Sports
A Stanford Sweep The baseball team was swept in a three game series against Stanford. The losses dropped the 'Hawks to 7-7-1. PAGE 8A
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The University Daily Kansan
Monday, February 16, 2004
Nebraska embarrasses Kansas
Coaches, players attribute recent road losses to lack of commitment
By Ryan Greene rgreene@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Junior forward Wayne Simien fought with Nebraska's Charles Richardson for a loose ball during second-half play yesterday. The 'Huskers defeated the Jayhawks, 74-55.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Kansas' second blowout loss in as many games stems from one problem, according to Jayhawk coaches and players; commitment.
the problems started before the game.
The problems started before the game Kansas coach Bill Self is required to leave one of his sixteen players in street clothes on road games. Instead of choosing from walk-ons Steven Vinson and Brett Olson as he normally does, Self opted to sit senior forward Jeff Graves at the end of the bench, saying he ranked sixteenth on the team in terms of effort and commitment.
and Committed Then, Selfinserted seldom-used backups Vinson, Moulaye Niang and Omar Wilkes into the game in the first half, sitting starters Keith Langford and Aaron Miles on the bench.
KANSAS 55 - NEBRASKA 74
All of this contributed to Nebraska's cause (14-7 overall, 4-6 Big 12 Conference) en route to a 74-55 defeat of 13th ranked Kansas (15-6, 7-3). It was Jayhawks' second straight lopsided defeat and their third straight road loss.
After the game, Kansas' veterans said they believed that if the team wants to end its recent woes, everyone must buy into the same goals.
KANSAS(15-6)
"It's a big distraction," junior forward Wayne Simien said of the team's lack of overall commitment. "Guys need to realize that when you put the jersey on, you're playing for more than just yourself. Whether you're not getting any minutes, whether you're not making shots or whether you haven't been playing well the past couple of games, all that shouldn't matter. We're going to have to be able to grow and look past that and realize that we're representing something bigger than ourselves.
Simien said he didn't know where the problem was rooted, but the team's commitment has never before been an issue during his time at Kansas.
"We've got some guys that are committed, staying after, shooting, lifting weights and stuff like that. Then we've got other guys showing up late for classes, showing up late for practices, and don't have that effort in practice, and that stuff trickles down throughout the rest of the team. It's something you can't have and be successful with."
As for the game, Self's altered starting lineup helped the Jayhawks defensively in the opening minutes. Junior guard Mike Lee started in place of freshman J.R. Giddens, which helped defend the perimeter. Nine minutes into the game, junior forward Wayne Simien had Kansas up 15-9 with nine points, including his first three-point field goal of the season. Then, the Jayhawks went on a scoring drought until the 6:54 mark in the first half.
In that stretch, the Cornhuskers went on an 11-0 run, leading by as many as five points before halftime. The Jayhawks had a 28-27 lead going into locker room at the half.
KARIBAIS 15-10
| | FG/FGA | FT/FA | TP |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Simien | 7-17 | 2-2 | 17 |
| Padgett | 2-8 | 1-2 | 5 |
| Langford | 5-10 | 4-7 | 14 |
| Miles | 3-10 | 0-0 | 7 |
| Lee | 2-6 | 1-2 | 6 |
| Wilkens | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Giddens | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Vinson | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Bahe | 2-3 | 0-0 | 6 |
| Nash | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Moody | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Niang | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Totals | 21-58 | 8-13 | 55 |
Nebraska made their small deficit disappear early in the second half. Guard Marcus Neal hit a three-pointer immediately, and then forward Brian Conklin answered a David Padgett basket with his own three-ball. Nebraska took a 33-10 lead and never trailed again.
The Cornhuskers shot a blazing 63 percent in the second half, ignited by
NEBRASKA (14-7)
| | FG/FGA | FT/FA | TP |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Conklin | 3-4 | 0-0 | 9 |
| Drevo | 7-11 | 0-0 | 14 |
| Johnson | 4-6 | 4-4 | 14 |
| Neal | 1-5 | 0-0 | 3 |
| Muhleisen | 3-5 | 2-2 | 8 |
| Dourisseau | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Richardson | 2-4 | 2-2 | 8 |
| Stegall | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Wilkinson | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Schiep | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Simms | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Turek | 5-9 | 4-4 | 14 |
| Totals | 27-48 | 12-12 | 74 |
NEBRASKA (14-7)
another 11-0 run to go up 53-37 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Kansas freshman guard Nick Bahe, a Lincoln native, entered the game with 7:38 remaining and hit two three-pointers to pull Kansas within 12 points at 58-46.
Kansas was held at arm's length down the stretch by Nebraska's consistency at the free-throw line. The Cornhuskers went a perfect 12-for-12 from the line, making them the second opponent in Kansas history to shoot a perfect 100-percent from the line in a game. That, coupled with Kansas' dismal 36.2-percent shooting, gave Kansas its first consecutive double-digit conference losses since 1983.
"Bottom line, we lost because guys in there didn't do what they were supposed
"In the first half, we could have got a bigger lead," Keith Langford said. "We played pretty good defense but didn't make any shots.
to."
Now Kansas will come back to Lawrence for two home games before next Monday's meeting with 11th ranked Texas in Austin, Texas.
enforce and韧性QCm. The player Self calls his vocal leader, Aaron Miles, spent most of his time in the locker room after the game with his arms folded, staring at the wall. But the junior guard said the team would have to prepare for increased pressure.
Kansas' upcoming home opponents this week, Baylor and Iowa State, are just 7-13 combined in Big 12 play. But the Jayhawks will have to solve their self-proclaimed problems with commitment, effort and unity quickly.
"We know the media and fans are going to criticize us," Miles said. "We're going through some shit right now. We've got to take these lessons and learn from
SEE NEBRASKA ON PAGE 7A
Kansas' road effort lacking at Nebraska
By Mike Norris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
LINCOLN, Neb. — It's becoming a trend in the Big 12 Conference: Be ready to play when the Kansas Jayhawks comes to town. Yesterday's 74-55 loss to Nebraska loss was the third-straight road defeat for Kansas, marking the first time Kansas has lost three straight on the road since Feb. 17, 2001.
Feb. 17, 2001
The loss drops Kansas to 7-3 in the Big 12, two games behind front-runner Oklahoma State, the team that whipped Kansas by 20 points at home just one week ago
Junior forward Wayne Simien had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Kansas, but his performance wasn't enough to stop Nebraska. Simien started off hot with six points and four rebounds in the first seven minutes of the game, but once Nebraska began double-teaming the 6-foot-9, 250 pound forward, Kansas struggled to find an answer to Nebraska's offense.
Simien said the team's effort on the road had been lacking.
"We haven't been bringing the same energy, enthusiasm or intensity on the road as we have at the Fieldhouse," Simen said after yesterday's loss.
The Nebraska crowd, a sell-out for the first time in two years, brought plenty of energy and enthusiasm to the game. It remained loud for the entire second half, especially in the first 10 minutes when the Cornhuskers outscored the Jayhawks 26-9. Kansas was not phased by
the raucous crowd, said junior guard Keith Langford, but the energy the crowd generated egged on Nebraska.
"We drew a lot of energy from the crowd," Nebraska senior guard Nate Johnson said. "We knew that if we could get them into the game they would help us as a sixth man on the court."
The Cornhuskers shot 63 percent in the second half and 56 percent for the game. Nebraska also connected on eight of 16 three-point attempts, and all 12 of its free throws.
its tree grown Underneath the basket, Nebraska forwards John Turek and Andrew Drevo combined for 28 points and 12 rebounds, mainly taking advantage of Kansas freshman center David Padgett.
Kansas played with a smaller lineup for most of the game because of the absence of 6-foot-9 forward Jeff Graves, which Kansas coach Bill Self called a coach's decision. But Self did use Graves' absence as an excuse.
"Give Nebraska credit," he said.
"They kicked our butt."
The Jayhawks are now 4-4 on the road, after winning seven of nine games away from Lawrence last season. But Kansas doesn't have another road game until next Monday when it travels to No.11 Texas. Baylor and Iowa State will come to Allen Fieldhouse for games this week.
"It's going to be nice to be back there," Simien said. "But the Fieldhouse doesn't win games by itself."
- Edited by Michelle Rodick
Jayhawks drop fourth game in a row
By Jesse Newell jnewell@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
The Kansas women's basketball team shot as well as it could have wanted in the first half of Saturday's game in Norman, Okla.
No. 24 Oklahoma benefited from 25 Kansas turnovers in an 83-59 victory. The Sooners capitalized off of 13 Jayhawk turnovers in the first half, scoring 21 points off of the miscues.
The problem for the Jayhawks turned out to be getting enough of those shots.
"We had a tough hill to climb coming out in the second half. We tried to move it a little better, but just couldn't get our shots to fall."
"We just couldn't get it together," Kansas interim coach Lynette Woodard
Lynette Woodard
Woman's Basketball coach
said.
The Jayhawks made 13 of its 25 shots in the first half—good for 52 percent from the floor — but still trailed 45-28 with the Sooners attempting 16 more shots in the first 20 minutes.
"We had a tough hill to climb coming out in the second
Woodard
half," Woodard said. "We tried to move it a little better, but just couldn't get our
shots to fall."
Kansas trimmed the lead to nine when junior guard Blair Waltz nailed a jumper to make it 53-44 with 10 minutes remaining, but Oklahoma responded immediately.
The Sooners used a 12-2 run to put the game out of reach.
Ransburg
with guard Erin Higgins connecting on a three-pointer to finish the run and
The 5-foot-9-inch freshman found holes in Kansas' perimeter defense, draining six of her 14 three-point attempts for her career-high of 18 points.
The Jayhawks remained close early before a pair of Sooner runs.
"You must keep an eye on her," Woodard said. "We forgot all about her on penetration, and they just kicked it out to her. She stepped up big."
SEE WOMEN ON PAGE 7A
TALK TO SPORTS: Contact Henry C. Jackson or Maggie Newcomer at SPORTS@KANSAN.COM
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