Kansas Wins Survival Game

Brian Cook will lose sleep over this, over the wide-open three-pointer he had with 26 seconds left that would have given Illinois the lead.

Frank Williams will close his eyes and see the wide-open baseline jumper he rimmed out with six seconds left, the one that would have tied the score. Williams will see that ball do its dizzy dance around the rim and he will not wish to see the ball come out of the basket.

Roy Williams will hold his breath again as he replays the final two minutes of this basketball game, the one it seemed his Kansas Jayhawks had secured when they led by 10 points with five minutes left; by five points with 2:28; and by the breathless centimeter off-center that Frank Williams’ final shot landed.

Kansas, the No. 1-seeded team in the Midwest Regional, beat No. 4-seeded Illinois, 73-69, Friday night at the Kohl Center. The Jayhawks (32-3) will play No. 2 Oregon on Sunday with the winner earning a berth in the Final Four.

Having gone undefeated in the wickedly tough Big 12 Conference regular season, the Jayhawks began the tournament with high hopes and high expectations.

This is the 13th time Williams has taken Kansas into the tournament. This is the fifth time the Jayhawks have been seeded No. 1.

And what Williams is missing isn’t a trip to the Final Four (he has made two of those). It is the title Williams is still chasing.

“Whatever happens,” Williams said after Friday’s win, “I am the luckiest guy in the world to have this job with these kids.”

Sweat had collected under Williams’ chin and dripped from his nose. Even for the coach, this game was exhausting.

The game was played at a desperate pace between teams desperate, in their own ways, for redemption. Kansas had been bitterly disappointed in its 80-64 loss to Illinois in this same round a year ago. Illinois (26-9) had been bitterly disappointed in a relatively lackluster regular season after high preseason rankings and an Elite Eight run last year.

About seven minutes into the game, Kansas had seven baskets and seven fouls. Blood dripped off Cook’s arm.

“There were a lot of big bodies colliding around,” Kansas forward Nick Collison said. “Nobody was going to give an inch and nobody was afraid to take a hit. Or give one.”

Always Kansas was just a little ahead. The Jayhawks jumped out quickly, 10-3, and that early advantage was so valuable.

Even when they had early foul trouble--starting forward Collison had two fouls in the first 2:23 and starting guard Kirk Hinrich had his second with 14:35 left--the Jayhawks stayed aggressive and mostly stayed ahead.

Illinois had three one-point leads in the first half, but by halftime Kansas led, 40-34, with thanks to freshman Aaron Miles and his leaning, grimacing 10-footer at the buzzer. The lead grew to as many as 10 points, but Kansas could never quite shake the Illini.

A couple of free throws here, a couple of offensive rebounds there, a three-pointer by reserve Sean Harrington to make the score 69-64, a tip-in by Illinois center Robert Archibald to make the score 71-68, some Kansas misses, a free throw by Archibald to make the score 71-69 and, Roy Williams said, “all of a sudden my stomach was jumping.”

Of his three-point attempt, Cook said, “I should have made that shot.”

Of his final try, Frank Williams said, “I had an open look.”

But the effort of the evening was just a little too much. Cook and Williams had nothing left.