ht after the draft, I thought the Raiders Khalil Mack or the

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LAWRENCE, Kan. Dalton Risner Youth Jersey . -- There were moments of frustration for Kansas coach Bill Self, moments where hed angrily call a timeout or attend a post-game news conference and glumly bemoan another uneven performance. There never was a moment where he lost faith in his team. Now, after enduring the nations most brutal non-conference schedule, the sixth-ranked Jayhawks are proving to be exactly what the pundits thought theyd be: The Big 12s premier team, one that already has a substantial lead in the conference as the race nears its midway point. "We have grown, but were just now to the middle of the season. Thats whats so strange," Self said. "The big thing is that were playing with more energy and were starting to understand how were going to score -- not just running an offence to run an offence. Were not a tough team by any stretch, but are playing tougher than we did earlier in the season." Thats certainly been evident in the results. After a loss to fifth-ranked San Diego State ended the Jayhawks 68-game non-conference winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas has ripped off seven straight wins through arguably the toughest part of its league schedule. It began with a win at No. 23 Oklahoma, and continued with wins over four straight teams that were ranked in the Top 25 -- Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor. After a blowout win at TCU, the Jayhawks beat the No. 16 Cyclones for a second time on Wednesday night. Now, theyll head to No. 25 Texas with essentially a two-game lead in the Big 12. You catch the game on TSN2 on Saturday at 12am et/9pm pt. "Im not surprised at all," junior guard Naadir Tharpe said. "I knew it was going to be a matter of time until everybody just let water run off their back and start going out there and just playing. That is what I feel like dudes are doing right now." The most important of them may be Andrew Wiggins, the highly touted freshman. After fits and starts to begin his college career, the 6-foot-8 swingman and projected lottery pick in the June draft has gone on a tear. Wiggins scored a career-high 27 points in the win over the Horned Frogs, and then bested it with 29 points against the Cyclones earlier this week. Hes averaging more than 24 points over his past three games. "I would say I feel more comfortable on the court," Wiggins said this week. "A lot of things are slowing down for me and my teammates are looking for me." Hes also starting to create his own shot, something that he was reticent to do early in the season, prompting Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg to say hes "oozing with confidence. "Thats scary," Hoiberg said. "With that athleticism, that length and that speed, the kids got it all. When hes knocking down shots, not too many better." There arent many teams better than the Jayhawks right now. Since the start of league play, the nine-time defending champions are putting up a Big 12-leading 84 points per game. Theyre just a half-point out of second place in scoring defence, and their scoring margin of 12 points per game is seven better than second-place Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) also lead the league in field-goal and 3-point percentage, rebounding defence and margin, blocked shots, assists and, well, you get the idea. "They have a special group," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. "At every position, they have somebody who can score. They can attack you, so you really have to be on your toes." After the Jayhawks, Texas may be the next hottest team in the Big 12 heading into Saturdays game. The Longhorns (16-4, 5-2) have rattled off five straight wins, the last three coming against ranked teams in Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor. The Jayhawks will represent the first time in school history that Texas will have played four consecutive Top 25 opponents. "Theyre young. Theyre not quite as young as we are, but theyre young and fast, probably as fast as any team well play," Self said. "Theyre obviously playing their tails off." Royce Freeman Jersey . -- Two nights after losing to the Eastern Conferences worst team, the Phoenix Coyotes handled the best. Royce Freeman Womens Jersey . Azarenka needed exactly one hour in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger to start the night session at Laver Arena. Sharapova had a much easier time earlier in the day with cooler conditions and took full advantage in 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, while Radwanska had to rally for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Shannon-Sharpe-Broncos-Jerseys/ .The seventh-seeded Raonic was scheduled to play U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan, but was replaced in the Group B pool by Spanish substitute David Ferrer.Raonic, who was 0-2 at the year-end event, said he suffered the injury late in the first set of Tuesdays 6-3, 7-6 loss to Murray.NFL Editors Ben Fisher and Mike Hetherington make their Super Bowl picks and name winners for the big year-end awards. Super Bowl XLIX Fisher: Broncos over Saints I know history suggests its next to impossible but I really wanted to predict a Super Bowl rematch. I couldnt do it though, the NFC is just too tough. While I think the Denver Broncos will make a return trip to the championship game; nobody in the AFC is strong enough to trip them up, that isnt the case in the NFC where a team like the Packers, 49ers, or my NFC pick the New Orleans Saints will get past the Seahawks. Seattles defence the Saints is not however; Peyton Manning atones for last seasons clunker and evens his Super Bowl record. Hetherington: Broncos over Packers For the second straight year, the Denver Broncos will reach the Super Bowl, this time facing the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIII. The best two quarterbacks of the regular season will engage in a shootout for the ages as the defensive stars on each team are forgotten. Ultimately in getting the ball last, Peyton Manning leads the Broncos into Matt Prater field goal range to set up the winning kick. Manning matches his brother Eli with two Super Bowl rings, Broncos beat the Packers, 34-31. Most Valuable Player Hetherington: Aaron Rodgers returns from a season derailed by a broken collarbone and takes the league by storm. Eclipsing his NFL-record passer rating of 122.5 (set in his 2011 MVP season), Rodgers puts up a career-high in yards, while his receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both top 1,000 yards receiving. Rodgers falls short of his career-high touchdown mark of 45 thanks to the rushing ability of Eddie Lacy, but his domination is rewarded with a second MVP title and an entrance into the debate of greatest quarterback of all-time. Fisher: LeSean McCoy: I could go quarterback here and Peyton Manning will certainly be up there at the end of the year, but Im really intrigued with what LeSean McCoy will do in Chip Kellys offence. Shady put up monster numbers in Philadelphia last year and with Nick Foles presumably starting at QB all year, he may even improve upon them this year. If he can score 20 touchdowns like he did just two years ago, an MVP award will be within reach. Defensive Player of the Year Fisher: Ndamukong Suh I love those big tackling machine linebackers and could definitely see Luke Kuechly repeating as winner, but my pick is Ndamukong Suh. Hes not the easiest guy to cheer for but he gets results. If Suh can stay healthy and out of trouble hell put up DPOY worthy numbers but the kicker for me is the DT is in a contract year, hell be looking to cash in with a big impact year. Hetherington: Earl Thomas The defensive player of the year often comes from one of the leagues top defences. This year, it will come from the NFLs top secondary, the Legion of Boom. Though, Richard Sherman will make headlines for the Seattle Seahhawks, free safety Earl Thomas will be regarded as the top player in the Seahawks dominant pass defence – and he will be rewarded for it. Noah Fant Jersey. Thomas has made the Pro Bowl in three straight seasons and been named a First Team All-Pro in each of the last two seasons, now he adds the DPOY title his impressive résumé. Offensive Rookie of the Year Hetherington: Kelvin Benjamin The landscape of this award could change drastically if first-round quarterbacks Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater see significant playing time in 2013. However, as it stands, the rookie wholl receive the biggest workload is wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Playing as Cam Newtons top passing option with the Carolina Panthers, Benjamin will receive plenty of targets and make the most of them. His six-foot-five frame will allow him to high-point and haul in jump-balls in the endzone and reach 10 touchdowns in his debut season. Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will make this a two-horse race, but a better team record and better comparable production will give Benjamin the edge for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Fisher: Carlos Hyde I like Mikes pick and think Benjamin is in for a big year as Cam Newtons favourite target in Carolina. I could see Mike Evans having a solid year in Tampa Bay as well but Im going high-risk, high-reward with my Offensive Rookie pick. If Frank Gore continues to defy his age and the miles on his body, Carlos Hyde will be nothing but a solid backup this year. But if Gore goes down or falls off a cliff production-wise, and history suggests theres at least a chance of that happening to a 31-year-old running back with more than 2,000 career rushing attempts, then Hyde becomes this years Eddie Lacy – a lead back in a very good offence. Defensive Rookie of the Year Fisher: Calvin Pryor Right after the draft, I thought the Raiders Khalil Mack or the Rams Aaron Donald would have the best opportunities to put up Defensive Rookie of the Year numbers. But after his awesome preseason performance Im switching my pick to Calvin Pryor. The New York Jets have their problems, but they usually manage to finish with a decent defensive unit. If the teams injury-ravaged secondary can hold up throughout the year, Pryor will get a lot of the credit, deservingly so. Hetherington: Ryan Shazier Oppositely of on offence, the race DROY will be one of the closest in recent memory. Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, C.J. Mosley, Calvin Pryor and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will all make strong impressions on the league. However, working in the middle of the Pittsburgh Steelers defence, linebacker Ryan Shazier will win the award. Shazier will bring the most balanced stat line of any rookie at the end of the season as he combines over 100 tackles with multiple sacks and interceptions. In 2014, the Ohio State product will quickly etch his name into the storied history of the Steelers defence with an award-winning rookie campaign. ' ' '