SPORTS
BASEBALL LOSES WEEKEND SERIES
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TENNIS DOWNS OU 4-3, OSU 6-1 PAGE 6B
MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2008 PAGE 1B
FINAL FOUR
ROCK CHALK RIVER WALK
Kansas beats Davidson 59-57, prepares to face former coach Williams; Self avenges critics with first trip to Final Four
Kansas coach Bill Self cuts the last strand off the net in celebration of Kansas' victory over Davidson Sunday evening at Ford Field in Detroit. Self and the Jayhawks head to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, where they will face North Carolina. The trip to the Final Four is the first for Self.
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins got their first true taste of NCAA Tournament glory with one net-cutting ceremony, but they wanted more. Robinson, walking off the court in his Final Four hat and shirt after KU's 59-57 clinching victory against Davidson, told an administration member he wanted the net that was still hanging from the other basket.
"Russell, you should get that whole thing," Collins shouted.
DETROIT - One little piece of net wasn't enough.
Finally, the other net came down.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Finally, the other Robinson took half of it, and Collins took the rest. They wore their prizes around their necks in the locker room.
"Looks real good," Robinson said.
He just sat and smiled. Collins bragged about how he had received 35 congratulatory text messages. No
KU player or coach could hide his excitement, and why not? They'd earned a spot in the Final Four - the first for all the players, who had gone through two first round losses and an Elite Eight disaster last season, and the first for Kansas coach Bill Self after coming so close four other times.
"All that negative talk he had in the past," Darnell Jackson said about Self, "now we made it. Now we have a chance to make something happen."
Self climbed the ladder to the net after all the players and pumped his fists toward the crowd out of joy and out of relief. All the criticism from the first round losses
"Even though we're always going to get good players at Kansas, this was the year this needed to happen for the immediate future."
and the failures in the Elite Eight had worn on him and his family. Players could tell Self had been stressing out since Friday night. He never thought he had to make the Final Four to validate himself as a great coach, but he wanted it badly.
rolling past higher seeds Georgetown and Wisconsin. With 16 seconds left and Kansas clinging to a 59-57 lead, Davidson had the ball and an opportunity to win or tie the game.
Self had one main instruction for his players in the huddle: don't let Stephen Curry take a three-pointer. He'd rather they force Curry, the star of the tournament, to shoot a two or even foul him hard. Curry had the ball in his hands for most of the possession until Collins, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush collapsed on him. He dumped it to Jason Richards, who missed an off-balanced three with Collins in his face.
"We've been so close so many times," Self said. "Even though we're always going to get good players at Kansas, this was the year this needed to happen for the immediate future."
"When he got rid of it," Self said, "I was happy."
Funny how the postgame atmosphere could've been so different. Davidson gave the Jayhawks everything they expected after they watched tape of the Wildcats
BILL SELF Kansas coach
Curry missed nine of 13 shots in the second half after scoring 15 points in the first 20 minutes. He started to struggle when the Jayhawks switched to a box and one and used Rush to defend Curry.
This Saturday's game should provide a bigger challenge and certainly more drama because of the presence of Tar Heels coach Roy Williams.
different. Outside of Sasha Kaun, who played the role of unlikely hero with 13 points on six of six shooting, the Jayhawks never really got into a flow on offense because of Davidson's double teams, pressure and an inability to force turnovers. Jackson said they were trying too hard.
It was good for Kansas that its defense shut down Davidson. Otherwise, the game could've been plenty
"We wanted it so bad," he said. "There were a lot of guys so sped up."
Kansas wanted to win a sloppy one. Before the season started, Robinson said the coaches often talked about the importance of winning when they don't play at a high level. Earlier round games against Portland State, UNLV and Villanova pro-
They didn't in this one, and it should help them in the Final Four against North Carolina.
"To win it all, don't you have to win one like this?" Self said. "oh this."
"Everybody has to go through this."
The hollering and smiling continued until the locker room closed. All the players felt satisfied but acknowledged that there's still plenty more to accomplish.
This Saturday's game should provide a bigger challenge and certainly more drama because of the presence of Tar Heels coach Roy Williams. The Jayhawks
will be ready for it.
After Robinson took down his first clip of the net, Athletics Director Lew Perkins greeted him with a bear hug near the three-point line.
"That's a powerful hug." Robinson told
him.
Perkins has been telling Robinson throughout the tournament that he needs to step up and be the best leader possible. This time, Perkins whispered a reminder to Robinson that he and his teammates are
not done yet.
"Eighty more minutes," Perkins said
—Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
CONTINUED COVERAGE ON 4B
SOFTBALL
Weston White/KANSAN
Junior pitcher Valerie George throws to first after fielding a ground ball. Kansas defeated Texas Tech 1-0 Saturday afternoon at Arrocha Ballpark.
Kansas wins against Texas Tech Seven Jayhawks get a hit in game; weather doesn't affect victory
BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH
kbreckunitch@kansan.com
They call it March Madness for a reason. For the third time this season, the University of Kansas softball team had to deal with cold weather that changed the weekend game schedule.
"We're tired of playing in the cold," coach Tracy Bunge said.
She said that if you talked to baseball coach Rich Price, you would probably get the same response from him about the weather. Bunge said it hurt the attendance, but the team had still been playing well in the poor weather.
The team had no problem getting through the weekend with a sweep of Texas Tech. Junior pitcher Valerie George carried the team in the first game of the doubleheader. George collected her fifth shutout of the season, and junior third baseman Val Chapple drove in the only run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning.
Bunge was happy that George got the shutout, especially on a day when it seemed like she didn't have her best stuff.
"She got herself into trouble in a couple of different innings with runners in scoring position," Burge said. "Yet she pitched really tough in those situations and that's what you like to see."
George scattered three Texas Tech hits over seven innings, including two doubles to Texas Tech senior first baseman
Bunge said the team did just enough to win the ball game. She said that she was not extremely happy with the offensive output
Jennifer Corkin. The Jayhawks gathered five hits and capitalized on a Texas Tech throwing error to earn their one run.
"We're doing the things it takes to win close ball games right now."
Bunge was pleased to see Wilson's continued success on the field.
but that she was glad that the team is coming through in close games.
"We're doing the things it takes to win close ball games right now," Bunge said.
fielder Dougie McCaulley and sophomore second baseman Sara Ramirez also had multiple hits, and seven jayhawks total got a hit in the game.
TRACY BUNGE Coach
The second game was a much more offensive affair. The Jayhawks scored 12 runs on 12 hits and held on for a 12-7 victory. Senior left fielder Betsy Wilson continued her impressive season with a perfect four-for-four day at the plate, including a double, six RBI and her third home run of the season. Junior center
"She's having the best year of her career since she's been at KU this year," Bunge said.
She said she was happy not only to see Wilson perform, but to also see the production that she sparked with the rest of the Jayhawks at the bottom of the line-up.
1
Bunge said the team definitely needed these two games against Texas Tech to gain momentum in the Big 12. The Jayhawks play at Creighton on Wednesday and will not play at home again until April 12 against Texas. Bunge looks forward to another road test in Nebraska. "Right now, the bottom line is the team's just playing with a lot of confidence," Bunge said.
Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird