SPORTS
TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2005
PAGE 12A
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INSIDE THE PARK
JACK WEINSTEIN
jweinstein@kansan.com
Lee went out with a bang
Talent doesn't ensure victory
MEN'S BASKETBALL
While watching the North Carolina vs. Villanova game Friday, I started to think about talent. As Villanova's lead dwindled and North Carolina started to pull away, I realized that talent isn't always enough to win games. This was the case when Bucknell defeated Kansas in the first round. North Carolina was arguably the most talented team in college basketball. And although Villanova was also talented, it didn't quite stack up against North Carolina.
With the exception of seniors Wayne Simien and Mike Lee, the Jayhawks looked flat against Bucknell. They didn't execute on offense, played soft defense, didn't hustle and were outplayed. They looked like they expected to win and didn't think they needed to play hard for a victory.
As much as I prayed for another Roy Williams NCAA Tournament upset, I knew that North Carolina would find a way to win. Unlike Kansas, it was able to ride its talent to victory in a game that Villanova clearly wanted to win more. Kansas could not do the same against a hungry Bucknell team making only the third tournament appearance in its school's history.
It's difficult for any team to win a game when only two of its players show up. Simien and Lee combined for 42 points and 17 rebounds, which was more than half of the entire team's production in both categories. Seniors Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and sophomore J.R. Giddens combined to go 2-for-19 from the field for 12 points. Eight of those points came from the free-throw line.
The Jayhawk defense was nothing to write home about
SEE WE!NSTEIN ON PAGE 8A
Kansan file photo
Mike Lee yells after making a layup and being fouled in the March 18 game against Bucknell. Lee converted the three-point play on his way to a career game with 18 points. It wasn't enough, though, as the Jayhawks lost in the first round to Bucknell 64-63.
BY KELLIE ROBINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIETER
Senior guard Mike Lee was preparing for practice in Allen Fieldhouse, three days before the Kansas men's basketball team lost to Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, when a reporter asked if he considered himself a team leader.
Transfer guard Rodrick Stewart overheard the conversation and gave his two cents as he walked by.
"yeah," Stewart said. "He's the leader."
Lee grinned as Stewart Lee passed, laughed, and said, "I don't know about that. I think Aaron Miles is our leader."
Whether Lee agreed with the assessment or not, he certainly played like a senior leader in the Jayhawks' season-ending loss to the Bison. His performance was one of the few positives Kansas could take away from that game.
Lee replaced senior guard Keith Langford in the starting lineup, and played the best game of his college career. He scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Lee proved that he was worthy of starting in the NCAA Tournament, and if it weren't for Kansas losing the game, Jayhawk fans might have remembered his performance for years to come.
"Mike Lee was terrific," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "If he doesn't play great, that game wouldn't have been as close as it was."
Lee scored the first five points of the game against Bucknell and converted a pivotal steal and layup combination, pulling the Jayhawks within three points of the Bison in the first half.
He continued his clutch play in the second half and hit two free throws, after being intentionally fouled, and cut the Bucknell lead to 62-61 late in the game.
"Early in the game I thought they were quicker to the balls than we were, with the exception of Mike Lee." Self said.
Tossin' it up
Self said talking to Lee immediately after the loss would have been difficult, because it
SEE LEE ON PAGE 8A
Stenhanie Farlev/KANSAN
"It's explosive," said Jonathan Edwards, Overland Park freshman. Edwards, a member of the KU track and field team, practiced throwing the javelin at the field near Memorial Stadium yesterday afternoon.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Easier bowl trip?
Weaker victories could be counted
BY RYAN COLAIANI
rcolaiani@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The NCAA is considering a rule change that would allow Division I-A teams to count a victory against a Division I-AA team every season.
The Kansas Jayhawks may have an easier path to a bowl game next season then originally thought.
"From everything we have heard, it sounds like it is going to go through with some other things, but until that happens we have to wait," said Larry Keating, senior associate director of the University of Kansas Athletics Corporation.
If the proposal does not go through, the Jayhawks would have to go 7-4 in order to qualify for a second bowl trip in the past three seasons. The current rule allows for I-A teams to count a win over a I-AA opponent for
Kansas is scheduled to face IAA Appalachian State on Sept. 10 at Memorial Stadium.
Keating had been in talks with Division I-A schools for the past year to fill that Sept. 10 date.
"I talked to everyone who was open for that date," Keating said of the Sept. 10 game. "The problem was we couldn't find a team that was willing to come to us on that date."
bowl considerations only once every four years.
Keating said that a home-and-home was discussed. That would mean the Jayhawks would be host to the opponent on Sept. 10 and then play at the opponent's home the following year. He also said that they were willing to compensate a Division I-A team to come just to Lawrence, but the discussions never got that far.
"We are very supportive and we were aware of the proposal when we were still trying to fill that last open date," Keating said.
Because no Division I-A teams were available Keating was forced to look for a I-AA opponent, which led to Appalachian State filling the open date. An NCAA rule change could be the best possible scenario for the Jayhawks.
At an open practice on March 16, Kansas coach Mark Mangino did not appear to be frustrated with playing a I-AA school, despite the potential of needing an extra win to qualify for a bowl game.
Associate athletic director Jim Marchiony told the Journal-World that $15 million of the nearly $30 million that was expected to be needed for the facility had been raised. Marchiony said that since the beginning of the year, $6 million had been raised from anonymous donors.
Funding update
The Athletics Department is nearly halfway complete in its fundraising for a football office and training facility at Memorial Stadium, according to an article printed in the Lawrence Journal-World.
"We think that it is going well," Marchiony said to the Journal-World. "We're impatient because we want to do this. We wish it were done, but we're actively working on that, and we're confident that it will happen."
- Edited by Kendall Dix
FOOTBALL
Uniform color change could come this week
For several weeks, rumors have been circulating that the Kansas football team will don new uniforms when it takes the field in September.
Everything should be cleared up within a week.
Associate athletics director Jim Marchiony confirmed that the athletics department is looking into changing the color of the teams jerseys.
"We are looking at that right now," Marchiony said. "We should probably know in a week or so."
The University officially designated its color as "royal blue" in February.
The KU football uniform has been a darker shade of blue since 2002, but because of the change, it may be a lighter shade of blue next season.
"We are not sure if we are going to be able to have it begin next season or the year following," Marchionny said.
The change of color means that all University athletics teams will be sporting the same color of blue. Kansas football wore a shade of blue that will be similar to the new jerseys before 2002.
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—Ryan Colaanni
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