conner Frankamp’s heroics following his exit,10th-seeded Stanford ended KU’s season, 60-57, Sunday morning inside the Scottrade Center.

Kansas (25-10) and Stanford (23-12) certainly looked like a pair of teams unaccustomed to early tip times in the Third Round South Regional game. The 11:15 a.m. start marked just the third time in 35 games that the Jayhawks started before 1 p.m., while the Cardinal took the floor to what equated to 9:15 a.m. in its usual time zone. Though start time had little to do with the outcome, what ensued was the Jayhawks’ second-lowest field goal total of the season (19) and its lowest scoring output in the NCAA Tournament since falling to UCLA 68-55 in the 2007 Elite Eight.

Sentenced to play the NCAA Second and Third Round games without Joel Embiid, the Big 12 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, Black proudly wore the leadership role as the young team’s only starting senior. He led the floor with 18 points on 75 percent shooting, and had his team within two before his forced departure. KU would never lead again.

Freshman guard Conner Frankamp joined Black in double-figures with 12 points, and even more so as a spark for Kansas. One game after scoring a personal-best 10 points in KU’s second round contest against Eastern Kentucky, head coach Bill Self used the rookie guard as a source of offensive fire power against the Cardinal, as well. He hit a career-high four three-pointers to set a new personal-best with 12 points.

Frankamp, too, gave a valiant effort. The last five seconds of the first half ticked away when the six-foot shooting specialist knocked the ball away from Stanford’s Anthony Brown. Time was running out and Frankamp refused to waste it. He pulled up from behind the arc and driled his second three. After waiting nearly a game and a half for their first three-pointer in St. Louis, Frankamp made two of them in the last four minutes to send the Jayhawks to the lockerroom with a 24-22 lead. For the 25^th time this season, Kansas led at the half. Stanford was the third, and last, team of the year to turnaround the outcome.

Even in the final minutes, following Black’s dismissal from the game, Frankamp broke up a crippling Kansas scoring drought that saw the Jayhawks sink to a 58-51 deficit with 32 seconds to play. His third three cut the Stanford lead to four. His fourth sparked all hope of a comeback, pulling KU within two, 59-57, with 16 seconds to play.

Frankamp’s shooting touch brought the Jayhawks as close as they could get on a day that saw them make just 32. 8 percent (19-58) of their shots and be outdone on the glass for only the fifth time this year. Stanford held the Jayhawks’ leading scorer and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Andrew Wiggins, without a basket in the second half and a meager four points on the game. Sophomore forward Perry Ellis, KU’s second-leading contributor, tallied nine points, while his eight points tied for the game-high. No Jayhawk recorded more than two assists and they came up with seven as a team, one short of their season-low.

All-Pac-12 guard, junior Chasson Randle was the difference with six steals, the most the Jayhawks have surrendered to anyone this season. He added 13 points, while senior forward Dwight Powell led the team with 15 points. The duo led an offense that didn’t fare much better than KU from an efficiency standpoint, shooting 44.7 percent (21-47) and 0-for-9 from three-point range.

More than two minutes passed before Stanford recorded its first bucket and the Jayhawks waited more than three before Ellis nailed a jumper inside the top of the key. Though it sparked three-straight made buckets, it did little to effect the slow pace of the game. In fact, the only bang-bang play in the opening minutes went against the Jayhawks when an over-passed ball resulted in a KU turnover-SU layup. Nearly eight minutes into the game and only six points on the scoreboard, Self used a timeout.

The teams kept from separating simply by not hitting shots. Stanford hovered around a five-point edge, but with neither team shooting better than 40 percent scoring came to standstill. Yet, with six turnovers and no threes, Kansas found itself behind by just two points, 18-16. When the Jayhawks would force turnovers, one of their own would result on the next possession and the desperate pining for an offensive spark continued.

Frankamp delivered with the buzzer-beater from three-point land to send Kansas to halftime with the lead.

Black led an eventful 90 seconds to start the second half, putting in two quick buckets to hand Kansas its biggest lead of the game, 28-23. In the same span, however, Tharpe, freshman guard Wayne Selden, Jr. and himself each picked up their third fouls and the whole trio was forced to sit – and a 13-2 Stanford run ensued.

When they checked back in, the Cardinal had climbed back in front, 36-30. Thus, they went back to work with seven-straight points from Black, but Stanford’s slow shooting in the first half was long gone by the second. The low-seed hit eight of its first 11 shots to kick off the final frame and KU fell further behind, 40-33.

While Black was called upon to lead, his supporting cast was hurting for a basket. Twice, Wiggins saw the ball literally go in-and-out of the basket as he both he and Ellis hunted for their first points of the second half.

So, the Jayhawks fought. Kansas guards and forwards alike attacked the basket. With seemingly massive blocks of time separating each field goal, freshman guard Frank Mason and sophomore forward Jamari Traylor took matters into their own hands by driving the lane and hitting the free throws that followed to cut Stanford lead to four, 44-40.

Naadir Tharpe, the Jayhawks’ most efficient three-point shooter, was looking for his first three-pointer in nearly three weeks. The junior point guard hit his only three of the tournament. Thirty seconds later, Wiggins finally notched his first points of the second half.

Kansas had fought its way back to a two-point deficit when the whistle sounded. Black – KU’s only player in double-figures – would have to leave the game. The whistle was for him, his fifth. Ellis took his place, knowing if KU was to advance to Black’s hometown in Memphis, he would have to take on Black’s scoring role. Just like that – Ellis’ put-back dunk tied the game, 49-49.

Jayhawk fans looked on in agony as KU scored just once in the next four minutes and 46 seconds. Frankamp did his best to deliver the game-winner, but the Jayhawks ended their run in the Round of 32.

NOTES
KU STARTERS (Season/Career Starts): Jr. Naadir Tharpe (31/31), Fr. Wayne Selden, Jr. (35/35), Fr. Andrew Wiggins (35/35), So. Perry Ellis (34/37), Sr. Tarik Black (15/75)

SERIES INFO: Kansas leads 8-3

ATTENDANCE: TBA (18,750 capacity)

KANSAS’ WIN…

Ended Kansas’ season at 25-10, giving KU its first double-digit loss season since going 24-10 in 1999-00.
Made Kansas 11-9 in games away from Allen Fieldhouse (5-6 in true road games, 5-3 on neutral floors).
Changed the Kansas-Stanford series to 8-3 in favor of Kansas.
Made the Jayhawks 96-42 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and 8-2 in NCAA Tournament games played in St. Louis.
Marked KU’s first loss to a No. 10 seed (4-1) and moved its record to 19-6 as a No. 2 seed.
Made head coach Bill Self’s record to 325-69 while at Kansas and 532-174 overall. Self is now 36-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament (26-10 at Kansas).
Moved Kansas to 2,126-822 all-time.

TEAM NOTES

The Jayhawks’ 57 points tied their fewest in an NCAA Tournament game since scoring 55 in a 67-55 loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight on March 24, 2007 – and the lowest in a first or second round game since a 54-49 win over New Orleans in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament.
Kansas was held to its second-lowest field goal total of the year (19-of-58), tying its 19 makes at Florida and at Texas Tech.
The last time Kansas was held to 0.0 percent from three-point range – an 0-6 mark against Western Kentucky (3/22/13) – the Jayhawks didn’t hit another until the second half of the next game (5-8, 2^nd half, vs. North Carolina, 3/24/13). On Sunday, KU tried to do it again, starting the game 0-4 from behind the arc through the first 16 minutes.
Freshman G Conner Frankamp made sure the Jayhawks wouldn’t allow the Jayhawks to spend another half trey-less. He hit two in the last 3:34 of the first half, one in the final second, to give KU the lead by halftime.
Until Frankamp’s buzzer-beating three before halftime, the Jayhawks were in danger of tying its lowest point total for a half this season (21, 1^st half, at Florida).
On the flipside, Kansas held Stanford to its season-low for a half (22), breaking the old low set at Denver (24, 11/17/13).
Stanford brought a very veteran squad into Sunday’s matchup, starting two seniors and three juniors. The same starting five has taken the court in all but one of Stanford’s 35 games this season (Senior Night).
The Cardinal outrebounded Kansa 37-35, the sixth time in 35 games that the Jayhawks didn’t win the battle of the boards.
Stanford pulled down 19 rebounds in the first half – tying the most that Eastern Kentucky recorded for the entire game in the second round (3/21).
With 18:27 to play in the game, senior F Tarik Black, freshman G Wayne Selden, Jr. and junior G Naadir Tharpe all went to the bench with three fouls and Kansas held a 28-25 lead. Their presence was sorely missed. When they returned at the 14:50 mark, KU trailed 36-30. Kansas never led again.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

For the second-straight game, freshman G Conner Frankamp was the spark that his team needed. He checked in for 11 minutes of the first half to lead the Jayhawks in scoring with six points on 2-of-3 from three-point range, KU’s first threes of the NCAA Tournament.
Frankamp went on to make a career-best four three-pointers (4-of-7) for a career-high 12 points.
Senior F Tarik Black was the leader in his game as a Jayhawk. He led all players with 18 points, 13 in the second half and one shy of his season-best, on 6-of-8 shooting. He also added 6-of-8 makes from the free throw line, also one shy of his best at KU (7-for-9 vs. Georgetown).
Black scored the first four points of the second half before foul trouble sent him to the bench. He scored the Jayhawks next seven points when he returned to the game.
Freshman G Andrew Wiggins scored just four points on Sunday. His lowest effort since tallying three at home against Oklahoma State (1/18/14). He ended the 2013-14 season with 597 points on the year – the most all-time by a Jayhawk freshman.
With 189 field goals on the year, Wiggins finished third behind Ben McLemore (198, 2013) for the most shots made by a Jayhawk freshman.
Wiggins completed the year as the KU freshmen record for free throws made (176), free throws attempted (227), field goals attempted (422) and scoring average (17.1).
Freshman C Joel Embiid, who missed the last six-consecutive games due a stress fracture in his lower back, ended the season as the KU freshman record holder in rebound average (8.1), blocked shots (72) and field goal percentage (62.6).
Wiggins and freshman G Wayne Selden, Jr. ranked second (1,148) and fifth (1,022), respectively, in most minutes played by a freshman. The duo started all 35 games, tying former KU great Jacque Vaughan for the most starts by a KU freshman.
Freshman G Brannen Greene and redshirt freshman F Landen Lucas checked into their first NCAA Tournament action in the second half. Lucas used the opportunity to throw down an alley-oop dunk from fellow freshman G Frank Mason.

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