NO.1 SEED IN SIGHT
Kansas can solidify its argument for a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament with a strong performance this weekend in the Big 12 Tournament. Game day gets you ready for today's game against Oklahoma.
FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 1B
》 DO THE DREW
Big 12 student spectators wanted
BY DREW DAVISON
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
DDAVISON@KANSAN.COM
Watching all of the mid- major conference tournaments, it becomes
clear that there is one thing missing from the Big 12 Tournament: students.
Don't get me wrong, students are at the tournament. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State obviously drew its students to the Ford Center, Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M students will make the road trip to Oklahoma City today to cheer on their respective teams. But the students are scattered throughout the arena, in seats they all got separately.
KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA, 11:30 A.M.TODAY, OKLAHOMA CITY
There is no student section at the Ford Center, or at any Big 12 Tournament, which is too bad. The enthusiastic students are what make college basketball better than the NBA. Having hundreds of college students together rooting for their respective schools brings an unreal atmosphere to college basketball.
Unfortunately, the Big 12 Tournament lacks that atmosphere because most college students don't have $245 sitting around to spend on tickets to go to the conference tournament.
That means, if you're a Kansas,
Texas or Texas A&M fan, you'll
spend about $82 a game to see your
team play, assuming they make it
to the championship. That's ridiculous.
The Big 12 needs to dedicate
sections of the arena for students,
and for a reduced price. The Big
12 should implement a lottery like
Kansas has for the NCAA student
tickets for select student sections.
Even when Kansas City played host to the tournament two years ago, KU students showed up but they were all over the arena.
The Big 12 needs to make the conference tournament accessible to students because students are what make the college game go.
Now, on to the actual tournament.
Kansas should be able to cruise past Oklahoma today because the talent levels just don't compare. The Sooners are in a transition year with
SEE DAVISON ON PAGE 3B
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Supreme guard Julian Wright had 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Longhorns on March 3. Wright was recently named National Association of Basketball Coaches third team All-American.
Bring on the Sooners
Kansas enters tournament against opponent it defeated one week ago
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
"We know it will be awfully tough," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said. "We will get some rest, and hopefully we will be rested up enough to where we can make it competitive and have a chance down the stretch."
Tip-off is scheduled for 11:35 this morning in Oklahoma City. That might not mean much for the Jayhawks, but it could make a big difference for the Sooners, who had to earn their way into
A week after a late-night battle with the Oklahoma Sunkers, the Kansas Jayhawks hope for the same result today at a much earlier time.
today's game with a 68-63 victory against the Iowa State Cyclones on Thursday.
The last time the teams met was on Oklahoma's home court in Norman, just 20 miles south of the
Ford Center, where today's game will be played. In that meeting, Kansas charged out to a 14-point lead, but watched it disappear as Oklahoma shrank the deficit and tied the game in the final minutes. Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers hit some clutch free throws, and Kansas emerged with a 67-65 victory.
This time around, coach Bill Self will try to improve his team's performance against Oklahoma's
pressure defense, Freshman guard Sherron Collins had a rough time handling the ball down the stretch in Norman, and the Sooners will likely key in on him during today's game.
At his press conference Monday, Self said that it didn't matter to him whether Oklahoma or Iowa State was the opponent, because the team did not practice for either
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 3B
>> TRACK AND FIELD
Runner revamps attitude for race
BY TAYLOR BERN
In December 2006, junior distance runner Colby Wissel's hopes of a successful indoor track season were all but gone.
The 2006 Big 12 cross country champion injured his hamstring during Christmas break, missed a full week of running and consequently returned to campus in early January with an enormous amount of ground to make up.
"I hurt my hamstring and training wasn't going real well, but coach Clark had a great plan to get me back into the swing of things without rushing anything, and I basically raced myself into shape." Wissel said.
Coach Doug Clark's plan has paid off in full thus far, producing a Big. 12 indoor title in the 3,000 meters for Wissel. The regular-season punctuation came last weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind.
Wissel traveled to Notre Dame knowing that he had just one more chance to qualify for nationals. He responded with a career-best, NCAA automatic-qualifying and new Kansas-record time of 7:53.08.
"With 400 meters to go, my coach told me I was on pace to go to nationals, so I just kicked it in and ran my last 400 in 58 seconds." Wissel said.
Wissel thought his finishing kick set him apart from the competition. That confident attitude was a new feeling for a guy who, up until his breakout cross country season, thought of himself as a lower-tier runner, rather than one of the nation's best.
Clark thinks that the cross country title skewed Wissel's perception for the better.
"This year, mentally, he's a different person." Clark said. "He's just now starting to understand how talented he is."
Wissel's finish time on March 3 is the second best in the nation, and puts him in what Clark thinks is an ideal situation. Most of his competitors qualified two or more weeks ago and have been fighting to keep their form. But because of his early injury, Wissel is only now in top shape, and it couldn't come at a better time.
A couple keys to success are to remember what he's accomplished
SEE WISSEL ON PAGE 3B
BASEBALL
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Junior infielder Ryne Price slides into third base against Tabor this week. The Jayhawks will play No. 10 Arkansas at 12:35 today.
Confidence earned with week of wins
BY ALISSA BAUER
The 42 runs Kansas (11-5) threw down on its NAIA midweek opponents were exactly what the layhawks were looking for heading to Fayetteville, Ark., for a three-game series against No. 10 Arkansas (10-5).
True, Kansas got what it wanted, but the 20 or more hits per game wasn't it.
"It's not even that — it's confidence, and giving our other guys confidence with the guys in front of them," junior third baseman Erik Morrison said about the blowout victories. "It definitely gets us going on the right track heading in there this weekend."
Today's 12:35 p.m. matchup marks the first time the pair has opposed each other since both coach Ritch Price and Arkansas coach Dave Van
Both teams head into the series on the heels of a victory. Fortunately for Kansas, it strolls in on a four game winning streak, while Arkansas has won just two of its last five.
Horn's first seasons with their programs. It also marks the layhawks' first series against a ranked opponent this season.
Winning games they're supposed to be winning, according to Price, along with an entire week's worth
of getting outside, highlighted the lavwahays four game home stand.
Although the team showed confidence and modesty when discussing Tuesday and Wednesday, Kansas outscored its back-to-back opponents Tabor College and Baker University 42-9.
"Regardless of the score was, I think we're almost there." Morrison
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 3B