what we heard
tuesday, december 2, 2003
"Since you were a kid, your mama taught you not to call anyone dumb or stupid." Oakland Raider offensive lineman Frank Middleton after coach Bill Callahan called the team the "dumbest in America."
off the bench
the university daily kansan 9A
Kansas takes over number one ranking after top four teams lose
The Associated Press
Bill Self didn't have to wait long to be No. 1 at Kansas.
The Jayhawks, taking advantage of losses by the top four teams last week, jumped from sixth to No.1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll yesterday.
Their move to the top was the biggest in almost 40 years and matched the second biggest in the history of the poll, which started in the 1948-49 season.
"I don't believe we're deserving of it but I don't know if anyone is right now," the first-year coach said before yesterday morning's shootaround. "There are probably 10 to 12 teams out there who could be No. 1 the way things played out last week."
Kansas (2-0) beat then-No. 3 Michigan State 81-74 in its only game last week, and combined with losses by Connecticut, Duke and Arizona (Nos. 1, 2 and 4 last week) and an unimpressive win by then-No. 5 Missouri, it meant a trip to No. 1 of the jayhawks.
Florida defeated Arizona to move up from eighth to No. 2 this week. Georgia Tech defeated Connecticut, and Purdue beat Duke, moving the Boilermakers into the rankings for the first time this season. Georgia Tech was 13th, and the Boilermakers were 20th.
Kansas was ranked No. 1 for four weeks in the 2001-02 season, its first stint at the top since getting there for five straight seasons from 1992-93 through 1996-97.
Nine teams received first-place votes this week, backing up Self's point of not being deserving of the top spot.
"Although it's very early, we'll enjoy the time we have it and we certainly hope to maintain it," said Self, who took over when Roy Williams left after 14 seasons to become coach at North Carolina.
The Jayhawks were at Texas Christian last night, their first game since starting guard Mike Lee broke his right collarbone in practice last week. He is expected to be out for up to two months.
Kansas' jump from No. 6 to No. 1 matched Duke's rise on Dec. 14, 1965, and those were second only to West Virginia's moving from No. 8 to No. 1 on Dec. 24, 1957.
The Jayhawks received 52 first-place votes and 1,750 points from the 72-member national media panel, 146 more than Florida (2-0), which was No.1 on eight ballots.
Connecticut, which was a runaway No.1 in the preseason poll and for the first two weeks of the regular season, dropped to third following its 77-61 loss to Georgia Tech in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT. The Huskies (4-1) received one No.1 vote.
Missouri, the only member of last week's top five that didn't lose, moved up one place to fourth after beating Oakland (Mich.) 90-85 in its season opener. The Tigers got three first-place votes.
Michigan State (3-1) dropped from third to fifth, while Duke (3-1) fell from second to sixth after losing 78-68 to Purdue in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout.
Arizona (1-1) fell from fourth to seventh with the 78-77 loss to Florida in the Tipoff Classic, while Texas, Kentucky and North Carolina rounded out the Top 10.
Texas had two first-place votes and Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina had one each.
Georgia Tech was the ninth school to get at least one first-place vote. The Yellow Jackets were No.1 on three ballots.
Illinois moved up one spot to 11th followed by Saint Joseph's, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Syracuse, Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and Purdue.
The last five ranked teams were Stanford, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Marquette and Oklahoma State.
Syracuse, which beat Kansas for the national title last year, was the other team in last week's Top 10 to lose a game. The Orangemen (1-1) were beaten 96-92 at home by Charlotte in their season opener and dropped from seventh to No. 16.
AP Top 25 Men's Basketball
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 30, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record Pts Pvs
1. **Kansas** (52) 2-0-1,750 6
2. Florida (8) 2-0-1,604 8
3. Connecticut (1) 4-1-1,152 4
4. **Missouri** (3) 1-0-1,487 5
5. Michigan St. 3-1-1,389 3
6. Duke (1) 3-1-1,132 5
7. Arizona 1-1,302 4
8. **Texas** (2) 3-0-1,272 11
9. Kentucky 2-0-1,234 10
10. North Carolina (1) 3-0-1,909 11
11. Illinois 3-0-1,071 12
12. Saint Joseph's 3-0-1,916 13
13. Georgia Tech (3) 5-0-874
14. Oklahoma 3-0-835 14
15. Wisconsin 3-0-720 15
16. Syracuse 1-1-692 17
17. Gonzaga 3-1-570 16
18. Wake Forest 3-0-552 18
19. Cincinnati 3-0-527 19
20. Purdue 4-0-493
21. Stanford 3-0-471 20
22. Pittsburgh 4-0-391 22
23. Notre Dame 2-0-342 21
24. Marquette 4-0-205 23
25. Oklahoma St. 3-0-117 24
Others receiving votes: Louisville 99, N.C.
State 63, Iowa 71, Maryland 59, Dayton
53, Texas Tech 32, Oregon 20, Indiana
17, Arizona St. 13, Auburn 12, Mississippi
St. 11, Providence 10, Charlotte 11, LSU 8,
BYU 5, Georgia 5, Vanderbilt 5, Butler 4,
UCLA 4, Florida St. 3, Ohio St. 3, George
Washington 2, Xavier 2, Arkansas 1,
California 1, Manhattan 1, Murray St. 1,
Nevada 1, Niagara 1
Louisville (0-1), which lost 70-69 in overtime to Iowa, fell out of the rankings from No. 17. North Carolina State (3-0) fell out from 25th despite wins over Howard and Florida A&M by an average of 25 points.
Chiefs face toughest rival in Denver
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With all due respect to the only team that beaten them, the Kansas City Chiefs do not consider the Cincinnati Bengals the toughest outfit they've faced this year.
Coach Dick Vermeil, for one, gives that nod to Denver. A one-point victory over the Broncos Oct. 5 in Kansas City put the Chiefs (11-1) on the path to having the best 12-game record in the league and in franchise history.
Another win this week in Denver would give Vermiell's team its first AFC West title since 1997 and allow the Chiefs to retain at least a one-game lead in the struggle for home-field advantage.
"It's going to be like playing a playoff game on the road," Vermilion said yesterday. "This is a very important football game for us. I think they're the best team we've seen all year."
The Chiefs and Broncos were both 4-0 when Kansas City's Dante Hall
unleashed his most spectacular return to date, a 93-yard punt runback for a fourth-quarter touchdown just moments after Denver had taken a 23-17 lead.
Since then, the Chiefs have remained remarkably healthy and soared to six wins and one loss, at Cincinnati.
The Broncos, meanwhile, sustained several crippling injuries in the ensuing weeks and have gone only 3-4 since losing to Kansas City.
This road game is especially important to the Chiefs, who close out the regular season with home games against lowly Detroit and Chicago bracketed around a trip to Minnesota.
"Will it be a pivotal game in terms of home-field advantage if we make the playoffs? Well, we haven't made them yet," Vermeil said. "Normally when you win 11 games, you've made the playoffs. But in the AFC this year, it's a little bit tougher."
The Broncos would seem to have every reason imaginable to play hard.
For one thing, they're still scrapping
For another, they're no doubt unhappy over what happened on Hall's return, Julian Battle got away with an obvious clip.
for a wild-card spot and another loss would significantly hurt their cause.
And for yet another, it's Kansas City, an archrival the Broncos love to beat, no matter what the circumstances.
"It's tough enough to beat them any time, let alone going in there in December and trying to beat them," Vermeil said.
Vermeil said the Chiefs came out of Sunday's 28-24 victory at San Diego in fairly good shape. Only Monty Beisel, a backup linebacker and special teams ace who sustained a groin pull, was not expected to play against Denver.
"It will be a very intense, tight football game," Vermei said. "We're going to have to play our best football."
Only six points separated the two AFC West rivals in their last four games.
"It's not as bad as we first thought," Vermel said.
bowling
KU men and women's team bowl into 3rd and 12th places
The KU men's and women's bowling teams enjoyed a successful Thanksgiving break participating in the National Collegiate Team Match Games Bowling Tournament in St. Louis, said coach Mike Fine. The men's team surged the second day to finish third in the 48-team field.
The men were situated at seventh place before the last two games of the tournament, where they competed well enough to finish at third place, tying last year's finish. They finished with a score of 12,378, just 148 less than the second-place team, Wichita State, and 519 less then first-place team, Pikeville College.
The Jayhawk men were led by Rhino Page, Wichita sophomore, who finished 10th overall with an average of 220 and Marc D'Errico, Rochester, N.Y., senior, who finished 40th and averaged 203.
The women improved from last tournament's finish of 16th of 28. They continued to show progress finishing 12th in a strong field of 36, said Fine. The women's field included 10 schools classified as NCAA varsity programs. The Jayhawks were able to finish ahead of seven of the programs.
The women were led by Kelly Zapf, Rochester, N.Y., junior, who averaged 200 on her way to her first All-Tournament award of the season. The women's team received special recognition for most improved finish, after it emerged from 28th in 2002 to 12th this year. Leanne Downey, Rochester, N.Y., freshman, also aided in the team's improvement with an average 195, placing 12th overall.
Both teams will compete Dec. 6 and 7 at the Leatherneck Classic in Moline, Ill.
NBA
— Jason Elmquis
NBA finalizes six-player trade between Bulls and Raptors
CHICAGO — A six-player trade that sends Chicago Bulls forward Jalen Rose to the Toronto Raptors for Antonio Davis was finalized yesterday, two days after it was announced.
Besides Rose, the Bulls are sending forwards Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter to the Raptors. In return, Chicago gets Davis and forwards Jerome Williams and Chris Jefferies.
Davis, Williams and Jefferies were in Chicago yesterday taking their physicals, and the Bulls hoped to have them available for that night's game against Milwaukee.
The deal, in the works for weeks, was revealed Saturday. But it wasn't official without NBA approval, and league offices were closed over the weekend.
"The week was crazy because you got a lot of people pulling you in different directions when you know the real direction is Canada soon," Rose said.
The 6-foot-9 Davis, averaging nine rebounds and 8.6 points, gives the Bulls a veteran inside presence.
Williams also will be a steadying veteran influence. Nicknamed "Junkyard Dog," he's averaging 5.1 points and 8.5 rebounds a game.
Rose, a small forward in his 10th NBA season, is averaging 13.3 points - third best on the team - but has shot just 38 percent from the field this season.
Marshall will bolster Toronto's defense, and he can score, too. He's averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 41.9 percent from the floor.
Monday's University Daily Kansan contained an error. In the article "Tangerine bound," it was reported that Kansas played Brigham Young in the 1995 Aloha Bowl. The Jayhawks played UCLA in 1995, and BYU in 1992.
It also stated that Texas Tech lost in last year's Tangerine Bowl. Texas Tech defeated Clemson 55-15.
I heard someone on ESPN call the Kansas football team the Fighting Manginos. That is pretty cool.
Free for All Call 864-0500
Kansas athletics calendar
Friday
Swimming at U. of Houston at Houston, 6 n.m.
Corrections
Saturday
Men's basketball at Stanford, 3 p.m. at Anaheim Calif
Women's basketball
Swimming at Texas A&M, 1 p.m. at College Station, Texas.
Holiday Inn/Jayhawk Classic, Kansas against Cal State Fullerton, 12:30 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse
Sundav
Women's basketball, Holiday Inn/Jay hawk Classic, TBA
3 Fort Hays football players, student charged with murder
HAYS — Prosecutors yesterday charged three Fort Hays State University football players and a fourth man in the beating death of another student last month.
Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline and Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees charged three football players — Bradley Deary, a 21-year-old junior from Smithville, Texas; Luis Llamas, 23, a senior from San Diego; and Christopher Ross, 19, a freshman from Wylie, Texas — and Fort Hays student Jaime Lopez III, 23, a senior from Chula Vista, Calif., with second-degree murder.
All four are accused of killing Clint Johnson, 18, of Healy, a freshman business major who was beaten in a Nov. 13 fight at an apartment complex north of the campus. Johnson died two days later at a Wichita hospital.
Deary, Llamas, Ross and Lopez were being held yesterday in the Ellis County Jail on $50,000 bond. If convicted, they face between nine and 41 years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Stephen Maxwell will prosecute the case with Drees.
Spend Winter Break With Quintiles!
The Associated Press
Students...Get your pockets jingling this season by participating in a clinical research study! You could Earn Up To $2500 - Just In Time For The Holidays!
You may quality if you're:
A healthy non-smoking adult.
PLUS...Check Out Our Improved Referral Bonus Program!
Now you can Earn $200 by referring a friend,
who completes a study with us!
- Taking no medications
- Available for a short-term stay
- No more than 30 lbs overweight
The Associated Press
BEFORE FINALS BEGIN,
Call for details on trials available over Christmas Break!
(913) 894-5533 QUINTILES (800)292-5533
BEFORE FINALS BEGIN,
quintiles.com/volunteers
join the Search for Better Health
It's the end of the year and the beginning of a new you.
Curves is 30-minute fitness, com unison e weight loss and all of the support you need to achieve your goals.
www.curvesinternational.com
The power to amaze yourself.™
841-1431
Holiday Plaza - 25th & Iowa
Lawrence, KS 66047
face-to-face with provider of dental treatment. Offer based on visit with dental treatment of 10 programs of ongoing therapy have paid in
offered. Offer valid for eligible patients at dental treatment. Offer based on visit 11/17/1792
Over 6,000 locations to serve you.