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SPORTS VERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13. 1996
Kentucky will not win title
First things first. The Kentucky Wildcats are simply the best men's basketball team in the country. Not since the 1900-91 UNLV Runnin' Rebels has there been such a dominant college team.
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They have the athletes, depth, coaching, board crashers and guys that can shoot the lights out. When they get an opponent on the ropes they always deliver the knockout punch, something that Kansas has failed repeatedly to do this season.
That said, the Wildcats will not
win the national championship.
History is not on their side.
If you look at the UNLV team I mentioned — the one that was 20 points better than any other team in the nation — they didn't capture the brass ring.
ASSOCIATE
SPORTS
EDITOR
How about the
1993-94 North
Caro lina
Tarheels? They
MEN'S BASKETBALL
went into the season ranked No. 1 and they went into the tournament ranked No. 1. They then were ousted in the second round by Boston College and such household names as Billy Curley and Malcolm Huckabee.
Kentucky will, however, reach the the Sweet 16 before being knocked off by Villanova. If Kentucky can get by Villanova, I really don't see one-dimensional Georgetown — Allen Iverson — beating Kentucky.
Speaking of the Midwest bracket, watch out for Texas. The Longhorns nearly beat Texas Tech in the Southwest Conference finals, and they will be ready to catch some teams off guard.
Iowa will turn some heads but won't get a first-round breather. It plays the only team in the country that beat UMass — George Washington. If the Hawkeyes survive the Colonials, they will make it to the round of 16.
Whom will they lose to? I'll come back to that.
In the Southeast, forget No. 1-seeded Connecticut and No. 2 Cincinnati, because they'll both be on the golf course during the round of 16. As much as it pains me to say this, keep a look out for Duke.
Why? Two words: Mike Krzyzewski. He's a winner, and he has a team with, well, some talent. Add that up and you've got a sleeper.
Speaking of winners, last season's national champion UCLA isn't getting much attention. After going 23-7 and getting seeded fourth, a lot of teams will be looking past the Bruins. But ask Missouri guard Jason Sutherland: You can't turn your back on UCLA.
I'm picking the Bruins to go to the Final Four and lose. To whom? I'll get back to that later.
My final sleeper team is Syracuse. Like UCLA, the fourth-seeded Orangemen are in the right position to knock someone off. They'll beat Purdue and get to the Elite Eight. But Syracuse will lose, and I'll tell you who will beat them in a second.
UCLA and Kentucky will have one thing in common after the tournament — they both will get dropped by the same team.
My Final Four picks: UCLA, Georgetown, Kentucky and Kansas.
Well, if you haven't figured it out yet, call me blinded by loyalty. But when I'm filling out an NCAA bracket, objectivity gets chucked out the window faster than a John Wayne Bobbitt body part.
I can see the Jayhawks winning it all this year. There have been years when I thought that they could, but this year I think they really can.
With the guard and post play, and now a rifleman coming off the bench in Ryan Robertson, the ingredients are all there.
We just need the bus driver to get off on the right exit this time in New Jersey.
Jayhawks face unknown foe
As the playing stops, the scouting begins
By Jenni Carlson Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's basketball teams scouts opponents thoroughly, learning all the tendencies, strengths and weaknesses.
That isolation play Iowa State
That is what runs for Kenny Pratt, we've watched that on tape 800 times," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "The bottom line is, you've got to stop it."
The challenge of stopping opponents will remain the same when the Jayhawks open play in the West
South Carolina State may have had the initial jump on scouting Kansas, which played almost weekly on national television.
"We know the physical attributes of players, because we've seen them several times on TV", South Carolina State coach Cyrus Alexander said.
Jayhawk fans, don't miss the bus
The familiarity among Big Eight teams affects play, and also shootin in the conference tournament, Williams said. The Jayhawks shot below 42 percent in their three tournament games last weekend.
regional tomorrow, but the opponent won't be nearly as familiar. Kansas will face the South Carolina State Bulldogs at 4:10 p.m. at the University Activity Center in Tempe, Ariz.
Several years ago. Rex Walters
"It will be exciting to see new faces out there," Kansas guard Jerod Hase said. "People do know tendencies, know your plaus."
Even though the Bulldogs won't know everything about the Jayhawks, like their Big Eight opponents do, the Jayhawks won't know everything about the Bulldogs either.
The Kansas men's basketball is leaving Lawrence tonight for Tempe, Ariz., and its first-round game against South Carolina State. The Jayhawks will board a bus in the parking lot between Allen Field House and Hoglund-Maupin Stadium at about 7 p.m. They will fly out of Forbes Field in Topeka at 8:30 p.m.
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
convinced Kansas radio announcer Bob Davis that Kansas shot poorly in Kemper Arena because of the tightness of the rims. But Walters did not convince Williams.
"I'm not so sure as it's the tight rims as everybody's familiarity with one another," he said.
"It becomes hand-to-hand combat."
It becomes hand-to-hand combat. Kansas will not meet another conference team in the tournament unless it reaches the Final Four in East Rutherford, N.J. The four Big Eight teams in the 64-team field are all in different regionals.
Playing those teams, or any team other than South Carolina State, is not a concern for the Jayhawks right now.
"We'll take care of those teams when we get there," Kansas guard Ryan Robertson said. "I think it's more important to concentrate on what we're going to do."
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
Kansas freshman guard Ryan Robertson defends Iowa State's Jacy Holloway in Sunday's Big Eight Tournament championship game.
Kansas junior guard Jacque Vaughn was named a first-team Academic All-American, and fellow junior guard Jerod Haase was named to the second team.
Guard earns academic All-American honor
Vaughn's marks recognized
Kansan staff report
Add another honor under Jacque Vaughn's name.
Kansas' point guard was named to the 1966 GTE Academic All-American first team yesterday. Vaughn, a junior who also is the 1996 Big Eight Conference player of the year, has a 3.70 grade-point average in business administration.
Doug Brandt, Utah State's Eric Franson, Dartmouth's Seamus Longeran and North Carolina State's Todd Fuller. Fuller was named the GTE Academic All-American of the Year.
"If they include pictures in the dictionary and there was student-athletic listed, what you would have is a picture of Jacque Vaughn," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "He's just an incredible human being."
Vaughn wasn't the only Jayhawk honored by GTE. His backcourt mate, junior guard Jerod Haase, is a member of the second team. Haase has a 3.60 GPA in business administration, the highest GPA on the second squad.
Kansas is the only school to have more than one student-athlete on the three academic teams.
The only player on a team receiving votes in this week's Associated Press top 25 poll, Vaughn was joined on the first team by Baylor's
Vaughn and Haase became the first Jayhawk academic All Americans since 1982, when David Magley was honored.
This year's Kansas starting backcourt, which averages 21.6 points a game for the 26-4 Jayhawks, became the 10th and 11th men's basketball academic All-Americans in school history.
Jayhawks breeze by the Bears
Wind blows in favor of KU baseball team
By Dan Gelston Kansan sportswriter
A wind that was blowing out to left field helped the Kansas baseball team blow past Southwest Missouri State 20-15 yesterday afternoon in Springfield, Mo.
The score was not indicative of how the Jayhawks (9-5) defeated the Bears (3-7). The Bears scored seven times in the ninth inning, making the game closer than it actually was.
The Jayhawks, who entered the game with four home runs all season, hit four yesterday.
Kansas shortstop Joe DeMarco designated hitter Josh Dimmick, second baseman Josh Kliner and right fielder Les Walrond all hit home runs.
The Bears got to Kansas starter Clay Baird early as they took a 3-0 lead in the first.
The game was tied at four in the top of the fourth when DeMarco led off the inning with a double to left field. Center fielder Isaac Byrd then singled, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Headley followed with a fielder's choice that scored DeMarco, giving Kansas a 5-4 lead.
The Jayhawks never trailed again.
They scored three more times in the fourth, twice in the fifth and four times in the sixth.
During those innings, Baird (3-1) gave up six runs, four earned, in 5 1/3 innings.
Baird, who is from nearby Carthage, Mo., said he was happy with the way he pitched considering the intense winds.
"As a pitcher it wasn't too bad," he said. "I was mentally prepared, though. It was good to come down here and play so well so close to home."
Kansas coach Bobby Randall said he was pleased with the team's performance.
"Clay Baird really pitched well today," he said. "We played awfully hard today, but we kind of let it get away from us at the end to make it a close game. We played well on an awfully hard day to play baseball."
Every Kansas starter had at least one hit. Three starters — DeMarco, Dimmick and catcher Ted Meadows — had four hits apiece, and three starters — Byrd, Headley and Kliner — had three each.
Dimnick also had five RBI, while Headley extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
"We hit the ball as hard and as flat today as I've ever seen a team hit it," Randall said. "It was incredible."
Kansas appeared to have the game in hand until reliever Linus Williams gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings. Josh Winger came in with the bases loaded and got the final batter to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game.
Kansas and Southwest Missouri State will play again at 3 p.m. today at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Kansas fan club born to support women's team
Dedicated boosters follow the Jayhawks at home and abroad
By Evan Blackwell Kansan sportswriter
When Renate Mai-Dalton came to Kansas 17 years ago, she saw unfairness in college athletics.
"I saw, at the time, differences between the men's and women's teams in terms of their funding," Mai-Dalton said. "As a result, I became interested in athletics."
Mai-Dalton, who came to the University as a professor of business, decided it was time she tried to make a difference. She became actively involved in the Kansas athletic department.
She served on the Kansas University Athletic Corporation board for ten years, starting in 1985.
It was through her work on the KUAC board that Mai-Dalton began to take a special interest in
women's basketball.
"In the process, I got to know the women's basketball players," Mai-Dalton said.
In 1898, Mai-Dalton began working with many players as their academic advisor when, she said, the academic services weren't what they are today.
By 1991, she decided that the only way to help the way she wanted to would be to form a booster club for Kansas women's basketball. The Kansas Courters was born.
"I thought the only way to help financially and help increase attendance was to start a sort of fan club," Mai-Dalton said.
The Courtsiders are going strong in their fifth year, and their membership has reached almost 300.
The club membership fee is $10. All proceeds go to the Williams Fund and are used for the Women's Basketball Margin of Excellence Fund.
The Courtsiders can be found in full force at every Kansas home
game, and some attend almost every road game. Every year, the group rents a bus and travels to games in Columbia, Mo. and Manhattan.
The club also puts out a newsletter five or six times each season and sponsors several functions, including a pre-season picnic and meetings with the players, and coaches a couple of times a year.
Rachel Lyle, the Courtsiders' membership chairman, said she joined two years ago as a casual fan.
"My husband and I started attending the games, and we got to know the players and coaches," Lyle said. "We wanted to get involved with the team."
Lyle said the Courtsiders had an informational table set up in the main lobby of Allen Field House at every home game.
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
Renate Mai-Dalton thumbs through her collection of newspaper clippings featuring the Kansas women's basketball team.
Mai-Dalton said that most of the
"We just want to keep it in the public eye," Lyle said. "We want people to know there's an avenue to support women's basketball."
group's members were professional people who usually didn't have many hours to devote each week.
"We give money to help the program, we set a limited number of activities and we definitively do them, and we try to do them well," she said.
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