8B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KU
TIP-OFF
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Big 12 officials will be on hand with two conference championship trophies, but Kansas is hoping only one of them gets brought out. If the Jayhawks win, they win the title outright. Otherwise, they split it with the Longhorns and Aggies. Either way, it's the 50th conference title for Kansas—the most of any team in the country.
STAR WATCH
Sophomore guard Brandon Rush struggled in recent games, but coach Bill Self wasn't
ready to call
it a slump just
yet." He's in a
little bit of a
funk — that's
a better word,
he said. "I think
he's put a
little too much
pressure on
himself and when he does that he gets a little tentative." Rush has the perfect opportunity to break out during Saturday's game, as he is unlikely to go up against Kevin Durant for most of the game
QUESTION MARK
Will the freshmen handle the pressure?
After a rough night on Wednesday, Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur look to bounce back in front of a home crowd. A strong showing would also give them momentum heading into the tournament.
3 REASONS KUWINS
ONE — Julian Wright is good. He's been inconsistent at times this season, but he'll come ready to play on Saturday for his biggest assignment of the year. Wright's success won't be measured in points, but rather in how well he can stop Durant.
TWO — Home-court advantage. This will be the biggest home game of the year for Kansas, and the fans will respond accordingly.
THREE — No senior night. It's one of those things that distracts the players, and in a big-game situation, nobody wants that. The Jayhawks won't have anybody thinking about their speech instead of their guarding assignment.
COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
EYES OF THE BIG 12 ARE UPON THEM
Kansas looks to secure outright conference championship
KANSAS VS.TEXAS 11 A.M.Saturday, Allen Fieldhouse,CBS
Kansas 26-4,13-2 Big 12
Offense
After a strong showing from sophomore guard Mario Chalmers on Wednesday, all three of the Kansas guards have had big games in the month of February. We may get a glimpse on Saturday of who will take over the team in March. Coach Bill Self hasn't announced whether freshman guard Sherron Collins or junior guard Mario Chalmers will get the start, but it's a safe bet that both will play a significant share of minutes.
On the inside, freshman forward Darrell Arthur had done a good job of staying out of foul trouble until Wednesday's game. He'll need to play significant minutes to keep junior center Sasha Kaun well-rested for his battles in the paint.
Texas 22-7,12-3 Big 12
"A lot of teams have tried a lot of different strategies on him." Self said. "We may have to try them all." The player most likely to guard Durant is sophomore forward Julian Wright, who matches up well physically with Durant as a tall player who can also play outside of the paint. Wright can't do it alone, though, and when the Jayhawks focus on Durant, that's when his teammates shine.
Defense
The Jayhawk defense has traditionally been the team's strong point, but it's impossible to find an example of a team finding a way to contain the Texas offense. During Wednesday's game, Texas A&M switched to a triangle defense, but freshman guard A.J. Abrams started connecting from three-point range, rendering the Aggie defense useless. And all that is before you get to the problem of the Kevin Durant matchup.
Offense
Momentum
It may be an 11 a.m. tip-off,
but the Kansas crowd is going to come to the fieldhouse ready to go.
Self said he expects the atmosphere to rival the three best games he's been to in the
For anyone not named Kevin Durant on Texas, the offense used to be simple. Stand and watch Durant do whatever he wants. Then, if he gets stopped, hope you're open for a three-pointer. That's changed during the Longhorns' recent six-game win streak which culminated with a victory against Texas A&M Wednesday night. In that game, Durant still scored 30 points, but other Texas players were involved. DJ. Augustin scored 25, A.J. Abrams added 16 and Damion James finished with a career-high 22. The only downside is that the Longhorn bench only scored four points. And even if Texas resorts back to its Durant-watching ways, it is still good enough to at least challenge Kansas.
Defense
Defense is Texas' second priority. The Longhorns want to outscore teams rather than try to stop them. The reason for this is simple, none of their players are that good at defense. Durant is a terrific athlete, but he gets beat inside by bigger, physical players. Augustin is quick, but he's just a freshman and still needs to develop his defense more. Abrams and Connor Atchley are shooters and basically nothing else. Although Texas isn't the best of defensive teams, it can still play well in grind-it-out affairs. Last week, Texas beat Oklahoma 68-58 and beat Baylor 68-67 two weeks ago.
Brandon Rush
fieldhouse — against Michigan State, Georgia Tech, and two years ago against Oklahoma State. "I hope our fans would be just as excited about this game," he said. "It will be a fabulous atmosphere." He added that it would probably also be the only chance fans get to see Kevin Durant take the court at the fieldhouse.
Michael Phillips
Momentum
On "Pardon the Interruption" on Tuesday, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said Kansas was the hottest team in the country right now. He may be right, but Texas is awfully close,
especially after its win against A&M. No one would have thought the Longhorns would have the chance to play for the Big 12 title at the beginning of the season. Sure, Durant being a star was a no-brainer, but Texas had to replace five starters from last year. Rick Barnes should be in the discussion for Big 12 Coach of the Year because of the quick
rebuilding job he's done this season. He's taken lots of talent and shaped it into a
team that could make a run deep in the NCAA tournament. Durant will likely have a big game Saturday like he always does, but it's Texas' other players that will make the difference. If Augustin, Abrams and James step up again, the Longhorns have a great chance to pull an upset.
UT
TIP-OFF
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
If Texas wins, it will finish in first place with Kansas and Texas A&M. Perhaps more importantly, a victory tomorrow and a good performance in the Big 12 Tournament could give the Longhorns a three seed in the NCAA tournament.
This one is a no brainer.
STAR WATCH
Kevin Durant should be the national player of the year. He is the best freshman to play college basketball in quite some time. Actually, he's one of the best players, regardless of class, to play. Durant is about more
than stats, too. He's hit several clutch shots this season, including one that gave his team a four-point lead late in regulation
Durant
Will Texas be exhausted?
QUESTION MARK
The Big 12 title is on the line, but the Longhorns could come out flat. They just played their best game of the season Wednesday night and might still be hungover. That game also took two overtimes to complete, so Texas could also be physically exhausted. And for a team that likes to run, that can't be good.
3 REASONS UTWINS
ONE — The Longhorns got blown out of the water the last time they played in Lawrence. But in 2003, Kansas needed 24 points and 23 rebounds from Nick Collison to escape with a 90-87 victory. The Longhorns won't be intimidated by the Phog.
TWO — Texas had made 34 more three-pointers than any other team in the Big 12. Plus, all of the Longhorns' players are a threat if let loose on the perimeter. Maybe it's just me, but it's a scary thought to envision Sasha Kaun having to guard someone tightly beyond the three-point line.
THREE — Kansas ruined Texas' season twice last year. First, the Jayhawks took away their chances of being outright Big 12 regular-season champs by playing better down the stretch. Then, in the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas foiled Texas again by smacking the Long-horns around in the championship game. Texas can get Kansas back by winning Saturday and stealing a share of the Big 12 title.
JAYHAWK STATS
| Player | Avg. Min. | FG-FGA | 3FG-3FGA | FT-FTA | Avg. Pts |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Brandon Rush | 32.0 | 143-333 | 56-137 | 68-100 | 13.7 |
| Mario Chalmers | 28.9 | 122-258 | 43-117 | 68-87 | 11.8 |
| Julian Wright | 27.4 | 146-267 | 3-11 | 60-94 | 11.8 |
| Darrell Arthur | 19.6 | 131-244 | 0-4 | 55-83 | 10.6 |
| Sherron Collins | 22.2 | 106-208 | 41-94 | 38-51 | 9.7 |
| Russell Robinson | 28.0 | 60-141 | 17-58 | 55-83 | 6.6 |
| Sasha Kaun | 17.3 | 75-135 | 0-0 | 23-46 | 6.4 |
| Darnell Jackson | 15.0 | 59-103 | 0-0 | 52-79 | 5.7 |
| Brady Morningstar | 6.2 | 11-22 | 3-7 | 4-5 | 2.2 |
| Jeremy Case | 5.5 | 10-26 | 7-22 | 1-1 | 1.8 |
| Matt Kleinmann | 4.8 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 0.9 |
| Rodrick Stewart | 6.0 | 7-24 | 5-11 | 1-8 | 0.8 |
| Brennan Bechard | 2.0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0.3 |
| Brad Witherspoon | 1.6 | 1-6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0.2 |
KEY MATCH-UP
Collins
Sherron Collins 5'11"200 vs. D.J.Augustin 5'11"175
Augustin
Collins and Augustin are two of the best freshmen point guards in the country. Both guards are water-bug quick and can light it up from the outside. Augustin is coming off one his best performances of the season and has been playing better than he has all year during Texas' six-game win streak. Collins, known for stepping up in big games, fell flat Monday at Oklahoma. He didn't score a point. He'll have the opportunity to redeem himself against a worthy foe Saturday.
LONGHORN STATS
| Player | Avg. Min. | FG-FGA | 3FG-3FGA | FT-FTA | Avg. Pts. |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Kevin Durant | 35.3 | 245-510 | 67-162 | 165-206 | 24.9 |
| A.J. Abrams | 34.9 | 140-352 | 100-232 | 54-59 | 15.0 |
| D.J. Augustin | 34.9 | 132-276 | 41-85 | 125-152 | 14.8 |
| Justin Mason | 30.0 | 93-206 | 33-79 | 29-52 | 8.6 |
| Damion James | 26.3 | 85-170 | 1-11 | 58-96 | 7.9 |
| Connor Atchley | 18.1 | 40-90 | 10-30 | 28-54 | 4.1 |
| Dexter Pittman | 5.8 | 29-48 | 0-0 | 16-34 | 2.8 |
| Matt Hill | 12.7 | 14-34 | 0-0 | 20-34 | 2.7 |
| J.D. Lewis | 7.4 | 12-44 | 11-41 | 12-18 | 1.9 |
| Craig Winder | 5.8 | 14-36 | 2-14 | 11-12 | 1.7 |
| Harrison Smith | 5.6 | 4-12 | 0-6 | 0-1 | 1.0 |
| Ian Mooney | 4.0 | 0-6 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0.2 |