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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) -- Despite one of his team's best
offensive performances of the season, Kansas coach Roy Williams
wasn't satisfied.
Kenny Gregory hit his first 10 shots and finished with 22 points
as the Jayhawks (No. 4 in the newly released ESPN/USA Today poll, No. 6 Associated Press) beat Middle Tennessee State 97-77 Sunday.
Kansas shot 65 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Blue
Raiders 41-31, but Williams said his Jayhawks should have played
better against a team from the Ohio Valley Conference.
"We're playing sort of un-Kansaslike," said Williams, whose
Jayhawks are 16-0 against OVC teams. "We've always been a team
that's been intelligent. That's played smart basketball and just
played with a lot of savvy and a lot of poise.
"Right now we're getting by on talent. We're definitely not
getting by on coaching, and we're definitely not getting by playing
intelligently."
The Jayhawks, playing in Murphy Center because of Williams'
friendship with Middle Tennessee coach Randy Wiel, his former
colleague at North Carolina, had trouble putting away the Blue
Raiders.
Kansas trailed twice in the opening minutes before taking the
lead for good, but the Jayhawks had trouble stretching their lead.
Each time Kansas built its lead, the Blue Raiders would rally.
The closest Middle Tennessee would get was 39-30 on a 3-pointer
by Ron McKnight with 4:13 remaining, but Kansas went on a 10-0 run
and led 49-34 at halftime. Middle Tennessee stayed close by going
23-for-30 at the free throw line.
The Blue Raiders pulled within 11 twice in the second half, the
last at 76-65 on a pair of free throws by Dale Thomas with 6:25 to
go. Marlon London answered with a jumper in the lane, and that was
as close as the Blue Raiders would get.
With Kansas stretching its lead to 20 only twice in the final
minutes, Williams kept rotating in his starters and finally wore
down the Blue Raiders in the final minutes.
Williams said the Jayhawks better play smarter if they want to
beat Michigan State on Tuesday in the Great Eight.
"We're getting by on talent. We can get ... better," he said.
Wiel, who also got North Carolina to visit Murfreesboro last
season, was impressed by the Jayhawks.
"To me, Kansas this early in the season is playing the best.
They're deep and talented. They don't have anybody that you would
say, 'Hey, this guy is a lottery pick.' But they have 10 guys that
each one of them is a basketball player, and he plays them all,"
Wiel said.
Eric Chenowith finished with 16 points for Kansas, and Jeff
Boschee and Nick Bradford each had 10.
McKnight led Middle Tennessee with 19 points, and Fernando Ortiz
added 18. Lee Nosse had 16, and Cedrick Wallace had 12.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Kansas Clubhouse
Middle Tennessee State Clubhouse
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