8B
GAMEDAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY DECEMBER 20TH
MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2006
KU
TIP-OFF
AT A GLANCE
Kansas is 6-2 this season and is averaging 78 points per game. The Jayhawks fell 21 points short of that average on Saturday. For the season, Kansas is 1-2 when scoring 71 points or less. Coach Bill Self has never coached against Southern California, but Kansas should be familiar with Trojans coach Tim Floyd. Floyd's last collegiate coaching job was at Iowa State, where he went 3-8 overall against Kansas and 0-4 in Allen Fieldhouse.
5OUICKFACTS
1 - The number of times Kansas has lost back-to-back nonconference games under coach Bill Self
4 – The number of minutes after his brother, Lodrick, that Rodrick Stewart was born
9 – The number of points sophomore guard Brandon Rush is averaging during the last four games
13/15 The number of assists to turnovers Kansas had its last game
26 - The number of points Kansas scored in the first half against DePaul and the fewest it has scored in a first half this season
PLAYER TO WATCH
Kansas junior guard Rodrick Stewart certainly had this game circled on his calendar when the season started. Tonight, Stewart's identical twin
Stewart
brother Lordrick Stewart will be in the starting lineup for Southern California. Lordrick is only averaging 7.7 minutes
per game this season and didn't play in the DePaul game, but depending on how tonight's game goes, he could find himself guarding his brother.
QUESTION MARK
Which Kansas will show up tonight?
The Jayhawks have a bad habit this season of playing great basketball one game and letting down the next. If DePaul can expose a lackluster Kansas performance, then Southern California is certainly capable of doing the same.
BACK TO BASICS After loss to DePaul, rebounding will be key
KANSAS VS. USC 8 p.m., Monday, Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, ESPN2
Kansas
Offense
Just when everything seemed to be going fine, the wheels fell off the Kansas offense during the weekend. Against DePaul, Kansas' starters combined for 11 of the team's 15 turnovers. As a result, Kansas never found a flow on offense and it showed, especially in the second half. The Jayhawks made just three of 12 three-point attempts after halftime, but what was more dishearthening was that the team missed shots near the basket that it usually makes. Its shooting percentage dropped from 50 to 35 percent from the first to the second half. Kansas will have something to prove tonight against Southern California. The Trojans are holding opponents to just 31 percent shooting from the field. Perhaps no Jayhawk will have as much to prove as sophomore guard Brandon Rush. He is averaging just nine points per game his last four outings. USC could give Kansas some matchup problems. Unlike most of the teams Kansas has played, the Trojans are a big team from top to bottom. Kansas might be able to counterforce that size with the quickness of players such as junior guard Russell Robinson, freshman guard Sherron Collins and sophomore forward Julian Wright.
Defense
Defense wasn't to blame for Kansas' second loss of the season. For the second-straight game the Jayhawks held an opponent in the teens in the first half and limited their opponent to 26 percent shooting in the first half. Kansas' problem on defense so far this season appears to be its inability to stop a players when they get hot. Oral Roberts had Marchello Vealy and Caleb Green. DePaul had Sammy Meja and Wilson Chandler. Kansas should have its hands full with Southern California guards Nick Young and Lordrick Stewart and forward Taj Gibson. All three are averaging double figures. Young and Gibson are both shooting better than 50 percent from the field and Stewart is USC's best three-point shooter. The defensive responsibilities for guarding these three players will likely fall on Robinson, Wright and sophomore guard Mario Chalmers.
Momentum
USC
Offense
Whatever momentum Kansas had on its former five-game winning streak is gone after Saturday's loss. However, the Jayhawks should be plenty motivated
The Trojans are scoring 71 points per game so far this season. Junior guard and forward Nick Young is pacing the Trojans with 16.5 points per game and Lodrick Stewart is second on the team with almost 15. From three-point land the Trojans were off and on against Loyola Marymount, finishing with an impressive 50 percent from behind the arc. It wasn't a team effort, though. Stewart was one of only two Trojans to score a three-point shot. He went 6-for-9 from the field, while freshman Daniel Hackett made one of two. They'll have their work cut out for them against a tough Kansas defense, but the task isn't an impossible one. DePaul was shut down in the first half, but was able to find a way to put up points in the second half.
after having to listen to De- Paul fans chant "overrated" as the Blue Demons came away with a 64-57 upset. The fact that Kansas could end Southern California's five-game winning streak should provide more motivation to the Jayhawks. And if that isn't enough, coming back to the friendly confines of Allen Fieldhouse should give Kansas a boost. The Jayhawks have won three straight against the Trojans. The last meeting came in 1998 when Kansas won 107-78 at home.
—Shawn Shroyer
USC has one of the better field goal percentage defenses in the nation at 31.3 percent. Freshman Taj Gibson is pacing the Trojans in rebounding with an average of 9.8 and blocked shots with 11. Lodrick Stewart has eight steals, which is best on the team. Their last time out the Trojans had 27 defensive rebounds, five blocks and held the Lions to 27.8 percent shooting on the game. They'll look to control the boards tonight against Kansas, which was able to shut down Florida's Joakim Noah, but had problems pulling down rebounds against DePaul. If the Trojans can deny the Jayhawks second and third chances, they will give their offense the opportunity to win the game.
Defense
Momentum
even though the Jayhawks have defeated the Trojans the last three times they have met, including Kansas' 107-78 pounding of USC in 1998 in Allen Fieldhouse, this time around the Trojans have all the momentum. While the Jayhawks were stumbling against DePaul, the Trojans defeated Loyola Marymount 67-50. The Trojans know that the Jayhawks have dropped two games, one at home,
ranked. The momentum arrow points to the Trojans. In addition, Lordrick Stewart will get the opportunity to play in front of friends and family, and possibly upstage his brother on national TV.
— Erin Wiley
USC TIP-OFF
ATAGLANCE
USC of the Pac-10 will enter Allen Fieldhouse on a five-game winning streak. After losing its season opener and first game on its new home court in the Galen Center, to South Carolina, USC defeated its next five opponents by an average of 16 points. The Trojans defeated Loyola Marymount 67-50 on Saturday.
5 QUICK FACTS
4 - The number of returning starters from last season's 17-13 team
2 Head coach Tim Floyd's number of years at the helm of the USC program
17 - Scout.com's rank of USC's recruiting class that includes seven freshmen
5 - The number of seasons coach Floyd spend in the NBA coaching the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Hornets
10,258 USC's new home stadium, The Galen Center, holds this many spectators
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior guard Lodrick
Stewart will be playing against his twin brother Rodrick, whom he calls his biggest sports hero.
Stewart
tonight.
Lodrick has 956 career points, which is the most for an active player in the Pac-10. So far this season,
Lodrick is averaging nearly 15 points a game. He has led the Trojans twice with 19 against Saint Mary's and 21 against Loyola Marymount.
QUESTION MARK
Will USC be able to dominate the Jayhawks on the boards?
So far this season the Trojans are outbounding their opponents 41.8 to 37.5. The Jayhawks have also outbounded their foes 40.6 to 31.8, but if the Trojans can get to the boards offensively and get second and third chances at shots, this could cause problems for the home team.
NATIONAL GAMES OF INTEREST
Oklahoma State (9-0) vs. No. 14 Syracuse (7-1)
Tuesday, 6 p.m., ESPN
Syracuse continues its tradition of not playing non-conference games outside the state of New York, playing Oklahoma State Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic in New York City. The Cowboys, under first year coach Sean Sutton, are undefeated after playing a weak schedule to start the season.
The Cowboys should continue to improve as the season goes along. By the time Big 12 Conference play rolls around, Oklahoma State should be one of the conference's top teams.
The Orange is coming off a home loss to Wichita State Saturday night. Considering Oklahoma State's weak schedule so far, expect Syracuse to get the victory.
No. 8 Texas A&M (7-0) at No.12 LSU (4-1)
Tuesday, 8 p.m.
This is clearly the game of the day on Tuesday. Both teams should be seriously considered as possibilities to advance to the Final Four in Atlanta. Texas A&M is a legitimate threat to challenge Kansas for the Bia 12 title.
LSU was shocked at home last weekend by Wichita State. Despite featuring Glenn Davis in the paint, the Tigers have clearly missed guard Tyrus Thomas, who jumped to the NBA.
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Look for Gillespie and the Aggies to come out of Baton Rouge with the victory. The Aggies are clearly the hottest team in the Big 12 right now.
No. 16 Arizona (5-1) vs. Louisville (2-1)
Tuesday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Nearly a month into the season, the Louisville Cardinals have played just three games. That can't bode well against a talented Arizona team.
Former Jayhawk David Padgett has struggled since leaving Lawrence three years ago. Padgett is averaging just eight points and four rebounds a game. It's not exactly the post presence that coach Rick Pitino expected to get out the transfer.
Expect Arizona to roll easily in the second game of the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City.