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PREGAME TRASH TALK HEATS UP PAGE 7B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008 PAGE 1B
VIRGINIA SMITH
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Junior guard Mario Chalmers tries to force a shot past Kansas State forward Michael Beasley during Wednesday night's game in Manhattan. Chalmers led Kansas with 19 points. The Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks 84-75 and improved to 5-0 in the Biq 12 with the victory while Kansas dropped to 5-1.
Kansas loses streak, perfect season
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
MANHATTAN - All the bad feelings finally returned. The perfect start ended.
"Who in here actually thought we could win tonight?" he asked.
Brady Morningstar leaned on a slumped over Sherron Collins. Chase Buford, dressed in street clothes, patted Tyrel Reed on his head. Brandon Rush stared forward, not looking behind at the court.
None of the Jayhawks wanted to look that direction. That's where the party was. Kansas State won 84-75 on Wednesday night, its first victory against in its rival in 25 years, and the celebration was starting. Fans, who had screamed and booed in a ravenous, vengetful tone for 40 minutes, lifted Michael Beasley, their basketball savior, on their shoulders. Bill Walker, also on top of the crowd, felt vindicated by the victory.
The players and fans had good reason to cherish the victory. They deserved it.
That was a shock. Before the game, the hype centered around superb freshman Beasley. Everyone knew he was the best player on the court. Would the No. 2 team or the No. 1 freshman win? The rest of the K-State team got lost amid the talk. Wednesday night, they showed that shouldn't happen again.
"KState was just a better team than we were tonight," Self said. "Offensively and defensively."
Bill Walker scored 12 points in the first half to give his team an early lead, and Self said the Wildcats' guards sped up Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins, who were supposed be the superior players.
"The way that team started gave them confidence," Self said, "and put us on our heels."
It didn't help that the Wildcats couldn't
SEE BASKETBALLON PAGE 4B
WildCats' desire to win fueled victory against Kansas
MANHATTAN, Kan — Students are still going to fill Budig Hall for lectures thi
hall for lectures this morning. Lawrence residents are still going to venture to Massachusetts Street for dinner tonight. And the Kansas basketball team, despite an 84-75 defeat to Kansas State, will still be one of the best in the nation.
If Kansas would have taken down Kansas State at home for the 25th straight year, however, Manhattan would have been as depressing as the ending of "La Traviata" today.
In short, the Wildcats' victory meant everything for their program and the Kansas loss meant next to nothing for its program. For Kansas State, this was its national championship. For Kansas, this was one game of a possible 40-game season.
The Bramlaglase Coliseum crowd fed the Wildcats energy like a mother feeds her
There was just no way the Wildcats were letting this one slip away. Sensational Kansas State freshmen forwards Michael Beasley and Bill Walker were too focused to let a long history of futility keep them down, and they proved it by combining for 47 points.
baby Gerber. There were more middle fingers, vulgar T-shirts and hateful signs than a death metal concert. The atmosphere was absolutely exhausting.
"It's one of the loudest places I've ever played," senior center Sasha Kaun said. "My ears were ringing."
Kansas coach Bill Self added that he couldn't even hear the whistle when the referees blew it. But he should have been able to tell the calls from the 12,528 fans cloaked in purple.
When a call went against the Wildcats, their faithful moaned loud enough to make it seem like an asteroid was
SEE KEEFER ON PAGE 4B
BASKETBALLL
Sloppy play plagues women's basketball team in loss
BY TAYLOR BERN tbern@kansan.com
NORMAN, OKLA. - When a team is in dire need of a Big 12 victory, the Lloyd Noble Center is just about the last place it wants to be.
Kansas learned this Wednesday night as a rowdy crowd and No. 11 Oklahoma played unkind hosts, out-muscling coach Bonnie Henrickson's team for a 67-51 victory.
The Sooners (14-4, 4-2) turned the ball over an astounding 25 times, but the jayhawks (12-8, 1-6) matched that turnover for turnover with 25 of their own.
"The difference is Oklahoma scored on our turnovers and we didn't score on theirs," Henrickson said.
Kansas took an early 3-2 lead with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Danielle McCray. Then Oklahoma guard Jenna Plumley answered with another three-pointer and Kansas would never again own the lead.
Senter forward Taylor McIntosh said, "We have to be smarter. A lot of it isn't because of pressure; it's just us making a dumb mistake.
"We're beating ourselves up a lot more than the other teams are."
"In the beginning we killed ourselves with turnovers," McCray said. "Lately we haven't been giving ourselves chance to stay in the game."
Freshman center Krysten Boogaard, who has a habit of getting into early foul trouble, picked up her first foul just 35 seconds into the game while guarding Sooner Center Courtney Paris. However, Boogaard regained his composure and settled into the flow of the game to the tune of 11 points.
eight rebounds and four blocks.
"I thought she played big around the rim and I liked her confidence to try and get a piece of the ball," Henrickson said. "I thought coming in to that length might bother their bigs a little."
Boogaard's performance, as great as it was, wasn't nearly enough to offset the power from Oklahoma's lineup.
Also, the Sooners' three starting post players, forwards Ashley Paris and Amanda Thompson and center Courtney Paris, each finished with 10 points and combined for 24 rebounds.
Oklaoma cruised through the waning minutes of the first half and opened the second half with a 15-5 run. The Sooners lead blew up to 26 with 9:15 remaining, but the scrappy Jayhawks refused to take the loss lying down.
Sophomore guard/forward Nyeshia Stevenson went off for a season high 15 points.
Freshman guard Chakeitha Weldon provided some fire off the Kansas bench and energized the offense to a 14-4 run.
Overall though, the team was happy to take away some positive things after playing in such a hostile environment.
With 3:07 left Boogaard picked up her fifth foul to foul out of her first collegiate game.
"She sparked up everyone else and that's the pace we need to play at consistently, just get it and go," McCray said.
"I thought at times our game plan to dig and double and crowd the paint was good, but their shooters stepped up and made some shots," Henrickson said. "Still, it was
good for us to battle for some minutes in the second half and fight back."
Kansas to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tippoff on Iowa St.
MCINTOSH STREAK ENDS
Taylor McIntosh's streak of starting 58 games straight came to an end in Lloyd Noble Center Wednesday evening as the senior forward watched the opening tip from the bench.
Including last night's game, McIntosh has started 106 of the 109 games she's appeared in.
Henrickson said the change was because McIntosh was "in the dog house" a little bit and her replacement, senior forward Jamie Boyd, was the only Jayhawk to look good in practice on Tuesday.
MORRIS COMES HOME
Wednesday night may have been a road game, but for sophomore guard Sade Morris it was also a homecoming.
Morris had 18 game passes for her various family members to come watch the game from behind the Kansas bench.
"It it feels really good to see her back home," said Victoria Morris, Sade's mother. "We're a close family and I know she likes being here"
In 2006 Morris was named Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year, the same year she graduated from Norman High School. In her junior season, Morris led the Tigers to the 6A state championship.
FULL COVERAGE ON PAGE 6B
Edited by Nick Maniaracina
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma court Center Paris. left, grab a rebound from in front of Kansas center Krysten Gauley in the first half of their basketball game in Norman, Okla. Wednesday, Oklahoma won the game 67-51.