The Kansas Jayhawks’ entry in the 2024 TBT on Wednesday night became the third Sunflower State team to be eliminated by a group of former Colorado Buffaloes at the $1 million, 64-team, winner-take-all hoops tournament.
The Jayhawks’ “Mass Street” squad — which stormed back from an 11-point second-quarter deficit with 7-of-7 three-point shooting in the third quarter — missed its final eight shots in the Elam Ending and dropped an 84-81 decision to Team Colorado in the tourney’s Round of 16 at Koch Arena in Wichita.
Team Colorado, the No. 5 seed in the Wichita Region, defeated Kansas State’s No. 4-seeded TBT entry, Purple Reign, 71-67 in a first-round contest Saturday in Wichita. Then, on Monday, Team Colorado upended Wichita State’s top-seeded Aftershocks, 79-74.
Coincidentally, Colorado’s D’shawn Schwartz hit the final shot of the victory against No. 2-seed Mass Street and in the win over WSU.
On Wednesday, it was a 10-footer by Schwartz (who finished with 19 points) inside the lane that gave the former Colorado Buffs the Elam Ending target score of 84 points.
The Jayhawks’ Mass Street squad, which led 76-69 entering the Elam Ending (first team to 84 wins), squandered four opportunities to hike the score from 81 to 84 and secure a victory — and with it a spot in the quarterfinals.
Frank Mason (25 points, five assists) put KU one 3-pointer away from the target score by hitting three free throws to turn an 80-78 deficit into an 81-80 lead.
After a miss by CU’s Josh Adams (21 points), Mason missed a potential game-winning 3. Next, Colorado scored to go up 82-81. At that point, CU needed only a 2, while to win KU needed a 3.
The Jayhawks repeatedly went for the 3. Dedric Lawson (16 points, 10 rebounds) followed the CU bucket by missing a 3. He was 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Next, after a stop, Lagerald Vick (11 points, 3-of-7 from 3) misfired on a pivotal try from deep. After another stop on defense, KU again went to Vick, who missed another possible game-winning 3.
Given yet another chance at a 2-point bucket, the Buffs turned to Andre Roberson (14 points, 15 rebounds), who missed a shot. The Buffs rebounded, however, and Schwartz made his second try to give CU the target 84 points.
KU’s Mason was 9-of-16 (3-of-6 from 3-point range; 4-4 from the line). He played almost the entire game despite apparently suffering some sort of upper-leg injury during the second quarter.
Sam Cunliffe hit 4 of 5 shots (2-of-3 from 3-point range) and scored 12 points. Billy Preston, who was closely guarded by former NBA player Roberson in the first half, scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting (2-of-2 from 3-point range in the third quarter) with three rebounds.
Jamari Traylor had five points and Kevin Young two for Mass Street.
The aggressive Buffs blocked six shots in the first half — Mass Street blocked none — and led 47-39 after two quarters. KU would become the aggressor in the second half, however, with six blocks to Colorado’s one.
The Jayhawks outscored Team Colorado 29-14 in the third quarter. Counting the Elam Ending, the Buffs outscored KU 23-13 in the final stanza.
Team Colorado hit 31 of 61 shots for 50.8%. Mass Street was 29-of-67 for 43.3%. KU finished 11-of-28 from 3-point range (39.3%), while Colorado was 8-of-25 (32.0%).
Team Colorado outrebounded Mass Street 46-23. Colorado had 33 defensive rebounds to KU’s 17. The Buffs had four players score in double figures to KU’s five. Adams had 21 points, Schwartz 19, Jaizec Lottie 16 and Roberson 14.
KU, which has competed in the TBT in three of the event’s 11 years, tied its best record in this competition, going 2-1. KU was 0-1 in 2019 in a game in which Perry Ellis suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee. KU went 2-1 in the TBT a year ago.
Team Colorado advances to a Round of Eight game against a team of former Houston Cougars players called “Forever Coogs.” That game is 8 p.m. Tuesday in Houston on FS1.
The KU team had just nine available players for the TBT.
Seven former Jayhawks (Mason, Lawson, Cunliffe, Vick, Preston, Traylor, Young) were joined by former Utah Valley guard Travis Washington and former Arkansas forward Chandler Lawson, brother of Dedric. Both Chandler Lawson and Washington played sparingly in the three games as KU went basically with seven players.
Those on the roster who did not ultimately join the team in Wichita included Thomas Robinson, whose pro team is in the playoffs in Puerto Rico; Brandon Rush; Ben McLemore; and Silvio De Sousa.
Mass Street coach Sherron Collins, who was assisted by Tyshawn Taylor and Travis Releford, said he appreciated the effort of the KU squad.
“They have been real coachable. It makes it easy for us guys like myself, Tyshawn, Travis,” said Collins, who is the head boys basketball coach at Oak Park High School. “They respect us because of what we’ve done. We’ve led some of these dudes into war. They’ve seen us leading. They trust us. That’s big. Everybody’s coming from their respective careers, being pros and what not.
“Playing for coach (Bill) Self, we know it’s all about winning,” Collins continued. “For this group of guys to come in, let us lead and listen to us and do what we actually do, it’s special for me, Ty and Travis. It’s a brotherhood. Anytime we get a chance to do things together, we’ll do it. We’re that close.”
Of the large crowd of KU fans who attended KU’s three games in Wichita over five days, Collins said: “It’s a special bond between us and our fans. It just makes you want to run through a wall for them and win all the time. They helped us tremendously. We thank them for that.”
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