10
Wednesday, January 15, 1992
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Merger means more money new rivalries
The transformation of the Big Eight Conference to the Big 12 means at least two things: more money and new competition for Kansas athletics.
With the possible exception of men's basketball, the restructured league will bolster the competition and add excitement to the Jayhawks' athletic programs.
Two years from now, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor likely will join Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in a southern division, and Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado, Iowa State and Nebraska will form a northern division.
Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick, who arrived in town Friday night after spending five days at the Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, said the larger league would benefit Kansas athletics.
"I'm really excited about it," Frederick said before the tipoff of the Kansas-Colorado basketball game. "I think it will help all of our sports."
Because of Frederick's position on the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee, he was invited to be a guest of CBS at the Olympics. CBS, which televised the games, also televises the NCAA basketball championships.
During his time in Norway, Frederick saw U.S. speed skater Bonnie Blair win one of her gold medals. But he also spent a lot of his time on conference calls with other officials about the impending changes in the Big Eight.
"We've been talking about it for three weeks," Frederick said. "A television contract right now is our No.1 priority. All we know is that several networks are interested."
Betsy Stephenson, Kansas associate athletics director, said that the Big 12 would improve most, if not all, of the non-revenue sports. She also said that television possibilities existed for the non-revenue sports.
"People are understandably focusing on the revenue aspect of it, because that's what has driven it," Stephenson said. "But the opportunities for our sports will expand with the addition of those four schools."
Each of the four schools has enjoyed recent success in non-revenuesports. Consider the facts:
Texas Tech is the defending national champion in women's basketball.
Baylor has one of the top volleyball teams in the nation.
Texas women's tennis is the No.1 team in the nation.
Texas A&M and Texas baseball consistently are ranked in the Top 10.
The only downside of the four Texas schools appears to be in men's basketball, and Kansas coach Roy Williams did not sound nearly as excited as Frederick about the merger.
"Right off the top of my head, I don't know how it's going to be better for us basketball-wise," Williams said. "We're already pretty strong in basketball. But if it helps our athletic department, then it should help us, too."
Williams should not be concerned with the competitive aspects of adding the Texas schools. None of them are ranked in the Top 25, and none of them made it to post-season play last season:
Texas, which made the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive years, finished last season 11-17 and watched March Madness at home on television.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have not made the NCAA Tournament since 1986.
Texas A&M is coming off an NCAA probationary period and finished its previous two seasons with 6-22 and 10-17 records.
Baylor finished last season 16-11, the only winning record of the four schools.
Only Baylor and Texas have ever reached the Final Four. Baylor last reached the Final Four in 1950. Texas did it in 1947 and 1943.
But the four basketball teams can prepare and improve their programs in time for the 1996-07 season. Meanwhile, the Kansas sports can gear up for their own increase in competition.
Kansas dominates court at K-State
For decades, fans have relished the rivalries between Kansas, Missouri and Kansas State. Perhaps 40 years from now, they'll be talking about the intensity of the Kansas Jayhawks-Baylor Bears rivalry.
Team preps for Big Eight tournament
By Matt Siegel
Kansan sportswriter
MANHATTAN — Kansas State may have come into Saturday's game with a 9-2 home record, but it was the No. 12 Kansas women's basketball team who owned the court Saturday night. The Javahawks defeated K-State 65-54.
"We really ran the ball effectively," junior forward Angela Aycock said. "We tried to wear them down. We knew that they didn't sub too many players and that we play 9 or 10 players."
The victory gave Kansas its fifth consecutive 20-win season as it improved to 20-4 overall and 11-3 in the Big Eight Conference. K-State fell to 12-13 and 5-9. The Jayfawks locked up the No. 2 seed at the Big Eight Tournament, which starts Saturday in Salina.
Kansas coach Marian Washington said tonight's game would give the Jayhawks a good chance to fine tune some things as well as to recognize center Lisa Tate, guard Ericka Muncy and guard Michelle Leathers, all seniors who will be playing in their last home game for the Jayhawks. Tate said that it would be an emotional game for the seniors and that the team was looking forward to the tournament.
Against K-State, in the Jayhawks' final regular-season conference game, Kansas used a 19-1 scoring run in the first half to put away the Wildcats.
At 5:47 in the first half Kansas led 28-27. But then things changed — drastically.
After Kansas had run off four consecutive points, the Wildcats tried to end the momentum by giving the ball to one of their go-to players, junior forward Shanele Stires. Stires tried to take the ball inside but Aycock blocked her shot, grabbed the ball and hurled it down the court to Muncy. The senior guard caught up to the ball near K-State's end line, momentarily lost the ball but somehow managed to collect the ball and find freshman guard Angela Halbleib for a lauvn.
The Kansas defense limited the Wildcats to 35.7 percent shooting in the first half, while the Jayhawks shot 58.1 percent from the field. Aycock made eight of 16 field goals.
"It was just a really good shooting night for me," Aycock said. "During that run I was in a zone. Some players just get to where they can shoot with their eyes closed, and that happened in the first half."
Aycock finished with a game-high 17 points. Four Kansas players scored in double figures.
"If you take away the way we shot the basketball, we did things we had to do to win," Agler said. "There were four things that I told my team we needed to do to win this game. We only had 10 turnovers. We only gave them 11 offensive rebounds, and we kept them off the free throw line. The thing that we didn't do a good job of, because we missed shots, was transition baskets. We did three of the four, but you have to do all four."
Washington said that at every time-out the Jayhawks talked about how to stop K-State's top two players, DeCamp and Stires. The two players shot a combined seven for 30 Kansas State coach Brian Agler said that the Wildcats did some good things but that they were not enough.
Although the Wildcats managed to cut a 20-point Kansas lead to 11 in the
Player fgm/fga ftm/fta tp
Stires 4-13 8-10 17
Holzman 1-2 1-2 3
Larson 0-0 0-0 0
O'Neal 3-9 0-2 6
DeCamp 3-17 6-8 14
Graftan 3-5 0-0 6
Decker 2-5 0-0 6
Neal 1-2 0-0 2
Pollock 0-1 0-0 0
Totals 17-54 15-22 54
KANSAS STATE (12-13, 5-9)
Kansas 65, Kansas State 54
KANSAS (20-4.11-3)
Player fgm/fga ftm/fta tp
Aycock 8-16 0-1 17
Trapp 5-7 1-1 11
Tate 4-6 3-4 11
Sampson 4-5 3-4 11
Muncy 2-4 0-0 4
Slatter 0-1 0-0 0
Halbleib 2-7 1-1 5
Dixon 3-8 0-1 6
Canada 0-1 0-0 0
Leathers 0-1 0-0 Ø
Thalmann 0-1 0-0 0
Totals 28-57 8-12 65
Halftime Kansas 41, Kansas State 28, 3-point goals Kansas State 51-7 (Decamp 2, Decker 2, Stires 3, 1-O'Neal 0), Kansas 1-7 (Aycock 1-2, Hailebelle 0, Samp泉 0, Leather 0-1), Rebounds Kansas State 31 (Stires 5, Holzman 0, O'Neal 2), Kansas 40 (Tate 9), Assists Kansas State 13 (Holzman 3, Larson 3), Kansas 12 (Aycock 6), Total fours Kansas State 16, Attendance 2,000.
second half, they never could get within striking distance of the Jayhawks.
"They have been real tough at home," Washington said. "We knew we were coming in here facing a very confident ball club, and we had to do some things to make sure they didn't get on a roll."
A player who did not get on a roll was DeCamp, the 15th leading scorer in the nation. She averages 21.8 points a game but was stymied for most of the night and finished the game with 14 points, shooting 3 of 17.
Junior forward Alana Slatter, left, and senior center Lisa Tate, second from left, block the shot of Kansas State junior forward Shanele Stires as freshman guard Angie Halbleib, right, gets ready to pick up the ball.
"On my three-point shots, I got
James Wilcox / KANSAN
As for the upcoming conference tournament, Agler said the Jayhawks could be the team to beat.
fouled a couple of times," DeCamp said. "I should have took it to them. Instead I got my arm knocked off."
"I think both Kansas and Colorado are really good basketball teams," Agler said. "Kansas is a little bit more athletic. I think Kansas could be a better team than Colorado. I think they are capable of being as good as there is in the country.
Rebounds boost Jayhawks over Buffaloes, out of slump
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportswriter
For the No. 10 Kansas men's basketball team, "rebounding" was the catch phrase in its 106-62 victory against Colorado on Saturday at Allen Field House.
Not only did the Jayhawks rebound from a three-game losing streak, but they also set a new school record in the game with 72 team rebounds.
The victory improved Kansas' record to 22-6 and 7-5 in the Big Eight Conference. Colorado lost its fifth consecutive game and dropped to 10-14 and 2-10.
Kansas junior center Greg Ostertag said he was glad he could contribute to a new school record. Ostertag had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven blocked shots.
"Anytime you become a part of history at this school, it's an honor," he said.
The Jayhawks used a fast-paced offense that was jump-started by their defense in the first half. Kansas coach Roy Williams said he was pleased with how his team played.
"We did need it," he said. "If we can get the positive feelings back, I think that could be important to us."
Tom Leininger / KANSAN
Kansas senior guard Steve Woodberry attempts a shot over Colorado junior guard Donnie Bove in Allen Field House. The Jayhawks won Saturday's game 106-62.
Although Kansas started a bit slow, Williams said some long defensive rebounds helped get the Jayhawks rolling. At one point in the game, Kansas went on a 32-7 run.
“If we box out and keep them from second shots and beat the boards to death ourselves, I think that will be a huge factor in the game,” Williams said. “We out-rebounded them 72 to 29, and it was a big factor in the game.”
In one play during that run, Kansas freshman guard Jacque Vaughn took on a fast break. He faked a pass to freshman center Scot Pollard, who was to his left. Senior guard Steve Woodberry to his right. He jumped, faked a pass to Woodberry and finger-rolled a layup from 10 feet away, giving Kansas a 35-11 lead. The Jayhawks led at halftime 52-21.
Williams said that a key to the huge halftime lead was Kansas' defense against Colorado junior guard Donnie Boyce.It was a game where Kansas players came out of their shells somewhat. Six Jayhawks scored in double-figures, including Junior guard Greg Gurley's 19 points and Pollard's 18 points, both career highs. Gurley was the team's leading scorer and went five for five from the three-point line.
"That's the Greg Gurley we see everyday in practice," Scott said. "We were wondering when it was going to come out, and it came out today."
Kansas senior forward Richard Scott said he knew Gurley had the potential to score.
The scoring did not stop for the Jay- hawks in the second half, and the Buff.
"It's embarrassing." Golgart said. "It's like sitting in a dull class, and you can't leave. People are taking shots, and I don't know if it's for themselves or for the team.
faloes could never recover. Colorado sophomore guard Sande Golgart, who scored five points, said finishing the game was painful for the team.
Although Kansas won decisively, Williams said he was angry at a fan who wrote him a letter last week. Williams said the letter was from an Asian studies professor who asked if there would be a pep rally for students because Kansas had lost three consecutive games. The professor made reference to Nebraska's pep rally before its game against Kansas on
Wednesdav
The field house was 600, people shy of capacity for Saturday's game.
"It's a little discouraging." Williams said. "Nebraska's got a two-game losing streak. They have a pep rally at four o'clock in the afternoon, and their crowd is going absolutely crazy. We lose three in a row, and people are wondering what we're going to do for them.
"Our team's spoiled rotten, our coaching staff's spoiled rotten, and our fans are spoiled rotten. I love the students that were here. I do find it discouraging that we're spoiled so much that all of the sudden Kansas basketball is going down the tubes."
Great Scott, Sir Richard is back
Kansan sportswriter
Bv Garrv Fev
Kansas senior forward Richard Scott is back — sort of. Scott scored 18 points in 22 minutes of play in Kansas' 106-26 victory against Colorado Saturday at Allen Field House. It was his most productive output since the Southern Methodist game on Jan. 8.
Despite his offensive production, Scott said he still had not fully recovered. Scott injured his left shoulder in practice Jan. 24 before a game against Oklahoma State.
"Right now I'm getting a lot better," Scott said. "It's close, but not yet. There's still some things that I try to do that I can't do. I've got to do a lot with my right hand."
One thing Scott brings to the team is his leadership, whether he is in the game or not.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said Scott seemed to have played without any pain in the game. He wore a harness around his shoulder in practices earlier in the week but did not wear it during the game.
"It's been a busy
Scott said. "A lot of
the younger guys
were panicking. We
talked amongst
everybody and told
everybody to get
those feelings out."
Even when Scott was injured he rebounded. It was his scoring that Kansas missed. With 9:55 remaining in the game, Kansas's 6-foot-6 senior looked like the Richard Scott of old. Kansas freshman guard Jacque Vaughn took the ball on a fast break and found Scott underneath with a bounce pass.
He made the layup,
giving Karsasa 76-38
lead, and was fouled
in the process. After
COLORADO (10-14, 2-10)
Kansas 106, Colorado 62
Player fgm/fga ftm/fta tp
Jensen 0-5 2-2 2
Dean 5-13 2-3 12
Allen 1-10 3-4 6
Golgart 2-3 1-1 5
Boyce 10-32 6-8 29
Frandeen 2-3 0-0 4
Hefty 0-1 2-2 2
Williams 1-4 0-0 2
Totals 21-71 16-20 62
KANSAS (22-6.7-5)
Ballistics Rating Player fgm/fta tfm/fta tp
Vaughn 1-1 2-2 4
Woodberry 4-16 0-1 10
Richey 1-10 0-4 2
Scott 7-13 4-6 18
Ostertag 7-7 2-2 16
Pollard 5-9 8-12 18
Rayford 2-4 0-0 4
Gurley 6-6 2-2 19
Pearson 4-9 2-4 10
Williams 2-2 1-2 5
Whatley 0-2 0-2 0
Weichbrodt 0-1 0-0 0
Totals 39-80 21-32 106
Halftime Kansas 52, Colorado 21, 3-
point goals Kansas 4-19, Bingham 3-11,
Allen 1, Williams 0, Jensen 1, Hefty
0,川克斯 1, Gurley 5, Woodberry
2-8, Richey 1, Pearson 41).
Rebounds
29 (Boyce 8), Kansas 72 (Pollard
11).
Assists 7 (Boyce 2), Hefty
2), Williams 2), Kansas 22 (Vaughn)
7.
total fouls Kansas 20, Colorado 21. Attend-
ance 15, 200.
the play, Scott was his boisterous self, bumping chests with Vaughn and shouting to the Kansas bench.
Kansas junior center Greg Ostertag said Scott's presence was beneficial for the team.
"It helps a lot because with Richard we have a double threat on the inside," he said. "Peams have to worry about us again with Richard."
After Scott's injury, Kansas had lost four of its last eight games.
Scott said that although he was not yet at his best he was close to being healthy. With Scott hurting, Kansas has depended on senior guard Steve Woodberry. Woodberry and Ostertag are the only Kansas players besides Scott averaging more than 10 points a game.
"I'm coming back pretty good, pretty effective," Scott said. "I think about a week or two from now I'll be fine. Right now, all I want to do is keep playing and playing hard."