Volume 124 Issue 88
kansan.com
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Off de on
Starti Uni expections, a requirement Wilt Ch Lovellette Simien, N other Kan of excellent players like Jeff Withe The Jay Iowa State showed t and With the team's In the White and Robinson and forced which me establish Against Withey as their four Romero C Fitzgerald For Ka efficient court offie sion make "We are play inside "In the fime, again casting u we really the first" Withe and poss Withe 7-foot fr shot, wh the Soor should b efficient As for oppoener is physio they che watchin hawk du strength his way When and Wi court a defend. Tyshaw and Trave
Both Robinson and Withey cannot have off nights because the front-court bench players, Justin Wesley and Kevin Young, are unreliable. The Jayhawks will go as far as where their front-court offense takes them. Kansas has no business launching ill-advised three-pointers when they can work their offense through a 7-footer and an All-American candidate.
Edited by Amanda Gage
Saturday's game against rival Missouri is one that must be won in the paint and on the boards. Because Missouri is a guard-oriented team that counts on one big man, Ricardo Ratliffe, Kansas cannot abandon its front-court offense. The Jayhawks have the height advantage against the Tigers. Ratliffe will pose problems, but Withey and Robinson have no excuse to get into foul trouble. They must be the aggressors like they were against Oklahoma and attack Missouri's big men, especially Ratliffe, and get Missouri into foul trouble.
perimeter. Drawing more defenuers to guard the paint allows a slash to the basket.
hen Drew Wallace gets irked at a fellow driver while he is
says. "I can't do that, so I've actually been able to stop myself. But if I were in any other car, I definitely would."
Wallace, a sophomore from Olathe, drives a 1993 Ford Mustang. That year, the manufacturer decided to put everything on the steering wheel in button form, horn included.
behind the wheel, he stops short of pushing on the horn. But it isn't because he chooses not to. It's because he can't.
"The natural reaction on every other car is just to push the steering wheel," Wallace
What drives Wallace to that point is road rage, and a survey released by IBM in September indicates he's part of a rapidly growing number of people worldwide partaking in the phenomenon of frustration.
IBM, a multinational technology and consulting corporation, released their annual Commuter Pain Survey, speaking with more than 8,000 commuters in 20 cities on six different continents. The survey revealed that 12 of the 15 cities surveyed in both 2010 and 2011 reported significant
Halfway through league play, Kansas is fighting to defend a 500 record. Going into Wednesday's game, Kansas was ranked No. 25 by the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, but that excitement was lost in the overtime loss.
Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
"You look at all three of them and it has been gut-wrenching" coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "In this league you have got to be able to take care of your home court and we have not done that."
Kansas looked like it had the game decided midway through the second half with a series of stunning offense and suffling defense. Up seven, the Jayhawks started to slide again and needed a three-pointer to send it into overtime. Junior guard Angel Goodrich and junior guard Monica Engelman hit clutch shots to keep the Jayhawks in the game and turnovers and defensive breakdowns helped lead to the swift demise of No. 25.
teams are currently ranked the Associated Poll and another three are receiving votes including Kansas. But as the Jayhawks reach for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000, they are left with no guaranteed victories in this talented league.
Two short weeks ago when Kansas hosted Texas A&M it was in a completely different position coming off three road wins and in sole possession of second place in the conference.
"I really believe if Kansas would have won this ball game it would have punched their ticket even this early to the tournament." Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said.
Toreachthat goal the Jayhawks need at least 20 wins and around nine or 10 in expanded conference play. The Jayhawks start the second wind of their round robin conference schedule this weekend. They will face three of the four teams they lost to on the road and host No. 1 Baylor
Personnel wise, the Jayhawks have struggled. Sophomore guard Keena Mays and freshman guard Donielle Breaux left the team earlier in the season leaving Kansas with 10 women on the roster. Even with the downsizing, freshman guard Asia Boyd who entered the program as the No. 37 recruit is playing minimal minutes.
After Texas A&M this weekend, Kansas will return home to host Texas before hitting the road again with stops at Kansas State and Iowa State.
the country with junior guard Angel Goodrich who leads the nation in assists and junior forward Carolyn Davis who leads in shooting percentage. The team as a whole ranks sixth in the nation in overall shooting percentage, but in the last two games that hasn't translated. The Jayhawks shot just 38.2 percent from the field, well under their average of 47.9.
Edited by Amanda Gage
1
1
---