KUAD KState vs Kansas pregame notes


Love being back in Lawrence can't wait to be in the field house … rcjh!!!
@SHERRONCOLLINS4


The pick: Kansas. At Allen Fieldhouse and the Jayhawks are hot. This KU squad is starting to fully find its identity and beating dangerous teams like K-State at home will be necessary to win another league title. And that's exactly what the Wildcats are: Dangerous.
USA Today


Kansas State’s freshmen got their first taste of playing in Allen Fieldhouse a year ago, and nothing could truly prepare them for the electric atmosphere.

“It was hectic,” said Wesley Iwundu, one of four K-State freshmen who played in the 86-60 loss at Kansas. “The crowd was yelling loud the whole game, something I’ve never seen before. It was a fun experience.

“We know what to expect so I think we’ll be ready,” Iwundu said of his return trip when the Wildcats (12-9, 5-3 Big 12) face the No. 9 Jayhawks (17-3, 6-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

…“The past few games (at KU) we started off good, and around the second media timeout they got a pretty good lead on us,” said Wildcat senior Thomas Gipson. “We just have to maintain our style of play and don’t get off track from what we do.

“They are good, and the environment is crazy. Last year a lot of people weren’t used to that type of environment. They got a taste of it last year, so I think we’ll be ready for it this year.”
TCJ

KSUAD Pregame Notes


Another historical perspective: the last time K-State captured a victory at Allen Fieldhouse was in 2006, which means a majority of the Wildcats’ roster — including sophomore guard Marcus Foster — would have been on the verge of graduation … from elementary school.

“Playing in Allen Fieldhouse is something like you’ve never been a part of before,” Foster said Tuesday. “I thought it was all jokes, and I didn’t think it was really all the hype that it was, but when you get in there and the game is going, it’s loud as ever and it’s every possession. It’s something you have to prepare for.”

Even with the preparation heading into the game last season, K-State still looked overmatched. Kansas went on an early run, eventually winning by 26 points.

Foster said that experience at the venue is a major key for the Wildcats this time around.

“Last year, we prepared for it and we really weren’t prepared as we should have been because we were a young team,” he said. “This year, almost every guy that plays major minutes played in that game last year and played in it previous years, so I think they’ll be ready to play.”

One of the biggest keys to success in Allen Fieldhouse is composure. Teams that come out, play calm and take the air out of the rowdy crowd manage to play better against Kansas.

“You just have to stay calm, there’s a lot of things that’s going to happen,” Foster said. “West Virginia prepared us for KU, because you’re going to make mistakes and you’re not going to be able to hear coach (Bruce Weber). Things are going to go wrong just because it’s Allen Fieldhouse — it’s legendary for that — so it’s all about staying poised and making the next play.”

“We have to come out and punch them in the mouth first, that’s going to dictate how the game is going to go,” Foster said. “It’s all about how we are going to start the game.”

However, K-State’s biggest issue may be how the team plays down the stretch, including free throws. The Wildcats rank in the bottom half of Division I in free-throw percentage, hitting their freebies 67.9 percent of the time.
KState Collegian

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1/28/15, 11:16 PM
Wasn't pretty but we got the road W !! On to K-State!
@LandenLucas33


1/28/15, 10:31 PM
Kyan Anderson from TCU said it was the best atmosphere then added it was Kansas and that's what you always get from the crowd
@JayhawkSlant

TCUAD: Kansas vs TCU pregame notes


Despite another physical game that took its toll on bodies, TCU is in no position to conserve energy.

Not right now, not with No. 9 Kansas coming to Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center on Wednesday.

“I think we’re going to come back and give maximum effort,” TCU coach Trent Johnson said. “I think we’re going to come back and play hard. We have to; we have no choice. If we don’t come back and play hard and play well, things aren’t going to go well.”

The Horned Frogs (14-5, 1-5) have battled two of the most physical teams in the Big 12, Texas and West Virginia, in the past two games, and now they face a Jayhawks team (16-3, 5-1) that is second in the league in rebounding during Big 12 play.

“This is the premier team in our league,” Johnson said. “Make no mistake about it.”

…The Jayhawks’ offense, led by point guard Frank Mason III, ranks in the top half of the league in scoring and assist-to-turnover ratio.

But TCU can match up defensively on paper. Johnson hopes the intangible plays, which is where he is trying to make the Frogs stronger, can also make a difference.

“I think all of us talk about 50-50 balls, talk about deflections, disrupting rhythms,” Johnson said. “Charges are a great emphasis with us, being the aggressor, getting to 50-50 balls on the floor — you’ve got to have one, two guys around it, all those kinds of things. You talk about it; you have to talk about it from Day 1.

“You look at some of the good defensive teams in the country, they have a lot of guys who are capable of doing that.”
FW Star-Telegram

Rayna DuBose has a connection to Kansas University athletics that likely will last the rest of her life.

But the fact she played basketball for KU coach Bonnie Henrickson at Virginia Tech 13 years ago played no part in her recent visit to Lawrence, even if the reunion was sweet for both the coach and player.

“I had nothing to do with it,” a smiling Henrickson said following Saturday’s victory over West Virginia at Allen Fieldhouse. “Of course, I would have said that we should bring her in, but (the KU athletic department) hired her on their own, and it was so great to see her.”

DuBose, now 31, was in town as the featured speaker for the KU athletic department’s annual diversity training on the topic of overcoming disabilities. A 6-foot-3 forward on the 2001-02 Virginia Tech team, DuBose played in 13 games that season, reached double figures four times and finished her career 15-for-15 from the free-throw line. Not long after the season ended, the Columbia, Maryland, native contracted the deadly bacterial disease meningococcal meningitis, which took all four of her limbs.

With her college playing career over, DuBose chose to fight, and, instead of feeling sorry for herself, went on to try to inspire thousands of athletes across the country.

Sunday night at the Kansas Ballroom in the KU student union, DuBose spoke to hundreds of KU student-athletes, and on Monday she spent time with the athletic-department staff. Her message, which focused on determination, perseverance and gratitude, was the same to each group, and it left dozens of Jayhawks in awe.
LJW


As we approach the break, Wiggins is the only active rookie scoring at least 10 points per game. That might not singe your eyebrows, but when you consider that at least two guys have met that criteria in each of the last 19 draft classes, it’s revealing, especially when you consider the expectations for this particular crop of players. Although he’s buried on a bad team, in a vicious Western Conference, Wiggins is by far the best rookie playing in the NBA.
Grantland


Joel Embiid has been more visible of late, having long shooting sessions before games, showing a fluid touch from as far as 18 feet out and sometimes beyond. 

The athleticism Embiid shows while simply shooting jumpers is impressive. The guy is a natural athlete at 6-11 and a playing weight he hopes to be about 260 pounds. He has the body of an NBA big man, so being able to score down low shouldn't be a problem. But he also has a very smooth mid-range game.
Philly.com


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

1/26/15, 9:57 PM
Is Hilton magical because Iowa State beats Kansas there once a decade?
@tullycorcoran



Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said Monday that the team had good practices and was emotionally ready for the trip to Lubbock. He was stunned by the Cyclones’ performance. Monday night they rebounded and beat Texas.

What shouldn’t surprise anybody is that Texas Tech, led by a coach with a national championship ring, hadn’t given up on the season. Tubby Smith’s team beat Texas and won at Oklahoma last year. He can scheme and prepare, and recruiting will be his ultimate test. But no other power conference bottom-feeder is coached as well.

The Big 12 has become the nation’s top-rated conference based on its nonconference success, not just by Kansas and Iowa State but from nearly every team. When coaches talk about the league’s parity or the weekly grind or no easy victories, the victories in November and December are the basis.

The Big 12 had plenty of solid victories but went 0-4 against top 10 teams, and Kansas lost to Kentucky by 32.

The conference could get seven teams in the NCAA Tournament, and if Kansas State gets to 11 or 12 league victories, eight wouldn’t be out of the question. Confetti would fly at the home office in Irving, Texas, if the league gets 80 percent in the tourney.

But if the season ended today, there would not be a No. 1 seed, no favorite to reach the Final Four. The conference would get left out, again.

It’s a troubling trend for the Big 12. In Kansas’ decade of consecutive regular-season conference titles, only the Jayhawks have represented the Big 12 on the final weekend. But this is less cause and effect and more a matter of a lousy batting average.
KC Star Kerkhoff


Buoyed by five victories in six games, including wins over ranked opponents Oklahoma and Baylor and once-ranked Oklahoma State, the Wildcats (12-8, 5-2) have charged toward the top of the Big 12 standings. They are tied for second, just a half-game behind Kansas heading into tonight’s game against No. 17 West Virginia, which is another half-game back at 4-2.

“I think we’ve made some progress, obviously. Five out of six in the league, and a game at Iowa State we played well enough to win, we just didn’t play well enough at the end,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “We’ve made progress. And that’s the first thing on the board: You worry about how you’re going to help the team, you’re going to play well.”
AP


When I read the news of his DUI arrest Monday morning, I was rattled. I’ve been a strong proponent of Frankamp since I first watched him play basketball when he was a freshman at North. I’ve always espoused his greatness as a player, as if that was all that mattered.

Of course, it isn’t.

In a way, basketball becomes less important for Frankamp now. But in a way, it’s more important than ever. It’s his crutch, it’s what he needs to flourish.

Whatever Frankamp was doing Saturday night and into Sunday morning had nothing to do with basketball. He’s a 19-year-old kid who allegedly made a mistake. Hopefully, he tackles the aftermath as an opportunity to make amends with an understanding that the price for a second offense could be the game he so dearly loves.

Those who afford second chances, as I suspect Marshall will here regardless of Frankamp’s guilt or innocence, are taking a risk. Those who receive second chances are getting a gift. If Frankamp gets a second chance, it’s up to him to make sure he never needs a third.
Wichita Eagle Lutz


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KUAD: Kansas vs Texas Pregame Notes


1/23/15, 10:45 AM
As of last night, 26 NBA scouts were scheduled to attend Texas-Kansas on Saturday. Huge opportunities for Oubre, Alexander, Taylor, Turner.
@MedcalfByESPN


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