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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2015
PAGE 11
KANSAS
TIPOFF
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_dan
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AT A GLANCE
More power to the people that keep picking against Kansas. This team was too small, right? Too young? Well, right now, Kansas has a two-game conference lead with six to play. Sure, in non-conference play, Kansas didn't look like it belonged on the same floor as Kentucky (32 point loss) or Temple (25 point loss). But Self's team is never the same in February as it is in November. The Jayhawks' only two losses in conference play came on the road and only by a 5-point margin.
West Virginia's mad-house pressure will likely put considerable stress on Mason, While Selden is white-hot from three, his ball-handling is not trustworthy enough on the road against quick feet. That's why Kansas needs freshman Devonte' Graham to come to his aid Monday night. Lately, the guard has averaged close to 15 minutes per game, but expect to see his ball-handling utilized more Monday.
QUESTION MARK
What happens when the threes aren't falling?
When it's working, it's a thing of beauty. Kansas basically shot its way out of the Baylor zone on Saturday. It pulverized Texas Tech with jumper after jumper. Brannen Greene has torched Georgetown and Texas to name a couple. But in Stillwater on Feb. 7, the well rai dry in the second half, and Kansas went stagnant in the half-court. Saturday, the Jayhawks got solid efforts out of Ellis, Lucas and Alexander. Was that an exception in the confines of Allen Fieldhouse, or the rule and a sign of things to come?
Devonte' Graham, freshman guard
KANSAS VS. WEST VIRGINIA FEB. 16, 8 P.M., WVU COLISEUM
PLAYER TO WATCH
5.1
BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF
Sophomore Frank Mason's streak of double-digit scoring games ended Saturday. Kansas avoids the sloppiness. W
BY THE NUMBERS
Kansas ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding margin.
8
21
Kansas kept Baylor rebounding- machine Rico Gathers to just eight rebounds Saturday. The forward averages over 15 per game.
Virginia will try to speed you up, they'll go for the steal — and get it sometimes — but that will also give you open looks. Kansas should not try to get in a track meet on the road against a team hungry for a win. While it's not Kansas' strength, the Jayhawks should slow things down in the half court and impose their will down low. Ellis and Alexander could have big nights.
No.8 KANSAS (21-4, 10-2 Big 12)
PROJECTED STARTERS
Wayne Seidel Jr., sophomore, guard
The bulk of Selden's 15 points Saturday did not come at the rim, but the encouraging sign was that he took nine shots from the foul-line and made eight. The sophomore ranks second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (42.3 percent), but Kansas is at its best when he is attacking the basket, while at the same time protecting
Frank Mason III, sophomore, guard
The 5-foot-11 guard saw his 21-game double-digit scoring effort come to an abrupt end Saturday. Still, Kansas is winning, and it is clear that Mason is the heartbeat of a team poised to cut down the school's 11th-straight set of nets. Mason ranks sixth in the league in assist-tumor ratio (2.2) and 11th in scoring (12.2).
assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2) and 11th in scoring (12.2)
No.21 WEST VIRGINIA (19-6,7-5 Big 12)
Kelly Oubre Jr., freshman, guard
Kansas is 8-0 when Oubre makes multiple three pointers. Why? He holds defenses accountable when he's shooting well. Then, he can stretch them out, slash past them and create. He looks more assertive on the home court, but an 18-point, six-rebound, and turnover-free performance Saturday gives hope that he is figuring out how to be more consistent.
Perry Ellis, junior, forward
There is a reason only 56 players to ever wear a Kansas uniform have scored 1,000 points. It takes a solid player who stays around long enough. That's just what Ellis is and has done. The junior leads the Jayhawks with 13.1 points per game and seven rebounds. He came up big when Kansas needed him against Baylor. Ellis scored 18 points and added six rebounds.
Long-armed Alexander might just be the rim-protector that this team has sorely lacked this season. He ranks seventh in the league with 1.4 blocked shots per game. He finished Saturday with just one, but left Lubbock with four. Offensively, Alexander uses his 6-foot-8, 240-pound frame to position himself close to the basket for high-percentage shots, and has a nice mid-range
Cliff Alexander, freshman, forward
PROJECTED STARTERS
Juwan Staten, senior, guard
Staten is one of the best players in the conference. Period. The numbers will do the talking. He ranks fifth in the league in scoring (14.3), 15th in field-goal percentage (41.5 percent), second in assists (4.58), third in assists-to-turn-over ratio (2.39), and 10th in minutes played (30.92). It'll be interesting to see who Sell uses to match up on him
His fourth year contributing in as many years, Gary Browne has actually seen his playing time diminish slightly. As a freshman, he averaged nearly 26 minutes per game, but now he is down to less than 20. Browne averages just 6.8 points per game, but shoots a respectable 36.1 percent from downtown. His foul-shooting is less encouraging, just 67.1 percent over the year.
Gary Browne, senior, guard
Daxter Miles, Jr., freshman, guard
The 6-foot-3 freshman has seen his bumps this season, in just 18.8 minutes per game. Ir. has averaged just 6.1 points per game. He has only made 38.1 percent of his field-goals, including 30.1 percent from three, and his free throws are no sure thing. In fact, he misses more than he makes—just 13 of 29 (44.8 percent), and he doesn't get there often.
Devin Williams, sophomore, forward. The 6-foot-9, 255 pound sophomore does his best Rico Gathers impression. His game is limited to within five or so feet of the basket (he has attempted one three this season, but missed), and he is often chalking up double-doubles (although not comfortably). He ranks 19th in the conference with 11.1 points per game, and second in rebounding (8.3).
Devin Williams, sophoniore, forward
Jonathan Holton, junior, forward
At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, Holton will likely match up with Perry Ellis. Ellis has had his lapses and is sometimes careless with the basketball, and Holton may be the guy to take advantage, as the big man averages 1.36 steals per game, good for ninth in the conference. Offensively, it has been a struggle of late. Holton was just 1-of-7 against Baylor despite six rebounds.
WVU TIPOFF
BLAIR SHEADE
@ReaiBlairShead
AT A GLANCE
West Virginia has been on the short side of the stick a few times (close losses to LSU and Iowa State), but when you shoot the ball as poorly from the line as they often do (65.1 percent), that'll happen. At other times, the Mountaineers get their doors blown off. They've been victim to 18-plus-point losses four times in conference play. And at other times, they'll run you out of the gym, as they did to Oklahoma in mid-January.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jevon Carter, freshman guard
The 6-foot-2 freshman will come off the bench and wreak havoc. He averages the third most steals per game in the Big 12 (1.92). Carter also contributes 8.1 points per game in a little over 22 minutes. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins likes to cycle through his rolodex of quick, turnover-creating guards. Carter is usually one of the first off the bench.
Can the Mountaineers defend the arc?
QUESTION MARK
To this point, that answer has been a resounding "no." West Virginia allows opponents to shoot a Big 12-worst 35.5 percent from three. In comes Kansas, uncharacteristically the best three-point shooting team in the league (40.6 percent). To put things in perspective, West Virginia, as a team, shoots 41.2 percent from the field. Seeing that three-points is greater than two, if these teams shoot their averages, Kansas will win comfortably. The Mountaineers have to find an answer.
BY THE NUMBERS
12.1
The Mountaineer's average the most steals per game in the country.
35.5
West Virginia allows the highest three-point field goal percentage in the Rip 12
65.1
West Virginia has been plagued by an inability to consistently shoot free throws, ranking second-worst in the Big 12 at the line.
BABY JAY WILL CRY IF
It becomes turnover city. Kansas could very well play into the牙齿 of the Mountainees pressure — it's not out of the question. After all, they did it against Iowa State in the closing minutes, and didn't fare too well against Oklahoma State's swarming defense either, and those two teams pale in comparison to what Kansas will see Monday. In the game of basketball, the turnover can be a great equalizer for undersized, overmatched teams like West Virginia. The Kansas backcourt will face its toughest challenge yet.
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