2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
》 SECOND ROUND OR BUST
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2007
No relationship between tourneys
March Madness is the best time of the year I would rather it
be tournament season in college basketball than my own birthday I love trying to predict tournament fields, figuring out what teams are hot and ultimately filling out brackets.
As a side note, I consider myself a sports freak, and I hate it when I lose an NCAA tournament pool to the people who picked their Final Fours by basing their picks on the coolest mascots.
For now, I wanted to share some research I did on the relationship between a team's finish in the Big 12 Tournament compared to that team's NC.AA tournament finish.
Let me say this: There's no clear-cut way of determining how a team will do in the NCAA tournament based on its Big 12 Tournament result. In fact, there absolutely no consistency between Big 12 tournament success and NCAA tournament success. This just adds to the March Madness phenomenon, and that's why I love it!
The charts to the right show the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments finishes of both Kansas and the conference tournament champion.
A few teams have found success in both tournaments, notably Oklahoma in 2002 and Oklahoma State in 2004. Both won the Big 12 Tournament and advanced to Final Four.
BY ERIC JORGENSEN
BY ERIC JORGENSEN
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
JORGENSENMARKANA.COM
Two teams, Kansas, last season, and Oklahoma, in 2001, were the Big 12 Tournament champions but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
So, who is going to win the Big 12 tournament? It's hard to say.
Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M are the obvious picks. Some of the conference's bubble teams — namely Kansas State, Oklahoma State or Texas Tech — try to make a statement could very well knock off any of the top three. But even an early loss in Oklahoma City wouldn't be all bad for Texas, Texas A&M or Kansas. A few extra days of rest and practice before an NCAA first-round game would certainly be beneficial.
In any case, the games will be fun to watch. The Big 12 Tournament has seen many exciting finishes, buzzer-beaters and Cinderella stories. Just sit back, watch, enjoy and soak up the best time of the year.
Jorgensen is a Baldwin City senior in journalism.
— Edited by Ryan Schneider
Here's a look at how Kansas has done in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.
Year - Big 12 Tournament Result NCAA Tournament Result
1996-97 — Champion
Lost in Sweet Sixteen to Arizona
1997-98 — Champion
Lost in second round to Rhode Island
1998-99 — Champion Lost in second round to Kentucky
1999-00 — Lost in second round
Lost in second round to Duke
2000-01 — Lost in semifinal
Lost in Sweet Sixteen to Illinois
2001-02 — Lost in championship
Lost in Final Four to Maryland
2003-04 — Lost in semifinal
Lost in Elite Eight to Georgia Tech
2004-05 — Lost in semifinal
lost in first round to Bucknell
2002-03 — Lost in semifinal
Lost in championship to Syracuse
2005-06 — Champion
Lost in first round to Bradley
Here's a look at how the Big 12 Tournament champions fared in the NCAA tournament.
1996-97 — Kansas
Lost in Sweet Sixteen to Arizona
1997-98 Kansas
Lost in second round to Rhode Island
1998-99 — Kansas
Lost in second round to Kentucky
1999-00 Iowa State Lost In Elite Eight to Michigan State
2001-02 Oklahoma Lost in Final Four to Indiana
2002-03 — Oklahoma
Lost in Elite Eight to Syracuse
2000-01 Oklahoma Lost in first round to Indiana State
2003-04 Oklahoma State Lost in Final Four to Georgia Tech
2004-05 — Oklahoma State Lost in Sweet Sixteen to Arizona
2005-06 — Kansas
Lost in first round to Bradley
Texas coach garners AP conference honors
BIG 12 BASKETBALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas coach Rick Barnes leads a team that starts four freshmen and a sophomore into this week's Big 12 Tournament. Barnes was named the Associated Press Bin 12 coach of the year.
BY JIM VERTUNO
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas — The way Kevin Durant tore through the Big 12 and nearly carried the Texas Longhorns to a share of the league title, it was easy to forget the task coach Rick Barnes faced when the season began.
Durant was just one of four freshmen starters on a team whose top returning scorer, sophomore A.J. Abrams, was a slightly built shooting guard who averaged 6.4 points last season.
The Longhorns lost all five starters from a 2005-06 squad that won a school-record 30 games and nearly made it to the Final Four. Three of them — last season's Big 12 player of the year P.J. Tucker, LaMareus Aldridge and Daniel Gibson — left school early for the NBA, leaving Barnes with little to no experience to put on the court,
On Tuesday, Barnes was named The Associated Press Big 12 coach of the year for turning this young and sometimes wild lineup into a squid that came within one game of sharing the league title with Kansas.
It is the first time Barnes has won the honor since 1999, when he guided the Longhorns to the league crown in his first season at Texas.
"This team has no ego," Barnes said. "We've shown some resiliency. We don't play as well as we think But we do play; we do compete."
The first two months of the season were exciting and sometimes frustrating. Durant and freshmen DJ. Augustin and Damion James were in the starting lineup in the season opener. Barnes added justin Mason to the mix by game No. 2.
They got an early victory against LSU — the team that knocked the Longhorns out of the NCAA tournament last season — and stumbled with a blowout loss to Gonzaga.
Durant was already creating a buzz with his big games, but Barnes warned his team the Big 12 was a different league: tough and physical and a two-month grind.
"They'll find out," Barnes said.
Durant went on a scoring spree, scoring more than 30 points five times as the Longhorns went 6-2 through the first half of the league schedule before slowing down in the for four games in the second half.
By midseason, Barnes also took on the role of Durant's protector against a constant barrage of questions about Durant's future.
Durant hasn't said publicly what he'll do and Barnes chastised reporters for not allowing his 18-year-old prodigy to enjoy the moment.
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Staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would like you to participate in a study about last year's mumps outbreak, whether or not you developed mumps.
we are trying to prevent future mumps outbreaks, and your information can really contribute to this effort! We hope that you plan to donate blood again at the KU BLOOD DRIVE, March 5-9, 2007.
CDC staff will be on-site, and we hope that you will talk with us briefly about the study. Help saves lives through blood donation, and help
about the study. Help save lives through blood do advance public health by participating in the study Visit us at the March 5, 2007.
KU BLOOD DRIVE. If you donated last year, please stop by, or contact Dr. Margaret Cortese, (404) 639-1929 or mcrteste@dcegw.com
SAPER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLE
>> COMMENTARY
Mid-major teams can make impact
While the major conference tournaments are dull due to the teams knowing they will receive at large bids, most mid-majors are forced to win their conference tournament to receive a tournament bid. And as George Mason, Wichita State and Bradley showed as last year, these teams can go toe-to-toe with the big boys. Let's take a look at who is capable of being this year's George Mason and turning your bracket into as much of a red mess as your last English paper.
Virginia Commonwealth (27-6)
Winthrop (28-4) — Big South Conference — The Eagles return five starters from a team that lost to two-seed Tennessee on a buzzer-breaker in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament. Their only losses this season have come at Texas A&M, at Wisconsin in overtime, at Maryland and at North Carolina in a game they led in the second half. The Eagles are athletic and can shoot the three, as evidenced by a 14-for-27 performance behind the arc in an impressive double-digit victory at Missouri State. Currently projected as a No. 11 seed by ESPN.com, Winthrop could be the team to make a deep run similar to George Mason a season ago.
Virginia Commonwealth (2/6)
— Colonial Athletic Association
— The team, which was assembled by current Oklahoma coach leff Capel, won the CAA with a 14-2 record and the conference tournament with a victory against George Mason. That loss denied the Patriots a chance to repeat their magical run of a season ago. The Rams, led by the talented backcourt of B.A. Walker and Eric Maynor, have a history of putting a scare into high seeds, losing by one point to a Chris Paul-led Wake Forest squad as a 13 seed three seasons ago.
It's championship week, and that means it's time for the little guy to shine. In the shadows of the big boys all year, the best mid-major teams have a chance to show the nation what they can do in their do-or-die conference tournaments, which are played with enough intensity to make them as entertaining as NCAA tournament games.
Drexel (23-8)/Old Dominion (24-8) - CAA - Only one of these CAA squads is likely to receive an
at-large bid, but both have impressive non-conference resumes. Drexel, 13-5 in the league, posted victories at Villanova, Syracuse and Temple and a victory at Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion Creighton. Old Dominion claimed a 10-point victory at then-No. 8 Georgetown and won 12 straight before a conference tourney loss to George Mason. Both teams would be a dangerous 12 or 13 seed.
Any Missouri Valley team
— Bradley and Wichita State proved last season that the league is deep and talented, and nobody wants to see Creighton, Southern Illinois or Missouri State in its bracket. Creighton and SIU should both be seeded seven or better and should not netchup up on anyone. The Salukis, whose top non-conference victories come against Virginia Tech and at then-No. 12 Butler, play a stifling defense, giving up only 56 points per game; that will give it a chance to win any game. The Bluejays have the size to neutralize a major conference team's big men, plus they have the spirit of the Phog with them in guard Nick Babe, who is shooting 42 percent from the three-point line in 15 minutes per game.
Edited by James Pinick
Gonzaga (23-10) — West Coast Conference — With nine straight tournament appearances, the 'Zags are not really a mid-major anymore. Despite losing leading scorer and rebounder Josh Heytvelt to a psycheled mushroom suspension, Gonzaga is starting to come together, having won five games in a row. Everybody's favorite former jayhawk Micah Downs somehow managed to stop pouting long enough to average 16 points per game in that span.
Sarraf is a Lawrence senior in journalism.
athletics calendar
- Women's Basketball vs. Baylor, 8:30 p.m. Oklahoma City
TODAY
Baseball vs. Baker, 5 p.m.
Hoglund Ballpark
Swimming and Diving at NCAA Championships, All day, Minneapolis, Minn.
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
Swimming and Diving at NCAA Championships, All day, Minneapolis, Minn.
Track and Field at NCAA Indoor Championships, All day, Fayetteville, Ark.
Men's basketball vs. TBA, 11:30 a.m. Oklahoma City
Softball vs. North Dakota State; 4:15 p.m. Arrocha Ballpark
Softball vs. Drake, 2 p.m.
Arrocha Ballpark
Baseball vs. Arkansas, 2:05 p.m. Fayetteville, Ark.
SATURDAY
Track and Field at NCAA Indoor Championships, All day, Fayetteville, Ark.
Baseball vs. Arkansas, 12:05 p.m. Fayetteville, Ark.
Swimming and Diving at NCAA Championships, All day, Minneapolis, Minn.
Tennis vs. Nebraska, 11 a.m.
First Serve Tennis Center
Softball vs. New Mexico, 11:45 a.m. Arrocha Ballpark
CO
Baseball vs. Arkansas,
1:05 p.m. Favetteville, Ark.
THE
SUNDAY
Tennis vs. Louisville, 11 a.m.
First Serve Tennis Center
Softball vs. TBA, TBA,
Arrocha Ballpark
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