KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 / SPORTS
7A
MEN'S BASKETBALL REWIND
Chris Neal/KANSAN
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
Senior guard Mario Little jumps up for a hook shot while surrounded by Iowa State players. Little had eight points and two assists for the Jayhawks Saturday.
Game to Remember
Tyshawn Taylor
Taylor went 6-11 from the field and scored 14 points. He handled the ball well, without any difficult pressure. He had six assists and only one turnover. Self said Taylor needs to keep attacking the basket and seeing the ball go in, like Morningstar did, to build confidence. Taylor said that he has missed a few easy layups, but saw those go in against Iowa State. If this
Taylor
game means that Taylor starts turning it around offensively, this team can be extremely dangerous come post-season play.
Roughly four minutes into the game against Iowa State, Bill Self sent a post off the bench to replace Marcus Morris for a spell. It wasn't Thomas Robinson. It won't be for the next three games, at least.
Saturday afternoon, it didn't matter.
"We're playing the best we've played all year, which is a good thing," coach Bill Self said. "But still, it's not our team. That's the thing that's a little frustrating; we don't have our team yet."
Robinson's absence — and Josh Selby's, whom Self all but ruled out for Monday's game against Kansas State — wasn't much noticed as the Jayhawks rolled 89-66 against the Iowa State Cyclones. Travis Releford, who missed the first five games of conference play with an injury and has slowly worked his way back into the lineup, will get some of Robinson's minutes. So will Jeff Withey, who played a conference-season-high nine minutes and scored a season-high eight points.
"It was a big confidence booster," Withey said. "Especially going into K-State, just having that confidence, having a game where I played well. I think I'll be able to be productive."
Withey's minutes in particular could prove essential. He's the only Jayhawk on the roster who can replicate Robinson's size, and it's hard to win in the Big 12 Conference with two reserve posts who are 6-foot-6-inches or smaller, like Releford and Mario Little.
"The guy sitting to my left, he has to step up," Marcus said.
indicating Withey. "He knows it, since T-Rob's going to be out for a little bit. It's his time to step up and show people that he can play."
Marcus said Withey gives the Jayhawks a different kind of presence in the middle, one that's been missing since Cole Aldrich left for the NBA draft last year. Withey finished with two blocks in his nine minutes of play.
"In practice, he blocks my shot a lot," Marcus said, "so I know what kind of shot blocker he is. Just having that big body — something that Cole was last year, something that I can't do as well as these guys can — is definitely going to benefit us."
"The pass to start the play is just as important as the pass to finish the play," Self said, "and that's where the twins are so good."
The Morris twins will take on an increased role as well with Robinson out. Both attempted double-figure shots for just the second time in the last six games, and they finished with a combined 30 points and 22 rebounds. Markieff had a career-high six assists against just one turnover.
But how the Jayhawks handle Robinson's and Selby's absences won't be nearly as important as how they handle the reintegration of those two into the lineup in late February and the all-important March.
"I just hope that they both get back with their full speed a couple of weeks prior to the postseason," Self said. "That way, we can be in rhythm."
— Edited by Amanda Sorell
Game to Forget
Where was Releford on Saturday? Yes he has been struggling with an injury and still isn't 100 percent, but to play 13 minutes and only score two points when he had 10 against a much better Missouri team is baffling. With Robinson out for two weeks and a time table not set on Selby, Releford needs to take advantage of his playing time like Mario Little has these last two games.
Travis Releford
Releford
Notes
Kansas 45|44-86
Iowa State 26 | 40----66
Jayhawk Stat Leaders
Points
Marcus Morris 16
Rebounds
Markieff Morris
Morris twins
11 each
Assists
Tyshawn Taylor 6
Player FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs A Pts
Marcus Morris 7-12 1-4 11 2 16
Markieff Morris 6-10 1-3 11 6 14
Tyshawn Taylor 6-11 2-6 3 6 14
Brady Morningstar 5-9 3-4 4 4 13
Tyrel Reed 3-7 2-5 5 1 9
Jeff Whithey 3-3 0-0 2 0 8
Elijah Johnson 1-2 0-1 1 2 5
Mario Little 2-7 0-2 1 2 8
Travis Releford 0-2 0-2 1 1 2
Totals 33-64 9-27 43 24 89
Iowa State
Player FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA Rebs A Pts
Melvin Ejim 6-14 1-3 9 4 13
Jamie Vanderbeken3-5 1-2 2 0 7
Jake Anderson 4-12 4-9 5 5 12
Diante Garrett 4-13 4-10 4 3 12
Scott Christofferson5-11 4-7 2 3 16
Jordan Railey 2-9 0-0 2 0 4
Bubu Palo 0-1 0-1 2 4 0
Austin McBeth 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Eric McKnight 1-2 0-0 1 0 2
Totals 25-67 14-32 31 19 66
Prime Plays
First Half
13:46: The Jayhawks score seven quick points on three possessions to force Fred Holberg to take a timeout. (18-8)
11:02: Brady Morningstar disrupts a pass from Jamie Vanderbeken and has an easy fast-break lay-up at the other end. (24-12)
8:43: Excellent hustle and vision by Markieff Morris to steal the ball in Kansas' offensive half and get it to Elijah Johnson who gets the layup and the foul. Johnson makes the free throw. (30-12)
1:44: Tyshawn Taylor throws the ball near a highly contest rim. Markie eff goes up and dunks it. (43-23)
8:38; Jeff Withey uses a strong post move to get into the lane and hit a hook. He then follows up on the next defensive possession with a block. (77-52)
Second Half
6:53: A jumper by Marcus Morris gives Kansas its largest lead of the game. (80-54)
Quote of the Game
"Hopefully we'll be No. 1 by Monday, but there's a lot of talk that they might put Texas at No. 1, but I can't see how."
— Marcus Morris after Kansas' 89-66 victory against Iowa State
Morris