B / SPORTS / MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Good is much bigger than four games. Good is measured a little differently, but we are transitioning and we are making progress."
-Kansas coach Todd Haley after Sunday's loss to Indianapolis.
FACT OF THE DAY
The Chiefs have allowed no points off turnovers so far this season.
— ESPN
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: When was the last time no team started the season 4-0?
A:1970
ESPN
Trust your instinct,not rankings
MORNING BREW
For how many people pay attention to them, rankings are garbage. Perfect example came this past weekend: No.1 Alabama,a team returning 11 starters on both sides of the ball for the defending BCS champs, drops their first game of the season to No.19 South Carolina Truth be told, the Crimson Tide lost 35-21, with their only lead coming in the first quarter.
Alabama, coming into this season with defending Heisman Trophy Mark Ingram, simply was dominated on both sides of the ball against the Steve Spurrier-led Gamecocks. Nick Saban, who came into the game to best by most ESPN pundits as the coach of the best in the nation, got worked Which leads me to one logical conclusion: Rankings mean absolutely nothing
Kansas fans are well aware of such facts. While they weren't ranked, the heavy favorite Jayhawks lost to a FCS school, only to beat a nationally-ranked Georgia Tech squad the next week. And basketball fans respect the fact that other teams gun for KU and their perennial rankings in major college basketball polls.
What other people fail to realize is the
BY CHRISTIAN LUCERO
clucero@kansan.com
human factor in such polls. The players alone are enough reason to discourage trust; each and every game is affected by the inches of the plays missed and made by teenagers and young men alike. Not only that, but the sportswriters, experts and others decide the list produced every Monday that decides who is number one. Isn't that enough human involvement to persuade people not to place trust in rankings?
Same goes for the professionals. One bad game for a player, coach or referee could spell the difference between covering a spread and being out $100 on a bet. And placing all your eggs in a fantasy football expert's basket could leave you begging for answers at the end of
the week.
What am I saying, exactly? Put trust in the gut. If you think that 2-4 team will bounce back against a nationally-ranked SEC opponent, make that bet. If you think your fantasy team would be better served with your backup QB with a favorable matchup in the lineup, do it. Don't put so much stock in the experts; they do get paid, but I really don't know why.
- Edited by Anna Nordling
ROWING
KU dominates Oklahoma race
BY LAUREN NEWMAN
lnewman@kansan.com
The women's rowing team traveled to Oklahoma last week end to compete in the two-day Head of Oklahoma competition in Oklahoma City. It competed against several Oklahoma teams, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, Washington, Texas, Oklahoma and Iowa.
On Saturday, the women participated in the collegiate eight, four and further singles and pairs races. In the collegiate four, the KU team took second, completing the 500-meter race in 1 minute 52.3 seconds. It was only
0. 6 seconds behind the University of Tulsa team, which won the race. In the sprint races, duo Meaghan Oven and Nicole Schneider
"It's not an event we usually do." Oven said. "It was fun to sprint in a smaller boat, which is something that I've never done before. It was great to get that experience and get a win on top of it."
with her win with Schneider because it was a completely new race to her.
On Sunday in the women's collegiate single competition, seniors Stephens, Oven and Sparks all placed within the top 10, finishing eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.
In the women's open four, the Jayhawk entries finished fifth, sixth, and seventh. The top KU
"We got some more racing experience so we're pleased with the whole weekend."
won the women's open 2x 500-
meter final, with a time of 1:46.9.
Right behind them were Cassie
Sparks and Paige Stephens, who
took third with a time of 1:55.1.
Katy Evans and Rachelle Pauly
rounded out the top spots, coming
in fourth with a time of
1:58.8.
Oven was in complete shock
ROB CATLOTH Coach
time, 16:30.8,
was posted by the boat
containing Rachelle Pauly,
Angela Mings,
Katie Bremer,
Kathryn
Schoonover,
and Elise
Langtry. In
the open quad,
Oven, Schneider, Stephens, and Sparks finished second with a time of 15:46.8.
Coach Rob Catloth said he saw many positives over the weekend, and felt that the team accomplished its intentions for the weekend.
"We got some more racing experience so we're pleased with the whole weekend," Catloth
said. "We feel like we learned a lot and have some good things to work on when we get home."
Edited by Roshni Oommen
Half-court Q&A
Men's basketball coach Bill Self and the Kansas basketball team answer fans' questions at question-and-answer session Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse. Self told the fans that speed will be a big part of the 2010 team, and that this team will be faster than the past years.
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Intrasquad meet boosts morale
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
The Kansas Swimming and Diving team concluded the preseason with its annual Intrasquad Meet Friday in Robinson Natatorium. The team was split into 2 squads: team Crimson and team Blue, The Crimson team won the meet 146-141. The meet gave the coaches an extra look at the team while letting the ath-
good news, said Vernon.
Potter captured a win for the Blue squad in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:03.46. She received help from former standout swimmer and current volunteer coach Danielle Herrmann, who won three events for the Blue team — the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke. Herrmann's victories came as no surprise, as she currently holds Kansas records in all three events.
good meet," said Potter.
"Looking from this year to last year, I think were further ahead then we were last year. It was a
edition.
Potter
Potter's Crimson team foe and fellow captain Joy Bunting captured a second place finish in the 200-yard individual medley and a win in the 200-yard medley relay. Bunting felt the scrimmage was a much needed recess from their everyday practices.
Bunting led the Crimson squad with teammate Iulia Kuzhil, who teamed up with Bunting to win the 200-yard medley relay, won the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events as well.
certain practice
"It was fun because Brittany was Blue and I was on Crimson," said Bunting. "It made it a little more intense than usual."
With the pre-season firmly in the rear-view mirror, the team heads to Tucson, Ariz. to compete in the Arizona Quad Duals this weekend. The Arizona Wildcats are a perennial top 10 program, and the lajayhawks are looking forward to the tough competition. Potter feels the trip will be a fun experience.
experience "They are one of the best teams there is, so it will be fun to just go out there and compete with them and do the best we can."
Along with the Wildcats, Kansas will also face UNLV and New Mexico St. when they travel to Arizona on October 15.
Edited by Abby Davenport
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Women's Golf 2010 Prices Give Em Five Invitational NMSU All Day Las Cruces, N.M.
TUESDAY
Women's Golf
2010 Prices Give Em Five
Invitational NMSU
All Day
Las Cruces, N.M.
WEDNESDAY
Volleyball
Baylor
7 p.m.
Waco, Tex.
Women's Golf
2010 Prices Give Em Five
Invitational NMSU
All Day
Las Cruces, N.M.
THURSDAY
NSDAY
Football
Kansas State
6:30 p.m.
Lawrence
FRIDAY
Swimming
Swimming Arizona Quad Duals Arizona, Arizona State New Mexico State, UNLV 2 p.m. Tucson, Ariz.
Soccer
Texas Tech
7 p.m.
Lubbock, Tex
SATURDAY
Swimming
Arizona Quad Duals
Arizona, Arizona State,
New Mexico State, UNLV
2 p.m.
Tucson, Ariz.
Volleyball Oklahoma 6:30 p.m. Lawrence
Cross Country NCAA Pre-Nationals Invitational TBA Terre Haute, Ind.
SUNDAY
Soccer
Baylor
1 p.m.
Lawrence
LPGA
Hull gains her second career tour victory
PRATTTVILLE, Ala. — Australia's Katherine Hull rallied to win the Navistar LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second career LPGA Tour victory, pulling ahead with a birdie on the par-5 17th and finishing with a par for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke victory over Brittany Lincicome.
Hull, the former Pepperdine player who also won the 2008 Canadian Women's Open, finished at 19-under 269 on the links-style Senator layout.
Associated Press