Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Barrel racing anyone?
Rodeo gal Sharon Kobold of Big Horn, Wyo., smashed the once-thought unbreakable 15-second barrier Sunday in Denver. Wow.
Sports
Inside: The Kansas swimming and diving team split during the weekend in a meet with Southern Illinois.
Inside: Men's basketball announcer Dave Armstrong apologized for comments he made about the clock operator during Saturday's game against Nebraska.
SEE PAGE 3B
SEE PAGE 6B
TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2000
Jayhawks shake off slow start, sprint past Aggies
By Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 8 Kansas wasn't going to let Big Monday turn into a big trip-up last night against Texas &M.
A national television audience and the largest crowd in A&M history watched as the Jayhawks brushed aside the Aggies' upset hopes in a 78-57 Kansas victory in Reed Arena. The Jayhawks were able to overcome a sluggish first half by putting together another one of their trademark second-ball spurts.
In the process, the Jayhawks collected.
their fourth straight Big 12 Conference victory.
"For such a long time we were trading baskets with them, and we can't afford to do that," said Kansas coach Roy Williams. "We just needed to go down and get some traps on defense. It wasn't a smooth game, but during the season you're going to have to win a lot of games like this."
Texas A&M came into the game tied for seventh in the Big 12 with a 1-2 record and a 5-9 record overall, but that didn't stop the Aggies from giving Kansas (15, 2, 40) all it could handle in the first half.
The Aggles held leads of 14-10 and 21-20 early in the same, and that sent the A&M
crowd, which was frenzied even before the game started, into an even louder decibel. The crowd heckled Texas-native Luke Axtell. It heckled Jeff Boschee. It even heckled little-used Kansas sub Terry Nooner.
But in the second half, things changed for the Jayhawks. They stepped up their play defensively while they converted more on the offensive end.
In the second half, we kind of got fatigued," said Aggies' guard Jamaal Gilchrist. "They had 12 guys and were wearing us down. We got some good looks, but our shots were just not falling."
come by for &M's highly touted freshman guard Bernard King. King came into the game leading all Big 12 freshman in scoring with 16.9 points per contest, but after a run-in with the Kansas defense, King was relegated to the role of an ice-cold shooter. He hit only 3-of-15 shots from the field and finished the night with only eight points.
"We've tried to work on in practice taking the other team's best shooter and shutting him down," Williams said. "We made it very difficult for (King) to score tonight."
When the Jayhawks were able to accomplish that, they boarded up and returned to Lawrence with a win.
That makes four conference victories in a row for the Javahawks.
Kansas already has taken out Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska and now Texas A&M.
"It was a big win for us tonight," said Kansas guard Kenny Gregory. "Any road win in the Big 12 is a big win. We are trying to separate ourselves from everyone else in the conference."
The Jayhawks will get another chance at separation on Saturday when they take on the Missouri Tigers at noon in Columbia, Mo.
Big Game Hunting
"The Missouri fans are going to be ready for us," Kansas forward Nick Bradford said. "It's going to be a battle."
Gregory: Scoreed 10 of his team-high 15 points in the second half of last night's game.
Kansas basketball once again finds itself the target of Big 12 competitors
Foes use men's team as measuring stick
By Matt James sports@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
roy Williams paces the sidelines a little quicker this time of year.
Roy william quicker this time or year.
He still tosses those rolled-up T-shirts to the student section as far as he can, though. And he still remains calm during games, consulting and encouraging his players. And he still acknowledges the crowd chanting "Roy, Roy, Roy," with a wave and a little smile as he hustles through the tunnel to the locker room.
But a closer look reveals concern, especially during this, the most grueling part of the season — Big 12 conference play. Because this year, like most, the coach with the smallest stature in the league has the biggest target on his team — arguably the most talented in the Big 12.
"Where do you want me to start?" said Texas A&M coach Melvin Watkins of the Jayhawk's talent yesterday before his team was beaten 78-57 by Kansas in College Station, Texas. "In recent years, this is one of the best I've seen. They just have so much depth."
That 12-man depth (with Lester Earl back at partial strength) was too much for Watkins' young lineup. And while a win against the No. 8 Jayhawks would have been quite a boost for his program, a 5-9 start to the season would have made it tough to make a bid for a postseason tournament either way.
But other conference teams could no doubt use a win against Kansas to sway tournament selection committees. Nebraska, despite losing its last three games, found a way into the NIT last season on the strength of two conference wins at Kansas' expense.
"Even though we lost a couple of games last year, Kansas was still on top, and everybody was gunning for us," said guard Marlon London last week as this year's Big 12 schedule loomed. "They want to be the best in this conference, and they have to beat us to be the best. Every time we played a game the intensity was high."
Missouri and Iowa, both bubble teams at season's end, had wins in Allen Fieldhouse to show the NCAA Selection Committee. And each — maybe by coincidence, maybe not — received at-large bids.
See EXPECTATIONS on page 4B
Women aim high; others aim for them
By Melinda Weaver
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team might as well have a big red bull's eye painted on its back as Big 12 Conference teams perch at a mountain with their most explosive weapons aimed straight at their favorite target.
Anytime a team experiences as much success as the Jayhawks, every team wants to knock them from their throne.
"As a team, we are getting better at realizing that every team that comes to play here is going to have one of their best games," said sophomore center Nikki White. "We need to come prepared and no it's going to be a battle."
Kansas experienced this in its nonconference play, suffering close losses to Creighton, Illinois and Arkansas State.
However, in conference play, where each victory is more important and each loss is more devastating, Kansas has an even bigger challenge.
"The teams at the bottom of the conference don't have anything to lose," said coach Marian Washington. "So much of the season can be worth something if they upset a ranked team. It helps in terms of confidence and power ranking. All teams have every incentive to hold onto a victory against a top team."
If the Jayhawks did not have enough to worry about competing against teams such as No. 6 Iowa State and No. 15 Texas Tech, they now have to worry about every other team that might be able to turn it up a notch and their ranked adversary.
against their ranked adversary.
"There is always an added edge and added sense of urgency because you understand the quality of your opponent," said Kansas State coach Deb Patterson. The Wildcats upset Kansas last season in Manhattan but were defeated this season 70-54. "You know they have the ability to take it to you and whup you. A team like Kansas with a player like Lynn Pride is a force to be preoccupied with. You tend to be sharper because
with. You tend to be sharper because you have to be."
Kansas has learned the hard way that any team can jump up and surprise them. On Jan. 11, 6-6 Nebraska came to Allen
See KANSAS on page 5B
Women's reserves satisfy need for quality play against Colorado
White: Sparked a Kansas second-half run
By Chris Fickett sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
When Heather Fletcher logs as many minutes as Suzi Raymant, the Kansas women's basketball team usually has a problem.
But in a 78-56 win against Colorado on Saturday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks' regular crew of reserves was a blessing.
time," said Kansas coach Marian Washington.
If you look back to Kansas' 61-59 final-second defeat to Illinois on Dec. 18 at Chicago's United Center, the Jayhawks' bench was outscored by the Illini's 24-2, their top two stars, All-America candidate Lynn Pride and three-point threat Raymant, had the flu, and junior point guard Jennifer Jackson was coming back from ankle surgery.
"It's the best offensive performance we've had from our bench in a long
The end result: Jackson played 3:
minutes and was guarding Illinois' hottest shooter on the game's final play. The shot fell for the Illini, and they won the game.
That game, along with the fact that foul trouble can force reserves into the spotlight, has made the Jayhawks aware that quality bench play is crucial.
"Our depth is going to make a difference for us. You can't have Lynn (Pride) playing so many minutes; she gets dog tired," Washington said.
"I decided that Nikki was playing very well," Washington said. "She's
Saturday against the Buffaloes, sophomore center Nikki White was given the nod. White, who had started only two games this season, started in place of junior guard Brooke Reves because Washington wanted to go with a bigger lineup against Colorado center Britt Hartshorn.
"Why wouldn't you (want more bench production) if you're trying to play hard?"
definitely capable of getting the shots we need. She's really the inside player we need in big games."
White responded to her coach's decision and scored a season-high 10 points Saturday, after going scoreless and committing three turnovers in the first half.
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"I struggled a little at first, but I got better and my coaches and teammates really helped me out, and they really
See JAYHAWKS on page 5B
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