8B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2008
COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
KU
TIP-OFF
AT A GLANCE
NO WORRIES FOR KANSAS Cylones unlikely to disrupt Jayhawks' streak
Aldrich
Iowa State always gives Kansas a competitive game at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, but that's usually not been the case at Allen Fieldhouse in recent years. The Cyclones seem to be the same this season, too. They've won two home games in conference play and lost their only road game. Kansas didn't play its best game against Missouri on Saturday but has otherwise been dominant for the last month. It's unlikely the Cyclones will be able to disrupt the Jayhawks run.
Aldrich has seen his minutes go up slightly in recent games partially because of foul trouble
some playing time against a tall Iowa State team. Aldrich has already shown he can go against Mizzou's DeMarre Carroll and the solid front courts of Oklahoma and Nebraska, and should have no trouble playing well against the Cyclones.
QUESTION MARK
Cole Aldrich, freshman center
Who will lead Kansas in scoring?
WHOTOWATCH
There's not too much in doubt about this game if the Jayhawks play well. The only wild card is who is going to score the most points. Seven players have taken their turn as the Jayhawks' leading scorer this season — Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins, Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson. Iowa State has several big players, so it is likely that a guard will score the most points. Chalmers led the team in scoring the last game, and Rush has been hot lately, but the bet here is that Robinson will have an unusually big game and pace the team in scoring.
to Kansas' other big men and also because of matchups that call for more post players than guards. Tonight, he should see
IOWA STATE AT KANSAS 6 p.m. Saturday, Allen Fieldhouse, ESPN
"All games are critical, but we've tried to win the league the last two years when losing an early game at home."
"If I had my way I'd rather be two because if you're No. 1, there's no way to go but down. It gives us something to work for."
HEARYE, HEARYE
— Kansas coach Bill Self on the importance of winning home games
Kansas guard Russell Robinson on the team's No.2 ranking
Kansas 18-0 (3-0) THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard
with Glenn Coyle, the bodyguard with four-legged
With Chalmers on the bench with foul trouble and Rush struggling in the first half against Missouri, Robinson looked to score. He helped prevent the Tigers from gaining too big of a lead.
Mario Chalmers; 6-foot-1 junior guard
He played better than anyone on the court on Saturday. That's not saying much given how sloppy the game was, but he also helped seal the victory for Kansas with a big steal late in the game.
Iowa State 12-6 (2-1)
Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6 junior guard
You know you're a good player when you still manage to score 13 points in what you call your worst shooting game in more than a year.
Darneli Jackson, 6-8 senior forward
Big 12 foes aren't the only ones noticing how much Jackson has improved this season. He's caught the eye of NBA scouts, too. Jackson is projected by NBADraft.net to go in the middle of the second round in this year's draft.
Darrell Arthur, 6-9 sophomore forward
Darren Arthur, 6-9 Sophomore forward Arthur pulled down nine rebounds in limited minutes on Saturday. His rebounding numbers have improved greatly since he was unable to grab a single board in an earlier game against DePaul.
★ ★ ★ THE SIXTH MAN
THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Sherron Collins, 5-11 sophomore guard
Bryan Petersen, 6-foot-1 freshman guard
He scored most of his points against Missouri in a quick spurt early in the second half. The team needs him to be a major factor, and he hasn't been one in almost three weeks.
The Queens, NY, native passed the 1,000-point milestone against Oklahoma State on Saturday. Clark, who now has 1,066 career points, is averaging 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Rahshon Clark. 6-6 senior forward
Reckley Simmons 4 Sophiahon forward Johnson played mostly at the power forward position last season, but that's changed with the emergence of freshman Craig Brackins. Johnson is playing more on the perimeter, and he's proved he can be a threat from the outside, shooting 35 percent from three-point range.
The junior college transfer averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game at Kirkwood Community College last season. This season, Peterson has started every game at guard and is shooting 38 percent from three-point range.
Wesley Johnson, 6-7 sophomore forward
Jiri Hubalek, 6-11 senior center
Hubalek, at age 25, is one of the older players in the Big 12. From Prague, Czech Republic, Hubalek uses his size effectively — he's averaging 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Rodrick Stewart comes through with a major dunk. Stewart treated the crowd to two rim-rattlers earlier this season but has been quiet since. Sure, Stewart's minutes have dwindled since the return of Collins and Rush, but he's still out there long enough to throw down a big slam. Here's the perfect scenario for one to happen: It's the middle of the second half, and Stewart is in for Rush. Chalmers comes up with a steal near midcourt and throws it to a streaking Stewart, who has no choice but to do you-know-what. Come on, Stewart, make it happen for the fans tonight.
Craig Brackins, 6-10 freshman forward
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF...
If you want proof that Brackins can score, look at his line against Baylor on Jan. 12: 33 points and eight of 10 shooting from the three-point line.
Mark Dent
THE SIXTH MAN
Diante Garrett, 6-4 freshman
Garrett is the Cyclones' first scoring option off the bench. He's playing 20.2 minutes per game and averaging 6.2 points per game.
Rustin Dodd
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF...
lowa State is a legitimate team this season. KU fans know from the past that good Cyclone teams cause big fits for the Jayhawks. Iowa defeated Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse 900 and 2001. Marc Evans fueled the
in 2000 and 2001. Marcus Fizer led the
Cyclones to that first victory and Jamal Tinsley brought the victory the second time. No one knows how good Iowa State is this year. The Cyclones are 2-1 in conference, a good record, but they won their first two games last season in conference play before fizzling in the last 14 games. This game is Iowa State's litmus test. If the Cyclones have a good team this year, Wednesday could be an interesting night.
ISU TIP-OFF
AT A GLANCE
The Big 12 coaches tabbed Iowa State to finish eleventh in the Big 12. But after victories at home against Missouri and Oklahoma State, Iowa State comes into Allen Fieldhouse at 12-6 and 2-1 in the Big 12 good enough for fourth in the Big 12 standings. The Cyclones are winners of nine of their last 11 games, after starting the season 3-4. Sophomore Wesley Johnson leads Iowa State with 13.9 points per game, while freshman Craig Brackins chips in 12.5 points per game.
WHO TO WATCH
Wesley Johnson, sophomore forward,
Last season Johnson might know soon the
Big 125 best freshman not named Kevin Durant. Johnson averaged 12.3 points per game and 7.9 rebounds last season, and after
Johnson
overcoming a bone bruise in his foot that held him out of Iowa State's first four games, the Corsicana, Texas, native is back at it. His points per game are up from 12.3 to 13.9, but his reboundes are down to 3.8 per game because he's playing more on the outside. Expect Brandon Rush to match up with Johnson, the Big 12 player of the week for Jan. 14-20, on the defensive end.
Will Iowa State score 70 points?
QUESTION MARK
The Cyclones are 9-0 when they pass the 70 mark – including a 73-66 victory against Oklahoma State their last time out. Kansas is holding opponents to a mere 59.0 points per game. Last season Kansas defeated Iowa State 68-64 in overtime in Ames, Iowa and 89-52 in Allen Fieldhouse. But even if Iowa State scores 70, will that be enough against Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse?
HEARYE, HEARYE
"Greg can really coach, and they've done a nice job recruiting, and they've got some nice pieces. And if you let them get comfortable, they're so big and so long they could give anybody fits."
- Self said about Iowa State.
"They're as talented a team as there is in the country, and I don't think there is any question about that. What makes them so dangerous is their balance. They really have seven players who really could get 20 points on you on any given night."
— Iowa State coach Greg McDermott said of playing Kansas
JAYHAWK STATS
PREDICTION
Player MPG FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA RPG PPG
00 Darrell Arthur 23.6 98-185 2-10 6.0 13.2
15 Mario Chalmers 29.0 72-130 32-68 2.9 12.5
32 Darnell Jackson 24.2 90-134 2-4 7.1 12.3
25 Brandon Rush 26.1 65-159 27-68 4.8 11.8
04 Sherron Collins 22.6 43-94 17-49 2.2 9.5
24 Sasha Kaun 17.6 50-73 0-0 3.9 7.7
03 Russell Robinson 27.3 36-89 19-57 2.5 6.9
05 Rodrick Stewart 15.5 30-58 3-12 2.7 4.3
02 Conner Teahan 3.8 15-22 11-17 0.6 3.6
45 Cole Aldrich 9.2 23-45 0-0 3.4 3.2
14 Tyrel Reed 8.8 15-30 9-21 0.5 3.0
10 Jeremy Case 6.1 12-31 6-18 0.4 1.9
11 Brennan Bechard 1.8 3-7 2-5 0.3 1.1
54 Matt Kleinmann 2.5 1-4 0-0 0.7 0.3
22 Chase Buford 1.8 1-9 0-6 0.6 0.2
40 Brad Witherspoon 1.7 0-3 0-2 0.2 0.0
84-63 KU
Iowa State is tall, so what. The Cyclones' size might actually hurt them in this game because of the speed of the Jayhawks. Sherron Collins, Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers will have a field day going against a team that usually has four players taller than 6-foot-6 on the floor.
Witherspoon Meter
Will senior walk-on Brad Witherspoon get the opportunity to play Saturday? This meter tells all.
CYCLONE STATS
Player MPG FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA RPG PPG
04 Wesley Johnson 26.9 67-149 24-68 3.8 13.9
21 Craig Brackins 28.7 84-169 13-35 5.1 12.5
33 Jiri Hubalek 23.2 77-159 7-15 7.3 12.2
13 Rashon Clark 31.4 69-127 16-45 5.8 10.5
10 Diante Garrett 20.2 37-105 5-16 2.6 6.2
22 Bryan Peterson 27.1 27-74 25-66 2.3 5.6
31 Cory Johnson 10.9 22-34 0-3 1.9 3.6
15 Alex Thompson 13.4 19-51 3-10 0.8 2.6
0 Charles Boozer 8.3 7-23 5-19 1.3 1.9
34 Clayton Vette 6.2 3-3 0-0 1.6 1.4
03 Sean Haluska 15.7 8-44 0-26 1.0 1.1
02 Brock Jacobson 3.3 2-5 1-3 0.4 0.9
40 Mark Currie 3.1 2-3 0-1 0.3 0.7
52 Mike Smith 3.7 2-4 0-0 1.0 0.7
01 Cameron Lee 3.4 1-6 0-2 0.2 0.0
23 Marcus Brister 2.3 0-0 0-0 0.7 0.0
5
K