6B GAME DAY THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2008 --- KU TIPOFF COUNTDOWN TO TIPOFF ATAGLANCE This is a big game for Kansas tonight. Texas, maybe other than Kansas State, is the best team the Jayhawks have played this year. The Longhorns have already beat Tennessee and UCLA, a team that owned Kansas last season in the Elite Eight. With a victory, the Jayhawks can make a statement that they are still the team to beat in the Big 12 and not the Wildcats or the Longhorns. tiny point guard from Chicago. Self said he was the spark and that he looked faster than he had all season. Collins be a Sherron Collins No one made as big of a difference Saturday night as the Kansas faces a difficult task in containing sophomore guard difference-maker in every game if he plays up to his potential. In a game that will feature several good guards, Collins could stand out. Sherron Collins WHO TO WATCH QUESTION MARK TEXAS LOOKS TO DERAIL HAWKS Can KU win the Big 12 if it loses tonight? Yes, although a loss would certainly make it tougher. Kansas is on top of the conference right now with an 8-1 record. Kansas State is just behind at 7-1 and Texas is in third with a 6-2 record. The Jayhawks would be a half game ahead of the Longhorns if they lost and a game behind the Wildcats. That's still good positioning for a championship, given the rest of Kansas' schedule. The Jayhawks would have hard games against Texas A&M and Kansas State remaining, and they could likely win the conference if they won those two. HEARYE. HEARYE KANSAS VS. BAYLOR 7 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, JTV "We'll be a tired team tomorrow, but we have to be a fresh team on Monday. I do think they're guards are as good as anybody, but I don't think they're set of guards can play much better than Baylor's did tonight. I thought Baylor's guards were just fabulous." -Bill Self on Saturday night "We'll be a tired team "That is one thing we need to do, take care of the ball. That is something Coach Self has talked to us about all week. I think we did a pretty good job taking care of the ball in the second half." - Sherron Collins on how Kansas had so few turnovers Saturday night Kansas (22-1,7-1) THE PROJECTED STARTING 5 Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard Russell Robinson, 8-foot-1 senior guard A great offensive performance but a very bad defensive one Saturday against Baylor. Curtis Jerrells could do anything he wanted. He looked better than Kevin Durant. D.J. Augustin will make it tough on Robinson and Chalmers. Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 Junior guard Chalmers is starting to develop into a player who can make shots when his team really needs them. He hasn't scored much the past few games, but he's made baskets at important times. Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6 junior guard Bill Self should have let Rush guard Jerrells for a while on Saturday night and found out how the team's best defender would do against the Baylor star. Rush will need to make a few outside shots tonight for the Jayhawks so have success. ★★★☆ Darnell Jackson, 6-foot-8 senior forward A big game for Jackson seems likely tonight. He hasn't scored much the last two games, and he rarely goes too long without doing something special. Darrell Arthur, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Arthur might've had his best game of the season on Saturday, going for 23 and 10. He'll need to stay out of foul trouble again tonight against Damion James. Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard THE SIXTH MAN Texas (17-4,5-2) THE PROJECTED STARTING 5 Darrell Arthur can play another great game. Arthur was almost unstoppable on Saturday night because he stayed out of foul trouble. He played more minutes than he had in more than a month and finally produced how Self thought he would at the beginning of the year. Texas' frontcourt is undersized so Arthur should have an easy time scoring. If he and Darnell Jackson have big games Kansas will find it a lot easier to win. Abrams idolizes Allen Iverson — he wears his number three jersey and the "Iverson sleeve" on his arm — and patterns his game off Iverson, a Denver Nugget guard. Abrams can shoot it from deep — he's shooting 45.1 percent from three-point range. The Erwin Center Will Be Movie Theater Silent If... When Collins blitzed through the Baylor defense Saturday night, he made a case for a Arguably the best guard in the Big 12, the sophomore plays 36.8 minutes per game. Will Augustin wear down against Kansas' rotation of talented guards? D.J. Augustin 6-foot sophomore guard return of the lineup that includes the three little guards - Robinson, Chalmers and him. A.J. Abrams, 5-foot-11 junior guard Justin Mason, 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Mason doesn't look to score much, averaging 6.7 points per game.His job is to play defense and avoid turnovers. Damion James, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward James is the consummate banger, a strong post player who likes to be physical inside. He's averaging 10.6 rebounds per game. Connor Atchley, 6-foot-10 Junior forward Aatchley has been one of the bigger surprises in the Big 12. He's a role forget about him its per game. you can't forget about him — he's scoring 10.2 points per game. THE SIXTH MAN Gary Johnson, 6-foot-7 freshman forward Texas coach Rick Barnes just keeps recruiting gems. Johnson is a talented freshman forward who plays 18.0 minutes per game. Rustin Dodd Phog Allen Will Roll Over In His Grave If... DJ. Augustin pulls a Curtis Jerrells. Jerrells had the best performance of any individual player against Kansas so far this season. Augustin might out-do him. He's more talented. and he plays for the Longhorns, a team that loves to catch fire against the Jayhawks. They did it twice last year before cooling down in the second half and losing, but they crushed Kansas in Austin two years ago. Augustin, A. J. Abrams and Justin Mason will all likely bring out their best. UT TIPOFF AT A GLANCE The Longhorns have had the Jayhawks' number at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. No. 10 Texas beat No. 20 Kansas 82-67 in 2004, and the seventhranked Longhorns thumped the Jayhawks 80-55 in 2006. Coach Rick Barnes 's teams squa is, of course, devoid of Kevin Durant, the 2007 Consensus National Player of the Year who is gone to the NBA. But sophomore D.J. Augustin and junior AJ. Abrams anchor a strong backcourt. The Longhorns beat UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles and defeated Tennessee. Texas is 11-2 at home in ESPN Big Monday games. WHOTOWATCH D.J. Augustin The coaches' selection for Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Augustin is averaging 19.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. Augustin is a projected NBA first- round pick whenever he declares for the draft. He's the rare scoring point guard who Augustin can also get his teammates involved. If Kansas senior guard Russell Robinson can slow him down, Kansas may be able to escape Austin with the victory. Will this game end up on ESPN Classic? QUESTION MARK Something special always seems to brew when the Kansas meets the big boys from the Lone Star State. Remember Kansas' 110-103 overtime victory against Texas in 2002, or Dick Vitale's standing ovation after Nick Collison's classic performance at Allen Fieldhouse in 2003? Last season, Kevin Durant played two breathtaking games, but Kansas came out on top. HEARYE. HEARYE "These are great. You don't have to practice. You just get to play games, and you're playing against some good teams so you don't have to worry about the energy level being down. I mean, I love the quick turnaround." — Russell Robinson on playing two games in three days JAYHAWK STATS
PlayerMinsFG-FGA3FG-3FGARebsPts
00 Arthur, Darrell23.2135-2542-116.013.7
25 Rush, Brandon27.696-22143-1045.212.5
32 Jackson, Darnell24.6116-1792-57.012.4
15 Chalmers, Mario29.392-17337-813.012.1
04 Collins, Sherron22.867-14023-621.99.8
24 Kaun, Sasha17.568-1060-03.87.6
03 Robinson, Russell27.350-12122-702.57.5
05 Stewart, Rodrick13.832-653-142.73.5
45 Aldrich, Cole8.626-510-03.32.9
02 Teahan, Conner3.515-2511-180.62.9
14 Reed, Tyrel7.215-309-210.52.3
10 Case, Jeremy5.012-356-200.31.5
11 Bechard, Brennan1.84-82-50.31.2
54 Kleinmann, Matt2.32-60-00.60.4
22 Buford, Chase1.81-90-60.50.2
40 Witherspoon, Brad1.70-30-20.20.0
PREDICTION 89-84 Texas The Jayhawks couldn't guard a soul on Saturday night, and they won't tonight, either. Texas' guards, especially Augustin, will be too good. Witherspoon Meter Will senior walk-on Brad Witersonget the opportunity to play tonight? This meter tells all. LONGHORN STATS Player Mins FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs Pts 14 Augustin, D.J. 36.8 146-328 43-118 2.9 19.7 03 Abrams, A.J. 36.0 146-324 72-188 2.7 17.9 05 James, Damion 31.2 114-246 17-37 10.6 12.7 32 Atchley, Conner 28.7 93-161 28-57 5.6 10.2 24 Mason, Justin 31.7 57-144 12-44 3.6 6.7 01 Johnson, Gary 18.0 22-53 0-0 4.2 5.9 34 Pittman, Dexter 6.5 25-44 0-0 2.0 3.0 15 Wangmene, Alexis 10.8 13-33 0-1 2.4 2.4 53 Chapman, Clint 7.8 12-35 0-0 1.8 1.5 04 Lewis, J.D. 4.4 8-12 7-11 0.5 1.5 23 Smith, Harrison 4.0 4-12 1-5 1.0 1.4 22 Mooney, Ian 4.2 2-3 0-0 0.9 0.3 4