Jayhawks sparkle with a diamond from Cole

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Kansas Jayhawks after losing five NBA draft picks off a team that cut down the nets as national champions last season. Only two players with any meaningful experience returned, and the rest of the roster was littered with freshmen.

But the Jayhawks thumbed their nose at low expectations and are back in the Sweet 16, thanks to tough-as-nails point guard Sherron Collins and a historic performance by former Bloomington Jefferson star Cole Aldrich.

Collins led the charge and Aldrich gobbled up everything in sight as the third-seed Jayhawks advanced with a 60-43 victory against No. 11 seed Dayton on Sunday before an announced crowd of 14,279 at the Metrodome.

Collins scored a game-high 25 points, and Aldrich finished with 13 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks to notch the first "official" triple-double in Kansas history -- the NCAA didn't start tracking blocks until 1986 -- and finish his homecoming with a performance for the ages.

"Nobody thought we would get this far," Collins said. "There were a lot of questions and doubts. But it feels good to be here."

Said Aldrich: "I think the sky is the limit for us."

Kansas (27-7) will have a chance to make more noise in the tournament if it continues to get this kind of production from its two stars. Collins was simply superb, starting with Friday's victory against North Dakota State. He finished the weekend with 57 points, 10 assists and only two turnovers. He shot 51 percent from the field and had complete control over both games.

His contribution Sunday, however, got overshadowed by Aldrich's numbers. The 6-11 sophomore center posted career highs in rebounds and blocks and joined the likes of Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal in tournament lore.

Aldrich's triple-double was the first in the NCAA tournament since Wade's dazzling performance for Marquette in the 2003 regional final against Kentucky at the Metrodome.

No player had posted a triple-double that included blocks in the tournament since Shaq did so against BYU in a 1992 first-round game.

"For him to get this on the biggest stage is just awesome for him," sophomore guard Tyrel Reed said. "Especially in his hometown."

The Collins-Aldrich combination proved to be too much for the athletic Flyers, who suffered a horrendous shooting performance. Dayton (27-8) started 1-for-14 from the field and never found its touch. The Flyers somehow managed to keep the game close until 13 minutes remaining despite shooting 22.2 percent (16-for-72) for the game.

"There's no question at times we're downright brutal offensively," Dayton coach Brian Gregory said.

The Jayhawks also had some problems on offense. They were only 3-for-16 from three-point range and 11-for-22 from the free-throw line.

Kansas, however, shot 55 percent in the second half, and unlike Dayton, the Jayhawks had two stars to carry everyone else.

"It's important for everybody to play well on every team," KU coach Bill Self said. "But it's most important that your best players play their best and we had that."

The defending national champions now suddenly have bigger aspirations than a Big 12 regular-season title and Sweet 16 appearance. A season that began with many unknowns has evolved into something that few could have predicted.

"These guys have come a long way," Self said.

"Our season was really good. Any time you win a league it's a good season. You can't have a great season unless you do well in the NCAA tournament. We've had a great season now. Now, you have to try and make the season special. For this team to put itself in position where this season can be special is pretty remarkable. But there's no reason for us to be satisfied."