8B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008
KU TIPOFF
SOUTHBOUND FOR VICTORY
Jayhawks hope to defeat Aggies in final season game
ATAGLANCE
Saturday's game is a big one. Kansas hasn't won a tough road game since it topped USC in December. It's not easy to win at Iowa State, but the Cyclones are one of the worst teams in the Big 12. The Jayhawks need a road victory against a team in the top half of the conference, and this is their last opportunity. Kansas needs to defeat Texas A&M to prove it can play with the same energy and polish as it does at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks need this because, come tournament time, the games are never played at home. Kansas clinches a share of the league title with a victory Saturday, making the game even more important.
is ready again for the prime time after making three of his four three-pointers on Monday night. Before that game, Chalmers struggled from
Mario Chalmers, junior guard
Chalmers showed that his shot
WHO TO WATCH
KANSAS VS. TEXAS A&M 3 p.m., Reed Arena, College Station, Texas, CBS
the outside. In road losses to Texas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks lacked an edge. Chalmers usually brings that, but he can't if he's not shooting the ball well. On Saturday, look for Chalmers to score often and lead the team if it's close at the end.
Does anyone really care about a Big 12 title?
QUESTION MARK
Kansas coach Bill Self will talk about how important it is to win the league and how its such an honor for his team because of the difficulty of the conference. But really, does it matter? Two weeks ago, Russell Robinson said he was more worried about the NCAA Tournament, and he's right. Fans don't care about the Big 12 title this season. It's nice, but they know this team has so much talent and experience that not making the Final Four would be a disappointment. If Kansas wins Saturday, Jayhawk nation will be more excited that its team got a road victory, which would bode well for playing at neutral site in the NCAA Tournament, than a share of the Big 12 title.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"I don't know why it's changed but our attitude seems to be glass is half full instead of half empty. We just went through a funk. It's a long season. Thirty games into it, you'd think everybody's going to hit a few bumps. We just happened to do it at not the most opportune time."
Kansas (27-3,12-3) THE PROJECTED STARTING 5
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard Robinson has been on fire lately. When he shoots the ball well, Kansas is almost invincible.
Texas A&M (22-8,8-7)
Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard
Teams have to be tough on the road, especially Kansas. Will the Jayhawks' toughest player, Chalmers, step up at A&M? Chalmers needs to if Kansas wants to end its season with a big road victory.
Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6 junior guard
You really have to love Rush's aggressiveness lately. Sure, he airballed two shots on Monday night, but at least he attempted 10 in 10 minutes. Expect more of those shots to go down on Saturday.
THE PROJECTED STARTING 5
Dominique Kirk, 6-foot-4 senior guard Kirk replaced former Texas A&M All-American Acie Law IV at the point guard position and has started all 30 games for Texas A&M.
When a 10-point, nine-rebound game goes unnoticed, you know you've arrived. Jackson did that Monday night, and he's been putting together similar solid performances the last month. He's turned into a real contributor this season.
Darnell Jackson, 6-foot-8 senior forward
Darrell Arthur, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward
Arthur's been a little inconsistent on offense the past two games after a great outing at Iowa State. Kansas needs to get him the ball early in College Station, just like they did on the road in Ames last week.
Dominique Kirk, 6-foot-4 senior guard
Donald Sloan, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Sloan had a season high 21 points against Missouri on Feb.9,and is averaging 9.7 points per game this season.
THE SIXTH MAN
Collins looks like he's in the best shape of his career. As long as he stays healthy, he'll be a difference-maker the rest of the season.
Sherron Collins, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard
The game is close at the end. Think Kansas struggles in tight games? Try watching A&M.The Aggies are 0-3 at home in games that are decided by six points or less. Last year, Acie Law IV took over at the end of games. He's gone, and no one has stepped up. If the Jayhawks are in the game at the end, they'll win.
Josh Carter, 6-foot-7 junior guard The Aggies' leading scorer is averaging 12.7 points per game, but Carter's three-point shooting is down to 38.7 percent from 50.0 percent last season.
Reed Arena Will Be Movie-Theater Silent If...
Mark Dent
-Kansas coach Bill Self
★★★★☆
Sherron Collins
A consensus second-team All-Big 12 pick after averaging 13.4 points per game last season, Jones' numbers are down to 10.7 points per game this season.
Joseph Jones, 6-foot-9 senior forward
DeAndre Jordan, 7-foot freshman center
Jordan has an NBA-ready body and will be the most physically opposing center Kansas has played against this season. But is Jordan polished enough to leave for the NBA?
THE SIXTH MAN
Bryan Davis, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Davis started 10 games for Texas A&M at the beginning of the season, but the sophomore has shifted to a bench role while playing 22.1 minutes per game.
Phog Allen Will Roll Over In Over In His Grave If...
Kansas loses. If the Jayhawks fall at Texas A&M, they won't have a single conference road victory they can be proud of. Kansas got outplayed by Kansas State and Texas, and just stunk up the place at Oklahoma State. Solid road victories are an indicator of successful NCAA tournament teams. Kansas needs to win against A&M, a team that's not that great at home, to boost its confidence before the postseason.
A&M
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Texas A&M was an enigma during Mark Turgeon's first season as head coach. The Aggies started the season 15-1, but fell apart during the Big 12 Conference season. Last week was a perfect example of Texas A&M's inconsistency. The Aggies defeated Texas Tech 98-54 on Feb. 27, but followed that up with a 64-37 loss at Oklahoma. Mark Turgeon's team helped its NCAA tournament resume with a road victory at Baylor on Wednesday, but if Texas A&M falls to Kansas on Saturday, they need at least one victory in the Big 12 tournament to assure themselves of a spot in the Big Dance.
WHO TO WATCH
Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M coach
Former Jayhawk Mark Turgeon is in his first season in Col-
Texas, after taking over for former Aggie coach Billy Gillispie, who left for Kentucky. "Turg," as he's
Turgeon
known to folks around here, played point guard at Kansas from 1984-87, and helped the Jayhawks to the 1986 Final Four. Turgeon was a graduate assistant on Kansas' 1988 National Championship team. His first season at Texas A&M has produced mixed results. The Aggies started 15-1, but are 7-7 in their last 14 games.
QUESTION MARK
Will Texas A&M make the NCAA tournament?
Texas A&M's NCAA tournament future could be dicey with a loss to Kansas on Saturday. Here's a look at the Aggies resume: they have 22 victories, and defeated Texas in College Station. But if they lose to Kansas, they will finish the season with two victories in their last seven games. A victory on Saturday puts Texas A&M into the NCAA tournament for sure, but the Aggies can probably also sneak in with a loss on Saturday and a victory in the opening round of the Big XII tournament.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"Most teams, when you play good, make shots. They've gone through stretches. Josh Carter was the best three-point shooter in the country last year, this year he's not shooting quite as good. We know he can shoot the ball well. They've got the guys, but when you make shots, everything looks a lot better. It's the same for us."
JAYHAWK STATS
— Kansas coach Bill Self
Player Mins FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs Pts
00 Arthur, Darrell 23.2 166-315 2-12 6.0 13.3
25 Rush, Brandon 27.9 122-291 56-135 5.1 12.4
32 Jackon, Darnell 24.9 142-221 2-6 6.9 12.2
15 Chalmers, Mario 29.0 113-220 49-105 2.9 12.0
04 Collins, Sherron 22.4 84-178 29-85 1.9 9.2
03 Robinson, Russell 27.7 64-154 29-85 2.9 7.7
24 Kaun, Sasha 17.5 86-136 0-0 3.9 7.5
05 Stewart, Rodrick 12.8 34-70 5-16 2.5 3.1
45 Aldrich, Cole 8.6 35-69 0-0 3.4 3.0
02 Teahan, Conner 3.6 16-27 11-19 0.5 2.7
14 Reed, Tyrel 7.4 18-35 11-24 0.5 2.5
10 Case, Jeremy 5.1 15-42 6-20 0.4 1.6
11 Bechard, Brennan 1.8 5-9 2-5 0.3 1.2
54 Kleinmann, Matt 2.6 3-7 0-0 0.7 0.4
22 Buford, Chase 1.8 1-9 0-6 0.4 0.2
40 Witherspoon, Brad 2.0 0-4 0-2 0.3 0.2
PREDICTION
72-65 Kansas
The Aggies aren't nearly as good as they were last year, but they're playing for their NCAA tournament lives. That motivation will keep the game close, but Kansas will still prevail.
The Witherspoon Meter
Will senior walk-on Brad Witherspoon get the opportunity to play Saturday? This meter tells all.
AGGI E STATS
| Player | Mins | FG-FGA | 3FG-3FGA | Rebs | Pts |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 23 Carter, Josh | 28.4 | 125-289 | 67-173 | 4.2 | 12.7 |
| 30 Jones, Joseph | 24.4 | 116-231 | 6-18 | 5.2 | 10.7 |
| 15 Sloan, Donald | 30.3 | 102-242 | 22-80 | 4.0 | 9.7 |
| 12 Jordan, DeAndre | 21.6 | 109-174 | 0-0 | 6.6 | 8.9 |
| 00 Davis, Bryan | 22.1 | 93-183 | 0-1 | 4.9 | 8.4 |
| 22 Kirk, Dominique | 30.8 | 75-178 | 34-82 | 3.4 | 7.8 |
| 03 Roland, Derrick | 19.7 | 69-160 | 18-62 | 2.2 | 5.9 |
| 41 Elonu, Cinemelu | 8.8 | 30-58 | 0-0 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| 11 Holmes, B.J. | 6.6 | 19-44 | 13-31 | 0.8 | 2.2 |
| 45 Walkup, Nathan | 5.9 | 19-37 | 12-27 | 1.0 | 2.2 |
| 32 Muhlbach, Beau | 5.9 | 14-30 | 1-6 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
| 50 Carrell, Marshall | 1.5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| 10 Bowles, Denzel | 3.0 | 3-6 | 13-31 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| 02 Lewis, Derrek | 5.0 | 2-8 | 12-27 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| 05 Graham, Bryson | 2.3 | 2-8 | 1-6 | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| 24 Schepel, Shawn | 1.5 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| 14 Darko, Andrew | 1.8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| 31 Chapman, Chris | 1.3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
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