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THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BASKETBALL
Sports experts predict next season rankings
KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
It's never too early to look ahead. The college basketball off-season is barely 48 hours old and most experts are already projecting next year's batch of top teams.
WHY SOME ARE HIGH
ON THE JAYHAWKS ...
Juniors Elijah Johnson and Jeff Witney turned into stars this March and both return as seniors next
season. Johnson averaged 13.3 points in the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by his 18-point game against Purdue in the second round. Withey broke a Final Four single game record with seven blocks against Ohio State. Role players junior guard Travis Releford, junior forward Kevin Young and freshman guard Naadir Tharpe also return, as well as now-eligible freshmen Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor. The incoming recruiting class is highlighted by McDonald's All-
American forward and Wichita native Perry Ellis. Four-star forward Andrew White will complement Ben McLemore nicely on the wing, as both players are able to really knock down shots from the three-point range. Depth will never be an issue and Bill Self will probably go nine or 10 players deep in November and December as he tries to figure out his rotation. There's also the fact that Kansas' deep Tournament run is still fresh on everyone's minds, only helping the Jayhawks' stock in
these early rankings. A Final Four shouldn't be expected but a ninth consecutive Big 12 Championship is certainly within reach.
WHY OTHERS AREN'T AS IMPRESSED ...
Junior forward Thomas Robinson was the only unanimous First-Team All-American and his replacement looks to be a true freshman. Perry Ellis will be good, but he won't be close to Thomas Robinson's numbers in his first
season. Jeff Withey looks to be great next season, but he might see his first double-teams as well. Robinson kept post defenders honest and Withey was able to get a lot of great looks at the basket off Robinson double-teams. Withey will be the first option down low and his offensive game will have to catch up to his defensive prowess if this run of great Kansas big men is set to continue. While Elijah Johnson was tremendous much of the last month, he won't have
a security blanket like Tyshawn Taylor next to him next season in the back court. Johnson will probably be teamed with Travis Releford and Ben McLemore, two talented but less than spectacular ball-handlers. Naadir Tharpe could be the first guard off the bench and his improvement this off-season could be crucial in how well the Jayhawks fend off pressure on the perimeter.
Edited by Amanda Gage
MLB
Baltimore Orioles pitcher earns spot in spring rotation
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Brian Matusz winds up in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in their spring training baseball game at Brighthouse Field in Clearwater, Fla., Sunday, March 25.
NORFOLK, Va. — Brian Matusz pitched his way into Baltimore's rotation this spring and made his final pitch with a strong outing in an exhibition against the Orioles' top farm team in Norfolk on Wednesday afternoon.
The 25-year-old lefthand pitched four shutout innings, allowing three hits. He struck out five and walked one in the Orioles' 6-4 loss to the Norfolk Tides.
After the game, manager Buck Showalter announced that Matusz would start the fourth game of the season for the Orioles, following Jake Arrrieta, Jason Hammel and Tommy Hunter. Wei-Yin Chen will be the fifth starter.
"He's had a good spring, and he's deserving of the rotation," Showalter said. "He had a lot of things going on last year, some of them self-inflicted, but he's had a good offseason and it carried over into a good spring. Now we're hoping he can carry that over into the season."
In 2010, he won 10 games and was considered one of the top young arms in the organization. But last season he struggled with a strained muscle in his ribcage and went 1-9 with a 10.69 ERA, the highest ERA in major-league history for a pitcher making at least 10 starts.
He had some success during a midseason trip to the minors, but got clobbered again when he
returned to Baltimore in mid- August.
The rotation appeared to fall into place on Tuesday when the team announced that Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada would start the season on the disabled list. But Matusz said he had not formally been told on Wednesday what his role would be.
"Last year is over with, and for the past six weeks at spring training I've been focused on this year," Matusz said. "I'm just working on getting back on track, refining my mechanics and attacking the strike zone."
"I just wanted to go out today and get my work in," Matusz said. "I've tried to work hard and pitch
consistently this spring, and that's all I wanted to do today*
Wada, who has experienced elbow discomfort, will be eligible to come off the disabled list on April 12.
"Zach has pitched well," Showalter said. "Last year we had so many injuries that we were just trying to put a pitching staff together. This year we're sending guys to Triple-A who probably pitched well enough to make the team."
Showalter announced that lefty Zach Phillips would be assigned to Norfolk, trimming the Baltimore roster to 25.
BASEBALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar goes behind second to snare a a hard hit grounder by San Diego Padres' Nick Hundley in the second inning of a spring training baseball game Tuesday, April 3, in San Diego. Escobar threw wild to first but Hundley was credited with a hit.
Duffy leads Royals to 7-6 victory
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAKE ELSINORF, Calif. — Danny Duffy put together an impressive performance Wednesday, even if most of the batters he faced were minor leaguers.
Duffy struck out seven in three perfect innings, helping the Kansas City Royals to a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres in the spring finale for each team.
The 23-year-old left-hander is one of Kansas City's top prospects.
"I don't care who it was against, he looked like the quality pitcher we think he is," manager Ned Yost said. "He was phenomenal. He was banging pitches down in the zone, had tremendous stuff.
"I think you're going to see some brilliance. He's so much better now than a year ago."
Terry Evans and Mario Sisson
hit consecutive homers in the sixth inning for the Royals.
Fill-in starter Matt Palmer pitched four solid innings for the Padres, yielding two hits and unearned run.
Palmer subbed for Tim Stauffer, who has a strained triceps. The right-hander, who has appeared in 60 games in parts of four major league seasons, got up at 4 a.m. for a light to Phoenix. After a long layover, he flew into California and took a cab to Lake Elsinore, the home of one of San Diego's Class-A affiliates.
"It was a $120 cab ride to the ballpark, and I asked the driver to stop at a sandwich shop. He said he had a great place." Palmer said. "It turned out to be a Mexican place. So I got two tacos and we were on our way."
Palmer signed with the Padres as
"It wasn't an ordeal getting here, but it was a long process," Palmer said. "The biggest thing was that I showed the coaches on the major league side what I can do. I showed them I have some intensity, that my arm is strong, and that I'm healthy."
"I'm glad they gave me this opportunity, even if it was a long way to go."
a free agent in December and had a decent chance to make the club. But he pulled a hamstring three weeks into camp and was optioned to Triple-A Tucson.
Minor league catcher Eddy Rodriguez hit a solo homer for the Padres in the seventh.
He struck out two and walked one against Kansas City.
The Royals open the season Friday night at the Los Angeles Angels.
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