KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010 / SPORTS
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Big 12 stock report: Longhorns in command Non-conference records could determine Kansas', Oklahoma State's place in tourney
BY ANDREW HAMMOND ahammond@kansan.com
The Big 12 is heading into the final two series of the season and the always dramatic NCAA Tournament will begin soon. The Kansan takes a look at each team's chances of making the field of 64.
TEXAS LONGHORNS (38-7): BUY
This may be the easiest buy of any team in the Big 12. The Longhorns are ranked No. 1, have the best pitching staff and currently own a 20-game winning streak. The final two conference series for Texas are on the road at Kansas State and Missouri. They should extend that conference winning streak to 23 games by season's end.
NCAA Projection: No.1 overall seed hosting its own regional.
KANSAS STATE (30-12): BUY
Once a surprise, the Wildcats have proven they can play with the top teams in the Big 12. The best example of this were sweeps of Oklahoma State in late-March and Baylor in mid-April. But the biggest test of the season is this weekend as Kansas State welcomes Texas.
NCAA Projection: No. 2 seed (Favetteville Regional)
TEXAS TECH (26-22): BUY
If you went to Vegas and bet on Texas Tech to threaten Texas in the Big 12, you might be able to cash in. The Red Raiders have one of the best closers in the nation, Chad Bettis, and a standout freshman bater, Barrett Barnes, who is third in the conference with 11 runs. The only thing hurting the Red Raiders is a 7-10 record on the road out of conference, which might catch up with them when they head into the tournament.
NCAA Projection: No. 3 Seed (Baton Rouge Regional)
OKLAHOMA (32-12): HOLD
The Sooners are a tricky team to figure out. They have a solid record and talent that can compete with teams around the nation. But there are questions regarding which Oklahoma team is the real one: the team that got swept by Texas early this season or the team that took two out of three from Texas A&M. If the squad that has hit
a league-leading 62 home runs this season shows up in the tournament, the Sooners will be a tough out.
NCAA Projection: No. 2 Seed (Fort Worth Regional)
TEXAS A&M (25-17-1): SELL
The Aggies have slid down to the middle of the conference and are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. They have struggled both at home and on the road. The pitching staff is second in the conference with an ERA of 3.65, but the hitting has dipped to ninth in the conference. Texas A&M could play its way in the NCAA Tournament with a successful Big 12 Tournament run.
NCAA Projection: No. 3 Seed (Tempe Regional)
don't get in, losses in conference will be the reason why.
Kansas had one of the toughest out-of-conference schedules in the nation, and the Jayhawks have struggled to find consistency in the bullpen during conference play. If the selection committee puts the Jayhawks in, a major reason could be the LSU series in mid-March, when Kansas won two of three games. If the Jayhawks
KANSAS (26-19-1): SELL
NCAA Projection: (Not in, and will be one of the last four left out)
MISSOURI (23-19): SELL
Missouri's season has been dominated by the excellent play of Aaron Senne, who's among the league leaders in home runs, runs scored and batting average. The Tigers' pitching staff has struggled this season, giving up heavy amounts of runs in series to Baylor and Texas Tech. The offense will have to carry the load if the Tigers want to extend their season
NCAA Projection: (Not In)
OKLAHOMA STATE (26-18):BUY
Series wins in two of those would give the Cowboys a good argument.
It might sound crazy but the Cowboys may actually make the NCAA Tournament after their competitive play in the final games of the season. After losing to Wichita State, Oklahoma State took two out of three from Kansas. The selection committee will have to take a look at Oklahoma State's out-of-conference schedule because the Cowboys played weaker teams. They could use another series win against Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
NCAA Projection: (Not Ic
BAYLOR (25-20): SELL
Baylor has had opportunities this season to make its case for a tournament bid, but the Bears have not been able to solidify their case. Losses against teams like Duke, BYU and Louisiana Tech hurt Baylor's RPI, which is huge in college baseball's tournament selection. A sweep of Texas over the weekend did not improve Baylor's chances for a tournament bid.
NCAA Projection: (Not In)
NEBRASKA (20-24)
If you had to name the most disappointing team this season it would be Nebraska by a landslide. Adam Bailey is the only thing keeping this team relevant in the Big 12. He's among the leaders in home runs, RBIs and total bases. He could have the rare feat of being conference MVP on a last place team.
NCAA Projection: (Not In)
COLLEGE SPORTS
Edited by Jesse Rangel
Tackling the issue of K2
The NCAA's testing agency is developing a new system
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The company that does drug testing for the NFL, NCAA and more than 100 U.S. schools is coming up with a way to detect a new synthetic substance that mimics the effects of marijuana and is so far legal in 49 states.
The lab-made drug known as K2, King Krypto and Spice, among other names, is well known in Europe and authorities say it's been banned in countries including Germany, Russia, Sweden and England.
It began showing up in the United States only about six months ago, federal authorities say. Kansas
The NCAA declined to comment on the drug, but the agency it pays to conduct drug testing is already working
outlawed it in March. A ban at the federal level could take months, if not years.
By this fall, the National Center for Drug Free Sport Inc. hopes to have a test ready for college athletes, many of whom may be especially tempted by the drug.
on a test to detect K2 use after hearing from a number of schools concerned about it.
Uryasz is confident K2 will eventually be banned in college athletics, and Carreno is equally certain states will outlaw it.
"We started receiving phone calls about K2 after the first of the year from a few schools," said Frank Uryasz, president of the Kansas City-based company. "They were concerned that they were hearing athletes talk about K2."
"What you see with college kids is they're young and they think they're invincible," said Barbara Carreno, a spokeswoman for the
U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency
Drug Free Sport administers more than 20,000 drug tests annually. Athletes are tested at NCAA championships and randomly throughout the academic year, and Drug Free Sport tests athletes who fall under suspicion by coaches or trainers.
The NCAA bans a broad swath of substances, including marijuana, and anything "chemically related" to those substances whether they are performance enhancers or recreational drugs.
"WefoundoutaboutitinOctober," said Jeremy Morris, a senior forensic scientist at the Johnson County
But so far, Kansas lawmakers are alone in taking action.
BARBARA CARRENO
Spokeswoman,
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
"What you see with college kids is they're young and they think they're invincible."
criminal investigation laboratory. "And by March, the governor signs the bill and we have it controlled. Kids were getting sick, going to the hospital, and we couldn't stop it. But now we can."
Officials interviewed for this story were not aware of any deaths resulting from the use of K2. But many expressed concern about the drug's effects.
"It's rather frightening," said Dr. Anthony Scalzo, director of the Missouri Regional Poison Control Center in St. Louis and a consultant in cases of suspected K2 use around the country.
"We've had people come in with
dreadful symptoms. They're agitated. Their heart's racing. Their blood pressure is up." Scalzo said. "They feel terrible."
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