THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP KANSAS CITY, MO
PAGE 7
MEN'S BRACKET
Kansas a major contender in Big 12 Tournament
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
The Big 12 Tournament starts tomorrow at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., and No. 3 Kansas is a top seed. Tomorrow at 2 p.m., the Jayhawks will take on the winner of tonight's Oklahoma and Texas A&M game.
"We have to take care of our bodies. Playing three games in three days is rough," junior center Jeff Withey said of the possibility of playing in Saturday's tournament title game. "We just have to be thinking that we are going in to win it, and it is going to be tough. But I think that we can do it."
Junior guard Travis Releford said preparation for tomorrow's game would be a challenge, since he didn't know if his team would play the Sooners or the Aggies. He also said, aside from that challenge, the team's practices wouldn't change.
"I just think it's another chance for us to get better and to gain some momentum going into the tournament," Releford said. "I think the post-season conference tournament is very important for us, because it shows what we can get better at."
SPORTING NEWS HONORS SELF,
ROBINSON AND TAYLOR
Sporting News announced its annual college basketball awards on Tuesday. Coach Bill Self was named National Coach of the Year after guiding the Jayhawks to a 26-5 regular season record and its eighth-consecutive Big 12 regular season championship. Self lost four starters from last season's team and returned only Tyshawn Taylor to the starting lineup. This is the third time Self has won the award.
Junior forward Thomas Robinson was a reserve last season, but his breakout year earned him First Team All-American honors. Robinson averages 18 points and 11.9 rebounds this season. The Sporting News named him an All-Big 12 first team selection, and Robinson is also the Associated Press Big 12 men's basketball player of the year. He narrowly lost the honor of Sportins News' National Player of the Year, which instead went to Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis.
Tyshawn Taylor has also received recognition from the Sporting News, being named to the All-American third team.
Taylor averages 17.2 points this season and leads Kansas in assists (152) and three-pointers made (53). He is a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week and an All-Big 12 first team selection.
LEGEND OF THE PHOG PASSES
Former Kansas basketball player
Former Kansas Delvy Lewis lost his battle with cancer and died Monday afternoon, KU Athletics announced. He was 68.
Lewis played under coach Todd Owens from 1964 to 1966
and was a three-year
Lewis
and was a three-year starting point guard for the Jayhawks.
Lewis, a Topeka native was a member of Big Eight Holiday Tournament Championship teams in 1964 and 1965 and was named MVP of the 1965 tournament.
Lewis was the starting point guard on the 1966 squad that lost to Texas Western College in the Midwest Regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
— Edited by Caroline Kraft
WOMEN'S BRACKET
Fighting for a shot at 'big dance'
RYAN MCCARTHY
rmccarthy@kansan.com
But when it comes to coaches, the "Bracketology" of the NCAA Tournament can be a tricky subject.
Fans love it. Sports commentators enjoy using it to fill time on their radio shows and podcasts. Players scramble to scroll through the latest results on their phones while they walk to the bus after the game.
The Kansas women's basketball team embraces the people who determine its March Madness fate, but the team can't base all of its expectations on prognosticators.
"You can look at it because they need to understand what's at stake," Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "They need to understand we have an opportunity to help ourselves again and control what we need to control."
On Tuesday afternoon, in Charlie Creme's latest ESPN.com Bracketology update, the Jayhawks sat as the second team in the "Next Four Out" group. Essentially, they are five spots away from being included in the NCAA Tournament.
Junior forward Carolyn Davis said "Bracketology" is something the team discusses once in a while, but not something she follows religiously through the home stretch of the season.
"We try to look at, but honestly, I don't really understand it and so I don't get into it to it too much," she said.
Davis was named to the All-Big 12 First Team on Monday, even though she will miss the rest of this season with a left-ACL tear and dislocated knee.
Overcoming this injury remains difficult for Davis. But now, as the games become increasingly significant, she wishes she could help the team as more than a coach and cheerleader.
Davis watched Kansas drop a few games at home that probably should have been victories.
Two of the major setbacks came against Missouri on Jan. 15 and Oklahoma State in the last game of the regular season.
"It's tough just to see that and go back and still think about and wish you had those games back," Davis said. "At the same time, we're capable of winning those games; we just didn't compete."
The Jayhawks still have plenty of quality wins to their credit. They swept the Texas Longhorns in the season series, defeated Iowa State in double overtime and upset Oklahoma on Sunday.
Only one of the key victories came without Davis in the lineup. And at this
point, it's unclear whether the NCAA Tournament committee will take the injury into account.
"I think they look at your body of work for what it is, not for what it could be or might be. I think that's irresponsible," Henrickson said. "I think you do the work on who we are right now and on the full body of work."
Another factor might be the strength of the conference in general. The Big 12 is ranked No.1 overall in the conference.
"This conference is very, very good," senior forward Aishah Sutherland said. "We have the No.1 team, and then you have a team that won the whole thing last year, so this great conference, and it's been one possession."
But for now, the focus is on the next task at hand: making sure Kansas gets that victory to ensure it is in — not out — of the tournament field.
The Jayhawks play the Aggies Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
"I think we're squarely on the bubble, and we've done a lot of good things to build a resume," Henrickson said. "I think the best thing is going to beat Texas A&M."
Edited by Ian Cummings
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
SPRING 2012 GRAD FAIR
- GET YOUR CAP & GOWN KU Bookstore proudly offers Greengown.
THURSDAY, MARCH 8
& FRIDAY, MARCH 9
10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
KANSAS ROOM
KANSAS UNION · LEVEL 6
- ORDER YOUR
- Personalized Graduation Announcements
• Custom Diploma Frame — IN-STOCK FRAMES 20% OFF
• Official Class Ring — SELECT RINGS STARTING AT $199
- CAP & GOWN PORTRAITS ON SITE
- No appointment needed.
GET GRADUATION QUESTIONS ANSWERED. find information for life after graduation, enter to win great prizes, and more!
Must be FULL-TIME student with 2.75 GPA or above.
WALK-ON TRYOUTS
TRYOUT DATES
2012 KANSAS FOOTBALL
- Position Players, March 12-15
- Specialist, March 26, 27
FOR MORE INFO: SCOTT VESTAL at SVESTAL72@KU.EDU www.kuathletics.com/football