Saturday, March 17, 2007
CHICAGO — The stakes will be high today as both Kansas and Kentucky attempt to advance to the Sweet 16, but there’s considerably more on the line for Kentucky coach Tubby Smith.
After a pair of lackluster seasons at the traditional basketball powerhouse, Smith likely needs a victory in Sunday's game to keep his job as head coach of the Wildcats. Tip-off will be at approximately 4 p.m.
“Of all the guys that you should not be criticizing about performance, that’s Tubby,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Over the last 10 years, they’ve played the toughest schedule in the country every time, and win an unbelievable number of games. But I think Tubby gets it. He knows what the deal is, and it goes with the territory.”
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Kansas Basketball vs. Niagra
Both schools have high expectations for their basketball teams. Kentucky is the winningest program in NCAA history, and Kansas is ranked third, with only North Carolina separating the two.
The last time Kansas and Kentucky faced off was last season, with Kansas getting the victory in Lexington.
“I think they’re a better team than they were last year,” Self said. “I think they’re more balanced than they were. They can really present some problems, and they can really guard.”
Kentucky runs a unique formation with one center and four guards. The center, junior Randolph Morris, poses a unique threat for the Jayhawks. He was able to shut down Villanova on Friday night, and rarely gets into foul trouble.
The four guards ensure that Kentucky’s team will be able to run back defensively. Kansas has made transition points a large part of its offense, and those will be cut down if the Wildcats can indeed run with the Jayhawks.
One other thing stands out about Kentucky, as well. Like Kansas, they have eight players who are all averaging double-digit minutes. Neither team is going to be able to wear down the other one. Going into the Niagara game, the talk was that the Purple Eagles had what it took to run with the Jayhawks, but that was proven to not be the case.
“We had a lot of long rebounds and steals, so they really didn’t run with us,” sophomore guard Brandon Rush said.
Not that the two games can be compared. In this age of parity, Self knows he’s in for a fight the rest of the way.
“Sunday’s game isn’t going to be anything like Friday,” he said.
— Kansan.com will have complete NCAA tournament coverage all week long.
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Comments
Kentucky's Smith could be playing for his job
The idea that Tubby Smith will be fired if he doesn't win this or any other tournament game is a complete fabrication that's been spread by lazy sportswriters who glean their information from internet message boards. It is totally irresponsible to spread this nonsense without verification from a reliable source. Tubby Smith may decide he's fed up with this type of speculation and resign, but he will definitely NOT be fired.
Kentucky's Smith could be playing for his job
You say "Randolf Morris rarely gets into foul trouble". Did you do ANY research???? All Morris does is sit the first half.
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