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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
PAGE 9B
KANSAS TIPOFF
JEFFREY KAPLAN
@jkap22
AT A GLANCE
Mason leads the team in assists (4) and is second in points (12). As the unquestionable leader of this team, Mason will need to keep moving the ball around the floor and make the Texas defense tired. Dissecting the Texas zone will prove that Mason will excel in this game. Quick passes after sharp drives by Mason will make for the easiest and most consistent points for the Jayhawks to wear down the zone and minds of the Longhorns.
The Jayhawks come home for two important Big 12 games as the regular season winds down. After a tough loss at Kansas State, the Jayhawks are focused to keep the Big 12 trophy in Lawrence and shut down Texas' chance at spoiling any of those chances. The Jayhawks have a half-game lead over Iowa State in the current standings but must be locked in to get this win against Texas on Saturday and to focus on the last two remaining games.
QUESTION MARK
Can big man Cliff Alexander stay on the floor?
PLAYER TO WATCH
Alexander will be extremely important for the matchup against the Longhorns on Saturday. Described as the biggest frontcourt in the Big 12, Alexander need to be up to the task to guard both Miles Turner and Cameron Ridley and stay out of foul trouble. Serving as the biggest body on the Jayhawk lineup, he and Landen Lucas will need to step up big on Saturday to not let the Longhorns dominate the paint with easy points and rebounds.
Frank Mason III sophomore, guard
.410 Kansas leads the Big 12 in three-point percentage in conference play.
KANSAS VS. TEXAS FEB. 28, 4 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE
BY THE NUMBERS
BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
22
Kansas is currently on a 22-game win streak at home.
2 Kansas is a projected No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.
The whole Jayhawk team can get off to a strong start and win the battle on the boards. The Jayhawks are going to need to out-rebound the Longhorns to separate themselves on the scoreboard. Getting off to a strong start and pushing the ball down the floor at a quick pace will set the tone for the game and take the Longhorns out of the game.
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF
No.8 KANSAS (22-6,11-4)
PROJECTED STARTERS
Wayne Selden Jr., sophomore, guard
Wayne Selden Jr., sophomore, guards Selden seems to be playing better at home than on the road recently. Averaging 11.2 points per game in conference games at home, Selden looks to improve his three-point shot and become more of a centerpiece of the Jayhawk offense. Keep an eye out for Selden to dish the ball off to anyone else near the hoop as he delivers the second most assists on the team.
Frank Mason III, sophomore, guard
Frank Mason in, sophomore, guard With a weak show in Kansas State, Mason aims to redeem himself back on home turf. If Mason can produce multiple assists along with consistent scoring, he will pose as the biggest dual threat to the Longhorns. Watch for Mason to push the ball, break down Texas zone and keep its big men always on their toes.
Kelly Oubre Jr., freshman, guard
With the exception of the game against TCU, Oubre has proved himself as the man to guard when the Jayhawks are at home. Since being named a starter, Oubre has produced double digits in all but two of his home starts. Oubre is top three on the team in steals and rebounds, making him an important piece to the Jayhawks' winning formula.
Perry Ellis, junior, forward
Ellis tied his season high scoring total with 24 points against Kansas State. Ellis has consistently scored in double digits in 11 of the Jayhawks' last 12 games, as well as grabbed an average of nearly eight rebounds in those twelve games. Getting Ellis going fast will be the key to breaking down Texas and wearing down the zone.
Cliff Alexander, freshman, forward
Alexander is coming off of a brutal scoreless game at K-State. Still a starter, Alexander needs to find ways to set screens and roll to the hoop for easy layups or dunks to be effective. Foul trouble comes easily and often for Alexander, but as he's the second leading rebounder on the team, the Jayhawks need to get as many minutes out of Alexander as possible.
★★☆☆★
PROJECTED STARTERS
Isajah Taylor, sophomore, guard
Isaiah Taylor will not shy away from contact on his way to the basket and consistently gets himself to the foul line three to four times a game.Taylor is also turnover-prone, averaging 2.5 a game to 4.4 assists. Against Kansas, Taylor finished with 23 points.
Kendal Yancy, sophomore, guard
The 6-foot-3 guard is the lone change to the starting lineup used in the last matchup with Kansas. His breakout performance came against Iowa State, where he scored 29 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting. Yancy shoots 33.3 percent from deep on the year and is an 80.6 percent foul-shooter.
Jonathan Holmes, senior, forward
Jontahl Holmes, senior, 10-2
Jekyll and Hyde-like, Holmes will score 20-plus points one night, only to follow up with a goose egg the next. Against Kansas, Holmes scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. In all, Holmes averages 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Connor Lammert, junior, forward
Lammert is not a major scoring threat, but he shoots well for his size. Don't be surprised to see him step back and fire away from deep. However, Lammert has been in a minor shooting slump as of late, making just two of his last nine.
Cameron Ridley, junior, center
Ridley is a force down low, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game and blocking 1.6, the third most in the Big 12. His defensive prowess is not as daunting as last year, but fewer teams seem to be challenging him as his fouls are down
Prediction Kansas 85 Texas 68
TEXAS
TIPOFF
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_dan
AT A GLANCE
PLAYER TO WATCH
This past offseason, Texas, not Kansas, topped many pundits' preseason predictions. Texas returned the nucleus of its team and also added Myles Turner, while the Kansas lost the nation's most explosive player in the country and their best big man. Neither of those things matter now. Since its 75-62 loss to Kansas in Austin, on Jan. 24, when the Longhorns were ranked No. 17, Texas has lost six of its past nine games.
Myles Turner freshman, forward
The true freshman has not cracked the starting lineup, but that hasn't kept him from putting up solid numbers. In 22.6 minutes per game, Turner hits 46.6 percent of his shots, good for 11.2 points per game. He's a 30 percent three-point shooter and the league's fourth best free-throw shooter (83.2 percent). Turner also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (2.64). Against Kansas, Turner finished with eight rebounds, five blocks and eight points, but fouled out.
QUESTION MARK
If not Perry Ellis, then who?
In Monday night's loss in Manhattan, the Jayhawks got all of three points from post players outside of Perry Ellis. Kansas State began double-teaming Ellis on the block, and nobody emerged after Ellis was neutralized. For Kansas to earn at least a share of the Big 12, it'll need auxiliary help from its bigs: Landen Lucas, Jamari Traylor and Cliff艾安. That will also be paramount in a few weeks for a satisfactory run — by Kansas' tournament — in the NCAA tournament.
-4.11
5
BY THE NUMBERS
Texas holds the conference's worst turnover margin, forcing the least turnovers in the Big 12 (9.2) and turning the ball over the second most (13.3).
Texas is the fifth-ranked rebounding team in the nation, averaging 40.3.
36
As a team, Texas holds opposing teams to 36.6 percent shooting from the field, leading the Big 12.
BABY JAY WILL CRY IF
Kansas doesn't value and protect the basketball. In the first meeting between these two teams, Kansas turned the ball over just three times, tied for the teewest in program history (1966 vs. Iowa State). Although it'd be a little wishful thinking to expect that kind of performance again, keeping the turnover number below 10 would help a backcourt that has had issues since the West Virginia loss.