Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoKansas University’s baseball team might have been the only one in the Midwest practicing outside Thursday afternoon, but not even the cold weather could dash the smiles several Jayhawks flashed while talking about their season-opener Feb. 4 in sunny Hilo, Hawaii.
“It’s pretty cold, there’s no doubt about it,” a bundled KU coach Ritch Price said.
He will start his third season at Kansas with a six-game series against the Vulcans in Hilo and Kona, Hawaii, before heading to Palo Alto, Calif., for a three-game series against Stanford.
“We get a chance to get outside every day, a chance to play at game speed,” said Price, who returns five starters and 22 letterwinners off a squad that went 31-31-1 last season. “We’re just really fortunate we have this opportunity where most teams in this region don’t.”
Price eagerly talked about the seven hitters who all hit .300 or better last year for a team that led the Big 12 Conference in batting at .316, but probably even was more animated while talking about his revamped pitching staff during Thursday’s informal media day at Hoglund Ballpark.
Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo“If you’re going to compete in the Big 12 Conference, you have to have the pitching,” Price said. “We’ve made significant progress in the product we’ve put on the field the last two seasons, but it all goes back being able to pitch all nine innings on the mound.
“But in the three years I’ve been here, this is the most solid we’ve been.”
Last year the Jayhawks (7-19 Big 12) had plenty of power at the plate, but were short-handed on the mound. Price said he likely will use a rotation starting with left-handed senior Mike Zagurski, who was 4-4 last season with 70 strikeouts.
Junior Kodiak Quick, a right-handed transfer from Stanford, will move from the bullpen, where he posted a 3.62 earned-run average in 16 appearances last season for the Cardinal, to the rotation.
Senior right-hander Clint Schambach (4-3), sophomore lefty Sean Land (4-2) and 6-foot-5 freshman Logan Murphy, a left-hander from Vacaville, Calif., round out the starter staff. Junior Don Czyz, who set a KU appearance record last season with 33, moves into the role of closer.
“College baseball is so very offensive. And last year, when we did a great job of scoring, our pitchers kind of let us down,” said Zagurski, who will try to fill the void of the graduated Ryan Knippschild, who was KU’s ace with a 7-8 record and team-high 79 strikeouts.
“Sometimes we thought our pitching was OK, but we didn’t hit, so this year we’ll hopefully be able to put a complete package out there.”
In order to do that the Jayhawks also will have to find a way to replace some powerful bats in the heart of their order.
  6Sports video: KU baseball prepares for opener Hear Price, players: Media Day comments Women in a MANager’s world 2005 Roster 2005 Schedule |
Ryan Baty and Matt Tribble are gone to graduation, and Travis Metcalf, who would have been a senior this season, was drafted in the 11th round by the Texas Rangers.
Metcalf holds KU’s single-season (18) and career (29) home run records. Tribble committed just two errors in 226 chances in right field and is first in all-time at bats at 825. Baty, who signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, had a 21-game hit streak and also set a career mark for doubles with 68 and fell just a hit short of tying Darryl Monroe’s career record of 274 hits.
The trio’s numbers will not easily be replaced, said KU catcher Sean Richardson, a second team all Big 12 member and team MVP last year.
“I don’t think any one player can fill their spots,” said Richardson, who finished sixth in the Big 12 with 69 RBIs and belted 12 home runs. “We have a lot of guys who have that chance to step up their role and become the next Travis Metcalf, Ryan Baty or Matt Tribble.”
Baty’s younger brother, Matt, a junior outfielder, was the only Jayhawk to make first-team all-Big 12 last season after hitting .344 and scoring 62 runs.
Price’s oldest son, Ritchie, broke the school-record for hits by a sophomore with 84 and made the second-team all-Big 12 at shortstop. He will be joined at second base by his brother, Ryne, a freshman standout from Free State, who hit 27 home runs this summer for the San Luis Obispo Firestone Rangers, an Amateur Baseball Federation team in California.
Senior Andy Scholl will move from the outfield to replace Baty at first base, and freshman Erik Morrison, from Arroyo Grande, Calif., will move in for Metcalf at third.
Junior-college transfer Gus Milner, who comes via Hutchinson Community College, is slated to start in center, while A.J. Van Slyke, the son of former major leaguer Andy Van Slyke, will start in right.
Not only will Kansas have to fill the holes in the batting order and solve its pitching woes, but also survive the “most difficult schedule” in program history. Among the highlights are four games against rival Wichita State, and two games against Mississippi State in the NBC Classic in Starkville, Miss.
If the Jayhawks can put everything together, then Ritch Price is confident this year’s squad could make school history by becoming the first team to post a third consecutive 30-win season.
“We have laid the foundation for us to take another step forward in becoming competitive in the Big 12,” Price said, “and becoming an NCAA Tournament team, which has been our goal from the day I started here.”
After playing nine games in Allen Fieldhouse and one in Kemper Arena, Kansas University’s basketball players are more than ready to hit the road.
“I’m not ready to get away from our fans, but it’s time. It’s about time we get road-tested,” KU senior Michael Lee said.
Today, he and his teammates will board a charter flight for Lexington, Ky. — the first time the Jayhawks have flown together since a Labor Day weekend excursion to Canada.
“I’m excited,” KU senior Keith Langford said of Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. challenge against No. 8-ranked Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
“At Kansas, we pride ourselves on having the best fans, the best arena, best place to play. I’m sure Kentucky does the same. I’ve not been to Rupp Arena. I want to see it.”
UK coach Tubby Smith’s Wildcats enter with a 10-1 record, the only loss a 91-78 decision Dec. 4 at North Carolina.
“I look forward to going on the road to see how the team will adjust, will react,” senior Aaron Miles said.
Especially the freshmen.
“It will be different for them,” Lee said. “I think they’ll be able to settle down and play.”
C.J. Giles, Sasha Kaun, Alex Galindo and Russell Robinson figure to be OK if they follow the seniors’ lead.
“It’s not the freshmen’s responsibility to handle adversity,” Langford said. “It’s the seniors’ job. The main thing on the road is to handle adversity. We’ve had it before the season with injuries, during the season with two-a-day practices and injuries. The seniors have been in every road-type environment except Rupp Arena.
“We have to use every experience on the road to keep the team poised.”
Smith was asked Friday if the Wildcats would benefit from KU playing its first road game at Rupp.
“I hope so, but they are very poised and disciplined,” he said. “They’ve shown poise and ability to come back from deficits and win. Kansas will light it up if we don’t guard on the perimeter.”
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Simien update: KU senior Wayne Simien, who had thumb surgery Dec. 20, will not play Sunday. Kaun, however, who has had problems with an infection that caused his face to swell following root-canal surgery, is expected to play.
“They’ve got the leash on me,” Simien said Friday with a grin. “I feel good. I definitely want to get out there. I think they’ll hold me out another week.”
Simien, who shoots at practice, thinks he could play if necessary.
“I think I could go. I have a little trouble catching. Still, anything is better than nothing as far as me being out there,” he said, indicating he hoped to return Wednesday at Iowa State.
“I’m always shooting for the next game,” he said with a grin. “Iowa State … they are contenders for the Big 12 Conference. It’s always a tough game in Ames. I’m definitely shooting for that one.”
Asked if there was any chance Simien could play Sunday, Self said: “No. He’s not playing. He’s not practiced or anything. All he’s doing is shooting free throws and shooting.”
Meanwhile, Kaun did not need oral surgery Thursday to relieve pressure on his face caused by the infection. He faces two root-canal surgeries Monday, however.
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Padgett country: KU will be playing Sunday down the road from Louisville, the transfer destination of former Jayhawk David Padgett.
Had Padgett decided to transfer earlier than he did, KU likely would have landed junior-college big man J.P. Batista, who chose Gonzaga over the Jayhawks days before Padgett’s transfer.
“It woulda been nice to get J.P.,” Simien said with a grin. “I thought about that last night (watching him excel on TV). I wish that would have panned out.”
It is billed as an exhibition game … a practice game … a 40-minute, glorified scrimmage.
To Kansas University’s men’s basketball players, however, tonight’s KU-Emporia State contest — to tip off at 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse — is much more.
It’s an opportunity for the Jayhawks, who have been banging against their buddies since Oct. 15, to scrimmage against somebody else.
“It’s good to have different faces looking across from you instead of the same people the last month,” senior guard Keith Langford said.
It’s also an opportunity for the players to soak in the atmosphere of KU’s 50-year-old building — some for the first time, others for the umpteenth.
“I know everybody is looking forward to running out of the tunnel and seeing the fans again,” said KU junior forward Christian Moody, who is expected to start tonight along with seniors Langford, Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles and Michael Lee, as coach Bill Self rewards his oldest players in the rotation. “It’s the best place in the country to play.”
That’s what freshman guard Russell Robinson has heard.
“For the freshmen, it’s our first time playing a game in Allen Fieldhouse in front of the fans and stuff,” Robinson said. “I’ll be getting to see it up close. It’ll be exciting. I just want us to play well, get a good win.”
The Jayhawks already have played four exhibition games this season, but those four blowout victories (KU won by an average score of 97-61) came a long time ago — over Labor Day weekend in Canada.
“We can get a lot more out of this,” Self said. “We’re more prepared to play a game. All we did (in Canada) was talk about offense. We didn’t talk about how to guard anybody. We didn’t have fundamental breakdown drills as much.”
His goals for tonight are simple.
“What I’d like to see is not a ton of slippage, though you’ll see it,” Self said, “being able to take practice to the game, whereas in Canada we hadn’t talked about any of that stuff. We just talked about playing.
“It’s a matter of, ‘Can you actually come out of a timeout and know what you are supposed to be doing? Can you remember who you are guarding every possession, after substitutions? Do you know how to guard an out-of-bounds play? Do you trail a double or go to the ball side?’ There’s a ton of things you can get out of watching things after you’ve practiced them.
“In Canada, you can’t get on guys and correct them on doing things wrong when they have never seen it before.”
The Jayhawks will return to practice next week and not play again until No. 14 against Washburn in another 7 p.m. tipoff.
“I would say they will be very excited,” Self said of his troops. “They are probably more tired than excited right now. Once they start feeling some energy in this place, they’ll get fired up.”
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Exhibitions explained: KU is playing ESU and Washburn this season in exhibition play because of a new rule that prohibits colleges from playing AAU-sponsored all-star teams such as the California All-Stars, a KU favorite in past seasons.
KU has played one in-state Div. II school in the exhibition season and one in the regular season.
“I think it’s a good rule change,” Self said. “I think it’ll eliminate a lot of things. Illegalities were not going on, but it gave people recruiting advantages to play certain teams that had potential recruits. Although it’s legal, I don’t think it was as level a playing field as it could be. This is good. We can play both Div. II games as exhibitions, and it’s good for them. They can schedule 28 games and not have Kansas included on the regular-season schedule.”
The Div. II coaches had lamented the fact they were guaranteed one loss a year when KU was on the schedule. Emporia State will receive $20,000 for playing at KU tonight.
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Clinic concludes: KU’s coaches clinic, attended by about 350 high school, small-college and junior-college coaches, concluded Saturday. On hand was former Utah coach Rick Majerus, who is working as an analyst for ESPN this year. Tonight’s game will be a practice run-through for Majerus, who coached the past 15 years at Utah. He stepped down last January for health reasons.
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This, that: The refurbished, expanded men’s and women’s rest rooms on the lower level, north end of the fieldhouse are in working order for tonight’s game. Both rest rooms were expanded as part of fieldhouse upgrades that will continue after the season. … Stephen Vinson and Jeremy Case (groin injuries) will not play tonight, while Moulaye Niang is questionable with a high-ankle sprain. Matt Kleinmann will not play in any games this season as he’s taking a red shirt.
New York ? Kansas University’s men’s basketball players had a lot to be thankful for on Thursday.
The Jayhawks’ blessings included turkey and dressing and an up-close look at the festive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from team headquarters at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Another item – perhaps No. 1 on the “What we’re most thankful for” list – is a chance for the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks to play another game tonight, less than 48 hours after a depressing 67-56 loss to North Carolina in a Preseason NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden.
“This game is over. We’ve got a Top 10 team to play now,” sophomore Keith Langford said of KU’s 5:30 p.m. consolation contest against No. 8 Florida, which will not be televised.
“If we keep sulking over this loss, we’re going to lose again. We’ve got to come out hard and get this game.”
While Kansas is grateful for the opportunity to rid itself of the sting of defeat, a victory won’t come easy.
KU, which hasn’t dropped two straight games in November in the entire Roy Williams era, faces a Florida team that is expected to contend for SEC and national championships.
The Gators were shocked by Stanford, 69-65, on Wednesday in the first NIT semifinal. Stanford will play Carolina for the title at 8 p.m.
“Like us, I think Florida was expected to win. They’ll be hungry and we’ll be hungry,” KU red-shirt freshman guard Jeff Hawkins said.
The Jayhawks are hoping modern history will repeat itself.
A year ago, KU won 13 in a row after a season-opening loss to Ball State in the Maui Invitational.
| When: 5:30 p.m. today.Where: Madison Square Garden in New York.Television: None.Series: Kansas leads 2-0.Last meeting: Kansas won 69-54 on Jan. 11, 1996, at Gainesville, Fla.Records: No. 2 KU 2-1; No. 7 Florida 3-1. |
“We’ll be hungry for this game just like last year,” Hawkins said. “When we lost to Ball State, we kind of figured it’d be the easy win. I think (Wednesday) we thought it’d be an easy win because they (Tar Heels) were playing three freshmen and two sophomores.”
The losing locker rooms after the Ball State and Carolina games were similarly somber, with one exception.
Last year, the Jayhawks were disappointed in their play, but also could point to cramps sustained by Nick Collison and Aaron Miles in a hot Maui gym as one reason for the shocking loss to the Cardinals.
A year ago there was no hint of any possible internal woes. On Wednesday, senior Kirk Hinrich mentioned this, thus far, had been a bad trip to New York with unnamed players showing late for scheduled team activities.
“I can’t tell why people are doing things,” senior forward Collison said. “This is going to change. Our team … we all know last year we came back and played well (after losing to BSU). It’s what we’ve got to do this year.”
As said, it won’t be easy to right KU’s wrongs against Florida.
The Gators boast Fab freshmen Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson, who had been sensational in averaging 23.0 and 16.5 points a game respectively in wins against Louisiana Tech, Eastern Illinois and Coastal Carolina.
However, Roberson, 6-foot-1 from Saginaw, Mich., hit just 1-of-13 shots and scored just five versus Stanford. Walsh, 6-6 from Holland, Pa., had 17 points off 5-of-11 shooting.
David Lee, a 6-9 sophomore forward from St. Louis, who considered Kansas two years ago in recruiting, had eight points versus Stanford. He averages 12.3 points and eight boards.
“These guys had a taste of success, but I hope they are humbled by their performance,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, who like KU coach Roy Williams was disappointed in his team’s play Wednesday.
“Now you find out what type guys you have in your program. This can be a great experience. I hope it humbles our team. Now it’s time to bounce back.”
For KU to bounce back, the Jayhawks will have to perform a lot better than last game and some recent practices.
“I’ve been disappointed in some things that have gone on recently in our practices and preparations,” Williams said, “and I had hoped we didn’t have to have this kind of wake-up call but I guess we’ll find out in the next three or four weeks.
“We play what I feel is at least one of the toughest schedules in the country. If we play like we did (versus UNC) it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a wake-up call or not. If we bounce back and focus on what we are doing and get guys that are in the starting lineup to do the little things that I talked to them about doing, we have a chance to come back and be a very good team.”
Collison said he will take a major role in the Jayhawks bouncing back.
“I take a lot of responsibility for that, not getting the guys ready to go,” said Collison. “We are going to be ready to play the next game.”
As far as the last game, North Carolina spread the floor and blew by the Jayhawks for many monster dunks on offense. Defensively, the Tar Heels had no problem slowing KU’s running game.
“We didn’t play well. We didn’t make good decisions. They made us look silly,” Williams said. “Maybe we were believing what everybody was saying about how good we are. We got poor play from the bench, poor play from the starters. So many times we had it at point-blank range and couldn’t finish because it’s the first time we’ve been challenged all year.
“It’s something we’ve been worried about. I want us to be challenged at practice. Our big guys shot a terrible percentage. It was not a good game for us.”
Collison hit 7-of-11 shots for 19 points, while Wayne Simien hit 5-of-14 attempts for 11 points.
“The only good thing that can come out of this is unfortunately this happened last year and we were able to bounce back,” Simien said. “We’ll have to take whatever good we can out of this. We have another game to play and a lot more tough ones after that. We’ve got to get tougher starting now.”
New York ? Kansas University’s men’s basketball players had a lot to be thankful for on Thursday.
The Jayhawks’ blessings included turkey and dressing and an up-close look at the festive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from team headquarters at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Another item – perhaps No. 1 on the “What we’re most thankful for” list – is a chance for the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks to play another game tonight, less than 48 hours after a depressing 67-56 loss to North Carolina in a Preseason NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden.
“This game is over. We’ve got a Top 10 team to play now,” sophomore Keith Langford said of KU’s 5:30 p.m. consolation contest against No. 8 Florida, which will not be televised.
“If we keep sulking over this loss, we’re going to lose again. We’ve got to come out hard and get this game.”
While Kansas is grateful for the opportunity to rid itself of the sting of defeat, a victory won’t come easy.
KU, which hasn’t dropped two straight games in November in the entire Roy Williams era, faces a Florida team that is expected to contend for SEC and national championships.
The Gators were shocked by Stanford, 69-65, on Wednesday in the first NIT semifinal. Stanford will play Carolina for the title at 8 p.m.
“Like us, I think Florida was expected to win. They’ll be hungry and we’ll be hungry,” KU red-shirt freshman guard Jeff Hawkins said.
The Jayhawks are hoping modern history will repeat itself.
A year ago, KU won 13 in a row after a season-opening loss to Ball State in the Maui Invitational.
| When: 5:30 p.m. today.Where: Madison Square Garden in New York.Television: None.Series: Kansas leads 2-0.Last meeting: Kansas won 69-54 on Jan. 11, 1996, at Gainesville, Fla.Records: No. 2 KU 2-1; No. 7 Florida 3-1. |
“We’ll be hungry for this game just like last year,” Hawkins said. “When we lost to Ball State, we kind of figured it’d be the easy win. I think (Wednesday) we thought it’d be an easy win because they (Tar Heels) were playing three freshmen and two sophomores.”
The losing locker rooms after the Ball State and Carolina games were similarly somber, with one exception.
Last year, the Jayhawks were disappointed in their play, but also could point to cramps sustained by Nick Collison and Aaron Miles in a hot Maui gym as one reason for the shocking loss to the Cardinals.
A year ago there was no hint of any possible internal woes. On Wednesday, senior Kirk Hinrich mentioned this, thus far, had been a bad trip to New York with unnamed players showing late for scheduled team activities.
“I can’t tell why people are doing things,” senior forward Collison said. “This is going to change. Our team … we all know last year we came back and played well (after losing to BSU). It’s what we’ve got to do this year.”
As said, it won’t be easy to right KU’s wrongs against Florida.
The Gators boast Fab freshmen Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson, who had been sensational in averaging 23.0 and 16.5 points a game respectively in wins against Louisiana Tech, Eastern Illinois and Coastal Carolina.
However, Roberson, 6-foot-1 from Saginaw, Mich., hit just 1-of-13 shots and scored just five versus Stanford. Walsh, 6-6 from Holland, Pa., had 17 points off 5-of-11 shooting.
David Lee, a 6-9 sophomore forward from St. Louis, who considered Kansas two years ago in recruiting, had eight points versus Stanford. He averages 12.3 points and eight boards.
“These guys had a taste of success, but I hope they are humbled by their performance,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, who like KU coach Roy Williams was disappointed in his team’s play Wednesday.
“Now you find out what type guys you have in your program. This can be a great experience. I hope it humbles our team. Now it’s time to bounce back.”
For KU to bounce back, the Jayhawks will have to perform a lot better than last game and some recent practices.
“I’ve been disappointed in some things that have gone on recently in our practices and preparations,” Williams said, “and I had hoped we didn’t have to have this kind of wake-up call but I guess we’ll find out in the next three or four weeks.
“We play what I feel is at least one of the toughest schedules in the country. If we play like we did (versus UNC) it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a wake-up call or not. If we bounce back and focus on what we are doing and get guys that are in the starting lineup to do the little things that I talked to them about doing, we have a chance to come back and be a very good team.”
Collison said he will take a major role in the Jayhawks bouncing back.
“I take a lot of responsibility for that, not getting the guys ready to go,” said Collison. “We are going to be ready to play the next game.”
As far as the last game, North Carolina spread the floor and blew by the Jayhawks for many monster dunks on offense. Defensively, the Tar Heels had no problem slowing KU’s running game.
“We didn’t play well. We didn’t make good decisions. They made us look silly,” Williams said. “Maybe we were believing what everybody was saying about how good we are. We got poor play from the bench, poor play from the starters. So many times we had it at point-blank range and couldn’t finish because it’s the first time we’ve been challenged all year.
“It’s something we’ve been worried about. I want us to be challenged at practice. Our big guys shot a terrible percentage. It was not a good game for us.”
Collison hit 7-of-11 shots for 19 points, while Wayne Simien hit 5-of-14 attempts for 11 points.
“The only good thing that can come out of this is unfortunately this happened last year and we were able to bounce back,” Simien said. “We’ll have to take whatever good we can out of this. We have another game to play and a lot more tough ones after that. We’ve got to get tougher starting now.”
New York ? Kansas University’s men’s basketball players had a lot to be thankful for on Thursday.
The Jayhawks’ blessings included turkey and dressing and an up-close look at the festive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from team headquarters at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Another item – perhaps No. 1 on the “What we’re most thankful for” list – is a chance for the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks to play another game tonight, less than 48 hours after a depressing 67-56 loss to North Carolina in a Preseason NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden.
“This game is over. We’ve got a Top 10 team to play now,” sophomore Keith Langford said of KU’s 5:30 p.m. consolation contest against No. 8 Florida, which will not be televised.
“If we keep sulking over this loss, we’re going to lose again. We’ve got to come out hard and get this game.”
While Kansas is grateful for the opportunity to rid itself of the sting of defeat, a victory won’t come easy.
KU, which hasn’t dropped two straight games in November in the entire Roy Williams era, faces a Florida team that is expected to contend for SEC and national championships.
The Gators were shocked by Stanford, 69-65, on Wednesday in the first NIT semifinal. Stanford will play Carolina for the title at 8 p.m.
“Like us, I think Florida was expected to win. They’ll be hungry and we’ll be hungry,” KU red-shirt freshman guard Jeff Hawkins said.
The Jayhawks are hoping modern history will repeat itself.
A year ago, KU won 13 in a row after a season-opening loss to Ball State in the Maui Invitational.
| When: 5:30 p.m. today.Where: Madison Square Garden in New York.Television: None.Series: Kansas leads 2-0.Last meeting: Kansas won 69-54 on Jan. 11, 1996, at Gainesville, Fla.Records: No. 2 KU 2-1; No. 7 Florida 3-1. |
“We’ll be hungry for this game just like last year,” Hawkins said. “When we lost to Ball State, we kind of figured it’d be the easy win. I think (Wednesday) we thought it’d be an easy win because they (Tar Heels) were playing three freshmen and two sophomores.”
The losing locker rooms after the Ball State and Carolina games were similarly somber, with one exception.
Last year, the Jayhawks were disappointed in their play, but also could point to cramps sustained by Nick Collison and Aaron Miles in a hot Maui gym as one reason for the shocking loss to the Cardinals.
A year ago there was no hint of any possible internal woes. On Wednesday, senior Kirk Hinrich mentioned this, thus far, had been a bad trip to New York with unnamed players showing late for scheduled team activities.
“I can’t tell why people are doing things,” senior forward Collison said. “This is going to change. Our team … we all know last year we came back and played well (after losing to BSU). It’s what we’ve got to do this year.”
As said, it won’t be easy to right KU’s wrongs against Florida.
The Gators boast Fab freshmen Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson, who had been sensational in averaging 23.0 and 16.5 points a game respectively in wins against Louisiana Tech, Eastern Illinois and Coastal Carolina.
However, Roberson, 6-foot-1 from Saginaw, Mich., hit just 1-of-13 shots and scored just five versus Stanford. Walsh, 6-6 from Holland, Pa., had 17 points off 5-of-11 shooting.
David Lee, a 6-9 sophomore forward from St. Louis, who considered Kansas two years ago in recruiting, had eight points versus Stanford. He averages 12.3 points and eight boards.
“These guys had a taste of success, but I hope they are humbled by their performance,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, who like KU coach Roy Williams was disappointed in his team’s play Wednesday.
“Now you find out what type guys you have in your program. This can be a great experience. I hope it humbles our team. Now it’s time to bounce back.”
For KU to bounce back, the Jayhawks will have to perform a lot better than last game and some recent practices.
“I’ve been disappointed in some things that have gone on recently in our practices and preparations,” Williams said, “and I had hoped we didn’t have to have this kind of wake-up call but I guess we’ll find out in the next three or four weeks.
“We play what I feel is at least one of the toughest schedules in the country. If we play like we did (versus UNC) it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a wake-up call or not. If we bounce back and focus on what we are doing and get guys that are in the starting lineup to do the little things that I talked to them about doing, we have a chance to come back and be a very good team.”
Collison said he will take a major role in the Jayhawks bouncing back.
“I take a lot of responsibility for that, not getting the guys ready to go,” said Collison. “We are going to be ready to play the next game.”
As far as the last game, North Carolina spread the floor and blew by the Jayhawks for many monster dunks on offense. Defensively, the Tar Heels had no problem slowing KU’s running game.
“We didn’t play well. We didn’t make good decisions. They made us look silly,” Williams said. “Maybe we were believing what everybody was saying about how good we are. We got poor play from the bench, poor play from the starters. So many times we had it at point-blank range and couldn’t finish because it’s the first time we’ve been challenged all year.
“It’s something we’ve been worried about. I want us to be challenged at practice. Our big guys shot a terrible percentage. It was not a good game for us.”
Collison hit 7-of-11 shots for 19 points, while Wayne Simien hit 5-of-14 attempts for 11 points.
“The only good thing that can come out of this is unfortunately this happened last year and we were able to bounce back,” Simien said. “We’ll have to take whatever good we can out of this. We have another game to play and a lot more tough ones after that. We’ve got to get tougher starting now.”
New York ? Kansas University’s men’s basketball players had a lot to be thankful for on Thursday.
The Jayhawks’ blessings included turkey and dressing and an up-close look at the festive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from team headquarters at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Another item – perhaps No. 1 on the “What we’re most thankful for” list – is a chance for the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks to play another game tonight, less than 48 hours after a depressing 67-56 loss to North Carolina in a Preseason NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden.
“This game is over. We’ve got a Top 10 team to play now,” sophomore Keith Langford said of KU’s 5:30 p.m. consolation contest against No. 8 Florida, which will not be televised.
“If we keep sulking over this loss, we’re going to lose again. We’ve got to come out hard and get this game.”
While Kansas is grateful for the opportunity to rid itself of the sting of defeat, a victory won’t come easy.
KU, which hasn’t dropped two straight games in November in the entire Roy Williams era, faces a Florida team that is expected to contend for SEC and national championships.
The Gators were shocked by Stanford, 69-65, on Wednesday in the first NIT semifinal. Stanford will play Carolina for the title at 8 p.m.
“Like us, I think Florida was expected to win. They’ll be hungry and we’ll be hungry,” KU red-shirt freshman guard Jeff Hawkins said.
The Jayhawks are hoping modern history will repeat itself.
A year ago, KU won 13 in a row after a season-opening loss to Ball State in the Maui Invitational.
| When: 5:30 p.m. today.Where: Madison Square Garden in New York.Television: None.Series: Kansas leads 2-0.Last meeting: Kansas won 69-54 on Jan. 11, 1996, at Gainesville, Fla.Records: No. 2 KU 2-1; No. 7 Florida 3-1. |
“We’ll be hungry for this game just like last year,” Hawkins said. “When we lost to Ball State, we kind of figured it’d be the easy win. I think (Wednesday) we thought it’d be an easy win because they (Tar Heels) were playing three freshmen and two sophomores.”
The losing locker rooms after the Ball State and Carolina games were similarly somber, with one exception.
Last year, the Jayhawks were disappointed in their play, but also could point to cramps sustained by Nick Collison and Aaron Miles in a hot Maui gym as one reason for the shocking loss to the Cardinals.
A year ago there was no hint of any possible internal woes. On Wednesday, senior Kirk Hinrich mentioned this, thus far, had been a bad trip to New York with unnamed players showing late for scheduled team activities.
“I can’t tell why people are doing things,” senior forward Collison said. “This is going to change. Our team … we all know last year we came back and played well (after losing to BSU). It’s what we’ve got to do this year.”
As said, it won’t be easy to right KU’s wrongs against Florida.
The Gators boast Fab freshmen Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson, who had been sensational in averaging 23.0 and 16.5 points a game respectively in wins against Louisiana Tech, Eastern Illinois and Coastal Carolina.
However, Roberson, 6-foot-1 from Saginaw, Mich., hit just 1-of-13 shots and scored just five versus Stanford. Walsh, 6-6 from Holland, Pa., had 17 points off 5-of-11 shooting.
David Lee, a 6-9 sophomore forward from St. Louis, who considered Kansas two years ago in recruiting, had eight points versus Stanford. He averages 12.3 points and eight boards.
“These guys had a taste of success, but I hope they are humbled by their performance,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, who like KU coach Roy Williams was disappointed in his team’s play Wednesday.
“Now you find out what type guys you have in your program. This can be a great experience. I hope it humbles our team. Now it’s time to bounce back.”
For KU to bounce back, the Jayhawks will have to perform a lot better than last game and some recent practices.
“I’ve been disappointed in some things that have gone on recently in our practices and preparations,” Williams said, “and I had hoped we didn’t have to have this kind of wake-up call but I guess we’ll find out in the next three or four weeks.
“We play what I feel is at least one of the toughest schedules in the country. If we play like we did (versus UNC) it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a wake-up call or not. If we bounce back and focus on what we are doing and get guys that are in the starting lineup to do the little things that I talked to them about doing, we have a chance to come back and be a very good team.”
Collison said he will take a major role in the Jayhawks bouncing back.
“I take a lot of responsibility for that, not getting the guys ready to go,” said Collison. “We are going to be ready to play the next game.”
As far as the last game, North Carolina spread the floor and blew by the Jayhawks for many monster dunks on offense. Defensively, the Tar Heels had no problem slowing KU’s running game.
“We didn’t play well. We didn’t make good decisions. They made us look silly,” Williams said. “Maybe we were believing what everybody was saying about how good we are. We got poor play from the bench, poor play from the starters. So many times we had it at point-blank range and couldn’t finish because it’s the first time we’ve been challenged all year.
“It’s something we’ve been worried about. I want us to be challenged at practice. Our big guys shot a terrible percentage. It was not a good game for us.”
Collison hit 7-of-11 shots for 19 points, while Wayne Simien hit 5-of-14 attempts for 11 points.
“The only good thing that can come out of this is unfortunately this happened last year and we were able to bounce back,” Simien said. “We’ll have to take whatever good we can out of this. We have another game to play and a lot more tough ones after that. We’ve got to get tougher starting now.”
Former USC guard set to transfer to Kansas
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