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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003
SPORTS COMMENTARY
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Andy Samuelson asamuelson@kansan.com
Jayhawks step up and prove rank
Tomorrow should showcase the biggest college basketball game of the year. The deal was No.1 versus No.2. Undefeated Arizona against undefeated Kansas.
It won't.
One of the teams — the villainous visiting Wildcats — have kept their end of the bargain.
Both teams have misstepped this winter, erasing all thoughts of the seemingly spectacular spectacle that this showdown promised in the fall.
Top-ranked Arizona enters with a 14-1 record, blemished only by a sluggish loss against Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., four days before Christmas in a game that the Wildcats nearly stole back in the final seconds.
The other juggernaut — the sixthranked Jayhawks — are coming off a catastrophic trip to Colorado. The onepoint defeat to the less-talented but huge-hearted Buffalose seems to have created as many questions for Kansas as did the three setbacks — North Carolina, Florida and Oregon — to start the season.
"We can talk all we want about being a big-time team," said Kansas coach Roy Williams, after his team's 60-59 defeat Wednesday night in Boulder, Colo.
Westlake is, Kansas (13-4 overall, 3-1 Big 12) hasn't done much to prove it is one so far this season.
Behind one of the nation's most difficult schedules, the Jayhawks have beaten only one ranked team, then-No. 17 Tulsa, and have recorded just three victories against seemingly certain NCAA tournament qualifying squads California (12-2), Holy Cross (11-3) and Woming (13-3).
Despite stumbling through the most humbling November in the Williams' era with the back-to-back national spotlight losses against the Tarheels and the Gators in the Preseason NIT, and the loss of budding superstar sophomore Wayne Simien to an untimely shoulder injury, the Jayhawks seemed to finally be performing up to the prognosticators' prophecies of them being one of—if not the —top team in the country.
Kansas reeled off 10 victories in a row and the Jayhawks' starting five was playing with the poise of last year's Final Four-finishing team, averaging an NCAA-best 88.3 points.
Then came Colorado.
The defeat, which snapped Kansas' 23-game Big 12 regular season win streak, wasn't nearly as disparaging for Jayhawk fans as was Kansas' seemingly lack of intensity and execution, especially down the stretch.
The ' Hawks had one of their worst starts, missing their first five shots to trail 5-0. and things didn't get much better.
While Colorado's athletic swinger Stephane Pelle scored 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting, including the game-winner with :25 seconds left, Kansas' potential All-American candidates, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, combined for just 26 points on 10 for 29 shooting.
But as caustic and potentially costly as the defeat against Colorado could be in terms of the Big 12 title, Kansas can turn around its sub-par — by Jayhawk standards with a team as talented as this — start in its first game against a No. 1 team in the Fieldhouse since 1989.
And there's plenty of history against Arizona.
Kansas may hold a 5-1 all-time record against Arizona, including a 105-97 victory last year in Tucson, Ariz., but the Cats are the culprit of what is arguably the most difficult setback in 'Hawks history — 1997's 85-82 stunner in the
SEE SAMUELSON ON PAGE 8B
No time to nurse wounds
Cliff Grassmick/The Daily Camera
Sophomore guard Keith Langford tries to stop Colorado's Michel Morandais." Conference wise, it's not important," Langford said of tomorrow's game. "But in terms of the magnitude and in terms of teams that we're going to see in the NCAA, I think it's important."
Kansas looks past defeat to take on No. 1 Arizona
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Jayhawks will have little time for sulking after their 60-59 defeat to unranked Colorado.
Just three days after picking up their first Big 12 Conference loss of the season, the sixth-ranked Jayhawks (13-4 overall, 3-1 Big 12 conference) will have to regroup in time to face the topranked team in the nation, Arizona (14-1).
If Kansas continues to perform like it did against the Buffalooes, it won't matter who it plays or when, coach Roy Williams told reporters Wednesday night.
"I if we play like we played tonight we won't beat anybody, much less the No. 1 team in the country." he said when asked about the difficulty of playing Arizona so soon. "We still gotta play. It's on the schedule."
The Jayhawks do have one thing going for them heading into Saturday's 12 p.m. meeting — history.
Kansas has beaten the Wildcats in five of the teams' six meetings, including a 105-97 victory in Arizona last season. The one defeat, however, is one Layhawk fans will never forget.
Kansas entered the March 1997
game as the heavy favorite, not only to beat Arizona, but to win the NCAA championship. The Jayhawks had lost just one game all season and featured four future-NBA players: Raef LaFrentz, Dallas Mavericks; Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics; Scot Pollard, Sacramento Kings; Jacque Vaughn, Orlando Magic. At the end of this season Kansas basketball will celebrate the careers of LaFrentz, Vaughn and Pierce with ceremonies to retire their jerseys, including Pierce's at halftime of tomorrow's game.
Kansas' overwhelming talent didn't intimidate Arizona. The Wildcats ended the Jayhawks' title aspirations in the Sweet 16, 85-82.
From there, it was as though Arizona had assumed the destiny many thought belonged to Kansas. The Wildcats marched through their next three games on their way to the national title.
The memory of the 1996-1997 Jayhawks (34-2) is heartbreaking for Kansas fans, but it doesn't mean a thing to Kansas sophomore guard Keith Langford.
SEE MEN'S BASKETBALL ON PAGE BB
Jayhawks need victory to boost team's morale
By Shane Mettlen
smettlen@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team doesn't have much time to reflect on its near victory against a nationally-ranked opponent Wednesday night. The Jayhawks played tough against the No. 22 Oklahoma Sooners but did not have enough in the end to pull out their first Big 12 conference victory in 21 tries.
Kansas now turns its attention to Texas A&M. Coach Marian Washington feels the Jayhawks have a good chance of beating the Aggies when they travel to
College Station for a 7 p.m. tip-off tomorrow night.
"We need to get that one win under us." Washington said. "That would really help us a lot. It would help us stay positive. There's no question you can see a lot of potential. They're just trying to overcome, as best we can, the inexperience."
The inexperience seems to be slowly turning into experience. The Jayhawks were led in scoring by freshman Crystal Kemp's 15 points against the Sooners.
Two sophomores also contributed as newcomer Stacey Becker had 12 points and Blair Waltz dropped in 10.
The Aggies are also young. Not one of the team's starters is a senior and and their second leading scorer, Natasha Summerville, comes off the bench as a freshman.
"There are a lot of things I think we can take advantage of," Washington said. "It's going to be very important for us not to turn the ball over. As a focus we need to take care of the turnover situation, among other things."
The Aggies have had foul problems recently. Center Lynn Classen has picked up four personal fouls in each of their last four games.
Kansas turned the ball over 30 times against Oklahoma. If the turnover woes continue for the Jayhawks they will play right into the Aggies' hands.
"That's probably how they have to look to score, is off their defense," Washington said. "Without question, that's the way they score best and they are going to be very aggressive. I think if we have some strength, can stay poised and can take care of the basketball we'll make it hard on them, too."
Once Kansas breaks Texas A&M's full court press the Jayhawks hope to establish a presence under in the paint.
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Sophomore guard Aquanita Burras barrels toward the goal during Wednesday's loss to Oklahoma. Kansas faces Texas A&M tomorrow in College Station.
"We've got a good inside game when our perimeter players are doing what they need to do they can be very aggressive and we can get to the free throw line," Washington said.
Edited by Christy Dendurent
Jayhawks' home-field hopes
Football is not the only sport in which Kansas State has dominated Kansas and Missouri in recent memory.
By Chris Wintering
cwintering@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
In indoor track, the Wildcats have won 11 of the 13 KU/KSU/MU Triangulars including the last four. This year's meet will be held today at the Anschutz Sports Pavilion, located west of Allen Fieldhouse at the corner of Naismith Drive and Irving Hill Road.
Kansas coach Stanley Redwine said that this was the team's first year to host the event under the new coaching staff. He
said that could help bring the Jayhawks their first title in the event since 1994.
"Hopefully we will get the fan support and make use of the home field advantage to try and break the streak," Redwine said. The meet begins at 4:15 p.m. with field events, such as the weight throw and long jump. It concludes with the triple jump at 6:30. The track events begin at 5:00 p.m. with the mile run and end at 7:45 p.m. with the 4x400 meter relay.
This is Kansas' second meet of the indoor season; the team won the KSU Invitational Jan. 11.
In addition to that meet, three pole vaulters also competed Jan. 18 at the Reno Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev.
"One of our goals this season is to qualify as many people as possible for the NCAAs." Redwine said. "To have people provisionally qualify this early is good because usually athletes peak later in the year."
Senior Jeremy Hull provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with a third place jump of 17-4 3/4. He joins sophomore Sondra Rauterkus in the high jump and senior Anson Jackson in the 60 meter hurdles as the only members to provisionally qualify this season.
The Triangular is the first of two consecutive meets in Lawrence. The Jayhawks will host the Jayhawk Invitational from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.
- Edited by Todd Rapp
Kansas ready to compete in home dual
By Jason Gawang
jhgawang@kansan.com
Kansas; apparel.com
The Kansas swburning and diving tenns will host its first home meet of the new year in a dual against Minnesota (4-0) and Colorado State (6-2) at 5 p.m. tomorrow in the Robinson Natatorium.
The Jayhawks are 7-3 in dual competition. Last Saturday, the team defeated Nebyaska and Louisville in Lincoln, Neb.
"Being more relaxed for a home meet is the best approach," Carle Campbell, Kauaas swimming coach, said. "We would like to get in this season's best times against good competition."
Campbell said he was excited to compete against the accomplished coaches of Colorado State and Minnesota. Campbell was an assistant men's coach at Minnesota from 1995 to 1998.
Kansas diving coach Brad Sturge got said the surrounding should never be a factor in competition because the sport was based on mental concentration.
"Every man must should be approached the same way regardless of where the mind is," Sturge said. "This was that there are family and friends in the stands, but the divers cannot worry about looking good in front of them. Otherwise they would be distracted from their focus."
Senior swimmer Gwen Haley leads the team with six first place finishes. Junior swimmer Kieran Johnson is second with five and sophomore swimmer Anny Gruber has four.
"We are coming up on the top part of the season," Ali Colver, sophomore swimmer said. "We're training these next three months of practice now to add to really improve and HC AA channel rankings."
— Edited by Todd Rapp
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