SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17. 1995
SECTION
The Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats will continue their longstanding intrastate rivalry in:
K-State forward steps up
By Nicole Poell
Kansas State Collegian sportswriter
Without basketball, Kansas State's Belvis Noland would be a different person.
"It's a different Belvis Noland when I'm out on the court," the senior forward said.
"Off the court, I'm a pretty quiet, reserved person, but playing basketball kind of lifts my spirits — it makes me really emotional. Basketball shows that other side of me."
Noland's other side has made him one of the Wildcats' biggest threats on the court this season.
Noland sported respectable numbers for K-State last year, averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in Big Eight Conference play and was an all-Big Eight selection to the Kansas City State's Newcomer team.
However, Noland said he could and would try to do more for his team on the court this year.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
"Last season wasn't all I expected to be. Hopefully this year things will change, and I can do a lot of good for the K-State basketball team and for my teammates," he said.
Noland proved he could shine on the basketball court during his two years at Three Rivers Community College in Missouri, where he led his team to a 32-2 record in the 1992-1993 season, averaging 20.5 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
I nat performance was enough to earn him third-team Junior College All-American honors from the NICAJ and the Basketball Times.
While he did enjoy a certain star status during his time at Three Rivers, Noland said he was uncertain if he could reach those same heights in the Division I ranks.
Kansas State senior forward Belvius Noland shoots a jump shot over Kansas junior forward Sean Pearson and sophomore center Scott Pollard. Noland scored a team-high 23 points against Kansas at Allen Field House on Jan. 18.
"It's just hard to say because on this level, there are so many different people here with the same amount of talent I have," he said. "I just hope that I can do my best and show people that Belvis Noiand is an outstanding player."
Already this season, Noland has proven himself for the Wildcats. In K-State's game against Kansas at Allen Field House, he scored a team-high of 23 points and hit three of five three-point line.
By Christoph Fuhrmans Kansan sportswriter
After winning where they hadn't won in four years, the Jayhawks now will try to keep winning where they haven't lost in 11 years.
The No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks, who won at Nebraska's Devaney Center Tuesday for the first time since 1990, will play the Kansas State Wildcats at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
The Jayhawks and Wildcats sit at opposite ends of the Big Eight Conference. Kansas enters the game at 19-3 overall and in first place in the conference at 8-2. K-State is 11-11 and at the bottom of the conference with a 2-8 record.
Even though the Wildcats are eight games behind the Jayhawks, Kansas coach Roy Williams said his team was expecting a difficult game.
"I think we'll get their best shot," Williams said. "There's nothing that could change their entire season more than getting a win over us."
"I don't think you have to take hate into games in the Big Eight," he said.
Yet K-State has not been able to beat Kansas in Manhattan since 1983. The Jayhawks have been undefeated in Bramlag Coliseum since it opened in 1989.
"I can't, off the top of my head, even come close to thinking about anything like that." Williams said of the winning streak. "I tell our kids it's got to come to a stop some year. Let's just put it off one year."
Williams said that the Jayhawks had used the tradition of losing in Lincoln, Neb., as motivation Tuesday. He also wants his team to use the tradition of not losing in Manhattan as motivation.
Although tomorrow's game is against K-State, Kansas sophomore forward Scot Pollard said it was just another conference game to him.
"I'm hoping that it will help us again in that Greg Gurley and Greg Ostertag can say, We haven't lost here; we don't want to lose here," Williams said. "And yet, at the same time, Kansas State is going to be saying the same thing we were saying up in Lincoln."
"Every game is a rivalry for us. I think when we go to opposing gyms, it's like their biggest game of the season."
Pollard is from San Diego and did not grow up experiencing the Jayhawk-WildCat rivalry, but freshman guard C.B. MGrath did
"It hasn't really hit me yet, but I'm sure when I get there and the fans are going crazy, I'll feel it a little more." McGrath said.
McGrath played one of his best games of the season against K-State on Jan. 18 in Allen Field House. McGrath scored four points and had a rebound and a steal.
In that game, K-State held its own against Kansas during most of the second half but fell short during the last minutes of play as Kansas won 78-74.
"I thought they outplayed us here," Williams said. "We got lucky and made a couple of plays at the end that won the game for us."
K-State senior forward Belvis Noland scored 23 points and had five rebounds in the K-State loss. Williams said he hoped Noland didn't repeat his performance tomorrow.
"He's had some big games, and he's an explosive kind of player," Williams said. "He may be as athletic as anybody in the league."
'Hawks face rematch weekend
By Jenni Carlson Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team has been challenged all season by its schedule, but now the Jayhawks are challenging themselves
With a 73-84 loss at the hands of the No. 3 Colorado Buffaloes on Feb. 10, Kansas played its sixth ranked opponent of the season. However, it was a 73-80 loss to instate rival Kansas State on Sunday that forced each Jayhawk to reevaluate her role on the team, Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said.
"Each individual has tried to determine what more they can do to help this club become stronger, to become better," she said. "That's saying a lot for a team that starts three sophomores and sometimes has three freshmen on the floor."
The No. 20 Jayhawks, who have a 16-7 record overall and a 6-4 mark in the Big Eight Conference, will need to travel together this weekend as they travel south to Oklahoma. Kansas will face the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla. today. Sunday, the Jayhawks will travel to Norman, Okla. for their final regular season road game.
After starting 4-0 in the Big Eight,
Kansas forced Oklahoma State and
this weekend, Kansas sophomore guard Angie Halbleib said
"We felt we played our best basketball and lost," she said. "If we play well this weekend, we're confident we can come out with two wins."
Oklahoma in consecutive games and lost both games.
Oklahoma's 84-69 victory Jan. 20 not only blemished the Jayhawks' undefeated record in the conference, but also broke a seven-game winning streak. Oklahoma State's eight point win. 81-73, followed two days later.
Despite the losses, the Jayhawks aren't seeking revenge
Today, the Jayhawks will face a balanced Cowboy attack. Oklahoma State had five players score in double figures during the teams' last meeting. Oklahoma State junior forward Amy Scales, one of the Big Eight's top scorers, led her team with 15 points in the same.
In its game against Oklahoma, Kansas must overcome the Sooners' inside-outside combination of junior forward Etta Maytubby and senior center Mandy Wade. Maytubby averages 13.3 points a game, and has 29.8 points from
Washington said Kansas would need to play very aggressive basketball both on offense and on defense to get back on the winning track. Both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have spent time in the top 25 poll and are ahead of Kansas in the conference standings.
BRIEF
Washington said that Big Eight competition would continue to be tough for the young Jayhawks.
"It doesn't let up." Washington said of Kansas' competition. "I don't know if a veteran club would have an easy time of it."
behind the three-point line is the sixth best mark in the Big Eight. On the inside, Wade averages 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.
Halbleib said it was a physical and mental drain to travel, and she didn't like to miss so much school. The team left Lawrence yesterday by charter bus.
Sean Croser / KANRAN
Kansas junior outfielder Burney practices batting at Anschutz Sports Pavilion. Kansas will play Arkansas today
Razorbacks next up for Kansas baseball
The Kansas baseball team begins a three-game series with the Arkansas Razorbacks at 3 p.m. today in Fayetteville, Ark.
Kansas and Arkansas have become early-season rivals. This meeting marks the eighth consecutive year the two schools have played each other in February. Arkansas leads the overall series 26-22.
The Jayhawks, 1-2, lost two of three games at Nevada-Las Vegas to open the season last weekend. Kansas averaged 10 runs a game against the Rebels, but Kansas pitchers struggled with a 9.36 earned run average. UNLV hitters posted a .340 batting average against the Jayawkhurlers.
Kansas coach Dave Bingham said the Jayhawks' pitching performances needed to improve this weekend.
"There were lots of problems in our locations of pitches," he said. "Hopefully we can get the ball down in the strike zone more."
The inability to score crucial runs also was a problem for Kansas during the UNLV series, Bingham said.
"I'd like to see us get more competitive at times," he said.
The Razorbacks, 1-0, defeated Missouri Southern 5-4 on Feb. 10.