Volume 128 Issue 96
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
kansan.com
MORNING BREW
COMMENTARY Big 12:The big losers of the Big Dance
Michigan State. West Virginia ia will face the heavy favorite to win it all, Kentucky, who is en route to the first 40-0 season in college basketball history.
The Big 12 has been proclaimed as the best basketball conference all year long. Evidence supported this, because it had the best RPI in the country.
No pressure. But what's at stake? Perhaps just the credibility of the conference.
9-12. That is the combined record by the Big 12 in the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Tournaments.
5-5. That is the record of the Big 12 in this year's tournament, with only two of the seven teams remaining.
The conference sent more teams than any other conference in the country to the Big Dance.
In order to avoid the third consecutive season where the Big 12 posts a losing record in the tournament, someone must make an improbable final four run.
Oklahoma will face a seven seed with a rich tradition of tournament success in the Sweet 16.
Edited by Victoria Kirk
Kansas a two seed, three number three seeds (Iowa State, Baylor, and Oklahoma), West Virginia a four. Only Oklahoma State (9) and Texas (11) were ranked a lower seed.
Big 12 fans can argue until they are blue in the face, but at the end of the day, the numbers are what they are until the Big 12 proves otherwise.
But to me, the best conference in basketball is about who has the most elite teams. The ACC fits the bill, with a tourney best of five sweet 16 teams, and an impressive 11-1 record in the tournament thus far.
So why are there only two teams playing in the second weekend? The answer: March Madness.
But when it's an every year routine to have Big 12 teams booted out of the Big Dance early, the mayhem of March stops being a valid excuse—especially when the conference claims to be the best. The Big 12 is certainly the deepest conference in the country. If that's how you determine what qualifies as the best conference, then the Big 12 is still king.
UAB froze the red hot Cyclones coming off a Big 12 tournament championship on day one, with a 60-59 victory.
Georgia State's R.J. Hunter drilled a game winner from another zip code against Baylor, forcing his father/coach to fall off his stool in disbelief.
Of course, this is March Madness and anything can happen. That's why we love the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas was thumped out in the first weekend for the second consecutive year, but this time, off a shocking defeat from in-state foe Wichita State.
Senior first baseman Blair Beck tags a man out at first base against Central Michigan on March 10. Kansas lost its third straight game yesterday against Missouri State 15-9
Jayhawks lose before conference play
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
Kansas baseball dropped its third straight game Tuesday night after Missouri State bested the jayhawks in an offensive battle 15-9.
The Jayhawks sparked early in the first inning, with three quick runs, including a two RBI double by senior Blair Beck. However, when the Bears responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own, the score evened up quicker than the Jayhawks would have liked.
It was apparent that offense
would be the theme of the day early in the game. The Jayhawks' Michael Tinsley put three more on the board with a three RBI double to right-field, making the score 6-3 in just an inning and a half.
After a monster performance to start the game, the runs would slow down but by no means come to a halt.
The Bears earned a single run in the bottom of the third, bringing them within two runs, and both teams would add on two apiece in the fourth inning, which featured a two-run bomb to right field by Missouri State's Matt Fultz.
The fifth inning was very
active, but didn't go well for the Jayhawks. After loading the bases due to a series of walks, the Jayhawks were unable to capitalize on the opportunity and failed to bring in any runs.
The same cannot be said for the Bears.
Although the Bears only racked up two hits in the bottom of the fifth, they utilized walks and took advantage of an error to tally on four runs to put them up 10-8.
After another scoreless jayhawks inning, the Bears carried their magic over to the bottom of the fifth. Tate
Matheny joined Fultz and crushed another two run homer to right field. After adding on three more runs, the Jayhawks were finally able to bring the inning to an end after a six hit, five run performance.
The Jayhawks were down seven runs with only three innings to salvage a comeback, but they could not conjure up their own magic. They were only able to score one run throughout the rest of the night, dropping the game to the Bears 9-15.
As the Jayhawks get set to begin Big 12 play, a loss was not the ideal outcome. But the
performance by the layhawks' batters gives the team some needed encouragement.
Tinsley and Beck each shined, earning three RBI's against the Bears as they led the team for the season with 19 and 20 respectively. Colby Wright also extended his unique NCAA leading statistic of being hit by a pitch for the 13th time this year.
The Jayhawks will travel to Lubbock, Texas to begin Big 12 conference play on Friday as they take on Texas Tech in a three-game weekend series.
Edited by Garrett Long
First spring football practice implements Beaty's fast-paced offense, competition
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@HardyNFL
If you heard music echoing through Jayhawk Boulevard during the rainy evening on Tuesday, it wasn't coming from any classes. That noise was football ringing through the campus once again, but this time, with a new coach.
The David Beaty era officially began with the first spring practice of the semester, which featured fastpaced drills, a short weather delay, competition, and, of course, blaring music from a single speaker sporting the Jayhawk logo.
"It's been a long time coming since December 5," Beaty said of his wait to get on the field since he was hired as head coach. "I've got to do a lot of fun things since I've gotten this job, but today was by far the funnest."
As for the music, it's a lot more for Beaty than just keeping his players excited and keeping their blood flowing. It's Beaty trying to give his team a jump on Big
12 competition.
"We communicate nonverbally; we do it in the weight room, we do it everywhere we go," Beaty said. "We know that we have to operate on tempo, particularly within this conference, and that people do it in loud environments. We're not going to wait until Thursday before the game to play crowd noise. We're going to do it every single day. Details matter."
"Tempo" is going to be a signature of the Jayhawks during the Beaty era, and a word that will be heard over and over again. The Jayhawks ran 94 plays in 44 minutes (2.1 per minute) of 11-on-11 in the team's first practice of the year, a number that impressed Beaty but didn't quite satisfy him.
"Tempo is very important to us," Beaty said. "It's a characteristic that we're going to possess on offense and defense. Wed like to get more in in a shorter period of time, but that's not a bad start. Execution wise, we value accurate execution, and we
With over 80 guys currently on the squad, the rotations during 11-on-11 were constant. Five quarterbacks took at least one snap during 11-on-11 drills, as well as
certainly didn't have all of that today."
"You don't keep good coaches if you try to coach over them. Those guys are really good. I'm going to let them do their job."
DAVID BEATY Kansas football coach
another five running backs.
As for the first team offense, it was Michael Cummings under-center. But that doesn't mean Beaty has a depth chart set in stone; it was only a testament to Cummings' offseason workout testing. Beaty said.
"They're entitled to nothing, and they have to earn everything. They've bought into that," Beaty said. "Don't
read too much into it, because we need to get in there and watch that video today. One day does not make a man. It's one day after another after another. We've heard about some guys, but we need to learn it for ourselves."
On Beaty's first day as a college football head coach, he was forced to watch with a less hands-on approach during position drills. But he hired his position coaches for a reason, and he's working on learning his role in his new job.
"My job has changed a lot, it's shifted, really." Beaty said. "You don't keep good coaches if you try to coach over them. Those guys are really good. I'm going to let them do their job."
When it comes time,it'll be not only Beaty, but also the position coaches deciding who starts on Saturdays. But the quarterback contest could come all the way down to the day of the first game,he said, and he didn't rule out anyone, even giving TJ.Millweard a hat-tip for his intelligence.
As for injuries, Beaty said the team is relatively healthy, but some players are still dealing with surgeries. Redshirt senior running back Taylor Cox was out on the practice field for the first time since tearing his Achilles early last season, and Beaty said he's "doing OK".
"Just about all of it will be [up to the position coaches]," Beaty said. "When it comes to the quarterback, coach Likens and I will make that decision together. It'll be a joint venture, and it'll be a team venture. When we make that decision, it will be a one man deal. We will not rotate quarterbacks."
Though none are serious, many of other Jayhawks are also coming off shoulder surgeries — sophomore linebacker Joe Dineen, Jr., sophomore running back Corey Avery, sophomore offensive lineman Joe Gibson, junior offensive lineman Will Smith and sophomore cornerback Colin Spencer.
Edited by Victoria Kirk