'Cat caught off balance
Photo by Greg Sorber
Kansas State's Wheeler Hughes (31) flip-flops over Pierre Russell (44) and draws a foul in this second half action. The Wildcats' over-anxious defense allowed KU to cash 12 of 14 free throws in the first half, but it was K-State charity shooting in the second half (16 of 24) that preserved a 64-57 victory. Looking on are K-State's Jerry Venable (45) and Jeff Webb, and Jayhawk forward Bruce Sloan (31).
Jayhawks again bridesmaids; K-State ruins title chances
Bv BOB KEARNEY
Kansan Sports Editor
Now the silence was broken by the echo of Kansas State's band-playing taps in the dressing room below. Coach Ted Owens dejectedly studied the statistical chart.
"Do the statistics tell you anything you didn't already know?" someone volunteered. Owens shook his head glumly.
His voice trailed off, stopping with an exasperated shrug of the shoulders.
"We got whipped," the KU coach replied. "They outshagged us, sorry as I am to say it. They were more active then we were, got more loose balls . . ."
Kansas State had done just that—exasperated KU's Jayhawks with an effective delay game for a 64-57 triumph Saturday night at Allen Field House. Once again, KU was a Big Eight bridesmaid.
Successful freeze
The Wildteats resorted to freeze tactics for the final $4\frac{1}{2}$ minutes of the first half, coaxing a 28-26 edge and starters Steve Honeycutt and Gene Williams benched with three fouls.
KU never caught their state rivals, lagging 40-30 at the 13:31 mark. The Jayhawks surged as close as 41-37 three minutes later, that rally capped by Bruce Sloan's 20-footer.
But the quicker Wildcats returned again to the delay offense with Kansas five behind, 46-41, at 7:53. Jerry Venable twice interrupted the pattern with unattended layups, and again with a press-breaking layup.
Those three buckets, along with 12 free throws, enabled the 'Cats to withstand KU's desperate recovery attempts. The clincher came at 1:02 with Kent Litton's two charities and a 60-54 bulge.
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"Our defense wasn't very good, but it wasn't as bad as our offense," Owens understated. His Jayhawks hit only 36 per cent from the field (20 of 56) compared to K-State's 43 per cent marksmanship (23 of 53).
Rebounding critical
"They didn't play as aggressively as they did over there," said Owens, recalling KU's 73-67 triumph at Manhattan. "We simply didn't move."
Owens felt that rebounding was a big factor. K-State held a 43-38 edge on the backboards while the Jayhawks captured 20 more rebounds than KSU in their first meeting.
"Size isn't everything in rebounding you've got to react and you've got to be aggressive," continued Owens in noting the things KU did not do.
"If you let yourself get behind 6 or 8 points, you've got to play their game. We just don't have
the speed to play K-State's type of basketball."
KU's only chance to gain control of the game came in the first half, said Owens. Through the first 12 minutes, the lead changed hands seven times and the score was deadlocked three times.
Venable leads way
Free throws (12 of 14) kept the Jayhawks going in that half, and ironically, K-State's charity shooting preserved the win.
Kansas will attach its "We try harder" basketball buttons and journey again to the National Invitation Tournament in New York.
Venable, only Wildcat scoring in double figures, paced the winners with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Three shared the KU scoring load-Rich Bradshaw (16), Dave Robisch (14), and Dave Nash (12).
BOXSCORE
KANSAS STATE (64)-Webb 4-1-1; Venable 11-4-5; Williams 2-5-3; Honeycutt 3-2-5; Hughes 2-0-3; Barber 0-0-1; Snider 0-4-0; Lawrence 1-0-0; Litton 0-2-0; Totals 23-18-18. KANSAS (57)-Robisch 3-8-4; Sloan 3-0-3; Brown 0-1-1; Bradshaw 5-6-2; Russell 3-2-5; Nash 5-0-2; Harmon 0-0-1; Lawrence 0-0-1. Totals: 20-17-19.
HALFTIME: K-State 28, Kansas 26.
Don't Settle for Second Best
KU accepts bid for NIT tourney
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The Jayhawks, accepting the NIT bid yesterday, will meet Coach Bob Cousy's Boston College Eagles in the first round of the 16-tem team tournament Sunday. The 1:30 p.m. contest will be nationally televised.
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KU saw its Big Eight championship dreams smashed Saturday night when Kansas State pulled a 64-57 upset. Kansas, tied with the Wildcats behind champion Colorado, will set a Big Eight basketball precedent in making its fourth straight post-season tournament appearance.
"I had all my hopes wrapped in the NCAA and simply didn't have any thoughts about the NIT," said Coach Ted Owens after Saturday's defeat. The bid was extended and KU accepted following a squad meeting yesterday afternoon.
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Kansas will carry a 20-6 record into the New York cage festival in hopes of ending Boston College's 16-game winning streak. The Eagles (21-3) have not lost since December setbacks at the hands of Villanova, St. John's and Northwestern—the last defeat
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Cousy, once the stalwart backcourt performer for the Boston Celtics, will be making his farewell to basketball in the NIT. Cousy has announced his coaching retirement to private business at the end of this season.
NIT manager Asa Bushnell, commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Association, offered the tournament bid in a phone conversation yesterday with KU athletic director Wade Stinson.
The Eagles have three times passed the 100 mark in scoring with triumphs over Connecticut (105-75), Canisius (107-73), and Fordham (105-70). Boston College closed its regular season last week with a 93-72 trouncing of NCAA regional entry Duquesne.
Also in the NIT field are Southern Illinois, Temple, Rutgers, West Texas State, Tennessee, Wyoming, Tulsa,
(Continued to page 12)
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