and then it was pretty mistake free," he said. "A lot of great shots

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Vaughan, Ontarios Andrew Wiggins walked into the locker room after his first game at Allen Fieldhouse, turned to coach Bill Self and confirmed what was plainly apparent to everyone who watched him perform. "He told me after the game, Coach, I was so nervous," Self said. Indeed, the presumptive No. 1 pick in next years NBA draft got off to an inauspicious start when he travelled the first time he touched the ball. But Wiggins, from Vaughan, Ont., eventually got into a rhythm and had 16 points, leading the Jayhawks to a 97-67 exhibition win over Pittsburg State on Tuesday night. "He didnt play very well early. He did better late," Self said. "I thought he made some right plays and things, but the thing about it is, when were on our heels because were in foul trouble, then youre not aggressive." New rules against hand-checking put a whole bunch of people in foul trouble. There were 50 fouls called in the game, leading to 61 free throws. "We tried to work on it in practice as much as we can because were so used to being up on guys," Kansas guard Naadir Tharpe said. "We just have to work hard on moving our feet." Self announced after the game that Tharpe, the expected starter at point guard, will be suspended for the season opener Nov. 8 against Louisiana-Monroe for playing in an unauthorized summer league game in Chicago. The school self-reported the violation. "He knew he shouldnt have been playing," Self said. "He just didnt use good judgment." Perry Ellis had 16 points and eight rebounds, Andrew White III added 12 points and freshman Brannen Greene finished with 10 for the Jayhawks, who were chosen as co-favourites with Oklahoma State to win the Big 12 for an unprecedented 10th straight season. Devon Branch had 25 points for Pittsburg State and Alex Williams added 15. "I thought we withstood their aggressiveness and assertiveness," Pittsburg State coach Kevin Muff said. "We did a good job of hanging in there, being competitive, being attack-oriented." The Gorillas, a strong Division II program, hung around most of the first half. Josiah Gustafsons 3-pointer just past the midway point got them within 21-20, and at one point Self irritatingly called a timeout to lay into his defence. Whatever he said in the huddle must have worked. The Jayhawks went on a 12-2 run over the next few minutes, seizing control of the game. The production came from just about everyone in their young but talented lineup, including Wiggins, who started it with a basket and ended it with a dunk on an alley-oop pass from Jamari Traylor. "He was definitely nervous. Its only right to be nervous," Tharpe said of Wiggins, who did not attend the post-game media availability. "We want him to be much more aggressive. Hes kind of laid back, but thats also a good thing because he wants to find his teammates." He did that later in the game, throwing up a pass that 7-footer Joel Embiid -- another of the Jayhawks talented freshmen -- threw down over a defender. "Just from this game," Tharpe said, "you saw a couple little spurts of what he can do." Kansas led 50-32 at halftime, and stretched the lead to 60-36 in the opening minutes of the second half, allowing Self to start tinkering with lineups the rest of the way. He wont have much time to play around with them. The Jayhawks play Fort Hays State in their final exhibition game next Tuesday, and then open the season against Louisiana Monroe. But the patsies end in a hurry -- after that, the Jayhawks face Duke as part of the Champions Classic in Chicago, and then embark on the rest of a loaded non-conference slate that includes games at Florida and against Georgetown. All before the start of a rugged Big 12 slate. "All the way around there was a little nervousness, but thats normal," White said. "Youd expect the first couple of minutes not to be sharp, but I think the guys found a comfort level after the first couple of minutes and worked themselves into the game." New England Patriots Gear . Five straight losses (and six in the past seven) now dot the schedule – matching their longest skid of the year – after they fell again in New Jersey on Sunday night, topped 3-2 by Cory Schneider and the Devils. New England Patriots Pro Shop . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . 3 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber from Germany. Defending champion Marin Cilic also reached the semifinals -- his fourth in Zagreb -- defeating fellow Croat Ivan Dodig. German qualifier Bjorn Phau beat Dudi Sela of Israel to reach his first semifinals in nearly five years. Patriots Jerseys China . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Cheap Patriots Jerseys . Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4).KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Its crunch time on Thursday for two of the top teams at the Canadian mens curling championships as they fight for the right to play in the one vs. two game on Friday. Should B.C.s John Morris win, he would be guaranteed a top-two finish, most likely No. 1 since he handed Alberta their only loss. That victory gave both teams 8-1 records, with Morris getting an edge because his rink won the head-to-head matchup. "We want that one-two game," he said. "If we win tomorrow morning were in the one-two game." Should Manitobas Jeff Stoughton win, he would be in control and need only beat Ontario in the evening draw to ensure a top-two finish. He was just as anxious Wednesday after a win left Manitoba at 7-2. "We play B.C. which is a huge game for us," he said. "We play them in the morning and that could mean getting into the one-two game which is very important." Stoughton looked more in control and said he felt that way as well. Manitoba started with four wins then lost games to Alberta and Quebec but has bounced back. Alberta continued its roll with a 10-5 win over Ontarios Greg Balsdon in Wednesdays evening draw. Kevin Koe and Alberta have only Prince Edward island (3-6) and Quebec (4-4) standing in their way of a guaranteed top-two finish. The late draw had meaning for the teams jockeying for fourth place and a shot at making the final through the 3-4 game. "This was a big bounce-back game," said Saskatchewans Steve Laycock, after beating Prince Edward Island 8-5 to improve to 5-3, good enough for fourth spot. "We had a couple of tough ones in a row against Alberta and Manitoba, which we knew they would be . . . Heading into the final couple of days we know we control our own destiny now." They play Ontario aand B.ddddddddddddC. on Thursday. Ontario fell to 4-4 with the loss to Alberta. "Tomorrows a big one," said Laycock. Earlier, Morris and B.C. scored a big five in the third end and coasted to an 8-3 win in eight over Ontario. Manitobas Stoughton continued to keep the leaders in sight with a 7-4 win over Laycock. Stoughton and third John Mead looked a lot more in control, although they also benefited from Laycocks mistakes. "We got a great deuce in the first end and then it was pretty mistake free," he said. "A lot of great shots made, you have to do that, and it felt pretty good all around for all of our guys." Stoughton also faces Balsdon Thursday and the Brier rookie from Toronto wasnt giving up hope. "Weve got a tough day tomorrow with Saskatchewan and Manitoba but if we can win our last three games, 7-4 . . . should be okay for a tiebreaker anyway." Morris and B.C. are clicking even more than they did at the Olympic trials, where they lost the final to Brad Jacobs. Jim Cotter, who throws fourth stones for B.C., has gained a lot of confidence and it shows, agrees Stoughton. "I think Johns just brought so much confidence to that team. Hes made them believe that theyre a great team, which they obviously are." Morris was ranked as the top third (based on the stones he throws), Cotter the top skip and Rick Sawatsky the top lead in cumulative percentages after the first two draws on Wednesday. Only Manitoba second Mark Nichols stopped it from being a B.C. sweep. Also, Quebecs Jean-Michel Menard still has hope after improving to 4-4 with an 8-3 win over winless Nova Scotias Jamie Murphy. On the outside looking in, New Brunswicks James Grattan sits at 4-5 after beating the Territories Jamie Koe 8-3, leaving Koe at 3-6. ' ' '