THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015
PAGE 7B
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KANSAS TIPOFF
BLAIR SHEADE
@RealBlairSheady
ATA GLANCE
TCU
Kansas previously lost to West Virginia in Morgantown, making it the fifth road loss of the season and the third road loss in the Big 12 conference. Good thing, the Jayhawks are playing TCU in Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas hasn't lost this season. The Jayhawks hold a one-game lead in the Big 12 over Iowa State and can inch closer to its 11th Big 12 title with a win against the Homed Frogs.
Landen Lucas, sophomore forward
After Kansas allowed 22 offensive rebounds against West Virginia, something has to change in order to keep the opponents off the offensive glass. Alexander wasn't able to do it; Jamani Traylor wasn't able to do it; but Landen Lucas was effective Monday and against Baylor on Saturday. Lucas played 16 minutes and was second on the team with six rebounds. If Alexander can't handle the starting spot, Lucas will be the first off the bench.
QUESTION MARK
PLAYER TO WATCH
What happened to all the three-pointers?
For the majority of the season, Kansas relied on the three-point shot as its safe valve. As coach Bill Self has said all season, Kansas could get stuck shooting three-pointers just to keep the team in games. Self might be wrong in this case. Kansas averages 16 three-pointer attempts per game, and the Jayhawks lost three out of five games when they shot under that. Kansas shot only 11 threes during the loss against West Virginia. If Kansas wants to win consistently, the Jayhawks need to shoot the ball consistently from behind the arc.
BY THE NUMBERS
41
Kansas has defeated TCU in Allen Fieldhouse by an average of 28 points since the team joined the Big 12.
Wayne Selden Jr. is second in the Big 12 with 41 percent from behind the arc.
KANSAS VS. TCU FEB. 21,3 P.M., LAWRENCE
113
28
Frank Mason is third in the Big 12 with 113 assists on the season.
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF
Perry Ellis continues his scoring streak. After missing the game winning layup as time expired in the loss to West Virginia, the last thing Kansas fans want to see Ellis do is not recover from the traumatic loss. The Kansas offense revolves around Ellis, in four of the five loses, Ellis failed to score in double figures. If Ellis can't bounce back, the Jayhawks will have trouble finding ways to score and will have to rely on someone else to power the offense.
BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
No.8 KANSAS (21-5, 10-3 Big 12)
PROJECTED STARTERS
Wayne Selden Jr., sophomore, guard
The sophomore disappeared against West Virginia — scoring four points while shooting 40 percent from the field. In the beginning of the season, everyone wanted Selden to drive to the basket more, but since his three-game stretch of shooting 12-for-16 from behind the arc, people have changed their mind. His three-point shot has developed into his best attribute.
Frank Mason III, sophomore, guard
After breaking his 20-game double-figure scoring streak against Baylor, Mason brought back his scoring keys. The sophomore scored 18 points in the loss to West Virginia, but it's what he didn't do against West Virginia that was surprising. Mason only had two assists. The Jayhawks don't need Mason to become the leading scorer; instead, Kansas needs Mason to be the facilitator of the basketball.
Kelly Oubre Jr., freshman, guard
Hands down, Oubre is the best NBA prospect on the team, and he's been playing like it recently. Against West Virginia, Oubre tied for second on the team, scoring 18 points and hitting both three-point attempts. He is more consistent on defense than on offense. Oubre steps up on defense—leading the team in steals with more than one per game, and against West Virginia. Oubre had three total steals, which turned into baskets.
Perry Ellis, junior, forward
Ellis was honored with the Big 12 player of the week award. The lone junior in the starting lineup leads the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg), and Ellis has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games. It will be interesting to see how Ellis bounces back after missing the game-winning layup against West Virginia, but he still scored a team-high of 19 points.
Cliff Alexander, freshman, forward
Alexander's third start of the season didn't go as planned against West Virginia. The freshman only played six minutes. Alexander is known for his rebounding skills, and against West Virginia, he only had one defensive rebound, while allowing 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. If he continues to play soft and not contribute in the paint, Self will have no choice but to start
TCU (16-10,3-10 Big 12)
★★★☆☆
PROJECTED STARTERS
Kyan Anderson, senior, guard
Kyan Anderson, senior, guard
Anderson is seventh in the league in scoring with 13.7 per game. He fifth in assists (a) eight in assist-to-hurrow ratio and is the best free-throw shooter in Big 12 (66.9 percent).
Anderson is also the ninth most efficient three-point shooter in the conference. Against Kansas, Anderson had 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and five turnovers
Trev Zeigler, senior, guard
Hey Zeiger, join me and
Zeiger averages 8.8 points per game and 4.1 rebounds.
He's shot a fair 45.4 percent from the field, but the number may be inflated because he rarely shoots the three — just five attempts all season. His 1.21 assist-to-turnover ratio gives reason to think Kansas can exploit this matchup.
Last time playing against the Jayhawks, Zeiger notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Kenrich Williams, sophomore, forward
A transfer from New Mexico Junior College. Williams ranks fifth in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage. His calling card is his intensity, which may get him to the foul line, but when he does get there he shoots a wowful 58 percent. Williams dropped 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting against Kansas, including nine rebounds.
Crisis Washburn, sophomore, forward
Averaging 6.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds, Washburn has still not figured it out completely. But Saturday's 10-point, nine-rebound performance may have helped out his confidence heading into Wednesday. Washburn is sixth in the conference in blocked shots per game (1.53) and may be matched up on Peny Ellis. Last time against the Jayhawks he finished with seven points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
Karviar Shepherd, sophomore, center
The 6-foot-10 center averages 24.3 minutes per game, six minutes down from last season, and 6.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Getting the ball to go through the ring has been the biggest issue for Shepherd this season, who shoots just 44 percent from the field, averaging 4.8 points over the past five games. Still, his size will test Kansas in the frontcourt Wednesday.
Prediction Kansas 74 TCU 68
TCU
TIPOFF
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_dan
AT A GLANCE
PLAYER TO WATCH
Since its first matchup with Kansas, a comeback attempt that fell short in a 64-61 loss inside the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center, the Horned Frogs have lost in Ames, Iowa (as most teams do), kept things respectable against Baylor, played Oklahoma tough, let Texas run away in Austin, and upened Oklahoma State, 70-55. TCU coach Trent Johnson was pleased with the way his team shot the ball in the team's lone win, as that has been a recurring issue this season.
Amric Fields, senior forward
Coming off the bench at 6-foot-9, 220 pounds, fields gives TCU's frontcount more length, which is key in this conference. He uses that reach for 3.1 rebounds and 7.1 points in just 16.2 minutes per game. Fields was held to just one point in 12 minutes against Kansas.
Can Kansas clean things up?
QUESTION MARK
Last time these two teams took the same floor, coach Bill Self said Kansas wasn't competitive or tough, and the energy level was horrific. Kansas was out-rebounded 26-9 on the offensive glass. While TCU missed 50 shots from the field, made just two of the 12 three-pointers (16.7 percent) and was 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from the line, it still had possession of the ball in the last seconds with a chance to tie. Kansas didn't take care of the basketball, turning it over 14 times, five of which were unrelated to TCU steals.
BY THE NUMBERS
61.4
Even with the league's best foul-shooter on roster, Kyan Anderson, TCU holds the worst free-throw percentage in the league by almost 5 percent.
57.3
131
TCU allows the fewest points per game in the Big 12.
TCU's ranking in the latest Rating Percentage Index (RPI). Kansas ranks
BABY JAY WILL CRY IF
Kansas does not exact revenge for the West Virginia loss on an inferior TCU team. The Jayhawks took care of business in Fort Worth, Texas — "taking care of business" used lightly since they were saved by the bell. After the victory, Self was as upset as he was following the West Virginia loss Monday night. As February comes to a close, Kansas wants to win some games going away to take some pressure off itself, and prove that it is a top-flight team come tournament time.
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