THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013
PAGE 5B
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KANSAS TIPOFF
Julie Etzler
AT A GLANCE
Kansas welcomes the Texas Tech Red Raiders to town who are 10-17 overall and 3-13 in Big 12 play. Kansas won the first matchup in Lubbock with a score of 60-46. Kansas had four players score in double figures, led by senior forward Kevin Young with 14 points. Kansas leads the overall series record with a 23-4 record.
Travis Releford, Guard
PLAYER TO WATCH
It's hard to
It's hard to pick one player to watch on a night like Senior Night, but it feels appropriate to choose the local guy from Kansas City, Mo. Releford has put in
Releford
an immense amount of work and effort to get where he is now. He will savor this moment, but will remember that there's much more for this team to accomplish before everything is said and done.
QUESTION MARK
What are you expecting from the Senior Night speeches?
Like every senior night, no one actually knows, none of the players are big speakers, but expect some thoughtful words and, of course, some tears. It's a special senior night with all four players spending the majority of their season as starters, which is not always the case. It will be a memorable moment for any Kansas fan that's been following the players closely the last four years.
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
Kansas keeps doing what they do. The Jayhawks are in a serious rhythm right now, expect them to continue to be that way until they are challenged by a talented group of players. Expect these Jayhawks in this game, just too much emotion for any team to come in and win at Allen on Senior Night.
McLemore
A (Senior) Night to remember Jayhawks to face Red Raiders in last home game NO. 6 KANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH 6 P.M., ALLEN FILEDHOUSE, LAWRENCE
Releford
Johnson
Young
KANSAS (25-4,16-1) STARTERS
BEN MCLEMORE, GUARD
What hasn't been written about Ben McLemore? That line has been used by a lot of people lately, and it's starting to become true. The freshman from St. Louis continues to be the most talented player on campus since Paul Pierce, and he might be better. He's unselfish, gifted and cares about this program. He wants to be remembered as someone who an impact helped not only himself, but also his teammate make a memory that will rest in the rafters for years to come.
★★★★
Releford continues to be this year's version of Nick Collison. Maybe not putting up the same numbers, but as far as consistent effort every single game, there is no one better. He's the best defender. He's great in transition. More importantly, he's an unselfish teammate who will do what's best for the program. That's what he'd done his whole career, and that's why it will pay off for him in the long run when the NBA Draft comes calling in June.
TRAVIS RELEFORD, GUARD
Johnson had another fantastic performance against West Virginia on Saturday going for 12 points and 10 assists, but also putting down a one-handed dunk that brought his second "Too Strong" moment of the week. Johnson is playing with supreme confidence at the moment, and it does not look like he will be stopping anytime soon. He's a player who drives the engine of this team. Don't look for that to change anytime soon.
ELIJAH JOHNSON, GUARD
One of the best glue guys in recent Kansas memory, Young is another fan favorite not just for his Afro, but also for his love for the game. There's not another player on the roster who appreciates the history and tradition of this program more than him. He's also grateful for the opportunity Kurtis Townsend gave him two years ago. He's taken advantage of it and now has a promising future in whatever he decides to do after this season.
KEVIN YOUNG, FORWARD
Withey
Withey was robed of a triple-double on Saturday, so expect him to create another major moment for his senior night. The native of San Diego, Calif., Withey continues to show why his candidacy for First Team All-American is completely legitimate. Withey is a player who came into Kansas after a difficult time at Arizona, but he will leave as one of the best Kansas centers in the last 10 years. Let's hope the students enjoy waving the "W" for the last time at home.
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
TEXAS TECH (10-17,3-13)
STARTERS
DUSTY HANNAHS, GUARD
Hannahs
Of all the Red Raiders who play significant minutes, Hannahs leads the team by shooting 81 percent from the free throw line. He is also Texas Tech's best 3-point shooter, having made 40 of 106 attempts for a 38 percent mark. He struggled against TCU on Saturday, contributing only five points and three turnovers.
JOSH GRAY, GUARD
Gray
Gray was one of three players to score in double figures against the Horned Frogs on Saturday, finishing with 11 points. He's also the Red Raiders' best ball distributor, as he averages 3.3 assists per game. His 90 assists are 40 more than anyone else on the team has.
JAMAL WILLIAMS, JR., GUARD
Although he's a regular starter, Williams hasn't played more than 16 minutes in any of the past three games, and he has scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in that span. Against Kansas State last Monday, Williams started but played only four minutes, contributing zero points and zero rebounds.
Williams
JORDAN TOLBERT, FORWARD
Tolbert led Texas Tech with a game-high 22 points Saturday against TCU, shooting 9-10. He shoots 54 percent from the field and averages 9.4 points for the Red Raiders. He is the team's second-best rebounder and has grabbed 60 offensive rebounds this season.
Tolbert
DEJAN KRAVIC, FORWARD
Kravic contributed 16 points on Saturday against TCU, hitting seven of his 11 shots. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, the only player from either team in double figures in that category. He shoots 52 percent from the field but only 57 percent from the free throw line.
Kravic
TEXAS TECH TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
With its 72-63 victory against TCU on Saturday, Texas Tech broke a nine-game losing streak and a skid where it lost 13 of its last 14 games. Junior forward Jaye Crockett leads the Red Raiders in scoring at 12 points per game, even though he comes off the bench. No other player averages in double figures scoring for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have secured the ninth seed for the Big 12 Tournament
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jaye Crockett, forward
Crockett
Despite not starting, Crockett leads the Red Raiders with 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Despite only scoring four points Saturday against TCU, Crockett has
scored in double figures in four of Texas Tech's past five games. He is one of three rotation players to shoot more than 50 percent from the field for the season.
QUESTION MARK
Can the Red Raiders take care of the ball?
Kansas struggled to take care of the ball for the early part of conference play, but the exception came at Texas Tech in early January. Kansas committed only nine turnovers while coercing the Red Raiders into 16 turnovers. The Jayhawks outscored Texas Tech 12-4 on the fast break that game. If the Red Raiders want to at least hang around in Allen Fieldhouse, it can't concede transition baskets.
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF...
PREDICTION:
Senior Night emotions affect the Jayhawks. Kansas has played some of its best basketball of the year during its current six-game winning streak. Texas Tech's best opportunity to win the game, or at least make it a closer game than Kansas wanted, is to hope that the Kansas seniors will be distracted by the fact they are playing their last home game.
Kansas 83, Texas Tech 65