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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT


March 11, 2006


Darnell Jackson

Russell Robinson

Bill Self


DALLAS, TEXAS

COACH BILL SELF: I don't think we played with the same energy we did last night. We made shots. You make shots. You always look better offensively. These two guys played great, Russell a fabulous second half. We did what we needed to do, but certainly can improve in a lot of areas before tomorrow.
Q. Talk about the change in intensity, what it was like trying to get into the flow after the big game last night?
RUSSELL ROBINSON: Came out, made some plays early. Mario came in, hit some shots. Just tried to feed off of that. That's what happened the rest of the game.
Q. How much are you looking forward to playing Texas again? Why do you think this time it will be different?
DARNELL JACKSON: It will be a lot bigger because we went to their house timid. Julian played great for us. We're going to need Julian. C.J., Sasha, we're going to need all them tomorrow to help us bang through Marcus. And Buckman down there at the post.
Q. What does it mean to you to have a chance to be the first Kansas team since '99 to win the conference tournament?
RUSSELL ROBINSON: Pretty big opportunity. This is something that we have been looking forward to this whole season, and now we have the chance to go out tomorrow and play with a lot of intensity and do the things that we need to do to win.
Q. You had a fairly big advantage inside, and you guys go at the Cornhuskers in waves whereas they only had one guy. Talk about the edge you guys had inside?
DARNELL JACKSON: On first side we were playing kind of soft. I shot a fadeaway jump shot, that's not my game. I'm a physical player, so I love contact. They get in foul trouble. They knew they couldn't foul or they would have fouled out of the game. So the only thing they could do was wall up and it gave the big man's a chance to turn around and shoot a jump up.
Q. Can you follow up on the Texas question, we were beaten on the boards much more so than we have in other games this year. Is that something as a big man, and the four big men kind of hurt a little bit more than other factors, other statistics, and you think it can be different tomorrow?
DARNELL JACKSON: Yeah, I think it could be a lot different. This is going to be a good game tomorrow. Especially for me because when I went down there I was scared because it was a big game. I had the jitters and now tomorrow I am just going to have to play my game, rebound.
Q. Your thoughts on the rematch with Texas?
RUSSELL ROBINSON: They got us pretty good the first time. But we learned a lot from that loss and just going to come out tomorrow just try to make up for the rebounding loss we had last time and just try to bang with those guys and be physical, try to come out with a win.
Q. Texas had to kind of fight for their win this morning. How much of advantage is it for you to be able to lay off in the second half there?
COACH BILL SELF: I don't think that's an advantage at all. We had to fight for ours last night. So the league is balanced and we said all along that there's not that great a discrepancy in the teams but I do think it's great that Texas and us get to play one more time and they certainly whipped us the first time, no excuses.
And we're going to have to play at a lot higher level than we did that time in order to have a chance to play with them. As far as advantage, disadvantage, I don't think they shot it good today, we didn't shoot it good. We shot it good, they didn't. That doesn't have anything to do with tomorrow. I think both teams will have energy and get a good night's rest and be ready to roll.
Q. How much of a factor will playing in a neutral court have to do with tomorrow since last time in Austin?
COACH BILL SELF: Home court always plays a role, but we have been a decent road team. We actually played better on the road this year a lot of times than we played at home. We can't say that because it's on a neutral floor we'll play better.
Be honest with you, everything is different. Oklahoma State, we won that game by 15 at their place and on a neutral floor, it was a one possession game. I think, you know, I know the first time we played them there was a lot of energy in the building. I know they really fed off of that much like we did last year when we had game day at our place. I think the home court is worth something, but be honest with you, I don't know that that will an factor one way or another tomorrow.
Q. The 3 point shot helped you guys pull away a there in the first of half. Talk about Chalmer and Hawkins?
COACH BILL SELF: Yesterday we made three shots outside of six feet for the game, 3. Today, if we did not make shots, the game would have really been an ugly offensive game for us because they played boxing one and played zone the majority of the time. You have got to make shots when teams do that.
That was obviously a huge factor when we weren't probably guarding like we normally guard at least in my opinion, to get out to a lead because we made shots. We didn't play a lot better than Nebraska we just made shots. Certainly that cures a lot of ills.
Q. As hard nosed as your kids are and as tough as you play, when you hear Darnell say being timid or being scared, does it bother you?
COACH BILL SELF: No, it doesn't at all because we have talked about this a lot. We had a different feel that game than we have other games. I think the biggest reason is this -- that was the first big, big game that these guys saw as a game of that magnitude that they have ever played in a lot of them. So it was a first time experience for a lot of these guys.
Darnell was new. He was never depended on to win or lose a game last year. It was a different deal. And I really felt like from the look of our team, that we approached that game differently than we did the other games. When you say timid, I think that's probably an accurate response. We certainly -- I don't think that's a sign of softness. I don't think it's anything like that. I think it's just some young guys going through things for the first time.

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