Tyshawn Taylor Lifts Jayhawks into Final Four

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 25, 2012

Experience matters in almost every walk of life, but Tyshawn Taylor's four years of tutelage under coach Bill Self at Kansas paid huge dividends for the senior guard as he lifted his team past North Carolina and into the NCAA Final Four.

Taylor was the catalyst in the Jayhawks' 80-67 win in the the Midwest regional final. It didn't hurt that North Carolina's regular point guard, Kendall Marshall had been sidelined with a fractured wrist, leaving Taylor one-on-one for much of the game with less-capable replacements - Stilman White and Justin Watts - who together tallied just nine points for the Tar Heels.

Able to guard players with limited understanding of North Carolina's attack, Taylor was able to pick off five steals, and snatch six rebounds while the bigs battled under the hoop, while on the offensive end he scored a game high 22 points and dished out five assists to grateful teammates.

Playing all but four minutes of the game, Taylor slowed Carolina's offense and while he was 0-for-5 from three-point range, he was effective otherwise, hitting 10 of 19 shots from the field and turning the ball over just three times.

Kansas will face the East region's Ohio State in Saturday's semi-final in a battle of #2 seeds. Ohio State, like Kansas, defeated their region's #1 in the regional final - in Ohio State's case, Syracuse - to advance to New Orleans.

Tyshawn Taylor Scores 27; Kansas Wins Big 12

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 27, 2012

Tyshawn Taylor pumped in 27 points as Kansas overwhelmed Oklahoma State late, 70-58, capturing their 8th straight Big 12 regular season crown. Kansas shared the title in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

The Jayhawks improved to 25-5 overall and 15-2 in the conference with just one game to play - against Texas, March 3 - well clear of their closest pursuer, 12-4 Missouri.

Taylor scored 10 straight points during a stretch late in the second half which helped seal the win. The senior guard hit on 10 of 15 shots, making 4 of 7 from three-point distance.

With the win, Kansas is assured of a #1 seed heading into the conference tournament and has a solid chance at being a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney.

Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson Stop Baylor, as Kansas Wins,92-74

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January, 2012

The Kansas Jayhawks reduced the number of undefeated college basketball teams to two with a 92-74 win over the Baylor Bears, as Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson provided more inside-outside offense than the previously 17-0 Bears could handle.

Robinson, a certain player of the year candidate, dominated the interior, scoring 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting, including a number of rim-shaking dunks and swift spin moves in the paint that ignited the sold out crowd at Allen Field House.

The 6'9" junior was also responsible for limiting Baylor's second chance opportunities, wiping the boards with 14 rebounds, 13 of which came on the defensive end. It was Robinson's 13th double-double of the season. He leads the Jayhawks in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.8 points and 12.3 rebounds.

Taylor, playing the best ball of his four-year collegiate career, matched his career high - set just two days ago in an 82-73 win over Iowa State - with 28 points, scoring on 10 of 14 shots, with four of his six 3-point attempts hitting their mark. Taylor also led Kansas with six assists.

Kansas took a 10 point lead into the break, but Baylor responded in the early part of the second half, cutting the lead to six before Kansas completely took over, pressuring every one of the Bears' shots while sizzling on their own offensive end to up the lead eventually to 20 points.

The Jayhawks shot 57% from the field and completely dominated the boards, out-rebounding Baylor, 39-24. It was their 16th straight win at Phog Allen Field House and improved their record to 15-3. The Jayhawks now stand alone atop the Big 12 standings at 5-0, with Missouri and Baylor chasing them, at 4-1.

NOTABLE: Syracuse beat Pitt in the Carrier Dome for the first time in five years, extending their winning streak to a school record 20 straight wins to open a season with a 71-63 decision over the struggling Panthers, who have lost seven straight and fallen to the bottom of the Big East standings, at 0-6. The top-ranked Orange used their familiar combination of tight zone defense and run-outs to lead start to finish. The Orange opened the game with a 13-0 run and were never headed.