No. 5 Kansas crushes Chaminade 123-72 in Maui Invitational
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) Kansas doesn't seem to understand that you're supposed to treat your host well.
The fifth-ranked Jayhawks had seven players score in double figures in a 123-72 victory over Chaminade, the Division II host of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, in the opening round Monday night.
It was the worst loss in the 32 years of the tournament for the Silverswords. The previous worst was a 48-point defeat to Kansas in 2005.
''Why don't we forget about this game and just play another one?'' Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird said. ''They were as good as we thought. They come at you in waves and we didn't think they would shoot from the outside the way they did.''
Wayne Selden Jr. and Sviatoslav Mykhaliuk both scored 18 points for Kansas while Devonte Graham had 15, Frank Mason III 14, Landen Lucas 13 and Hunter Mickelson and Perry Ellis both had 11 for the Jayhawks, who shot 64.4 percent from the field (47 for 73).
''We made shots and everybody looks better when you make shots,'' Kansas coach Bill Self said. ''The defense got better as we went along.''
Kansas (2-1) will play UCLA, a 77-75 winner over UNLV, in the semifinals on Tuesday. The Jayhawks bounced back from a 79-73 loss to then-No. 13 Michigan State last week in the Champions Classic.
''I think tonight did a lot for some guys' confidence,'' said Lucas, who had 12 rebounds. ''Defensively we still have a lot to work on. But it's always good to see guys shoot like that.''
Chaminade, from Honolulu, dropped to 7-85 in the 32 years of the tournament. The only way to an upset was to beat Kansas from the outside and the Silverswords took almost as many 3-point field goals (33) as 2-point shots (36). Kansas beat them at their own game, however, finishing 15 of 29 from beyond the arc while Chaminade was 8 of 33.
''We have good shooters but tonight we didn't make them,'' Chaminade's Rohndell Goodwin said. ''It wasn't their height that made us shoot from the outside. We have good shooters.''
Kiran Shastri had 17 points for the Silverswords (0-3) while Goodwin added 15.
The Silverswords, known for beating then-No. 1 Virginia and Ralph Sampson in 1982, had a moral victory of sorts. They pulled to 14-13 with 13:43 to play in the first half on a 3-pointer by Shastri, forcing Self to call a timeout. The Jayhawks took over from there and led 53-33 at halftime.
''Chaminade is the kind of team that can hang around and that's what they did at the start,'' Self said.
TIP-INS
Kansas: The Jayhawks won the Maui Invitational in 1996. This is their sixth appearance and in 1988 they were led by current Wake Forest coach Danny Manning. ... Kansas was without junior guard Brannen Greene, who was suspended for six games by Self for unspecified conduct detrimental to the team. ... Kansas' largest margin of victory came in a 115-45 victory over Brown on Jan. 3, 1989. ... The 123 points were the sixth-most in Kansas history and the most under Self.
Chaminade: The Silverswords' last win in the Maui Invitational was in 2012, 86-73 over Texas. ... Chaminade opened the season with two losses in a road trip to Alaska-Anchorage.
FREE DIALLO
Kansas fans chanted ''Free Diallo'' at the start of the second half. That was in reference to the NCAA still investigating freshman Cheick Diallo, who remains ineligible to participate in games. The NCAA has been investigating the 6-foot-9 Diallo's classwork from a prep school in New York, along with the forward's relationship with his guardian, Tidiane Drame. Diallo has been cleared to practice with the Jayhawks, and this past weekend the NCAA granted a waiver so that he could travel with the team to Hawaii.
''All I know is that our AD was contacted today and they're working on it,'' Self said.
UP NEXT
Kansas: UCLA in Maui Invitational semifinals on Tuesday.
Chaminade: UNLV in Maui Invitational consolation round on Tuesday.
