4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008
Jayhawks 90, Tigers 71
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Senior guard Sasha Kaun blocks Missouri forward Leo Lyons on his way to the basket. Kaun scored 12 points, but struggled to stay out of foul trouble, ending the game with four personal fouls.
Mindv Rickettc/KANSAN
Tyreil Reed, Matt Kleimann, Conner Teahan and Jeremy Case check in for the last minute of the game. Kansas had built up a solid lead over Missouri, winning 90-71.
COMMENTARY
Different seat offers new view of fieldhouse
Kansas defeated Missouri, 90-71. The "Orange Out" was a moderate success. And I had the pleasure of sitting in the middle of the reserved seats, section 115, row 5, seat 5, with some rabid nonstudent KU fans.
It all started when the overflow media section, 13A, was full. So what would any seatless journalist do? Try to find a way to avoid going back to the media room.
"No one ever sits here," said Lori Porter, a Wichita resident sitting in seat 6. How did I end up here?
It took awhile, but luckily, I found J.D. Loudabanger, an employee with the Athletics Department who tipped me off to something called an "overflow ticket." I nestled into my comfy seat.
Now, for the first time ever, I was at a KU game in the reserved section. From the student section, the rest of the crowd seems so tame. But in reality, they love to yell just as much, just not stand, at least unless there's a terrible call or a rare moment of genius that deserves a standing ovation. Like when Darnell Jackson blocked a shot with 42.9 seconds remaining in the first half.
"Wooo! There you go, baby!" one screamed.
"Hey, hey! All right, Darnell!" came from another.
Lori Porter, who has been coming to games with her husband, Mike, thinks this is the best team she's seen since the 1996-1997 squad, one that included five future NBA draft picks.
To my right was 17-year-old Tom Fehr, a Leawood resident and future Jayhawk, perhaps. He wore a Jayhawk hat, you know, the kind that makes you look like the mascot.
"My mom told me, 'If you wear this hat, I will buy it for you,' " he said. "I was like, all right."
And to my pleasure, I even meet a KU fan from my neck of the woods: Daney Reed from Austin, Texas.
"BOOOO!" he screamed as Darrell Arthur was called for a blocking foul, which Reed obviously thought was a charge. By far, he was the loudest voice of dissent. "He was just standing there!"
"So do you like the Hawks or the Horns?" I asked
"The Jayhawks," he replied without hesitation.
"Oh yeah," he said.
Are you going to the game next Monday?
It's needless to say at this point, but I was impressed by the passion of the nonstudents.
His brother in law, Greg Michels from Emporia, said "For him, only Jayhawk stuff for Christmas."
But then, there were the students, the original topic of my column until I got so sidetracked. I wondered what the "Orange Out" would be like. Considering that it's hard just to get everyone to wear blue, I'd say it went pretty well.
"I think I wore orange because they had something in the UDK," said Garret Prather, a Wichita somhomore.
And how great was it that the football team was honored for its Orange Bowl victory during halftime of the Missouri game? The Jayhawk plane exploded a Virginia Tech helmet on the big screen as the crowd roared. I hope Amanda Jobe, a Shawnee sophomore, wasn't offended. She wore an orange Virginia Tech shirt to the game.
"Really, it was the only orange shirt I had," she said.
"No, we weren't in a camping group," said St. Louis junior Ryan Klamen. "We were stitting here, and then two other groups showed up randomly."
So orange was scattered throughout the arena, but that from my comfy reserved seat, only one group of solid orange stood out. It was 15 orange T-shirts in all.
What better way to end this than with the best sign I saw at the game, one that got to the heart of what the "Orange Out" was supposed to be all about. The credit goes to Sam Stepp, a Mission Hills senior.
"Hey Mizzou, the Oranges tasted great!"
Edited by Dianne Smith
MISSOURI
MISSOURI
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Arthur got into foul trouble
"They were quicker than us," Self said. "I shouldn't say that, but their guards went anywhere they wanted."
Still, Kansas mostly did what it wanted in the victory just like it has during its other four victories in the last two years. This victory over a rival felt good, especially less than a week after losing to another major rival, Kansas State.
Just not quite good enough. Kansas wants to succeed in both rivalries and continue to stay atop the Big 12 rankings.
"This is great tonight. I'm happy we won and all that stuff," Self said. "But this doesn't feel as good as that felt bad. Hopefully we can get a win in the future that will feel that good."
RUSH (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Rush also gave Kansas a boost at the defensive end.
sistent, that's a sign of consistency. He's not having the huge game, but you're able to pencil in 15."
Rush, who also finished with six rebounds, matched up on Missouri junior guard Matt Lawrence and held him to zero-for-five shooting from the three-point range and zero-for-six overall.
"He really did a nice job guarding him." Self said.
Nobody asked Rush about his surgically repaired knee after Monday night's game – the one he injured last May. Those questions are almost all gone. Now people are asking him how he manages to stay so consistent.
"Just getting an early start," Rush said. "Just getting my confidence up."
With the way Rush is playing, it's been tough for his confidence to go anywhere but up.
Still, Self is ready to put some more words of motivation in Rush's head.
"I still think he can do a little bit more," Self said.
High/Low
Highs
Highs Rodrick Stewart
Taking stock of the good, the bad and the fans
Stewart's minutes diminished after Sherron Collins and Brandon Rush returned from injury. But with Darrell Arthur in foul trouble, Stewart played seven productive minutes in the first half and did a nice job guarding Missouri's 6-foot-8 Junior forward DeMarre Carroll.
Orange Bowl trophy presentation
Now, that's how you take a jab at Missouri. Allen Fieldhouse absolutely exploded during Monday night's halftime trophy ceremony.
Easy on the Rims
Darrell Arthur practically tore the goal off the backboard in the opening minutes. The dunk didn't ignite a huge run, but it did set the tone for the rest of the night.
KAUNI
The scene from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan featuring William Shatner yelling "Khan" multiple times has
Lows
become a fan-favorite at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas terrorized Missouri on the boards. The Jayhawks had seven offensive rebounds alone in the first half.
Arthur's foul trouble
For the second time in three games, Arthur played limited minutes because of foul trouble. The sophomore forward played 17 minutes during last week's loss to K-State, and picked up three fouls in two minutes during the first half against Missouri.
Orange T-shirts
The idea was good in theory: Wear orange shirts to rub Kansas' Orange Bowl victory in the face of Missouri fans. But the final result just didn't look right. The scattered bunches of orange shirts in the student section made it look like a bunch of Oklahoma State fans just transferred to Kansas.
-Rustin Dodd
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