KU hoping to carve 27th KSU notch
Bill Self has heard plenty about “The Streak” in his nine months at Kansas University.
“It’s been brought to my attention more than once,” Self, KU’s first-year basketball coach, said with a smile.
KU’s 26-game win streak over Kansas State is on the line tonight at Allen Fieldhouse. Tipoff for the Big 12 Conference battle between No. 14-ranked KU (9-2, 1-0) and unranked K-State (8-3, 0-0) is 7:05 p.m., with a live telecast on channels 4 and 13.
A replay will be aired at 10:30 p.m. on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6.
“The streak I guess is great if you are a KU fan, for bragging rights, those sorts of things,” Self said. “The players (juniors) here have had something to do with four of them. I’ve had actually nothing to do with any of them. It’s a lot of games in a row — probably a lot of good teams and a lot of good fortune.”
The Jayhawks, who last fell to KSU, 68-64, Jan. 17, 1994 in Lawrence, have won nine straight in the series at Allen Fieldhouse and 20 straight in Manhattan.
Junior forward Wayne Simien, who is 4-0 versus the ‘Cats, takes nothing for granted when the rivals meet.
“It’s always tough,” Simien said. “Look what happened to us last year in Colorado. They were so hyped about that. Nobody wants that to be on their time.”
Colorado snapped a similarly unsightly 27-game losing streak to KU last season in Boulder, Colo., where Buffs fans celebrated by storming the court.
KU hoping to carve 27th KSU notch
6Sports video: Simien to play through injury“Streaks are irrelevant,” KU junior guard Aaron Miles said. “I wasn’t a part of all those victories against K-State. The freshmen haven’t ever played against them. The streak … I don’t even want to know what it is. It does nothing for this team.”
Kansas State coach Jim Wooldridge, who is 0-6 versus KU, also downplays the streak.
“We have so many new guys on the team I don’t know they know anything about it,” Wooldridge said. “They see Kansas on TV and know they are one of the better teams in country. I’m sure they are just excited about the opportunity to play the game. I don’t think the past has a lot to do with this current team.”
KU coach Self is a fan of the current KSU team.
“Certainly K-State’s talent level is better than what it’s been in recent years,” Self said. “Jim has done a good job of bringing in some good guys. You look at their team … take away one game and they could be undefeated.”
UMKC clobbered KSU, 93-52, Dec. 30 in Kansas City, Mo. The Wildcats’ other losses were 65-64 at St. Louis and 87-82 in triple overtime at Oregon State.
“They play as good of defense as anyone we have played this year,” Self said.
KSU boasts double-digit scorers in Jeremiah Massey (14.5 ppg), Tim Ellis (13.2) and Marques Hayden (10.5).
“They’re good. They’ve got good players and anytime they play us they’ll give it their all. They’ll have great energy,” Miles said.
KSU’s Dez Willingham and Cartier Martin will not play tonight because of injuries. However, Dramane Diarra, a 6-8 junior whose eligibility was restored by the NCAA this week, could log as many as 15 minutes in his debut.
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Miles probable: Miles, who is listed as probable for tonight’s game, sat out Tuesday’s practice because of a right ankle sprain. KU coach Self said he hoped Miles’ ankle would respond to treatment and he’d be ready to go. Freshman David Padgett will miss the game as he rests the slight stress fracture in his left foot.
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Rivalry talk: Leavenworth native Simien says the KU-KSU rivalry hasn’t lost its luster. “I think the guys that have definitely played know already about this game,” he said. “Some of the younger guys that aren’t from around here don’t know the magnitude necessarily. They’ll see K-State’s not ranked, and hasn’t played higher-ranked teams. But in a game like this, it doesn’t matter who you play because they are always going to step up and give you their best shot.”
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Gas leak affects future Jayhawk: KU signee Russell Robinson, a 6-2 guard from Rice High in New York, has had a tough semester.
“I’ve been to the doctor four times since September,” Robinson told the New York Post. “They could never tell me what’s wrong.”
Robinson had suffered from dizziness and fatigue, and a gas leak was discovered in Robinson’s Bronx apartment. Saturday, he was taken to the emergency room.
“They gave me oxygen and I felt better right away,” Robinson told the Post.
Seems his mother had been on Robinson to call the gas company to check for a problem.
“When the guy finally came and tested the air near the stove, the machine he had went crazy,” Robinson said.
Sunday, Self was in New York to watch Robinson play, but Robinson was unable to play in the Gauchos’ game.
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Once an MU candidate: Self on his Hawk Talk radio show Monday was asked about Missouri contacting him about its coaching vacancy five seasons ago.
“I talked to the people there. I certainly was interested in it when I was at Tulsa. They chose to go a different direction,” he said of MU officials, who hired Quin Snyder. “Whether that would have played out or not … I had a chance to coach an Elite Eight team at Tulsa the following year, and coach at Illinois and now Kansas. It certainly has worked out well on our end. It was a possibility, but that was many years ago.”