KU falls to No. 8 in AP poll

By J-W Staff And Wire Reports     Feb 21, 2005

After overtime losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State last week, Kansas University’s men’s basketball dropped from No. 2 to No. 8 in this week’s Associate Press Top 25 poll.

The Jayhawks (20-3 overall, 10-2 Big 12 Conference) fell to their lowest ranking of the season. No. 4-ranked Oklahoma State is now the top Big 12 team in the poll. The Cowboys moved up four spots from No. 8, the biggest jump of the week.

No. 22 Oklahoma, KU’s opponent tonight, was the only other ranked Big 12 team. Iowa State, Texas Tech, Texas and Texas A&M also received votes.

Nevada, winners of six straight games and nine of 10, was No. 25 on Monday, the first time the Wolf Pack cracked the rankings. Two weeks ago, Pacific, No. 19 this week, moved into the poll for the first time.

Illinois, the lone unbeaten team in Division I, was No. 1 for the 12th straight week. For the fourth consecutive poll, the Illini were a unanimous choice.

The Illini (27-0) won road games against Penn State and Iowa last week and received all 72 first-place votes from the national media panel. Illinois’ only game this week is Wednesday at home against Northwestern.

North Carolina (22-3) moved up two spots to No. 2 after easy wins over Virginia and Clemson last week.

Boston College (22-1), which beat Syracuse on Saturday in a matchup of Top Ten teams, jumped from sixth to No. 3, the highest ranking in school history. The Eagles were fourth two weeks ago. Their highest ranking before this season was sixth in December 1967.

Oklahoma State was followed by Kentucky, Wake Forest, Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Michigan State and KU.

Arizona (23-4) used wins over Oregon and Oregon State last week to move up one place to ninth, the Wildcats’ highest ranking of the season.

Louisville was 11th and was followed by Gonzaga, Utah, Washington, Syracuse, Alabama, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Pacific and Wisconsin.

The last five ranked teams were Charlotte, Oklahoma, Villanova, Cincinnati and Nevada.

Kansas’ fall from No. 2 to eighth and Syracuse’s drop from No. 9 to 15th were the biggest of the week as each lost two games. The Orange (22-5) also lost to Pittsburgh last week and fell out of the Top Ten for the first time this season.

Nevada (20-5) holds a two-game lead over UTEP in the Western Athletic Conference. The Wolf Pack reached the 20-win mark for the second straight season with a 74-64 win over Vermont on Saturday in the marquee matchup of the Bracket Buster games.

The Wolf Pack beat Michigan State and Gonzaga in last season’s NCAA tournament then lost to Georgia Tech in their first appearance in the round of 16. Coach Trent Johnson left for Stanford after the season and Mark Fox, his assistant for four years, was promoted to replace him.

Maryland (16-8), which lost to North Carolina State and beat Virginia in double overtime last week, fell out of the rankings from 22nd. The Terrapins were ranked for two of the last six polls after being 15th in the preseason voting and getting as high as No. 12.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 20, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:
Record Pt Pv
1. Illinois (72) 27-0 1,800 1
2. North Carolina 22-3 1,709 4
3. Boston College 22-1 1,601 6
4. Oklahoma St. 20-3 1,540 8
5. Kentucky 20-3 1,460 3
6. Wake Forest 22-4 1,385 5
7. Duke 19-4 1,324 7
8. Kansas 20-3 1,310 2
9. Arizona 23-4 1,288 10
10. Michigan St. 19-4 1,115 11
11. Louisville 23-4 1,029 12
12. Gonzaga 21-4 931 13
13. Utah 23-3 927 14
14. Washington 21-4 849 15
15. Syracuse 22-5 814 9
16. Alabama 21-4 805 16
17. Connecticut 17-6 642 18
18. Pittsburgh 18-5 567 17
19. Pacific 22-2 470 19
20. Wisconsin 17-6 364 20
21. Charlotte 19-4 339 23
22. Oklahoma 19-6 288 21
23. Villanova 17-6 276 25
24. Cincinnati 20-6 193 24
25. Nevada 20-5 55
Others receiving votes: Iowa St. 51, Maryland 49, S. Illinois 48, Texas Tech 31, Texas 24, Notre Dame 22, Florida 21, Georgia Tech 19, Old Dominion 12, George Washington 10, Wis.-Milwaukee 9, Vermont 8, Miami (Ohio) 6, St. Mary’s, Cal. 3, Texas A&M 2, Holy Cross 1, LSU 1, Mississippi St. 1, Stanford 1.

KU falls to No. 2 in AP poll

By J-W Staff And Wire Reports     Nov 22, 2004

Despite winning its season opener, Kansas University’s men’s basketball team fell from No. 1 to No. 2 in this week’s Associated Press poll.

Wake Forest reached No. 1 for the first time, swapping places with the Jayhawks, who next play Tuesday against St. Joe’s.

The Demon Deacons (2-0) don’t have to wait long to play their first game leading the rankings, hosting Yale on Monday night.

Kansas won its only game of the season but trailed most of the way before beating visiting Vermont, 68-61. Wake Forest opened with Preseason NIT home wins over George Washington (97-76) and Virginia Commonwealth (81-67).

“Because of the strength of the ACC in particular and the country in general, I think this is a season when many schools will have the opportunity to be in this position,” Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said.

His team probably benefited from an opening loss by then-No. 4 North Carolina to Santa Clara. The Tar Heels held eight first-place votes last week but dropped all the way to 11th in the current poll.

The Demon Deacons were No. 1 on 25 ballots and received 1,658 points from the national media panel. Kansas had 26 first-place votes and 1,637 points. Only 70 of the 72 voters participated this week.

Last week, Kansas led 26-23 in first-place votes and had 18 more points than Wake Forest.

“I’m sure the people who vote saw a close game versus Vermont and certainly didn’t expect that. But that’s fine,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I’m not disappointed because, to be honest, I didn’t think we’d really done anything to earn it. I’d much rather drop in the poll after a win than after a loss.”

The Demon Deacons were ranked second for 10 weeks in 1996-97, Tim Duncan’s senior season. Add in two weeks at No. 2 this season, and Wake’s 12 weeks overall at that spot were the third-most for a school never at No. 1.

Maryland’s 23 weeks at No. 2 are the most for a team never at the top, followed by Louisville’s 16.

Wake Forest is the sixth Atlantic Coast Conference school to be ranked No. 1, joining Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia and Georgia Tech.

Prosser knows that opponents always take extra pride in knocking off top-ranked teams. His 1996 Xavier squad upset then-No. 1 Cincinnati.

“I am proud of our players and happy for our fans and students, to be part of something that has never occurred in the long and storied history of Wake Forest basketball,” Prosser said. “Having said that, I am well aware of how fickle a No. 1 ranking can be.”

Georgia Tech (2-0), which received 11 first-place votes, remained third, while Syracuse (4-0) moved up a spot to fourth and was No. 1 on four ballots. The Orange beat Mississippi State and Memphis in winning the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Illinois, Oklahoma State, Connecticut and Kentucky each moved up one spot to be fifth through eighth, while Duke moved from 11th to ninth, and Michigan State went from 13th to No. 10.

Oklahoma State (1-0) received two first-place votes while Illinois (2-0) and Kentucky (1-0) each received one.

North Carolina was followed by No. 12 Louisville, Maryland, Mississippi State, Texas, Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, Arizona, Alabama and Wisconsin.

The last five ranked teams were Notre Dame, Washington, Florida, Gonzaga and Memphis.

North Carolina’s drop wasn’t the biggest of the week: Arizona fell eight spots to 18th after losing at Virginia on Sunday.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 21, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:
Record Pt Pv
1. Wake Forest (25) 2-0 1,658 2
2. Kansas (26) 1-0 1,637 1
3. Georgia Tech (11) 1-0 1,585 3
4. Syracuse (4) 4-0 1,549 5
5. Illinois (1) 2-0 1,450 6
6. Oklahoma St. (2) 1-0 1,386 7
7. Connecticut 1-0 1,302 8
8. Kentucky (1) 1-0 1,236 9
9. Duke 1-0 1,064 11
10. Michigan St. 1-0 964 13
11. North Carolina 0-1 934 4
12. Louisville 1-0 918 14
13. Maryland 1-0 833 15
14. Mississippi St. 4-1 746 12
15. Texas 1-0 707 16
16. Pittsburgh 1-0 687 17
17. N.C. State 3-0 576 19
18. Arizona 2-1 565 10
19. Alabama 2-0 556 18
20. Wisconsin 1-0 399 21
21. Notre Dame 1-0 386 20
22. Washington 1-0 337 22
23. Florida 1-0 317 23
24. Gonzaga 2-0 218 25
25. Memphis 3-1 213 24
Others receiving votes: Virginia 151, Stanford 73, Michigan 64, Providence 40, Charlotte 35, Oklahoma 25, S. Illinois 24, Cincinnati 22, Utah 17, Boston College 14, New Mexico 9, UTEP 7, ETSU 6, Santa Clara 5, UAB 5, Tennessee 4, Marquette 3, Rice 3, UNLV 3, Vermont 3, Air Force 2, George Washington 2, Indiana 2, LSU 2, Oregon 2, Davidson 1, DePaul 1, Iowa St. 1, Vanderbilt 1.

KU falls to 15th in AP poll

By J-W Staff And Wire Reports     Jan 26, 2004

A 21-point victory over Big 12 Conference foe Colorado wasn’t enough to stop the Kansas University’s men’s basketball team from falling three spots to No. 15 in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The Jayhawks (12-3 overall, 4-0 Big 12) defeated Colorado, 78-57, Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse, but dropped in the poll because of a one-point loss to unranked Richmond on Thursday at home.

Four other Big 12 teams are in the poll — No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 16 Texas, No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Oklahoma.

Duke, Stanford and Saint Joseph’s were the top three teams for the second straight week, and Gonzaga returned to the top 10 for the first time in almost two years.

The Blue Devils (16-1), who won road games against Maryland and Georgetown last week, were again the runaway No. 1, receiving 44 first-place votes and 1,766 points from the national media panel.

Stanford (16-0) and Saint Joseph’s (17-0), the last unbeatens in Division I, were the only other teams to get first-place votes.

The Cardinal, who beat UCLA and Southern California last week, were No. 1 on 26 ballots and had 1,743 points, 103 more than Saint Joseph’s, which got two first-place votes. The Hawks beat Massachusetts and St. Bonaventure last week.

Louisville, which extended its winning streak to 15 games at Tennessee on Sunday night, moved up one place to fourth. Kentucky, which beat Tennessee and Notre Dame last week, jumped from ninth to No. 5.

Connecticut, which held the No. 1 spot for five weeks before Duke took over, fell two spots to a season-low sixth following Saturday’s loss to Providence, the Huskies’ second in three games.

Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Arizona and Gonzaga rounded out the top 10. This was the first top 10 ranking for Gonzaga (15-2) since the Bulldogs were sixth in the final poll of 2001-02.

Mississippi State (16-1) used wins over Florida and Georgia last week to jump from 19th to No. 11. The Bulldogs’ only loss was at the buzzer to Kentucky.

North Carolina, which lost to Florida State and beat Virginia last week, dropped from seventh to No. 12 and was followed by Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Texas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest and Syracuse.

The last five ranked teams were Purdue, Florida, Providence, South Carolina and Oklahoma.

Providence (13-3) was the week’s only newcomer. The Friars moved into the rankings three weeks ago, only to lose to Texas that night. They lost at Rutgers later that week and fell from the poll.

Providence has won five straight games since, the latest a 66-56 victory at Connecticut on Saturday. This is the Friars’ highest ranking since they were 20th on Jan. 24, 1989.

Vanderbilt (13-3) fell out from 22nd, ending a five-week run in the poll in which the Commodores reached No. 20. On Saturday at Arkansas, Vanderbilt lost its third straight conference road game.

Wake Forest (11-4) extended its losing streak to four games with losses to Georgia Tech and Florida State last week. The Demon Deacons dropped from fourth to 10th to 19th during the streak.

Oklahoma (11-4), which ended its four-game losing streak Saturday with a win over Kansas State, fell from No. 6 to 11th to 20th to 25th during its losing streak.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 25, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record Pt Pv
1. Duke (44) 16-1 1,766 1
2. Stanford (26) 16-0 1,743 2
3. Saint Joseph’s (2) 17-0 1,640 3
4. Louisville 15-1 1,597 5
5. Kentucky 13-2 1,418 9
6. Connecticut 15-3 1,298 4
7. Pittsburgh 19-1 1,287 8
8. Cincinnati 14-1 1,248 6
9. Arizona 13-3 1,187 14
10. Gonzaga 15-2 1,147 15
11. Mississippi St. 16-1 1,012 19
12. North Carolina 12-4 1,006 7
13. Texas Tech 16-2 967 18
14. Georgia Tech 15-3 895 11
15. Kansas 12-3 683 12
16. Texas 12-3 599 16
17. Wisconsin 13-3 595 21
18. Oklahoma St. 14-2 580 24
19. Wake Forest 11-4 444 10
20. Syracuse 13-3 442 13
21. Purdue 14-4 418 23
22. Florida 12-4 366 17
23. Providence 13-3 313
24. South Carolina 17-2 293 25
25. Oklahoma 11-4 94 20
Others receiving votes: Florida St. 75, Utah St. 51, Vanderbilt 45, N.C. State 44, Air Force 32, Maryland 23, S. Illinois 21, Hawaii 14, Seton Hall 14, Creighton 10, W. Michigan 10, Dayton 8, Marquette 7, N. Iowa 3, Manhattan 2, LSU 1, Memphis 1, Vermont 1.

KU falls to Colorado, 50-47, in overtime

By Liz Heuben     Oct 12, 2003

Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo
KU's Charles Gordon catches a hail mary touchdown pass to end the first half.

? Leading 35-24 and in control at halftime, Kansas University’s defense melted down in the second half which proved lethal as Colorado stormed back and defeated the Jayhawks, 50-47, in overtime Saturday at Folsom Field.

“Give credit to Colorado,” KU head coach Mark Mangino said. “They fought hard the whole game. We fought hard, but they fought harder. Today’s game will benefit our program in the long run, and will be something we learn from. We have some things to work on, but we will keep up our effort.”

The Jayhawks — who wasted a 422-yard, three-touchdown effort from quarterback Bill Whittemore — allowed Colorado to march down the field time and time again, especially in the second half and overtime.

KU (4-2) allowed Colorado (3-3) to convert 9 of 15 third downs, missed a field goal, had both a punt and an extra-point kick blocked and committed two costly personal foul penalties. Both teams had six penalties, but KU had 24 more penalty yards.

“We can’t do that, we have to make those plays,” Mangino said about the blocked extra point. “We have played so well on special teams all year. Give Colorado credit, they did a good job on their part. We just didn’t do a good job protecting.”

In overtime, KU scored first on a 35-yard field goal by Johnny Beck, but Colorado moved the ball easily on their possession, and won the game on a 12-yard run by Brian Calhoun.

Colorado’s drive in OT was close to a mirror image of the second half, when the Buffaloes moved the ball seemingly at will against KU’s defense.

Trailing 35-24 at halftime thanks to a Hail Mary from Whittemore to Charles Gordon as the clock expired, Colorado scored twice on runs by Daniel Jolly in the third quarter. Both scoring drives were at least 11 plays and 3:41 long.

The game was tied after three quarters, though, because of a 21-yard field goal by Johnny Beck.

Beck missed a field goal on KU’s first possession of the final period, but KU stopped Colorado on third down, and Whittemore — who finished 19-of-29 passing — hooked up with Mark Simmons three times on the ensuing possession, including a five-yard touchdown pass.

“He is our head receiver,” Whittemore said of Simmons. “He wants the ball in his hands so he can make plays. I just tried to get him the ball and let him do what he does best. He makes my job easier as a quarterback.”

Beck’s extra-point kick was blocked, though, leaving KU ahead by just six points.

Colorado, aided by a pass interference call against KU and two long passes to Bloom, moved downfield easily until Monroe Weekley and Kenneth Thompson sacked Joel Klatt on third-and-eight from KU’s 21-yard line. Mason Crosby kicked a 41-yard field goal, bringing Colorado within three points.

KU was stymied on its next drive, gaining just 10 yards, and punted.

With just less than four minutes remaining, Calhoun rushed for 26 yards on first down, and Klatt threw for 54 yards and led Colorado to KU’s six-yard line. Crosby’s field goal tied the game with fewer than 20 seconds remaining, and KU took a knee on the ensuing possession, sending the game to overtime.

KU looked to be in control late in the first half. The Jayhawks jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a 64-yard pass from Bill Whittemore to a wide-open Brandon Rideau, but Colorado scored 17 unanswered points. Klatt hit Joe Klopfenstein for a 48-yard TD and scored on a one-yard run, and Crosby hit a 23-yard field goal. The 17 first-quarter points were the most KU has given up in any quarter this season.

The Jayhawks drew within three points early in the second quarter on a seven-yard run by Whittemore and took the lead back on a one-yard run by the quarterback.

CU regained the lead on a pass from Klatt to D.J. Hackett, who was wide open in the middle of KU’s zone, but Clark Green scored on a nine-yard draw with two and a half minutes left in the second quarter, and Gordon caught the Hail Mary pass on KU’s next possession.

Green finished with 103 yards on 17 carries for KU, and Whittemore rushed 15 times for 45 yards.

Simmons led KU with a career-high 152 receiving yards on six catches, and Rideau caught five passes for 107 yards. Green caugh four passes for 72 yards, and Gordon and Latimore both had two receptions for 41 yards.

Klatt finished 38-of-54 passing for 419 yards, and rushed for seven yards on four carries. His 419 yards were the fourth-most against KU ever.

Calhoun rushed 24 times for 135 yards, and Jolly finished with 17 yards on six carries.

“We just didn’t have a very good game defensively,” linebacker Banks Floodman said, “and we can’t do that against a good Colorado team. We just didn’t tackle today, and I have no explanation for that. We just didn’t make plays, plain and simple.”

Hackett and Derek McCoy both caught eight passes — Hackett for 93 yards and McCoy for 72 yards. Bloom had five catche for 97 yards, and Monteilh had 45 yards on five catches.

NOTES

  • Whittemore is now third on KU’s touchdowns-responsible-for list. He now has 42 total touchdowns rushing and passing. His career-high 422 yards is second on KU’s all-time single-game list.
  • Whittemore’s 467 total yards is also second on the all-time single-game list for the Jayhawks.
  • This is the first time KU has scored 35 points in five consecutive games.
  • KU’s 47 points were the most ever in a Jayhawk loss. The previous record was 42 points in a 45-42 loss to Utah in 1996.
  • The game also marked the first time Colorado had given up 47 points and won. Colorado’s previous record for points allowed in a victory was 42 to Iowa State on Nov. 9, 1996.
  • Colorado is now 104-0 all-time when scoring 43 or more points.
  • The combined 97 points were the most in a KU-CU game, eclipsing the 82 points scored in Colorado’s 53-29 victory last season.
  • This is the Jayhawks second overtime game, their first since a 39-37 win over UAB on Sept. 26, 1998.
  • Klatt’s 38 completions and 54 attempts were both Colorado records. His 419 passing yards were the fourth-most in Colorado history.
  • Rideau’s touchdown catch was the longest reception of his career.
  • KU brought five quarterbacks to Boulder — Whittemore, Brian Luke, Adam Barmann, John Nielsen and Kevin Long. Redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Hogan did not travel with the team.
  • Other Jayhawks not on the travel squad included defensive tackle Tony Strickland and second-string punter Walker Douglas.
  • Denver Latimore started at tight end. First-string tight end Lyonel Anderson has been battling an injury since the Jacksonville State game.
  • True freshman Zack Hood was the long snapper on KU’s first extra point. He was the fourth long snapper KU has used this season. Kevin Kane snapped on punts.
  • Joel Klatt started at quarterback for Colorado. Running back Bobby Purify was not suited.
  • Sid Bachmann started at defensive tackle for KU instead of Chuck Jones.

KU falls to Oklahoma, 77-70

By Liz Heuben     Feb 23, 2003

The Sooners opened the second half with 12-1 run and led by as many as 32 points, 59-27, four minutes into the half, but the Jayhawks later went on a 34-10 run and drew within five points in the final minute.

There wasn’t enough time for the Jayhawks, though, as Oklahoma ran time off the clock while on offense and finished with a seven-point victory.

Kirk Hinrich led KU (20-6 overall, 10-2 Big 12) with 21 points and had six rebounds and four assists. Wayne Simien had 17 points and seven boards, Nick Collison had 15 points and 14 boards but shot just 5-of-18 from the field. Keith Langford added 11 points and five rebounds, and Aaron Miles was scoreless but had five asissts and four turnovers.

Hollis Price and Quannas White led Oklahoma (19-4, 10-2) with 19 points each. De’Angelo Alexander added 12 points and five rebounds, Ebi Ere had 11 points and five boards, and Jozsef Szendrei had four points and 11 rebounds.

The Jayhawks shot 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the field, 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from beyond the three-point art and 69.7 percent (23-of-33) from the free-throw line. They outrebounded the Sooners, 43-37, and turned the ball over 12 times.

Oklahoma, which committed 13 turnovers, shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) from the floor, 56.2 percent (9-of-16) from three-point range and 58.1 percent (18-of-31) from the free-throw line.

HALFTIME REPORT
The Sooners have matched their largest lead with a 21-point halftime margin. The deficit is the biggest KU has faced since a loss to Baylor two seasons ago.

Oklahoma has shot well from the field, hitting 55.2 percent (16-of-29) of their field-goal attempts. Kansas has shot poorly, hitting just 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from the field and just 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the free-throw line. The Jayhawks started 3-of-20 from the field.

Quannas White leads Oklahoma with 13 points, and Hollis Price has 10. De’Angelo Alexander scored eight points, and Jabahri Brown had seven points before leaving midway through the first half after hitting his head on the court.

Kirk Hinrich leads Kansas with nine points and is the only Jayhawk with more than one field goal. Nick Collison has five points on 1-of-9 shooting, and Wayne Simien and Keith Langford each have four points.

Both teams had 11 fouls in the first half. Oklahoma’s Johnnie Gilbert has three fouls and Kevin Bookout, Ebi Ere and White each have two. Aaron Miles and Keith Langford both have been whistled for three fouls.

Oklahoma outrebounded Kansas, 22-17, but turned the ball over two more times, 7-5.

KU falls to Arizona 81-73

By Staff     Dec 29, 2000

After falling behind early 20-12, KU’s women’s basketball team fought back and gave the favored Wildcats nearly more than they could handle. The game was closer than the score indicated, with late free throws padding Arizona’s lead. In the end the home team proved too tough, dropping the Jayhawks to 6-4.

Next up on KU’s western road trip is a New Year’s Eve match-up against Santa Barbara. The Jayhawks return home January 6 to open the Big 12 season by hosting undefeated Baylor.


See tomorrow’s Lawrence Journal-World, and KUSports.com, for full coverage of tonight’s game.

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