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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2002
Andy Davies
Adavies@kansan.com
Fight between mascots leaves sports behind
On paper, the Kansas-Maryland match-up is the marquee game of the Final Four.
Both teams are number one seeds that won at least 50 games. Both teams won their regular-season conference championship and expected to be here.
But which school would win if the Final Four consisted of fights between mascots and not basketball games?
While Paula Jones versus Tonya Harding or Barry Williams against Danny Bonaduce it's not, welcome to the my version of MTV's Celebrity Death Match and Fox's Celebrity Boxing. It features a mythical bird, a turtle, a settler of the Wild West and a uh, Hoosier.
THE BATTLES
LAURIE SISK/KANSAN
The Jayhawk uses its sharp beak and claws to attack its opponents. It uses its ability to fly and its speed and agility to attack foes from all angles. The Jayhawk fears nothing. It fights Wildcats, Tigers, Buffaloes and Longhorns annually and experiences a great deal of success.
Jayhawk versus Terrapin
The Terrapin's hard exterior shell protects the turtle when the opponent launches an offensive, which causes the foe to wear itself down trying to penetrate the powerful shield. While the Terrapin is slow, it makes up for its lack of speed by outthinking its foes.
Look for the Jayhawk to win this fight in a battle that should go all 40 minutes. The 'Hawks will keep attacking the shell of the Terrapin until it breaks. Big Jay will enjoy a delicious bowl of turtle soup to celebrate winning an old-fashioned street fight.
Davies is a St. Mary's senior in journalism.
Oklahoma's mascot is named for the settlers of what was the then-Oklahma territory that started the Land Run of 1889 before a cannon was fired that officially began the settlement. In an equal fight, the Sooner's biggest strength will be their sly ways. The Sooners also bring toughness of settling a territory and won't back down from any opponent.
Hoosier versus Sooner
This will be the bloodiest fight of all. The Jayhawk will need to be aware of the Sooner's tricks, but should be able to use its speed to its advantage. In the brutal, no-holds-barred fight, The Jayhawk will give new meaning to the phrase Beak 'Em' Hawks. The Jayhawk will peck the Sooner until he quits.
The Sooner faces a foe that no one, even fans of the Hoosier, know what it is. The Indiana web site (www.indiana.edu) refers interested Internet surfers to a July/August 1992 article in the Indiana Alumni Magazine. The article gave several options, including workers that dug a canal on the Ohio River for contractor Samuel Hoosier (or Hoosher), early rough and tumble settlers in the state, and a hick.
Whatever a Hoosier is, it's tough, but not as tough as a Sooner. This will be a rough and bloody brawl and the Sooners will do everything it takes to win and if it means walking the fine line between trickery and cheating ... well, anything's fair in a fight.
Jayhawk versus Sooner
Tough frontcourt match-up expected
Nick Collison pulls down one of his 15 rebounds against Oregon Sunday in Madison, Wis., during the Midwest Regional finals.
By Doug Pacey Kansan sportswriter
But if the Honorable Mention All-America Collison and First Team All-America Gooden are the nation's best front-court, who's second best?
Junior forwards Nick Collison and Drew Gooden have claimed all season to be college basketball's best frontcourt, and they've made quite a case for that brash and bold statement. All the duo has done is average 35.4 points and 19.8 rebounds per game. Heck, their 35 rebounds against No.2 seed Oregon Sunday was one more than the entire Ducks' total.
Why, that might be Maryland's tandem of forwards Lonny Baxter (15.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Chris Wilcox (11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg). They combine for 26.8 points and 15.7 rebounds a game and are athletic as any big men in college basketball.
"It's not a pleasant match-up, I can tell you that," Roy Williams said. "They are really physical, big, strong guys — Baxter, Wilcox — those guys up front."
Kansas right fielder Matt Tribleb fields a ground ball. Kansas beat Baker 9-3,
bringing the team's record to 12-9 overall.
So, how will the No. 2-ranked Jay hawks combat the No. 4 Terrapins' troublesome twosome?
"With the quickness of Gooden and the strength of Nick Collison," Gooden joked after answering that question for the ninth time during a news conference Tuesday.
But in all seriousness, it will take a Herculean effort from Collison, Gooden and reserve forwards freshman Wayne Simien and senior Jeff Carey to control the boards and dominate the post for Kansas (33-3 overall, 16-0 Big 12 Conference) to beat the Atlantic Coast Conference champ Maryland (30-4 overall, 15-1 ACC). Baxter (6-foot-8, 260 pounds) and Wilcox (6-10, 220 pounds) have the body size to bang with Gooden (6-10, 230 pounds) and Collison (6-9, 250 pounds) and the athleticism. to boot.
nation," Collison said. "I think their front line is so difficult to match up with. I think Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox are a lot like us, because they can do so many things. We don't have the body size that they have. We have
"They are as good as anyone in the
to play harder than they do because they might have the edge in the front court."
CHRISTINA NEFF/KANSAN
Despite the roses that Gooden and
SEE FRONTCOURT ON PAGE 6A
Hot hitters propel 'Hawks
By Ryan Wood
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, the Kansas baseball team was fueled by two unexpected performances when it needed them most.
Junior infielder Casey Spanish, who entered the game hitting below .100, and freshman catcher Cole Armstrong, who had just recently found his stroke, combined to knock in five runs in a sixth-run Kansas eighth, propelling the Jayhawks to a 9-3 victory over Baker yesterday.
"Obviously, everyone goes through struggles," said Spanish, who entered the contest in a 4-for-48 slump. "It was real nice to help my teams get some runs there in the eighth."
With the win, the Jayhawks improved to 12-9 on the season. Baker dropped its fifth in a row and fell to 7-9.
"We learned more from this than if we'd jumped out to a big lead," coach Bobby Randall said. "We learned what we need to do and not to throw at-bats away. We needed to play today and that's why."
Freshman Chris Jones (2-0) earned the victory in relief. The southpaw struck out three and allowed just one hit in two innings of work. Freshman Tom Gorzelanny, normally the closer, started and pitched the first two
innings for Kansas.
Down 3-2 in the seventh, Spanish walked with one out. After stealing two bases, sophomore outfielder Adam Rachlin knocked him in with a sacrifice fly, tying the game.
"I thought our pitching hung together pretty good," Randall said, "but our offense lacked a little concentration."
"I haven't been out there enough to get stolen bases this year," Spanish said. "It was good to get out there and start running."
After back-to-back one-out hits in
the eighth, junior first baseman Kevin Wheeler was intentionally walked, bringing Armstrong to the plate with the bases loaded.
Armstrong delivered a two-run single, giving the Jayhawks their first lead and the catcher his fifth hit in the last two games.
"When they intentionally walked Wheeler," Armstrong said, "it put a little fuel in the fire."
After a walk to junior shortstop Brandon Shepard, Spanish smasheda
SEEBASEBALL ON PAGE 7A
Terps hope history won't repeat itself
Maryland looks to past experience for an edge in Saturday's game
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
Maryland players and coaches remember the disappointment of losing in last year's Final Four all too well, and they never want to feel that kind of pain again.
Terrapins coach Gary Williams said being the only team with players in Atlanta to have Final Four experience is somewhat of an advantage.
The Terrapins blew a 22-point lead against Duke, losing 95-84 in a national semifinal game. Maryland has a chance for some vindication as the team prepares to play Kansas in the Final Four Saturday in Atlanta.
"We're not overwhelmed by returning
to the Final Four," Williams said. "Getting to the Final Four had been a goal for a long time, and we
finally made it last year, which makes it easier to comprehend everything this year.
"Hopefully, that will help us."
He said he learned a lot after last year's postseason loss.
"You know this is going to be a crazy week, but you have to assign yourself certain times during the day when you're just going to watch tape or just think about Kansas," Williams said. "The biggest thing that I found out last year is that you prepare for these games just like you do for regular season games."
Maryland was picked by many to make it to the Final Four before the season began, but it almost didn't happen for the Terrapins.
No. 2-seed Connecticut gave Maryland a scare in the East Region Final. The Terrapins trailed by as many as seven points late in the game, but with 25 seconds left in last Sunday's game and the shot clock nearing zero, guard Steve Blake sank a three-pointer, providing enough for Maryland to win, 90-82.
"The Connecticut game was as good a NCAA game as I've ever been involved, especially with the pressure of going to the Final Four falling on that game," Williams said. "I was proud of our players and the way they stood tall to win that game."
Maryland now hopes to take the next step by, not only beating Kansas, but also winning the national championship on Monday night.
But first, the Terrapins must get past the Jayhawks.
Williams said he views Kansas as his team's toughest opponent this season.
"They certainly have a great front line and a great back court," he said. "They're a terrific transition team and they play very good defense. They know how to put the ball back in the basket, which is probably the best thing they do. We have our work cut out for us and we look forward to the challenge."
Kansas coach Roy Williams said he has similar feelings about facing the Terrapins.
"They really have a well-rounded team, which I think we also have," he said. "So in that viewpoint, I think there are some similarities, but I think we both have some matchup problems because you never know which guy is going to hurt you the most."
Contact Wasko at bwasko@kansan.com. This story was edited by Jeremy Clarkson.
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