8B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2006
GAMEDAY
'Hawks must be angry to beat'Huskers
KU Tip-off
Kansas vs. Nebraska 3 p.m., Saturday, Allen Fieldhouse
AT A GLANCE
Kansas comes into this game against Nebraska reeling. The Jayhawks lost to its biggest rivals, Kansas State and Missouri, in back-to-back games. These losses crushed any momentum the Jayhawks previously gained. Kansas had won seven straight games, including victories over California and Kentucky, before playing Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas missed five free throws down the stretch to allow Missouri back into the game. The Tigers won in overtime. Senior forward Christian Moody had an opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation, but missed two free throws as time expired. Kansas lost the game 89-86.
LAST TIME OUT
PLAYER TO WATCH
Moody. After missing the potential game-winning free throws on Monday, his attitude and performance on the court will set the tone for the game and, arguably, the rest of the season. The Asheville, N.C., former walk-on will need to provide senior leadership and give Kansas energy with his ability to create second chances off of loose rebounds. A positive attitude from Moody will help the entire team get over last Monday's loss in Columbia, Mo.
Kansas
OFFENSE
The Kansas offense looked fluid against Missouri on Monday night, but it was unable to close the door on its border rival. The Jayhawks missed free throws enabled the Tigers to send the game into overtime and win. Missouri did not play much zone defense, but Kansas showed its inability to penetrate against a zone against Kansas State. If Nebraska uses a zone defense, Kansas will have troubles.
DEFENSE
The defense has been a pleasant surprise this season. While playing mainly against freshmen and sophomores, the team has been one of the top defensive teams in the country based on opponents' field goal percentage. Nebraska features a balanced scoring attack with three players averaging in double figures. The Kansas defense must recognize which player is "hot" and neutralize that player. The team was unable to do that with Missouri's Thomas Gardner.
COACHES
Kansas has appeared lost and out of sync at times. That has been a direct reflection of the coaching staff. After the team's struggles with zone defense against Kansas State, Kansas coach Bill Self needs to have his team prepared to beat the zone if it is going to make a run at the NCAA tournament.
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On offense, senior forward Wes Wilkinson leads the Cornhuskers. The Grand Island, Neb., native is averaging 12.7 points per game. He is also shooting more than 50 percent from three-point distance, converting 33 of his 61 attempts. Nebraska also has a solid duo at the guard positions in senior Jason Dourisseau and sophomore Joe McCray. Kansas fans may remember McCray from last season when he scored 19 points in Allen Fieldhouse in Nebraska's 59-57 loss. McCray had an open three-point shot from the left wing to win the game last season, but did not convert it. As a team, Nebraska is 10th in the Big 12 Conference in scoring offense, scoring just 69.9 points per game.
DEFENSE
OFFENSE
Nebraska is near the middle of the pack in most defensive categories in the conference. The team is allowing 63.6 points per game, which is good for sixth in the conference. Wilkinson might be the team's top defender with his average of 2.27 blocks per game, which leads the Big 12. Wilkinson has accounted for 34 of the team's 60 blocks on the season and leads the team in rebounding. McCray is also a pesky defender and leads the team in steals with 22.
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Nebraska
COACHES
Barry Collier is in his sixth season as the coach of Nebraska. In his five previous seasons, Collier has yet to lead his team to the NCAA tournament. Collier and the Cornhuskers have only reached the NIT once and lost in the third round. Collier's team has never finished above seventh in the conference and limped to a 14-14 finish last season. Overall, Collier is 70-77 at Nebraska.
5 QUICK FACTS
11
11 Number of Kansas players who average double-digit minutes per game.
1 Number of Kansas players who average double-digit point totals this season. (Freshman guard Brandon Rush, 13.1)
60
5 Number of KU losses by four points or less.
60 Kansas' free-throw percentage against Missouri, but only five percent below its season average.
5
60. 3 Average number of points Kansas allows per game.
TOOKING FORWARD
Kansas needs to rack up the conference victories if it hopes to qualify for the NCAA tournament in March. A victory against Nebraska would get Kansas back to .500 in Big 12 Conference play.
KEY TO VICTORY
- Keep the foot on the gas. Kansas has struggled to put teams away this season.
If Kansas gets an eight-to 10-point lead, it needs to finish and work to extend the lead. Kansas cannot allow Nebraska to creep back into the game and pull out a victory, like Kansas State and Missouri did. A conference record of 1-3 would heavily diminish Kansas's chances of playing in the NCAA tournament.
Daniel Berk
— Ryan Colaianni
NU Tip-off
AT A GLANCE
Nebraska comes into Lawrence with a record of 14-4. Its most prominent victory coming at home against Oklahoma. The Cornhuskers escaped, 59-58, which gave their first conference victory of the season. Since then, Nebraska has defeated Kansas State on the road and lost to Iowa State at home. Out of conference, Nebraska had its most notable loss at the hands of its in-state rival, Creighton. Nebraska was blown out, 70-44. Nebraska's best victory outside the Big 12 Conference came against Marquette.
THE S
LAST TIME OUT
Even though Wes Wilkinson accumulated a double-double, Nebraska lost to Iowa St. 88-75 on Tuesday in front of a season-high crowd of 11,271 at home. A victory would have given the "Huskers its best conference start in 30 years.
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PLAYER TO WATCH
Although he hasn't been the team's best player, Kansas fans might want to focus on guard Joe McCray. The sophomore got in the heads of KU players last year and drew loud boos for yelling and pumping his fists at the Kansas faithful. He provided the team with a spark it had lacked in previous games with Kansas and almost helped his team pull off the upset. Sophomore guard Russell Robinson or freshman guard Brandon Rush will guard McCray on Saturday.
52. 98 The free-throw percentage of guard Jason Dourisseau. If the game is close near the end and comes down to free throws, this is the player Kansas will look to foul.
5 QUICK FACTS
7. 38 The number of three-pointers per game Nebraska is averaging, which ranks second in the conference.
34 The percentage Wilkinson is shooting from three-point distance. If he hits his shots early, it could take the crowd out of the game.
54
O Appearances by Nebraska in the NCAA tournament with Barry Collier as coach.
VOL.
MEI
TOOKING FORWARD
34 Total blocks by Wilkinson, which is good for second in the conference.
34
A victory in Allen Fieldhouse would be a huge confidence booster for Nebraska. It would bring its conference record to 3-1 and give it a decent shot at making the NCAA tournament. The Cornhuskers will continue their road trip after Saturday and travel to Boulder to play the Colorado Buffaloos. A loss against Kansas would knock Nebraska's conference record to 2-2. The Cornhuskers started 2-0 in conference play.
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KEY TO VICTORY
- Nebraska will face an angry Kansas team coming off a two-game losing streak. In order to win, Nebraska will have to jump out to an early lead and take KU fans out of the game. Also, Nebraska will have to take care of the ball and not turn it over as many times as it has.