"I think North America is perched waiting and hoping to forgive Pete Rose. He's just got to less up, Talk to Bill Clinton, talk to Ben Johnson — we're a very forgiving continent."
Tom Valke, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame president on Pete Rose
2B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Inside Sports
SPORTS COMMENTARY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2003
Joey Berlin jberlin@kansan.com
Slow down to overcome pesky Sooners
Roy Williams is probably wondering what his basketball team has to do to beat Kelvin Sampson's Oklahoma Sooners. If he's going to face them again this season, in the Big 12 or the NCAA Tournament, Williams will have to try something different, like changing his team's style of play
Oklahoma's 77-70 whipping of Kansas on Sunday was a carbon copy of the Sooners' 64-55 victory in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game last year, with Kansas again erasing much of a huge deficit only to fall short.
With a Big 12 best 60.2 points allowed per game, the Sooners are one of the most aggressive defensive teams in the country. It's that aggressiveness that kills the Jayhawks. Other teams don't defend Kansas the way Oklahoma does. Baylor, Holy Cross, the EA Sports All-Star: teams like that are terrified of what Kirk Hinrich or Nick Collison will do if their defenders overplay and lose them. So the teams play reactive, rather than proactive, defense. They let Collison catch the ball 8 feet from the basket and hope he'll miss a baseline jumper or get fouled and clank another free throw. They allow Hinrich to catch passes on the perimeter, scared of what he'll do if they go for a steal and miss.
Sampson doesn't let his teams do any of that. Oklahoma gets in your face before you even get the ball. The Sooners contest every pass and every shot. They clog the lane and force errors.
The most impressive success of the team with a reputation for playing slow, ugly basketball is when the Sooners get back in transition, short-circuiting fast break opportunities. It's the type of defensive play Kansas doesn't face all season. And because it has killed the Jayhawks twice in a row, Williams and his staff should take notice.
If Kansas has to meet Oklahoma again this year, Williams can't try to beat the Sooners playing the Jayhawks' usual up-and-down style. It's failed twice in a row, and because this group of Sooners is so good at getting back on defense, it's likely to fail again.
Instead, if they face Oklahoma again, the Jayhawks need to play Sooner basketball. Grind it out. Play slow. Dig out some of the half-court set plays Williams learned at North Carolina. Set screens, double screens, back screens — anything that can yield open, uncontested shots. As we've seen, no one contests shots like the Sooners.
It would take some practice for Kansas to get used to slowing the game down, and it wouldn't guarantee victory. But the result would definitely beat watching aborted fast breaks and trailing by 32.
Berlin is a Leawood senior in journalism
Arizona continues as No.1 team
The Associated Press
Arizona and Kentucky were 1-2 in The Associated Press college basketball poll for a second straight week yesterday, while Memphis entered the Top 25 for the first time this season.
It was the third week in a row and 11th time this season the Wildcats (21-2) have been ranked No. 1. Arizona beat Arizona State 92-72 in its only game last week and received 58 first-place votes and 1,786 points from the national media panel.
Kentucky (22-3), which beat Arkansas and Mississippi State last week to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 16 games, was No.1 on 14 ballots and had 1.741 points.
For the 10th straight week, the top five changed.
Oklahoma, which beat Kansas in a matchup of Nos. 5 and 6, moved up two spots to third. Florida, which won in overtime at Vanderbilt, jumped three places to No.4.
Texas, which lost to Oklahoma State on Saturday, fell from third to fifth and was followed in the Top 10 by Duke, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Marquette. The Golden Eagles moved up one place to No. 10, their first appearance in the Top 10 this season.
Louisville (19-4) doubled its loss total last week by dropping games to Memphis and Cincinnati and fell from No. 4 to No.
11, ending its run of five weeks in the Top 10. The Cardinals reached as high as No. 2 then dropped when their 17-game winning streak was snapped by Saint Louis.
Wake Forest was 12th and was followed by Xavier, Maryland, Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Creighton, Illinois, Stanford and Mississippi State.
The last five ranked teams were Georgia, Utah, California, Memphis and Dayton.
Memphis (18-5) moved into the poll on a seven-game winning streak, including last week's 80-73 win over Louisville, the Cardinals' first home loss of the season. The Tigers were ranked for the first four polls last season.
Purdue (16-8) fell out after one week in the poll for the second time this season. The Boilermakers, who were ranked 24th, lost to Michigan and Ohio State last week and have lost four of five.
Memphis' appearance gives Conference USA three ranked teams (Marquette, Louisville), meaning six leagues have at least that many schools in the Top 25. The Southeastern Conference and Big 12 both have four ranked teams, while the Pac-10, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East also have three.
The Atlantic 10 has two teams in the Top 25. With Purdue out and only Illinois still ranked, the Big Ten joins the Missouri Valley and Mountain West as conferences with one school in the poll.
APTOP25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through yesterday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
rank team rec pts pvs
1. Arizona (58) 21-2 1,786 1
2. Kentucky (14) 22-3 1,741 2
3. Oklahoma 19-4 1,633 5
4. Florida 22-4 1,539 7
5. Texas 18-5 1,431 3
6. Duke 19-4 1,414 8
7. Kansas 20-6 1,327 6
8. Pittsburgh 194 1,241 9
9. Notre Dame 21-5 1,147 12
10. Marquette 20-4 1,115 11
11. Louisville 19-4 1,065 4
12. Wake Forest 19-4 967 10
13. Xavier 20-4 963 14
14. Maryland 17-7 865 13
15. Syracuse 19-4 819 15
16. Oklahoma St. 20-5 686 16
17. Creighton 24-3 637 17
18. Illinois 18-5 592 20
19. Stanford 21-6 491 21
20. Mississippi St. 17-6 491 19
21. Georgia 16-7 342 22
22. Utah 20-4 304 23
23. California 19-5 270 18
24. Memphis 18-5 118 —
25. Dayton 19-5 112 25
Other receiving votes: Connecticut 104, Saint Joseph 57, Wisconsin 11, Missouri 29, Butter 26, Gonzalez 18, BYU 10, Kent St. 5, Weber St. 5, St. Michigan 4, Michigan 4, Minnesota 4, Illinois 4, Manhattan 3, Tennessee 3, Autumn 2, Colorado 2, Purdue 2, Cincinnati 1, Holy Cross 1, Tray 1, Woming 1
Survey says players should get paid
The Associated Press
Baylor coach Dave Bliss calls the whole idea "a Pandora's Box."
But judging from an informal survey, most Big 12 basketball coaches would love to see players in revenue-producing sports get a stipend, if not a monthlysalary.
The issue has heated up in the Big 12
"I think it's unrealistic to think these kids only need their education paid for and nothing else," Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said during the coaches' weekly conference call with reporters.
The biggest argument against paying players has always been the value of the education and other benefits they derive as scholarship athletes.
"It's a weird system, with so many people making so much money and the athletes who are putting the product on the floor aren't
making money.
Nick Collison Kansas forward
because a bill working its way through the Nebraska legislature would also mandate payments for football players.
Gov. Mike Johanns has said he would sign the bill into law, which would not take effect unless three other Big 12 states adopted the same measure.
Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson wondered if the Nebraska lawmakers are prepared "for the lawsuit that's
coming from Title JX."
Title IX, the federal law mandating equal treatment for male and female athletes, would certainly be a complicating factor if schools attempted to pay football and men's basketball players, but not female athletes. Sampson said he would join those who demanded all athletes get paid.
"It bothers me that a university is going to write a check for a stipend for a student-athlete without writing a check for every student-athlete," Sampson said. "Just because her sport doesn't make money, that doesn't mean she should be excluded."
The only player quizzed on the subject came down solidly in favor of the payments.
"It's a weird system, with so many people making so much money and the athletes who are putting the product on the floor aren't making money." said
Weather cancels baseball game;
'Hawks move up in rankings
Cold and snow canceled the Kansas baseball team's game against Arkansas today.
With its two-game sweep of the Eastern Michigan Eagles, Kansas (11-3) is now ranked No. 17 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 23 in the Baseball America poll.
Last week, the Jayhawks were ranked No.21 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and unranked in the Baseball America poll.
"These last two weeks have been a dream that I do not want to wake up from," coach Ritch Price said.
The Jayhawks are led by seniors Kevin Wheeler and Casey Spanish and juniors Matt Tribble and Ryan Baty. Wheeler has taken on the duties as the team's No. 1 pitcher as well as the team's designated hitter.
So far this season, Wheeler is 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA. Wheeler is also batting .378 from the plate. Included in the two victories was a performance against Eastern Michigan in which Wheeler struck out 12 batters.
of the series against the Eagles, boosting his batting average to. 367. After not recording a hit in the first game and ending his hitting streak at 12 games, Baty recorded two hits in the second game. His batting average stands at. 396.
Tribble currently has a 14-game hitting streak; he's hit safely in all the team's games this season and he's batting .481.
Spanish went 3-3 in the second game
"Considering the schedule we have played, playing six games in three days and then not playing for another week, his streak is amazing." Price said.
The Associated Press
Which Big 12 player do you think is most
POLL
kansan.com
likely to win the Wooden Award?
Andre Emmett, Texas Tech
T. J. Ford, Texas
Hollis Price, Oklahoma
Hollis Price, Oklahoma
Nick Colson, Kansas
Kirk Hornick, Kentucky
Log on to hansan.com to cast your vote.
Women's basketball at Kansas State, 7 p.m.
Kansas Athletics Calendar
TOMORROW
FRIDAY
Men's basketball vs. Texas A&M, Allen Fieldhouse, 6:30 p.m.
Women's basketball at Kansas State, 7 n.m.
Softball vs. Penn State, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
1:30 p.m.
Track, Big 12 Indoor Championships, Lincoln, Neb.
Softball vs. Alabama; Tuscaloosa, Ala., 4 p.m.
Baseball vs. TBA, Music City Challenge,
Nashville, Tenn.
Tennis vs. Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 2 p.m.
Women's golf at the Edwin Watts - Carlina Oliva College, Pinehurst, N.C.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball vs. Oklahoma State, noon Women's basketball at Missouri, Columbia, Mo., 6o.
Softball vs. Texas- Arlington, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 11 a.m.
Softball vs. TBA, Tuscaloosa, Ala
Softball vs. TBA, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Baseball vs. David Lipscomb, Nashville,
Tenn. 1.m
Track, Big 12 Indoor Championships, Lincoln, Neb.
Tenn "vs. Iowa State, Ames, Iowa, noon
Women's golf at the Edwin Watts — Carolina
Classic, Pinehurst, N.C.
SUNDAY
Women's golf at the Edwin Watts — Carolina Classic, Pinehurst, N.C.
Baseball vs. Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tenn., 1 p.m.
Softball, Beach Tournament, hosted by the University of California - Santa Barbara 2003 Crimson Classic, hosted by Alabama
Free forAll
图
Looking at Kelvin Sampson makes me want to do the twist.
with recruit functions on game days, giving tours of the athletic facilities, and other recruiting tasks as needed.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're playing like Mizzou.
So KU was losing by 30, and then we started to get stoned, and now we're losing by 18. We're going to see if we can smoke the Jayhawks to victory.
with recruit functions on game days, giving tours of the athletic facilities, and other recruiting tasks as needed.
I seriously want to know how the 0U fans think they've offended Kirk Hinrich by calling him Harry Potter.
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Attention Sports Fans:
The Kansas Football Office will soon be interviewing for the 2003-2004 Crimson Crew.
All interested students are asked to attend a meeting in the Hadl Auditorium, 1st floor, Wagnon Student-Athlete Center (Located between Allen Fieldhouse and Anschutz)
---
Thursday, February 27 at 5 PM
Please call the football office at 864-3393 or e-mail us at football@jayhawks.org with questions.
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