8B SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008 KU TIP-OFF ATAGLANCE Kansas continues to roll even when it can't play its favorite style of game, Iowa State shut down the fast break and the guards' outside jump shots, and the Jayhawks still dominated. Nebraska couldn't beat Kansas before and not much has changed in two weeks. As long as the Jayhawks stay energized against a team they recently handled, an upset is unlikely. WHO TO WATCH COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF CONFERENCE PLAY HEATING UP student section because of his three-pointers. But last game, he didn't make any. He missed his only field-net attempt. Teahan seems to be the overwhelming favorite of the goal attempt Jayhawks hope to remain undefeated at home against Huskers a mid-range jump shot. Teahan needs to take at least two three-pointers to appease his fans this game. How many fast break points will KU score? QUESTION MARK The Jayhawks have only nine in their last two games combined. The scarcity of transition buckets comes from two reasons; opposing defenses are starting to send fewer players to the glass, and Kansas is starting to get less steals. There's no concern about the lack of fast break points because Kansas is still winning, but it needs to at least increase the turnovers it forces when playing better teams. Against Nebraska the first time, the Jayhawks only had eight. Expect that number to increase. NEBRASKA AT KANSAS 12:45 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse, ESPN+ HEARYE, HEARYE "I thought he made some good moves, he just didn't finish his shot." "I'm sure Doc will have something up his sleeve." - Kansas coach Bill Self on Sherron Collins - Self on Nebraska coach Doc Sadler getting a full week to prepare because the Cornhushers didn't play earlier this week "it's a lot better just 'cause we're not as hesitant as in the past. Decision making is a lot better and experience is helping us out a lot. Everybody's been around a lot. They know what they can and can't do." Russell Robinson on the improvement of KU's halfcourt offense Kansas THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard The guards got shut down by Iowa State's defense, which focused on the little guys. Robinson still did a good job of feeding the big men down low. His passes were key to Kansas winning the game so easily. Nebraska (11-5,0-3) THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard The Cyclones held Chalmers in check for the most of the game, but he did still manage to finish with 10 points. When Kansas plays good teams, Chalmers will have to find a way to get more shots even when the defense keys on the guards. Cookie Miller, 5-foot-7 freshman guard Miller provides quickness at the point-guard position and is averaging 5.9 points per game in his first year at Nebraska. Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6 junior guard He only took seven shots on Wednesday, but he made up for it with his passing, tying a career-high with six assists. Two of those came on no-look passes. Ade Dagundoro, 6-foot-5 junior guard Darrell Arthur, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward One rebound is unacceptable. Arthur dominated the game offensively against the Cyclones when he was in, but he has to start crashing the boards. Ade Dagundoro, 6-foot-5 junior guard The Inglewood, Calif., native went scoreless against Kansas in Lincoln, Neb. on Jan. 12. He missed all six of his shots from the field and two free throws. Darnell Jackson, 6-foot-8 forward He bailed out the guards by dominating inside. When the Jayhawks can't run or shoot from the outside, Jackson has to be electric inside, and he was against Iowa State. Ryan Anderson, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Ryan Anderson, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Anderson — who had 12 points earlier this season against Kansas — is Nebraska's number two scoring option. He can shoot it from the outside — 39.1 percent from three-point range — but he's better off the dribble. Sek Henry, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Averaging only 4.8 points per game, Henry isn't much of a threat to score. He went scoreless against Kansas in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 16. Aleks Maric, 6-foot-11 senior center The Cornhuskers go as Maric goes. If he plays well, they usually play well. If the Sydney, Australia, native plays poorly, Nebraska will have a hard time winning. THE SIXTH MAN on his average jump shot. Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 guard Collins is starting to attack the basket less than he was even a few games ago. He was likely bothered by an ankle injury Wednesday night, but he still needs to start driving more instead of relying Mark Dent THE SIXTH MAN Steve Harley, 5- foot 11 guard A telling anecdote for Saturdays game:Harley Nebraska's sixth man -would probably be the 11th man on Kansas' bench. ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF... Nebraska continues its unexpected swoon. Nobody thought the Cornhuskers would compete for a top three spot in the conference, but they were supposed to finish in the top half of the Big 12. Now, Nebraska is battling to stay out of the cellar. It already lost to Colorado and is sitting in dead last at 0-3. Self wasn't happy with his team's energy on Wednesday night, so the team will likely come out fired up on Saturday. If the Jayhawks are motivated as they should be and have been all year, they'll get an early lead and put the game out of doubt. Darnell Jackson PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF... Aleks Maric goes for 25 or more points. Maric has already been forgotten because his team is struggling, but he is one of the best players in the conference. He put up 19 points in just 26 minutes the first time these teams played, two weeks ago. Last year, he scored 41 points against K-State and 37 against Iowa State. Maric can explode. Sasha Kaun and Darrell Arthur will have to stop him. Although Nebraska will still find it tough to win if Maric scores plenty, Maric can certainly make it tougher for Kansas if he has a big game. ULM TIP-OFF AT A GLANCE After starting the season 11-2, the Cornhuskers have tumbled to a 0-3 start in the Big 12 Conference. In last place in the big 12, Nebraska must travel into Allen Fieldhouse — the building where they suffered a 92-39 thrashing last season. The "children of the corn" had high hopes after defeating No. 24 Arizona State and Oregon earlier this season, but things went south in a hurry. Nebraska followed up a conference opening loss against Kansas with consecutive losses at the hands of Colorado and Baylor. The Cornhuskers have lost nine consecutive games against the Jayhawks - their last win came on Feb. 15, 2004 in Lincoln, Neb. WHO TO WATCH Aleks Maric is a load inside. Maric averages 16.6 points per game and 8.2 rebounds. Maric scored 19 points on seven of 12 shooting in Nebraska's 79-58 loss to Kansas on Jan. 12, Kansas' Sasha Kaun defended Maric well the first time the teams played. Self might consider making Maric score at the free throw line, as he only shoots 57.7 percent. QUESTION MARK Who else will score for Nebraska? Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said during his weekly conference call on Tuesday that he was disappointed with the scoring production of his wings. Maric is the only Comhusker scoring in double figures. Junior guard Ade Dagundoro is second on the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game and sophomore Ryan Anderson is registering 9.3 points per contest. Nebraska is getting meager scoring contributions from its guards. Even if Maric has a big game on Saturday, Nebraska could struggle to keep pace on the scoreboard unless Dagundoro and Anderson exceed expectations. HEARYE, HEARYE "I don't think there's anytime to have a bad week to have a week off, especially once you get in the conference. I would rather have it closer to the halfway mark, but the fact of the matter is it's this week. I think it's good." — Nebraska coach Doc Sadler JAYHAWK STATS
PlayerMin.FG-FGA3FG-FGAREB.Pts.
Arthur, Darrell23.3106-1982-105.713.4
Jackson, Darnell24.499-1482-47.312.8
Chalmers, Mario29.175-13634-702.912.4
Rush, Brandon26.368-16630-734.811.7
Collins, Sherron22.844-10217-502.18.9
Kaun, Sasha17.553-780-03.97.6
Robinson, Russell27.140-9419-582.57.2
Stewart, Rodrick15.231-593-122.84.2
Teahan, Conner3.815-2311-170.73.3
Aldrich, Cole9.223-460-03.43.2
Reed, Tyrel8.415-309-210.52.8
Case, Jeremy5.912-336-190.41.9
Bechard, Brennan1.83-72-50.31.1
Kleinmann, Matt2.41-50-00.70.3
Buford, Chase1.81-90-60.60.2
Witherspoon, Brad1.70-30-20.20.0
PREDICTION 85-57 Kansas Expect an early run for Kansas similar to the one against Oklahoma.The Jayhawks will stay focused and will keep their undefeated record. Witherspoon Meter Will senior walk-on Brad Witerspoon get the opportunity to play tonight? This meter tells all. CORNHUSKER STATS
PlayerMinFG-FGA3FG-FGARebPts
Maric, Aleks27.197-1680-28.216.6
Dagunduro, Ade24.858-11710-254.49.7
Anderson, Ryan27.951-11325-635.89.3
Harley, Steve21.733-895-142.76.6
Miller, Cookie25.634-849-342.15.9
Strowbridge, Jay-R.20.427-6916-391.85.6
Henry, Sek21.227-667-253.44.8
Velander, Paul12.318-4516-390.74.1
Ping, Shang12.123-412-71.63.9
Balham, Chris6.315-180-01.12.9
Krenk, Nick5.53-62-40.51.3
Salomon, Cole4.44-82-50.61.3
Nelson, Ben4.22-50-00.51.0
Wicklund, Andrew3.52-40-20.50.7
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