Volume 126 Issue 46
kansan.com
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
COMMENTARY
Win against Duke irrelevant for long-term goals
Final Four. What a waste of a great branding opportunity. Pundits could have gone with "November Nonsense" or "McDonald's All-America Game Part 2". Instead, they settled on a term that causes panic and delirium.
CHICAGO - The Champions Classic is billed as the preseason
In Chicago, there was nothing but hope.
Back in New Orleans during the 2012 National Championship, you felt the urgency in the air. That wasn't a party so much as an anxiety-off, discovering which fanbase could endure the most stress.
Each fan walking the concourse at the United Center had a silly smile that we all come across at some point or another. The one that says "this is our year" behind a frozen facial expression.
Regardless of Kansas' 94-83 win against Duke, every fan understands that true bragging rights are handed out in early April.
Take a walk down Michigan Avenue, where the cool breeze off Lake Michigan funnels between the city's skyscrapers and it's hard to miss. You'll notice the winter hats first, the kind with the "KU" logo stitched on the front. Walk past the Niketown with the Michael Jordan quotes on the wall and you'll spot the man in the Jayhawks letterman jacket. Peer into the cars and cabs that pass by — you'll notice the Kansas jerseys, too. Each person sporting that same goofy smile. Of course, heading to the United Center and strolling down Madison helped confirm that.
Jayhawks fans didn't invade Chicago. It seems as if they'd always been here, hoping and praying with the rest of them.
Perhaps this is one of the instances that makes college basketball beautiful. The Champions Classic is not meant to break a team's season — only to show how far some squads have to go.
—Edited by Kayla Overbey
Sophomore forward Perry Ellis scores against Duke, driving the Jayhawks to a victory with the help of freshman guard Andrew Wiggins (not pictured). The Jayhawks won 94-83 in Tuesday night's game.
Will Michigan State, Kentucky,
Duke and Kansas all meet in
the Final Four? Pretty unlikely.
But their season didn't end on a
Tuesday in November.
It allows fans to keep dreaming a little bit longer.
That much was understood on Tuesday. As was this: Before stepping into the United Center, before driving down west Madison Street, although sometime slightly after arriving in the Windy City, you could sense Chicago is a Jayhawk town.
If this were college football you could bet one of these powerhouse programs that lost in Chicago would not be playing in the National Championship. When Alabama plays Michigan in week one, it might as well be for a chance at the title.
This may come as a shock to some, but not every game matters. Especially not the second game of the season. For now, there's just hope for fans that their team will get to play in the games that do mean something—the games in March and beyond.
DOMINANT DUO
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
DOWNING DUKE
Wiggins, Ellis feed the fire against the Blue Devils for a Classic victory
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
Whatever Parker tried to do, Ellis attempted to top it. Each player scored more than 23 points and grabbed at least seven boards as
CHICAGO — This was supposed to be the night No. 1 overall recruit Andrew Wiggins and No. 2 overall recruit Jabari Parker began a rivalry expected to fuel college basketball. It seemed apparent that would happen — at least until Perry Ellis entered the fight.
Kansas defeated Duke 94-83 to secure its first win in year three of the Champions Classic.
"We just kept playing hard," Ellis said. "We got a lot of loose balls at the end, got a lot of easy lavups
got a lot of easy layups."
Ellis didn't stop Wiggins from taking a run at Parker himself.
"The key was just to get the ball
That showcase began with Wiggins alone in the paint, throwing down a one-handed slam in the opening minutes. Chicago-native Parker followed that tip with a four-point play.
Yet the trend quickly died as Wiggins picked up two early fouls and spent 11 minutes on the bench. Wiggins wouldn't be the only starter on the bench in the first half either. Naadir Tharpe and Tarik Black each picked up two fouls as well and Kansas tragged out a bevy of players to make up for it. Kansas has yet to play any type of match in which Black doesn't pick up some early calls.
It opened up the floor for Ellis to make his presence known and the bench to make the difference.
Frank Mason and Brannen Greene combined for 11 points in the first half while Wayne Selden Jr. and Perry Ellis took turns keeping the Jayhawks in front (or close to it). The lead changed 10 times in the first frame with neither team taking more than a six point advantage.
inside and attack," Ellis said. "Attack at all times."
"Our jerseys don't say Parker and Wiggins — they say Kansas and Duke."
Whatever college basketball fans were robbed of with Wiggins on the bench was made up for in the second half.
ANDREW WIGGINS Freshman guard
Wiggins relieved Ellis from guarding Parker and opened up room for both teams to run the floor.
"We didn't do a good
job of guarding the ball the whole night," Kansas coach Billself said. "I wish we would have played Andrew on Jabari the whole time. He wanted to do that, but I was nervous about fouls."
The Jayhawks were never more than a possession or two away from the lead early in the second half when Selden tossed a no-look pass to Ellis in the paint for an easy two.
The Blue Devils had a chance to steal back as Parker made a move to the bucket with one defender back, but the shot didn't fall and it didn't take long for Ellis to spot Wiggins alone in the paint for a
At that point Kansas had its first lead of the half, 61-60, though the momentum wouldn't last much longer.
two-handed slam of his own
Even before Ellis finished off the bucket, Selden turned to let out a huge roar that was returned by the mainly pro-Kansas crowd at the United Center. Duke called timeout as the Jayhawks seized the momentum.
Neither team could secure the lead for long as once again fouls became a key component of the game. The two teams combined for 53 calls, giving each an opportunity to steal the game at the line. Kansas shot 76 percent while Duke hit 16-28.
"It just takes away all aggressiveness defensively," Self said.
Still, this night was meant for Wiggins. It took until the final minute for him to deliver, though it wouldn't have happened without Ellis.
With Kansas up 83-81, Wiggins connected on a jumper. Ells stole the ball back on the ensuing possession and dished back to Wiggins for another slam. And as Wiggins went up, Parker went
down, picking up his fifth foul and,
exiting the floor.
"The hype was big but I just tried to block it out," Wiggins said after his 22-point performance. "Our jerseys don't say Parker and Wiggins — they say Kansas and Duke. At the end of the day one team was going to win it, not one player."
— Edited by Kayla Overbey
FOOTBALL
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
In the past months, coach Charlie Weis has watched freshman quarterback Montell Cozart grow into a sizeable player and potential full-time starter for next season.
Freshman Cozart develops into dual-threat quarterback
CONNOR OBERKROM
coberkrom@kansan.com
The lack of a passing game has afforded Kansas football the luxury of experimentation. One of those experiments is freshman quarterback Montell Cozart.
This week, Cozart was listed beside jake Heaps as the number one quarterback option. Weis doesn't want to hint at who will be on the field first against West Virginia on Saturday.
With youth still on his side, Cozart has more freedom with play calling - his style fits nicely with where quarterbacks are currently trending. Athletic quarterbacks have blossomed and now couple their ability to run the ball with their passing ability, which keeps opponents honest.
"I know who is starting at quarterback. Why should I tell them?" Weis said. "That's really what it comes down to"
Still becoming familiar with the drop back quarterback role, Cozart has been plugged into Kansas' offensive scheme, which is a key, realistic situation for his development.
"I ideally you would have the drop back guy who is the athlete," Weis said.
"It's been good for us to be able to do it the way we've done it," Weis said. "But, I think the fact that he's been able to ease into it, I think that has been good for him."
Weis mentioned that the good passing quarterbacks in the NFL (Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III) are becoming better athletes.
"Calling the plays isn't as easy as everybody thinks it is." Weis said.
Cozart's ability to extend plays is
There's a perception that the learning curve for young quarter-backs in a spread offense system isn't difficult, but that curve may be more steep than it seems.
he is both well known,
Cozart, who attended Bishop
Miege High School, first took snaps
against Oklahoma and now looks
to impact Kansas' quarterback
future. Cozart gradually received
more repetitions as the season
progressed and is now more comfortable
in taking the offensive reigns.
why he's been splitting snaps with Heaps — the player deemed No. 1 at the season's start.
weis has taken a distinct mentality with Cozart and frequently encourages him on the field when he does something wrong, but adapts.
"We have a lot of problems in the past couple of years when the quarterback freezes and play is now over," Weis said. "But one thing that happens with [Cozart] when he freezes — the play could just be starting."
Barry Sanders was in attendance on Saturday's game, causing Weis to joke that Sanders might have inspired Cozart's performance — he dodged multiple defenders across the field.
Cozart's development is in the infant stage and he'll be watched closely going forward. He's emerged as a potential full-time starter for next season, but this season — with three games left — is what will develop him as a dual-threat quarterback.
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Edited by Kayla Overbey
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