KANSAN
2008
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WOMEN'S GAMEDAY PAGE 6B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
14
CENTERS READY FOR BATTLE PAGE 3B
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
RIVALRY
PAGE 1B
The birds and the Beas'
Kansas hopes to stomp Kansas State at Manhattan tonight, continuing the 25-year-long winning streak against the Wildcats. The last time the Jav Hawks lost in Manhattan was in 1983, before any of the current Kansers played here.
Kansas' focus rests on game not on streak
BY RUSTIN DODD
dodd@kansan.com
All you have to do is mention two words: the streak. Kansas and Kansas State basketball fans know exactly what they mean. Kansas has won 24 consecutive basketball games in Manhattan, including 19 straight at Bramlage Coliseum. For Kansas fans, the streak is a source of pride — an opportunity to stick out their chests and boast to their K-State friends. For K-State fans, the streak is a source of humiliation — a dreary reminder of the general futility of K-State's basketball program during the last 25 years. But if you mention the streak to Kansas coach Bill Self, you get a starkly different reaction. Self and his players, well, they just don't care.
"I don't need to address that because they don't have anything to do with it," Self said. "They could care less about it. It's something that the media and fans make a big deal about it."
In 1983, the last time Kansas lost in Manhattan, "Return of the Jedi" was the number one movie at the box office. Michael Jackson's album "Thriller" was number one on the Billboard music charts. More importantly, not a single member of the Kansas basketball team was ever alive.
Maybe that's why senior forward Darnell Jackson — who was born more than two years after the streak began — said Kansas' players didn't feel any added pressure to continue the streak.
"We are not worried about anything like that. We're just worrying about the next day, the next game." Jackson said. "I don't think there is pressure on anybody."
"Not really many people have talked about it," Aldrich said. "We just really take it game by game."
Freshman forward Cole Aldrich has never even played in a game against K-State. His teammates have prepped him about playing the Wildcats, but not about the streak.
Kansas' players may not be stressing about upholding the streak, but senior guard Russell Robinson thinks that K-State players will be thinking about it.
words came last summer. "We're gonna beat
"I think it would mean more to them than us right now," Robinson said.
K-State's two leading scorers — freshmen Michael Beasley and Bill Walker — have both guaranteed that the streak would end this season. Walker made his declaration at Big 12 Media Day in October. Beasley's
words come
KU at home. We're gonna
beat 'em at their house.
We're gonna beat 'em
in Africa," Beasley said.
"Wherever we play, we're
gonna beat 'em."
If Beasley can keep good on his word, he'll
First-year Kansas State coach Frank Martin stood by Beasley's comments during his Big 12 conference call on Monday. "Mike said what he felt in his heart," Martin said. "It's what he believes. He didn't come here to lose to Kansas.
SEE BRAMLAGE ON PAGE 4B
Beasley presents real threat
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
So this is how Kansas players view the enemy.
"Were buddies," Cole Aldrich said.
"He's pretty cool" Darrell Arthur added.
The player they're talking about it is Michael Beasley, and Aldrich and Arthur might not have those same feelings after they go against him and Kansas State tonight at 7.
Beasley's the best freshman in the country this year, maybe the best freshman ever. He's recorded a double-double of points and rebounds in every
game except one. He's probably going to be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft. He's as big of a celebrity as is possible in Manhattan but still tells media all he needs in life is a bowl of macaroni and cheese. The Jayhawks will have to stop, or at least contain, the talented and sometimes goofy freshman to keep their undefeated record and win for the 25th time in a row in Manhattan.
It won't be easy.
Beasley does everything. He shoots. He posts up. He blocks. He rebounds. All of those strengths have earned him monster stats this season. Beasley is averaging 25.3 points, 12.7 boards, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals. He's shooting 56 percent from the field and 38 percent from the three-point line.
Junior guard Brandon Rush watches Beasley all the time on TV. He seen how
good he is.
"He does it all," Rush said.
But he can be stopped. Xavier held Beasley to just five points in a December loss. The first step to containing Beasley is not letting him get the ball. The guards have to be active to do that.
Rush, Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers form one of the best defensive backcourts in the country. Together, they have 120 steals on the year. If they can pressure K-State guards Jacob Pullen, Clent Stewart, Blake Young and forward Bill Walker, the Wildcats will have trouble passing the ball down low to Beasley and will force Beasley to come out further on the perimeter.
"That's a big key," Kansas coach Bill Self
SEE BEASLEY ON PAGE 4B
COMMENTARY
Cats need to live up to guarantees
Have you heard? The Kansas State Wildcats are now in the guaranteeing business. Over the course of the offseason, Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, both probably spending the last months of their lives in Manhappin', both predicted a season sweep of the Jayhawks.
Of course you've heard. These preposterous guarantees are as much a fabric of professional and collegiate athletics as game balls and referees. Additionally, they garner as much attention as Dick Vitale with a megaphone.
Silly Wildcats. My guess is these prognostications go as well as Steelers safety Anthony Smith's guarantee that his team would beat the Patriots (who still haven't lost this season), Jon Kitna's guarantee that the Lions would win more than 10 games this year (they finished the season on a 1-7 swoon and were victorious seven times total) or the old George Bush's guarantee that there would be no new taxes (let's just move on).
Beasley upped the ante, taking his guar-
antee across continental boundaries: "We're
gonna beat KU at home. We're gonna beat
'em at their house. We're gonna beat 'em in
Africa. Wherever we play we're gonna beat
'em."
Walker said at the Big 12 Media Day: "I'll predict it. I'm not scared to say it. I'm a man. I can live up to my words. I'm saying we'll beat them. Both places (Lawrence and Manhattan)."
In the tradition of hyperbolic, obnoxious guarantees, I have a few of my own: every game these two teams play this year will be in the continental United States, the Hawks will not lose two games to the Cats this year and both Walker and Beasley will feel privately foolish for prodding a beast that wasn't sleeping—Kansas, after all, is undefeated and ranked second in the nation.
Look, I'm not saying the Wildcats can't beat the Jayhawks tonight. If the two prognosticators fill the hoop as well as they flap their gums, K-State will have a chance. I'm saying it probably would have behooved the pair to take a history lesson. The Wildcats haven't beaten the Jayhawks on their home floor since 1983. A loss tonight would be their 25th consecutive in Manhattan. There isn't one player on either roster that was alive the last time the Purple successfully defended their home court against the Crimson and Blue.
It's been the same 25 years since the Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks twice in the same season, although the 1982-83 Kansas
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas State's Dominique Sutton, left, blocks a shot in an 82-57 Wilford victory Saturday. The Cats may not have such an easy time against the Jayhawks, but that hasn't stopped them from guaranteeing victory.
quad stunk (I think I wasn't alive then, either). Ted Owens "led" that team to a 13-16 record and was promptly fired. The rest of the Big 8 had fun at the Jayhawks' expense that year, as well—Kansas was 4-10 in-conference.
This year's Kansas team does not have
COMMENTARY
Winter break benefits Cats K-State columnist remains hopeful for her team
Editor's note: Wendy Haun is Kansas State Collegian co-sports editor. The Collegian and Kansan columnist Travis Robinett swapped columns for today's paper.
I'm confused. What team am I covering again?
I certainly don't recognize this K-State basketball team. To say they did a lot of growing up while the students were home for break is somewhat of an understatement. It's like they went from toddlers to applying for their driver's licenses in three weeks.
Suddenly, when a triple-t team is thrown on Michael Beasley, the team doesn't panic and run for the hills. If their offensive scheme completely breaks down (see the last five seconds of the Oklahoma game), they think clearly and actually make a worthwhile play.
I'm not saying this team hasn't made mistakes or acted like freshmen since the winter break. But there's something magical in the air whenever they step onto the court at Bramlage Coliseum. The fans have been coming out in droves to support their team and, trust me, it has helped. If the fans honestly don't think they are affecting the final score, they should think back to the Texas &M game, when the raucous
SEE NYSTROM ON PAGE 4B
1
purple mass thoroughly rattled the Aggies right out of their No. 10 ranking.
Not only has the team grown up, but the coach has as well. Frank Martin has been coaching better now and his team of assistants has done an excellent job of developing schemes to play to the team's strengths. They have put together a starting lineup of Client Stewart, Blake Young, Andre Gilbert, Bill Walker and Michael Beasley. This lineup has a 6-1 record so far this season.
Martin has also been smarter with his substitutions. He's seen the play of Darren Kent gradually improve, so he has been getting increasing minutes of play. Both Gilbert and Jacob Pullen stepped up and are being rewarded accordingly. Although Dominique Sutton has not made a sig-
]
SEE HAUN ON PAGE 4B