The Kansas Jayhawks held on to beat the UCLA Bruins Thursday night at Allen Fieldhouse. It marked the Jayhawks 64th consecutive home victory and it wasn't easy. Not by any means. Following the Jayhawks 83-80 victory, Kansas head coach Bill Self KU was "fortunate" to get out of there with a victory.
"Oh yeah, (UCLA) out-played us, and that's evident. We were very fortunate - Mario (Little) said he got fouled at the end - but we were just very fortunate. Getting the ball in quick was about the only smart thing we did tonight. We got it in quick and put pressure on them, but we were very, very fortunate. I think they controlled the game, and certainly out-played us. If we make our free throws, it wouldn't have come down to the last possession. We made so many mental mistakes that gave them every opportunity to win the game. The crowd was great - they were the ones who won the game for us."
Kansas was 16-of-30 from the free throw line. Last time I checked, that number is more comparable with the other Kansas team (Kansas State). Sure there were mental mistakes and UCLA had chances to get it done. Ultimately though, KU could rely on their crowd to help them take home the victory -- and 5-of-11 from three point line didn't hurt.
Kansas fans may be breathing a sigh of relief this morning. Yeah, KU is the better team but they were, as Bill Self, very fortunate to make that No. 64 in a row.