THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
INSIDE
SPORTS
How universities, including KU, handle free speech on social media p. 2
Bill Self, among other coaches, prepares for big postseason payday The University Daily Kansan
vol. 136 // iss. 16 Thurs., Mar. 8, 2018
Underground tunnels in Leavenworth rumored to be haunted p. 5
SEE BONUSES • PAGE 8
No. 1 senior duo aims to top debate tourney
Quaram Robinson and Will Katz will compete later this month after dominating the majority of their regular season tournaments
Sarah Wright/KANSAN Quaram Robinson is a member of the nationally-ranked Kansas Debate team. RYLIE KOESTER @RylieKoester Quaram Robinson only has one tournament left of her University debate career. Robinson, a senior from Austin, Texas, will compete at the National Debate Tournament starting March 20 to determine the top team in the country. However, the success of this season is not new to Robinson. She finished second at the NDT in 2016. Robinson’s debate partner this season is Will Katz, a senior from Topeka. They make up the top ranked team in the country. “I think they have a pret-
ty good chance,” said assistant coach Sean Kennedy. “I believe that they can win the tournament, but a pretty good chance, much like the NCAA tournament, is still very uncertain.” Robinson said it was difficult for her to continue debating after getting to the finals of the NDT her sophomore year. “It’s just a hard game,” Robinson said. At the beginning of the year, Robinson said she set a goal to win the Rex Copeland Memorial Award, which is given to the debate team with the best performance throughout the season. The award is given at the beginning of
the NDT. “It’s really hard to determine a goal that isn’t going to hurt your own feelings,” Robinson said. In terms of her debate style, Kennedy said, Robinson has a different way of thinking than many other debaters in the country right now, and that sets her apart. Robinson is also good at managing judge and audience perception, according to Kennedy, which is key to winning a debate. Kennedy said Robinson can take an abstract concept and relate it to digital culture, such as memes or Miley Cyrus twerking. He said this often works well for Robinson because de-
bate tournaments last full days and judges become tired after judging hours of debates. Kennedy said when Robinson makes a comparison like that, it cuts through to the judges. “If the judge isn’t buying it, you’re not going to win,” Kennedy said. During the regular season, Katz and Robinson won three out of five tournaments, including the first two tournaments they competed at. Robinson said she and Katz do an “unbelievable amount of research” before the season begins, but they did not expect to do so well right at the beginning of the season.
“We were both shocked when we won the first tournament,” Robinson said. Robinson said it is uncommon for a team to consistently win national debate tournaments because once a team wins, it usually puts a target on their back. However, Katz and Robinson continued to win, and in the tournaments they didn’t win, they finished second and fifth. “I cannot remember, in a decade plus of doing college debate, a team having a season this overwhelmingly successful,” Kennedy said. Robinson and Katz are both seniors, so this will be their last debate tourna-
ment. Kennedy said he tells all debaters who are going into their last NDT that the trick to winning is to think like a judge because once a debater becomes a judge, they cannot debate anymore. Kennedy said a judge sees the debates more clearly than the debaters, so a debater must close that gap. “If you can figure that out, then it’s really easy to do well at the NDT because you understand how the judge is thinking about the debate, not just how you’re thinking about the debate,” Kennedy said. The NDT will last for seven days in Wichita, beginning on March 20.
Decision to not disband Jayhawker coalition appealed
DARBY VANHOUTAN @DarbyVanHoutan
In a recently appealed decision, the newly formed Jayhawkers coalition has been accused of improper registration in the upcoming Student Senate elections. These allegations were initially made in a complaint filed to the Elections Commission on Friday, Feb. 23, by the Crimson and Blue coalition. According to Crimson and Blue campaign manager Martin Doherty, Jayhawkers had only held their coalition launch by the time of the Feb. 16 registration deadline listed on the commission’s website. Because their required presidential and vice presidential caucus — which took place Feb. 25 — came after that deadline, Crimson and Blue requested that the Jayhawkers not be recognized as a coalition.
“The election schedule on the EC website is very clear, so the decision not to let them form should have been very clear,” Doherty said in an email to the Kansan. According to Elections Commission Chair Jeremy Latronica, the commission “overruled the complaint” and instead charged the Jayhawkers a $30 fine for registering after the deadline. Latronica, who did not have voting rights as chair at the Feb. 28 hearing, said the commission’s reasoning for not disbanding the Jayhawkers was based on incorrect information on launch forms. “There were some bits and pieces of text that pulled from previous Student Senate [Rules and Regulations],” Latronica said. Shortly after the hearing, however, Crimson and Blue appealed the decision to the Student Senate
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN Alex Dwyer, the campaign manager for the Jayhawker coalition, gives an introduction before asking for nominations for the presidential nominee of the coalition during the Jayhawker coalition launch on Feb. 25. Court of Appeals, saying that the Jayhawkers should never have been recognized as a coalition. “We are not appealing latter decision not to dis-
qualify, but rather the former decision to let the Jayhawkers form in the first place,” Doherty said in an email with the Kansan. The appeals hearing is
scheduled for Friday with an exact time and location to be determined. Crimson and Blue vice presidential candidate Charles Jetty will be representing the coali-
tion. Representatives from the Jayhawkers coalition declined to comment at this time.
news
Thursday, March 8, 2018
staff NEWS MANAGEMENT
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K A N S A N .C O M / N E W S
Student running for KS legislature EMILY WELLBORN @EmWellborn
Ben Ferlo, a freshman from Gardner studying political science and behavioral science, will be running for the 46th District in the Kansas House of Representatives, which includes the University’s Lawrence campus. “I just believe the political government is ready for more young people in legislature,” Ferlo said. As a Democrat, his biggest stances will be education, infrastructure, clean energy and tax reform. “Education funding has been a pretty big problem, especially in public universities,” he said. Ferlo has been planning on running for years, but originally he wanted to graduate before trying to become an elected official. Now, however, he thinks there is a special opportunity for young people to let their voices be heard in politics, especially when there are so many students becoming more civically engaged. In Kansas, six teenagers are currently running for
Tianna Witmer/KANSAN A University freshman will be running for the 46th district in the House of Representatives, which includes the University’s Lawrence campus. governor. “I think that is the best thing that can happen to politics right now,” he said. “Just the fact that more and more young people are getting out and voting is fantastic, because historically they don’t.”
Ferlo is attempting to earn the seat of Dennis “Boog” Highberger, who has served in the legislature since 2015. Neither Highberger nor any other candidates had been added to the Kansas Secretary of State’s candidate lists, as
of Wednesday evening. Ferlo said it is unusual for campaigns for representative seats to be competitive — Highberger ran unopposed in 2016 — but said that 2018 could see an increase in civic engagement, changing the
norm. “We often times don’t see a lot of competition, but I think 2018 is going to be a special year,” he said. “I could definitely see some pretty heavy competition for that position.”
Social media blurs student free speech rights LARA KORTE @Lara_korte
Harley Barber used a fake “finsta” Instagram account to share her hateful rants. The first video, posted in early January, showed the 19-year-old University of Alabama freshman standing in front of a bathroom mirror, using the n-word in talking about how much she “hated” black people. On Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, she posted another, responding to rebukes of her racial epithets. “I don’t care if it’s Martin Luther King Day,” she said, before repeating the n-word several more times. Within two days, Barber was expelled by her university and kicked out of her sorority, Alpha Phi. With the expansion of social media, public universities are facing a challenge in how to handle students who post offensive things online. University of Kansas administrators would not say whether an incident like the one at the University of Alabama would also draw expulsion here. They said they would take each situation on case-by-case basis, weighing students’ free speech rights with the need to protect others from threats, harassment or discrimination. “And that’s why this is such a challenging subject matter,” said Shane McCreery, director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, which
handles racial and sexual discrimination at KU. “The University’s nondiscrimination policy is going to intersect with one’s First Amendment rights.” The University’s student code claims it can govern student behavior even when a student is off campus, which means it can take action against students for what they say online. Although free speech experts argue regulating social media use is a violation of First Amendment rights, legally, the courts have not taken a stance, giving schools leeway to punish as they see fit. However, administrators stress that the University isn’t going to step in unless a student’s social media use veers into the realm of threatening behavior or causes a significant disruption, per the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities. “The University respects any individual’s First Amendment right, but we do have the ability to regulate behavior,” McCreery said.“And when that behavior is words plus action that can make other students feel uncomfortable, unsafe, then we have the right to take action.” There are a number of ways students can be sanctioned for a code violation — including warnings, fines, community service, suspension and expulsion. Punishments are determined by the hearing officer in charge of each case, according to the Office of
Student Affairs, which investigates student code violations. Jane Tuttle, associate vice provost of Student Affairs, said the main purpose of the hearing process is to educate students who don’t behave according to community standards. “Our real hope is we can help a student reflect on their behavior and see if it represents who they are, really who they are,” she said. Expulsion “takes a serious violation of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities,” Tuttle said. “Intent to sell drugs would probably be enough to have a student expelled,” she said. Alabama isn’t the only school to face the problem of offensive social media use — a similar situation occurred in 2015 at the University of Oklahoma when two members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon were expelled for a video of them leading a racist chant. In 2016, a Kansas State University student was the subject of intense criticism for a racially insensitive Snapchat photo, (Kansas State said it couldn’t condone the language used in the picture, but did not punish the student). Around the same time, four University of Kansas cheerleaders were suspended from the team for a controversial Snapchat photo, but were allowed to remain in school.
COURTS REMAIN UNDECIDED
In 2013, Navid Yeasin,
Contributed photo The four Kansas cheerleaders involved in the Snapchat photo from earlier this year are no longer on the squad, according to Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director. a University student, was expelled after tweeting indirectly about his ex-girlfriend. The University claimed Yeasin violated a no-contact rule issued by the IOA. Yeasin challenged his expulsion and was ultimately allowed to return to the school this semester. However, Yeasin took it one step further and sued Vice Provost for Student
CORRECTION: In the Monday, March 5, print edition, due to an editing error, three numbers were incor-
rectly stated in the front-page story on IOA reports. The correct number of total reports since 2012 is 82; the correct number of reported assaults in unspecified locations is eight; the correct number of reported assaults that occurred at night is 64. The Kansan regrets the errors.
Affairs Tammara Durham, claiming she violated his First Amendment rights, which resulted in a delay of his education and the loss of future job pros-
SEE FREE SPEECH PAGE 3
NEWS
KANSAN.COM
3
Central District projects to finish this spring
KATHY WONG @KathyW0NG The Central District construction project will be completed ahead of schedule, according to Mark Reiske, the facilities Planning and Development Director for the University. “They’ll all be done this spring. They should all be done prior to the summer session starting,” Reiske said. All the projects were originally set to be completed in summer 2018. The project is a partnership between the University and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate. The Central District includes a new parking garage, the Cora Downs Residence Hall, South Dining Commons, Frank R. Burge Union, the Integrated Science Building, Stouffer Place Apartments and the Central Utility Plant. Here’s a rundown of the progress so far for each project.
PARKING GARAGE
The new parking garage in the Central District, behind the Integrated Science Building, has over 2,100 parking spaces, which includes surface parking and a 500-space parking deck. This project was completed in spring 2017.
CORA DOWNS RESIDENCE HALL
This new residence hall next to Oliver Hall on Naismith and 19th streets was completed in summer 2017 and opened to students that fall. According to the Central District website, the hall boasts 545 coed rooms for both freshmen and upperclassmen. The hall includes a game room, study rooms, a washer and dryer on each floor, and a variety of suite types unlike the ones in
FROM FREE SPEECH PAGE 2 pects. He was ultimately unsuccessful in the suit. In addition to denying Yeasin’s claim that his rights were violated, the court declined to rule on whether social media is protected from university punishment under the First Amendment — a decision that could have created a standard for public universities across the nation. “It’s a question that’s unresolved nationally,” said Mike Kautsch, a professor in the University’s School of Law. “We don’t have a decision on this, how the First Amendment applies, at least in the cases where the student uses an off-campus resource to post online.” Frank LoMonte, a First Amendment expert and director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida, said that it is highly unlikely that a removal just for saying something offensive or controversial would hold up if it were challenged. “I think a lot of educational institutions believe that they have a duty to make sure that people are comfortable and don’t feel unwelcome,” LoMonte said. “But the Constitution always comes first.” When it comes down to
Rithwick Chary/KANSAN Construction in the Central District is ahead of schedule, according to University administrators, and should be completed by this summer other housing facilities.
SOUTH DINING COMMONS
This new dining hall is shared between Oliver and Downs halls. According to the Central District website, the building has a capacity of 475 occupants and has a similar concept to Mrs. E’s. There is a full service bakery and an after hours grab and go. This project was completed in summer 2017 and opened to students that fall.
FRANK R. BURGE STUDENT UNION
The Burge Union will soon be completed and will be officially open the April 2. The soft opening will be the week of March 26, Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. A dedication will take place on April 27. The Union will have new meeting and event spaces for both faculty and students. It’ll also be the new office spaces for Legal Services for Students, the Sexual Assault Prevention Education Center and the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity.
“There are other pieces in that space that are unique,” said Lisa Kring, the director of Building and Event Services for the Memorial Unions corporation. “They really wanted to make sure that space not only expressed welcome through natural light and all those sort of things, but some attributes that really expressed welcome to some communities that may not otherwise feel welcome on campus.” Other amenities will include a grab-andgo convenience store, coffee shop, full-service kitchen, lactation room, private meditation rooms, a discovery room honoring individuals who’ve made contributions to science and gender-inclusive restrooms with Wudu stations. Ablution or Wudu is a purity ritual in which Muslims wash parts of their body in order to create a clean heart, mind and body before praying. The Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity has been housed in various places around campus in the past, like the Kansas Union, Strong Hall and, cur-
rently, Wescoe. Katherine Rose-Mockry, director of the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity, said that she and her staff will move into the new office space during spring break and services will fully open back up the week after students return. “We’re all very excited to have this opportunity, as it expands the ways we can reach out and it expands opportunities for programming and events,” Rose-Mockry said. “We’re going to be venturing forward into our new space, and there’s so much growth in that part of campus. I’m sure that will provide new partnerships for us as well.”
INTEGRATED SCIENCE BUILDING
The Integrated Science Building will be used for learning, teaching and researching chemistry, medicinal chemistry, physics, molecular biosciences and related fields. It will be located across from Green Hall. The building has new lab spaces that are a great improvement from the ones
“You have the right to speak freely unless your speech causes a substantial disruption of operations. And substantial disruption means more than just provoking political controversy.” Frank LoMonte First Amendment lawyer
it, LoMonte said, students are allowed to express hateful, ignorant or backward opinions, as long as they aren’t inciting people to cause a disturbance or break the law. “You have the right to speak freely unless your speech causes a substantial disruption of operations,” LoMonte said. “And substantial disruption means more than just provoking political controversy.”
PUNISHMENTS OFTEN GO UNCHALLENGED BY STUDENTS
In November 2016, Lili Gagin, a member of the KU Spirit Squad, was temporarily suspended from the team after a photo she posted to her Snapchat account went viral. The picture showed three of Gagin’s teammates lined up in sweaters with a large “K” on the front. The caption read “KKK go trump.” Gagin denied via social media that she had been the one to post the pic-
ture, but by the following week, Kansas Athletics announced she and the three other members were suspended from the squad. In the end, it was announced that the four students had resigned from the squad. The spirit squad members could have legally challenged the University, but LoMonte said it’s uncommon for students in these situations to challenge the punishments handed down by universities. Challenging a punishment means a court case, which could drag on and keep the student in the spotlight. “You don’t want to be paralyzed in your educational life for two and a half years while a case is going through court. You want to move on with your life,” LoMonte said. “I’m sure that the vast majority of students, like the student at the University of Alabama, try to move away and quietly enroll in someplace else and start over.” According to her Face-
book profile, Gagin now attends Baker University’s School of Nursing. She declined to comment for this article. Jim Marchiony, director of communications for
in Malott Hall. It will also include a 330-seat auditorium and several classrooms ranging in various sizes. There will be core lab facilities for microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and x-ray crystallography. A lactation room and lounge spaces will also be provided. People visiting the building will also be able to get a look into the research and core lab facilities. The building is mainly finished, with the exception of some small details and work on the inside. The building will be finished by May 1.
STOUFFER PLACE APARTMENTS
These new apartments at 19th and Iowa streets replaced the old Stouffer Place apartments that were torn down during the Central District construction. The buildings include two and four bedroom suites which include private bathrooms. Each suite will also come with kitchens that have full-size appliances and quartz countertops. There will be washers and
Kansas Athletics, said each coach determines what is responsible social media use for their athletes, as stipulated in the policies. Marchiony said the spirit squad members’ suspension likely happened after a full discussion within the athletics department that would have included the students themselves. As far as monitoring social media, Tuttle said “we don’t go looking for things.” “Many things are
dryers, dishwashers, an exercise room, a game room, study areas, common meeting rooms and a common kitchen for residents to use. They will be open to upper classmen, transfer students with at least 30 credit hours, graduate students, and non-traditional students in fall 2018 and construction will be completed in the middle of May. Currently, the team is nearly finished with the north building, but the south still needs interior work. The bulk of the work still resides on the outside to create the landscaping, parking lot and pavement.
CENTRAL UTILITY PLANT
The Central Utility Plant will be used to provide needed energy to the Central District and other parts of campus. It will be a learning space for the School of Engineering, as it has a 45-seat classroom that overlooks the utility plant floor. It will be completed around the same time as the Burge Union. Reiske said that after the Central District is complete, he and his team will move onto other projects. “We’ve got a new volleyball facility that’s in design right now. A new indoor football practice facility that’s in design right now. Oliver Hall will be remodeled,” Reiske said. “We’ve got the next phase of Memorial Drive that will start this summer. We’ve got the next phase of Jayhawk Boulevard. We’re going to rebuild the rest of Irving Hill. So, we’ve got quite a few other large capital projects that are in the works, and we’ve actually got ones beyond those and it’s just a matter of when the actual design work starts on them.”
brought to our attention, and it’s like ‘Yeah that is really a foolish thing to say,’ but does it rise to the level of a violation of the Student Code of Rights and Responsibility?” she said. “Normally, not.” But when it comes to responsible social media use, Tuttle has a simple piece of advice for students: “Do you want your mom to read it?”
Spring 2018
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opinion Thursday, March 8, 2018
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or in the Free For All section on Kansan.com
K A N S A N .C O M /O P I N I O N
Babb: Politics have no place in business
FFA of the Day: today’s mood: the fleeting moment of joy you feel before opening a companies email just to find out they rejected you i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again: hairless cats are just a TERRIFYING bag of bones I will never not be low-key scared of Christopher Walken I have 2 dozen leftover rolls from texas roadhouse so I know what I’m eating for the next few days So Chancellor Girod is getting inaugurated on 4/20 you say..... “I need to go get some food before I ruin some people’s lives” ((daily reminder that LPD’s twitter isn’t funny)) Life hack: don’t be a dick The title of my autobiography is going to be “Please stop shouting at me I’m literally just trying to do my job” Was excited to see my high school crush friend me on Facebook only to look at his profile and see he just got married * gets food poisoning the night before a midterm * Kansas weather or the apocalypse? i continue to not study for huge exams and then pretend to be surprised when i absolutely bomb them Concept: a statue exactly like the one in front of Lippincott, but with two women anyone else feel like they’re tryna deliver some Krusty Krab Pizza while walking to class in this aggressive wind? Lmk starting all my professional emails with “yo can I get a job up in this bitch” My boyfriend: “I text you during fortnite games because I love you.” Romance is key in this relationship. Does anyone know a good abyss I can yell into?
Associated Press In this Jan. 30, 2017, file photo, a Delta Air Lines flight takes off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Lawmakers punished Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines on Thursday, March 1, 2018 after ending a discount for members of the National Rife Association. ADAM BABB @TheAdamBabb With yet another case of gun violence in America, we are beginning to feel more and more divided as a country when it comes to politics. The recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and other shootings of the same scale, strike society at its temperamental core. Depending on our preexisting views on gun rights, our ideologies are pushed even further in that direction. Naturally, people are going to be emotional and extroverted about their opinions on the subject, as they should. Companies that have no relevance in the gun industry, however, are not in a position to pick sides on the issue. Since the Parkland shooting, multiple companies have cut their ties with the National Rifle Association under mounting pressure from the Ameri-
can public to pick a side. All companies are put in a difficult situation; either they side with the NRA and lose customers in favor of gun-control, or they don’t and no longer have the loyalty of gun owners. Although gun rights seem like a pretty blackand-white issue, companies like FedEx have been extremely vague on their stance in an attempt to keep the dollars from both demographics. According to their website, the multinational delivery service “opposes assault rifles being in the hands of civilians,” yet they “strongly support the constitutional right of U.S. citizens to own firearms.” This crackdown under consumer pressure is forcing companies to try and be on the right side of history, but they can’t pick a side if they care about the near-future effects on their stock value. This corporate partnership among America’s larg-
Companies that have no relevance in the gun industry, however, are not in a position to pick sides on the issue. est companies and the NRA put them in a terrible position in which the corporations either release a blurry statement, like FedEx’s, or don’t say anything at all; both of which are frustrating to consumers. An ideal situation would be companies having no affiliation with something as controversial as the NRA so they can avoid getting in debates that do nothing for their business besides lock them with a reputation for being politically oriented. An article from CNN related this controversy to Papa John’s war with the NFL, in which the pizza franchise tried getting involved with the debate over players kneeling during the national anthem. The result? Papa John’s is no lon-
ger the official pizza of the NFL. The implications of this debate go much deeper than just crippling the relationship between shareholders and the companies that represent them. Delta Airlines recently shifted to what they call a “neutral position” on the issue over the Second Amendment, stopping a program that granted discounts for NRA members. This led to Republican Georgia lawmakers lifting a jet fuel tax break that could have saved Delta some serious cash. Now, the airline will pay tens of millions of dollars for making a move they deemed impartial. Companies don’t need to get involved with issues they have little connection to, especially if there
is nothing good that can come out of it. Some people think it’s necessary for these companies to have a stance on these issues, but all it does is anger consumers to the point where they disassociate themselves with that brand. Not only that, but companies are pressured and almost forced into making a statement that satisfies the larger demographic as opposed to making an honest statement about how they feel on a given issue. Communication and transparency are the only way the gun control debate is going to be satisfied, but when corporations are being virtually blackmailed into stating an opinion, it creates an atmosphere of unrest on many different levels.
Adam Babb is a freshman from Evergreen, Colorado, studying finance and economics.
Landolt: New tariffs will harm U.S. economy MOLLY LANDOLT @mollylandolt
This week, President Donald Trump proposed the United States place a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum and a 25 percent tariff on imported steel. Such a tariff is unnecessary and would be harmful to the United States’ economy and foreign relations. Such a high tariff will harm American industries. Under the proposed tariff, a domestic company that would buy $100,000 worth of steel from overseas would have to pay $25,000 to the government, increasing their expenditure on materials by one-fourth. Trump’s unnecessary tariff on these imports won’t just harm foreign relations, it
will also harm domestic industries. The proposed tariffs only help domestic steel and aluminum industries and would increase their sales because domestic producers do not have another choice. But other industries that use steel and aluminum as inputs to production will be harmed greatly. Some industries that will be harmed under the proposed tariff include the automobile industry, aerospace, construction and heavy equipment. These industries would have to pay 10-25 percent more to obtain their materials, which would likely cause American consumers to pay higher prices for necessities. In response to the backlash facing the proposed tariffs, Trump tweeted, “We
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must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!” Yes, we must protect our country and workers, but placing such a high tariff on two essential inputs to production will only help two American industries and harm the countless others that need steel and aluminum to prosper.
Other industries that use steel and aluminum as inputs to production will be harmed greatly.
Trump’s proposal could even cause a trade war. Foreign exporters of steel and aluminum are furious with Trump’s proposal. In fact, countries such as China and Canada and the European Union have threatened to impose a high tariff on American imports in retaliation, which will cause further economic damage in the United States. The United States economy is already stable, so imposing a huge tariff seems uncalled for. Only 10 percent of the aluminum we use in production is made domestically, so importing aluminum is essential to our productivity. Also, American industries that use steel and aluminum as an input to production employ 80 times the amount of employees
contact us Chandler Boese Editor-in-chief cboese@kansan.com
Baylee Parsons Business Manager bparsons@kansan.com
that the steel production industry employs, so it is imperative to keep those industries running smoothly rather than only help the one industry. Overall, the costs of the proposed tariffs on aluminum and steel greatly outweigh the benefits. The tariffs will have a huge impact on global trade and harm our foreign relations. Said tariffs will negatively affect United States consumers, causing them to pay higher prices for necessities. And most importantly, countless American industries will face serious consequences in wake of the tariffs.
Molly Landolt is a freshman from Labadie, Missouri, studying strategic communications.
editorial board
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Chandler Boese, Erin Brock, Danya Issawi and Baylee Parsons.
arts & culture Thursday, March 8, 2018
K A N S A N .C O M /A R T S A N D C U LT U R E
Leavenworth’s underground labyrinth Few know about the 200-year-old system of tunnels that exists beneath the sidewalks of Leavenworth, home to a portion of the Underground Railroad and allegedly hosting a range of paranormal activity
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN Underneath Candle Queen Candles in Leavenworth is a tunnel that was once part of a series of tunnels that connect throughout the city. These tunnels are believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. purely for the historical aspect, but additionally due to rumors of paranormal activity existing within the underground tunnels. McCowen told stories of camera batteries dying, phone batteries being drained, and the multiple unexplained encounters visitors have had within the room full of mannequins. “I personally haven’t
had any experience down here, but I feel like whatever you’re looking for down here, you will find,” McCowen said. However, McCowen has taken one story legitimately of a paranormal encounter from a 70-year-old woman, who dreamed of a black man in a corner hammering on a shoe. While the woman took the tour,
she started trembling, according to McCowen, and explained that one of the rooms looked exactly like the room from her dream. Tours are currently available for the underground tunnel and the new loft above the shop on various days. Tickets can be purchased for $10 in advance online.
in town. When the city of Leavenworth began fixing sidewalks along downtown Leavenworth, the rest of the Underground had caved in, leaving only two places in town for the residents of today to still witness the Underground. Earlier last year, McCowen started opening the location up for tours once again, giving residents from across the Midwest access for the first time to the tunnel system. Thus far, every tour she’s hosted has sold out. Now, she’s opening up a new round of tours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. “I can’t tell you how delighted I am to see a portion of the tunnels open and available to tour, especially for such a great cause,” Katy Schamberger said in a public Facebook post for the event. McCowen’s boutique is located within a building constructed in 1854. Only the tunnel aspect of the building leans into the Underground, whereas the three rooms that can be
toured are a component of McCowen’s business’s basement. After stepping down on a series of multicolored stairs, visitors are guided by string lights throughout the tunnels, which stands as a contrast to the 30-year-old mannequins piled up throughout one of the rooms from a previous boutique that resided in the building. “When people come down here, they want to buy the mannequins, they want to buy the letters, and I say no. It’s all a part of history,” McCowen said. Most of the relics of the past can be found maintained within the rooms, with ashes of leather shavings from a previous business in the location covering them up. Newspapers dating back to 1917 can be found covering up parts of the walls for insulation. Despite owning a business on that lot for the past seven years, it wasn’t until recently that McCowen started to explore more of the underground tunnels. Even so, visitors are not only motivated to visit
ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) Avoid traffic or roadblocks. Slow down for emotional curves. Take time to process recent events and changes. Dip into a sidewalk cafe or roadside attraction.
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) Listen to your partner generously. Invest time and effort in your shared goals. Postpone travel or nebulous pursuits. Stick to solid, attainable objectives.
LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) Consider all possibilities that include fun. Avoid impractical or expensive options. The next two days favor love, romance and passion. Share your thoughts and dreams.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) Follow through on what you said. Resolution and solutions arise in conversation. Communications reveal unconsidered opportunities. Friends help you make a connection.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) When you’re hot, you’re hot. Relax and enjoy it. Invest in work you love. Make changes as necessary. Stick to a practical path.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) Community connections make a difference. Share news, resources and tricks. Inspire others by your example. Let your imagination be your guide.
TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) Teamwork with your partner makes a difference to your shared finances. Your collaboration directly affects your bottom line. Support each other and share resources.
CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) Your work and physical actions seem energized with high-profit potential. Arrange connections ahead of time. Study a secret system. Small changes reap a large reward.
VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) Home comforts draw you in. Beautify your surroundings. You can find what you need. Evaluate quality and value. Use creativity and imagination.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) Watch the budget. An idea that seems profitable may cost more than it makes. Do the numbers before committing. Avoid controversy or risky business.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) Envision and plan for an inspiring future. Schedule actions for later. Find a quiet space for private meditation. A lovely moment enchants you. Pay attention.
PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) Crazy dreams seem possible. A career prize lies within sight. Prepare for inspection and polish your presentation. Dress for success and smile for the camera.
NICOLE ASBURY @nicoleasbury
Underneath the sidewalk of downtown Leavenworth sits a 200-year-old system of tunnels, a component of the town that few know, but is now becoming more open to the public. Across the street, in 1859, Abraham Lincoln spoke to local residents about ongoing politics and it’s speculated he stepped through the tunnels himself. Business owners and residents speculate that at one point, black residents of Leavenworth set up shop underneath storefronts to run their own businesses. At another, they were used as a component of the Underground Railroad, where slaves fleeing would be brought to safety from the Missouri River and then subsequently through the tunnels. Stacy McCowen, local business owner of Candle Queen Candles Gift Boutique, has one of the largest components of the underground tunnels
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN Candle Queen Candles is a boutique in Leavenworth owned by Stacey McCowen. Under the boutique is a tunnel and connecting rooms.
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SPORTS
How Self’s salary stacks up
Missy Minear/KANSAN Coach Bill Self calls a play from the sideline during the game against Baylor on Jan. 20. The Jayhawks defeated the Bears 70-67.
Associated Press Kentucky coach John Calipari yells instructions to his team during the first half of the game against Florida on March 3.
SHAUN GOODWIN @ShaunGoodwinUDK
BASE PAY AND BONUSES
Self earns the lowest base salary among the three coaches, at $230,000 per year, spread evenly across 12 months. Huggins earns $250,000 per
Retention Pay 2018-2022 Retention pay over four years ($)
Bill Self can take home more than fan adulation if Kansas wins this week’s Big 12 tournament: a win would earn him a $25,000 bonus. Under Self’s contract with Kansas Athletics, he has already earned a $50,000 bonus for winning the Big 12 regular season title. But the possibility of bigger paydays — $475,000 in bonus opportunities — still lay ahead. Should he earn all the possible bonuses still available, his Kansas salary would be $3.2 million for the year. With Self looking to take home a big pay day at the conclusion of the season, the Kansan compared his contract to a pair of other Power Five conference coaches: Kentucky’s John Calipari, the highest paid coach in the NCAA and Bob Huggins, a Big 12 rival who until very recently, famously had a $25,000 bonus in his contract simply for beating Kansas in conference play.
Associated Press West Virginia coach Bob Huggins smiles at his players during the second half of a game against Iowa State on Feb. 24 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
$35,150,000
$15,500,000 $8,628,000
Graphic by Grant Heiman/KANSAN
From March 2010 through July 31, 2017, Calipari made a staggering $44 million in retention pay and endorsements, which Kentucky factors into his retention pay. year, while Calipari makes a monstrous $400,000. Compared to Huggins, the bar is higher for Self to earn end of the season bonuses for conference play due to his track record at Kansas, which includes Kansas’ 14th straight Big 12 title this season. But past that, things get a little tougher for Self. He
BILL SELF’S BONUSES • Team wins NCAA Championship $200,000 • Team reaches Final Four of NCAA Tournament $150,000 • AP Coach of the Year $100,000 • Big 12 Regular Season Championship $50,000 • Big 12 Tournament Championship $25,000
would receive $100,000 for being named AP Coach of the Year and $150,000 for reaching the Final Four - which he’s done twice – and an additional $200,000 for winning the national title, which he achieved in 2008. Huggins has a much easier time when it comes to bonuses. Finishing up his 10th season with the Mountaineers, Huggins gets bonuses for finishing fourth or higher in conference play, as well as bonuses for getting to each progressive stage of the NCAA tournament. Huggins also gets a $10,000 bonus for his team having an average GPA of 2.65 or higher, as well as bonuses for his team having an Academic Performance Rating of 930 or higher. APR is a calculation formed by the NCAA that helps assess more accurately how well a team’s athletes are doing in school. As for Calipari – he gets the short end of the stick here. As of 2014, Calipari doesn’t earn any bonuses when it comes to team performance in the SEC or NCAA tournament. The only bonus he receives is $50,000 for his team earn-
ing an APR score of 975. Interestingly, Self is not given a bonus for team APR. Kansas’ most recent APR score was released in 2016, when it got a score of 959, and a four-year average score of 979.
events and fundraisers. In return, Huggins is slated to earn up to $500,000 per year thanks to money he deferred from 2012 to 2017, plus a base pay of $50,000, until 2027.
RETENTION PAY
It’s the extra benefits that convey how well these coaches are compensated. All three coaches earn similar benefits, such as two top-end cars paid for by their respective universities. Huggins and Calipari are also given 20 tickets to hand out at their discretion for home basketball games, while Self is given 10 tickets. Calipari is also given 20 tickets for road games, Huggins 10 tickets, and Self six. The trio also have their memberships paid for local country clubs and resorts, with Self getting membership fees for the Alvamar Country Club and Lawrence Country Club. Each coach also receives perks unique to them in their contracts. Self is given 100 percent of royalties in the month of July from the sale of Kansas merchandise by KUstore.com. Meanwhile, Huggins is given $5,000 to spend on West Virginia athletics apparel, and Calipari gets one month of paid vacation every year.
Where Calipari falls short in bonuses, he more than makes it up in retention pay, designed to keep coaches from leaving their job. From March 2010 through July 31, 2017, Calipari made a staggering $44 million in retention pay and endorsements, which Kentucky factors into his retention pay. He is set for another retention bonus of $4.8 million on March 30. This is in comparison to Self, who has made $4.7 million in retention pay since March 31, 2013. He is set for another retention payout of $6 million in March 2022 or about $1.5 million per year. Even Huggins makes more than Self in retention pay, labelled “supplemental compensation” in his contract. While Self’s total accrues over time into one lump sum, Huggins earns north of $3.5 million every year up until 2021. In the next five years, Huggins is expected to step down from his head coach position and take on emeritus status, meaning he won’t be actively involved in coaching but will participate in
BENEFITS
— Edited by Hannah Strader
KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
9
Sporting KC drops home opener to NYCFC SHAUN GOODWIN @ShaunGoodwinUDK
Already trailing 1-0 in its home opener, Sporting Kansas City players piled into the New York City FC box on Sunday night, prepared for an in-swinging cross as the seconds ticked closer to halftime. As the fans geared up for perhaps the final chance of the first half, the ball was instead played diagonally to new signee Yohan Croizet on the halfway line. The forward got the ball trapped beneath his feet, facing his own goal, as a pair of NYC players bared down on him. Croizet was quickly dispossessed by NYC captain David Villa, allowing the Spaniard to run toward Sporting KC’s goal, flanked on either side by teammates. Spoiled for choice and completely unaware of any impending danger, Villa took his time as he approached Sporting KC’s goal. But, sprinting 60 yards after Villa, Sporting KC defender Cristian Lobato sprung from behind Villa to clip the ball away from him and keep the game at 1-0. It proved to be the last play of the half. “If he doesn’t make that play, we walk in 2-0 down at halftime, and it’s a completely different game,” said Sporting KC captain Matt Besler. “So yeah, he made a great play for us there.” Kansas City went on to lose the game 2-0, thanks to a pair of goals from New York City’s Maximiliano Moralez and Jesus Medina. In just its third home opener loss in franchise history, Sporting KC spent the majority of the game on the back foot, pinned back by the high press of NYC. “We finally got posses-
“Instead, we go for killer passes and turn it right back over and they were right back down our throats.” Ike Opara Sporting KC defender
sion and times they were just able to swarm us because they had numbers around us all offensively, and we couldn’t really break their pressure and we gave it right back instead of maybe trying to keep the ball in moments that are clearly obvious,” said Sporting KC defender Ike Opara. “Instead, we go for killer passes and turn it right back over and they were right back down our throats.” The first 15 minutes of the game saw Kansas City generate no sort of offense, pushed back into its own half and offering little to cheer about for the home fans. The second 15 minutes showed a bit more promise for Kansas City, until NYC opened the scoring in the 32nd minute. Holding the ball on the left wing, Villa stopped with the ball at his feet, freezing Opara to the spot. A quick touch took Villa past Opara, the 2017 MLS defensive player of the year, and allowed Villa to send a low ball into the six-yard box. From there, all Moralez had to do was tap it past Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia. Little improved early in the second half either for Kansas City. Another NYC attack down the left flank, this time from defender Ben Sweat, allowed another low cross to be sent into the Sporting KC box. A beautiful first touch from Medina allowed the 20 year-old to
head toward goal and flick the ball past Melia in front of The Cauldron to take a 2-0 lead. “We knew that if we managed to find players in between the lines and we put the ball wide, having this kind of cutback will give them a problem and we’ve been working well in the last few days about it,” said NYC coach Patrick Vieira. The goal prompted Kansas City coach Peter Vermes to make two attack-minded substitutes in the next 10 minutes, with forwards Gerso Fernandes and Daniel Salloi replacing the hapless Diego Rubio and Croizet, who looked like he was stranded on an island all game. The introduction of Salloi especially invigorated the Kansas City offense, as he added plenty of speed and off-the-ball movement. Late in the game, the homegrown player won Kansas City a penalty, but it was quickly ruled out after referee Mark Geiger went to the Video Assistant Referee for a second look. “I think right before [Salloi subbed in], we were already kind of going at them a little bit because it was in the second half,” Vermes said. “But he definitely came in and had great movement off the ball, which changed things a little bit.” VAR was once again consulted merely minutes later, as a no-call on a foul
Associated Press New York City defender Anton Tinnerholm, back, hangs on to Sporting Kansas City defender Ike Opara during the first half of an MLS soccer match in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sunday. was later deemed a free kick to Sporting KC on the edge of the box and a red card to NYC’s Maxime Chanot in the 88th minute. But midfielder Felipe Gutierrez could only ping the ball off
the crossbar on the ensuing free kick, the closest Sporting KC came all game as it only put a total of four shots on target. Sporting KC will travel to the Chicago Fire on Satur-
day, with Vermes’ men set to play their first road game of the season. The match is set for a 5 p.m. kickoff.
Costly errors doom Kansas against Florida State JACK JOHNSON @JohnyJ_15 With a depleted bullpen already hindered by an offensive outburst from the Seminoles in game one of the nonconference clash between Florida State and Kansas, the Seminoles’ explosive bats and the Jayhawks’ own costly errors were exposed on Tuesday, as Kansas fell 12-7. Kansas freshman starting pitcher Steve Washilewski was tattered by an offense that proved exactly why the Seminoles are the fourth-ranked team in the nation with an unblemished record thus far. However, the main issue came from the fielding mishaps by the Jayhawk defense. Normally trustworthy, Kansas combined for five errors — the most in a game since 2014 — and allowed four of the first six Seminole runs via fielding gaffes. “That was one of the worst defensive performances I have seen in my time here,” Kansas coach Ritch Price said in a Kansas Athletics release. “We pitched about as bad as we played defense.” With the bullpen taxed from the night before, Tuesday’s contest dam-
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN Redshirt freshman pitcher Jonah Ulane throws a pitch in the game against Northwestern on Feb. 24. Kansas defeated Northwestern 18-12. aged the pen even further. Seven pitchers made an appearance to complete the game, including younger arms such as redshirt freshman Jonah Ulane and freshman Daniel Hegarty.
Coming into this series, it was important to start fast and avoid any collapse in the later innings by the bullpen. Unfortunately for Kansas, in game one, the offense did start quick but
suffered the late inning collapse out of the bullpen. In game two, the fast start eluded the Jayhawks, and the Seminoles performed exactly how a high-powered program expects to: by capitaliz-
ing and feasting on opponent’s mistakes. The game remained out of reach from start to finish, but three Jayhawks still found success in the long ball, with senior first baseman Owen Taylor and
junior outfielder Devin Foyle one homerun apiece and sophomore catcher Jaxx Groshans tallying his second home run in two games. The tough opponent was very much a necessity for the Jayhawks with conference play looming around the corner. Regardless of the outcome, the high intensity and hostile environment will undoubtedly benefit this team greatly moving forward. “We needed to play a perennial power in a hostile environment, because that is all we are going to see in Big 12 play,” Price said. Kansas (8-4) now head back home to face another talented nonconference foe in St. John’s (8-1). The Red Storm managed to collect 42 wins just a short season ago in route to a NCAA tournament appearance. For the first time this season, the Jayhawks will come into play on a losing streak and, with a couple of days off before another resilient opponent, Kansas will surely be faced with a difficult task. The series begins Friday at Hoglund Ballpark, with first pitch coming at 3 p.m.
sports
Thursday, March 8, 2018
K A N S A N .C O M /S P O R T S
Big 12 Tourney offers tough games for KU SHAUN GOODWIN @ShaunGoodwinUDK
Following Kansas’ 8264 put-down by Oklahoma State last Saturday, the Jayhawks will most likely have to take home the Big 12 tournament title this weekend to clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament later this month. But the path has perhaps never looked tougher for Kansas. Up to nine Big 12 teams have at least a shot of making the NCAA tournament this year, according to Joe Lunardi’s bracketology. If Kansas were to take home the trophy, it would be Kansas’ first Big 12 tournament championship since it defeated West Virginia in the 2016 championship game.
QUARTERFINAL:
KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA STATE, THURSDAY 1:30 P.M.
Oklahoma State has been a mixed bag in the latter half of the season, taking down some of the top teams in the country including Texas Tech and Kansas, while also falling to some of the lesser teams like TCU and Kansas State. Oklahoma State took down a struggling Oklahoma team in the first round on Wednesday, setting up its second matchup within a week against Kansas. With Kansas having already lost to Oklahoma State twice this season — the only team to sweep Kansas in Big 12 play in the Bill Self era — this may be the toughest matchup Kansas faces all tournament.
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN Sophomore center Udoka Azubuike goes up for a dunk in the game against Oklahoma State on Feb 3. Oklahoma State defeated Kansas 84-79 Kansas will need to figure out how to break through the Cowboys’ half-court press, with Kansas coach Bill Self calling it one of the harder presses to play against in the conference. Kansas will need to slow the game down and get its guards some time on the ball, instead of trying to match the high-tempo game that Oklahoma State typically plays. Additionally, Oklahoma State is criminally ranked as a “First Four Out” team by Lunardi, despite six AP top-25 wins this season, with four of those being against AP top-10 teams. The Cowboys will be fired up to earn a further quadrant 1 win against the Jay-
hawks, and solidify their spot in the NCAA tournament.
SEMIFINAL:
KANSAS VS. K-STATE, FRIDAY 6 P.M.
Granted Kansas makes it past Oklahoma State, the semifinal will probably be Kansas’ easiest game of the tournament. The Jayhawks will face either Kansas State or TCU, with both teams posing no major problems to Kansas. TCU held a lot of promise heading into the season, before falling flat on its face once conference play began. Meanwhile, K-State has over-performed compared to what
people expected at the start of the season, and despite stumbling to the finish line, still should have enough to edge past TCU. Self seems to have K-State coach Bruce Weber’s number, with the Wildcats nearly always unable to close out tight games — if the Wildcats even manage to keep the game close. K-State is led by junior forward Dean Wade, a double-threat player who was named alongside Kansas’ senior guard Devonte’ Graham on the All-Big 12 First Team on Sunday. Wade had a team-high 20 points against Kansas in Bramlage Coliseum, shooting both from beyond the
arc and commanding the paint. He will keep both Kansas’ inside men and perimeter guards busy, but if he can be shut down, Kansas should be able to complete the season sweep over K-State to move onto the final.
FINAL:
KANSAS VS. TEXAS, SATURDAY 5 P.M.
The Big 12 is so incredibly close this season, and it’s more than a possibility that seventh-seed Texas could squeeze into the championship game. It all depends if star center Mo Bamba is back in time from his injury. Texas is also currently rated by Lunardi as a “Last Four Out” team too,
adding a bit of incentive for the Longhorns. Texas should have no problem against Iowa State in the first round, setting up a matchup against Texas Tech. The Longhorns have already went to overtime once against the Red Raiders and defeated them in the other game this season. Texas stands a good chance of upsetting the No. 2 seed Texas Tech once again. With Bamba’s help, Texas should also be able to get past either Baylor or West Virginia in the semifinal, which will also be an extremely taxing quarterfinal for both teams on Thursday. In the championship game, Kansas will need to prepare for one of two scenarios. With Bamba playing, Kansas will need to continue its hot shooting from beyond the arc, which is how Kansas defeated Texas in the first game of Big 12 play on Dec. 29. If Bamba is unavailable, the Jayhawks will look to get the ball inside to sophomore forward Mitch Lightfoot, or simply have the guards drive into the paint themselves. It was a tactic that led to Kansas getting 52 inside the paint points against the Longhorns on senior night on Feb. 26, when Kansas won 80-70. Either way, Kansas has shown they know how to defeat Texas no matter the situation, and it should be able to pull off the final victory and secure a spot as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Jayhawks need momentum ahead of March Madness JORDAN WOLF @JordanWolfAP The relationship between Kansas and the Big 12 Tournament is an enigma. For starters, it takes place every year in the Sprint Center, a building that typically offers the team a tumultuous fate similar to that of a gazelle attempting to cross the open African savanna. You never know where the hunter will come from, but most of the time, Jayhawks are found at the bottom of the food chain. Despite being just a handful of miles down the road from Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas holds very little home-court advantage in the Sprint Center. Jayhawk faithful always fill up the seats for the team’s annual mid-season tilts, but in March, there’s often just as much Cyclone red and Wildcat purple milling about Power and Light as there is Jayhawk blue. The Big 12 Tournament crown is a prize not longed for by those Kansas fans, as the accompanying pomp often falls in the shadow of the regular season title they capture every year. Why risk injury? Why not rest starters? Why bother
You never know where the hunter will come from, but most of the time, Jayhawks are found at the bottom of the food chain. investing in this meaningless tournament when we all know who the real conference champion is? Well, maybe because it’s a lot more meaningful than you may think. In the last 10 years, every national champion except for two (North Carolina in 2009 and 2017) has at least made it to its conference title game. Not all of them have won, but rarely does a team that gets bounced early have enough momentum to get it done in the big dance. Momentum is the fuel for a successful March. To win the whole thing, you need to win six games in a row in neutral environments, sometimes with only as much as one day of preparation time. Having confidence that the team will continue to play well and grind out victories can often be the difference between a team cutting down the nets and a team watching from home. Momentum is also the fuel for a successful Kan-
sas team this season. At times, the Jayhawks have looked like the best bunch in the country, such as when they jumped out to a 10-0 lead over Oklahoma in less than four minutes. When they’re on, they’re on. When they’re off, though, they’re off. The team leans — borderline lays down — on shooting the ball, especially when sophomore center Udoka Azubuike isn’t in his bag. When shots aren’t falling, things start to get dicey and memories of upsets past begin to creep into minds. And now that Kansas coach Bill Self has confirmed that Azubuike will be unavailable for the tournament because of an injury, a bad night shooting could doom the Jayhawks. With just sophomore forward Mitch Lightfoot and freshman forward Silvio De Sousa able to fill the vacancy, the Jayhawks may not be able to keep up if their shots aren’t going in
Missy Minear/KANSAN Kansas defeated West Virginia 81-71 to become the 2016 Big 12 Tournament Champions. the hole. Those memories can be kept in the archives if Kansas has a strong Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks had over a week to rest (if you ignore the 18-point debacle in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in which surely nobody was overexerted), so they should come in fresh physically. If their bodies are ready, the basketball should come easily, one would think. The Jayhawks will have to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys for the second time in a week on Thursday, after the Cowboys defeated the Oklahoma
Sooners 71-60 on Wednesday. The matchup offers Oklahoma State a chance to come out on top for the third time this season against Kansas, and further prove we’re all living in a simulation. The next round would offer either TCU or Kansas State, both opponents that Kansas has navigated through mostly calm waters to get past. The title game would likely be against either Texas Tech or West Virginia, but by then the Jayhawks would have already broken the threshold of not bowing out early.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Kansas fell in the first couple of rounds. The Big 12 is full of many talented teams and players, and just about anything can happen at any given time. Winning the tournament is no guarantee of postseason success either — ask the 2013 team what they think about that. But if Kansas coach Bill Self wants to go further into the NCAA tournament than in previous years, he’ll need to make sure his team takes the precursor seriously.
— Edited by Alexandra Martinez