THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
GAMEDAY
EMPORIA STRIKES BACK
The Hornets return to Lawrence for what looks to be a lopsided victory KANSAS VS. EMPORIA STATE 7:00 p.m.Tuesday, ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, FSN
ATAGLANCE
The Jayhawk newcomers were supposed to break out and become the story of Kansas' first exhibition game against Washburn. It didn't work out that way. Other than freshman forward Quintrell Thomas, the newcomers struggled in the 98-79 victory. Instead of showing off his ability to get to the rim, freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor committed five turnovers. Instead of stretching the defense with jump shots, freshman forward Marcus Morris fouled out in seven minutes. Will the freshmen calm down and contribute against Emporia State?
KANSAS STARTERS
PLAYER TO WATCH
Brady Morningstar
Fans seemed to forget about Morningstar when discussing the possibilities of the Kansas guard rotation coming into the season. Now, Morningstar is demanding attention. He played as well as any Jayhawk in the game against Washburn by scoring 15 points, recording three assists and playing lockdown defense. With another solid exhibition performance, Morningstar could assure himself solid playing time in the season.
QUESTION MARK
Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 junior guard
Collins quietly dominated in the first exhibition game. He scored 22 points and handed out seven assists. He also took only 12 shots. Just imagine what Collins will be able to do this year when he has to take over a game.
Will Kansas be as efficient offensively as it was in the first exhibition game?
Tyrel Reed, 6-foot 3 sophomore guard
Probably not. It's worth noting, however, that the Jayhawks shot 60 percent from the field in the game against the Ichabods. Kansas also shot 7-for-15 from three-point range. Even Bill Self said he was surprised by how easily Kansas scored. But the defensive woes over-shadowed the stellar offense. If the Jayhawks continue the offensive onslaught against Emporia State, people will notice.
Brady Morningstar, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard
Reed says he doesn't have a favorite spot to shoot from behind the arc. It sure looked like he found one against Washburn. He hit four of his five three-pointers from just behind the right wing.
Conner Teahan, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard
Morningstar, who grew up in Lawrence and is a lifelong Kansas fan, isn't in awe when he hears his name called in the starting lineup at Allen Field-house. "It's all business now," Morningstar said. He played with he meant it in the game against Washburn with 15 points.
Despite starting for the first time in his career last game, Teahan only played 13 minutes. He needs to get involved early by playing strong defense and making jump shots to receive more minutes against Emporia State.
Cole Aldrich, 6-foot-11 sophomore center
Four Jayhawks scored more points than Aldrich did in the game against Washburn. Aldrich finished with eight points, which is significantly less than Self thinks he will score per game. The guards need to get the ball to him more often.
SIXTH MAN
Marcus Morris, 6-foot-8 freshman forward
Morris has undeniable skills. There's practically nothing lie can't do on the court. But for that to happen, he has to be playing. Fouling out in seven minutes just isn't acceptable.
Teahan
Morningstar
Aldrich
HEARYE. HEARYE
Reed
Morris
Kansas coach Bill Self
"Everybody on our team knows all the plays. Sometimes, we cheat. So we've got to get used to playing against somebody else."
— Sophomore center Cole Aldrich on the difference between practice and an exhibition game
on behalf of KU Collegiate Veterans Association
"We've got A.D.D pretty bad on the court from time to time as far as just staying focused. It's just a young group. We can have the best intentions and then we can lose focus pretty easy when something bad happens or something negative kicks in. We've got to really improve in that area."
In Memory of those who have served and those who are currently serving. Happy Veteran's Day
EMPORIA STARTERS
For more information about KU Collegiate Veterans Association call (316) 304-8334 or visit www.kuveterans.org
$25 Half-price Tickets for KU Students!
Dustin Andrews, 6-foot-3 junior guard
Matt Boswell, 6-foot-6 sophomore guard
PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL
OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF...
The Wichita native played in 19 games last season he's the top returning scorer at 3.7 points per game. Boswell was a McDonald's All-American nominee, so he has the best chance to slow down Kansas' guards.
Conner Teahan can make at least two three-pointers. Maybe unfairly, the Allen Fieldhouse crowd expects Teahan to drain every triple he shoots after he made 12 of 20 attempts last season. But Teahan rushed his two three-point attempts in the game against Washburn and missed both of them. The fans responded by sighing. For at least one more game, Teahan will play early and have an opportunity to make significant shots. He needs to convert. Teahan has a reputation to uphold.
He started one game last season and scored 25 points per game. Andrews' greatest deficiency is his three-point shooting, which sat at a lowly 24 percent last season.
Kansas doesn't play for a full 40 minutes. It sounds easy enough, but it was the Jayhawks' most glaring offense in the Washburn game. Kansas played relaxed in the second half after going into a halftime with a 25-point lead. Washburn actually outscored Kansas 44-41 in the second half. The lack of energy in the second half peeled Bill Self more than any other mistake in the game. Self can deal with youthful miscues. But he's not going to accept less than full effort.
Lamar Wilbern, 6-foot-2 junior guard
Wilber played for KU before arriving at Emporia State. The difference is that was Kaplan University, the recently changed moniker for Hamilton College. While at KU, Wilber averaged 23.2 points, 9.4 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game.
Shang Ping, 6-foot-10 senior center
Jeremiah Box, 6-foot-5 junior guard/forward
box was named the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year at Sauk Valley Community College in 2007. Last season he averaged 18.5 points per game, earning him Honorable Mention All-American honors.
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center of Kansas
liedku.edu 785-864-2787
Ping is a prodigy who never found his niche last year. Both of his parents played professional basketball in China and he starred on the Chinese 18-under team. However, his talent has never transferred to this side of the world.
Andrews
Box
Wilbern
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF...
Niles accumulated more than 1,000 points in two seasons at the College of Dupage in Illinois. The littlest Hornet brings a New York toughness that makes up for his lacking stature.
Tim Niles, 5-foot-10 junior guard
Ping
Boswell
SIXTH MAN
Taylor Bern
The Hornets are a guard-heavy team, but a lot of those guards are big enough to play at the three or four spot. Still, they won't be able to help getting out-muscle underneath the basket. Emporia State will need to knock down some treys, but it graduated all its best outside shooters from last season. Coach David Moe's team has a lot of new faces and nobody, including him, is quite sure what to expect from them.
Niles
AT A GLANCE
PLAYER TO WATCH
Diehard Kansas fans may remember Ping from his brief appearances in Nebraska red last season. In two games against the Jayhawks, Ping played 15 minutes, hit 1-of-3 from the field, 0-of-3 from the free line, corralled two rebounds and committed two turnovers. If he can avoid foul troubles, Ping should almost double those minutes played and he's the key for the Hornets to get anything established underneath the basket.
Shang Ping
QUESTION MARK
Last night the Hornets played the Shockers in Wichita, and now they've got to turnaround to travel to Lawrence. Depending on the conditioning of his team, coach David Moe may elect to go deeper into his bench tonight to rest some of the guys that played a lot of minutes in Wichita. Emporia State has just a few players who can make a real impact (Wilbern, Ping and Box) so it's crucial for them to stay out on the court.
Can Emporia State recover from its game at Wichita State?
COACHES CORNER
Coach David Moe's squad made it to the MIAA championship game last season before falling to Northwest Missouri State. Moe's teams play a fast-paced game, which explains why his roster is often guard-heavy. His style of play also brings in some of the top junior college players in the Midwest, and tonight he'll find out just how good some of them are.
JOINTHE BEST.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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