It’s Not Kansas Anymore, Toto

Kansas lost four games last season. The season before, it was two. Before that, five.

This season isn’t going to be that way.

The Jayhawks aren’t as good this time around. They’re ranked seventh in the nation and on their way down, and Pepperdine was fully capable of pulling off the upset Saturday in the Wooden Classic.

It just didn’t happen.

The Waves trailed by one point at halftime and led by two in the second half, but Kansas did enough right things at the right time to win, 62-55, in the first game of the afternoon doubleheader at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

“We knew today was an opportunity for Pepperdine to be seen nationally,” guard Jelani Gardner said. “We knew we were in the same league as Kansas and if we played a good game we could win.”

They could have, and might have, if not for 37% shooting--including one for 14 from three-point range accompanied by a 14-for-25 performance at the line.

“We’re not into moral victories,” said Pepperdine Coach Lorenzo Romar, whose team fell to 5-2 but put on a solid defensive performance a game after stumbling in a loss to Cal State Fullerton.

“I told the team we’re extremely proud of the way they competed. When you compete, you can go out and play with anyone. That’s what we did today.”

The homecoming of Kansas center Eric Chenowith, from nearby Villa Park High, was diminished by Chenowith’s foul trouble. He picked up his fourth with 8:18 left in the game and finished with 10 points and four rebounds.

But Kansas--which is 5-1 but coming off an 18-point loss to Kentucky--won behind the persistent play of guard Ryan Robertson and swingman Kenny Gregory, along with a cameo appearance by forward Lester Earl, who is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this week.

With seven minutes left, Kansas led by only two after Gardner scored inside.

But Kansas countered with a 7-0 run that included two layups by Earl--one off a pass from Nick Bradford and another off an assist by Jeff Boschee.

When Gregory scored on a lay-in off an alley-oop pass from Robertson with 4:46 left, the lead was nine, 56-47.

“I was happy to see us play with a little bit more intensity and effort,” said Robertson, who had called the team’s performance against Kentucky “embarrassing.”

The Jayhawks picked up their defense, the Waves missed some free throws--and on one of the key possessions down the stretch, Pepperdine simply couldn’t get a shot to fall, with Gardner, David Lalazarian, Kelvin Gibbs and Tommie Prince all unable to score.

Prince had a particularly tough game, going scoreless as he missed all six shots he tried--five of them from three-point range. Center Nick Sheppard also struggled, going 0 for 6 inside and finishing with two points.

Pepperdine’s only field goal in the final seven minutes came on a drive by Gardner with 19 seconds left for two of his 16 points. Gibbs added 15.

“Even though it was close, we felt we could do whatever we needed to to win,” said Gregory, who led Kansas with 13 points. “I wasn’t really worried. I felt if we executed, everything would come out fine.”

Kansas Coach Roy Williams called the game “ugly” but complimented Pepperdine’s aggressiveness.

The Jayhawks will face another Southern California team Saturday when USC plays at Kansas.

“We know we’ve got to get a heck of a lot better,” Williams said. “One problem we have is we haven’t lost very often. That’s a good problem to have, but when we do lose, the kids tend to become tentative, thinking something’s wrong.”

Pepperdine has its opportunities ahead--at Wisconsin on Saturday, against ninth-ranked Michigan State Dec. 21 in Hawaii and in a Dec. 29 game against Jim Harrick’s Rhode Island team at home.