PAGE 10
FRDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012
KANSAS TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Coming off a tough victory at Kansas State, the Jayhawks should be able to catch a breath at home against Texas Tech. The Jayhawks have two tough games ahead on their schedule, as they travel to Texas A&M and then face Missouri at home. They'll have to take advantage of the opportunity Texas Tech presents. The starters shouldn't have to play as many minutes as they have in their previous games. The team had an 81-46 victory over the Red Raiders on Jan. 11 in Lubbock, Texas, and should have a repeat performance Saturday.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jeff Withey, junior center
Could it be anyone else?
The Jayhawks' center has exploded onto the national scene lately and has shown no signs of looking back.
Against Kansas
Withev
State, Withey had 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks. The seven footer should have another strong performance against a Texas Tech team junior that will have to focus on stopping forward Thomas Robinson and senior guard Tyshawn Taylor. The Red Raiders will have no match for Withey, and his popularity will continue to grow.
QUESTION MARK
Where art thou, Elijah?
Many Kansas fans felt Elijah Johnson would have to be the third scorer for Kansas to be successful this year. Not so fast, as Withey has appeared to have taken over the role as the Jayahwks' third scorer. Johnson has struggled to get into any offensive rhythm lately. He'll have a good opportunity to pick up his play against a Texas Tech team that has one conference victory.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
"I love playing defense. I feel like it's a lost art."
Jeff Withey, center
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
Elijah Johnson has a big game. The junior guard has failed to reach double digit points in five of his last eight games and was scoreless in the 68-54 victory over Baylor on Feb 8. Coach Bill Self said his time is coming and Johnson said he's too good of a player for a streak of good games not to happen.
Taylor
KANSAS (21-5, 11-2) STARTERS
TYSHAWN TAYLOR, GUARD
Will it ever stop? Taylor continued his hot streak against Kansas State on Monday, scoring 20 of Kansas' 59 points. Taylor and the Jayhawks had their way against Texas Tech when the two teams last met. Tyshawn had 15 points and Kansas won by 35 points.
ELUAH JOHNSON, GUARD
After scoring 11 points against Oklahoma State last week, Johnson returned to his scoring slump against Kansas State, scoring only five points. With Johnson shooting the ball poorly, look for the athletic guard to try to take the ball to the basket more often.
Releford
TRAVIS RELEFORD, GUARD
Robinson
Releford continued his role-playing performance against Kansas State, as the forward finished with five points and six rebounds. He scored 12 points against Texas Tech last time the two teams played, and with the added defensive emphasis on Witney that Texas Tech is sure to bring, Releford should see more open shots and bigger numbers.
Look out. After Robinson "struggled" against Kansas State, only scoring 10 points and grabbing 9 rebounds, the star forward should explode against Texas Tech. The national media has said that Robinson has lost momentum in the player of the year race, which should make Robinson an angry Jayhawk come Saturday.
THOMAS ROBINSON, FORWARD
EFF WITHEY, CENTER
NO. 4 KANSAS VS.TEXAS TECH 7 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, LAWRENCE
It's official, Witheymania has hit Lawrence. The center has been on fire of late, reaping the benefits off opponents' added focus on Robinson. Withey had 18 points and 11 rebounds against Kansas State and should finish with similar numbers against the Red Raiders.
FIRST MEETS LAST RED RAIDERS FACE LONG ODDS
Withey
TEXAS TECH (8-17,1-12) STARTERS
TY NURSE. GUARD
Nurse played the full 40 minutes in Wednesday's 47-38 defeat to Texas A&M and finished with six points, both on three-pointers. He averages 8.6 points this season and has started 18 games for Gillispie. He was held scoreless in the first meeting with Kansas in 32 minutes of action.
Nurse
JAVAREZ WILLIS, GUARD
Willis is sometimes the best scoring option for the Red Raiders, who have struggled to score all season. He's started all but one game on the year and is the team's third leading scorer with eight points per game. He's capable of having a huge offensive game Saturday but isn't immune from a poor performance,either.
LUKE ADAMS, GUARD
Adams
Adams is listed at just 5-foot-9 but has started four games this season as including Wednesday's defeat to Texas A&M, when he went one-for-five on the field in 35 minutes of action. He had three points against Kansas on Jan. 11 in seven minutes.
JORDAN TOLBERT. FORWARD
Tolbert is one of five freshman on the Red Raiders and has started 23 of 25 games this season. He leads the team with 11.4 points in 23 minutes per game but had just four points in 16 minutes in the first meeting with Kansas.
Tolbert
ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI, FORWARD
A native of Overland Park and graduate of Blue Valley West High School, Lewandowski is the only Red Raider to start all 25 games this season. The senior averages 7.3 points and four points per game. He also struggled in the first game against Kansas, finishing with just two points.
Lewandowski
TEXAS TECH
TIPOFF
Javarez Willis, sophomore guard
AT A GLANCE
Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie's first season in Lubbock, Texas, hasn't gone as smoothly as he had probably hoped. The Red Raiders are 8-17 on the season and began the Big 12 season 01-1 before a victory over Oklahoma last Saturday. They're last in the conference in scoring with 60.2 points per game for the season. In the first meeting with Kansas on Jan. 11, the Red Raiders struggled to score in an 81-46 defeat at home. Gillispie's squad was unable to control Thomas Robinson, who finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the Kansas victory.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Willis
Willis is averaging eight-points on the season but has largely been inconsistent in Big 12 play. He's had double-digit points in five conference
games but has been held scoreless on four occasions as well. In the first game with Kansas, he led the Red Raiders with 12 points. His season high came last Saturday in the victory against Oklahoma when he finished with 21 points on an impressive 8-for-12 shooting day.
QUESTION MARK
Can the Red Raiders score enough?
As noted, Texas Tech is last in the Big 12 with just 60.2 points per game. They scored 38 points in Wednesday's defeat to Texas A&M. They haven't scored over 70 points in a game since Dec. 27 and have been held under 60 points on 10 occasions since, including four games under 50 points. The offensive woes were apparent in the first game against Kansas when they finished with 46 total points.
HEAR YE. HEAR YE
"They basically played the same defensive roles that we play, they just played harder than us."
Kansas 83, Texas Tech 54
Texas Tech forward Jordan Tolbert after losing to Kansas 81-46 on Jan. 11
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF...
Kansas loses focus. The Jayhawks beat the Red Raiders 81-46 last month in Lubbock and should have no problem having the same type of success tomorrow afternoon. With the Missouri rematch on the horizon, a lack of focus could result in a closer game than the fans, coaches or players want.
THIS SATURDAY! FEBRUARY 18 1:00 PM
T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY!
KANSAS VS. MISSOURI
Kansas Athletics will make a donation of $1 FOR EVERY PERSON in attendance to support the fight against breast cancer!
Bonnie Henrickson will donate an additional $1 FOR EVERY STUDENT in attendance!