12 Tuesday, March 15, 1994 SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Kansas seniors have valuable tourney experience 1992 upset loss taught Jayhawks valuable lesson By Gerry Fey Kansan sportswriter Experience may be the most important quality a team can have going into the NCAA Tournament. Although No. 13 Kansas has only three four-year seniors on the team, the Jayhawks do know what it takes to win in the national tournament. The Kansas seniors — guard Steve Woodberry, and forwards Patrick Richey and Richard Scott — already have played in three NCAA Tournaments and have two Final Four appearances to their credit. "One thing I've learned is that everybody has to be focused," Richey said. "We've talked about the fact that it's going to take everybody playing as well as they can for us to go far." Richey has experience in the tournament, but now he is hampered by a sore hip that he landed on during the Kansas State game on Friday. Mark Cairns. Kansas basketball trainer, said Richey was probable for Kansas' first round game against Tennessee-Chattanooga at 2 p.m. Thursday in Lexington, Ky. Richey said that his hip still bothered him but that the trainers were treating him, which included applying ice to the injury. He practiced lightly yesterday. "Ican't really tell the difference right now," Richey said after getting treated. "It still kind of hurts when I walk." Despite the pain, Richey said, he didn't need to leave the hospital. was ready to play in the tournament. "Of course I want to play," he said. "This is my last year. I have three weeks of basketball left in my life. But I'm going to be smart. I'm not going in The Jayhawks are a No. 4 seed in the Southeast region of the tournament, while the Moccasins are a No. 13 seed. while the coaches are waiting. Richey said the key to success in the tournament was not to think about the next step. In 1992, the Jayhawks were heavily favored but dropped out in the second round after losing to Texas-El Paso. there if I'm going to hurt the team." "If you have enough in you, you move on to the next game," he said. "The guys know that we can't take anybody lightly. We learned that my sophomore year after we lost in the second round." Kansas coach Roy Williams said he was not worried about the Jayhawks letting up, especially with the lingering memory of 1992. He also said nervousness should not be a problem. "It was one of the most difficult losses I've ever had to deal with," he said. "The feeling of that loss has been passed down from the seniors every year. We better not be worried about jitters. They better be worried about the old coach being on their backs." The Jayhawks also may have unfriendly fans on their backs. Lexington is known for being a faithful haven for Kentucky and Louisville fans — which doesn't include cheering for Kansas crimson and blue. The Kansas men's basketball team plays at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ken. The game will be televised by GPS televised by CBS. "We're playing a basketball game." Richey said. "I could care less about what the fans think of us. The fans don't play the game, we play the game." Aycock feels the pressure Junior leads on, off the court for Kansas women's basketball KANSAN FILE PHOTO Kansas junior forward Angela Aycock looks to pass in the Jayhawks' loss to Missouri. The Jayhawks played Steve F. F. Austin State University tomorrow night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. By Matt Siegel Kansan sportswriter Sometimes success can have side effects that the public never sees or realizes. Kansas junior forward Angela Aycock leads the No. 15 Kansas women's basketball team in scoring and rebounding with 17 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. But along with those statistics comes an unseen enemy - pressure. Aycock, a presseason All-American, knows that much of the pressure sits squarely on her shoulders. The Jayhawks are relying on Aycock to lead them to the Final Four in Richmond, Va. Kansas, a No. 9 seed, plays at No. 8 Stephen F. Austin State University tomorrow night in the first round. "I know that the pressure is there," Aycock said. "I just try to find a way to make myself laugh so it won't build up. I love to laugh and be silly. My teammates are always cracking me up." Aycock and the Jayhawks have not been laughing very much lately. A first round loss to Missouri in the Big Eight Conference Tournament resulted in the Jayhawks receiving a first round NCAA Tournament away game. Kansas coach Marian Washington said she was counting on Aycock to assert herself. But Aycock said she would not worry. She called Kansas the Cinderella team in the tournament. Iowa State coach Teresa Becker said that if Aycock played up to her abilities, it could be a long night for any opponent. "I was fortunate to be involved in the recruiting process of Angela when I was an assistant coach at Nebraska," Becker said. "I don't think she has ever played up to her potential. God help the team if she plays up to her full potential. I wouldn't want to be that team." "It meant a lot," Aycock said. "I thought Jamillah had it wrapped up. I'm honored. It feels great because people always have expectations. It was the farthest thing from my mind. You just go out there and play and hope things will come. It came as a total shock." Her experiences this past summer may have helped Aycock win the award. She started for the U.S. Junior World Championship team and said the experience helped her gain confidence against some of the best players in the world. "I think in a few years you will be seeing her in the red, white and blue," Becker said. "She is just a special player and a special kid." And being a kid was what Aycock said she cherished most about being at Kansas. The decision to come to Kansas was difficult for Aycock. She was the dallas Morning News player of the year, and the scholarships came rolling in. But Aycock said she was looking for a stable environment. "A lot of our drive and determination in myself and my teammates comes from the fact that that everyone here wants to win so badly for the staff," Aycock said. "It's helped us get to where we are today." Aycock may lead the team on the court, but off the court she remains somewhat of a mystery and said that she kept to herself. "I've seen a lot at my age," she said. "I care a lot about my teammates, and I like being around them and the coaches because I feed off of them. I guess I'm just Angela." But to her teammates and coaches she is much more than that. Washington calls Aycock the barometer of the team, and Aycock has taken some of the younger players under her wing. "She is like a big sister to me," freshman guard Tamecka Dixon said. "Her personality on the court carries over to off the court." As the pressure begins to mount, Aycock said she realized the tasks ahead. Some people might try to escape pressure by distancing themselves from it. Instead, Aycock turns inward to her teammates. "We're family," she said. The final exam: filling the bracket I'm sorry my regular Monday column did not appear in yesterday's paper. I was busy studying — and I'm not talking about my two Spanish midterms. Yesterday I finished a different kind of exam. I'm talking about filling out the Southeast region of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bracket. Filling out the bracket often resembles taking a multiple choice test. Following the Jayhawks' path to the championship game, there are six difficult questions to answer. Southeast Regional Question No. 1: Who will win, Kansas, or Tennessee-Chattanooga? Although my gut instinct told me to pick Kansas, I immediately began studying for this question after CBS revealed the bracket 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Within an hour, I held Tennessee Chattanooga's team and individual statistics in my hands. The Moccasins finished the regular season 23-6. In December, they lost at Michigan by just 11 points. Two weeks later, Purdue junior forward玲 Robinson scored 36 points and had 13 rebounds against the Moccasins, but the Boilermakers won by just eight points at home. Other than Michigan and Purdue, however, the Moccasins played a relatively weak schedule in the Southern Conference. Kansas enters the tournament with a 25-7 record and compiled a 9-5 record in the grueling Big Eight Conference. During the non-conference season, Kansas defeated teams such as California, Massachusetts and Indiana. In this case, my instinct stands. I'm going with the Jayhawks. Question No. 2; Who will win, Kansas, or Wake Forest? Make forest should not have a problem disposing of its first round opponent, Charleston (S.C.) College, a first-time NCAA Tournament team. Wake Forest has one of the top guards in the nation in senior Randolph Childress, who averages 20 points a game. The Demon Deacons enter the tournament with a 20-11 record. With a regular season victory against the East region's No. 1 seed North Carolina, the Deacons could be tough to beat. But Wake Forest also lost twice to North Carolina, which lost to Massachusetts, which lost to Kansas. Combine that with the Deacons' 73-72 loss at home to California with the Jayhawks' 73-56 victory at home against California, and the answer to this question is obvious: Kansas wins. Question No. 3: Who will win Kansas, or Purdue? Or better yet, who's going to guard Player of the Year candidate, junior forward Glemm Robinson? Purdue, the Big Ten Conference champion and the Southeast's top-seeded team, enter the NCAA Tournament on a roll. Michael Jordan, the only player on the planet that might be able to stop Robinson, retired from college basketball more than a decade ago. In Robinson's most recent game, an 87-77 victory against Illinois, he scored a career high 49 points and pulled down five rebounds. Feb. 19 against Indiana, he scored 40 points. Four days later against Ohio State he scored 40. Perhaps the Jayhawks should put their worst defender on Robinson and concentrate on shutting down the rest of the team. Even if Kansas seniors Steve Woodberry and Richard Scott double team Robinson, he'll still get his 30-plus points. But the Jayhawks, using a balanced inside and outside attack, will prevail. Question No. 4: Who will win Kansas, or Southwestern Louisiana? That's right, Southwestern Louisiana, also known as the Ragin' Cajuns, will upset Marquette, Kentucky and then Duke before meeting Kansas in the Southeast regional semifinal. The Cajuns enter the tournament with a 22-7 overall record and most recently won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament 78-72 against Western Kentucky. Although the toughest team on the Cajun's schedule this season was the very same Western Kentucky team, I really believe that the Cajuns will shoot the lights out against the Blue Devils and Wildcats. Question No. 5: Who will win, Kansas, or North Carolina? The Jayhawks have gotten this far, and the Tar Heels just barely beat Wake Forest on Sunday. Kansas barely wins. Question No. 6: Who will win, Kansas, or Missouri? Yes, the West Region's No. 1 seed will somehow slip through to the championship game, and you better believe the Jayhawks will want, and get their revenge. I've finished taking my exam. Now it's up to the Jayhawks for me to pass. 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