Volume 125 Issue 76
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY & ANSAN
kansan.com
1.1
Wednesdav. February 20, 2013
COMMENTARY Stillwater will be a true test for Jayhawks
What can one game do to a team?
That one's easy.
Just took back to when February was only three days old. Just look back to when Marcus Smart acted more like a cheerleader than a basketball player, flipping all over James Naismith Court. Just look back to when the Jayhawks took their first blow to the gut.
But that's the easy question. The tricky one, the one that hasn't been answered yet, goes like this: What can one game do for a team?
Five hours of flatland south, the Jayhawks will once again battle with the surging Cowboys. And the result could have a similar, season-altering effect, just like round one.
One game against Oklahoma State took away mighty Kansas' invincibility.
Then came TCU, the knock-out punch to the head. And Oklahoma, the cheap shot after Kansas had fallen down. That one was almost unavoidable.
Here's the thing, the lajahws have beaten up on two opponents at home, just as they should. Kansas State is not what Missouri was last year, and stood little chance against a fervent KU crowd and team.
And Texas? Texas was simply too unequipped and undermanned to stand any chance against a KU team that needed to win the second leg of a crucial two-game home stand.
But it's premature to say KU is back. Why? Because they simply haven't been tested yet. The haven't had to reach down deep and grind out a win.
"We figured out we weren't the best team in the nation," Kevin Young said after Saturday's Texas game. "But if we keep working, there's no reason we can't be."
Is the feeling of invincibility back yet? Who knows.
How can he not? Does he really know what his team is made of after two beat 'em up victories at home? His team brought the confidence at home, but they certainly lacked it the last two games on the road.
If the Jayhawks come out and take care of business from the beginning, it's back to "All hail the mighty Jayhawks." But that's not likely. What's likely is a close, tough game between two teams dying to win this Big 12 title.
These are the questions that exist going into Wednesday night's game. I wouldn't be surprised if Bill Self has these questions himself.
That's when the Jayhawks will have their true test. That's when they'll learn if they are invincible once again.
This game against Oklahoma State, not Kansas State, not Texas, this game is the true indicator of whether the Jayhawks' lesson learned has actually made them any better.
So what? Sure the Jayhawks say they've been humbled, that they've learned they aren't America's number one team, but does that mean the chip on their shoulder isn't just going to weigh them down rather than encourage them to victory?
Edited by Alyssa Scott
GET 'EM ON THE GLASS
NO BACK FLIPS, PLEASE
Kansas seeks revenge against Cowboys in Stillwater
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
Senior center Jeff Withey blocks Marcus Smart's shot during the Feb. 2 game against Oklahoma State at Allen Fieldhouse where the Jayhawks were defeated 85-80. Withey played 30 minutes of the Feb. 2 game.
Cowboy fans even rushed the floor after Oklahoma State's 84-79 overtime victory last Saturday against Oklahoma, even though the Sooners are unranked and the Cowbys have a better record.
Of course, when Oklahoma State and Kansas met for the first time this season, an 85-80 Cowboy victory at Allen Fieldhouse, the Kansas crowd didn't have to see a court storming.
If Kansas emerges from Stillwater with a victory, which would make coach Bill Self 3-3 at Kansas when playing on the road against his alma mater, there won't be much to see on the court.
Fans won't have a reason to spill onto the floor, and Kansas players said they won't be in the mood for theatrics. If they win their ninth straight Big 12 title, then they'll celebrate. According to senior guard Travis Releford, there are a handful of Jayhawks that might show their own back flip skills then.
There's no doubt that Oklahoma State fans will rush the floor if the Cowboys knock off Kansas tonight in Stillwater, Okla. Almost every crowd does when its team beats Kansas.
GEOFFREY CALVERT
gcalvert@kansan.com
"From a competitive standpoint we did find that sort of disrespectful," junior forward Justin Wesley said. "But at the end of the day that was a good team and they did deserve their win. Hopefully we can keep the back flips from coming this time."
But the Kansas players haven't forgotten what they saw. Instead of a throng of fans rushing onto the floor, the Jayhawks witnessed Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart doing back flips on James Naismith Court - Kansas' court.
"If their coach allows that then that's up to them," Releford said. "If we go and get a victory there, you won't see us doing back flips or flips on their court."
Smart's back flip embodied the athleticism and hustle that gave Kansas fits throughout that loss. The Cowboys grabbed 11 offensive rebounds in the second half compared to Kansas' three offensive boards and outscored the Jayhawks 17-4 in the second half on second chance points.
"If we go and get a victory there you won't see us doing back flips or flips on their court."
NAADIR THARPE
Sophomore point guard
Smart grabbed six offensive rebounds in the second period and the Cowboys scored each time, including twice in the final minutes. Kansas scored only four points the entire second half from offensive rebounding.
"You're not used to playing guards that can crash the boards," sophomore point guard Naadir Tharpe said. "It's a change that we have to make sure we get used to and we got to adjust because it's the game tomorrow."
Smart and junior guard Markel Brown combined to score 53 points against Kansas, with many of Brown's points coming from open 3-pointers. Tharpe said Brown used lots of screens to create enough separation from his defender to get open shots, but Kansas also let Smart scope out the Kansas defense before initiating the Cowboys' offense.
"We got to pick him up early
instead of just letting him come up and just see the floor and decide what he wants to do," Tharpe said. "We have to get after him and speed him up much more than we usually do. As well as ball screens. We can't just let him turn the corner on ball screens. We've got to make sure we have a hard hedge, maybe even trap."
While Kansas played much better in its two victories last week against Kansas State and Texas, rebounding still posed a problem against the Longhorns. Texas controlled the offensive glass 20-12, and the Longhorns' guards accounted for seven of those offensive rebounds.
Several Jayhawks said the key to defeating Oklahoma State would be grabbing 50-50 balls, getting offensive rebounds and converting second chance points. They said they just had to want it more than the Cowboys.
Kansas grabs the most defensive rebounds per game in the Big 12 and leads the conference in rebounding margin, which suggests that the Jayhawks do usually want it badly enough. While Self said the poor rebounding performances against Texas and in the second half against Oklahoma State were anomalies, Kansas has to control that area of the game to come out on top against the Cowboys.
"They just whipped us physically on the glass," Self said of the teams' first meeting. "We've been a team that's really been a good defensive rebounding队 for the majority of the season then we had some games like this most recent one against Texas where we rebounded the ball miserably and that's got to be a point of emphasis."
- Edited by Brian Sisk
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Senior leadership inspires women's team
MAX GOODWIN
Last month, before the match-up with Texas at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson had a meeting with the three seniors of the team: guard Angel Goodrich, guard Monica Engelman, and forward Carolyn Davis.
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
The layhawks were coming off of three straight losses and slipping in the Big 12 standings, but Henrickson told the seniors not to panic.
"She pulled us in the office," Goodrich said. "We just talked about what we need to do, who we needed to be for our team. We, as seniors, needed to step up and lead by example and bring the team together and get everybody on the same page."
Kansas huddles before an Oklahoma free throw attempt in the first half of Sunday's game. The Jayhawks won against Oklahoma.
Henrickson told the seniors she trusted them, and she believed they already knew that, but she wanted to make sure that they heard it from her.
The four of them looked at statistics, and Henrickson asked the three seniors to think about where improvements could be made.
"You're going to go as far as your seniors take you," Henrickson told them. "It has to be the three of you."
Since that meeting, Kansas is
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
The two most recent victories, against TCU and Oklahoma, were both sparked by the play of the seniors. Davis recorded a double-double in both, Engelman scored more than 20 points in both and Goodrich dished out 10 assists in both games.
5-3, with wins over Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU and Kansas State. Every one of those wins will be valuable as the selection committee looks over the Kansas resume to decide, whether they are worthy of a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Now the team makes the trip to Austin, Texas, to face the Longhorns once again. Last time, Texas was playing without its two top scorers, junior Chassidy Fussell and sophomore Nneka Enemkpali. This time the Jayhawks will likely face a full-strength Longhorn team.
"They have led by example," Henrickson said. "They've led vocally, and shouldered the burden of being a senior and that responsibility that comes with it."
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Kansas will need its seniors to step up once again, as they have since that meeting in coach Henrickson's office.
"We've got really good players around you" Henrickson told them. "I said, if you are looking at who's going to carry us, look at each other, that's who has to.
That's who should"
Texas is just 2-11 in conference play this season, but the Big 12 is the highest-ranked conference in the nation according to the RPI. Henrickson and her team aren't looking past any opponents, especially on the road.
Henrickson said she is sure to mention to her team how important it is to perform well on the road. It is up to the seniors to
Goodrich, Engelman and Davis know that they came out flat against TCU a week ago, on the last trip to Texas. The Jayhawks trailed by 22 points at half. They managed to make the comeback and win by one point, in large part because of the 18 second-half points scored by Engelman.
assure that on this road trip to Texas the team comes out with energy in the first half.
Sophomore Natalie Knight is not with the team in Austin, Texas, as she will undergo surgery on her right ACL that she tore earlier this season. Knight will reunite with the team after they return from the trip.
Edited by Madison Schultz
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