NSAN
Monday, March 11, 2013
D PRESS Styles of
gs S.
ers. The life-size members.
popular:
ip jump-
and of ne, Zayn and Niall to as avasion."
exclusive one said.
y taking
out of
it into a
e British actor" in capitapult-ie. Their and great teenage anon has facebook followers
beyond
nadeavors.
ds, dolls,
allays their
encourage
though the
British
Nanded One
one of sil-
cies in its
emerging channel
re record that could *operties," everything *tists and have to bring their
comes in
s show in
Center on
s, where
ckets for
kansan.com
COMMENTARY Jayhawks adjust with deception
For Kansas baseball, small ball — playing the game with the goal of moving baserunners one base at a time is as routine as a lazy fly ball to centerfield.
Coach Ritch Price placed a large emphasis on the "money-ball" brand of baseball that puts constant pressure on an opposing team's defense, getting on base early in innings and moving baserunners.
In this weekend's series against Niagara, the Jayhawks recorded 24 stolen bases, the most since Price took over the program in 2003. This increased aggressiveness isn't simply reckless abandon, but a deliberate change in the team's mentality.
"It's been a point of emphasis, not only stealing second but stealing third," Price said. "It's a necessity. We're just trying to be ultraaggressive and read the ball in the dirt and the guys took advantage of the pitchers today."
The Jayhawks have chosen to become the baseball version of the Mafia. They're playing to take what is theirs on the basepaths, make sacrifices at the plate and follow up with solid defense on the opposite side of the ball.
With Purple Eagle catchers struggling behind the plate, the Jayhawks got their opportunity to show just how refined they've become on the basepaths. Senior third baseman Jordan Dreiling and sophomore outfielder Michael Suiter are tied for the team lead with eight of the total 44 stolen bases on the season.
No organized crime family can survive without solid defense. Without the ability to protect family interests, no amount of aggression matters. Kansas boasts a 98 percent fielding percentage while committing 13 errors in the first 15 games of the season.
At the moment, the baseball mentality at Hoglund Ballpark is simple. As a player, it's time to get crafty on the basepaths. Sacrifice at the plate and protect the best interests of the family surrounding you.
Not only is this team adept in the art of deception, but it's more than willing to sacrifice, especially when RIBs are on the table.
Price's emphasis on manufacturing runs led to this change of mindset, but just like the Mafia, it isn't just a racket on the basepaths that has led to Kansas aggressive offense. This team sacrifices for the good of the family at the plate.
With 15 games under their belt, the Jayhawks have counted 18 sacrifice fly balls. Take into account that the same squad hit 14 sac flies in the entireity of last season and you can see the improvement from a station-to-station baseball perspective.
Assertiveness on the basepaths is an offer the Jayhawks can't refuse.
Edited by Brian Sisk
The Jayhawks are running at the moment, stealing bases with the precision of an Al Capone money laundering scheme. Granted this isn't the heart of Big 12 play, but aggressive, adept baserunning goes a long way on the diamond.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
'IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE WE WON IT AT ALL!
SHARING THE GLORY
Kansas and Kansas State tie for Big 12 Championship title
GEOFFREY CALVERT
gcalvert@kansan.com
WACO, Texas — Oklahoma State, the origin of Kansas' threegame losing streak that nearly cost the Jayhawks a share of the conference title, proved to be the reason Kansas is a Big 12 champion for the ninth straight season.
The Cowboys defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 76-70 earlier Saturday, and Kansas entered its tilt with Baylor knowing that it had already secured at least a share of the conference title.
A share was all the Jayhawks got, as Baylor controlled most of the game in an 81-58 shellacking of Kansas.
"It doesn't feel like we won it at all, really," senior center Jeff Withey said. "We tied with K-State and it's cool to win it obviously. Nine in a row is huge. It just stinks to lose."
Coach Bill Self said he thought his team would relax and play loose knowing the Wildcats had lost earlier in the day. If Kansas State had won, Self said the matchup with Baylor would have been equivalent to an NCAA Tournament game because a loss would have ended Kansas' title streak.
Kansas briefly talked about already clinching a share of the championship in the locker room before the game, Withey said, which might have affected the Jayhawks' focus without them realizing it.
When the game started though, it briefly looked like Kansas might play cohesively enough to grab an outright conference title. Freshman guard Ben McLemore scored the game's first points on a layup five seconds into the game.
"I'm not going to ever apologize for winning a league championship," Self said. "I'm not happy. I'm a lot happier than I would be if it was different and we finished second."
Baylor came back and tied the game about 40 seconds later on a Cory Jefferson jumper, and Kansas never led again.
Jefferson and Pierre Jackson led Baylor with identical 11-13
shooting nights, Jackson had 28 points, and Jefferson had 25, including two one-handed slams over Withey in the first half. Jefferson also displayed a long-range shooting touch one had seen before.
The junior forward made his first career 3-pointer midway through the first half, and then made another shortly before halftime. He made his third 3-pointer early in the second half.
"I wasn't expecting him to shoot threes like that," Withey said. "I know Cory pretty well because I played overseas with him. I never saw that part of him. He played great."
Midway through the second half, a Jefferson jumper gave Baylor a 17-point lead. Then McLemore and freshman forward Perry Ellis scored 11 straight points to slice the margin to 61-55, the closest the game had been in almost 12 minutes.
The run was fitting, because McLemore led Kansas with 23 points, and Ellis was second with 12. But whereas Jefferson and Jackson received help from their supporting cast, McLemore and Ellis got little help from theirs.
Senior guard Eljah Johnson was the only other Jayhawk in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Freshman center Isaiah Austin and senior guard A.J. Walton complemented Jackson and Jefferson with 11 and 12 points, respectively.
After Baylor coach Scott Drew called a timeout with his team's lead cut to six, the Bears responded with a 9-0 run from four different players. The lead never dipped below 13 points again.
Senior guard Elijah Johnson shoots over his opponent's attempted block during Saturday's game against Baylor at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. Johnson had 10 points.
"That was the whole theme of the night," Withey said. "I felt like every time we were doing something good they were just doing something better."
Jackson closed out the scoring with a breakaway lawup with one minute left, and Baylor outscored Kansas 12-0 in transition. The 23-point loss was Kansas' worst defeat since losing by 25 points to Texas in 2006.
Smart and Markel Brown in the Cowboys' early February victory over the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse.
Jefferson and Jackson combined for 53 points, which was identical to the 53 points scored by Oklahoma State's Marcus
Self said Smart and Brown "were good, too, but they didn't go 22-26. Cory's performance
Edited by Morgan Said
wasn't a surprise because you knew he's a good player and he could score."
BIG 12 AWARDS
Withey, McLemore rake in Big 12 Awards
Although the Jayhawks' two candidates for Player of the Year came up short, the Kansas basketball team raked in a few awards when the Big 12 Men's Basketball awards were released on Sunday night.
Senior center Jeff Withey won the Defensive Player of the Year award outright for the second consecutive season, the first player in Big 12 history to do so.
Freshman guard Ben McLemore also made the All-Big 12 First Team along with Withey.
"We knew Ben and Jeff would be on the first team but I feel sometimes when you have guys on the first team it could split the vote for player of the year." Kansas coach Belf Self said in a Kansas Athletics news release on Sunday.
McLemore was later named to the All-Rockie Team and All-Big 12 First Team.
Withey holds the league record for career blocks at 289, which he reached earlier this year against Texas.
He sits on 124 blocked shots this season through 31 games, fourth in league history for a season.
"These are prestigious honors from the coaches and to have my other team-mates listed throughout those awards shows how much of a team we have been," Withey said.
Withey also made the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and All-Big 12 First Team. Joining Withey on the Defense team was senior forward Travis Releford.
Releford also made the cut for the All- Big 12 Second Team.
Others on the First Team were Kansas State's Rodney McGruder, Oklahoma's Romero Osby and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, who won Big 12 Player of the Year.
"Marcus Smart is a very deserving player of the year in leading Oklahoma State to a good finish in the league and an NCAA Tournament bid," Self said. "Any of those four — Ben, Jeff, McGruder and Smart — could have been player of the year."
Smart beat out McLemore and Withey for the Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year awards.
He's only the third freshman to have this accomplishment.
Kevin Durant of Texas and Michael Beasley of Kansas State also received both awards when they dominated the Big 12 in their freshman seasons.
Senior guard Eligh Johnson also made the awards list with a spot on the Honorable Mention roster.
The No. 4 Jayhawks will play Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship. They play the winner of West Virginia and Texas Tech, which play on Wednesday.
The tipoff for the game is set at the Sprint Center at 2 p.m., on Thursday.
-Ryan McCarthy
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Chance at NCAA tourney weakened by loss
MAX GOODWIN
mggoodwin@kansan.com
After a 77-62 loss to Iowa State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament, there's nothing to do but want. The Jayhawks think they have high-enough quality wins to be included in the NCAA tournament when the selection committee makes the decision next week, but that 15-point loss to Iowa State will not help Kansas' chances in Dallas on Saturday.
An early lead didn't last for Kansas, as Iowa State gained its composure after a nervous start in its first game of the tournament. Kansas lost its lead after eight minutes in the first half and never regained it.
At half, Iowa State led 34-26. The Cyclones continued to steadily build a lead from there
Kansas' defense left shooters open in transition and failed to get into position, which has been a problem throughout Kansas' losses this season. Iowa State shot 46 percent from the field and 18-for-19 from the free-throw line.
as the Jayhawks failed to find a weak spot in the Iowa State defense. With four minutes left in the second half, the Cyclones held a 22-point lead.
"They executed, and we didn't answer their run," Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Henrickson and her team had no answer to Iowa State senior forward Chelsea Poppens and junior forward Hallie Christofferson. Poppens poured in 24 points and Christofferson scored 23 to carry the Cyclones to the semifinals.
Poppens and Christofferson
combined for 26 of the 34 points by Iowa State in the first half. The two of them matched the offensive production of all eight Jayhawks who played in the first half.
Poppens is a physically tough post player who scored in the paint. Christofferson can play multiple positions and scored inside and out, going 3-for-6 from behind the arc.
"They have a tough front line," senior center Carolyn Davis said. "It's a challenge for our guards to guard Christofferson in the post."
Kansas' question now is how
Davis said the game plan for Kansas was to front the Iowa State post players. When the Jayhawks did that, they were able to slow the Cyclone offense; when they didn't, Iowa State took advantage.
bad this loss will look to the selection committee next week.
"We're not for sure what's going to happen," senior guard Angel Goodrich said.
Nobody is, but if last year provides any indication, the Jayhawks could squeak into the NCAA tournament based on their solid conference wins.
Iowa State is not currently ranked in the AP top 25 poll, but the team finished second in the Big 12 and defeated tournament teams Texas Tech by 15 points and Oklahoma by 21 this season. Iowa State causes matchup problems for nearly any team it faces, especially for a Kansas team that lacks depth and size.
This loss should not be a major concern for Kansas, but a win would have made it much easier for the Jayhawks to breathe during the next week.
"We think we've had some great wins," Davis said. "We're kind of in the same position we were in last year. We're just going to have to wait and see."
Some of the wins Kansas has on its résumé include a win earlier in the season against Iowa State, a win against Oklahoma and road wins at West Virginia and Creighton. Kansas is 18-13 after the loss to Iowa State; last season it was 19-12.
"Of course I think we should be in," Henrickson said. "I thought the committee made a great decision last year, and I thought we made them look real smart."
— Edited by Allison Hammond