Volume 124 Issue 83
Thursday, January 26, 2012
kansan.com
Defense needs to show up
The rugged road through the Big 12 conference schedule has been a smooth ride for the Jayhaws with a few bumps along the way.
The Jayhawks' narrow victory against the Longhorns in Austin and their ugly victory against the Aggies in Lawrence were reminders that winning the conference championship won't come easy. As fans anticipate upcoming showdowns against Missouri and Baylor, overlooking the Cyclones would be a serious mistake.
The Cyclones, led by coach Fred Hoiberg, are the surprise team of the Big 12. They have climbed to the top of the standings, despite being picked by coaches to finish eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll.
On Saturday, the Jayhaws face the Cyclones in Ames for the second of their two matchups this season.
In their first matchup in Lawrence, the Cyclones put up a fight and led by 12 points early in the second half. They also won the rebounding battle 46-38, which is impressive, considering the Jayhawks are the top rebounding team in the Big 12 (conference games only).
Iowa State forward and big 12 newcomer-of-the-year candidate Royce White, a transfer from Minnesota, is a major reason why the Cyclones are surging. In the first matchup, White scored 18 points, collected 17 rebounds, recorded four assists and blocked two shots.
In conference games only, White is T-15th in scoring, second in rebounding, sixth in field goal percentage, fourth in assists, T-14th in steals and T-15th in blocks. He can play any position on the court and is a matchup nightmare for opponents.
Defending White will be the biggest challenge for the Jayhawks, especially Jeff Withey and Thomas Robinson, who will be guarding him throughout the game. Staying away from foul trouble is imperative for Withey and Robinson because their front-court bench players, Justin Wesley and Kevin Young, won't be able to contain White.
A problem area on defense for the Jayhawks is defending the perimeter, particularly the three-point line. Led by Chris Babb, Chris Allen, Scott Christopherson and Tyrus McGee, Iowa State leads the Big 12 in three-point field goals. White is also capable of knocking down three-pointers. This season, the Jayhawks have struggled with blocking three-point shots. Big 12 opponents have shot 122 three-point shots against the Jayhawks, which is the most in the conference.
For a team that has very thin depth and must count on their starters both offensively and defensively, the Jayhawks have little room for error.
The Cyclones are hungry to prove they belong amongst the Big 12's elite as well as in the NCAA Tournament field, so the Jayhawks should be prepared for the challenge.
Edited by Amanda Gage
RED RAIDERS RUINED
KANSAS BEATS NO.21
KATHLEENGIER
kgeier@kansan.com
Coach Bonnie Henrickson tossed last year's stat sheet across her desk to Carolyn Davis. There were squares around stats - the only marks on the paper.
"Here's me - squares are bad, circles are good," Henrickson said.
Davis, who had just five shots against Texas Tech last year, handed the paper back.
"I gotcha."
This time, Davis kept her promise amassing 20 points before halftime and a season-high 34 for the game off 24 shots.
"That is a big circle," Henrickson said.
In just 29 minutes Davis dominated the paint without a challenge from Texas Tech senior forward Kierra Mallard who missed the trip with an undisclosed injury. She shot 17-of-24 for the game and a perfect 7-of-7 in the second half. Her 34 points were also season-high for the Big 12 Conference.
"You don't score 30 points a lot in our league and to do that against a great Texas Tech ranked team is a big accomplishment," Davis said.
The Jayhawks built an early lead and never gave it up. Behind Davis the Jayhawkes defeated No. 21 Texas Tech 62-43 marking their second win over a ranked team this season.
"We have a great team this year and we are ready to beat any ranked team that comes to us," senior forward Aishah Sutherland said. "We have the talent that can make us go far."
The Jayhawks opened the game on an 8-0 run, and by the first media timeout, Kansas built a 10-2 lead. Monica Engelman hit two free throws and a jumper to start the Kansas offense, which shot 47.5 percent from the field for the game. The Jayhawks stifled the Texas Tech offense and held them to only 29.7 percent shooting from the field.
Aishah Sutherland was the only other Jayhawks to reach double figures with 10 points. She added a game-high six blocks. This is the latest in a string of good games from Sutherland who is currently second in program history in blocks and broke into the top ten in rebounds.
Sutherland was honored before the game with a game ball to recognize her becoming the 24th Jayhawk to surpass 1,000 career points one game ago against Texas A&M.
"She realizes, 'Hey, I need to do my job' and there is more focus and attention to detail than she has had in her career," Hendrickson said.
The guards kept the ball moving to Sutherland and Davis in the post with 19 assists on the 29 Kansas baskets. Angel Goodrich led the team with nine assists. Goodrich entered the game leading the nation with 7.7 assists per game.
Kansas advanced to 16-3 on the season and 5-2 in Big 12 play with the win. This is the best conference start since 1999-2000. This was also Henrickson's first career win over Texas Tech in nine tries.
"I think it's really big for where we're at right now and what we're trying to be," Davis said. "We're second in the conference, we're trying to get into the Top 25 and wins like this will only help us."
The Jayhawks will face their biggest challenge at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Waco when they face No.1 Baylor.
— Edited by Bre Roach
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Junior forward Carolyn Davis shoots against Texas Tech sophomore center Shaunal Nobles, and junior guard Monique Smalls during the first half of the game. Davis scored 34 total points and Kansas won against Texas Tech 62-43.
FOOTBALL
Crist given a second chance to prove himself
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
twitter.com/UDK_B12Fball
Senior quarterback Dayne Crist's career at Notre Dame was underwhelming considering he
was a second ranked high school quarterback on rivals. com.
By transferring to Kansas, Crist gets a chance to start over and win
be reuilted with the coach who recruited him to Notre Dame, Charlie Weis.
Crist
over and will
"To walk in the door and have a guy who carries himself the way Dayne does is good for everyone on the team." Weis said. "Plus, he's a resource for these guys to know who I am."
Crist was a five-star recruit.
according to rivals.com, and committed to Notre Dame and Weis his junior year of high school. Weis would only be around two years with Crist before he was fired in 2009.
After redshirting a year and serving as Jimmy Clausen's backup in 2009, Crist became the starter for the Fighting Irish in 2010. He started nine games and threw for 2033 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions before a ruptured left patella tendon ended his season.
"I feel so much more comfortable doing the things Coach Weis asks me to do," Crist said. "That's why I committed to him the first time at Notre Dame."
In 2011, Crist won the starting job but was benched after completing seven of 15 pass attempts in the first half of the season opener.
"I don't think you can look at anything that has happened with
Dayne Crist in the past two years," Weis said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's null and void. I knew what I had two years ago when I left there, and I'm fired up to have him now."
At Kansas, Crist is able to play immediately because he still had one year of eligibility when he graduated from Notre Dame.
It is the same NCAA rule that allowed quarterback Russell Wilson to play immediately for Wisconsin last season, where he led them a berth in the Rose Bowl.
Crist's narrowed his decision to Wisconsin and Kansas before choosing Kansas. Weis's relationship with Crist was a factor in his decision.
"When I started thinking about leaving and taking my fifth year elsewhere, he was the first person I called," Crist said. "He was always supportive first and never gave biased answers."
He really had my best interest in mind at all times"
Crist will only be able to play at Kansas for one season, but he hopes his effect can last longer than that. The football program will try to recover from a stretch where it has lost 26 of its last 29 games, including its last 12 conference games.
motivated guy," sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps said. "He's a great worker and a great teammate, so he's going to be huge for this program in moving it forward."
"Kansas fans should be really excited because Dayne Crist is a
Edited by Tanvi Nimkar
CHRIST STATS
Hometown: Canoga Park, Calif.
High School: Notre Dame H.S. (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 235 lbs
YEAR COMP. ATT. PCT YAPDS TD INT
2009 10 20 50.0 130 1 1
2010 174 294 59.2 2033 15 7
2011 15 24 62.5 164 0 1
CAREER 199 330 60.3 2327 16 9