SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1995
SECTION B
Nutrition bar tastes powerful disgusting
The PowerBar Shootout is upon us. This weekend will be a great matchup of nationally ranked men's and women's teams from Connecticut and Kansas.
The games are slated for Saturday afternoon at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. But beyond the hype, look at the meat — or should I say the grain — of the matter.
The event is sponsored by this nutri-
called a PowerBar.
You may have tried one before. I have,
and they are terrible.
The food tastes like a cross between a Nutragrain bar and a handful of gravel, only not that good. They are beyond terrible.
SPORTS EDITOR
The bars come in different flavors from chocolate to
berry,but they are all bad.
PowerBars are so bad that people have been known to wad them in a ball and throw the mound of sludge at walls. And it does more damage to the wall than the mount — trust me.
In Boulder, Colo., marketing officials have a hard enough time getting people in the stands for men's basketball games. A free PowerBar to fans promotion was used for one game, and the fans responded by tossing the wadded up tar and gravel mix to the court.
I know the Buffaloes aren't the best team in the Big Eight Conference, but I think the crowd was more displeased with the promo than the team.
In fact, this bar is supposedly "what fuels the Kansas Jayhawks."
And yet, Kansas is sponsored by the PowerBar Shootout this weekend.
As far as I can tell, it takes an acquired taste to enjoy PowerBars on a continual basis. I would guess that the split is 50-50 between those Kansas athletes who like the food and those who can't stand it. The ratio is that high only because the athletes get the bars for free.
All four teams started the season ranked nationally or regionally and have continued their winning ways throughout the year.
Maybe that's why so many Kansas sports teams — such as the men's and women's basketball teams and the men's and women's tennis teams — are doing so well this season.
Many swimmers enjoy eating the bars right out of the pool. It's supposed to give an athlete a nutritional burst of energy.
It may actually work. The men's and women's teams are ranked No.21 and No.23 nationally.
The PowerBars could be the key to success for the Jayhawks — yeah, right. The bottom line is they taste like pure fiber, Metamucil in solidified form.
Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams does not like the taste of PowerBars, either. He confessed his dislike at a press conference this season.
Kansas tramples Missouri 82-66
Doesn't it seem odd to endorse a product that even the most recognizable coach on campus says is bad?
I relate it to those old endorsements for Wheaties cereal by famous professional athletes.
Sure, everyone thinks the stars love it in the television commercials. But you know that after the cameras stop rolling, football Hall of Famer Walter Payton is grabbing for his Froot Loops or Can'r Crunch.
One guy that is no fluke is Kansas sophomore guard Jerod Hase. He slams those PowerBars down like candy.
But even he has to admit the reason why he eats them.
"Well, I'm hungry, and they're free," Haase said.
Now that's a real endorsement.
Women's team rallies after coach's halftime speech
By Jenni Carlson Kansan sportswriter
All the Kansas women's basketball team needed was a heart-to-heart halftime chat.
After falling behind 32-39 at halftime, the dayhawks turned the tables on Missouri last night in Columbia, Mo., and pulled out an 82-66 victory.
The victory pushed the No. 17 Jajawk's overall record to 14-4 and 4-2 in the Big Eight Conference. The
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said she used a personal halftime speech to motivate her team.
"We didn't play very well in the first half," Washington said. "I tried to be very honest with them."
For starters, Washington could point out that Kansas shot 30 percent from the floor in the first half. The team was 13 of 43 from the field and missed more than its share of layups.
Kansas sophomore guard Tamecka Dixon said the team was not overlooking the Tigers in anticipation for the University of
Connecticut game on Saturday. Kansas just did not have a quick start similar to Missouri's.
"Every team, if you're at home, comes out the first five minutes really hard," Dixon said. "I don't think we were really ready for what they came out with."
Despite the Tigers' seven-point halftime lead, they turned the ball over 16 times in the first half.
Missouri women's basketball coach Joaann Rutherford said Missouri's turnovers and the fact that Kansas would likely shoot better in the second half worried her.
Rutherford's fears became reality as the Tigers continued to turn the ball over in the second half. But this time, the Jayhawks capitalized on those miscues.
With Missouri leading 46-37 in the second half, a three-pointer from Kansas sophomore guard Angie Halbleib started the Jayhawks on a 17-4 run.
It was capped by a Dixon layup with 10:42 left in the game, and the Jayhawks never fell behind again.
ished the game with 16 points and four steals. "I think I played a big role. I think I'm coming back."
Washington said that there might have been some extra moti on for Dixon during the game. Her father, Russell Bowers,
"I tried to be very emotional out there," said Dixon, who fin-
During the second half spurt Halbleib scored eight points, and Dixon had six.
"I don't really think we were really ready for what they came out with."
Tamecka Dixon
Kansas sophomore guard
was in attendance.
"I think he threatened her," Washington said, laughing. "I'm just really proud of Tamecka."
Another player Washington likely was pleased with was senior forward Angela Aycock. After scoring nine first-half points, Aycock finished the game with 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals.
"She couldn't do anything." Dixon said.
"She played great," Missouri junior forward Erika Martin said. "Nobody stoped her. She was my responsibility, and she had 23."
Dixon said Kansas was able to attack Martin in the second half because of her fouls.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN Kansas coach Roy Williams questions a call made by an official during the Kansas- Colorado game Jan. 21
Jayhawks ready for Huskies' hype
Kansas' Williams, UConn coach Calhoun plan friendly golf round after big game
By Christoph Fuhrmans Kansan sportswriter
The No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks will play the No. 2 Connecticut Huskies Saturday in front of a nationally-televised audience in one of the more anticipated games of the season.
The women' teams also are ranked; the Jayhawks are No. 17 and the Huskies are No. 1. Both Kansas teams are a combined 27-6 and both Connecticut teams are a combined 29-0.
The only problem for Williams is that he is in the minority. CBS will televise both the mens' and women's' games between the two schools.
"I could give a flip about going into UConn. I really could," said a testy Williams during his press conference after Monday's same against Nebraska.
But Kansas coach Roy Williams really doesn't care for all the media hype.
The doubleheader will start with the women's game at 12:30 p.m. at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. The men's game will follow at 3 p.m.
However, Williams said he was preparing for Saturday like it was any other game. He didn't put much stock into the notion that winning against Nebraska gave his team momentum going into Saturday's game.
What isn't stupid about playing Connecticut is the chance for Williams to see and play against a friend, basketball coach Jim Calhoun.
"We're going to enjoy playing against a good friend and a very good basketball team," Williams said. "I've spent the night at his house. He's an outstanding coach and a really good friend."
"It will be great to play against one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best."
ence game, I'm stupid for even playing Saturday's game."
"I could care less about what this did to get us ready." Williams said. "Tonight's game was the important game. It was a confer-
However, basketball won't be the only sport involving Williams and
Jerod Haase Kansas sophomore guard
"We may not even practice. We'll just go and tee it up," Williams said. "I'll call Jimmy and say, 'let's go somewhere and play golf.'"
But golf will be the last thing on the mind of Kansas sophomore guard Jerod Haase on Saturday.
"It will be great to play against one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best," Haase said.
Although both teams want to win Saturday's game, Haase said that each club would put the game into perspective.
Haase said that he wanted to use the intensity from the Connecticut game as a springboard for the Jayhawks into their remaining conference games.
"It's not in their conference race or the Big Eight race, but from a competitive level, it's going to be fun," he said. "Our primary focus is the Big Eight race. But every time we throw the ball up, we're going to be competitive."
"It will be a little break from Big Eight play," he said. "I don't know if it's disruption. We're on a roll right now, and I hope we can continue it. If we can play well, it can give us some confidence."
Women's tennis starts home season tomorrow
Tennis bounces for home
By Robert Moczydlowsky Kansan sportswriter
"We had a disappointing loss against Vanderbilt," he said. "They came out and played tough, and we really missed some opportunities. We really lacked intensity."
The women's tennis team will have something to prove tomorrow when it opens its spring home season against Boise State.
The No. 10-ranked Jayhawks finished third in last weekend's Federated Court Classic after an upset loss to No. 30 Vanderbilt. Kansas coach Chuck Muzzaker said he hoped to establish a steady pace for the rest of the season.
"We didn't expect to play doubles first," she said. "Usually we start with singles, then we know where we stand for the doubles matches."
Because of the crowded facility, Kansas and Vanderbilt played their doubles matches first. The change in format seemed to make the Jayhawks uneasy, Kansas senior Nora Koves said.
After jumping out to a 2-1 set lead in doubles competition, the bottom dropped out of the Kansas attack, allowing Vanderbilt to capture several close match points.
Vanderbilt won two of the three doubles matches, giving them a 2-1 advantage before singles play began. The Jayhawks couldn't overcome that deficit, and eventually lost the match 5-4.
Kansas sophomore Bianca Kerchoff said that Kansas' problem was its doubles play, which cost the team an early advantage.
"We really need to work on doubles," Kerchoff said. "We have to get used to playing with each other. We're so young, and we need more experience."
"In the Baylor match, our intensity improved," Merbzacher said. "After you're shocked early, you just have to learn how to win again. We had some great singles play, but I want to see us improve our doubles play on the team level. We need to workmore as a team."
The Jayhawks added a little winning experience in the tournament consolation round when they bounced back with a convincing 9-0 victory against Baylor.
Upon returning home from Minnesota, the Jayhawks turned their sights toward tomorrow's opener against Boise State.
"Our big focus this week was intensity." Merzbach said. "We learned an important lesson last weekend. We learned that nobody is going to come out and lay down for you just because your program has tradition and a high ranking."
Tomorrow's match will be the first opportunity for the Jayhawks to put their highly-regarded team on display in front of a friendly crowd.
"Our match against Boise State will be a great chance for us to show how good we really are," Merzbacher said. "Our victory over Baylor showed a lot of character, and now we need to show how much we want to win. We'll come out focused on beating Boise State."
Tomorrow's match will be began at 1 p.m. at Alvamar Racquet Club, 4120 Clinton Parkway. Admission is free.
y, Admission is free.