Volume 124 Issue 96
kansan.com
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
BASKETBALL REWIND GET THE STATS FROM THE 'OCTAGON OF GLOOM' PAGE 6
COMMENTARY
What happens then if Robinson, senior guard Tyshawn Taylor or other Jayhawk starters hit early foul trouble? Someone from the bench will be forced to step up or else spring football will arrive early to campus.
- Edited by Christine Curtin
On a team with more depth, the coach would send out a sparkplug player to try to re-energize the players. Bill Self doesn't have that luxury.
Entry passes fell into the awaiting arms of Kansas State defenders and the costly turnovers started adding up.
Bench may hurt Jayhawks
Early in the second half, the Jayhawk starters wore their fatigue on their sleeves. After the starters played a combined 85 of 100 possible minutes in the first half, the Wildcats quickly erased a ten-point halftime deficit and even took a brief 37-36 lead.
This issue shoots to the surface when the Big 12 schedule calls for the Jayhawks to play multiple games in a short time span, as was the case last night when the Jayhawks played their third game in six days.
And when the NCAA tournament rolls around, the Jayhawks will face increasingly tougher teams with only two days of rest between every other game.
A chilles tendon, chink in the armor, soft underbelly—no matter what you want to call it, the lack of contribution from the Kansas bench is the festering wound that could spoil the Jayhawks' season.
Both of the bench points came from free throws by senior forward Conner Teahan in the waning moments of the game.
But weakness is something to be feared, as it will be most vulnerable in post-season play. When the Big 12 tournament comes around, the Jayhawks will be forced to play three games on consecutive days.
The bench scored two points and contributed only 30 minutes to the Jayhawks' victory against the Wildcats.
For now, the Jayhawks get brief relief with four days to regain their legs before they take on Texas Tech this weekend.
The replay clearly showed Robinson restraining himself, but the question of "What if?" must linger in the Jayhawks' minds. What would happen if they were to lose either national player of the year candidate Robinson or junior center Jeff Withey?
Neither sophomore justin Wesley nor junior Kevin Young, the Jayhawks' reserve forwards who receive the most playing time, have shown that they can handle a long stretch in crucial minutes and contribute across the court.
The crowd, who didn't see the replay, believed Robinson deserved an additional technical foul, which would have sent Robinson to the showers before the final buzzer.
But the scariest moment for the Jayhawks came after forward Thomas Robinson was called for a charge with 4:09 left to play, which brought Kansas State fans in Bramlage Coliseum to their feet.
KANSAS 59. K-STATE 53
WINNING WITH WITHEY
KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
An ever-zealous Bramlage Coliseum crowd and more Tyshawn Taylor highlight were no match for another episode of "The Jeff Withey Show" Monday night in Manhattan. The junior center had a dominant performance for the third consecutive game, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocked shots in the 59-53 Jayhawks victory.
The final score portrayed just the type of contest it was for the 40 minutes of play.
"It was definitely a physical game," Withey said. "I got hit in the face a couple times. I have a couple scratches. It's just one of those games. Whenever we play K-State we know it's going to be a battle."
The first half was a slugfest with the teams combining for 31 points in the first 15 minutes of action. Kansas took a 28-18 lead to the locker room, which tied the lowest first half total for the Jayhawks in Big 12 play. Withey had eight points and four rebounds at the break, which wasn't far from junior forward Thomas Robinson's five points and six rebounds.
It's how Withey played in the second half, however, that left fans wowed for the third straight game.
"My big man's been playing amazing," Taylor said after the game, patting Withey on the chest as they both chuckled. "If he keeps that up, I think we're going to be tough to beat."
Withey had 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in the second half while Kansas attempted to stifle a pair of Kansas State runs. The first Wildcat barrage tied the game at 36 points with just under 13
minutes to play. Junior guard Rodney McGruder's jump short nearly 12 minutes later cut the jayhawks' lead to four with 1:15 remaining.
Senior forward Jordan Henriquez had a chance to cut the lead to two soon after as he drove to the basket, but his attempt was sent away by Withey for his eighth block of the game.
Withey swatted away freshman guard Angel Rodriguez's shot on the very next possession, ending any hopes of a Kansas State comeback and leaving Withey one block shy of a triple-double.
"I'm going to get it sooner or later," Withey said.
All of this came on a night when senior forward Thomas Robinson wasn't quite himself. He missed a number of point-blank shots and seemed frustrated during many of his 33 minutes of action. Robinson finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
"It's such a bonus for us because Thomas trusts him," coach Bill Self said of Withey. "Those two should get better playing with each other as he continues to produce."
"This was a big boy game."
Self said. "And he had 18, 11,
and nine on a night when
Thomas wasn't Thomas.
I thought he was just fabulous."
"For somebody that's kind of come out of left field, I don't know if I can remember anybody that's been as dominant," Self said. "To go from scoreless to now, how do you win without him?"
Withey has averaged 20.3 points in his last three games after going scoreless in the 74-71 defeat at Missouri on Feb. 4.
Edited by Christine Curtin
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
Junior center Jeff Withey goes up for a shot and is fouled during the second half of Monday night's game. Withey went 6-8 for 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Kansas 59-53 victory over Kansas State.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Team members step up after Davis' knee injury
RYAN MCCARTHY
rmccarthy@kansan.com
rmccarthy@kansan.com
One day after Carolyn Davis left the court on a stretcher with a knee injury, it was clear that the junior forward was on the team's mind.
Some players tried to hold back tears at shootaround before they went to watch film.
The rest walked around with melancholy looks on their faces as they wondered how they could overcome their teammate's injury.
"Reality just set in today when I see she's not here at practice," freshman forward Chelsea Gardner said.
Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson consoles junior forward Carolyn Davis after she injured her knee in Sunday's game against Kansas State at Bramalea Coliseum. Kansas 'sost 43-47
Kansas coach Bonnie Hendrickson confirmed what many speculated in a press release on Monday. Davis not only suffered a dislocated left knee, but also a torn ACL that will put the once potential All-American candidate on the sideline for the rest of the season.
The reality for the Jayhawks is they won't have Davis back for the rest of this year.
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Davis returned to Lawrence last night and is in the hospital for further evaluation. The coaches and teammates met with Davis and said she seemed to be in good spirits.
In fact, Davis was on her phone for most of Monday, sending encouraging words to teammates and even a thumbs-up and smiley face to Henrickson.
Henrickson already knew about her talented post player.
Davis' ability to stay strong despite her injury confirmed what
The layhawks look to regroup for Wednesday's game at Iowa State, and they can start with senior forward Aishah Sutherland, who stepped up big in Davis' absence with 12 points and 17 rebounds against Kansas State on Sunday.
"It speaks about her. It's who she is," Henrickson said. It speaks to the relationships when you have a family like we do and as close as we all are. That's what we all try to do."
"I feel like I'm going to have a lot more pressure," Sutherland said. "The freshmen need to step up. The team just needs to come together and rearrange our game."
The freshman that will see the most minutes will be Gardner, who will move into the starting rotation's five-spot.
Gardner averages about seven minutes per game and 2.7 points, and she will now be stretched out and forced to defend some the best players in the Big 12.
"I just feel like I need to practice harder, come out and just work hard in the games," Gardner said.
Gardner showed promise against Kansas State with 23 minutes of play and seven points. She also took the final shot of the game after minor guard Angel Goodrich disliked her the ball on the low block.
Although Gardner did not convert, the coaching staff felt like it was a sign she might be ready for
a bigger role.
"I know her teammates have confidence in her," Henrickson said. "Angel wouldn't have thrown that in at the end if she wouldn't of had confidence in her."
Regardless of Gardner's impact, Kansas will have to rely on other players in order to achieve its postseason aspirations.
Henrickson said that junior guard Monica Engelman will have to be aggressive both on the offensive end and on the glass. She also said freshman guard Natalie Knight will need to be more aggressive when she has open looks.
r
Contributions from Engelman, Knight and other bench players will be important, but it will be up
to Goodrich and Sutherland to see how far this team can go with Davis on the sideline.
"I don't think the answer in this league is to go small, but maybe tweak some things and add some things to get Aishah and Angel more touches," Henrickson said.
Edited by Christine Curtin
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