To succeed in the NCAA tournament, Kansas head coach Roy Williams looks to the words of a coaching legend.
“With Jimmy Valvano, it was always ?survive and advance?,” Williams said. “You?ve got to play well one game, and if you play well, they may allow you to stay around and play in the next one.”
For Williams? Jayhawks, they need to find a way to stick around for not only one game, but four. With a date already set with Illinois in the Sweet Sixteen Friday, Kansas needs to win two games this weekend in Madison to advance to the Final Four, then win two more games for a national championship.
But before the Jayhawks can look that far ahead, they need to first look back at the path they took to get this point. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the No.1 seed was almost shown the door by No.16 seed Holy Cross, ending the Jayhawks? survival in the opening day of tournament play.
However, since last Thursday, Kansas has looked like a different team with more emotion. The negative press toward the top team in the Midwest region apparently got to its players, and a more competitive team showed up against Stanford in the second round.”
“There isn?t any question that the negative things that?s been said [about the Holy Cross game] in some way motivated some of our guys,” Williams said. “The toughness of the Holy Cross game and how we weren?t into it emotionally as much helped us be into it emotionally for the Stanford game.”
As if the negative press wasn?t enough motivation for the Jayhawks, they got an added lift from the bench.
After severely spraining his ankle against Holy Cross in the first round, junior guard Kirk Hinrich played through his injury and contributed for the No.1 seed in a relief effort against Stanford. Hinrich entered the game for KU at the 12:52 mark in the first half and scored a quick eight points. The guard left the game with 15 points in 21 minutes of play.
“I thought in the game . . . Saturday he was sensational,” Williams said. “Emotionally, he gave us a tremendous lift, and he made some shots, and when you do that, you also give other guys a lift, too. I think that what he gave us emotionally and what he gave us with his play on the court were both equally important.”
As for Hinrich?s current status, Williams said he is improving. The guard didn?t practice with the team Sunday and was restricted to shooting only free throws on Monday?s shoot around. However, he is expected to play Friday against Illinois.
“If we had to play a game today, yes, he would play,” Williams said Monday. “The good news is that we don?t have to play and we?re gonna give him some more time this week.”
A week?s recuperation should make Hinrich ready to go Friday against the Illini. This pairing is a re-match of last year?s Sweet Sixteen game, a contest the Jayhawks lost. With that game behind KU, the team is ready to make a new memory against Illinois.
“I?m sure that it?s in my mind that they kicked our tails last year and boy, we really have to be prepared, but the fact of the matter is that I realize that has nothing to do with the game that we?re getting ready to play this year,” Williams said. “Our players understand that they kicked our rear-end last year, and they?re not going to lose that memory, but the fact of the matter is that we have to play now.”
And Williams and his Jayhawks will be ready to do exactly that Friday night.
