Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Goodrich goes in for surgery The freshman guard tore her right ACL. WOMEN'S BASEKTBALL|8A
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010
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COMMENTARY
Game photos available now Buy prints from last night's Border Showdown . KANSANPHOTOS.COM
Henry's troubles plague team
PAGE 10A
KANSAS 84, MISSOURI 65
BY MAX VOSBURGH
mvosburgh@kansan.com
twitter.com/MVsports
Sherron Collins had his worst game of the year in conference play and the Jayhawks still managed to win by 19 points.
That says incredible things about the talent surrounding the Associated Press preseason AllAmerican guard.
So what's the problem? I'll give you a clue; it is like the variable you're missing in an equation
It's not sophomore forward Marcus Morris, who led the team with 17 points in the victory against Missouri last night. He's averaging 18.8 points per game this year in Big 12 play.
It's not junior guard Brady Morningstar, who has done a spectacular job playing such a complete and well-rounded game that he stole Tyshawn Taylor's spot in the starting rotation without even scoring in double digits all year.
It's not junior center Cole Aldrich. When considering his defense and rebounding, he's been dominant inside all year. His scoring has been very sporadic but he has scored in double figures his last four games Aldrich's seven blocks last night was a season high.
The problem lies with freshman guard Xavier Henry. Henry hasn't made more than four shots since the game against California on Dec. 22. His shot has looked horrendous lately. At the beginning of the year, it had a beautiful arc to it. Now he's throwing up line drives and even air-balled it twice at home against Baylor on
SEE COLUMN ON PAGE 7A
Weston White/KANSAN
Junior center Cole Aldrich stretches over Missouri forward Justin Safford to tip the ball in after a Kansas free-throw miss. Aldrich scored 12 points, but pulled in 16 boards alongside seven blocks.
Tigers skinned in Showdown
Players remember rivalry fondly after 19-point win
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
twitter.com/c_thibodeau
Call it home field advantage. Call it the thrill of the Border Showdown. Call it showing off on national television.
No matter what you make of it, a beat down is a beat down.
The Missouri Tigers pleaded no contest, losing 65-84 to their bitter rivals Monday night.
Junior guard Tyrel Reed has known this rivalry all his life. And for the layhawks to stick it to the Tigers like this is the ultimate satisfaction.
"Every time we go against them, I want to beat them as bad as we can," he said.
Reed tied a career high with 14 points and made all four of his three point attempts.
After the game, he recounted his involvement in the rivalry from a young age.
"Since I was a little kid, I've known about the Kansas/ Missouri rivalry," Reed said. "You know, being in grade school and not liking the kid next to you because he's a Missouri fan. It's just that big a deal to people around here and I just have a great time playing them."
Reed finished with a season high 14 points off the bench, going 4-4 from beyond the arc.
The crowd was thundering and
the jayhawks came into the poised. Especially Cole Aldrich.
"A lot of fun," Aldrich said. "It's a big rivalry game. You always are amp up for a rivalry game and at home, having the great fans we had tonight, it was even more fun."
Aldrich completely dominated the paint against Mizzou's offense, falling three blocks short of a triple double. He had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
But all wasn't perfect for Kansas.
The Jayhaws turned the ball over-a whopping 23 times. The Tigers only had five. The second
half wasn't as dominant as the first, either, but coach Bill Self wasn't sorry for the final outcome.
"We just kind of traded baskets the second half", he said. "But I'm not going to sit here and apologize for beating Mizzou by 19."
The Jayhawks went into the locker room up 50-30 at the half thanks to a buzzer beating a three by Brady Morningstar that looked at first like it was going to rim out.
"Its always a battle," Aldrich said of the rivalry. "We were up 20 at.
SEE RECAP ON PAGE 6A
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Senior guard Danielle McCray joins off the court after fouling out with four minutes remaining in Kansas' 81-69 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday. McCray scored just seven points in the game, marking the second straight game she scored in single digits.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAM
McCray suffers after December winning streak
BY MAX ROTHMAN
mrothman@kansan.com
twitter.com/maxrothman
Senior guard Danielle McCray is the first lajhawk out of the locker room at yesterday's practice - just shooting.
"I just feel like I need to be in the gym again," McGray said.
After riding a seven-game winning streak in December, the harsh winds of January have frostbitten Kansas. The Jayhawks dropped five of their past six games, four of which were on the road. They are 2-6 this season when playing away from the friendly confines of Allen Fieldhouse and no one is feeling the woes of the road more than McCray.
Take away your heart and all life is gone.
McCray, the team's unquestioned leader, is slumping, and, suddenly, the Jayhawks seem lifeless and in need of resuscitation.
"It's tough when you're struggling on the road and all you have is your team," McCray said. "At home you have the fans to keep you energized and get you going."
Over the past two games — a 53-42
loss at Iowa State Wednesday and an 81-69 loss at No. 13 Oklahoma Saturday, McCray tallied her lowest scoring totals of the season: Six points in Ames and seven in Norman. Whether it was a hassling defense or just a crooked shot, something about McCray just wasn't right.
"When I look at film, I just wasn't in tune," McCray said.
In those games, she shot 5-for-25 from the field and missed all nine of her 3-point attempts. Those numbers are way down from her season averages preceding her two-game slump: 46 percent from the field and 45 percent from three.
"She's standing and watching and not ready to shoot the ball," coach Bonnie Henrickson said.
Much of her offensive struggles can be attributed to defensive schemes willing to sag off of her teammates, designed for the sole purpose of shutting down McCray.
Unforced foul trouble has been another persistent theme in her two-
"Every time I had the ball, someone was in my face. There" were two or three people right there." McCray said after Wednesday's loss at Iowa State.
game slide. Many of McCray's fouls have come from antsy reach ins or poorly-timed attempts at a block. Such fouls can often derive from fatigue. However, a significant part of staying out of foul trouble lies with a certain mentality.
"It was an effort and focus issue on Saturday," Henrickson said.
McCray also said that she needs to get back to the basics and improve her footwork and ball-handling. But to say that she's overly concerned would be a stretch
After all, we've seen this from Mc Cray before.
utes of play. Her foul issues kept her off the floor, as she eventually fouled out in a close game with 7:10 left.
But McCray bounced back. Despite a 69-54 loss against then No. 2 Oklahoma, she posted 23 points and seven
"It's tough when you're struggling on the road and all you have is your team."
In February 2009, McCray hand-capped Kansas with foul trouble in a 74-60 loss at Missouri and again in a 74-66 loss at Texas just a few days later. While McCray managed to score 20 in Columbia, Mo., her foul troubled her to the bench in the first half and the Jayhawks never clicked offensively. Against Texas, McCray scored seven points in just 19 min-
DANIELLE MCCRAY Senior guard
rebounds.
So if history bodes well we should have the old McCray back and firing before long. But until then, Henrickson said that McCray's offensive struggles cannot affect her
defensive intensity.
"There are no slumps on the defensive end," Henrickson said. "We need consistency from her."
The good news: cold streaks can only last for so long with preseason All-Americans.
"She's struggling now, but who doesn't?" senior guard Sade Morris said. "She's a great player. She'll get out of it."
Edited by Anna Archibald
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