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Volume 128 Issue 92
kansan.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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COMMENTARY
Big 12 Tournament is still wide open
This season, the Big 12 conference features the most competitive basketball in the country.
basketball in the country. The conference boasts the nation's top cumulative RPI, and five of its teams are ranked in the latest AP top 20 poll. With so many teams capable of winning the tournament, there is very little margin for error.
You could make a case that there are seven or eight teams that could win the tournament if they get hot," Kansas coach Bill Self told CBS DFW. "I don't think there are any other leagues in America with that type of balance"
In a conference where seemingly every game came down to the last minute, even the typically boring opening night should be exciting.
Texas, who was a preseason favorite to win the conference and a top-five team at one point, is relegated to playing on opening night. They will square off with Texas Tech, and Kansas State will face TCU.
Every team in the Big 12 has succeeded some this year Kansas State and Texas Tech are at the bottom of the conference standings, but they both have great conference wins. Kansas State knocked off Kansas, and Texas Tech defeated Iowa State.
Kansas has won 11 straight conference titles, but the Big 12 Tournament has seen much more parity in that same stretch. The Jayhawks have won the tournament six times, and there has been a different winner each of the last three seasons.
Baylor and West Virginia are both very capable of winning the tournament, and they are matched up in the quarterfinals as the fourth and fifth seed. Oklahoma State has two of the conference's top five scorers in Le'Bryan Nash and Phil Forte III.
The top six teams in the conference have very little margin for error, which should lead to a wild conference tournament.
It's unlikely that either team will win the conference tournament, but there are a lot of teams that can. In the final league standings, just two games separate the first through fifth place finishers in league play.
The layhawks are the No. 1 seed, and they proved last Saturday in Norman, Okla., that they can compete even if Perry Ellis is sidelineled. Oklahoma has a lot of momentum from that win heading into the tournament, and they are led by the conference's player of the year, Buddy Hield.
Edited by Victoria Kirk
Iowa State is the defending champion, and has been one of the best Big 12 teams this season.
Kansas drops another game at home
BLAIR SHEADE
@realblairsheady
The Kansas offense struggled against Central Michigan, and the Jayhawks recorded only six hits in the 8-2 loss to the Chippewas. Kansas coach Ritch Price said he didn't expect for Kansas to struggle like this.
"I'm as disappointed as I've ever been in my entire coaching career with the start that we've had," Price said. "One thing I just told our guys though is we're not going to quit, we're going to keep grinding, and see if we can figure it out and turn it around."
Kansas tied for its third worst hitting performance of the season on Tuesday. Price said this is very unlike his veteran offensive team. For instance, Price said senior outfielder Dakota Smith hit .388 batting average last season, and is hitting a career-low.153.
"You talk about quality at-bats, and the importance of taking the fastball away, and then working the counts and getting balls elevated in the strike zone," Price said. "We'll sit down with the video, and let them see for themselves. Keep trying to put some confidence in there so they can keep on getting better and have better at-bats, because if they don't hit we're not going to score."
The Jayhawks didn't have a base runner until the third inning, when they had two runners in scoring position. Central Michigan pitcher Adam Aldred, who went 5.1 innings and gave up one earned run, struck out the last two Kansas batters to finish the third.
After losing its 11th game of the season, and the third home game of the season. Price said he is disappointed
in the way the team has performed. He said Kansas needs to stop making costly mistakes.
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
Two of the miscues came from senior outfielder Connor McKay. When the Jayhawks were in striking distance, and McKay was on third in the bottom of the second. The biggest difference maker was when senior first baseman Blair Beck fled out to left field, McKay missed the timing on the tag, and CMU threw McKay out at third.
BEN LIPPUTWITZ/KANSAN Junior pitcher Hayden Edwards attempts to throw out the base runner on first base in the game against Central Michigan on Tuesday. The Jayhawks fell to the Chippewas for their third home loss of the season.
"He just made a really bad base-running play," Price said. "One of the things we talked about down the line was in professional or college baseball you make sure the catch is made before you run, and if they throw you out at home you tip your cap to the guy."
The following inning, McKay misplayed a fly ball in left field and dropped it — the runner eventually scored and CMU took a 5-0 lead. McKay said he was still disappointed about the base running error and wasn't thinking in the outfield.
"I just got crossed up," McKay said. "It was one of those things where I was still kind of dwelling on the play before, the base running error at third. You can't play baseball like that. I got to leave it in the dugout, grab my glove, head back out there and play good defense."
After Central Michigan gained the lead, the
The Chippewas took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning after junior first baseman Zack Fields, who was playing his first game of the season against the Jayhawks, scored freshman shortstop Zach McKinstry on a two-run double. CMU sophomore outfielder Alex Borglin scored Fields the next at-bat.
Chippewas pitching staff secured the lead.
UP NEXT:
The Jayhawks stay home for a three-game series against Big 10 conference foes Michigan.
The Wolverines are 10-6 and are coming off a 2-0 loss against Akron. Price said Michigan is a really talented team.
"[Michigan] had two really good recruiting classes in-a-row," Price said. "They'll be athletic, they're picked to be in the top four teams in the Big 10, so they're coming and playing well — just like Central Michigan."
Edited by Vicky Diaz-
Carnacho
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
A Kansas runner reaches first base. The Jayhawks played against Central Michigan on Tuesday at Hoglund Ballpark. Kansas lost 8-2.
Big 12 Championship begins tonight in KC
BEN FELDERSTEIN
@Ben_Felderstein
KANSAS STATE VS. TCU
This game matches up the eighth and ninth seeds of the Big 12 tournament with the winner advancing to play Kansas in the second round. TCU comes into the match with a 4-14 conference record while the Wildcats post an 8-10 conference record.
K-State ended the season losing three of its last five games, including a home victory against Iowa State. The Wildcats have been a force against competitors at
nome this season, losing only four games as opposed to their 12 victories.
The Wildcats are 2-2 on neutral courts this season, including a close four-point loss against Arizona early in the season. Guard Marcus Foster led the Wildcats in scoring on the season with 12.9 points per game. Nino Williams led Kansas State with 5.2 rebounds while both averaged a little over 11 points per game.
TCU dropped four of its final five games this season, two of which by 12 or more points. TCU won both of
The Horned Frogs played better than their record suggests this season as they rank amongst the top of the Big 12 in scoring defense. Kyan Anderson led TCU with 13.6 points per game on the season with a team high 40 steals.
its neutral court games including a victory over Mississippi State.
TEXAS VS. TEXAS TECH
In a game featuring both teams from Texas, the Longhorns will look to prove why so many people picked them to win the Big 12 at
the start of the season. The winner of this game will go on to face Iowa State. The Longhorns finished 8-10 in the conference, and the Red Raiders posted a 3-15 record in Big 12 play.
Texas won its last two games of the season after dropping its previous four straight.
freshman Myles Turner was recently named Big 12 Player of the Year and will look to have a solid March to improve his NBA prospect. Turner averaged 10.8 points per game and led the Longhorns with 87 blocks on the season.
JERRY LARSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Devaugntah Williams led the Red Raiders in scoring with 10.6 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting. No player on Texas Tech's roster averaged more than five rebounds per game as Zach Smith led the way with five boards per contest.
Baylor forward Taurean Prince drives against Texas Tech forward Norense Odiase in the second half of an NCAA basketball game March 6 in Wnco, Texas. Baylor won 77-74. Texas Tech will take on Texas in the first round of the Big 12 Championship.
Texas Tech brought up the rear in the Big 12 this season dropping seven of its last eight games. Tech fell to Oklahoma at home in overtime by only four points.
Edited by Garrett Long
MIKE STONE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
TCU guard Trey Zeigler shoots as Iowa State guard Georges Niang and forward Jameel McKay defend during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game March 7 in Fort Worth. Texas. TCU will play Kansas State tonight in the first round of the Big 12 Championship.
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