European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 42 stars and s t sunday March 25 2007  y from Start to finish Kansas withstands Salukis defensive pressure to Advance by Greg Beacham the associated press san Jose Calif Darnell Jackson de scribed every Possession As a skirmish every shot a test of wills Southern Illinois played the Best defense he had Ever seen and he want quite sure How Kansas advanced to the West regional final forgive the Kansas Forward for a Little hyperbole after the Jay Hawks barely sur Vived the Salukis latest dominant defensive performance Jackson Felt they earned a Celebration if Only for a night Brandon Rush scored 12 Points without missing a shot As Kansas eked out a 6158 Victory Over Southern Illinois on thursday night advancing to the regional final for the second time in four years Darrell Arthur and Russell Robinson scored nine Points apiece to help the Jay Hawks 334 barely avoid yet another Salukis Surprise and another disappointing exit from the tournament to seeded Kansas earned a meeting on saturday with second seeded Urcla which beat Pittsburgh the Jay Hawks will use the tenacity that grew from the character building experience other Wise known As 40 minutes of being chased by Southern Illinois defense weve got to Tell ourselves nobody can Stop us from doing what we can do said Jackson who had eight Points and hit two key free throws with left coach had been telling us that it would be a grind out game and that How we played it Ive never seen a team whose defense was like that but we went up against them and did it one better Kansas went into the locker room Bicker ing and muttering at halftime yet still won its 14th straight by nursing a Small Lead through the final minutes against a defense that made the Jay Hawks future Aba stars work exceptionally hard for every Basket it shows that we can win whatever the circumstances Are said Kansas guard Eric Southern Knob Randal Falker attempts to Dunk while holding off Kansas Sasha Kaun during the first half of thursday nights Mcaa tournament West regional semifinal Mario Chalmers who scored just nine Points everyone knows we like an uptempo game in the 80s but we can take our time and slow it Down with the Best of Mem too when Tony Young missed a three Point attempt from Hal court at the Buzzer Kan Sas had dodged its second straight tournament loss at the hands of the Missouri Val Ley conference which takes the mid out of mid major with each passing year Jamaal Tatum scored 19 Points in his final College game for the fourth seeded Salukis who  get the break they needed to reach the round of eight for the first time in school history Southern Illinois decisively won the matchup clash of styles forcing a deliberate Tempo on the High flying Jay Hawks while keeping the possessions Long and the score Low we played a Good game against a really Good team said Young who scored 14 Points on a poor shooting night theres no doubts no regrets they made a couple of plays at the end of the game and happened to get the Lead but in proud of everybody that stepped on that court Kansas adjusted with a maturity that want present in coach Bill self s last two teams nine players got a Field goal for the Jay Hawks who patiently waited for holes in the Salukis defense and then threw themselves into defending the other end it was elemental basketball and Kansas put All the elements together whoever plays Southern int going to look Good offensively self said it just int going to happen i was disappointed How some Guys handled the heat but when the game was on the line we handled it pretty Well Julian Wrights free throw with left put Kansas up 5853 but Tatum hit a three Pointer moments later Chalmers hit a free throw and Tatum added another jumper to Cut the Jay Hawks Lead to 5958 Rush drove the Lane with 25 seconds left and flicked Home a Basket with the poise that might someday make him the Best of his three basketball playing Brothers somebody had to step up Down the stretch and make a Good play and in glad i did Rush said Tatum missed a Chance to tie it but ran dal Falker got the rebound for Southern Illi Nois Only to lose the Ball Wright then missed two potential Clinch ing free throws but Young  hit his fifth three Pointer of the night on the run sending Kansas into a subdued relieved Celebration Kansas entered last weekends opening rounds in Chicago As a popular pick to win it All after its roster packed with Aba prospects lost just twice since dec 2 the Jay Hawks lived up to that Billing in a fluid Sec Ond round Victory Over Kentucky but facing Southern Illinois is among the most unique challenges in College hoops the Salukis earned their sixth straight Mcaa tournament appearance and the highest seeding in school history after win Ning the macs regular season title their second round Mcaa Victory Over Virginia tech was their 29th of the season another school record we do what we do to everybody no mat Ter whats on the front of their Jersey Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery said in disappointed in the final result but in very proud of our Guys la by Josh Dubow the associated press san Jose Calif Urcla Dou ble teamed Aaron Gray almost every time he got the Ball in the Post the Bruins trapped the Pitts Burgh guards All Over the court and contested nearly shot the grind tout defensive style that Urcla coach Ben Howland used to teach at Pitt ended up knocking panthers out of the Mcaa tournament Wbeck the Bra ins won the West regional semifinal 6455 thursday night it starts with our coach Point guard Darren Louison said he emphasizes defense All year Long and we showed it pays to be physical the second seeded brains never trailed in a game that matched Rowland against his Best Friend and former Assis Tant Jaire Dixon Ecith the teams rising the same tight deter Sive sometimes the Only Way to score was when the shots we rent contested that just what Arron Afflalo and the Bruins did Afflalo made All 10 of his free throws and Urcla shot from the line scoring 12 of its final 18 Points on foul shots we did a great Job to Knock Down free throws and its a Good thing we did because we we rent scoring a lot Forward Josh Swipp said i Mink were just getting Down to business and focusing on free throws third seeded Pitt 298 Cut a 12point deficit to five when be Vance Fields hit two three Point ers and Ronald Ramon one Over an s8second Span Michael Rolls Baseline jumper with 515 seconds left put the Bruins up 5851 Urcla advanced to play Kansas in saturdays West Region Al final in a matchup of two of col lege basketballs most storied pro Grams Afflalo finished with Points going 5for11 from the floor in an other poor shooting night Shipp added 16 and Collison 12 As the Bruins made it to a regional final in consecutive years for the first time since Ramon scored 12 Points to Lead the panthers who lost in the regional semifinals for the fourth time in six seasons Pitt Hast been to the round of eight since 1974 when it took Only two Victo Ries to get there Fields added 11 and Gray was held to 10 in his final College game there a very Good defensive team Gray said obviously we knew that going in we knew it want going to be an Upan Down game youve got to give them a lot of credit they did a great Job forcing us out of our stuff at the same time we missed a lot of shots that were accustomed to making the panthers shot just 2for12 to open the second half missing More than a dozen layups As us Las big men allowed nothing easy underneath Pitt didst really threaten Urcla thereafter Fin Ishing the game shooting 56 per our defense was spectacular tonight Howland said it had to be or we we rent going to win this game Shipp who missed the Bruins run to the title game a year ago be cause of a hip injury hit two key three pointers Early in the half the rest was done at the foul line even Lorenzo Mata got into foul shooting rhythm making two in the second half despite being a 37 percent foul shooter on the sea son that got a big round of applause from the prob ruins crowd that filled the Arena they did a Good Job of Knock ing Down free throws and we gave them the game Pitts Mike Cook said we missed those layups and that the part that hurts the most this matchup Between coaches who Are also Best friends could Only have happened in the Mcaa tournament the two Nave said they  schedule a regu la season game because they saw no Benefit to playing a close Friend its emotional for me How land said Ive got a lot of Good friends Over there i Hope we never have to play again the relationship Between the coaches runs deep dating to when Howland recruited Dixon to play at us Santa Barbara in the Early 1980s the two worked together at Ucb Northern Arizona and Pitt Over the years before Howland left for Urcla following the 2003 season and Dixon re placed him there were a few instances when i recognized the play Calls and the motion that they were run Ning Afflalo said that Proba Bly worked to our advantage but maybe they could say the same Ming the panthers opened the game missing 14 of 19 shots unable to get open looks against Duclas Sti fling Mantovan defense Pitt went More than 5 minutes with out a Field goal in one stretch but Only trailed 3226 at the half