Volume 124 Issue 79
kansan.com
Friday, January 20, 2012
COMMENTARY
Kansas to take Big 12
One of these years, Bill Self and his Jayhawks are going to watch another team
hoist the Big 12 championship trophy. A little more than two months ago, I predicted that 2012 would be that year, insisting that Baylor and its roster stuffed with future pros would end Kansas' ridiculous seven-year run of consecutive conference titles. The Bears have more raw talent and more professional prospects than the Jayhawks. It was true two months ago, and it will be true two months from now.
But in case you missed the 92-
74 smackdown that Kansas put
on Baylor Monday night in Allen
Fieldhouse, a few things became
quite clear.
1. Kansas isn't losing at home this season. I'm no expert on how many points home court advantages are worth, but the Old Barn was worth more than a few buckets Monday night. Baylor coach Scott Drew had to run almost to half-court a few times just to call a timeout. Communication on the court was nearly impossible and a pair of Thomas Robinson dunks brought the crowd to ear-splitting decibels that convinced you that the 16,300 fans in attendance wouldn't allow their team to lose.
2. Bill Self is still the best coach in the league. If those seven straight Big 12 titles didn't convince you, don't worry. Going back to the 1998-1999 season at Tulsa, Self has won 11 conference championships in the last 13 years. The last time Self finished a season with a losing record, Tyshawn Taylor wasn't even four years old. The staggering stats—like his 90-23 record against current Big 12 bites—go on and on.
3. Solid play from Taylor and Thomas Robinson makes them the best duo in the conference. Robinson is going to get his 17 points and 12 rebounds nearly every game, and when Taylor plays near his ceiling like he did against Iowa State and Baylor, he's one of the best guards in the country. Way back in October, when Self was answering questions about this team's apparent vulnerabilities, he brought up Taylor and Robinson at point guard and power forward. "That's not a bad place to start," Self said. He was right, and both are playing better than nearly everyone predicted and it's showing up in the wins column.
There's a difference between wanting something to happen and expecting something to happen. Nine Big 12 teams want to win the conference title. These Kansas players expect to win the conference title because that's all they've ever known. Baylor witnessed that Monday night when they were punched in the mouth and didn't know how to respond. It will happen again many times throughout the rest the conference season. Teams will look up and see Kansas sitting comfortably atop the standings while making plans for another trophy presentation. One of these years...
-Edited by Corinne Westeman
WEIS HIRES COACH FOR LINEBACKERS
PAGE 7
GOING STREAKING
SUCCESS BY SPURTS
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
"I think it's hard to keep it turned up for 40 minutes if you don't sub much." Self said. "So it's kind of become a spart team."
Without a handful of minute-eating substitutes, coach Bill Self often has no choice but to run his core into a state that nears exhaustion. He doesn't tote an experienced and productive bench—a once year-to-year luxury on any team. Excluding senior guard Conner Teahan, this year's bench averages only 10 points and 38 minutes per game. So when the Jayhawks are fired up, there's a brief moment in time when they knock opponents out and seal the game for good. The rest of the game
is just getting by.
"More so than any other team we've had here, I think our energy keys us more than anything else."
As Kansas prepares for its 3 p.m. game tomorrow at Texas, it will lean on defense and hope that's what will translate to spurts.
On Monday against Baylor, most of the first half led observers to believe that it could be any team's game. There were four lead changes and several momentum swings until senior guard Tyshawn Taylor scored 11 of his team's 13 unanswered points in the final four minutes of the first half. Taylor converted wild layups with contact and swished deep 3-point shots. The Jay hawks were running and Allen Fieldhouse was rocking.
It was a spurt in its truest form.
"Spurs come, but sometimes they don't," Taylor said. "So we have to be able to stop teams from scoring because our scoring isn't going to be as fluent as it has been."
No matter when the spurs come, the Jayhawks have committed to defense and relied on its consistency. A spurt often sparks from one small play and turns into a game defining run. Against Baylor, it was Taylor's impossible layups that ignited his team and led to the victory. Against the Longhorns, any player could start a spurt.[14]
BILL SELF Coach
all starts with a little effort.
"More so than any other team we've had here, I think our energy keys us more than anything else," Self said. "Before the common denominator was talent or depth. Here, it's got to be energy because when we're turned up, we're pretty athletic and we play defense so much better."
The Jayhawks won't always depend on turnovers to get in the fast break and score. Hard-nosed defense does the trick.
Junior guard Travis Releford hangs on the rim after his slam dunk during the first half of Saturday night's game against the Iowa State Cyclones. Along with the team's strong defense, spurts have led to the Jayhawks' latest success.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
Edited by Nadia Imafidon
"There are times when we don't get any steals, but it's maybe some of the best defense we play because we're solid." Self said. "It seems to me the last few games we've got a lot in a short amount of time because we've been a good sport team."
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Aggies could challenge Jayhawks' early success
KATHLEEN GIER
kgier@kansan.com
The women's basketball team is off to its best conference start since 1997, and is currently second in the Big 12 behind Baylor. But, on Saturday, the team begins a three-game run that could threaten its early success. Kansas will face defending national champions No. 14 Texas A&M. No. 17 Texas Tech and No. 1 Baylor during the next eight days.
This is the portion of their schedule that will challenge the Jayhawks' precious 15-2 record and determine whether Kansas can keep up with the heavy hitters in the conference.
"We have been pretty consistent and pretty solid, and that is so important," women's coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
The Jayhawks' biggest strength is the team's balance. The five starters scored all 65 of their points last game, but four of the players were in double figures led by Carolyn Davis with 18. Of the five starters, four are upperclassmen, and freshman Natalie Knight is adjusting quickly.
The first five conference games have brought their own challenges with three of them decided in the final minutes including a double overtime victory against Iowa State.
The frontcourt pairing of Aishah Sutherland and Carolyn Davis is fueling the Jayhawks' scoring as they continue to move through program history in scoring and rebounding totals. Sutherland pulled down 22 rebounds against Oklahoma Sate on Wednesday, which was the best since Tracy Claxton collected 28 in 1981. Sutherland has 766 rebounds and is just three points shy of 1,000 for her career.
"She got tough rebounds," Henrickson said. "Not all by herself - 1 mean, some really tough boards."
"We've got more players from a maturity standpoint that can withstand some runs, make their own runs, dig in and persevere," Henrickson said.
"My shots weren't falling from outside," Sutherland said. "So that gave me the opportunity to rip and drive more, and that really worked for me being able to finish around the rim."
As Sutherland develops her shot and starts finding some distance, she went back to the basics with her dominating performance in the paint.
Davis hit her 1,000 point mark earlier in the season. During Wednesday's game, Davis' four rebounds allowed her to work her way into history as the 14th Jayhawk with 1,000 points and
500 rebounds. Sutherland will soon reach that goal as well, if things go correctly.
Then there's Angel Goodrich, who leads the team's guards and averages 7.2 assists a game. She moved to fourth all-time with 409 assists, passing Ivana Catic after Wednesday's victory. Goodrich has been a statistical and moral leader for this team. She fills her stat line from points and assists to steals, but also leads the team in charges taken.
Henrickson said freshman guard Natalie Knight reminds her of Goodrich when she was younger. The Jayhawks are getting a quieter form of consistency from Knight who hit two of her three attempts from beyond the arc on the way to 10 points, she leads the starters with the fewest turnovers.
All of these element have worked so far to keep Kansas competitive and the team playing at a level that could make Saturday's matchup with Texas A&M interesting.
"With the next few games we have coming up the momentum is turned our way and we love that," Davis said.
JESSICA JANASZ /KANSAN
- Edited by Corinne Westeman
Freshman guard Natalie Knight dribbles the ball toward the goal during the second half of Wednesday's game at Allen Fieldhouse against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. The Jayhawks' currently have a 15-2 record.