KU draws No. 18 Xavier

By J-W Staff Reports     Mar 15, 1988

With Kevin Pritchard’s knee his chief concern, Kansas coach Larry Brown was pleased with the NCAA Tournament draw on Sunday.

Kansas will meet Xavier of Ohio, the No. 18-ranked team in today’s AP Poll, at 9:37 p.m. Friday at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.

That’s the latest possible time a team can play a first-round tourney game. If, for example, Kansas had been sent to South Bend, Ind., the other NCAA Midwest site, the Jayhawks would have had to play on Thursday.

“I’m happy we got an extra day of rest for Kevin’s sake,” Brown said Sunday. “I was hoping that we could get a Friday draw to help our kids. And going to Lincoln helps us because of our travel plans. And it allows our fans to follow us.”

Pritchard, the Jayhawks’ starting point guard, suffered a knee sprain during Kansas’ 74-58 triumph over Oklahoma State in the first-round of the Big Eight Tournament last Friday night.

Pritchard did not play in Saturday’s 69-54 semifinal loss to Kansas State, but the 6-3 sophomore, who leads the team in assists and is third in scoring with a 10.7 average, was expected to resume practice on Tuesday after continuing to take treatments on his ailing knee today.

In Xavier, sixth-seeded Kansas will be facing the automatic qualifier from the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Although the Musketeers are 26-3 – losing only at Marquette, Providence and Evansville – they were seeded 11th in the Midwest.

Brown knows, however, that Xavier knocked off Big Eight champion Missouri, 70-69, in the first-round last year.

“That surprised a lot of people,” Brown pointed out, “but it will certainly get our kids’ attention.”

Xavier’s star is Byron Larkin, a 6-3 left-handed shooting guard who averages 25.6 points and seven assists a game. Brown coached Larkin, younger brother of Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, in the 1985 National Sports Festival.

“Larkin is a great player…he’s a terrific kid,” said Brown. “They’ll be tough for us.”

Pete Gillen, now in his third year as head coach at the Jesuit school in Cincinnati, has three other players scoring in double figures – 6-9 forward Tyrone Hill (15.7), 5-11 guard Stan Kimbrough (15.4) and 6-10 center Derek Strong (10.5).

After defeating Missouri last year, the Musketeers were eliminated by Duke, 65-60.

Should the Jayhawks defeat Xavier on Friday night, they’ll meet the winner of the Murray State-North Carolina State game on Sunday afternoon. NC State is seeded No. 3. Kansas defeated the Wolfpack, 74-67, last December in Raleigh.

Sunday’s winners advance to the NCAA Midwest Regional on March 25 and 27 at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich.

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