Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Flashback
Sports
Feb. 16, 2000. Iowa State forward Marcus Fizer nails an -balance 18-foot turnaround jumper with six seconds left as the Cyclones defeat the Jayhawks 64-62 in Allen Fieldhouse. The win was the first for Iowa State in Lawrence since 1982.
Inside: Kansas senior center Eric Chenowith pulled down 14 rebounds against Texas Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
SEE PAGE 8B
Inside: The Kansas softball team won five of six games this weekend in Albuquerque, N.M.
SEE PAGE 8B
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2001 For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
Women grab upset victory against Texas
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
By Jessie Meyer
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
AUSTIN, Texas — The Jayhawks, playing with nothing to lose and pride to regain, upset No. 21 Texas Saturday in a game that brought to life a team that has been dormant for the past month.
"For us, it was a great game to win, particularly on the road and especially because we've had our challenges this year," said Kansas coach Marian Washington.
In the midst of the challenges, the Jayhawks (9-11 overall and 3-6 in the Big 12 Conference) were not supposed to win - they weren't even supposed to be in the game.
Washington:
attributed victory to
team's defense
But once the game began, it was all Kansas, all night long.
The Jayhawks took the lead 46
More information
For more about the women's basketball team,
See page 8B
seconds into the game at the Erwin Center — a lead they never relinquished.
Washington said the Jayhawks didn't play their best game of the season, turning over the ball 20 times and giving the Longhorns several second-chances on the offensive boards.
Texas (16-7 and 4-5) relied heavily on rebounding and three-point baskets to stay close in the second half after shooting a devastating 26.5 percent (nine-of-34) from the field in the first half.
While the Longhorns struggled, Kansas shot a blazing 58.3 percent from the field in the second half and 52 percent for the game.
Kansas has struggled to find scorers all season, trying to get players other than seniors Jaclyn Johnson Jennifer Jackson and Reves, who led all scorers with 22 and rebounders with 14, to step up and carry some of the load.
But Saturday, juniors Selena Scott and KC Hilgenkamp ignited and proved to be offensive threats, adding a combined 22 points to Reves' fourth double-double of the season.
"To have players like Selena step up and to have KC continue to improve, it really gives us a chance to stay in some ball games." Washington said.
Despite the barrage of baskets the Jayhawks knocked down, Washington said it was their defense that kept the Longhorns out of the game.
"We stuck to the game plan a little bit better," Jackson said. "And for the most part we did a 180-degree turn around from our rebounding performance against Nebraska, and I think that was the difference tonight." Game notes
- Revs needs five more points and Jackson needs 20 more points to become only the 16th and 17th players in Kansas history to score 1,000 points.
- Edited by Sydney Wallace
In memory
Big 12 men's and women's basketball teams will wear this velcro band around their jerseys in memory of the 10 people from Oklahoma State University, including two men's basketball players, who were killed in a plane crash last week. In addition to the arm bands, there will be a moment of silence before every Big 12 game for the remainder of the season in memory of the tragedy. Photo by J.E. Wilson/KANSAN
'Hawks in Cyclones' path
Game could affect Big 12's outcome
Bv Chris Wristen
By Chris Wristen
sports@kansas.com
Kansan sportswriter
Last week's ESPN Big Monday was big, but this one may be even bigger for No. 3 Kansas when No. 15 Iowa State visits Allen Fieldhouse at 8 tonight.
The Jayhawks will be trying to redeem themselves in front of a national audience who saw them fall to rival Missouri 75-66 last week on ESPN. Kansas is hot off a win against Texas Saturday, so confidence is running high, said senior forward Kenny Gregory.
Gregory said this game was especially important because of its implications in the Big 12 Conference race. The Jayhawks (18-2) are the conference's top dogs at 7-1 in the Big 12, but the Cyclones (19-3) are right behind at 7-2 in conference play.
"They've beaten us three times in a row, so it's a big challenge," Gregory said. "They're right behind us in the standings, so it's a big game for us. We'll just have to try to shut down everybody."
That begins with Jamaal Tinsley, the Cyclones' senior point guard. Tinsley was the preseason conference player of the year and scored a career-high 26 points in Saturday's
win against Kansas State in Ames, Iowa. Some media outlets even listed him as a preseason All-American. And the accolades are well-deserved, said Kansas coach Roy Williams.
"Jamal Tinsley is the best point guard in the Biz 12." Williams said.
The match-up between Tinsley and Kansas' sophomore point guard Kirk Hinrich may be the most anticipated duel in tonight's contest.
"He's a great player, and he's getting a lot of publicity, deservedly so," Hinrich said. "It's going to be a big game, but every game from here on out is going to be a big game."
Together, Jake Sullivan and Kantrail Horton average 23 points per game for Iowa State, and both shoot well above 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
The Jayhawks have a tandem that is equally dangerous from outside. Junior point guard Jeff Boschee has hit multiple threes in each of the last seven games, including nailing four of six treys against Texas on Saturday. Hinrich, meanwhile, leads the Big 12 in long-range accuracy.
Post players Paul Shirley and Martin Rancik give the Cyclones 24 points per game inside and will try to challenge Kansas' inside combination of senior Eric Chenowith and sophomores Nick Collison and Drew Gooden. Gooden tallied his ninth double-double of the season Saturday, while Collision chipped in 14 points and two blocked shots. Chenowith also had possibly his best all-around game in a month when he scored eight points, grabbed
14 rebounds and blocked four shots.
Gregory said this week's games would be crucial to Kansas' conference title hopes, and he was expecting big things from the Jayhawks tonight and again Saturday when Oklahoma State comes to town.
"It's huge," Gregory said. "If we can come out an protect our home court for these next couple games we'll separate ourselves from everyone else."
Edited by Leita Schultes
GAME INFO
Kansas vs. No. 15 Iowa State
Location: Allen Fieldhouse
Time: 8 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN, 980 AM, 105.9 FM.
Recorded: Kansas — 18-2 overall, 7-1 in the Big 12 Conference:
iowa State — 19-3, 7-2.
Concerts: Kansas — Roy Williams, 347-84; Iowa State — Lary
Eustachy, 62-23.
Series: Kansas leads 151-54.
Projected Kansas Starters
Pos. No. PPG RPG
G 10 Kirk Hirchin 10.0 4.3
G 13 Jeff Bosechee 10.8 2.0
F 20 Kenny Gregory 16.8 7.5
F 0 Drew Gooden 15.7 8.4
C 44 Eric Chenwik 10.1 8.6
OUTBURST FUELS JAYHAWKS TO VICTORY
Project Iowa State States
Pos. No. PPG RPG
G 11 Jennifer Timmis 13.9 1.6
G 24 Jake Husek 13.9 1.5
G 30 Daniel Gillens 12.1 5.6
F 51 Martin Rancik 13.5 5.5
F 45 Paul Sailor 11.0 7.1
Williams ignites team
Kansas coach Roy Williams winds up to launch his sports coat into the Allen Fieldhouse crowd after watching a poor show of defense by sophomore forward Drew Gooden. Williams received a technical foul for tossing his jacket. Kansas beat Texas 82-66 Saturday afternoon. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
By Chris Wristen sports@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
A hot-shooting second half brought Allen Fieldhouse to a simmer, but it was Roy Williams who made the building boil as No. 3 Kansas smoked Texas 82-66 on Saturday.
Texas' Chris Owens drove past Drew Gooden and drew a foul from the sophomore, enraging Williams. The coach yelled at Gooden and flung his sports coat six rows into the stands — resulting in a technical foul, his first at Allen Fieldhouse since 1992.
"It's the weirdest thing I've ever been involved in," Williams said. "I have zero
Darren Kelly made both free-throws from the technical foul to make the score 65-55, but the Jayhawks were fired up from their coach's outburst. It translated into an 8-1 run during the next two minutes, sparked by Jeff Boschee's fourth three-pointer of the game. Texas never came close again.
complaints about the call. It was very frustrating for me because I never want to do something stupid that would hurt our kids. That had a chance to be that kind of mistake."
It wasn't.
Kansas (18-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big 12 Conference) could not shake the Longhorns (16-6 and 5-3) in
More information For more about the Kansas men's basketball team, See page 88
the first half, thanks to a 39 percent field goal mark. But the Jayhawks heated up in the second half and made 57.7 percent of their shots.
Kansas even beat Texas at its own game.
The Longhorns, who have a reputation as one of the more physical teams in the Big 12, were physically beaten up by a Kansas team that had been labeled as "soft" in recent years.
"We're definitely more physical than the last two
years," said Kansas forward Kenny Gregory. "We had a 'soft' label the past two seasons and at times I thought it was true. This year, we're not consistently physical, but at stretches we do show a lot of toughness and just try to battle more than we have in the past couple seasons."
In the Jayhawks' first trip in the court they showed their tough attitude. Senior center Eric Chenowith powered to the basket, missed and got his own rebound. His second shot failed, but Gregory was there for the nut-back.
Moments later, sophomore point guard Kirk Hinrich lobbed an alley-oop pass to
See 'HAWKS on page 2B
New league delivers both hits, misses
Just when you thought it was safe to throw out that extra Super Bowl cheese dip, the XFL gives you reason to reheat it in An April for the new league's title game.
Obviously, that dip won't keep for four months, and history shows the XFL won't either, as many professional football leagues not named the NFL have struggled to stay afloat. But league founder Vince McMahon could change the trend, as Saturday's ratings were double NBC's predictions.
So is this new league worth watching? Maybe.
If one enjoys seeing former Jayhawks play football, then the new league is worth watching. Christian Maumalanga, known as Chris during his Kansas days, plays for the New York/New Jersey Hitmen. Maumalanga played on the Jayhawks' 1992 Aloha Bowl team. Fittingly, he said aloha to Las Vegas Outlaws quarterback Charles Puleri in the opening minutes of Saturday's game. On the second play from scrimmage, Maumalanga came off sides and leveled Puleri.
Hey, that wasn't in the script!
Hey, what didn't in the script.
Oh, my apologies, this isn't McMahon's WWF. Although former professional wrestlers Jerry "the King" Lawler and Jesse Ventura are commentators, the plays are real.
Other Jayhawks in this new brand of football include Michael Lies (Birmingham) and Dorian Brew (Chicago), although Brew's college is Auburn, according to www.xfl.com. Other locals include Emporia State alum and Paola native Brian Shay, and 1994 Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam. OK, so a local flavor, although faint, is a plus for the new league.
The coin toss. It's nonexistent. Instead, one player from each team makes a 20-yard dash towards a football — whoever gains possession of the ball earns the choice to kick or receive, as well as possession of the ball in overtime, should it occur. Thumbs up on this rule, as well as the no-point-after-touchdown kicks. Although the NFL doesn't need to make a rule change, it works for the XFL, as does the no-fair-catch rule.
■ Salaries. Quarterbucks earn $5,000 a game, kickers $3,500, and all others $4,500. Thumbs up to this aspect too — some professional athletes aren't money hungry, but it's a safe bet that arbitration for overpaid agents and players is not a question.
Cheerleaders. People complain that the XFL version of the rah-rah-sis-boombahers are ridiculously underdressed. When XFL cheerleaders perform dances, their close proximity to middle-aged men in the crowd might resemble another venue. But aside from that, NFCL cheerleaders use about the same amount of material to make their uniforms. If I call XFL cheerleaders a plus, I'm labeled a sexist. If I say they're not, I'm not manly. With that in mind, we'll call this one a draw.
Now for the reasons to shut down operations:
That new camera angle behind the huddle isn't natural. The NFL it's not, but it doesn't have to be completely different from mainstream football.
Team introductions. The players introduce themselves. Some players had stage fright, while another thought he was the next Randy Moss because he played at Northern Iowa. Ixnay on the talking layerspav.
Insert message here. Players have the option of putting any name or phrase on the back of their jerseys. One Las Vegas player who wore the phrase "He Hate Me" later explained it as "He" being the opposing team. Yeah, that's great.
It's surprising that the XFL wasn't spawned on FOX, the brilliant network that brought you such quality shows as, um, Who Wants to Marry a Multi-millionaire and Temptation Island. Instead, NBC is home to this diamond in the rough, along with UPN and TNN.
The idea of guys playing football because they love the game is admirable, but the extra bells and whistles could be the XFL's demise. Tune in and see what happens. It will never overtake the NFL, but it might be enjoyable.
Just don't break out the Pay-Per-View Mr. McMahon.
Linneberger is a Washington, Kan., senior in journalism.
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