Greensboro fans get their wish

UNC GreensboroâÂÂs basketball fans chanted, âÂÂWe want Kansas! We want Kansas! We want Kansas!â in the waning seconds of the Spartansâ 84-65 Preseason NIT victory against Wagner on Tuesday night.

The 2,067 fans in UNCGâÂÂs Fleming Gym will get their wish tonight.

Kansas and the Southern Conference school will tangle in a second-round NIT game at 6 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse. ItâÂÂll be shown on ESPN2.

âÂÂThatâÂÂs definitely what we want,â junior guard Ronnie Taylor told the Greensboro News and Record. âÂÂItâÂÂs a great game and we have nothing to lose.âÂÂ

âÂÂTo hear our fans chanting, âÂÂ’We want Kansas,â that is really a credit to the players,â coach Fran McCaffery said.

James Maye, a 6-foot-6 senior, scored 21 points for the Spartans, while Taylor, a 6-1 junior, had 16 points and five assists. Jay Joseph, a 6-4 junior, contributed 13 points and eight boards.

âÂÂWe were just trying to come out and make history,â Taylor said after the Spartansâ first victory in a game in a major national tourney.

KU coach Roy Williams is happy for McCaffery, a former Notre Dame assistant and Lehigh head coach.

âÂÂTheyâÂÂve improved every year under Fran,â said Williams.

Indeed, the Spartans have won 15, 19 and 20 games the last three seasons under the fourth-year coach.

âÂÂHe is a quality coach and really good guy. Eight hundred years ago I lived in a house right beside the UNCG campus. I did my jogging there,â said Williams, a graduate of the University of North Carolina who was raised in Asheville.

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Elbow violation: Many KU fans watching and listening to last TuesdayâÂÂs Holy Cross game were puzzled when the Crusadersâ Patrick Whearty was whistled for an elbow violation after grabbing a rebound.

Officials tooted the 6-10 Whearty for violating NCAA Rule 9-12 which states: âÂÂA player shall not excessively swing his arms, even though there is no contact with the opponent.âÂÂ

Although it didnâÂÂt appear Whearty swung his arms excessively after retrieving the ball off the board, he clearly did swing an elbow. Kansas was awarded the ball under its own basket.

âÂÂThe call was correct,â Williams said. âÂÂItâÂÂs a violation. If he had made contact it could have been a foul or could have been a flagrant foul. Since there was no contact, excessive swinging of the elbows is a violation. ItâÂÂs in the rulebook. The guy made a good call.âÂÂ

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Radio update: Many KU fans prefer to listen to the Jayhawk Network radio broadcast while watching the games on television. Now those fans will find the TV picture no longer lags behind the radio play-by-play.

ESPN Plus, which operates the Jayhawk Network, has procured equipment that allows the radio broadcast to be adjusted so it is synchronized with the telecast.