PAGE 10
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011
KANSAS TIPOFF
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
AT A GLANCE
Following two victories in Allen Field-house that were plagued by sickness and inconsistent shooting, the Jayhawks could benefit from a smoother effort tonight. No. 2 Ohio State visits Lawrence on Saturday, and from what fans have seen recently, the Jayhawks don't appear ready quite yet. Self will likely continue to increase the roles of his bench players, especially after junior forward Kevin Young snagged six rebounds in five minutes on Saturday against the University of South Florida. By finding a more balanced effort tonight, the Jayhawks can rely less on senior guard Tyshawn Taylor and junior forward Thomas Robinson for scoring. Resurecting junior guard Elijah Johnson will be Self's most important task tonight.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Elijah Johnson, junior guard He dropped 23 points on UCLA in Maui and many fans thought he had finally broken out. Perhaps Johnson would be the Jayhawk with the ball in his hands at the end of games. Not so fast, friends. Johnson had his two worst games of the season last Wednesday and Saturday, and Self has questioned his mental toughness. Johnson seems to play worse when his team doesn't play well, adding to the ineptitude of an already average offense. His 3-point shot is off, his usually secure ball handling has been unsteady and, as Self mentioned, his mindset needs to change. Johnson needs a comeback game so he's ready to help out Saturday.
What's to blame: 'the crud' or the skills?
QUESTION MARK
"If we look ahead to Saturday, we'll go into Saturday with three losses."
Self explained after Saturday's slop-fest against USF that several players and a coach have gotten "the crud." While the exact definition of this sickness is still being debated, junior forwards Thomas Robinson and Kevin Young were just a few players who weren't at full strength on Saturday. Will the crud linger tonight or have the players shed their illnesses? Regardless, it's hard to say if the poor play is a result of the crud or just the fact that this team really can't score. The Jayhawks play defense tough enough to hang with the nation's best, but without Johnson's contributions, they may just have to keep winning games in ugly fashion.
HEAR YE HEAR YE
— Coach Bill Self
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
Johnson gets his shot back and the Jayhawks contain Ware. Especially after how Kansas has played of late, Long Beach State certainly could pull off the upset. With steady defense and a widespread attack, the Jayhawks will come on top ready, at last, to prepare for Ohio State.
Long Beach State no pushover Jayhawks ready for another challenge KANSAS VS. LONG BEACH STATE 8 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, LAWRENCE
Johnson
KANSAS STARTERS
Taylor
Releford
ELUAH JOHNSON, GUARD
Johnson needs a few consecutive jump shots early to help clear his mind. The best scorers forget about the last shot and focus on the next task at hand. According to Self, Johnson has dwelled on past miscues and let them negatively affect his game. When playing well, Johnson and Taylor form a solid backcourt with a diverse set of skills. These days, Taylor is pulling all the weight and the offense is generally predictable. If Johnson is a non-factor for his third consecutive game tonight, it's difficult to envision him turning things around against Ohio State.
TYSHAWN TAYLOR, GUARD
Self has said that he wants less scoring and more distributing from Taylor, who scored a season-high 24 points and also dished 5 assists against South Florida. Taylor still needs to decrease his turnovers and create more opportunities for his teammates, but with his improved jump shot and Johnson's struggles, one has to believe that Self will need his scoring ability. Freshman guard Neadir Tharpe has hardly worked his way into the rotation, though if Self wants the youngster to play against Ohio State, tonight will be a good time to acclimate him.
TRAVIS RELEFORD, FORWARD
Robinson
Releford continues to play strong defense by pressuring the ball and denying lanes with his strength. He has the 'talent to average double-digit scoring, he just doesn't seem comfortable enough when shooting from deep. The open opportunities have been there, but Releford often passes up the shot. He's the kind of player who won't amaze or disappoint with his statistics, instead proving his worth on loose balls and on-ball defense. The Jayhawks could use a little more offense from Releford, but there's not much to complain about here.
THOMAS ROBINSON,
FORWARD
★★★☆☆
The double-double streak is over at six games. Robinson was two rebounds sh of 10 on Saturday, but he still had a respectable afternoon. At the beginning of the USF game, he stepped back and smoothly hit a shot before the 3-point line. As the game progressed, he never exploded but was always steady. He only picked up two fouls in the game, but didn't possess the kind of aggression seen in previous games. Robinson said after the game that he was under the weather the few days before, so maybe he was also struck by "the crud." Look for Robinson to start another double-double streak tonight and continue to chip in at the free-throw line.
Withey also cut down on his fools with just two on Saturday, but that doesn't excuse him from the rest of his lifeless stat line: six points (four of five shots missed), three rebounds and one block. Withey will rarely be the go-to option in this offense, but he'll always be depended on as a rebounder. Withey has the physical attributes and talent to maul rebounds in bunches — he just hasn't done it yet. If Withey could play as aggressively as Robinson, he would be just as much of a candidate for double-doubles.
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
Withey
— Max Rothman
LARRY ANDERSON. GUARD
LONG BEACH STATE STARTERS
Anderson has started all seven games for the 49ers and is averaging over 35 minutes per game. He is the second leading scorer behind Ware with 15.1 points per game. The senior enters his final season seventh on the schools all-time steals list and was an All-Big West first team selection last season.
Anderson
CASPER WARE, GUARD
Ware
As noted above, Ware is the best player on the Longbeach State roster and is one of the best guards the Jayhawks will face all season. He plays nearly 37 minutes per game and is the team's leading scorer with 17.1 points per game. A big game from Ware is the key to a 49'ers upset.
Robinson
T.J. ROBINSON, FORWARD
Robinson was a second team All-Big West selection last season when he averaged 13.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is now the school's all-time leading rebounder and is averaging 11.3 rebound per game this season. At 6-foot-8 but just 205 pounds, he won't be able to match up with Thomas Robinson size-wise , but he can rebound with the best of them.
James is a junior college transfer but like the rest of the starting five, he's started all seven games this season. He's a 6-foot-6 guard/forward hybrid who is comfortable on the wing as well as down low on the block. He doesn't do any one thing great but is a reliable scorer for head coach Dan Monson.
JAMES ENNIS. FORWARD
Ennis
EUGENE PHELPS, FORWARD
Eugene Phelps, forward. Phelps is 226 points away from joining Longbeach State's 1000 point club. He's eighth all-time in blocked shots and averages 9.1 points per game. He was an honorable mention All-Big West member last season and is
second on the team with 6.6 rebounds per game this season. He's the biggest starter for Dan Monson but is often over looked by Ware and Robinson.
Kory Carpenter
LONG BEACH STATE TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
TH
Long Beach State has already played two BCS conference opponents this season, highlighted by an 86-76 upset of then-No. 9 Pittsburgh. It also traveled to Louisville, losing by 10 to Rick Pitino's Cardinals. The 49ers are 4-3 on the season and are ranked 13th in CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major top 25 poll. They've averaged 76 points in both games against BCS opponents and are led in scoring by senior guard Casper Ware. Long Beach State has one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country. The 49ers play four top ten teams, more than preparing them for the Big West conference season. Tuesday night's game will be the first trip to Lawrence for the 49ers since Jan. 25, 1993, when they knocked off a No. 1 Kansas team, 64-49.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Casper Ware, senior guard
Ware is one the best, if not the best, mid-major players in the country. He was named to the Wooden Award watch list, which is given to the nation's best player after the season. He was an honorable mention All-American last season after averaging 17.2 points per game. He was named the Big West Player of the Year as well as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. He has been selected for All-Big West honors every season he's been at Long Beach State. In the 49ers upset of Pittsburgh, Ware had a team-high 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He had a more pedestrian 13 points in the team's loss to Louisville last week, but the possibility of a huge outburst is always there.
QUESTION MARK
Will previous tough games help the 49ers in Allen Fieldhouse?
The 49ers aren't the average mid-major heading into Lawrence for a non-conference game in December. They are a real talent team with plenty of big-game experience. They have three players that they rely on for scoring and one star — Casper Ware — that is capable of putting up big numbers on any defense. Allen Fieldhouse will be the most raucous crowd the 49ers will see this season, but with two tough road games already under their belt, they should have an idea of what to expect from the Kansas fans. Not only that, but they've proven that they are capable of upsetting a ranked team on the road. A win inside Allen Fieldhouse will be tough, but it certainly isn't out of the question.
HEAR YE HEAR YE
"Gasper Ware is as good with the ball as any guard in the country."
— Coach Bill Self
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF...
Ware catches fire and never relents. There really isn't another serious threat on this team, but Ware's 28 points at Pittsburgh were enough to seal the upset.
Kansas 76, Long Beach State 63