Volume 128 Issue 91
kansan.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
10E UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Conference strength led Kansas to Big 12 title
A all good things must come to end. This is the year it
This is the year it will come to an end. It has to
will come to an end. It has to Everyone associated with Kansas basketball heard the noise as the 2014-15 season began.
This was the year that the beloved conference streak would ultimately come to an end.
Just last week, an improbable comeback on Senior Night over West Virginia helped Kansas win outright in front of thousands of adoring fans in Allen Fieldhouse.
It couldn't be done, they said. The conference was too strong, they said.
Bill Self had the last laugh because the conference strength is exactly what helped Kansas win the Big 12
But let's backtrack to the beginning of the season and the claims that the conference was simply too strong for the Jayhawks to clinch another title.
Before the season, many experts picked Texas to bully Kansas from the top with its super-sized frontcourt. Self even considered the Longhorns the favorite before the season. But Texas finished seventh in the conference.
The veteran-heavy Cyclones, led by Fred Hoiberg, the only coach in the conference within arms reach of reigning king Self, was also supposed to have a shot. Hoiberg's squad lost two consecutive games to Baylor and Kansas State, at a time when it controlled its own destiny to win the conference.
West Virginia saw an 18-point lead vanish against the Jayhawks, without Kansas making a shot beyond the arc. The complete meltdown demoralized the Mountaineers, and ruined any hopes they may have had at a share conference title.
So many teams had a shot, but it was Kansas, again.
but it was Kansas, again. But it was because this conference was so good that the Jayhawks were able to win it in a year in which they weren't that good. A record of 13-5 was good enough to win the Big 12, which is incredible considering how tough the conference is.
Nine of those wins came from the confines of Allen Fieldhouse, which means the recipe to dethrone the Jayhawks is to be perfect at home. No other team, not even Iowa State with Hilton Magic, could be perfect at home.
Kansas won this conference outright with a losing conference road record. No team in the Big 12 had a winning conference record on the road
Had this year been a year in which the Big 12 had just three or four good teams, Kansas may have had the streak snapped. But the depth of the league benefited the less-talented jayhawks.
It was supposed to end this year, they said. It did not.
Edited by Miranda Davis
KC ROYALS
Jayhawks stay home to take on Chippewas
Infieldier Blair Beck tags out a Utah runner early in Friday's game. Kansas defeated Utah 7-5, beginning the three-game series that ended Sunday.
KYLAN WHITMER
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
@KRWhitmer
The Jayhawks will waste no time getting back to Hoglund Ballpark as they take on the Central Michigan Chippewas today at 3 p.m.
Coming off of a two-game skid to lose the home-opener series to Utah, the Jayhawks (6-10) will look to bounce back and make improvements in a single-game series with the Chippewas (10-5).
Kansas' pitching struggled throughout the Utah series, in which 10 Jayhawk pitchers saw time on the mound. Younger pitchers had to step up in the absence of senior Drew Morovick, who is out with a sore elbow.
"I think for right now it's got to start with starting pitching," said Kansas coach Rich Price. "We need them to go out there and pound the strike zone and let us settle in so we're not playing from behind."
"Obviously he's a guy that we need a lot from." Price said. "Hopefully he'll be able to bounce back and be able to go next week."
The Chippewas have been busy on the road playing at Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson, Texas State and Wichita State. They will come to Lawrence fresh off of their 2-1 series win against the Shockers in Wichita this past weekend.
Kansas junior Hayden Edwards (1-1) will make his fourth start of the season on the mound for the Jayhawks in today's game. He is throwing a 4.50 ERA this season with 12 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched.
IMPACT PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas junior Colby Wright comes into the game boasting
a 404 batting average with 21 hits and only two strikeouts. Wright has been spectacular this season at getting on base with a .537 on-base percentage and an NCAA-leading nine times hit by pitch.
Wright led the team with five hits throughout the Utah series, where the team recorded 29 hits total.
"There were a lot of hard hit balls that were out," said Price. "I was actually pleased with the way we swung the bats."
Kansas sophomore Joven Afenir knows all about hard hits becoming outs as he earned the No. 6 spot on Friday's ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 plays with his diving catch in center field. Afenir made an even more impressive catch on Saturday along with a home run on Sunday to make him a player to watch for at the plate as well as on the field.
Edited by Valerie Haag
Infieldier Blair Beck slams home the first home run of the series against Utah on Friday afternoon. Kansas won the game 7-5, but ultimately came out on bottom, losing the three-game series 2-1.
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
Big 12 Power Rankings: Kansas stays on top
Sophomore guard Wayne Selden JR. dunks in the victory against West Virginia on March 3 in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas is no.1 in the Power Rankings.
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU
1. KANSAS (24-7, 13-5)
Last week: 1-1
Previous ranking: 1
The jayhawks closed out their season with a loss, but with the Big 12 title locked up outright, there is no other place they belong other than at the top of the list. Coach Bill Self continued to rave about the strength of the league, saying that he believes seven of the ten Big 12 teams deserve to make the NCAA Tournament.
2. OKLAHOMA (21-9, 12-6)
Last week: 1-0
Previous ranking: 2
The Sooners won their lone game of the week, knocking off the Jayhawks on senior night, and they probably would have been on top of the rankings if they hadn't fallen to Iowa State the week before. Coach Lon Kruger said it doesn't really matter who his squad faces in the Big 12 Tournament, because either way the matchup will be tough.
3. IOWA STATE (22-8.
12-6)
Last week: 1-0
Previous ranking: 3
Following Iowa State's victory over the TCU Horned Frogs, coach Fred Hoiberg talked about the momentum his team could build in the Big 12 Tournament as it heads into the NCAA Tournament,
out while one might expect the momentum to carry over. Hoiberg wasn't convinced, and said he wasn't sure about any "direct correlation," although he added that he still found the tournament to be important to the team.
The Bears won their only game in the last week against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Their win wasn't enough to move the team up a spot on
4. BAYLOR (23-8, 11-7)
Last week: 1-0
Previous ranking: 4
the power rankings as they tied for fourth in the league. Even with the Bears projected to be safely slotted in the NCAA Tournament, coach Scott Drew said he wanted to see 128 teams in the NCAA Tournament, because all of the teams work hard and deserve to see the fruits of their effort.
5. WEST VIRGINIA (23-8,
11-7)
Last week: 1-1
Previous ranking: 5
After falling to the Jayhawks
in overtime, the Mountaineers closed out their season with a win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Coach Bob Huggins complimented his teams play in the face of injury, adding that "it hasn't been just one guy," but rather a team effort to make up for the losses of seniors Juwan Staten and Gary Browne.
6. TEXAS (19-12, 8-10)
Last week: 1-0
Previous ranking: 6
The Longhorns beat the Kansas State Wildcats in their lone matchup, solidifying their spot at sixth in the Big 12. With the team on the bubble headed into postseason play, coach Rick Barnes was asked if he thought the field should be expanded, and he said he likes it "the way it is right now."
7. OKLAHOMA STATE (18-
12, 8-10)
Last week: 1-1
Previous ranking: 8
Having gone 1-1 over the last seven days, the Cowboys jumped over the Wildcats, who again fell below .500. Like many of the other coaches, coach Travis Ford raved about the strength of the league, and he definitely hopes the NCAA Tournament committee agrees, as the Oklahoma State Cowboys are one of the teams on the bubble.
8. KANSAS STATE (15-16,
8-10)
After falling back below the .500 mark, coach Bruce Weber acknowledged that his team held a players' only meeting, which he hopes can spark his club. Weber also acknowledged that sophomore Jevon Thomas will be back for the Big 12 Tournament, which should provide his squad with a pretty big boost going into the game against TCU.
Last week: 0-1
Previous ranking: 7
9. TCU (17-14, 4-14)
Last week: 0-2
Previous ranking: 9
After winning three out of four contests, the Horned Frogs have completely fallen off, losing three games in a row. Coach Trent Johnson held a positive outlook on the Big 12 coaches teleconference, and said many of the losses were to NCAA Tournament teams, which speaks to the depth of the league.
10. TEXAS TECH (13-18,
3-15)
Last week: 0-1
Previous ranking: 10
The Red Raiders were unable to finish off their season with a win, falling to just 3-15 in conference play. Coach Tubby Smith acknowledged the disappointment of this season, but said they were starting over fresh now, and it was "the only attitude you could take" heading into the tournament.
Edited by Valerie Haag
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