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12B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY HARY KANSAN
KU TIP-OFF
Kansas is 7-2 this season and defeated Southern California 72-62 its previous time out. Saturday will mark the Jayhawks' 104th game in Kemper Arena and its 16th regular-season game there in the past 18 games. A victory would start up another winning streak for Kansas and help the Jayhawks climb back up the rankings. The Jayhawks fell to No. 12 in the Associated Press poll after losing to DePaul last weekend.
AT A GLANCE
5 QUICK FACTS
0
The number of times Kansas and Toledo have played before
3. 9 - The per-game rebound margin in favor of Kansas this season, which leads the Big 12
18 - The number of points Kansas is outscoring opponents by on average.
80 The number of victories Self would have with a win on Saturday
PLAYER TO WATCH
103 - The number of games Kansas has played in Kemper Arena
Sophomore guard Brandon Rush will be back in his hometown of Kansas City, Mo., and that might be just what he needs to break out of his recent funk. During his past five games, he's averaging only 9.8 points and shooting 29 percent from the field, 26.9 percent from three-point range and 50 percent from the free-throw line. He played well in Kemper Arena last season, scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing three assists.
QUESTION MARKS
How will Kansas play against another lesser-known opponent outside the Allen Fieldhouse? Kansas won an ugly game against Ball State in Vegas and lost an uglier game to DePaul in Chicago. Luckily, Kansas City will likely be a second home for the Jayhawks.
— Shawn Shroyer
GOING TO KANSAS CITY Jayhawks look to defeat a mid-major team
KANSAS VS. TOLEDO Noon Saturday, Kemper Arena Kansas City, Mo., ESPN2
Kansas
Offense
Kansas got the shots it wanted its last time out, but they just didn't fall. The Jayhawks took 17 more shots than the Trojans, but made only four more en route to a 38-1 shooting percentage on the night. Still, Kansas scored 72 points, improving its record to 6-0 when scoring at least 72 points this season. Five Jayhawks reached double fig-
ers and Brandon Rush led the team with 13 points each On Saturday, however, Kansas' frontcourt should get a chance to light up the scoreboard. Toledo's tallest starter is 6-foot-6 and tallest key reserve is 6-7. But Jayhawks big men should enter Saturday's game plenty motivated, anyway. Freshman forward Darrell Arthur played just 15 minutes against Southern California because of foul trouble and sophomore forward Julian Wright had an off night, scoring 10 points. Junior forward Darnell Jackson gave Kansas a lift, scoring 11 points off the bench. Kansas is averaging 77.3 points per game and Toledo is allowing just 73.3 points per game, so Kansas might have to grind it out on offense for the third straight game.
Toledo
Defense
If Kansas struggles on offense, it can count on its defense to give it some breathing room. The Jayhawks defense is allowing just 59.3 points per game and the Rockets are scoring only
60. 5 points per game. Toledo has cracked the 70-point barrier only twice in six games and both games went into overtime. After swiping 15 steals in its final game, Kansas is averaging 9.1 steals per game, which ranks in the top 50 in the nation. Chalmers and junior guard Russell Robinson are Kansas' top thieves with 21 and 18, respectively, this season. Kansas is also in the top 15 in the country in blocks per game with 6.78 per game. Arthur and Wright lead Kansas with 19 and 17, respectively. Without a doubt, Kansas will have to key on Toledo guard Justin Ingram and forwards Keonta Howell and Florentino Valencia, who are averaging a combined 50.8 points per game.
Offense
Momentum
As a team, Toledo's offense is average. It has scored more than 75 points only once this season, in a 98-93 overtime loss to Vanderbilt. The Rockets have three players, though, who are very dangerous. Guard Justin Ingram and forward Keona Howell are averaging 17.2 and 19.8 points per game, respectively. Both have gone off for 32-point performances this season, which are tops in the Mid-American Conference. Forward Florentino Valencia is the only other Rockets player who is averaging double digits at 13.8 points per game. Guard Kashif Payne is Toledo's best passer, averaging 4.5 assists per game. Guard Jonathan Amos is the team's top scorer on the bench, scoring six points per outing. Points will be hard to come by for Toledo on Saturday because seven of the eight players who play regularly are shorter than 6-foot-7. The Rockets might be able to outrun some opponents, but outrunning the swift Jayhawks will be a tough task.
Kansas is back on the winning track and heading to its home away from home: Kemper Arena. Since the 1997 season, Kansas is 25-4 at Kemper. Overall, the Jayhawks are 79-24 in that arena. Kansas' previous regular season loss in Kemper Arena came in the 1982-83 season when it lost 64-61 to Ohio State. Kansas has never played Toledo and coach Bill Self has never faced the Rockets, but this will be the second time the Jayhawks have faced a Mid-American Conference team this season on a neutral court. Kansas beat Ball State last month, 64-46, in the Las Vegas Invitational. The Jayhawks are 2-0 this season on neutral courts. While Kansas looks to begin a new winning streak, Toledo is on a two-game losing skid and will be at a major size disadvantage against the Jayhawks.
— Shawn Shroyer
Defense
Russel Robinson
Stopping the Kansas offense looks to be a daunting obstacle, but Toledo has played solid defense all season. The Rockets have al
ponent to score more than 80 points: Vanderbilt. As undersized as Toledo will be, the team will have to find a way to contain Kansas' big men. Kansas freshman forward Darrell Arthur is leading the Jayhawks in scoring with 14.3 points per game and sophomore forward Julian Wright is averaging 12.4. If the Rockets can force the Jayhawks to take bad shots, they may have a chance. Kansas got good looks against Southern California and still shot just 38.1 percent from the floor. If the Jayhawks are off target again, the Rockets must prevent them from getting second chances, but that's easier said than done. Kansas has yet to be out-rebounded this season and Toledo hasn't been out-rebounded yet this season. Valencia will be Toledo's best Standing a mere 6.6 high, our ranking
this season. Valencia will be Toledo's best hope. Standing a mere 6-6, he's averaging 7.3 boards per game.
Momentum
Toledo comes to Kansas City riding a two-game losing streak and is 2-4 on the season. However, the team's two victories came at a neutral site in the Paradise Jam tournament. During their four losses, the Rockets are losing by an average of just nine points. The first two were by 13 points and the last two have been by five points. A victory on Saturday for coach Stan Joplin would put him 200 victories behind Toledo's all-time winningest coach, Bob Nichols. Joplin is currently the second winningest coach in Toledo history.
TOLEDO TIP-OFF
AT A GLANCE
Although 2-4, Toledo came into the season with high expectations. The Rockets were picked to finish first in their division of the Mid-American Conference and had the second-most points of any MAC team in the voting. However, Toledo has even more to play for this season than conference standings. On Oct. 9, center Haris Charalambous died after collapsing at a morning workout.
5 QUICK FACTS
2 - The number of double-doubles Florentino Valencia has in his past two games
13 - The number of rebounds Valencia had in Toledo's past game; the most by a Rocket since 2001
20 - The largest deficit Toledo has overcome this season and gone on to win
32 - The season-high point totals for Toledo's Keonta Howell and Justin Ingram, which is tops in the Mid-American Conference
34 - The number of votes Toledo received in the MAC media preseason poll; only Akron received more
PLAYER TO WATCH
Forward Keonta Howell is Toledo's do-it-all player. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per contest and, even at 6-5, is second on the team in rebounding with 5.3 boards per game. Howell is listed as a forward, but he is a threat to shoot threes, having made 23 of 50 three-point attempts this season.
Can Toledo overcome its size disadvantage? The tallest Rocket who plays significant minutes is forward Jarrah Young, who is listed at 6-7, but is averaging only 0.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Toledo will have to find a way to compete with Kansas' deep front court.
QUESTION MARKS
- Shawn Shroyer
NATIONAL GAMES OF INTEREST
No.10 Wichita State at Wyoming 4:35 p.m., Saturday
Compared to two of the road victories against LSU and Syracuse that Wichita State has won so far this season, Saturday's game at Wyoming could be an easy victory on the way to making the Shockers 9-0 on the season. Currently, Wyoming is riding a three-game win streak and holds a record of 8-1. Wyoming's only loss is coming from UAB, which they lost 92-71. If the Shockers can pull off a road victory and other Top 10 teams lose, they may be able to break into the Top 10 next week.
BY ERIN WILEY
No. 6 Texas A&M at No.1 UCLA 1:30 p.m., Saturday on CBS
No. 6 Texas A&M will need to rebound from Tuesday night's loss to No.9 LSU in order to have a chance against the No.1 UCLA in Anaheim.
UCLA, on the other hand, is sitting at an undefeated 9-0. Their schedule hasn't been as tough as A&M's. The only big name teams that UCLA has played so far is Kentucky and Georgia Tech. A&M could hold the advantage.
No.24 Oklahoma State at Ball State 6 p.m.Saturday
After breaking into the Top 25 last week for this first time this season, OSU will face a team that gave Kansas some trouble earlier in the season.
Ball State was Kansas' first opponent in Las Vegas during the Las Vegas Invitational. The team stuck with Kansas for most of the game until KU finally pulled off a victory.
If JamesOn Curry, Byron Eaton and Mario Bogan can head into a road game with confidence The Cowboys should be able to follow in Kansas' footsteps with a win.
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