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Volume 126 Issue 87
kansan.com
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
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COMMENTARY
Embiid's health will make or break season
Kansas can win the next two conference games without Joel Embid. What it cannot do is win the national championship without him.
For this reason, Bill Self chose to sit Embiid until the Big 12 tournament.
Against Oklahoma State, Embib reaggravated his back. He remained in the game, but his speed was compromised and he could barely jump enough to contest shots. Embib has only played basketball for three years, and the stress and intensity of a full season seems to be taking its toll.
Embiid may still be raw, but he is the most important player on the team. His absence in the Kansas State game in particular was noticeable. Without his daunting presence throughout much of the second half and overtime, the Wildcats finished with great success. Even Will Spradling converted shots in the paint. Not having Jamari Traylor certainly didn't help, but Embiid's injury contributed to the disappointing loss.
Very few teams have players who can match-up with Embiid from a physical standpoint. Wiggins is a special talent, but the NCAA has talent comparable to him at the small forward position. Embiid is what takes Kansas over the top. He is consistently double-teamed in the post, and no other player commands that kind of attention. Without his presence, defenders tend to lurk closer to the 3-point line and prevent open jumpers.
On defense, opposing guards rarely challenge Embiid. Kansas' guards struggle to stay in front of other guards with a quick first step. Embiid masks this deficiency with an innate sense of timing and spacing. His long arms disrupt passing lanes, which is important as he is generally forced to abandon his man when he provides defensive help.
Against West Virginia and Texas Tech, Kansas should have enough talent to overcome Embidd's absence. West Virginia's three leading scorers are guards. If Kansas' perimeter players can be active on defense, Kansas should be able to notch a tough road victory. Against Texas Tech, it is likely Kansas will ride the home court and a large talent discrepancy.
These next two games are important for Tarik Black and Traylor, who will see more playing time than they have since November.
Embiad, even if fully healthy, is susceptible to foul trouble. Especially during March Madness, opposing coaches will try to attack Embiad and create contact. As a freshman, Embiad may take the bait. Black and Traylor might soon play important minutes of a do-or-die game, and the West Virginia and Texas Tech games will only make them more comfortable.
Ultimately, Kansas needs Embid to be healthy if it is going to win all six games in the NCAA tournament. Even if Embid is in foul trouble, he's more valuable with four fouls than he is sitting in street clothes. Against the best, Embid will be crucial.
it's tough to rationalize sitting a superstar for two games when, in theory, he could probably play. But Kansas' season depends on Embibid being healthy.
Edited by Nick Chadbourne
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart (33) celebrates during the second half against Kansas in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday. Oklahoma State won 72-65.
BLAIR SHEADE
sports@kansan.com
BILL SELF - KANSAS
JOEL EMBIID MISSING TWO GAMES
On Saturday in Stillwater, Okla., Kansas lost to Oklahoma State and the Jayhawks lost freshman center Joel Embiid due to injury. The injury occurred when Embiid attacked the basket and was fouled to the ground.
"It's a similar thing as before, it's a lower back strain," coach Self said. "It's not close to being 100 percent because he aggravated it."
Embiid will sit out against Texas Tech on Wednesday and West Virginia on Saturday. The rest will give Embiid 11 days off before the Big 12 Conference tournament, which will be more time than
his previous five-day rest from the original injury.
"I don't think it will affect his postseason," Self said about Embiid's injury.
MARCUS SMART FALSEY QUOTES
BILL SELF
After the Kansas game on Saturday, Oklahoma State sophomore guard Marcus Smart interviewed with ESPN's Shannon Spake. Smart told Spake that before the game, the coaches showed the Cowboys' team a quote from Bill Self saying he was coming to Stillwater to cut down the nets, and Self was going to win the Big 12 Conference title outright.
TRAVIS FORD - OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford denies that he provided a quote from Bill Self.
"There was no quote that we showed them and Self didn't mention that whatsoever," Ford said about Smart's comments. "We did talk about what they were playing for...We didn't want them celebrating in our arena."
FRED HOIBERG - IOWA STATE
DEANDRE KANE BEING
CONSIDERED FOR BIG 12 PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
Iowa State's senior guard DeAndre Kane won Newcomer of the Week this week, his fourth overall, after defeating West Virginia and losing at Kansas State. In those two games, Kane posted 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Kane had his sixth double-double against the Mountaineers with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Iowa State's head coach Fred Hoiberg talked about what it takes for Kane to win the most valuable player in the Big 12 Conference.
"What someone does during the course of the year, how they made their team better and how they impact the game," Hoiberg said about what it takes for someone to win the conference MVP. "There's some great players in this league and it will be interesting how it all plays out."
SCOTT DREW - BAYLOR
The past two weeks, the Baylor Bears have come through with wins that can help impact their postseason. The Bears have wins over Oklahoma State, Kansas State
KENNY CHEERY IS BACK TO FULL FORM
and Texas Tech. Baylor coach Scott Drew thinks the turnover of play comes from the junior guard Kenny Cherry being healthy.
"Once he was able to start practicing again, he was able to get some rhythm and chemistry with the team," Drew said about Cherry returning to the lineup. "I think he is playing his best basketball on both ends of the court."
Cherry leads the Bears with 4.9 assists per game, and he's averaging 15 points per game after earning high minutes against Kansas State, where Cherry had a triple-double with 20 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds against the Wildcats.
Edited by Emily Hines
Kansas holds off celebrations after loss
"None whatsoever," Ford said.
Ford simply tried to motivate his players by reminding them what Kansas
BRIAN HILLIX
sports@kansan.com
With a win over Oklahoma State on Saturday night, Kansas would have clinched the Big 12 title outright. Except, after Kansas State defeated second-place Iowa State just minutes into the Jayhawks' clash with the Cowboys, Kansas officially clinched first-place regardless of the outcome of its game.
Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said he did not show his team a quote where Self said Kansas would cut down the nets after a win.
in his weekly Big 12 teleconference on Monday. Self denied the comment, saying it was "100 percent false" that he intended to celebrate by cutting down the nets on the Cowboys' home court.
Of course, Oklahoma State ended up winning 72-65, preventing Kansas from putting an exclamation point on securing one of the best conferences in the country. In an interview with ESPN after the game, Oklahoma State sophomore guard Marcus Smart turned heads by saying his coaches showed the team a Bill Self quote for motivation before heading into the matchup.
"That was disturbing seeing that," Self said. "I don't know where he got that information."
"The coaches showed us a quote of Bill Self saying he was coming here cutting down our nets, and he was gonna win it outright in Stillwater," Smart said. "We couldn't let that happen in our house, so I just knew I had to keep pushing until the end."
had at stake, which was a chance to celebrate after clinching the conference title outright. He believes that Smart equated the Jayhawks celebrating to cutting down the nets, a common celebration for teams that win a conference title.
An owner of ten conference titles with Kansas, Self isn't known for having his teams cut down the nets, whether it is at Allen Fieldhouse or on the road. While it is common for the Jayhawks to celebrate a conference title, Self makes sure the celebration isn't public.
"All celebratory things that would take place with anything like that, especially on the road, would take place in the confines of a locker room," Self said.
Despite winning the title outright, Self is saving the celebration for a time his team can fully enjoy it—after a win.
Smart, who was projected as a top five pick in the NBA Draft after his freshman season, shocked everyone by returning to Stillwater for a second year. It's been a less-than-stellar one for Smart, who has also drawn unwanted attention for his tendency to flop and his inability to control his emotions during games.
Besides preventing a Kansas celebration, Ford also reminded his players what else was at stake for them. Oklahoma State endured a seven-game losing streak a couple weeks ago and needs quality wins the rest of the season to make the NCAA Tournament.
there is no public record of Self saying he intended to cut down the nets after a victory over the Cowboys.
Edited by Krista Montgomery
BRENT BURFORD/KANSAN
Kansas coach Bill Self talks with assistant coach Kurtis Townsend during a timeout in the second half of Saturday night's game in Stillwater, Okla.
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