2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF JALIVA KASAN
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Mike and Woody, as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding. My teammates — Thomas and Kerry included
— were a pleasure to play with. Eric [Mangini] could not have been any better. I enjoyed playing for him. My time with the Jets was short, but I'm honored to be given that chance.
Brett Favre, via email, on his retirement from the NFL, www.espn.com
FACT OF THE DAY
Junior forward Danielle McCray has averaged 14.3 points in her Big 12 tournament career. A first-team All-Big 12 selection, McCray is averaging 21.3 points per game in conference play this season.
-Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: When's the last time Kansas played Nebraska in the Big 12 women's basketball tournament?
A: 2008. Last season Bonnie Ball defeated the Cornhuskers 73-67 at the No. 11 seed. This time No. 8 Kansas meets No. 9 Nebraska less than two weeks after it won 70-57 in Lawrence.
Kansas football media guide
Top seeds have historical edge
COMMENTARY
ill Self didn't think hed he worried about his team's seed this year.
Not after losing six players to professional basketball, including four to the NBA.
But now things have changed.
And self's tune has changed too.
Seeds are something Top 10 teams worry about, not teams that are in a rebu — err, I mean reloading year.
And were about to spend the next few days talking about NCAA tournament seeds.
Kansas, the Big 12's regular season champion, faces Baylor at 11:30 a.m. today in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City.
But here's the thing. How important is an NCAA tournament seed?
Well, let's take a look.
In the last 20 years, No.1 seeds have won $70\%$ of the NCAA tournament. No.2 seeds have won the title $10\%$ of the time — Duke won as a No.2 seed in 1991 and Kentucky won as a No.2 in 1998.
Interestingly, No. 3 seeds have actually won 15% of the last 20 NCAA tournaments. Michigan was a No. 3 in 1989; Syracuse was a No. 3 in 2003; and Florida was a No. 3 in 2006.
Add it all up, and 95% of the last 20 tournaments have been won by one, two, or three-seeds.
The lone exception, of course,
was Arizona, who won as a No. 4
seed in 1997.
Of course, it's not impossible for a 5-seed or below to win the whole thing. After all, Kansas was a 6-seed in 1988. But it's definitely unlikely, even in a year like this one, where no clear favorite has emerged.
So where does that leave Self and Kansas?
SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL Doubleheader cancelled; cold and snow in forecast
Today's doubleheader against Missouri State was cancelled on Wednesday, because of a strong possibility of snow in the forecast and subfreezing temperatures.
The Jayhawks were to face a 9-7 Bears squad led by Senior Jessie Smith, who has posted 23 hits in sixteen games this season giving her the Missouri Valley Conference's second highest batting average of .469. The games have yet to be rescheduled.
March 17 marks the date the Jayhawks return to action, playing a single game at home in Arrocha Ballpark against Western Illinois. Kansas softball opens its Big 12 schedule shortly thereafter on March 21 and 22, competing in a two game series with Oklahoma State.
Well, if Kansas advances to the finals of the Big 12 tournament, they will likely drop no lower than a two-seed.
A convincing victory against Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament final could propel into the discussion for a 1-seed, but Kansas' weak non-conference resume will likely prevent Kansas from earning a top seed, regardless of what they do in Oklahoma City.
If Kansas loses today, or in the semifinals on Friday, it could fall to a No. 3 or No. 4 seed.
Tom Powers
Kansas loses to Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament final and the Jayhawks end up as the No. 2 seed in the South Region. And guess who would likely be the No. 1 seed in the South? Well, of' Roy, Psycho T and the rest of the Tar Heels.
What's our prediction?
I pains us to report that two of the Morning Brew's favorite college players will likely be left out of the
out of the Big Dance.
D avidson's Stephen Curry and St. Mary's Patty Mills, two of the best guards in America
MID-MAJOR WATCH
Mills
won't be playing in the NCAA tournament. We all know of Curry's exploits, but it's too bad more fans won't get to know Mills.
lust a sophomore, Mills shined for the Australian national team at the Beijing Olympics and was playing great this season before
Curry
breaking two bones in his hand. Mills returned earlier this month, but he looked like a shell of his former self as St. Mary's got blasted by Gonzaga in the finals of the West Coast Conference tournament.
Conference
Team
Cornell
East Tenn. St.
Radford
Virginia Commonwealth
Cleveland State
Siena
Northern Iowa*
Morehead State
Chattanooga
ALREADY IN THE BRACKET...
Ivy League
Atlantic Sun
Big Sky
Colonial
Horizon
Metro Atlantic
Missouri Valley
Ohio Valley
Southern
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was released from the hospital on Tuesday after a battle with pneumonia. Wooden, who won 10 NCAA championships at UCLA, including seven in a row from 167 to 1973, will turn 99 later this year.
There's no better time of year to honor and salute Wooden. The "Wizard of Westwood" hasn't coached a basketball game in 34 years, but the iconic Wooden is still an inspirational figure to millions of basketball fans.
SALUTE TO THE WIZARD
My high school basketball
coach used to tack
Wooden quotes on the locker room bulletin board,
and start practices
FOOTBALL
Open practice rescheduled for March 27
Wednesday's open football practice was canceled due to cold weather, with a make-up date to be announced at a later
time.
Practice normally would have been moved indoors to Anschutz Sports Pavilion, but ongoing construction the facility — which would not have allowed entry for fans — prompted the team to
Wooden helped build college basketball into a national sport.
ing from Wooden's "Pyramid of Success."
Let the madness begin.
Edited by Realle Roth
reschedule.
The next scheduled open practice will be March 27 and the spring game is set for April 11 at 2 p.m.
Stephen Montemavor
NCAA
Mascots live the life on the court
The best view of NCAA tournament is from behind the mask
BY JOE KAY
Associated Press
CINCINNATI — Clumps or Abby Strietmann's red hair cling to her forehead as she slips out thezipped back of her Blue Blob mascot costume. She slides her 5-foot-1, 125-pound frame wearily to the floor and leans her sweat-soaked back against a
cinderblock wall.
Xavier's nationally ranked basketball team has just dashed off the court for halftime. With a double-digit lead, the Musketeers would probably rather keep playing.
Ah, a little cool air.
Not Strietmann. She needs this timeout.
DON'S AUTO:
"This is warmer than normal," she says, sticking out her tongue. "Still, it's a lot of fun. I love it."
Hundreds of college students are climbing into costumes of blobs and Billikens, panthers and peacocks, demon deacons and founding fathers, and heading to far-flung arenas for their own version of March madness.
She's got plenty of sweaty company now that it's tournament time.
Like the players, they are fit, they vie for a competitive job, and some even get all their tuition paid.
They're at center court for the best moments of the season — and some of the most grueling, given that teams can play on three or four consecutive days in conference tournaments.
Consider the Hawk, mascot at Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia: As he roams the arena floor, tradition dictates that he also flap his wings during games. Constantly.
The further his team advances, the more the Hawk starts to stink like he's been at the gym for days with no shower.
"All our coaches always joke with me about how bad I smell," said Tim Klarich, the current Hawk.
But like Strietman, who will accompany Xavier's women at the NCAA tournament, students consider it the coolest thing they've ever done.
"It opens opportunities that normal college kids don't usually have access to," said Steve Klarich, Tim's older brother, who was the Hawk from 2001-03.
Tim Klarich called it "the next best thing to playing."
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Men's basketball
Baylor,
11:30 a.m.
Oklahoma City
FRIDAY
Tennis
Nebraska, 3 p.m.
Lincoln, Neb.
Baseball
Arizona State, 5:30 p.m.
Surprise, Ariz.
Swimming & diving
Zone Diving
Championships
Columbia, Mo.
SATURDAY
Track & field NCAA Indoor Championships College Station, Texas
Jennis
Iowa State, 3:30 p.m.
Ames, Iowa
Baseball Arizona State, 530 p.m. Surprise, Ariz.
Swimming & diving Zone Diving Championships Columbia, Mo.
Track & field
NCAA Indoor
Championships
College Station, Texas
Men's Basketball
SUNDAY
Baseball Arizona State. 5:30 p.m. Surprise, Ariz.
Swimming & Diving
Zone Diving
Championships
Columbia, Mo.
Women's Basketball
2009 Big 12
Championship game,
12:30 p.m. (if team
advances)
Oklahoma City, Okla.
KANSAN.COM
@the give
and go
The Give and Go: The road to Oklahoma City might not be the most exciting, but Kansas' game against Nebraska very well could be. Will someone besides Danielle McCray step up? And if so, who?
COURTSIDE a women's basketball BLOG
Courtside Kansas' postseason future starts today with the Big 12 tournament and Jayson Jenks offers his thoughts on Kansas' chances.
just 1 of
just 1 of
= 72,634,054,790,000,000,000
possible combinations
6 flavors, 60 toppings you make the call.
/119 mass.| 785.838.3600 around the corner from "Brothers"
1