THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2007
GAME DAY
5B
COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
KU TIP-OFF
ATA GLANCE
Brandon Rush will be playing in his second game back after returning from ACL surgery. The
Kansas really needs to get better on defense. Yes, the Sons of Steal are still doing what they do best, but teams are routinely shooting in the high 40 percents this year. That's not going to cut it when the Jayhawks play good competition. Last year, they had success because teams rarely scored 65 points against them. They need to bring back that defense by pressuring the other team's guards and forcing bad shots.
WHO TO WATCH
last time out trainers said he could play only about 10 minutes. Now? Self didn't know for sure how long Rush would be
Rush
able to play after the Washburn game, but he said there was a possibility Rush could play as much as 25 minutes.
NOT THE ARIZONA YOU THINK Hawks tune up before real test
How many people will be
QUESTION MARK
NORTHERN ARIZONA AT KANSAS 7 p.m. Wednesday, Allen Fieldhouse, Jayhawk TV
How many people will be at the game Wednesday? At least 1,000 seats — most of those in the student section — were empty for the Washburn game last Thursday. It's a perfect storm for a low turnout Wednesday night. All the ingredients are there: holiday break, a less-than-stellar opponent and an upcoming big game Sunday against Arizona. Let's hope Allen Fieldhouse doesn't lose its luster Wednesday and there aren't too many empty seats.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
"You have two of the best 10 players in the league who aren't out there full-speed in Sherron and Brandon, so I don't know if we would look better if we had everybody healthy and full-speed. But defensively I don't think we're near where we should be, and from paying attention to detail perspective, we don't play the way that I hope we'll play. We haven't been out there that long, but there are some things we're going to guard a certain way, and you forget. Those kill you."
- Kansas coach Bill Self
THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard Robinson did turn the ball over four times against Washburn, but he continues to be a steady hand at point like he has been the past two years.
Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard Here's a sign of the apocalypse: Chalmers didn't have any steals in the last game. Expect him to get at least four tonight to make up for it.
THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Josh Wilson, 6-foot-2 Junior guard Wilson was first last season in the Big Sky with six assists per game, and he's one of two players in Division I to rank in the top 15 in assists the past two seasons. In three games this year, Wilson is averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Rodrick Stewart, 6-foot-4 senior guard
Stewart's dunk was the best jam at Allen Fieldhouse in the last three years. Oh, his block? That was the best rejection in three years, too.
Kaun's second-half performance of 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting was the best thing he has done since scoring a career-high 25 points two years ago. If he can do that consistently, which is far from a guarantee, this frontline will be scary.
Darrell Arthur, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Arthur's few minutes of dominance every game are getting old. The season is early, but he needs to develop some consistency fast.
Sasha Kaun, 6-foot-11 senior center
Nathan Geiser, 6-foot-4 junior guard
Geiser can straight shoot it. He's 9-of-15 this season from three-point range, and last season he hit a record 11 three-point shots in a row during a three-game span. Geiser, a Tonkawa, Okla., native is averaging 10.3 points per game.
Nathan Geiser, 6-foot-4 junior guard
Matt Johnson, 6-foot-2 junior guard Johnson, a transfer from Sierra College, is averaging 6 points per game in his first season with the Lumberjacks.
Brian McCurdy, 6-foot-9 senior forward
Ryan McCurdy, 6-foot-9 senior forward
McCurdy, a Gilbert, Ariz., native, started 29 games and averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds per game.
With the 6-9 Landry, and 6-6 Zarko Comagic, NAU has a front line that can match up with Kansas size-
wise.
Zarko Comagic, 6-foot-6 junior forward
Zarko Comagic, 6-foot-6 junior forward
Comagic, a native of Serbia and a transfer from Central Arizona College, knows how to score. He averaged 20.3 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game last season. But he hasn't figured it out this season, averaging only 5 points per game.
THE SIXTH MAN
Darnell Jackson, 6-foot-8 senior forward
Let's put the "Should Darnell Jackson start?" talk to sleep right now. Jackson has done better than Kaun, but he plays best as a spark off the bench. He's also three
This inches shorter than Kaun, and if Kansas wants to go smaller, it would be better off using four guards and Arthur.
THE SIXTH MAN
Kyle Landry, 6-foot-9 senior forward Landry is the Lumberjacks' best player, but so far, he's come off the bench. That may change against the Jayhawks. Even if he comes off the bench, he'll play starter's minutes.
Kansas can start scoring again. The loss of sophomore guard Sherron Collins noticeably hurt the Jayhawks in the first few minutes of last Thursday's game against Washburn. He is the leader of their fast-break offense. Without him, the rest of the team looked out of place and sluggish. The loss of Collins and not-quite-healthy Brandon Rush means Kansas needs to look down low if it wants to put up a respectable number of points. Of course, that also mean Darrell Arthur needs to make up his mind to be a dominant player, and Sasha Kaun needs to hold onto the ball.
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF...
Rustin Dodd
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF...
Northern Arizona makes 45 percent of its three-pointers, give or take a few percentage points. Yes, the Lumberjacks will launch threes until their arms get sore. They made 10 in the first half against UMKC a few days ago. If they can make that many against the Jayhawks, the game will be close. Here's how the Kansas defense can get better: Defend the three-pointers. Make sure there's a hand in the face of every Northern Arizonaan every time he dares shoot the ball from behind the arc. The Lumberjacks will
ss, and their offense will be ruined. Oh yeah, Phog Allen also will roll in his grave if more than 2,000 seats are empty.
NAU
TIP-OFF
AT A GLANCL
The one advantage Northern Arizona has? The Lumberjacks have experience playing in Allen Fieldhouse. The one disadvantage? They lost 91-57 in Kansas' 2006-07 season opener. The Big Sky conference coaches tabbed Northern Arizona to finish fourth in the Big Sky after winning the regular season conference title last season. The Lumberjacks and the Jayhawks also have two common opponents - Arizona and UMKC. Northern Arizona lost to Arizona 76-69 and took care of UMKC 76-62. Little is expected of Northern Arizona, but it might be Kansas'toughest test thus far.
WHOTOWATCH
Kyle Landry, 6-foot-9 senior forward
Landry, a Calgary, Alberta, native, has been the Lumberjacks leading scorer this season after averaging 10.1 points
Landry
per game in 2006-2007. Landry tallied 23 points on 8-10 shooting against UMKC and had 17 points off the bench against Arizona. He's averaging 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. If Kansas forwards can shut down Landry, Northern Arizona will struggle to score.
QUESTION MARK
Will Northern Arizona catch Kansas looking ahead?
The Lumberjacks are from Arizona, but they aren't THE Arizona — as in the University of Arizona Wildcats. That team comes into Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday for one of Kansas' marquee nonconference matchups. But Kansas would be wise to be sharp against Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks have 10 new players on their roster and stayed within seven against Arizona.
HEARYE. HEARYE
"I think they are good. Last year we played them first game and we played great — one of the best games we played all year in our first game and we got them down early, but I think they are better, and they run really good stuff"
Kansas Coach Bill Self on Northern Arizona
JAYHAWK STATS
Player
FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA RPG PPG MPG
15 Chalmers, Mario 14-25 8-16 3.0 13.7 29.0
00 Arthur, Darrell 13-32 1-2 7.0 12.7 25.7
32 Jackson, Darnell 15-23 0-0 5.0 12.3 21.0
03 Robinson, Russell 10-20 6-14 3.3 11.0 29.3
24 Kaun, Sasha 10-12 0-0 5.0 9.3 19.3
25 Rush, Brandon 3-5 1-2 3.0 7.0 12.0
05 Stewart, Rodrick 8-13 1-4 3.3 6.7 17.7
14 Reed, Tyrel 7-12 5-8 1.0 6.3 11.3
02 Teahan, Conner 2-4 2-3 2-2 0.5 3.5
45 Aldrich, Cole 3-8 0-0 4.0 3.0 9.3
11 Bechard, Brennan 2-2 1-1 1.0 2.5 2.0
10 Case, Jeremy 3-8 1-4 0.0 2.3 6.7
22 Buford, Chase 0-1 0-1 1.0 0.0 2.0
40 Witherspoon, Brad 0-1 0-1 0.0 0.0 2.0
54 Kleinmann, Matt 0-1 0-0 0.0 0.0 3.0
PREDICTION
84-64
Witherspoon Meter
The Lumberjacks could be good, but they probably aren't. A close loss at Arizona really doesn't mean much, considering the Wildcats couldn't guard a trash can. Kansas destroyed Northern Arizona last year by pressuring outside shots and forcing turnovers. Look for it to happen again.
Will senior walk-on Brad Witherspoon get the opportunity to play tonight? This meter tells all.
LUMBERJACK STATS
Player Min. FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA RPG PPG
33 Landry, Kyle 25.0 18-30 0-0 9.7 18.7
21 Wilson, Josh 34.3 8-17 5-10 5.7 11.3
14 Geiser, Nate 21.3 10-20 9-15 2.3 10.3
25 McCurdy, Ryan 23.0 8-16 0-0 6.0 10.0
10 Jones, Cameron 15.7 9-15 1-2 0.7 7.7
31 Filzen, Zach 18.0 6-16 6-16 1.3 6.0
01 Johnson, Matt 27.3 6-13 2-7 3.3 6.0
42 Comagic, Zarko 15.3 6-12 2-2 3.7 5.0
32 Larson, Nick 18.7 3-10 1-5 2.7 2.3
40 Johannsen, Shane 8.5 1-1 0-0 2.0 1.0
23 Sharp, George 5.0 0-1 0-0 0.5 0.0