Wednesday, March 15. 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Conference well-represented at Big Dance
By Matt Tait
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
In past NCAA Tournaments, the Big 12 Conference has been represented in number, but not necessarily power. This season, however, the Big 12 is well-represented in both — four teams are ranked in the Top 15 — with six teams invited to the Big Dance, including
Kansas.
25-5, enter their first tournament coach Quin Snyder is concerned courtesy of an automatic bid by with the always dangerous North
Here's a look at the other fiver team's first round match-ups:
IOWA STATE --- seeded No. 2 in the Midwest.
The No. 6 Cyclones play the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut in the first round. The Blue Devils.
winning the Northeast Conference Tournament. Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy said he was excited about being seeded No. 2, but the team realized that a high seed was accompanied by high expectations.
The Cyclones, 29-4, will play at
1:55 a.m. tomorrow.
MISSOURI — seeded No.9 in the South
The Tigers might have the most intriguing first-round matchup of any Big 12 school
Carolina team and Missouri's at-large seeding.
as they face perennial power — yet No. 8 seed this year — North Carolina. Despite the Tar Heels' lackluster 18-13 record, Missouri
"We're in the NCAA tournament, and we're playing a great program," he said. "I think that carries itself," he
said.
Missouri and North Carolina play at 6:55 p.m.
Friday.
OKLAHOMA — seeded No. 3 in the West.
Okahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said that with the No.12 Sooners' run
to the Big 12 title game they deserved their high NCAA seeding. "This team deserves a three
seed," Sampson said. "They earned it. When you earn something, you're not surprised by it."
As a three-seed Oklahoma will take on the No. 14 seed Winthrop Eagles, Winthrop, 21-8, won the Big South Conference Tournament. Sooners and Eagles face of
dismiss the
Sooners and Eagle face off at 11:40
a.m. tomorrow.
a. m. tomorrow
OKLAHOMA STATE
Conference tournament to secure their place in the Big Dance.
seeded No. 3 in the East.
The No. 14 Cowboys are a team that features strong guards who can shoot the three-pointer. Ironically its first-round opponent, the Hofstra Flying Dutchmen, have similar game. Despite the dutchmen's 24-6 record, they had win the America East
bvoy coach Eddie Sutton said that being seeded No. 3 came as a shock to most of the program but that the team was excited about its
chances
"I think they (the Oklahoma State players) were like me," Sutton said. "I think they were a little surprised but very elated. I think they
realized that the tournament committee thinks highly of our ball club."
Oklahoma State and Hofstra will play at 6:40 p.m. Friday.
- TEXAS — seeded No. 5 in the West.
West Texas' loss to Oklahoma in the
Big 12 semifinals may have dropped the No. 15 'Horns to the five seed, but coach Rick Barnes said that was typical.
"I can understand them dropping us to a five if they looked at Oklahoma beating us two out of three times," Barnes said. "You could argue a lot of different points, but every team that's in there is there because they've played good ball."
Texas plays the Indiana State
round. Fortunately for the Longhorns, Indiana State legend Larry Bird is long gone. The Sycamores, 22-9, received an at-large bid to the Tournament.
Game time is 11:40 a.m. tomorrow.
Junior Eric Chenwink with fights for the ball with Iowa State's Marcus Fizer during a Feb. 16 game at Allen Fieldhouse. Fizer was second in balling for the AP All-America team. Kansan file photo
Two from Big 12 named as nation's best
The Associated Press
Cincinnati center Kenyon Martin, whose season ended with a broken leg just before the NCAA tournament, was still the leading vote-getter on The Associate Press All-America basketball team Monday.
Iowa State forward Marcus Fizer was second in the balloting, and he and Martin were joined on the first team by Indiana guard A.J. Guyton, Texas center Chris Mihm and Notre Dame forward Trov Murphy.
Martin, just one vote shy of being a unanimous selection, was the Conference USA player of the year after averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots. The 6-foot-8 senior broke his leg three minutes into the Bearcats' tournament quarterfinal match-up with St. Louis.
The loss caused Cincinnati, ranked No. 1 at the time, to be selected as a second seed for the NCAA tournament.
"I'm very happy to receive this honor," said Martin, a three-time defensive player of the year in the conference. "It's one that I have to share with my coaches and teammates. They've done so much for me and my career, and they have been so supportive with my injury."
"He is unquestionably the best player in the country," he said. "Aside from the obvious, in terms of his contribution, he brings more intangibles to the floor than anybody in college basketball. As great a player as Kenyon is, he is even a greater person."
Fizer, the Big 12 Conference player of the year and the conference's leading
scorer the last two seasons, led the Cyclones to their first league title since 1945, and is their first All-American since Gary Thompson in 1957.
The 6-8 junior averaged 23.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 57 percent from the field, including 48 percent from 3-point range. He received 57 first-team votes and 313 points.
"I have never been more excited for a player," said Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy. "He certainly deserves to be a first-team All-America."
year and the fourth-leading scorer in Indiana history with 2,097 points, was on 33 first-team ballots and had 226 points.
Guyton, the Big Ten player of the
The 6-1 senior averaged 20.3 points this season while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range. He is Indiana's career leader with 280 3-pointers, and was the first Hoosier to be on the All-America team since Calbert Cheaney in 1993.
Mihm received just 17 first-team votes, but his 200 points were one more than Murphy, who was on 27 first-team ballots.
Mihm, a 7-foot junior, averaged 17.9
points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 53 percent for the Longhorns. He is Texas' first All-American since the AP began selecting a team in 1948.
Murphy, the Big East player of the year, was the first player to lead the conference in scoring and rebounding in the same season. The 6-9 sophomore averaged 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds. This is Notre Dame's first All-American since Adrian Dantley repeated in 1976.
Two players from Duke and Michigan State led the second team.
Duke senior guard Chris Carrawell, who finished one point behind Murphy in the voting, and teammate Shane Battier, a junior forward, were selected to the second team. Michigan State senior guard Mateen Cleaves, a firstteam selection last season and a secondteam pick in 1998 and teammate Morris Peterson, a senior forward, also were on the second team.
The final member of the second team was Fresno State senior guard Courtney Alexander, the nation's leading scorer at 25.3 points per game.
Ohio State senior guard Scoonie Penn was a third-team selection for the second straight season, and he was joined by seniors Pepe Sanchez of Temple, Mark Madsen of Stanford and Eduardo Najera of Oklahoma, and LSU sophomore Stromile Swift.
None of the players selected for the preseason All-America team made the first team.
Coach ready to undertake, turn around K-State program
Ex-Bulls assistant has resume to back Wildcat team, pride
The Associated Press
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Jim Wooldridge formally was introduced as the 20th basketball coach yesterday at Kansas State, a once-proud program that tumbled to last place in the Big 12 Conference this season.
"We're going to restore pride in this program." Wooldridge said at a news conference on the court in Bramlage Coliseum, where attendance has fallen since the Wildcats began losing.
"That's one thing I can promise," he said. "We're going to have a prideful program."
Wooldridge said he had followed Kansas State since he was a sixth-grader in Oklahoma City, Okla., and played street basketball with Steve Mitchell, who later went on to play for the Wildcats. He said the long tradition of the program was one of the main reasons he left the NBA to return to college coaching.
Wooldridge said he met for about 10 minutes with members of his new team.
"If we can turn football
"We're going to start over," he said he told the players. "We're going to make this a positive. We're going to be the best we can as a student, as a person, as an athlete. We're going to re-establish our self esteem. We're going to re-establish the K-State ego."
Kansas State President Jon Wefala said he had every confidence that Woodridge could turn around the program.
around, a football program with no tradition and no players, we can turn basketball around," he said." Can we turn basketball around with the right person in the right place
Before joining the Bulls staff in 1998, Wooldridge helped
— namely Jim Wooldridge?
Absolutely."
Wooldridge, 44, replaces Tom Asbury, who resigned last week after posting an 85-88 record in six seasons. Wooldridge comes to Manhattan from an assistant's post with the Chicago Bulls, where he was considered the staff authority on the triangle offense under coach Tim Flovd.
"Every job he has taken on has been an incredibly difficult challenge, and at every stop the team has exceeded expectations, and the institution has benefited." Floyd said.
turn around programs as coach at Southwest Texas and Louisiana Tech.
The stage is set Wooldridge to work that magic at Kansas State. The Wildcats finished 9-19, last in the Big 12, and have not beaten cross-state rival Kansas in 17 meet
ings. The Jayhawks beat Kansas State 84-60 on Thursday in the Big 12 Tournament.
"It's amazing what energy and work ethic will do." Wooldridge said in the interview. "That's not to say others don't bring the same thing, but I'm coming in from day one with the attitude of getting this done, and we are not going to fail."
Sources said Kansas State offered Wooldridge a five-year deal in the range of $400,000
per year, which would make him one of the lowest-paid coaches in the Big 12.
An Oklahoma City native and 1977 graduate of Louisiana
1977 graduate of Louisiana Tech, Wooldridge also has coaching experience at Central Missouri State.
His career record is 229-
147 overall, and 98-99 as a
vision Coach.
He coached Southwest Texas State to its first NCAA tournament bid and built up the Louisiana Tech program after taking control when it had just gone on NCAA probation. His four-year record there was 52-59, but with players he recruited, the Bulldogs were 40-17 the last two seasons, winning the Sun Belt Conference title in 1999 under coach Keith Richard.
In six seasons at Central Missouri State, Wooldridge took the Mules to three NCAA Division II tournaments.
Teammates, Vols' Catchings top All-America
The Associated Press
Connecticut, No. 1 in the women's rankings, is No. 1 in All-Americans as well.
Connecticut's Shea Ralph and Svetlana Abrosimova became the third pair of teammates to make the first team in The Associated Press All-America selections.
Tennessee had the leading vote-getter for the third straight year. This time: Tamika Catchings.
The versatile trio was joined on the first team by Georgia's Kelly Miller, who finished second in the voting by a national media panel, and Notre Dame's Ruth Riley. All five first-teamers are junior.
Kansas senior Lynn Pride was among the honorable mention nominees.
"The best thing our team has going for us is we have two outstanding players on the wings who make us very difficult to guard," said Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma. "Shea and Svet complement each other on the court and bring out the best in each other. Individually, they are brilliant, but together, there is no better combination."
Ralph was the Big East player of the year and leads a balanced UConn offense at 14.4 points a game and also averages five assists.
Abrimosima, a second-team pick last season, is more fluid and can beat opponents with her shooting, passing, ball handling or rebounding. She averages 13.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Previous teammates on the first队 were Catchings and Chamique Holdscwl last year and Connecticut's Kara Wolters and Jennifer Rizzotti in 1996. The AP All-America team started in the 1994-95 season.
Catchings, the only repeat selection from last year, received 35 first-team votes and 200 total points. Catchings averages 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
The right side of the Tennessee box shows Catchings averaging 2.6 assists and 2.8 steals. She has led the Southeastern Conference in steals all season.
Playing alongside her twin, Coco, Miller directs a potent offense at Georgia and leads the Lady Bulldogs in scoring (15.4) and assists (4.7). She gets high marks from coach Andy Landers for doing what the team needs at that moment.
Miller and Catchings were the only players named on all 44 ballots.
The 6-5 Riley, a third team pick last year, has developed into an imposing inside presence. She's fifth nationally in blocks (2.7) and averages 16.2 points while shooting 61 percent.
Abreosimova edged Texas' dynamic senior, Edwina Brown, by six points for the final spot on the first team. Brown carries the load for a young team and averages 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
Also on the second team were Tennessee's Semeka Randall, Purdue's Katie Douglas, national scoring leader Jackie Stiles of Southwest Missouri State and Iowa State's Stacy Frese.
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