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SPORTS11A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
one to 2 bath
january
2006
KS
Baylor Athletics
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I messed up and I hurt a lot of people. I mean, I really messed up ... I cheated because I was weak. I'm not in denial; I cheated. I take responsibility and, unfortunately, the consequences have really been terrific."
Former Baylor coach Dave Bliss to the Rocky Mountain News
FACT OF THE DAY
Bliss' successor Scott Drew has an overall record of 73-86 in his five-plus years in Waco. The Bears had their first season over .500 last year for the first time since Drew arrived in Waco. Baylor went 21-11 (9-7), finished tied for fourth in the Big 12.
Q: Where has Bliss landed after being banned from coaching by the NCAA Infractions Committee?
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
A: Bliss is the president and co-founder of Interactive Occupational Training inc. The 2-year-old company develops online training programs for businesses and organizations.
— Scripps Howard News Service
NCAA WOMEN
N.C. State coach Yow buried in hometown
GIBSONVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow was laid to rest a week after her death following a long fight against cancer.
Yow was buried Saturday in her hometown, about 70 miles west of Raleigh. The Hall of Famer coached at nearby Elon for four years before taking over at N.C. State in 1975 and piling up more than 700 career wins.
Associated Press
COMMENTARY
The best of the Big 12 Conference
With the nonconference schedule and nearly half of the Big 12 Conference season behind us, it's high time for a midseason awards briefing.
Big 12 Player of the Year: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma forward
This one is a no-brainer. Griffin is Michael Beasley, minus a reliable jumper, plus a will to compete. Griffin is easily the conference's best rebounder and among its most efficient scorers.
Runner up: Cole Aldrich, Kansas center
Big 12 Newcomer of the Year: Denis Clemente, Kansas State guard
The crop of incoming transfers is thin this season in the Big 12. So much so that Kansas forward Mario Little (12 minutes per game) might have snagged this one if not for Clemente's 44 point explosion this past weekend in a Kansas State victory at Texas. The Miami transfer is Kansas State's best scorer and bestpermeter defender.
Runner up: Mario Little, Kansas forward
Warren's transition from high school stud to starter at Oklahoma hasn't consistently smooth,
Big 12 Freshman of the Year:
Willie Warren, Oklahoma guard.
but the rugged 6-foot-4 wing is improving by the game. Warren is hard to stop when he drives and he gets plenty of open outside shots when defenses double-team Griffin.
Runner up: Jamar Samuels,
Kansas State forward
Midseason All-Big 12 team:
Obi Muonelo, Oklahoma State guard — Chronically overlooked. Muonelo is a 41 percent three-point shooter who grabs nine rebounds per game.
Sherron Collins, Kansas guard — The layhawks would have a few more in the loss column if not for Collins' heroes.
Craig Brackins, Iowa State forward — Kansas fans saw Brackins at his versatile best two weekends ago when he dropped 42 points and 14 rebounds in a losing effort.
ward — He's a force of nature around the basket.
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma for-
Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State guard — The Cowgirls have disappointed a bit, but Riley averages 24 points per game.
Women's Midseason All-Big 12 team:
Cole Aldrich, Kansas center — Aldrich could be the nation's most improved player. He's come from eight minutes per game as a freshman to being the second most productive player in the Big 12.
Honorable mention:
Cory Higgins, Colorado guard; James Anderson, Oklahoma State guard; Curtis Jerrells, Baylor guard; DeMarre Carrol, Missouri forward; Damion James, Texas forward.
Shalee Lehning, Kansas State guard — Lehning is a threat to
record a triple double every time out.
Danielle McCray, Kansas guard — McCray carries Kansas night in and night out.
Danielle Wilson, Baylor forward
- Top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding.
Courtney Paris, Oklahoma forward — A double-double machine.
Edited by Susan Melgrem
THE BREW GOES DIGITAL
It's part blog, part column, part pop-culture melting pot. It's The Morning Brew. A daily dose of Kansas sports, college life and pop culture.
You can read daily postings from The Morning Brew guys at Kansan.com/blogs/morning_brew, and if you have any questions or comments, please give us a holler at morningbrew@ kansan.com.
NCAA WOMEN
Connecticut stays at No.1
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Connecticut remains in a class by itself.
The Huskies were a unanimous No.1 in The Associated Press poll for the 10th straight week Monday. They blew out then-No.6 Louisville last Monday before routing Georgetown on Saturday.
UConn (21-10) is the lone unbeaten team, winning by an average of 34 points. On Tuesday, the Huskies face Big East rival Rutgers, which fell out of the
rankings last week.
Oklahoma stayed at No. 2 after winning at Baylor on Wednesday. The Sooners host No. 12 Tennessee on Monday night as Lady Vols coach Pat Summit goes for her 1,000th victory.
Connecticut received all 45 first-place votes for 1,125 points from the national media panel. Oklahoma totaled 1,079 points.
Connecticut is also ranked No. 1 in the men's poll, the fourth season in which both UConn programs have been No. 1 at the
California moved up four spots to No. 3. The Bears were third for two weeks earlier in the season. Duke fell one place to fourth after losing to Florida State in overtime. Despite losing to Connecticut, Louisville moved up to No. 5 for its best ranking ever.
Auburn fell to sixth after losing its first game of the season to Georgia. Stanford climbed two places to seventh. Baylor dropped four spots and was tied for No. 8 with North Carolina.
Connecticut's Tina Charles shoots the ball against Georgetown's Lilia Mage during the first half of a game on Saturday in Washington. Connecticut won 80-61 and remains the only unbeaten team.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY No event scheduled
WEDNESDAY
Swimming:
Penthion, 4
p.m.
(Lawrence)
Men's golf:
Texas Tech, 4
p.m.
(Lawrence)
THURSDAY
Men's golf:
Hawaii-Hilo
Invitational
Kona, Hawaii
FRIDAY
Tennis:
Illinois, 2 p.m.
Champaign, III.
Softball:
JTEP, 2:30 p.m.
phoenix, Ariz.
Softball:
Arizona, 5:30
p.m.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Swimming
& Diving:
iowa State, 6
p.m.
Lawrence
Track & Field3
New Balance
Collegiate
Invitational
New York, N.Y.
Men's golf:
Hawaii-Hilo
Invitational
Kona, Hawaii