THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2008
SPORTS
11B
COMMENTARY
Jayhawks remain focused
It was 1 a.m., Monday when Bill Self stood to his team in Allen Fieldhouse in front of an estimated 6,000 fans. Kansas returned from Detroit advancing to its first Final Four since Roy Williams left for North Carolina in 2003.
"Are these guys studs, or what?" Self asked the crowd about his Final Four team.
Judging by the crowd's roaring reaction, they agreed.
But for just about everyone else in the country, Kansas looked like a team that played tight and could barely get past a No. 10 seed.
Self, dealing with the typical media questions that come after a close victory against an "inferior" opponent such as Davidson, tried to diffuse the notion that his team simply had a bad game.
"I don't want to say we played poorly, because that takes away from Davidson," Self said in the press conference after the game. "They muddied up the game for us very, very well."
Self was right. Davidson was a good team who gave Kansas its best. Davidson defeated the Big 10 Champion and No. 3 seed Wisconsin by 16 points and defeated the regular season Big East
Champion No. 2 seed Georgetown in the tournament, but couldn't get past the Jayhaws.
In the regular season, Davidson was ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll coming into the tournament. Davidson even played Kansas' next opponent, North Carolina, and lost by just four points.
Though Kansas probably faced the toughest competition in Davidson out of all the Final Four teams this past weekend, Kansas is a three-point underdog going into Saturday's game and viewed as the weakest of the number one seeds
Both sex and in aware of this perception, but have not taken it to heart.
"I guess we could be the underdogs since we're the fourth number one seed," Self said Monday in the NCAA Final Four teleconference.
"But I really think in this situation I don't think there is much of a difference between any of the teams from a performance standpoint."
Kansas' lack of All-Americans as opposed to North Carolina, UCLA and Memphis give many another reason to believe Kansas' is the weakest one seed.
For senior guard Russell Robinson, the lack of All-Americans is no reason for Kansas to be considered the underdogs.
"I don't feel like we are the underdogs," said Robinson in a press conference on Monday. "Part
of our success has come from us being unselfish and everybody sharing the spotlight and contributing. Different guys step up on different nights and that is how we got where we are."
Until the actual game is played Saturday, there will be doubts of Kansas' chances against North Carolina.
The Jayhawks need to focus on only one thing: the game. If Kansas gives into the belief that they are not as good as North Carolina, there will be trouble.
Self knows this.
"In general terms, you've just got
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to believe that you're going do it," he said in a Kansas athletics press release on Wednesday after landing in San Antonio. "So many times when you're"
hoping to win, you play not to lose — and we can't be that way"
If there is one guy who will know a little something about believing Kansas' success this weekend, it would be Danny Manning.
It's been 20 years since "Danny and the Miracles" made their run for the National Championship.
If this year's Jayhawks can believe they can win, it would be fitting to dub them as "Bill Almighty and the Champs."
Edited by Daniel Reyes
Kansas to play Baylor in Waco Victory in series could salvage Jayhawks' Big 12 play
BY SHAWN SHROYER
shroyer@kansan.com
The calendar may have just turned to April, but the fate of Kansas' season may rest in Waco this weekend.
"We've got to find a way to win a series," Kansas coach Ritch Price said. "Not go in, play close and keep it competitive – we've got to find a way to get it done. If we have a lead, finish a game."
Tonight at 6:30 the Jayhawks begin their series with the Bears at Baylor Ballpark. A series victory for Kansas (19-13, 1-5) could catapult the Jayhawks from last place in the Big 12. But a series defeat to Baylor (16-11, 3-6) would mark Kansas' third straight to begin conference play and might solidify its spot at the bottom of the league.
The key for Kansas, as usual, will be what kind of performances it gets from its starting pitching.
Last weekend, Kansas' starters combined for 7.2 innings - 5.1 of which coming from junior left-hander Nick Czyz - stretching the Jayhawk bullpen to its limits. Sophomore left-hander Wally Marceli had the roughest outing of the bunch, lasing just 1/3 of an inning Friday, allowing eight runs and prompting Price to shuffle his weekend rotation.
Czyz (1-3) has moved up a day and will pitch tonight, senior right-hander Andres Esquibel (2-1) has reentered the rotation to pitch Saturday at 6:30 p.m., and junior left-hander Sam Freeman (4-0) will pitch the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
While Czyz and Freeman have bloated 7.24 and 6.75 respective ERAs, Esquibel enters the weekend leading Kansas with a 2.68 ERA. Price has predominantly used Esquibel as his go-to arm in the bullpen, but after what happened last weekend, Price decided to sandwich his most reliable pitcher between Czyz and Freeman.
Sophomore right-hander Kendal Volz (3-2) will start tonight, freshman right-hander Shawn Tolleson (2-1) will start Saturday and sophomore right-hander Willie Kempf
As for Baylor's rotation, the Bears are standing pat.
"He's our best guy and the one thing it does, it depletes our bullpen." Price said of Esquibel. "But I think at this point in time we've got to get three quality starts in order to have an opportunity to win a series and we had to make a change."
(4-1) will start Sunday. The trio own 5.40, 3.58 and 3.41 respective ERAs, but as a team, Baylor's 4.72 ERA is just lower than Kansas' 4.96 team ERA.
When Baylor coach Steve Smith turns to his bullpen, three arms in particular are his most dependable.
Senior right-hander Tim Matthews (1-0) leads the team with a 1.93 ERA, freshman right-hander Craig Fritsch (1-2) is next with a 2.49 ERA, and despite a 6.06 ERA, senior right-hander Nick Cassavechia (0-2) leads the team with five saves.
With so many arms at Smith's disposal, Price knows his offense will be put to the test — especially since Kansas saw mostly changeups from Wichita State Tuesday and lesser velocity pitchers from Saint Mary Wednesday.
"Baylor pitches with plus velocity," Price said. "They have some of the best arms in the country. They pitched the ball good against us last year. It's the strength of their team."
Baylor and Kansas currently reside eighth and tenth in the Big 12 standings, which is a bit surprising considering how each team entered the season. Baylor was ranked No. 15 in Baseball America's preseason
poll and even higher in other polls while Kansas returned a strong group of upperclassmen, including four experienced seniors.
But in the first few weekends of Big 12 action, both clubs' seasons have turned sour. Since beating Oklahoma State, 2-1, to open its conference season, Baylor has dropped its last two Big 12 series while Kansas is still searching for its first conference series victory.
"We're going to go play one of the best teams in the country," Price said. "They opened the season in the Top 10 and they're struggling right now, I think it's really a testimony to how good the league is. It may be the best league in America, top to bottom. It's certainly the best it's been the six years I've been in the league."
"We've got to win the series," senior infielder Matt Berner said. "We've got to win a series on the road, get us going in the right direction. It's pretty much that simple."
And Price's players are well aware of how much this weekend means to their season.
— Edited by Russell Davies
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BEST PASSER
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina forward
Hansbrough's game isn't pretty, but he is extremely effective. He can bruise smaller defenders in the post or step back near the three-point line against bigger defenders to get his points. Hansbrough is also great at finding his way to the free-throw line, where he converts at an 81 percent clip.
Mario Chalmers, Kansas guard
BEST OUTSIDE SHOOTER
BEST REBOUNDER
Kevin Love, UCLA forward At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Love doesn't look like an elite leaper. But the UCLA post uses great fundamentals to seal off opponents and his thick frame to create space to work on the glass. Love averaged nearly 11 rebounds per game this season, second-best in the PAC-10 Conference.
Ty Lawson, North Carolina guard
UCLA point guard Darren Collison may shoot a better percentage from beyond the arc, but Chalmers gets extra credit for making 20 more three-pointers than Collison did. Chalmers' ability to torch defenses from long range is Kansas' most dangerous weapon, especially when the Jayhawks are in their transition offense.
Most of the attention Lawson has earned has been thanks to his lightning-quick feet and ability to hustle the Tar Heel offense down court. But the diminutive guard is an under-rated passer in the half-court offense. After all, someone has to feed the multitude of North
BEST DEFENDER
Carolina offensive options.
Russell Robinson, Kansas guard
Robinson doesn't even lead his own team in steals, but his intense on-ball pressure frequently forces opposing guards to take bad shots or throw errant passes. Robinson is usually matched up with the opponent's best guard, and he usually puts the clamps on. In the Jayhawks' Sweet Sixteen victory against Villanova, Robinson limited Scottie Reynolds to 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting.
Memphis loses points for its generic look. North Carolina's color scheme is excellent but loses some of its luster away from the Tar Heels' home court. UCLA sports some classic duds, but changing the color of the "C" in UCLA to celebrate 100 NCAA Championships seems a little silly. Sure, some people hate the new font and style, but there's no denying that the uniforms look outstanding. Home whites, road blues, even the alternate reds - Kansas basketball put a fashionable foot forward with its new look.
BEST UNIFORMS
BEST MASCOT
Kansas
UCLA
What animal is better than a bear? Trick question: Bears are the best animals. UCLA's own bear, Joe Bruin, isn't all that ferocious, but he can "crank dat SoulaJa Boy" with the best of them, as seen on YouTube. Bonus points to UCLA for its cheer and dance squads.
BEST LEGACY
Kansas
UCLA has won 11 NCAA Tournament titles, including
10 in a torrid 12 year stretch. Memphis has made deep runs into the tournament under current coach John Calipari. North Carolina has qualified for the tournament 39 times and taken the title four times. The Jayhawks only earned the NCAA Tournament crown twice, but Kansas claims Dr. James Naismith as a piece of its history, and having the father of basketball as a former coach trumps any other accomplishment.
ALL-FINAL FOUR FIRST TEAM
F-Kevin Love, UCLA
ZLB Plasma
G - Derrick Rose, Memphis
G - Ty Lawson, North Carolina
G - Chris Douglas-Roberts,
Memphis
F - Tyler Hansbrough, North
Carolina
F - Kevin Love, UCLA
ALL-FINAL FOUR SECOND TEAM
G - Darren Collison, UCLA
G - Mario Chalmer, Kansas
G - Brandon Rush, Kansas
F - Joey Dorsey, Memphis
F - Darrell Arthur, Kansas
ALL-FINAL FOUR THIRD TEAM
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G - Russell Robinson, Kansas
G - Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
G - Russell Westbrook, UCLA
G - Danny Green, North Carolina
E - Darnell Jackson, Kansas
FINEST NAMES OF THE FINAL FOUR TEAM
1
G - Mario Chalmers, Kansas
G - Surry Wood, North Carolina
F - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute,
UCLA
The University of Kansas softball team got off to a slow start in the first game of a six-game road trip, but bounced back quickly with a victory in the late game against Creighton on Wednesday.
F - Lorenzo Mata-Real, UCLA C - Pierre Niles, Memphis
—Asher Fusco
BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH kbreckunitch@kansan.com
In the first game of the doubleheader, the Jayhawks lacked any offensive output and lost 8-0. Creighton's sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman held the Jayhawks to three hits and Kansas committed three errors.
Jayhawks bounce back Wednesday
Junior shortstop Stevie Crisosto said the Kansas defense could have done a better job helping the pitching staff.
"Defensively, we probably could have picked our pitchers up a little bit better as well," Crisoto said.
Coach Tracy Burge was impressed with Creighton and predicted they would most likely win the Missouri Valley Conference. Bunge credited Creighton for capitalizing on the Jayhawks' mistakes.
"When we gave them anything, they made us pay for it," Bunge said.
The team came back and won the second game, 6-3. Crisosto and sophomore first baseman Amanda Jobe both had three RBI and a homerun. Freshmen right fielder Liz Kocon and catcher Brittany Hile and senior designated hitter Addy Lucero also added hits.
Bunge said she stressed the team to have a short memory and move on for the victory in the second game.
The Jayhawks improved to a
"Baylor's a team that has speed unlike what we've seen all year long," Bunge said. She said to prepare for Baylor the team would need to focus on defense.
"Once we get into conference, the crowds get a little bit bigger, the venues get a little bit bigger and we get to hear some good-natured heckling." Bunge said.
The Big 12 road schedule is tough, but the team looks forward to it. Bunge said.
Edited by Jared Duncan
New Arrival
Bunge said that Baylor struggled recently, but they would present a challenge for the lawhaws.
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28-9 record with the split against Creighton. The team now goes back to Big 12 play and continues their road trip against Baylor this weekend.
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