4B
GAMEDAY
THE UNIVERSITY DARKY KANSAN
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2007
COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
KU
TIP-OFF
WHAT'S AT STAKE
A little bit of pride. Last year, Kansas gained a reputation for overlooking opponents early in the season — Oral Roberts ring a bell? The Jayhawks can get rid of that reputation starting tonight. The players and coach Bill Self have been saying this team is more mature. Prove it.
Other than the King of Friday, Sasha Kaun, keep your eyes on Jeremy Case. He can gain a spot in the rotation while
Rush is gone if he shoots consistently, but he hasn't made a three-pointer after two exhibition games. Case's shot
WHO TO WATCH
has been the talk of practice for the past five years. It's time for him to start consistently making some shots in the game.
QUESTION MARK
Who's faster?
We've already seen Chalmers, Collins and Robinson torture the backcourts of Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State. It won't be as easy against Louisiana Monroe. The Warhawks have four guards who can run too.
Honorable Mention Question: Who the heck is Millsaps College?
That's who Louisiana Monroe played Tuesday. Kansas might be a stiffer test than Millips College, which has eight players who are smaller than 5-foot-10.
"You shouldn't overreact to November. There's no league championships, and you're not cutting down nets in November unless you win some pre-season tournament. Last year we lost to ORU, and we were 6-2 and not very good. But that was the best thing to happen to us to give us a chance to get good."
coach Bill Self
HEARYE. HEARYE
HAWKS LOOK TO DOMINATE
"All we're trying to do is win championships. We want to get the Big 12 Championship and hopefully the national championship. I guess the preseason just helps us leads to that."
Key guards need to step it up a notch for victory
Darrell Arthur, sophomore forward
LOUISIANA MONROE AT KANSAS 7 tonight, Allen Fieldhouse, Jayhawk T.V.
THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard Robinson was at his best the last time out for the Jayhawks. He filled the stat sheet with seven points, six rebounds and 10 assists. That's exactly what he needs to do all year.
Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 Junior guard
Arno Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard Six steals is more like it. Chalmers only had one in the first game. It wouldn't be a surprise if Chalmers, Robinson and Collins combined to average nine steals per game this season.
Sherron Collins, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard Collins has to prove he is a starter immediately. One of the three guards' minutes will decrease when Brandon Rush gets back, and Collins has the most to prove because he's the youngest.
Darrell Arthur, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Let's see, Arthur is projected as the No. 4 pick in the draft right now according to NBADraft.net. Could he play his way to No. 1?
Kaun scored a career-high 25 points against Idaho State in November 2005. That game was on a Friday, too. Watch out for Kaun, the master of November Fridays.
Sasha Kaun, 6-foot-11 senior center
THE SIXTH MAN
Louisiana Monroe
0-0
Darnell Jackson,
6-foot-8 senior
forward
Jackson gets the nod in this
spot after a scoreless game from
Rodrick Stewart last time out. Jackson's smaller size might be the only thing that keeps him from the starting lineup this season.
This game isn't Oral Roberts redux, and Louisiana Monroe's Sei Paye isn't the next Marchello Vealy. Fans won't forget last year's loss to Oral Roberts or Vealy's 7-of-8 three-point shooting from that game for a while. The Warhawks are at least as good as the Eagles were last year. Kansas can make an early statement about how it's going to approach the nonconference portion of the season tonight by not taking this team lightly.
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF...
Mark Dent
THE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE
Jonas Brown, 6-foot-3 senior guard
Johnson basked, 8-10-foot 3-season guard
The Houston native transferred from Angellina Community College before last season and registered 12.3 points per game playing in the Warhawks' four-guard lineup. Brown led Louisiana Monroe with 20 points, including 5-10 shooting from beyond the arc, against Millsaps College on Tuesday.
Tony Hooper, 5-foot-11 junior guard
Tony Hooper, 5-foot-11 Junior guard Hooper is an All-Conference caliber player in the Sun Belt. The Aldine, Texas, native led Louisiana Monroe with 15.4 points per game last season. Matching up with Sheron Collins, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson should give Hooper a venue to showcase his talents.
Brandon Roberts, 6' sophomore guard Roberts will handle most of the point guard duties for Louisiana Monroe. He can score — he averaged 9.7 points per game last year — but his main job is to distribute the basketball to Hooper, Brown and Brasher.
Lance Brasher, 6-foot-2 senior guard
Lance Brasher, 6-foot-2 senior guard
Brasher's nickname is "Bulldog" because despite being 6'2,
he is often asked to guard the opposing team's power forward. Brasher's "bulldog" status will be tested against Kansas, when he is forced to guard Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun and Damell Jackson.
Afam Nweke, 6-foot-7 junior forward
The lone forward in the starting lineup, Nweke averaged 5.1 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game last season. Nweke's not much of a scoring threat — the Warhawks rely on their guards for that — but Nweke's needs to play bigger than his 6-foot-7 frame against Kansas.
THE SIXTH MAN
Jordan Payne, 6-foot-3 senior guard Payne was one of the most productive bench players in the nation last year averaging 12.4 points per game in the sixth man role. He's capable of going off-he had 29 points against Western Kent
Western Kentucky last year - and he shot better than 40 percent from three-point range.
-Rustin Dodd
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF...
ULM's four-guard lineup of Tony Hooper, Lancer Brasher, Jonas Brown and Brandon Roberts keeps the game close late in the second half. Yes, it could happen. Louisiana Monroe has all five starters returning from a team that
almost won the Sun Belt Conference, if it's close late in the game, the Warhawks could win. The four guards, especially Hooper, are experienced and know how to win in late-game situations. This game might be trouble if Kansas doesn't get up by double digits at halftime.
Mario Chalmers
ULM TIP-OFF
WHAT'S AT STAKE
This is the first regular season game for both teams. Louisiana Monroe defeated Millsaps College 93-58 on Tuesday in its only exhibition game. The Warhawks, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, finished 18-14 last season, and the Sun Belt coaches picked Louisiana Monroe to finish first in the Sun Belt West division. But they only have one starter taller than 6-foot-7, and the Warhawks started four guards under 6-foot-3 against Millsaps. Going on the road and playing your first regular season game against No. 4 Kansas is a tough task, but the Jayhawks are the heavy favorite so the Warhawks have nothing to lose.
WHO TO WATCH
Tony Hooper, a 5'11" junior guard from Houston, has a fantastic basketball name. He
also has the game to back it up. Hooper led the Warhawks last season, averaging 15.4 points per game as a sophomore.
Hooper
while shooting better than 40 percent from the floor and 34 percent from behind the three-point line. The Sun Belt coaches named Hooper to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team.
QUESTION MARK
How will Louisiana Monroe match up with Darrell Arthur and the rest of Kansas' post players?
Louisiana Monroe junior forward Afarm Nweke stands 6-foot-7. The rest of the Warhawk's starters stand 6-foot-3 and below. Nweke will have to guard either Arthur or Sasha Kaun, leaving one of the other Louisiana Monroe guards stuck on either the 6-foot-9 Arthur or the 6-foot-11 Kaun. The small guard line-up could work in the Warhawk favor — Kaun or Arthur will have to start out defensively on a guard — but Kansas should be able to dominate the glass and pound it inside to whomever ends up with the size advantage.
HEARYE. HEARYE
"Hopefully we will be prepared by the time we get out there. They are ranked four in the country. They are a very good basketball team and it is on the road. Winning anywhere on the road is tough. I told our guys earlier you have to respect everybody you play and be afraid of no one."
Louisiana Monroe head coach Orlando Early
JAYHAWK STATS
(stats from Nov. 6 exhibition game vs. Fort Hays State)
PREDICTION
Player FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Reb. Pts. Min.
00 Arthur, Darrell SO 9-15 0-0 8 20 22
02 Teahen, Conner FR 1-2 1-2 0 4 6
03 Robinson, Russell SR 3-6 0-1 6 7 24
04 Collins, Sherron SO 4-6 2-4 1 12 23
05 Stewart, Rodrick SR 1-5 0-3 2.5 5.5 16
10 Case, Jeremy SO 2-4 0-2 0 4 12
11 Bechard, Brennan JR 0-1 0-1 0 0 2
14 Reed, Tyrel FR 3-5 1-3 1 3.5 14.5
15 Chalmers, Mario JR 5-7 3-4 2 14 22
22 Buford, Chase FR 1-2 0-1 0 2 2
24 Kaun, Sasha SR 4-8 0-0 8 9 18
25 Rush, Brandon JR 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
32 Jackson, Darnell SR 4-8 0-0 8 10 19
40 Witherspoon, Brad SR 0-0 0-0 1 0 2
45 Aldrich, Cole FR 3-4 0-0 3 6 16
54 Kleinmann, Matt JR 1-1 0-0 2 1 3
91-75 Kansas
GORILLA STATS
The four-guard offense of Louisiana Monroe could give Kansas trouble because it is a different style. Self said his team didn't have time to prepare for specific opponents until at least the third game of the season. Still expect an eight-point lead at half that will gradually grow in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Witherspoon Meter
Will senior walk-on Brad Wittherspoon get the opportunity to play tonight? This meerc tell all. Medium.
(stats from Nov. 6 exhibition game vs. Millsaps College)
Player FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Reb. Pts. Min.
00 Hooper, Tony JR 7-13 3-7 6 17 22
01 Jackson, Gerard SR 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
02 Brasher, Lance SR 1-4 1-3 4 7 17
03 Turner, Raphelle FR 6-6 0-0 6 15 16
04 Drew Meyerchick JSR 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
05 Brown, Jonas SR 7-13 5-10 2 20 23
12 Averette, Kenneth SO 0-1 0-0 2 0 12
20 Nwekn, Afam JSR 1-2 0-0 4 2 15
21 Roche, Nathaniel JSR 0-0 0-0 0 0 2
22 Lawrence, Gilbert JSR 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
23 Payne, Jordan JSR 3-7 0-2 2 9 15
24 Boatner, Chardch FR 2-3 2-3 1 6 9
25 Roberts, Brandon SO 1-5 0-3 1 2 20
31 Paye, Sel FR 2-6 1-4 1 5 11
32 Hampton, Mitchell FR 2-3 0-0 2 4 15
33 Garrison, David JSR 0-1 0-0 5 1 14
50 Melendez, Dalky JSR 2-3 0-1 1 5 9
.