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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012
KANSAS TIPOFF
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
AT A GLANCE
Attention has been diverted by many to Saturday, possibly the final game against Missouri. But coach Bill Self insisted that his team won't utter the name "Missouri" until the Texas A&M game is finished. The Aggies boast the Big 12's best scoring defense with 60.2 points allowed per game, just .2 points better than Kansas. On Saturday against Texas Tech, the Jayhawks started fast, then faded in the second half. Kansas still won 83-50, but focus was inconsistent in the second half. There will likely be less room for error tonight.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Tyshawn Taylor, guard
When the Jayhawks started to unravel in the second half on Saturday, Taylor was perhaps the biggest reason. In 13 second-half minutes
Taylor
he scored two points and committed three turnovers. Taylor will have to keep his team in attack mode for both halves against a stingy Aggies defense.
Will the offense show up?
QUESTION MARK
The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 with a 49.1 field goal percentage in conference play. However, in the first half against the Aggies on Jan. 23, they shot just 37.9 percent. Junior forward Thomas Robinson has averaged 13 points in his past two games and may need to provide more offense than that to pull out the victory on the road.
HEAR YE. HEAR YE
"Even good defensive teams break down if you go deep into the shot clock and you work your offense."
Bill Self, coach
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
The Jayhawks have a balanced attack. Coach Bill Self said he thinks the team is better when they aren't depending on one or two players to do all the scoring. In the victory against Texas Tech Saturday, four Jayhawks scored in double figures.
ROAD GAME TO TEST METTLE INJURIES,INCONSISTENCY PLAGUE THE AGGIES
Taylor
KANSAS (22-5,12-2) STARTERS
Johnson
NO.4 KANSAS VS.TEXAS A&M 8 P.M., REED ARENA, COLLEGE STATION,TEXAS
TYSHAWN TAYLOR, GUARD
Releford
Taylor finally got to rest his legs a bit on Saturday against Texas Tech. He played a season-low 27 minutes after averaging 37.25 minutes in the previous four games. Don't expect tonight's game to be another breather. The Aggies will force the Jayhawks into long possessions and Taylor will need to make judicious decisions.
ELIJAH
JOHNSON,
GUARD
poundts continue to harp on his poor shooting. Johnson has connected on 27.9 percent of his threes. But let's consider something else. The Jayhawks lead the conference in fieldgoal percentage defense with 38.1 percent per game. That's 4.4 percent better than secondplace Kansas State. Self thinks Johnson is a primary reason.
★★★☆★
TRAVIS RELEFORD. GUARD
Releford continues to quietly bother opposing offenses with his combination of strength, size and speed. His defense, both on-ball and in transition, has fueled Kansas' greatest strengths. His offense can be here or there, but there's no denying his importance as a versatile stopper.
Robinson
THOMAS ROBINSON, FORWARD
★★★★★
Robinson has had a few scoring efforts that are considered low for his standards, but he also hasn't been needed much. Junior center Jeff Withey has shined offensively, easing Robinson's workload. Once the two start clicking, interior offense will come in bunches and Kansas' shooters will have even more room to work with.
Withey has morphed into what coach Bill Self dreamed of way-back-when. He has become a reliable offensive option by the basket, has rebounded with energy and focus, and has continued to block and alter shots To keep it going, Withey must stay physical.
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
Withey
TEXAS A&M
(13-13,4-10)
STARTERS
ELSTON TURNER, GUARD
Turner is a 6-foot-5-inch junior guard averaging 14 points this season. He's had six 20-point games this year, including four in conference play. Against Kansas on Jan. 23, he played all but one minute and had six rebounds and a season-high 24 points on 18 shots.
Turner
ZACH KINSLEY, GUARD
Kinsley isn't much of an offensive threat for the Aggies and has mostly been a fill-in while Dash Harris has been out with his foot injury. Kinsley averages just 2.2 points and less than one rebound and assist this season. He played a season-high 31 minutes against Missouri on Saturday.
Kinsley
★★☆☆
JORDAN GREEN,GUARD
Green has started 12 games this season and is averaging 4 points in 17.6 minutes per game. The freshman has appeared in all of the Aggies' 26 games this season and had a season-high 14 points on Saturday against Missouri. It was only the second time this season that Green reached double figures.
Green
★★☆☆☆
KHRIS MIDDLETON,
FORWARD
Just behind Turner with 11.8 points per game, Middleton has a chance to be one of the best players in the Big 12 next season as a senior. He's missed 12 games over the course of the season. But when he's healthy, Middleton is a tough matchup for any opponent.
Middleton
★★★☆☆
DAVID LOUBEAU, FOR-WARD
Loubeau averages 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds this season. He had one of his best games of the year against Kansas, as he finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Loubeau, a senior, is the third-leading scorer and rebounder for coach Billy Kennedy.
★★★☆
Loubeau
— Kory Carpenter
Mike Vernon
AT A GLANCE
The rebuilding year for Texas A&M continues. The Aggies are a disappointing 4-10 in Big 12 conference play and haven't been completely healthy for most of the season. Their two best players, junior forward Khris Middleton and senior guard Dash Harris, have both missed significant time because of injuries this season. Middleton is now 100 percent but Harris has missed the last seven games with a foot injury. He's expected to be play when Kansas comes to town, however. The first meeting between the two schools on Jan. 23 wasn't pretty, as A&M was able to slow things down to a snail's pace, with Kansas eventually winning, 64-54.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Harris
Dash Harris, guard
TEXAS TECH
TIPOFF
ATM
QUESTION MARK
Can the Aggies slow things down enough?
Harris has missed the last seven games with a foot injury and it's unknown if he'll be able to play against Kansas tonight. Conventional
The strategy to limit possessions in the first meeting worked a little bit, but it wasn't enough to pull off the upset. The Aggies should play better at home in Reed Arena, and if they can slow the game down and keep things close, the crowd should help them out in the second half.
wisdom says if he's close to being able to play, he will. The senior point guard is one of the team's leaders, and his absence in Big 12 play has certainly hurt the Aggies.
HEAR YE. HEAR YE
"This year has been tough on everybody, but this team will keep fighting no matter what."
- Texas A&M forward Khris Middleton on his team's season
Prediction:
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF...
The slowed tempo frustrates Kansas. The Aggies will try to "muddy it up," as some pundits call it, by holding the ball and limiting possessions for each team. This is used to keep the game close, which keeps the Aggie crowd involved in the second half. It could also frustrate the Jayhawks if they aren't able to pull away early.
Kansas 68, Texas A&M 60
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