THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Nevada 72 - Kansas 70
PAGE 10A
Back to the '70s
Josh Kirk/KANSAN
Kansas sophomore forward CJ Gites, freshman forward Brandon Rush and sophomore guard Russell Robinson pressure Nevada sophomore guard Marcelus Kemp. The Jayhawks were forced to foul late in the fourth quarter when trailing by 3.
KU falls to 2-3; first time since'72
BY RVAN COLAIanni
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
CJ Giles went up for a gametying layup in the closing seconds of Thursday night's game against Nevada. He felt someone grabbing his arm.
Held down, it was easy for Wolf Pack defenders to block the shot and give Nevada a 72-70 victory against Kansas.
"I don't know if the officials saw it or not," Giles said. "His hands were basically holding my arm."
Giles, sophomore forward, had received a pass from senior guard Jeff Hawkins. He had full control of the ball before going up, and then felt the contact, he said.
Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self ran onto the court when time expired, demanding a foul call from the officials.
No call was made, and the Jayhawks dropped to 2-3 for the first time since the 1972-73 season.
"I thought he got fouled, from my vantage point," Self said. "I am usually not one to complain about officiating, and I am not going to do it tonight."
For the third time this season, Kansas battled back from early deficits but was unable to pull out a victory. The Jahayhus batted back numerous times. They were down as many as 6 points with 2.04 remaining, but closed the gap to 1 with 17.6 seconds to go. Kansas still was unable to come back.
Held down, it was easy for Wolf Pack defenders to block the shot and give Nevada a 72-70 victory against Kansas.
The team struggled during the first half, falling behind by 8 points at intermission, but appeared to be more focused in the second half.
The offense performed better in the second half and shot 54 percent from the field, after shooting just 34 percent in the opening period.
"Hopefully, this will give us a message that you have to come into the game and play it from the beginning," senior forward Sasha Kaun said.
"We just need to turn it on right at the beginning of the game, instead of waiting for the second half to do it." Giles said.
The come back in the second half was partly because of the play of freshman forward Brandon Rush, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the second半分.
SEE GAMER ON PAGE 8A
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
UT looks to avoid repeat upset
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SOUTWRIVER
Colorado will again try to spoil Texas' postseason hopes when the teams meet in the Big 12 Championship game Saturday in Houston. If Texas wins, the Longhorns will gain a berth in the Rose Bowl and play for the National Championship on Jan. 4.
Rachel Seymour/KANSAN
That was the same scenario four years ago when the two teams met in the conference championship game in Irving, Texas.
Texas was one game away from playing for the national championship, but was upset by Colorado 39-37 and was denied an opportunity to play in the title game.
Four years later, with the same two coaches roaring the sidelines for the two teams, Texas football coach Mack Brown said this game would be a lot different than the 2001 game when the Longhorns had to rely on an upset to play in the Big 12 championship game.
"This year we have controlled our own destiny," Brown said. "In 2001 we had to get on the phones and start calling kids to find them Saturday night before the game after Oklahoma State unset Oklahoma."
Josi Lima, senior middle blocker, hugs freshman middle blocker, Savannah Noyes, after winning one of their four games against Missouri Nov. 23. Kansas lost the match, but has received a bid to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament in Los Angeles.
Texas enters the game with a perfect 11-0 record and has been paced by Heisman trophy hopeful Vince Young. The junior quarterback from Houston will get an opportunity to play in from of a large number of friends and family this weekend.
Young has thrown for 2,576 yards this season and 23 touchdowns. Young has also rushed for
SEE UPSET ON PAGE 9A
VOLLEYBALL
Surprising bid leaves nothing to lose
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
After a frustrating season filled with injuries, the Kansas volleyball team will receive a second chance today.
The Jayhawks will play their first-round match in the NCAA Tournament at 10 tonight in Los Angeles, despite a lackluster record of 15-14. Kansas also finished below Iowa State, which didn't make the tournament, despite a better Big 12 Conference record.
That means Kansas will be playing with house money, so to speak, when they play the UCLA in the first-round match.
Should they win, Kansas will play on Saturday against the winner of the Long Beach State-San Diego match.
No matter the outcome of their tussle with the 14th-ranked Bruins, the Jayhawks are happy to extend their season at least one more week after thinking they had not played well enough to earn this chance.
"Toward the end, when we lost to Iowa State, then I was kind of like 'Uh, I don't think we're going,' senior middle blocker Josi Lima said. "But when our name came up, it was a wonderful feeling."
Another perk of the surprise Kansas selection was the destination. Leaving the cold weather of Lawrence for 60-degree Los Angeles was a nice assignment for the Jayhawks, who arrived there on Wednesday.
Kansas is no stranger to nice locales come tournament time. In 2003, it played at Pepperdine, in Malibu, Calif. Last year, the Jayhawks escaped the Kansas winter again, playing in the Seattle pod, where Washington hosted.
Despite a forecast that called for rain Friday, Lima said she was excited to play in such a pleasant place.
“It’s really nice,” Lima said.
“We've been so lucky every year. It's
Senior setter Andi Rozum will likely miss the match because of a back injury. That will force sophomore opposite hitter Emily Brown and Lima into action at that position.
Lima, who hasn't played setter since she was in high school in Brazil, said she would be ready to adapt to the new position.
really good to get out of the cold weather."
The regular season was physically tough on Lima. The four-time, All-Big 12 performer is nursing several injuries that she's played through all year.
Kansas will also be without junior outside hitter Jana Correa, who tore her ACL in the Oct. 5 match against Kansas State. The Jayhawks lost seven games in a row after Correa's injury.
"Mentally, I'm 100 percent," she said. "Physically, I'm probably like 60. I'm getting used to pain."
Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said that early-season victories against tournament teams Alabama, Virginia Commonwealth, Colorado and Texas A&M, plus a November victory at Kansas State, gave the selection committee enough evidence that Kansas belonged in the tournament.
"I think you have to look at the 29-match season, not just the last one," Bechard said. "I know the committee looked at the entire body of work."
"I think if players tell you about Pepperdine or Washington, the memories they bring back are of things that happened in the gym." Bechard said. "Even though it's a nice place to go and might be touristy for some, I think the most important part and the part the kids will remember is how it went on the court."
With the nice weather, sightseeing and entertainment opportunities, Bechard said the most important issue remained volleyball.
- Edited by Anne Burgard
Powerhouse UCLA to test Kansas
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTS WRITER
The Kansas Jayhawks will begin their third consecutive NCAA Tournament tonight when they face off with the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
For the Bruins, Friday's match will begin their program's 24th appearance in the tournament. They have won six national championships, including three NCAA titles. The other three came before the NCAA began governing women's volleyball in 1981.
"I have only seen a little bit of Kansas, but they appear to be pretty well-rounded in all their skills," Banachowski said. "We will go into the match emphasizing our serving and blocking and be prepared to make the necessary adjustments as the match progresses."
Kansas is reeling after three straight losses to close out the regular season. Its last appearance on the court ended in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, last Saturday.
Breins' coach Andy Banachowski said he was impressed with what he had seen from the Jayhawks despite their lackluster finish.
The jayhawks have a record of 2-2 in their two previous tournament appearances.
They finished the season with a 7-13 record in the Big 12 Conference, which put them in eighth place.
Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said his team would have to rise to the challenge despite the injuries of senior setter Andi Rozum and junior outside hitter Jana Correa.
On top of history, Kansas will have its work cut out for it with this year's UCLA squad. UCLA is ranked 14th in the nation and has won six of its nine matches in Westwood, Calif., this season.
"We can't use injuries as an excuse," Bechard said. "We're limited, but you can only put six out there. So let's knock on wood and hope everybody stays healthy from here on out and people step up."
The Bruins, in stark contrast to the Jayhawks, finished strong. They enter the match with an 18-10 record, including a 10-8 Pac-10 mark finalized with a 3-1 victory against California last Saturday.
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SEE UCLA ON PAGE 9A