Volume 125 Issue 45
Thursday, November 8, 2012
COMMENTARY
Kansas basketball fans can melt down with the best of them, and Tuesday's awful showing against Washburn, a Division-II opponent from Topeka, gave them as good a reason as any to do just that. But this isn't about the vast differences between a meaningless exhibition and the regular season, because anyone who watched that 62-50 abomination of a basketball game — topped off with the great referee Tim Higgins, who has never seen a touch foul he didn't love — saw that Self cared little about throttling the Ichabods by 40 points. His team played badly, and at times he yanked guys out after one mistake, undoubtedly trying to send messages before the real games start tomorrow night.
From good to great
This isn't about Kansas possibly struggling to win its ninth Big 12 regular season title in a row, either. With all those "puppies," as Self calls them, on the roster, it would be hard to argue against someone picking the Jayhawks to relinquish their Big 12 crown.
But I gave up on picking against Self in the regular season last year. How too good
Allen Fieldhouse is too big of a home court advantage.
He's too good.
The rest of the Big 12 is not talented enough and too intimidated by Self and his teams, especially over an 18-name conference schedule.
But there are definite question marks.
"We don't have guys that will go out and get you 36 between the two of them over the course of a Big 12 season like Thomas and Tyd did," Self said last month at Big 12 Media Day. "That will be the challenge to me is having the really good players step up and become excellent players."
"Thomas would get doubled, and jeff would benefit from that," Self said at last month's Big 12 Media Day. "This year, defenses will be designed to stop jeff, so him getting 12 points a game will show great improvement."
The roster is full of good players, and for the first time since 2005-2006, there isn't a clear star — or group of stars, like 2008 — as of right now. A few of those puppies will turn into all conference-type players, my vote going to Ben McLemore and Perry Ellis.
Robinson took over for the Morris twins, who followed Cole Aldrich. Aldrich followed Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun, who sat behind Wayne Simien for a season. All of those players played professionally at one point.
Doubting Withey's ability to take over that role isn't unwarranted. But doubting a Kansas big man to take a leap in production when given the opportunity is foolish.
"The bottom line is," Self said at last season's awards banquet, when talking about the roster turnover he's faced nearly every season while continuing to win the conference, "We do what we do."
Senior center Jeff Withey will eventually become that next great Kansas big man, taking over for Thomas Robinson, Cole Aldrich, Darrell Arthur and on and with. Withey averaged 9.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg last season as Thomas Robinson drew all the attention from opponents.
There isn't a simpler way to put it.
- Edited by Madison Schultz
1.
BEATDOWN IN MANHATTAN
SUNFLOWER SWEEP
Outside hitter Catherine Carmichael pushes the ball past Kansas State blockers. The women's volleyball team won the match and the series against K-State yesterday night in Manhattan.
JACOR WILSON/THE KANSAS STATE COLLEGIAN
Jayhawks defeat 'Cats in on-the-road battle
GEOFFREY CALVERT
ecalvert@kansan.com
gcalvert@kansan.com
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas was struggling, and they were struggling badly. For the second straight match, the Jayhawks didn't even compete in the first set, losing to Kansas State 25-13.
Sara McClinton didn't care
After taking the second set
Heeding the words of injured libero Brianne Riley, McClinton, the sophomore outside hitter, took over late in the second set, recording two kills and the set-ending block to draw Kansas level with Kansas State at one set apiece.
"I got a lot of my mentality from Bri," McClinton said. "Since she couldn't contribute playing-wise, she was like, 'Ok Sara, you need to have confidence in yourself and have the team feed off of it. You're one of the most calm ones right now, so use that to attack and demand the ball."
28-26, the Jayhawks won two more extended sets, 26-24 and 27-25, to sweep the Wildcats in both season games for the first time since 2009.
Both teams had to scrap until the end, though. The Jayhawks led 24-22 in the fourth set, but a service error and a Wildcat block tied the set at 24. Sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Albers responded with her 11th kill of the match, and Kansas converted its fourth match point on the next play when a Wildcat attack went long.
"I had a feeling we had it the whole time, and then it was 24-22 and they came back," junior setter Erin McNorton said. "I did get a little nervous. I still thought we had it, but once that final point went down it was crazy."
Coach Ray Bechard said he was frustrated his team committed two service errors late in the set that could have cost them the victory, but that his team proved their resilience by converting on their fourth match point.
"We made a lot of great plays to finally finish the set off," Bechard said. "But you can't have back-to-back service errors at that point in time. But that's a team that's resilient in that they can find a way to make another play to make up for that."
The Jayhawks are in the tough-
street of their schedule,
having already
d rop ed
m at ches
a g a i n s t
Iowa State
and Baylor.
With a home
match loom-
ing against P.
without Riley.
ing against Big 12-leading Texas
The Wildcats had two of their six service aces in the first set and repeatedly forced Kansas out of system with its serves. Without Riley, the Jayhawks couldn't establish a go-to person in the back line for digging. K-State took advantage with 15 first set kills.
After the first set, the only impression Kansas made was that it didn't have any chemistry
on Saturday, Kansas was running out of chances to impress the NCAA Selection Committee.
"In the beginning it was super shaky," McNorton said. "I think
RAY BECHARD Kansas Head Coach
that's what got us off to the bad 25-13 start was our passes were not there, so we had to resort to out-of system plays."
While Kansas back line struggled at first, its
middle blockers and outside hitters made up for it at the net. Both teams finished with 11 blocks, but Kansas made more of them at critical times. Senior middle blocker Tayler Tolefree and McClinton
teamed for the block that gave Kansas the second set, and Albers was part of a late block in the third and fourth set that extended the jayhawks lead.
Four Jayhawk attackers finished with double-digit kills. Bechard said McClinton's 16 kills were important because many of them came in the first two sets when Kansas was still figuring out its passing.
"They were a little out-of-system sets and she took heavy, aggressive swings." Bechard said. "We talked a little bit about competitive courage before the match started, and I think that was a good example of it."
Kansas moved to 21-5 overall and 9-3 in the conference with the victory. The Jayhawks play at home Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against No. 3 Texas.
- Edited by Ryan McCarthy
FOOTBALL
Kansas sets sights on winning a road game
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
Before every practice, before every walkthrough and before every home game, the Kansas Jayhawks are reminded of what is expected from them.
A huge whiteboard with a list of team goals hangs just outside the jayhawks' locker room. If the goals are met, a helmet sticker is added for that game; if not, it stays blank. This season the stickers have been coming in patches, but that hasn't altered Kansas' objectives.
Sophhore tight end Jimmy Mundine rolls into the end zone to earn the Jayhawks their first touchdown of the game against Oklahoma State earlier this year.
"The goals never change," Kansas coach Charlie Weis said. "You add things to that list, you don't take things away from that list."
TARABRYANT/KANSAN
At the top of the list: Win a Big 12 game. From there the list gets more specific. The defense has its eyes set on holding their opponent to under 21 points, less than 125-yards rushing and to make a minimum of 15 disruptive plays — tackles for loss, fumble recoveries, deflected passes, etc.
For the Kansas players, the stickers represent a point of pride, but not every action gets rewarded with a piece of adhesive art. For some Jayhawks, their personal goals are just important.
"A leader that is looked up to by his teammates always leads by example first and speaks second," Cummings said. "That's one of the things I like to do."
It's improvement in leadership that has freshman quarterback Michael Cummings focused.
For some of the other Jayhawks the goal is to play at their full potential, and the inability to reach that isn't something a sticker can bandage.
"I expect myself to do so good, but I still am a young buck out there on the field," sophomore tight end Jimmy Mundine said. "I'm not happy at all because I've got high expectations for myself. I worked hard over the summer to achieve those goals and hopefully go above and beyond those goals."
Mundine has been working to become more sound in the Kansas
run game. He said in practice he feels comfortable with his footwork, but in games he sometimes panics as a blocker. As a receiver, Mundine hopes to add onto his total of two touchdowns this year.
If there is one thing about these Jayhawks, it's that they can see how close they are to getting an elusive Big 12 victory. The last few years of Kansas football has seen players looking worn down as the season has come to a close. With this team it's the opposite. There is optimism in the locker room, and the players feel closer than ever to getting over the hump.
"I'd like to develop a mindset that it doesn't matter where you play." Defensive coordinator Dave Campo said. "Two of our next three are on the road. We can make some strides."
But getting climbing that hill this year will require something Kansas hasn't done since Sept. 12, 2009: win a road game.
Campo and Weis have both refused to continue with the same road plan they have used all
Changing Kansas' road mentality could kill two goals with one
season. One of the tweaks is for the Jayhawks to hold a walkthrough at the road venue to get more acclimated to the surroundings and keep the players focused on football when they run out of the tunnel on Saturday.
sticker — getting a Big 12 win and doing so outside of Lawrence.
"We all need to do a better job when we're on the road." Weis said. "In the last three games, that's not the way it's gone. That would be an add-on, not a subtraction."
Edited by Brian Sisk