Basketball on a Wednesday night.

I came home from work thinking about the big game that night between Kansas University and Kansas State that would start at 7:00 p.m. I had in my mind the things I could do before the game and it mostly revolved around keeping my grandson, Pat ko Shuk, busy. I took him to the Boys and Girls club so he could swim and I later picked him up at 6:00. I thought I still have an hour to go and I didn’t want to sit in my favorite chair just yet, because I might fall asleep. I instead went to my daughter’s house where she invited me to have “wildcat” stew. It was good. And when I got back to my house, my wife had hamburgers ready and I ate those too. In this neck of the woods, you don’t tell your wife that you won’t eat her cooking - it just doesn't work that way.

I thought it would be good to be able to afford tickets to the big game, but most of us had to stay home and watch it on television, where there is something called replays. KU started out tough, they attacked the basket, made their free-throws and generally passed the ball well. They lacked that in the loss to Oklahoma State. I said before the game Sherron Collins didn’t have to do it by himself because there was a guy named X. Henry playing too. I think Henry could be a monster player if he was given the green light, but on a team of all-stars who need their points too, he has to show his greatness in spots.

Henry started out on fire and ended up with 19 points. Collins started out slow but was a big factor at the end. He had 17 points.  It was Collin’s last home-game at KU. I guess it got a little emotional at times for him. I always thought the kid from the streets of Chicago wouldn’t ever break down, but he did.I always thought the ghetto and/or politics toughened people up so much that tears were impossible.  I was wrong.

KU played some tough, tough defense. Much has been written about how KSU has the best two guards in the country but I disagree. I think KU has the best guards and can put four top-flight guards on the floor at once. That’s Collins, Taylor, Morningstar and Reed. KSU did get 42 points out their guards but not much from anybody else. When KU attacked the basket early this got KSU big men into foul trouble and they weren't much of a factor after that.

KU won 82-65. They were ready for Kansas State and it was a certain amount of redemption for the loss at Stillwater. Now it’s on to listen to those crybabies in Columbia Saturday. The real loser in this game besides KSU was the rest of the country. It was only televised locally. I guess ESPN didn’t think a #2 and a #5 team were worthy of their  coverage.  Poor decisions are made everywhere.  Oh, if KU stumbles and they don't win us a national championship again, we will live with it, but at least KSU didn't win on this night.