6B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL
SPORTS
Ed Reinke/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kentucky's Ramel Bradley shoots over High Point's Landon Quick during the first half of its 75-55 win on Tuesday in Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky cruises past High Point by 20
BY MURRAY EVANS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Point guard Rajon Rondo had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists Tuesday night to lead No. 10 Kentucky past High Point 75-55.
Ramel Bradley scored 14 points and Patrick Sparks added 13 for Kentucky (5-1), which won its third straight game while prepping for a showdown Saturday at Rupp Arena against defending national champion North Carolina.
Arizona Reid had 29 points and 16 rebounds -- each a career high -- for High Point, a member of the Big South Conference and the alma mater of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith.
It was the third time the Panthers (3-2) played Kentucky since Smith became the Wildcats' coach in 1997.
Kentucky's average margin of victory in its previous two meetings with the Panthers was 36.5 points. High Point went 1-of-19 from 3-point range but kept things interesting for a half before wearing down against the Wildcats' defense.
High Point outrebounded Kentucky 20-19 in the first half and trailed only 34-30 at halftime, but Kentucky finished with a 43-35 edge on the boards.
High Point took the lead at 24-21 at the 7:27 mark on a three-point play by Akeem Scott, who scored 12 points. But a 13-2 Kentucky run -- keyed by Rondo's three baskets -- put the Wildcats ahead 34-26 with 3:51 left in the half.
Kentucky led only 38-33 early in the second half, but scored 21 of the next 29 points to up its advantage to 59-41 with 8:19 left. Kentucky's lead peaked at 26 points.
Smith freely substituted during the second half, even inserting seldom-used walk-on guard Preston LeMaster for more than two minutes while the game was still somewhat in doubt.
Junior 7-footer Lukasz Obrazut, who, like most of Kentucky's centers, had struggled early this season, scored a career-high nine points.
But Rondo, who had his third double-double of the season, again proved to be Kentucky's catalyst, finishing 6-of-9 from
Kentucky led only 38-33 early in the second half, but scored 21 of the next 29 points to up its advantage to 59-41 with 8:19 left. Kentucky's lead peaked at 26 points.
Smith was a guard for High Point from 1969-73. He led the North Carolina school, which then was in the NAIA, in scoring as a senior and still ranks fifth on the Panthers' career list with 1,589 points.
the field. During the first four minutes of the second half, the 6-foot-1 sophomore grabbed six rebounds, and later assisted on consecutive baskets by Bradley, Obrzut and Sparks.
This weekend, the team will play in the UNO Lady Privates Tournament against Birmingham Southern on Friday and New Orleans on Saturday.
During High Point's first two trips to Lexington, the Panthers lost to the Wildcats 102-49 in 2000 and 84-64 in 2002.
High Scores
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
The Jayhawks will make the necessary defensive adjustments during the game and in the locker room during halftime.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30.2005
"I think the coaches do a good job of giving us directions," said freshman guard Ivana Catic. "We just don't do a good job of following them."
"I think the coaches do a good job of giving us directions. We just don't do a good job following them."
As long as the offense continues to roll, it will be able to make up for shortcomings on the other end of the court.
Ivana Catic Freshman guard
Seniors Crystal Kemp, Kaylee Brown, and Erica Hallman have all been encouraged to continue putting up shots.
"I pretty much have a green
light to shoot whenever I'm open," Hallman said.
The Jayhawks hope to ride that shot, along with an improved defense, during their games this weekend and for the rest of the season.
— Edited by Becca Evanhoe
Texas
CONTINUED FROM 1B
"I was a little surprised seeing how it turned out, but it really doesn't matter who the opponent is. We'll be ready for anyone," Huff said. "I think we had too much emo-
Instead, Iowa State blew a fourth-quarter lead against Kansas and an opportunity to play in the Big 12 Championship game. With Iowa State's loss, Colorado was back in the championship game, even though the team lost a day earlier to Nebraska. 30-3.
Michael Huff Texas senior safety
"I was a little surprised seeing how it turned out, but it really doesn't matter who the opponent is."
and play the right way this weekend."
tion heading into last week's game, but we'll settle down
Texas and Colorado nave already met up once this season. Texas won at home, 42-17.
Huff said the Longhorns were successful last time because they were able to shut down the Buffaloes' rushing attack. He said that made it harder for Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt to make effective plays because the Texas defense made the Colorado offense one-dimensional.
— Edited by Becca Evanhoe
Zillman
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Mark Mangino has brought hope to Kansas. At his first press conference in December 2001, Mangino announced, "Our goal is to be the best team in the Big 12." That was and still is a tall order.
But it takes a visionary to win at Kansas. KU football fans were tired of settling for 4-7 and 5-6 every season. They were 5-1 to end the
"Decade of Dominance" by Kansas State and "The Streak" against Nebraska.
Mangino won't settle, either. For the first time in school history, the Jayhawks will go to bowl games in two out of three seasons. Attendance is up, even with basketball season in full effect. This year, fans set a school record for average attendance. Even Thanksgiving Break could not stop a packed student section against Iowa State as
Kansas played a meaningful and big game in November.
This year, Kansas mauled Missouri, destroyed Nebraska and will go bowling while Kansas State paints the Big 12 North cellar purple.
There is one man to thank for this. I hope every KU football fan does.
Zillman is a Leavenworth senior in journalism.
Mountain-top high jinks
Nancie Bataglia/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ted Keizer leaps after reaching the top of Mount Jo in the Adirondacks at North Elba, N.Y., on Tuesday. Keizer set a national outdoors milestone by completing a series of marathon hikes across all 50 states in less than three months.
11
T
---