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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 2000)
- BIG 12 NOTEBOOK - The Big 12 game; of the week comes on Wednesday, when Iowa State plays at Missouri in a battle for first place in the league. Both teams are in a three-way tie with Oklahoma State which has a 7-1 record in con ference play. Missouri will be trying to avenge an earlier loss to the Cyclones in Ames. That loss, Mizzou’s latest, came before the Tigers’ seven straight conference wins. ■ Looking to shake his team up after an out-of-conference loss to Iowa, Kansas Coach Roy Williams pulled a nearly unprecedented move for himself arid Jayhawks’ basketball by starting three freshmen, Nick Collison, Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich in Kansas’ 87-62 win against Texas Tech. > It was the first time Williams has ever made such a move at KU, and the last time it happened at Kansas was March 5, 1983 when Ted Owens was still coaching. ■ Oklahoma’s Eduardo Najera nabbed Big 12 player of the week. His rugged post play had the center aver aging 19 points and 16 boards in wins against Baylor and Texas. Najara got his 10th and 11th double doubles of the season. ■ Mizzou freshman Kareem Rush got the Big 12 rookie of the week award, averaging 18 points on 60.9 percent shooting. His 21 points against Nebraska were season and career highs, and Rush helped keep the Tigers in the game while stars Keyon Dooling and Clarence Gilbert struggled. ■ With Texas’s 68-57 win over Massachusetts on Saturday, the Big 12 completed its non-conference schedule for this year. The results come in with a respectable 106-40 overall win-loss record, but Big 12 teams went only 4 10 against non-conference opponents ranked in the top 25, which is barely a 29 percent clip, and a number that could weigh against the conference when NCAA tournament selection come up. About the Big Dance . ,. six teams (Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Texas and Missouri) are expected to get in right now, provided they don't beat up on each other too much in Big 12 play. However, many of these coaches have stated that they are trying not to look too far past potential spoilers Colorado and Nebraska. ■ Quotable: Baylor Coach Dave Bliss on his team’s 64.9 percent free-throw shoot ing: “We’re working really hard on our free-throw shooting ... though it sure doesn’t look like it.” On how to improve free-throw shooting in the Big 12, where only two teams shoot above 70 percent: “We’ll start shooting better when we start recruiting better shooters.” Big 12 notebook compiled by staff writer Trevor Johnson Log on. CollegeClub.com » ^ it’s all XT " . , '■ V • ■■ ' ; ' ‘ ■ i - • . -: • ’ J % . No porcupines, living, dead or otherwise, were harmed in the creation of this advertisement.