BASEBALL: Senior third baseman wants first win over Baylor. SEE PAGE 7A. NCAA TOURNAMENT: Missouri beats Miami. SEE PAGE 7A.
TALK TO US:
Contact Sarah Warren or
Levi Chronister at (785) 864-
4858 or sports@kansan.com
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
10A
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2002
Bumbling toward narrow victory
With Hinrich out, Kansas pulls off nailbiting win over No.16 seed Holy Cross
By Doug Pacey Kansan sportswriter
ST. LOUIS — Don't expect Roy Williams to rub a billiken again anytime soon. Kansas visited Saint Louis University yesterday and patted a bust of the school's mythical mascot for good luck.
"It didn't work out very well," the coach said.
The Jayhawks almost became an answer to a trivia question when they were nearly upset by No. 16 seed Holy Cross last night. The Crusaders led No. 1 seed Kansas 37-35 at halftime and as late as the nine-minute mark in the second half, but the Jayhawks' depth and athleticism helped them prevail 70-59 in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. If Kansas had lost the game, the Jayhawks would have become the first No. 1 seed in NCAA history to be beaten by a No. 16 seed.
"Some people on this team let the seed get to their head," said Drew Gooden, who led Kansas with 19 points and 13 rebounds. "Like the first-round game, since we're the No. 1 seed, it's supposed to be easy. It's never supposed to be easy."
Holy Cross out-played, out-hustled and out-worked Kansas in the first half. Holy Cross shot 12 of 32 (37.5 percent) from the field. The team had a two-point lead at halftime. The Crusaders took the Jayhawks out of everything they wanted to do. The Crusaders didn't let the Jayhawks dominate them inside and hampered the 'Hawks' transition game.
"We got ourselves into some problems," Williams said. "We weren't rebounding, you have to do is give Holy Cross credit. If there was an easy
KANSAS 70,HOLY CROSS 59
HOLY CROSS(18-15)
Meade 3-7-2-9, Szatkó 4-19-5-813,
Lufkin 1-3-2-4, Wilson 5-9-1-2-13,
Serralville 1-2-13-4, Sanchez 0-2-0
0-0, Hurley 0-2-0-00, Whearty 5-6-
2-12. Totals 20-60 15-23 59.
KANSAS (30-3)
**KANSAS (50-3)**
Collison 2-61-2-1, Hinrich 3-6 3-4 9,
Gooden 7-15-5-1 9, Miles 3-8 1-1 7,
Boschee 4-7 2-1 2, Ballard 0-0 0-0
0, Langford 1-2 7-8 9, Carey 0-0 0-0
0, Simien 4-8 0-1 8. Totals 24-52 19-
237 0.
Halftime—Holy Cross 37, Kansas
35.3-Point Goals—Holy Cross 4-14
(Wilson 2-3, Meade 1-1, Serravalle
1-5, Sanchez 0-1, Szatkó 0-4),
Kansas 3-6 (Boschee 3-4, Gooden
0-1, Miles 0-1). Fouled out—Wilson.
Rebounds—Holy Cross 31 (Szatkó
9), Kansas 42 (Gooden 13).
Assists—Holy Cross 13 (Meade 4),
Kansas 11 (Gooden 5). Totalfouss-
Holy Cross 21, Kansas 17. A—NA.
answer to how to adjust, I would have done it by the first time-out, the second time-out, the third time-out."
When Honorable Mention All-American junior guard Kirk Hinrich left the game late in the first half with an ankle sprain, it seemed Williams would have a harder time figuring out how to avoid going down in tournament history as the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No.16 seed.
Freshman swingman Keith Langford played for Hinrich and scored nine points and played a career-high 31 minutes. His biggest basket came during Kansas' 19-8 run over an eight-minute, 14 second-span in the middle of the second half when he put back an offensive rebound, was fouled and converted and tied the game, 46-46.
Moments later, senior guard Jeff Boschee hit a three-pointer with two
SEE HOLY CROSS ON PAGE 7A
Kansas junior guard Kirk Hinrich sits on the bench with his ankle propped up during a time out in the second half. Hinrich hurt his ankle during the first half in the Jayhawks game against Holy Cross last night. With the win, they moved to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
CHRISTINA NEFF/KANSAN
'Catalyst' Hinrich out, hopes to return by Saturday's game
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
ST.LOUIS —The future of the Kansas men's basketball season may hinge on the status of junior guard Kirk Hinrich's left ankle.
While driving the lane late in the first half of Kansas' 70-59 victory against Holy Cross in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Hinrich was injured and had to be dragged off the court by the Jayhawk medical staff.
Hinrich, who finished the contest with nine points, four rebounds and three assists in just 18 minutes, said he realized right away that something was wrong.
"It's an ankle sprain," team doctor Larry McGee said. "There's not very much swelling, but there's a lot of pain."
"I came down on somebody's foot. It popped and it really hurt," he said. "I don't feel sorry for myself at all. It happened. There's nothing you can do about it."
The injury coupled with the fact that No.1 seed Kansas wasn't playing its best basketball against the No.16 seed Holy Cross provided for some nerve-racking moments yesterday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Freshman swingman Keith Langford was forced to play in Hinrich's place to
Stay updated on the NCAA tournament over Spring Break with kansan.com.
close out the first half and the entire second half. He played 31 minutes and scored nine points.
"Kirk went down and we needed a lift. I just did what I'm supposed to do," Langford said. "I feel comfortable when I'm on the floor. I don't think there is that much of a drop-off when I'm on the floor."
After the game, about 10 television cameras and 20 reporters surrounded
SEE HINRICH ON PAGE 7A
A night of upsets almost ruin Kansas' chance at NCAA tourney glory
ST. LOUIS — Holy S*-#! What the
heck happened last night?
Yeah, you saw it just like I did. Holy Cross — a bunch of gritty no-names — provided the biggest scare to Kansas since that wicked witch of the West lifted Dorothy's house and made her whole world crumble.
It was an incredible sight to behold in the Edward Jones Dome yesterday evening, as several clergymen watched their beloved Crusaders nearly pull out the biggest miracle in NCAA tournament history.
Mind you fans back at Mount Oread
—the select few who for some unknown reason are at Western Civ., and not watching the greatest sporting spectacle in the Western Hemisphere — this one would have gone down as the worst loss in the NCAAs. Ever.
This would have been the biggest blunder since the game's great inventor James Naismith, forgot to cut a hole in the bottom of those darn peach baskets.
COMMENTARY
Yes, Kansas fans, *IF* Kansas would have lost, the 0h... Jayhawks could never have lived this one down.
Andy Samuelson asamuelson@kansan.com
Nah, Kansas played its worst game of
But you see, they didn't lose.
the season. The Jayhawks came out flat for the second time in as many games. The Jayhawks just never got going, like in a bad, surreal dream. Every time they'd wake up they'd drift back asleep
into the same nightmare of turnovers and missed shots. And it wasn't as if the Crusaders had the Pope out there popping threes. Holy Cross played well, especially defensively, but not great.
The Crusaders surely weren't better.
The Crusaders safety team C'mon they were the freak'en 16 seed. Kansas was supposed to dismantle these Patriot League pansies. They were supposed to cruise against the Crusaders like Duke, the only other No. 1 team to play on yesterday, did against 16-seeded Winthrop.
Nope, for some unknown reason this Kansas team has began to cough and
swallow hard in March.
They haven't choked, yet.
But Kansas, which would have blown-out these bozos a few weeks ago, has felt the pressure of the world on its shoulders. They seem stricken by the same curse that has infected so many of the boys from Lawrence around this time of year.
But, as crappy as Kansas came out against the Crusaders, it will play again. That's the beauty of this thing called March Madness. It only matters if
SEE SAMUELSON ON PAGE 7A
Come visit and find out why. From our front yard you can see KU. Nice days you can walk. Bad days you can ride the bus. We have 3 bus stops conveniently located. Getting to classes couldn't be easier.
Our greatest amenities are natural. We are located on 42 acres, so our buildings are not bunched up together. We are not buildings and concrete. Look around. We have meadows, trees everywhere, plants and shrubs. You will enjoy the view from every window.
meadowbrook apartments 15th & Crestline
842-4200 101-T Windsor Pl
email: mdwbrk@sunflower.com Lawrence, KS 66049
http://meadowbrookapartments.talkoftheplanet.com
http://meadowbrookapartments.talkoftheplanet.com
V