SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BAYLOR, KANSAS STATE BASEBALL FINISHES TOP BIG12 WOMEN RANKS STRONG IN TOURNEY
PAGE 3B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008 PAGE 1B
PAGE 8B
Fieldhouse Finale
Time well spent in the Phog
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
David Padgett left for Louisville and an opportunity to play on the wing. Omar Wilkes transferred to Cal to play closer to home. J.R. Giddens' questionable off-court decisions paved the way for his exodus to New Mexico.
One by one they moved on.
Jeremy Case, the other member of that recruiting class, lasted through all of it and a redshirt year in the 2004-2005 season. It wasn't easy. Case would be lying if he told you thoughts of quitting and leaving Kansas never entered his mind.
"The guys in my class." Case said, "they made me think about it a lot."
Case may not have ever gained a consistent role in his career, but his perseverance paid off in Kansas' 109-51 victory against Texas Tech on Monday. In his last home game, Case, a fifth-year senior, made three three-pointers in a stretch of two minutes and helped turn Kansas' routine romp against the Red Raiders into a record display of senior power.
Case, Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun, Rodrick Stewart and Darnell Jackson went out with a bang, and led the Jayhawks to their largest margin of victory in a conference game ever. The seniors combined for 50 points.
"I got goosebumps," Case said. "I can't even describe it."
Case came to Kansas in 2003 as a member of Roy Williams' final recruiting class. Fans heard how he made 45 percent of his treys in
Somehow, it didn't quite work out for Case. He drew iron or sometimes even nothing at all when he checked into the game for short playing bursts his first season.
That act has continued throughout Case's career. He's never made more than 14 three-pointers in a season, while getting fewer minutes than any scholarship player.
Senior forward Damell Jackson celebrates with freshman center Cole Aldrich after Ardich thrills down a dunk in the first half. Jackson scored 10 points and rabbed nine balls in his final game at Allen Fieldhouse.
Case could've gone to a smaller school and found more playing time, but that's just not the type of person he is. He learned he could help the team through practice and during his limited minutes, so he began to embrace the role. Case didn't want to leave like Padgett, Wilkes and Giddens did.
"Every team is going to have players that don't play as much as they want to play." Kansas coach Bill Self said, "but what gives you a chance to be a great team is if those guys are great teammates. If those guys are great teammates, they get the big picture, and Jeremy certainly gets the big picture."
Case said he couldn't have scripted a better ending to his career at Allen Fieldhouse. His special day began early this morning. Rita Newton, Case's mom, made her son pancakes, eggs and bacon for breakfast — the same meal she makes when he's back home. The day went by slowly for Case until this afternoon. That's when he started getting nervous for his final game.
Case's butterflies showed early. He missed his two three-point attempts and said he felt exhausted after playing the first few
Jon Goering/KANSAN
SEE CASE ON PAGE 5B
》 SENIOR NIGHT
Quintet graduates from the fieldhouse
BY RUSTIN DODD dodd@kansan.com
Russell Robinson couldn't help it. The emotions were too much. Minutes before Monday's game, Kansas' resident New Yorker listened as his teammates were introduced. Senior by senior, their names were called out. As Robinson watched, the tears started to flow.
"I almost started crying because Russ started crying," senior forward Darnell Jackson said. "I was like, 'Come on Rus, you can't be doing this.' I just told him, 'let it out.'"
Nearly five months after Kansas' five seniors walked into Allen Fieldhouse for Late Night in the Phog decked in tuxedos and white basketball shoes, the quintet exited Allen Fieldhouse the exact same way they came in — together and in style.
In a night dedicated to Kansas' elder statesmen, Kansas' senior quintet put on a show. Every shot seemed like it was destined to find the bottom of the net — and most of them did.
The seniors shot a blistering 17-of-24 from the field and combined for 50
》 TRACK & FIELD
Hawks fly high in Nebraska Five team members bring home champion titles,with two three-peats
SEE SENIORS ON PAGE 5B
Dear Kathryn Karpke
Sophomore high jumper K塞尔 Erb clears the bar during a jump at the Kansas Invitational Jan. 19. The Jawkeys left the Big 12 Conference Championships this weekend with Javin Rim. 12 titles
BY DANNY NORDSTROM
dnordstrom@kansan.com
Sophomore pole-vaulter Jordan Scott and senior weight thrower Egor Agafonov managed to accomplish the unheard of with a third consecutive victory last weekend at the Big 12 Conference Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
"It ites like it did the last two times," Scott said of his third title with a laugh. "It ites great, the feeling of helping the team out so much weighs more than the individual accomplishment."
In addition to Scott and Agafonov's domination, three other Jayhawks brought home Big 12 titles. Senior pole-vaulter Kate Sultanova won her second indoor title in a row, while senior long jumper Crystal Manning won her second Big 12 title and junior spinner Nickhesa Anderson claimed her first title in the 60-meter dash.
Overall, the men finished in 10th while the women finished in third. The women's third place finish is the best in school history and was only two points behind second place Nebraska.
"They competed well and were on a mission," coach Stanley Redwine said of the women. "Some didn't do as well as expected, but then some did better then expected. They really stepped it up and that is a total team effort."
The Jayhawks' pole-vault performances marked the second year in a row they have swept both events.
Defending champions Sultanova and Scott faced added pressure defending their titles.
"The crowd was really into it, which was awesome," he said. "They helped me out, clapping me down the runway. I also knew everyone who
"I like competing under pressure," Scott said. "It gets my adrenaline going more. It's a lot more fun."
Scott said the crowd and other pole-vaulters aided his performance.
"It wasn't a good day for me, but it's good to win," she said. "I was out of energy and I jumped on the third attempt so I was a little bit nervous about it."
performance.
While Scott felt good about his performance, Sultanova wasn't entirely satisfied. Fatigue and a lack of energy hurt her performance.
Despite Manning's disappointment, the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Champion still accomplished her primary goal for the meet.
"The crowd was really into it which was awesome. They helped me out, clapping me down the runway. I also knew everyone who I was jumping with."
Though Manning captured a Big 12 title, she was still dissatisfied with her long jump
"I didn't jump as far as I wanted to," she said. "I wasn't really satisfied. I wasn't very happy."
"I just wanted to give my team 20 points," she said. "That was the promise I made and my goal for myself."
I was jumping with. We're all friends, so it was a good atmosphere."
Anderson was more satisfied with her performance. She ran a career best 7
summited with her ran a career best 7.22 seconds in the 60-meter dash and in the process became the first woman in school history to win a Big 12 title in the event.
In the men's weight throw, pressure didn't faze Agafonov. He dominated the men's weight throw with a 22.67-meter toss and then collected
"I had a good start, and I knew I could win it," she said.
This weekend, many Jayhawks will travel to Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State Invitational. The Invitational will give athletes who haven't qualified for the National Indoor Championships one last chance to get to Fayetteville, Ark. on March 14-15.
"I just try to concentrate on the particular competition at hand," he said. "What happened in the past doesn't matter."
his third consecutive Big 12 title.
results
Females
Team Points
1. Texas A&M 119.2
2. Nebraska 95
3. Kansas 93
4. Texas 79
5. Texas Tech 70.5
6. Baylor 68.2
7. Oklahoma 59
8. Missouri 55
9. Kansas State 54
10. Iowa State 30
11. Oklahoma State 13
12. Colorado 5
Big 12 Indoor Championship Team Results
Edited by Nick Mangiaracina
Males
Team Points
1. Texas 106
2. Nebraska 104
3. Texas Tech 93
4. Texas A&M 76
5. Missouri 67
6. Oklahoma 65.5
7. Colorado 54
8. Kansas State 46
9. Baylor 38
10. Kansas 37.5
11. Iowa State 32
12. Oklahoma State 22
>> COMMENTARY
By the time Kansas wraps up its regular season Saturday at Texas A&M, the team will have traveled 11.002 miles.
Sure, a trip every once in a while can be fun, but the Jayhawks' adventures outside of Lawrence haven't been all fun and games. The road has been tough on Kansas and the rest of its Big 12 Conference brethren.
Only two Big 12 teams, Kansas and Texas, have won more than half of their in-conference road contests, Iowa State and Colorado have yet to notch a Big 12 road victory. As a whole, visitors have won just 31 percent of the time in conference play.
Compare that figure to the road winning percentage in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a league revered for its feisty fans and unforgiving venues. In the ACC, teams win 40 percent of the time on the road.
What about the deepest conference in America, the Pac-103 Forty-five percent.
Big East travelers have triumphed in 36 percent of their games and Big Ten road teams skate by 38 percent of the time. The SEC (33 percent) comes closest to the Big 12 in terms of road woes, but Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia drag its figure down with their combined 0-21 road record.
So what's to blame for all the losing Big 12 teams are doing away from home?
Last week, Kansas coach Bill Self turned to biology in an attempt to explain the difficulty of adjusting to new and foreign surroundings.
"There's been books actually written on all different types of species — how they act in their own environment and when you take them out of their environment," Self said. "Whether it be ants, whether it be lions, whether it be birds, whether it be basketball players, whether it be whatever
"It's amazing — you take a group of fire ants and move them into a totally different environment, and you put four sticks around the environment, all of them are scared to cross the stick. In their own envi-
onment, you put the four sticks there, and they go wherever they want to go."
But Kansas State and its raucous fans put an end to all that is true. 20, 15
All references to the movement patterns of ants aside, the animal kingdom example makes perfect sense. Think back to late January. Kansas was rolling unmercifully through its schedule, trouncing Nebraska by 35 points and Iowa State by 24.
put an end to all that on Jan. 30. Kansas entered Bramlage Coliseum a perfect 20-0 and the talk of the nation. When the Jayhawks took the court under a steady downpour of unprintable verbal barbs, they looked like visitors often do — impatient, out-of-sorts and intimidated.
The Jayhawks' road-initiated funk lasted through February, but the start of March brought things full-circle. The same Kansas State Wildcats who impressively dispatched the Jayhawks at Bramlage visited Allen Fieldhouse last weekend and the tables turned in a big way. The Kansas student section offered Kansas State an ear-shattering reminder of how difficult leaving home in the Big 12 can be, as the Jayhawks rode the electric atmosphere to a 14-point victory.
Since the disaster in Manhattan, the Jayhawks have split their four road games, falling to Texas and Oklahoma State in one-possession games and defeating Colorado and Iowa State by thinner-than-expected margins.
What's puzzling is that even arenas without the tradition or reputation of Allen Fieldhouse have been tough on visitors. Nebraska is better than .500 on the not-so-hallowed court of the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Texas Tech draws bigger crowds to United Spirit Arena for women's games than for men, but the Red Raiders are 6-1 against conference foes at home.
"Who knows why people are just more comfortable at home? Crowd, energy. I have no idea." Self said. "I don't think it's just college basketball, I think its life in general. The best teams figure that out and find a way to get it done away from home."
At 4-3 in road conference games ane 7-3 away from Lawrence overall, it seems Kansas might be one of the few teams in the Big 12 that knows how to compete on the road. Problem is, if Kansas falls once the NCAA tournament rolls around, there won't be another home game to fall back on.
Edited by Mandy Earles
14
4. 1
---