10B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 14 2007
KU
TIP-OFF
WHAT'S AT STAKEZ
If the Jayhawks leave Boulder with a victory, it will be the 15th time in the last 16 years that they've swept the season series against the Buffaloes. It's also a must-win to stay in the conference race, as the Jayhawks need to win out and hope that Texas A&M falters down the stretch.
STAR WATCH
Sophomore forward Julian Wright scored 33 points Saturday against Missouri. Can he do that every game? Of course not, but his success is vital to the team, as they often feed off of his
play. Against Colorado in Lawrence, he logged just 20 minutes and six points. Both numbers should go up tonight as long as he stays out of foul trouble.
QUESTION MARK
WILL THE JAYHAWKS ADJUST
WELL TO THE ALTITUDE IN
BOULDER?
All signs point to yes. Most of the team has been there before in previous years, in addition, the Texas Tech game was played in Lubbock, which is more than 3,000 feet above sea level. We'll see if the extra 2,000 feet make a difference tonight.
3 REASONS KU WINS
ONE — The Jayhawks are deeper than ever. With the emergence of junior forward Darnell Jackson and the consistently good play of freshman forward Darrell Arthur and freshman guard Sherron Collins, the Jayhawks have eight top-caliber players available at any given time.
TWO — They are much better than Colorado. Seems like an obvious one, but it's true. The difference in talent between the two teams is as big as the Interstate 70 drive that separates them.
**THREE** — A final tribute to Ricardo Patton. The Jayhawks have dominated the Colorado coach, and this will be his final time to lose to Kansas unless the teams meet in the Big 12 Tournament.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN LETDOWN? Jayhawks look to avoid upset against Buffs in Boulder
KANSAS VS. COLORADO 8 Tonight, Coors Events Center, Channels 8,15
Kansas 21-4,8-2 Big 12
OFFENSE
Last time around Kansas scored 97 points against an impotent Colorado defense. That doesn't mean it was a perfect game, though. The Jayhawks were outrebounded 36-30, something they say shouldn't happen again.
The team has been hitting its stride recently in terms of scoring points. Kansas scored at least 90 points in victories over Kansas State and Missouri, and while it's unrealistic to think that will happen every night, it can certainly happen against Colorado. Look for guards Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers to try to break out of their recent scoring slumps.
The Jayhawks like to let their defense create their offense. Anytime they can force a bad shot, they'll start a fast break off the rebound. Junior center Sasha Kaun and sophomore forward Julian Wright will look to establish their dominance in the paint early, and use that advantage to deny Colorado second chances on bad shots.
DEFENSE
MOMENTUM
There's no doubt the Jayhawks are flying high right now. Two convincing victories against two rival teams led coach Bill Self to say that the team is practicing and playing better than it has all season. It shouldn't be hard to keep that rolling against a dismal Colorado team, as weak opponents haven't tripped up the Jayhawks during the conference schedule. Look for Kansas to dominate the first five minutes and roll to an easy victory.
Colorado 6-14,2-8 Big 12
Let's get this straight. Colorado does not have a good offense. In fact, it doesn't even have a mediocre offense. But against the Jayhawks the first time, the Buffalooes actually looked competent on the offensive end. Guard Richard Roby had a lot to do with it, scoring 30 points, but others stepped up as well. However, this is still Colorado. The Buffalooes may have scored 74 points, but they turned the ball over 30 times. And Roby, who could do nothing wrong when he shot the ball, turned it over eight times. Expect a lot of turnovers tonight too, because the Buffs cough the ball up about 19 times per game.
OFFENSE
Colorado might not win a lot of games, but east it can really jump start a team's offense. e Kansas for example. The Jayhawks scored 97 against the Buffaloes and then scored more than 90 in two of their next four games. It's hard to point out exactly which part of Colorado's defense is the worst. Their guards aren't quick enough to force turnovers or put a hand up in a shooter's face — the Buffalooes have the Big 12's worst turnover margin and worst field goal percentage defense. Or you could point to the front court. Only two players taller than 6-foot-9 get significant playing time, which allows Colorado to be the worst defensive rebounding team in the conference.
Colorado might not win a lot of games, but at least it can really jump start a team's offense. Take Kansas for example. The Jayhawks scored
MOMENTUM
Momentum for Colorado has been like nirvana for a Buddhist. The Buffaloos have been trying really hard to attain it, but just haven't been able to do it. All of this is understandable though considering coach Ricardo Patton resigned before the season started. Plus,
Roby has at least one eye aimed at the NBA this season. Combine those problems with a young team, and no one expected the Buffaloes to be anything more than awful this season. Two weeks ago, Colorado did beat Oklahoma State, showing it is capable of pulling off an upset. But Oklahoma State is a terrible road team and not nearly as polished as Kansas. Tonight, the Buffaloes will need a miracle to win.
Mark Dent
CU TIP-OFF WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Richard Roby's NBA Stock. Roby lit up Brandon Rush and the Kansas defense the first time these teams played. If he does it again against a quality team, perhaps against and general managers will take a closer look at him as a late first round pick.
STAR WATCH
Jeremy Williams, freshman
the best game of anyone not named Roby the first time these two teams played. Williams scored 11 points and
Williams
a grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. For Colorado to stay close, Williams will have to rebound well against Kansas' superior post players.
QUESTION MARK
CAN COLORADO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER 30 TIMES?
It's unlikely that the Buffaloes will give up the ball that many times tonight, but turnovers will be a problem. Colorado needs to hold on to the ball and not waste possessions. It will need every offensive possession because its defense won't be able to stop Kansas.
3 REASONS CUWNS
ONE — Upset Capabilities — Oklahoma State marched into the Coors Event Center expecting a guaranteed win and look what happened: the Cowboys trailed early and could never comeback.
**TWO** — Altitude Attitude — If teams come into Boulder thinking it will be harder to breathe, they could end up struggling. The altitude probably will make Kansas more tired, but the mental effects of it could be worse.
THREE — An absent minded professor — Perhaps Colorado will take a couple of notes from the files of Mr. Walt Disney and use flubber. They would be able to bounce as high as the ceiling and leap incredible distances. If they use flubber, they will not lose.
JAYHAWK STATS
| Player | Avg. Min | FG-FGA | 3FG-3FGA | Avg. Reb. | Avg.Pts |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Brandon Rush | 32.4 | 128-291 | 50-118 | 5.9 | 14.6 |
| Julian Wright | 27.2 | 123-228 | 3-11 | 8.1 | 12.1 |
| Mario Chalmers | 28.9 | 100-215 | 35-96 | 3.1 | 11.4 |
| Darrell Arthur | 20.0 | 110-205 | 0-3 | 4.8 | 10.6 |
| Sherron Collins | 20.9 | 88-169 | 34-77 | 2.2 | 9.6 |
| Russell Robinson | 28.8 | 50-120 | 15-48 | 3.3 | 6.6 |
| Sasha Kaun | 17.6 | 58-110 | 0-0 | 3.6 | 6.0 |
| Darnell Jackson | 15.0 | 49-84 | 0-0 | 4.9 | 5.8 |
| Brady Morningstar | 6.1 | 9-20 | 2-6 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| Jermey Case | 5.9 | 7-20 | 5-17 | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| Matt Kleinmann | 4.8 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Rodrick Stewart | 5.8 | 4-17 | 3-8 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Brad Witherspoon | 1.3 | 0-4 | 0-1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Brennan Bechard | 1.5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
KEY MATCH-UP
Rush
Brandon Rush 6'6"210 vs. Richard Roby 6'6"205
Roby
Last time out, these two gave memorable performances during a very forgetful game. If not for Roby and Rush, all of Allen Fieldhouse would have fallen asleep. Rush may have allowed Roby to score 30 points, but he did force eight turnovers in the first game. Look for Rush to be extra motivated by one of his worst defensive performances of the season and do a much better job against Roby. Even if he does defend Roby well, Roby is still likely to score about 15 points.
BUFFALO STATS
| Player | Avg. Min | FG-FGA | 3FG-3FGA | Avg. Reb. | Avg. Pts |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Richard Roby | 31.7 | 112-306 | 28-108 | 5.1 | 17.0 |
| Xavier Silas | 30.4 | 81-206 | 32-92 | 4.0 | 11.9 |
| Dominique Coleman | 27.6 | 81-165 | 12-38 | 6.2 | 11.0 |
| Jermyl Jackson-Wilson | 23.2 | 56-107 | 0-0 | 5.8 | 7.9 |
| Jermey Williams | 20.9 | 60-123 | 7-20 | 4.9 | 7.8 |
| Kal Bay | 21.4 | 42-119 | 35-94 | 1.5 | 6.8 |
| Marcus King-Stockton | 19.2 | 31-71 | 0-0 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Dwight Thorne II | 13.7 | 13-54 | 6-37 | 1.4 | 2.1 |
| Sean Kowal | 8.0 | 6-16 | 0-0 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| James Inge | 3.3 | 4-9 | 0-1 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Chase Perkowski | 3.7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Marc Van Burck | 3.0 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Trent Beckley | 2.0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |