6B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY APRIL 3, 2009
KU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE
Before the WNIT ever started, coach Bonnie Henrickson and her players openly discussed that they had every intention of winning the tournament. Now, the Jayhawks have put themselves in the position to do so. Kansas has won four consecutive games and nine of its last 11. And it's by no means a stretch to say that the Jayhawks are playing their best basketball of the season right now.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Freshman forward Aishah Sutherland
Sutherland may seem like an odd selection considering that junior forward Danielle McCray is
averaging more than 30 points per game in the WNIT. But, as McCray said, "we win when she plays good." Sutherland's athleticism is a game-changer
Sutherland
and she's averaged 11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in the WNIT.
Will Kansas' supporting cast show up?
QUESTION MARK
It's no secret that McCray is going to score. And in the WNIT's four games, McCray hasn't scored fewer than 25 points. But in order to be successful, Kansas needs scoring production from other players. So far, that's happened in the WNIT. That trend must continue for Kansas to be crowned champions.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
"She does it so often that we come to expect her to do that. It's really not surprising anymore. When she does, we're like 'that's what she'll do and that's what she should do because she's that confident."
— Senior guard Ivana Catic on junior forward Danielle McCray's 31-point performance against Illinois State.
"It's momentum to have played as well down the stretch at the end of the year. We built momentum there and we created more momentum by playing well in this tournament."
— Coach Bonnie Hendrickson on Kansas run to the WNIT championship game
BRING ON THE BULLS
Jayhawks need to take control of game speed to win
KANSAS VS. SOUTH FLORIDA 1 p.m., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, Lawrence, CBS College Sports
KANSAS (22-13) STARTERS
Catic
Ivana Catic, 5-foot-8 senior guard
Catic is by no means a scoring threat. But her role is just as important: She's the director of Kansas' complicated offense. Catic is responsible for placing the ball in the hands of top scorers, and she's done a good job of that in the WNIT.
Morris
Sade Morris, 5-foot-11 junior guard
Morris scored just nine points against Illinois State on Wednesday. But, down the stretch of the season, she's been a perfect secondary scoring option for Kansas. Her ability to drive to the basket creates openings for Kansas' other players.
Earlier in the week, the Associated Press named McCray an honorable mention All-America. But in the WNIT, McCray's playing with all the poise and ability of a first-team selection. She's averaging 31 points and nine rebounds per game.
Danielle McCray, 5-foot-11 junior forward
Grace
(26-10)
STARTERS
SOUTH FLORIDA
Nicollette Smith, 6-foot-2 sophomore forward
Smith hasn't scored more than nine points since late February, while making just one three-pointer in her last eight games. But Smith's greatest contributions come on the defensive end, where she is Kansas' most reliable post defender.
Smith
Grace is the unquestioned leader of the Bulls. She's their leading score at 14.8 ppg and plays with a determined attitude. This will be the last game of her career, so she'll be as focused as ever.
Shantia Grace, 5-foot-6 senior guard
Wynne
Jasmine Wynne, 5-foot-7 freshman guard
The off-guard from Jacksonville plays the game at one pace: fast. She loves to push the ball up the floor and score in transition. If the game lags at any point, expect Wynne to be the one forcing the issue and driving the ball into the paint.
Jazmine Sepulveda, 5-foot-9 senior guard
Sepulveda is a wing player with point guard skills. She's second on the team to Grace in assists on the season. Sepulveda leaves it on the floor every game and is also quite the pickpocket. She's recorded 94 steals on the year.
Boogaard
Brittany Denson, 6-foot-3 senior center
Krysten Boogaard, 6-foot-5 sophomore center
Denson is a defensive force in the paint for the Bulls; she has 96 blocks on the season. She transferred from Miami (Fla.) as a sophomore and has been a welcome addition to South Florida's inside game.
Boogaard struggled late in the season for Kansas and scored just five points in Kansas' first two WNIT games. Yet, Boogaard has provided the Jayhawks with a much needed post presence recently, averaging 14.5 points in Kansas last two games.
Denson
Aishah Sutherland, 6-foot-2, freshman forward
Sutherland has displayed all the necessary qualities to become a dominant player. But the problem for
Sutherland
Two centers? South Florida loves to rotate their posts inside, giving new looks on each possession. Lawson also transferred to South Florida, but she started her career at California. Lawson is the scorer of the two centers, averaging 10.5 ppg.
JessicaLawson, 6-foot-3 senior center
Lawson
averaging 10.5 ppg.
Sutherland has always been consistency. Not anymore.She's been Kansas' best player off the bench and has played significant minutes for coach Bonnie Henrickson in this tournament.
★★★★
SIXTH WOMAN
Janae Stokes, 5-foot-7 junior guard
Stokes is actually one of the leading scorers for the Bulls. She came off the bench to net 22 points on the road at Boston College in South Florida's last game.
Danielle McCray
Stokes
side shooter, and she can get hot at any given moment.
Clark Goble
USF TIPOFF AT A GLANCE
South Florida played in the Big East, one of the tougher conferences in the country this year. They faced undefeated Connecticut twice and fell to the same fate as every other team who has played them this season. In their last game, they defeated Boston College on the road 82-65. South Florida's niche is playing an uptempo, high-turnover game. With four seniors in their starting lineup, the Bulls will be ready to play.
PLAYERTOWATCH
Senior guard Shantia Grace
"Tia" loves to push the tempo and play the game at South Florida's pace. While she tends to turn it over a lot, she balances
her numbers with twice as many assists. A lot of her turnovers come from trying to make a tough play. Senior Ivana Catic will likely draw this
matchup and will need to contain her dribble drive for the Jayhawks to have success. Grace will look to shoot early and often.
QUESTION MARK
Will the Bulls be able to keep the game at their pace?
When teams are able to slow down South Florida, they tend to have success. In their last game, freshman Jasmine Wynne forced two Eagle turnovers in the first two minutes that turned into five South Florida points. Whichever team is able to play the game at the speed they want to will have a definite advantage. Kansas wants to slow it down and run its sets. South Florida wants to jump and trap and get quick shots.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"We were a little excited with the atmosphere and all that. We were getting good shots, but they just weren't falling."
Senior Jessica Lawson on the Boston College
— Senior Jessica Lawson on the Boston College crowd. They drew 702 fans.
"I feel we can do anything when we put our mind to it. Once we have a common goal, nobody can break us."
- Lawson on USFS opportunity to win their first postseason championship
JAYHAWKS IN THE WNIT
Date Score
First Round: Kansas vs. Creighton March 23 79-64
Round of 16: Kansas vs. Arkansas March 26 75-59
Quarterfinals: Kansas at New Mexico March 30 78-69
Semifinals: Kansas vs. Illinois State April 1 75-72
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF...
Kansas breaks the all-time attendance record for a women's basketball game. The largest crowd in Kansas history is 13,352, set more than a decade ago in 1994, and the Jayhawks announced attendance of 8,360 on Wednesday marked the fifth-largest crowd ever. With an increased excitement and a massive push from the athletics department, Kansas should expect a close-to-recordsetting number of fans.
LYNETTE WOODARD WILLWEEP IF...
Kansas commits more than 18 turnovers. Early in the season, turnovers cost Kansas a handful of victories. And the same situation almost unfolded against Illinois State on Wednesday. The Jayhawks turned the ball over 18 times, allowing the Redbirds to close a 16-point deficit to two points. That can't happen against South Florida.
SNAPSHOT
Prediction KANSAS 75, SOUTH FLORIDA 69
SSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas players Marija Zinic, left, Sade Morris, center, and Porscha Weddington rush out on the court to celebrate with their teammates after Kansas' 75-72 victory over Illinois State in a women's NIT semifinal Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.