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/ SPORTS / FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
The Jayhawks should finally put the hammer on somebody. The Cyclones are 1-8 in conference and reeling while the Jayhawks are playing some of their best basketball, particularly on the offensive end. But when this team knows it's supposed to kill a team, it has a tendency to play down (see: the entire nonconference slate). It'd take a lot for Iowa State to really put a scare in the Jayhawks, who look to have everyone healthy — if not 100 percent — for what seems like the first time in a while. Not that the injuries have mattered. Kansas hasn't had a real scare since losing to Texas.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Freshman guard Josh Selhu
Selby's been out for the past two games, but it sounds like he'll be back for the Iowa State game Saturday. Bill Self has said
a few times that Selby was playing his best ball of the season before his injury, and his aggressiveness on the floor was finally being demonstrated. The counterpoint, though, is that the Jayhawks have been all but flawless offensively in their last two games. Self said the game at Nebraska was the best offensive performance of the season, while against Missouri the Jayhawks had their best statistical offensive performance. If the Jayhawks regress offensively — which is inevitable, it would seem — the blame may fall on Selby, fair or not.
QUESTION MARK
Will the Jayhawks get up for this one?
The Jayhawks have been somewhat notorious for two years running for playing down to the level of their opponents. Doing that against Iowa State could prove costly, because the Cyclones record is misleading. They are 1-8 in conference, but five of those losses were within five points. In Ames, Iowa, the Cyclones played the Jayhawks close for all 40 minutes before losing 84-79. The Cyclons are great at taking care of the ball (they're 26th in the country at avoiding turnovers), but if Kansas's posts crash the glass, they should be able to dominate. The Cyclones are 273rd in the country at offensive rebounding.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
"They've really been unlucky. He goes from a situation where they can win the first game in Lincoln, have the ball playing for one, turn it over and foul to lose in regulation. They had the game in Stillwater, up four with a minute left with the ball, and lose. The K-State game was one of those heart-breaking games also. He's real close to being .500 in the league, or better, and I think what he's done is give his guys a free mind offensively."
Bill Self on coach Fred Holberg and Iowa State's misleading 1-8 conference record
ISU who?
Cyclones whirl into town Saturday
KANSAS VS. IOWA STATE
3 p.m., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, Lawrence
Taylor
KANSAS
23-1,(8-1)
STARTERS
Tyshawn Taylor, guard
Taylor's struggles shooting the ball have been the most noticeable part of his game recently, but he's still getting the other things done. He's a premier defender and is one of the quickest guards in the country. If he can improve on his 6-of-26 shooting over the last three games, he'll be as good as ever. He gets the defensive challenge of stopping Diante Garrett.
Tyshawn Taylor, guard
Reed
Selby
Tyrel Reed. guard
Palo
Mc.Morris
Reed has been sharp in the last few games after a down year from behind the arc overall. He'll likely be on Iowa State's Scott Christopher defensively, a matchup that favors Reed and his athleticism. Reed has developed into an all-around player, while Christopher is still purely a sniper.
Plenty of people will be calling for Brady Morningstar to start here after the Jayhawks had their two best offensive performances of the season in the last two games while Selby was confined to the bench. It's an easy argument to make, but Kansas could well have a great need of Selby come March, and he won't have the same quick learning curve if he doesn't get major minutes now.
Josh Selby,guard
IOWA STATE 14-10,(1-8) STARTERS
Palo has started in only two games this season. He is averaging four points per game on 32.4 shooting from the field. Against Kansas State he scored 10 points, seven of them coming from the free-throw line. He might have had a good game against the Wildcats, but he hasn't been too productive all season long.
Bubu Palo, guard
Morris dropped 17 points in the second half Monday against Missouri, and the Tigers' frontcourt is much more effective than the Cyclones'.His best game of the season was against the Cyclones — 33 points, 13 rebounds—and he's been playing well against better competition since then. There's no reason he can't get to 30 again Saturday.
Marcus Morris, forward
Markieff wasn't as good as his brother against Iowa State last time they crossed paths, but that doesn't mean he was anything short of stellar. Markieff finished with 17 points and 11 boards, and if he had managed to hit anything from the free throw line (he was 5-of-11), the numbers would have been even better.
Markieff Morris, center
Mk. Morris
Scott Christopherson,guard
Christopherson was efficient against Kansas State. He was 8-11 from the field scoring 22 points. Of his three misses, two of them were from beyond the arc. He averaged 14.2 points per game, which is second on the team. In the first matchup with Kansas in
Christopherson
Ames, Iowa, Christopherson was one of two players to play all 40 minutes. He went 4-13 from the field scoring nine points.
★★★☆☆
Garrett
Kansas coach Bill Self says he deserves to be on the Big 12 first team with the numbers he is putting up this season. He is fifth in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game and he leads the league with 5.96 assists per game.
Diante Garrett, guard
Melvin Ejim, forward
Ejim is 11th in the Big 12 in rebounding averaging 6.9 per game. He is one of five players averaging more than 10 points per game. His 49.7 shooting percentage is a team best. During conference play his numbers have declined.He is only
Ejim
averaging 7.7 points per game and 6.3 reboundss per game. His shooting percentage has dropped to 36.2 percent.
Jamie Vanderbeken, forward
At 6-foot-11, Vanderbeken is the team's best three-point threat. He is shooting 44.4 percent in conference and 43.6 percent on the season. In the first contest with the Jayhawks, Vanderbeken scored 19 points in 39 minutes of work. His ability to stretch the floor will help open up the paint.
Vanderbeken
Mike Lavieri
ISU
TIPOFF
Tim Dwyer
AT A GLANCE
— Brady Morningstar
The Cyclones begin a gruelling schedule tomorrow. Iowa State will play four games in 10 days against the four ranked teams in the Big 12. Of these four games, three of them are away from Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State will start at No. 2 Kansas and will then proceed to play at No. 22 Texas A&M. It will the return home to play No. 20 Missouri to turn around and play at No. 3 Texas.The Cyclones have lost six games in a row since defeating Baylor 72-57 on Jan. 15.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior guard Diante Garrett
Garrett is the Cyclones go-
player. He can score, pass and hande
the ball. With Craig Brackins
leaving for the NBA Draft and Marquis Gilstrap graduating, Garrett has done an excellent job filling the void. Last season, Garrett
Will Iowa State's luck change?
Garrett
QUESTION MARK
was Iowa State's fourth leading scorer averaging 9.2 points per game. In the first matchup with Kansas on Jan. 12, Garrett scored 27 points on 11-of-25 shooting. He played all 40 minutes. He was key in keeping up with the Jayhawks, but was bested by Marcus Morris' 33-point effort.
Iowa State has some unlucky losses on its resumé. It lost its first game of the season's campaign to Nebraska 63-62 in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 8. Iowa State had the ball, but with six seconds left. Nebraska forced a turnover and Cyclone freshman forward Melvin Ejm pouled Cornhusker senior guard Lance Jeter, who sank one of two free throws for the Cornhusker victory. On Feb.5, the Cyclones squandered a four-point lead in the final minute to lose 86-85 to Kansas State. Iowa State hasn't played a team like Kansas this season in a place like Allen Fieldhouse. They don't have a chance to win the Big 12, but do have a chance to crash the party. They can disrupt things at the top and winning in Lawrence will do that. However, that won't happen. Kansas is too good and has been excellent on the offensive end in the last five games.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"We had a couple of break downs in the last minute and we were playing against Jacob Pullen and he'll make you pay for it."
— Junior guard Scott Christopherson told 'the Ames Tribune after Iowa State's 86-85 loss to Kansas State on Feb. 5.
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF
The Jayhawks put Iowa State away early and keep the pedal down. After watching the Cyclones struggle through a 1-8 start in conference play, the Jayhawks are likely to come out lax and unenergized, but the Cyclones only lost by five to the Jayhawks earlier this year.
Kansas 94, Iowa State 67
THE JAYHAWKS WILL GET BLOWN AWAY IF
Diante Garrett exploits every single one of Tyshawn Taylor's mental lapses. When Taylor's on, it's tough to get past him. But Garrett is a quality point guard, and he has the potential to make a game of this one. If he gets help from Jamie Vanderbeken, all the better for Iowa State.
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent TV Channel Time
State Opponent TV Channel Feb.14 at Kansas State ESPN 3 p.m.
Feb.19 vs.Colorado ESPN 1 p.m.
Feb.21 Oklahoma State ESPN 8 p.m.
Feb.26 Oklahoma ESPN 3 p.m.