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Kansas avoids pitfalls of other 2 seeds, handles Detroit

spt-120316-kansas

Mike Miller

On a day when two No. 2 seeds lost, Thomas Robinson made sure Kansas wasn’t going to be the third.

The Jayhawks’ junior forward scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds during a 65-50 win Friday against 15-seed Detroit in the Midwest Region.

He was ably supported by the backcourt -- Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor combined for 25 points – and underrated center Jeff Withey, who added seven points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

It wasn’t a breeze, though.

The Titans (22-14) were aggressive right from the start, attacking the defense and taking advantage of a few Kansas miscues before the Jayhawks (28-6) pulled away with about five minutes remaining in the first half.

“We didn’t talk about it or make it a big deal, but it did wake us up a little bit,” Robinson said of the No. 2 seeds going down. “It did give us a little energy for the game. It’s March, and anybody is capable of getting beat right now.”

Kansas will play No. 10 Purdue on Sunday.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.