Volume 124 Issue 121
kansan.com
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
COMMENTARY
KU fans should fill New Orleans
Kansas prides itself on having one of the best - if not the best - fans in the nation, and the student body will get its chance to prove it this weekend in New Orleans.
The Kansas Athletics office sent an email to the All-Sports Combo holders about the opportunity to see the Final Four for just $25. This offer includes both semifinals and the title game, and the seats are on the floor. Although it may sound too good to be true, this is a legitimate deal that students should take advantage of.
The 2009 Final Four in Detroit was the first time this student-seating model was used, and while North Carolina cruised to an 89-72 victory over Michigan State, the packed student sections were rocking the entire game.
When Mario Chalmers hit his miraculous game tying three-pointer in 2008, Lawrence was the center of the Kansas championship festivities as thousands of people flooded Massachusetts Street in celebration. As students, we see the images of the raucous celebration during the basketball introduction video, with dreams of recreating the scene in the streets.
I know that Kansas' students take basketball passion to a new level, but a strong majority of the country does not get to watch the Jayhawks on a consistent basis. This is the time to prove it. Allen Fieldhouse gives the basketball team a tremendous home-court advantage, but the Jayhawks will need a "Phog" atmosphere brought to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to help them succeed.
Playing with fellow basketball powers Kentucky, Louisville and Ohio State joining the Jayhawks in New Orleans, this weekend will be the ultimate measuring stick of student passion.
I hope that fans can resist the temptation to stay in Lawrence solely to celebrate on Massachusetts Street. And besides, Bourbon Street is not a bad alternative.
Just four years removed from the 2008 title, downtown Lawrence may very well relive that monumental night, but I sincerely hope that Kansas fans purchase and fill those 700 student section seats.
— Edited by Max Lush
The Kansas student section was named as the Naismith Student Section of the Year, but a poor showing in New Orleans would make it appear undeserving of the award.
Last year's Final Four is the perfect example of what's at stake for the Kansas students. The Connecticut Huskies, winners of three national championships, are one of the nation's elite basketball programs. The school has a proud history of success in both the men's and women's game, but their students' absence in Houston was embarrassing.
The students from Kentucky, Butler and Virginia Commonwealth were are well-represented in Houston, but Connecticut was so bad that the NCAA gave away tickets to students at local Rice University and University of Houston, so basketball fans across the world didn't have to see an empty student section for the national championship.
A TALE OF TWO COACHES
BILLVERSUS ROY
Two coaches, two opinions, one outcome
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
What happens on the hardwood gleams, and for good reason, but often doesn't say it all.
The rapid ascension of junior forward Thomas Robinson, the timely sea change of senior guard Tyshawn Taylor and the mental and physical growth of junior center Jeff Withey have been well documented. So have their highlights. The players did their part, and they're at the forefront of the reality that is a ticket to the Final Four in New Orleans. But on Sunday in St. Louis, where Kansas turned a dream into an actuality, there was something else in play, and it steamed from the sidelines.
There was coach Bill Self vs. coach Roy Williams.
When there's enough big-engine columnists tooting as they do, you've got predetermined sentiments. Self, some is, a young but accomplished winner who may or may not have a questionable track record in March. Williams, some say, is a living legend who may or may not have lost a step.
Let's allow Sunday's game to decide how much these sentiments really matter.
Self ran a zone defensive scheme called the triangle-and-two to disrupt North Carolina's interior scoring and force deep shots. He had seen excellent scoring from forwards John Henson, Tyler Zeller and James Michael McAdoo, who tallied a collective 24 points in the first half.
Self said after the game that he consistently operated this scheme in the final eight or nine minutes of the game.
"I know they did for one possession, and they may have for a second possession. I'm not sure about that," he said. "We got a very good shot. It just didn't go in the first time, and then again, I'm not sure if they were actually in it the second time. But we had J. Watts on the left wing, we had Reggie in the corner and we had John eight feet away. And we had some good shots. They just didn't go in."
Perhaps Williams saw these looks by guards Justin Watts and Reggie Bullock as his best bet. However the Tar Harls scored 47 points in the first half, the most points Kansas allowed in a first half all season.
Williams had his own take on the scheme.
They did so by finding Henson, Zeller and Michael McAdoo. They either abandoned this plan in the second half, which may seem odd because we're told not to mess with success, or quite possibly, Self's scheme worked exactly how he planned it.
"Sometimes," Self said, "when you get an open look, you don't knock it down, you think a little
bit."
In the final 8:34 of the game, the Tar Heels missed 12 of 13 shots. In the final four minutes, when the Jayhawks snatched the game with a 12-0 run, the Tar Heels missed all seven of their shots. Freshman guard Stilman White, Williams' replacement for the injured Kendall Marshall, took two of those seven shots.
"We were able to keep the ball out of their bigs' hands and take away their two shooters." Self said. "And the thing about it is, you got to rebound out of it. And you know, they're a great rebounding team, but I thought we rebounded the ball as well as we have in a long time."
Rebounding had been Self's gripe for much of the season, but Kansas outrebounded North Carolina 41-35.
The big-engine columnists may give Williams a pass. One game will probably never ravage a legacy. However, Williams' own words about this one particular game say enough.
He thought the triangle-and-two lasted one, maybe two possessions. He also had another thought.
"I think," Williams said, "that the emotions the last four minutes, or something like that, I think that took over a little bit, too."
Or something like that.
Edited by Jeff Karr
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
North Carolina Coach and former Kansas Coach Roy Williams yells at his team as Bill Self watches during Sunday night's game in St. Louis.
BASEBALL
Team prepares for Missouri State
Junior first baseman Jake Marasco quickly tags his opponent during game one against North Dakota on March 6. Marasco and his teammates will take on the Missouri State Bearers in Springfield, Mo., tonight at 6:30.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
MAX LUSH
mlush@kansan.com
The Baylor Bears swept the Kansas hayhawks baseball team this weekend, winning all three games of the weekend while outscoring Kansas 27-8.
Tonight, the Jayhawks will travel to Springfield, Mo., to take on more Bears — the Missouri State Bears. Things won't get any easier for Kansas: Missouri State enters the game ranked No. 29 in the country by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Baseball Poll. It's the first time Missouri State has been ranked in the top 30 since 2009.
"We have to make sure we bounce back tomorrow after this disappointing weekend," Marasco said. "You never want to start off your conference season 0-3, but it's a long season
Team captain and red-shirt junior first baseman Jake Marasco said Kansas travels to Missouri State looking to make a statement.
The Jayhawks have put a lot of runners on base all season, but struggle to find the clutch hit. In the three games against Baylor, Kansas left 30 runners on base.
and we just have to stay positive."
"We just need to have a good approach," Marasco said. "Don't try and do too much and hit the
ball hard somewhere."
The Bears come into Tuesday's game on a seven-game winning streak and a 19-6 record on the season. They've beaten Big 12 schools Oklahoma State twice
RITCH PRICE
Kansas baseball coach
and Texa Tech once.
The Jayhawks enter the game sputtering. The team sits at 10-13 on the season and have
lost six of its last eight games.
Playing at Missouri State gives Kansas another away game to learq from. In 10 home
games, the Bears have lost only twice this season. The Jayhawks are 8-12 in 20 games away from Lawrence this season.
"We've played a lot of games on the road to prepare us for our conference schedule," said coach Ritch Price after Sunday's loss. "We need to get comfortable playing in a hostile environment."
The two teams match up well offensively. Kansas has scored 103 runs to Missouri State's 128. Kansas is hitting .262 this season while Missouri State is hitting .264. Both teams are also pretty even in the homerun department; Kansas has hit 12 to Missouri State's 11.
Kansas will send freshman starter Drew Morovick,(2-1, 5.09 ERA), to the tomb to try and stop the losing streak. He will face Missouri State junior starter Cody Schumacher, (2-0, 5.46), at 6:30 p.m.
Pitching is the area Missouri State has found its success this season. The Bears' pitching staff has posted a 2.35 ERA this season. The Jayhawks' pitching staff is far from dominant, posting a 4.26 ERA on the season.
— Edited by Gabrielle Schock
FOOTBALL
"Assuming Williams is able to take care of business off the field, it wouldn't be surprising to see him make an immediate impact on Dave Campo's defense. An article on turburfer.com said. "At the very least, he should help provide depth for a unit that was severely lacking in it last year."
The trouble that Williams got in at Nebraska wasn't his first time, either. He was accused of robbing a man in 2008, according to journalstar.com. The charges were later dropped and Williams pled to lesser charges, including assault.
Kansas signs former Nebraska lineman
Regardless of his past, Williams is now with Kansas and could play a big role for the Jayhawks' defense in the 2012-2013 season. He had 27 tackles in his three seasons with Nebraska, three quarterback hurries, one tackle for a loss, one forced fumble and one blocked kick.
Just as Kansas gave Charlie Weis a second chance, the Jayhawks are giving former Nebraska defensive end Josh Williams one, too.
Williams, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound lineman from Denton, Texas, was dismissed from Nebraska in February due to a violation of team rules. Weis has given Williams another chance though, and the timing is crucial because Kansas' defensive line needs reinforcements.
On Monday, Kansas Athletics confirmed the signing of Williams, who played in a total of 29 games on the Cornhuskers' defensive line. Williams completed his degree at Nebraska and will transfer to Kansas in June to be eligible for the 2012 season.
Williams had scholarship offers from Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others, out of high school.
Mike Vernon