Sure glad Kansas played Texas when it did and is out of the path of the stampeding Longhorns until the Big 12 Basketball Tournament. After the way Texas butchered Iowa State and Missouri in recent days, it's obvious KU caught the improved 'Horns at the right time for an 82-66 victory here Feb. 3.
That hotly contested clash was a lot closer than the 16-point margin hints. Drew Gooden's 19 points and 12 rebounds didn't hurt.
With its injuries, uncertainties and periodic no-shows, Kansas wouldn't want to try to hook the 'Horns right now. KU must prove it can handle Mizzou before it entertains delusions of league and NCAA tournament grandeur.
Even though MU has had problems, it frequently seems to discover some unlikely "superstar" to plague the Jayhawks. Will KU find a way on Senior Day to glorify the return of Kareem Rush? Will it let Brian Grawer out of the cage again? Will brillo-haired Wesley Stokes be allowed to boost his credentials for the league all-freshman team?
Seems Kansas often has specialized in helping some unlikely candidate serve as a Mizzou hero. Think of all the times alleged role-players like Grawer, Melvin Booker and Johnnie Parker have driven deadly nails into the Kansas coffin.
But this Iowa State-Texas emergence as Big 12 bellcows is terribly serious as Kansas looks down the road toward at least a 2-1 record in NCAA play. Even if the Jayhawks close the regular season with a flourish, they might run into one of these threats later. Both are clearly capable of dismantling Kansas.
Texas's unhinging of Iowa State exposed all sorts of Cyclone vulnerabilities. The quick and athletic Longhorns kept ISU big men Martin Rancik and Paul Shirley under control; Texas dealt harshly with ISU guards who had ripped Kansas in losses here and at Ames.
Jake Sullivan of I-State wasn't allowed to breathe after bombing KU with 8-11 three-point shooting. Cyclones Jamaal Tinsley and Kantrail Horton never got untracked. Iowa State which had looked so unreachable upto the visit to Austin looked like a very, very ordinary team that night the way you might have expected Kansas to make the Fizer-less 'Clones appear when KU was on its December roll.
Then there are the free throws. All season, ISU has been using quickness and maneuverability to draw fouls and kill opponents at the gift stripe. One key aspect of the game at Ames, three-pointers be damned: Iowa State outscored KU 19-3 from the foul line in its 79-71 victory.
Texas under coach Rick Barnes is nothing if not a physical team. Iowa State potted 31 free throws in its 94-78 loss at Austin, but Texas had 25 to augment all the other good things it did. Texas committed 31 fouls, ISU 24, but the manhandling of the visitors took an obvious toll.
Just before he left Clemson to move to Texas, Barnes played North Carolina in a game where Rick's Tigers committed so many fouls they had to finish with only four men. Texas does a lot of things under Barnes; you can be sure that one of them is to batter you. Kansas often is accused of being soft; you'll never hear that about Barnes and Texas.
The beating Texas gave Iowa State may have come at a perfect time for Larry Eustachy and Co. After all the talk about No. 1 seeds, running the table and sainthood via the Vatican, they learned they are as human as anyone. But ISU is smart and cohesive enough to benefit from the jolt. Iowa State remains a Great Eight or better contender.
As for Kansas, we've come to accept it will get the best Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison, Kenny Gregory and Drew Gooden (when he's healthy) can offer. Three people who were counted on heavily but who have yet to deliver consistently are Eric Chenowith, Jeff Boschee and Luke Axtell.
It's unlikely Axtell's bad back will allow him to contribute much between now and April. Boschee and Chenowith can be potent forces, but you never know if they'll show up or take disappearing potion at crunch time. The laconic Boschee remains too Carl Casual with the ball. Will Chenowith ever mature? If Jeff Carey could continue to progress and gain confidence, it could mean a bunch. There's no viable third guard so, essentially, Kansas will have to invade the wilderness with five up-front and two out-back guys.
Kansas will make the NCAA field and could erupt Texas-style and win at least two games in the league tourney. But right now a 2-1 mark in the Big Dance is about all we're likely to see. Heck, a Sweet Sixteen appearance won't be too bad.
l Doyle Schick, who died Wednesday after a long and frustrating ordeal following a stroke, was one of the finest football players Lawrence High and Kansas University ever put on the field. Doyle also starred in basketball and baseball at Lawrence High and captained the baseball team at Kansas. What a loss, at only age 62!
As a fullback, Doyle ran, blocked, caught the football and backed the line with great precision and ferocity. A quiet, soft-spoken, ever-dependable, super-competitive kid, he never offered an alibi and always credited others for his success. His philosophy was that a lot of good things can occur if nobody cares who gets the credit. He seldom got the plaudits he merited. In 1960, he was the fullback in one of KU's greatest backfields including quarterback John Hadl, left half Bert Coan and right half Curtis McClinton. Hadl often called Shick "as good an athlete as I've ever seen, in several sports."
I'm so sad to lose this marvelous individual but joyful that he and his family are finally free of the pain and anguish of recent times. Doyle deserved a lot better. I reverently hope he's now where he's getting the best of everything every hour on the hour. For the family, so terribly sorry for your loss.
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