+
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 2014
PAGE 3B
+
KANSAS TIPOFF
WILDCAT RUMPUS
KANSAS VS. KANSAS STATE FEB. 10,8 P.M., BRAMLAGE COLISEUM, MANHATTAN
Kansas State seeks to avenge loss in Lawrence
BLAIR SHEADE
sports@kansan.com
AT A GLANCE
This is an underrated important game for Kansas. If the Jayhawks lose, that will bring the Big 12 Conference very close and Kansas State a chance to get back into the race. Kansas beat the Wildcats by 26 in Lawrence, which means K-State will be out for blood at the Octagon of Doom in Manhattan.
Naadir Tharpe
PLAYER.TO WATCH
Tharpe will have to manage the offensive and worry about K-State's Marcus Foster. Tharpe has run the offense well recently by not turning the ball over and hitting his open shots. What to watch is Tharpe guarding Foster. Foster is capable of taking over games and if Tharpe allows Foster easy baskets, people will be watching Tharpe from the bench.
QUESTION MARKS
Can Joel Embiid stay out of foul trouble?
Embiid picked up four fouls in each of his last three games. Due to his foul trouble, Embiid played little in the first halves of those games and forced the bench to step up. No denying, the Jayhawks are better with Embiid on the floor and for Kansas to beat K-State in Manhattan the Jayhawks will need everyone contributing to the scoring.
KSU TIPOFF
BY THE NUMBERS
Joel Embid has six double-doubles this season after his 11 points and 12 rebounds performance against West Virginia
79 The Jayhawks average 79 points per game
Kansas can hold Marcus Foster under 20 points. Foster, who is coming off a 34-point game with 5-8 from three against Texas on Saturday, shoots 38 percent from beyond the arc. The Jayhawks will need to intensify their perimeter defense to secure the season swept against the Wildcats.
187 Kansas has beaten the Wildcats 187 times
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF
Edited by Amber Kasselman
No.8 KANSAS (18-5,9-1 Big 12)
STARTERS
Naadir Tharpe, guard
Naadir Tharpe, guard After a tough defensive battle against West Virginia's guard Juwan Staten, Tharpe will have his hands Iulu again. He will have to face K-State's guard Marcus Foster, who scored 34 points against Texas on Saturday. Tharpe's offensive game has been constant, but he needs to step up his perimeter defense. If Tharpe can't contain Foster then he will be replaced with freshmen Frank Mason early.
Wayne Selden, Jr., guard
The Jayhawks most consistent player on Saturday was Selden. He presented a combination of 3-point range and driving ability. His shot beyond the arc has improved throughout the season and Selden showed confidence on Saturday by shooting 3-5 from three. Selden started taking the ball to the rim more often and he seems more comfortable in the lane now too. He's a hard player to stop when he's hitting
Andrew Wiggins, guard
The hype is back. Even though Wiggins isn't scoring a high volume of points and isn't having eye-popping numbers, he is playing the role that Kansas needs him to play to win. Wiggins comes up with big rebounds, takes shots that he knows are within his game and plays shutdown defense on the opponent's best score. Wiggins is the best defender on the team and will continue to be the number one scoring option.
Perry Ellis, forward
The numbers don't tell how poorly Ellis has played of latey. Ellis was 4-8 from the field against West Virginia, but he only played eight minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. Ellis had the worst performance out of all the Jayhawks on Saturday and he's not improving on defense. He gives up a lot of points and offensive rebounds in the paint. Ellis needs to become tougher in the lane to stay in because forward Jamari Trayler has played better than
KANSAS STATE (16-7, 6-4 Big 12)
Did Embiid hit the wall? Embiid has averaged only 19 minutes the past three games due to chronic foul trouble. Embiid looks as if he's trying to do too much around the rim. He helps out on every drive to the hoop and needs to learn when he's out of position to block the shot. When Embiid is on the court, he's effective. Even though Embiid only played 17 minutes against West Virginia, he quietly recorded 11 points
Joel Embiid. center
STARTERS
Will Spradling, guard
More than half of his points have come from 3-point range as the senior ranks tenth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game. His 43 percent 3-point percentage in conference play ranks seventh best in the conference. Spradling, who leads the Wildcats in steals, is coming off a nine-point performance shooting 3-4 from the field and recording a season-high four steals.
Shane Southwell, guard
Like Thomas Gippon, Southwell has been unpredictable in Big 12 play. He averaged seven points per game in the first three conference games, 16 points per game in his next four and four points per game in his last three. The senior is among the top three on the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Foster is coming off his best game of the season. The freshman scored 34 points on 13-16 shooting in the team's 74-57 win over the Longhorns on Saturday and was the only Wildcat to reach double figures. One of his worst conference games came against Kansas on Jan. 11 when he scored seven points shooting 25 percent. He averages a team-leading 14.7 points per
Marcus Foster, guard
Wesly Iwundu, forward
BRIAN HILLIX
sports@kansan.com
Capable of playing either guard or forward, the freshman dished out a career-high eight assists against Texas on Saturday. Not known for scoring, Iwundu's career-high of 14 points came in the team's first game of the season against Northern Colorado.
He only registered four points against
He only registered four points against Kansas in Lawrence on two field goal attempts.
Thomas Gipson, forward
Gipson has been inconsistent in conference play. Since scoring 20-plus in back-to-back games, he has scored four points or less in two games. Most of his scoring comes near the basket as the 265-pound forward averages nearly 12 points a game on 58 percent shooting from the field.
AT A GLANCE
Prediction: Kansas 82, KSU 76
The Wildcats (16-7, 6-4 Big 12) are 3-0 against ranked teams at home this season including a win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma State on Jan. 4. They essentially play with a four-guard lineup with forward Thomas Gipson manning the paint. Kansas State has one of the conference's best defenses, which allows a league-low 67 points against conference teams.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Marcus Foster
Andrew Wiggins was able to negate Foster in Lawrence as he made just three field goals. Foster appears to be more confident now and has averaged 28.5 points in two February games. He almost single-handedly beat Texas on Saturday and could use a similar performance against the lahwaws.
QUESTION MARKS
Does Kansas State have any energy left after Saturday?
The Wildcats nearly played a perfect game against second-place Texas as they shot 53 percent and held the Long-horns to 33 percent. K-State will have to sustain this level of play to avoid its second home loss of the season.
BY THE NUMBERS
39. 8 Field goal percentage allowed per game, best in the Big 12
10
.
The Wildcats' 10-game winning streak that began on Nov. 24 was ended by Kansas when the Jayhawks beat K-State 86-60 in Lawrence on Jan. 11
68.5
Points per game, ninth in the Big 12
BABY JAY WILL CRY IF
K-State is a completely different team at Bramlage Coliseum this season. If K-State jumps out to an early lead, the crowd noise will be difficult to overcome.
Edited by Amber Kasselman
+