Volume 126 Issue 54
kansan.com
Monday, December 2, 2013
COMMENTARY Kansas shows its youth in Atlantis
f you're going to learn to dance, you might as well practice in a ballroom.
The Jayhawks' Battle 4 Atlantis was more of a Struggle 4 Survival as Kansas looked unprepared at the least, and caught off guard at best.
Of course, the tally mark in the Jayhawks' loss column wasn't supposed to feel like a surprise. We knew going into the non-conference season that this was possible all along. Most of us even assumed Kansas would drop three or four games before Big 12 play picked up. Many more expected the Jayhawks to have a loss on their record after the second game of the season when they took the court with Duke.
With a schedule full of Florida, San Diego State, Georgetown and New Mexico nobody in Kansas was buying the 40-0 domain.
No, it was the way Kansas lost that was most alarming. The Jay-hawks were disabled by Villanova's half court trap, looking almost lost when the pressure was on and when it seemed like time for Andrew Wiggins to take over he faded.
How strangely calming it was. Yes, this is a Kansas team that needs a lot of work. A team whose youth became its biggest weakness and its weaknesses too much to overcome. Most importantly, this was a team that needed to realize its mortal — no matter how low that number next to it's name gets.
"I love our talent and I love your players," coach Bill Self said in the Kansas City Star. "But there's a difference between trying hard and competing. And we have to learn how to compete."
You could blame the poor play on the referees. The ones who called 68 fouls on the Jayhawks and made it seem like their opponents played basketball like angels. Blame it on the referees who officiating sparked an outburst from Self that earned him a technical foul as Kansas trailed Nova 28-19 with two minutes left in the first half.
Or blame it on youth. Acknowledge that this is a young team facing the first of what's surely a tidal wave of adversity. The Jayhawks panicked against the Wildcats. They seemed daunted on offense and incept in transition.
After the consolation game against UTEP, Self said he felt like the team regressed during the tournament.
"We have a long ways to go to become a good basketball team." Self said to the Associated Press. "And that's not all bad, either. We rarely have great teams in November. But we're not as good as we were 17, 18 days ago. So that's a little frustrating that we've gone backwards."
Or you can think back to 2008, when in the last game of the season another freshman point guard bolted across the floor to open up a game tying three-pointer to send the lavhawks to overtime.
You could blame the loss on Self too. He could have called timeout with eight seconds left instead of letting Frank Mason dart down the court for a futile three-point attempt.
The non-conference schedule is built to prepare this Kansas team for a long run into the NCAA tournament.
Go ahead and blame the ballroom, too.
It could be the best thing that happens this season.
---
TURNING OVER THE WIN
Junior quarterback Jake Heaps prepares to throw a pass downfield during the Sunflower Showdown Nov. 30. Heaps was 14 for 29 passing for 138 yards. Heaps threw one touchdown, but also added three interceptions, accounting for half of Kansas' turnovers in the game.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN but also added three
SLOPPY SHOWDOWN
Second half momentum fades as Jayhawks' turnovers end season with a loss
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
Most of the Kansas fans were gone by the time it was all over. The 2013 season came to an end for the Jayhawks with a 31-10 loss to Kansas State as the majority of those left in the Memorial Stadium stands wore purple, surrounded by empty bleachers.
The Jayhawks gave up three touchdowns in the first half, and though they were down 21-0 in the second quarter, Charlie Weis felt like the game was getting away from his team.
Six turnovers cost Kansas any chance it might have had at making the comeback.
"Turnovers — you get down 21-0 and everyone is waiting for us to throw in the towel and we got it back to 21-10. Then we
turn it over a couple times in the third quarter. That kind of put the game away for them," Weis said.
At the start of the second half, Kansas had the momentum. The second fumble of the day for senior running back James Sims gave it away. The next drive, an interception thrown by junior Jake Heaps. Then two more Heaps interceptions.
The Jayhawk defense settled in after allowing an early flurry of points. Weis said after the game that he felt like the defense eventually gave the team a chance to fight back.
It was four straight Jayhawk drives ending in turnovers.
"When you turn it over a hundred times, the chance you have to come back in a game like that goes out the window," Weis said.
But it was more than just turnovers. It was the nature of them.
"Turnovers are part of the game, it was how they all just packaged together," Weis said.
"We gave it our all. We worked hard and we did everything we could for the program throughout all the losses."
DEXTER LINTON Senior safety
"Turnovers are the thing that change the game more than any other element in football. It either stops drives, or it sets them up. And this game it did both."
Weis will give his team one day
to sulk before moving forward to the 2014 season.
As the rest of the team prepares for next season, 23 seniors played their last game on Saturday.
"We gave it our all," senior safety Dexter Linton said. "We worked hard and we did everything we could for the program throughout all the losses. We were resilient and never gave up."
Weis had a long conversation in the locker room after the game to say goodbye to the seniors, but preferred to keep that conversation private.
"I always talk about life. I'm a lot bigger than football. There's a lot of things that you learn being part of a team." Weis said.
The seniors that will leave the program after this season will do so without ever having defeated Kansas State, or playing in a bowl
game.
They have few wins on their record, but there are lessons they say they will take away from their time at Kansas.
"Persevere through anything," said senior offensive lineman Gavin Howard. "We've had ups and downs throughout my career, specifically this year, and if you keep persevering and keep working things will work out for you."
Weis will hit the road on Sunday to begin his offseason recruiting, marking the beginning of a new season.
After two years at Kansas, Weis has won four games. After the game it was too soon for him to say how the program has progressed in that time.
VOLLEYBALL
Edited by Paige Lytle
Kansas to host NCAA Tournament games for second straight year
BRIAN HILLIX
bhillix@kansan.com
The Kansas volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year and will host the first and second round matches inside Allen Fieldhouse. The matches will take place on Dec. 6 and 7.
The Jayhawks earned the No. 14 overall seed in the tournament and are currently ranked No. 21 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Landing in Kansas' section are three opponents that have defeated the Jayhawks within the last year.
That doesn't scare redshirt senior Caroline larmoc.
"We know how to prepare, we know all their styles of play," Jarmoc said. "We definitely have an advantage knowing the teams."
Kansas (23-7) will get an immediate shot at redemption as it takes on Wichita State in the first round. The Shockers defeated the Jayhawks in the Round of 32 last season in four sets. If Kansas
The teams include Wichita State (28-6), Arkansas (16-13) and Creighton (22-8).
RAY BECHARD Kansas coach
The Jayhawks have a chance to face Arkansas for the third time this season. Each team won on the other's home court in five sets. Kansas may face Creighton for the third time in the past two seasons. The Jayhawks defeated
"The team that takes care of the details and plays best this time of year is probably going to have some success."
wins, it will play the winner of Arkansas and Creighton.
the Blue Jays in five sets last season, but Creighton returned the favor on its home court and topped Kansas in four sets.
"We were saying our bracket is pretty much like the revenge bracket," Jarmoc said.
Coach Ray Bechard said previous results won't have much of an effect on how things play out in the tournament.
"It's a new season." Bechard
said. "You got to start all over. The team that takes care of the details and plays best this time of year is probably going to have some success."
After going 32-28 in 2010 and 2011, redshirt senior Catherine Carmichael is excited to play in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.
"To experience the lowest of lows and the highest of highs, it really just shows how far we've come," Carmichael said.
The games will take place inside the fieldhouse in order to meet NCAA requirements for hosting a tournament site. The Jayhawks — whose home is at Horejsi Family Athletics Center — defeated the Denver Pioneers inside the fieldhouse last Tuesday in four sets.
v
Kansas set the record last season for the highest attendance among host sites in the first and second round. Almost 4,000 came to see the Jayhawks defeat Denver.
The time for the Kansas-Wichita State match has been set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Edited by Casey Hutchins
ANDY LARKIN/KANSAN
Senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc prepares to serve against Texas Tech on Nov. 23. The Jayhawks won the match 3-0.