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Volume 126 Issue 79
kansan.com
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
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Kansas imperfect, but dominant
COMMENTARY
Kansas made less than 60 percent of its free throws, its point guard didn't score and its defense allowed 40 first-half points to the team last in the Big 12 in offense.
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The Jayhawks shot 26 percent from beyond the 3-point line and committed 10 more fouls than TCU. Starting center Tarik Black picked up two fouls in the first two minutes. They were missing potential number-one pick Joel Embiid and a valuable 3-point marksman in suspended guard Brannen Greene.
Did I mention that Kansas won by 30? Sorry for misleading you.
Granted, this game was against the Horned Frogs, the Pluto of the Big 12: You have to debate whether they really belong. But it was still impressive to see how good this Kansas team can be, even with some statistical deficiencies.
Kansas dominated every aspect of the game. If this were Little League, TCU would have been mercy-ruled and given a good job,good effort cup of lemonade.
The first half was some of the worst basketball Kansas has played this year. Kansas fans grimaced as the Jayhawks' first six free throws clanked off the rim. TCU point guard Kyan Anderson continually dribbled past Naadir Tharpe. Yet, somehow, Kansas ran into the locker room with three players scoring in double figures and a seven-point lead.
seven point haul The second half showed the performance Kansas is capable of. Kansas didn't just outplay TCU in the last 20 minutes; Kansas demolished TCU, and the players looked like they were having a blast doing it.
Perry Ellis was hitting from everywhere on the floor. Of his two misses, one was rebounded by — you guessed it — Perry Ellis and put back in for a score. The other was blocked
Kansas turned up the defensive intensity in the second half. This was what was absent from the loss in Manhattan. The opening 10 seconds of the second half set the tone. TCU got trapped in the backcourt by a pair of Jayhawk defenders and burned a timeout in the first five seconds. After the timeout, Wayne Selden, Jr., intercepted a bad pass before TCU even passed the half-court line. Kansas threw in spontaneous presses and put multiple defenders on Anderson to keep him guessing. TCU also lacked depth, and Kansas has a deep bench.
In addition to the defense, Kansas' offense seemed more fluid. Four players had four or more assists. TCU plays lazier zone defense than Kansas usually faces, but this was accentuated by Kansas' crisp grasp, especially from Ellis.
In many people's eyes, this win has an asterisk next to it. This is known as the "TCU asterisk."
Nevertheless, while far from perfect, Kansas played loose and dominated.
And that needs no asterisk
— Edited by Nick Chadbourne
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks face seasoned Red Raiders
BRIAN HILLIX sports@kansan.com
Kansas (19-6, 10-2) may be playing the seventh ranked team in the conference on Tuesday, but that doesn't mean much in this year's Big 12.
Texas Tech (13-12, 5-7) overcame a rocky start to league play and has won three of its last four games with a couple noteworthy wins against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Its lone loss came at Iowa State on Saturday after the team nearly erased an 18-point deficit.
"They're on a roll right now," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "They're playing great."
Despite winning just three conference games last year, the Red Raiders are a veteran team led by a veteran coach, which is usually a formula for success. They do not have a freshman in the starting lineup and start four upperclassmen, led by senior guard Jaye Crockett with 14.8 points a game. A big reason for the team's turnaround has been the guidance of new coach Tubby Smith, who has 524 career wins and a national championship on his resume. He took over the Texas Tech program after a six-year stint with the University of Minnesota
"Tubby's done a fabulous job, he and his staff," Self said. "They're playing hard."
The team's most impressive win of the season came against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., on Feb. 12 when the Red Raiders held the second-highest team in the conference to just 60 points on its home court. The Red Raiders beat two ranked teams at home this season former No. 12 Baylor and former No. 19 Oklahoma State. No. 8 Kansas will be at full strength for the first time in several weeks.
The Jayhawks should get a
boost from the return of freshman center Joel Emibiid, who sat out against Texas Christian University on Saturday with knee and back injuries. Emibiid practiced on Sunday in his first court action since playing 18 minutes in the loss to Kansas State on Feb. 10.
Embiid isn't the only player who has missed a game recently. Sophomore forward Jamari Traylor sat out the Kansas State game due to disciplinary issues but returned against TCU and scored 10 points in limited minutes. Freshman guard Brannen Greene didn't play against the Horned Frogs for similar reasons, but is expected to be available for Texas Tech on Tuesday.
Sophomore forward Perry Ellis was named the co-Big 12 Player of the Week after averaging 25.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his last two games.
"I really got into a rhythm," Ellis said. "I was not forcing shots."
Against TCU, Ellis scored a career-high 32 points, made 13 of 15 shots and distributed a career-high five assists.
a three high five "He takes good shots and makes them," freshman guard Andrew Wiggins said. "He's aggressive enough and he always involves his teammates."
Kansas has won seven of the last eight meetings against Texas Tech, including its past two games at United Spirit Arena. But the Jayhawks haven't been invincible in Lubbock in the Self era. Before winning its last two games on the Red Raiders' home court, Kansas lost the previous three meetings.
"We know how hard it is to win there," Self said. "It'll be a totally different atmosphere from anything we've seen down there."
—Edited by Krista Montgomery
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Baylor forward Rico Gathers blocks Joel Embiid as he attempts a layup. Embiid only had 5 points and 1 block in the game against the Bears. The Jayhawks beat the Bears 62-52 in Waco.
BASEBALL
Kansas sweeps BYU with 10-1 victory in final game
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN Freshman infielder Colby Wright makes contact with a pitch over the middle of the plate last season.
sports@kansan.com
Junior right fielder Connor McKay finished the fourgame series the same way he started it: crushing a two-run bomb over the fence. Clinging to a 2-0 lead against Brigham Young University in the top of the eighth, McKay dug in with two outs and a man on, before popping one over the right fence to take a 4-0 lead.
"It always feels good to get off to a strong start, especially when it comes to driving in runs in tough situations." McKay said, "I like the responsibility skip has given me, it's nice to have hitters in the line-up like Suitor, Tharp, and Hernandez who can also provide a punch in clutch situations."
The two-out bomb sparked a six-run, ninth inning for the layhawks as they won the final game of the series 10-1 to complete the sweep over BYU. Jeff Barker pitched for the Cougars in the final game. He pitched against the layhawks last spring, picking up a win when the Cougars beat the layhawks 6-3 on March 23, 2013. Shortstop Justin Protocio led
Shortstop Justin Protacio led off the game with a single but
Barker recovered. He allowed three hits and struck out six batters in seven innings. Unfortunately for Barker, the three Kansas hits outside Protocio's single led to runs.
Michael Suitor singled to bring home Dalton Smith in the sixth. Ka'iana Eldredge, the lone Jayhawk with two hits, singled to left to bring home co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, Aaron Hernandez, for a 2-0 lead through seven. "What impressed me the most was that all those runs with two outs, somebody different stepped up and had the clutch hit," said Kansas coach Ritch Price.
Junior right-hander Drew Morovick took the mound for Kansas, earning his first start this season. In 2013 he started just three games, but compiled a 4-3 record through 20 appearances. He pitched 2.2 innings against BYU last season, allowing three hits and striking out two
"There was more confidence because I remember facing some of those guys last year, and being the Monday starter, I knew some of their tendencies, after watching them all weekend," said Motovick.
Morovick faced 29 Cougars through $7 \frac{1}{3}$ innings. He allowed one run off three hits and struck out five batters to earn his first win of the year.
Kansas pitcher Jordan Piché relieved Morovick in the seventh inning. The preseason Stopper of the Year candidate got himself out of a jam in the eighth. With the bases loaded Piché got the Cougars to hit into a 4-6-3 double play
to get back in the dugout, before the six run inning by the jayhawks in the ninth. "It's always comforting when Piché comes into the game," Morovick said. "I was a little frustrated when (Price) took me out, but I knew once he went Piché we were going to lock the game down, and go for the sweep."
The Jayhawks return home for the week after yesterday's
series sweep. They'll look to build on their 4-0 start this weekend when they travel to Port Charlotte, Fla., for another four-game weekend in the Snowbird Classic. Kansas' first game is scheduled against Northwestern on Friday.
— Edited by Nick Chadbourne
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