10A
/ SPORTS / FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
As crazy as the first day of the tournament was — seriously, Morehead State? — it still seems a little unreasonable to think a 16 seed has anything resembling a shot at pulling the upset. Kansas will win, and by double-figures. This is the kind of game where it's best to look for trends in the Jayhawk offense. Look to see if Tyrel Reed can find his shot, and if not, then whether someone else steps up on the perimeter. See how Bill Self handles the point guard position (more on that later). And keep an eye on the Morris twins, more because it's fun to watch that caliber of a player than anything regarding the rest of the tournament.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior forward Marcus Morrie
I haven't put Morris in this spot yet, because it's kind of the easy way out. Morris will get his points, and get around seven rebounds, and that's sort of the way he'll do it every game. But if you take some time to really watch Morris, it's not so much the numbers he
Mc. Morris
puts up as the way he does it. He can score from anywhere this side of half-court, and he'll abuse whatever matchup he gets in whatever is the most
efficient way to do it. If he's got a forward guarding him, watch him stretch the floor. If a guard tries to stop him — such as Boston's John Holland — then Morris will take him inside and use his ridiculous array of post moves to get a bucket. There's a reason he's an All-American. Watch and enjoy.
How will Bill Self handle the point guards?
QUESTION MARK
This is the biggest question regarding the Jayahkwks as they enter March. Tyshawn Taylor is and will remain the starter, barring injury, but Elijah Johnson and Josh Selby will get minutes in the backcourt as well. The question is how those minutes will be split. Selby has more offensive talent, and if he's allowed to freestyle on the offensive half, he could be a dangerous threat for Kansas, despite his uninspiring numbers from the regular season. Johnson works better in the offense as a true point guard, and he's the best point defender Kansas has. Today's game may provide some indicator of how those minutes will play out for the rest of the season.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"There were some clippings in our locker of Farokhmaneh pumping his fists, or what not, after he hit a big time shot against us. All credit to him. He knocked down a shot that was probably the biggest day of his career. It's a little reminder of if you don't show up, you're going to go home. No one wants that."
Brady Morningstar
Taylor
KANSAS
32-2,(14-2)
STARTERS
Tyshawn Taylor,guard
It should have been known all along that Self would go back to his bread and butter with Taylor at the point. Taylor's been starting since his freshman year, and self knows that it takes experience to win in March. As solid as Elijah Johnson was, Taylor's the best option for Kansas at the point, and Self's mind games have him peaking at the right time.
Reed
Tyrel Reed, guard
Morningstar
Reed's normally pure stroke was off during the Big 12 Tournament. It may have been a product of his lingering foot injury, or he may have just gone cold, which happens to the best of shooters. Either way, Kansas could use his range. Boston favors a zone defense, which is best broken by a strong presence on the outside. Reed is the Jayhawks' best weapon from three-point land.
Brady Morningstar, guard
Morningstar has settled comfortably into his role since winning his starting job back about halfway through the conference season. He's another dangerous perimeter threat for the Jayhawks, and Boston will have to key in on keeping him from breaking their zone from outside. With so many other threats on the Kansas roster, though, it doesn't seem likely that stopping Morningstar will be a priority.
Mc. Morris
Jayhawks face Terriers in first round
★★★☆☆
Marcus Morris, forward
It's hard to say anyone will be the singular difference maker in a game that is so clearly out of balance, but Boston — like a lot of teams in the country — doesn't have anyone who can hang with Marcus Morris, inside or out. Boston's John Holland is a guard that can play inside, like Kansas Travis Releford or Mario Little, but he doesn't have the ability to slow Marcus.
Mk. Morris
Let the games begin ...
Markieff does three things notably better than his brother. He's a better rebounder, a better defender and a better three-point shooter. All three of those skills will be useful against the Terriers. He should be able to control the paint on both ends of the floor with his rebounding and defense, and his trailing threes will be devastating to the Boston zone.
Markief Morris, forward
KANSAS VS. BOSTON 5:30 p.m., BOK CENTER, Tulsa, Okla.
BOSTON
21-13,(12-4) STARTERS
D.J. Irving, guard
Irving is the main ball handler and distributer. Of the 10 assists Boston averages per game, 3.6 come from Irving. He is one of three players that have at least a one-to-one assist to-turnover ratio. Boston will need to take care of the ball better or it will be a long game.
Irving
Darryl Partin,guard
If John Holland is Batman, then Partin is Robin. Partin is on the floor for nearly 32 minutes per game and averages 14.5 points per game. He averages 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. If Holland is off, Partin will need to be on. Of the 1,812 shots Boston took this season,914 came from Holland and Partin.
Partin
John Holland, guard
Holland is the lone senior on the Terriers. He is the leader vocally and statistically. He has scored in double figures in all but two games this season. The last time he didn't was on Jan. 2 when he scored eight points in a 65-52 loss
John Holland, guard
Holland
to Maine
Patrick Hazel, forward
Hazel is undersized for a forward. He is 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds. Both Morris twins and Thomas Robinson will dominate him. Hazel grabs 5.9 rebounds per game and leads the team with 1.9 blocks per game. He scores 4.6 points per game, but the Terriers will need him to contribute more
will need him to contribute more if the upset is going to happen.
Hazel
Dom Morris, forward
Morris has a little bit more body than Hazel. He's 6-foot-7 and is 240 pounds. Unlike Hazel, he's young. Both will have the jitters, but Morris may not know how to handle it as much as Hazel, because Hazel had the opportunity to play in the CBI last season. Morris averages 5.6 points per game and 4.7 rebounds r game.
Morris
Mike Lavieri
Tyrel Reed
BU
TIPOFF
Photo by Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
AT A GLANCE
Boston comes into the NCAA Tournament riding an 11-game winning streak. This is the seventh time the Terriers have made it to the tournament and the first time since 2002. Boston comes in with a 2-6 record, with its only two victories coming in 1959, when it advanced to the Regional Finals (now the Elite 8), before losing to the eventual runner-up, West Virginia 86-82. Boston's best seed was in 1997 when it was seeded 12th. It lost in the first round to Tulsa, but it has been a 16 seed three times, a 15 seed one time and lost in a play-in-game in 1983 when the highest seed was 12.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior guard John Holland
have the body
Holland will have Kansas' attention for all 40 minutes. He doesn't
have the body type that Arizona's Derrick Williams has or UCLA's Tyler Honeycutt, but he does have the body
Holland
type like Colorado's Alec Burks. He won't be matched up against Kansas' bigs, so they won't be in foul trouble unless Holland drives by them and draws contact. Brady Morningstar will most likely defend him. Holland is averaging 19.2 points per game, 5.9 rebound per game and 1.6 assists per game. The problem for Holland is that he doesn't have the players around him to pull off the upset.
QUESTION MARK
Will the curse of the 'B' prevail over Kansas?
Considering that the last two schools that started with 'B' that saw Kansas in the first round: Bradley and Bucknell were nicknamed the Braves and Bison, respectively, should make Boston a little queasy, since it is the Terriers. Besides, a 16 seed has never defeated a one seed. Boston doesn't have the depth or the players around John Holland to pull off the upset. While it would be a great story for the Terriers, Kansas is a lock for the third round with either Illinois or UNLV. This would be considered a win for Boston if it loses by fewer than 25 points.
HEARYE, HEARYE
Bill Self on Boston University's all-conference senior guard John Holland
"He's really good. He's the best player in their league. He's got good size and they play him at the guard position but they can also play him at the four to create some match-up problems."
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Game
Friday, March.18
Texas vs. Oakland
Time (CT)
California Colorado
11:15 a.m.
Texas A&M vs. Florida State
3:15 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
SCHEDULE
THE JAYHAWKS WILL ROLL IF..
They don't get lost on their way to the BOK Center. Because the Jayhawks have been in Tulsa since Wednesday night, and they made it to their shoot around and press conferences at the BOK Center Thursday, things aren't looking good for the Terriers. The Jayhawks said they wouldn't overlook anybody, but it wouldn't kill them either way in this one.
BOSTON WILL GET ITS BEST UPSET SINCE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IF ...
Both Morris twins get hurt. Tyshawn Taylor, too. Then it will be a ball-game. Otherwise, the Jayhawks will put the Terriers away early. Even though Bill Self said the Terriers were underseeded at 16, there's still far too much talent on the Kansas roster.
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Prediction:
Kansas 91, Boston 65
NCAA Championship March 18 to April 4