Breckunitch: Just like football?

Friday, February 20, 2009

In recent years, the Jayhawks have had some success against Nebraska in football. After a winless drought that went on far too long, KU has defeated Nebraska twice over the past four years. In those two victories KU piled on the pain with margins of victory of 25 and 37 points.

Those scores led right into a perfect basketball chant. “Just like football,” echoed in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse in the victorious years. Nebraska was a cakewalk game for the Jayhawks in basketball, so when the football scores mirrored the basketball scores, it became a perfect method of humiliation.

Those years KU lost in football though were tough. In 2005 the Jayhawks gave up the ball four times on turnovers and, this past season, allowed Nebraska running back Roy Helu Jr. to run up and down the field all day.

All that leads up to a bad omen for Saturday’s game. Jayhawk fans better hope the game is the polar opposite of this year’s football game.

There is some symmetry in Helu’s speed on the football field and Nebraska’s team speed on the basketball court, which almost gave Nebraska an upset victory against the Jayhawks in Lincoln, Neb., earlier this season.

That game was an eye-opener for most fans and showed this team has some vulnerability. Now, Nebraska has seen Missouri’s up-tempo game throw off the Jayhawks. Nebraska will take what they can from that and bring it to Allen Fieldhouse.

They play a smaller lineup that favors their speed and creates matchup problems for the Jayhawks.

Kansas’ post players aren’t the fastest at getting set on the defensive end and Nebraska will try to take advantage of that. Ade Dagunduro has the potential to pour in a lot of points for Nebraska and Steve Harley fuels the intensity of the team. Both had big games against Kansas in Nebraska and both will be a big factor in Saturday’s game.

Kansas has the longest home winning streak in college basketball right now. They always have an advantage playing at home, but Nebraska will pressure them.

This can be looked at as a typical trap game. The Jayhawks go on the road at Oklahoma for Big Monday right after the Nebraska game. Will they get caught looking ahead? It’s possible, and if they do, Nebraska will make them pay

Nebraska is on the rise in the Big 12. They won three straight conference games before falling to Missouri last weekend. They just toiled through a brutal matchup with Colorado and won what was an ugly game. Kansas fell into a lull at times against Iowa State, and if they do that Saturday, Nebraska will take advantage with their speed.

This game will test KU’s focus and, just like football, it could be a deadlock through most of the game and be decided in the final minutes.

— — Edited by Liz Schubauer

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