Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSA
From Austin to Ames
Examining men's basketball conference foes. BIG 12 STOCK REPORT | 4B
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010
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PAGE 1B
KANSAS 75, COLORADO 64
'Hawks bowl over Buffaloes
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
twitter.com/maxrothran
They always say, a return to Allen Fieldhouse is the best medicine for a cold streak.
Kansas defeated Colorado 75-64 Wednesday in a game that was just as much team rehabilitation as it was a must-win conference test. After dropping five of its past six games, four of which were on the road, the once nationally ranked Jayhawks were in shambles.
Senior guard Danielle McCray finally got back on track after two of the worst performances of her career. After scoring just six points in a 53-42 loss Jan. 20 at Iowa State and seven points in a 81-69 loss Jan. 23 at then No. 13 Oklahoma, McCray gave her much bounce back. She finished with 29 points and 16 rebounds, a season high for any Jawhay.
A date at the fieldhouse with the Buffalofoes was the perfect cure.
"We needed it bad," freshman forward Carolyn Davis said. "We were struggling and losing confidence in each other."
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
"I didn't protect the ball," McCray said. "I'm going to be in the gym before anyone, just ball handling."
"She hit some tough shots early," coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Yet under her impressive statline were seven costly turnovers that often resulted in a Colorado layup on the other end.
Despite the occasional carelessness, McCray led a first half demolition. She ousted the Buffalooes on the glass with her fearlessness and strength and worked hard to find ways to score both inside and outside.
With McCray seemingly back to her old form, Kansas looked like the team that was once in the AP top 25 rankings.
Senior guard Danielle McCray battles Colorado forward Meagan Malcolm-Peck for a rebound during the first half. Kansas dominated the glass with 49 rebounds compared with Colorado's 29.
Coach Turner Gill gives a speech to members of the media during a press conference Dec. 14. According to Kansas Athletics' statement about Gill's contract, he will receive the fifth largest compensation package in the Bin 12.
"I let Sade down in the Oklahoma game," McCray said. "I needed to step up."
But Kansas fired right back,
Freshman guard Monica
Engelman and McCray hit conce-
With just under five minutes to go in the first half, junior guard Brittany Spears ended a 12-0 Kansas run that was aided by a three-minute Colorado scoring drought.
SEE RECAP ON PAGE 6B
Kansas Athletics reveals Gill's contract details
FOOTBALL
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
Weston White/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Kansas Athletics released the specifics of Gill's contract Wednesday. Gill will make $2 million per year for the next five years for a total of $10 million. Gill's compensation package ranked fifth among Big 12 coaches, according to a statement from Kansas Athletics.
Slightly more than a month after his introductory press conference Dec. 14, Turner Gill now has an official contract.
Gill's annual base salary is set at $229,900 with an annual media payment of $1,770,100. Gill will also receive a retention payment of $100,000 per year if he fulfills his five-year term.
He'll receive $25,000 for a regular season Big 12 Championship, one month's salary for bowl game participation and $50,000 for participation in a BCS bowl game. In
GILL'S INCENTIVES
Kansas plays in a BCS
Bowl Game: $50,000
Gill could earn up to $400,000 annually in incentives.
Kansas plays in a Bowl Game : One month's salary
Big-12 Regular-Season Championship: $25,000
Kansas wins BCS National Championship:
$200,000
National Coach of the Year: $100,000
addition, Gill will receive $100,000 if he is named the National Coach of the Year and $200,000 if Kansas wins the national championship.
"Turner Gill is a winner," Kansas Athletics Director Lew Perkins said in the statement. "He is an excellent coach and a terrific person. With Turner and the outstanding staff he has assembled, Kansas fans can look forward to many exciting Saturdays at Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium."
Former Kansas football coach
Mark Mangino made $2.3 million annually before he resigned following the 2009 football season.
Mangino received the same base salary and media payment at Gill.
COMMENTARY
However, Mangino could have made up to $675,000 annually for performance-based incentives.
— Edited by Katie Blankenau
Jayhawks rise to top ranking once again
BY ALEX BEECHER abeecher@kansan.com
Wen, Kentucky, it was fun while it lasted. The Wildcats, the last Division I basketball team to hold on to an undefeated record this season, finally dropped a game. South Carolina pulled the upset in question, behind a 30-point outpouring from Devan Downey.
What that loss, paired with Texas' recent stumbles, means for Kansas is pretty obvious: The Jayhawks will ascend back to their perch atop the rankings, a spot the team should be quite comfortable with. Kansas topped just about everyone's preseason ranking and remained there until losing at Tennessee.
Well, Kentucky, it was fun while it lasted. The Wildcats, the last
Of course, that will happen only if Kansas emerges victorious from Manhattan, which is far from certain. But regardless of the fact that new rankings don't come out until Monday, the reality of the situation is much more fluid. That is, Kansas became the presumed No. 1 the moment South Carolina polished off Kentucky. And with that presumptive ranking, the weight of expectation returns.
Beat Baylor? Should have won by more. And that field goal percentage was awfully high.
Not that high expectations are a new concept to Kansas' players or coaches. By now their collective shoulders ought to be used to bearing the weight of a demanding fan base.
But this time isn't last time. If it were, that would mean unfortunate things for the space-time continuum. It would also mean Kansas fans were cursed to continue feeling less than elated with Kansas' basketball team, which, while not quite as tragic as the tearing of the fabric of the universe, would still stink in its own right.
Dominate Missouri? Well, it was a home game. And all those turnovers? Ugly stuff. Bob Knight, former Texas Tech coach, couldn't even stay interested enough in the game to avoid going on pheasant hunting related tangents as the final seconds ticked away.
Kentucky's loss not only returns Kansas to familiar territory, but it also gives Kansas fans a chance to avoid familiar pitfalls, to lighten its expectations, even if only ever so slightly. Perhaps to sit back a little bit, relax and smell the proverbial roses that line the (also quite thorny) road through conference play. Perhaps to very good — maybe even historically great — basketball.
The point is Kansas is effectively No.1 again. The last time around, many felt generally dissatisfied with the Jayhawks' inability to win every game by 80 points, or at least reduce their opponents to weeping wrecks, curled into the fetal position on the court.
Sure, Kansas probably won't win the rest of its games by some obscene total. The Big 12 will probably not turn to mush at Kansas' behest. The Jayhawks will probably even lose more games — maybe beginning with the next to Kansas State.
And that would be fine. The universe would probably continue to exist.
Edited by Anna Archibald