Prepare the gas chamber. Mix the lethal injection. Sharpen the blade on the guillotine.
‘Cause Kansas’ basketball players, 70-48 winners over Nebraska on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse, have accepted the death sentence.
“I’m gonna enjoy this a bit. Then it’s the death march,” said Kansas coach Larry Brown, referring to a killer stretch in the schedule.
The Jayhawks, 16-8 overall, 5-4 in the Big Eight, will face presently unranked (No. 14 a week ago) Kansas State on Thursday night in Manhattan, No. 6 Duke on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse, No. 4 Oklahoma next Wednesday in Norman, then No. 15 Missouri a week from Saturday in Columbia.
These games could prove hazardous to the Jayhawks’ health.
“I doubt any team in the country will face four Top 20 teams, three on the road. But that’s what makes basketball fun,” Brown said.
Fun?
Sure, if the Jayhawks can pull a James Bond-act and survive the many roadblocks ahead.
“Coach calls it the ‘Death March’. I don’t know if it’s really death, but it’s a big stretch of games,” said KU guard Jeff Gueldner. “It’s an important stretch if we hope to get in the NCAAs. We have eight losses. We can’t afford many more.”
KU hasn’t lost lately, hence the Jayhawks will at least carry some momentum into Manhattan for Thursday’s 6:05 p.m. clash – to be televised live on ESPN.
KU-thanks to Tuesday’s pounding of 12-13 Nebraska – has won four straight, while the Wildcats, 15-6, 7-2 in the league, have dropped two of three.
Two of KSU’s losses, however, were road losses to Missouri and Oklahoma. No disgrace there.
“It’s going to be a challenge, a real challenge, but it’ll be fun,” said KU forward Danny Manning, who scored 21 points on chilly nine of 20 shooting versus the Huskers.
“We’ve already lost to Oklahoma and K-State, but at the time we played ’em, at least they didn’t’ blow us out. We’re playing with more confidence and we’re back in the thick of things…kind of (in league).”
Three teams – MU (5-3), KSU (7-2) and OU (8-1) top Kansas in the conference standings. The Jayhawks have beaten Missouri at home, but as Manning said, have fallen to both OU (73-65) and KSU (72-61).
The Jayhawks will take the revenge motive into two of their upcoming battles. And that apparently is not to be taken lightly. Kansas, recalling its disappointing 70-68 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln last month (KU led by 16 in the second half) – jumped on the Huskers early Tuesday and coasted to a 20-4 advantage.
“Before the game, we were really pumped up,” said forward Milt Newton, who scored 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers. “The last time in Lincoln, we came close to blowing ’em out but ended up losing. We had to prove something to ’em tonight.
“We’ll want to play better against K-State this time,” Newton added. “Not because they broke our (55-game home win) streak, just the fact they beat us. They’re a great team and have a great player in Mitch Richmond. We just have to work harder and do better this time. It’ll be tough, but I’m looking forward to this stretch.”
“I think that (revenge motive) had a lot to do with it,” said KU’s Brown, referring to his Jayhawks holding Nebraska 8:55 without a field goal. “That’s as disappointing a loss as any I’ve been associated with. Losses in finals of tournaments are difficult, but as far as that game, it’s something hard to overcome. It’ll take a long time.
“I told the kids how we were disappointed as a coaching staff. We had that game won and didn’t act like we were ready to take it. We basically gave it away.”
Not Tuesday.
The Jayhawks, attempting 31 shots to NU’s 19, grasped an insurmountable 46-23 halftime lead. Both teams stumbled through a foul-plagued second-half, the Huskers outscoring KU, 25-24.
In all, Kansas converted 21 of 27 free throws to NU’s 13 of 19.
“The first half…it seemed like it was 10 o’clock,” said Manning, who grabbed eight boards. “There were a lot of calls. We came out and put pressure on the ball. That got us a lead.”
A healthy lead is all the Jayhawks needed.
Starting Thursday, however, it could be a different story.
“There’s no doubt we’re playing better. Whether that’s good enough to make a move…” Brown said. “The thing I want is for us to play hard and unselfish and show improvement. Considering who we’ve lost and who we’re relying on, it’s asking a lot to compete. The nice thing is we have a great player in Danny and the kids are starting to believe in themselves, so we’ll see.”
Notes
Manning needs 75 points to tie Wayman Tisdale as the Big Eight’s all-time leading scorer. Would Danny like to set the record at home? “What record?” Manning shrugged. “I don’t think about those things.”…KU shot 39.0 percent from the field, its lowest home total of the year…KU’s seven turnovers marked a season-low…Scooter Barry hit his first career three-pointer…
Piper, Pritchard honored
KANSAS CITY – Kansas basketball players Chris Piper and Kevin Pritchard have been named to the Big Eight’s academic all-conference team.
Piper, a senior, has compiled a 3.04 average in business administration, while Pritchard, a sophomore who has not declared a major, has a 3.09 average.
Oklahoma’s Dave Sieger made the academic team for the third straight year, becoming the 10th player in conference history to earn that honor.
Sieger, a senior with a 3.08 grade point average in electrical engineering, and Nebraska’s Henry Buchanan, a senior with a 3.032 average in accounting, were unanimous choices.
The fifth player named to the first team was Kansas State junior Mark Dobbins, a repeater from last year with a 2.93 average in marketing.
Honorable went to Mike Born, an Iowa State junior with a 2.95 average in graphic design; Mark Urquhart, another Iowa State junior, with a 3.37 average in biology; Mark Nelson, a Kansas State senior with a 2.867 average in secondary education; William Woods, an Oklahoma State sophomore with an undecided major and a 2.97; David Kuosman, a Colorado junior with a 2.973 average in business and finance; Devon Rolf, a Missouri senior with a 3.06 average in electrical engineering; and Beau Reid, a Nebraska freshman with a 3.232 average in general studies.
Box Score
NU2325-48
KU4624-70
Nebraska: Derrick Vick 2-5 0-1 4, Pete Manning 8-9 5-8 21, Richard King 1-5 2-3 4, Jeff Rekeweg 3-6 0-0 6, Eric Johnson 0-4 2-2 2, Henry Buchanan 1-4 0-1 3, R. vanPoelgeest 0-0 2-2 2, Beau Reid 0-4 2-2 2, Cliff Scales 2-2 0-0 4, Rodney Curtis 0-0 0-0 0, Team 17-39 13-19 48.
Three-point goals: 1-4 (Buchanan 1-2, Johnson 0-1, Reid 0-1). Assists: 9 (King 4, Scales 2, Vick, Johnson, vanPoelgeest). Turnovers: 19 (King 5, Johnson 5, Reid 2, Rekeweg 2, vanPoelgeest 2, Scales, Vick, Manning). Blocked shots: 2 (King 2). Steals: 5 (Vick, Manning, Rekeweg, Reid, Scales).
Kansas: Milt Newton 5-9 0-0 12, Chris Piper 3-7 4-6 10, Danny Manning 9-20 3-4 21, Kevin Pritchard 0-5 4-5 4, Jeff Gueldner 0-2 0-0 0, Clint Normore 2-4 2-2 6, Lincoln Minor 1-3 3-4 5, Keith Harris 2-5 0-0 4, Otis Livingston 0-1 0-0 0, Mike Masucci 0-0 0-0 0, Scooter Barry 1-2 4-4 7, Mike Maddox 0-1 1-2 1, Marvin Mattox 0-0 0-0 0, Team 23-59 21-27 70.
Three-point goals: 3-10 (Newton 2-2, Barry 1-2, Pritchard 0-2, Manning 0-1, Normore 0-1, Livingston 0-1, Gueldner 0-1). Assists: 10 (Manning 2, Newton, Piper, Pritchard, Gueldner, Normore, Minor, Livingston, Masucci). Turnovers: 7 (Gueldner 2, Newton, Manning, Pritchard, Harris, Maddox). Blocked shots: 2 (Newton 2). Steals: 10 (Manning 3, Newton 2, Piper, Gueldner, Minor, Harris, Barry).
