THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MEN'S BASKETBALL | 6A
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011
Kansas edges Texas in poll
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The Jayhawks earned the top spot in the AP poll Monday, edging No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Texas, but the loss to Kansas State could jeopardize their ranking next week.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
KANSAS STATE 84, NO.1 KANSAS 68
ONE,THEN DONE
PAGE 10A
Senior guard Tyrel Reed and Kansas State guard Rodney McGruder chase after a loose ball during the first half. Reed led the team with 14 points and dished out a team-high four assists in the 84-68 loss at Bramlage Coliseum
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
twitter.com/UDKbasketball
Two weeks ago, Tyshawn Taylor thoroughly outplayed Jacob Pullen in Allen Fieldhouse and the Jayhawks won 90-66.
Yesterday, Jacob Pullen thoroughly outplayed Tyshawn Taylor in Bramlage Coliseum and the Wildcats won 84-68.
"Let's just call it like it is," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "That was a beatdown."
Taylor had what was possibly his worst game as a Jayhawk, Pullen certainly his best as a Wildcat, and the difference in point guard play was a huge part of the story as
Kansas State toppled a No.1 team on its home floor for the second year in a row.
year in a row.
"No. 1 ranking?" Self asked incredulously.
"After watching that? Jeez. We may fall out of the polls next week."
Taylor turned the ball over six times against just one assist and got worked over time and again by Pullen on the defensive side of the floor. Pullen finished with a career-high 38 points and five assists in the victory. The 38 points was the most one player has scored against a top-ranked team since 1968.
"From a positive standpoint," Self said, "We held them to 46 points if you take Jacob out of the equation."
But one player doesn't win a game, and neither does one lose it. Both Pullen and Taylor had help (if you can call it that for Taylor) from teammates.
teammates.
The leading rebounder in the Big 12, Markieff Morris, had all of zero rebounds. Mario Little shot just 33 percent from the field, but damn if that stopped him from trying. He led the team with nine shots. And the Jayhawks collectively had their worst assist-to-turnover ratio since their last loss to a purple-clad underdog with nothing to lose — Northern Iowa.
Northern Iowa.
"We just weren't productive," sophomore center Jeff Withey said. "It wasn't anything that they did differently. It was all us."
Entering the game as the third-best offensive rebounding team in the nation, the Wildcats pulled down 10 offensive boards on 21 misses.
misses.
"They basically kicked our butts." Mario Little said. "Banged us around."
In addition to Pullen playing out-of-his-mind well, it was enough to send the Jayhawks home with a firm reminder of why K-State was picked to win the conference.
Most concerning for the Jayhawks is their inability to keep their heads in pressure situations. Their three juniors — the Morris twins and Tyshawn Taylor — had foul trouble and mental miscues all night.
"Our three juniors did not come to play tonight," Self said.
to play songs.
Taylor let his mistakes snowball and was visibly frustrated, while Markiek Morris picked up an intentional foul in the first half. Elijah Johnson cost the team some crucial momentum when he picked up a technical for jaw jacking after a thunderous second-half dunk that brought the Jayhawks within 14.
Self was clearly frustrated with the immaturity showed by his team.
"I'm leaving out of here not realy recognizing the team that played tonight," he said.
Edited by Tali David
Track coach finds his way to the top
Coach Tom Hays credits the success of his athletes with earning him the award
Tom Hays holds the coaching award he won on Jan. 29. Hays has had seven pole vaulters win national titles under his guidance.
BY GEOFFRY CALVERT gcalvert@kansan.com
Pole vault coach Tom Hays was named the National Collegiate Pole Vault Coach of the Year in a surprise presentation at the UCS National Pole Vault Summit on Jan. 29.
Courtesy of Jeff Jacobson/KU ATHLETICS
Members of the USA Track and Field developmental staff voted on the award, which is presented annually at the summit. Lane Maestretti was in charge of UCS' preparation for the summit, and he was adamant about getting the reluctant Hays to speak.
"I was asked to come and be the keynote speaker at the Summit," Hays said. "They surprised me with the award."
Hays had no idea he was even being considered for the award, and was clueless until the presented it to him.
"I basically told Lane no. I told him I was too busy," Hays said. "He kept after me."
scented it to him.
"They didn't want to hear me talk as much as they wanted to
ms career.
"I won because Jordan won the national title. Through the years I've had vaulters break records and had seven of them win the national title," Hays said. "I'm not saying I deserved it but I think it helped because I've been around awhile."
awhite.
Indeed, before coming to KU, where he is currently in his seventh year as coach, Hays also spent time coaching at Arizona, Wichita State and Nevada. He was a national runner-up in the pole vault in high school, and competed for Kansas, where he was a student assistant. He has been successful everywhere he has coached, for which he credits the coaching staffs.
give me the award, Tyler Hays credited his athletes — specifically Jordan Scott — for earning him the award. Scott won the pole vault at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championship and won six Big 12 pole vaulting crowns in his career.
give me the award," Hays joked.
coaching admin
"Everywhere I've been, the coaches have allowed me to go
after good pole vaulters," he said. "Without the head coach being excited about the event we could never be successful."
Hays said he gets a big thrill seeing his athletes get excited over being successful, something that keeps him going every year.
"A couple of years ago I felt burnt out," Hays said. "A good friend asked me what I was thinking. He told me getting to go out and coach young kids is like recess. It's not a job to me."
— Edited by Sean Tokarz
Sultanova, who was a four-time All-American for the Jayhawks, and Amy Linnen, who was the 2002 and 2005 NCAA indoor pole vault champion and currently hold's the indoor pole vault record.
Along with Scott, some of Hays' other successful athletes are Kate
COMMENTARY
March Madness is what counts
BY KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
Pop quiz: What comes to mind when I mention the 2009-2010
tion the 2009-2010 Kansas basketball team? If you answered beating Oklahoma in conference play to capture the Big 12 regular season title, you're either lying or you were under a rock during the NCAA tournament. Seeing how the tournament ended for Jayhawk fans in 2010, being under a rock wouldn't have been a bad place to be in March. What about 2005, 2006, or 2008? I'll answer these for you.
these for you.
I hear 2005 and think of Bucknell. 2006? Bradley. 2008?
A lot of great things, but not one of them is the Big 12 regular season title Mario and the gang won.
For better or worse, Kansas basketball is remembered by results in March. Conference championships are great, and the current run of six straight conference titles by Bill Self is nothing short of remarkable, but let's not kid ourselves here. How long can fans bask in the glory of yet another conference title? For me, it's about 24 hours before I'm looking ahead to what seed the Jayhawks will get in the big dance and where they're getting shipped to.
Tyshawn Taylor and the Morris twins have gone from immature freshmen (airsoft guns, 'point plankn') to grown men with NBA futures. Thomas Robinson is overcoming adversity better than anyone could have imagined. The team is shooting better than anyone in the country (53 percent). They're unselfish (second in America with 18 assists per game), and sitting at 24-2, a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament is all but certain at this point.
I said that so I can say this: With Texas sitting at 10-0 in Big 12 play, that 54th conference title might have to wait until 2012, and I'm okay with that. Why? Because Kansas fans know wins in February arent remembered, even against rivals.
certain of this problem.
And let's not forget, this is after losing three NBA players from last year's squad. Who would have thought that KU could finish 14-2 in Big 12 play and finish second overall? Not me, not you. Not anyone.
So if the Longhorns finish this ridiculous run they're on with a perfect 16-0 record and capture this year's Big 12 championship, don't be too upset. Tip your cap to our friends in Austin and look forward to the Big Dance. Because as we all know in Lawrence, November through February is fun, but it isn't remembered.
Edited by Marla Daniels