10B / GAME DAY / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE
The top-ranked Jayhawks (26-1, 12-0) have won 57 straight home games and they show no signs of slowing down. The Sooners (13-13, 4-8) come in with a four-game losing streak and the Jayhawks hold a 40-7 record in Allen Fieldhouse against them. Oklahoma has two good players in Willie Warren and Tommy Mason-Griffn, but the Jayhawks have five solid starters.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Marcus Morris, sophomore forward
Oklahomaas strength lies in the play of their guards. Morris hasn't been bad recently, but this should be the time where he breaks out of his little slump.
Morris
The leading rebounder for the Sooners gets 8.1 per game and he's only 6-foot-9. The team is small and the points will be there for the taking for not only Morris, but Cole Aldrich as well.
Can the Jayhawks quickly and efficiently take care of business?
QUESTION MARK
They had a chance to do a number on Colorado and even though they won by 20, the damage could have been a lot worse. Kansas has been notorious this season about letting teams cut into big leads, especially with weaker opponents. The Jayhawks have a chance to essentially clinch the Big 12 and it should be a priority to do so with style against an underachieving Oklahoma team.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"A waterfall. I'm going to cry like a baby."
— Sherron Collins on whether he will be emotional for his last home game.
Collins
NO.1 KANSAS VS OKLAHOMA 8 p.m., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, ESPN
Kansas can clinch a share of Big 12 title with victory
KANSAS
26-1(12-0)
STARTERS
Henry
Sherron Collins, senior guard
The fans should start the savoring process now if they haven't already. Collins is down to his last couple games in Allen Fieldhouse. He came out of his mini shooting slump against Colorado, scoring 13 points and added seven assists, one shy of his season high. He's also one win away from becoming the winningest player in Kansas history.
★★★★★
TAKING CONTROL
Aldrich
Tyshawn Taylor, sophomore guard
Morris
Taylor couldn't have asked for a better return to the starting rotation. He had 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting and had six assists. He accomplished just what coach Bill Self intended, helping speed up the offense and getting a big lead early for the Jayhawks. If Taylor has truly emerged to be this effective mixed with the rest of the starters, this could the best starting lineup the Jayhawks have had all season.
Xavier Henry, freshman guard
Marcus Morris, sophomore forward
The stat sheet shows 24 points with 4-of-7 from three-point territory, but it doesn't show all the floor burns Henry earned Saturday against Colorado. He was on the floor at least three times trying to grab a loose ball or taking the ball hard to the rim. Henry said he plays with the same effort all the time, but he usually isn't that active.
The model of consistency has been any; thing but the past couple games. In his last three games, he is averaging just over nine points per game, a far cry from his 16 per game earlier in Big 12 play. It's not like the Jayhawks seriously needed his services lately and with other players having success, it's nothing to get worried about.
Cole Aldrich, junior center
Is it possible to get a quiet 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks? Well, Aldrich did that against Colorado. He's a steady force in the middle and Oklahoma's Tiny
Gallon is the only threat inside. It could be another steady 15-10-5 effort from Aldrich.
Morris is playing well, most recently scoring 11 points with seven rebounds against Colorado. He is averaging eight points and seven rebounds in his past
SIXTH MAN
four games. But he seems to not be over his fouling troubles that plagued him last year. He had two against the Buffaloes, but negated that with five turnovers.
Markieff Morris, sophomore forward
★★★☆☆
OKLAHOMA
13-13(4-8)
STARTERS
Tommy Mason-Griffin, freshman guard
Tommy Mason-Griffin, freshman guard Mason-Griffin has been a revelation for the Sooners in his freshman year. The four-star recruit has shown the ability to light up the scoreboard, including a 38-point outburst against Iowa State. He has a tendency to be inconsistent, though, exemplified by a nine-point, four-turnover performance in the game following his career-high 38. Mason-Griffin is also the team's assist leader, averaging 4.5 per game.
Cade Davis, junior guard
Mason-Griffin
Davis has grown from being a situational three-point threat for the Sooners to a legitimate weapon in their offense and, in doing so, has become part of the discussion for most improved player in the conference. He's averaging 10 points per game for Oklahoma, but, like seemingly everyone else on this team, either has it or doesn't on any given night. There's no in-between with Davis.
Tony Crocker, senior guard
Crocker and his backcourt mates have had to find ways to make up for the absence of Willie Warren in four of the last eight games. Crocker can score when he needs to, but usually won't overwhelm a team offensively (his 33-point performance against Centenary notwithstanding). He's a good rebounder for his position, averaging 6.5 per game.
Ryan Wright, senior forward
Wright, a UCLA transfer, has been solid, but unspectacular, in the paint for the Sooners. He can dominate a game, like he did with an 11-point, 14-rebound tour de force against Texas, but he also can disappear entirely. Wright hasn't had double-figure points or rebounds in any of the Sooners' last four games—all losses.
Tinv Gallon, freshman forward
Davis
Crocker
Gallon is the most consistent frontcourt weapon the Sooners have, but he hasn't lived up to the numbers he posted earlier in the season. In the nonconference season, Gallon averaged 11.6 points per game. Since then, he's posting just 8.3 per game. Gallon's also the team's leading rebounder with over eight per contest.
Wright
SIXTH MAN
Gallon
Willie Warren, sophomore guard
Warren, who's missed four of the last eight games with injury and illness, has been coming off the bench when he does play during that stretch.
Sherron Collins
This makes him the most lethal sixth man in the entire conference. He's averaging 16.3 points per game for the Sooners, but has been wracked with inconsistency. When he's on, he's as good a scorer as there is in the conference.
Warren
OU
TIPOFF
ATAGLANCE
★★★★★
On paper, the Sooners are one of the most talented teams in the conference. That's not worth a whole lot, though, considering they're mired in a four-game losing streak and stuck at 13-13 overall. At this point, the Sooners are playing for nothing more than pride, as all their hopes of an NCAA tourney bid lie in winning the conference tournament. There's a lot of ability on this team, but the inconsistency from basically every major contributor has crippled them, especially in the conference season.
PLAYERTOWATCH
Willie Warren, sophomore guard
It's been surprising to see Warren struggle at times this year after an outstanding freshman season. It appears that he's missing Blake Griffin in the middle more than anyone anticipated, but he still has the ability to score on command. Last year when the Jayhawks visited
Warren
QUESTION MARK
Can the Sooners talent play well on the same night?
the Sooners, Warren was 8-for-16 from the field for 23 points and traded threes with Sherron Collins at the end of the game in a whirlwind comeback attempt. The Jayhawks came out on top 87-78, but it was through no fault of Warren's. This year, Warren hasn't shown the same ability from long range, though. He's hitting just 31 percent of his threes.
Oklahoma's top four guards have the ability to score 20 on any given night, and have already this year. The top three, Warren, Mason-Griffin and Crocker, have all posted 30 points in at least one game this season. If they can manage to get all that talent rolling on one night, the Sooners would be one of the toughest outs in the conference. It hasn't worked out like that for them this year, though, and that's why they're stuck at 4-8 in conference.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"I don't mean this in a negative way,but scholarships aren't guaranteed for next year. There will be some decisions that will be made.So if guys aren't motivated they'll make that decision a little bit easier."
-- Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel, after Saturday's loss to Kansas State
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Game
Monday, February 22
Time (CT) TV Channel
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, February 23
Kansas State at Texas Tech 7:00 p.m. Big 12 Network
Oklahma at Kansas 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Wednesday, February 24
Wednesday, February 24
Nebraska at Iowa State 6:30 p.m. FSN
Colorado at Missouri 6:30 p.m. MSN
Oklahoma State at Texas 8:00 p.m. ESPN2
Texas A&M at Baylor 8:00 p.m. ESPNU
Saturday, February 27
Iowa State at Colorado 11:30 a.m. Big 12 Network
Baylor at Oklahoma 12:30 p.m. Big 12 Network
Texas at Texas A&M 1:00 p.m. ESPN
Texas Tech at Nebraska 3:00 p.m. Big 12 Network
Kansas at Oklahoma State 3:00 p.m. CBS
Missouri at Kansas State 7:00 p.m ESPNU
THE "BOOMER SOONER" CHANT WILL ECHO IN OKLAHOMA IF...
...Tyshawn Taylor reverts back to his old ways. It is no coincidence Taylor's start made the Jayhawks a faster, more dynamic team. He is the fastest player on the team but sometimes he plays faster than he thinks, resulting in turnovers or dumb fouls. Coach Bill Self said Taylor has his mind right and is on the same page as the coaches. But if he strays, it'll cause a hurdle the Jayhawks will have to overcome.
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF...
Date Opponent
... Sherron Collins demands it. During the Colorado game, you could see Collins getting the crowd into the game and he said it was because he wanted to relish in his home of the past four years. As the games get closer to the end of the season, Collins is going to be more emotional, and it should translate to the way he plays on the court. When Allen Fieldhouse is rocking, the opposition doesn't stand a chance.
TV Channel Time
Feb. 27 at Oklahoma State ESPN 3 p.m.
March 3 KANSAS STATE Big 12 Network 7 p.m.
March 6 at Missouri CBS 1 p.m.
PREDICTION
Kansas Oklahoma
87
(
69