UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, February 19, 1997
5B
Big 12 coaches reflect on recent games
Texas, Kansas hope to see players return
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Texas' Tom Penders says he doesn't know how many players he'll have for the next game, don't pass it off as just another complaint from a paranoid coach.
Injuries and viruses have swept through the Longhorns' rooster. It started last week when center Dennis Jordan experienced flui- like symptoms, and crested Fri
day when three players who started practice failed to finish.
Gabe Muoneke had an ear infection. Anthony Goode injured an ankle and DeJuan Vasquez had symptoms of a virus.
Star guard Reggie Freeman, who had a sore throat even though he played Sunday, completed the list of ailing Longhorns.
"He probably should not have been playing against Nebraska. He talked me into it," said Penders.
"If he can't play, let's face it, we're hurting against anybody. And the other guys who are sick are kev plavers. too," he said.
Jordan reported Monday that he was feeling much better.
"Hopefully, his virus has passed," said Penders.
The Longhorns' next game is at today against Iowa State.
"I'm not sure who's going to be standing," said Penders.
Center Scot Pollard may be just about ready to rejoin No. 1 Kansas after missing seven games with a stress fracture in his foot.
"They're X-raying the foot this morning. We'll see what it looks like, the way the bone is healing," Roy Williams said Monday, a few hours before the Jayhawks avenged their only loss of the season with a 79-67 victory against Missouri.
"Last week you could barely see the crack at all (in Pollard's foot)," Williams said. "The healing process was going on. He's to the point where he can jog now.
Williams said that the senior center would definitely play on Saturday when the Jayhawks complete their home schedule, playing Kansas State.
The Iowa State Cyclones are coming off a victory that coach Tim Floyd hopes will provide more than just a win. Trailing 55-50 against Kansas State, they went on a 12-0 run to beat the Wildcats 62-58.
"We were down 55-50, and it's a miserable evening, no clips for the highlight tape," Floyd said.
"We couldn't make a shot. But we just persevered and played hard. There's some great lessons
to be learned in games like that, where you never lead it until the final minute and a half.
"They continued to play with discipline and poise, and never pointed a finger. It allowed them to come back and win."
Not many teams are playing better defense than Nebraska, whose last three opponents have shot less than 38 percent.
"My assistants have given good scouting reports and we've played solid man-to-man defense a long time and it's just paying off for us now," coach Danny Nee said. "It's good, solid defense without fouling."
The self-effacing Nee is just one win away from his milestone
200th as Nebraska coach. .
"They're getting harder and harder to get," he said. "You stay around long enough, even a blind squirrel can find a nut."
Oklahoma State and Texas A&M are facing a basketball rarity playing each other in back-to-back games.
The Cowboys, who had lost nine straight road games, beat the Aggies 62-60 on the road Saturday. Now they'll play them at home today.
"The fact we finally won a road game was a big victory for us," said Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton. "I'm not crazy about playing back-to-back games. But sometimes that happens."
Tar Heels will have to fight for top-three finish this year
The Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — If North Carolina stays hot the next two weeks and finishes no worse than third in the Atlantic Coast Conference for a 33rd straight season, the No.12 Tar Heels will have earned it.
Starting tonight against No. 4 Wake Forest, the Tar Heels (17-6, 7-5) finish the ACC regular season against four teams in the top 15.
After entertaining the Demon Deacons, North Carolina travels to No. 14 Maryland Saturday and No. 8 Clemson Feb. 26 and is home against league-leading No. 6 Duke March 2.
said.
Those four teams are in front of the Tar Heels in the ACC standings.
Coach Dean Smith said North Carolina was playing its best basketball, including two close wins last week — the team's first two ACC road wins of the season.
"Every team should be playing better as the season progresses, and we are in that category," Smith
North Carolina today is much better than the team that lost to Wake Forest 81-57 at Winston-Salem Jan. 4, which gave the Tar Heels their worst ever ACC start.
Since that loss, along with defeats to Maryland and Virginia, the Tar Heels have won seven of nine games, playing more aggressively defense and hitting 50 percent or better from the field in six of their last seven games.
"They are playing much better," said Wake Forest coach Dave Odom.
"I'm not surprised at that. I thought they were playing very well when we played them in January. They just didn't have a good game that night." he said.
North Carolina's ranking is its highest since being No. 11 on Dec. 30. The Tar Heels now have been in the Associated Press poll 123 consecutive weeks — the longest streak in the nation.
sive) patterns much better than they were." Odom said.
"I think their defense is improved. They are not giving up as many threes, and they are still finding a way to guard people on the inside, which scares me because our inside attack has been very good and the best thing about our team," he said.
"They are running their (offen-
The Tar Heels have beaten the Demon Deacons (20-3, 9-3) 10 of the last 11 meetings in the Smith Center.
But Wake Forest is undefeated in ACC road games this season and has led North Carolina by huge margins in each of the last three games.
During North Carolina's remarkable string of top-three conference finishes under Smith, the Tar Heels have either won the regular season title outright or tied for the title 17 times and finished second 10 times.
However, North Carolina has finished third three times in the 90s, including a 10-6 third-place finish last year.
'Bovs of summer' take the field
The Associated Press
A number of teams have already kicked off spring training and the following is a brief look at what some are doing.
Kansas City Royals No surprise if batters are a bit jumpy early in Kansas City's camp — Wild Thing is trying another comeback.
Mitch Williams, released by the Astros in 1994, the Angels in 1995 and the Phillies in 1996, is trying to earn a job in the bullpen. Four years after giving up Joe Carter's World Series-winning homer, Williams is only 32.
"It's like starting over for me," the left-hander said at Haines City, Fla. "I've got to earn a spot, and I'm excited about it."
Williams was released from a minor-league deal by the Phillies last August. The Royals signed him to a minor-league contract last month.
Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics When he played for Oakland the first time, Jose Canseco would occasionally come late to training
camp. Now that he's back, there's no reason to change.
Canseco, traded back to the A's this winter after four seasons with Texas and Boston, told the team he would report to spring training on Friday and participate in his first workout on Saturday.
The full squad will have its first workout tomorrow, though the mandatory reporting date for players is not until the end of this month.
St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals Dennis Eckersley left St. Louis' workout early on Monday to have his sore right elbow examined. Eckersley, 42, reported soreness after Sunday's workout and underwent an MRI exam.
Eckersley appeared in 60 games last season and saved 30 games. He is in his 22nd year in the majors and his second with the Cardinals.
Second baseman Mike Gallego was invited to camp as a non-roster invitee. Gallego, 36, played in 51 games with St. Louis last year and hit .210 in an injury-plagued season.
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati went through the formality of putting pitcher Jose Rijo on the 60-day disabled list.
Rijo, at one time the ace of the Reds' staff, has not pitched since July 18, 1995. He underwent elbow surgery that August, and since then has had surgery twice — last April to remove calcification, a bone formation and scar tissue, and in November to repair a ruptured flexor tendon mass.
Rilo is in Birmingham, Ala., working with a physical therapist.
David Wells' first year with New York keeps getting worse. First, the hefty lefty broke his left hand in a bar fight. Now, what originally was thought to be turf toe might be gout.
"He came in real sore," Yankees manager Joe Torre said at Tampa, Fla. "He insists it's a toe problem, like tuf toe."
Although the problem has kept Wells from throwing off the mound, he has taken part in other drills.
On Monday, Wells was walking with a pronounced limp because of the sore left big toe and did not practice.
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