Kansas nearly falls into trap by looking ahead, but Cole protects goal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- This is why Cole Aldrich can play 10, maybe 15 years in the NBA.

Twelve points, 18 rebounds, three blocks, one assist, one steal in 29 minutes.

This is why Aldrich and the rest of the Jayhawks came close to flunking their first postseason dress rehearsal: With 5½ minutes left in Thursday's Big 12 tournament quarterfinal, lowly Texas Tech was shooting to tie the game against Kansas.

Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins keep Kansas alive one more day in the Big 12 tournament. (Getty Images)

Everything worked out in an 80-68 victory that kept the Jayhawks in the running for the No. 1 overall seed (some thanks to Syracuse). In its first tune-up before next week's Big Dance, Kansas got pantsed for large portions of the postseason opener. The Jayhawks won their 2,000th game all time and 30th this season, but played mostly like they didn't want to be here.

Who can blame the Jayhawks? Despite 19,000 mostly crimson-and-blue fans stuffing the Sprint Center, their team can't wait to hit the road, er, neutral court for the real tournament that awaits next week.

"That wasn't the energy level that I would hope that we would play with from this point forward," coach Bill Self said.

That's what the Big 12 tournament has come to for the Jayhawks -- a tune-up. While there is an embarrassment factor from being bounced early in last year's tournament in Oklahoma City, this weekend is more about the sendoff Kansas can give itself.

Call Thursday, then, a small measure of progress. It was in this game a year ago that Kansas played a No. 9 seed as well, Baylor, and lost. Aldrich was one of the few Jayhawks who got the Thursday wakeup call for the 11:30 a.m. tip. He has had better lines -- most notably 13 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocked shots against Dayton last year in the NCAA Tournament -- and Self sees room for improvement at the moment, but it's hard to argue with a 6-foot-11 force. Aldrich is a luxury that few teams can hope to recruit, much less anchor a lineup.

Self would like his big man to look for his shot more. The NBA, though, will likely take him like he is. While Aldrich hasn't looked to shoot as much this season -- his scoring is down more than three points a game -- his defense can sway games. The 18 rebounds tied for the second most in a career that almost surely will end for the junior after this NCAA tournament.

Some NBA lottery team will take the big man and his game's tiny warts and take their chances. Aldrich obviously has set the bar high for himself when his own coach says he wasn't a factor in the first half, even with 10 rebounds.

That lack of offensive will might be the difference in the Academic All-American becoming an on-court All-American this season.

"Teams have a done a real good job defending him," Self said. "I just want him to be hungrier to demand it in areas where he doesn't have to bounce [the ball]. It's something that all post guys go through."

KU's other leading man, Sherron Collins, had a tidy 19 points (good) in only 26 minutes (bad, because of foul trouble). That Texas Tech mostly won the hustle battle had Self most concerned. For most of the game Kansas did just enough to get by, but the Red Raiders, completely happy with a likely NIT bid at this point, wouldn't go away.

Kansas contributed. In the first half it missed 11 combined layups, drives and low-post shots, all within 3 feet of the basket. Tech had cut the lead to 65-61 with 6:24 left when guard John Roberson, off an inbounds pass, basically raced 94 feet for a layup while five Jayhawks had their backs turned.

At that point, the Red Raiders had the Jayhawks red-faced.

"They threw it in quick and we kind of fell asleep and didn't realize the ball was in until the crowd gasped," Aldrich said. "That's one of those things that we have to touch up because it's one of those things that can really hurt us in the future."

Thirty-three seconds later, Roberson had a good look from 12 feet to tie the game but clanked it off the back of the rim. Sufficiently awake by that point, Kansas went on a 12-0 run.

Thank goodness for do-overs. In this case, a closing spurt in an otherwise meaningless conference tournament game.

It's clear that the future for Kansas can't get here fast enough.