THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2007
KU 97 - KSU 70
5B
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
tate 97-70 last night at Allen Fieldhouse
Kansas State — Hoskins
4-9 3-6 13; Bennett 0-0 0-0 0;
Harris 1-4 0-0 2; Stewart 1-3 3-4 5;
Wright 0-2 0-0 0; Patzwald
0-0 0-0 0; Young 2-5 3-6 8; Aflie
0-0 0-0 0; Martin 2-9 7-8 11;
Maybank 7-10 12-15 26; Kent
1-4 0-0 3; Colon 0-0 2-2 2.
Totals 18-46 30-41 70.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Kansas State 35 35 --- 70
Kansas 47 50 --- 97
K-state coach stays calm
Kansas State coach Bob Huggins scolds Jason Bennett, freshman forward, during the first half of last nights game. Bennett fouled out during the second half of the Jayhawks 97-70 victory over the Wildcats.
Kansas 97, Kansas State 70
BY MARK DENT
Records — Kansas State 17-
7, 6-3 Big 12; Kansas 20-4, 7-2.
For the first couple minutes of the second half Wednesday night, Kansas State coach Bob Huggins didn't move.
**Kansas** — Wright 3-7 3-4 9; Kaun 4-5 1-4 9; Robinson 3-4 0-0 6; Chalmers 3-9 4-4 11; Rush 6-11 2-2 18; Arthur 7-9 0-0 14; Collins 5-10 1-2 11; Stewart 0-1 0-0; Case 1-2 0-0 2; Bechard 0-0 0-0; Morningstar 0-0 2-2; Jackson 5-8 3-6 13; Witherpoon 0-1 0-0 0; Kleinmann 1-1 0-0 2; Totals 38-68 16-24 9.
Decked out in a purple sweater vest, he sat in his cushioned chain with his head resting on his left fist. Huggins stared at the court casually, like a father watching his children play in the front yard.
So when the seemingly disinterested Huggins finally stood up for a significant amount of time at the 17-minute mark, Kansas students let him hear it just like they did with former rival Missouri coach Norm Stewart.
"Sit down Hug-gins," they chanted. "Sit down Hug-gins."
The students, who hoped to get a strong reaction from the sometimes volatile Huggins, had no luck. Huggins stayed calm and cool in his first game as head coach against his in-state rival, although his team wilted in the second half, losing 97-70.
From then on, it didn't get easier for Huggins. In his first game as coach in the Sunflower Showdown, Huggins realized how tough playing against his rival could be as Kansas blew out Kansas State.
"They were better than us, they were way better than us," Huggins said. "When they make shots, they
are hard. They're long, they're athletic, and they're good. In my estimation this is one of the most talented teams in the country."
The talent level may have favored the lahawks, but the margin of victory came as a shock. Before the game started, media had penciled in Huggins as a possible candidate for Big 12 Coach of the Year. The former Cincinnati head man had orchestrated an impressive midseason turnaround, coaching the Wildcats to seven straight victories. With Huggins on the sidelines, this game was supposed to matter.
From early in the first half, it became apparent that Huggins's first game against Kansas would not be a memorable one. All the characteristics shown by his team during its seven-game win streak disappeared. Cartier Martin couldn't score. The Jayhawks tore apart the Wildcats' defense in every way: moves in the post, dribble drives from guards and three-point shooting.
"Our margin for error is very small." Huggins said. "If we don't do things right, if we don't block out, if we don't get back, we're not going to be good."
Lack of composition on the court wasn't Kansas State's only problem. Huggins's temper didn't flare during the second half blowout, but the same couldn't be said for center Jason
Bennett. He fouled out with 7:20 left in the second half and stormed off the floor. The crowd taunted him, and Bennett shouted back and pounded his seat in frustration.
The only person who saved Kansas State from total embarrassment was jermaine Maybank. He scored 26 points and was the only Wildcat consistently attacking the basket.
"I just try to do the intangibles, the things Coach Huggins asks me to do," Maybank said. "Unfortunately it probably wasn't enough tonight."
Neither was having Huggins on the sideline. He has made the Wildcats a better team in his first season, and his presence added a new sub-plot to an otherwise moribund rivalry. That aura helped bring new interest to the Sunflower Showdown, but it didn't bring Huggins's team a victory.
"I think he had a lot to do with the hype around the game," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "This is the first time we played really well against K-State since I've been here. I totally respect Bob Huggins, but he didn't shoot one ball tonight. But I think his arrival has created excitement."
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
Edited by Jyl Unruh
Junior center Sasha Kaun attempts to go up for a basket in the second half of the game against Kansas State Wednesday night. Kauna finished the game with nine points in 13 minutes of play.
Anna Faltermeyer/KANSAN
view from press row
> Jason Bennett is 7-foot-3?
Could've fooled me. The presence of one of the tallest players in the NCAA is negated by the fact that he never uses his height to his advantage. There's no excuse for him to repeatedly lose rebounds to 6-foot-8 Darnell Jackson.
Just when you think the Jayhawk lineup is established, Darnell Jackson has a terrific game inside the paint. Rodrick Stewart also snagged some prime minutes for the Jayhawks, who now have even more options on the bench.
Cartier Martin didn't enter
the game until more than four minutes had already been played, and the score was 10:2. You'd think Bob Huggins would have called on his team's leading scorer a lot sooner.
A special press row shout-out to the student who ate the pizza on-camera after winning the Delivery of the Game, settling a long-standing debate on whether Big Jay was delivering pizza or a coupon.
Huggins didn't bite and go crazy, despite the best attempts of the Kansas crowd. With two minutes to play in the first half, Huggins argued a call on the
baseline, prompting students to shout for a technical foul. Huggins simply rolled his eyes and continued coaching.
I've always maintained there is such a thing as waiting too long to shoot. With 10 minutes left in the game, K-State's Cartier Martin got the ball wide open on the perimeter. He only had five points, so it would have been a big shot for his confidence. He grabbed the ball, held it for a count, then shot — off the rim. Even uncontested, I think players are better shooters when they let it happen instinctively.
Michael Phillips