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A20 SPORTS
Monday 27 March 2017

Another memorable Kansas season ends short of Final Four

DAVE SKRETTA (AP Sports ‘’The feeling right now, it heads down about noth-
Writer) really hurts. It hurts more to ing,’’ said junior guard
The Associated Press see guys around me. Just Devonte Graham, who
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- seeing the seniors. We re- was 0 for 7 from the field.
Frank Mason III and Landen ally wanted to send them ‘’Had a terrific season.
Lucas will be lost to gradu- out the right way. Hate it to end.’’
ation, Josh Jackson is likely It just hurts we couldn’t do Graham slouched in his
headed to the NBA, and that.’’ chair as he answered
very little about Kansas The reality is this: Kansas questions with his jersey sit-
next season will look re- won 31 games and its 13th ting atop his head. His eyes
motely the same. consecutive Big 12 cham- were full, but there were no
That only makes things pionship, Mason put up tears. His typically exuber-
harder. the kind of numbers that ant, child-like demeanor
After a frustrating loss to will one day get his jersey had been replaced by a
Oregon in the Midwest hung from the rafters of Al- mixture of shock, sadness
Regional semifinals ended len Fieldhouse, and Jack- and an inability to compre-
the Jayhawks’ season a son left an indelible mark hend what just happened.
week earlier than they had on the program even if his He took slow pauses be-
hoped, the only thing they stay lasts just one season. tween words and tried his
want to do is look to the fu- But the perception among hardest to not let the tears
ture. many will be this: The Jay- fall.
Yet that gaze is met with so hawks’ season was a fail- Asked what coach Bill Self
much uncertainty. ure because they lost in told the team afterward,
‘’I don’t really know. It’s my the opening round of the he replied: ‘’Just that he
first time being in this posi- Big 12 Tournament, and was proud of us.’’
tion,’’ Jackson said in a then blew a chance to That brings the spotlight to
morose locker room shortly Oregon guard Dylan Ennis (31) drives to the basket ahead of make it back to the Final Self, whose record at Kan-
after the Ducks punched Kansas guard Josh Jackson (11) during the second half of the Four on a night where their sas is nearly peerless.
their ticket to the Final Four Midwest Regional final of the NCAA men’s college basketball offense suddenly cooled He has won more confer-
with a 74-60 victory at the tournament, Saturday, March 25, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo. Or- off and their defense never ence championships than
egon beat Kansas 74-60.
Sprint Center on Saturday (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) showed up. he has lost games at Allen
night. ‘’We shouldn’t hold our Fieldhouse. q