THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2014
PAGE 11
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THE DAILY DEBATE
Who is Kansas basketball's biggest threat to the Big 12 title this season?
By Connor Oberkrom @coberkro
"TEXAS"
After a few turbulent years in Austin, Rick Barnes has pieced together a team capable of threatening Kansas' Big 12 title reign. Texas returns all its starters from last year, all of its bench and added a top-five recruit in forward Myles Turner.
Texas, which beat Kansas last year in its first meeting in conference play, on paper will be a bigger threat this season with perhaps the best frontecourt in the Big 12. Junior center Cameron Ridley anchors Texas' defense again with a third year under his belt and will be even more effective as a rim protector with more depth behind him. Ridley averaged 2.2 blocks in just 25.6 minutes per game last year.
Turner, who many scouts have proclaimed is still a project offensively, is undoubtedly a potential wrecking force in the paint. He possesses a 7'3" wingspan, which will help him alter shots behind Ridley. Turner should come off the bench as the season starts behind senior forward Jonathan Holmes and might lobby for
more playing time later on.
more playing time later on. This trio of more than competent big men presents a plethora of problems for the Jayhawks, Kansas coach Bill Self has always had an affinity for playing through his big men, and there's no reason to think that ideology will shift. Perry Ellis, Kansas' most reliable offensive player, will shoulder a lot of the burden, as will freshman Cliff Alexander. While Kansas can trot out junior Jamari Traylor to match Texas' trio, it will be a tough task for Kansas to cruise to another Big 12 title.
While Texas is no juggernaut offensively with its returning guards shooting 32.8 percent from the perimeter last year, its big men will still present matchup problems for Kansas. Center Joel Embiid was one of
the best defenders and rim protectors in the country and now that task lies in the hands of Alexander. He is an undersized center at 6-foot-9 and according to draftexpress.com, "Fundamentals on defense still a work in progress." His lengthy wingspan, however, should be able to compensate for that.
Another concern for Kansas is the defensive production for junior power forward Perry Ellis. Ellis is more suited to guard at the top of the key and Traylor could see an uptick in playing time if teams start to get more physical like Texas. Ellis reportedly has worked on his defensive skills in the off-season and the Texas matchup should be a great gauge for his progress.
Edited by Drew Parks
"IOWA STATE"
By Jacob Clemen
@jclemn9
U unlike the NBA. success in college basketball is often
less about the talent of the individual players on the court and more about the coaches and the systems. Programs are defined by their coaches from Bill Self and Mike Krzyzewski to John Calipari and Tom Izzo, each of whom has their own unique system that leads to sustainable success.
That is why the Iowa State Cyclones are the biggest threat to Kansas' domination of the Big 12 conference and the most likely candidate to end the Jayhawks' streak of
Fred Hoiberg was announced as head coach of the Cyclones in April 2010 and since then he has led the Cyclones to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 last season. Before Hoiberg, The Cyclones hadn't made the tournament since 2005.
10 conference championships.
Hoiberg brought stability, toughness and raised expectations in Ames, Iowa, and has a implemented an offense that has netted the cyclones a .704 winning percentage over the past three seasons.
with all that said about coaching being more important than the players. Hoiberg has some excellent players to work with this upcoming season.
dre Kane and Melvin Ejim but will turn to sophomore guard Monte Morris and senior forward Dustin Hogue to replace that production. Morris "broke the NCAA record and led the nation with a 4.79 assist-to-turn-over ratio" in his freshman year, according to cylcones. com. Meanwhile, Hogue provides a dual-threat as a 3-pointer-shooting forward. Last season, Hogue finished second in the Big 12 in rebounding while shooting 34.4 percent from beyond the arc in 64 attempts.
DAILY DEBATE RESULTS: OCT. 22, 2014 Should Clint Bowen remain the head coach?
Junior forward Georges Niang has been a force for Hoiberg since joining the program in 2012. He was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie team and averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 rebounds as a freshman. Last season he made the All-Big 12 Third Team and reportedly shed 25 pounds after offseason foot surgery.
NO: 17.6%
The final factor for the Cyclones that threatens to unseat Kansas in the Big 12 is their home atmosphere. Much like Allen Fieldhouse, the home arena for the Cyclones, Hilton Coliseum, has a reputation as a very difficult place to win for opponents. In 16 home games last year, Iowa State lost only one contest: their matchup against the Jayhawks.
YES: 82.4%
The Cyclones lost DeAn-
With the experience and depth on his roster, Hoiberg is poised to lead his team to serious contention for the Big 12 title.
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Women's golf heads to South Carolina
ALANA FLINN
@Alana_Flinn
The women's golf team will compete at the Palmetto Intercollegiate at the Turtle Point Golf Club in Kiawah Island, S.C., this weekend.
The course has "narrow fairway corridors, small greens, strategically placed water hazards and plenty of out-of-bounds," according to the course's website. The site also says Turtle Point is extremely windy and shifts throughout the day.
Junior Yupaporn Kawinpakorn has finished
as the top individual for the team at two tournaments. She finished second 'at the Ron Moore Women's Intercollegiate the weekend of Oct. 10-12 with a score of 215, and tied for 10th at the Lady Paladin Invitational Sept. 21-23 with a score of 218. Kawinpakorn has finished under par three times and even par twice out of five total tournaments.
Last season, she made the All-Big 12 Conference Team, the Academic All-Big 12 First team, in addition to making the Big 12 All-Tournament Team in both 2012 and 2013.
She also led the team with a 74.46 scoring average for the season.
The team finished second out of 12 teams at the Ron Moore tournament Oct. 10-12. Coach Erin O'Neil said rough weather made the tournament challenging.
"Conditions were more difficult today and for the most part we didn't handle it as well as we could have," O'Neil said of the Kansas team, which entered the final round tied for fourth. "We mainly pushed too hard to make birdies on a day when pars were great."
The team tied for fifth out of 18 teams at the Lady Paladin tournament Sept. 21-23. O'Neil said the team gave away too many shots with doubles and triples (bogeys) at the tournament.
Sophomore Pornvipa Sakdee finished first at the Mariynn Smith Sunflower Invitational Sept. 8-9 with a score of 216. Eleven teams competed and Kansas finished second overall. Sakdee has finished under par three times and even par once out of four total tournaments. As a freshman last season, Sakdee tied for the team's second best score
at the Big 12 Championship with a 211.
Senior Gabriella DiMarco has also been a top placer for the team this season. She tied for sixth place at the Minnesota Invitational Sept. 15-16 with a score of 221. The team finished third out of 14 teams. DiMarco has finished under par once and even par once out of two tournaments played.
The team currently has a total of 3,581 strokes for the fall season.
Edited by Lyndsey Havens
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