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/ SPORTS / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KU TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Kansas did something pretty remarkable and under the radar Saturday. The Jayhawks sent Iowa State to the free-throw line just twice in the entire game. They committed seven fouls. That's the lowest total on the season by three fouls, and the fewest since they had seven against Fort Hays State in 2003. What does that mean for Monday? Probably not much. Kansas still fouls too much and Kansas State still does a good job of getting to the free-throw line. The more interesting question is which will break first: Kansas' relative inability to get to the line or K-State's inability to keep teams from getting there?
Little
PLAYER TO WATCH
Mario Little is an offensive workhorse in the sense that, if he gets the ball on the right half of the court, something is going to happen. Bill Self said he'd lead the team in shots per minute, "and it's not even close". Even though Self was laughing when he said it, there was a little underlying criticism there. Little could probably take a lesson or two in passing from the Morris twins, whom Self always praises for being the best passers on the team. Little will see increased action with Thomas Robinson out of the lineup. What that means for his shots-per-minute numbers remains to be seen.
How will Kansas State weather the storm?
QUESTION MARK
Taylor
Teams under pressure generally have one of two reactions. They either rally around each other and start playing their best basketball (see: Tennessee last year), or they fold like a cheap lawn chair in a stiff breeze. Kansas State showed a little bit of the former after getting stomped at Kansas, beating Nebraska at home and following it up with a win at Iowa State. But then Wally Judge left the team, and the Kansas City Star reported that Curtis Kelly is under investigation by the school and the Wildcats lost at Colorado to fall to 4-6 in conference. If Kansas State is reeling Monday, Kansas could put a serious hurting on the Wildcats and end whatever chance is left for them to make the NCAA Tournament.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"My name's scrolled across the bottom of the ESPN thing a couple times, too. They'll be fine."
— Tyshawn Taylor on how the Wild-cats will handle the negative press
No. 1 Jayhawks look to stay on top KANSAS VS.K-STATE 8 p.m., BRAMLAGE COLISEUM, Manhattan
KANSAS
24-1, (9-1)
STARTERS
Tyshawn Taylor, junior guard
Reed
Tyshnawn taylar, junior guard Taylor was excellent against the Cyclones - good enough to win my player of the game honors. He had 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and tallied six assists against just one turnover. It was the second time since December that he's shot better than 50 percent from the field. The other game was Jan. 29... against the Kansas State Wildcats.
The Sunflower Sweep
Morningstar
Tyrel Reed, senior guard
It's been a pretty safe assumption throughout Tyrel Reed's career that if the Jayhawks need someone to take free throws, he's the guy to do it. But believe it or not, Reed's not shooting the ball particularly well — for him at least — since conference play began. After shooting 93 percent in non-conference, he's shooting a much more human 73 percent in conference play.
Brady Morningstar, senior guard
Brady Morningstar, senior guard
Forget, for a moment, about scoring,
which Brady Morningstar has done remarkably well of late, and take some time to appreciate what he does best. In the conference slate, Morningstar has dished out 41 assists against just seven turnovers. That 5.9-to-1 assist to turnover ratio is fifth-best in the country in conference play. Morning-star will start again in place of Josh Selby.
M. C. Morris
Marcus Morris, junior forward
Marcus Morris, junior for vars
Marcus may finally be forced to shoot the ball more with Thomas Robinson not in the lineup. This is great news for Kansas.
In 10 games in which he has taken fewer than 10 shots, he's averaged 13.5 points per game. In 15 games in which he's taken 10 or more, he's averaged 19.1 points. It stands to reason that the Jayhawks want their best player to shoot more, particularly when he is as efficient as Marcus is.
M. K. Morris
Markieff is in the same boat as his brother. No Thomas Robinson means more minutes and more opportunities to shoot. Just like Marcus, Markieff is efficient enough that him shooting more can only mean good things for the Jayhawks offense, which is potent enough as is. Markieff's current five-game streak of double-figure scoring started with a 20-point effort against Kansas State.
Markieff Morris, junior forward
Tim Dwyer
K-STATE
16-9,(4-6)
STARTERS
Shane Southwell, freshman guard
Southwell's Twitter (K_StateShane) bio reads: "I ATTEND KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY AND A PRO SOON." That's all well and good, but like Saturday's against Colorado (three points, 1-5 FG) won't get him to the pros. In Lawrence, Southwell had zero points in 18 minutes. He needs to focus on tonight's game and his college game before he can look at professional basketball, even Europe.
Southwell
nearly insure, suphomore guard McGruder hit a long three-pointer on Saturday that looked like Kansas State was going to sneak out of Bouler, Colo., with a victory. But after the referees reviewed the shot, the ball was still on McGruder's hands. It's been one of those seasons for K-State. Everything goes right for a while, and then all crumbles. The Wildcats are like this season's Longhorns from 2009-2010. However, instead of having a midseason breakdown, the Wildcats have just crumbled from the very beginning. McGruder had 11 points in 34 minutes for the Wildcats on Saturday. Against Kansas on Jan. 29, he had 15 points in 35 minutes.
McGruder
Jacob Pullen, senior forward
Pullen is the best player on this team. The Wildcats are facing adversity, like every other team in the country, but theirs has spanned the entire season. A victory against Kansas in Manhattan tonight would do wonders for K-State's resume and the player that will lead the charge is Pullen.
Pullen
Jamar Samuels, junior forward Samuels had 13 points for the Wildcats on Saturday night. Against the Jayhawks on Jan.29 he had 10 points. Samuels, Pullen and McGruder accounted for 69.7 percent of K-State's points in Lawrence. Samuels will need a big output, but the team needs more contribution from the bench.
Samuels
Curtis Kelly, senior forward
Curtis Kelly, senior for Ward First Kelly was suspended for accepting more clothes than he paid for. His suspension was for six games and recently there were talks that Kelly was going to be kicked off the team, but after an investigation found no dirt on him, he is allowed to stay on the team. Kelly is a vital part of the frontcourt for Kansas State. If he were let go, he would have been the third Wildcat to leave the team. Kelly will need a big day for K-State to pull the upset. He only had five points for the Wildcats on Saturday.
Kelly
-Mike Lavieri
KSU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Kansas State is coming off a tough 58-56 loss on Saturday to Colorado in Boulder, Colo. The Buffaloes swept the Wildcats for the first time since the 2003-2004 season. Rodney McGruder sank a long three-pointer that set off a celebration from the Wildcats while officials took a look at the monitor to see if the shot counted. After deliberation, McGruder still had the ball on his hand while the clock struck zeros. The loss drops K-State to 4-6 in conference with a large uphill climb to make the NCAA tournament. K-State will need to go at least 4-2 in its last six games to have a chance. But with games against Kansas and Texas, that leaves a very slim margin for error.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jacob Pullen
There has been so much attention around Pullen this season. At the beginning, he was the leader of the
Pullen
QUESTION MARK
Will the Wildcats upset the No. 1 team in the nation...again?
No. 3 team in the nation. He was suspended three games for taking more clothes than he paid for. He said before conference play started that the Big 12 title goes through Manhattan. He said after a loss to Colorado that made the Wildcats 0-2 in conference that he wouldn't be playing in the postseason unless it's the NCAA tournament. Pullen can score and distribute. He is fourth in the Big 12 Conference with 18 points per game. He will need to put this team on his back the rest of the season if he wants to play in the NCAA tournament.
Some of you are reading this before noon, which is when the new AP and Coaches Polls come out. Some are saying Kansas will be the top ranked team in the nation and some are saying Texas. If Kansas is the No.1 team, how fitting is the matchup in Manhattan tonight: Sunflower Showdown, a team facing adversity with players quitting, a team ranked No.1 but with injuries and to top it all off, it's Valentine's Day. Last year, K-State defeated Texas in Manhatton when the Longhorns were the top ranked team in the nation. That loss sent Texas into a tallpin of a season where it finished the season 7-10 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This season is different. K-State doesn't have the personnel to keep up with Kansas. If the first matchup said anything, it spelled Kansas victory. Prediction that isn't from Tim Dwyer: Kansas by 19.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"That's an up-and-down emotion real fast. You go from thinking you just won the game with a buzer-beater to losing the game."
Senior guard Jacob Pullen to the Manhattan Mercury after the Wildcats 58-56 loss to Colorado on Saturday
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Game
Time (CT)
Tue, Feb. 15 Time (C)
Texas Tech at Missouri 6:00 p.m.
Wayland Baptist at Texas 7:00 p.m.
Iowa State at Texas 7:00 p.m.
THE OCTAGON OF DOOM WILL BE GLOomy IF...
Kansas stakes itself to an early lead. With the controversies swirling around the Wildcats, they need to be in the game from the start to believe they have a chance to win it. If the Jayhawks take the Wildcats early, just like a few weeks ago in Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas will roll to an easy win.
THE WILDCATS WILL PREY ON THE JAYHAWKS IF... The team rallies against the negativity surrounding the program. Kansas fell victim to a team that had been upended by off-the-court issues last season at Tennessee, and Kansas State has a chance to make it two years running.Jacob Pullen will need to be better than the last time out, though.
Prediction Kansas 91, K-State 70
SCHEDULE
Opponent TV Channel Time
Name Opponent TV Channel Time
Feb. 19 Colorado ESPN 1 p.m.
Feb. 21 Oklahoma State ESPN 8 p.m.
Feb. 26 Oklahoma ESPN 3 p.m.