KU unaccustomed to conference spot

By Chris Cottrell     Feb 4, 1988

Kansas’ basketball team in Antarctica? On the moon? In seventh place in the Big Eight?

The third prospect might have been considered the least likely when the season began. But it’s true…at the moment, KU is saddled in seventh place in the Big Eight with a 1-4 record.

“I never dreamed we’d lose four in a row,” senior Chris Piper admitted after KU’s 73-65 loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

“I never dreamed we’d lose two in a row at the fieldhouse,” Piper sighed. “But things we’ve never dreamed about have happened a lot this year. It’s been a strange year. Nobody planned for this. We’ve just got to re-evaluate and go on from here.”

It was, indeed, KU’s fourth straight loss, and some of the Jayhawks were taking it hard.

“Things are pretty grim right now,” Piper attested. “We’ve lost four in a row. But we’re not out of the Big Eight yet.”

“We NEED to win a game,” junior Milt Newton said. “We’re 1-4. We’re not going to take anybody lightly. We’re going to be pretty motivated. One and four…that’s enough motivation for me.”

Lincoln Minor, who missed three three-point attempts and a crucial free throw in the final 2 1/2 minutes, was in no mood to talk after the game.

Minor played against two of his former Midland Junior College teammates – OU guards Ricky Grace and Mookie Blaylock.

Minor did make a couple of noteworthy plays against his ex-mates. In the first half, he rejected a shot by Grace on a fast break. And late in the game, he victimized Blaylock on a steal. Blaylock then fouled Minor, who missed the front end of a one-and-one at 2:30.

“I don’t feel like talking,” Minor mumbled before making a quick exit from the KU locker room.

Danny Manning, who led Kansas as usual with 28 points and 16 rebounds, vowed the Jayhawks would try to turn their season around, starting Saturday against Colorado.

“Nobody here has quit,” Manning cautioned. “Nobody’s packing their bags. If we do the things we’re supposed to do, we’re capable of beating a lot of teams. We’ve got to go out and get a victory. We’re going to go out and play hard for Colorado.”

Manning said the Jayhawks were frustrated, but not shaken, by latest loss.

“It’s been frustrating,” Manning acknowledged. It’s frustrating for everybody.”

But, he added, “We’ve got a good team. We’ve got a lot of confidence. We’re trying to execute, but we’ve got a lot of mental blocks. I just want to do the things we have to do to win. I just want to win.

“Tonight, we gave a lot of effort,” Manning continued. “They (the Sooners) have a lot of athletes. But we were in a position where we were very comfortable, and we just slipped up.”

The Sooners hit 43.8 percent, seven of 16, from three-point range. That was better than their overall percentage of 38.4 percent.

“The three-pointer is a shot you can live by and die by,” Manning said, “and they live by it.”

“They hit some key threes,” Scooter Barry noted, “but you’ve got to expect that from them. I just thought we could get back in the race tonight. Eventually we’re going to turn it around.”

Newton said the Jayhawks have missed both Archie Marshall and Marvin Branch, both out for the season – Marshall because of a knee injury and Branch because of academics.

“We’re really starting to realize what Archie and Marvin meant to this team,” Newton said. “But we’re not going to give up. We’ve just got to go out and turn it around. We’re in a rut that we’ve just got to get out of. We’re playing hard, but things just aren’t falling for us. We’ve seen we have to fight and scratch and claw to win ballgames.”

One of the highlights might have been the play of Mike Maddox, the seldom-used 6-7 freshman who gave KU a boost with four points and three rebounds in the second half.

“It gave me a lot of confidence,” Maddox said. “I’m saddened we lost, but hopefully we can learn from this. I think we’re going to be a winning team before the season’s over with.”

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