... GAME DAY THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2008 KU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE Kansas won't be able to hide its flaws. Not anymore. Not during its next two games in the CBE Classic. Against UMKC and Florida Gulf Coast, Kansas possessed a noticeable advantage in talent. That's not going to be the case against Washington and Florida or Syracuse. If the Jayhawks don't play near their potential, they will lose. Kansas coach Bill Self even said it. Self also said, however, that the CBE Classic in the Sprint Center will serve as a way to figure out exactly what level his team is playing at this early in the season. Freshman forward Marcus Morris Quintrell Thomas started the first game of the season after playing better than the other freshmen big men in the exhibition games. Markieff Morris recorded 15 rebounds in the first game of the season and got the Kansas' game against Washington is first difficult one of the season PLAYER TO WATCH CBE CHALLENGES KU nod at power forward for game two. In the game against Florida Gulf Coast, Marcus played better than Markieff and Thomas with 10 rebounds. That should lead you to believe he will start against Washington. He's also probably the most talented of the freshmen big men. QUESTION MARK Morris KANSAS VS. WASHINGTON 9 p.m., SPRINT CENTER, Kansas City, Mo., ESPN2 Collins' teammates look up to him. And by all accounts, he's done a terrific job directing them Can Sherron Collins keep the Jayhawks focused on the court? on the court in the first two games. Collins will face his toughest task as a leader, however, against Washington if: a) the Jayhawks get off to a big lead to start the Collins game or b) the Jayhawks get off to a slow start and fall behind by more than 10 points. Collins will need to keep Kansas concentrated in either of those situations. "This is why I came here. I knew we were going to play against good competition. I'm ready." "This is perfect for us. It's probably perfect for Washington, Florida and Syracuse too. It's a good way to find out where we're at." HEARYE. HEARYE — Kansas coach Bill Self on the CBE Classic Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor on the CBE Classic KANSAS STARTERS Collins Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 junior guard Washington uses three point guards equally throughout the game. It shouldn't matter. Collins is better than all of them. Taylor One of the last times Taylor played in Kansas City, he scored 47 points in a ProAm game. If he scored one-third of that against Washington, it would be huge. Tyshawn Taylor, 6-foot-2 freshman guard Morningstar Brady Morningstar, 6-foot-3 sophomore Morningstar recorded six assists and no turnovers in the game against Florida Gulf Coast. He also played defense well enough to be used on an instructional video. guard Thomas Markieff Morris, 6-foot-9 freshman Morris Markieff's encore to his 15-rebound performance in his first game wasn't anything special. He didn't do anything wrong, though. WASHINGTON Dentmon forward So far he's been backing up the famous name. Thomas leads the team in assists and scored 19 points in Washington's most recent victory, a game against Florida international in which star Jon Brockman played poorly. Isaiah Thomas, 5-foot-8 freshman guard Justin Dentmon, 5-foot-11 senior guard Pondexter's scoring numbers are down, but he's learned how to rebound. He's turned into one of the best rebounding swingmen in the country, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. Dentmont and Brockman are the two leaders. They played big roles for the Huskies as freshman when the team was getting national attention. Now as seniors, they are trying to get Washington back to prominence. Quincy Pondexter, 6-foot-6 junior forward Pondexter Aldrich Jon Brockman, 6-foot-7 senior forward Cole Aldrich, 6-foot-11 Washington might not make the NCAA Tournament or finish in the top half of the Pacific 10, but that shouldn't keep Brockman from being regarded as one of the best post players in the country. He's averaging a double-double and should become the Huskies' all-time leading rebounder some time in the middle of the season. sophomore center If Aldrich swats a few shots or dunks a few balls early, he could give Kansas immediate momentum. He says he needs to play smarter Brockman to avoid foul trouble. ★★★★☆ Lorenzo Romar elected to redshirt Gant last year, hoping he could polish some of his skills. Early on, Gant has shown the athletic ability that made him a highly sought after recruit in high school, but he has yet to nut every Darnell Gant, 6-foot-8 freshman forward SIXTH MAN Morris pulled down 10 rebounds against Florida Gulf Coast, but shot only 2-for-8 from the field. He needs to be more patient and focus on getting points on putbacks. Marcus Morris, 6-foot-8 freshman Gant Morris - Case Keefer ★★★★ more guard Tyshawn Taylor SIXTH MAN Venoy Overton, 5-foot-11 sopho- In Washington's season opening loss to Portland, he was one of the most important players on the floor. Overton came off the bench to score nine points, grab five rebounds and hand out three assists. Overton Mark Dent UW TIPOFF AT A GLANCE Boy, 2006 sure seems like a long time ago. Brandon Roy and Washington led No. 1 seed Connecticut in the Sweet 16 that year for nearly the whole game before blowing it at the end. That loss gave a year after the Huskies earned a No. 1 seed and another Sweet 16 berth. Since then, Washington hasn't been nearly as fortunate. Roy graduated, Spencer Hawes left early and Martell Webster never arrived on campus. Despite those losses, coach Lorenzo Romar has fielded a talented team that just can't win against top competition. This is the last year for Justin Dentmon and Jon Brockman to bring Washington back, and a season-opening loss to Portland wasn't a good start. PLAYER TO WATCH Senior forward Jon Brockman Brockman is the best player for any of the four schools at the CBE Classic. ESPN analyst called him the nation's best rebounder, and so far he's averaging 11.3 rebounds per game to go along with 20.3 points. If Washington were located on the East Coast and got a few more victories, he'd be as good a candidate as anyone to win National Player of the Year. QUESTION MARK Do the Huskies have enough depth and size? The biggest problem for Washington the last two years hasn't been talent at the top. The Huskies have had a starting lineup with Pondexter, Dentmon and Brockman, a big three that rivals the top teams in the Pac-10. Isaiah Thomas has shown promise so far this season, but after that, the Huskies struggle, notably on the inside. It already doesn't help that Brockman and Gant are both undersized for their roles, but the players replacing them aren't any bigger. Outside of raw seven-footer Joe Wolfinger, no one taller than 6-foot-8 gets consistent playing time. HEARYE HEARYE "They believe that they can win because they've won. They're system is their system. But when you lose a Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers (and) Brandon Rush all in the same year, you're going to be a little bit of a different team." Coach Lorenzo Romar, on Kansas to the Seattle Times "When he comes into games, he comes in and stops the other team's best player. Like Coach says, if there's a fire, you're going to have to put the fire out. He comes in and puts the fire out." — Justin Dentmon to the Seattle Times about reserve Justin Holiday, who played 19 minutes in the Huskies' victory against Florida International BIG 12 SCHEDULE Game Texas vs. St. Joseph's 2 p.m. ESPN2 Baylor vs. Jacksonville 7 p.m. N/A Hawaii vs. Iowa State 11 p.m. N/A Time (CT) Channel SPRINT CENTER WILL ROCK IF... Cole Aldrich outplays Washington's Jon Brockman. In accolades and statistics, Brockman has Aldrich beat in the battle of big men. Brockman is averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game as opposed to Aldrich's 13 points and six rebounds. Brockman is an All-American candidate. Aldrich didn't even make the first team of the Big 12 Conference. But if Aldrich slows down Brockman, he'll start to get more attention. PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF... Jon Brockman rolls over Cole Aldrich. Let's keep it simple. Aldrich is four inches taller than the 6 foot-7 Brockman, which should give the Jayhawk the rebounding advantage. Except Brockman, a senior, is one of the nation's elite at positioning himself under the basket for rebounds. The matchup can get physical early as the two try to box each other out. This is where all of Aldrich's weight-training in the summer could pay off. PREDICTION: NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE Kansas 79, Washington 74 Date Opponent TV Time
AppointmentTVTime
TodayWASHINGTON (Sprint Center)ESPN29 p.m.
TuesdayFLORIDA/SYRACUSE (Sprint Center)ESPNU/ESPN26:45/9:15 p.m.
Nov. 28COPPIN STATEJayhawk TV7 p.m.
Dec. 1KENT STATEESPNU8 p.m.
Dec. 3NEW MEXICO STATEJayhawk TV7 p.m.
Dec. 6JACKSON STATEJayhawk TV1 p.m.
Dec. 13MASSACHUSETTS (Sprint Center)ESPN1 p.m.
Dec. 20TEMPLEESPN21:30 p.m.
Dec. 23at ArizonaFSN9:30 p.m.
Dec. 30ALBANYESPNU8 p.m.
Jan. 3TENNESSEEESPN1 p.m.
Jan. 6SIENAJayhawk TV7 p.m.
Jan. 10at Michigan StateCBSnoon