PAGE 8B
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Coming off an extremely emotional overtime victory at Iowa State, Saturday afternoon's match-up with West Virginia screams "trap game." There should be enough time passed for the Jayhawks to come back down to earth and with former Kansas State coach and current Mountainers' coach Bob Huggins back in Allen Fieldhouse, there will be plenty of reasons for Kansas to show up.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Ben McLemore, Guard
After his quiet-
lest his greatest performance of the season, and in the comfort of his own house, it's safe to say McLemore is due for another huge performance. Add in a weak opponent
QUESTION MARK
and, yeah, don't take your eyes off Ben.
After an explosive 39 point performance on Monday night the big question is how will Elijah Johnson follow it up against West Virginia. He will certainly be celebrated when he takes James Naismith Court, but how much can be expected from him?
BY THE NUMBERS
54
Jayhawks field goal percentage at West Virginia
Points from Elijah Johnson in Morgantown, WV
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
Kansas comes out strong and plays solid defense for forty minutes. When the Jayhawks took down TCU in the Fieldhouse, Kansas coach Bill Self gripped about his team's performance in the second half. This should be another game the Jayhawks win handily, but they'll need to stay consistent.
Jayhawks host Mountaineers WVU will play its first Fieldhouse game in the Big 12 NO.6 KANSAS VS.WEST VIRGINIA 1 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, LAWRENCE
KANSAS
(24-4, 12-3)
STARTERS
Johnson
ELIJAH JOHNSON, POINT GUARD
Throw out everything you thought you knew about Elijah Johnson because it's clear he's not the same player he was a week ago. This Elijah Johnson has a lot of swagger. This Elijah Johnson can handle the ball. This Elijah Johnson can get on a hot streak, and this Elijah Johnson makes Kansas a very dangerous team.
Releford
TRAVIS RELEFORD, SHOOTING GUARD
Before Johnson took over Monday night's game, Travis Reifeld kept the Jayhawks afloat. His 19 points were crucial, and on defense, he is still one of the toughest matchups in the Big 12. Last time Kansas met West Virginia, he was able to up 15 points. Expect more out of him during the rematch at Allen Fieldhouse.
McLemore
BEN MCLEMORE, SHOOTING GUARD
It's not unlike McLemore to perform poorly on the road. It is highly unusual to see him disappear completely. To be considered a top player in the country, you need to make statements in the biggest games, whether home or away. McLemore took six shots and had seven points in Ames, Iowa. Fortunately, Kansas still has one more big road test left, and he can start bouncing back against a weak West Virginia team.
Young remains one of the best energy guys in college basketball, yet the same can't be said of his scoring touch. Kansas coach Bill Self has compared him to Tyshawn Taylor in that Young makes plays you can't coach, and at times, seems uncoachable, but fortunately for the Jayhawks, there's less of the latter.
Young
KEVIN YOUNG. FORWARD
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
If Withey can continue to be a dominating force on defense and tread water on offense, there's a solid chance he will slide to first team All-America status. Don't over-think his performance at Iowa State; the Cyclones presented the worst match-up for him and pulled him from the paint. It's highly unlikely he doesn't bounce back on Saturday.
Withey
WEST VIRGINIA (13-15,6-9)
STARTERS
Browne
GARY BROWNE, GUARD
Browne leads the team in free throws and has made 70-84 this season, good for 83 percent. He rebounds well for a guard, particularly on the offensive end, where he has 30 rebounds this season. However, he is a liability from behind the arc, where he has made only 10-53 attempts this season.
Hinds
JABARIE HINDS, GUARD
The sophomore has startled all but one game for West Virginia this season and averages 23.8 minutes per game, second-most on the team. However, Hinds struggles to score, as he shoots only 35 percent from the field. He's also gotten to the free throw line only 40 times this season, making 28 of those attempts.
Harris
ERON HARRIS. GUARD
Harris missed all five shots he took against Kansas when the teams first met this season, finishing with only two points. He's usually better than that, though, and he makes 43 percent of his shots. He's also one of the best 3-point shooters on the team, having made 36-96 attempts this season.
KEVIN NOREEN, FORWARD
Noreen is one of the eight Mountainers who has started at least 10 games this season, although Noreen's starting role has become more secure as of late. Unfortunately for West Virginia, Noreen hasn't used his 6-foot-10-inch frame to make significant contributions. He averages 4.3 rebounds per game and only 2.6 points per game.
Noreen
DENIZ KILICLI, FORWARD
The senior is a native of Istanbul, Turkey, and he had a career-high 25 points against Texas Tech Feb. 16, and then followed with 16 points at Kansas State. He is the Mountaineers' second-leading scorer at 8.8 points per game and second-leading rebounder at 4.3 rebounds per game.
Kilicli
Ryan McCarthy and Blake Schuster
WEST
VIRGINA
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Coach Bob Huggins uses an 11-man rotation, and all of those players have started at least two games this season. Perhaps because of this, the Mountaineers don't have a go-to scorer, but six players average between 7.5 and 9.2 points per game. West Virginia has struggled in its first year in the Big 12. It has back-to-back conference games only once, when it stung together a three-game winning streak in early February. Currently, the Mountaineers are on a two-game losing streak.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Aaric Murray, Forward
Murray
The junior center doesn't normally start, but he leads the team with 9.2 points per game.
He's shot only 30 3-pointers this season and made 10 of them, but
he was 3-5 beyond the arc in the first matchup with Kansas. He was 7-15 from the field that game and led the team with 17 points and 7 rebounds in the narrow 61-56 loss to the Jayhawks.
QUESTION MARK
Will West Virginia try to emulate Iowa State?
When the Mountaineers and Jayhawks met on Jan. 28, West Virginia's big men made all four of the Mountainers' 3-pointers. Their guards missed all eight of their attempts. On Monday, the Cyclones stretched the floor by having forward Georges Niang attempt nine 3-pointers, and they almost knocked off Kansas. If West Virginia's big men contribute timely outside shots, and the guards step up and knock down their 3-pointers, the Mountaineers could stick around longer than Kansas would like.
BY THE NUMBERS
Bob Huggins has given 12 players at least two starts this season.
12
28.5
No one on West Virginia averages more than 28.5 minutes per game, whereas Kansas has four players averaging more than 30 minutes per game.
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF...
Kansas plays sloppily. In Morgantown, the Jayhawks opened up a 29-14 lead, but then turnovers let West Virginia back in the game. Kansas committed a turnover on four straight possessions late in the first half and finished with 16 turnovers and only 12 assists. The Mountaineers finished with eight assists and only nine turnovers.
NEVER HIDE during the games & treat yourself to a SPECTACLE SPRING BREAK with a Free pair of RayBan Sunglasses
Tweet @thespectacleks where you're watching the game for a chance to win! Our crew may come find you!
785. 838.3200 | 935 IOWA STE, 3