2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The most important thing is him and his future. You don't want to do anything to risk further damage. So that's the most important thing. You're going to proceed with caution with this and make sure he's OK. And we'll move on whichever way we have to - with him or without him."
— Okahome coach Jeff Capel on Blake Griffin's status Monday morning, the Okahoman
FACT OF THE DAY
As of Sunday, Kansas ranked No.10 in the www.rpiratings.com RPI poll. That was second in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma, which was ranked No.2. Missouri was ranked No.15.
- www.rpiratings.com
Q: How many times per week, at a minimum, is the Big 12 televised on ESPN?
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
A: The Big 12 is guaranteed three ESPN telecasts per week by a new contract signed before this season. A Big 12 game on Big Monday — Kansas has played in four this year — is typically viewed by a little more than 1 million households.
The Tulsa World
@ KANSAN.COM
The Give and Go: Looking into the crystal ball, Clark Goble and Jayson Jenks forecast what Kansas needs to do to make the WNIT. Along the way, the guys talk about avoiding getting killed on the road and avoiding roadkill on the way to Stillwater.
Power leagues find easy NCAA bids
COMMENTARY
The Big 12 might not be a good men's basketball conference this season, but it's a great time to be a member of the league.
It's as easy as ever for teams from power conferences to find NCAA Tournament bids this year. But the Big 12 bubble teams don't have themselves to thank. That credit belongs to squads from smaller conferences that haven't been able to make convincing cases for inclusion in the 65-team field.
In the past few seasons, mid-major and low-major conferences made strides in terms of competitiveness against major-conference foes. This season, larger schools strayed from scheduling low-tier schools for fear of picking up embarrassing losses.
That put a cap on mid-majors potential strength-of-schedules and damaged the tournament resumes of even the best small schools.
The Missouri Valley Conference sent four teams to the tournament in 2006 and three in 2005. The Colonial Conference earned two bids in 2006 and
again in 2007. The Atlantic 10 Conference has sent more than one team each the past three seasons.
The success of those conferences dented money conferences such as the Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-10, but the pendulum is back in the hands of the powerful this season. There are only a select few mid-major teams with legitimate chances at at-large bids:
Memphis — The Tigers are boys among men in Conference USA, having won 53 consecutive conference contests. No matter what happens in its conference tournament, Memphis is in the tournament as a Sweet Sixteen contender.
Butler — Butler, a perennial Horizon League powerhouse, suffered a pair of embarrassing league losses last week but hopped back into the saddle by defeating Davidson handily Saturday. The Bulldogs finished 10-1 in nonconference play, their only loss coming at Ohio State.
Gonzaga — Like Memphis, Gonzaga has turned domination of its conference into a given. Even if the 'Zags fall in the West Coast Conference tournament, victories against Oklahoma State, Maryland and Tennessee should buoov their hopes.
Xavier — Perched at 22-5 and holding the Atlantic 10 lead, Xavier is a tournament lock.
Brigham Young/Utah/San Diego State — The Mountain West Conference is the most underrated of the nonmajors
That's why these three go together.
The conference's best teams have spent all season beating each other up, and in the process have weakened their shots at NCAA bids. Onetime contender UNLV is already out of the picture, and Utah and San Diego State may soon fade.
That's it. The smallest 25 conferences only have five guaranteed at-large bids. Close calls such as Siena (MAAC), St. Mary's (WCC) and Utah State (WAC) have struggled with poor in-conference competition and injuries, leaving the power conferences plenty of at-large spots.
Some of the most exciting teams in the nation that nobody has heard of will stay unnoticed because of scheduling glitches, bad luck and the erosion of parity.
Kansas State, Nebraska Oklahoma State and other inconsistent big name schools, it's your turn to rejoice.
College basketball fans, it's your turn to lament.
Edited by Susan Melgren
Big 12 stars try out at NFL Combine
Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman throws during a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Sunday. He is projected as one of the top five quarterbacks in the draft.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANDERSON CHANDLER LECTURE SERIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH FORMER GOVERNOR
Bill Graves
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Transportation at the Crossroads How the changing economy may affect the transportation of goods THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26. 2009·7:00 P.M. THE LIED CENTER OF KANSAS
Missouri receiver Jeremy Macin runs a drill at the Combine. Macin said he suffered a hyperextended knee during the workouts, but he did return after treatment.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY Baseball Arkansas, 3 p.m. Fayetteville, Ark.
WEDNESDAY Baseball Arkansas, 3 p.m. Fayetteville, Ark.
Women's basketball
Oklahoma State, 7 p.m.
wakewater, Okla.
Swimming & Diving Big 12 Championships Columbia, Mo.
THURSDAY Swimming & Diving Big 12 Championships Columbia, Mo.
HIDAY
Track & Field
Big 12 Indoor
Championships
College Station, Texas
Swimming & Diving Big 12 Championships Columbia, Mo.
SATURDAY Softball Harvard, 11 a.m. Denton, Texas
Softball
North Texas, 1:30 p.m.
Denton, Texas
Women's basketball
Nebraska, 7 p.m.
Lawrence
Swimming & Diving Big 12 Championships Columbia, Mo.
Track & Field
Big 12 Indoor
Championships
College Station, Texas
Suspect charged in murder of Curry's girlfriend, baby
NBA
CHICAGO — The attorney accused of killing New York Knicks player Eddy Curry's ex-girlfriend and her infant daughter was an abusive, controlling boyfriend who disputed $23,500 in legal fees with his victim, prosecutors alleged Monday.
Fredrick Goings, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 24 slayings of 24-year-old Nova Henry and her 10-month-old daughter, Ava.
Both died of multiple gunshot wounds.
A Cook County judge denied bail at a hearing Monday.
Goings "became abusive" and Henry tried to end their relationship, prosecutors alleged.
Henry filed an order of protection against Goings in April 2007, but later dropped the case.
The couple had lived together, but Henry moved out in December last year and into a South Side town house with her two children: 3-year-old Noah, whose father is Curry, and Ava, whose paternity has been under dispute.
The Chicago Tribune has reported that records show DNA tests prove Curry, who once played for the Chicago Bulls, is Ava's father.
In court, prosecutors called the baby Ava Curry Henry and later said they believe she was Curry's daughter.
Associated Press
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