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SPORTS
KANSAN.COM
Jil
basketball gameday
(4-1) KANSAS JAYHAWKS
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vs. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (1-
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
AT A GLANCE
The Jayhawks are coming off a bounce back win over TCU that was much closer than anticipated. In the seven-point win, the two freshmen big men got much needed playing time. Now the attention turns to a pair of very winnable games against Oklahoma State on the road and Texas at home. If the Jayhawks want to avoid falling behind early on the Big 12 race they must win these two games.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Carlton Bragg
Bragg is coming off his best game of his young Kansas career. The freshman forward had a career high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor against TCU on Saturday. He logged 16 minutes, including the final 10 minutes in the first half, aiding in Kansas' 16-2 run to close out the first half. Bragg certainly proved he could score the basketball on Saturday at an efficient rate. If he can continue to avoid committing freshman mistakes, he will make a case for more minutes, and perhaps a spot in the starting lineup.
QUESTION MARK
Will one of the freshmen start?
Bragg wasn't the only freshman big who highlighted the seven-point victory against TCU. Cheick Diallo logged 21 minutes on Saturday; he scored nine points, hauled in nine rebounds and recorded five blocks. He was a factor in just about every area in arguably his coming out party. Kansas coach Bill Self said after the game that he thought about starting one of the freshmen against TCU. Based on their play Saturday, there is a really good chance one of them will be in the starting lineup in Stillwater, Okla.
KANSAS
PROJECTED STARTERS
Frank Mason III,junior, guard Mason has sort of flown under the radar with the emergence of Selden early in the season. Still, the junior guard is averaging 12.5 points per game, good for fourth on the team. He does lead the
team in assists, with 5.7 dimes per contest. Selden may be emerging as the scorer, but Mason is still the most important player on the team with his ability to score and distribute.
Devonte' Graham, sophomore, guard
If it wasn't for oversleeping one morning, Devonte' Graham would have also started in all 17 games. Instead the sophomore has started
in 16 contests, averaging 30.9 minutes per game. Graham currently averages 10.5 points and 3.5 assists per game thus far. One area of improvement for the sophomore is his ability to knock down the long ball. Graham is shooting 44 percent from downtown this year.
Wayne Selden Jr., junior, guard Selden has cooled off the last few games, after storming through the non-conference schedule. Still the junior guard averages 14.9 points per contest, which is the second
highest average on the team. Selden is shooting 49.4 percent from long range, with 44 of 89 three-point attempts.
Perry Ellis, senior, power for ward
The senior forward leads the team in scoring with 15.9 points per contest. After the TCU game, Graham admitted that the offense
goes through Ellis. Even though this is a well-balanced scoring attack, it is clear Ellis is the first option and rightfully so. Through 17 games Ellis has made 100 of his 200 shot attempts, and he is also shooting 52 percent from three.
Hunter Mickelson, senior, center Mickelson has started the last 10 contests, but still only logs 9.6 minutes per game. In limited time he is averaging three points and nearly three rebounds per game.The last
three games Mickelson has seen his time dip as he has recorded just five minutes in each of the last three contests. In fact, he has not logged double-digit minutes since the game against Baylor on Jan. 2.
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OKLAHOMAST.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Jawum Evans, freshman, guard
The freshman has been the Cowboys' best player all season, and his confidence is growing by the day. Last Wednesday against Oklahoma, the freshman put up a career-high 42 points. He shoots well from everywhere, which makes him tough to defend.
Jeff Newberry, senior, guard
Newberry is the Cowboys' second leading scorer at 11.6 points per game, but he has not been a consistent scorer this season. He's shot below 50 percent from the field in 12 games, and scored fewer than ten points in seven games. If the athletic guard gets hot, he has the ability to cause problems for the Jayhawks.
Leyton Hammonds, junior, forward
Jeffery Carroll, sophomore, forward
Carroll has put up decent numbers at 8.9 points per game, but he has really struggled with his shot, shooting just below 30 percent on the season. However, like Newberry, Carroll is a streaky shooter who can get hot at anytime.
Hammonds is coming off his best game of the season against Texas where he put up 18 points and nine rebounds. He's averaging just less than 10 points per game this season, but like everybody on the Cowboys roster outside of Evans, he can't be relied upon on a nightly basis to be productive.
Mitchell Solomon, sophomore, center
At just 3.3 points per game, Solomon isn't somebody who the Cowboys look to for points. He's had some moments this year rebounding the ball and getting in the passing lanes, but he's nothing more than a role player who isn't much of a threat on offense.
EVAN RIGGS
@EvanRiggsUDK
ATAGLANCE
Coming off four straight losses and sitting at 9-8, Oklahoma State desperately needs a win. Oklahoma State has had a difficult schedule to begin conference play, with losses at Baylor, West Virginia and Texas. They proved they can play with anybody at home when they gave Oklahowa a scare last Wednesday, but they still ultimately came up short, 74-72. Although the Cowboys are struggling, they aren't a team the Jayhawks can overlook, as they've been upset in their last two trips to Stillwater, Okla.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jawun Evans freshman,guard
Evans is less than a week removed from a career-high 42 points against Oklahoma. To make it even more impressive, he took just two three pointers and five free throws in the entire game. He scored in double figures in six of his last seven games, and, if he finds a rhythm, Oklahoma State will have a puncher's chance against Kansas.
QUESTION MARK
Can the Cowboys keep the Jayhawks off the glass?
Oklahoma State is 53rd in offensive rebounds given up this year and ranks 213th in total rebounds per game. If the Cowboys are going to stand a chance, they can't allow the Jayhawks to get offensive rebounds, and they will have to get some offensive rebounds of their own, which won't be easy against the Jayhawks, who rank 61st in the nation in rebounds per game.
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