THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
LANS 13
VOLLEYBALL | 7A
Jayhawk seeks national team
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011
Junior Allison Mayfield tried out for the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team over the weekend with 200 other volleyball players from across the nation.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 10A
HIGH HOPES
Kansas faces uphill battle
Women's basketball hopes to bounce back from its two losses as it enters the Big 12 Tournament today against Colorado
BY KATHLEEN GIER kgier@kansan.com
The Jayhawks are optimistic despite losing their last two games of the regular season. Kansas is eligible for the WNIT but is still striving for an NCAA appearance, which would require winning the tournament.
Amid offensive struggles from Kansas' traditional leaders,
freshman guard Diara Moore and senior guard Marisha Brown stepped up with big plays to keep Kansas in competition on Saturday against Kansas State.
In just over one minute's
time, Kansas' guards made three layups to close the margin and tied the game midway through the second half.
"I'm just disappointed because we had a chance," Henrickson said.
"We dug ourselves in a hole here,but we are trying to get 20 wins,and I think we can."
"All of that is to the rim by guys who are on the floor for their defensive presence but have the presence about to go to the rim and score," coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
The loss left the Jayhawks with a 19-10 record overall and dropped them to 6-10 in conference play. Kansas is set to face Colorado at 11 a.m. today in the first round of the Women's Big 12 Tournament.
This will be the third game between the Jayhawks and the
Kansas had 20 points scored by the bench players when the starters had difficulty producing.
In the end, missed layups, free throw struggles, foul trouble and costly turnovers led to a 56-51 Kansas loss to its in-state rival.
CAROLYN DAVIS Sophomore forward
Buffalooes this season. Kansas won its first two meetings by significant margins.
"I think it will give us a little bit of confidence knowing
we have played them before and played them well," senior center Krysten Boogaard said.
Krystal Doege Sophomore forward Carolyn Davis is keeping the goal simpler by focusing on the next game and the benefits that will bring.
"We dug ourselves in a hole here, but we are trying to get to 20 wins, and I think we can," Davis said.
Davis said that the |ayhawks win today, they will face Baylor at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Edited by Erin Wilbert
Check out the photo gallery of Senior Day kansan.com/photos/galleries
Travis Young/XANSAM Kansas sophomore forward Carolyn Davis scores against Kansas State sophomore guard Brittany Chambers with a layup Saturday evening at Allen Fieldhouse.The Jayhawks will play their first game in the Big 12 Tournament today against Colorado.
Reed's injury could cause concern in tourney
Senior guard Tyrel Reed puts up a three-pointer during the second half of the game at Missouri on Saturday. Reed was one of four Jayhawks in double figures with 11 points, but has been bothered by a foot injury since early January.
BY MIKE LAVIERI
mlavieri@kansan.com
twitter.com/kansanball
He walks from the locker room to James Naismith Court for practice, hobbling, favoring his left ankle. But if you watched senior guard Tyreel Reed in a game, you probably wouldn't notice a thing wrong with him.
early January,
but it didn't
bother him in
a game until
Kansas' Feb. 1
game against
Texas Tech.
On Monday,
coach Bill Self
revealed that
the injury has
limited Reed
in practice.
Reed has been injured since
"Tyrel
"You have to mentally prepare yourself for the days you are not going to be practicing."
"I yr re l practices the day before games because he needs surgery as soon as the season is over on his foot." Self said. "He basically has a bad heel, where there is a piece of bone in that area that is giving him some problems. It is minor injury and is probably equivalent to having an ankle sprain, so he may shoot two days before a game but he is not going to be allowed to do much more than that."
weekend: the NCAA tournament.
"We have been playing a lot of Saturday and Monday games and he has had the same injury so it will be more of a stretch this week if we are successful and able to advance," Self said.
TYREL REED Senior guard
Self said that that he could see a concern if Kansas does end up playing three games in three days. He said that he doesn't want to jeopardize Reed's health for the following week, which has bigger implications than this
Reed said the injury doesn't feel like anything specific, he said it just hurts. He said that he wants to practice with his teammates, but
mates, but understands that if he does, he might not be able to play in the games.
On the days that he doesn't practice, he is still able to do some shooting and works with strength coach Andrea
rudy to try to stay in shape as best he can.
best we can.
"You have to mentally prepare yourself for the days you are not going to be practicing." Reed said. "It's a little setback, but I have been dealing with it and will get through it."
get through it
Senior guard Brady Morningstar said Reed is tough, but feels bad for him because he can't practice and wants to be out there with the team. Morningstar said he's done well so far.
said they'd done
"If anyone would be able to play through injury it would be Tyrel." Morningstar said.
Edited by Tali David
COMMENTARY
Weight distributed evenly for Jayhawks
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
Kansas men's basketball doesn't have a shallow group of guys.It's the only team in the nation that can say that with confidence.
1
confidence Some of the other top teams in the country have something going for them, too.
them, too.
Ohio State has the body of work this year: balance, speed, athleticism and the youth mesh with the veterans. Duke has the experience of having been to the championship last year with most of the same pieces.
Pittsburgh is big and it won the best league in the country in the Big East.
But imagine what would happen if you took Jared Sullinger off of the Buckeyes. Look what the absence of Kyrie Irving has done to the Blue Devils. How long do you think the Panthers could survive without Ashton Gibbs or Brad Wanamaker?
If the jayhawks are going to make a statement in the postseason, they will do so because of their immense depth, which is their best strength.
If you were on the opposing team and you could take one player off of the Jayhawks before you played them, who would it be?
them, who will ask.
If you say Marcus Morris, your team is probably still doomed. If you said Markieff Morris, you've still got the other one to deal with. And if one of them is gone, sophomore Thomas Robinson is coming into the starting lineup. With the way he's been playing with shorter minutes coming back from injury, you do not want to have to deal with that.
It was a tough question for senior guard Brady Morningstar, too. In order for the lajhawks to lose a guy and it to have a negative effect on them, you have to break the rules of the question.
lose a guy, those two would have The chances of that happening are slim.
the question,
"I count one guy as Markieff and Marculs." Morningstar said. "If we lose a guy, those two would hurt us."
Two particular Jayhawks - ones that make significant contributions - have missed two or more games this season, and you wouldn't even notice. Take a look at the season stats for Kansas out of 31 games:
Rebounds per game: 38.4 (24th in the nation)
Field goal percentage: 51.8 percent (first in the nation)
Points per game: 82.7 (fifth in the nation)
Assists per game: 18.2 (first in the nation)
Here are the stats of the two games without Player One:
FG%: 55 percent
PPG:87
RPG:35
APG:17
Now here are five games without Player Two:
FG%: 51.3 percent
PPG: 86.8
RPG:35.6
APG: 21.8
There is no significant drop-off in any category, which is amazing. As you may have guessed, Player One is junior guard Tyshawn Taylor and Player Two is Robinson.
Keep in mind that in the midst of Robinsonson absence from knee surgery, Kansas had its worst statistical game of the season. And even with that negative outlier, the averages still look amazing.
Edited by Danielle Packer
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