Volume 124 Issue 61
kansan.com
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
BIG 12 CONFERENCE THE BIG 12'S PAGE 8 WEEKLY RANKINGS
Edited by Ben Chipman
COMMENTARY
MEN'S GOLF TEAM LANDS TOP-100 RECRUIT FOR NEXT YEAR PAGE 6
Kansas gets first true test
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Tonight starts the Jayhawks' difficult three-week stretch. Kansas will play Kentucky, Georgetown and Ohio State for sure, with a possibility of playing UCLA, Duke, Memphis, Tennessee and Michigan.
All eight of these teams made the NCAA Tournament last year and Georgetown, UCLA, Duke, Memphis, Tennessee and Michigan are in the Maui Invitational, which began on Monday. Five of the potential opponents are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, and UCLA is receiving votes after dropping out from No. 17.
Kansas may be the underdog, but it doesn't mean it can't come out victorious. Kansas needs to take care of the ball like it did against Towson, knock down the open threes and play physical, but not foul. If it can't do those things, Kentucky will have 16 more all-time victories than Kansas.
These next three weeks will have a NCAA Tournament feel because of how good each of these teams are historically. The level of play won't be as good as March, but it will be a good test for a young and inexperienced Kansas team.
There is a reason Kentucky is ranked No. 2 in the nation. Whether you like coach John Calipari or not, the man can recruit. He consistently has some of the top recruiting classes in the country. All five of the Wildcat starters will most likely be in the NBA at some point and Calipari has a knack for developing premier point guards: Derek Rose, John Wall, Brandon Knight and Tyreke Evans are a few that come to mind. The key for Kansas will be for Jeff Withey and, more importantly, Thomas Robinson to stay out of foul trouble, especially early in the game. Robinson is the focal point of the offense and a staple on defense. If Robinson leaves the game with two fouls, Kansas' bench isn't as built as Robinson and Kentucky will ball the inside.
Self's club bested Calipari's the previous time the two met, but that was in 2008. There is a mutual level of respect between the two, but there isn't a doubt in my mind that if Calipari has an opportunity to put the pedal down, he will do it.
Tonight will be a good indicator to see where Kansas is in the early season. It will show the Jayhawks' strengths and it will definitely show their weaknesses. The Jayhawks will have less than a week to correct the problems for Maui, but will then have two weeks to prepare for Ohio State and Jared Sullinger — another tough test for Robinson.
CLASH OF THE TITANS
Kansas plays Kentucky tonight in New York
KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
Nearly 24 hours of televised basketball is night-capped with the inaugural Champions Classic tonight in Madison Square Garden in New York.
The three-year series between Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Michigan State pits each team against the others in Atlanta next year and Chicago in 2013.
Kansas kicks off this year's Champions Classic against Kentucky tonight before heading to Hawaii for the EA Sports Maui Invitational.
"Prior to Maui," coach Bill Self said, "I "don't think we've had a group get together like this in recent memory that would generate more interest than what this will."
Kansas and Kentucky, the two winningest programs of all time, highlight the event and, like most seasons, there will be no shortage of talent on the court.
"They've got men," Self said. "It will be interesting to see how our young guys react to that."
The game will be played in Madison Square Garden, one of the country's most famous sporting venues, adding another plot twist to the heavyweight matchup. Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor, a native of nearby Hoboken, N.J., said the Garden is a great place to play and allows his family a chance to watch him play in person.
On the court, Kentucky is loaded at nearly every position. Led by sophomore Terrence Jones, the Wildcats start four underclassmen, including two freshman. They're young, but comparing starting fives shows Kentucky returns more minutes from last year than Kansas.
Jones and fellow sophomore Doron Lamb both played more minutes than any jayhawk last season, so the advantage in experience Kansas might initially seem to have isn't quite true. Still, Kentucky coach John Calipari is figuring out how his team will guard junior forward Thomas Robinson.
"It's going to be a hard matchup for us," Calipari told kathatrics.com. "With Terrence Jones, how much do we really want to put him on Robinson? He's probably too physical for a bunch of our guys."
It wouldn't be a first-class showdown if only one coach was losing sleep over match problems. Calipari seems torn on the Jones-Robinson match, and with Jones' ability to play on the perimeter, Self might have similar doubts about Robinson and his own defense.
"How we need to play," Self said, "is to make sure we don't put him in as many positions to foul 40 feet from the basket."
Some defensive strategies, such as trapping ball screens, won't happen as often this year, according to Self. He said it's too much of a risk for Robinson to pick up what he called "ticky tack" fouls.
Robinson picked up two quick fouls in Friday's opener against Towson and was forced to sit seven minutes in the first half, which eventually led to Towson outbounding the jayhawks 35-32. Robinson said his early fouls can't — and won't — happen in upcoming games. He was asked about the game, and more specifically, about his potential matchup with Jones. He sat there and shrugged his shoulders.
Pressed for more, he said, "Just another game."
- Edited by Jayson Jenks
FOOTBALL
No regrets about two-point decision
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
Turner Gill said he has spoken to one other coach, outside of his staff at Kansas, about his controversial decision to go for a two-point conversion at the end of Saturday's game against Baylor. The coach, who Gill did not name, gave Gill a simple message: "It took some guts to make that call."
Senior linebacker Steven Johnson slams a Baylor ball carrier to the ground during the first quarter of Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium. The Kansas defense held Baylor to just three points for the first three quarters. However, the Jayhawks gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter and lost 31-30 in overtime.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
And Gill does not regret the gutsy decision that ended the game as a 31-30 loss for Kansas.
After exchanging scores with Baylor in the game's first overtime period, Gill decided to go for two instead of kicking a field goal that would have sent the game into a second overtime. The decision backfired, as sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb threw a pass that was knocked to the ground by a Baylor defender.
Gill said he went with his instinct at the time and that he made the decision to go for two as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He said he thought the team had momentum on its side after scoring on its first play in overtime.
"My initial reaction was that they were hot," Gill said. "I thought that was going to give us the best chance to win our game."
EXTRA POSSESIONS While saying that his team
has made great strides recently. Gill mentioned his defense's play recently as the team's biggest area of improvement. Particularly in the turnover department, where the Kansas defense has come up big in getting the ball back to its offense.
Against Baylor, the Jayhawks forced three fumbles and had one interception in the game's first three quarters. During that time, Kansas held a 24-3 lead over the Bears and kept the nation's second best offense to just 190 yards.
In the fourth quarter, in which Kansas didn't come up with a turnover, the Bears gained 290 yards and scored 21 points.
Gill has referred to the defense as a positive aspect of Kansas' past three games. In that time, the Jayhawks have forced nine turnovers. In the Jayhawks first seven games, the defense only forced five turnovers.
"We've talked about it all year long," Gill said. "It's just great how you continue to emphasize it and work on it and then see it come into fruition here."
ROAD WOES
1
Walking off the field and into the tunnel of the opponents' stadium has not been a kind feeling to the Jayhawks since Gill arrived.
The team has not won a road game in Gill's tenure and there's more to the road woes than the
In their four road games this year, the Jayhawks have lost by an average of 32.5 points per game. The team's most recent road game, a three-point loss to Iowa State, brought the average down. Before that, the Jayhawks' closest game
win/loss column. It's the manner in which the Jayhawks have been defeated away from Memorial Stadium.
A
This Saturday, Kansas will travel to one of the toughest environments in the nation, Kyle Field, where it will play Texas
And it won't get any easier for Kansas, playing in its final road game of the season.
on the road was a 66-24 beating from Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Last season, the team's road loss was by an average of 24 points.
A&M. CBSSports.com has listed Kyle Field as the top football stadium in the country, as its fans and atmosphere received a perfect score in the ratings.
The fans call themselves "The 12th man," and the Jayahwks better be ready for the extra factor that will be on the field Saturday.
Edited by Sarah Champ