8B GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009
KU
TIP-OFF
ATAGLANCE
For the fifth time in school history, Kansas has started Big 12 Conference play with six consecutive victories. But some would question the validity of the achievement because of the teams the Jayhawks have played. Texas A&M is the only team not at the bottom half of the standings that Kansas has beaten. Last week, Kansas struggled with Colorado and Nebraska — teams with a combined Big 12 record of 4-9. If Kansas can beat Baylor at the Ferrell Center, all concerns will disappear. Although the Bears are 3-4 in conference, they are still considered to be one of the most talented teams in the Big 12.
The game in Waco could prove Self clairvoyant if Little breaks out. Up to this point, it's clear Little isn't quite 100 percent. He played only
A few weeks ago, Kansas coach Bill Self said Little would be fully healthy and playing his best on Feb. 1. Well, that was yesterday.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior guard Mario Little
11 minutes in the victory against Colorado Saturday after logging a career-high 30 against Nebraska. He'll be valuable to the Jayhawks in this game against the guard-heavy Bears.
PERFECT ROAD TRIP?
QUESTION MARK
What's wrong with Tyshawn Taylor?
Kansas looks to go 7-0 in Big 12 play
Since scoring 20 points to open Big 12 play against Kansas State, Taylor has been largely ineffective. In the last two games, he's scored only a combined 10 points with seven turnovers. Kansas will lose if Taylor can't turn it around in Waco. He needs to be the Jayhawks' third scoring option and careful with the ball. It's a heavy burden for a freshman to have to bear. But it's one he'll have to carry.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
"We haven't played our best the last two games, but we won. I don't remember a team that we've had here that's played great every game. But certainly, we're going to have to play better against Baylor. We'll be excited to play on Big Monday against a really talented team."
KANSAS VS. BAYLOR 8 p.m., FERRELL CENTER, Waco, Texas, ESPN
"It is going to be really tough. They are really talented and it's an away game for us. It's going to be really tough."
— Kansas coach Bill Self
Sophomore center Cole Aldrich
Collins
KANSAS (16-4) STARTERS
Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 junior guard Collins went 4-for-16 from the field against Colorado, but even a disastrous performance can't knock him down from a top rating.
Taylor
Tyshawn Taylor, 6-foot-3 freshman guard
Taylor might be the key to this game because he'll be matched up with one of Baylor's explosive guards all night. In other words, he needs to play better than he has lately.
Morningstar
Brady Morningstar, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard
Morningstar has served as arguably as the Jayhawks' most valuable player in the last two first halves. Time for him to put together a complete game.
Morris
Marcus Morris, 6-foot-8 freshman forward
If Mario Little is ready for a full night's work, look for Marcus' minutes to be limited. His strengths don't match up as well with Baylor's small, quick lineup.
Jerrells
Aldrich
Cole Aldrich,6-foot-11 sophomore center
last three games. Maybe tonight they actually will.
Self has practically begged his guards to not forget about Aldrich and told them to keep passing the ball into the post the
Mario Little, 6-foot-5 junior guard
number of opportunities for pull-up midrange jumpers in transition. That's what he's best at.
Little
Little should get a number of opportuni-
SIXTH MAN
Dugat
BAYLOR
Case Keefer
(9-10) STARTERS
Curtis Jerrells, 6-foot-1 senior guard Jerrells is a point guard with a 37-inch vertical leap who averages 16.8 points per game. That creates more than a few match-up problems for opposing guards.
Carter
Henry Dugat, 6-foot-0 senior guard
Dugat (pronounced DOO-got) is a well-rounded scorer who excels off the dribble. Dugat also uses his athleticism on defense, leading the Bears with 41 steals.
Tweety Carter, 5-foot-11 junior guard
Carter rivals Nebraska's Cookie Miller for best name in the Big 12. Though his real name is Demond, he goes by Tweety because that's what his grandmother called him after hearing his chirp-like cries as a baby.
An inexperienced player on this senior-laden team, Acy is the only starter who averages fewer than 10 points per game. His career goal is to start a business, but first he may want to start making shots.
Acy
Kevin Rogers, 6-foot-9 senior forward
This teammates say that Rogers is one of college basketball. That's great, but Rogers all-around game ensures that he won't just be known for his slam.
SIXTH MAN
LaceDarius Dunn, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard
Rogers
Dunn averages 16.7 points per game and he's arguably the best sixth man in the conference. Out of high school he was rated No.24 overall by Scout.com. The Baylor athletics Web site says: that's his "highest rated Baylor
nigrite in memory,which could mean in history or significantly less if you have amnesia.
Brady Morningstar
Dunn
— Taylor Bern
BU
TIP-OFF
AT A GLANCE
Last year the Bears were an underdog and they could sneak up on teams for surprising victories. This time around there were expectations and Baylor has failed to live up to those lately. An 11-point loss at Texas A&M on Jan. 14 could have been no more than a fluke. But now Baylor is in the midst of a three-game slide and it's 3-4 in Big 12 play. Think coach Scott Drew would like to be an underdog again?
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior forward Kevin Rogers
If you haven't seen Rogers play, imagine a flashier version of Darrell Arthur. They both played at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas and they're a similar size. The biggest difference is Rogers' efficiency. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound senior hits 53 percent of his shots.
Rogers
Against Missouri, he scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Even more impressive is that Rogers is averaging a double-double in conference play.
QUESTION MARK
Can Baylor play for 40 minutes?
The answer since Jan. 24 has been no. Against Oklahoma, Baylor never had a chance as it trailed 58-31 at halftime. In their last two losses the Bears suffered little lapses that prevented victory. Baylor suffered through two disastrous second-half droughts in a 78-72 loss to Texas while the first four minutes of the second half turned a close game into an 89-72 loss at Missouri. Baylor just needs to get out of its own way and play well for an entire game instead of 20 or 30 minutes.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"That was an uncharacteristic game for Curtis (Jerrells), but I'm confident that he'll bounce back and play well."
— Baylor coach Scott Drew to the Waco Tribune Herald. Jerrells hit 2-of-10 from the field and committed nine turnovers.
"We'd like to go back and redo the last five minutes. But other than that, I thought Missouri played a very hard-fought game."
— Drew to the Waco Tribune Herald
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Game
Time (CT) Channel
Time Time (CT) Channel
Tuesday
Iowa State vs. Kansas State 7 p.m. FSN
Wednesday
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma 8 p.m. Big 12 Network
Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State 8 p.m. ESPNU
Nebraska vs. Colorado 8:30 p.m. FSN
Missouri vs. Texas 8:30 p.m. ESPN2
FERRELL CENTER WILL BE SILENT IF ...
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Kansas opens the game with a prolonged run. It's simple, but time-tested and the best way to minimize a raucous crowd's effect. Against Baylor, the key to being able to do that will be high-energy defending and limiting fastbreak opportunities. That's how the Bears thrive and the environment will be calling for it tonight.
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF ...
Baylor makes 10 more three-pointers than Kansas. Laugh now, but it wouldn't be that much of a surprise. Kansas failed to make a three-pointer in last year's game against Baylor, while the Bears made 12. It kept the game close until the end. Baylor averages nearly nine three-pointers per game this year and relies on the shot in tough games. Kansas, meanwhile, struggled behind the three-point line in the last game and went for 5-for-21.
Prediction:
BAYLOR 85, KANSAS 82
Date Opponent TV Time
Feb. 7 OKLAHOMA STATE ABC 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Missouri ESPN 8 p.m.
Feb. 14 at Kansas State ABC 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 18 IOWA STATE Big 12 Network 7 p.m.
Feb. 21 NEBRASKA Big 12 Network 3 p.m.
Feb. 23 at Oklahoma ESPN 8 p.m.
Mar. 1 MISSOURI CBS 1 p.m.
Mar. 4 at Texas Tech ESPN2 8:30 p.m.
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