NSAN
2008
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TRACK TAKES FOOTBALL SEES NEW JAYHAWK CLASSIC WIDE RECEIVERS COACH PAGE 6B PAGE2B
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008
WWW.KANSAN.COM
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
Energy contributes to team's flawless record
Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur celebrates during the 84-49 Kansas blow-out victory over Nebraska Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. Arthur led Kansas with 18 points. No. 2 ranked Kansas improved to 20 and 0 in the Bia 12 with the victory.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
BY MARK DENT
A letdown would have almost been natural.
It was just two weeks ago that the layhawks tormented Nebraska on the road. Why take them seriously this time? A date with rival Kansas State loomed as the next game on the schedule. Shouldn't be more important? With those circumstances, no one would have blamed the players if they lollygagged around to a 15- or 20-point victory.
But they didn't. Instead, the Jayhawks (20-0, 5-0) again showed why they are one of the best, most focused teams in the country with an 84-49 pounding against Nebraska. Not counting a six-point win against Missouri, and the Jayhawks are dispatching conference opponents by more than 27 points a game.
"Everybody just does their job," senior forward Darnell Jackson said, "and we get energy from that. You don't want to lose. You don't want to go out there and disappoint the coaching staff."
Actually, Kansas was more jacked up than usual.
The energy that wasn't quite there Wednesday against Iowa State reappeared Saturday. In a hurry.
Russell Robinson stole the ball from Cookie Miller on the first possession. Brandon Rush picked up a steal the next time the Huskers had the ball.
By halftime, Kansas forced seven steals and had 10 points in transition. The Jayhawks only had seven steals for the entire game against the Cyclones. Their 10 fast break points were more than they had scored the past two games combined.
The small problems that had bothered Kansas were solved. The Jayhawks could run and steal again. Sherron Collins said it was about time.
"Coach said we have to start forcing turnovers on the defensive end." Collins said. "Like I said, we're fine where we at, but we have to take more steps to get more pressure. But I think we did a pretty good job today."
Of course, this wasn't against the best competition in the conference. Actually, it was against the worst. Nebraska is now 0-4
in league play, and the Huskers provided several reasons why. Shang Ping got whistled for an up, down traveling violation. Aleks Maric missed point-blank shots. Ryan Anderson bricked six threees.
They proved no match for Darrell Arthur, who scored 18, and Brandon Rush, who made five three-pointers. Russell Robinson finished with four steals, and Sherron Collins scored in double-figures for the first time since Jan. 8. The whole team seemed to be on a level above Nebraska. That's the way Husker coach Doc Sadler saw it.
"I'm not convinced that a superior perfect game is good enough to beat these guys for us," he said.
As Sadler admitted, his team is certainly not good enough to defeat the layhawks, but for the first time in league play, Kansas will face a team that might be good enough. K-State is undefeated so far in conference play and has improved vastly since the beginning of the season. Wednesday night's game will surely be a challenge.
The Wildcats have gotten so much better that their star forward Michael Beasley told media his team could beat the lajhwaks anywhere - Africa, Alaska, the rec center.
"That doesn't bother me," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "We'll talk to our players about that, but when a guy is averaging 24 and 13, I think he has a right to talk a little bit."
COMMENTARY
The team that gets the victory will be in position for a title run. K-State and Kansas are tied atop the league standings, and a victory will give the winner a better path to the conference championship.
Even with that game coming up soon and Nebraska out of the way, the Jayhawks aren't ready to think only about K-State yet. They know it will be a challenge, but they're still focused on getting better for the next two days, just like they were focused for Nebraska on Saturday. Any pressure from an undefeated record and a 24-game winning streak in Manhattan hasn't entured their minds vet.
"They've kind of evolved into a group that is really looking forward to practice on Monday," Self said. "as opposed to a group that is just trying to hang on to something."
Outlook for Baylor not so bearish
- Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
Flashback to 2001, when after a close loss to Iowa State, former Kansas guard Kenny Gregory said, "It's not like we lost to Baylor." Two games later, that's exactly what took place.
That's the kind of thing that happens when you don't take Baylor seriously. But can you blame Gregory for sticking his foot in his mouth? The Bears have been the laughingstock of the Big 12.
"Let's just kick Baylor out of the Big 12. They are worthless! They suck in football and basketball."
I've heard it a thousand times all over Big 12 country, even though the Bears are solid in just about every other sport. They even won a women's basketball national championship in 2005. But now, they've earned the respect of their Big 12 comrades with success in a revenue sport — men's basketball.
"People here were dying to have a winner in a major sport," said Robert Shiekh, senior producer for Inside Baylor Sports, a weekly highlight show of Baylor athletics. "The town's in a frenzy."
Baylor may have lost to Oklahoma on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd — the third largest crowd in school history — but that still leaves the Bears in third place in the Big 12 with a 4-1 record and a 16-3 record overall. Their turnaround has been remarkable.
"It's one of those things where experience is so key," Shiekh said. "This team for so long was a freshman and sophomore bunch. The last two years they were trying to win close games."
Sound similar to a certain Kansas sport that just recently turned the corner?
Baylor's 2006-2007 season did indeed show promise, enough that the bearhoops world shouldn't be shocked at the Bears' success. Nine of Baylor's Big 12 losses were by 10 points or less. The difference this season?
"They know they can win against anyone in the nation," Shiek said. "Off the court, on the court, you can see it. There's a different stigma to this team that's carrying over, and that's why you're seeing them pulling out those wins."
Despite the fact that Baylor was 12-2 in non-conference play and only lost to top-10 team Washington State by three points, it took until late January for the pollsters to notice. Baylor squeaked into the top 25 just last week. Kansas fans should be able to empathize with Baylor's lack of respect. Kansas' football team experienced the same
strife. No tradition means no respect; at
least until it's earned. Kansas had to earn it in football by beating a ranked Kansas State
And consider this: Baylor basketball hit rock-bottom after an awful scandal involving murder and an attempted cover up by then coach Dave Bliss. It didn't even play a non-conference schedule two seasons ago because of NCAA sanctions. Kansas football
But now, the nation has taken notice of Baylor. Check ESPN.com, and you'll see stories. Even talk to the Kansas basketball team, and they recognize their success.
If you followed Arthur's recruitment, Baylor was one of his top choices. If the Bears had Arthur, they'd have Final Four potential.
"I knew they'd be a good team," sophomore forward Darrell Arthur said after Saturday's shellacking of Nebraska. "I didn't know they'd be so good so fast."
But most were caught off guard when I asked about Baylor in the Kansas postgame press conference.
"I don't know anything about that,"
"No; Austin," I said.
"What are you, from Waco?" Self sarcastically asked.
"Baylor's down the road, and when they come we'll think about that."
Then I asked coach Bill Self his opinion of the Bears turnaround.
"But this is Big 12 North country,
what are you doing here? No, I'm kidding. I haven't watched them, but you look at their team and they have a lot of guards. It was a matter of time before they started winning."
But it's still early, and Baylor could fall apart. But I sincerely hope not, just because I see so much Kansas football in Baylor basketball.
"Obviously, yesterday (a home loss to Oklahoma) was a of a set back." Shieh said. "You
0 1 1 1 of a set back, Shiekh said. “You never know, but I definitely see them being one of the top four teams in the Big 12.”
I agree, Sic 'em, Bears!
— Edited by Sasha Roe
》 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Turnovers plague Jayhawks in loss
tbern@kansan.com
BY TAYLOR BERN
Saturday night's game was of great importance for both Kansas and Texas A&M as each sat at 1-4 in conference play. And when it came down to the end, the same mistakes that caused Kansas problems early in the season doomed them once again.
The Jayhawks allowed the Aggies to grab 21 offensive rebounds and matched that with 21 turnovers, an equation that added up to a 58-51 loss for coach Bonnie Henrickson's team.
Aggie forward Danielle Gant reaked havoc on the Jayhawks all night, filling up the stat sheet with 14 points, 12 rebounds — nine of those offensive — six steals and three blocks.
"We said at halftime, 'If you want to win, commit to boxing out,' and we just didn't have anybody do that." Henrickson said. "Nobody was going to get her off the boards."
With 13:37 left in the second half, freshman forward Nicollette Smith hit one of her two three-pointers to put Kansas on top 39-37. The Jahayks would not score another field goal until sophomore guard LaChelda Jacobs made a layup with 4:37 left to cut the deficit to nine.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Sophomore guard Danielle McCray said a big reason behind that was the full court pressure applied by the Aggies.
"We didn't answer their pressure, and we were picking up the ball, I know I did a couple times," McCray said. "I wasn't losing my poise, I just thought I had the pass but when I picked it up they were like piranhas all over us."
Sophomore guard Sade Morris added,
"Sometimes we over think (the press), like
what happens if I do this and they do that."
"I think we need to relax and just play."
The sophomore trio of McCray, Morris and Jacobs all reached double digits in scoring, but that wasn't enough in Henrickson's.
Freshman center Krysten Boogard had another solid performance on the block with eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Sade Morris, sophomore guard, goes up for a jump shot near the end of the second half of Saturday's game against Texas A&M. The team had a total of 21 turnovers. Morris contributing seven of them, during the 58-51 loss.
eyes.
"It's not the freshmen that are killing us." Henrickson quipped. "We've got some sophomores that need to step up and play"
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The Jayhawk defense held the Aggies to 33 percent shooting from the field, but their inability to block out cost them the game. Now as the losses start to pile up, so too does the disappointment and frustration.
"It's very disappointing, because we know that we're better than what we're playing right now," Morris said. "Everybody on this staff and on this team is sick of losing. We all have to figure out a way to stop and get some wins."
Edited by Daniel Reyes
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