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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It's the last Big 12 tournament for
Kemper Arena, a 31-year-old building many consider an aging eyesore
stuck in the middle of the Kansas City Stockyards. If all goes as planned, any future Big 12 tournaments in Kansas
City would be played in the Sprint Center, a downtown arena to be
partially funded by a tax proposal approved last fall. The Sprint
Center is scheduled to open in 2007 and the city hopes to attract
an NBA team and possibly an NHL franchise as well as major college
tournaments. Kemper, which opened in 1974, did have its day. It hosted to the
National Republican Convention in 1976 and the NCAA Final Four in
1988, when Kansas beat Oklahoma in the championship game. It was
also hosted every Big Eight and Big 12 tournament until Dallas
hosted the 2003 and '04 events. ^------= ^SOUND, PLEASE:@ The Kemper Arena sound system, which gave dance
teams fits in Thursday's early game, was in working order for
Friday's first game between Missouri and Oklahoma. On Thursday,
Nebraska's dance team never got its music to play for its halftime
performance and Missouri's pep band had to back up its dance team. ^------= ^TOUGH SLEDDING: @ Barring an NIT bid, Missouri has put an end
to a trying season that started with the announcement of recruiting
restrictions for NCAA violations and even included an embarrassing
incident over the name of the Tigers' new arena. The building was first named the Paige Sports Center for
Wal-Mart heiress Paige Laurie, whose family contributed $25 million
toward its construction. Then, after allegations surfaced that
Laurie had cheated her way through college, it was renamed Mizzou
Arena. Along the way, the Tigers had an up-and-down ride that
finally ended 16-16 following Friday's 83-79 loss to Oklahoma. Nevertheless, coach Quin Snyder maintained progress with his
young team was made. "I think these guys over the course of the season, you know,
found an identity and that's their identity," he said.
"Particularly, defensively and being tough. We've just gotten a
lot tougher and are being more physical. We have learned to share
the ball." ^------= ^NOT SO FAST, NORM: @ St. John's coach Norm Roberts learned the
hard way that security officials are serious about access passes. A
former assistant under Kansas coach Bill Self, Roberts was invited
to chat with the Kansas broadcast team on air for a few minutes
before the Kansas State-Kansas game. But a burly security guard
stopped him from going into the media area because he did not have
the right credential. Kansas officials tried to argue with the
guard, who insisted that Roberts obtain the right credential. He
did, and the smiling guard let him pass.
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