Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan Sports
Inside: The Kansas baseball team beat the Southwest Missouri State Bears yesterday at Hogland Ballpark.
SEE PAGE 3B
Big 12 Tournament
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2000
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Kansan photo illustration
Kirk Hinrich (left) and Marlon London
Maggie Curry / KANSAN
Story by Shawn Hutchinson
our games in four days for the four-pate. In the simplest terms, that's the task facing No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks tomorrow when they begin their quest for a fourth straight Big 12 Tournament title.
The site will be Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., where the Jayhawks have flourished during the last few years. They've won all three previous Big 12 Tournament titles at Kemper and are 9-0 lifetime in the event.
The 'Hawks cruised to the title in 1997, behind future NBA players Jacque Vaughn, Scot Pollard, Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce. Kansas pulled off the repeat in 1998 with LaFrentz and Pierce at the helm. Then last year, the Jayhawks accomplished the trifecta by beating up on a weary Oklahoma State squad that was playing its fourth game in four days.
Because of a lukewarm 11-5 regular season Big 12 Conference record, the Jayhawks, 22-8 overall, finished fifth in the conference. The top four finishers in the conference get first-round byes and only have to win three games to capture the title.
Almost on cue, that's where this year's Kansas team comes in.
Without the luxury of a first-round bye, the Jayhawks have to trek into unchartered territory and win four games in four days if they want to carry home the trophy.
In Big 12 Tournament history — all three years of it — no team has ever won the title via collecting four straight victories.
"I think that it can be done," said Kansas coach Roy Williams. "I like the challenge of trying to do it when everyone says you can't."
Many teams have tried. Of the 24 teams that haven't had first-round bites, five have gone
on to win second-round games. Of those five, two have advanced to the title game — Missouri in 1997 and Oklahoma State last year.
Both teams, however, ended up getting roasted by a more-rested Kansas team in the title game.
"I think first because we believe we can," he said. "Secondly, we have a history of going over (to Kemper) and playing well, and our seniors are going to put a lot of pressure on people.
While many would look at the Jayhawks' lack of a first-round bye this season as a kiss of death, Williams has a few reasons why he thinks his team can win it.
"Third reason... I think we have some depth. Not necessarily as much as we had at the beginning of the season with Luke (Axtell) and Jeff Carey out, but I think our depth can be a factor."
Perhaps that is where the key to this tournament rests for the Javhawks — their depth.
Williams has said all season that depth was one of the most overrated concepts in college basketball. With so many TV timeouts, Williams often jokes that his players can take naps on the sidelines because breaks last so long.
But with Axell and Carey out, the Jayhawks depth isn't what it was.
Kansas probably won't need too much depth
But in that same breath, Williams also concedes that the one situation where depth can benefit a team is in tournaments.
"When you are playing four games straight in the tournament without the three and four day rests in between, depth is very important." Williams said.
to take care of its first-round opponent, the No. 12 seed Kansas State Wildcats. The Jayhawks enter tomorrow's game at 2:20 p.m. with the knowledge that they have won 18-straight against K-State. On top of that, the Wildcats, with a 9-18 record overall and a 2-14 record in Big 12, resemble a team playing on its last legs.
If Kansas averts an unforeseeable disaster and ends up wrangling the Wildcats, the 'Hawks will be pitted against fourth-seeded Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon at 2:20 p.m. That's the same Cowboy team that dominated Kansas by 33 points last month.
If the Jayhawks beat the Cowboys showdown with the No. 1 seeded Iowa State Cyclones, who have already sandwiched the Jayhawks twice this season, is in the mix on Saturday.
Survive a Cyclone scare, and a Sunday afternoon showdown against nationally ranked Oklahoma or Texas for the Big 12 title is possible.
"It's going to be a different path to the title, obviously," said senior Nick Bradford, who has been a part of the Jayhawks three previous Big 12 Tournament championship teams. "But we feel like we can do it. People say that we can't do it, but we want to prove them wrong."
Talk to Bradford's coach, and he'll say just about the same thing.
"I like the idea of showing people that it can be done," Williams said. "The first year and the third year we won, Kansas wasn't given enough credit because people said those other teams were worn out from having to play four straight days.
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"if we get to Sunday afternoon, you won't hear me talking about running out of gas."
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