THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
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@KANSAN.COM Non-conference schedule announced
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011
The Jayhawks' non-conference schedule for 2011-2012 is loaded with powerhouse teams, including matchups with Ohio State and Kentucky. Read the full story online at Kansan.com.
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COMMENTARY
ROUND TWO
Basketball schedule looks extra tough
BY COREYTHIBODEAUX cthibodea@kansan.com
While the Jayhawks might not be a No. I seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, they will certainly have plenty of battle scars to show off beforehand.
And that's not even counting the Big 12 portion of their schedule.
The non-conference schedule Kansas released on Sunday is absurd, to say the least. And it is by far the most competitive the school has had in a number of years.
It includes Ohio State, Kentucky and USC with potential matchups with Arizona, Duke, Georgetown, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee and UCLA in the Maui Invitational. If North Carolina and Indiana were a part of the schedule, then Kansas would have played all of the greatest programs in one season.
There are going to be losses, there is no doubt. The young team that Kansas has for next year isn't going to be able to consistently defeat perennial programs, so a two-loss regular season is not going to happen. But that's a good thing.
The Jayhawks have thrived off of a multitude of talent over the years, but that's not going to fly next year. Four of the main starters from the 2010-2011 season are gone. More importantly, the leadership of those four - Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and the Morris twins - are gone.
Tyshawn Taylor still needs to prove he can lead the team, but he always seems to find himself in trouble. It has trickled down to the recent event involving Thomas Robinson. There isn't a good role model to steer them in the right direction now.
But a 15-point thumping by Jared Sullinger's Buckeyes when they come to Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 10 could add some perspective on how the young Kansas team perceives college basketball.
Kansas usually ranks high in its strength of schedule, but that just shows how good the Big 12 is. But waiting until the conference season for these tough matches may be a little too late.
For too long Kansas has feasted on relatively easy non-conference opponents, only to fall short of expectations in the NCAA tournament. You could tell the players had big heads in the tournament and looked silly against Virginia Commonwealth when their performance didn't match their verbal jabs.
Edited by Marla Daniels
Getting punched in the mouth early in the season will do wonders to help mature a young Kansas team next year. No.1 seed just gives you a sense of entitlement, like you're supposed to be the best. But even something as high as two or three seed can humble you. The 2008 team probably understood this.
Having seven consecutive Big 12 titles deserves a lot of recognition, of course. But getting some out-of-conference experience from the likes of Duke, Kentucky and Ohio State is invaluable.
Jayhawks looking for revenge
The baseball team plays Creighton tonight hoping to make up for a loss at the last meeting
aaron Harris/KANSAN
Sophmore pitcher Tanner Poppe winds up for a pitch against the Longhorns Saturday afternoon in Lawrence. A strong outing by the Jayhawks led to a 4-2 victory.
BY MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
The Jayhawks have a chance to prove how far they've come tonight in a nationally televised showdown with the Creighton Bluejays.
The game will air on CBS College Sports at 6 p.m. and will be played at the new home of the College World Series, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The Jayhawks and Bluejays first met on February 22 in Lawrence in a game that tested both teams. The Bluejays won in the 10th inning and went on to win nine of their next 11 games. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, went on to have major struggles at the plate, hitting .220 as a team, and going 7-9 before conference play began.
"We weren't hitting the ball very well back then," said senior outfielder Jimmy Waters. "I think it's going to be interesting to see just how much we've improved."
Waters led the turnaround at the plate for Kansas, beginning with the Jayhawks' conference opener against Oklahoma State on March 18. After dropping the first game in the series 4-2, Kansas took the final two, 7-2 and 5-4. Batting.169 coming into the series, Waters closed his bating stance, enabling him to see the ball better. He contributed three RBIs in the 7-2 win and went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs in the 5-4 win.
The Jayhawks have since picked their averages up throughout their lineup. Kansas has hit 263 against tough Big 12 competition, and boasts a 9-9 record in conference play, winning their series against Baylor, Nebraska and Missouri.
Waters, a Council Bluffs, Iowa native, will be making a homecoming of sorts in the Jayhawks' Omaha outing. Council Bluffs
rests just east of the Iowa-Nebraska border, only 15 minutes away from Omaha.
"I'm nice to come back home, and play in front of all of my family," Waters said. "I'm just really excited about playing in front of everybody."
Creighton junior Bran Koenigstein will attempt to silence Waters tonight. Koenigstein started in the previous matchup between the two teams, giving up five hits and three runs in 3 1/3 innings on the mound.
The Bluejays hope their batters will give Koenigstein some cushion. Creighton brings in a team batting average of .268, led by senior outfieldler Trever Adams. Adams could not come up with a hit in the first matchup between the two teams, but is now bringing in an average of .390 and has hit 11 home runs.
Freshman pitcher Alex cox has the daunting task of keeping the Bluejays off the scoreboard tonight. He has been inconsistent for the Jayhawks all season, having a phenomenal outing one day and getting hit hard the next. Cox gave up four hits and two runs in the early season meeting with the Bluejays.
"I think for him to be successful tonight he needs to get that first out every inning and not give any free passes away," Waters said. "If he throws strikes and lets the defense play behind him I think he'll be fine."
The lajayhows think they have drastically improved as the season has gone on, and their first real barometer of improvement is tonight against Creighton.
"We know how good we can be, we just have to do it on a consistent basis," Waters said. "It's an opportunity to showcase our team, our university, and what we can do."
Edited by Tali David
FOOTBALL
More line changes as spring game approaches
BY KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
With the annual spring game less than a week away, there were a few last-minute changes before yesterday's practice. Redshirt freshman running back Brandon Bourbon will be out six to eight weeks after suffering a foot injury in practice last week. Coach Turner Gill told the media yesterday that Bourbon will return in time for summer conditioning and will be ready for fall camp.
Junior wide receiver Daymond Patterson returned to the practice field on Monday while still recovering from a recent leg injury. Patterson was in pads and a helmet but wore shorts during the practice and worked out at less than full speed. Gill said he is still unsure whether Patterson will compete in Saturday's spring game.
Gill noted that the decision to play Patterson or not will come on Friday, but right now it is unlikely that he will participate.
"He is still limping a little bit, but we are not going to push it as far as getting more reps or those types of things." Gill said. "We know what he can do based on last year's performance."
On defense, Gill said the secondary is making a lot of process and he believes the unit has played a little bit better than the defensive line and linebackers so far this spring. Freshman safety Keeston Terry is returning from a season-ending knee leg injury from week three last year, and agrees with Gill's sentiments about the secondary.
"We have a lot of young guys so we have a lot of room to grow" he said. "But we're definitely making great strides and doing great things out there."
After sitting out the final eight games last season, Terry said he was unable to fully workout until after winter break, but feels as though he's made good progress up to this point in the year.
Another player returning from injury is freshman linebacker Huldon Tharp, who injured his foot last summer and sat out the entire season.
"There are plenty of guys that have been through injuries," Tharp said. "Everyone is back on the right foot. I definitely think that everyone is going to be contributing this year."
Right now, Tharp is listed as the starting weak side linebacker alongside fellow linebackers Steven Johnson and Steve Mestan.
The defensive line underwent another switch on Monday as well. Keba Agostinho moved back to defensive end after initially making the switch to inside and defensive tackle. Former running back Toben Opurum is still at first-string defensive end, and looks to stay there heading into fall camp. Gill also said he expected defensive tackle Pat Lewandowski to be a big asset to the team.
"Pat Lewandowski is someone that has been a surprise," Gill said, "and has stepped up and made some good things happen, as far as a pass rusher more from the inside than the outside."
Gill said that Lewandowski and Agostinho stood out the most along the defensive line as pass rushing threats. With the current depth problems on the defensive line, Gill said the format for Saturday's game may not be a traditional first string vs. second string format, and that the coaches will make the decision Wednesday.
- Edited by Tali David
Junior wide receiver Daymond Patterson returned to practice on Monday and is still playing through a sore leg.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
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