OKLAHOMA CITY -- The arena was the same. The date was identical. The opponent was from the same league.The outcome? Much different this time for Kansas.
The No. 1-seeded Jayhawks pulled away from scrappy Lehigh, 90-74, in an NCAA tournament first-round contest Thursday.
Kansas trailed for the opening eight minutes and settled for a 35-29 halftime lead. The Jayhawks still only led by six, 50-44, with 13 minutes remaining but went on a 25-11 run in the next seven minutes.
Reserve guard Tyrel Reed had three 3-pointers in the run as the Jayhawks shook off their sluggish start and improved No. 1 seeds to 102-0 against No. 16 seeds since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
The Mountain Hawks were hoping to pull off a similar upset that another Patriot League team did exactly five years ago. In 2005, No. 14 seed Bucknell stunned No. 3 Kansas, 64-63, in an NCAA tournament first-round contest in the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
Kansas coach Bill Self stressed Wednesday that none of his players on this year's team were involved in that game. But early on, the Jayhawks didn't exactly resemble the NCAA tournament's overall No. 1 seed and President Barack Obama's choice to win the national title.
Marcus Morris led Kansas with 26 points, hitting 12 of 15 from the field, with 10 rebounds. Morris made all 11 of his two-pointers.
KEY ELEMENT: At 6-feet-11 inches, Cole Aldrich usually stands out. He did against a Lehigh team with no starter over 6-9. Aldrich blocked five shots to go along with 11 points and eight rebounds as the Jayhawks held a 41-33 rebounding advantage. Aldrich's inside presence will be a key if the Jayhawks are going to reach the Final Four in Indianapolis.
GAME BALL GOES TO: Sherron Collins. Kansas' point guard directed the Jayhawks offense and finished with 18 points, six assists and four rebounds.
HEART GOES OUT TO: C.J. McCollum, Lehigh's leading scorer, shook off a miserable 2-for-10 first half to score 20 of his 26 points after halftime. The 6-foot-3 guard also added seven rebounds.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Mountain Hawks lose three senior starters, so it may be difficult to repeat another run to the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, advance to play Northern Iowa at 5:40 p.m. EST Saturday in an NCAA second-round contest.
Contact FanHouse senior writer Brett McMurphy at brettmcmurphy@gmail.com
