10 Reasons Why KU was Kayoed

By Mike Douchant
Special to CBS SportsLine
March 22, 1997

Contrary to the opinions of many sages, top-ranked Kansas wasn't invincible after all. Observers should admire KU's courage in trimming a 13-point deficit to one in the last three minutes against Arizona, but the writing was on the wall most of the Southeast Regional semifinal.

Here are 10 reasons why the Jayhawks are mere mortals now suffering from March Sadness:

• Quickness! Quickness! Quickness! No matter the size differential, never underestimate how crucial a component quickness is in a playoff game between two comparable opponents. Kansas looked ponderous at times trying to cope with Arizona's lethal "Three-M" perimeter alignment of Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon.

• KU coach Roy Williams appears to be enduring the same "Great Expectations" syndrome that hovered around his mentor at North Carolina. Dean Smith, of course, was roundly criticized in some suspect quarters until capturing his initial NCAA Tournament title in 1982. Smith compiled a 16-12 NCAA playoff record through his first 10 appearances. It's of little condolence to Williams, but he has a significantly better tournament record than Smith at the same juncture (20-8).

• Senioritis, the dreaded disease afflicting tense seniors on the verge of having their eligibility expire, reared its ugly head for KU seniors who looked as if they were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Conversely, senior-less Arizona played much looser and thus much closer to its ability. Seniors Jerod Haase, Scot Pollard and Jacque Vaughn showed why they are marginal NBA prospects at best. Injuries notwithstanding, the trio simply didn't raise their level of play when the team needed them most. Meanwhile, unshackled undergraduate teammates Ryan Robertson and Billy Thomas were brilliant off the bench for the Jayhawks.

• Raef LaFrentz, with a series of blocked shots against Arizona, showed more maturity than the last two years when he virtually disappeared while KU exited earlier than expected. LaFrentz, however, still hasn't arrived as a full-fledged national player of the year candidate. If not for a pristine performance by Paul Pierce, the Jayhawks might have been totally embarrassed by the wily Wildcats.

• The law of averages dictates that a maximum of two regional No. 1 seeds usually reach the Final Four. The only year from 1979 through 1996 that the Final Four had more than two No. 1 seeds was "The Battle of New Orleans" in 1993 when finalists Michigan and North Carolina were fortunate to each overcome double-digit deficits in two regional games before advancing to the national semifinals.

• An opponent seems to have even more incentive when it meets a higher-ranked team. The Jayhawks (34-2) were under intense pressure inasmuch as they could have set an NCAA record for most victories in a single season with 38 by winning the national title. Previously, they showed their vulnerability despite overcoming several significant deficits during the regular season. There are just so many times a team, no matter how talented, can continue to overcome double-digit deficits before falling short.

• Beware of a national No. 1 ranking. In 1992, Duke defied a trend by becoming the first top-ranked team in 10 years entering the playoffs to win the national title. The '92 Duke squad, North Carolina '82 and UCLA '95 are the only top-ranked teams since 1979 to become national champion.

• Thirty victories entering the NCAA Tournament seems to be too much, too soon. Kansas became the eighth squad compiling 30 or more triumphs entering the playoffs since the field expanded to 64 entrants to fail to capture the NCAA crown, joining Georgetown '85, Duke '86, Kansas '86, UNLV '87, Arizona '88, Oklahoma '88 and UNLV '91.

• The hot team factor simply isn't valid. A change of venue to the Big 12 Conference didn't alter the jinx of a league tournament title for KU and its counterparts. None of the 20 Big Eight Conference Tournament champions went on to capture the NCAA crown.

• Not since Indiana's undefeated team in 1976 has a squad with fewer than two defeats snipped the nets at the NCAA Tournament final. KU's lone regular-season defeat was to a mediocre Missouri team. Any squad that bowed to the toothless Tigers (16-17 record) is far from being anything remotely close to dominant.