THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013
PAGE 3B
KANSAS TIPOFF
Kansas put together its first complete conference game Monday against Kansas State, playing well from start to finish. The Jayhawks played miserably during the middle portion of their first game against Texas before a late surge downed the Longhorns. If Kansas keeps the rhythm it had Monday, it shouldn't have to sweat out the result until the final couple of minutes. But Texas has a new weapon in Myck Kabongo, who returned from a 23-game suspension Wednesday night against Iowa State.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Naadir Tharpe, guard
Oh Sen sal
Tharpe played
this best half of basketball this season during the first half against Kansas State.
when he had seven points and six assists. Eli-
Tharpe
Jah Johnson's experience and leadership means he will continue to start at the point, but it's important for Tharpe to be able to enter games and have an effect immediately. If he needs a few minutes to get into the flow of the game, it may be minutes Kansas can't afford to give. That was no problem Monday.
Where is this Kansas team right now?
QUESTION MARK
After displaying some of its worst basketball of the season, Kansas displayed its best basketball of conference play against the Wildcats. It's hard to tell from just one game if Kansas is permanently out of its funk, but the signs were encouraging. Another dominating wire-to-wire performance Saturday would be a good indication that Kansas has put its past behind them, but a sloppy saggest might indicate Kansas isn't back to being the clear-cut conference favorites.
BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...
The Jayhawks play with the same energy they did Monday night. Ben McLemore doesn't have to score 30 points again, but having four starters score in double figures again would be huge. It was the first time Kansas had four players in double figures since the Texas Tech game Jan. 12. Julius Randle, one of the country's top recruits, will be in attendance, and College GameDay is in Lawrence for the weekend. There's no reason Kansas shouldn't come out juiced.
NUMBERS
4-3 — Kansas' all-time record on College GameDay, including a 3-1 record at Allen Fieldhouse and a 1-1 record against Texas.
College GameDay in the Phog Are the Longhorns looking at another loss?
KANSAS (20-4,8-3) STARTERS
McLemore
Kansas might be unbeatable when McLemore shoots the ball the way he did against Kansas State. He shot the ball confidently and showed a decisiveness the whole team lacked during its losing streak. One of the most encouraging signs was the way he didn't let two early turnovers affect his mindset or willingness to score.
Releford
BEN MCLEMORE. GUARD
Releford continues to be a model of consistency for the Jayhawks. He chipped in 10 points on 4-8 shooting against the Wildcats. Foul trouble limited him to only 22 minutes, but when he was in the game his tenacity fighting through screens on defense kept the Wildcats' shooters from getting many good looks.
TRAVIS RELEFORD, GUARD
Johnson
ELIJAH JOHNSON, GUARD
The Jayhawks now know they can have a rhythmic game offensively even if Johnson struggles. The point guard scored only five points and missed all four 3-point attempts against Kansas State. He showed better decision-making later in the second half when he bypassed a couple of open threes so as not to let his cold shooting hammer Kansas's momentum.
Young
KEVIN YOUNG. FORWARD
For the first time in conference play, Young's energy brought a noticeable difference to the Jayhawks' tempo against Kansas State. It's no coincidence that, when Young is part of a high-temp Kansas offense, the Jayhawks look much crisper. When teams have to worry about him receiving passes for easy dunks down low, it takes defenders away from Withe.
JEFF WITHEY, CENTER
Withey
Withey's had at least four blocks in three of the six games after having fewer than four blocks in the five games before that. His presence in the lane frustrated Kansas State's forwards Monday night and made it difficult for their guards to successfully penetrate the lane throughout the evening. He had 14 points the last time Kansas faced Texas.
NO. 14 KANSAS VS. TEXAS 8 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, LAWRENCE KS.
TEXAS (10-13,2-8) STARTERS
MYCK KABANGO. GUARD
The sophomore from Toronto finally played his first game of the season on Wednesday against Iowa State. Kabango opted not to declare for the NBA draft last summer after he was suspended for accepting airfare and personal training instruction and then providing false and misleading information about the infractions during two interviews with university officials. At this point everyone is ready to see Kabango play again and play to the potential that his team has been hoping for.
Kabango
JULIEN LEWIS. GUARD
The sophomore guard from Galveston has slowly progressed into one of the more important guards of the Texas rotation. Lewis displayed difficulty shooting against Oklahoma State over the weekend, going 3-13 and 2 of 7 from the 3-point line. However, Lewis will continue to develop into a solid performer for the Longhorns down the stretch of the season.
★★★☆☆
Lewis
SHELDON MCCLELLAN. GUARD
McClellan has continued to be one of the more efficient offensive freshman in the country despite the absence of Kabango and J Covan Brown from the lineup. However, he had a disappointing performance against Oklahoma State, scoring only four points. His field goal percentage is also dropping, shooting 41.9 percent for the season. McClellan will need to step up big time for the Longhorns to challenge the Jayhawks.
McClellan
JAVAN FELIX. GUARD
Felix has played fairly well in Kabongo's absence, but like many of the players he struggled against the Cowboys last weekend, turning the ball over eight times in his 27 minutes of play. Felix, like the rest of the Longhorns, will hope he can turn around his season with a victory, but it might be up to him as point guard to lead the charge. Having Kabango back will take some of the load away from Felix.
Felix
IOANNIS PAPAPETROU. FORWARD
The freshman from Athens, Greece has been a player who's been able to contribute in both the frontcourt and backcourt this season for the Longhorns. Papertrou shows a versatile skill set that makes him a promising pro player in the future. Throughout 23 games, he's averaging 8.2 ppg along with 4.5 rebounds. Papetrou's father played for the Greek National team for 11 years.
Papapetrou
TEXAS TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Kansas hosts Texas after barely sneaking by the Longhorns by the score of 64-59 in the game in Austin on Jan. 19. Since then, the Longhorns continued to slip to the bottom of the Big 12 standings and are now out of reach to even make the NIT. With College GameDay in town and Mario Chalmers having his jersey retired, the Longhorns will need a Texas-sized upset to overcome the Fieldhouse emotion.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Demarcus Holland, guard
Holland
Holland drew a start against Iowa State on Wednesday, but it's hard to tell if Barnes did it to get Javan Felix and Sheldon McCiellan's attention. Holland slowly has
improved, but it's unclear if he's ready for a prime-time position against the Jayhawks on Saturday.
QUESTION MARK
Will Myck Kabango make a big difference on the Longhorns roster?
People have made a big deal about Kabango coming back from his suspension, but at this point it won't make much difference for the Longhorns. Kabango is a good player with a bright future. Seeing if he will fit into the Texas rotation is still a major question mark coming down the stretch.
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF..
The Longhorns hit a lot of outside shots. This is the only thing that can deter the Jayhawks. If Texas shoots well from the outside with its talented young guards then they might have an opportunity to hang with the Jayhawks.
NUMBERS
PREDICTION:
158th - Texas RPI ranking on the season.
1-7 - The Longhorns' record to games decided by six points or less to overtime this season.
36. 2 - Texas' field goal percentage defense for the season. This is secondbest in the nation behind only Kansas.
Kansas 74, Texas 60
FIRST WATCH
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