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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS TIPOFF
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BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
BLAIR SHEADE
sports@kansan.com
AT A GLANCE
West Virginia has never beaten Kansas since entering the Big 12 conference in
beaten Kansas since entering the Big 12 conference in 2012. The unfamiliarity of playing the Mountaineers can cause problems for the young Jayhawks. The team will have its hands full with the Big 12 conference Player of the Week Juwan Staten, and Kansas will have to focus on perimeter defense
defense.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Naadir Tharpe
Jayhawks coming off big victory against Baylor, look to continue Big 12 surge KANSAS VS. WEST VIRGINIA FEB.8,3 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, LAWRENCE
After a 22-point performance against Baylor on Tuesday, Tharpe will be forced to run the offense against a West Virginia stout defense, and he will be forced to guard West Virginia's best player Juwan Staten. Tharpe's game against Baylor won't replicate against West Virginia because Tharpe will be guarded by Staten, who's a good defensive player, and Kansas will need Tharpe to be more of a distributor in the offense.
QUESTION MARKS
Will the Jayhawk defense be able to shut down the Big 12? Player of the Week Juwan Staten, who averages 18 ppg?
Staten will be guarded mostly by Tharpe and freshman Frank Mason. If Staten starts to have a similar performance to the Kansas State game, where he scored a career-high 35 points, Coach Self will be forced to stick Wiggins on Staten. Self matches the best scorer on the opposing team with Wiggins because Wiggins is the best on-ball defender.
BY THE NUMBERS
27
Number of defensive rebounds Kansas averages per game
Joel Embiid's shooting percentage from the field
61
Kansas shuts down West Virginia's Juwan Staten. Staten is coming off a huge game against Kansas State and Kansas has had problems defending top scorers. If Kansas can contain Staten, then the Jayhawks will have a better chance of winning. Kansas and West Virginia don't have a rivalry, but if the Kansas gives Staten open shots then Kansas will have a long day in Morgantown, W. Va.
4 Kansas' number of straight victories against West Virginia
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF
- Edited by Alec Weaver
No.8 KANSAS (17-5, 8-1 Big 12)
STARTERS
Naadir Tharpe, guard
In the beginning of the season, Tharpe was thought of as the experienced leader who needs to be conservative and distribute the ball to help the Jahawks run their offensives. Now, Tharpe inserted himself into the offense. He showed his ability to score with a 22-point performance against Baylor. Tharpe keeps looking to score, but his focus still needs to prevent turnovers. Tharpe will be challenged on the defensive end by Big 12 Player of the Week, Juwan Staten.
Over the past week, Selden has stirred talk about being an NBA dribble lottery pick after scoring 21 points in the loss against Texas. Selden, who scored four points against Baylor on Tuesday, only attempted one 3-point basket for the first time all season. Selden usually lives by the three to open up his driving ability. Selden's game revolves around his physical play, and he will have to play great perimeter defensive against a West Virginia team that shoots the ball well.
Wayne Seiden, guard
Andrew Wiggins, guard
held goal percentage of Wiggins has dropped an undefeated over the past two games, where he has shot 6-25. Wiggins' recent performances haven't been invisible because he contributes in other ways. His defense shined bright against Baylor on Tuesday, where Wiggins had three steals, which led to six fast break points, and two blocks. Wiggins will have to stay aggressive as a shooter and as a defender to be a force
WEST VIRGINIA (14-9,6-4 Big 12)
throughout the rest of the season.
The field goal percentage of Wiggins has dropped dramatically on the past two games, where he has shot 6-25. Wiggins'
Perry Ellis, forward
Ellis is Kansas' secret weapon. The past four out of five games, Ellis scored double-digit figures in the paint. Ellis has been labaled as soft under the basket, but the fact that he stays aggressive helped his game against Baylor. Ellis shot 50 percent from field and hit all four of his free throws. Ellis will need to stay tough in the pain against a weak West Virginia front court.
The past games have been rough for Embild. On Saturday, Embild had trouble with the large bodies of the front court, and on Tuesday, Embild was forced to the bench due to early foul trouble. Embild still finished with seven rebounds and five points while playing 17 minutes. Embild need to stay in the game for the lajyhawk offense to be at full force.
Joel Embid, center
STARTERS
Kevin Noreen, forward
At 6-10 and 250, Noreen is the Mountainers' biggest presence in the paint. He started against Kansas State but logged just three minutes. He hasn't attempted a field goal in his last four games and hasn't made one since Jan. 6 against Texas Tech.
Remi Dibo, forward
A native of France, Dibo is coming off two straight games of scoring in double figures, the first time he has accomplished the feat this season. He is a forward that stretches the floor with his shooting range. The junior ranks second on the team and sixth in the conference in 3-pointers made.
Juwan Staten,guard
A candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, Staten is coming off of a career-high performance against Kansas State on Feb. 1 when he scored 35 points and made 18 of his 21 free throws. Aside from ranking second in the Big 12 in scoring — averaging 18 points a game — the junior also leads the conference in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Eron Harris, guard
Another guard capable of lighting up the scoreboard,
Harris ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 17 points a game. By his standards, Harris has struggled in his last two games scoring 11.5 points on 29 percent shooting. Harris ranks third in the Big 12 for 3-pointers,
having made 58.
This freshman has been inconsistent in Big 12 play. He scored 18 against West Virginia and 16 at Baylor but has scored just eight points in his last two games. Almost half of his points this season have come from long-range, where he leads the Horned Frogs in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made.
Terry Henderson, guard
Prediction: Kansas 79, WVU 72
WV
TIPOFF
BRIAN HILLIX sports@kansan.com
AT A GLANCE
The Mountaineers (13-9, 5-4) have benefited from a light schedule as they will have played just three ranked conference teams heading into Saturday's matchup with No. 8 Kansas. West Virginia has one of the best guard combinations in the country, as Staten. Harris and Henderson combine to average 47 points a game. The team's post play is far less stable and will be an area of concern for the Mountaineers against a tall and physical Kansas squad.
The Mountaineers (13-9)
Kansas squad.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Juwan Staten
The reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, Staten came up big at Baylor as he made the game-winning shot to give West Virginia a 66-64 win. Staten followed that with a career-high 35 points versus Kansas State.His 20.4 scoring average in conference games leads the Big 12.
QUESTION MARKS
Will West Virginia's defense hold up?
Kansas, the best-shooting team in the Big 12 (in terms of field goal percentage), should be able to take advantage of a suspect West Virginia defense that gives up 71 points a game. The Mountaineers have the firepower on offense, but it may not be enough to keep up with Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse if their defense is giving up a lot of points.
BY THE NUMBERS
37
Average minutes played by Staten, best in the Big 12
0-4
Record against ranked teams this season (as of Feb. 4)
43.8
BABY JAY WILL CRY IF
Juwan Staten and Ewon Harris each score 15 points. The highest-scoring duo in the conference, Staten and Harris can give West Virginia a fighting chance if they are making shots. If both are clicking, Kansas could be in for a dogfight.
Edited by Alec Weaver
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