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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014
PAGE 3B
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KANSAS TIPOFF
BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
BLAIR SHEADE
sports@kansan.com
Jayhawks look to improve from weekend loss in last home game against Texas Tech KANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH MAR. 5, 7 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
AT A GLANCE
The Jayhawks have already won the Big 12 Conference outright this season. This game will serve as stress relief from the Oklahoma State loss. This is the last game for seniors Tarik Black, Justin Wesley and Niko Roberts, and a farewell to underclassmen that will leave school for the NBA.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Andrew Wiggins
Wednesday will most likely be the last game for Andrew Wiggins in Allen Fieldhouse. Wiggins has averaged 14 points at the Fieldhouse and will go out with a bang. Wiggins scored 19 points against Tech on Feb. 18.
QUESTION MARKS
Can Tarik Black replace Joel Embiid without skipping a beat?
Black replaced Embiid on Feb. 15 against TCU due to an Embiid injury. Black scored seven points and grabbed one rebound against TCU. Those aren't eye-popping numbers that will make the Jayhawks not miss Embiid. Black needs to step in all areas to help the Jayhawks succeed without Embiid.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Jayhawks are shooting 49 percent from the field this season, which ranks fifth in the NCAA
69
Kansas' defense holds opposing offenses to 69 points per game
3 The Jayhawks have three of their seven losses when Joel Embiid isn't in the starting lineup
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF
The Jayhawks can hold Texas Tech to under 50 percent from 3-point range. On Feb. 18, Kansas allowed the Red Raiders to shoot 6-12 from beyond the arc and the Jayhawks needed a last second tip-in by Wiggins to win the game. If Kansas can play tough perimeter defense on Texas Tech, the Jayhawks will have a better shot of blowing the Red Raiders out.
No. 8 KANSAS (22-7,13-3 Big 12)
STARTERS
This season, Tharpe struggled with turnovers and inconsistency in his offensive game. After scoring 19 points and five assists with only one turnover against Oklahoma on Feb. 24, Tharpe scored six points and committed six turnovers against Oklahoma State on Saturday. It seemed as though Tharpe injured his left hand against Oklahoma State and had an off-shoot night due to the injury. Coach Soil said Tharpe will be fine and play against Texas Tech.
Naadir Tharpe, guard
Wayne Selden Jr., guard
Recently, Selden has been the most versatile player on the Kansas team. When defenders face guard him, Selden takes the ball to the rim. When defenders guard him loose, he has the ability to hit the long-range jump shot. Even though Selden took six 3-pointers and only hit two of them, all six 3-pointers were open looks. Selden has settled down in the Jayhawks' offense and doesn't force many shots
TEXAS TECH (13-16,5-11 Big 12)
Andrew Wiggins, guard
The last time Wiggins played Texas Tech, he scored 19 points and had the game-winning tip-in. Wiggins hasn't scored under ten points in eight consecutive games despite his 3-point shooting woes. Since Feb. 4, he has shot 9-32 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Wiggins managed to lead the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game and was the best on-ball defender.
Perry Ellis, forward
Ellis will see more offensive opportunities with Embiid on the bench. When Embiid sat out against TCU on Feb. 15, Ellis scored 32 points on 13-15 shooting from the field and 2-2 shooting from 3-point range. Since Embiid's return to the lineup on Feb. 18, Ellis has averaged only 8.5 points per game, but Ellis has averaged 13 points per game for the season, second on the Jayhawks.
Wednesday will be the first of two games that Black will start for the injured freshman Joel Embiid. Black usually provides solid minutes off the bench since Embiid emerged as the starter on Dec. 10. Since then, the senior has averaged 4 points.
Tarik Black, center
STARTERS
The team's leading scorer and rebounder is coming off a one-point performance against Baylor on Saturday. He is an efficient shooter and ranks third in the league in field goal percentage and fourth in free throw percentage. Crockett has combined for 15 points in his last three games and has only attempted two free throws.
Jave Crockett, forward
Deian Kravic, forward
A seven-footer, Kravic has averaged 10.5 points in his last two games—three above his season average. He is more of a presence of the defensive end and ranks eighth in the league averaging 1.3 blocks a game. The Canadian went 6-for-8 against Kansas on Feb. 18 and finished with 18 points.
Jordan Tolbert, Forward
Tolbert averages almost 11 points per game and has scored in double digits in four of his last five games. Like Crockett, Tolbert is an efficient scorer and has a 56-percent field goal percentage. He ranks second on the team in points and rebounds. His 16 points against Kansas two weeks ago rank as his second-highest scoring performance in conference play.
Robert Turner,guard
Turner leads the Red Raiders in assists and steals. His 1.4 steals per game rank as the third best in the conference. He has been the most successful in conference play when he can get to the free throw line, except he has struggled lately and missed his last six attempts. He went 6-for-8 against Baylor on Saturday and scored 12 points.
TTU TIPOFF
Toddrick Gotcher, guard
The only underclassman in the starting lineup, Gotcher didn't attempt a field goal in his first meeting with the Jahwahars and missed all four of his free throw attempts. The sophomore's best games of the season have come inside United Spirit Arena including two 17-point performances in conference play.
★★☆☆☆
BRIAN HILLIX
sports@kansan.com
AT A GLANCE
One of the biggest surprises in the conference this season, the Red Raiders have proven they are capable of competing with the best teams in the league. While Texas Tech will likely not make the NCAA Tournament, it can still play the role of spoiler. Four of the five starters are upperclassmen and veteran coach Tubby Smith gives the club many years of experience.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jaye Crockett
Jaye Gruffner He is coming off a one-point performance and has been in a recent slump having not scored in double-digits in his last three games. He can't continue this slump against Kansas or the Red Raiders won't be able to keep up
the scoring pace.
QUESTION MARKS
Will Dejan Kravic take advantage of Joel Embiid's absence?
Kravic had one of his best conference games against Kansas in the teams' first meeting. It should come a little easier without the seven-footer in the paint.
69. 4 Points/game, 8th in the Big 12
BY THE NUMBERS
PREDICTION: KANSAS 85 — TEXAS TECH 69
32
3-point percentage,worst in the Big 12
BABY JAY WILL CRY IF
Kansas has more than 15 turnovers. The Jayhawks committed 22 turnovers against the Cowboys on Saturday, a large reason for surrendering a 10-point lead midway through the second half. They need to clean this up before the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments in order to avoid an early exit.
Edited by Brook Barnes
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