THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012
KANSAS TIPOFF
PAGE 78
Kansas (31-6) is making its 14th Final Four appearance and second under Bail Self. The Jayhawks underwhelmed during the first three games of the tournament, but sprang to life in an 80-67 Elite Eight win over North Carolina. Kansas beat Ohio State on Dec. 10 in Allen Fieldhouse, but the Buckeyes were without firstteam all-American Jared Sullinger (back spasms). Sullinger's presence in the rematch means the Jayhawks will have to step up.
AT A GLANCE
PLAYER TO WATCH
Tyshawn Taylor, Senior guard
Kansas' floor general is full of confidence after registering 22 points, six boards, five assists and five steals against North Carolina. However, Taylor has yet to hit a
Taylor
3-pointer in the tournament (0-17) and has never made a 3-pointer in a domed stadium. Saturday's game is in the Louisiana Superdome. Ohio State guard Aaron Craft, one of the nation's best on-ball defenders, will hound Taylor all night. If Taylor limits turnovers and makes shots, Kansas will be tough to beat.
Will Kansas' toughness continue to carry the Jayhawks?
QUESTION MARK
Coach Bill Self said the 2008 Final Four team would be favored against the 2012 team, but that the 2012 team "wouldn't buy into that." Indeed, while this year's team might be Self's least talented, it is probably his toughest. Kansas willed itself to victory in a 19-point comeback against Missouri and against Purdue and North Carolina in the tournament. Against Big Ten co-champion Ohio State, toughness may be the decider again.
"I think the more you try to control something, the less you actually do. You just have to let it ride and go play. The things you try to control aren't the things between the lines. It's the media, distractions, agents, runners, family members, tickets and hotel rooms. Those are the things we need to control. As far as playing, I am not going to try to control that. All four teams have gotten here by playing a certain way."
HEAR YE. HEAR YE
— Kansas coach Bill Self, on how to control things while playing on a national stage.
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
The Jayhawks make clutch plays on both sides of the floor, maintain their aura of toughness and advance to Monday night's national championship.
Taylor
Johnson
Releford
Robinson
KANSAS (25-5,16-2) STARTERS
TYSHAWN TAYLOR. GUARD
Thus far in the tournament, Taylor's level of play has corresponded with Kansas' level of play. He shot a combined 6-25 against Purdue and North Carolina State and struggled to ignite Kansas' sputtering offense. He was terrific, against Roy Williams' Tarheels. Matchup up against lockdown defender Aaron Craft, Taylor must value offensive possessions and select shots wisely. Under college basketball's brightest lights, Taylor has the chance to prove his critics wrong once and for all.
Withey
ELIJAH JOHNSON. GUARD
Nobody on the Kansas roster has made larger strides in March than Johnson. He is averaging 15.8 points per game in the last six contests, compared with his 9.8 season average. Without Johnson, Kansas likely would have fallen to Purdue in the second round, but his clutch three-pointer, layup and alley-oop pass to Taylor in the final moments proved decisive. Johnson hit five threes against Ohio State in the first meeting.
TRAVIS RELEFORD, GUARD
Although quiet offensively, Releford has expended great energy on defense throughout the tournament: he guarded versatile Purdue forward Robbie Hummel, sharp-shooting North Carolina State guard Scott Wood and North Carolina star Harrison Barnes. His next assignment is 6-foot-6 wing William Buford, Ohio State's fifth all-time leading scorer. Releford cannot let Buford break out of his current slump.
THOMAS ROBINSON. FORWARD
Kansas' thoroughbred forward gets what he wished for back in December: a showdown with Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger. Robinson is averaging 17.9 points and 11.8 boards per game, but has shot just 37 percent in the tournament. In order to steal the National Player of the Year award from Kentucky's Anthony Davis, Robinson must outperform Sullinger and avoid foul trouble against Ohio State's physically strong front court.
★★★★★
All-American matchup No.2 seeds head-to-head in the Final Four KANSAS VS. OHIO STATE 7:49 P.M., VENUE, NEW ORLEANS
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
The 7-foot center's ability to protect the rim on defense and block shots has proven invaluable. Withey blocked 10 shots against North Carolina State in the Sweet 16, falling one short of tying the NCAA Tournament record. He followed that performance with another fine outing against North Carolina, scoring 15 points, grabbing 8 boards and swatting three shots. Jared Sullinger may be his toughest defensive task all season.
SAM KOVZAN editor@kansan.com
OHIO STATE
(27-4, 4-14)
STARTERS
AARON CRAFT. GUARD
Just a sophomore. Craft is one of the most underrated point guards in the country. His offensive numbers aren't spectacular (8.8 points per game, 4.7 assists), but he limits his turnovers (just 2 per game) and is a fantastic defender. Against Kansas on Dec. 10, Craft single-handedly forced six Tyshawn Taylor turnovers. He excels at defending ball screens—something Kansas on relies heavily—and his quick hands lead to steals and transition scoring for Ohio State.
Craft
LENZELLE SMITH JR., GUARD
Buford
WILLIAM BUFORD. CENTER
The sophomore guard is Ohio State's fifth leading scorer this season (6.7 points per game), but is fresh off two excellent games. Smith scored 17 in a Sweet 16 win over Cincinnati and 18 in the East regional final against Syracuse. Smith shoots 37.7 percent from 3-point range and, at 6-foot-4, has good length on defense. Smith is the least likely Buckeye starter to hurt Kansas, but he showed his ability last weekend.
The 6-foot-6 senior is Ohio State's fifth all-time leading scorer. Buford is streaky, but can score in bunches. He has scored at least 23 points six times this season and is Ohio State's best shooter. He's labored in the tournament, hitting under 30 percent from the field. Even so, he remains an offensive threat at all times.
DESHAUN THOM-
Deshaun Thomas’ NBA draft status has skrocketed during the NCAA Tour. The Court
AS, FORWARD
sophomore forward leads the tournament in scoring (21.8 points per game) and has shot 41.1 percent from 3-point range. He had 19 points in the game at Allen Fieldhouse, proving a tricky matchup for Kansas' big men. Thomas Robinson struggled guarding Purdue's Robbie Hummel on the perimeter, so expect Kevin Young to play a role in trying to slow Thomas down.
Thomas
IARED SULLINGER, FORWARD
Ohio State's leading scorer (17.6 points per game) and rebounder (9.3 per game) is playing his best basketball at just the right time. Sullinger suffered through a winter slump, but has scored 20 or more points in five of Ohio State's last nine games. His 16 double-doubles this season rank second in the Big Ten. Sullinger would have been a top-3 NBA draft pick last year, but he returned for his sophomore season in hopes of winning a national championship. He's awfully close now.
Sullinger
OHIO STATE TIPOFF
OHIOSTATE
AT A GLANCE
Ranked No. 3 in preseason polls, Ohio State (31-7) looked like an underachiever in February. The Buckeyes had lost three of five games and were two games back in the Big Ten race. Since then, Thad Matta's squad has won eight of nine and advanced to the program's 11th Final Four. Sophomore forward Jared Sullinger is playing like an all-American again, averaging 20 points per game during stretch.
William Buford, Senior guard
PLAYER TO WATCH
If Buford stays in his current slump. Ohio State's tournament run will likely end on Saturday night. He has hit just 29 percent from the
Will Jared Sullinger's presence be the difference-maker?
field and has a 1:1 assist-to-turn over ratio during the tournament. Chances are Buford is too good a player (15 points per game) to continue struggling. Expect a solid performance from him, and hope that Kansas can limit his impact.
QUESTION MARK
Kansas won the first meeting this season, but Sullinger was injured and didn't play. That appeared to give the Jayhawks the advantage, as Robinson and forward Kevin Young combined for 35 points. With Sullinger involved, the frontcourt matchup becomes even more intriguing. Will Jeff Withey's length bother Sullinger? Can Robinson contain the rapidly improving Deshaun Thomas on the perimeter? Who gets into foul trouble first?
HEAR YE. HEAR YE
"There was a lot of finger-pointing going around. There was some adversity; we weren't playing as well as we thought we should be."
— Sophomore guard Aaron Craft, on his team's mid-season struggles. Source: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF..
The Jayhawks make costly mistakes down the stretch and Craft and Sullinger outplay Taylor and Robinson.
Prediction Kansas 67, Ohio State 65