2B
"If the Super Bowl comes down to which team has better drugs, the Bucs are in big trouble."
Jim Armstrong, Denver Post sports columnist
- THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Inside Sports
SPORTS COMMENTARY
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2003
Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Don't make excuses for 'gutless' team
Saturday's debacle against Arizona can be summed up in two words: Kansas choked.
Arizona had the upper hand coming into Saturday's game at Allen Fieldhouse. The Wildcats had better starters, coaches and depth. I thought Arizona would win by only five. But how is it possible for the Jayhawks to have a 20-point lead with 5:41 remaining in first half to later play spiritless basketball and lose by 17?
Kansas choked. The team was gutless in the second half.
But the most upsetting aspect — other than the lavhawks' play — was the fans.
Quit blaming the referees for everything. After every call against Kansas, most fans booed. Yes, the men in stripes made some bad calls against Kansas. But it happens: they're not perfect.
Some of those calls were right.
Like the calls on those stupid fouls Kansas committed on offense. One might complain that Arizona was given too many free throw opportunities, but, unlike the home team, Arizona aggressively attacked the basket. In addition, the team took advantage of free throws, making 22 out of 26 attempted. Meanwhile, Kansas landed four out of 12 free throws, earning the team a whopping 33.3 percent at the line.
Don't use the referees as scapegoats. Don't think they'll bail out a team playing that horribly in the second half. Instead, the Jayhawks lost because Kansas choked.
But the referees weren't the worst of it. The fans that booed the whole game also cheered for the Jayhawks when they left the court with a 17-point defeat to Arizona.
Why?
I was one of a few fans who booed and cursed the team when it left the court. Who booed the team that was outscored 55-22 in the second half. Who booed the team that did not step up its play, giving Arizona a huge lead. I booed because — Kansas choked.
If you make excuses for Saturday's blunder and others, stop and shut up. This team is in trouble. The guys have played poorly for the past two games and need to turn the ship around now. Not after the Texas game or next week. Now.
The bottom line: Kansas lost Saturday's game because Arizona kept fighting and — admit it fans — Kansas choked.
Hwang is an Overland Park junior in journalism.
Pierce returns, joins 'Hawk legends
By John Domoney
idomoney@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
BvJohn Domoney
Paul Pierce developed into a high school All-American in Inglewood, Calif., and became an All-Star in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics.
It was the three-year period Pierce spent in between his stay on the west and east coasts that produced some of his fondest memories.
"So many memories come to mind being here," Pierce said. "These were some of the best days of my life. It was the last chance to really be a kid again."
Pierce returned to Allen Fieldhouse for Saturday's game against No. 1 Arizona to have his No. 34 jersey retired to the rafters.
After scoring 45 points in a victory against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night in Boston, Pierce told the fans during his halftime speech he missed the cheers of the fans in the Fieldhouse.
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Pierce's senior day never came after he decided to forgo his senior season at Kansas and enter the NBA Draft.
"Getting to come back for this game means a lot to me," Pierce said. "I always felt I never had a chance to say goodbye to the fans. Seniors get to say goodbye, and I never had a Senior Day."
After coming to Kansas in the fall of 1995, Pierce was a part of three of the winningest seasons during Roy Williams' tenure at Kansas.
During Pierce's career from 1996 to
Even with fellow NBA players Jacque Vaughn, Scott Pollard and Raef LaFrentz playing next to him, Pierce and the Jayhawks were never able to produce a Final Four appearance during their playing days at Kansas.
Paul Pierce watches the unveiling of his retired jersey in the south end of Allen Fieldhouse. Pierce, who plays for the Boston Celtics, returned to Lawrence to be honored during halftime of Saturday's game against Arizona.
1998, Kansas rolled to a 98-11 record including three straight conference titles. The first conference title came in the now defunct Big 8 Conference in 1996 followed by consecutive crowns in '97 and '98 in the Big 12 Conference.
cuse 60-57 in the West Regional finals in Denver, Colo. A 34-1 record and No. 1 ranking in 1997 wasn't enough to earn a trip to the final weekend in the college basketball season. Lute Olson's Arizona Wildcats knocked off the Jayhawks 85-82 in the Southeast Regional semifinals in Birmingham, Ala., behind the play of Miles Simon and Mike Bibby.
In 1996, Kansas was upended by Syra
Nowadays, Pierce and the Celtics are busy challenging Bibby's Sacramento Kings and the rest of the NBA.
Through Sunday, Pierce was averaging 26.3 points per game, fifth-best in the NBA. The scoring numbers and all-around floor game of Pierce has led to his being named to the NBA's Eastern Conference All-Star team.
Williams gave a short speech to the 16,300 fans at halftime and glowed during his comments about Pierce.
"It was great to see him," Williams said. "Paul Pierce was a great, great player for us. He's still one of the greatest players in all the world and was a pleasure to coach."
Pierce admitted the choice to come to Kansas out of high school was a tough one, but he said he considered himself lucky to learn the game from Williams and in the atmosphere of Kansas basketball.
"Coach Williams always said, 'The sky is the limit. You can be one of the best to play the game. It just depends on how hard you work.'" Pierce said, "I've put in the work and will never be satisfied."
-Edited by Ryan Wood
Bucs defeat Raiders with tough defense
The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — Just defense, baby!
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't need much more — for most of the game, anyway.
Coach Jon Gruden and his Bucs won the Super Bowl yesterday, routing the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in the first matchup of the NFL's best offense against its best defense.
The Tampa Bay defense won by a mile, shutting down the Raiders for three quarters and holding on as they made a belated comeback attempt.
Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson had
Simeon Rice had two of the Bucs' five sacks as Tampa romped to a 20-3 half-time lead then scored two quick third-quarter touchdowns.
That rendered futile a late comeback by the Raiders that included a touchdown on a blocked punt and 48-yard TD pass from league MVP Rich Gannon to Ierry Rice.
too, led by Michael Pittman, who ran for 124 yards on 29 carries.
The Tampa Bay offense did its part.
Mike Alstott had a 2-yard TD run and Brad Johnson added two TD passes to Keenan McCardell, the second an 11-yarder after an 89-yard drive that ate up almost eight minutes of the third quarter.
Just 43 seconds later, Smith grabbed the ball away from Jerry Rice and took it to the end zone to make it 34-3.
Oakland owner Al Davis's slogan "Just win, baby!" wasn't going to work this time.
Oakland had just 62 total yards in the first half, second-lowest total in Super Bowl history.
KJHKSPORTS
Grimmett, invite you to listen in as they call tonight's men's basketball game against the Texas Longhorns live from Allen Fieldhouse. Below, Rockers brings you his expectations for the game.
KJHK's coverage of tonight's game against No. 4 Texas will begin just before tip-off at 8 p.m.
their role on the Texas team is to shoot the long ball. Harris sinks three's at a 40 percent clip. Boddicker has made half of his three-point attempts this season. In a carbon copy of the Arizona game, Kansas will start hot but fade down the stretch. Without Wayne Simien and playing on only two days rest, the Longhorns will wear down Kansas and escape Allen Fieldhouse with a victory.
As it has been for Kansas all season,
the key to this game is depth. After the defeat to Arizona, the Jayhawks must play fresh on only two days rest. The Longhorn reserves are not as talented as the players on the Arizona bench, but the Texas game plan will be to wear down the Kansas starters and win the game in the second half. Kansas may be the better team defensively, but Texas has the offensive advantage. T.J. Ford is overhyped, but he is still a fantastic distributor of the basketball. Brandon Mouton and James Thomas are the players the KU defense must focus on. Thomas is the force inside. He averages a double double and shoots 50 percent from the field. Sydmill Harris and Brian Boddicker are players who know that
Sennett Rockers, KJHK play-by-play announcer
Play-by-play announcers for the University of Kansas radio station KJHK 90.7 FM, Sennett Rockers and John
$25 increase from last year for a sports ticket package?
Yes, the combo is worth it.
Yes, basketball tickets alone are worth $125 a season.
worth $125 a season.
No, that's asking too much.
kansan.com Are you willing to pay $125 — that's a
Log on to www.kansan.com to cast your vote
Yes, football tickets alone are worth $125 a season.
POLL
POLL RESULTS
Which team will win the Big 12 Conference?
477 votes were cast on Kansan.com.
■ Texas: 51 votes or 11 percent
■ Oklahoma: 30 votes or 6 percent
■ Missouri: 11 votes or 2 percent
■ Kansas: 366 votes or 77 percent
■ Another Big 12 school: 19 votes or 4 percent
Kansas Athletics Calendar
SATURDAY
Women's basketball vs. Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.in Allen Fieldhouse
WEDNESDAY
TONIGHT
Men's basketball vs. Texas, 8 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse
Track, Jayhawk Invitation, in Anschutz
Sports Pavilion
FRIDAY
Swimming and Diving at Arkansas, 1 p.m.
at Favetteville, Ark.
Women's basketball vs. Texas Tech,
200 pm in Allen Fieldhouse
Men's basketball at Nebraska, 1 p.m. in Lincoln
Track, Jayhawk Invitational, at the Anschutz Sports Pavilion
SUNDAY
Tennis vs. Southwest Missouri State, 1 p.m.at the Indian Creek Racquet Club in Overland Park
Free for All
I wanted to congratulate the Colorado men's basketball team on their upset against Kansas last Wednesday night. It was a long-deserved win, especially after the crap that's gone on between them in the last few years.
Hey Aaron Miles, how about you get your head in the game? Your stupid turnovers against Colorado are the reason we lost the game. So get your head in the game or your butt on the bench and let somebody else actually do their job.
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