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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009
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SAME NAME, NEW GAME
Weston White/KANSAN
Kansas coach Bill Self gives directions to players on the court as freshman guard Xavier Henry listens during Kansas' 101-65 victory against Hofstra Friday. When Henry takes the court against Memphis tonight, he will be playing against the team he originally committed to.
PAGE 10A
Kansas-Memphis differs from 2008
BY COREY THIBODEAUX cthibodeaux@kansan.com
It's being billed as a rematch of the 2008 National Championship, but when Kansas and Memphis meet tonight for the first time since that game, two different teams will take the court.
A coaching change at Memphis, combined with graduations and players leaving for the NBA, means that November 2009 likely won't resemble April 2008. In 2008, Kansas and Memphis were both top-ranked teams, but now, Kansas is the top-ranked team and Memphis, under first-year head coach Josh Pastner, is an unproven team in transition.
Senior guard Sherron Collins said he was surprised when he saw Memphis was the second game of the season. Despite the turnover
the two teams have seen since 2008, Collins said he still sees this as a game of pride.
"I think just because we beat them back then, there's still going to be a little bit of animosity."
"It's a totally different team, it's totally different coach," he said.
Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich the only current Javhayws who
played on the national championship team. In that game, Collins played 34 minutes and scored 11 points with six assists. Aldrich played only four minutes without scoring.
"The pieces have totally changed. There's very few of the same parts."
Memphis seniors Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack were the only Tigers who played in the game. The
two combined for six minutes.
"The pieces have totally changed," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "There's very few of the same parts. There are some and certainly I know when our guys think of the elite programs in the country, Memphis is definitely one of them and always will be with us."
BILL SELF Kansas coach
through the recruiting process. C.J. and Xavier Henry, as well as Marcus and Markieff Morris, all committed to Memphis at one point.
C. J. Henry attended Memphis last year, but did not play because of injuries. He battled another injury this year but practiced
Four players on this year's roster for Kansas are linked with Memphis
lightly the past couple of days and was cleared to play Monday, although Self said there was a good chance he might not play.
"It's kind of ironic that I'm cleared to play coming back against Memphis seeing as that was the school I went to last year." Henry said.
Xavier Henry said one of the main reasons he and his brother chose Memphis was former head coach John Calipari. When Calipari took the head coaching job at Kentucky in April, the Henrys reevaluated and headed to Kansas.
In spite of their past experiences with Memphis, both sets of brothers said they were still approaching this game like any other.
"I haven't really thought about it too much," Marcus Morris said. "I know those guys but I'd rather
KANSAS VS. MEMPHIS
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE
DATE: Tonight
LOCATION: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.
TIME: 9 p.m. CT
CHANNEL: ESPN,
Sunflower channel 33
be here than anything. I feel like I have a closer bond to the guys I'm here with than over there."
Kansas leads the series against Memphis 4-2. Memphis (1-0) defeated Jackson State 82-53 in its season opener.
Follow Corey Thibodeaux at twitter.com/c thibodeaux.
— Edited by Nick Gerik
FOOTBALL
Lack of late-game stops reveals recurring defensive issues
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
During the past five weeks, Kansas' defense has transformed in front of everyone's eyes, evolving from a liability to a unit
In nearly every game during that stretch, coach Mark Mangino has swapped players in and out of his starting line-ups.
compete in the Big 12.
Still, the layhawks have
In the final five minutes against Nebraska, Kansas' defense, which was in desperate need of a stop, simply couldn't get the iob done.
"Every game we've lost, the defense has had a chance to give our offense another shot and we've come up short."
the fourth quarter of another close game against a Big 12 North opponent.
A defense's fortitude is usually revealed in the instances when a stop is desperately needed. That type of gut-check moment smacked Kansas Saturday during
struggled in one glaring areas late-game defensive stands.
HULDON THARP Freshman linebacker
The Cornhuskers scored a touchdown with 29 seconds left in the game, putting the final touches on the victory.
"Everygame we've lost, the defense has had a chance to give our offense another shot and we've come up short," freshman linebacker Huldon
Harp said. "Today, we let some things slip away once again."
There's little doubt that Kansas' defense has drastically improved since allowing 36 points to Iowa
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 8A
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Nebraska running back Roy Hela Jr. dives over senior safety Darrell Stuckey into the endzone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter Saturday. Hela Jr.'s touchdown was the latest in a series of game-plays given up by Kansas' defense in recent games.
COMMENTARY
Jayhawks can still salvage season
Todd Reesing did something Saturday against Nebraska that Kansas football fans
were not used to — slide. It provided a sad reminder to those who hoped for so much more from this season and from their beloved Jayhawks, who are now sliding toward the end of the season.
But the season isn't over, and the frustrated Kansas team still has something to fight for.
As much as fans were frustrated by the fumbles that resulted from Reesing's head-on runs against Texas Tech and Kansas State, the slides that came against Nebraska were too symbolic of this season to ignore.
Kansas started the season off with a five-game winning streak, only to slide through the Big 12, losing five of six games. People are probably saying the season is over; the only remaining teams on the schedule are the Texas Longhorns, who are No. 2 in the BCS standings, and the hit-and-miss Missouri Tigers. But this Kansas team knows there are goals yet to accomplish and a season left to reclaim.
It may be a fantastical vision, but what if Kansas goes into Austin, Texas, and pulls off the most incredible upset in the school's recent history? Coach Mark Mangino should pitch that possibility to his players, who might be feeling like taking a knee for the rest of the year.
His pregame speech should raise the hairs on the back of every player's neck and inspire them to give this game the amount of effort deserving of the Big 12 Championship game.
The time each of these Kansas players has spent on the practice fields and in the weight room has taught them many life lessons — one of the most important being not to quit. There needs to be a collective realization on the team that the season could be as far from over as they want it to be.
The prospects of not making a bowl game should jolt the team and its seniors out from the corner they have put themselves in and inspire a last push. Players such as Kerry Meier, Todd Reesing and Darrell Stuckey have given the Jayhawk faithful as many acctic memories as the likes of Gale Sayers and John Hadl did in generations past.
The seniors could be happy with ending their careers at Kansas with a five-and-seven record, or they could fight like thousands of fans saw when the Jayhawks were fighting for a BCS bowl bid in 2007.
This is a calling to the Kansas team so many of us remember: It is your last chance to make history.
One more victory and Kansas becomes bowl eligible. Two more victories and Kansas is guaranteed a bowl bid. Because of the mess in the Big 12 North, one game doesn't guarantee anything, but it opens the door for extending the season.
Kansa
AG
Follow Nicolas Roesler at twitter.com/nroesler8.
Edited by Nick Gerik