GUARDS LEAD CHARGE
Soaring Selden determined to help Kansas finish on top
Wayne Selden Jr. seems intent on proving he can and will finish things off this year for top-seeded Kansas.
The junior guard has developed a penchant for putting exclamation points on Jayhawks victories in the postseason.
Selden’s alley-oop dunk off a feed from Devonte Graham sapped the final bit of life out of Connecticut in an NCAA tournament second-round win that sent KU to the Sweet 16 — a play sure to be included in this year’s One Shining Moment montage.
The Kansas duo connected in a first-round win against Austin Peay, Selden soaring high to convert a crushing flush, seemingly saying, “Game over, Governors.”
Selden and the Jayhawks (32-4) face fifth-seeded Maryland on Thursday at KFC Yum Center for a spot in the Elite Eight.
The Terrapins (27-8) have to be wondering if Selden can continue to fly this high. There might be no player more important to the Jayhawks’ national title hopes and more driven to make amends for previous tournament troubles.
“Wayne’s one of those guys that can give your team a lot of confidence because he can make some plays that nobody else on our team can make,” Kansas coach Bill Self said Wednesday. “He’s a physical leader for us, a guy who has got a little bit of size, and he can maybe get a shot off that other guys can’t.
“It’s real important that he has played aggressive and he played well. From this point forward, everyone is going to guard. He’s the guy who makes tough shots for us.
year has made a colossal difference along those lines for 6-5, 230-pound Selden.
He scored six total points in Kansas’ two NCAA tournament games last March. He was shut out in a loss to Wichita State. A McDonald’s All-American out of Roxbury, Mass., and the Tilton (N.H.) School, he seemed lost in the shadows of Andrew Wiggins as a freshman and Kelly Oubre as a sophomore. He averaged 9.7 points per game in his first year, 9.4 in his second.
Self said part of the issue was Selden playing out of position, spending too much time handling the ball and not enough on the wing. But there was more.
“I think that Wayne his first two years settled too much,” Self said. “He did not play to his body or his athletic ability as often as what he can.”
Problem solved for much of this season. Selden is averaging 13.6 points (18 in the tournament), shooting 47.7% from the field and 40.4% from three-point distance and has come up big in Kansas’ most important games.
He had three huge efforts in January that illustrate his impact. Selden opened the month with a 24-point breakout in a 102-74 rout of No. 21 Baylor. His 21 points solidified a 109-106 tripleovertime triumph against No. 1 Oklahoma. Then came a careerbest 33-point effort to take down No. 19 Kentucky 90-84 in overtime.
After somewhat of a pre-tournament lull, Selden seems locked in at the right time.
He had 14 points in the 105-79 blowout of Austin Peay. He then led the team with 22 points as it handled Connecticut 73-61. Selden scored eight points over the final nine minutes against the Huskies, helping KU reach the Round of 16 for the first time during his tenure in Lawrence.
Selden says the difference between his first two college seasons and this one is simple: He has grown up and learned how to assert himself, not wait for the game to come to him.
“I’m just being aggressive,” he said. “It’s easy when we’ve got two point guards out there. They both set me up pretty easily.
“It’s a lot experience, just going through things, learning things. You have to go through some stuff to get to where you’re at.”
KU is the favorite to win the ti- tle. To do so it needs the January Selden, who slayed the Big 12 and the Wildcats, not the February Selden, who failed to reach double figures in six games.
The third-year player isn’t concerned about previous uneven performances.
“Everybody is going to go through times where everything isn’t going well,” he said. “Nobody’s perfect. It’s all about getting through it. If you’re winning at that time, it doesn’t matter.”
Selden doesn’t need to strike for 30 for the Jayhawks to ad- vance. But he does need to make the Terrapins mindful of his presence, according to Self.
“I think Wayne can have great possessions and impact possessions even when he’s not shooting the ball,” Self said.
“He’s doing that more. He’s getting to the free throw line more. He’s driving more and not playing for just the perimeter shots.
“For the most part this year that’s been the case.”
Will it be the case against Maryland?