Volume 124 Issue 81
kansan.com
Tuesday. January 24, 2012
COMMENTARY
Wake up call for Jayhawks
Winning the Big 12 title for an eighth consecutive season was never going to be easy, and the Jayhawks learned exactly why on Monday night.
The Jayhawks earned themselves a top-five ranking in the latest polls, but Kansas' showing against Texas A&M resembled a team still in search of an identity rather than a perennial Final Four contender.
During "Late Night at the Phog," Bill Self preached that this season would be a process and urged Jaya-hawk Nation to enjoy the ride. With Kansas playing its best basketball of the season recently, many fans have put aside Self's words, even expecting a national title come April.
All offseason, the national pundits were quick to point out the departures of the Morris twins, Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Josh Selby as potentially debilitating blows to Kansas' chance of retaining the Big 12 crown. Kansas is now the nation's hottest team, and the college basketball world is buying into the Javahawk hype machine.
With each thundering dunk, Thomas Robinson increases his lead in the Player of the Year race, and turnover-prone Tyshawn Taylor's game looks more like Chris Paul at the point lately.
ESPN's Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi even went so far as to project Kansas as a No.1 seed come tournament time.
It's time to temper these expectations, and the Kansas faithful can thank the Aggies for bringing these Jayhawks back down to Earth. Even though this game will go down simply as just another conference victory for Kansas, Monday night revealed just how much room the Jayhawks have to improve.
Leading 11-0 early in the first half, the Jayhawks had the opportunity to knock out Texas A&M early and for good. However, the energetic offensive spurt fueled by Taylor's early seven points transformed into lackadaisical in a matter of minutes.
The Aggies were missing their leading scorer in Khris Middleton, but short-handed Texas A&M still managed to steal away the momentum, returning to the locker room with a two-point lead at the half.
Kansas has been an amazing second half team all season, and that trend continued tonight as the Jayhawks outscored the Aggies by 12 points in the final 20 minutes. Robinson turned a 2-for-7, four-point performance into the 18-point, 10-rebound game that he's known for.
Although one game can't make or break a season, the Jayhawks would have lost a crucial edge in an already tight Big 12 race had they lost. A loss may have taught this team the biggest lesson when it comes to overlooking opponents, but the Jayhawks have to realize that they don't have the depth to not give maximum effort for a full 40 minutes.
Until Kansas can play with the same energy against the Texas A&M's and Iowa State's of the conference as it did against Baylor, let's not start looking ahead to March triumph and just concentrate on the game at hand.
Edited by Christine Curtin
A NEW NBA PACK TIMBERWOLVES GAIN POPULARITY PAGE 9
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BASKETBALL REWIND A&M GAME STATS AND HIGHLIGHTS PAGE 6
KANSAS 64, TEXAS A&M 54
A SLOPPY JAYHAWK WIN
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
Coach Bill Self's words of direction, no matter how pointed or audible, seeped through the ears of his players on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
After timeoutes filled with nothing but play-calling, the same plays hammered into their minds by rote, some Jayhawks sauntered back to the court mindlessly, unaware that a play was called and unsure of their place on the floor.
With 37 seconds left in the game, Self made a few substitutions, but junior forward Thomas Robinson ignored his defensive assignment, Texas A&M senior forward David Loubeau, who scurried downcourt freely and dunked the ball uncontested.
"Our heads weren't there at all tonight." Self said.
Even with the mental miscues and spotty execution, No. 5 Kansas (17-3, 7-0) denied the Aggies and found just enough points to win 64-54.
"We're just shooting the ball so bad," Self said. "Good gosh."
Robinson and junior guard Elijah Johnson, whom Self called "haywire, brain-dead," couldn't find their strokes early, combining to shoot one of 11 from the field in the first half. Loubeau succeeded in pushing Robinson out of the paint and forcing jump shots, turnovers and frustrating possessions.
"I realize that the deeper we get into the conference, the more the games seem to get harder for me," Robinson said.
After recognizing that his midrange game wasn't in tune, Robinson stuck his hands and legs into the teeth of the Aggies' interior, snatching rebounds and trading them for two points or a foul. When he got to the line, he made them count, sinking all 10 of his free throws. When he wasn't fouled, he used aggression and a quick first step to squeeze through the defense.
"I thought he was in the paint a long time," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. "We couldn't move him."
While Robinson's success fluctuated, senior guard Tyshawn Taylor continued to shine, scoring 17 points off six of nine shots from the field. Taylor, the former scapegoat of the l Jayhawks, the same player who surrendered 11 turnovers against Duke in the Maui Invitational title game, followed his turnover-less game at Texas with just two turnovers against Texas A&M.
"I'm trying not to think about it," Taylor said of his recent accomplishments. "I just want to play. I feel like if I think about it, I'll start messing up."
Self said the rest of the Jayhawks weren't thinking either, and that was the problem.
After Saturday's 69-66 victory at Texas, Self said that such a tight game would benefit his team. After Monday's slop, he didn't feel the same.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
"A win like this is ugly" Taylor said.
"But all the wins in conference count."
Edited by Jeff Karr
Junior forward Thomas Robinson hits a lay-up during the first half of Monday night's game against Texas A&M at Allen Fieldhouse.
McCay to appeal for 2012 eligibility
FOOTBALL
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
When sophomore receiver Justin McCay decided to transfer from Oklahoma, he was unsure
about when he would be allowed to play for the Kansas football team.
McCay
Currently, he will have to sit out a season before he
Jayhawks, as are the NCAA trans
"We don't know how it's going to turn out," coach Charlie Weis said. "But he's going to be writing it. We're going to be sending it out and see if we can't recoup. That would give him three to play three instead of sitting for a year and having two to play two."
fer rules, but he is appealing to see if he can start playing next season.
Weis believes McCay's reasons are legitimate, and that they are similar to those in other cases where exceptions to the rule were made.
McCay was released on
hardship from Oklahoma to three schools, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri, which means he is
exempt from a Big 12 rule that says a player transferring to another conference has to sit out an extra season as a penalty.
"It was hard going into it.
"My background isn't the best, so I came home to help my family out and have the opportunity to play Kansas football."
JUSTIN MCCAY Sophomore Receiver
McCay is a Kansas City, Mo.
going into it,
but being close to home makes it a little bit easier. Hopefully I can play right away. It's not finalized
yet so we don't know, but hopefully I can"
Kansas City, Mo.
native. He played
high school football
at Bishop
Miege in Roeland
Park.
As a senior in high school, McCay led the Stags to the 2009 4A state title, catching 64 pass
es for 926 yards and 15 touchdowns.
At Kansas, McCay will be
"I'm from Kansas City, and it's real close to my home and my family. My background isn't the best, so I came home to help my family out and have the opportunity to play Kansas football."
1
reunited with his high school coach, Tim Grunhard. Weis hired Grunhard to be the offensive line coach in December.
— Edited by Jeff Karr