PAGE 8
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS TIPOFF
BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
With the return of Embiid, Jayhawks can't underestimate Red Raiders or get into foul trouble KANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH FEB. 18, 7 P.M., UNITED SPIRIT ARENA, LUBBOCK, TEXAS
BLAIR SHEADE
sports@kansan.com
AT A GLANCE
Texas Tech is not some chump team that will roll over and allow the Jayhawks an easy rout in their house. The Red Raiders have proven they can stand with the big guns of the Big 12. Texas Tech defeated both Baylor in Waco, Texas and Oklahoma State in Lubbock, Texas this season. The Jayhawks haven't played well on the road in the Big 12 this season, and Kansas needs to stay almost perfect in the Big 12 to win the conference title.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Ellis has been playing well laterly, but he will have to continue his hot streak while Embiid is taking shots in the paint. He might see fewer attempts in the paint compared to the past two games, which means he will have to make each shot count. If he can use the double team to his advantage by finding the open guy, Kansas can be very dangerous.
Perry Ellis
+
— Edited by Austin Fisher
QUESTION MARKS
Can freshmen Joel Embiid get back to star form?
After taking time off for injuries, Embibid will show if he is capable of playing long minutes again. He wasn't effective running the court against West Virginia and Kansas State, which showed that his injuries bothered him. If Embibid can play long minutes, then Texas Tech will have problems matching up against Kansas' size.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Jayhawks are number one in the country in field goal percentage with 50 percent shooting average
83
Kansas averages 83 points per game during Big 12 conference play
The Jayhawks can hold Texas Tech forward Jaye Crockett to less than 10 points in the paint. Crockett handles most of his business in the paint. If he grabs a lot of offensive rebounds, the Jayhawks will be in trouble inside.
Wiggins leads Kansas with 16 points per game
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF
No.8 KANSAS (19-6, 10-2 Big 12)
STARTERS
Naadir Tharpe, guard
The numbers don't lie about how Tharpe played against TCU. He played 20 minutes and missed all three of his field goal attempts, which were all 3-pointers. Tharpe committed one turnover, and didn't do a good job facilitating the basketball. He did have four assists, one of which led to a Perry Ellis slam. Defensively, he's constantly beat off the dribble against opposing point guards. The Kysan Andersen scored 21 points in the first half with Tharpe guarding him.
Wayne Selden, Jr., guard
No one knows which Selden will appear on the court every game. Is Wayne hot or is he cold? Selden's game depends on his ability to get to the free-throw line. Against West Virginia on Feb. 8, he hit four out of five free throws and finished with 17 points. The following game against Kansas State on Feb. 10, he didn't attempt a single free throw, and he finished with a season-low two points. His free-throw line stats show how aggressive he is with his offense. When he becomes a shooter instead of a driver, he doesn't take as many trips to the line.
Andrew Wiggins, guard
TEXAS TECH (13-12, 5-7 Big 12)
A sub-par game against TCU was expected from Wiggins. He hit six of eight from inside 20 feet. Wiggins still misses open looks beyond the arc. His best play is around the rim, where he can show off his athletic ability. Coming off seven double-digit scoring performances in eight games, he has kept his offense constant. The past has shown that the Jayhawks don't need Wiggins to score a lot for them to win because Kansas has many offensive weapons, but he is an irreplaceable defender.
Perry Ellis, forward
After a career-high 32-point game, the sophomore said he was on a roll. Ellis is averaging 25 points in the past two contests, and has held the front court down while freshmen Joel Embild rested due to injury. Ellis will see fewer opportunities in the paint with Embild's return, but he has shown he could extend his game way from the basket. Ellis was 2-for-2 from beyond the arc against TCU on Saturday. One aspect of his game that needs work is his post defense. He gets out-muscelled in the paint and isn't fast enough to guard wing players.
Joel Embiid, center
The one game off to rest his knee and back injuries should help Embid get back to beginning of the year form. Coach Seif he said expects Embid to play 25 minutes against Texas Tech. Embid was averaging 12 points in the first seven Big 12 conference games, but only averaged seven points a game in the last four conference games. If Embid can't get anything good, look for coach Self to replace him with senior center Tarik Black or sephomore forward Jamari Traylor, who have been playing well in Embid's absence.
☆☆☆
STARTERS
Jave Crockett, forward
The team's leading scorer and rebounder is coming off a 23-point, 11-rebound performance against Iowa State on Saturday. He is an efficient shooter and ranks third in the league in field goal percentage and fourth in free throw percentage. The senior has shot especially well from the foul line in his last five games, where he made 27 of his last 29 attempts.
Dejan Kravic, forward
A seven-footer, Kravic has averaged just over two points per game over his last three outings. He is more of a presence of the defensive end and ranks ninth in the league averaging 1.2 blocks a game.The Canadian scored 20 points in his last game against Kansas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament last season.
★★☆★★
Jordan Tolbert, forward
Tolbert averages almost 11 points per game but hasn't reached that total in his last five games. This could be caused by his inability to get to the free-throw line, where he attempted just five foul shots during that stretch. Like Crockett, Tolbert is an efficient scorer, shooting 56-percent from the field. He ranks second on the team in points and rebounds.
Robert Turner, guard
Coming off knee and hand injuries, Fields has excelled Turner leads the Red Raiders in assists and steals. His 1.36 steals per game rank as the fourth best in the conference. The junior has reached double figures in only one of his last six games and made just three 3-pointers during that span. He has been the most successful in conference play when he can get to the free-throw line.
Toddrick Gotcher, guard
The only underclassman in the starting lineup, Gotcher tied a season-high with 11 field goal attempts in his last game against Iowa State when he scored 14 points and broke a stretch of five straight games without scoring in double figures. The sophomore's best games of the season have come inside United Spirit Arena including two 17-point performances in conference play.
★★☆☆★
Prediction: Kansas 89, TTU 63
TEXAS TECH TIPOFF
BRIAN HILLIX
sports@kansan.com
AT A GLANCE
One of the biggest surprises in the conference this season, the Red Raiders have proven that they are capable of competing with the league's best teams. Texas Tech nearly erased an 18-point deficit at Iowa State on Saturday and defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla. in the team's previous game. The Red Raiders give up the second-fewest point total per game in the league behind Kansas State. Their offense is less effective and averages 71 points per game, which ranks eighth in the Big 12.
TH
QI
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jaye Crockett
Crockett has gone 14-14 from the foul line in his last two games and is coming off a season-high 23 points against Iowa State. Likely to be guarded by Andrew Wiggins or Wayne Selden, Crockett could help his team by getting one of them into foul trouble.
QUESTION MARKS
Who will step up alongside Crockett?
Against Oklahoma, Robert Turner emerged with 16 points in the upset win. At least one other player will need a game like this for Texas Tech to have a shot at beating Kansas.
BY THE NUMBERS
71.3
Points/game, eighth in the
Big 12
32. 3 3-point percentage, worst in the Big 12
BABY JAY WILL CRY IF
Joel Embiid struggles. Before sitting out against TCU on Saturday, Embiid averaged 7.5 points and 19 minutes (both three below his season average) in the team's previous four games. While Kravic has the size to match up with the center, Embiid is quicker and should be able to utilize his post moves.
— Edited by Austin Fisher
.
+