2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005
CORRECTIONS
- Yesterday's University Daily Kansan contained an error. The photo caption with the story "Docking's confidence raises him to the top" identified golfer Tyler Docking as a senior. He is a sophomore.
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
Editor's note. The men's basketball game on Sunday will occur if the Jayhawks advance in the NCAA Tournament by winning tomorrow.
TODAY
+ Swimming at NCAA Championships, all day, West Lafayette.
TOMORROW
- Track at Emporia State, all day, Emporia
- Baseball vs. Western Illinois, 3 p.m., Hoglund Ballpark
* Men's basketball vs. Bucknell, 8:50 p.m., Oklahoma City
* Softball vs. Minnesota, 2:30 p.m., Sacramento, Calif.
* Softball vs. Rhode Island, 5 p.m., Sacramento, Calif.
* Swimming at NCAA Championships, all day, West Lafayette
Ind.
Inb
* Women's golf at Louisiana State, all day, Baton Rouge, La
SATURDAY
- Baseball vs. Western Illinois, 1 p.m., Hoglund Ballpark
* Softball vs. Northwestern, noon, Sacramento, Calif.
* Softball vs. Illinois, 2:30 p.m., Sacramento, Calif.
* Swimming at NCAA Championships, all day, West Lafayette, Ind.
- Women's golf at Louisiana State, all day, Baton Rouge, La.
SUNDAY
Ballpark in Western Illinois, 1 p.m. Houlund Ballpark
SUNDAY
- Baseball vs. Western Illinois, 1.p.m., Hoglund Ballpark
- Men's basketball at NCAA Tournament, TBA, Oklahoma City,
Okla
- Cattell vs. Utah Valley State, 11 a.m., Sacramento, Calif.
- Softball vs. Utah Valley State, 11 a.m., Sacramento, Calif.
* Softball vs. Sacramento State, 1 p.m., Sacramento, Calif.
* Women's golf at Louisiana State, all day, Baton Rouge, La.
MONDAY
* Men's golf vs. Colorado, all day, Stevinson, Calif.
ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Students have limited time to cancel tournament tickets
Students who purchased tickets to NCAA Tournament games through the Kansas athletics department need to look over their applications again.
If they want to cancel their orders, they need to do so by 5 p.m. the Monday before the game.
It's too late for students who wanted to cancel their ticket orders for this weekend's games in Oklahoma City. But students can still cancel their ticket orders for the regional and Final Four games.
Students must cancel their orders for the March 25 and 27 regional games in Syracuse, N.Y., by March 21. If the Jayhawks advance to the Final Four, students must cancel their orders for the April 2 and 4 games in St. Louis by March 28.
To cancel, students have to turn in a written request to the ticket office, located in Allen Fieldhouse. Cancellations will not be accepted over the phone.
The athletics department will not refund students' tickets for this weekend's games. But it can try to sell students' tickets in Oklahoma City this weekend and give the students back the original price they paid for the ticket, said Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director for external affairs.
The athletics department announced the winners of the ticket lottery for all tournament sites on March 1. On the application, students submitted their credit card information. Students who are chosen are given until the Monday prior to the game to turn down their tickets. If they did not do so at the ticket office, they were automatically billed. The cancellation deadline was also written in bold on the application.
The athletics department will only receive tickets for locations where the Jayhawks will play if they continue to advance in the tournament.
Ross Fitch
BASEBALL
Congress excuses Yankee; witnesses remain in hearing
New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi, who was subpoenaed last week, was excused Tuesday from testifying at the congressional hearing into steroid use in baseball because of his involvement in the ongoing federal investigation into illegal steroid distribution.
Pressure mounts for top seeds
NCAA TOURNAMENT
BY KELLIE ROBINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANSAAN SPORTWRITER
Every first-round game in the NCAA Tournament pressures players and coaches.
All 32 games are nationally televised by CBS, fans register for score updates on their cell phones and people often skip work to watch the games.
The Associated Press
Plus, there's that little thing about playing for a national championship.
All 65 teams in the Big Dance deal with this pressure, but low seeds handle it in a completely different way than top seeds do, coaches said.
"There's no rubber stamp on how to approach that first-round game because it's different for everybody," said Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson, who has coached both No. 1- and No. 13-seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
In 1999, he led the No. 13-seeded Sooners to a first-round upset of the No. 4-seeded Arizona Wildcats by telling his players to play like there was no tomorrow. In 2002, he led the No. 2-seeded Sooners to the Final Four, but first had to get through an opening-round game
that everyone expected them to win.
Kansas is in a similar position this year because, after two Final Fours and an Elite Eight in the last three years, media and fans take the first round for granted, Kansas coach Bill Self said.
After this year's bracket was announced, media first asked Self how Kansas would respond if it played Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Carolina or Illinois.
Self said answering questions about hypothetical match-ups was an unnecessary distraction for the Jayhawks, who will play No. 14-seed Bucknell Bison tomorrow night. But preparing for possible future opponents is just part of being a favorite in the Big Dance. Self said.
All week, Self has labeled the Jayhawks' trip to Oklahoma City a "two-game tournament," instead of a do-or-die game with the Bison.
"I will give both of them some time." Self said of studying the Kansas' possible second-round opponents, Wisconsin and Northern Iowa. "My focus is on Bucknell, but that way I will be up to speed on whoever we play, if we win."
Small schools, on the other hand, concentrate solely on their firstround games. No one asks them
"It's less of a distraction for them," Kansas senior guard Mike Lee said. "That's part of why the first game always seems to be the toughest."
about future match-ups because they aren't expected to go that far, KU players said.
Besides focusing all its attention on Kansas, Bucknell also has the advantage of playing as the underdog. The Bison will take the court with a carefree attitude because they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
"That could be motivation," Self said. "I've been in that locker room before and said all the pressure is on the other team because they're supposed to win."
Top seeds have an entirely different approach.
“it's added pressure for us,” Lee said. “If we win, no one really cares. If we lose, then people ask, 'How in the world did you lose that game?'”
the Bison could benefit significantly. By defeating Kansas, Bucknell would likely be labeled as a "Cinderella Team" and would be celebrated throughout the country.
The Jayhawks may get no credit for winning in the first round, but
when Gonzaga reached the Elite Eight in 1999, media converged on Spokane, Wash. A reported 10,000 stories were produced. ESPN now televises Gonzaga games nationally and enrollment has risen from about 4,000 in 1999 to a little more than 6,000.
This phenomenon has also happened at schools such as Hampton, Valaraboa. Butler and Kent State.
"I'd heard of a few of them, but winning that first-round game just magnifies a small school so much," Kansas senior forward Wayne Simien said.
It's Simien's job to make sure that Bucknell doesn't get that kind of publicity. If Bucknell does defeat the Jayhawks, Simien's career, along with the three other Kansas seniors, will be remembered more for losing to Bucknell than for going to two Final Fours.
That's the pressure that comes with being a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Edited by Ross Fitch
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Tough teams load Syracuse regional
Kansas plays Bucknell in first round
BY KELLIS ROBINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Editor's note: Kansas sportswriter Kellis Robinett will examine the four regions in the NCAA Tournament before play starts today. The following is a breakdown of the Syracuse regional, the final installment of the series.
No. 1 North Carolina (27-4) vs. No. 16 Oakland (13-18)
Oakland defeated Alabama A&M in the play-in game to face North Carolina. The Tar Heels will have a fan advantage because the game is in Charlotte, N.C. The team also has five players who average more than 10 points a game.
No. 8 Minnesota (21-10) vs. No. 9 Iowa State (18-11)
The Golden Gophers are back in the tournament for the first time since 1999. They play solid defense and are led by junior Vincent Griet, who averages more than 18 points a contest. In 2001 the Cyclones lost in the first round as a No. 2 seed. If they can make it past Minnesota, Wayne Morgan's zone defense could give North Carolina major problems.
No. 5 Villanova (22-7) vs. No. 12 New Mexico (26-2)
Kansas fans know how dangerous Villanova can be. Juniors Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter and Randy Foye each average more than 15 points a game and have the ability to shoot from the outside and attack the basket. New Mexico has played its best basketball since senior forward Danny Granger was back in the lineup. He averages 19 points a game.
The Gators are white-hot right now. Florida destroyed Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and is on a seven-game winning streak. Coach Billy
No. 4 Florida (23-7) vs. No. 13 Ohio (21-
10)
Wisconsin led the Big Ten in overall defense by holding opponents to 60 points a game. Northern Iowa will be a challenge in the first round because of its shooting ability. The Bobcats almost defeated Georgia Tech in the first round of last year's tournament.
No. 3 Kansas (23-6) vs. No. 14 Bucknell (22-9)
The Jayhawks have done everything but win it all the past three years. Kansas struggled, winning just three of its last eight games, but is now healthy with both junior forward Christian Moody and senior guard Keith Langford back in the lineup. Bucknell shouldn't be overlooked, though. The Bison play a solid zone defense and held two opponents to less than 40 points in the Patriot League Tournament.
No. 7 Charlotte (21-7) vs. No. 10 North Carolina State (19-13)
Charlotte ended the season with a three-game losing streak. They score only 80 points a game, but only had the 12th best defense in Conference USA. NC State struggled with injuries for most of the year, and the Wolfpack fell to a 10 seed.
No. 6 Wisconsin (22-8) vs. No. 11 Northern Iowa (21-10)
No. 2 Connecticut (22-7) vs. Central Florida (24-8)
Donovan led his team to the NCAA Championship Game in 1999, but has struggled to get out of the first round lately. Ohio hasn't been to the tournament in 11 years, but won the Mid-American Conference Tournament on a last-second shot.
Central Florida is one of the best shooting teams in the tournament (46.5 percent FG and 37.2 from three-point range) and is on an eight-game winning streak after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. The Huskies can shoot the ball and bang on the inside.
LAWRENCE AUTOMOTIVE DIAGNOSTICS
Edited by Lori Bettes
Gerry Broome/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
North Carolina forward Sean May jumps over Georgia Tech's Anthony McHenry in the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament game Saturday in Washington. May and guards Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants lead the nation's highest-scoring offense. The Tar Heels are the top seed in the Syracuse region of the NCAA Tournament.
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