4B
KU 92 - NU 39
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2007
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
championship team, which included former North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith.
"He probably was impressed, wasn't he? He'll probably be wanting to find out what we did." Sadler said.
What they did was stuff the paint with defenders to keep the ball away from the Kansas big men. It was successful, but that left the Kansas guards open for three-pointers. They knocked down 11 of them and spread the wealth around. Five players reached double digits, and everybody on the team scored at least two points.
It was a fun afternoon for the layhawk, who were laughing and having a good time from the first points of the game to the time they left the fieldhouse. Self said the team was "loose" Friday in practice, and he was worried about whether they would have the focus to come out and play. They did and handed Nebraska its second-worst loss ever.
Of those 92 points, the most memorable came from Witherspoon, who needed redemption after missing his first shot attempt against Kansas State. The fans didn't give up on him and began to chant his name with
Nebraska 22 17 — 39
Kansas 36 56 — 92
No. 9 Kansas 92, Nebraska 39
**Nebraska** — Maric 6-16 2-12
14; Henry 0-7 0-10; Richardson Jr.
14-1-3 3; Perry 1-5 0-02; Anderson
3-8 0-0 7; Strowbridge 0-1 0-0
Krenk 0-1 0-0; Marks 1-3 1-6 3; Smith 2-3 0-0 4; Velander 2-4 0-0
6; Baltham 0-0 0-0; Nelson 0-0
0-0.0; Totals 16-51 4-12 39.
Kansas — Wright 4-82-410;
four minutes to play in the game.
"My friends give me crap and ask how many people I'm paying to do that," he said. "I love it. It's one of the best feelings in the world."
"Usually they're just in for a minute or two, so maybe breaking a
He wasn't the only one to tally points at the end. The entire "red team" — the reserves — played the final four minutes and connected on most of their shots. Case had two three pointers and finished with nine points, Brennan Bechard made his three-point attempt and Matt Kleinmann was successful from the free-throw line.
Kaun 3-5 0-1 6; Robinson 1-4 0-0
Chalmer 4-7 0-1 0; Rush 5-8
1-1 1-13; Arthur 5-6 3-1 3; Collins
4-9 1-2 12; Stewart 1-2 1-2 4; Case
3-4 1-1 9; Bechard 1-2 0-0 3; Jackson
3-3 0-0 6; Witherspoon 1-2
0-0 2; Kleinmann 0-0 2-2. Totals
35-6 11-18 92.
sweat loosened them up," Self said.
**Records** — Nebraska 15-10,
4-7 Big 12 Conference, Kansas
23-4, 10-2.
None received as much applause as Witherspoon, whose layup provided a burst of excitement on an otherwise uneventful day. He said that since he joined the team in October at open tryouts, he has been welcomed by all the players and is having the time of his life.
"Every day I pinch myself" he said. "It's been great."
Kansan senior sportswriter Michael Phillips can be contacted at mphillips@kansan.com.
Edited by Katie Sullivan
Armanda Sellers/KANSAN
Brad Witherspoon, junior guard, posts up for a shot against a Nebraska player during the final minutes of Saturday's game in Allen Fieldhouse. "Everyone was excited and jumping up and down. The crowd really got into it," freshman forward Darrell Arthur said. The entire team scored against Nebraska, winning 92-39.
Top 3 Players
Brandon Rush scored 13
points in
29 minutes. Rush
was two
rebounds
short of a
double-
double
with eight.
Darrell Arthur not only did a
great job of guarding Nebraska's Aleks Maric, he scored 13 points in 20 minutes.
Brad
Witherspoon scored his first collegiate basket in Allen
Fieldhouse against
Nebraska
Scoring in the Field-
house as a walk-on
as an ac com-
promise.
complish-
Witherspoor
ment, and now Witherspoon can say he's been there and done that.
1st Half
Mario Chalmers, sophomore guard, runs for a loose ball from a Nebraska player. Chalmers had three steals and 10 points for the Jayhawks. Kansas scored 25 points off turnovers. Kansas defeated Nebraska. 92-39.
Sophomore forward Julian Wright goes to the bas
Conference dominance gives Kansas nearly 50 percent of titles
Poor competition gives Kansas nearly 50 percent of titles
Although most don't realize this, 2007 is an important anniversary on the Kansas - basketball timeline.
One hundred years ago, in January of 1907, the Jayhawks joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletics Association — their first conference.
Throughout the years, the name and the teams in the conference have changed, but no matter who joins Kansas' league, none have deterred the jayhawks from winning conference titles, and that is a historical fact.
Consider this: If the lajwhayz win the Big 12 title this year, they will have won 50 conference titles out of 100 years of conference affiliation. That kind of domination is nearly unprecedented among college basketball's elite.
Out of the five other college basketball powers — Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA and Indiana — only Kentucky is on par with Kansas.
BY TRAVIS KOBINET
KANSAN COLUMNIST
TROBINETT@KANSAN.COM
The Wildcats claim 49 conference titles — the same as the Jayhawks. But the Southeastern Conference went to a divisional format in 1991, and since then the conference only awards divisional titles.
In no way does this statistic affirm Kansas's supremacy above all others in college hoops.
It's more of a suggestion that Kansas has a lack of consistent competition.
The past four contests have merely reiterated Kansas' dominance among its neighbors. The margin of victory against Kansas State, Missouri,
2nd Half
Colorado and Nebraska was 31.75 points per game.
These are the same teams Kansas has been dominating for years — the ones who can't get their basketball programs out of the gutter.
The conference lacks competition, and it's almost getting old.
But not quite yet, not until Kansas wraps up its 50th title in 100 years.
It's going to happen about every other year unless some real, sustained competition comes along, specifically in the Big 12 North.
"Right now we are tied with A&M to win our league," sophomore guard Mario Chalmers said after beating Nebraska by 53 points. "That's what we want to do is win the league."
Kansas State, I'm looking in your direction.
Michael Phillips/KANSAN
Nebraska shut down the Kansas inside game, but at the expense of letting the three-point shooters run wild. As a result, Sherron Collins and company enjoyed a big day from behind the arc. Nebraska, on the other hand, struggled from just about everywhere, including going 4-12 from the free-throw line (not pictured). Junior center Aleks Marcin finished the day 6-for-16 in the paint for the "Huskers." Shot chart information compiled by KU Athletics.
Robinett is an Austin, Texas, senator in journalism.
Edited by Katie Sullivan
ket Saturday.
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