8B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
KU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
This is the biggest game of the regular season for the Jayhawks. Kansas State is the best team the Jayhawks have played so far. Michael Beasley is by far the best player. The Wildcats will be hungry to win because they haven't beat Kansas in the last 24 years in Manhattan. The Jayhawks will need to play at least as good as, if not better than, they have been the past few games to win this one.
WHQ TO WATCH
Darrell Arthur has been scoring lately, averaging 17 points a game
in the last two KU victories.
He should be pumped up to play against his friend, Michael Beasley, and have another good game. It's time for Arthur
COUNTDOWN TO TIPOFF
Arthur
to show the college basketball world how good he can be.
Who is going to guard Beasley?
QUESTION MARK
Bill Self will definitely have to switch his guys around to do the best job defending Beasley. The Jayhawks took this approach when guarding Kevin Durant last year. Arthur will probably defend him most of the time though. He is the longest and most athletic of the players in the KU frontcourt. Although Brandon Rush is Kansas' best defender, don't expect him to guard Beasley. Self said he's too small.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"Yeah there's a lot of comparisons. They're both really good. I thought we would never see a freshman dominate college basketball like Durant did, evidenced by him winning national player of the year as a freshman. Michael Beasley has that same opportunity in front of him if he finishes the season strong."
Kansas coach Bill Self
"it's harder to coach great players sometimes than it is to coach good players because getting a great player to go from here to here is harder than getting a good player to go from here to here. So that's common amongst all coaches. What they've done, is they got their best players playing better"
KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE
KANSAS AT KANSAS STATE 7 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan., ESPN+
Jayhawks have been undefeated in Manhattan for 25 years
Self on the job K-State coach Frank Martin has done so far
Kansas (20-0, 5-0)
THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard Here's what Russell needs to do: defend Blake Young and Jacob Pullen and continue to find his open teammates. He's done it all year long and should have no trouble tonight because he will be the best point guard on the floor.
Kansas State (14-4, 4-0)
THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard
Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 Junior guard Chalmers hasn't been scoring well the last two games. That needs to change tonight. Kansas needs a big performance from its guards to offset the dominance of Michael Beasley.
Blake Young, 6-foot-2 senior guard
Young, b-foot-2 senior guard The Orlando, Fla., native has started all 18 games for the Wildcats. He'll be counted on to contain Kansas strong collection of guards
Clent Stewart, 6-foot-4 senior guard
It only seems like Stewart has been in college for 13 years. The senior started his season off slow, but he's cracked the starting lineup and is averaging 7.6 points per game.
Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6 junior guard
Rush has been shooting the ball as well as he ever has in his career. His matchup against Bill Walker will be fun to watch. Walker can drive better than Rush, but Rush is the superior shooter.
Andre Gilbert, 6-foot-7 junior forward
★★★★★
Darnell Jackson, 6-foot-8 senior forward
Kansas fans will get their first look at Gilbert, a transfer from Mount San Jacinto College in San Jacinto. Calif. He's started 13 games, but he's sixth on the team in minutes at 19.4 minutes per game.
The dream season continues for Jackson. He is everything the Jayhawks need in terms of scoring, rebounding and leadership. Jackson faces a daunt to no against Boarley.
Bill Walker, 6-foot-6 freshman forward
ing task if he has to go against Beasley.
★★★★
With Beasley getting all the hype, Walker has put in a yeoman's effort this season. The versatile Walker should often go up against Brandon Rush, a matchup that probably has NBA scouts saluting
Darrell Arthur, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward
This could be a big game for Arthur. He has the opportunity to do well against one of the best players in the country. Arthur can establish himself as a premier big man with a
THE SIXTH MAN
Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard
Collins could be the X-factor in this game. If he does well off the bench, like he did last year in Manhattan, the Jayhawks will find it much easier to win.
Michael Beasley, 6-foot-10 freshman forward
What else can he do? He broke the Big 12 rebounding record with 24 boards in his first game. He scored 40 points against Winston Salem State. Simply put, he's a basketball genius.
THE SIXTH MAN
Jacob Pullen, 6-foot-1 freshman guard
Beasley scores 50. And yes it is possible, very possible. Beasley is putting up his numbers in less than 30 minutes a game. He can score 30 in 20 minutes. If he plays the full 40 minutes tonight, who knows how much damage he will do. Kansas probably wouldn't win if Beasley scored 50 or more points, but if they can hold him to something manageable, say 35 or less, the Jayhawks stand a much better chance.
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF...
Pullen had 30 turnovers in his first seven games. In his last seven games, he has only seven turnovers.
Rustin Dodd
Brandon Rush
BRAMLAGE COLISEUM WILL BE MOVIE-THEATER SILENT IF...
The streak continues. The 24-game winning streak in Manhattan by the Jayhawks is ridiculous. Insane. It's almost unimaginable that a team could win that many games in a row on a rival's home court. This is the Wildcats' best opportunity for a victory in a long time. They might not get this good of an opportunity for a while, so if they lose, it will really hurt.
KSU TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
It's hard to believe, but it's been 50 years since Kansas and Kansas State played each other when both teams were ranked in the AP poll. On March 8, 1958, No. 10 Kansas defeated No. 1 K-State 61-44 in Manhattan. This season, No. 21 K-State comes into tonight's game as one of the hottest teams in the Big 12. The Wildcats are 14-4 overall, but 4-0 in the Big 12, and have won five consecutive games. K-State beat Iowa State 82-57 on Saturday and first-year coach Frank Martin has turned his Wildcats into a dangerous and explosive team. Don't forget about the elephant sitting in the family room. K-State hasn't beaten Kansas in Manhattan since 1983.
WHO TO WATCH
Who do you think? Freshman forward Michael Beasley's
statistics speak for themselves:
25.3 points per game, and 12.7 rebounds per game. Simply put, Beasley is the type of singular talent that is immune
Beasley
to all hyperbole. How good is he? Bill Self had no problem invoking Kevin Durant's name when trying to find a comparison to Beasley. Their styles are different, but Self said their impact is close to the same. The sad part is, Beasley star is simply too bright for the college game. Enjoy him while you can.
Will K-State finally win in Manhattan?
QUESTION MARK
This has to be one of the most unfathomable streaks in all of sports: 24 consecutive victories on a rival's home floor. This could be K-State's best chance to end the streak since former Wildcat Mitch Ritchmond was suiting up in purple. Beasley will be the most talented player on the floor. Fallow freshman Bill Walker can take over games as well. In fact, K-State would be wise to snap this streak tonight. If not, this baby could reach 30.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"Well, they are both really good. They are comparable there. I thought you would never see a freshman dominate college basketball as (Kevin) Durant did as the unanimous National Player of the Year as a freshman. Michael has that same opportunity in front of him, if he finishes the season strong, to be the National Player of the Year also."
Bill Self, on Beasley-Durant comparisons
JAYHAWK STATS
<table><thead><tr><th>Player</th><th>MPG</th><th>FG-FGA</th><th>3FG-3FGA</th><th>RPG</th><th>PPG</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>00 Arthur, Darrell</td><td>23.4</td><td>114-211</td><td>2-10</td><td>5.8</td><td>13.6</td></tr><tr><td>32 Jackson, Darnell</td><td>24.3</td><td>104-158</td><td>2-4</td><td>7.3</td><td>12.8</td></tr><tr><td>25 Rush, Brandon</td><td>26.4</td><td>74-174</td><td>35-80</td><td>4.9</td><td>12.0</td></tr><tr><td>15 Chalmers, Mario</td><td>28.9</td><td>76-142</td><td>34-71</td><td>2.9</td><td>11.9</td></tr><tr><td>04 Collins, Sherron</td><td>22.4</td><td>48-107</td><td>19-52</td><td>2.0</td><td>9.0</td></tr><tr><td>24 Kaun, Sasha</td><td>17.4</td><td>56-85</td><td>0-0</td><td>3.9</td><td>7.5</td></tr><tr><td>03 Robinson, Russell</td><td>26.9</td><td>42-97</td><td>21-61</td><td>2.5</td><td>7.3</td></tr><tr><td>05 Stewart, Rodrick</td><td>15.1</td><td>31-61</td><td>3-13</td><td>2.8</td><td>4.1</td></tr><tr><td>45 Aldrich, Cole</td><td>9.2</td><td>24-47</td><td>0-0</td><td>3.5</td><td>3.1</td></tr><tr><td>02 Teahan, Conner</td><td>3.8</td><td>15-25</td><td>11-18</td><td>0.6</td><td>3.1</td></tr><tr><td>14 Reed, Tyrel</td><td>8.1</td><td>15-30</td><td>9-21</td><td>0.5</td><td>2.6</td></tr><tr><td>10 Case, Jeremy</td><td>5.9</td><td>12-35</td><td>6-20</td><td>0.4</td><td>1.8</td></tr><tr><td>11 Bechard, Brennan</td><td>1.8</td><td>4-8</td><td>2-5</td><td>0.3</td><td>1.2</td></tr><tr><td>54 Kleinmann, Matt</td><td>2.4</td><td>2-6</td><td>0-0</td><td>0.7</td><td>0.4</td></tr><tr><td>22 Buford, Chase</td><td>1.8</td><td>1-9</td><td>0-6</td><td>0.5</td><td>0.2</td></tr><tr><td>40 Witherspoon, Brad</td><td>1.7</td><td>0-3</td><td>0-2</td><td>0.2</td><td>0.0</td></tr></tbody></table>
PREDICTION
83-76 Kansas
Beasley will score 39 points, but it won't be enough. Kansas is too deep, especially at the guard positions. This will be a tough game that the Jayhawks will pull out with free throws down the stretch.
Witherspoon Meter
Will senior walk-on Brad Witerspoon get the opportunity to play tonight? This meter tells all.
WILDCAT STATS
<table><thead><tr><th>Player</th><th>MPG</th><th>FG-FGA</th><th>3FG-3FGA</th><th>RPG</th><th>PPG</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>30 Beasley, Michael</td><td>29.6</td><td>167-295</td><td>16-42</td><td>12.7</td><td>25.3</td></tr><tr><td>12 Walker, Bill</td><td>25.9</td><td>85-165</td><td>21-53</td><td>6.6</td><td>15.8</td></tr><tr><td>00 Pullen, Jaob</td><td>23.2</td><td>56-143</td><td>16-66</td><td>1.9</td><td>9.4</td></tr><tr><td>05 Stewart, Clent</td><td>27.7</td><td>42-113</td><td>19-58</td><td>3.2</td><td>7.6</td></tr><tr><td>02 Young, Blake</td><td>27.6</td><td>37-111</td><td>17-58</td><td>3.3</td><td>6.2</td></tr><tr><td>01 Brown, Fred</td><td>10.1</td><td>28-60</td><td>12-28</td><td>1.7</td><td>5.3</td></tr><tr><td>04 Gilbert, Andre</td><td>19.4</td><td>32-83</td><td>9-31</td><td>2.8</td><td>5.2</td></tr><tr><td>23 Sutton, Dominique</td><td>12.3</td><td>10-15</td><td>0-1</td><td>2.4</td><td>3.9</td></tr><tr><td>40 Anderson, Ron</td><td>14.2</td><td>26-48</td><td>0-0</td><td>4.4</td><td>3.6</td></tr><tr><td>42 Kent, Darren</td><td>13.6</td><td>17-43</td><td>5-15</td><td>2.6</td><td>2.7</td></tr><tr><td>50 Colon, Luis</td><td>8.0</td><td>7-25</td><td>0-0</td><td>1.6</td><td>1.4</td></tr><tr><td>51 Franklin, James</td><td>3.7</td><td>3-8</td><td>1-3</td><td>0.6</td><td>1.0</td></tr><tr><td>31 Merriwether, Chris</td><td>9.4</td><td>4-15</td><td>0-6</td><td>0.9</td><td>0.6</td></tr></tbody></table>
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