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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1998)
a _ Sam McKewon Break out the funk for Birds It came creeping in midway irough the second half in danhattan, Kan. The Nebraska’s men’s basketball jam was trying to fight its way back ito a game against Kansas State, hey weren’t hitting many shots, but :iey were fighting. Then, KSU hit a 3. And another asket. And another. A 7-0 Wildcat un. For the first time this season, self ‘ oubt emerged in the Huskers’ eyes. ;ven guard Tyronn Lue could not 1 eliver them from the fire. NU went on to lose 72-49. No, Nebraska didn’t quit, but it > yst its fighting spirit The Huskers let «pathy sink in, and it transformed ::rio a horrific!! „ _ -1U» ^twasi *ieyear,”NUi _ This newfound apathy is nothing ew to me. Anyone who goes to Nebraska home games knows NU ansarethe most apathetic in the Big < 2 Conference. They create an atmosphere at the lob Devaney Sports Center compa able to my Math 106 class: a lot of noozing and cross-talk having noth ig to do with the subject Now, the best team in the Big 12, Zansas, is looking to crash Lincoln n Sunday. The Jayhawks are on a seek-and 1 estroy mission toward a national hampionship that has somehow hided them for 11 years. They have bliterated their last two opponents * exas Tech (88-49) and Baylor (94 7). They have the best one-two com ination in collie basketball in Raef ^aFrentz and Paul Pierce. They have 1 neofthe deepest benches. They have neofthe best coaches, Roy Williams. In other words, ite a bad time for he Huskers to oe in a nmk. So the boys need some help from heir funkiest friends. The fans have 1*8 hours to muster up enough school spirit to make some noise that rattles : ae Birds, redeeming themselves in icegame. Devaney has been deafening .eforc, like when NU owned a fbur ijame home winning streak over KU I a the early 1990s. The recipe for crowd craziness is bit dusty, but it still works: Ingredients: At least 4,000 stu dents. Directions: Show up early, tane up with a few simple cheers, hek on the dorky Jayhawk (forward v'J Pugh). Get hoarse. . Kansas has lost three times on the oad so it's not invincible. A little nut ’ ness can go a long wry., NU fans have the chance to /^hsureitdoes. Sam McKewon is a sophomore lotitical science and news-editorial najor and a Daily Nebraskan HUSKER PITCHERS Gregg Jones, left, and Chad Wiles shovel snow from the oatfleld of Buck Beltzer Field. The baseball team practiced outside for the first time this season Thursday afternoon. Big 12 coaches eye future ByMikeKluck Senior Reporter Excitement and anxiety fill the voices of the Big 12 baseball coaches as they prepare to play ball in the sec -- ond year of the conference. The 1998 NCAA baseball season officially | its abjjjjit and the next cen tury were also on fan Horn the minds of the league coaches as they participated in a teleconfer ence on Thursday. All 11 of die Big 12 head coaches said stadium improvements and com mitment to baseball would help with the success of their programs - even more than moving the start of the sea son back three weeks. “More schools are really starting to work at college baseball,” Baylor Coach Steve Smith said. “So many new facilities are being built around the country, which would not have been the case several years ago. Facilities like Texas A&M and Texas that were in the top five are now bare ly in the top 15.” Smith was responding to a recent Baseball America article that listed the top 15 college baseball stadiums in the country. Texas A&M was ranked ninth and Texas was 12th, while six Southeastern Conference schools were in the top 15. o: But that number could be chang ing in the near future with renovation projects happening at many Big 12 institutions. First year Nebraska Coach Dave Van Horn said the Corahuskers are looking to upgrade their facilities and will begin work on one of three dif ferent proposals within the next five years. “We might redo the field and move it right next door to the one we have now,” Van Horn said. “We might move the field real close to campus and start from the ground up, or we may just redo the stadium.” But Nebraska isn’t the only league school making a commitment to its baseball program. “The No. 1 thing we are going to do is build a new stadium, Kansas State Coach Mike Clark said “We are building a $3.5 million stadium that will be ready to go in ’99. It will help us a great deal - especially fan-atten tion-wise.” Kansas should also have a new ballpark opening in 1999 and Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson said the Tigers will likely have a new ball park by the year 2000. Oklahoma State, which played host to jui NCAA Regional . Tournament last year, had the tfrird highest attendance among all eight regionals, but had the smallest ball park. That has prompted the Cowboys to make some immediate improve ments to Allie Reynolds Stadium. OSU has added seats in right and left center field and moved the outfield wall back. “Pitchers will come in here and relax a little bit,” said second-year Coach Tom Holliday, “and hitters will come in here and start crying.” Oklahoma, which won the nation al championship in 1994, is adding more restrooms and concession Please see BASEBALL on 7 Kansas ] BySamMcKewon Senior Reporter In 1990-94 - all years in winch NU qualified for die NCAA Tournament - the Huskers owned a 4-0 record versus KU at home mid were 5-4 against the Jayhawks overall. Over the last three years - all years in which NU has qualified for the NIT Tournament - the Huskers are 0-3 against die Jayhawks in Lincoln. But Nebraska (13-7 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference) will have its hands fidl Sunday trying to stop the Jayhawks(23-3 and 7-1). Kansas is led by All-American for ward RaefLaFtentz, who is averaging 21.8 points per game. “IfLaftentz is not the best player in America, he is one of the two or three best,” NU Coach Danny Nee said. “He* probably going to be the first pick indie NBA Draft in April” But the scoring doesn’t stop there. Junior forward Paul Pierce enters the contest averaging 20 points per game and Nee said the Huskers are most leery of KU’s supporting cast. Beyond the big-game ramifications, Nebraska would like to snap a seven-game losing streak to KU. Lue is 0-5 against Kansas-and may be playing the Jayhawks for the last time. “I hadn’t thought about it too much,” Lue said. “But I’m going to start thinking about it All I want is to get to that NCAA Tournament. Beating Kansas helps us do that” Sunday, 255 pm Bob Devaney Sports Center Kansas 23-3 (7-1) Pot Nam* HL Yr. jj Stability key for Huskers By Shannon Heffelfinger Senior Reporter " Monday, Nebraska women’s Basketball Coach Paul Sanderford alluded to possible changes in his starting lineup after the Cornhuskers’ five-point loss at Baylor the week before. Maybe, he said, it was time to shake things up a little. But as the Huskers prepare for their second of three straight home games, the lineup remains unchanged, and NU looks as stable as it has all season. The Huskers used a balance offensive attack while shooting 52 percent from the field and commit ting only 13 turnovers in an 87-75 win over Texas Wednesday night. NU used much of the same rotations they have all season. “In our system, it’s not who starts so mucn as wno imisnes, Sanderford said. Nebraska (15-6 overall and 4-3 intheBig 12 Conference) hopes fora similar finish Saturday when it plays host to Oklahoma State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center at 1 p.m. “Oklahoma State is both quick and big,” Sanderford said. “They have one ofthe premier players in the . league, and they’ll throw a lot of OSU enters tomorrow’s game reeling from a loss at Gallager-Iba Arena to No. 5 Texas Tech. With the loss, the Cowgirls fell to 11-6 overall and now own a league record identi cal to Nebraska’s at 4-3. Oklahoma State is led by Jennifer Crow, a sophomore guard who is averaging 12.1 points per game. OSU also owns a strong pres ence in the post with 6-foot-2 for ward Cheri Edwards and 6-7 center Devon Magness. Nebraska will counter Magness’ height with the combination of cen ters Charlie Rogers and Emily Thompson, who combined for 12 rebounds and 20 points Wainesday. NU All-American Anna DeFbige also enters Saturday^ game on a hot streak. The senior guard has scored 20 or more points in five ofthe Huskers’ last six games and has hit for double figures for 43 consecutive games. DeFbrge said the game is crucial in terms of conference standings. Nebraska has won all of its 11 home games this season. “We’re undefeated at home and i— -1