BIG 12 HONORS
Two Kansas basketball players, forward RAEF LAFRENTZ and point guard TAMECKA DIXON, were named the Big 12 Conference men's and women's players of the week yesterday. LaFrentz posted two double-doubles and recorded a career-high five blocked shots against Colorado. Dixon
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
averaged 27.5 points in victories against Texas A&M and Colorado. It is the second time this season that both have earned the honor.
CANSECO RETURNS TO OAKLAND
Outfielder JOSE CANSECO returned to the Oakland Athletics in a trade from Boston yesterday, Canseco, who began his career with the Athletics, was sent back to
Oakland in exchange for right-handed pitcher John Wasdin. The Athletics also got cash to pay part of Canseco's $4.5 million base salary.
BIG 12 ROOKIES
Texas A&M forward JERALD BROWN and Missouri guard JULIE HELM were named the Big 12 Conference rookies of the week yesterday. Brown scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in an 89-60 loss to Kansas. He had 17 points in a victory against Kansas State. Helm averaged 16.7 points per game, including a career high 24 points in a loss to No. 10 Texas.
AP Top 25
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 26.
rank team rec pts
rank team league team pos team score 1. Kansas (70) 20-0 1,750 1
2.Wake Forest 15-1 1,645 4
3.Kentucky 18-2 1,623 4
4.Utah 13-2 1,456 5
5.Maryland 17-0 1,412 7
6.Minnesota 18-2 1,399 8
7.Clemson 16-3 1,334 8
8.Cincinnati 14-3 1,285 9
9.Louisville 16-2 1,225 6
10.Arizona 12-4 1,066 11
11.Iowa State 13-3 949 14
12.Duke 15-5 193 10
13.New Mexico 15-3 811 15
14.Villanova 15-4 794 12
15.Stanford 13-3 770 17
16.Michigan 14-5 721 13
17.Indiana 17-4 556 21
18.Colorado 15-4 504 18
19.North Carolina 12-5 456 19
20.Xavier, Ohio 13-3 370 16
21.Tulsa 15-4 333 24
22.Texas Tech 13-4 274 20
23Texas 11-5 283 23
24.Marquette 13-3 231 25
25.South Carolina 13-5 129 —
PAGE 10
Other teams receiving votes: Boston College 66, Tulane 66, Cape Cod 63, Iowa 49, UCLA 36, Miami 32, College of Charleston 29, Illinois 22, Georgia 15, Hawaii 15, Providence 11, California 9, Rhode Island 9, Florida State 7, Princeton 5, Connecticut 4.
USA Today Top 25
rank team rec pts pvs
1. Kansas (30) 20-0 750 1
2. Wake Forest 15-1 711 2
3. Kentucky 18-2 674 4
4. Utah 13-2 619 5
5. Minnesota 18-2 602 6
6. Clemson 18-2 599 3
7. Cincinnati 14-3 560 7
8. Louisville 14-3 552 8
9. Maryland 17-2 528 10
10. Arizona 12-4 427 11
11. Duke 15-5 405 9
12. Iowa State 13-3 405 12
13. Villanova 15-4 363 13
14. New Mexico 15-3 339 14
15. Stanford 13-3 339 17
16. Michigan 14-5 287 16
17. Indiana 17-4 228 19
18. North Carolina 12-5 216 18
19. Xavier, Ohio 13-3 169 15
20. Colorado 15-4 184 22
21. Texas 11-5 129 21
22. Texas Tech 13-4 115 20
23. Marquette 13-4 104 —
24. Tulsa 15-4 93 —
25. Boston College 13-4 61 23
The Top 25 teams in the USA Today CNN coaches college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses. records through Jan. 26.
Other teams receiving votes: Illinois 47, Iowa 29, UCLA 82, Pacific 27, South Carolina 27, Oregon 18, New Orleans 14, Georgia 13, Rhode Island 12, Tulane 12, California 8, Oklahoma State 8, College of Charleston 8, St. Mary's 8, St. Mary's 8, Calif. 6, South Alabama 5, Hawaii 3, Illinois 3, North Arizona 2, Boston 8, Utah State 2, Nebraska 1, St. Joseph's Pa. 1.
AP Women's Top 25
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press women's poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 26
rank team rec pts pvs
1. Connecticut (37) 18-0 1,021 1
2. Old Dominion (3) 17-1 982 2
3. Stanford (1) 20-1 948 3
4. Louisiana Tech 17-2 865 6
5. Alabama 16-3 810 4
6. North Carolina 16-1 793 9
7. Georgia 13-4 763 5
8. Virginia 14-3 731 7
9. Tennessee 14-7 686 8
10. Texas 12-3 618 12
11. Texas Tech 13-4 491 14
12. Kansas 14-3 487 14
13. Florida 15-4 485 19t
14. LSU 16-1 431 18
tie. Vanderbilt 13-5 431 11
16. Wisconsin 14-3 412 16
17. Clemson 14-4 408 10
18. Arkansas 14-4 406 13
19. Notre Dame 17-4 264 19t
20. Stephen F. Austin 17-2 211 22
21. N. Carolina State 17-1 171 17
22. Duke 12-6 165 24
23. Michigan State 15-3 162 —
24. Western Kentucky 13-5 129 23
25. Illinois 15-4 108 —
other teams receiving votes: Nebraks 55,
Maryland 45, Auburn 43, Memphis 33, Southern
California 29, Tulane 25, San Francisco
23, DePauw 19, Wake Forest 18, Mississippi
11, Portland 11, Louisville 9, Colorado 7,
Arkansas St. 5, George Washington 4.
Steve Puppe / KANSAN
Kansas senior forward B.J. Williams and senior guard Jerod Haase battle Colorado players for a loose ball. With Sun
day's victory, the Jayhawks remained undefeated with a 20-0 record and continued a 6-0 start in the Big 12 Conference.
It is business as usual for the No.1 Jayhawks
Other players step up in Pollard's absence
By Bill Petulla
Kansan sportswriter
Despite the inclement conditions, it was business as usual for the Kansas men's basketball team yesterday as it began to set its sights on tomorrow's game at No.22 Texas Tech. For the ninth consecutive week, the Jayhawks are ranked No.1 by The Associated Press.
"Hopefully, it will only be one month," said Mary Cairns, Kansas head trainer. "We're trying some different things to hopefully get him back sooner, but those things are experimental."
As previously reported, senior center Scot Pollard will not return to the Kansas lineup until Feb. 19 because of a stress fracture in the third metatarsal of his foot.
Without Pollard in the lineup, senior center B.J. Williams has elevated his game to fill the void. Making his first college start Sunday at Colorado, B.J. Williams pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds to go along with eight points and two blocked shots.
Pollard, who is now walking on a fracture boot after using crutches for three days, wanted to make the road trip to Colorado for last Sunday's game, but Cairns and Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams thought it would be in Pollard's best interest to stay in Lawrence. Cairns said Pollard resented the decision.
With six of his cousins, who live in nearby Colorado Springs, sitting behind the Kansas bench Sunday, B.J.
Williams said the decision of whether Pollard would attend the Texas Tech game as a spectator had not yet been made.
"When I told him that he was not going to go, his head bobbed down, and he was not very happy," Cairns said.
Junior forward Raef LaFrentz also is stepping up his game in the absence of Pollard. LaFrentz was a key factor in Kansas' 77-68 win at Colorado on Sunday with his team-leading 21 points and 14 rebounds. He has led the team in scoring five of the last six games.
"I think it was because it was a first-time thing — just sitting there as the crowd was going crazy," he said.
Williams said that he had been nervous about making his first college start.
LaFrentz said that with Pollard's absence, he would have to assert himself as more of an inside presence.
In other news: With a 20-0 overall record and a 6-1 start in the Big 12 Conference, Kansas is off to its best start in 61 years. Kansas has been in the AP Top 25 for 108 consecutive weeks. Sophomore forward Paul Pierce has led the Jayhawks in assists in the last three games. Kansas owns the longest home winning streak in the nation with 39 consecutive victories at Allen Field House.
So you think you're a true fan?
Such upstanding publications as Sports Illustrated and USA Today have written that the University of Kansas has some of the best basketball fans in the country.
Rock Chalk Chant and claims to love visiting Allen Field House to meet with what he calls some of the best fans around.
And let us not forget the ringing endorsement the basketball team gave to the fans. "Without them," the team has been heard saying, "It would be harder to win."
Dick Vitale, the overrated ESPN and ABC announcer, is enamored by the
Sure, this all sounds nice, but the
truth is that Kansas does not have the best basketball fans in the country.
*Amhomy, you say?*
Maybe. But the truth is that Kansas has the best men's basketball fans, not the best basketball fans.
Kansas can't boast the best basketball
The average attendance at men's basketball games is 16,100. The average attendance at women's games is an inflated 2,331.
Yes, everybody, Kansas has another basketball team. They happen to be the 19th ranked women's basketball team.
fans in the country because these fans continually ignore the other basketball team that plays on the field house floor.
Judging by attendance, very few know that.
Kansas' average is inflated because last Saturday the Jayhawks held Fill The Field House, and 10,100 people showed up. Before Fill the Field House, the average attendance was 1,329.
How can Kansas boast about having the best fans in the country when it won't support an entire entity of the basketball department?
Kansas is a disgrace compared to other schools that continually battle with the Jayhawks for the title of the best fans.
The Connecticut women draw an average of 10,273 fans a game. They have their own ticket lottery just for the women's team, and they charge students $2 for admission.
Admission for KU students is free,
Don't get me wrong, our fans are wonderful — when they show up. Very few places are as menacing as Allen Field House when it is full. But to say Jayhawk fans are the greatest just is not accurate.
What is most upsetting about the low attendance is that Kansas fans are missing a nationally-ranked team. They also are losing the opportunity to see Kansas point guard Tamecka Dixon.
Oh yeah, Kansas is doing great.
Colorado draws 3,000 a game. Duke,
North Carolina and Kentucky also
attract more than 3,000 a game. Heck,
even Kansas State gets 2,200.
and the women's games still do not attract a crowd.
With all due respect to Jacque Vaughn, Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz, Dixon may be the best basketball player at Kansas.
The field house doesn't need to be filled to the rafters for each women's game, but an attendance that competes with other schools would be nice.
Then Kansas would have the greatest basketball fans in the country.
Comments? E-mail Spencer at sports@kansan.com
Women's basketball attendance not so hot
Compared with other teams, Jayhawk fans don't add up
By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter
The Jayhawks rank 3,617 in the big 12 in average attendance with 2,331 people per game. Before last weekend's Fill The Field House game against Colorado, which brought 10,100 people to Allen Field
Despite having a 1997 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year candidate in senior guard Tamecka Dixon and a No. 12 national ranking, the Kansas women's basketball team has drawn mediocre attendance figures this season.
House, Kansas averaged 1,359 people per game and ranked 10th in the conference.
Student admission to all women's basketball games is free with a valid KUID. General admission tickets cost $5.
"This is an incredible conference," said Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington. "For women's basketball, this is one of the toughest conferences in the country. All of our games are going to be competitive. I doubt if we we'll have many blowouts."
Chris Hamilton / KANSAN
Lynn Pride defies a defender in the Jayhawks' victory against the Buffalo Saturday at Allen Field House.
A lthough many of the Jayhawks' games might be close, the margin between Kansas and the conference's top-drawing teams is not.
Big 12 Conference home attendance averages as of January 25
Home Sweet Home
Big 12 Conference home attendance averages as of January 25.
1. Texas Tech 7,777
2. Texas 6,928
3. Colorado 2,905
4. Nebraska 2,463
5. Oklahoma 2,340
6. Kansas 2,331
7. Kansas State 2,103
8. Texas A&M 2,000
9. Baylor 1,806
10. Oklahoma State 1,652
11. Iowa State 1,514
12. Missouri 1,156
Texas Tech
ranks fourth nationally and first in the Big 12 for attendance, with an average crowd of 7,777 people per game. Student tickets must be purchased as part of the school's sports pass and general admission tickets cost no less than $8.
Texas ranks fifth nationally and second in the Big 12, with an average crowd of 6,928 people per game. Like Texas Tech, student tickets are bought through the school's sports pass.
The Texas Longhorns run a program that yields similar results.
"Texas, Texas Tech and the other Texas schools all have a proud tradition of women's basketball," said Missouri assistant sports information director Kim Pemberton. "I think those schools can pull from a larger market than we can, so they normally do have a larger average attendance. I think some of it would also have to do with marketing and promotion."
The Kansas women's basketball team has had a couple of promotions this season, but none bigger than its Fill The Field House game. The 10,100 people at the field house last Saturday was a new paid-attendance record for the women's basketball program.
Attendance records aside, Saturday's crowd was 163 people short of the average attendance at Connecticut. The Huskies draw 10,273 people per game, the highest attendance rate in the nation. They have sold out for two consecutive seasons.
The Jayhawks averaged 754 people per game between Fall 1986 and Spring 1993. The average has increased to 2,066 people per game between Fall 1993 and Spring 1996, but the attendance rate for women's basketball games still ranks far below that of certain other schools in the Big 12.
"If people didn't enjoy this game, my gosh, I don't know what else it's going to take," Washington said after Kansas' 61-58 victory against the Buffaloales Saturday. "This is a tremendous program and a tremendous team. Why not come on out and support us?"