PAGE 10
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012
KANSAS TIPOFF
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
AT A GLANCE
MICROCHIP CO., LTD.
MICROCHIP CO., LTD.
The Jayhawks lost a close one at Missouri, then won decisively at Baylor. They're tied with the Tigers for the Big 12 lead and must keep winning and putting the pressure on their Border Showdown rival for a shot at an outright conference title. Next on Saturday is Oklahoma State, the only team in the conference that Kansas hasn't already played. The Jayhawks are 12-0 at Allen Fieldhouse this season and don't plan on snapping that streak against the Cowboys.
Jeff Withey, junior center
PLAYER TO WATCH
Who is this guy anyway? Is he the unassertive misfit who was held scoreless at Missouri or the beast of the interior who scored a career-high 25
points at Baylor? Withey would ease coach Bill Self's mind with more consistency. Even on Wednesday, his finest game as a Jayhawk, he started off poorly, committing a foul and a turnover in the first 30 seconds of the game. Look for him to start more smoothly back at home.
Withey
QUESTION MARK
Can junior forward Thomas Robinson get hot early?
In the first half at Missouri, Robinson scored six points and traveled repeatedly. In the first half at Baylor, he took a backseat to Withey and found himself in foul trouble. Now that he's back in the friendly confines of Allen Fieldhouse, this would be a good time for Robinson to put up his first-half struggles behind, they are perhaps the only important weakness in his game right now.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
"If our guys don't play well or if we don't win, it won't be because of what happened Saturday."
Bill Self, coach
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
The Jayhawks give the Cowboys no easy looks and get Robinson involved early.
Page and the Young Guns Cowboys starting five includes three freshmen NO. 7 KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA STATE 3 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, LAWRENCE
Taylor
KANSAS (17-5, 7-2) STARTERS
TYSHAWN TAYLOR, GUARD
Another game, another gem for Taylor. Remember the days when you had no idea if bad or good Tyshawn was on the way? These days, it's all good, all the time. He's averaging 21.5 points per game in his last eight games and has continued to carry the Jayhawks through offensive droughts.
Johnson
Releford
Johnson just couldn't buy a shot at Baylor. He missed all six of his shot attempts, including four from three-point range. Self seems baffled at the fact that a shooter like Johnson struggles so often to hit shots. Self said he's always knocking them down in practice, it just isn't translating to every game.
ELIJAH JOHNSON, GUARD
Page
When Releford scored 28 points at Oklahoma on Jan.7, Self thought he had an offensive bonus in the making. He said he expected Releford to score in double figures every game. Releford scored five points at Missouri, then one at Baylor. Oh well, his stingy defense isn't going anywhere.
TRAVIS RELEFORD, GUARD
Robinson
★★★☆☆
Brown
KEITON PAGE, GUARD
After starting the final 12 games his freshman season, Page has been the starting point guard for the Cowboys ever since. The 5-foot-9 senior is averaging 14.2 points this season and is one of the toughest guard match ups in the Big 12 with his small stature.
OKLAHOMA STATE (12-12,5-6) STARTERS
THOMAS ROBINSON, FORWARD
Withey
double of the season. At times, seems unfair. That's just the way it is for national player of the year candidates. On Saturday, expect nothing less than another double- double, or something close to it. .
Robinson didn't play close to his best basketball on Wednesday and still posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, his 17th double-
Get the ball to the big fella near the hoop and he'll score an easy two. Make the big fella get to the hoop himself and, well, it can get ugly. Withey thrives as an offensive option when his guards are able to find him down low. That's often a challenge, especially against lengthy zones. When it's not, look out.
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
Williams
MARKEL BROWN, GUARD
BRIAN WILLIAMS, GUARD
The Mr. Basketball award winner from Louisiana joins Page and Nash as the three Cowboys averaging double-digit points this season. Brown plays nearly 30 minutes a game and also averages 5.2 rebounds per game.
One of three freshman in the Cowboys' starting lineup, Williams is capable of having a big night offensively nearly every time out. He's only averaging 8.0 points per game this season but has two 20-point performances in his last five games.
LE'BRYAN NASH FORWARD
Max Rothman
Nash
Nash was one of the most highly sought after recruits last season and hasn't been disappointing as of late. He had a season-high 27 points in the upset of Missouri and has the potential to score 20 points or more on any given night.
★★★☆
MICHAEL COBBINS, FORWARD
bins the most valuable player in his team's 69-67 victory over Iowa State Wednesday night. Cobbins is a redshirt-freshman and is one of the best rebounders for Oklahoma State and showed off those skills against Iowa State, grabbing 15.
Cobbins
★★★☆☆
Elijah Johnson
Kory Carpenter
Prediction:
Kansas 80, Oklahoma State 68
OSU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Oklahoma State comes into Saturday's game in seventh place in the Big 12 at 5-6. The Cowboys had an impressive 69-67 victory over Iowa State Wednesday night after freshman guard Le'Bryan Nash hit a late jump shot with under five seconds remaining before blocking a Cyclone shot at the buzzer. A victory over Kansas could potentially put the Cowboys in a tie for fifth place in the Big 12 with six game remaining. Coach Travis Ford's squad hasn't done anything statistically great so far this season, coming into Saturday ranked 200th or lower in points, rebounds, and assists per game as well as field goal percentage. Their most impressive performance this season was a 79-72 home victory over Missouri on Jan. 25.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Nash
Le'Bryan Nash, guard
Nash was a five-star recruit a year ago and chose Oklahoma State over Kansas, among others. He had a
relatively slow start to his freshman campaign but has had a handful of great games in the Big 12. He's had at least 18 points in five conference games, which included a 27-point performance in the 79-72 upset over Missouri on Jan. 25. His shooting percentage isn't great, as he takes more than 10 shots a game, more often than not. He's taken over 15 shots on four occasions in the Big 12 and is the first option for the Cowboys' offense.
QUESTION MARK
"He's a heck of a player. He's a matchup problem when he plays the four because of his ability to step outside and hit shots."
How does Baylor adjust defensively?
HEAR YE. HEAR YE
Oklahoma State is a disappointing 1-4 in Big 12 road games this season, with the only victory coming over last place Texas Tech on Jan. 31. In its four road losses, the Cowboys have been outscored by 15.7 points every contest including a 41-point blowout against Baylor on Jan. 14. Kansas is a perfect 5-0 in Big 12 games inside Allen Fieldhouse this season, winning by an average of 15.4 points. The Cowboys will need a hot start to quiet the home crowd and a big game from Nash if an upset is in order.
Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg on Le'Bryan Nash as a forward, Scout.com
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF...
Page heats up from three-point range and Nash justifies all the hype.