THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015
PAGE 7
THE DAILY DEBATE
Who is Kansas' biggest threat in the Big 12 tournament?
Sean Collins
@seanzie 3
"IOWA STATE"
ence was argegree more is that that the seegalidesidence isn't such thael on g all He vision
The Cyclones will continue giving the Jayhawks trouble
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if they play each other come tournament time. After winning the Big 12 tournament last year, the Cyclones solidified themselves as the Jayhawks' biggest threat, especially in the Big 12 tournament.
Kansas and Iowa State have split the meetings this season. The Cyclones won in Ames, Iowa, 86-81, but the Jayhawks were able to pull away late and beat the Cyclones 89-76 in Allen Fieldhouse.
The Cyclones' strongest attribute this season has been their ability to shoot, especially from deep. As a team, they have shot 49.1 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three-point range.
They are capable of putting up 80 points per game, making them 10th in the nation. They are the offensive juggernauts of the Big 12, and move the ball efficiently with 17.4 assists per game — the most in the conference, and fourth in the nation. In order to stop a team that also holds the ninth-best
field goal percentage in the nation, the Jayhawks and other Big 12 teams must play stellar defense and hope that the Cyclones will miss some outside shots.
Kansas is expected to win the regular season title—
respectively).
The scariest part about Iowa State is that neither Niang nor Long is the best shooter on the team. Senior forward Dustin Hogue has shot 44.7 percent from three. While Kansas' guards shoot well
"COME TOURNAMENT TIME, THE CYCLONES WILL HAVE A STRONG CHANCE AT REPEATING THEIR TOURNAMENT TITLE."
even after Monday's loss to West Virginia — but the Cyclones are only one game behind the Jayhawks. Iowa State shoots the ball well from deep, but Kansas has shot better at 40.6 percent. The boys in crimson and blue will have to continue shooting well in order to give themselves a chance at handling the Cyclones in the tournament.
Another issue for the layhawks will be handling junior forward Georges Niang and junior guard Naz Long. Niang shoots 14.7 points per game with 5.4 rebounds, and at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, he will be a lot to handle. Both Long and Niang shoot exceptionally well from beyond the arc (41.5 percent and 39.7 percent,
from beyond the arc, the Cyclones' forwards also shoot well, creating separation on the offensive side of the ball. This would pose a nightmare to guard.
Other threatening teams in the Big 12 to the Jayhawks are Baylor and Oklahoma, but the firepower of the Cyclones makes them the deadliest in any single game. Iowa State has had a few games where it didn't shoot well, and that would hold the Cyclones back from giving Kansas a good game. However, don't expect the Cyclones to have another poor outing like they had against Texas Tech. Come tournament time, the Cyclones will have a strong chance at repeating their tournament title.
G.J. Melia
@gjmelia
"TEXAS"
With five games remaining on the Big 12 slate, the Kansas basketball team holds a one-game lead over Iowa State for first place in the conference. At the risk of speaking too soon, it will be hard for the Jayhawks to not clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title, regardless of what happens in the next five games.
Looking ahead, Kansas' next challenge will be the Big 12 tournament. After last
2004 and 2004-2005, are the only back-to-back years. In his last nine seasons, every year that his team has lost in the Big 12 tournament, they've come back the next year and won the whole thing.
The peak of his conference tournament success is marked by Kansas' three straight tournament titles from 2006-2008.
But this year may very well be the best the Big 12 has been since conference creation in 1996. Like the regular season, the tournament will be no cakewalk. The team that
"THE LONGHORNS POSE THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE JAYHAWKS BECAUSE THEY PRESENT THE LARGEST MISMATCH."
season's disappointing 94-83 semifinal loss to Iowa State, coach Bill Self will be striving for a different result.
A brief history of Self's conference tournament success in his 11 seasons at Kansas can be summed up in one statistic: only once has he gone two straight years without bringing home the Big 12 tournament crown
His first two seasons, 2003-
Kansas will especially need to watch out for in the tournament is Texas.
Kansas will see Texas once more before the tournament, welcoming them into Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 28. After a 75-62 Jayhawk victory in Austin, the Longhorns will be hungry for a win. I don't see them grabbing a victory in Lawrence, but come tournament time, they will be
a difficult matchup.
Texas' height will be a problem for Kansas, with the four towers they have as forwards: 6-foot-10 junior Prince Ibeh, 6-foot-11 freshman Myles Turner, 6-foot-9 junior Cameron Ridley and 6-foot-8 senior Jonathan Holmes.
Sophomore point guard Isaiah Taylor could also cause some havoc for the Jayhawks if he's able to take care of and distribute the ball effectively. If Kansas is unable to defend the perimeter, junior guard Javan Felix can catch fire from three, shooting 40 percent from behind the arc on the season.
The Longhorns pose the greatest threat to the Jayhawks because they present the largest mismatch. With their height and prolific guard play, they show similarities to an undefeated Kentucky team. That is the team that bulldozed the Jayhawks in November by 32 points, an early season memory Kansas fans would rather forget.
If Texas can utilize their height advantage, limit turnovers and shoot a solid percentage from the field, they are clearly the most threatening opponent to upend the Jayhawks in Kansas City come March.
Edited by Victoria Kirk
Senior pitcher Alicia Pille throws a strike against Texas on April 28, 2014. Kansas is currently undefeated going into the Aquafina Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., this weekend. Kansas received 21 Top 25 votes in the USA Today NCAA Softball Poll on Tuesday, just behind South Carolina and Texas.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Kansas Jayhawks prepare to wrestle No.1 Gators
DEREK SKILLETT
@Derek Skillett
On the verge of heading down to Gainesville, Fla., to play in the Aquafina Invitational, which includes a marquee match-up with the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators, the Kansas softball team is experiencing something historic.
Currently sitting on a 10-0 record, the Jayhawks are in the midst of one of the best starts in program history. This is only the third time in program history the Jayhawks have started at least 10-0.
In 2008, Kansas went 12-0 before losing its first game.
and in 2006, Kansas went 13-0 before losing its first game. The Jayhawks finished with a 46-19 record in 2008 and with a 47-26 record in 2006.
More recently, in their 2011 season, the Jayhawks got off to a 15-1 start, where they ultimately finished the season with a 36-23 record. Looking at these records, it is clear that this start bodes extremely well for the Jayhawks.
On Tuesday, the Jayhawks received 21 Top 25 votes in the USA Today NCAA Softball Poll, which put them just behind South Carolina and No. 25 Texas. In the ESPN Softball Collegiate Top 25, the Jayhawks received six votes,
with No. 25 Tulsa holding the last spot at 27 votes. If Kansas continues its scorching hot start, it won't be long until they crack those Top 25 polls.
In 2014, the Gators finished with a 55-12 record while winning the 2014 Women's College World Series. They are off to a similarly good start this season, boasting an 11-0 record while holding a No. 1 ranking in most Top 25
polls. The Gators have their own share of impressive wins, handing No. 4 Michigan its only loss of this season, while also defeating NC State, a team that received votes in many Top 25 polls.
Unfortunately for Kansas, all of the Gators' wins this season have come from inside their home state of Florida. Kansas will most definitely not have the home-field advantage in their matchups on Friday and Saturday.
Kansas has historically not had very much success against No. 1 ranked teams. The only top-ranked team that the Jayhawks have recorded came against conference-foe
Oklahoma in 2013. They have not defeated another No. 1 ranked team since.
However, there is something happening with this current Jayhawks squad. They have won in almost every way imaginable. They have won in blowouts and late comebacks. They have held on defensively and put up massive numbers offensively. Plus, there is the fact that the four team captains in senior utility Maddie Stein, senior infielder Chanin Naudin, senior pitcher Alicia Pille and junior infielder Chaley Brickey will not let the Jayhawks lose focus or get too cocky. They will not be afraid of the challenge.
The undefeated Jayhawks can win in Gainesville this weekend. They can shock the country and upset the top-ranked Gators. It will be a glorious ride.
Edited by Victoria Kirk