Sports
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, March 1, 1990
11
Kansas is ready for challenge
Conference play promises stiff competition for NCAA berth
By Brent Maycock Kansas sportwriter
It's do or die time for the Jay. hawks
After finishing its regular season with a 20-8 record, the Kansas women's basketball team is ready to face its toughest challenge of the year — the Big Eight Conference Basketball Tournament this weekend in Salina.
Coach Marian Washington said the Jayhawks would have to do well to receive a bid for the NCAA Tournament.
Women's basketball
There are three teams in the conference that have 18 or more victories. Kansas and Missouri each have 20 victories and Kansas State has 18. Wisconsin and Georgia will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Jayhawks will meet Oklahoma State in their first-round game at noon on Saturday.
"Everybody feels like their position would be a lot stronger if they
With the possibility of more than one team from the Big Eight receiving a berth in the NCAA tournament, and with the games in Salina would be easy.
Numbers in parentheses represent tournament seed.
" will make it easier for us if we make it to the final," she said. "But I don't think it's any different for any team in the Big Eight right now. I don't feel our conference gets the respect it's due."
could make it to the finals." she said.
"All of the games should be extremely competitive. It will be a tremendous tournament to watch."
Washington said that even if her team did not win the Big Eight Tournament, it still deserved a bid to the NCAA.
"We won 20 games, and they've had teams in there with less than 20 wins," she said. "We've done well against some of the top teams in the country. It seems to me that you'd want to go with teams that are playing their best down the stretch, and we feel like we've been doing a good job down the stretch."
Kansas has won six of its last seven games, including victories on the road against Missouri and Kansas State. The Jahayha also faced four teams during the season that have been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 women's college basketball poll.
Washington said the amount of parity in the Big Eight this year hurt the team's chances at getting an invitation to the tournament.
"We're definitely not the strongest at this point, but we're certainly one of the stronger conferences for women's basketball," Washington said. "I think that the fact that we end up beating up on each other shouldn't penalize us."
Sophomore guard Shannon Bloxom said the team was ready to get back out on the court.
"I think we should have done better during the season," she said. "We're out to prove that we're the best team
in the conference."
In a tournament in which one loss means elimination, Washington said the Jayhawks would have to display the same kind of toughness that they did during the 73-70 victory against Kansas State in Manhattan.
"I think the Kansas State game came the closest to what I'm looking for in terms of mental toughness," Washington said. "To me, it's all about mental toughness right now and we've got to go down there and be ready to play."
washington said one word would describe how she wanted her team to play in Salina: aggressive, both offensively and defensively. She said that playing aggressively would help combat the problems her team had against more physical teams.
"Aggressiveness is going to be the key for us," she said. "I think we can work through everything else, but
we've got to piny again at the
couldn't wait to get back out on the court.
we've got to play aggressively."
"I'm ready," she said. "I've been ready since the K-State game. I don't like waiting around, so I'm really looking forward to getting down there."
NOTES
Guards Lisa Braddy and Shannon Bloxom played All-Big Eight Conference honors this week... Bradyd was named second team All-Big Eight. The senior has been named Big Eight player of the week twice this season. She is the most successful team averaging 13.8 points a game. She is Kansas' all-time assist leader with 680.. Bloxom was named honorable mention All-Big Eight. Bloxom is the Jayhawks' second leading scoreer, averaging 14.1 points a game. Bloxom but more of my teammates should have made it," Bloxom said.
Tigers clinch Big 8 crown with victory
The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Doug Smith scored 28 points and had 17 rebounds last night as No. 3 Missouri held off Kansas State 65-60 and locked up its seventh Big Eight basketball championship.
The Tigers' victory left No. 1 Kansas and No. 5 Oklahoma in a tie for second place in the conference. The Jayhawks, 10-3 in the conference and 27-3 overall, will play their last regular season game Saturday in Lawrence against Iowa State. The Cyclones are ranked sixth in the conference with a record of 3-9 and 9-16.
Missouri goes into its regular season finale at Notre Dame Saturday with a 26-3 overall record and one of the nation's hotest players in the 6-foot-10 Smith, who has averaged 28 points per game in his last six.
The Tigers, 12-2 in the Big Eight, also got a boost last night from point guard Lee Coward, who came off a double. The Giants scored several games with a wrist injury.
Oklahoma, 10-3 and 22-4, will play its last game of the regular season against Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Saturday. With the Wildcats' loss to Missouri, Oklahoma State, 6-6 and 15-10, moved into fourth place in the conference. Kansas State dropped from its tie with the Cowboys to fifth with a record of 6-7 and 16-13 overall.
K-State scored the first five points
Although Nebraska defeated Colorado 96-42 last night in Lincoln, the Cornhushers remained in seventh place with a record of 3-10 and 10-16. The Buffaloes remained in the cellar with a record of 2-12 and 10-17.
of the game, but Smith's two free throws with 7:51 left in the half gave the Tigers their first lead, 17-15, and Kansas State never led again.
Steve Henson, was the Wildcats leading scorer with 22 points.
The Tigers, who were ranked No. 1 twice this season and were coming off a 107-90 loss at Alabama on Sunday, quickly jumped to an 11-point advantage in the second half and led by as many as 12.
Kansas men's basketball statistics
Pritchard  G  30 FG FGA 28 FT  FT9 PT15 REB AST 50
Randall  30 166 273 88 83 112 14.0 8.2 1.7 30
Callaway  30 166 273 88 83 112 14.0 8.2 1.7 30
Brown  30 122 275 21 21 32 11.5 6.0 4.7 9
Guinness  30 122 275 21 21 32 11.5 6.0 4.7 9
Jordan  30 126 200 29 29 112 19.0 9.5 1.4 19
Marklander  29 78 130 47 47 81 7.0 5.1 4.1 12
West  29 78 130 47 47 81 7.0 5.1 4.1 12
Jamison  12 22 39 12 12 21 14.7 2.2 1.5 17
Wagner  12 22 39 12 12 21 14.7 2.2 1.5 17
Jordan  30 27 86 24 24 34 2.9 1.3 3.2 5
Alexander  30 27 86 24 24 34 2.9 1.3 3.2 5
Nash  18 5 9 7 14 17 9.1 11 1.1 17
Ridouton  18 5 9 7 14 17 9.1 11 1.1 17
KANASIS 30 1032 1927 251 414 774 92.8 19.1 1.17
DOPMENTS 30 1032 1927 251 414 774 92.8 19.1 1.17
Turnover — Prishak C, 75; Callaway G, 71; Guiderole R, 64; Rainbow M, 30; Marks M, 38; Markson M, 31; Brown J, 24; Jamison K, 15; Akerland W, 7; Wagner H, 7 Nash K, 6 Kansas 458
Opponies 609.
Three-point field goals - Brown 80-191 (47, Gulder, 518) 116 (59, Thorneyboro 38-88 (43, Mellon 32-93) (27, Calkins 81-58) (10, Alexander 41-30 (38, Jummino 11-84) Rancall 1-60) (1, Kansas 19-84 (44) Opponen 12-96)
Pittsburgh 24, Pitchford 53, Calvayle 64, Gulden 43, Randall 32,
Markenke 20, Jordan 19, Brown 18, West 15, Waddell 14,
Jamison 9, Wagner 5, Alexander 3, Kansas 272. Opponents
203.
**Bigoted bloods** – Markkinson 35, Maddux 17, Randall 12, Callaway 9
**Blooded guidance** - Guard 4, Wendell 3, Brown 1, Nielsen 7
Sports briefs
The game will be the first meeting ever between the two schools.
KANSAS BASEBALL PLAYS: The Kansas baseball team will play St. Cloud State at 2 p.m. today at Hoelund-Maunin Stadium.
The Jayhawks will enter the game with a 2-3 record after defeating Washburn 10-0 in that school's home oner Tuesday.
Yesterday's game against Missouri Southern was canceled because of the weather. The game has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. tomorrow at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Terms of the contracts were not released.
KC CHOOSES PLAYERS: The Royals yesterday announced they had signed one-year, non-guaranteed contracts with outfielders Brian McRae and Harvey Pulliam.
McRae. the 22-year-old son of long
time Royals' designated hit Hal McAe, hit 227 with five home runs, 42 RBI and 23 stolen bases for the Class AA Memphis Chicks last season. He was the Royals' top selection in the 1985 June free agent draft.
Pulliam, 22, was named the Royals' minor league player of the year last season after hitting .290 with 10 home runs and a club-high 67 RBI for Memphis.
NFL ADJUSTS SEASON: ESPN and the NFL reached agreement yesterday on a new, four-year contract that sources said would more than double the money that the NFL received from the cable television network.
The agreement, which will bring the league $450 million during its term, is similar to the one agreed to last week by Turner Broadcasting, which will have cable rights for the first half of the next four seasons.
Reporting date passes while lockout endures
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Management's chief negotiator yesterday said that he thought positions were hardening in baseball's labor dispute.
Chuck O'Connor, executive director of the owners' Player Relations Committee, said the clubs thought that March 12 was the latest spring training could start without delaying the regular season.
Yesterday was the official reporting date for all players and completed the spring training lockout's second week.
He said the committee had not set a precise date but had aimed to end negotiations in three weeks.
Talks broke off Monday and O'Connor said he hoped negotiations could resume beginning next week. Fehr said there was nothing to talk about right now.
Talks have stalemated about eligibility for salary arbitration. The union wants it rolled back to two years, but management insists that it remain at three years.
Players' union chief Donald Fehr said that he had minimal contact with management yesterday and that the next move was up to the owners. He is scheduled to brief players in Los Angeles today and in Tampa, Fla. tomorrow.
Baseball
"It takes somebody coming up with a new idea or concept, or further discussions, that point people in a direction they haven't been or puts things in a different light," Fehr said.
Following Tuesday's meeting of 100 players, which is nearly one-tenth of the union membership, most players said they could not accept a compromise on salary arbitration.
Rugby teams set for weekend matches
"There probably has been a hardening of positions," O'Connor said.
"When you put things on a win-lose basis, you almost invite that response."
Fehr said Tuesday that he believed Vincent had replaced O'Connor as management's chief negotiator. O'Connor said that he did not feel insulted and that some clubs called to say they thought Fehr was slighting him.
"I think that when owners read a headline that says, 'Baseball players say they won't concede,' they say, 'If they won't concede, we won't concede,'" O'Connor said. "When you say, 'We won't compromise' or 'We won't concede' or 'It has to be our way,' you have to expect the reaction from the other side has to be just as hard."
"This has been . . . put on a win-
low basis," he said. "That's really
not the way to conduct labor
negotiation. . . Winning and losing
are concepts that are great for base-
ball and other sports, but they are not
typically useful in labor negotiations."
"It does complicate things a bit," O'Connor said. "I've been insulted by experts", so I don't regard this as a personal insult."
'O'Connon, a veteran of many labor negotiations but a rookie in baseball talks, said he believed gaining an upper hand would and become important for the union.
Feh said he made the comment because he was taking into account the descriptions made by Bud Selig and others.
Commissioner Fay Vincent said that he spent last week结束 attempt to find a compromise solution but that union members would not move off their demand for a rollback to two years.
"I don't think there was any change at all," Fehr said. "If he has any question about what our position is, he can call me."
But Fehr said he did not interpret the situation as hardening.
By Paul Augeri
The KU rugby football teams will play the Jefferson City, Mo., A and B teams and Houston varsity clubs at 1 p.m. Saturday at Shenk Complex, 23rd and Iowa streets.
"Jefferson City is the best team in their division," KU rugby coach Rick Renro said. "But this has been a heck of a season for us. Many good things have happened."
Kansan sportswriter
The KU varsity and club teams will represent all of Kansas and part of Missouri at the Western Collegiate Club Championships in mid-April. The club squad will play in Dallas and the varsity team will play in College Station, Texas.
Renfo joined the teams won all of their Merit Table matches, or league
Kansas rugby
16-team tournament. Kansas plays non-league opponents in the spring.
A first-round victory at the tournament puts either Jayhawk team in the Final Four of the tournament in respective divisions, Rentro said.
The Jayhawks' varsity team lost to Oklahoma's varsity team 15-12 in its spring season opener last weekend in Norman, Okla.
"After our collegiate performance
on Saturday, I feel very confident about this weekend," said varsity flanker Paddy Delargy. "We've played only an hour this season. So a 15-12 loss is quite impressive."
The Jayhawks swept two matches from Oklahoma on Feb. 25. The club team beat the Sooners 25-14, and their team defeated Oklahoma 16-11.
Kansas' club team, composed of graduate and alumni players, dropped an 18-15 match to the Dallas Harlequins last Saturday. Kansas' senior reserve squad, a combination of variety and club players, was shutout by the Harlequins, 26-0.
"The reserves played impressively." Delargy said. "Physically we
"We're looking forward to playing in California," he said. "The best rugby in the country is played out there."
Renfro said the rugby clubs had played overseas seven times and planned to play in Australia and New Zealand during the summer of 1991. Kansas last played overseas in 1987 against Belgium and Holland.
are very fit. I think all three teams will win this weekend."
Renfro said the rugby squads would tour Southern California during spring break, although opponents for the squads had not been determined.
Kansan sportswriter
Swimmers aiming for a conference title
The Kansas men's swimming team will battle Nebraska. Missouri and Iowa State at the Big Eight Championship this weekend in Lincoln, Neb.
By Christine Reinolds
Kansas, 4-4, ranked 21st in the
The Cornhuskers, ranked 18th nationally by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll, have clinched the conference title for the last 10 years.
"We are picked to finish second," said coach Gary Kempf. "But we don't go anywhere to win." He will balance across the whole field."
nation, is seeded first in eight of the 21 events.
Kempf said he expected to have several swimmers qualify at the meet for the men's NCAA swim championship March 28-24 in Indianapolis.
indianapolis.
He said he also was taking some of the women's team members to
Lincoln for time trials. If the woman, make NCAA qualifying times, they will travel to Austin, Tex., on March 15 for the women's NCAA swimming championship.
Freshman Robert Townsend,
seeded third in the 50-yard
freestyle, near the NCAA
wide final in 20.37 seconds.
His best time is 20.52.
Junior Jeff Stout, seeded second in the 100 backstroke, was last year’s conference champion in the 200 backstroke. He returns this
year to swim in the 200 backstroke and the 100 backstroke. He already has qualified for the 100 backstroke at NCAA championship with a time of 50.19.
Freshman Tim Corzine, seeded third in the 100 backstroke, is 89 seconds away from qualifying for the championship.
Senior diver Andy Flower leads the diving team going into this weekend's meet. He is seated second in both the one-meter board and three-meter board.
Report says players fixed N.C. State games
The Associated Press
DENVILLE, N.J. — The investigation into North Carolina State basketball shifted yesterday to New Jersey, where police acknowledged a criminal investigation focused on the 1987-88 season amid nationally broadcast allegations of point-shaving in at least four games.
North Carolina State is already on NCAA probation for two years for selling shoes and complimentary tickets. Because of the probation, coach Jim Valano resigned as athletic director.
ABC News cited unnamed sources which said that forward Charles Shackleford and three of his teammates conspired to fix the season.
finale against Wake Forest and as many as three games in return for money from New Jersey contractor Robert Kramer.
That followed a report by the Greensboro News & Record which said that investigators were focusing on a 1986 game against Division II Tampa, which the 12th-ranked Wolfpack lost 67-62.
Shackleford, who now plays for the NBA's New Jersey Nets, had admitted accepting $65,000 from two men while he was a student. Yesterday, after meeting with Shackleford's agent and investigators, a school attorney conceded that the payments broke NCAA rules.
Denville police chief Howard Shaw
said his department had been investigating the basketball program since last November and that Kramer, who admitted lending Shackleford between $5,000 and $6,000, was involved. Asked if Shackleford was involved, Shaw said, "All I can say is that we've certainly been giving him some attention."
Shaw emphasized that Valvano had not been implicated.
ABC said one of the fixed games was the March 6, 1988, game against Wake Forest. Wake Forest was a 16-point underdog, but lost by only four:
ABC said Shackleford played poorly because he was being paid by a New Jersey gambler to fix the score.
ABC said Kramer masterminded the conspiracy and paid the four players as much as $1,000 each per game and used Shackleford to distribute the money.
Shackleford and Kramer declined to be interviewed by ABC, but their lawyers denied they were involved in point-shaving.
Earlier yesterday, Shackleford's agent Sal Di Fazio met in Bridgewater, N.J., with officials from North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State and the NCAA.
"There is no question to me that there were violations." North Carolina State's counsel Becky French said after the meeting.
Georgetown upsets Connecticut in 84-64 victory
The Associated Press
LANDOVER, Md. — Georgetown is used to being at the top of the Big East and showed why last night. Connecticut has never been there and didn't appear very comfortable with the altitude.
Seventh-ranked Georgetown moved into a tie in the Big East yesterday, getting 20 points and 12 rebounds from Alozo Mourning in an 84-64 victory against the No. 4.
Huakles.
the game backed end Connecticut's four-game winning streak and spiced in bid to clinch at least a piece of the conference crown. Now, the Huskies can do no better than share the title.
"They did what they had to do, and we didn't do what we had to do," said Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. "We were unable to sustain the way we've played all
year."
Connecticut, 24-5 and 11-4, grabbed an early 13-8 advantage.
Connecticut, which went more than six minutes without a point midway through the second half, fell into a tie with Georgetown and Syracuse with one game to play. The Huskies close the regular season Saturday against Boston College and Georgetown finishes at Syracuse on Sunday.
but Georgeotow took command with a 14-3 run and never gave up the lead, avenging an earlier loss to the Huskies.
Dwayne Bryant scored 20 for Georgetown, 23-4 and 11-4, and Dikembe Mutombo had 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. After winning only six games in a 10-game span, the Hoyas have won their last two by a combined 50 points.