HIGH SCHOOL FIGHT: A basketball game turns ugly when a brawl breaks out. BASKETBALL: Check the men's and women's AP Top 25 polls
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2002
COMMENTARY
Jessica Scott jscott@kansan.com
Fieldhouse fans possess special aura
Growing up in a Jayhawk family, I always looked forward to Christmas morning when I would get "the" present — tickets to a Kansas men's basketball game.
I remember the first time I laid eyes on Allen Fieldhouse.
"What's the big deal about that place?" I remember asking my annoyed older brother. "And why is it so dirty on the outside?"
It's amazing what one step inside such an unassuming place will do to a person, even a seventh-grader.
After showing off my T.J. Whatley autograph (I waited forever to get that!) and running smack into Greg Ostertag's knees, I found my seat in the rafters and watched as the good guys stomped N.C. State. The overwhelming electricity from the crowd was something I had never experienced before, and instantly I knew that this was a special yet indescribable place.
Six years later, as I froze waiting in line before last week's Missouri game, I began to wonder what the hell I was doing standing outside this place for three hours.
Again the aura of Allen Fieldhouse took over, and suddenly I remembered the madness we call Kansas basketball.
The fieldhouse seemed magnetic. Thousands of students, some of whom were painted and half naked, screamed, chanted and jumped up and down, totally oblivious to the 30-degree weather. Despite the ethnic, gender, sexual and social differences among us, that night we were all the same — loyal Jayhawk fans.
Anyone who was lucky enough to be at the Mizzou game knows what I'm talking about.
The same students who stood shivering in the cold were sweating from their non-stop cheering. They eagerly wrapped their arms around the strangers next to them during the alma mater. They took a moment to look around and soak up the atmosphere. These fans, the I'llie-down-in-traffic-for-the'Hawks fans, truly appreciate the power of the fieldhouse.
The electricity running through the crowd was at a premium. Allen Fieldhouse felt as vibrant as ever — its walls shook, its bleachers rumbled. The old limestone stood strong and enjoyed the lifeblood racing through it.
They plan their schedules around camping out, sometimes skipping class just so they don't lose their spot in line.
They scrounge around their dorms, looking for poster board and markers to make a picture of Quin Snyder with a mullet.
They sneak in more than one section of newspaper under their shirts to make sure their fellow Jayhawks all have sheets.
We should all learn something from these kids.
Smile at the ticket-takers when they quiz you on your ID number. Wave at the wealthy alumni who come in five minutes before tipoff. Learn the words to the alma mater and sing along like no one's listening. Hold your breath and wrap your arms around Baby Jay's stank outfit. Use the "family restroom" by yourself. Pay $3 for a drink. Paint your face. Wear blue, Scream, Laugh. Enjoy.
Appreciate the little things that make Allen Fieldhouse so special. See the beauty in the dirty limestone walls.
Love being a Kansas Jayhawk
Scott is a Haven sophomore in journalism. Contact her at jscott@kansan.com.
Kansas forward Drew Gooden,left, and Kansas State's Pervis Pasco chase after a loose ball during the first half last night at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan. The Jayhawks beat the Wildcats for the 19th consecutive time.
ZACH LONG/KANSAS STATE COLLEGIAN
Home away from home
'Hawks keep 19-game victory streak alive in Manhattan
By Doug Pacey Kansan sportswriter
MANHATTAN — It's as sure as pot holes on 15th Street after a deep freeze and long lines for enrollment and Add/drop.
Kansas always wins at Kansas State's Bramlage. Coliseum. Like death and taxes, you can count on it.
The No. 2 Jayhawks beat the Wildcats 98-71 last night at what Kansas fans jokingly call Allen Fieldhouse West for Kansas' 19th consecutive victory in Manhattan, 14th at Bramlage and 23rd straight against K-State.
These Jayhawks (20-2 overall, 9-0 Big 12 Conference) say the streak didn't even factor into their thinking before last night's nationally-televised game on ESPN. Kirk Hinrich said if the media didn't bring it up, a brief mention by coach Roy Williams would be the only time they heard about the streak.
"We don't really get into the streak," said junior forward Drew Gooden. "We don't want to be contaminated with 'streak this' and 'streak that,' home wins and home losses and all that. I'm not even worried about a streak."
It might be another game on the schedule for the Jayhawks, but for K-State (9-11, 3-6), this is the game that gets circled in a thick red pen on the calendar. The largest crowd of the season, 12,238 people, was on hand for the game, although at least a quarter of them were chanting "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" at the end of the game.
Five Jayhawks scored in double fig
ures, led by Kirk Hinrich's 26 points.
Gooden failed to tally a double-double for the second time in 14 games. He finished with 15 points and five rebounds.
"Everyone on the team, the city and our school wanted us to beat KU," said K-State junior forward Matt Siebrandt. "We wanted to be a lot more competitive, but we never stopped fighting."
nine minutes, but that's when things got rowdy.
Kansas led early and by a lot. The Jayhawks were up 51-30 at halftime and quickly ran that to a 61-33 edge after the first two minutes of the second half. The teams were an even 13-13 over the next
K-State coach Jim Wooldridge stormed to half court to argue a no-call with a referee and was quickly whistled for a technical for being so far away from his bench.
After refusing to return, he was rung up again and ejected.
"I think he had, in his mind, a great reason for what he did and did it," Williams said. "I don't think he wanted
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 7A
Box Score
Kansas 98, Kansas State 71
Kansas 98, Kai
KANSAN (98)
Kirk Hinrich 6-8 10-10 26, Jeff Boschee 4-9 5-6
Drew Gooden 7-13 1-2 15, Nick Collison 7-11 1-2 15, Wayne Simien 6-9 0-12, Aaron Miles 1-4 2-25, Keith Langford 1-3 2-2 4, Jeff Carey 1-1 0-02, Todd Kappelmann 1-1 0-02, Michael Lee 0-1 0-21
KANSAS STATE (71)
KARINS STATE (N) 19-7-1527, Phineas Atchison 6-12
1-11-6, Pervis Pasco 4-60-48, Nick Williams 3-16,
Matt Siebrandt 2-50-04, Quentin Buchanan 1-40-02, Marcelo Da Barrosa 1-3
0-02, Ivan Sulic 1-20-02, Gilson DeJesus 1-5
0-02
Kansas guard Aaron Miles drives the lane past Kansas State's Larry Reid during the Jayhawks victory over K-State. Miles scored 5 points for Kansas in the 98-91 victory.
ZACH LONG/COLLEGIAN
Jayhawks' focus fades in blowout second halves
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sports writer
MANHATTAN — The Kansas basketball team is cruising through the Big 12 Conference with an ease that hasn't come its way since the 1970-71 season.
Recently, the second halves of Jayhawk games haven't been must-see television. Kansas has blown out so many teams in the Big 12, especially when playing on national television, that fans haven't had to watch the final minutes of many games.
After hammering Kansas State, 98-71, last night at Bramlage Coliseum, the Jayhawks are 9-0 in the Big 12 for the first time in three decades.
Some of the Kansas players even admitted that it has been difficult for them to stay attentive toward the end of their games.
"It wasn't good. We lost our focus a little bit," junior forward Nick Collison said. "I think if they would have come out with the same kind of fire they showed at the end, it would have been a different game. We probably would have been sharper."
Kansas carried a 21-point lead into halftime
against Kansas State and eventually led by as many as 31 early in the second half.
Then, Wildcat coach Jim Woolridge received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. His team responded to its coach's intensity.
Kansas State sent the crowd into a frenzy, cutting the lead to a still formidable 17 points. Wildcat senior guard Larry Reid led the late surge and finished with 27 points.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said he wasn't happy with the way the game ended. He said he was disappointed his players lost their concentration, particularly freshman guards Aaron Miles and Keith Langford.
"I thought Aaron lost his focus, not as much on what was happening, but just because Larry Reid was scoring so easily on him," Williams said. "Keith lost his focus. He didn't run a couple of sets the way he was supposed to run them. Hopefully, we can learn from it and not do it again."
Junior forward Drew Gooden said the end of the game was frustrating.
SEE BLOWOUT ON PAGE 7A
Seven Big 12 teams hold spots in the Top 25
Bv Ryan Wood
Kansan sportswriter
With seven teams among the nation's Top 25, the women's Big 12 Conference teams are fighting for the top spot.
"The Big 12 ranks right up there with the best of them, if not the best," said Kansas senior center Nikki White. "It's been recognized for having tough competition ever since I've been here."
Oklahoma (18-2 overall, 8-1 Big 12 play), coming off a 79-57 defeat of Kansas on Saturday, currently leads the heated race,
but the way teams are knocking each other off, even the Sooners cannot rest easy with their present reign as king of the mountain.
Kansas State (20-3, 8-2) lost its grasp on the top position after losing an 86-72 battle at home to Iowa
State on Saturday. Despite their 17-5 record and No.12 national ranking the Cyclones are no better than tied for sixth in the Big 12.
The Associated Press Top 25 poll was released yesterday, with Oklahoma's No.4 spot leading all Big 12 schools.
The remaining six conference teams in the rankings are all within eight places of each other, ranging from No.10 Baylor to No.17 Texas.
With the Big 12 so loaded with talent this year, almost every conference match-up has national significance, and the games have not disappointed. In the last week alone, three high-staked games were decided by fewer than five points.
"On any given night, any team can win," White said. "That's what makes this conference so competitive."
Contact Wood at rwood@kansan.com. This story was edited by Angela Cox.
Women's BIG 12Basketball
CONE OVERALL
TEAM W L W L
Oklahoma 8 1 18 2
Kansas St. 8 2 20 3
Colorado 7 3 17 6
Baylor 6 3 18 3
Texas 6 4 14 6
Iowa St. 5 5 17 5
Texas Tech 5 5 13 7
Missouri 4 5 13 7
Texas A&M 3 6 11 10
Oklahoma St. 3 6 10 11
Nebraska 2 7 12 10
Kansas 0 10 4 18
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