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Youth running show for resurgent K-State

Kansas State lost the battle of the Big 12 giants Wednesday night, but in a season highlighted by a big-time turnaround, everything still is okay in Manhattan.

Kansas, that is.

No. 4 Oklahoma went into Manhattan and lined up four seniors against K-State's three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior. The Sooners won 76-68, extending their winning streak to five over the Wildcats.

But the Wildcats remain poised to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997.

A team that was picked seventh in the Big 12 and wasn't mentioned in the preseason polls is ranked No. 12 at 21-5. It has been 15 seasons since K-State won 22 games.

Kansas State has gone from 12-17 last season to its current status behind one of the nation's youngest starting lineups, a group coach Deb Patterson calls "tough" and "determined."

Sophomore Nicole Ohlde leads the team in scoring with nearly 19 points per game, and in the past six she has averaged 23.6 points and eight rebounds. For the season, she averages 18.8 points. Freshmen Laurie Koehn and Kendra Wecker are averaging 17.4 and 16.5 points, respectively, and Wecker is the leading rebounder with 8.1. "They are very smart, especially for a young team," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. "They play with a lot of confidence and a lot of intensity."

With the wins have come the fans.

With one home game remaining, Kansas State has broken the school attendance record with 90,368. The popularity explosion isn't surprising to other longtime Big 12 coaches.

"I think with the kind of talent they have on their team, then add winning, and that's what does it," Texas coach Jody Conradt said. "I don't think there's anything that substitutes for winning."

A TOUCH OF CLASS: Give the Tennessee fans a tremendous amount of credit for the way they treated Conradt on Tuesday night.

In a game matching the winningest coaches in women's basketball, Conradt and Pat Summitt, Vols fans applauded Conradt after the 17th-ranked Longhorns defeated No. 4 Tennessee 69-66 in Knoxville, showing sincere respect for a living legend.

"I appreciated that very much," Conradt said after the game. "I think that is one of the neat things about women's basketball. We all want to win. We're all competitive and the games are hard-fought, but there is an appreciation that goes across the board for young women that take risks and play the game, and especially for the coaches that have struggled for a long time to make this game visible."

CAREER DERAILED?: One of the best players you probably never heard of may have played her last collegiate game.

UNLV senior Linda Frohlich remains on the sideline after being declared ineligible Feb. 9. She has missed two games.

The NCAA contacted UNLV last week with questions about the amateur eligibility of the forward from Oldendorf, Germany. She played for the amateur team SC Rist Wedel before attending UNLV.

Frohlich became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,221 points (men's and women's) after recording 22 against BYU on Feb. 2. She has 2,229.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "She told me right off, "Coach, give me the ball.' I figured it's her birthday, I'd give her a present." -- Summitt on guard Kara Lawson, who hit a pull-up jumper at the buzzer Thursday night as the Vols beat Mississippi State 80-78 and avoided losing their second game in two days.

- Antonya English covers women's basketball. She can be reached at (813) 226-3389 or english@sptimes.com.

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