Fusco: Legacies, committed fans keep tabs on their team

Eight days ago, Kansas lost to a Texas team that was ranked No. 11 in the nation and blessed with the Big 12 Conference’s best backcourt. The next day, despondent Kansas fans headed to the sports talk airwaves and Internet message boards in droves, echoing Chicken Little’s famous refrain: “The sky is falling!”

This was after a road loss to a 20-4 team bound for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Six days ago, Kansas State fell to Texas Tech. Sure the game was in Lubbock, where the Red Raiders have dropped only one game all year – but it qualifies as an upset. Wildcat stars Michael Beasley and Bill Walker did all they could, but Texas Tech pulled out its first victory under new coach Pat Knight. The next day, pundits had more to say about Texas Tech’s rookie coach than they did about Kansas State’s meltdown, and most of the state’s attention was focused on the Jayhawks’ misgivings than the Wildcats’ failure.

Kansas State fans endured an ugly loss to an unranked team but didn’t push the panic button. Wildcat nation could have–and should have - taken issue with the fact that only three players mustered more than four points against the Red Raiders. Instead, Kansas State fans took the loss in stride. After all, a No. 5 or 6 seed in the tournament isn’t bad when you haven’t been there in more than a decade.

Kansas fans saw a closely-contested battle between two stellar teams and came away utterly shocked when the Jayhawks lost. When fans heard Kansas coach Bill Self question his players’ toughness, they raised an uproar and demanded more out of Jayhawk posts sophomore Darrell Arthur and senior Darnell Jackson.

If that response seems like an overreaction, that’s because it is. But it’s a positive.

Kansas basketball has set a lofty precedent, and its fans have come to expect victory. Big wins and big crowds have come to define Jayhawk basketball–36 NCAA Tournament appearances and 1,930 total victories might have something to do with it. The 220 former players, coaches and staff members who helped fill Allen Fieldhouse last Saturday are some of those responsible for building one of the most famed legacies in sports.

The list is long, and it includes famous names such as Larry Brown, Danny Manning, Bud Stallworth, and Wayne Simien-players and coaches that helped the Jayhawks to plenty of 25-victory seasons and deep postseason runs.

The program 85 miles west of Lawrence has some history, too. But the Wildcats’ 17 conference championships and all-time greats such as Rolando Blackman and Mitch Richmond don’t engender the same reverence as the Jayhawks’ 50 conference titles and larger-than-life figures Wilt Chamberlain and James Naismith.

In truth, Kansas fans might be a bit spoiled: spoiled by years of winning and the certainty of a postseason berth each year. This year, fans got accustomed to leaving games satisfied after Kansas started the season 20-0. When the seemingly unflappable Jayhawks hit a small bump in the road, it threw the faithful for a loop and put Kansas’ fans passion on display, overreaction or not.

“I don’t listen to the media reports or whatever, but you could sense a ‘what’s wrong with Kansas?’”, Self said. “We’ve still got the second-best record in the country and we’re pretty good. But one thing that’s great about this place is that so many people care.”

Twenty days ago, Kansas State defeated Kansas and Bramlage Coliseum rocked and rolled like it never had before. Thousands of Wildcat fans stormed the court to celebrate what some dubbed the most important victory in the history of Kansas State basketball.

Eleven days from now, Kansas hosts Kansas State. If the Jayhawks win, no one will rush the court.

[More at www.kansan.com]