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KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
8
basketball gameday
Nov. 25 | 7 p.m. | Allen Fieldhouse
- CHRISTIAN S. HARDY
@ByHardy
AT A GLANCE
If all goes well, this game should go much smoother for Kansas than the Siena game did one week before. Though UNC Asheville is coming off a conference championship, it shouldn't be able to hang with Kansas in any way like Siena did. What Kansas fans should want to see in this game is Jackson continuing to emerge, getting smarter and staying out of foul trouble, as well as solid production from anyone not named Frank Mason III. These games are for development, and seeing Mason put up 25 won't reveal much about this team.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Lagerald Vick, sophomore, guard
Vick is the true sixth man of this team, and he probably will be all year, barring an injury to one of the three starting guards. He has the best statistical game of his career against Siena, and his quick reactions have benefited Kansas on the boards. But where he still has plenty of room to improve is his perimeter defense, and he often struggles with switches and opens himself up to drives more often than any other Jayhawk. However, he's sure to have a role in every game this year, and may even step into a starting role if Self ever decides to start four guards.
QUESTION MARK
Can UNC Asheville keep Kansas from scoring quick buckets?
UNC Asheville is one of the slowest teams in the country, averaging 69.5 possessions per 40 minutes through its first three games this season. That's 278th in the country, according to Ken Pomeroy. This year, coach Nick McDavitt's team has gone deep into the shot clock, setting up his team's offense aiming to disorient the defense. If Kansas can get quick buckets or get out in transition after UNC Asheville runs its slow-pace offense and rack up easy buckets, this shouldn't be a game.
BY THE NUMBERS
207
- Bill Self has won 207 games in Allen Fieldhouse, making him the winningest coach in the venue. Kansas has won 41 games straight there, as well.
87.3
87. 3 Kansas is averaging 87.3 points per game after three games in 2016-17. The team averaged 81 points per game in 2015-16.
116 Kansas is fourth most efficient offense in the country, per Ken Pomeroy with a 116 adjusted offensive efficiency score.
STARTING FIVE
Frank Mason III, senior, guard
Frank Mason III, senior, guard Mason quietly led Kansas in scoring on Friday against Siena, just like he's done in every game this season. He's averaging 23 points per game, second in the Big 12. Per 40 minutes, he's averaging 10 more points and 5.5 more field goal attempts than he did in 2015-16. He's struggled from three, but he hasn't needed it yet, as his drive to the basket is one of the best in the country.
Devonte' Graham, junior, guard
Graham is second in points (14.0) and assists (4.7) per game, behind Mason in both categories. He's still waiting for his breakout performance, but he's consistently been good. He's shot 10-of-19 in the last two games, and he's 9-of-10 from two-point range in those games as well. He got more run at the point in the game against Siena, and he should do more of that against UNC Asheville, assuming Self wants to experiment a bit in these early games.
Josh Jackson, freshman, guard
Bill Self showed a bit of frustration with Jackson after the game against Siena, simply because he continues to find himself in foul trouble. He didn't foul out on Friday, but two of his four fouls came on the offensive end, as he came down the lane with a head of steam. Outside the foul trouble, Jackson was near-perfect in the games against Siena and Duke. However, he still hasn't hit 30 minutes in any game, which is something he should be able to do by conference season.
Carlton Bragg Jr., sophomore, forward Bragg notched his first career double-double on Friday with career highs in points and rebounds. He's fully out of the "funk" that Bill Self said he was in coming into the season, and is becoming a much better rebounder than he was to start the season. It's becoming clear why Bragg stayed for his second year and passed on the NBA, as he's still developing each and every game, but it's clear that he's going to be integral to this Kansas team making a run.
Lucas looked better in the game against Siena, working the boards and post moves better than he had in any game prior, and bringing back the defense that was so valuable through the 2016 NCAA tournament. He blocked five shots in the Siena game, a career high, and looked fully recovered from the foot injury that limited him earlier in the year. He's still getting some foul calls that have frustrated him, but it's only a matter of time before he figures that out.
Landen Lucas, senior, forward
UNC ASHEVILLE
STARTING FIVE
Kevin Vannatta, junior, guard
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Vannatta has played a lot of minutes as point guard for UNC Asheville, but has been a cold shooter so far. Vannatta hit two threes in a season-opening loss to VCU, but didn't hit a single shot from beyond the line in 10 attempts over the next two games. If Vannatta can shoot better from three or distribute the ball well, Kansas will have a problem guarding a possible one-two punch of Vannatta and Ahmad Thomas..
Ahmad Thomas, junior, guard
Thomas is the all-around leader for UNC Asheville. So far this season, Thomas averages 17 points per game. The junior guard is UNC Asheville's goto guy, and he will be the player most of the scoring will go through against Kansas. Thomas is also the best rebounder on the team, with 15 rebounds already this year. He's the team's top three-point shooter, hitting 7-of-12 this season. Kansas might have some trouble stopping Thomas, especially if he shoots from the perimeter frequently, where Kansas has proven to have trouble defending.
David Robertson, senior, guard
Although Robertson has only hauled in one rebound and scored zero points in two of UNC Asheville's games so far this season, he hasn't played a ton of minutes either. Robertson will start against Kansas, but look for him to split minutes with senior forward Will Weeks or junior guard Raekwon Miller. In the minutes Robertson has played, he hasn't contributed much. Robertson's best game was an eight-point, three-rebound outing in a win over USC Upstate.
MaCio Teague, freshman, guard
Teague is another offensive threat for the Bulldogs. He is second in points per game to Thomas and shoots 40 percent from three. The freshman has been a big boost to the Bulldogs early this season. He completes a UNC Asheville team that considers outside shooting as one of its strengths. With Kansas having trouble defending on the perimeter, Teague is another player who can contribute to exploiting that weakness.
Giacomo Zilli, senior, forward
Zilli has stayed in the starting lineup for the Bulldogs ever since coming off the bench in the first game. He replaced forward Will Weeks and remains the only forward on the floor at one time for UNC Asheville. Production from Zilli since he came into the lineup has been steady, with five points in his first game and eight in his second. The strength for Zilli appears to be his ability to play as more of a "glue" player in this UNC Asheville team, with the other players carrying the bulk of the scoring.
★★☆☆
▶ SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@SkyRolSports
ATA GLANCE
UNC Asheville is going to struggle with the size of Kansas at just about every position on the floor, and the Bulldogs don't have the depth to get into foul trouble. It also seems likely that Kansas will be able to get out in transition and score easy baskets against this slow, methodical offense. The only way the Bulldogs should be able to hang in this game is by limiting the Jayhawks' transition points and tiring out Kansas' defense with their offense.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Ahmad Thomas, junior, guard
Thomas has built his reputation as a pest on defense. In four games this year, he's averaged 2.7 steals per game, and he averaged 2.1 steals per game last season. He finished with 71 steals to lead the Big South conference and was second in Big South defensive of the year voting. He's got good length that really shows when he's playing mid-major teams, and he has a 6-foot-3, 215-pounds frame that allows him to defend just about any guard he sees. He's UNC Asheville's top scorer through four games, is probably the most dangerous player on this squad, and is playing 35 minutes per game.
QUESTION MARK
Will the Bulldogs be able to get any production from inside the paint?
The biggest men on this Bulldogs team come in at 6-foot-9. One is a freshman who was only seriously recruited by one big school — Georgia and the other is a senior from Italy who is averaging four rebounds per game in 18 minutes this season. It'd be a shock to see those two along with any other of the team's forwards - get any production against the Jayhawks' frontceat of Carlton Bragg Jr., Landen Lucas and especially Udoka Azubuike. The best thing the Bulldogs will be able to do from the lane is drive and dish.
BY THE NUMBERS
17 Ahmad Thomas is leading the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 17 points per game in four games.
4
4 — The Bulldogs have made the NCAA tournament four times, three times as a 16-seed and once in 2016 — as a 15-seed.
58.6
58. 6 — UNC Asheville lost 58.6 percent of its scoring from 2016, either to transfers or graduation.
Beat Writer Predictions
Christian; Kansas 90, UNC Asheville 62
Skylar: Kansas 88, UNC Asheville 72
Brian: Kansas 82, UNC Asheville 60
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