Volume 124 Issue 76
kansan.com
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
WOMEN'S BORDER WAR
Davis, Sutherland shine in what could be the last women's matchup in Columbia, Mo. PAGE 7B
Taylor escapes bad rep
Monday night's 92-74 win over Baylor made that clear.
1
Tyshawn Taylor, the host of the criticism bug that bit Kansas early in the season, is a prime example of how the team's early season struggles have made Kansas far tougher than anyone could have imagined nearly one month ago after the Davidson loss.
All of those adjectives come from fans and the media alike and could appropriately describe the majority of the lajahays play early in the season. Keep in mind the aforementioned team launched into conference play with a 10-3 record. Its only losses came from Kentucky, Duke and Davidson.
While the losses and record may suggest that the adjectives did not justly fit this Kansas team, those colorful words have certainly molded it.
Infected. Cursed. Sloppy. Inexperienced. Unlucky.
With just over four minutes left in the first half, it appeared that Baylor had withstood the blow of the boisterous Allen Fieldhouse crowd. The Bears held a three-point lead. Then Taylor's name dominated the play-by-play sheet.
Layup. Steal. Turnover. Foul. Four in a row, all Taylor. Not all had a positive effect, but it was the first ripple in the wave that blew Baylor out of the water.
Three point shot from Taylor. Good. Kansas takes a two-point lead. Taylor hits a two on the following possession. Then a free throw, and later, another three that falls at the buzzer.
As it has been in the past, it's not about the chinks in the track that will make the Jayhawk's ride a bumpy one. It's about whether this team can keep the train chugging toward its eighth straight Big 12 crown.
Edited by Jeff Karr
The Jayhawk's play has been elevated by their early season frustrations. And with a tough list of Big 12 teams waiting to take their shot at the title holder for seven long years, more frustrations will surely come.
Sophomore tennis player starts season with three wins in Hawaii PAGE 6B
Taylor led a run that turned a 29-26
Baylor lead into a 39-29 small cushion
for the lahawts to rest on at halftime.
And it wasn't just Taylor who accomplished the feat with the Big Monday atmosphere not so quietly buzzing about.
It's the kind of grit Kansas lacked at the beginning of the season. It's the grit it gained shooting 33 percent in the first half against Southern California, still taking a 16-point victory back to Lawrence.
Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson and Thomas Robinson all agreed on describing Jeff Withey as a "man" and a catalyst following the game. Travis Releford has become a viable and aggressive scoring threat since Big 12 play began.
Kansas had five players in double figures against Baylor. Against Kentucky, Kansas only had two players accomplish the feat. Three against Georgetown. Three against UCLA. And three against Davidson.
It's the grit it gained by coming back from a 12-point deficit in the second half at home to Iowa State.
"I think the last game helped us with learning how to fight back a little bit," Taylor said.
A team that had no "go to" player when things began to spiral at the season's birth have found five reliable players who are learning how to raise their game when the situation calls for it.
BEAR-LY HANGING ON
TAKING DOWN NO.3
Offensive and defensive dominance lead to a convincing Kansas victory
MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
The hottest offense in the nation paraded into Lawrence on Monday fresh off its most recent slaughter.
No. 3 Baylor, undefeated and flush with all the talent that an NBA scout could conjure, routed Oklahoma State for 106 points on Saturday. The Bears were merciless, just as network know-it-alls preached they would be.
Then No.7 Kansas (15-3, 5-0) squelched them on both sides of the floor.
A layered, sturdy defense and an offense unafraid of attacking Baylor's lengthy zone led to the 92-74 victory on Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse.
"I think the nation saw how tough they are," Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
The Jayhawks were out to prove it, too.
Just more than three minutes into the game, senior guard Tyshawn Taylor swiftly dribbled down the right side of the floor and lobbed a pass behind junior
forward Thomas Robinson's head. The national player of the year candidate leaped into the air, slung his right hand backward to
catch the ball, and pounded the lob through the hoop with one hand, ensuring that Allen Fieldhouse would never hush.
"He pressed the up button," said Taylor, who scored 28 points for the second consecutive game.
Robinson's increased patience with the ball provided him with cleaner shots and fewer mistakes. He finished with 27 efficient points and consistently freed space for his teammates in both fast break and half-court sets.
When the Bears attacked with forwards Perry Jones III, Quincy Miller and Quincy Acy, Robinson acted as the interior muscle to hassle shot attempts and swallow all rebounds.
"He's become more a guy that understands the game and how he can take advantage of his skill set and his body," coach Bill Self said.
Robinson's dunk underlined how the game would continue. It was the Jayhawks, not the Bears,
who would dictate on both ends.
"If you make it past that stage," junior guard Elijah Johnson said, "you've still got to go over a seven footer who's athletic and can do just about anything."
Johnson was referring to junior center Jeff Withey, who played aggressively from the opening tipoff and never quit bothering the Bears with his long, shot altering arms.
After Withey clogged the opposition, Taylor initiated the
fast break that broke the game open.
"I'm not saying that people are sleeping on us," Taylor said. "But people didn't re-
any know what to expect coming from this team. They didn't really know what we have or what we can do. I think the last two games, we showed them we can be the best team in the conference if we play how we've been playing."
- Edited by Christine Curtin
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor lays in a shot during the second half of last night's game against Baylor at Allen Fieldhouse where Taylor went 10-14 for 28 points in the 92-74 Kansas victory.
FOOTBALL
Weis taking strides to transform football team
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
Kansas football coach Charlie Weis not only wants to turn around the on-field product of a team that has only won five games over the past two seasons, but he also wants to change the culture so it can sustain long-term success.
Weis made his first change by adding discipline to the team. He dismissed six players over break, including running back Darrian Miller and safety Keeston Terry, who were both major contributors on last year's team.
"It's a whole combination of things," Weis said. "But there's a right way and a wrong way of doing business. You can't make decisions, especially coming into a program, based on how good they are. You have to make decisions based on them doing the right thing because if you don't, you're a hypocrite."
Weis' emphasis on discipline extends to all members of the team. He announced that he had dismissed a number of walkons due to their poor academic performance.
"I just think that if it were me paying for my kids education and he weren't doing what he was supposed to be doing, the last thing
hed be doing would be an extracurricular that would take away from his time academically"
Weis became a national name
Weis
as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. While he was there, the Patriots went on to win three Super Bowl titles.
He left New England in 2005 to take over as the head coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame. Although initially successful, the Irish struggled in Weis' final three seasons and he was subsequently fired.
Weis is trying to spin his experience at Notre Dame into a positive. By learning from his past mistakes, he wants to do things differently in his second chance as head coach. One thing he learned was the importance of a strong defensive coordinator. Weis believes he found the right man for the job when he hired former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo.
"One of the things I did wrong last time was try to do everything myself, trying to wear every hat. That didn't work out so well. This case right here, I'm trying to pass
out some responsibilities. That doesn't mean I won't be the one making the decision on fourth and one, because I will be, but I want somebody that I can trust as the leader of the defense, and I couldn't have picked anyone better."
Bringing in strong recruiting classes is also a big step in the right direction. Weis succeeded in recruiting at Notre Dame by bringing in three consecutive Rivals. com top 10 recruiting classes.
Weis started behind in recruiting at the University, and his first class is currently rated last in the Big 12 by Rivals.com. But he is making waves after three highly touted players, quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps, and receiver Justin McCay, chose to transfer to Kansas.
All three said Weis was a big influence in their decisions to transfer to the University.
"Just the honesty that you get from him on a daily basis was huge in my eyes," senior quarterback Dayne Crist said. "The players quickly find out that he is going to be honest with you every day, whether it's something you want to hear or not. That is something I completely respect and it is the greatest feature I find with him."
Edited by Christine Curtin
FOOTBALL PLAYERS LEAVING THE TEAM
Players dismissed from the team for various reasons: defensive end JaQwaylin Arps, quarterback Brock Bergland, running back Darrant Miller, defensive backs Dexter McDonald, Keson Terry and Adrian Saunders.
Three players who will remain at Kansas but are no longer with the team: quarterback Jordan Webb, offensive lineman Tom Mabry and defensive end Tyrone Sellers.
Webb
Mabry
Sellers
Player Transferring: offensive Lineman Travis Bodenstein