Volume 128 Issue 98
Monday, March 30, 2015
kansan.com
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FACE OF THE STREAK
KANSAN SPORTS STAFF @KansanSports
The men's basketball team, led by coach Bill Self, has won at least a share of the regular season conference title for 11 years in a row. Throughout Kansas' absurd streak, a variety of personalities and playing styles has led the Jayhawks to Big 12 glory.
From one-and-dones to fifth-year seniors, and everyone in between, more than 70 players have contributed to the team's (more than) decade of dominance.
The University Daily Kansan wants to know: Of this impressive group of Jayhawks, who have fans enjoyed watching the most? Who is the Face of the Streak?
We decided to put that to the test.
After looking through the 11 rosters, we created a bracket consisting of what we believe are the 32 top players since the 2004-05 season. We know a lot of players are responsible for Kansas' conference crowns, but we narrowed it down for the sake of time.
Beginning on Tuesday, March 31, one matchup of two players will take center stage each day, leading up to the eventual reveal of the ultimate fan favorite on Thursday, April 30. Each matchup will include an online poll that will determine who moves on to the next round. The polls will be active for 24 hours,
You can view the entire bracket on Kansan.com.
beginning and ending at noon each day.
down memory lane.
To help you decide who should advance, we will include some of each player's biggest accomplishments and most noteworthy stats, along with video highlights of his most memorable moment(s). We hope you enjoy this stroll
More than anything, we hope this will serve as a reminder of all the talented players you've seen in Jayhawk uniforms on television or inperson over the last 11 years. Players who have contributed to one of the most impressive conference streaks in the history of college basketball.
Edited by Brian Hillix
No.22 Jayhawks suffer weekend sweep from Longhorns
DEREK SKILLETT
@derek_skillett
Well, it can't get much worse than the past weekend for Kansas softball. Entering the weekend on a 10-game winning streak, the No. 22 Jayhawks looked to make a statement to start Big 12 conference play against Texas. Instead, the Longhorns soundly swept them. The Jayhawks began the weekend by falling to Texas in a 6-0 shutout. On Saturday, Kansas couldn't keep up with a powerful Texas offense, falling by a score of 11-5. On Sunday, they failed to avoid a sweep, losing by a score of 7-5.
KANSAS' LATE-INNING RALLY CUT SHORT BY LONGHORNS
After struggling to string runs together against Texas in Friday and Saturday's losses, the Jayhawks exploded for 11 hits and five runs. All five of the runs that Kansas scored came off of home runs.
"We were all about winning innings today and we really only won two, so that's not going to be enough to win the game," Kansas coach Megan Smith said. "Lily (Behrmann) coming through that first inning was big because we had struggled in the
first inning the first two games. We had a lot of home runs, but no one was on base when we hit them, which is why we couldn't pull it out."
Freshman Daniela Chavez led the Jayhawks with three hits, two of which were home runs, two runs scored and two RBIs. Sophomore Lily Behrmann got the scoring started for the Jayhawks in the first inning with a home run. Senior Chanin Naudin also got in on the action with a home run of her own. Naudin finished with two hits.
"It's just timely hitting," Naudin said. "We were seeing the ball well and maybe they didn't come up when we had runners on base, but we were hitting the ball well."
The Jayhawks recorded five home runs in the series finale, one shy of tying a Kansas singlegame record.
Keeping with the theme of the weekend, the Jayhawks' pitching staff struggled against Texas, allowing 14 hits in the game. Sophomore Sophia Templein started the game, but was pulled after allowing four runs through the first three innings. Senior Alicia Pille replaced Templein and played out the rest of the game, striking out four batters.
JAYHAWKS SWEPT BY TEXAS
"I think it's a little bit of both (Texas' good offense and mental struggles contributing to pitching struggles). You obviously have to give credit to Texas for getting as many hits as they did this weekend, but I also think that our pitching staff had the worst weekend they've had all year," Smith said. "You can't show up for your first conference series and have your worst weekend. That's what we pretty much did."
It was a rough weekend for Kansas softball. After sweeping through a tough nonconference schedule, the Jayhawks appeared to be prepared to make some noise in conference play. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as a powerful Texas offense picked apart the Jayhawks all weekend.
The Jayhawks' pitching staff particularly struggled, allowing Texas to rack up 35 hits over the three weekend games.
Up next, the Jayhawks will head to Stillwater, Okla. for a weekend series against Oklahoma State on Thursday at 6 p.m.The Jayhawks will not return to Arrocha Ballpark until April 22.
Edited by Yu Kyung Lee
TI
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
Sophomore right fielder Lily Behrmann keeps her eye on the ball while up to bat at Arrocha Ballpark against Texas. The Jayhawks lost the first game of the series 6-0.
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