TRACK AND FIELD: Scott Russell sets school record. SEE PAGE 7A. SOCCER: Coach named regional coach of the year. SEE PAGE 10A.
TALK TO US: Contact Sarah Warren or Levi Chronister at (785) 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
SPORTS
12A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2002
COMMENTARY
Chris Wristen
cwristen@kansan.com
Kansas fans can expect perfection, Final Four
Sure, there have been some moments they'd like to forget, like the cramping incident in Maui or the 87-77 loss to No. 11 UCLA that cost the Jayhawks their No. 1 national ranking after just one week.
Perfect basketball breeds high expectations, which is why it's no surprise that Kansas fans seem so confident their No. 4-ranked Jayhawks will be a Final Four team this year.
Regardless, so much has been, if not perfect, then pretty darn close.
The first 10 minutes during last Wednesday's 96-57 rout of an ireexperienced and overmatched Nebraska team may have been the purest 10 minutes of basketball during coach Roy Williams' 14 years guiding the Jayhawks. Fans oohed and aahed as every shot fell, every rebound bounced Kansas' way and every official's call favored Kansas. The Jayhawks hit 80 percent of their shots during that span before cooling to a still smoldering 59 percent for the half.
It was an amazing, awe-inspiring performance.
It was almost perfect..
The 'Huskers certainly weren't great opposition, but Kansas' game was fantastic. Most fans were satisfied and believed the game couldn't be played any better for an extended period of time.
But the Iavhawks knew better.
They proved it Tuesday against Oklahoma State.
Angry after their 13-game winning streak was snapped by UCLA, the Jayhawks played what was billed to be a better opponent and increased their level of play against the No. 6-ranked Cowboys. They drilled the Cowboys as hard as they had the hapless 'Huskers, meanwhile creating a new standard of excellence.
Returning to the site where it was handed the third-worst loss in school history two years ago, Kansas earned revenge (with a 79-61 victory) and delivered the worst loss in Eddie Sutton's 12 years as coach of Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks scorched the nets, hitting 67 percent of their first-half shots. They dominated the boards, played scrappy defense and outhustled the Cowboys to every loose ball.
It was 20 minutes of inspired basketball. Williams later said it was his team's best half of the year.
More accurately, it was probably the best half played by any team in the nation this year. Top 10 teams don't lose like that. It almost never happens, but Jayhawks made it happen. They could do it again Saturday when No.5 Oklahoma comes to Allen Fieldhouse and they could do it again to other teams before the season comes to a close.
Unlike last year's Jayhawks, the 2001-2002 edition isn't simply satisfied with winning. They don't blow leads. They blow teams out. They're not content with being No. 4. They know the No. 1 ranking is within reach and they want it back
That attitude is why Kansas is a Final Four contender and may be the best team in the land. Big wins are nice, but the Jayhawks expect that nowadays.
There's a greater perfection they expect of themselves now — a trip to the Final Four and a successful run at the national championship.
contact Wristen at
CHRIS BURKET/KANSAN
cwristen@kansan.com.
Jayhawks cream No.6 Cowboys
By Doug Pacey
Kansan sportswriter
STILLWATER, Okla. — If there was any doubt about how Kansas would respond after its loss at UCLA and fall from the No. 1 ranking, it was erased after Tuesday's 79-61 win against No. 6 Oklahoma State.
The Jayhawks played hard and fast early, but it was Drew Gooden, a junior forward, who was most noticeable.
The three-time Big 12 Player of the Week and Wooden Award candidate showed more moves than a Victoria's Secret model on a Paris runway against the Cowboys (15-2 overall, 2-2 in the Big 12 Conference). He scored 13 points in 10 minutes and helped Kansas (14-2 overall, 3-0 in the Big 12) to a 22-4 lead halfway through the first-half.
He banged inside and dunked with authority, made short baseline jumps with a feathery touch, led the fast break and knocked down a three-pointer. And that's just on the offensive end. He finished with 17 points.
"I think it was all mental," Gooden said. "That's what we did. We got out there."
Coach Roy Williams said the first half against the Cowboys was the best defense his team had played this season, but acknowledged that Oklahoma State, despite its high rank, was not at full strength without its leading scorer, Maurice Baker, who was out with a groin injury.
Still, the Jayhawks were more than pleased with the win, especially because it gave them a chance to use the knowledge that they had gained in their 87-77 loss to UCLA Saturday.
hard defensively and that set the tone."
"The biggest focus the whole time was, 'We're going to be OK if we learn from our mistakes on Saturday.'" Williams said. "I think Drew, for example, had a couple times in the first half he could have made a wild play, but he didn't do it because he understood the mistakes that had been made and I think the whole team did.
"A loss is not going to kill you anytime, but it's OK if you learn from it and change those behaviors that make those mistakes."
Contact Pacey at sports@kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Warren.
Drew Gooden, junior forward, slams the ball on a breakaway early in the game. Gooden hit six field goals and one three-pointer for 17 points against the Cowboys.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Women set dubious records
Kansas forward, KC Hilgenkamp tries to get past the double team of Colorado's Sabrina Scott and Kate Fagan. Colorado beat Kansas last night at Allen Fieldhouse 70-35.
CHRISTINA NEFF/KANSAN
By Jessica Scott
Kansan sportswriter
Numerous records were broken last night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Unfortunately for the Kansas women's basketball team, they were marks the team would rather not have approached.
The Jayhawks scored a season-low 13 first-half points during a 70-35 loss to No.22 Colorado, totaling the fewest points any Kansas women's basketball team has scored in a game.
"Tonight was really pretty bad because no one was on," Kansas coach Marian Washington said. "K.C. (Hilgenkamp) was definitely off. We didn't have Blair (Waltz) and everybody else seemed to be off."
The baker's dozen on the scoreboard in the first period was the second lowest output in a half for the Jayhawks ever, and the 35-point margin was the team's fifth-worst defeat in history.
"It's a difficult time. I've got to handle it." Washington said. "We all go through challenges. Unfortunately, in athletics it's very visible unless people recognize what these kids are trying to do and at least acknowledge that they haven't given up."
For the first ten minutes, Kansas (5-13 overall, 0-5 in the Big 12 Conference) stuck with the Buffalooes and led 11-7. The Jayhawks then went ice cold from the field, scoring just one basket in the final 10 minutes, while Colorado (11-6, 1-3) went on a 23-2 run going into half-time. Kate Fagan and Sabrina Scott combined for 17 points for the Buffalooes in the first half and finished with 29 total.
"We have to stop those spurts," said senior guard Selena Scott. "Once we stop that I think we'll be OK."
Colorado shut down Kansas' top two scorers, Selena Scott and Hilgenkamp. Kansas' Scott scored 7 points and Hilgenkamp tallied five, and the two combined for 5-of-25 shooting.
Kansas senior center Kristin Geoffroy scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds for the Jayhawks, but Kansas lost the battle for the boards 49-27.
"I'm fighting to stay positive right now. Something's got to click eventually." Geoffry said. "We have so many injuries on our team and we never know from day to day who we're going to have or who is going to show up and play."
The injuries seem to be mounting. Waltz, a freshman forward who missed the last two games with a stress fracture
in her foot, played only nine minutes before icing her foot the rest of the game. Hilgenkamp also limped after last night's contest.
"If she (Blair) plays, it's not going to damage her foot any more but it's a lot of pain," Washington said. "K.C. is also limping but she is going to try and work through it."
Contact Scott at jscott@kansan.com
This story was edited by Jay Krail.
Men's team spends time at the top
By Doug Pacey
Korean sportswriter
For one week during winter break, Kansas was at the top.
It lasted all of seven days.
"I know we're a good team no matter what," said junior forward Drew Gooden. "We could be ranked 1,2,3, 4,5 or whatever, it doesn't matter."
Kansas' players were visibly upset in the visitors' locker room after the 87-77 loss to UCLA, but that was more because of the way they played and not the knowledge that they would drop in the rankings.
At No.1 UCLA 87,No.1 Kansas 77
Here's a brief synopsis of the games Kansas played during semester break.
If there's one team in the country that knows how to beat No. 1 teams, it's the Bruins. Three times in the last two seasons UCLA has knocked off the top-ranked team.
"They just outplayed us," said Hinrich, who made a career-high five three-pointers and scored 17 points. "They beat us up, they played better."
UCLA's zone defense forced 16 first-half turnovers on its way to a 46-35 half-time lead.
At No.1 Kansas 96, Nebraska 57
In its first game as the top-ranked team in the nation in four years, Kansas had its most explosive offensive effort of the season against the Cornhuskers, leading 57-24 at the half.
For the first time this season, three Kansas players recorded doubledoubles. Nick Collison led all players with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Gooden tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds and freshman Wayne Simien scored 12 points and got 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes.
No. 2 Kansas 97, at Colorado 54
More than one-third of the crowd at the Coors Event Center was decked in crimson and blue and saw the Jayhawks beat the Golden Buffaloes for the 25th consecutive time.
Gooden netted game-highs in points, 27, and rebounds, 14. Hinrich added 19 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Collison scored his 1,000th point, but it was Gooden's 30 points—20 of which came in the second-half that helped the Jayhawks win this close game. The Crusaders tied the game, 68-68, with five minutes remaining, but a 13-5 Kansas run put the game out of reach.
No. 2 Kansas 93, Tulsa 85 at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Mo.
With 2:24 left in the game and a small lead, Hinrich took control of the game. He scored six points, snagged three important rebounds and made a steal to preserve the win. Gooden led all players with 25 points and also passed the 1,000-point plateau.
No. 3 Kansas 108, at North Dakota 77
It wasn't clear who had more fans at Englestad Arena, Jeff Boschee or the Fighting Sioux.
Boschee, a native of Valley City. N.D., was on the cover of the game program and a highlight video of his career at Kansas played on the video board before the game.
If that footage wasn't enough for fans, his play gave them something else to ooh and aah about. He led all players with 23 points and made four of six three-pointers.
Contact Pacey at sports@kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Warren.
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