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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | MONDAY, JAN. 25, 2016
KU basketball must focus on task at hand to defeat Georges Niang and Iowa State
Point guard Frank Mason III drives on Iowa State forward Georges Niang. The Jayhawks will face off against the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, Iowa, Monday night at 8 p.m.
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
ght at 8 n m
▶ SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU
With perhaps the most anticipated game in years around the corner, the Jayhawks have the test of not only taking on a very good Iowa State team in Ames, Iowa, but also blocking out the noise of the upcoming Kentucky game as well.
In league play, there's always the possibility of players looking ahead to other games, as ranked opponents are seemingly around every corner. But this year, all of that is amplified.
This makes the challenge very clear: Focus. Prepare. Execute.
"You can't look ahead," sophomore point guard Devonte' Graham said. "We've just got to get mentally prepared."
Right now, the Jayhawks sit in first in the Big 12, though they're tied with Oklahoma, Baylor and West Virginia at 5-2. With a four-way tie at the top, it seems as though the league is as competitive as it's ever been, which makes every game difficult, let alone a road contest against the No.19 Cyclones.
"They score as easy as anyone in our league [...] They can run bad offense and come away with three points," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "They're a great team, and of course it's a huge game every time we go to Hilton [Coliseum]. It'll be a jacked atmosphere."
As of late, the Jayhawks haven't done all that well entering a hostile environment. The team has lost its last two road games and really hasn't played that well in a road test since the start of conference play.
However, Self has said the road struggles aren't
just a function of how KU has dealt with the pressure; they also speak to the quality of the league and how the other teams have really closed the proverbial gap.
"The thing I wish the media would really grasp is how good our league is," Self said. "I think the [Big 12] teams are better the last two years."
However, the other teams aren't the only ones improving. After KU hit a midseason snag, senior forward Perry Ellis said he felt the team has its confidence back, agreeing with Self that the win over Texas was the biggest of the year.
"Definitely. We were just trying to get our feel back," Ellis said. "It was
definitely a big win."
For Kansas, it would be an even bigger win if the team could steal a game from the Cyclones, who came into the season ranked in the top 10. However, it isn't completely a must-win game. After all, Self noted that going 5-4 — or even 4-5 — on the road in conference play could be enough for a team to win the Big 12, especially if it wins all its home games in conference like its "supposed" to do.
For that, the game is even bigger for Iowa State.
Already with three losses, Iowa State can't afford to lose at home. Additionally, a home game against Kansas is
pretty much a perfect opportunity to make up ground in the race for the Big 12, and it's something they can't afford to waste.
However, before getting a shot against the Jayhawks, the Cyclones still had to face the TCU Horned Frogs. Some expected the Cyclones to be looking ahead, and even saw the game as a potential trap game, with the Cyclones being on the road, but that was not the case. The team won by double-digits, and, after the game, Iowa State coach Steve Prohm confirmed that none of his players had anything on their mind other than the task at hand.
"I haven't heard the
players talk about Kansas all week," Prohm told Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.
Looking ahead to the game, the Cyclones are led by senior Georges Niang, who has a history of big performances against the Jayhawks.
Niang is averaging 21.5 points per game in his last two outings against Kansas, and he's posted a combined 48 points in his last two Allen Fieldhouse appearances.
And this year, the importance of his performances has only been amplified, as the team lacks any real depth, in part due to injury. That means if Kansas can tee off on the Cyclones big
man, in addition to junior point guard Monte Morris, play with energy and keep Iowa State from getting down the floor in transition, a win should be in the cards.
But Self knows it's never as easy as it sounds.
"We're not as equipped to recover from certain things [as years past]," Self said. "You can play pretty good and get your butt beat. Our league is that good. And the separation between us and whoever else is minimal. It's less than it's ever been."
- Edited by Matthew Clough
Kansas freshmen taking advantage of playing time during down season
Kansas freshman Kylee Kopatich goes strong to the basket in a game against Oklahoma State.
DYLAN SHERWOOD
@dmantheman2011
Everyone has a superhero they like. Whether it's a classic like Wonder Woman, Batman or Spiderman, or one of the lesser known heroes,
On Kansas women's basketball's annual Superhero Day, two KU freshmen were looking to play the role of the hero, or at the very least tried to vanquish their nemeses — the Oklaho-
people want someone to look up to.
Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich and freshman forward Tyler Johnson led the charge for the team, although their performances would not be enough, as Kansas lost its tenth game in a row.
ma State Cowgirls.
However, Kansas coach Brandon Schneider continued to see the positives in his team's performance. Those positives came in the form of getting experience for the freshmen, something the Kansas men's basketball team has struggled to find with its freshmen: Cheick Diallo, Carlton Bragg Jr. and, to some extent, though certainly not as much as the others, Lagerald Vick.
"I think Tyler's been finishing plays and shooting the ball well," Schneider said. "We just need to get that six number (Johnson's number of field goal attempts) up more. I thought there were more times in the game where we could've played to her, but we didn't, especially right after her making a basket."
Johnson, who started her third game of the season, had nine points and four rebounds, while Kopatich had 14 points, three rebounds and two steals. Both freshmen said they understand their respective roles are
While starting has been a more recent development for Johnson, it's been that way for Kopatich for all-but one game this year, which came against Texas a few weeks back.
Even though she's been a regular in the lineup, she said she still realizes each start is an opportunity to put her mark on the games.
"I say I'm trying to take more of an advantage," Johnson said. "I just want to do anything I can do to make my team successful."
With both Kopatich and Johnson earning big minutes for a very young Kansas team, success is soon to be around the corner when both players are upperclassmen. That isn't just apparent to the Kansas coaches.
Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell said he knows what this young Kansas team is going through right now. In the postgame press conference,
going to continue to increase, even as both are, at least at the moment, in a starting role.
"He's going to get it done here and going to do some special things here," Littell said. "My first year at Oklahoma State, we were 0-16 [conference play]. And it takes time to turn around a program, but there's no doubt in my mind that guy will do it. Kansas is going to see good things in the future."
With both Kopatich and Johnson learning early, the results this season may not be what the team wants, but with a long-term perspective, it will only make the Jayhawks better. As freshmen, the two will work out the kinks in their games, and will learn what it's like to battle back from adversity.
From there, who knows what the future holds.
Littell spoke about his first games at Oklahoma State, back in 2011.
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- Edited by Brendan Dzwierzynski
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