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BROOKLYN – In the end, the conclusion of a long night did not tell much about the trip. Kansas, overtime against a tough Tennessee team and the No. 1 national ranking potentially in the balance, stepped aside by the force of depth and talent to win the 87-81 title in the NIT Tip-Off. The extra five minutes resulted in the type of result that many people had projected on paper after the previous 40 had said the opposite. It was late, it was dizzying and it was not the way everyone drew it. There were still two teams of four finalists of the Final, with a lot to prove, in a fun stalemate that came and went, who traded their lead 12 times and which ended shortly after midnight local time.
It was at least slightly ironic that the last bloody segment of air combat was missing from two big blocks. Grant Williams of Tennessee scored a goal in 1:24 in the second half, sending Charlie Moore tied to score the game at 69, which would then remain as both teams worked in the lineup. Among Williams' responsibilities, the Kansas chief had been frustrated by Udoka Azubuike of Kansas, who got his last foul when Williams tied (and sold) the under-basket contact at 4:26 of the end. The decisive moments unfolded without two tones, offensive focal points. A deeper Jayhawks team had more to gain in the end.
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Friday night was a battle of wear from the beginning, with a 45-minute delay after an underrated map of Louisville-Marquette was passed. In the company of Dedric Lawson, who finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, Kansas took the floor and capitalized on late Tennessee errors. "It was a good victory. It's not artistic, but we certainly need to win as well, "said coach Bill Self, who suggested Wednesday that his young group needed a match-up, perhaps more than their experienced opponents . "This team has never really done that." Kansas went to No. 2, Tennessee to No. 5, both undefeated, and Friday night was a litmus test.
Where Self congratulated his team – a positive sign after working in the first half and an unequal win over Marquette in the previous game – Rick Barnes of Tennessee showed clinical clarity after the end of the match . He called the performance "nervous and nervous", highlighting the frustrating frustrations of a group of veterans in the execution and refusal to attack the painting that led to a critical fracture of 34- 17 in the attempts to throw free. "Our guards were shooting," Barnes lamented. Volunteers made only 7 sorties out of 27 from the outside and got lost when Williams came out and left Admiral Schofield willing to carry the charge.
Kansas had more to feel good about. Gonzaga may have beaten Duke in Maui earlier in the week, but the Jayhawks did not give up their cap. They have been stopped in the last five games. impact. Friday's match was fully resumed after Azubuike's departure, and they were forced to train Lawson in smaller lineups featuring his younger brother, KJ (in Marcus' absence). Garrett) and Moore instead of Grimes. "I do not really know what we have yet because he's a different guy almost every night," admitted Self, citing the competitive edge of his team as a reward.
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For a team with the Jayhawks Impact Group, winning the first round is auspicious. Rookie Devon Dotson, who finished with 17 points, is their barometer, and although it's scary to provide their only element of descent at the moment, when it's aggressive, its speed changes the geometry of the ground and advances the things. Lagerald Vick, who was already back in the team, scored eight huge points in the second half, adding an element of destruction with his three-point shot. After tonight, the book will perhaps explain how to slow down Azubuike – causing him to catch the balloon as the Vols did, rather than letting him use his considerable mass on the block – but having a leader Indoor play like Lawson can cover a lot of upcoming issues.
For Tennessee, what could have been a resounding affirmation of its legitimacy as a post-season threat can now be reversed. It was his toughness and physical appearance that almost turned the margins to win the night, but his depth was revealed by his talismans, Williams (whose 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists were cleared) and Schofield but shot 9-22 from the field) each dealt with fault problems. In one way or another, Tennessee has scored zero break point fast. Due to the composition of their team, volunteers tend to channel the offensive through a narrow tree of scorers. Kansas actually planned the match for Williams and limited Schofield to the perimeter. The Tennessee looks completely acquired, it is too trendy and will weaken most teams because of its intensity and approach, but it is still beatable during a bad night.
While Barnes was more than just going home, defeating the elite competition would require more calm. "They know exactly what they are looking for and they are doing it, and we have not arrived yet," he said of Kansas. He may have under-sold his charges, resisted expectations, and failed to prove anything. The result was fun, but fleeting. And in the end, for better or for worse, nobody took November for March.
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