14 BASKETBALL
Men's basketball preview
Kansas has high hopes
Top-ranked men's team enters season with national title hopes
The men's basketball team followed up a National Championship in 2008 with a 27-8 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in last year's NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks had lost all five of their starters from their 2008 squad, but managed to post a 14-2 record in Big 12 Conference play and win a fifth consecutive conference crown. Last year's team won its first two NCAA Tournament games before falling 67-62 to Michigan State.
Kansas is led by senior point guard Sherron Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich, who were both named to the All-Big 12 First Team last season. Collins averaged 18.9 points per game and made 77 3-pointers last season. Aldrich averaged a double-double for the season, posting 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per contest.
The Jayhawks held their opponents to just 38.3 percent shooting from the field during the season. Junior guard Brady Morningstar led last year's team in steals with 43, while sophomore Tyshawn Taylor also earned a starting role in the Jayhawks' lineup. Sophomore twins Marcus and Markieff Morris, junior Tyrel Reed, and senior Mario Little also saw significant playing time last season.
Bill Self is starting his seventh season as the Jayhawks' head coach. Self has posted a 169-40 record at Kansas and has led the team to five conference championships in six seasons. He welcomes five freshmen to this year's team. Brothers Xavier and C.J. Henry are joined by Elijah Johnson, Thomas Robinson, and Jeff Withey.
Kansas starts this season with a 41-game winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks tip off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against Fort Hays State in their first exhibition game of the season.
Scott Toland
Weston White/KANSAN
Above: Cole Aldrich snacks away a shot for one of his ten blocks during Kansas 60-43 win last year against Dayton. Aldrich was the first player since March 19th, 1922 to record a triple-double with blocks. The last do to so was Shaquille O'Neal.
Right: Sherron Collins drives against Dayton center Kurt Huelsman for a layup.
Collins led all scorers with 25 points in Kansas' 60-43 win in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament.
Weston White/KANSAN
THE WAVE OCTOBER 30,2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN