이 경기를 앞두고 Kansas는 Ap Poll과 Coaches' Poll에서 모두 2위로 떨어졌다. 지난 Vermont전에서 1위팀의 위용을 보여주지 못한 대가였다. 그렇다 해도 2위로 밀려난 것은 의아하다. NCAA Football에서는 자주 있는 일이지만 농구에서는 이기기만 웬만해서는 순위가 떨어지지 않는다. 그에 대한 분노를 St.Joseph's에게 200% 표출했다.
Kansas는 St.Joesph에게 역대 2번째 최다 점수차 패배를 안겨줬다. 마치 투표자들에게 시위하듯이 1위팀의 위용을 과시했다. Aaron Miles가 3점을 두개나 성공시켰으니 처음부터 게임이 될 수가 없었다. 1학년생들도 전부 다 출전해 실전 경험을 쌓을 수 있었다.
이런 투지가 한 경기에 그치지 말고 계속 이어져야 한다. Kansas는 최근 몇 년간 한 경기 대승하면 그 다음경기에서 집중력이 떨어지는 현상을 보였다. 진정한 우승후보가 되기 위해서는 매 경기 꾸준한 모습을 보여줘야 한다. 그래야 토너먼트에서도 6연승할 수 있는 저력이 생길 수 있다.
Highlights
Kansas Head Coach Bill Self
On the game:
"The first half was good, we ran and defended well. We really just did everything well, but we had too many turnovers. The second half was sloppy. We played a lot of young guys and it got really sloppy late in the game. We lost a little interest to start the second half, there is no doubt about that. Keith (Langford) never got involved offensively, we tried to, but never really got him involved. We still scored 50 points the first half. I thought our young guys did some good things. Our starters only scored 44 points and we won by 40. I wouldn't have expected that before the game started. Looking at our schedule, I didn't know if there was going to be a game where we could get the young guys some minutes. There were a lot of good things that happened for us tonight. I think how we shared the ball, how we had energy and how fast we ran from defense to offense was what pleased me tonight. We needed to play well tonight so we could get our swagger back. Our fans were great tonight and we jumped on their young guards early."
On Kansas' defense against Saint Joseph's:
"They missed a lot of shots. We did some good things against them defensively. We could have guarded them a little better in the first half and we didn't play very well defensively the second half at all. (Saint Joseph's) is playing short-handed. That wasn't the same team as last year for them. They lost two great players and (Pat) Carrol wasn't there. They will get a lot better pretty fast. He (Phil Martelli) is a terrific coach."
On the upcoming game against Nevada:
"We can talk about their run in the NCAA Tournament, but what we remember is getting waxed in Reno. They had us down 20 at the half and they ended up winning by about ten points. It was a pitiful performance by us and at that time we didn't know how good of a team they were. They were obviously really good. They basically have their whole front line back. It will be a good game. I hope our fans are juiced for that game because we definitely owe (Nevada) one."
Freshman Guard Russell Robinson
On sharing the basketball:
"The more touches you get, the more buckets will open up for everybody. We tried to play to our advantages and passing is one of our advantages."
On Wayne Simien:
"He brings his game all the time. Our job is to make sure he gets touches. We did that today and we have to continue to do that every game. As long as we get him touches, he is going to continue playing hard."
On the freshmen contribution:
"We played great. It was a good time for us to get out there and play in front of a crowd. C.J. (Giles), Darnell (Jackson), Sasha (Kaun) and the rest of us can only continue to get better."
Senior Forward Wayne Simien
On the game:
"We came out early, made shots and got stops on defense. They are kind of in a rebuilding mode, losing two first-round picks. Carrol didn't play tonight so they were without one of their best players. We were on fortunately and we were able to capitalize."
On the improvement from the first game:
"I think we were more in-sync on defense. We came out and got stops. They came at us with a full court press for almost the entire game, especially in the first half and I think we handled the pressure very well which led to a lot of easy buckets."
Saint Joseph's
Head Coach Phil Martelli
On the game:
"I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but we brought boys and played against men. We were not ready to play against this level of competition, in this setting. Hopefully the next opportunity we get on Saturday, we will be ready to individually and collectively play better. I don't think any of our guys clocked themselves in valour here tonight. This is not something that you want to go through too often. That game was an experience-that noise level and that style of play. College basketball is about giving guys some experiences they will remember. That passion for the game, the excitement and the good play is positive. I think our initial defense was good and we had good ball pressure. Psychologically, I thought the ball not going in effects how hard you want to play defense on the next possession.
On Saint Joseph's offensive performance:
"I am not surprised by some of the young guys and the young mistakes, but we shot the ball well for the last six weeks in practice. I never would have thought that we would come in and miss our first nine three-point attempts. The most surprising factor is that we didn't settle in and make shots. Offensively we need to be a lot calmer."
On Dwayne Jones:
"I think that some things he did were unpredictable. He took jump shots on three of the four first possessions that he had the ball and that was unpredictable. We hadn't seen that and I think he was a little anxious. In the second half, there was more of a calm to his game, but we are going to need him to be calm from the outset of the game."
On Kansas:
"The talent difference was the difference. One of the factors in tonight's game was that they (Kansas) had already played a game and we hadn't. The first half was very evident of that. Kansas is a team that you certainly need to think about being in Saint Louis (at the end of the season), of course with good health and chemistry staying the same. We could not stand toe-to-toe with them. I don't know what they don't have. After playing Vermont, you could say that you could challenge their outside shooting, but they went 5-5 to start the game tonight on three-pointers. It would be hard for me to fathom that kids wouldn't be able to play great under these conditions."
Junior Center Dwayne Jones
On the game:
"We just got caught up in trying to play (Kansas') game. This was our first game and I think all of us, including myself, just played out of character in the first half. Kansas was hitting shots and we were missing shots due to the fact that we were rushing. Before we knew it, Kansas was up by 15 and 20 points, and it was hard for us to chip away at that lead. Usually the score is the other way around for us. There is nothing we can do about it, it is done and over with. I think we had first game jitters. Kansas had already played one game, and this game, they came out in a pretty good rhythm."
On playing in Allen Fieldhouse:
"It was a great college atmosphere. I did play in a lot of big time arenas last year, but this was a nice atmosphere. It was not too hostile of an environment."
Junior Guard Chet Stachitas
On the game:
"We expected to have some first game jitters. This was the first chance for our younger players to experience college basketball. They got a taste of what it is really like. Tonight it was everything from defensive stops to not making shops. Our lack of offense dictated our defense, which is a recipe for disaster. At the defensive end, we are going to have to pick it up. The shots just were not going in, and that hurts our confidence going back down on defense. Kansas shot well, but we didn't do much to make them miss."