MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks roll over Pittsburg State
Thomas Robinson leads Kansas with 17 points
By Corey Thibodeaux
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
Sure, it was only an exhibition game against a Division II team. And, sure, a long and difficult schedule awaits Kansas down the road.
But even with those other factors in mind, the Jayhawks still looked every bit as good as a preseason No. 1 ranking dictates.
Kansas rolled, cruised and simply dominated Pittsburg State in a 103-45 victory Tuesday night.
Freshman forward Thomas Robinson led Kansas with 17 points, while Marcus Morris added 14 points and Sherron Collins chipped in 13.
Still, it's hard to deny that Kansas was visually impressive, regardless of the scenario surrounding the game.
As expected, the Jayhawks made quick work in this one.
In jumping out to a 55-21 halftime lead, the Jayhawks played lockdown, turnoverforcing defense. They looked quick and athletic in transition.
Exhibition games are usually nothing more than a glorified scrimmage, serving as a final tune-up before the start of the season. Putting much stock in those games is similar to buying stock in a failing company.
And they had more than a few highlight-worthy moments in the first 20 minutes.
With 15:34 left in the half, freshman guard Xavier Henry stole a pass at half court before darting the other way for a powerful one-handed dunk that had the student section jumping up and down.
Then, late in the first half, sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor left a pass for a trailing Marcus Morris, who threw down a one-handed dunk over a helpless Pittsburg State defense.
On the final play of the half, freshman guard Elijah Johnson sliced through the lane
and left a pass for senior center Cole Aldrich, who finished the play with a two-handed dunk.
It was that type of night for the Jayhawks.
The Jayhawks recorded 10 first-half steals, forced 18 turnovers and converted those turnovers into 22 points.
Kansas' offense and the abovementioned plays drew the loudest cheers of the night. But the defense was equally as productive.
Robinson also led Kansas in the first half with 10 points, while Marcus Morris and Aldrich each chipped in eight points before intermission.
Photos by Weston White KANSAN
Above: Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor dishes the ball off behind his back to sophomore forward Marcus Morris during the first half for a dunk. Taylor had three assists in 17 minutes against Pittsburg State en route to a 103-45 victory.
Left: Kansas coach Bill Self
gives instructions to a player
on the bench during Tuesday
night's 103-45 win. Self's team
shot just over 55 percent from
the floor.
2009-2010 men's basketball roster
No. Name Year Pos. Ht. Wt.
0 Thomas Robinson Fr. F 6-9 230
1 Xavier Henry Fr. G 6-6 220
2 Connor Teahan Jr. G 6-5 215
3 Sherron Collins Sr. G 5-11 205
5 Jeff Withey Fr. C 7-0 225
10 Tyshawn Taylor So. G 6-3 185
12 Brady Morningstar Jr. G 6-3 185
13 C.J. Henry Fr. G 6-4 205
14 Tyrel Reed Jr. G 6-3 185
15 Elijah Johnson Fr. G 6-2 183
21 Markeiff Morris So F 6-9 232
22 Marcus Morris So F 6-8 225
23 Mario Little Sr. G 6-5 210
24 Travis Releford So. G 6-5 205
40 Jordan Juenemann So. G 6-4 195
41 Chase Bufof Jr. G 6-3 210
45 Cole Aldrich Jr. C 6-11 245
2009-2010 men's basketball schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Time | |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 11/3 | Fort Hays State (Ex.) | Lawrence | W. 107-68 | 1/13 |
| 11/10 | Pittsburg State (Ex.) | Lawrence | W. 103-45 | 1/16 |
| 11/13 | Hofstra | Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 1/20 |
| 11/17 | Memphis | St. Louis | 9 p.m. | 1/23 |
| 11/19 | Central Arkansas | Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 1/25 |
| 11/25 | Oakland | Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 1/30 |
| 11/27 | Tennessee Tech | Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 2/3 |
| 12/2 | Alcorn State | Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 2/6 |
| 12/6 | UCLA | Los Angeles | 4:30 p.m. | 2/8 |
| 12/9 | Radford | Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 2/13 |
| 12/12 | La Salle | Kansas City, Mo. | 1 p.m. | 2/15 |
| 12/19 | Michigan | Lawrence | 11 a.m. | 2/20 |
| 12/22 | California | Lawrence | 8 p.m. | 2/22 |
| 12/29 | Belmont | Lawrence | 8 p.m. | 2/27 |
| 1/2 | Temple | Philadelphia | 4:30 p.m. | 3/3 |
| 1/6 | Cornell | Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 3/6 |
| 1/10 | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | 12:30 p.m. | 3/10-|
B. A.
Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. 8 p.m.
Texas Tech Lawrence 12:45 p.m.
Baylor Lawrence 8 p.m.
Iowa State Ames, Iowa 1 p.m.
Missouri Lawrence 8 p.m.
Kansas State Manhattan 6 p.m.
Colorado Boulder, Colo. 8 p.m.
Nebraska Lawrence 5 p.m.
Texas Austin, Texas 8 p.m.
Iowa State Lawrence 7 p.m.
Texas A&M College Station, Texas 8 p.m.
Colorado Lawrence 3 p.m.
Oklahoma Lawrence 8 p.m.
Oklahoma State Stillwater, Okla. 3 p.m.
Kansas State Lawrence 7 p.m.
Missouri Columbia, Mo. 1 p.m.
Big 12 Championship Kansas City, Mo.
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THE WAVE NOVEMBER 13,2009
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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