2B
SPORTS / TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"That's the bottom line from that standpoint. Again, we'll just take it as one game and move on."
— Coach Turner Gill after Saturday's loss
FACT OF THE DAY
Every Big 12 team except Kansas won their football games this weekend.
Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Daymond Patterson's 51-yard run on Saturday was the longest rush for Kansas since what player?
A: Kale Pick's 55 yard run against UTEP.
Kansas Athletics
Don't give up hope, Jayhawks
MORNING BREW
I spent this past weekend in the Illinois Valley for my roommate's sister's wedding and had a blast. Probably too much of a blast. While speaking with the groom, I found out their plans for their honeymoon: a surprise trip to Las Vegas and some time in Hawaii. After immediately (but unsuccessfully) looking for a bride so I could have an excuse to jet to Vegas and any island, I made the rounds on my phone and checked some scores from Saturday.
And there it was: NDSU 6 KU 3.
I guess the honeymoon's over.
I had this image of how this football season would play out: An up-and-coming coach hired in the offseason, who turned around a small-time program and guided an improving Kansas team. He gets his first win as head coach against a Missouri Valley Conference school that went 3-8 last year. The type of statement victory that would get Jayhawk nation past last season's collapse and the tumultuous offseason that followed. It felt like what would be the beginning of a beautiful marriage.
Turner Gill's debut at Memorial Stadium wasn't what I had in mind. But the payoff for hiring Gill can't be expected this year. The transition period for this team will be much longer than the 60 minutes it took
BY CHRISTIAN LUCERO
clucero@kansan.com
for the Jayhawks' first lost of the season. In his first season at Buffalo, Gill's record was 2-10. And while it unrealistic to expect anyone to be happy with that kind of season, Saturday's game provided some parallels to another deplorable Kansas debut
Mark Mangino went 2-10 in his first year at Kansas in 2002, including a 45-3 stinker of a season opener at Iowa State. We all know how that story would play out, but before his accusation-filled departure from the program, Mangino forever changed the expectations surrounding the football program — fueled by led three Bowl game victories.
Kansas knows how to win. That's apparent when you look up at the rafters in Allen Fieldhouse. But that winning culture is synonymous with continuity. It took Mangino five years to start getting serious wins against serious teams. The basketball team, KU's most prolific program, has had eight coaches in 112 years of existence. There's a pattern developing, no?
Turner Gill and Kansas made a commitment to each other this past summer. And while the going might be rough right now, give Gill and the Jayhawks some time. Soon enough we'll remember why they tied the knot in the first place.
Edited by Anna Nordling
United States wins game and proves skill
USA BASKETBALL
!STANBUL — Before it can win a world championship, the United States needed to start looking like a world champion.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kevin Durant, Chaucey Billups and the rest of the Americans finally had that appearance Monday, powering into the quarterfinals with a 121-66 victory over Angola.
"Obviously we want to stay humble, but at the same time we have to know that we can do it," forward Kevin Love said. "We know regardless of what people are saying, that we still are the favorites and we should play and really act like it, too."
They did, opening the knockout round with a quick knockout.
With Billups scoring 16 of his 19 points and Durant all of his 17 in the first half, the Americans saved their most impressive performance in Istanbul for the elimination stage, overwhelming the Angolans from the start after a couple of lackluster performances to close the group stage.
"We don't want to be a team that's going to turn it on and off." Durant said. "I think of course we're playing with a little more
sense of urgency when you know if you lose, you go home. Guys came out and responded from those last two games."
The U.S. forced turnovers that led to easy baskets in transition, and when forced into the halfcourt, shot 18 of 38 from 3-point range, one off the team record for 3s in a world championship game.
"Our guys were sharp," U.S.
Krzyzewski said.
Eric Gordon and Rudy Gay also scored 17 for the Americans, who will face Russia on Thursday night. Gordon was 5 of 6 behind the arc.
pics, starting with a 116-48 romp in the Dream Team's debut in Barcelona in 1992, straight through to a 97-76 victory in Beijing two years ago.
"We can do a little bit better, but we tried our best," Angola coach Luis Magalhaes said.
This quickly became one of those no-contests.
"We don't want to be a team that's going to turn it on and off."
The Americans lacked some focus against Iran and Tunisia in their last two games, knowing victory was certain and not wanting to embarrass opponents or get any of their own plays hurt.
KEVIN DURANT USA guard
Joaquim Gomes, who played at Valparaiso, scored 21 for Angola, which finished fourth in Group A. The Angolans advanced on a tiebreaker by virtue of their overtime victory over Germany, but had lost by 50 to Serbia, and 21 apiece to Argentina and Australia.
They were no match for the Americans, who had won the teams' four meetings in the Olym-
sharper after a couple of days of practice, knowing they would press, substitute frequently, and raise their overall level of play with the games finally becoming important.
But they expected to be
"This is what we all sacrificed our summers for." Billaps said of trying to win the Americans' first world title since 1994. "Right now we're on the right path."
The U.S. won the opening tip for
the first time in Istanbul and scored the first five points. Billups and Durant nailed consecutive 3-pointers to cap a 10-0 spurt and make it 22-7, and the Americans led 33-13 after one.
Billups is playing out of his normal NBA position as a shooting guard, and he made only 4 of 19 3-point attempts in preliminary play. Krzzewski was asked last
week if he would consider a lineup change, and he said he would look at it.
The lineup stayed the same,
but Billups looked much different.
The lead ballooned to 29 late in the sec-
cans were 6 of 9 behind the arc in the period, which ended with them leading 91-56.
The Americans finished with 30 assists on their 41 field goals and committed just five turnovers.
ond quarter. Durant shot 7 of 10 in the half and Billups was 4 of 6, all from behind the arc, and Durant's 3-pointer with 7 seconds left sent the Americans to the half with a 65-33 advantage.
Derrick Rose made two straight 3-pointers and Billups added another to start the U.S. scoring in the third quarter, and the lead grew to 37 late in the period. The Ameri-
"That's what we strive for, that's what we're here for, is to try to win," Gordon said, "and as long as we keep on using our talent and being unselfish, we should be able to
ERIC GORDON
USA guard
win."
Felizardo Ambrosio finished with 12 points and Roberto Fortes Fortes 11 for Angola, which played without leading scorer Olimpio Cipriano because of a leg injury.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
"It was a different challenge tonight," U.S. assistant Nate McMillan said. "Their key guy didn't play tonight, so that took one of their options away, but it was about us. I thought we established ourselves early defensively as far as we wanted to play."
Volleyball
vs. Middle Tennessee State
6:30 PM
TODAY
FRIDAY
Volleyball vs. Winthrop 12:00 PM
Volleyball Northern Iowa 7:00 PM
Soccer
at Cal State Northridge
6:30 PM
Las Vegas, Nev.
SATURDAY
**DAY**
Football
vs. Georgia Tech
11:00 AM
Volleyball
vs. Arkansas-Little Rock
4:00 PM
Cross Country
Missouri Cross Country
Challenge
TBA
Columbia, Mo.
SUNDAY Soccer
Soccer
Oregon
12:30 PM
Las Vegas, Nev.
MONDAY Women's Golf
2010 Chip N Club Invita-
tional
All Day
Lincoln, Neb.
Men's Golf
Fairway Club Invitational
All Day
Nebraska City, Neb.
Briscoe signs with Buccaneers Sunday
A day after being released by the Cincinnati Bengals, former Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad on Sunday. Briscoe was a sixth-round draft pick by Cincinnati in April's draft after leaving Kansas his junior season. In only three years of work, the 6-foot-3 receiver amassed 3,928 total yards and broke multiple Kansas receiving records. In five pre-season games, Briscoe tallied four catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. He is expected to make around the league minimum of $325,000, which is the typical yearly rate for players on the practice squad.
KORYCARPENTER
FOOTBALL
Wisconsin unveils new depth chart, may change lineup
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
MADISON, Wis. — Since taking over as Wisconsin's right tackle at the start of last season, only injury has kept Josh Oglesby out of the lineup.
That might change, perhaps as early as this week when No. 12 Wisconsin (1-0) hosts San Jose State (0-1) at 11 a.m. CDT on Saturday on ESPN.
depth chart was unveiled Monday, Oglesby and redshirt sophomore Ricky Wagner were listed as costarters.
made it clear Wagner is pushing Oglesby, who missed three starts last season because of a knee injury.
When Wisconsin's Week 2
When asked about the change from Week 1 coach Bret Bielema
"I've really been excited about the growth Kryih has had," Bielea.
said.
Oglesby, a 6-foot-7, 335-pound redshirt junior from St. Francis High School, was responsible for a 5-yard procedure penalty in the opener against Nevada-Las Vegas.
According to Bielema, there were other issues. ^(3)
"Iosh has made nice strides/ Bielema said, "but he had the procedure penalty and some other things that popped up."