KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 / SPORTS / 9A
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I just caught the ball and I turned around and I was like, 'Oh, the rim's here, let me dunk it.'"
FACT OF THE DAY
Harvard forward Keith Wright about one of his dunks against Colorado.
Kansas' men's team leads the nation in assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and field goal percentage.
Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Kansas'men's team is second in the nation in scoring with 92.0 points per game. Who is first?
A: Lamar, at 96 points per game.
Kansas Athletics
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
TCU to move to Big East
MCCLATCHY-TRIRLINE
FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Christian University has accepted an invitation to join the Big East Conference, league and school officials announced here Monday.
TCU began competing in the Mountain West Conference in 2005 and will remain in the league next season before it joins the Big East on July 1, 2012.
All 20 of TCU's sports teams will participate in the Big East, and the long-rumored move should benefit the school's football team, which will be joining a league that annually sends its champion to a Bowl championship Series bowl game.
The Horned Frogs, ranked third in the current BCS standings, recently completed a 12-0 regular season and are assured an at-large BCS bowl berth this season. If Oregon and Auburn, the top teams in the standings, both win on Saturday, TCU would play in the Rose Bowl. If one or both lose, TCU would probably advance to the BCS title game at Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 10.
However, the road to such opportunities is more difficult as a member of the Mountain West, which does not have automatic qualifier status in the BCS.
"it's a long-term move that helps TCU down the road," football coach Gary Patterson said.
Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said the recent departures of Brigham Young University and Utah from the Mountain West were factors in TCU's move.
"It is not the same league that we joined," he said.
BYU will play football as an independent and join the West Coast Conference in other sports. Utah will be joining the new Pacific 12 Conference next fall.
Gambling Yankees risk Jeter
MORNING BREW
The Derek Jeter saga, fit for the stage of New York City, keeps getting better and better.
There's not a single more polarizing team in the MLB (and arguably all of sports) than the Yankees; barring a lack of interest, anyone you ask will have a strong opinion either way about the 27-time World Series champions. Professionalism prevents me from saying much more than the Yankees are NOT my favorite team.
Having said that, the contract negotiations between the organization and Jeter, who is the modern face of the Yankees, have been nothing short of perplexing. I just can't understand how a team as notorious for spending money as the Yankees won't spend it on their best player for the last 14 years.
Jeter has to be regarded separately from other Yankees today, minus Mariano Rivera, because of their tenure. New York is one of the most difficult stages to perform on, and a lot of great players haven't been able to live up to the city's standards. And since 1996, Jeter has done nothing but shine.
He's played at least 148 games in all but one (2003) season since his official rookie season in 1996. This past year, he hit a career-worst .270 — 21 points
BY CHRISTIAN LUCERO clucero@kansan.com
lower than his previous worst and still the same average as his teammate, Alex Rodriguez. He's won five Gold Glove awards, been voted to 11 All-Star teams and was the World Series MVP in 2000. Jeter's been the Yankees shortstop for seven titles. And yet the Yankees won't pony up to his contract requests, with the latest Yankee offer including a suggestion to Jeter and his agent to take a "reality potion" concerning the negotiations.
Jeter is reportedly seeking more years and more money per year than the offer on the table, a three-year, $45 million contract to follow up the 10-year, $189 million contract that expired after the 2010 season ended. Given my feelings toward the Yankees, I
wouldn't mind seeing Jeter explore free agency and find a team willing to meet his demands (Detroit would make sense, and how great would it be to see number 2 in Boston next year?).
Regardless of the team he plays for, Jeter demands respect for what he's done on the field.
But, if the Yankees continue to withhold respect from Jeter, they seem content with letting go of possibly the most iconic major leaguer of my lifetime.
Edited by Emily McCoy
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UConn holds record position at No.1
Connecticut is back as the unanimous No.1.
The Huskies, who have won an NCAA women's basketball record 84 straight games, received all 40 first-place votes in The Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday. It was the 47th straight week they sit atop the poll.
Connecticut had been an unanimous choice in the poll for 35 straight weeks starting in the second week of 2009 and ending in the final poll of last season. The Huskies (6-0), who received 39 votes the first three polls of this season, routed their three opponents this week at their own tournament by an average of 44 points.
Baylor and Stanford remained second and third while Xavier and Duke each moved up a spot with Tennessee's loss. The Lady Vols fell five spots to ninth after losing to Georgetown in the championship game of the Paradise Jam on Saturday.
Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Kentucky each moved up a place in front of Tennessee. West Virginia remained 10th after winning its bracket of the Paradise Jam with victories over Virginia, Iowa State and TCU.
Notre Dame moved up two places to 16th. The Irish were followed by Texas, Iowa, Iowa State and St. John's. The Red Storm, who face St. Bonaventure on Monday night, climbed two spots in the poll.
Oklahoma was No. 11 and Georgetown stayed 12th despite its win over the Lady Vols. The Hoyas had lost to unranked Missouri on Friday at the tournament. UCLA, North Carolina and Florida State remained behind Georgetown.
Georgia, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, and Michigan State round out the poll. The Lady Bulldogs dropped four places after losing to Southern Cal.
AP WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOP 25
1 Connecticut
2 Baylor
3 Stanford
4 Xavier
5 Duke
6 Ohio State
7 Texas A&M
8 Kentucky
9 Tennessee
10 West Virginia
11 Oklahoma
12 Georgetown
13 UCLA
14 North Carolina
15 Florida State
16 Notre Dame
17 Texas
18 Iowa
19 Iowa State
20 St. John's
21 Georgia
22 Maryland
23 Vanderbilt
24 Nebraska
25 Michigan State
MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Associated Press
AP polls set early standard for men
There's no arguing Duke is No. 1 in The Associated Press college basketball poll and no doubt that Connecticut has moved into the Top 25.
The Blue Devils (6-0) received all 65 first-place votes from the national media panel Monday, and the Huskies (5-0) made the second-most impressive jump into the rankings in the last 21 years, moving in at No. 7.
Duke was No. 1 on all but seven ballots last week but Michigan State, which got six No. 1 votes, and Kansas State, which had the other, both lost — the latter to the Blue Devils as they won the CBE Classic.
The wins over Marquette, Kansas State and Oregon made the Blue Devils the first unanimous No.1 since Kentucky did it for one week last season.
Connecticut beat then-No. 2 Michigan State and then-No. 8 Kentucky on the way to winning the Maui Invitational. Since the poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989, the only more impressive entrance was Kansas' jump to No.4 after beating No.2 LSU, No.1 UNLV and No.2 St. John's on the way to winning the 1989 Preseason NIT.
"It's tough to imagine something like that even though everybody says they don't pay attention to the polls," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said before Monday's practice. "It's nice to be there at this point of the season but I always tell my teams' Don't let yesterday take
up too much of today."
Taking a team with five freshmen in its rotation to play in a tournament such as the Maui Invitational is a dicey proposition because you could come out with one win or maybe with an 0-3 record.
"I was very worried," Calhoun said. "In life you have to be bold enough to try. We did and we succeeded. I would have been happy with terrific effort to show we were equal to the task. We could have lost the first two games we played, then we were great against Kentucky. The only way to grow is to face teams early like we'll see throughout the season."
The Huskies were ranked for the first 10 weeks last season as well as in one other poll. They dropped out for good on Feb. 1 and didn't make the NCAA tournament.
"The No. 1 thing for this team now is that tomorrow is one of the biggest games of the season," Calhoun said of the home game against New Hampshire. "We have to validate what people think of us, it's quite that simple. I will remind them we were down three at the half to Vermont before we went to Maui. We have to keep getting better and we all have to be tuned in to that."
UNLV (6-0), which won the 76 Classic, and Notre Dame (7-0), which won the Old Spice Classic, were this week's newcomers to the poll at No.24 and 25.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
There are no events today
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Women's Basketball
Maine
7 p.m.
Lawrence
FRIDAY
Men's Basketball
UCLA
8 p.m.
lawrence
Swimming & Diving Georgia Invitational All Day Athens, Ga.
SATURDAY
Women's Basketball
SMU
2 p.m.
Dallas, Texas
Swimming & Diving Georgia Invitational All Day Athens, Ga.
Track & Field
Bob Timmons Challenge
All Day
Lawrence
SUNDAY
Swimming & Diving Georgia Invitational All Day Athens, Ga.
Both were ranked last season. Temple, Gonzaga and North Carolina dropped out of the rankings.
AP MEN'S BASKETBALL TOP 25
1 Duke
2 Ohio State
3 Pittsburgh
4 Kansas
5 Kansas State
6 Michigan State
7 Connecticut
8 Syracuse
9 Missouri
10 Kentucky
11 Baylor
12 Villanova
13 Tennessee
14 Memphis
15 Minnesota
16 Georgetown
17 San Diego State
18 Florida
19 Texas
20 Illinois
21 Brigham Young
22 Purdue
23 Washington
24 UNLV
25 Notre Dame
Associated Press
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER
Barcelona climbs to the top of the pile among Spanish soccer teams
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
MADRID — Barcelona cruised to the top of the Spanish Liga at sumptuous style on Monday by thrashing historic rivals Real Madrid 5-0 in a delighted Camp Nou.
David Villa scored twice for the Catalans, who are now two points above second-placed Real.
Barca's other goals were put away by Xavi, Pedro and supersub jafren. Real had Spain defender Sergio Ramos sent off at the end.
It was the biggest thrashing suffered by Real in Barcelona since 1994 and is their first defeat under new coach Jose Mourinho. Barca have beaten the whites in all five Clasicos since Pep Guardiola was appointed coach in 2008.
Guardiola maintained his habitual humility, saying that "it was not an easy match," that he had "not expected" such a clear result — and that "Real Madrid are an impressive team."
tell just how good this team (Barcelona) really is. Tonight we played very well indeed."
He added that "only time will
Two-goal hero Villa said: "this is very important triumph. We wanted to get above them (in the table) and we have achieved that.
"We were the better team," Villa added, "and we enjoyed playing to our style. Madrid looked uncomfortable because
"Last week we had one point more than them and now we have two points less. I have always said that Barca is the finished product
"Only time will tell just how good this team really is. Tonight we played very well indeed."
One cannot ask for more than this.
their maximum level and the other team played badly. This is a defeat, but not a humiliation.
The Spain striker finished by saying: "We are now two points above them. We have to continue working, we are only in November. We have an advantage, but we have to carry on winning."
PEP GUARDIOLA Coach
we overran them in midfield."
Real coach Mourinho, for his part, said: "One team played at
Mourinho finished,
saying: "We have to show character now. When you win titles you can cry for joy but when you concede five (goals) you have to."
and that we sh,
have a long way
to go."
with the desire to train, play again and win."
Mourinho's tactic of playing with an advanced defense dramatically backfired on him, as time and again Xavi and Andres Imiesta played through-balls for Villa, Pedro and Lionel Messi to run onto.
Indeed, the result would have been even more embarrassing for the Portuguese coach had it not been for Messi uncharacteristically wasting several clear chances.
Real midfielder Xabi Alonso, meanwhile, said: "They were better than us in everything. We cannot be pleased with this performance and result. But there are many matches left and nothing has finished."
Barca dominated from start to finish, enjoying almost 70 percent possession. After just six minutes, Messi hit iker Casillas' far post with a clever curling shot.
The capacity crowd did not have to wait long for the first goal. In the 10th minute Inesta exquisitely played Xavi through. The veteran playmaker scuffed his first shot but then calmly chipped Casillas to make it 1-0.
Casillas, allowing Pedro to make it 2-0 from close range.
Eight minutes later, with the Camp Nou on fire, Villa took a pass from Xavi down the left and skipped past Sergio Ramos. His centering pass was fumbled by
Barca started the second half as they had started the first — with speed, precision and penetration. Villa scored two similar goals
It was men against boys from then on, with Mourinho's young team looking hopelessly out of its depth. The white cause was not helped by Gonzalo Higuain's missing out due to a back injury. This left Cristiano Ronaldo alone in attack and the Portuguese striker looked nervous and overawed by the occasion.
For once, Messi was the provider instead of the finisher.
within the space of three minutes by finishing calmly after after being played through by Messi on both occasions.
The elegant hosts then eased up, as if not wanted to humiliate Real. But in injury time Jeffron made it 5-0 by turning in a center from fellow substitute Bojan.
The fifth goal caused Ramos to lose his discipline and he was sent off for an awful, needless foul on Messi.
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