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SPORTS
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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, DEC. 3, 2015
Harvard matchup is a chance for Kansas to improve and Diallo to gain valuable experience on the court
EVAN RIGGS
@EvanRiggsUDK
The first six games for the Jayhawks were different than those in years past.
Kansas coach Bill Self was forced to deal with the issue of freshman big man Cheick Diallo's eligibility, which caused him to miss preparation time with the team. It seemed as though the frustration of not having Diallo often overshadowed the importance of the games.
That continued in the last game, as the debut of Diallo was the top story. Against Loyola (Md.), Diallo had 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
And while Saturday's matchup against the Harvard Crimson is more normal, it will also provide Diallo with another opportunity to learn on the fly.
"[This] really worked out well from a timing standpoint," Self said. "If you can imagine Cheick playing against Vanderbilt in a one-possession game, being nervous and everything, it would have been very difficult for him. This is the perfect scenario for him to get out there and get his legs underneath him."
The Jayhawks have some health concerns with two veterian big men, but both are considered minor. Junior forward Landen Lucas missed Tuesday's game with a sprained toe, but he's expected to play on Saturday. Senior forward Perry Ellis has been dealing with a banged-up hip, but Self said the injury wasn't bothering Ellis, he said it's getting better and "it's no problem."
When the Jayhawks scheduled this game, it looked like this could be a tricky matchup against a team that has had some postseason success. Harvard has made the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years, and it won two games in those four trips. Last year, it gave North Carolina a close call in a 67-65 opening round loss.
But it seems unlikely that Harvard (2-4) will give Kansas (5-1) that same sort of fight.
Before the season began, the Crisimon lost senior Siyani Chambers to an ACL tear. Head coach Tommy Amaker told the student newspaper that Chambers had been the team's "most important player" over the last three years.
Although it's clear the Harvard is still trying to figure things out without Chambers, it has managed to play competitive games with Providence, Massachusetts and Boston College in his absence.
But it doesn't seem likely the Jayhawks will get a stiff test in Allen Fieldhouse, which should provide Diallo with another opportunity to figure things out before Big 12 play.
But perhaps even more important than what Dallo can do for the Jayhawks is what junior guard Wayne Selden Jr. is already doing.
Jayhawk fans had to love seeing Cheick Diallo last night. Finally free. More important to KU's title hopes is emergence of Wayne Selden.
- @franfraschilla
Through the Jayhawks' first six games, Selden is averaging 17.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, which are all career highs. He's shooting 20-of-35 from three so far this season — 57.1 percent — which is by far the best he's shot at Kansas. Last season, it was Jan. 10 before Selden had knocked down 20 three-pointers.
"He's just playing with so much confidence, just believing in himself and in the system, and it shows," Ellis said. "He's just out there having fun and playing basketball, and good things are happening for him."
Although the Jayhawks have shot a respectable 54 percent from inside the arc this season, finishing around the rim has been one of their biggest problems. They struggled in the second half against Michigan State and the first half against Vanderbilt and Loyola (Md.), and missed layups were a common theme all three times.
"It's a mental thing." Ellis said. "Maybe we're just not focusing on it enough. Maybe we're taking it for granted. You really have to jump into each of those shots to knock those down. But I think it's something we'll get good at."
The Jayhawks will have a chance to correct those issues around the basket against the Crimson, which doesn't have anybody in their regular rotation taller than 6-foot-9.
But similar to Tuesday, the final score isn't the biggest thing to keep an eye on. The Jayhawks shouldn't have much of a problem with the Crimson at home.
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN Junior guard Wayne Selden Jr. dunks in the first half against Lovola, Kansas won 94-61
The play of Diallo and Selden, along with finishing around the
rim, will go a long way in determining if Saturday's game can
be called a success, regardless of what the final score is.
U.S. Basketball Writers Association names 3 Kansas players to Player of the Year watchlist; Cheick Diallo is up for Freshman Player of the Year
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
Senior forward Perry Ellis drives to the basket.
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
Senior forward Perry Ellis, junior guard Frank Mason III and junior guard Wayne Selden Jr. were named on Wednesday to the watchlist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the Naimshim Trophy. Both awards are National Player of the Year awards.
National Freshman Player or the Year, the Wayman Tisdale Trophy, which Kansas big man Cheick Diallo was named to. The other list is the Women's National Player of the Year.
The USBWA also announced its watchlists for two other basketball awards in addition to the Oscar Robertson Trophy, which will be awarded in April. The announcement included the watch list for the
None of Kansas' three finalists for the Robertson Trophy have been named to the watchlist before.
Three of the 33 total finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy were Kansas players. Kentucky has freshmen Jamal Muray and Skal Labissiere and sophomore Tyler Ulis on the list. Kentucky also has three freshmen up for the Freshman of the Year award.
The watchlist for the Naismith Trophy, which is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff
Club, included 50 players, but it will be cut down in February to 30. Ellis was on the watchlist in 2014, and Selden made it as a freshman in 2013; neither made the final cuts.
In six games so far this season, Selden leads the Jayhawks with 17.2 points per game, shooting 54.8 percent from the field. Behind sophomore guard Devonte' Graham, who is averaging 29.8 minutes per game, no players have been on the court more for Kansas than Selden.
In his final season with Kansas, Ellis is averaging 15.3 points and six boards through the first six games. The 15.3 points is 1.5 more than he averaged last season
and the most of his four-year career. Ellis is also on the Los Angeles Athletic Club's John R. Wooden Award watchlist. Ellis currently stands at 32nd in Kansas career scoring with 1,249 points, and 21st in career rebounds with 648 boards.
Last year, Mason, the Jayhawks' point guard from Petersburg, Va., had 10 points and two assists in 21 straight games from November to February. This year, he's averaging 12.5 points per game, slightly below last year's total of 12.6, but his assists total has jumped from 3.9 last year to 5.7 this year, while his rebounds are up from 3.9 to 5.2.
— Edited by Amber Vandegrift
Aldridge and Kopatich power offense to defeat Creighton
SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@SkyRolSports
Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge fights through two Creighton defenders. Kansas won 67-54.
As the third quarter raced to a close at Allen Fieldhouse, so did Lauren Aldridge to the three-point line.
"I just like the way my teammate-responded — that was the most fun part," Aldridge said. "It's fun whenever we have momentum plays like that."
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
Aldridge scored a career-high 18 points in the game, but that's nothing new. Aldridge set a career high with 17 points in the season opener against Texas Southern and tied it in a win over Northern Illinois on Nov. 27 in a 66-58 win.
Stopping several feet away from the line, Aldridge sank a buzzer beater to end the quarter, which put the Kansas Jayhawks up 56-41 against the Creighton Blue Jays. The Jayhawks won the game, 67-54, on Wednesday night to improve to 4-2.
"Once it was up, I kind of knew it was going to go in," freshman
Two of Kopatich's three-pointers came in the second quarter, when the Jayhawks needed them. Kansas found itself down 21-10 early in the second quarter. Then Kopatich and Aldridge contributed to a 17-6 run that brought the score level at 27. After Aldridge tied the score with two scores, Kopatich brought the Jayhawks up 30-27.
With a collegiate career that is six games old, Kopatich's 15 points on the night won't stand as a career high for long. However, it was enough to power the Jayhawks offense past Creighton. Kopatich was 3-of-3 from beyond the line in the game.
guard Kylee Koopatch said of Aldridge's shot. "It was just an extra boost of energy. We were already up, we were already making plays, and that shot just said it all."
“It’s awesome to have another shooter beside you. Anytime you put another shooter beside you it takes a little bit of the load off of yourself,” said Aldridge, who has led the team in scoring
in two of its last three games.
"They've got to respect Kylee on the three point line a little bit and hug her, so it opens driving lanes for the rest of our team."
Although Kansas only needed to come back from an 11-point deficit, the response showed an ability to make quick adjustments. In the team's last game, a 73-64 loss to SMU in Dallas, Kansas was within three points
"We've shown that we have the ability to come back because I think we have some fight to us." Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. "Credit to our players for adjusting on the fly there after the first quarter."
of a 19-point comeback, but fell short.
After overcoming the setback, the Jayhawks were able to run away from the Blue laws, scoring
Schneider said his team's ability to shoot the ball well was a product of moving the ball around. Specifically, Schneider said freshman guard Jayde Christopher was a key player in Kansas' success. Christopher
26 points in the third quarter to seal a blowout win. In the second half, Kansas shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.
registered four assists in the game — her third straight game with three or more assists.
"I like [Aldridge] in a shooting role with the amount of minutes she plays it takes the pressure off of her," Schneider said. "When you can surround [Christopher] or any other guard with guys that can make shots the offense [looks] much better."
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