SPORTS
2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
Editor's Note: The men's basketball times are valid as long as the Jayhawks advance in the Big 12 Conference Tournament
TOMORROW
- Softball vs. Louisville, 1 p.m., Arrocha,
Ballpark
Softball vs. Southwest Missouri State, 3
◆ Baseball vs. North Dakota State, 3 p.m., Hogland Ballpark
- Women's golf at Texas, all day, Austin, Texas
- Men's basketball vs. TBA, 6 p.m., Kansas City, Mo.
Baseball vs. North Dakota State, 1 p.m., Hootund Ballpark
♦ Diving. at NCAA Zone Qualifier, all day,
College Station, Texas
SATURDAY
- Men's basketball vs. TBA, 3:20 p.m., Kansas City, Mo.
♦ Softball vs. Louisville, 11 a.m., Arrocha Ballnark
♦ Softball vs. Southwest Missouri State, 1 p.m., Arrocha Ballpark
- Track at Arkansas, all day, Fayetteville. Ark.
* Women's golf at Texas, all day, Austin, Texas
SUNDAY
◆ Baseball vs. North Dakota State, 1 p.m.
Honduland Balloon
Diving at NCAA Zone Qualifier, all day,
cruise, training. Tours
- Men's basketball vs. TBA, 2 p.m., Kansas City, Mo.
- ♦ Softball vs. Louisville, 11 a.m., Arrocha
Ballistics
- Women's golf at Texas, all day, Austin, Texas
INTRAMURAL SCORES
TUESDAY
TUESDAY
BASKETBALL
BASKETBALL
◆ Men's open second round:
Phi Slamma Jamma def. A6 83-49
Vermont St. Generals def. Team Slack 50-34
Ligerhawks def. Milk was a bad Choice 42-36
Servers def. Go Macedonia 58-22
Below the Rim def. ACE 47-29
Inferno def. Blue Barracudas 73-34
Team Mariokart def. Falcons 78-49
♦ Men's greek second round:
DU1 def. Sigma Chi 2          49-38
Phi Delt A-2 def. LCA-2       45-40
♦ Men's residence hall second round:
Blake's Team def Hoof Hearted 61-44
K-Unit def. Amini Allstars 60-48
♦ Women's open second round:
Lady Jayhawks def. Douthart 86-4
♦ CoRec second round:
Salt Dawgs def. Savages 72-63
The Missionaries def. Karate Explosion 40-31
White Unit def. Blue Jets 76-54
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Royals owe victory to pitchers
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Jose Lima pitched out of trouble in each of his three innings to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Seattle Mariners 6-0 yesterday.
Lima, the Royals' only significant free-agent signee this offseason, gave up five singles and walked three. Lima used double plays in the first and third innings to stop Seattle rallies.
The Mariners loaded the bases with one out in the second, but Lima struck out Jamal Strong and retired ichiro Suzuki on a grounder to first baseman Mike Sweeney to end the inning.
"I got the bases loaded, but that didn't bother me," Lima said. "I'm a better pitcher when I'm in trouble."
Rookie right-hander Denny Bautista replaced Lima and limited the Mariners to one hit over three innings while striking out four.
The Royals sent eight men to the plate in a four-run first off Mariners rookie right-hander Felix Hernandez. Two of the runs were unearned after first baseman Richie Sexson made an error, the first of four Seattle miscues.
Angel Berroa, the 2003 AL Rookie of the Year, led the Royals with three hits — two doubles — two RBIs and two runs scored.
The Associated Press
Kemper's last stand for Big 12
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Some coaches like Kansas City best while others prefer rotating locations
BY KELLI ROBINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a twoyear vacation, the Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament returns to Kansas City. Mo., today.
Kemper Arena used to play host to the Big Eight Men's Basketball Tournament, but when Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor joined the league, southern division teams lobbed for the tournament site to be moved.
Kansas City held the first six Big 12 Tournaments, but then it was moved to American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
"We are excited to be back in Kansas City." Nebraska coach Barry Collier said. "Not only for Husker fans, but for the people in Kansas City as well. The people here put on a great tournament and provide a great atmosphere for our athletes."
With the tournament back in northern territory, coaches and players used media day yesterday to voice their opinions on where the tournament should be held in the future.
The atmosphere that Kemper Arena provides is unique. History and tradition run through every room in the stadium.
Both the men's and women's Final
Fours have been held here, and so have countless NCAA regional and sub-regional tournaments.
It used to be home to the Kansas City Kings, of the NBA, and the Kansas City Scouts, of the NHL.
Fans have traveled from all across the country to watch games here, and players always seem to be greeted with open arms.
"Kansas City has always put on one of the best tournaments in the country." Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie said. "The hospitality is unmatched."
Gillispie said his only previous trip to Kemper Arena came as an assistant coach at Baylor, and his greatest regret was only getting to stay for a day. The Bears lost their opening round game that year.
Iowa State senior forward Jared Homan agreed with Gillispie, because Iowa State fans come to Kansas City in droves, but only a few showed up in Dallas.
"It's a great place to play," he said. "Especially if you're an Iowa Stater. We travel very well to this venue since we are so close."
If fan support were the only thing that went into selecting a host site, Kansas City might win every year, but that simply isn't the case.
The Big 12 championship football game rotates venues, and a number of
After serving as the site of the first six Big 12 Conference tournaments, Kemper Arena will play host to its seventh and last Big 12 tournament starting today. Though a new arena in Kansas City, Mo., may bring the tournament back to the city, the teams will meet elsewhere for the next two years.
TOURNAMENT SITES
1997 Kansas City, Mo.
1998 Kansas City, Mo.
1999 Kansas City, Mo.
2000 Kansas City, Mo.
2001 Kansas City, Mo.
2002 Kansas City, Mo.
2003 Dallas
2004 Dallas
2005 Kansas City, Mo.
*2006 Dallas
*2007 Oklahoma City
Source: Biq 12 Conference
*The conference has committed to these sites
cities want a piece of the Big 12 Tournament, like they do the football championship game.
"I think Dallas, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Kansas City would all be very good sites," Gillispie said. "You'd always like it to be close to home, but not everyone is always going to be happy with the placement."
Another reason the tournament was moved away from Kansas City is because Kemper Arena has become old and outdated.
The outer concourse is too narrow and concession stand lines are always backed up. Birds always seem to be flying around the top of the stadium, and the atmosphere outside the arena does not compete with Dallas' West End district.
The NCAA said it would no longer hold a sub-regional event in Kemper Arena, and the Big 12 Tournament is already committed to Dallas in 2006 and Oklahoma City in 2007.
To solve this problem, Kansas City plans to build Sprint Arena, which will be a state-of-the-art facility located in the heart of downtown.
Rumors have spread that once Sprint Arena is completed, the Big 12 Tournament will return to Kansas City for good.
"The state of Texas did a great job with the tournament the last couple of years," Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said. "But I think Kansas City is the home of the Big 12 tournament."
Only time will tell if that kind of talks turns out to be a reality, but most coaches are in favor of moving the tournament site each year.
"I think the way it has rotated so far has worked," Gillispie said. "There's really no reason to mess with it."
— Edited by John Scheirman
TENNIS
Tennis team sees Nebraska as challenge Huskers record intimidates despite last year's Hawk victory
BY RAHUL SHARMA
rsharma@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The Cornhuskers will enter the match ranked 38th in the country, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The Kansas tennis team, which is 2-7 overall, 1-1 Big 12 Conference, will face Nebraska, with a 12-2 overall, 3-2 Big 12 record, at noon Saturday at the Robinson courts in Lawrence.
If the Jayhawks hope to establish any sort of success this weekend, they will need the help of emerging doubles star Ashley Filberth.
"It is all up to us willing to stay out there for five hours," Filberth, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore, said. "To beat a team like Nebraska, we are going to have to have focus throughout the entire match."
One advantage that rests in favor for the Jayhawks this weekend. is the most recent meeting between both schools, which saw Kansas coming out victorious last spring.
But Kansas has lost seven of its last eight matches.
After losing seven straight matches, the Jayhawks ended their dry spell with a victory against Iowa State Saturday.
"The way we won was a step in the right direction," Filberth said. "Even though we lost to
In fact, the Jayhawks were flawless, winning every match.
iowa the next day, there is no feel of defeat in us."
Before the victory in Ames, Iowa, last week, the team held a meeting.
"We got our thoughts in order and we're all in a much better mind frame now," Filberth said.
Kansas has won two of the last three doubles points, with victories against Utah and Iowa State.
Filberth has vastly improved the level of her game, especially in doubles, assistant coach Frank Polito said. "She is one of our best doubles players on our team," he said.
Polito said he commended Filberth on her movement on the court and her shot selection.
But Filberth is very open about the improvements she needs to make to be a more effective player.
In doubles, Filberth and junior Christine Skoda are 4-2 this year, including a victory against No.13 Texas.
"Something I need to work on is playing more offensive," Filberth said. "Sometimes I'm too defensive. I need to dictate points better."
Filberth said she attributed her serves and volleys strengths in her doubles game.
Filberth's versatility has added to her overall presence on the team. As a freshman,
"I feel more confident up at the net than I do at the baseline." Filberth said.
"We got our thoughts in order,and we're all in a much better mind frame now."
Ashley Filberth
Sophomore tennis player
.
Filberth experienced the transition of competing in college.
Having made a huge impact already in doubles. Filberth is constantly making strides and is gradually becoming more aggressive.
And that's exactly what Polito wants from the players, he said.
"We need to play a more aggressive style," Polito said. "We need to finish points at the net."
On Saturday, Kansas will be tested throughout the day against a talented Nebraska squad.
"Last year, we beat them," Filberth said. "I think we are ready for the challenge. We are looking forward to it."
The match against Nebraska will mark the first match of the season at the Robinson courts.
- Edited by John Scheirman
Contributed Photo
Ashley Filberth, sophomore tennis player, lunges to make a shot. The Kansas City native specializes in doubles play, and coach Frank Polito said her biggest strengths were agility and shot selection. The Kansas tennis team will face Nebraska at noon Saturday. The Jayhawks defeated the Cornhuskers when they met last spring.
The University of Kansas Department of Theatre and Film University Theatre
Presents
the Pulitzer
Prize-winning
comedy
a madcap and merry look at a demented family as hilarious as they are unconventional
Reserved seat tickets are on sale in the KU ticket Office, University Theatre, 864-3928, and Lied Center, 864-AIRS, and on-line at kutchethome.com; public $6, senior $10, student $15, and students $1.0, both VISA and Mastercard are accepted for phone orders.
This production is partially funded by the KU Student Senate Activity Fee; funding is also provided by the Kansas Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a national agency.
You Can't Take It with You
by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Directed by Kim Hines, guest artist
Directed by Kim Hines, guest artist
7:30 p.m.
March 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 2005
2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 6, 2005
Crafton-Preyer Theatre
immediately following the performance Friday, March 4.
Please join us for a talkback with the director end cast members immediately following the performance Friday, March 4. You Can Tikke With it you is a featured event of the 2005 New Literature Conference sponsored jointly by the American Theatre and Library.
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