Friday, February 20, 2009
Don’t hate Kansas State guard Denis Clemente.
Sure, Clemente committed his share of misdeeds in Kansas’ 85-74 victory against Kansas State last Saturday.
He elbowed sophomore guard Brady Morningstar in the back for no apparent reason. He slapped sophomore guard Tyrel Reed in the back of the head with a move he must have learned reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cowardice. To top it all off, Clemente cried at the end of the game more than Angelina Jolie at the end of the “Changeling” trailer.
But Kansas fans might as well celebrate Clemente. He’s made sure there’s going to be plenty of intrigue if the Jayhawks and Wildcats face off again next month in the Big 12 Conference tournament in Oklahoma City.
There’s a good chance the two teams will meet again at the Ford Center. In winning seven of its last eight games — including an 88-72 beat down of Missouri — Kansas State has proven it’s playing better than every team in the Big 12 except Oklahoma and Kansas.
Too many regular season games remain to start breaking down the scenarios of how Sunflower Showdown part three could appear in the tournament bracket. But if both teams continue to play well, it could happen.
And because of Clemente, it would be a must-see. In other words, Clemente has somehow breathed life into a series that was completely lopsided this season — and for longer than that to be truthful.
Kansas beat Kansas State by 17 and 11 points, respectively, in its two meetings this season. Another matchup at a neutral location would result in an inevitable Jayhawk victory.
It would be interesting, though, to see how ugly it could get on the court. Interesting to see if Clemente could control his temper from getting in the way of his undeniable basketball talent. Interesting to see how much trash talk is exchanged on the floor.
It would feel like a rivalry, even though this one has been nearing extinction for the last two decades. Kansas has beaten Kansas State 24 of the 26 times they’ve faced off since the Big 12 Conference was established.
A 24-2 record? Yikes, that’s as one-sided as The O’Reilly Factor. Kansas’ 20-1 overall record at Bramlage Coliseum is even worse.
Kansas State commemorated the one triumph — an 84-75 Wildcat victory last season — with a two-disc DVD box set of the game priced at $39.95. If that doesn’t speak to the state of the rivalry, then nothing else will.
But none of that will matter if Kansas and Kansas State play again a month from now.
Thanks, Denis Clemente.
— — Edited by Sonya English
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Comments
Morning Brew: Be thankful for Clemente
I've never considered KSU a rival. I don't want the KSU game to feel like a rivalry either. I like the fact that I can nearly always assume we'll get 2 wins against KSU. MU is the only rival I need.
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