Amateur phsycologists figured Larry Brown – deep down – might have felt relief after Saturday’s historic loss to Kansas State.
Yeah, sure…just like Brown wishes he grew up in Manhattan, Kan., rather than the outskirts of Manhattan, N.Y.
“Hell no, it’s no relief,” said the Kansas basketball coach, after Saturday’s 72-61 home loss to Kansas State. The setback – it’s old news by now – halted the nation’s longest homecourt winning streak at 55 games.
“Honest, I never did have it hanging over my head,” he said of the streak. “I was the happiest guy in the world. I wanted you to talk about me being Adolph Rupp. I am not relieved,” he added.
Same goes for senior forward Chris Piper.
“I never felt pressure,” said Piper, still battling nagging injuries. “We didn’t think about the streak today, just about winning and getting back in the Big Eight race.”
Instead, the loss dropped Kansas to a tie for sixth with Oklahoma State at 1-3. Colorado is the only team with a worse mark at 0-4.
KU, 12-7, has to start thinking about winning and winning soon…or waht was perceived in the preseason as an automatic NCAA tournament berth might even disappear.
“We’ve got to take the role of the underdog now,” said Piper. “We have to find a way to win. The streak was nice, but now we’ve gotta work to win some games. Kansas basketball is used to prosperity. Maybe now we’ll see what it’s like to fight and scratch to win.”
KU, still trying to find itself after losing former starters Archie Marshall and Marvin Branch to injuries and academics, will attempt to right itself against powerful Oklahoma here Wednesday.
The Sooners, who ended Iowa State’s homecourt winning streak of 12 with a 96-91 win on Saturday, own an 18-2 mark, 4-1 in the Big Eight.
On paper, at least, OU will be favored to hand KU it’s second straight home loss.
“Never, never, not two in a row,” said forward Milt Newton, staggered by the possibility of two-straight home losses. “We’ve gotta move on, try our best the next game so this doesn’t happen again. Losing in the Fieldhouse is not something that comes in your mind.”
It’s been a while since Kansas last dropped two straight in Allen. KU los consecutive home games to Kansas State and Nebraska during the 1982-83 season, Ted Owens’ final year here.
KU last lost three straight at home back in the 1975976 campaign. Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska dumped Owens’ Jayhawks consecutively. The Jayhawks are hoping one home loss is more than enough.
“This has been a crazy year. This isn’t anything I expected,” said Brown. “I feel badly for Danny and all the kids. We didn’t expect to lose Joe Young, Archie Marshall, Mark Randall, Marvin (Branch). Piper shouldn’t have even played today.
“We’re 1-3,” he added. “I didn’t expect it was going to be easy. You better live with the guys you have. I’m encouraged with the way we played. We’re not a great basketball team. We’re a little shorthanded now. But we’ve gotta keep working and it’ll come.”
