NCAA FINAL FOUR
50
1939 KANSAS CITY 1988
The National Championship
INSIDE
Tuesday April 5, 1988
Full coverage from Kemper to campus
TODAY
See pages 10,11 and 12
All classes canceled
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1 p.m. pep rally in Allen Field House
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
Vol. 98, No. 127 (USPS 650-640)
Champs!
Kansas players Milt Newton, Danny Manning, Marvin Maddox, Chris Piper and Archie Marshall hold the NCAA National Basketball Championship trophy. Kansas upset Oklahoma last night in Kemper Arena.
Manning leads Kansas to title
By Elaine Sung
Kansan sportswriter
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In 1980, when the U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviets at Lake Placid, N.Y., in the Winter Olympics, sports commentator Al Michaels uttered his now-famous question, "Do you believe in miracles?"
The Jayhawks did. They defied all logic, beat the odds and conquered the previously unstoppable Oklahoma Sooners last night 83-79 in Kemper Arena and took the 1988 NCAA national championship, the first national title for Kansas and the Big Eight Conference since 1952.
But the situation did not look好oog, for the Jayhawks when they fell behind by five points with more than 13 minutes left in the game. The Jayhawks looked grim as they huddled during the third quarter and did some preliminary dancing, thinking the championship was all theirs.
The Sooners, though, overlooked two things: substitution and experience. Oklahoma coach Billy Tubs substituted only 12 times the entire game compared to Kansas' 42. In addition, forward Dave Sieger, who
ut six of eight three-point shots in the first half, faltered at the three-point line and eventually gave up long-range shooting and passed it inside to center Stacey King.
"We know what they do in the game," said Kansas forward Milt Newton. "With other teams, they're in shock with the press. But we're accustomed to that. We didn't think we could get beat a third time. This third time was for the national championship."
The Sooners also thought that their full-court press would carry them through. It had intimidated other teams but not the Jayhawks, who had seen it twice before and were no longer afraid of it.
The Sooners tried to speed up the tempo as they had done in the first half, but several times the Jayhawks deliberately held the ball at the top of the circle to rest and throw Oklahoma off its game.
Okahama called a time-out with 1:39 remaining. The score was 77-73, and Grace just had completed two free throws. After the time-out, guard Ternere Mullins fouled Kan-
See CHAMPS, p. 10, col. 1
Joe Wilkins III/KANSAN
Kansas coach Larry Brown celebrates following the defeat of Oklahoma