BASKETBALL TICKET PICKUP
The last men's basketball ticket pickup of the season begins today. The games in the final group are against Iowa State and Texas.
Iowa State
Iowa State
Texas
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 1B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
》 THE RANT
Steady play key to good seeding
Consistency is primary concern
Kansas put together one of its most complete performances of the season on Saturday, because of consistent play of Julian Wright and Brandon Rush.
Those two played at the level that was expected when they were named Big 12 Preseason Players of the Year.
It was understood with the talent and depth that Kansas has, neither Rush nor Wright would score 20 or more points a night. It simply would not be possible. Coach Bill Self even said that, but those two players can still be efficient and play at the level that garnered them those pre-season accolades.
Rush put together his most efficient game of his career, going eight of 10 from the field, hitting all three of his three-point shots, and did not miss a free throw. Granted, Rush will not do that on a consistent basis, but it was a nice change of pace from the 3-for-13 games that he had been struggling with over the past month. He needs to continue his solid marksmanship down the stretch to keep defenders honest.
Wright showed why he is pro-jected to be such a high selection in the NBA draft with his timely offensive rebounds, and easy putbacks, while going 14-for-21 from the floor, good for a career high 33 points.
Kansas will need Wright and Rush to continue to be efficient if they are going to make a run in March. If not, the consistency this team has lacked is going to be a problem.
Often times, the NCAA tournament does not dictate who has played the best basketball throughout the season. Instead, it proves who is able to pay the best basketball over a three week period. Look at last year. No one is going to argue that Florida was the best team in the country for the majority of the year. They started the season off hot, but struggled down the stretch, before getting hot at the right time, and getting a favorable draw in the tournament. Then, they played better than anyone else and got the job done.
The talent is there. The desire is there. They have proven against Florida and Oklahoma State that when they play the way they are capable of, no team in America is better. It is just a matter of putting it all together.
If Kansas can find the consistency that it has lacked all season, there is no reason to think that Kansas cannot be this year's Florida.
SEE COLAIANNI ON PAGE 6B
ILLUSTRATION BY GRANT SNIDER
Self hits milestone
Coach looks forward to another 300 career victories
BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS
In 1994, Oral Roberts coach Bill Self was not thinking about coaching milestones. He was thinking about keeping his job.
"You lose 18 in a row, and you wonder if you'll make it to the end of the season," he said.
He put those days behind him in a hurry, and on Saturday Self won his 300th game as a head coach when Kansas defeated Missouri in Columbia.
His first victory came during that 1993-1994 season, when he took the reins at Oral Roberts. Despite an
18-game losing streak, he made it though the season, and three years later the team finished with a 21-7 record and made the postseason National Invitation Tournament.
The 300th victory is a milestone one, but gets overshadowed in the Big 12 Conference by senior coaches like Bob Knight at Texas Tech, who is marching toward his 900th.
He didn't know that the Missouri game could be his 300th victory until a reporter asked him about it earlier in the week. He said that the record was more about how long he had
"I've coached for 14 years, so if I just coach 28 more, I can maybe get to 900." Self said.
"To get to 500 or 600 would mean a lot more," he said.
been around than anything else.
Self didn't even tell his players about the accomplishment, instead letting them find out on their own. Sophomore guard Brandon Rush read about it on the Internet, and junior guard Russell Robinson heard it from the assistant coaches.
"I'm happy for him, it's a big number," Robinson said. "But I think he's after the big ones.
Robinson added that Self has been able to hang around so long because of the way he interacts with
SEE SELF ON PAGE 6B
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Shaq makes big plays at the buzzer
BY ASHER FUSCO
The buzer beater is one of the most exhilarating and elusive plays in all sports. When most basketball players are lucky to have one chance at a game-winner in their entire college career, senior guard Shaquina Mosley has had three such opportunities in the last two weeks alone.
Mosley's first chance to make a last second shot came on January 31st. Through 39 minutes of play, the feisty Jayhawks had managed to hang with the more talented and experienced Texas Tech Lady Raiders. Mosley was putting the finishing touches on an impressive 18 point, 11 assist, nine rebound performance.
With eight seconds remaining and Kansas trailing by one point, freshman forward Danielle McCray secured a rebound and quickly passed to Mosley. The senior guard raced down the floor but settled for a jump shot instead of driving to the basket. As the ball just short of the cylinder, she dropped to the floor in dismay.
"I thought about going to the hoop, but I pulled back." Mosley said. "I should have gone to the rim."
Less than one week later, Mosley found redemption. With Kansas
stuck in the cellar of the conference standings at 0-9. Colorado paid a visit to Allen Fieldhouse. The contest was heart-fought from the opening tip, complete with 12 lead changes, the last-of which came with five seconds remaining in overtime.
Mosley was the one responsible for Kansas' final basket and its first conference victory. Having learned a valuable lesson from her experience nearly one week earlier, Mosley decided to take the ball toward the hoop. The miniscule guard knotted quickly through the lane and converted a layup to win the game.
On the heels of its first Big 12 victory, the team traveled south to take on a strong but inconsistent Texas squad. It was in Austin, Texas that Mosley's most dramatic buzzer-breater would occur. She struggled through most of the game, and was held scoreless in the first half, but Mosley found success at the most important time.
"I thought to myself, do not sette for a jump shot." Mosley said. "I was trying to pull the defense and then kick it or finish at the rim."
With less than one second remaining and the Jayhawks
SEE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
ON PAGE 6B
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior guard Shaquina Moseley makes a shot against Colorado on Feb. 6. Moseley has made two game-winning shots at the buzer in the past few weeks, against Colorado and Texas.
》 BIG 12 BASKETBALL
Freshmen playing better, scoring more than before
BY MARK DENT
He leads the league in assists as a freshman.
He sent a game into overtime twice by making late jump shots.
He just scored 31 points and handed out six assists against Iowa State.
"He's one of those special guys," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "He's got the mentality of the point guard where he's trying to win and get everyone else involved. He has the identity I wish we could get across the board."
He's D.J. Augustin, and as good
as he is, he's not even the best rookie on his team. Anyone who hasn't been living on Mars the last two months knows that designation belongs to Kevin Durant. Durant is the headliner for the Longhorns, but Augustin and two other freshmen also play significant minutes.
Ten years ago, a team with as many young pups as Texas would have been punished by the veteran big dogs in conference play. The Longhorns would probably find themselves toward an eighth place or worse finish.
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Welcome to 2007. Texas is tied for second place, and Durant is the best
player in the Big 12 and maybe the nation. Such is the reality in the Big 12 these days as freshmen have taken on a larger role than ever before.
The Longhorns are the best example of this injection of youth. Durant and Augustin have won eight of the 15 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Honors this season. Take into account that Durant would have won another three if he hadn't been chosen Big 12 Player of the Week, and the number becomes even more absurd. In Big 12 play, Durant is averaging an insane 31 points and 13 rebounds per game. His teammate Augustin is averaging 8.5 assists per game. Two
"The thing that other people are missing out on is all their other guys." Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said. "They are a very talented team."
In addition to Mason and James, the state of Texas also produced another outstanding freshman in Kansas' Darrell Arthur.
other freshmen, Justin Mason and Damion James, are the team's fourth and fifth leading scorers.
It was apparent that Arthur would be special after just one game. Shady told everyone what his name was in the lajawhacks' first exhibition game by scoring 23 points. His numbers have dipped slightly in conference
play, but another Kansas freshman has gone up. Sherron Collins has been attacking the basket fearlessly the last month, and he recorded seven assists in both layhawk victories last week. A month ago, he and Arthur took over for Kansas down the stretch in a close victory against Missouri.
"The two freshmen scored 14 of our last 16 points." Kansas coach Bill Self said after the 80-77 victory. "I'd say those two stepped up pretty big."
Other youngsters who have stepped up this year include Iowa
SEE BIG 12 ON PAGE 6B
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