THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN NCAA TOURNAMENT SPECIAL SECTION THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2007
COMMENTARY
3B
Pain of first-round losses motivates players
There's no real way to capture how it feels to get upset in the NCAA Tournament. Plenty of other things almost match the pain of losing your last game to a team you should beat. Having to watch the Chevrolet "This Is Our Country" commercials every five minutes during a sporting event comes close. So does pulling into a Quik Trip and not finding an open gas pump.
Those things are definitely not pleasant, but they're not quite the same as an early exit. Something about an upset really stings — the shock, the emptiness, the helplessness.
"You can't describe it," junior Russell Robinson said. "It's definitely a feeling that I wouldn't want anyone to have."
Kansas can make that feeling go away. Its simple. Win the early round tournament games. And this year, the layhawks are going to do that.
OK, I know you're probably thinking, "Boy, some prediction. First he gets that stupid Chevrolet song stuck in my head and now he's writing that a No. 1 seed is going to beat a No. 16 seed."
For whatever it's worth, in 1989, two No. 16 seeds came within one point of upsetting a No. 1, so it's not exactly a guarantee. But I'm not just talking about the first round. I'm saying Kansas will not be upset this year Not in the first round, not in the second round, not in the Sweet 16. The layhawks are going to at least make the Elite eight.
The reason? This team plays with anger, because they've felt the pain
—the pain that came from losing to Bradley last year. The past two years' disappointments hadn't felt it.
DT MARK DENT
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
MDENT@KANSAN.COM
Two years ago, Kansas was senior laden. Wayne Simien, Michael Lee, Aaron Miles and Keith Langford had made two Final Fours and one Elite
Eight. They were college basketball royalty. That confidence cost them as they lost to an overmatched Bucknell team.
Last year the team was too young to know the mistakes that the previous team made against the Bison. Sasha Kaun only played three minutes that game. Robinson and Darnell Jackson never left the bench. They only hurt because they got sore from sitting for too long. And Julian Wright, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers were not even on the team. You can't feel the pain from watching
the game on TV.
Now, after losing to Bradley in the first round, they've felt it. They've spent their entire summer second-guessing and disbelieving. They've listened to the media ask all week if they weren't motivated for first round games if they ever fixed a Hot Pocket before a first round game.
The players respond politely. "It's behind us," Robinson said. "Hopefully we can move on." But inside, their hearts are throbbing.
That's evident from Kansas' last two months of play. The Jayhawks have perfectly channeled their rage into success on the court.
"We had to toughen up, because we weren't very tough," Kansas coach Bill Self said.
Now they are the toughest, scariest group to play in the entire nation. Just look at how they've won games since February. The lajhayws can play any style and win in any fash
ion. They obliterated Iowa State and Nebraska, lit up a Bramlage black-out and out gritted an always tough Oklahoma team twice.
All of those games were accomplishments, but none of them stick out like Kansas' two victories against Texas. The Jayhawks came back from a 15-point deficit the first time and a 22-point deficit the second time. And this was against Kevin Durant. No way would last year's team beat Durant and the Longhorns.
That's because they've felt the pain. It's tough to describe how it makes you feel, but the lajvahows don't have to. Instead, they'll show the nation what it's like to play with pain during the next two weeks.
Edited by Sharla Shivers
Dent is an Overland Park sophomore in journalism.
NCAA BASKETBALL
Final Four run in question for other Big 12 teams in tournament
Why Texas A&M will make a Final Four run
BY DANIEL MOLINA
1. The Law is on their side
The Aggies' scoring machine went through a 0-16 conference record his freshman year, then spent the next 2
1/2 years being ignored.
The NCAA tournament is made for clutch super-
stars with chips on their shoulders, and Law fits that profile.
2. The "other guys" — A&M doesn't have nearly the depth of Kansas or other tourney favorites, but they do have four starters who average 10-plus points to go along with a bottomless bench.
Why Texas A&M won't make a Final Four run
1. The "other guys," part II —
While Law's supporting cast was just heralded, it's been a concern of the teams as late. Antanas Kavalauskas has a tendency to disappear offensively, and A&M's reserves chip in less than a quarter of the team's scoring per game.
2. The Bracket — While the prospect of playing in San Antonio is now a real possibility, thanks to the Aggies being placed in the South division, the path to the Sweet 16 has one big roadblock: Louisville, in the second round, in neighboring Lexington, Ky.
Why Texas will make a Final Four run
1. Freshman Phenoms — Kevin Durant is a one-of-a-kind talent who has dominated college basketball this season. Still, his lesser-hyped freshman teammate D.J. Augustin has quietly been directing the Longhorns'
offense en route to becoming one of the best point guards in the nation.
2. The "older" statesman — On a team with practically no upperclass presence, sophomore A.J. Abrams is as close to a senior leader as Texas has. Opposing teams tend to focus too heavily on containing Durant and Augustin, leaving Abrams all alone on the perimeter.
Why Texas won't make a Final Four run
1. Where's the D? — As the cliche goes, "defense wins championships." This raises a red flag on the Longhorns' chances of making a deep run. Texas ranked ninth in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing 71.4 points a game.
2. No Southern Comfort
— Despite making it to the Big 12 Championship game, the selection committee didn't do the 'Horns any favors by anointing them a No. 4 seed and shipping them to the far northwest for the first- and second-round games.
Why Texas Tech will make a Final Four run
1. Fundamentals — Bob Knight
  is a no-nonsense coach. Tech ranked
second in the conference in turnover margin and tops the chart in free-throw percentage. Playing smart basketball and converting from the charity strip
are two dependable ways to win.
motes "one-and done" players. The Red Raiders' starting five features three seniors and two juniors.
2. Senior Status — Knight has made it known he recruits four-year players, going so far as to publicly criticize the new age rule that pro-
Why Texas Tech won't make a Hairy Four run
1. Because they said so — If the Big 12 is really as weak as national pundits keep saving it is, then shouldn't its last bubble invitee, a team that finished only fifth in the league and got KOd early in the conference tournament, be a long shot to make any noise in the NCAA tourney?
2. On again, off again — In January Tech had wrapped up back-to-back victories against Kansas and Texas A&M, and then promptly followed that with a five-game losing skid that included losses to the likes of Nebraska and Missouri.
Edited by Ashley Thompson
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Former Kentucky coach
returns to Rupp Arena
1. ___
2. ___
3. ___
4. ___
5. ___
Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Coach Rick Pitino, now in his sixth season with Louisville, admits he doesn't look forward to coaching at Rupp Arena at the University of Kentucky, where he cemented his legacy as one of college basketball's best coaches.
The Cardinals (23-9) prepare for first round tournament game against Stanford (18-12).
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