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