SPORTS
HUSKERS STAY ON TOP OF BIG 12
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 3B
A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
GOLF TEAM GOES 11TH IN ARIZONA PAGE6B
TUESDAY,APRIL1,2008
PAGE1B
FANS' DREAM, TEAM'S REALITY
Battle of the best
wished for, waited for ever since the day Roy signed with North Carolina," senior guard Russell Robinson said. "Here it is coming up in about a week and it feels good to be a part of it."
RobinsonnevergotrecruitedbyWilliams, who left to coach the Tar Heels after leading the Jayhawks to the national title game in 2003. Darnell Jackson only knows
Williams from when Williams recruited his friend, J.R. Giddens, Jeremy Case, a redshirt senior, is the only player on the roster who Williams recruited.
ried Robinson when he was watching their Elite Eight game Saturday.
"This is probably the game Kansas fans wished for, waited for ever since the day Roy signed with North Carolina."
RUSSELL ROBINSON
Senior guard
"I kind of stopped watching the North Carolina game because I got a little nervous," Robinson said. "Just being a fan, know-
Case has no hard feelings.
In fact, the players and Kansas coach Bill Self could care less about facing Williams.
They're fast. They're experienced. They're good - so good that they wor-
"There'll be a lot of talk about nothing," Self said. "Our fans should not be pulling for Roy this weekend, but they should be proud and happy he was at the helm for 15 years because he did a remarkable job."
The Jayhawk are rightfully more worried about Carolina's players than its coach. The Tar Heels are the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament. Tyler Hansbrough, a national player of the year candidate, scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Heels' Elite Eight game. Tywon Lawson is one of the best point guards in the country. He runs an offense that averages 89.2 points a game. Danny Green and Wayne Ellington are two of Carolina's other top players.
kind of stopped the North na game, because I got the nervous," Robinson just being a fan, knowing Louisville was playing really well, I was like, 'Whoa I don't want to watch this' It's going to be a challenge." It should also be fun. The final score's not going to be in the 50s like the
Davidson game. Kings will probably run, and the Tar Heels almost certainly will.
"I've watched a lot of their games," Case said, "and they can score like no one. They're the best right now. It's going to be a fast-paced game. It's going to go down to whoever gets the stops."
Edited by Sasha Roe
And the players are the ones who will decide that. Not the coaches.
"Roy or myself," Self said, "we're not going to make one shot or even get any up on Saturday so we need to focus in on their players."
>> COMMENTARY
Defensive focus leads basketball team to Roy
Maybe Bill Self has been walking under ladders or crossing paths with black cats. In spite of the blessings he has brought Kansas basketball, the coach seems cursed.
In Self's first season at Kansas, Georgia Tech halted the Jayhawks' trip to the NCAA tourney in the Elite Eight. For the next two years, Self fielded talented teams that faltered in the tournament's first round, prompting harsh criticism from the Kansas faithful. Last season, Self's Jayhawks suffered injustice at the hands of the NCAA when they drew an Elite Eight matchup against UCLA — in California.
Self may have spent Sunday shedding the stigma of "best coach never to make a Final Four", but his fortunes haven't swayed completely. Bad Luck Bill will be faced with another undeserved hurdle in the days leading up to Kansas' clash with North Carolina: the media and fans' focus on Roy Williams.
Williams left an indefible mark on Jayhawk basketball in his 15 seasons at the helm. His Kansas teams won 80 percent of the time. Williams made four trips to the Final Four and played in the national championship game twice. Ten Williams-coached players took their skills from Allen Fieldhouse to the first round of the NBA Draft.
And then Roy Williams bolted. He headed back to his alma mater and brought a national title to North Carolina within two years of his arrival. It stung Kansas fans when Williams left, and his success merely tossed salt into the wide-open wound.
That recent history makes for a sexy setup come Saturday night: Roy versus Kansas basketball, a man fighting the powerhouse program he helped build.
But there's another story line lurking, and it's more heartwarming. It's not about
Freshman third baseman Tony Thompson looks behind first base for the overthrown ball by the Benedictine College catcher Wednesday. The Jayhawks lost all three games against Texas A&M this weekend. The Jayhawks remain hopeful as they face Wichita State tonight at Houlford Ballpark.
revenge and it's not about hatred. It's about toughness and heart. It's the story of Self.
During his first four seasons at Kansas, a lineup's worth of discontented Jayhawks transferred to other schools. David Padgett left and blossomed into a star at Louisville. J.R. Giddens transferred to New Mexico and transformed from shooter to standout, winning the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Award in 2008. Nick Bahe and Alex Galino departed for starting positions at Creighton and Florida International, respectively. C.J. Giles took his lanky frame and (still) untapped potential to Oregon State, and Micah Downs headed west for Gonzaga.
Despite the heavy roster turnover, Self has reeled in victories at a school-record pace (81 percent) and reached the Elite Eight three times. He convinced McDonald's All-Americans such as Sherron Collins, Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers to become Jayhawks. More importantly, he coaxed junior guard Brandon Rush out of his offensive shell and persuaded a team full of stars to buy into an unselfish, defense-first style of play that has held opponents to 38 percent field goal shooting.
Don't like the Self story line? Try these on for size: Russell Robinson's transformation from a discontented freshman to senior leader and shutdown defender. Darnell Jackson's struggle through numerous personal tragedies, and the inspiring conviction he brings to the basketball court. The long, hard road Rodrick Stewart has taken from USC to riding the Kansas bench to becoming a contributor on a Final Four team.
Edited by Katherine Loeck
Weston White/KANSAN
It was Self's deft defensive maneuvering that helped Kansas hold Davidson star Stephen Curry to 4-for-13 shooting in Sunday's second half. Self instructed his team to step out of its man-to-man defense and into a box-and-one zone.
Sure, the "revenge against Roy" story line is compelling, and Kansas fans can't be blamed for harboring a bit of animosity. But it only takes one look at the Jayhawk roster and everything Bill Self has accomplished to see that there are plenty of other stories surrounding this Kansas team.
BASEBALL
Jayhawks need a boost after Texas's sweep Kansas takes on Wichita State in hopes of getting back on track
BY SHAWN SHROYER shroyer@kansan.com
Fresh off from being swept at home in three games for the first time since 2005, Kansas finds itself just as desperate for a boost in confidence as it is for a victory.
However, the Jayhawks' opponent tonight has offered little assistance in either category lately. No. 12 Wichita State (20-3) comes to town for tonight's 7 p.m. grudge match, bringing a 17-game winning streak with it. The Shockers have also won three straight against the Jayhawks by a combined score of 24-4.
Under coach Ritch Price, Kansas (18-12) has its work cut out for it to get back on the winning track, and inch closer to .500 against Wichita State.
"We were dead .500 with them until last year, then they beat us twice last year", Price, who is 5-7 all-time against Wichita State, said. "Usually they walk in here and pitch one of their best guys because of the difference in the leagues that we play in."
"It's a great rivalry and it's one of those
games where we've got to find a way to win."
Price is alluding to the fact that the Shockers haven't exactly been playing a tiptop competition. Wichita State has beaten North Dakota State (6-11), Binghamton (7-15), Illinois State (9-13), Harvard (1-16) and
also has 12 strikeouts to five walks and has surrendered two home runs.
Even if the Jayhawks can knock Kelley around, they'll have to find a way to contain a Shocker offense that's averaging nearly eight runs a game. As of Monday, Kansas hadn't announced who its starter would be. Price previously planned on senior right-hander Andres Esquibel pitching tonight, but Esquibel pitched six innings of relief during the weekend, so he may no longer be an option.
"Any game against Wichita State is going to be heated and if you can't get up for that game, then I don't know what you can get up for."
ERIK MORRISON
Shortstop
Le Moyne (9-14) for 13 of its 17 consecutive victories.
Based off Wichita statistics, the Jayhawks won't see any of the Shockers aces to start tonight's game. Wichita State's probable pitcher tonight is right-hander Tim Kelley (2-1). Kelley has started all four games he's appeared this year in and, in 17 innings pitched, has a 5.29 ERA. He
Seven of Wichita State's eight players with at least 60 at-bats this season are batting over .300 with on-base percentages over .400. Third baseman Conor Gillaspie leads the Shockers with a .435 average and .485 on-base percentage while shortstop Dusty Coleman leads the team with five home runs and 32 RBI.
Kansas' offense wasn't the problem
during its weekend loss at the hands of Texas A&M. The Jayhawks scored 20 runs in the series and have scored at least six runs their last seven games.
However, Kansas also needs senior shortstop Erik Morrison to step up on offense. Morrison entered Sunday in a 3-for-26 slump, but he may have snapped out of it in the series finale. Against the Aggies Sunday, Morrison went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI.
Senior left fielder John Allman continues to be Mr. Consistency for the Jayhawks, upping his average to .384 with a 5-for-9 weekend, including four RBI and three runs. Senior right fielder Ryne Price leads Kansas with six home runs and 35 RBI.
Despite the disappointing weekend, Morrison doesn't expect his teammates to experience any leddon tonight in a midweek game of this magnitude.
"Any game against Wichita State is going to be heated and if you can't get up for that game, then I don't know what you can get up for," Morrison said.
1
Edited by Mandy Earles
A
1