2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY HARY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"If you make every game a life-and-death thing, you're going to have problems. You'll be dead a lot."
Dean Smith
FACT OF THE DAY
Texas leads the all-time series against Kansas in football 7-2.
Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: When did Kansas last defeat Texas in football?
A: 1908, when it defeated the Longhorns 19-18 in their second meeting. Kansas' only other victory against Texas was a 12-0 triumph in 1901.
-Kansas Athletics
BIG 12 BASKETBALL Mizzou snags highest rated recruit in 15 years
rated recruit in 15 years
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Top basketball recruit Tony Mitchell of Dallas will join the Missouri Tigers next season.
The university announced Mitchell's commitment Tuesday.
He is considered one of the top 20 high school seniors and the highest-rated recruit to sign with Missouri in 15 years.
The 6-foot-8 forward will play this year for LG. Pinkston High School in Texas after a junior season at Center of Life Academy in Miami.
Hejoins point guard Phil Pressey of Dallas, power forward Kadeem Green of Charlotte, N.C., and shooting guard Ricky Kreklow of Columbia in Missouri's 2010 recruiting class.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Reed scores 16 points to help Indiana State
BATON ROUGE, La. — Rashad Reed scored 16 points to help Indiana State defeat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 76-63 on Tuesday.
Reed made six field goals, including four 3-pointers, in a consolation round game of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tipoff.
Associated Press
How other ill-fated teams overcame
MORNING BREW
Seniors Todd Reesing, Jake Sharp, Kerry Meier and Darrell Stuckey, among others, ended their days at Kivisto Field haunted by echoes of "Go Big Red." It was a disheartening howl from a blue stadium tainted by red slotches.
The 5-0 dream season that once sparked with BCS hopes and "Reesing for Heisman" whispers has been shattered by a 0-5 record to follow the second leg of the season. That streak could very well climb to six as Kansas heads to Austin, Texas, this Saturday to take on the 10-0 Texas Longhorns.
Jayhawk Nation finds ways to cope by looking to basketball, and on non-game days, occasional tears. But despite the deep pains inside, please know that the horizon could still become brighter. Other teams of the past have defied their seemingly everlasting doom.
The Team: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 1976 and 1977
The Losing Streak: 26 consecutive losses
What Happened: Tampa lost all 14 scheduled games in its first year in the league. Fortunately, the
schedule hadn't yet been revised to 16. The following season, the team lost the first 12 before earning the franchise's first victory, defeating the once-horrendous New Orleans Saints 33-14.
How They Overcame: It took awhile, but in the late '90s and early 2000s, Tampa Bay was home to an outright vicious defense, touting names like Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Anthony "Booger" McFarlane and Ronde Barber. With coach Jon Gruden at the helm, the Bucs went on to win Super Bowl XXXVII against the Oakland Raiders 48-21.
The Team: The Boston Celtics of 2006-07
The Losing Streak: 18 consecutive losses
What Happened: The classiest team in the NBA and its 16 titles had suddenly became a laughing-stock. Doc Rivers was looking like a poor fit in the Hub and ex Jay-
hawk Paul Pierce, the cornerstone of the franchise, had his name swirling through trade rumors. The Celtics finally snapped the streak, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 117-97 in Boston with the help of 32 points from Pierce.
How They Overcame: The next season, general manager Danny Ainge traded his first round pick in NBA draft for "Sugar" Ray Allen. Then, free agent Kevin Garnett looked east and saw Pierce and Allen, fellow stars without titles and waiting for their third musketeer.
Thus, "the Big Three" was created. Ainge's wheeling and dealing coupled with Garnett's unrivaled intensity inspired the Celtics to start playing some defense — absolutely incredible defense. Rajon Rondo's emergence as an elite point guard and the trio's dominance resulted in the Celtics seventeenth championship banner, soundly defeating the hated Lakers in six games.
The Team: The Chicago Cubs of 1908-present
The Losing Streak: 101 years without a World Series
What Happened: It is known as the curse of the Billy Goat
— Steve Bartman and Milton "No Game" Bradley. Just about everything has gone wrong for this franchise, and it continues to reach for hope year after year.
How They Overcame: To be continued ...
So how will Kansas respond to its own woes? Next year's new wave of leaders features Kale Pick, Toben Opurum, Bradley McDougald and Huldon Tharp. Their effect on the team is unknown, but the traces of history and the words of 'Tupac surely tell us to "keep ya head up."
Follow Max Rothman at www.
twitter.com/maxrothman.
Edited by Jacob Muselmann
Coaches hope to see fast return
NFL
BY ALAN ROBINSON
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers apparently won't be without injured safety Troy Polamalu for more than one game.
Associated Press
The sigh of relief began in coach Mike Tomlin's office and no doubt spread throughout the Steelers' practice building.
Pomalau is "questionable at best" for the Chiefs (2-7), according to Tomlin.
Polaulam hasn't been ruled out of Sunday's game at Kansas City despite injuring his left knee for the second time this season. However, it seems more likely he will miss one game and attempt to return for an AFC North game at Baltimore on Nov. 29.
Questionable is a lot better than out, which is what the Steelers (6-3) feared their defensive star would be after he strained a posterior cruciate ligament.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu intercepts a pass by Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in November 2008. Polamalu is questionable after injuring his left knee.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
Women's basketball at Iowa, 7 p.m.
Volleyball at Iowa State, 6:30 p.m.
TODAY
Men's basketball
vs. Central
Arkansas,
7 p.m.
FRIDAY
Swimming Houston Invitational all day
SATURDAY
Volleyball vs. Nebraska 6:30 p.m.
Football at Texas, 7 p.m.
Swimming Houston Invitational, all day
SUNDAY
Women's basketball vs. Michigan, 2 p.m.
Swimming Houston Invitational, all Day
COLLEGE BASKETBALL With 16 points, Zampier leads Yale to first victory
STORRS, Conn. — Alex Zampier scored 16 points and Yale rallied to beat Colgate 65-55 on Tuesday to earn its first victory of the season.
The Bulldogs (1-2) opened the second half with 12 unanswered points in the consolation round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Trailing 30-28 at halftime, Yale held Colgate (0-2) scoreless for nearly 7 minutes as the Bulldogs took advantage of six turnovers.
Colgate closed to within 40-39 but Zampier and Reggie Willhite keyed an 11-2 rally that put the Bulldogs back in control.
Associated Press
FALL 2009 ANDERSON CHANDLER LECTURE SERIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH Robert Herndon
FBI Special Agent and key investigator in the real-life case that is the basis for the new Warner Bros. movie "The Informant" starring Matt Damon
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1. 2009 · 7:00 P.M.
THE LIED CENTER OF KANSAS
CLUES FROM THE CONVICTS LIFE LESSONS ON CHARACTER, LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS FROM THE FILES OF THE FBI
Oakland Raiders linebackers Jon Niston, left, and Thomas Howard, middle, chase a fumble by Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Brown in the third quarter Sunday in Oakland, Calif. Bohse had six catches for 91 yards in the Chiefs' 16-10 victory.
Chiefs' Bowe suspended for violating substance policy
NFL
ASSOCIATED PRES
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dwayne Bowe, in and out of his coach's doghouse all year, is in much deeper trouble now.
BY DOUG TUCKER Associated Press
His loss is a blow to the Chiefs (2-7), who have struggled in coach Todd Haley's first year and been particularly weak at wide receiver, signing them off the street throughout the year and then discarding them and trying others.
The only constant at the position has been the talented but exasperating Bowe. Although the former first-round pick out of LSU has abundant ability, he's made a habit of coming up with a spectacular catch on one play only to drop an
Kansas City's third-year wide receiver was suspended without pay for four games Tuesday for violating the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing substances. Neither the Chiefs nor the league would make further comment and Bowe's agent, Todd France, did not return calls seeking comment.
He was one of the first players to run afoul of the new regime when Haley replaced Herm Edwards this year. Although he was clearly the most talented catcher on the team after the trade of tight end Tony Gonzalez to Atlanta, he dropped as low as third team on the depth chart and spent much of the summer fighting his way back.
easy ball or make a silly mistake the next.
"I think that was good for me overall," he said in an interview in September. "I didn't like it at the time, didn't really understand why it happened. But I think I'm a better practice player now."
Heading into this weekend's game against Pittsburgh, Bowe leads the Chiefs with 33 catches — but last week's victory over Oakland was a typical Dwayne Bowe game.
He had six catches for 91 yards and played a key role in the Chiefs' fourth victory in 34 games. But he also infuriated his coach when he lined up on the wrong side of the field on a key play. Forced to waste a time out, Haley screamed at him from the sideline and a
Bowe also had a season-high 109 yards in the Chiefs' other victory, at Washington.
few minutes later was seen talking intensely with his wide receiver on the bench.
In his 40-game NFL career, he has 189 catches for 2,483 yards (13.1 ypc) and 16 TDs.
As a rookie, he played in all,
16 games, making 15 starts and
finishing with 70 catches for 995 yards and five touchdowns. His reception and receiving yardage totals set franchise season records by a Chiefs rookie.
Bowe started all 16 games for the Chiefs in 2008, finishing with 86 catches — a franchise single-season record for wide receivers — for 1,022 yards and seven touchdowns.
Charl half o
1