A method to the Madness? Rock Chalk Jayhawks are a lock
Mar 20th, 2010 by Aaron Hotchner
U.S.A, 3/19/10 – Second in basketball-betting.com’s series is Midwest Regional number one seed, the University of Kansas Jayhawks.
President Teddy Roosevelt - something of an expert on athletic competition – called it the greatest college chant he’d ever heard. Starting with 1899’s Phillipine-American War, it’s seen combat, via U.S. soldiers hailing from Kansas. It’s slower beginning section is deployed by KU fans when the team has victory in their claws. It’s “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” (hear it here) and it’s going to be heard a whole lot as the Madness reaches maxi-level insanity. Why is this? Simple answer:tournament experienced big-game players.
Regular season games give you regular season experience. Things get rough, a little loud at a visitor’s gym, but the season’s other half, you’re at home – eating your favorite foods, sleeping in your own bed, having your own crazies cheering you on. Then you make it to the Big Dance – national media spotlight, TV sportscasters talking you up – and your team chemistry gets to boiling.
Been there before though, you know what that kind of heat’s like, you thrive on it maybe. Better, you were there one year earlier and lost. Now you’re hungry – now you’re the Jayhawks. Or I’ll see that & raise you an ‘07-’08 season – where KU took national championship honors. Throw in head ‘Hawk Coach Bill Self’s ability to assemble & coach winners – and how to keep them cool when the pressure is on – and now you’re cookin’ with gas.
KU’s winning DNA runs deep. From their ‘07-’08 championship team, Kansas has retained both Sherron Collins & Cole Aldrich, both linchpins of this year’s run. Last year’s tournament trip ended in the Sweet Sixteen, and saw even more holdovers. As the players grew up together, so did their talent level - Collins & Aldrich especially. A junior, Aldrich has blossomed into one of the premier post men in college basketball, an imposing presence averaging 11 points, 10 boards, & 3.5 blocks per game. While some centers jump from college to the NBA too quickly & spend years (if ever) realizing their potential, he’s paid his dues at Kansas, gradually refining a skill-set that includes hook shots, fancy footwork, & nearly 80% free throw shooting. If you’re a Jayhawks fan, you’re happy for all this growth – but with NBA draft projections predicting Aldrich would get a pick somewhere within the top 15, you’re also afraid this will be the last season he suits up in KU crimson & blue.
For senior point guard Sherron Collins, this tournament run is the end of a college journey that started with an ‘06-’07 Elite Eight trip. Since that freshman year, Collins has nearly doubled both his scoring & assists averages, to 15.7 & 4.5 per game, respectively. Slightly undersized at 5′11”, Collins isn’t a lock for the draft, but a strong performance – or a championship - would definitely up his credentials. Regardless of his future aspirations, he’s proven himself a team leader, an intense competitor, & a clutch shooter in countless games.
On the heels of a disappointing loss last year to Michigan State, perhaps KU feels they have something to prove. Though last night’s 90-74 victory Lehigh showed they sometimes play in an up & down fashion, it also showed that Collins & Aldrich aren’t all there is to this team. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris put a hurt on the Mountain Hawks – ringing in 26 big points & 10 rebounds to complement Collins’ 18 & Alrdrich’s 11 points, eight boards, & five blocks.
Prediction? Jayhawks face challenges on their way out of the Midwest Regional – either Ohio or Michigan State could test them – but that ultimately prepares them for a national title game, where they win it all.

