SPORTS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11. 2005
PAGE 1B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FOR THE WEEKEND
JOE BANT
jbant@kansan.com
Jayhawks dominate rivals across the board
The K-Staters really thought they had it this time. They could practically taste victory, could already see themselves flooding the court in Bramlage Coliseum with a sea of purple and silver pride. No more streak, a year's reprieve from the snake jokes about Allen Fieldhouse West, the end of 21 years of home court futility.
Of course, Kansas State fans think that every year when their men's basketball team plays Kansas at home. It's the fan's delusion. But this year, in particular, was supposed to be different. Kansas had ended its own 11-game losing streak against its Manhattan rivals last fall when the Kansas football team beat the Wildcats 31-28. Wednesday night was going to be comeuppance time.
But then, the game started and with senior forward Wayne Simien's 23 points, senior guard Keith Langford's 24 and sophomore guard J.R. Giddens' 18, the Jayhawks never trailed in the tight contest and were victorious once more. Long live the streak.
Actually, Kansas' so-called rivalries haven't really looked much like rivalries as of late. The men's basketball victory over K-State is nothing new, but even Missouri, which traditionally plays better on the court against Kansas, has only beaten Kansas one time in its last nine attempts. Granted, many of those games have been close, including the most recent nail-biter that saw Kansas climb back from an 11-point second-half deficit, but 1-9 is still 1-9. And Missouri seems to be getting worse, not better from four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999-2002 to the NIT Tournament last year and a 10-13 record so far this year.
Then there's football. It seems like only yesterday that former Kansas football coach Terry Allen was roaming the sidelines, and the only drama the season promised was the battle between Kansas and Baylor for worst team in the Big 12. But this year, Kansas swept both its rivals, Missouri and Kansas State. The Missouri game, played in Columbia, wasn't even close. Kansas got out to a 28-0 lead before Missouri was even able to score.
While Kansas definitely appears to be a team on the upswing, it's not exactly clear what direction Missouri and Kansas State are headed in. Neither team lacked talent last season. The Wildcats had a true preseason Heisman candidate in senior running back Darren Sproles. The Tigers had their own highly touted star in junior quarterback Brad Smith. Both teams were picked to finish high in the standings: The Associated Press ranked K-State 12th in the country to start the season and Missouri 18th. Yet both teams ended in losing seasons.
Obviously football and men's basketball are the glamour sports of the NCAA, but the Jayhawks' recent success against their rivals doesn't end there. The Wildcats rate among the best in the Big 12 in women's basketball and have, at least so far, proven a little too tough for coach Bonnie Hendrickson's Jayhawks. But the Jayhawks have
SEE BANT ON PAGE 8B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Buffs come to town
Kansas, Colorado square off in tomorrow's game
BY KELIS ROBINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
When Colorado lost at Baylor last month, it owned the Big 12 Conference's worst record at 0-4.
The Buffaloes' season appeared to be lost at that point, but Colorado coach Ricardo Patton has guided his team to four conference victories since.
Colorado's improved play began with back-to-back two-point victories against Iowa State and Missouri. The team gained confidence, and despite losses to Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, it recently defeated Kansas State and Texas and owns a two-game winning streak.
The string of victories is even more impressive when considering that two of them were on the road.
"It's kind of worked out that way that we've had success on the road." Colorado assistant coach Paul Graham said. "We just tell our guys it's going to be a fun game and we have to stick together because we're the enemy."
The main area in which Colorado has improved has been putting points on the board. The Buffaloes have scored at least 86 points in each of its last four games. In a loss at Texas Tech, Colorado scored 61 points in a single half.
One of the reasons it took Colorado (12-9, 4-6 Big 12) so long to start playing well was because last year the team relied on the play of Michel Morandais and David Harrison. Both players averaged more than 16 points a game, and adjusting to life without their two departed stars was difficult. Graham said.
"The returning players on our team didn't play many minutes last year," Graham said. "Now these guys are beginning to play and understand Ricardo Patton's system. They know how hard you have to play and things you have to do now."
Freshman guard Richard Roby is one of the Colorado players that have made a difference in the team's turnaround. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game, and was named last week's Big 12 rookie of the
SEE COLORADO ON PAGE 8B
Wayne Simien, senior forward, battles for a rebound against Kansas State's justin Williams, senior forward during the first half of Wednesday's game. Simien led the team in rebounds with 13.
Courtney Kuhlen/KANSAN
GOLF
Team heats up in Hawaii
The Kansas men's golf team got off to a hot start at the Taylor Made/Waikolooa Intercollegiate Golf Tournament in Hilo, Hawaii on Wednesday.
The team concluded the first round of play in a tie for fourth in a difficult 21-team field.
The Jawahays recorded a 272 first round total on the Waikoloa Village Course, which left them deadlocked with Washington, and conference foe Colorado.
Oklahoma State finished the first-round standing alone in the lead with a team total of 264. The Cowboys were led by Tyler Leon, who shot a 64. Leon finished the round tied for 1st.
Docking
Southern California finished the day in second, coming in just one stroke behind the tournament-leading Oklahoma State with a team score of 265. Augusta State finished the day in third, with a
total team score of 270.
Kansas sophomore Tyler Docking shot a 64, placing him in a three-way tie for first with Leon and Augusta State's Emmett Turner, at the end of the first round. The round score of 64 that Docking carded, ties
The round score of 64 that Docking carded ties for the second-lowest round in Kansas golf history.
for the second-lowest round in Kansas golf history.
As for the other Jayhawks, senior Kevin Ward finished the round with score of 68, senior Andrew Price finished one stroke behind Ward with a score of 69, senior Pete Krsnich fired a 71 and sophomore Gary
Woodland and rounded out the Jayhawks with a total score of 73.
Coach Ross Randall said his team played well on Wednesday. There would be no way to judge the team's progress without an actual tournament he said
Ward
The Jayhawks are ahead of some of the premier golfing programs in the country, including Arizona State, UCLA and Stanford.
— Tim Hall
BASEBALL
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
To be the best, you have to beat the best.
Kansas to face fifth-ranked Stanford
The Jayhawks (6-0) will send sophomore Sean Land to the mound in search of his first victory of the season. Stanford (4-2) will counter with junior left-hander Mark Romanczuk. Land started the second game against Hawaii-Hilo last weekend and came away with a no-decision. Romanczuk is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA on the season.
Kansas will put that adage to the test when it takes on perennial powerhouse Stanford at 7 tonight in its first of three games in Palo Alto, Calif.
Stanford enters the weekend ranked fifth in the nation by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and sixth by *Baseball America* and *Collegiate Baseball*. Stanford is coming off a weekend series at third-ranked Cal State-Fullerton in which it lost two of three. Junior second baseman Jed Lowry is pacing the Cardinal offense with a .375 batting average, three home runs and 1 RBI.
Last season, Kansas and Stanford
Kansas is making the trip to California on a high note. In sweeping Hawaii-Hilo in six games, the Jayhawks posted a 1.50 team ERA and scored 56 runs. More impressively, the Jayhawk's starting pitching gave up only two earned runs in 35 2/3 innings.
An interesting side note on the series involves KU junior pitcher Kodiak Quick. Quick transferred from Stanford at the end of last season, and Price and Stanford coach Mark Marquess agreed that Quick would not pitch against his former team, citing a "gentlemen's agreement."
met for the first time in history, and the Cardinal swept the series. Despite the lopsided outcome, Kansas led late in two of the three games before letting them slip away Coach Rich Price said he hoped to avoid the same fate this weekend with the help of junior right-hander Don Czvz.
"Closing games at the end has been a problem for us the last couple of years," Price said. "Hopefully now we can go to Czyz, and that won't happen."
"Coach Marquess is one of my best friends in baseball." Price said. "One of the things that you do when someone switches schools is agree not to play them against their old coach." Quick, who picked up a win against the Jayhawks last year, understands the situation.
On Saturday, junior right-hander Clint Schambach (1-0, 0.00) will start for the Jayhawks against junior Jeff Gilmore (1-0, 2.25). Sunday's match-up will feature Kansas senior left-hander Mike Zagurski (1-0, 0.00).
"When my coach released me, that was the agreement." Quick said. "I'm a little disappointed that I won't get to face them, but it will be a good trip."
— Edited by Azita Tafreshi
BASEBALL ON THE ROAD
Kansas (6-0) vs. Stanford (4-2)
Palo Alto, Calif.
Sunken Diamond Stadium
- Tonight Sean Land (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Mark Romanzcuk (1-1, 4.22 ERA)
- Tomorrow
Clint Schambach (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Jeff
Gilmore (1-0, 2.25 ERA)
Sunday Mike Zagurski (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA
Source: KU Athletics Department