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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30.2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS TIPOFF
At A Glance
A 3-2 Jayhawk record isn't a very common occurrence for
A 12 Jayhawk record has a very common occurrence for Kansas teams, but neither is playing a pair of top-10 teams before Thanksgiving. The Jayhawks were overpowered by No. 2 Kentucky in the second half of their meeting two weeks ago in Madison Square Garden, eventually losing 75-65. Two wins later and Kansas met up with No. 6 Duke in the championship of the Maui Invitational. The game went back-and-forth the entire game, until a pair of late Duke three-pointers gave the Blue Devils the 68-61 win. Now the Jayhawks get a little breath as three mid-majors visit Allen Fieldhouse before the much anticipated showdown with No. 2 Ohio State on Dec. 10. Kansas should coast to three more wins before that matchup with the Buckeyes next Saturday. Bill Self has lost to three mid-majors at home since coming to Kansas in 2003, but it hasn't happened since Nov. 15, 2006.
Player To Watch
Tyshawn Taylor, guard
Home Sweet Allen Fieldhouse Kansas plays its first game at home in 19 days KANSAS VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC 7 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence
His 11 turnover performance in the Maui Invitational against Duke has been talked about ad nauseam since then. While that many turnovers is too much for a point guard of a potential Big 12 championship team, it's going to happen from time to time this season with Taylor. He is the most experienced ball-handler Bill Self has and it isn't close. He's trusted with the ball late in the games or anytime Kansas needs a quick two points. Against Kentucky when Kansas needed its offense to come alive, Taylor drove to the lane nearly every possession. He ended up with 17 free-throws, connecting on 15. If he can continue to get to the teeth of the defense with consistency, he'll draw secondary defenders and create plenty of opportunities for Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey down law
Question Mark
Will Conner Teahan get back on
track?
The sharp-shooting senior is finally seeing considerable minutes in his fifth season with the team. Up until this year, Teahan averaged just 3.6 minutes per game. Through five games, he's averaging 19.4 minutes. He opened the season with an impressive 11 points on 3-4 shooting from three. But since then, he's regressed every game. He only averaged 14 minutes in the final two games in the Maui Invitational and had just one shot attempt. Teahan looks to be the best three point shooter on the team, but his defense is what will determine if he plays major minutes or not. When he's hot though, like he was in the first half against Towson, he's a huge bonus for a Kansas team that doesn't have many proven three-point shooters.
Johnson
ELIJAH JOHNSON, GUARD
KANSAS STARTERS
Releford
Taylor
After playing sparingly his first two seasons as a Jayhawk, Elijah Johnson's coming out party occurred in the team's 72-56 victory against UCLA in the Maul Invitational. He connected on four three-pointers and had a career-high 23 points. He's averaging 11.6 points and 3.8 assists this season and is one of the most athletic players Bill Self has on the roster.
Robinson
TYSHAWN TAYLOR, GUARD
Bill Self summed up Tyshawn Taylor's game best earlier this year. "The dude can get to the paint," said Self. There might not be a better way to describe Taylor's game. He knows it too, as he taken just 10 three-pointers this year, a little more than one per game. When the Kansas offense stalls, Taylor creates his shot or gets to the lane and finds the open man.
TRAVIS RELEFORD, FORWARD
Much like Johnson, Travis Releford is experiencing major minutes for the first time in his career. The junior has been inconsistent so far this season, with disappearing acts against Kentucky and Duke. He played well against Towson and Georgetown, scoring double figures and shooting better than 70 percent each game.
Robinson was pegged as a First-Team All-American by CBSSports.com last month and he hasn't disappointed so far. He's recorded a double-double in all five games this season and is averaging an impressive 16 points and 12 rebounds. There won't be many games where Robinson isn't the best player on the court.
THOMAS ROBINSON FORWARD
Withey had his best game of the early season against Duke in the Maui Invitational championship game where he played 31 minutes and finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was the first double-double of his career and he added two blocks to his stat sheet as well.
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
Withey
FLORIDA ATLANTIC STARTERS
Bertone
PABLO BERTONE, GUARD
Bertone is the only underclassmen guard in the Owls' starting lineup. He's averaging 10 points this season and had a team-high five rebounds in last Saturday's loss to South Florida. He's not known for his passing — 1.6 assists per game — and he's only surpassed the 11-point plateau once this season, but he takes good shots, shooting 51.9 percent from the field through seven games.
RAYMOND TAYLOR,GUARD
Taylor, a junior, is the assist man on this Owls squad. He had a season-high nine assists in last week's loss to South Florida and is averaging 5.1 on the season. He was named team-MVP last season as a sophomore and was also selected to the All-Sun Belt First-Team.
Taylor
SHAVAR RICHARDSON, GUARD
If Greg Gantt is healthy, he'll start in Richardson's place. Gantt sat out against South Florida after suffering an ailne injury in practice and Richardson started in his place. Richardson is the only senior in the Florida Atlantic rotation and has played under Mike Jarvis three full seasons with the Owls, averaging 8.6 points each.
Richardson
KELVIN PENN, FORWARD
Penn is a former First-Team All-State selection at Stellacoom High School in Stellacoom, Wash. This is his first season at Florida Atlantic and he has all seven games, averaging 2.1 points and 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. With only seven college games under his belt, his reaction to playing in front of the Allen Fieldhouse is the biggest mystery of any of Mike Jarvis.
to playing in front of the Allen Fieldhouse crowd is the biggest mystery of any of Mike Jarvis' players.
Penn
White is the Owls' most legitimate threat down low, averaging 2.1 blocks and 5.9 rebounds through seven games this year. While going against Thomas Robinson will put him at a skill disadvantage, at 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, he's roughly the same size as his Jayhawk counterpart.
KORE WHITE, FORWARD
White
FLORIDA ATLANTIC TIPOFF
At A Glance
Florida Atlantic is led by long time coach Mike Jarvis, who has 22 years of Division I coaching experience. He's best known for his six-year stint at St. Johns, which lasted until 2003. He's in his fourth season at Florida Atlantic and has had drastic improvements each year, climbing from just six wins in 2008-2009 to a 21-11 finish and NIT berth last season.The Owls are currently 3-4 on the season with two losses coming against BCS conference opponents on the road, Washington and South Florida. The lineup for Jarvis is deep and balanced. He has nine players averaging more than 10 minutes per game as well as four players scoring at least 10 points per game. Three of those players average exactly 10 points, so honing in on one scoreer is likely impossible for opponents.
Player To Watch
Kore White, forward
A 6-foot-8 junior, White has two things Florida Atlantic will need if an upset is in the cards — experience and size. He's had consistent production through seven games this season and is averaging 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a game. Expect White to guard Kansas forward Thomas Robinson for much of the game, and his successes or failures down low will have a major effect on whether the game is close in the second half. His ability to block and alter shots should be able to keep Kansas forwards somewhat honest while he's in the game. The key for White will be his offensive game and whether he is able to get Robinson in early foul trouble. Kansas fans have seen the difference in the Jayhawks when Robinson is on the bench, and White putting him there with early foul trouble would go a long way in a potential upset bid.
Question Mark
Does Florida Atlantic have the firepower to win in Allen Fieldhouse?
- Kory Carpenter
Kansas has lost only twice at home in more than five calendar years. In both losses, the Jayhawks gave up 23 points to an opposing guard. Texas &M's Acie Law IV carved up the Kansas defense in 2007 and J'Covan Brown had his with the Jayhawks last season in leading the Texas Longhorns to victory. Florida Atlantic has balance, no doubt about it. But the past tells us that someone will have to have a career-night to even have a chance at pulling off the upset. Owl guard Omari Grier looks to be the leading candidate for that honor. He's averaging 10.4 points on the season but exploded for 20 points off the bench in last Saturday's loss to South Florida.
Prediction Kansas 84, Florida Atlantic 61
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