Kansas Suffers 1st Round Upset to Bradley
 |
James Joyner | Saturday, March 18, 2006 |
For the second straight season, Kansas was upset in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Most of these Kansas kids didn’t have much to do with the “Bucknell Bummer.” Now they have one to call their own.
Marcellus Sommerville scored 21 points and made five 3-pointers, and 13th-seeded Bradley handed the fourth-seeded Jayhawks their second straight first-round NCAA tournament exit with a 77-73 victory Friday night.
The Braves made 11 3s to pick up their first NCAA tournament victory in 20 years and advance to play fifth-seeded Pittsburgh in the second round of the Oakland Regional on Sunday.
Unlike a year ago, when Wayne Simien missed a 15-footer at the buzzer to give 14th-seeded Bucknell an improbable victory, Kansas looked unprepared and overwhelmed from the start in this one.
The Braves (21-10) led by 14 with 15:38 to go, but let the Jayhawks back in the game with three straight turnovers with around the five minutes left. By the time the inexperienced Jayhawks finally got acclimated to the NCAA tournament pressure and intensity, however, it was too late.
Mario Chalmers made a 3-pointer after one of the takeaways, a three-point play after the second and a runner in the lane after the final one that cut Bradley’s lead to 65-62 with 3:45 to play.
But the Jayhawks (25-8) committed three of their 18 turnovers down the stretch, and Jeff Hawkins missed an open 3-pointer in the corner that would have tied it with a minute to play.
“I’m mad,” said Chalmers, one of three freshmen starting for Kansas. “We should’ve been better prepared for this game. We were nervous and took a while to adjust.”
- Let the Madness Commence
- George Mason Makes Final Four
- Denver Nuggets edge past the Miami Heat 114-113 in OT
- Five People of Seven Million Picked Right Final Four
- Tubby Smith leaves Kentucky for Minnesota
- Gap Between Cinderellas and Top Seeds Closing
- Gonzaga Wins WCC Tournament
- Duke University’s Michael Schachner shoots 60 at NCAA Tournament
- George Washington Wins Overtime Thriller
- Braves GM John Schuerholz Retiring
- Auburn Fires Tuberville
- Carolina Hurricanes fire coach Peter Laviolette
- Notre Dame keeps Coach Charlie Weis
- Tampa Bay Lightning lose 5th in a row
- Miami Dolphins- In control of their playoff destiny
- NM State fires head football coach Hal Mumme
- Will George Richards of the Miami Herald please pick up the Black courtesy phone
- NHL All-Star Hubert ‘Pit’ Martin’ dead at 64
- Harness horse trainer/driver Brooke Nickells injured in fall from her riding horse
- Frost bitten- GB Packers to cut underperforming punter
Comments are Closed
