University of Kansas Athletics
OMAHA, Neb. — Jamari Traylor’s breakaway dunk made for a memorable moment, but the biggest statement came from behind the arc. No. 2-seed Kansas unleashed the three-point brigade to defeat No. 15-seed New Mexico State, 75-56, in the NCAA Tournament Second Round Friday morning inside CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Kansas (27-8, 13-5 Big 12) met with a New Mexico (23-11, 13-1 WAC) squad that did not reflect a traditional 15 seed. In fact, it was the lowest seeding for NMSU in school history, the previous low (No. 14) coming in 1999. The Aggies were making their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance after four-straight Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament titles. A senior-laden lineup, the Aggies came in on a 13-game winning streak and were completely comfortable in the Big Dance environment.
So, the Jayhawks made them uncomfortable – specifically the sharpshooters. Kansas made a name for itself as the Big 12 Conference’s best three-point shooting team earlier this season, but fell into a lull in recent weeks. On Friday, sophomores Frank Mason III and Brannen Greene and freshmen Kelly Oubre, Jr. and Devonte’ Graham all connected on multiple threes, landing Kansas at 69.2 percent (9-for-13) for the game, the best since Nov. 27, 1996 (71.4 percent vs. Virginia).
Kansas picked apart the Aggie zone. When attacking the basket caused the defense to close in, the Jayhawks kicked the ball out for long jump shots instead. The combination was lethal. The Jayhawks put together numerous scoring runs on the offensive end and forced scoring droughts on the defensive side to finish shooting 54.0 percent (27-of-50) compared to NMSU’s 35.7 percent (20-of-56). In KU’s 26-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances, that marks the 17th time the Jayhawks have shot 50 percent or better in its opening-round contest.
Making their first NCAA Tournament starts, Mason led the floor with 17 points while sophomore forward Landen Lucas pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Junior forward Perry Ellis hung up nine points, while the three-point patrol – Greene, Graham and Oubre – each tallied eight points. Together, Graham and Mason’s eight combined assists totaled the assist output of the Aggies. Traylor completed his well-rounded performance with eight points, five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
Seniors led the charge for the veteran Aggies. DK Eldridge led the team with 11 points, while fellow seniors Remi Barry and Tshilidzi Nephawe posted 10 points apiece in their last game together. WAC Freshman of the Year Pascal Siakam recorded eight points, eight rebounds and a game-high two blocks.
NMSU’s size played a role early. Ellis chalked up KU’s first bucket, but the Aggie big men pestered the Jayhawks down low. They altered close-range attempts, forcing Ellis and Lucas to miss under the basket. Lucas took the cue, moved a few steps back and drained a jumper to spark a 7-0 run. Just five minutes in, Kansas climbed to an 11-4 edge.
New Mexico State’s zone provided several opportunities of the like. Mason and Oubre each connected from behind the arc to build the lead. With the tone set, the Jayhawks returned to working the ball inside. Ellis and sophomore guard Wayne Selden, Jr. were game, finishing lobs from Traylor and Graham for back-to-back dunks. A three from Ellis put Kansas up by double-figures, 22-12, a trend the Jayhawks would stick with for the remainder of the day.
Graham used the zone defense as a dare, just asking him to test his three-point shot. He accepted. The first was a result of a broken play, which Lucas’ offensive rebound kept alive. The second, Graham just flat-out nailed from the top of the key. While New Mexico State suffered through seven-straight misses, Kansas piled on for its largest lead of the half, 34-16. Though another three from Barry snapped NMSU’s drought, the Jayhawks took a 36-23 margin to halftime.
Winners of 13-straight, New Mexico State wasn’t ready for its season to end. Both sides turned up the intensity: the Aggies on the press and the Jayhawks on the attack. Selden’s dunk got it started, but Traylor’s crowd-pleasing slam brought back the KU’s edge.
When NMSU drew in to protect the lane, Mason found his shooters. Selden knocked down and long two and Oubre pulled up for his second three-pointer of the game. Desperate to stop momentum, New Mexico State called a timeout down, 49-32.
When looking for an answer, a seven-footer is a good place to start. Freshman Tanveer Bhullar, a 7-3 center, checked in for four quick points to help his team chip away at the deficit. Yet, Lucas continued to step up in big spots, this time with an offensive board and the put back to reignite KU’s point production.
It worked.
Mason sank a jump shot and Greene caught fire. The sophomore shooting specialist delivered all of his eight points in a four-minute window, including a pair of three-pointers to put his team up 20, 63-43. As the five-minute mark neared, Mason let another three fly to lock up the game.
WAC Coach of the Year Marvin Menzies checked his seniors and starters out of the game one-by-one, hugging each. On the other bench, AP Big 12 Coach of the Year Bill Self subbed in his walk-off reserves, leading to the first-career points for freshman Josh Pollard and KU’s last of the game. Kansas advanced with the 75-56 win.