Jeff Smith: Has Rick Santorum Maxed Out?

Kansas played like Santorum last week.

They were outmatched, but they came from behind and almost made a game of it.

Time after time in the last 5-6 minutes, they had a shot to pull within five points and really make it a nailbiter (think MI, OH, IL).

And yet, every time they had a shot to get close and throw the outcome into doubt, they blew it – missed layups, errant passes, unforced turnovers.

Kind of like Santorum’s errant foray into contraception before the MI primary, his inability to make the ballot in VA or field full slates in Ohio or Illinois, his inexplicable and time-consuming trip to Puerto Rico in advance of Illinois.

When Kentucky hit the big trey w/ just under a minute to play, it was the nail in the coffin.

You just can’t give a team that’s more talented, deeper, and steadier than you so many chances to put you away. Similarly, tonight was probably the nail in the coffin.

Sure, KU hit another couple buckets afterwards (TX? PA? AR?). But by that point, Coach Cal had stopped sweating it, and started thinking about what he was gonna tell Clark Kellogg.

(Cross-posted, with permission of the author, from Politico’s Arena)