SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2006
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PAGE 11A
Downs he goes: What happened?
Freshman Micah Downs is just another player in a long line of talent that transferred from Kansas since the Bill Self era began.
Downs said he left because he wanted be close to home while he sifted through "personal problems." His dad, Steve Downs, said his decision had nothing to do with basketball.
That's hard to believe, considering his recent playing time issues, but this is a confusing situation.
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
trobinett@kansan.com
unhappy they were left out of the rotation and found different schools where talent wasn't as plentiful. The other two transfers, David Padgett and J.R. Giddens, were out of Self's hands. Giddens needed out of Lawrence, and Padgett was a constant target of the student body. None of these transfers should be equated to a problem with Self.
Downs saw a lot of time early, starting with the game against
It's not clear why Downs wasn't playing. Rumors swirled about illness and injury, but the most like-
Chinamade and ending with the game against California. But since conference play began, Downs played only two games with a total of 12 minutes and no points.
Self takes as many good players as he can. In his first two recruiting classes, he signed 10 players who were talented enough to play right away. Combining that talent with current players means not everyone can play. Lack of playing time was a concern at least three of the six players who left Kansas in Self's first three years.
Self needs to put the best team on the floor in conference play. Based on minutes Self has given out. Downs isn't part of that team.
Omar Wilkes, Alex Galindo and Nick Bahe seemed to be
Down's decision will most likely benefit him and won't hurt the progress of Self's program. Kansas doesn't need Downs. The Jay-
reason is Self's recruiting style.
hawks played their best basketball against Nebraska without Downs. They can keep up without him for the rest of this year and the next few seasons. Self also has another scholarship available, so look for a solid replacement soon. As for Downs, he will likely transfer to a school where he can be happy.
♦ Robinett is an Austin, Texas,
junior in journalism. He is Kansan
correspondents editor.
BUNT 'EM OVER
Mediocrity: Not that bad for KU fans
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
A loss to Texas A&M by Kansas tonight in College Station would undoubtedly cause Jayhawk Nation to lose its mind.
The Aggies, who have never finished in the top half of the Big 12 since their inception in 1996, would leapfrog the 'Hawks in the conference standings with a victory in Reed Arena tonight. They would be ecstatic.
The lajhawks have never lost three Big 12 games earlier than Feb. 7. That statistic would be out the window with a loss tonight.
I love it.
Not only is the prospect of a perennial power like Kansas losing to annual bottom- dweller like Texas A&M a great thing for lower tier teams, but it creates excitement for fans all across the league. That includes you, Jayhawk faithful.
The Big 12 has never been as fun to watch as it is this season, and it's because of the balance. If you chop Texas and Baylor from the equation, every team in the league standings is within one game of every other team. Three teams are tied for second place at 3-2, three teams are tied for fifth place at 2-2, and the four teams that round out that group are 2-3.
four teams that play.
I know it's early, but that coziness makes for exciting games with added importance. Last Saturday alone saw two road teams upset home favorites when Texas A&M upended Iowa State and Colorado won at Oklahoma State.
Put those games together with Kansas State's impressive work recently and you've got a tasty stew of parity. After K-State's stunning victory at Allen Fieldhouse, coach Jim Woolridge's squad blew Texas A&M out of the water and took Missouri behind the woodshed in subsequent games. The Wildcats, 3-2, are in the hunt for the first time since the last time they made the NCAA tournament in 1996.
Take a look at the top four teams in the conference standings. You have Texas, no surprise, at No.1. No one will threaten them for the league title this year, but the battle for second will be very interesting.
the Oakes Going into tonight's games, Colorado, Kansas State and Missouri are tied for second, and Kansas is in a fifth place tie. With games remaining against each of those teams, the Jayhawks will be playing face to face against the teams they look to displace.
A quick look down the ladder reveals Oklahoma and Texas Tech, two other traditionally solid teams which will make a push for the postseason and have aspirations of knocking off Kansas when they visit Lawrence in the next couple of weeks.
In the past, how often could you say you've been excited about the Big 12 conference tournament? You'll be able to say it this year. In all likelihood, the Jayhawks will need a victory or two in Dallas to have a shot at the Big Dance. In past seasons, Kansas has had its ticket punched, and occasionally even had its seed locked, heading into the often meaningless exercise that is the conference tournament.
Russell Robinson guards Nebraska's Jamel White during Saturday's game in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks rank in the top of the Big 12 Conference in steals and blocked shots.
Kansas fans should be excited. It is nice to be a lock for the NCAA tournament every year, but it's also incredibly boring. This season is a breath of fresh air, a chance to see life through the eyes of most other Division I programs.
If the tight standings live up to potential for chaos, the last six weeks of the season should be a lot of fun.
That's good sun, joyful day.
The situation makes every game important. For example, the jayhawks close the regular season in Manhattan. That game may very well decide the postseason fate of both Kansas and Kansas State, with potential for the winner to attend the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the loser slipping to the to the NIT. How often in the past 15 years could you say that about the Sunflower Showdown?
- Wilson is a Windsor, Mo., senior in journalism.
That's good stuff. Jayhawk fans.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
'Hawks getting defensive
Self confident team will further improve numbers for blocks, steals
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTWRIETER
Anthony Mattingly/KANSAN
The Kansas men's basketball team has had an up and down season this year, but one thing has remained consistent: a tough defense.
Kansas enters tonight's game against Texas A&M holding opponents to shooting just 35 percent from the field, leading the Big 12 Conference.
With young players playing the majority of the minutes this year, Kansas coach Bill Self has had to preach defense more than in years past. It has paid off. Self is optimistic about the Kansas defense.
"Down the road in the future, the rest of this season, this could be a team that creates a ton of havoc and gives people fits," Self said.
Much of the reason Kansas has been so successful on the defensive end has been because of stellar perimeter defense.
Self said he was pleased with the defense of the guards.
"Russell really has gotten to be a sound defender in the half court and Mario is getting there," Self said. "They both have active hands and could create some havoc."
Robinson and Chalmers are both in the top ten in the conference in steals. Chalmers is second in the conference averaging 2.47 steals per game and Robinson ranks eighth in the conference averaging 1.94 steals per game.
Robinson said the coaches had been stressing defense a lot in practice and that the work in practice was translating into the games.
"The goal is to get teams out of their comfort zone," Robinson said. "We want to make them do things they are not comfortable doing and hopefully force some turnovers. Our first shot defense has been pretty good this season and we will continue to get better
at it."
One area Self said he would like to see improvement was defensive rebounding. This season Self has rotated five players at the power forward and center positions.
Sophomores CJ Giles and Sasha Kaun saw the majority of the minutes at the beginning of the season, but because of their lack of rebounding, both have seen less time recently.
In the team's first four conference games, the two have combined for just more than six rebounds per game. Self has turned to sophomore Darnell Jackson and freshman Julian Wright lately to provide more of a presence
rebounding the ball.
rebounding. Self said he was disappointed with the rebounding and said there should have been more production from the bigger guys like Giles, Kaun and Jackson.
"There is no excuse collectively not to get at least 15 rebounds a game from those three," Self said. "If they combine for 45 minutes those guys should get 15 rebounds and that just hasn't been happening lately. We just haven’t been as aggressive in those three spots as far as going after the ball."
Self said the team would continue to play half-court defense rather than pressing the opponent and playing
full-court pressure. He said that was just the type of team they were, and they would continue to play to their strengths.
Another area of defense where Kansas has excelled this season has been blocked shots. Kansas is second in the conference with 102 blocked shots on the season, led by Giles' 29 blocks and Kaun's 16 blocks.
Self said the blocks had been a big part of the defense because pressure from Robinson and Chalmers had forced opponents to make bad decisions and take poor shots.
— Edited by Lindsey St. Clair
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Free throw woes troubling
BY CJ MOORE
cjmoore@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The two free throws that Christian Moody missed last Monday against Missouri were supposed to be routine shots.
It's 15 feet away from the basket. No defenders. Ten seconds to shoot.
In the Jayhawks' six losses this season, they have shot 59.1 percent from the free throw line, while their opponents in those games have combined to shoot 71.6 percent.
Moody had the outcome of the game on his shoulders. The misses were costly, but Kansas' struggles at the line in losses is nothing new.
Well, it's not that easy.
Free throws could have swung the outcome in the Jayhawks favor in five of their six losses.
In those games, Kansas has lost by a combined 13 points.
If the team makes all of its free throws in the six defeats, Kansas only loses to Arizona.
That might be a little unrealistic. However, if they make half of the misses in those games, Kansas wins outright against Arkansas, St. Joseph's and Missouri. The Nevada game would go to overtime, but Kansas would still lose to Kansas State.
The Jayhawks' record would be 15-2,assuring they pulled it out in overtine against Nevada, and there would be no worries of the possibility of having their bubble burst in March and ending the streak of 16 straight NCAA appearances.
Now, back to reality. The Jayhawks are 11-6 (2-2 in the Big 12 Conference) and continue to have problems at the charity stripe.
So from where does the problem stem?
First, Kansas' big men have had troubles at the line. It's not only Moody, who is shooting 48 percent, but also sophomore centers Sasha Kaun (54 percent) and CJ Giles (42 percent), and freshman forward Julian Wright (52 percent).
Kansas coach Bill Self had a theory on the poor foul shooting.
"I think one thing that all shooters have struggles with is when they don't shoot very many of them. You can simulate in practice," Self said. "But when you're only shooting two per game or one here and one there. It's little bit different because you really don't get a chance to get a rhythm."
Self pointed to last year's team, who shot 69.5 percent at
SEE FREE THROW ON PAGE 10A
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
Senior forward Christian Moody waits at the foul line to take two shots with four-tenths of a second left in regulation. Moody missed both free throws, sending the game to overtime.
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