8B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008
KU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Bonnie Henrickson has her team believing it can prolong its run in the WNIT. Kansas is completely focused on advancing, but its road woes have been of epic proportions and don't seem likely to end now. The Jayhawks need a huge game from Boogaard to combat the Spartans 6-foot-9 center Allyssa DeHaan, and foul trouble in the post might ruin their chances of an upset.
QUESTION MARK
Can Kansas make outside shots to keep Michigan State from packing the lane?
Kansas was nine of 13 from three-point range against Evansville. That allowed Henrickson's team to use shot fakes to penetrate rather than settle for difficult shots outside the paint. If McCray, Morris, Kohn and freshman forward Nicollette Smith can draw the Spartans out on the perimeter, the Jayhawks are much more likely to find easy points in the form of putbacks and layups in the lane.
KANSAS ENTERS WNIT THIRD ROUND AFTER EASILY DEFEATING EVANSVILLE
KANSAS VS. MICHIGAN STATE 6 p.m., Thursday, East Lansing
Kansas (17-15,4-12)
Krysten Boogaard 6-foot-5 freshman center 9.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg
Boogaard wasn't especially confident on the offensive end of the floor Monday night against Evansville despite scoring 10 points. Her form on
Boogaard
the defensive glass was much more impressive as she ripped down nine defensive rebounds. Kansas will need
another inspired rebounding performance to win tonight.
Sade Morris 5-foot-11 sophomore guard 9.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Morris started the season strong, but her offensive
production has declined.
On Monday she found her touch again and provided a second option on the perimeter to open lanes
Morris
Michigan State (20-13,10-8)
for sophomore guard/forward Danielle McCray and sophomore guard Kelly Kohn. The Jayhawks will need more of
the same against Michigan State's Spartans to continue their WNIT run.
Danielle McCray 5-foot-11 sophomore guard/forward 14.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg
McCray is at her best when players like Boogaard and Morris keep the defense from
Alllyssa DeHaan, 6-foot-9 sophomore center 14.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg
If you asked
If you asked a coach to describe the perfect center, they'd probably come up with a description eerily similar to
DeHaan
Kalisha Keane, 6-foot-1 freshman forward 12.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Keane is another force on the block offensively but gets after opposing players differently than DeHaan on the defensive end. She
ranks second on the team with 57 steals, a unique attribute for a player of her size. Like De-Haan, Keane is a tremendous free throw
shooter, hitting more than 84 percent. The duo is excellent at making other teams pay for interior fouls.
Keane
Brittney Thomas, 5-foot-10 freshman guard 7.5 ppg, 3.6 apg
Against Bowling Green in the second round, Thomas was dishing out dimes like a broken gumball machine. She finished with eight assists and matched that with eight
rebounds, Thomas joins Keane and DeHaas as the only Spartans to start every game and she leads the team in minutes, averaging 34.5
averaging 34.5
per game. Thomas doesn't take a lot of shots but when she does she's lethal, hitting 49 percent from the field.
Thomas
MSU TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
If Kansas is motivated by its late season collapse that kept them out of the NCAA tournament, then Michigan State is pushed by the fact that it could, and maybe should, have made the tourney field. The Spartans beat Big 12 champion Kansas State, played tournament teams like Oklahoma, Hartford and Louisiana and finished 11-9 in a difficult Big 10. Much like Kansas, Michigan State views this as a second chance and an opportunity to prove something, only it gets to do that on its home court. The Spartans are 10-4 at home this season and have won five straight including their WNIT second round victory over Bowling Green.
QUESTION MARK
Will Michigan State handle sophomore guard forward Danielle McCray's physical play?
The Spartans' guards are used to covering players like sophomore guards LaChelda Jacobs and Sade Morris, who rely mostly on speed. However, McCray possesses a very rare combination of speed and brute force, which is the reason she leads Kansas in points and rebounds, despite standing just 5-foot-11. Michigan State may be able to let McCray run wild and still come out victorious. On the other hand, it'd be a good idea for the Spartans to try and shut her down and force the rest of the team to step up.
》MLS
Beckham plays landmark game
SAINT-DENIS, France — David Beckham got a yellow card in his 100th international game for England and was taken off in the 62nd minute of his team's 1-0 loss at France.
ROBERT MILLWARD
Despite speculation the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder would be on the bench, England coach Fabio Capello placed him in the starting lineup for Wednesday's exhibition match at the Stade de France.
"I was happy to start the game.
FR22 WITH SU2 PREPRKRW STUDENT CARD · $2 WITH KU iV · $3 FOR PUBLIC TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED IN THE HAWK SHOP LEVEL 4 THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW
but it was more about getting on the pitch, getting that 100th cap," Beckham said.
He was shown a yellow card in the 38th minute for pulling Frank Ribery's shirt and hauling him down as the Frenchman tried to run past him.
SWEENEY TODD
MAR 27-29 RATED R
www.suaevents.com
ALL SHOWS AT 8PM WOODRUFF AUDITORIUM KANSAS UNION LEVEL 5