GAMEDAY
7A
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2008
KU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE
COUNTDOWN TO TIPOFF
How much will Kansas win by?
Consider this one the last celebration of last year's NCAA Championship. The permanent national championship banner will be unveiled before the game, and the Jayhawks could do it justice by destroying Florida Gulf Coast. If the Jayhawks struggle against the Eagles, the whole night would be undermined. More importantly, this game is Kansas' last chance to prepare for the two tough CBE Classic games next week at the Sprint Center. Kansas will play Washington Monday and then either Florida or Syracuse Tuesday. The Jayhawks need to make sure they are ready for the challenges those teams will present.
BATTLE OF THE BIRDS
HEARYE HEARYE
QUESTION MARK
Freshman guard Travis Releford
Let's be realistic:The Jayhawks are not going to lose to the Eagles, a team that's under-sized and undermanned. It could, however, be close. That's always a possibility with a team as young as the Jayhawks. Kansas should cruise to a significant halftime lead and never be worried in the game. The Jayhawks might be able to clear their bench at the end of this one.
Despite playing only 13 minutes in the game against UMKC, Releford provided a positive spark. He showed why his defense is renowned with two steals. He took one all the way back for a layup on a fastbreak. He also finished with six points and two rebounds. It wouldn't be surprising at all if that performance earned Releford some extra minutes tonight.
PLAYER TO WATCH
"We don't need to bounce back. We won. We actually didn't play bad. We just didn't make shots. There's a difference between playing bad and not making shots. We got some good looks. We'll make those."
— Kansas coach Bill Self on his thoughts heading into the Florida Gulf Coast game after the UMKC victory
Will it be the Jayhawks or the Eagles that fly away victorious tonight? KANSAS VS. FLORIDA GULF COAST 8 p.m. tonight, ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, ESPNU
"We're going to get everybody's best shot. Especially because we beat a lot of people pretty bad last year, and this is their chance to get back at us. We're re-building, but I think we've got some great pieces and when we put it all together, we'll be all right."
Junior guard Sherron Collins on Kansas' opponents
KANSAS STARTERS
Collins
Sherron Collins. 5-foot-11 junior guard
Collins loves his role as the center of attention. He's constantly instructing his teammates on the court. He's got the skills to back it up, too.
Tyrel Reed, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard
Reed
Reed doesn't play great defense, but he keeps making shots at opportune times for the Jayhawks. As long as he continues doing that, Self will keep rewarding him with minutes.
Brady Morningstar, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard
Morningstar
After two strong exhibition games, Morningstar disappeared in the season opener with only five points and two rebounds. It may not be a good sign for Morningstar that Self didn't start him in the second half against UMKC when Kansas was in a pivotal situation.
Thomas
★★☆☆☆
Quintrell Thomas,
6-foot-7 freshman forward
Despite starting against UMKC, Thomas played only 12 minutes. He grabbed four rebounds in that span and added a block. No one can dispute his physicality in the pant.
Cole Aldrich, 6-foot-11 sophomore center Aldrich cannot get in foul trouble
FLORIDA STARTERS
In four trouble for the Jayhawks to be successful. It's as simple as that. Without him, they are a mediocre team.
Aldrich
Reggie Chambers, 5-foot-9 freshman guard
Marcus Morris,
6-foot-8 freshman forward
SIXTH MAN
The ultra-quick guard helped lead his high school, Miami Pace, to a state championship his senior year. Now, he gets a welcome to college basketball by guarding one of the nation's best in Sherron Collins.
Morris
Marcus picked up two quick fouls against UMKC and was never on the floor for an extended period of time. He played
Baker
only eight minutes and scored two points.
Chambers
Reed Baker, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard
Baker, a Michigan transfer is ready to contribute after sitting out last season. He appeared in 28 games for the Wolverines, averaging 2.5 points as a freshman for the 22-13 Michigan squad that reached the NIT in 2007.
Case Keefen
The only returning player with much experience averaged 9.2 points per game last year. He shot 36 percent from three point range, drilling an average of 1.7 per game.
Delvin Franklin, 6-foot-2 senior guard
Frankin
★★★☆☆
George Erkvania, 6-foot-10 junior center
Erkvania, a native of Tbilisi,
Georgia Republic
Erkvania
transferred to FGCU from Pensacola Junior College, where he started 15 games and shot 48 percent from the floor. He is the team's tallest player at 6-10 but weighs just 210 pounds.
★★☆☆★
Kyle Marks, 6-foot-7 junior forward
A transfer from Nebraska, Marks led Dwyer High to consecutive 5A State Championships in Florida and is the school's all-time leader in blocks. He appeared in 34 games for the Huskers, shooting more than 50 percent from the field.
★★☆☆
Marks
SIXTH MAN
Ben Vega, 5-foot-10 junior guard
The Gulf Coast Community College transfer was second on the team with 14 points in the Eagles' 89-58 exhibition victory against Ave Maria on Nov. 4. He was a second-team All-Panhandle League selection last year after averaging 9.8 points and 3.4 assists.
Vega
B. J.Rains
FGCU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
The Eagles open up their second season in Division I at Kansas after playing only one exhibition game, an 89-58 victory against Ave Maria on Nov. 4. The team lost 11 players from last year's team and returned just two who played last season. The team has several transfers, including Reed Baker from Michigan and Kyle Marks from Nebraska. In addition to the four transfers, coach Dave Balza welcomes eight freshmen. That said, it doesn't figure to go very well for FGCU on Tuesday.
PLAYERTOWATCH
Senior guard Delvin Franklin
Franklin averaged 9.2 points per game last season, including 12.3 points in conference play. He's the only returning player with any experience and figures to be called upon to lead the young Eagles squad. He drilled 1.7 three pointers per game a year ago, making him one of the most lethal three-point shooters in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
QUESTION MARK
Will the Eagles be in awe of Allen Fieldhouse?
The picture on the FGCU athletics Web site on Monday afternoon was a picture of the team standing at center court at Allen Fieldhouse after practice. The players appeared to be on more of a sight-seeing trip than a basketball game. Wait until 16,300 fans pack the building and the National Championship banner is raised just before tipoff, and see how they feel then. This one has absolute blowout written all over it.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"Gone are nine of the top 10 scorers from a year ago, leaving senior sharp-shooter Delvin Franklin as the only returning starter. Eighty-six percent of the scoring and 94 percent of the rebounding have moved on, leaving Head Coach Dave Balza with one of the most inexperienced teams in the country."
FGCU game notes
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Game
Time (CT) Channel
Baylor vs. Centenary 3 p.m. ESPN
Texas vs. Tulane 7 p.m. LSN
Colorado vs. Montana 7 p.m. N/A
Texas A&M vs. Stephen F. Austin 7 p.m. N/A
Oklahoma vs. Davidson 8:30 p.m. ESPN2
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF ...
Sherron Collins scores 25 points. It's only a matter of time before Collins breaks out and has a game to remember. He scored 22 in both of the exhibition games rather easily. Against UMKC, he scored 16 points and came up with baskets when Kansas needed it most to keep runs alive. Florida Gulf Coast is probably the least talented team on Kansas' schedule, which means Collins shouldn't have much trouble getting to the rim.
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF...
TOP 25 TELEVISED GAMES
Sherron Collins commits more turnovers than assists again. Collins had four turnovers and only two assists against UMKC. The Jayhawks simply won't be able to function correctly if that happens against real competition. And it's not only because Collins is their go-to-guy. He's also their point team. Collins has a tough task in that he needs to lead the team in scoring almost every night, but still get his teammates involved equally as much.
Prediction:
Kansas 93, Florida Gulf Coast 65
Game
Time
No. 1 Alabama vs. Mississippi State 6:45 p.m. ESPN
No. 4 Florida vs. No. 25 South Carolina 2:30 p.m. CBS
No. 6 USC at Stanford 6 p.m. Versus
No. 7 Utah at San Diego State 7 p.m. The Mtn.
No. 8 Penn State vs. Indiana 11 a.m. Big Ten Network
No. 9 Boise State at Idaho 4 p.m. ESPN360.com
No. 10 Georgia at Auburn 11:30 a.m. ESPN360.com
No. 11 Ohio State at Illinois 11 a.m. ESPN
No. 16 North Carolina at Maryland 2:30 p.m. ABC
No. 17 Brigham Young at Air Force 2:30 p.m. CBS College Sports
No. 19 Florida State vs. Boston College 7 p.m. ABC
No. 20 LSU vs. Troy 7 p.m. ESPN360.com
No. 23 Tulsa at Houston 7 p.m. No TV
No. 24 Wake Forest at ESPNU
North Carolina State 2:30 p.m.
Channel