THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
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7B
Rebounds could win or lose the Michigan State 'war'
BY TAYLOR BERN tbern@kansan.com
INDIANAPOLIS — Coach Bill Self didn't preach rebounding fundamentals leading up to tonight's game against Michigan State.
When these teams last met,
most of the final stats mirrored each other. Both squads hit about 40 percent from the field, both had similar assist-to-turnover numbers and had three players score in double figures.
However, the most glaring difference was on the glass, where Michigan State pulled down 13 offensive boards and out-rebounded Kansas 42-31.
Weston White/KANSAN
"It's not just me always grabbing every rebound, even though it may seem like it."
Asked if his team just needed to do a better job of boxing out, Self shook his head.
COLE ALDRICH Kansas center
Michigan State has been outrebounded just three times this season, the last one coming in a 67-63 victory against Texas on
"If you're going to value what is important in rebounding, boxing out is definitely 25-50 percent part of it," Self said. "The other part is having guys who are relentless on the glass, not
said, by the Spartans on the glass. Coach Tom Izzo's team leads the nation in rebounding margin at +10.1. Kansas is tied for 10th at +7.2.
Kansas coach Bill Self responds to a question regarding Michigan State's ability to out-rebound its opponents by an average of 10 a game. Self said it was not a matter of boxing out, rather it was a desire to get to the ball.
allowing yourself to be blocked out."
Basically, Self said, desire outweighs footwork when it comes to crashing the glass. That was on display in East Lansing, Mich., when Cole Aldrich, who grabbed 11 boards, was the only Jayhawk to pull down more than three rebounds for Kansas.
Dec. 20.
The layhawes are hardly the only team to get "whipped," as Self
"You have to hit and go get it as opposed to hit and wait."
The Spartans credit their rebounding prowess to a drill Izzo created in the late '90s. The drill, aptly named 'War', pits five players outside the three-point line against five players inside.
The goal: relentlessly attack the basketball and anyone who gets in the way.
"It gets physical, it gets rough," senior center Goran Suton said. "I think that's the reason we're one of the best rebounding teams in the country."
Suton said he enjoyed it at first, but the fun wore off after he had been doing the drill every practice for two years.
BILL SELF Kansas coach
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STATE NEWS
"Throw a ball up and see who can knock somebody down and get a rebound," Izzo said. "It's not very
Tyrel Reed guards the change of Raymar Morgan, junior forward, during the Jayhawks 75-62 loss to Michigan State in January. Coach Tom Izzo's unique drill *Hav* won the Spartans the top rebounding marion in the nation. at -10.1
Michigan State Rebounding
Year Rebound Margin Rank (Big 10 Rank)
2008-09 +10.1 1(1)
2007-08 +6.8 9(1)
2006-07 +7.0 8(1)
2005-06 +5.2 21(2)
2004-05 +6.8 11(1)
2003-04 +1.7 115(8)
2002-03 +5.5 21(1)
2001-02 +7.9 6(1)
Izzo said he originally came up with the idea because his overmatched team couldn't win any other way. A decade later and Michigan State is consistently one of the top rebounding teams in the country, which has helped lead Izzo to four Final Fours.
sophisticated, but I think it has helped us"
"Tom, over time, has done the best job in America of coaching
NCAA.com
rebounding"; Self said. "They are relentless on the glass."
Self's players are well aware of the Spartans' rebounding prowess. Freshman forward Marcus Morris said he learned in East Lansing that putting a body on someone is only half the battle.
That's easy to say, but flipping a mental switch to ramp up aggressive play rarely just happens in a matter of five days. Of course, Kansas could always just hope its 6-foot,11 rebounding machine gobbles up every miss he did 20 times against Dayton.
boxing out isn't enough, you've got to go get it."
"We need to play with the same intensity they play with." Morris said. "In these type of games
"It's not just me always grabbing
Those guys include freshman Marcus Morris, twin brother Markieff and junior Mario Little. Combined with Aldrich, that group has averaged 27.5 rebounds per game in the tournament.
every rebound, even though it may seem like it," Aldrich said. "We've got other big guys who are able to grab a lot of rebounds."
Considering the size difference between Michigan State and Kansas' first two opponents, it
will be a real battle to reach that number tonight. And that's exactly what Self has been telling them.
"You have to hit and go get as opposed to hit and wait," Self said. "They're very, very good at not allowing themselves to be blocked off and keeping balls alive. A lot of rebounding is fundamental, but most of it is want-to."
So, who wants it more?
Edited by Justin Leverett
ICE DANCING
Americans neck and neck with Russians
Associated Press
BARRY WILNER Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto took ice dancing from the 21st century back to the Roaring Twenties.
It was a good thing.
The five-time U.S. champions won the original dance Thursday at the World Figure Skating Championships with a perky performance straight out of a speakeasy. That drew them closer to the leaders from Russia, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, as both couples pursue their first world title.
Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto of the United States skate during the ice dance original dance competition at the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles Thursday.
"It always means something to beat a Russian," Belbin said with a laugh.
Russia or the Soviet Union has dominated ice dancing for decades, while no Americans have ever won a world or Olympic crown. Belbin and Agosto, who own a world silver and two bronzes, get their shot Friday night in the free dance.
"This is what we've been working for," said Agosto, whose back injury in December forced the duo out of all competitions until these worlds.
"And it's only just the beginning," Belbin said. "We've come so far in less than a year, with a major injury. I can't even imagine what we can accomplish with a full summer and another
ASSOCIATED PRESS
year of training under our belts before the Olympics."
They earned 65.16 points Thursday to 64.58 for Domina and Shabalin, who won the compulsory dance on Tuesday. The Americans are 0.64 behind the Russians, a minuscule margin.
And more time with new coaches Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karpanosov, who they joined last April.
Belbin and Agosto were joined by fellow Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White in the top three of the original dance, requiring music from the 1920s, '30s and '40s. Davis-Wite stood fourth overall behind Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, but only by .09 points.
"We've,fallen back a lot more than where we were at the beginning of the day.Not our plan," Moir said. "But we're still in third."
Belbin's red beret almost served as a beacon as they danced across the ice, especially when Agosto twirled her 'round and 'round. They got the fans involved from the outset of their lively routine that began with Agosto nearly tap-dancing a hole into the ice while she flirted with him. It was as if he was saying, "Come over here and dance."
She did and off they went, never looking a bit rusty. Their energetic original dance was a good test, and they passed it with the crowd and, more significantly, with the judges.
Americans winning worlds would be a huge leap, as Davis noted.
"It felt really good. The original dance is so quick and so short, and it's packed with elements (in 2 1/2 minutes)," she said. "It's a real thinker, but we wanted to have fun out there and we think we achieved a balance."
for the U.S., I hope, but for the rest of the world," she said. "The face of ice dancing has changed dramatically over the last few years, and to have an American team on top would mean a lot not just for our country, but the world as a whole."
"Not only would it be exciting
They did just enough to stay on top in what's become a twoteam race for the prize. Their highest finish at five previous world championships was fifth; they were favored to win last year, but had to withdraw because of Shabalin's knee injury.
The Russians probably wouldn't agree. And they are, after all, still in the lead.
Davis and White, coming off their first U.S. title with Belbin-
Agosto absent, were sixth in the 2008 worlds. Their strong showing Thursday puts them in position to join T&B on the medals podium, which would be a U.S. first since 1966.
COLLINS (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
he's done a better job than ever in getting teammates involved.
"A lot of people criticize Sherron for not being a playmaker and just being an undersized two-guard who just scores," freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor said. "But Sherron is a playmaker. He gets guys open shots. When he can do both, score like he scores and gets people open shots, then I think he's the best guard in the country."
And if Collins elects to stay in college for his senior season, one of the best guards in Kansas history. Collins already ranks 26th on the Kansas all-time scoring list with 1,310 career points.
If Collins came back next year, hed have a good chance of eclipsing 2,000 career points and ranking in the top five on the all-time scoring list.
Collins, however, isn't thinking about his legacy. Self is.
"I think he can go down as one of the most unbelievable success stories," Self said.
"He's had the deck stacked against him and now he's on a level playing field. We're just watching him start to grow and flourish."
Perhaps Self will have new Collins stories to tell after this weekend in Indianapolis. If Kansas beats Michigan State, it will play the winner of Louisville vs. Arizona Sunday for the chance to go to the Final Four.
For that to happen, the laj Hawkes will count heavily on Collins. Self wouldn't want it any other way.
"I know at the end of the day, there's nobody I'd rather have standing next to me than him because I know he'll fight." Self said. "Hell fight for whatever the cause is."
MLB
— Edited by Liz Schubauer
MLB Royals pitcher's audition strong until the sixth
PEORIA, Ariz. — Sidney Ponson's audition for a spot in Kansas City's rotation went well through five innings Thursday. The sixth was another matter.
In his first big-league start
since signing a minor-league free agent contract March 17, Ponson allowed four singles and two unearned runs through five innings against the Seattle Mariners.
But he lasted just one-third of the sixth inning, giving up a two-run homer followed by two singles.
Associated Press
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