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SPORTS
KANSAN.COM
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20-4 (8-3) KANSAS JAYHAWKS
vs. OKLAHOMA SOONERS 20-3 (8-3)
SHANEJACKSON @jacksonshane3
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU
AT A GLANCE
Kansas is currently on its second longest winning streak of the season at four games and have won five of the last six. The Jayhawks are playing much better now than the stretch in January where they lost three times during a five-game stretch. Now Kansas has a chance to get back in the driver's seat for its 12th straight conference title with a win on Saturday.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Brannen Greene junior, guard
The junior guard has already served a four-game suspension and most recently was called out in a post-game radio show by his coach. But on the court, Greene is a dynamic shooter that can impact a game as he is shooting 60 percent from the floor. He needs to play well if Kansas hopes to win in Norman.
QUESTION MARK
Can Kansas bring its momentum on the road?
The Jayhawks are playing well right now, winning their last four games. However, three of those have been in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas has already lost three conference road games this season and can't afford to drop many more if it hopes to stay in the thick of the Big 12 race.
2- The number of road conference wins Kansas has. The Jayhawks are just 2-3 on the road in the Big 12 but remain in first due to their 6-0 record at home.
BY THE NUMBERS
5 - The number of players on the court who logged more than 50 minutes in the last meeting between the two teams. Mason and Ellis each played 53 minutes.
16 - Lucas' 16 rebounds was the most by a Kansas player this season in a single game. He has led the team in rebounding six times.
The Jayhawks can contain senior guard Buddy Hield on the road on Saturday. Hield is a frontrunner to be the National Player of the Year and for good reason. He's averaging 25.7 points per games this season, and already got the best of the Kansas defense in the first meeting in Lawrence when Hield scored 46 points.
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
KANSAS
PROJECTED STARTERS
Frank Mason III, junior, guard
Mason shot less than 50 percent from the floor in his last four games. Despite the struggles, Mason is still the most important player for Kansas as he does several different things so well. If the Jayhawks are going to upset the Sooners, they need Mason to play well.
Devonte' Graham, sophomore, guard
Devonte' Graham has taken it upon himself to be the main distributor for Kansas. In the last nine games, Graham has led the team in assists on seven different occasions, a feat he accomplished just once in the first 15 games of the season.
Wayne Selden Jr., junior, guard
Wayne Selden Jr. was ineffective against West Virginia, mostly because he dealt with foul trouble in the first half. Selden needs to stay on the floor this Saturday if Kansas hopes to steal one on the road as he is second on the team in scoring with 14.4 points per contest.
OKLAHOMA
Perry Ellis, senior, power forward
Perry Ellis is without a doubt the team's go-to option on the offensive end. He's the leading scorer on the team with 16.9 points per game. He has led the team in scoring in the last three games, and five of the last six contests. On the road in a tough environment, Kansas will need its primary scoring option.
On Tuesday, Landen Lucas posted two new career-highs in rebounds with 16 and blocks with four. Much has been made about Lucas' lackluster offensive ability, but against West Virginia he scored nine points finishing above the rim multiple times. If he continues to do that, he should remain a mainstay in the starting lineup.
Landen Lucas, junior, forward
PROJECTED STARTERS
Isaiah Cousins, senior, guard
While Jordan Woodard's numbers have dropped off as of late, Cousins has really picked up the slack. At 6-foot-4, he a solid rebounder and passer, and he's one of the better three-point shooters in the nation at 47 percent. Cousins is a more than capable ball handler, even though, like Kansas, he's joined by another point guard in the backcourt.
Jordan Woodard,junior,guard
A few weeks ago, Woodard would've probably gotten — and deserved — a five-star rating, but in his last seven games he's shot worse than 30 percent from the field five times. In his last four games, he's averaging 5-3 points. His turnovers have gone up in that stretch, while he's hit on just 3-of-17 three-point attempts.
Buddy Hield, senior, guard
Right now, Buddy Hield is a runaway candidate for the best player in the nation. He is averaging nearly 26 points per game, while shooting over 51 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and 90 percent from the free throw line. He is an unstoppable force and is decisively the best player in the Big 12. Five stars is a complete understatement for Hield. He deserves at least 10. He is a world-class player.
Ryan Spangler, senior, forward
Averaging nearly a double-double on the season, Spangler provides a different type of interior presence, as someone who can also step out and hit a jumper. He has given Kansas some trouble in the past, averaging 12.0 points and 13.0 rebounds in his last three games against the Jayhawks.
AT A GLANCE
Khadeem Lattin, sophomore, Forward
Like Kansas', Oklahoma's weakest starter is at the five-spot, although both Lattin and Kansas big man Landen Lucas have shown why they're the right choice to start at their respective positions. Lattin is a good inside presence, but he really struggles at the free throw line, w'.ch actually saved Kansas against Oklahoma in January.
Beat writer predictions:
Scott Chasen | @SChasenKU: Oklahoma, 81-80
Shane Jackson | @jacksonshaneK: Kansas, 78-75
Evan Riggs | @EvanRiggsUDK: Kansas, 83-82
Buddy Hield senior, guard
The Sooners are having a phenomenal season, but they look beatable as of late. After dropping a game on the road against Kansas State, the Sooners almost lost at home to an improving Texas Longhorns' squad. However, they still have the best player in the nation in Buddy Hield, and that goes a long way to fixing all problems.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Normally, the player to watch is someone off the bench, but when Hield can go out and drop 46 in Allen Fieldhouse, he deserves just about every accolade and compliment that can come his way. Hield is an unstoppable scorer with elite sharpshooting ability. If he's on, Kansas will have a very hard time pulling the upset.
QUESTION MARK
Can Oklahoma cool Perry Ellis off?
Perry Ellis has been on fire for Kansas as of late, scoring 19-or-more points in five of his last six games, not to mention he dropped 27 and 13 in the first meeting against Oklahoma. In his last game in Norman, Okla., Ellis managed 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Jayhawks came away with a win. Oklahoma can't let that happen again.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 - Buddy Hield ranks second nationally with 25.7 points per game.
50/50/90Buddy Hield is the only player in the nation with a field goal percentage and three point percentage above 50 and a free throw percentage above 90.Jaycee Carroll was the last player to do that. He did it in the 2007-08 season.
8 Buddy Hield has eight 30-point games this year. He has more games with 30+ points than with less than 20 points (6).
BIG JAY WILL CRY IF...
Kansas' big four of Ellis, Frank Mason III, Wayne Selden Jr. and Devonte' Graham don't all play well. Oklahoma is a very good team and will come into this game as the favorite. Kansas' big four need to play well, as does either Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Brannen Greene or perhaps one of the big men off the bench, if Kansas is going to battle it out for the win.