"There's the Jayhawk and Baby Jay, but there's no Mickey Mouse and Baby Mickey Mouse. I don't like that."
Jeff Graves, when asked which mascot was better
2B • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Inside Sports
Jason Hwang jhwang@kansan.com
Basketball must beat good teams to be great
THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2003
It's important for the Kansas Jayhawks to face their demons against two powerhouse basketball programs such as Duke and Arizona en route to the Final Four.
If you ask Jayhawk fans if they hate Duke, more often than not, you will hear "yes." To some Kansas fans, being a Duke supporter is like being at the bottom of the totem pole. That's how much hate and envy there is against Duke.
Kansas coach Roy Williams is 0-3 lifetime against coach Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils. That record includes a 69-64 loss to Duke in the second round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament. The two coaches have an intense rivalry, which stems back to William's days as an assistant at North Carolina. North Carolina also shares a strong rivalry with Duke.
Tonight is the golden opportunity for the Jayhawks to get the monkey off coach Williams' back and finally beat the Dukies.
Should Kansas get past Duke, it might get another shot at Arizona in the Elite Eight. The only obstacle in Arizona's way is its Sweet Sixteen matchup against Notre Dame. A Kansas game against Arizona would be the Jayhawks' opportunity at revenge for a 91-74 loss on Jan. 25 in Lawrence. In that meeting Kansas was outscored by 37 points after leading the Wildcats 44-24 in the first half. That game gave Kansas a hard lesson on the importance of having the killer instinct to put teams away with a lead.
Many fans have complained that Kansas should not be a number two seed in the toughest region in the tournament, despite winning the Big 12 regular season title outright. But there should be no complaints.
If the road to the final four becomes that much tougher, so be it. Great teams see their upcoming opponents, welcome the challenges and deliver.
The old saying goes, "In order to be the best, you must beat the best." Combining the Jayhawks' mentality and hunger for revenge against Duke could make getting to the Final Four even more satisfying for players and fans alike.
Hwang is an Overland Park junior in journalism
Got a game?
Call the Kansan sports desk at 864-4858.
Notre Dame ready to meet Arizona
By Maxx Wolfson Arizona Daily Wildcat via U-wire University of Arizona
TUCSON. Ariz. — Mike Brey must feel a little out of place.
The third-year Notre Dame coach is taking his Fighting Irish team into unfamiliar territory, making its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1987.
Meeting him there are three coaches — Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Kansas' Roy Williams and Arizona's Lute Olson — whose seasons are considered disappointments if they don't make it past the first weekend of tournament play.
But does the 44-year-old feel out of place against the coaching legends' teams?
Absolutely not.
"I think that we do belong," said Brey, who reached a gaudy six Final Fours in eight years, while winning two titles, as a Duke assistant under Krzyzewski. "We are thought of in that mix now with these three years and the step that we took in Indianapolis."
Even after all the talk came out about how tough the West bracket was, Brey wasn't concerned. He actually was hoping it would turn out like it did, considering the physical nature of the teams
"When the bracket came out, everybody went off about the West bracket: 'Oh, my God, it's loaded,' or whatever," Brey said. "Before we even played a game, I looked at it and said, 'I do like the builds on the teams. It was a lot of basketball players. There was not the Pittsburgh/Kentucky bulk in our bracket."
Notre Dame would ultimately be up against.
Olson, on the other hand, has said from the start that the West's bracket was the toughest, but his stance shifted slightly Monday when he looked around at the other regions and said there weren't any cakewalks.
"I don't see many soft touches anywhere," Olson said. "It's obvious to begin with that there were a lot of big name schools in the West, but then you look at the other regions and you're seeing outstanding teams at each of those sites as well."
But Olson is still surprised at who the two teams are that are scheduled to play after the Wildcats and Irish face off on Thursday.
"to have Roy and 'Coach K' meeting in a Sweet Sixteen game, that's one that you could look at as a national championship game in any other year," Olson said.
Arizona senior Rick Anderson agreed.
"That would be a good Final Four right there," he said about the four teams playing in Anaheim, Calif. "But it's going to be a big challenge for us."
Brey's Notre Dame team seems to be ready for the challenge ahead, or at least prepared for it. The Irish have five wins over top-10 opponents (Texas, Maryland, Marquette, Pittsburgh and Illinois).
"Playing those teams helped us," Notre Dame senior Matt Carroll said. "We had a very tough schedule, and we realized we can beat any team in the country any given day. And I think that's why we are playing with so much confidence now."
Notre Dame is not the only team with confidence. The 15 other teams still left standing after a wild opening weekend have all won at least two games in a row, and all believe they have a chance to push that streak toward the magic number of six.
So if Arizona's streak gets pushed to three, which team does UA senior and floor-leader Jason Gardner want to see?
He said he doesn't care, but did say, "I'm sure a lot of people in Tucson want to see Duke."
Longhorns seek first national title
Only time will tell.
By Patrick Daniel
Daily Texan via U-wire
University of Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — In Texas' opening-ground game against the University of North Carolina-Ashville a sign in the stands read. "There's a first time for everything."
Of course, Bulldog fans were referring to the fact that a No. 16 seed had never beaten a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but the same sentiment can be applied to Texas coach Rick Barnes who has yet to add a national championship title to his resume.
But this could be the year that Barnes breaks through to win his first national title. With T.J. Ford dazzling at the point, James Thomas crashing the boards and the team's all-around depth, Texas has a legitimate shot at winning its first national championship in basketball
"I hope I'm going to have a lot of chances," Barnes said when asked if this was his chance to win it all. "I'm not that old. I might look it, but, right now, I'm not that old. This time of year does make you feel a little bit older."
"I've said this all along. I will never ever take for granted getting to the NCAA tournament. Once you're in it, then you are really and truly one of 65 teams that can lay claim that you got a chance to play for the big trophy. I hope every year that we have a chance."
Of course, the Longhorns will have to win two games against teams that boast coaches who have each won a national championship. Each of the other three teams that will play in tomorrow's South region semifinal games have garnered at least one championship with their current coach.
"I have a great respect for all of them," Barnes said of the three other coaches remaining in the South region.
Connecticut, Texas' first opponent in San Antonio, is coached by Jim Calhoun, who cut down the nets in 1999's national title game. The Huskies defeated the Duke Blue Devils. 77-74, in St. Petersburg, Fla., in that year's title game.
"Jim Calhoun's been around a long time," Barnes said. "I remember when Jim was at Northeastern. People knew then that he could coach. He knew what he had to do
and what he needed to do, and he did it."
This season, Calhoun's squad finished with a 23-9 record and finished first in the Big East's East Conference, and the team lost two of those nine games when Calhoun missed five games because of prostate cancer surgery.
"Well-coached," James Thomas said when asked to comment on this year's Huskie squad. "They are a good team. They went through a lot of adversity with their coach, and they were able to maintain."
If the Longhorns survive Connecticut, they will go on to face either Michigan State or Maryland, both of whom square off in Friday's late game. Spartan coach Tom Izzo led his team to the championship in 2000, while Gary Williams led the Terrapins to a title last year against the Indiana Hoosiers in Atlanta.
Before Williams and the Terrapins brought the trophy back to College Park, Md., there was a lot of talk about how Williams would need a title win before becoming a great coach. Barnes disagreed, however.
Free forAll
Duke propaganda stuff out of our newspaper? We don't want to read that stuff.
Hey Ryan Greene, how about you cut the
[ ]
There's nothing I hate more than Duke University.
Hey Ryan Greene, how about you cut that
Hey Ryan Greene, next time you profess to know something about a team and give us a scouting report, try and get the basics down first. Durham is in North Carolina, not South.
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Can somebody get me that girl who's crazy about KU basketball? I'd love to e-mail her my therapist's phone number.
So I turned on MTV, and there was Nick Collison.
My friend and I are in our room, playing with our basketball goal, and we're slam-dunking in heels. Is March Madness here? I think so.
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图
It's Wednesday morning in California, and I'm in Disneyland with the basketball band while all you suckers are at class. Rock chalk, Jayhawk.
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Kansas Athletics Calendar
TODAY
TOMORROW
Men's basketball vs. Duke, 8:57 p.m., Anaheim, Calif.
Baseball vs. Oklahoma State, 6 p.m., Hoglund Ballpark
Tennis at Texas Tech, 1 p.m., Lubbock,
Texas
SATURDAY
Baseball vs. Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.
Hooldun Ballpark
Softball at Iowa State, 2 p.m., Ames, Iowa
Tennis at Baylor, noon, Waco, Texas
Rowing at Rowan, all day, Austin, Texas
SUNDAY
Baseball vs. Oklahoma State, 1 p.m.
Hoglund Ballpark
Softball at Iowa State, 1 p.m., Ames, Iowa
FOOTBALL
Chiefs' Holmes has surgery, will miss team's minicamp
KANSAS CITY. Mo. — Chiefs star Priest Holmes had hip surgery and is expected to be running at full speed in June.
Holmes, the NFL's offensive player of the year, underwent arthroscopic surgery in Miami on Tuesday. The 29-year-old running back missed the last two games of the season.
Coach Dick Vermeil, speaking yesterday from the NFL meetings in Phoenix, said Holmes would be on crutches for about four weeks and miss minicamp.
"But I am told he'll be able to run full speed by June, and that's what we're counting on," he said.
Holmes was having one of the best seasons by a running back when he was injured after being caught from behind in a game at Denver in December. Still, he finished with 1,615 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.
While questions linger about Holmes' health, the Chiefs have decided to hold off on his demand to renegotiate his contract. General manager Carl Peterson has indicated he might be willing to discuss an extension.
The Chiefs sent Holmes to a specialist before the operation. Vermeil said Holmes had a fourth MRI and it was decided this procedure would hasten the healing process.
The Associated Press
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