SAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013
PAGE 7B
PRESS nining
a matter
playing
going to
I have a
tiliar sit-
ClassA injury
as been
thumb
hd may
a game.
/KANSAN
basketball
ad
title of the
the court
aid. "We
we best team
and off of
our bring
our ace up."
ballfan f a frenzy
escalates,
with the
se crowd
entrating
our fire,
or from
vs mello-
good pep themselves
said. "A
ye energy
ilify it for
band can
by play-
pee."
from De from the
rd games.
se or dif-
e band's
" he said.
needs ours
"
the band,
experience to home
said the
ton, Texas
whose he is
nament was
id. "There
mosphere
because no
compare
y is close
de facto
desirable, he is at the band is here.
SOFTBALL
n the team
mosphere."
fans, so we
r music."
gan Hinman
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Senior infielder Mariah Montgomery makes contact with the ball when she was up to bat in the first inning of Wednesday afternoon's game at Arrocha Ballpark. Kansas dominated the game against Independence Community College, winning the five-inning no-hitter 12-0.
Kansas starts Big 12 play with its first home series
JOSEPH DAUGHERTY
jdaugherty@kansan.com
After 28 road games and a home opener cancellation, the Kansas softball team will finally get to play a series at home.
The Jayhawks will host the No. 8 Texas Longhorns in a three-game
series this weekend. This marks the opening of Big 12 play for the Jayhawks as well as the first series at home for the team. The Jayhawks are nearly two weeks removed from the last time
and we were so exhausted after all the travel" Smith said. "I think being home for a couple weeks and having a chance to breathe will be good for us.
The first game of the series is Thursday at 5 p.m. The Longhorns are 29-4 on the season and are coming off a two-game sweep of Baylor.
"We need to focus on what we need to do, and we do be successful."
they took the field in The Capital Classic in Sacramento. The team finished the Capital Classic with a 2-2 record making it 21-7 on the year. But with two weeks off, the inevitable debate of rest versus rust will creep in. Coach Megan Smith thinks the rest will be a good thing for the team.
"I think it was a needed break for us because we traveled so much,
Texas is batting
MEGAN SMITH
SOFTBALL COACH
texas is batting .331 as a team and only allowing its opponents to hit .180 on the season. The Texas lineup has eight players with a batting average higher than .300, and its pitching staff is led by senior Blaire Luna, who is 15-1 on the season with an ERA of 1.11. Luna earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Second Team honors in 2010 and 2011, was named to the 2012 Easton All-America Second Team, and was a two-time USA Softball National Player of the Year Top-10 finalist, along with numerous other accolades in her career.
The Longhorn potent offense along with its strong pitching staff will pose a challenge for the Jayhawks this weekend. Smith believes that it is going to be a challenge because the Jayhawks will be facing one of the best offenses in the country and best pitching staffs in the country. The Jayhawks come into the Big 12 opener still leading the NCAA in batting average, hitting .383 on the season.
"We need to focus on what we need to do, and we do to be successful." Smith said. "When our pitchers are throwing well, they hit their spots, they mix their speeds, and offensively, when we are good, we swing at our pitches and control the at-bats; that is when we're successful."
Texas has won 11 of the last 13 matchups with Kansas, being nationally ranked in 11 of those matchups. The last time Kansas beat the Longhorns was April 13, 2008. Texas has a record of 12-1 versus Kansas in Austin, but the Jayhawks hold a slight edge in Lawrence with a 10-9 record.
Edited by Megan Hinman
SUNFLOWER SHOWDOWN
Rowing team to host only home event of regular season
STELLA LIANG
sliang@kansan.com
The Kansas rowing team is set to face Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown Saturday in Kansas City, Kan. This is the rowing team's only home event except for the Big 12 Championship.
The nine seniors on the team, Danielle Adam, Olivia Catloth, Katy Evans, Eileen Gallagher, Olivia Kinet, Katy MacCormack, Ashlyn Midyet, Emily Starr and Cheyenne Verdoorn, will be honored.
The Jayhawks have already faced the Wildcats this season.
On March 9, the two teams met in a dual at the Oklahoma Invite. That dual started with Kansas State winning the Novice Eight race, but it was all Kansas after that. The Jayhawks won the Second Varsity Four, Varsity Four, Second Varsity Eight and the Varsity Eight races.
After that dual, coach Rob Catloth said the team wants to go into the rematch with a mental edge, and the performance from the Oklahoma Invite will not hurt the team's confidence.
This Saturday, the teams will compete in five races starting at 10 a.m. with the Novice Four. Following that race at 10:15 a.m. is
the Novice Eight and 15 minutes after that is Varsity Four. At 10:45 a.m. the teams will race in the Second Varsity Eight. The Sunflower Showdown concludes at 11 a.m. with the First Varsity Eight race.
The Sunflower Showdown, once called the Kansas Cup, started in 1998. The teams have met 15 times before, with Kansas State having an edge in the record 8-7. The Wildcats have also won the last two Sunflower Showdowns.
The Sunflower Showdown is March 30 at Wyandotte County Lake in Kansas City, Kan., at 10 a.m.
— Edited by Hayley Jozwiak
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Michigan freshman adds depth, helps in frontcourt
ASSOCIATE PRESS
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There are times when Mitch McGary gives his coach no choice but to pause and maybe take a deep breath before speaking.
After a season of working with the 6-foot-10 freshman, John Beilein understands the drill.
"I've learned to wait for a minute count to five before I
— and that says something on a team that includes point guard Trey Burke, a national player of the year candidate.
"That's Mitch McGary — he brings intensity to this game and his kind of like our X-factor," Burke said. "He's the guy that gives us the spark and makes our engine run in the frontcourt."
Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III can hurt teams
Beilein's patience was rewarded last
"I've learned to wait for a minute almost count to five before I try and address him after he does something either good or bad."
JOHN BEILEIN
MICHIGAN COACH
weekend, when McGary had 21 points and 14 rebounds in Michigan's 78-53 victory over Virginia Commonwealth. The Wolverines reached the NCAA tournament's round of 16 for the first time since 1994, and although their stellar guard play was crucial in handling VCU's pressure, it was McGary's presence inside that the Rams had no answer for.
The 250-pound big man shot 10 of 11 from the field. It was one of the best individual performances by a Michigan player this season
with their athleticism and unselfish passing, but the Wolverines are largely a finesse team. McGary brings a different element. Like the proverbial bull in a chicken shop he
bounces around the court, setting screens, positioning himself for rebounds and chasing loose balls.
Throughout his coaching career, Beilein's teams have been smart, fundamentally sound groups that space the floor well on offense and beat opponents with both skill and savvy. When McGary is on the court, nobody seems to know what he'll do next.
Whether he was scoring on putbacks or flattening somebody with a pick Saturday, McGary added a physicality that his teammates
don't always play with.
"I was just able to get open looks when they would attack the ball," McGary said. "Trey and Tim would find the open man and we would attack the basket."
McGary, Robinson and Nik Stauskas are the most prominent members of a freshman class that has contributed all season for Michigan, but McGary has only started four games and needs to avoid foul trouble to be effective.
Still, he leads the Wolwerines at 5.9 rebounds per game despite averaging only 18.4 minutes. When Jordan Morgan struggled coming back from an ankle injury, McGary was put in the starting lineup for the team's NCAA tournament opener against South Dakota State.
Against VCU, the Wolverines did a good job handling the ball against pressure, and the Rams didn't seem ready to deal with McGary around the basket.
"I was just getting open looks. Trey and Tim and Glenn, they were all feeding me and everybody was just feeding off the energy." McGary said. "So it built. I'm honored to be starting, but at the same time I know I have to start or come off the bench and bring the same energy."
Michigan is hoping McGary has taken a permanent step forward, but the next test will be a tough one. The fourth-seeded Wolverines play Friday against top-seeded Kansas and 7-footer Jeff Withey.
Test Prep GRE GMAT LSAT
Use your smartphone and snap this for an additional $50 discount!
Classes starting soon!
Register early and save $100
testprep.ku.edu
749-0055 | 704 Mass. I rudyspizzeria.com
CSL Plasma
"We'RE HERE to make college easier."
Well, maybe just your banking.
At Commerce Bank, we're working behind the scenes to save you some time ... and a little money, too. A KU Checking Account helps you:
- Bank online and on your phone
- Get email alerts to keep track of your account
- Get email alerts to keep track of your account
- Use any Commerce ATM without fees
Use your KU Card to access your Commerce account. It's a whole lot easier than a pop quiz.
6017 4303 0323 2564
JAY
HAWK
STUDENT ID: 00000000
© 2012 COMMERCE BANCSHARES, INC
We ask, listen and solve.
世
Commerce Bank
commercebank.com/kucard / 785.864.5846