6B GAME DAY THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008 KU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE This is an important game for the Jayhawks. No one would have thought a matchup against Iowa State would matter too much at the beginning of conference play, but now Kansas is desperate for a road victory. The Jayhawks have lost three of four away from home, and Hilton Coliseum is one of the toughest gyms in the league. A Big 12 title might be impossible at this point, but Kansas badly needs this victory for a confidence boost. WHO TO WATCH Darrell Arthur, sophomore forward All the players need to bounce back after a poor effort against Oklahoma State, but Arthur was KANSAS VS. IOWA STATE, 3 p.m., Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa, CBS Jayhawks to battle Cyclones, attempt season sweep probably the worst. He'd been playing great the past two weeks, but Saturday was a major setback. For this team to play great again, someone is going to have to become a threat to score on every offensive possession. Arthur might not be able to do that, but he's the only Jayhawk who has the chance. KANSAS TRIES TO BOUNCE BACK HEARYE, HEARYE Can Kansas still earn a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? QUESTION MARK Probably not. Texas is almost a lock to get the highest seed of any Big 12 team, and if the Longhorns win out in their league games, they'll be almost assured of a No. 1. The Big 12 will not likely get two No. 1 seeds. To have a chance at a No. 1 seed, the Jayhawks will have to win the rest of their regular season games and the Big 12 Tournament. Even then, Kansas would still probably be behind Texas, not to mention Tennessee, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA and possibly Duke. "We played miserably on Saturday, but I do think that health is a part of the intangible equation. When you don't have health that is when everyone else needs to rally around (each other). Our other players need to play a little bit better and pull the rope a little harder. There are some guys that are distracted for real reasons. Playing well through tough times is a sign of leadership and players coming together. We didn't have that on Saturday." Kansas coach Bill Self "It is like comparing apples and oranges because Florida had already won a national championship last year. Our guys should not have the mindset that we know what to do and when the time is right we are going to do it. That should not be the mindset of any team that hasn't done it yet. We haven't been down that road yet. It would be giving our guys and our team way too much credit to compare us to a team that has already done it." — Self comparing his team to Florida last season Kansas (24-3,9-3) THE PROJECTED STARTING 5 Russell Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior gui Mississippi Robinson, 6-foot-1 senior guard Robinson needs to rediscover his defensive stopper ways. Remember when he held O.J. Mayo in check in Los Angeles? He needs to be that dominant on-the-ball defender he was earlier this season. ★★★☆☆ Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard Mario Chalmers, 6-foot-1 junior guard The last play against Oklahoma State was supposedly designed for Chalmers.Maybe the outcome would have been different if Chalmers, who's been clutch in the past, got the ball. Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6 junior guard Rush's inconsistencies are starting to really hurt the team. He played well at the end against Okla-homa State, but where was he before then? ★★☆★★ Iowa State (14-13,4-8) Darnell Jackson, 6-foot-8 senior forward Jackson did a tremendous job of staying focused on the game Saturday despite the family tragedy that occurred three days earlier. He could have a big game against Iowa State's smaller front line. Darrell Arthur. 6-foot-9 sophomore forward At least he'd been playing well in the games before Oklahoma State. Otherwise his one-for-three field goal stat line would be almost unforgivable. It will be interesting to see whether Self has Arthur guard Iowa State's Wesley Johnson tonight. THE PROJECTED STARTING 5 THE SIXTH MAN Jasna Kaun, 6-foot-11 senior center Bryan Petersen, 6-foot-1 freshman guard Bryan Petersen, 6-foot-1 freshman guard Peterson, a junior college transfer, has handled the point guard duties all season for the Cyclones. His 14 points against Texas Tech on Saturday was one of his best offensive performances of the season. Sasna Kaun, 6-foot-11 senior center Don't expect Sherron Collins to get much playing time tonight because of his bad knee. Kaun will likely get the most minutes off the bench. He'll need to be more aggressive on offense if Arthur doesn't find many shots again. Kansas finds a way to get a spark on offense. The Jayhawks were too predictable on Saturday. Rush and Chalmers could shoot from the outside. Arthur wasn't getting open down low. No one could step up and create his own shot. Against good teams, one of the players has to find a way to make a move that will get him open and take the defense out of its comfort zone. The Jayhawks can probably still win against Iowa State with a somewhat stale offense, but some more drives to the hoop wouldn't hurt. Wesley Johnson, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward HILTON COLISEUM WILL BE MOVIE THEATER SILENT IF... Mark Dent Johnson scored 21 points against Kansas earlier this season, but he's struggled lately. The sophomore from Corsicana, Texas has scored six total points in Iowa State's last two games. ★★★☆★ Rahshon Clark, 6-foot-6 senior forward Rahshon Clark, 6-foot-6 senior forward The Queens, NV, native has only two more home games left at Hilton Coliseum. Clarke, who averaged 13.1 points per game as a sophomore, is a role player on this team, giving Iowa State a mix of points, rebounds and blocks. Jiri Hubalek, 6-foot-11 senior center The 25-year-old center from the Czech Republic had 17 points in Iowa State's loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. Craig Brackins, 6-foot-10 freshman forward Brackins may have Tyrel Reed hit the freshman wall. He's scoring fewer than five points per during Iowa State's last five games. THE SIXTH MAN Sean Haluska, 6-foot-3 junior guard Haluska scored a career-high 15 points against Texas Tech. Pretty good considering Haluska started the season 0-for-26 from the three-point line. Rustin Dodd PHOG ALLEN WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE IF... Kansas loses its third straight road game. It could happen. The Jayhawks needed overtime last year to win in Ames and that was against an inferior Iowa State team. This is going to be a tough game. Kansas should win if it plays up to its potential but that might not happen because of its recent struggles and injury problems. It will also be key for Kansas to execute well at the end. At Texas and at Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks struggled to score in the last few minutes. ISU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE Second-year Coach Greg McDermott's Iowa State team has taken its lumps during the past month. The Cyclones' loss to Kansas on Jan. 23 began a skid in which they've lost seven of nine. But both of those victories came at home, and Iowa State nearly knocked off Texas at home, losing 71-65 in overtime on Feb. 9. Kansas should be weary of playing in Hilton Coliseum. Last season Kansas barely escaped Ames, Iowa with a victory, beating the Cyclones 68-64 in overtime, Iowa State -- which is 12-4 at home this season -- is always dangerous at Hilton Coliseum, and an upset victory would be the signature victory of McDermott's tenure. WHO TO WATCH Jiri Hubalek, senior center Nebraska's Aleks Maric isn't the only international center making noise in the Big 12. Jiri Hubalek, a native of the Czech Republic, is leading Iowa State with 13.2 points per game. He has heated up in the past Hubalek three weeks, scoring 17.4 points per game in Iowa State's last seven games. He can stretch the defense with his ability to hit a 15-foot jump shot. The Cyclones need a big game from their big man. If Darnell Jackson and Darrell Arthur can contain Hubalek, Iowa State will have a tough time keeping up with Kansas on the scoreboard. QUESTION MARK Does Hilton Magic still exist? In 1989, Des Moines Register columnist Buck Turnbull used the phrase "Hilton Magic" to describe the Cyclone's ability to gain special victories at Hilton Coliseum — the home of the Cyclones. The building has consistently been one of the toughest places to play — Iowa State's 39-game home winning streak that was snapped in 2002 is a prime example. Iowa State has made a habit of sending visiting teams home unhappy. But does Hilton Magic still exist? One thing is certain. If the game is close in the second half, ESPN's broadcast team will undoubtedly bring up the term Hilton Magic. HEARYE. HEARYE "It probably needs to start with me because we don't have a vocal leader on the team. We've been talking about this for four years and its not going to happen. I've got to do a better job of providing leadership for our guys. I can't talk on the court. Our staff and I can't do some things. But from a vocal standpoint, the vocal leader needs to be me." — Bill Self on Kansas' leadership JAYHAWK STATS
PlayerMinsFG-FGA3FG-3FGARebsPts
00 Arthur, Darrell23.1150-2822-125.813.5
32 Jackson, Darnell25.1131-2022-66.812.5
25 Rush, Brandon27.9108-25547-1185.212.1
15 Chalmers, Mario29.0102-19842-942.912.1
04 Collins, Sherron22.470-15324-692.08.7
24 Kaun, Sasha17.575-1190-03.87.3
03 Robinson, Russell27.955-13724-772.77.3
05 Stewart, Rodrick12.932-663-142.43.1
45 Aldrich, Cole8.630-580-03.33.0
02 Teahan, Conner3.515-2611-190.62.7
14 Reed, Tyrel7.317-3311-240.52.5
10 Case, Jeremy4.812-366-200.31.3
11 Bechard, Brennan1.74-82-50.31.1
54 Kleinmann, Matt2.32-60-00.60.3
22 Buford, Chase1.71-90-60.50.2
40 Witherspoon, Brad1.60-30-20.20.0
PREDICTION 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. CYCLONE STATS Player Mins FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs Pts 33 Hubalek, Jiri 25.3 127-263 13-35 7.4 13.2 4 Johnson, Wesley 26.2 96-236 36-110 3.6 12.5 21 Brackins, Craig 27.6 112-259 18-62 4.8 10.9 13 Clark, Rahshon 31.2 88-177 21-65 6.1 8.9 10 Garrett, Diante 21.0 52-155 8-35 1.7 5.9 22 Petersen, Bryan 26.9 44-116 37-97 2.1 5.5 3 Haluska, Sean 15.8 29-78 11-43 1.0 3.1 31 Johnson, Cory 9.2 25-39 0-3 1.5 2.8 15 Thompson, Alex 13.2 25-71 6-18 2.2 2.4 0 Boozer, Charles 6.9 8-29 6-24 1.2 1.6 34 Vette, Clayton 6.2 3-3 0-0 1.6 1.4 2 Jacobson, Brock 2.9 2-5 1-3 0.3 0.6 1 Lee, Cameron 5.1 4-12 0-3 0.6 0.5 52 Smith, Mike 3.4 2-6 0-0 0.9 0.5 40 Currie, Mark 2.9 2-5 0-3 0.3 0.5 23 Brister, Marcus 2.3 0-0 0-0 0.7 0.0 ---