Wolf Pack article on the KU game!
 

http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html...s&sp7=umbrella


LAWRENCE, Kan. — The first shoe dropped with a resounding thud when the Nevada basketball team took a stunning 75-61 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks almost a year ago.

Now, the second shoe is ready to drop when the Wolf Pack faces the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse at 6 p.m. today. A sold-out house of 16,300 fans is expected for the nationally televised (ESPN2) game.

For Kansas coach Bill Self, revenge isn’t part of his approach to the game, but he’s not so sure about his players.

“Hey, that was a low point for us,” said Self, Kansas’ second-year coach. “Nevada would’ve won the game if we had played well. We’re absolutely making no excuses. Having that sit in their craw (for nine days without a game following Nevada), a lot of guys will remember their coach wasn’t pleased.

“They beat our butts. There’s going to be no problem being motivated.”

Kansas opened the season ranked No. 1, but after an unconvincing 68-61 home victory over Vermont, the Jayhawks dropped to No. 2 behind Wake Forest. National player of the year candidate Wayne Simien, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound senior forward, is off to an impressive start for the 2-0 Jayhawks, averaging 22.5 points and 13.5 rebounds.

Nevada is 3-0 and coming into the game on a confidence-building 58-47 road win over Georgia on Friday.

“Kansas is terrific,” said Pack coach Mark Fox. “They’re a better team than they were a year ago. They’ve got everybody back. They have depth now. They have experience in the system that was new to them a year ago.

“They should be a team favored for the Final Four. That’s how good they are.”

After the opener against Vermont, the Jayhawks went out and thrashed St. Joseph’s, 91-51, last Tuesday, the same day the Kansas players found out they had been dropped from No. 1 without losing a game.

“In their minds, it might have been (a factor), but we didn’t use it as motivation,” Self said. “We didn’t deserve to be there in the first place. I don’t think anyone deserves to be in first place.

“We haven’t played consistently well. We’ve shown glimpses, like against St. Joe’s. We’re so much deeper than we were last year. We can go 10 deep.”

Self said he has been impressed with what Nevada has done since losing three starters, including NBA first-round draft pick Kirk Snyder, from last season.

“Mark’s done a good job,” Self said. “Our assistants say they’re executing stuff.

“They have other good players. They have one great player (Nick Fazekas). I think he’s a pro. He obviously can shoot it and he averaged seven, eight rebounds last year.”

After three games this season, Fazekas is averaging 23.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. Facing a Georgia defense that was designed to slow him down, he scored 16 points, but was still limited to 5-of-14 from the field.

For the season, he has hit 28-of-43 from the field (65 percent).

“Kansas is a good team. They’re No. 2 in the nation,” Fazekas said. “It will be a tough place to play, but we should just go in there and do what we can. Hopefully, we can come out with a win.

“I’ve never been there. But it’s no big deal. You’re playing in Allen Fieldhouse. I could care less. Just go out and play.”

Fazekas and Kevinn Pinkney are the only returning starters for the Pack. Pinkney tried to put the game into perspective for his teammates and himself.

“Kansas is going to be a lifetime experience for some of these guys ... for myself, too,” Pinkney said.

“This is my last year. It’s going to be one of the biggest games of the year.

“We’re going to have a lot of fans screaming at us, saying stuff to us. We have to block it all out and play basketball.”

Me thinks they are in for a rude awakening tonight !

No Kirk Snyder for the Wolf Pack, No Nevada win. As much as I hate the Beakers, KU wins big.

ROFL A lot of guys say that but when they have to actually go in there and play, things tend to change. We'll see if he can play that way. I'm ready for a great game tonight. :)

I see us with a 20 - 30 point win tonight, these guys will be fired up over last years embarrasment.

You beat me to it. I took a Baker friend to his first KU game last week and the first thing he said was "Damn it's so much louder in here than it sounds on TV".

:spock:
Oh man, that guy is in for the shock of his life. There are maybe three other arenas in all of basketball that come close (or match): UK, Duke, UNC. Allen Field House is better than Arrowhead when it comes to intensity (highest compliment I can give)

And that enhances KU's winning percentage in the Phog. KU has something like a 95% winning percentage there. By far the best percentage of the major college hoops programs. As someone who has been to both Arrowhead and Allen Field House, and who loves both teams, I have to say that AFH is a better experience, especially when seated in the student section. :thumb:

I hope that Purdue-NC State doesn't go to overtime or anything tonight. I'd like to actually watch the beginning of a KU game. Should be an NC State blowout I would think.

The best sporting event atmosphere I've ever been to was the KU-Mizzou game last year when we beat them at home. It was deafening the whole time. The events after the game were pretty memorable too, some good parties...

I had some Mizzou fan jawing in my freakin' ear the entire game. That win was so satisfying.

Hahaha, we threw bottles at the mother****ers.

The greatest KU game I ever went to in the Phog was my freshman year 96-97. We were #1 wire to wire I think (at least until we were upset by Mike Bibby and Zona) This was the team of Vaughn, Pollard, Haase, Pierce, LaFrentz, Thomas, etc. We lost to Mizzou at Mizzou in Triple OT earlier. Then the rematch in the Phog. It was so crowded, there were students standing on the bleachers AND in between the bleachers, where they couldn't even see. It was a close game until about 5 minutes left. Some scrub Mizzou big man was tussling with LaFrentz (at that time a junior) over a loose ball, when the Mizzou thug threw an elbow at LaFrentz' head. Luckily Raef dodged the shot, but the student section was ready to empty onto the Mizzou bench (I was in the south end near the visitors bench). There was so much energy in there. So fun to chant "Sit Down Norm."

KU-UK, 150-99 :thumb:
Patino: "Waaaah, I'll never take my team there again *whimper* "
RCJGKU
:KU:

Yep, that game was fun with me living here in KY. PBJ

Pitino said he didn't want to play KU anymore because there was nothing in the area to recruit and the TV audience didn't help him with recruiting ! ROFL

The UCLA game had to be the most exciting I can remember.... down 25 at half, KU storms back to win by 16(?).