Section: B The University Daily Kansan Upset in Top 25 Sean Connolly's three-pointer with 30 seconds left gave Ohio State a 63-61 upset of No. 3 Illinois last night. Illinois now leads Michigan State by only a half-game in the Big 10 Conference standings. Sports Inside: The Jayhawks hope to excel at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships today in Lincoln, Neb. SEE PAGE 3B Inside: The Kansas baseball and softball teams are both in action this weekend. SEE PAGE 3B FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2001 For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com KANSAN.COM/SPORTS Kansas, Nebraska to meet again By Chris Wristen sports@kansan.com Kansas sportwriter The last two times the men's basketball team went on the road, some Kansas players provided bulletin board material for their opponents. Coach Roy Williams offered a solution to make sure it didn't happen before his No. 11 Jaihawks (20-5 over all and 9-4 in the Big 12 Conference) travel to Nebraska (14-12 and 7-6) for Sunday's 2:30 p.m. game. "I asked them if I need to put a muzzle on them," Williams said of seniors Eric Chenowith and Kenny Gregory. "There's no telling what they're going to say tonight, so if they make up something stupid, just ignore it because it could happen. It has happened quite a bit recently." Before the Baylor loss Gregory said he didn't respect the Bears and that the Jayhawks' losses to Missouri and Iowa State didn't concern him because Kansas had lost to good teams — not Texas A&M or Baylor. A week later Baylor thumped the 'Hawks 85-77. Following Saturday's 79-71 loss at Iowa State, Chenowith said Cycleone freshmen Shane Power and Jake Sullivan, who had combined for 10-of-12 shooting from three-point range that game, probably had no business playing Division I basketball. "We had trouble telling them off the offensive boards," sophomore point guard Kirk Hinrich said about Colorado on Wednesday. "That's going to be hug." The Javahawks will be facing a Cornhusker team with lots of Division I caliber players on Sunday, especially center Kimani Friend, a preseason all-conference selection, and Cookie Belcher, the Big 12 steals leader. Steffon Bradford pairs with Friend inside to form one of the most dominant front lines in the league. They average more than 16 rebounds per game combined. That stat has Kansas' eve. The battle on the boards may be even tougher as Kansas will play without Big 12 leading rebounder Drew Gooden for the fifth straight game as he continues to nurse an injured wrist. especially with Nebraska's big guys and the way that they go at the boards." Gooden scored 17 points in the first meeting on Jan. 17 that helped Kansas roll to an 84-62 victory. Gregory scored 20 points, and Collison added 16 points and six blocked shots. Cary Cochran's five three-pointers were one of a few bright spots on that night for the 'Huskers as Friend and Bradford were kept in check offensively. Chenowith, Gregory and forwards Jeff Carey and Nick Collison weren't phased by Gooden's absence on Wednesday as they combined for 35 rebounds against the Buffalooes. Chenowith said that their success was a result of leaving behind the pressure to win — something he said had distracted the team during its recent losing streak. "You can't be thinking about pressure," Chenowith said. "You have just got to go out and play." SUNDAY'S GAME Kanaan (20.5 and 4.9) vs. Nobreka (13.13 and 6.1) at 2:30 p.m. in the Bob Daveney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Series: Kansas leads 148-70 Last meeting: Kansas won 84-62 on Jan. 17 in Lawrence. Coaches: Roy Williams — 349-87 in 13th season at Kansas and overall. Barr Collier — 14-12 in first season at Nebraska and 210-144 in 12th season overall. Probable Kansas Starters Probable Nebraska Starters Pos. No. Name PPG RPG G 3 Cary Cochran 9.4 2.5 G 30 Cookie Becher 15.8 5.3 G 11 Rodney Fields 5.9 2.4 F 15 Stef昂 Bradford 12.7 8.2 F 31 Kimani Friend 13.7 8.0 Pos. No. Name PPG RPG G 10 Kirin Hirkin 12.3, 3.8 G 13 Jeff Boesche 12.2, 3.0 F 4 Nick Collison 14.1, 6.3 F 20 Kenny Gregory 15.8, 7.1 C 44 Eric Chenowith 9.2, 7.3 Kansas senior center Eric Chenowith muscles his way into the lane against Colorado defender Richard Fox. Chenowith faces another capable post player Sunday in Nebraska's Kimani Friend. Tipoff is at 2:30 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. Photo by Laurie Sisk/KANSAN Kansas guard KC Hilgenkamp looks for an open teammate against Iowa State. Hilgenkamp has improved play throughout the Jayhawks' recent games, and has become a key player. The Jayhawks will take on Missouri tomorrow in Allen Fieldhouse. Game time is 2:05 p.m. Photo by Selena Jabara/KANSAN 'Hawks limp to Senior Day By Brandon Stinnett sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter The Kansas women's basketball team enters its Senior Day game against Missouri tomorrow in a familiar position. The Jayhawks are faced with shaking the memory of yet another disappointing loss. Kansas was victimized by Nebraska on Wednesday in a game that appeared destined for a Jayhawk victory until the Cornhuskers erupted with a 23-5 run midway through the second half. Nebraska rallied for a 49-46 victory and ended any thoughts of back-to-back victories for Kansas, a feat it hasn't accomplished since Dec. 1. Tough might be an understatement. With the loss to Nebraska, Kansas (10-15 overall and 4-10 in the Big 12 Conference) has lost 15 games for the first time since 1964. And it's not as if the Jayhawks haven't been close. Six of the losses have been by five points or less. Kansas coach Marian Washington said the Jayhawks had to find a way to forget about the tough loss before facing the Tigers. Kansas 'game against' Missouri on Feb. 10, in Columbia, Mo., is a good example. After leading by as many "We're definitely going to have to put this behind us," she said. "It's been a tough season already." as nine points in the second half, the Tigers came from behind and handed Kansas a 89-84 loss in overtime. Against Nebraska, the Jayhawks led by as many as 13 points before letting the lead slip away. Kansas guard KC Hilgenkamp said the Jayhawks simply lost their edge after building a sizable lead. "I think we kind of got to a point that we were a little too comfortable." she said. Kansas can't afford to do the same against Missouri if the team wants to send its seniors out with a win in their last home game. The Jayhawks will have to contend with Missouri's Amanda Lassiter, the fourth leading scorer in the conference. The key for Kansas could be Hilgenkamp. The junior scored 13 points against Missouri and has been a big part of Kansas' offense in recent games. She knocked in four of six three-pointers in an upset of then-No. 6 Iowa State on Feb. 17. And she helped the Jayhawks build a 24-19 lead in the first half against Nebraska, hitting two three-pointers and scoring eight points. Her emergence in recent games has taken some of the pressure off the team's three seniors: Jennifer Jackson, Jaclyn Johnson and Brooke Reves. Lassiter, who leads the Tigers with 20 points per game, totaled 22 in the teams' earlier game. gled against Nebraska, but Hilgenkamp's shooting helped put Kansas in a position to win. Washington, who has referred to the three seniors as the "big three" throughout the season, said Hilgenkamp's recent play had added her to that list. Both Johnson and Jackson strug- "The way KC's been playing, she makes it the big four," Washington said. Edited by Doug Pacey SATURDAY'S GAME SATURDAY'S GAME Kansas 10-15 and 4-10) vs. Missouri (12-15 and 4-10) at 2:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. Series: Kansas leads 31-25 Last meeting: Missouri won 89-84 in overtime on Feb. 10 in Columbia Coaches: Marian Washington — 533-302 in 28th season at Kansas and overall. Cindy Stein — 43-42 in third season at Missouri and 108-67 in fifth season overall. Probable Kansas Starters Pos. F No. Name PPG RPG 51 Brooke Reves 13.8 7.3 42 Jacin Johnson 16.4 7.7 G1 11 KC Hilkampen 7.8 2.6 G1 15 Jennifer Jackson 10.5 3.3 G2 22 Selena Scott 5.6 2.4 Pos. F 13 Name PPG RPG F 13 Evan Unrau 8,3 7,1 F 24 Annandra Lessner 20,0 6,6 C 55 Martena Williams 12,7 3,6 G 15 Kerena Barr 7,2 5,1 G 22 Tracy Franklin 10,2 3,7 Probable Missouri Starters Record-breaking kicker signs on with Kansas By Jeff Denton sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter Montey Beachard remembered the first time he ever laid eyes on Kansas signee John Beck, who holds Kansas high school football's all-time field goal record with 28. football's airtime deal good. After watching the prodigy's right foot crush the football on consecutive kicks, Kansas City Piper High School's new coach was awestruck. Coaching him, Behard thought, would make his job easier. "His leg was so powerful and his kicks were accurate," Bechard said. Everv time Piper's offense crossed the fifty-yard line, Beachard knew that the door had been opened for his team to score at least three points. "Kicking came naturally. I trusted my leg strength and just tried to attack each ball," said Beck, who also played slotback and safety for Piper. Beck's range is unusually deep — he kicked a 60-warder in the kick. Back will compete for first team kicker next season practice. In his senior season, he attempted 12 kicks from 50 yards or more. He connected on 10 of these tries, the longest being for 54 yards. This combination of strength and accuracy awed Kansas coach Terry Allen. In high school, a kicker is allowed to use a tee on field goal attempts. This permits greater height and leverage on the football. "There's a lot of kids out there that can kick the hack out of the football," Allen said. "But there's not that many that can kick the ball like John can. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the different rules and competition level of college football. Consistency will be his biggest key." Place kicking is a question mark for the "You make an important kick, you're the hero," he said. "You miss it, you probably don't want to show your face around campus for a while. I'll hopefully make more than I miss, but am confident that I can make them when they count the most." Jayhawks going into next season. Of the three kickers on last year's roster, only Joe Garcia saw game action. His graduation leaves a substantial void. Even though he made nine of 13 field goals, Garcia was remembered more for his last miss than his last good kick. Aware of the kicker's reality, Beck echoed those sentiments. Sports Columnist —Edited by Sydney Wallace Michael Rigg sports@kansan.com Columnist seeks sports memorabilia lost in flames Excuse me if I've been a little out of the Kansas sports loon. You see, lately I've been pretty fired up. And, I guess you could say, suffering from a severe case of burnout. My townhouse burned down on Sunday, and with it went everything I owned, including my beloved John Elway poster and my Joe Sakic jersey. I've got nothing. I haven't been to class in four days, and I haven't slept for six nights. I'm in a new place now, but it's just not the same. Everything that I once owned is now in a pile of ash at 22nd and Kasold. So now, I'm calling out a plea for help. I had some great sports stuff in that room. I'd love to have all of it — heck, any of it — back. So if you have any of the following, please e-mail the sports desk so that I can make you an offer you can't refuse. 1993 Colorado Academy Baseball. In my last game of youth baseball, my coach sent me in to pitch. I never pitched before. I hit three batters in a row — including one girl—and lost the game 18-2, or something like that. Still, my coach was impressed enough that I didn't hurt myself to give me the game ball afterwards. It was on the top shelf of my closest, covered in about a half inch of dust, when it burned up. So if anybody was at that game, and happened to keep the ball, let me know. Even if you're the girl I hit. Terry Towels times two. I don't know how I got these things because I was in the press box at Kansas football games, but somehow I ended up with a bunch of promotional "Terry Towels" in honor of Terry Allen. It's not as though Terry needs the support; it's just that those things made excellent rags for mopping up spilled beverages from the carpet. So, please promotions department — my floors just won't be the same without them. Luckily, the rest of my Kansas football collection — including my Zac Wegner poster and my Memorial Stadium goal post was saved. Whew. 1991 Denver Nuggets Sweat Rag. Yet another thing that that I don't know how I ended up with. But think of all the legends that wiped their faces in this rainbow-colored cloth while it was on the Nuggets' bench during the forgettable Paul Westhead years! I mean, Todd Lichti probably wiped his brow with this. And Joe Wolf may have even blown his nose with this! Joe Wolff! Kansan sports pages, every issue for the last three years. Journalists being journalists, and me having an ego, I saved every sports page for my entire college career, hoping that I would make a "Michael Rigg" stringbook when I graduated. Unfortunately, those sections just added to the flames in my room. So if you have all the Kansan sports pages for the past three years, send them to me. And please, get yourself some help. ■ New York Yankees World Series Champion T-shirts times too many. I hate New Yorkers. But it just so happens that I'm related to one, so every time the friggin' Yankees won the World Series, I got a T-shirt. Unfortunately, these were some of the only T-shirts that I owned, so I actually had to wear the things on occasion. So any of you Yankees fans, if you don't want to see me with my shirt off — and trust me, it's not a pretty sight — send me a T-shirt when you win another title in October. Losing everything I own is probably the worst thing that's ever happened to me, which also tells me how fortunate I've been. I did manage to grab one thing on the way out the door — my laptop computer, which I used to write this Pulitzer-winning column. But writing is a form of expression, and I'm glad I still have something to do it on. After all, if I couldn't write anymore, that would have really burned me up inside. Riga is a Greenwood Village, Colo., junior in broadcast news. ---