Kansas versus Kansas State. For a berth in the NCAA’s Final Four.
Gov. Mike Hayden’s wildest dream? Or impending reality?
“That would be the greatest thing that could ever happen,” says Kansas basketball coach larry Brown, referring to a possible Sunday Sunflower State confrontation at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich.
“It would mean we’ve advanced another round. I want them to advance as far as they can,” Brown added, referring to Lonnie Kruger’s Wildcats. “I’d hate to see ’em beat us, but to a man, everybody on our team wants to see ’em succeed. I don’t want to wish a loss on Purdue. I like coach (Gene) Keady. But this is the Big Eight.”
The Big Eight, seen by many as underpublicized and unrecognized, has a chance to skyrocket into the national limelight on Friday night.
Kansas faces Vanderbilt in a 6:40 p.m. NCAA Midwest Regional semi with K-State to meet Purdue at approximately 9 p.m.
Both games will be telecast live on channels 5 and 13.
The winners meet on Sunday with a prestigious, unforgettable Final Four berth at stake. Losers call it a season.
“I’d like to see K-State, but not Mitch Richmond,” Kansas forward Milt Newton said, grinning. “Right now, we don’t care who we play. It’s easier if we take it one at a time. If we beat Vanderbilt, we’d be willing to play anybody.”
Beating Vandy – the Commodores dumped Utah State, 80-77, and Pittsburgh, 80-74, in overtime last weekend in Lincoln – Brown says, isn’t gonna be easy.
“They’ve beaten some great teams,” Brown said. “They beat North Carolina (78-76) and Kentucky (83-66). I think they’ve proven themselves. Obviously, it’s impressive when you beat a team like Pittsburgh in such a big game.”
Vandy’s most visible performer is 7-0 senior Will Perdue, who averages 18.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Senior Danny Manning will likely draw the defensive assignment on the big guy.
“I don’t think Chris is big enough,” said Brown of 6-8 Chris Piper. “That’s a concern. We can’t afford to get Danny in foul trouble. But he’s so big it’s a tough matchup for Pipe.
“After watching films the last couple of days, that’s what everybody thinks we’ll have to do. We might have to play a little zone. We used to play a point zone on Wayman (Tisdale). We might have to do that this time, too.”
Whatever it takes seems to be KU’s motto these days. The Jayhawks, winners of 11 of their past 14 games, are on a roll.
“I get tickled every time I hear Richmond coach (Dick) Tarrant talk,” said Brown of the Spiders’ coach who has also advanced to the Final 16. “I got a kick out of him saying he didn’t need an airplane, that he could fly home (after advancing last weekend). I’m like him. I don’t want to see it end.”
Ideally, Brown wants to see this season end next weekend in Kansas City’s Kemper Arena.
“I’d like nothing more than to see us get the opportunity,” Brown said of a Final Four berth. “We’d play it like a home game, drive over and have some fun. But that’s a long way down the road.”
It’s a road the Jayhawks planned on taking during the preseason.
“If you’d asked me on Oct. 15, I’d have said I’d be disappointed if we didn’t get this far,” Brown said. “After all the things that happened to us (injuries and ineligibilities), I had no idea this would happen. I got spoiled when we started playing well again, then Kevin (Pritchard) got hurt. It’s hard to think we’d win without Kevin.”
Pritchard, who sprained his knee in a first-round Big Eight tourney win over Okie State, made a quick recovery and performed well in last weekend’s wins at Devaney Center.
Now the Jayhawks, fresh off wins over Xavier and Murray State, are a longshot to make the Final Four.
“We haven’t read much about our team. That’s kinda nice,” Brown said. “Certainly Rhode Island and Richmond deserve that kind of attention. I just want to see us keep playing.
“I’ve been through the Cinderella situation before. When we went to the finals at UCLA. That ended quick when we lost in the finals (1980 versus Louisville). As great as it was to get there, it was sad when we lost. We want to go as far as we can. We’ll reflect on what we’ve been able to accomplish at the banquet, not before then.:
Notes
KU last played Vanderbilt during the 1973-74 season. The Jayhawks fell, 83-72, in Nashville. Kansas made the Final Four that season…Larry Brown is 15-6 in postseason play at KU and UCLA. When his teams have been the higher seed, he’s 10-1. KU is sixth seed, Vandy seventh in the Midwest…KU and K-State have met four times in a season just twice. In 1976-77, KU went 1-3. KU won three of four in 77-78…the team flew to Pontiac on Wednesday night and was scheduled to practice in the Silverdome this afternoon…
