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USC basketball: Behind Selby, No. 3 Kansas leads Trojans at halftime, 31-20

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That Josh Selby fellow, the nation’s top recruit who’s getting all the pub before his first game for the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, well, he’s pretty good.

The all-everything Baltimore-native guard scored a game-high 10 points in the first half of the No. 3 Jayhawks’ game against USC in Allen Fieldhouse, giving Kansas a 31-20 halftime lead.

Selby, who is eligible after serving a nine-game suspension issued by the NCAA for allegedly accepting impermissible benefits, looked as good as advertised, knocking down his first two three-point shots. He played 12 minutes and shot two of six in the half.

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Kansas led the entire first half, and took its biggest lead, 27-13, on forward Thomas Robinson‘s layup. USC has made plenty of mistakes, seeming to wilt in the house where Wilt the Stilt once dominated.

For instance, twice it committed fouls on three-point shots. Both times, the Kansas shooters knocked down all three free-throw shots.

The Trojans are also simply just getting outplayed by the more talented Jayhawks, led by Selby, while succumbing to Kansas’ aggressive defensive pressure.

Neither team is shooting especially well, USC hitting just seven of 24 (29.2%) shots while Kansas hit on just nine of 27 (33.3%).

The difference has been free throws and the bench. USC is four of seven from the charity stripe, Kansas is 10 of 14. USC’s bench has scored three points, Kansas’ has scored 20.

USC junior guard Jio Fontan, who became eligible to play after sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules since transferring to USC from Fordham in January, started for USC in his first game in more than a year, and got off to a slow start at that, turning the ball over on USC’s first two possessions.

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He calmed down, though, and proved to be one of USC’s only effective offensive options, scoring eight points on two for six shooting in 19 minutes.

-- Baxter Holmes in Lawrence, Kan.

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