THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
▼ 'HORN BORN, 'HAWK BRED
PAGE 1B
Looking forward to Texas
Absolutely no one thought Kansas would be tied for first place in the Big 12 Conference after back-to-back losses to Kansas State and Missouri.
So can you blame KU fans for looking past Baylor to the potential conference title game at Texas on Saturday? It's OK to start thinking about the Longhorns, as long as the players don't.
This is the opportunity Kansas has been waiting for to make a statement. Besides defeating Oklahoma at home, which Colorado and Nebraska have done, Kansas doesn't have anything close to an impressive victory. Defeating Texas would give Kansas a boost in the NCAA tournament committee's eyes.
With that said, KU fans have plenty of reasons to be confident. Oklahoma State exposed Texas' key weaknesses on Sunday with its 80-61 victory.
TRAVIS ROBINETT
trobinett@kansan.com
The best way to defeat the Longhorns is to get to their bench. In Sunday's game, only one Texas player who didn't start played more than 3 minutes, even though three starters finished with four fouls.
For the season, Texas has only two bench players who average more than 10 minutes. Compare
that to Kansas' bench, which has four. Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said earlier in the season that Texas had the best starting lineup in the Big 12, but Kansas had the best lineup one through nine.
The layhawks need to get the Longhorns into early foul trouble, or just wear them out with fresh bodies. This is especially true for forwards Brad Buckman and LaMarcus Aldridge. They are the main advantage Texas has over Kansas. Both will have their hands full with freshman Julian Wright and sophomores Sasha Kaun, C.J. Giles and Darnell Jackson. I'll take four-on-two in any game.
If Wright draws Aldridge to the perimeter and uses his superior ball handling skills to drive past him to the basket. Aldridge may get frustrated and accumulate fouls and bench time.
SEE ROBINETT ON PAGE 2B
SOFTBALI
Jared Gab/KANSAN
Jessica Moppin, senior infielder (left), and Destiny Frankenstein, senior infielder, lead the KU softball team as captains with determination for success. The pair became兄 pals as children.
Pair aims to lead team by example
BY JONATHAN ANDERSON
janderson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Whether it was being childhood pen pals or patrolling the middle infield for the Kansas softball team, it is clear that Destiny Frankenstein and Jessica Moppin are good friends and even better team leaders.
Olathe senior Jessica Moppin and Broken Arrow, Okla., senior Destiny Frankenstein became friends at the age of 10 by playing in softball tournaments. While competing, they developed a respect for each other on the field and a strong relationship as friends off the field.
Although the pen pal letters slowed in frequency as they grew older, the two friends kept up with each other through meetings in softball tournaments.
Carrying a routine consuming their entire day is what the two captains said they wanted their younger teammates to be able to cope with. They agreed that being busy at all hours of the day improved self-discipline and showed the team that they were ready to handle what was thrown at them.
It wasn't until their senior year in high school that the two found out they had both signed to play softball for Kansas. With the excitement of being Division I softball players, the two quickly learned it wasn't all of the glory and glamour they thought it might be.
Frankenstein and Moppin both infielders, agreed that the rigorous schedule forced them to mature.
"What many people fail to understand is that you have to really love to play softball if you are going to make this kind of commitment," Frankenstein said. "We hope that our team-mates see our determination to
be successful and our love for the game."
Along with having the desire to play the game, both Moppin and Frankenstein try to remind the girls of how tough it is to be female athletes at this level.
They wanted to reiterate how important it was to be conscious of the hard work and dedication it took to get to the level they are at and how important it was to reflect on the opportunity they have been given.
"We were told as young
girls that a scholarship to play Division I college athletics is almost unattainable," Frankenstein said. "With that in mind, we make it a personal goal of ours to play hard every day and appreciate our opportunity."
Frankenstein and Moppin led the team by example as much as by instruction. Last season, they were the team leaders in both home runs and RBI. Moppin is the Jayhawks all-time home run leader, and
SEE EXAMPLE ON PAGE 2B
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks to fight for tournament play
NCAA spot hinges on final games
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
mphillips@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
With three games remaining in the season, the women's basketball team will be fighting to preserve its postseason chances — but so will all three teams the Jayhawks will face.
Kansas is sitting on a 15-9 record, but is only 4-9 in Big 12 play.
Because the team's conference record is below .500, the Jayhawks will not be considered for the NCAA tournament unless they can win the Big 12 postseason tournament, held in Dallas at the end of the season.
However, the Jayhawks will finish the season with an overall record above .500 which is the criteria to make the Women's National Invitational Tournament.
The criteria for being selected into the WNIT is difficult to quantify. Last season, the tournament selected Nebraska and Texas A&M. Nebraska was the best Big 12 team not selected for the NCAA tournament, but Texas A&M was a curious selection.
Unlike other postseason tournaments, the NCAA is not in charge of the WNIT. It is run by a company called Triple Crown Sports, based in Fort Collins, Colo.
The Aggies finished the season just 16-15, with a 4-12 conference record. There were teams with better records, but in the end, the Aggies were allowed to host the first two rounds of the tournament.
Tuesday night, the Jayhawks will travel to Lubbock,
Moslev returns to team following suspension
Junior guard Shaquina Mosley was reinstated to the women's basketball team on Monday, six days after she was suspended at the coach's discretion.
Mosley, nicknamed "Shaq," missed a home game against Nebraska and a road game at Iowa State. Kansas lost the Nebraska game 65-67 but won the Iowa State game 57-56 in overtime.
Before the suspension, Mosley had been averaging 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game.
She will find it harder to get time on the court now that junior guard Sharita
Texas to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech is the only team in the Big 12 to average more than 10,000 fans per game, but has had a down year compared to its recent successes.
At 12-12 overall, the Red Raiders will need to beat Kansas on their home court to stay in the NCAA hunt.
Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson declined to go into the specifics of the suspension after the Iowa State game on Saturday, and said she would meet with Mosley to discuss possible reinstatement.
From there, Kansas will host Missouri Saturday afternoon in the Border Showdown. Missouri is currently tied for
Mosley resumed practice with the team on Monday and will travel to Lubbock, Texas, for Wednesday night's game against Texas Tech.
Smith has emerged as a star defensive player for the Jayhawks. When Smith is on the court, senior guard Erica Hallman has been running the offense.
Michael Phillips
The Wildcats are currently tied for fifth in the conference, and it is possible that the game in Lawrence will decide the team's post season fate.
Missouri could likely survive a road loss to Kansas and still have strong chances to make the tournament.
The teams met earlier this season in Columbia, and Missouri walked away with a 64-57 victory in a game that was closer than the score indicated.
second in the Big 12 with a 19-6 record, including 9-4 in conference play.
Senior night for the Jayhawks will be Saturday, March 3, a home game against Kansas State. The Wildcats were expected to have a rebuilding year, but have used a 10-1 non-conference record to help propel them into the upper portion of the standings.
The Wildcats are currently tied for fifth in the conference, and it is very possible that the game in Lawrence will decide the team's postseason fate.
Coming down the
stretch, the last thing the Jayhawks want is to face three teams hanging onto their postseason chances, but that is exactly what has happened.
If the Jayhawks fight their way into the WNIT, they will likely do it by playing the role of spoiler to one or more of these teams.
— Edited by Gabriella Souza