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**Lzen** · 01-18-2007, 10:10 AM

Posted by
Kurt Caywood in Sports, CJ sports columnists, KU

LAWRENCE — "Sit down, Mike!" was about all it was missing.
The Missouri-Kansas rivalry thing got a little pregame play, but mostly it was out of habit or a shortage of anything else to talk about. KU had the No. 5 ranking and homecourt for Big Monday. Mizzou had a three-game losing streak, a new coach and seven first-year players.

Nobody was going to be all that surprised if this lacked the fury of a "Sit down, Norm!" classic. Nobody was going to be all that bent if the bitterness took a little while to get its feet back under it.

Nobody could have guessed that what would transpire would be an 80-77 KU win that was another marvelous chapter in a story that started on the bloody antebellum plains.

"I know that our fans have a dislike for Missouri and vice versa," Kansas coach Bill Self said, "but this rivalry is about to take off."

The Tigers may have lacked a previous initiation, but they lacked no initiative. Beaten like an Indian war drum on the boards two days earlier in a loss to Kansas State, they were fearless and ferocious from the start against Kansas, led by a sophomore from St. Louis and newcomer Stefhon Hannah.

Self had done his best to warn the Jayhawks, including a couple of talented freshmen — Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur — who also were showing up for their first Border Showdown.

By halftime, MU led in rebounds, trailed by just a point and Self made the point again.

"Coach really broke it down and explained it to us, and then I knew how really important it was to him," Collins said. "He said we're acting like this game isn't important and we don't know the history of the rivalry and we need to step up and play like it's Missouri versus Kansas."

This time, everybody got the message, no one more than Collins and Arthur.

Everybody contributed. The Jayhawks do almost everything by committee.

But when it was time to really come to order, Collins led the way, scoring a game-high 23, and combined with Arthur for 17 of the Jayhawks last 19 points.

Self said he couldn't remember anyone in his time at Kansas, especially a newcomer, taking over the way Collins did. He said that's what KU fans should expect to see if their team is at its best the rest of the way.

"Those guys can be the difference in us being a pretty good team and us being a really good team," he said. "They're the two guys who can take us to a different plateau."

Rest assured they're the guys who are going to make sure this rivalry burns on in the foreseeable future.

Them, and Anderson.

"I thought it was great," the MU coach said. "You've got to enjoy it whether you're the home team or the visiting team — and hopefully we can pay tribute to KU when they come to Mizzou Arena."

Kurt Caywood can be reached at (785) 295-1288 or kurt.caywood@cjonline.com.

http://blogs.cjonline.com/index.php?entry=1767

01-18-2007, 10:10 AM	#9
Lzen Supporter Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Jan Quadrant Vincent 16 Casino cash: $2040692	Caywood: Newcomers stoke old rivalry Posted by Kurt Caywood in Sports, CJ sports columnists, KU LAWRENCE — "Sit down, Mike!" was about all it was missing. The Missouri-Kansas rivalry thing got a little pregame play, but mostly it was out of habit or a shortage of anything else to talk about. KU had the No. 5 ranking and homecourt for Big Monday. Mizzou had a three-game losing streak, a new coach and seven first-year players. Nobody was going to be all that surprised if this lacked the fury of a "Sit down, Norm!" classic. Nobody was going to be all that bent if the bitterness took a little while to get its feet back under it. Nobody could have guessed that what would transpire would be an 80-77 KU win that was another marvelous chapter in a story that started on the bloody antebellum plains. "I know that our fans have a dislike for Missouri and vice versa," Kansas coach Bill Self said, "but this rivalry is about to take off." The Tigers may have lacked a previous initiation, but they lacked no initiative. Beaten like an Indian war drum on the boards two days earlier in a loss to Kansas State, they were fearless and ferocious from the start against Kansas, led by a sophomore from St. Louis and newcomer Stefhon Hannah. Self had done his best to warn the Jayhawks, including a couple of talented freshmen — Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur — who also were showing up for their first Border Showdown. By halftime, MU led in rebounds, trailed by just a point and Self made the point again. "Coach really broke it down and explained it to us, and then I knew how really important it was to him," Collins said. "He said we're acting like this game isn't important and we don't know the history of the rivalry and we need to step up and play like it's Missouri versus Kansas." This time, everybody got the message, no one more than Collins and Arthur. Everybody contributed. The Jayhawks do almost everything by committee. But when it was time to really come to order, Collins led the way, scoring a game-high 23, and combined with Arthur for 17 of the Jayhawks last 19 points. Self said he couldn't remember anyone in his time at Kansas, especially a newcomer, taking over the way Collins did. He said that's what KU fans should expect to see if their team is at its best the rest of the way. "Those guys can be the difference in us being a pretty good team and us being a really good team," he said. "They're the two guys who can take us to a different plateau." Rest assured they're the guys who are going to make sure this rivalry burns on in the foreseeable future. Them, and Anderson. "I thought it was great," the MU coach said. "You've got to enjoy it whether you're the home team or the visiting team — and hopefully we can pay tribute to KU when they come to Mizzou Arena." Kurt Caywood can be reached at (785) 295-1288 or kurt.caywood@cjonline.com. http://blogs.cjonline.com/index.php?entry=1767 __________________ If at first you don't succeed ...skydiving is not for you.
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