6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2009
KU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Tyshawn Taylor flipped on the television last Saturday and was surprised by what he saw. This Texas Tech team, the same one that's 2-12 in the Big 12 Conference and in second-to-last place, looked pretty good in its game against Oklahoma. Taylor realized that the Jayhawks' trip to Lubbock, Texas, might be harder than people thought. Kansas coach Bill Self hopes the rest of the team feels the same way. If not, the game at the United Spirit Arena could be dangerous. Kansas is only 3-3 there since the Big 12 became a conference and has lost in its past two trips to Lubbock.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Sophomore guard Tyrel Reed
In a week when so many Jayhawks dominated, Reed was somewhat of an unsung hero. He went 3-for-4 from three-point range against Missouri, helping to
stifle any possible comeback attempt. He also made a momentum-shifting three-point shot at the first-half buzzer against Oklahoma. Sophonom
Reed
guard Brady Morningstar hasn't played as well lately, so Reed may receive more minutes in Lubbock if that trend continues. Reed can be potent when he finds a rhythm, and he looked like he had one Sunday.
Can sophomore center Cole Aldrich continue his torrid pace?
QUESTION MARK
HEARYE HEARYE
During the past four games, Aldrich averaged 14 rebounds. It's almost impossible to beat a team with a big man exerting that kind of dominance. Scoring hasn't been a problem, either. He's recorded four straight double-doubles and averages 15 points per game on the season. Certainly, a game where he doesn't live up to his lofty billing is approaching. But Texas Tech doesn't appear to be the one. The Red Raiders have no big man to match up with Aldrich. Fourteen rebounds might be a little much, but expect at least 10.
"To me, you have to put yourself under pressure situations, because the NCAA tournament has a different feel to it from a pressure standpoint than a regular-season game. I've told our guys that. This is good that we're playing games under pressure that we have to win to win the league."
Kansas coach Bill Self on the benefits of heightened expectations
"No room for failure at all. We've got to keep playing and finish these two games out. We want to win it. We don't want to share it with anyone at all."
— Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor on winning the Big 12 regular season championship
KANSAS (24-5,13-1)
STARTERS
TEXAS HOLD'EM
NO. 9 KANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH 8:30 p.m., UNITED SPIRIT ARENA, Lubbock, Texas, ESPN 2
A victory tonight will secure the Big 12 title for the Jayhawks.
Collins
Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 junior guard
Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 junior guard Collins has won the Big 12 Player of the Week award two weeks in a row. If it weren't for Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, Collins would probably be the Big 12 Player of the Year.
TEXAS TECH (12-17, 2-12) STARTERS
John Roberson, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard
Tyshawn Taylor, 6-foot-3 freshman guard
Roberson broke Tech's single-season record for assists with one of his best games of the year. The sophomore, who was born in Kansas City, Kan., poured in 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists to break the record.
Roberson
Taylor
Taylor is one game away from earning his first five-star rating of the year. Taylor averaged 20.5 points per game last week. He leads all freshmen in the Big 12 with 89 assists.
Alan Voskuil, 6-foot-3 junior guard
Alan Voskun, 6-foot-8 junior guard A skilled shooter, Voskun is the best weapon on the perimeter. He hits 44 percent beyond the arc, which ranks second in the conference behind Kansas' Brady Morningstar.
Morningstar
Brady Morningstar, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard
Last week wasn't Morningstar's best. He went 1-for-8 from the field against Oklahoma and Missouri and topped it all off by missing a dunk in transition.
Nick Okorie, 6-foot-1 junior guard
Voskuil
Okorie was Tech's second-leading scorer on Saturday with 13 points. South Plains College, Okorie's junior college, won the NJCAA National Championship last season. He scored 29 points in the championship game.
Morris
Marcus Morris, 6-foot-8 freshman forward
Ever since Marcus Morris ditched the sleeves, he's played a lot better. It must not be a coincidence.
Okorie
Michael Prince, 6-foot-7 senior forward
Cole Aldrich, 6-foot-11 sophomore center
Despite starting, Prince averages only 16 minutes per game. He contributes a little into each stat category instead of excelling in one.
Aldrich
Self says Aldrich is the best big-man free-throw shooter at Kansas since Wayne Simien. Aldrich is shooting 78 percent from the free-throw line. Of course, he does everything else well too.
Morris has finally given the Jayhawks some consistency off the bench. He's averaged six points and six rebounds during the past three games. Now he just needs to refrain from "mauling" opponents, as Self would say.
✩ ✩ ✩
Markieff Morris, 6-foot-9 freshman forward
SIXTH MAN
Case Keefer
Prince
Morris
Robert Lewandowski,
6 feet 10 freshman forward
6-foot-10 freshman forward
A product of Blue Valley West
in Overland Park, Lewandowski
brings size to a team that des-
persely needs it. His 7.2 points
per game and team-leading 22
blocks are good for a freshman,
but he needs more than four
rebounds a game to make a real differen
Lewandowski
SIXTH MAN
Mike Singletary, 6-foot-6 sophomore forward
Singletary is probably Tech's most physical player. He leads the team in rebounds with 5.4 per game, and his team-leading 150 free-throw attempts show he's not afraid to attack the rim.
Singletary
TTU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE
A Feb. 7 victory against Baylor gave Texas Tech some hope for the rest of the season. Since then the Red Raiders are 0-6, dropping them to 2-12 in the Big 12. Hanging with Oklahoma for a bulk of the second half on Saturday could be considered a moral victory, but Tech has little in the way of real highlights, Coach Pat Knight has reverted to a lot of motivational tactics — like bringing a 12-year-old into the huddle — but nothing has made up for his team's lack of talent.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Sophomore guard John Roberson
Roberson's game goes in all different directions. He leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 188 assists on the season.
and he ranks second with 31 steals. But Roberson also leads the way in turnovers (101) and foul-outs (five). He hits just 39 percent from the field, but occasionally
Roberson catches fire and carries Tech further than it should go. He needs a career-best game to defeat Kansas, although a really good performance could make this one interesting in the second half.
Roberson
Can Texas Tech hold Kansas to less than 80 points?
QUESTION MARK
Both offenses average 77.8 points per game, so breaking 70 points is almost a guarantee. The key for the Red Raiders is to try to keep the score below 80. Tech's defense gives up the most points in the league by far. Its 79.3 points allowed is almost five points worse than Oklahoma State. The key to keeping the score somewhat low is going to be keeping Cole Aldrich on the boards. That's not easy, but Tech must do it in order to keep the game within reach.
Brady Morningstar
HEARYE, HEARYE
Texas Tech coach Pat Knight while showing just a small space between his thumb and forefinger
"Our margin for error is like this."
"He goes flying over the scorer's table and just kind of dusts himself off and goes out on the floor. He's kind of like the football player that scores a touchdown and hands the football to the referee."
Texas Tech coach Pat Knight about Oklahoma's Blake Griffin
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Game
Time (CT) Channel
Iowa State at Nebraska 6:30 p.m. Big 12 Network
Texas A&M.at Colorado 8 p.m. Big 12 Network
No.4 Oklahoma vs. No.15 Missouri 8 p.m. Big 12 Network
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
UNITED SPIRIT ARENA WILL BE SILENT IF...
The Jayhawks shut down Alan Voskul. It's senior night in Lubbock and Voskul, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, will be the most celebrated Red Raider. He's been a significant contributor for Texas Tech during the past four seasons, so this game will mark the end of an era. This season, Voskul is averaging 14 points and four rebounds.
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF...
PREDICTION KANSAS 76, TEXAS TECH 66
Kansas doesn't clinch the Big 12 Conference title in Lubbock. that would mean it lost and would have to wait until Saturday against Texas for a shot at the trophy. That would be unacceptable, because the only way it would happen was if Kansas was unfocused against the 11th-place team in the Big 12.
Date Opponent TV Time
AT
March 4 at Texas Tech ESPN2 8:30 p.m.
March 7 TEXAS CBS 3 p.m.
Big 12 Tournament March 11-14
KU BRACKETOLOGY
Strength of schedule RPI 14 7
Ting Ath Kan the
RPIratings.com