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Volume 126 Issue 96
kansan.com
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
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COMMENTARY
Kansas reached peak too early
H history has shown teams that peak at the right time in
UConn ultimately won five straight nights in Madison Square Garden, four of the five wins came against AP Top 25 teams, and received a number three seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2011 UConn Huskies were 21-9 and entered the Big East Conference Tournament as a nine seed. The Huskies needed a Big East Tournament Championship to receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
March are ultimately the team that wins in the NCAA tournament. For instance, the 2011 University of Connecticut Huskies.
The Huskies continued their run in the tournament and found themselves playing for the national championship against number eight seed Butler. The 2011 National Championship game was the worst shooting contest ever in tournament history. Both teams combined for 31 made-baskets, and UConn defeated Butler 53-41.
The .500 record in the conference tournament started a Kansas trend of winning every other game in March with a 2-3 record looking into the NCAA Tournament.
That trend continued on into the tournament. Kansas defeated Eastern Kentucky after coming back from a
The conference tournament started strong with a win in the rubber match against Oklahoma State, but couldn't follow up the win and Kansas was stomped by Iowa State in the semifinals.
UConn finished the season winning 11 straight games, and they didn't do it by coincidence. The Huskies' starting lineup consisted of one sophomore and three freshmen, and was led by experienced junior point guard Kemba Walker, who averaged 23 points per game during the postseason.
SEE NCAA PAGE 8
The Jayhawks started March with a loss at Stillwater against Oklahoma State by giving up a double-digit lead with less than 10 minutes left.
Then, Kansas defeated Texas Tech at home for senior night by 28 points, but then fell to West Virginia in Morgantown by six. The loss to the Mountaineers gave Kansas a 1-2 record prior to the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
The 2013-14 Kansas Jayhawks had a similar roster to the 2011 Huskies. The consistent starting lineup included one junior point guard (Tharpe), one sophomore (Ellis) and three freshmen (Wiggins, Selden, Embiid) — even though Embiid only played one game in March.
With all this in mind, let's look back at this March's Jayhawks and see if an early exit from the NCAA tournament was inevitable because Kansas didn't peak at the right time.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Selden will return for sophomore year
BRIAN HILLIX
sports@kansan.com
As many speculate the futures of Kansas's star freshmen, guard Wayne Selden was the first to make a move.
Two days after Kansas lost to Stanford in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, Selden announced on his Twitter account Tuesday that he will return to Lawrence for his sophomore season.
"Want to let layhawk Nation know, I will be returning for my sophomore season!" Selden said on Twitter. "Can't wait to get to work & get back in the fieldhouse."
Selden's tweet has since been deleted, but Kansas coach Bill Self confirmed that he will not declare for the NBA Draft.
Named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, the Roxbury, Mass., native averaged 9.7 points and 29.2 minutes per game regular and post-season. Selden began conference play averaging 22 points in his first two games but became highly inconsistent, breaking the 20-point mark only one time the rest of the season. He was almost nonexistent in the NCAA Tournament, averaging two points and 23.5 minutes.
Selden started every game for the Jayhawks this season. With freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid likely leaving for the NBA, Selden should take on a bigger role in the offense next season. He is ranked among the top three
on the team in points, assists,
field goals made and 3-point
field goals made.
The No. 12 recruit in the Class of 2013 according to rivals.com, Selden averaged a double-double (24.8 points and 10.1 rebounds) at the Tilton School in New Hampshire during his senior year. He is one of three high school McDonald's All-Americans to play for Kansas this season, along with Wiggins and sophomore Perry Ellis.
One of the best on-ball defenders on the team, Selden drew tough assignments, guarding players like Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State) and Brady Heslip (Baylor) throughout the year.
His best game on the offensive end came in the team's conference opener against Oklahoma when he scored a season-high 24 points and went 5-10 from long-range.
Selden, with an ideal size for an NBA guard at 6-foot-5, was a projected first round pick in many NBA mock drafts. Matt Moore, an NBA writer for CBS Sports, projected him to be the 21st overall pick. However, his stock took a dip toward the end of the season due to his inconsistent play.
Wiggins and Embiid are projected top three picks in the draft while Ellis has also been mentioned as a potential pick in the second round. No timetable has been set for their announcements.
Edited by Cara Winkley
Freshman Wayne Selden Jr. goes up for a dunk during a game earlier this season. Selden announced his return for next year yesterday. He averaged 9.7 points and 29.2 minutes per game this season and was a starter.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
BASEBALL
Kansas looks to end Creighton losing streak
BEN FELDERSTEIN
BEN FELDERSTEIN
sports@kansan.com
It's been four years and tour meetings since the last time the Jayhawks escaped Omaha with a victory.
Three years, 11 months and 19 days to be exact. April 7, 2010 was the last time Kansas baseball defeated the Creighton Bluejays.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Junior outfielder Michael Suiter throws the ball to homeplate during Kansas' game against Oral Roberts on March 11. Suiter is batting .330 this season.
"It time to stop the bleeding," Coach Ritch Price said: "We beat them the first few years I was here and now we can't beat them. We only play them once a year, so it's hard. If we played more, wed find a way to take care of business, but it's time we find a way to get a stop."
Kansas will be heading to Omaha Wednesday, as they take on the Creighton Bluejays in a mid-week matchup.
The Bluejays lead the Jayhawks 22-11 in the all time series, but the two teams have each won five matchups under Ritch Price. Both sides have won two out of their last three games and have had strong starts to their seasons.
Creighton has posted a team batting average of .249 this season with eight of their 161 hits being home runs. To contrast, the Jayhawks as a team are hitting .301 and have hit 11 long balls of their 252 hits this season. Both pitching staffs are sporting mid-three ERAs with Kansas having the
Kansas is coming off of a home series win against the Dartmouth Big Green while Creighton swept a two-game series to Fresno State and fell to Nebraska in a close game.
slight edge, 3.44 to 3.61.
Junior right-hander Drew Morovick will get the start for the Jayhawks. Morovick is 4-1 on the season and has a 3.98 ERA.
Sophomore right-hander Taylor Elman will likely get the start for Creighton on Wednesday. Elman is 1-1 on the season and has given up 15 runs in his 23 innings of work thus far.
"I'm going to have to attack," Morovick said. "The last two years I've faced them and they've been very aggressive.
"Drew will not be limited Tuesday," Price said. "If he's effective, we'll ride him seven or eight, if not we have guys ready to come in."
Morovick picked up the win Saturday against Dartmouth in 2.1 innings of work. He allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks in his work.
"We emphasized doing a better job with two strikes this fall," Price said. "Hitting with two outs is kind of a byproduct of that. We've been using the whole field."
Kansas has thrived this season with two outs. Its batting average with two men down matches their season average at .301. These hits have been productive as well, as they have driven in 66 runs in their 101 hits.
Junior left fielder Michael Suiter will look to carry over success from the Dartmouth series, as he batted .538 while driving in three runs and scoring four times.
"I've got some pretty good confidence going right now"
"Suiter's one of the best offensive guys we've got," Price said. "He's really starting to come into his own.
Suiter ranks second in the Big 12 in runs scored with 26 on the season.
Sophomore second baseman Colby Wright got the start all three games against Dartmouth. Wright was inserted into the lineup to relieve struggling sophomore Tommy Mirabelli. Wright batted .308 on the weekend and scored six runs from the two spot in the batting order.
Suiter explained.
"Skip always talks about taking every day like you're a starter," Wright said. "I was
Kansas' rubber game victory against Texas.
The Jayhawks have been able to find success from everyone this season. Whoever they seem to play contributes to the team's success. They have received production from far more than just the nine starters.
Freshman backup catcher Michael Tinsley is batting .353 in 34 at bats this season with seven RBIs and three extra base hits. Sophomore utility infielder Ryan Pidahchuk is batting .320 in 25 at bats with nine RBIs and three extra base hits as well including a rally starting double in
able to fill a role when one of the other guys was starting and found success."
they're good players," Price said. "They've all had some great at-bats. When guys struggle, there is always someone else to take their place."
If Kansas is to beat Creighton for the first time in nearly four years, it's going to take contributions from everyone, not just the nine men in the starting lineup.
"We want to beat them," Wright said. "We've been joking with (Tucker) Tharp and (Frank) Duncan about their class not being able to, and we're ready for that to change."
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Edited by Jack Feigh
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