2008 Woodie Awards
Men's Big 12 teams work to overcome recent disadvantages, losses
Erich Eisenach
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Sports
It happens to most aspiring champions.
In becoming a champion, a team always seems to go through a crisis, and no time is more dangerous for men's basketball than February.
Take, for example, the two-time defending national champion Florida Gators. Of the 11 losses during their two title runs, seven came in the month of February.
These February crises, and how to survive them, were the main topic of Monday's Big 12 Coaches' Teleconference.
Kansas Coach Bill Self has a team that faces a mini-crisis.
On Jan. 30, the Jayhawks stepped onto the court at Fred Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan., undefeated.
But in their last seven games, the Jayhawks have been 4-3, and are in danger of falling out of the Big 12 title race. Their latest loss was a 61-60 setback at Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Self said that managing crises in February carries a lot of importance, but also said that his team is nowhere near championship level.
"I think it makes a lot of sense. I think it's a sad scenario though. We certainly haven't done enough to be a team like Florida last year that when they labored through February or whatever that you knew their guys were looking forward to March," Self said.
Self said that he and his team have a pretty good idea of what needs to get fixed, but said the effort must come from the players.
Another coach in the midst of a crisis is Texas A&M Coach Mark Turgeon.
The Aggies, following a subpar start in Big 12 play, rolled off five straight wins to put themselves at 6-3 and right in the thick of the conference title race.
But then came the latest three game losing streak - close home losses against Oklahoma State and Nebraska, as well as a blowout loss at Texas - which has left the Aggies at 6-6 as well as putting A&M's postseason destination in some doubt.
"Things haven't gone well, and we haven't shot the ball well," Turgeon said. "We've put a lot of pressure on our defense, and quite frankly our defense hasn't played well enough either."
Turgeon said his team has talked about the latest crisis, and he said his team knows what must be done.
"We've talked about it. Obviously, our backs are against the wall now. We went from, you know, being in great shape three games ago, to our backs are against the wall," Turgeon said.
Another coach who knows about crises is Oklahoma State Coach Sean Sutton.
Following a 67-60 loss at Texas Tech on Feb. 2 - a loss that left the Cowboys at 1-6 in Big 12 play, and 10-11 overall - the Cowboys have responded by winning four of their last five games. Included in this win streak are consecutive wins against Baylor, at Texas A&M, and Saturday's shocker against Kansas.
In talking about his team's rise from the proverbial abyss, Sutton commended his team's work ethic.
"A lot of teams, especially with a young team, after so many close devastating losses early in the conference season … would have just dropped their head and gone in the tank," Sutton said. "These guys refused to do that … they kept their spirits high and continued to work. I told them things would get better and we'd start winning some of these games, and they believed, so they deserve some of the credit for this turnaround."
OSU travels to Columbia, Mo. to face Missouri on Tuesday night.
In much the same way he commended his team, Sutton also commended Mizzou and Tigers Coach Mike Anderson for responding well to a crisis.
"I think Mike's done a good job. They've had some tough losses. Obviously, losing (MU senior point guard Stefhon) Hannah was a huge blow … but he's kept those guys fighting and working, and they've got themselves in a position where they're 5-7 with four games to go," Sutton said.
Yet another team trying to survive a tough stretch is the Baylor Bears.
Following a 4-0 start in conference, the Bears have proceeded to lose six of their last eight games.
But in the wake of their latest win, a 92-86 triumph over Kansas State Saturday, BU made a positive statement regarding its team unity.
"Adversity breaks some and makes others stronger, and we're fortunate to have high character kids that really wanted to bond together," Bears Coach Scott Drew said.
Drew also said that there are different ways to respond to every crisis, especially following devastating losses like a 92-91 overtime setback Feb. 19 at Oklahoma.
"Obviously, after the OU loss, that was the time for love," Drew said.
In Manhattan, the Wildcats are staring down the barrel of their first rough stretch of the season.
One week ago, the Wildcats were 8-2 and seemed a promising contender for the Big 12 regular season title.
Two losses later, the Wildcats took an 8-4 record into a Big Monday showdown against Texas with the hopes of just hanging on.
"We've lost two in a row. We've got to figure out a way to win because the last thing you want to do is fall into some kind of a losing streak at this time of year," Wildcats Coach Frank Martin said.
ERICHEISENACH@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
In becoming a champion, a team always seems to go through a crisis, and no time is more dangerous for men's basketball than February.
Take, for example, the two-time defending national champion Florida Gators. Of the 11 losses during their two title runs, seven came in the month of February.
These February crises, and how to survive them, were the main topic of Monday's Big 12 Coaches' Teleconference.
Kansas Coach Bill Self has a team that faces a mini-crisis.
On Jan. 30, the Jayhawks stepped onto the court at Fred Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan., undefeated.
But in their last seven games, the Jayhawks have been 4-3, and are in danger of falling out of the Big 12 title race. Their latest loss was a 61-60 setback at Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Self said that managing crises in February carries a lot of importance, but also said that his team is nowhere near championship level.
"I think it makes a lot of sense. I think it's a sad scenario though. We certainly haven't done enough to be a team like Florida last year that when they labored through February or whatever that you knew their guys were looking forward to March," Self said.
Self said that he and his team have a pretty good idea of what needs to get fixed, but said the effort must come from the players.
Another coach in the midst of a crisis is Texas A&M Coach Mark Turgeon.
The Aggies, following a subpar start in Big 12 play, rolled off five straight wins to put themselves at 6-3 and right in the thick of the conference title race.
But then came the latest three game losing streak - close home losses against Oklahoma State and Nebraska, as well as a blowout loss at Texas - which has left the Aggies at 6-6 as well as putting A&M's postseason destination in some doubt.
"Things haven't gone well, and we haven't shot the ball well," Turgeon said. "We've put a lot of pressure on our defense, and quite frankly our defense hasn't played well enough either."
Turgeon said his team has talked about the latest crisis, and he said his team knows what must be done.
"We've talked about it. Obviously, our backs are against the wall now. We went from, you know, being in great shape three games ago, to our backs are against the wall," Turgeon said.
Another coach who knows about crises is Oklahoma State Coach Sean Sutton.
Following a 67-60 loss at Texas Tech on Feb. 2 - a loss that left the Cowboys at 1-6 in Big 12 play, and 10-11 overall - the Cowboys have responded by winning four of their last five games. Included in this win streak are consecutive wins against Baylor, at Texas A&M, and Saturday's shocker against Kansas.
In talking about his team's rise from the proverbial abyss, Sutton commended his team's work ethic.
"A lot of teams, especially with a young team, after so many close devastating losses early in the conference season … would have just dropped their head and gone in the tank," Sutton said. "These guys refused to do that … they kept their spirits high and continued to work. I told them things would get better and we'd start winning some of these games, and they believed, so they deserve some of the credit for this turnaround."
OSU travels to Columbia, Mo. to face Missouri on Tuesday night.
In much the same way he commended his team, Sutton also commended Mizzou and Tigers Coach Mike Anderson for responding well to a crisis.
"I think Mike's done a good job. They've had some tough losses. Obviously, losing (MU senior point guard Stefhon) Hannah was a huge blow … but he's kept those guys fighting and working, and they've got themselves in a position where they're 5-7 with four games to go," Sutton said.
Yet another team trying to survive a tough stretch is the Baylor Bears.
Following a 4-0 start in conference, the Bears have proceeded to lose six of their last eight games.
But in the wake of their latest win, a 92-86 triumph over Kansas State Saturday, BU made a positive statement regarding its team unity.
"Adversity breaks some and makes others stronger, and we're fortunate to have high character kids that really wanted to bond together," Bears Coach Scott Drew said.
Drew also said that there are different ways to respond to every crisis, especially following devastating losses like a 92-91 overtime setback Feb. 19 at Oklahoma.
"Obviously, after the OU loss, that was the time for love," Drew said.
In Manhattan, the Wildcats are staring down the barrel of their first rough stretch of the season.
One week ago, the Wildcats were 8-2 and seemed a promising contender for the Big 12 regular season title.
Two losses later, the Wildcats took an 8-4 record into a Big Monday showdown against Texas with the hopes of just hanging on.
"We've lost two in a row. We've got to figure out a way to win because the last thing you want to do is fall into some kind of a losing streak at this time of year," Wildcats Coach Frank Martin said.
ERICHEISENACH@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
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