Norman, Okla. ? Kansas University’s two-game cushion in the Big 12 Conference is long gone, lost following last week’s overtime losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State.
Yet, the Jayhawks, who take a 20-3 overall record and 10-2 league mark into today’s 8 p.m. game at Oklahoma (19-6, 8-4), still share a piece of first place with Oklahoma State with four games to play.
“We still can control what happens,” KU senior Keith Langford said of the Jayhawks, who tonight will try to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the 1993-94 season.
“There’s a little more drama down the stretch now. We’ve made it harder on ourselves,” Langford added.
The Jayhawks, who have said winning the regular-season league title was an important goal this season, suffered a damaging loss at home Saturday. How damaging?
“Pretty damaging,” senior Wayne Simien said. “We let one loss turn into two. Now we have to play an upper half conference team at Oklahoma. It would have been nice to go in there with some momentum. Now we’ve got to turn it around there.”
And that is possible, Simien noted.
“I think our destiny still is in our own hands,” he said. “We have to concentrate on taking care of our own business.”
The Jayhawks will be facing an Oklahoma team full of momentum following Saturday’s 69-68 victory at Kansas State.
In that game, 5-foot-7 Drew Lavender went the length of the court to hit a five-foot, left handed runner high off the glass as the buzzer sounded.
OU officials are calling it the most dramatic finish to a game during the 11-year Kelvin Sampson era at OU.
“It was a heck of a play by Drew. That’s the story,” Sampson said. “I called time out and called Drew over and said, ‘Drew, go coast to coast.”‘
The Sooners trailed by 13 at halftime before rallying.
“They won a miraculous game yesterday,” KU coach Bill Self said on his weekly TV show. “For Lavender’s shot to go in without anybody tipping it in off the rim is really unbelievable. They’ll have all the momentum and energy. We are on the flip flop. We’ve got to be men and turn this around.”
Self realizes the Jayhawks will have to play some of their best ball tonight to stand a chance against the Sooners, who are tied for third in the league with Texas Tech.
The Jayhawks also will have to forget their past two OT losses.
“We can’t dwell on it. If we do that we won’t play well,” Self said. “We have to look at it and improve on it. It may have a lingering effect. I don’t think it will. I will say this, when Oklahoma is playing well they play as well as any team in America.”
Added guard Jeff Hawkins: “We’ve got to change our mindset. We have to show everybody we’re tough and able to bounce back.”
¢
Moody doubtful: Junior Christian Moody is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game because of his infected left knee.
“Unfortunately for us and Christian, he’s out indefinitely. He has an infected knee (from a floorburn) sustained at Texas Tech and it swelled up like a melon,” Self said on his weekly coach’s television show. “We don’t think he’ll play. There’s always a chance, but the antibodies would have to kick in and do some things pretty quick.”
¢
Top frontcourt: OU has one of the best frontcourts in the league in Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout.
“It’s great competition,” Simien said. “Taj being from Kansas, I want to play against him. I’ve known Kevin for years. I’m looking forward to playing against him.”
Bookout, a native of Stroud, Okla., chose OU over KU in recruiting. Kansas wasn’t involved in the recruitment of Wichita native Gray.
Simien is looking forward to playing against the physical Sooners.
“I guess they have that reputation, but coach Self has brought that style here as well, too,” Simien said. “Bang up, play rough … I think we’re tough.”
Added Self: “When they make shots on the perimeter, it makes their big guys that much more effective. We’ve got to do a good job on their perimeter guys.”
¢
Tough week: KU plays Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. Sunday.
“These are probably our two toughest games in our league (schedule),” Self said. “We are very capable. We have to right the ship and play with unbelievable energy and passion. This past weekend was deflating. We can’t let two become three. We have to come out fighting, and I think our players will.”
¢
NBA talk: J.R. Giddens was the subject of a feature story in his hometown Daily Oklahoman on Sunday.
Of talk about his possibly leaving for the NBA after this season, he said: “Whenever I decide to go, then I’ll go. I don’t think it’s that big a deal whether it’s this year, next year or my fourth year. I’m just focusing on winning and getting better.”
Kansas University is determined to spend money to improve its football program.
That much was clear in the five-year budget projections released to the KU Athletics Corp. board over the weekend.
“It’s something we have to do,” KU athletics director Bob Frederick said. “It’s one source of revenue we haven’t maximized.”
Kansas University’s football budget during this fiscal year is $4.4 million. Five years from now, the football budget is projected to be $6.7 million. Meanwhile, football income is actually projected to drop from $2.8 million this year to $2.7 million in 2006.
In other words, while KU does not project its football income will rise, school officials realize they have to do something about football funding salaries, in particular.
“We need to address the salary issue,” Frederick said. “As you know, we’re at the bottom now.”
The Kansas football coaching cadre is the lowest paid in the Big 12 Conference. However, KU plans to adjust football coaches salaries by $200,000 in FY2003 and FY2004, and increase them by 10 percent starting in FY2003.
At the same time, KU plans to boost administrators’ salaries by only 3 percent.
Thus KU has decided to drop men’s tennis and men’s swimming from varsity status as well as institute a donor seating plan for Allen Fieldhouse in order to pour money into the area with the greatest capacity for revenue enhancement.
And while the long-range budget doesn’t reflect it, Frederick is optimistic football will be more of a cash cow in five years.
“We are hoping for increased football income by 2006,” Frederick said.
Football and men’s basketball are the only KU sports that make money. The other sports generate so little revenue they are lumped in a $73,500 line item.
After football and men’s basketball, Kansas University spends the most money on women’s basketball $1,055,990 this year and a projected $1,396,332 in 2006. That’s about twice as much as the second highest-funded women’s sport rowing ($556,040 this year and $694,735 in FY06).
Kansas University lists 11 women’s varsity sports, but track and field actually counts as three indoor, outdoor and cross country. KU will list eight men’s varsity sports next year, including the three track and field entries.
KU’s commitment to women’s sports is a $4.6 million expense, or about as much as the KUAC receives each year in Big 12 Conference income. Coincidentally, KU projects a $5.8 million women’s sports budget in FY06 and that’s almost exactly the amount of money KU expects to receive from the conference office during that fiscal year.
The KUAC budget is projected to grow from this year’s $23 million to about $28 million in FY2006.
Kansas is not alone in its projected future budget problems.
Nebraska, for example, funds 24 sports more than any other Big 12 school and the Cornhuskers boosted football ticket prices a couple of weeks ago.
Nebraska is charging $50 apiece for the Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Kansas State games, and $38 apiece for its other four home games.
Also, for the first time, Nebraska is asking donors to pay from $10 to $15 for their parking spaces depending on location.
“Inflation alone has resulted in a $1 million increase in our budget,” Nebraska athletics director Bill Byrne said. “We must continually find new sources of funding in order to balance the budget and remain competitive.”
Kansas, also with seven home games, is charging $40 for its Nebraska contest, $28 for each of its three other Big 12 home games and $25 for each of its three non-conference games in Memorial Stadium.
A 2001 Nebraska season football ticket costs $302. A 2001 Kansas season football ticket goes for $175. That’s a $24 discount over single-game prices. Nebraska offers no deals.
KUSports.com Watch Party, 8 p.m. Monday
X-Factor Game 13: KU 74, OU 53
Sign up for cell phone updates
Sign up for e-mail updates