THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2008
GAME DAY
7B
KU
TIPOFF
Hawks try to grab last home victory against Red Raiders KANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH, 8 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse, ESPN
AT AGLANCE
NOT AFRAID TO MESS WITH TEXAS
This is the night for all the seniors. Everyone will want to win extra badly for them, giving Texas Tech a small chance to spring an upset. Kansas played its best game in more than a month on Saturday, and the Jayhawks can build on it with another solid game tonight. The Red Raiders should've gotten their attention with a victory against Texas on Saturday, so expect another energetic performance.
WHO TO WATCH
Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6 junior guard
Can Rush do it again? Can he put together two quality halves
Rush
Will starting all five seniors prevent Kansas from coming out with enough energy?
of scoring? The bet here is that yes he will, it's crunch time for Rush. He doesn't want to be back here next season and will likely leave for the NBA Draft no matter
where he is projected. Right now, his draft stock is plummeting, and he needs to perform at a much higher level during the next month if he wants to sneak back into the first round. Rush wants to win, and he wants to be a high draft pick. That's why his play is going to start improving.
QUESTION MARK
HEARYE, HEARYE
The Jayhawks had one of their most intense outings of the year on Saturday. They played with fire from the opening tip. Rodrick Stewart, Jeremy Case and Sasha Kaun will all certainly play with energy tonight, but their early playing time could prevent Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers from coming out at a maximum energy level when they enter the game. Those players aren't used to coming off the bench and might not be ready for it. That said, Kansas has to start all its seniors. It's tradition.
"Our guys were obviously ready to play. February wasn't a great month for us.March has started out good."
"Quickness and energy are the biggest things. When we play good, it's because of the intangible, not what we run."
-Bill Self
Bill Self
Kansas (26-3,11-3) THE PROJECTED STARTING 5
"If you had asked me, I wouldn't even know he had an injury. He's been so patient about it."
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard.
Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard A perfect game for Robinson on Saturday night. He distributed the ball, played defense and shot when he had open looks. Hard to believe this will be the last time fans will ever hear "New York, New York."
Texas Tech (16-12,7-7) THE PROJECTED STARTING 5
Jeremy Case, 6-foot-1 senior guard
Jeremy Case, 6-foot-1 senior guard
Case's career probably didn't turn out exactly the way he wanted it to. Maybe he'll have a solid performance in his last game at the fieldhouse.
John Roberson, 5-foot-11 freshman guard Texas Tech's starting point guard scores 12.1 points per game and leads the Red Raiders in assists.
John Roberson, 5-foot-11 freshman guard
Sasha Kaun, 6-foot-11 senior center
Charlie Burges, 6-foot-1 senior guard The New York city native has started 15 games and is averaging 5.3 points per game.
When Jackson got into foul trouble early on Saturday, Kaun picked up the slack by scoring and rebounding. He's turned into a quality backup post player.
Rodrick Stewart, 6-foot-4 senior guard
Stewart played good defense and hustled for loose balls against Kansas State on Saturday. He still has an opportunity to be a difference-maker in the postseason.
Alan Voskuil, 6-foot-3 junior guard
Jackson put together a great second half against the Wildcats after getting into early foul trouble. It's a good bet that Jackson will have the best senior speech.
Darnell Jackson, 6-foot-8 senior forward
Voskul may be the best shooter in the Big 12 conference.The scrappy guard is shooting 53.9 percent from three-point range.
Martin Zeno, 6-foot-5 senior guard
Texas Tech plays small. Need evidence? Martin Zeno, at 6-foot-5 is the Red Raiders second tallest starter.
Damir Suljagic, 6-foot-8 junior forward
Suljagic will bang with Kansas' big guys inside. But that's about all he will do. The junior forward is averaging 5.2 points per game.
THE SIXTH MAN
Darrell Arthur, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward
Arthur scored early then stopped looking for his shot. Although the Jayhawks play best when he's the top-scoring threat, it's even more important for him to establish himself early.
The seniors go out with a victory. Senior Night or Day has been a major tradition since Roy Williams started coaching the team. Fans had no seniors to cheer for last season, so they should be extra pumped about the final game for this year's class.
Allen Fieldhouse Will Rock If...
Mario Chalmers
Mark Dent
THE SIXTH MAN
Trevor Cook, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward,
Cook, a transfer from Texas State, gives the Red Raiders some size off the bench - something they sorely need.
— Rustin Dodd
Phog Allen Will Roll Over In Over In His Grave If...
Kansas has a letdown after the big victory on Saturday night. The Kansas State game could be a building block or it could be seen as too big of an accomplishment. If that's the case, the Jayhawks might not be focused for this next game against Texas Tech. Fortunately, the Red Raiders just upset Texas, so Kansas will probably not take them lightly.
TTU
TIPOFF
ATA GLANCE
First thing Bill Self should do today, is add Texas Tech coach Pat Knight to his Christmas Card List. Pat Knight's Texas Tech team upset Texas 83-80 on Saturday, helping the Jayhawks draw even with the Longhorns at 11-3 in the Big 12 standings. Knight, who took over after his dad - the legendary Bobby Knight - quit midseason, has coached Texas Tech to a 3-4 record. At 7-7 in the Big 12, Texas Tech still has an outside chance to finish in the top half of the Big 12 and throw its name on to the NCAA tournament bubble. But a loss tonight against Kansas - a team it upset last season in Lubbock, Texas – would end that hopeful talk pretty quickly.
WHO TO WATCH Martin Zeno, 6-foot-5 senior guard
How old is Martin Zeno? It seems like he's been lacing up his shoes in Lubbock, Texas for 10 years. The senior is actually only 22 years old.
But his 1,860 career points demonstrate his longevity. Zeno, who's averaging 15.9 points per game, has been
a four-year starter for the Red Raiders. With his 6-foot-5 frame and sweet left-handed shooting stroke, Zeno will be a nice match-up for Kansas junior guard Brandon Rush. If Rush shuts Zeno down, expect Kansas to roll.
QUESTION MARK Who is Pat Knight?
He's not his dad, Bob Knight, that's a start. Kansas fans are probably disappointed that Bob Knight won't be making an appearance in Allen Fieldhouse this year. His polarizing presence made every game more interesting. Instead, fans will have to deal with his son, Pat. Pat Knight, who played for his father at Indiana from 1991 to 1995, is in his seventh season at Texas Tech - he spent the prior six seasons as an assistant coach. His team's victory against Texas was his biggest win to date. That would change with an upset victory tonight at Allen Fieldhouse.
Russell Robinson on Brandon Rush
HEARYE. HEARYE
We're going to have to have a great week. We've got our energy, balance, and swagger back a little bit so hopefully we'll play well on Monday. Our fans, players and coaches in Kansas basketball need to make sure that Rodrick, Jeremy, Russell, Sasha and Darnell go out in style because that's what Monday is all about."
JAYHAWK STATS
Bill Self on Senior night against Texas Tech
| Player | Mins | FG-FGA | 3FG-3FGA | Rebs | Pts |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 00 Arthur, Darrell | 23.3 | 164-310 | 2-12 | 5.9 | 13.6 |
| 25 Rush, Brandon | 28.6 | 119-281 | 55-131 | 5.1 | 12.6 |
| 32 Jackson, Darnell | 25.1 | 139-216 | 2-6 | 6.8 | 12.2 |
| 15 Chalmers, Mario | 29.3 | 109-214 | 46-101 | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| 04 Collins, Sherron | 22.5 | 79-170 | 28-78 | 2.0 | 9.0 |
| 03 Robinson, Russell | 27.9 | 59-149 | 26-82 | 3.0 | 7.4 |
| 24 Kaun, Sasha | 17.5 | 82-131 | 0-0 | 3.9 | 7.4 |
| 05 Stewart, Rodrick | 12.8 | 32-67 | 3-14 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| 45 Aldrich, Cole | 8.3 | 30-61 | 0-0 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| 02 Teahan, Conner | 3.5 | 15-26 | 11-19 | 0.6 | 2.7 |
| 14 Reed, Tyrel | 7.3 | 17-33 | 11-24 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| 10 Case, Jeremy | 4.8 | 12-36 | 6-20 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| 11 Bechard, Brennan | 1.7 | 4-8 | 2-5 | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| 54 Kleinmann, Matt | 2.3 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| 22 Buford, Chase | 1.7 | 1-9 | 0-6 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| 40 Witherspoon, Brad | 1.6 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
PREDICTION
against Texas Tech
67-59 Kansas
It won't be pretty, but the Jayhawks will find a way to get the victory in this must-win game. Look for Arthur to perform much better than he did last Saturday.
Witherspoon Meter
Will senior walk-on Brad Witherspoon get the opportunity to play tonight? This meter tells all.
RED RAIDERS STATS
RED RAIDERS STATS
Player Mins FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs Pts
03 Zeno, Martin 33.9 145-302 3-23 4.5 15.9
20 Voskuil, Alan 34.1 116-238 65-115 4.0 13.5
21 Roberson, John 30.9 115-269 48-119 2.6 12.1
32 Singletary, Mike 15.8 63-129 3-9 3.0 7.3
42 Burgess, Charlie 21.8 49-125 10-45 2.4 5.3
41 Sujagic, Damir 19.4 50-82 0-0 4.1 5.2
24 Cook, Trevor 15.3 41-89 14-37 2.4 4.8
34 Rizvic, Esmir 13.4 31-56 0-0 2.1 3.3
05 Roberts, D'walyn 11.3 21-50 0-8 1.9 2.5
50 De Bem, Ricardo 6.9 8-27 0-0 1.4 1.9
30 Prince, Michael 9.3 14-30 1-3 1.9 1.8
11 Hoffmeister, Tyler 5.8 3-8 0-1 0.6 1.2
02 Craig, Rodrick 5.1 6-20 1-6 0.9 1.2
4.