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KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Kansas’ 98-66 Sweet 16 win over Purdue was over as soon as Lagerald Vick took off.
With the Midwest Region’s top seed still fending off a feisty Purdue in the second half, Vick snuck into a Purdue passing lane with just over 12 minutes to go and stole a pass intended for forward Caleb Swanigan at the top of the key.
With no one pursuing him down the court, Vick knew he had plenty of time. He slowed up, positioned his body just right, and unleashed a near-360 in front of the Kansas bench and 13,000 Kansas fans.
Yeah, there was still a lot of game to play when Purdue coach Matt Painter called a mercy timeout after Jackson’s three. But given Kansas’ propensity for comebacks and blistering sequences, it felt pretty safe among the throng of screaming red and blue-clad fans that Purdue’s chances were over.
Kansas turned the four-point lead (at 58-54) into a 20-point advantage in an eight-minute span and outscored the Boilermakers 32-12 in the minutes after Painter’s timeout.
If you’re wondering, Vick’s spin and dunk wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. While he probably had no idea that he would incite a blowout if he got the opportunity, he called his shot to teammate Carlton Bragg.
“I told Carlton before the game, if I got a steal, I would do it. I just happened to be in the right spot, right time.”
And in an NCAA tournament of missed dunks, Kansas coach Bill Self was quite happy that Vick made it.
“Lagerald is unbelievably athletic and that was a very athletic play,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I’m just glad he made it. That probably would have been a sore spot if he hadn’t.”
Kansas G Frank Mason scored 26 points on 9-11 shooting. (AP) Kansas guard Frank Mason, the favorite for the Naismith Award, had 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Devonte Graham had 26 too. Jackson had 15 and spent some time guarding Swanigan, the Big Ten player of the year.
Swanigan finished with 18 points. But he grabbed seven rebounds, five below his season average, and committed six of Purdue’s 16 turnovers.
As Purdue went to a bigger lineup with 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas for 19 minutes and Kansas’ lone big man Landen Lucas spent some time in foul trouble, the lanky Jackson was forced to take on a player who has nearly 50 pounds on him.
“If you look at Landen’s stats he only got four rebounds, but the story is Caleb only got seven,” Self said while adding he would have “sold out” for a stat line like that from Swanigan.
He didn’t have to. And now a matchup with Oregon on Saturday awaits.
“We’ve been able to dominate the boards in our first two games and they did a good job on the glass,” Painter said. “Seemed like every time they got an offensive rebound they made us pay and every time we turned it over they were so fast in transition of going the other way and converting.”
More March Madness coverage on Yahoo Sports:
• Video: LaVar Ball gets into screaming match with First Take’s Stephen A. Smith
• John Thompson III out at Georgetown after 13 seasons
• Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes rails against New York
• Ranking the most compelling potential Final Four matchups
• NCAA gives state of North Carolina deadline to repeal controversial law
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With the Midwest Region’s top seed still fending off a feisty Purdue in the second half, Vick snuck into a Purdue passing lane with just over 12 minutes to go and stole a pass intended for forward Caleb Swanigan at the top of the key.
With no one pursuing him down the court, Vick knew he had plenty of time. He slowed up, positioned his body just right, and unleashed a near-360 in front of the Kansas bench and 13,000 Kansas fans.
We've got a 360 dunk! #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/YimXLCssfP
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2017
The three that followed by freshman Josh Jackson on the next possession was the finisher. The five-point burst turned a game that was 61-54 into a 12-point blowout and sent the Sprint Center — what Kansas fans call Allen Fieldhouse East because of Kansas City’s close proximity to KU’s campus — into an ear-rattling tizzy. And, most importantly, it helped put Kansas in the Elite Eight.— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2017
Yeah, there was still a lot of game to play when Purdue coach Matt Painter called a mercy timeout after Jackson’s three. But given Kansas’ propensity for comebacks and blistering sequences, it felt pretty safe among the throng of screaming red and blue-clad fans that Purdue’s chances were over.
Kansas turned the four-point lead (at 58-54) into a 20-point advantage in an eight-minute span and outscored the Boilermakers 32-12 in the minutes after Painter’s timeout.
If you’re wondering, Vick’s spin and dunk wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. While he probably had no idea that he would incite a blowout if he got the opportunity, he called his shot to teammate Carlton Bragg.
“I told Carlton before the game, if I got a steal, I would do it. I just happened to be in the right spot, right time.”
And in an NCAA tournament of missed dunks, Kansas coach Bill Self was quite happy that Vick made it.
“Lagerald is unbelievably athletic and that was a very athletic play,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I’m just glad he made it. That probably would have been a sore spot if he hadn’t.”
Swanigan finished with 18 points. But he grabbed seven rebounds, five below his season average, and committed six of Purdue’s 16 turnovers.
As Purdue went to a bigger lineup with 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas for 19 minutes and Kansas’ lone big man Landen Lucas spent some time in foul trouble, the lanky Jackson was forced to take on a player who has nearly 50 pounds on him.
“If you look at Landen’s stats he only got four rebounds, but the story is Caleb only got seven,” Self said while adding he would have “sold out” for a stat line like that from Swanigan.
He didn’t have to. And now a matchup with Oregon on Saturday awaits.
“We’ve been able to dominate the boards in our first two games and they did a good job on the glass,” Painter said. “Seemed like every time they got an offensive rebound they made us pay and every time we turned it over they were so fast in transition of going the other way and converting.”
More March Madness coverage on Yahoo Sports:
• Video: LaVar Ball gets into screaming match with First Take’s Stephen A. Smith
• John Thompson III out at Georgetown after 13 seasons
• Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes rails against New York
• Ranking the most compelling potential Final Four matchups
• NCAA gives state of North Carolina deadline to repeal controversial law
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!Follow @NickBromberg