JAYHAWK
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Basketball
Inside Sports today
What does it take to play two sports in college? Two Kansas football players take to the track to find out.
Yesterday's game - Kansas Men vs. Nebraska
SEE PAGE 4B
KANSAS
13-6, 5-2
RANKED NO.22
69
WWW.JHAWKBBALL.COM
SECTION B, PAGE 1
NEBRASKA
13-7, 5-2
UNRANKED
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1999
84
Knocked out: two in a row
Nebraska ends nine-game skid against low-shooting Jayhawks
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Kansas men's basketball team is used to being on streaks, but not this kind.
Nebraska, fueled by a 16-2 second-half run, ended a nine-game losing streak to the Jayhawks with an 84-69 victory. The Cornhuskers handed Kansas back-to-back losses for the first time since Feb. 20, 23-19.
The Cornhuskers, who have now won five straight games, defeated the Jayhawks for the first time in the Devaney Center and became the first Big 12 Conference team other than Missouri to beat Kansas in conference play.
"This is real diff."
"This is real difficult," Kansas center Eric Chenewith said. "First of all, we like to win on the road, and we didn't do that. Number two, we haven't lost back-to-back games in ages. It's not a very good feeling."
The Jayhawks, 13-6 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12, had won seven straight
Chenowith: Losing streak is a new experience
road games and looked as if they might pull off another one when guard Jeff Boschee put Kansas ahead 53-51 with 12:55 remaining. But Nebraska, 13-7 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12, put together the run that turned a two-point deficit into a 67-55 lead with 5:48 to play.
"It was a complete shift of momentum," Chenwitah said of the Nebraska run. "They were getting quick baskets and we weren't getting back on defense and making them score against us."
Kansas trimmed the lead to 10 points with 4:39 to play, but the Cornhuskers held on for the victory by shooting 61.5 percent from the field and by connecting on 13 free throws in the second half.
"The they played really well," Kansas forward T.J. Pugh said. "Especially in the second half when they went on that big run. Most teams when they go on a run like that, they get comfortable, and they never did. They played aggressive and when we made a run at them, they kept their poise."
Nebraska jumped out to an 8-2 lead and didn't trail until Chenowith scored six points in the first half's final 49 seconds, including his first career threepointer to put the Jayhawks up 38-37.
"It was a blessing in disguise," Nebraska coach Danny Nee said. "Being down at halftime left our guys feeling uncomfortable. We were all over the kids at halftime and that really got our guys focused to come out and play well in the second half."
Nebraska center Venson Hamilton scored a team-high 20 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked three shots in his head-to-head match up with Chenowith. Although Chenowith matched him in every category — 20 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots — Hamilton had the last laugh.
Guard Cookie Belcher scored 16 points, had six assists and four steals. Freshman Cary Cochran added 13 points, including three of four from long range.
The Jayhawks struggled with sloppy play, had 17 turnovers and shot a dismal 36.4 percent in the second half.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said that his team's performance was unacceptable.
Chenwith said that a losing streak like this was a new experience.
"We should be a veteran team by now," Williams said. "As many games as we've played by now, we should not be making these kinds of mistakes and taking these kinds of shots."
"I've never been in this situation before, other than high school," Chenwith said. "But if we stick together and work hard, we'll be fine."
Kansas forward, Nick Bradford, shoots over Nebraska forward, Chad Johnson last night. The Jayhawks lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 84-69. Nebraska ended its nine-game losing streak against the Jayhawks. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Women's Basketball
'Hawks hand Texas season's first home loss
Women move up to third place in Big 12
By Matt James
Kanson sportswriter
The Jayhawks fought back from a sevenpoint halftime deficit and beat the Texas Longhorns 56-54 last night in Austin.
The Kansas women's basketball team had been allowing 60.1 points per game. Texas had been scoring 74.1 points per contest. Something had to give, but it wasn't the Javhawk defense.
It wasn't exactly the way Coach Marian Washington would have ordered it, but any victory on the road in The Big 12 Conference falls under the big-win category.
"We wanted to build on our team's big
We wanted to do better win over Texas Tech." Washington said. "Our team kept us in the ball game. We feel very good about this one."
Kansas (15-6, 5-3) won the battle of contrasting styles by holding the fast-breaking Texas offense to 20 points below its average. The quicker three-guard offense of the Longhorns struggled against its taller counterparts, who shot a
Jackson: One of two 'Hawks to score in double figures
for Kansas when she scored 23 points and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, her fifth double-double of the season.
dismal 30.8 percent from the field.
Sophomore guard Jennifer Jackson performed well again for the Jayhawks after being moved to point guard three games earlier. She hit four of five shots from the floor against the Longhorns and was the only other Jayhawk in double figures with ten points.
Junior forward Lynn Pride led the way
"Jennifer has been asked to do a lot for this team and she does a great job," Washington said.
The Jayhawks stormed back from a 29-22 halftime deficit and shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half.
Kansas took a five-point lead with two minutes remaining in the game. The Longhorns launched 14 three-point attempts in the second half to curb the Jawhay comeback, but only connected on four attempts.
The win moved the Jayhawks to 5-3 in the big 12, and into third place behind Texas Tech and Iowa State. Texas fell to 4-4 in the conference and into a fifth-place tie with Nebraska after the loss to Kansas. The loss was Texas' first home conference loss of the season.
Kansas' win comes at a crucial point in the season for the team.
"We still want to reach our goals," said Jaclyn Johnson, sophomore forward. "We still want to win the Big 12. We just have to be ready for whoever's next."
With five of the Jayhawks' next six games at home, the players have thrust themselves into a position that seemed light years away last week. Back-to-back wins against Texas schools have given the Jayhawks an outside shot at the league title.
Kansas baseball coach optimistic about Big 12, postseason
By Matt Tait
Kansan sportswriter
During the off season, the Big 12 Conference expanded the format of the postseason tournament. This year's event, which will be played in Oklahoma City, will feature eight teams instead of six.
The Kansas baseball team started the 1999 season this week with the team's first official practice, and along with the sprints, lifts and conditioning came an added sense of optimism.
Kansas coach Bobby Randall said the format would be better for the entire conference.
"The great thing about the tournament is the atmosphere and the chance to experience that," Randall said.
In August, the Big 12 coaches recommended to the athletics directors that the tournament should be modified. Citing the expansion of the NCAA Tournament from 48 to 64 teams as the rationale, the athletics directors agreed with the coaches' sentiments and enforced the tournament
The decision went into effect after a Big 12 athletics directors' meeting in September.
With two more teams advancing this year, it gives the entire league a realistic shot at playing in the postseason
Coaches around the league have expressed the same optimism as Randall, and are intrigued by the possibilities that the additional teams create.
"It's an optimistic opportunity for a couple more teams to compete in the tournament." Kansas State coach Mike Clark said. "If you have a bad stretch early, you still have an opportunity to make it."
Iowa State coach Lyle Smith said that he agreed with Clark's statement.
"This gives the northern teams an opportunity to take some lumps early and still go to the conference tournament," Smith said. "It also gives us a better opportunity to make a postseason
bid. The top six usually make it."
Since the birth of the Big 12, the baseball season has been dominated by the southern teams, which have been able to capitalize on warmer weather and practice earlier in the year than the northern teams.
Along with the opportunity to play Big 12 tournament games, the chance for postseason play has intrigued coach Randall as well.
"Now finishing five or six gives you a better chance to make it to the postseason, not only make a better run in the Big 12 tournament." he said.
"To expand the conference tournament from six to eight teams gives us a chance to have a very high-level tourney attendance." Nebraska coach Dave Martin said.
However, more games will be played, which will give the conference a chance to top the NCAA record for attendance.
The tournament will remain in the double-elimination format and will run from a Wednesday to a Sunday.
Commentary
No surprises anticipated in Sunday's Super Bowl
This is it Kansas students. The beginning of the end.
But, of course, that means you have only one more semester, too.
I graduate in May, so this will be the last hurrah (hopefully) — my final semester as a member of The University Daily Kansan staff. My final semester as an undergrad at the University of Kansas.
One more semester of enduring my columns. One more semester of reading about pointless Sooner factoids. One more semester of that dirty hat. One more semester to send hate mail telling me to "go back to where you came from — wherever that is!"
One more semester of finally getting the truth.
I know, I know, for some of you mostly nutty Jayhawk fans — this moment won't come soon enough. So, please bear with me. Graduation will be here before you know it ... but until then, at least for the next four months, you're stuck.
Harley Ratliff
sendfs@kansan.com
This Sunday — not that you needed a reminder — is Super
Bowl XXXIII: Denver versus Atlanta.
Like many Americans (and most of my friends), I will be filling myself with enough potato chips, beer and processed cheese goods to kill a small animal. Strangely enough, most people I've talked to don't seem to care who wins.
But, with Dan Reeves and the Dirty Bird, you can't help but root for the underdog Falcons. Still, I don't expect to see Denver lose. They are too talented, too smart and too good. Plus, how can you bet against a team whose star running back has the initials "T.D." (Did Nike think that up?)
I tend to agree. This isn't the most spectacular match-up.
I think the first half will be close, but the Broncos will pull away in the second.
Is it just me, or does Chief Justice William Rehquist's judicial robe look like it's from a line of Adidas workout apparel?
Broncos 34. Falcons 16
Don't you get the feeling that Jeff Boschee is going to be scary good in a couple of years? I mean downright nasty.
- Speaking of the Super Bowl: who ever thought that Chris Chandler would be in the Super Bowl?
Something tells me his name will end up somewhere between the Dolphins David Woodley and the Chargers Stan Humphries in the annals of Super Bowl lore.
Although he has made his fair share of freshman mistakes, Boschee just seems to be getting better. His shot selection has been shaky at times, but on the flip side, you know the kid has the range.
I like the stripes on the arms, Bill. They are judicial and trendy.
Along with a handful of others — St. John's Erick Barkley, Duke's Corey Maggette and Dipoles Quinten Richardson — Bosche is clearly one of the best freshmen in the nation.
During winter break, while visiting my girlfriend in Iowa City, Iowa, I got a chance to see the Iowa Hawkeyes rout Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
After seeing them up close (I was four rows from the floor), I felt better about the Jayhawks' record-breaking loss earlier this season.
Iowa is a quality team and that has the kind of depth to do serious damage in March. There should be no shame in losing to that squad. Even if we still should have won.
On the other hand, Missouri at home
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Ratliff is a Norman, Okla., senior in journalism.