8B
GAME DAY / FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12. 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KU
TIPOFF
Kansas (23-1, 9-0) plays host to Iowa State (13-11, 2-7) in their second meeting of the season. When the Jayhawks visited the Cyclones earlier this season, they pummeled them 84-61. They held Craig Brackins in check to 13 points while Cole Aldrich went off for 19 points and 11 rebounds with three blocks. Marcus Morris had 16 points and seven rebounds as well. Most of the bigs had success against Iowa State. Not much has changed for either team since.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jeff Withey
Against Texas, Withey was the player to watch and he didn't even see a minute of floor time. Let's try again. The seven-footer had a
solid showing against Iowa State last time they played and he has instilled enough trust in his coach to get the minutes.
Withey
But at this point in the season, the only way to get minutes if you aren't in the eight-man rotation is to hope the Jayhawks build an insumountable lead. The best way to do that is to play a team that is 3-7 on the road at your place in the midst of a 55-game home court win streak.
Are the Jayhawks complacent three games up in the Big 12?
QUESTION MARK
When Nebraska came to Allen Fieldhouse, everyone thought it would be a rout. Then somehow, the Cornhuskers found themselves up four in the second half. They ended up losing that game to the Jayhawks pretty handily, 64-75. Iowa State is coming in with the same expectations — it's a weak team and the Jayhawks are at home — jackpot. We've seen too often this season the Jayhawks fail to put teams away. With the cushion they have in the league, that killer instinct may not be there.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"Sometimes when you can get a good block, your mindset is 'throw it as far as you can so you can look good."
— Marcus Morris on why he sometimes throws the ball out of bounds instead of keeping possession.
PREPARING FOR THE STORM After a longer rest, the Jayhawks will take on the Cyclones Saturday
Collins
KANSAS (21-1) STARTERS
Sherron Collins, guard
Collins is down to his last four games at Allen Fieldhouse. Players and coaches said they have seen a change in the senior guard who is averaging 15.6 points per game. Collins has been money this season whenever his team has needed him, but chances are he won't be that guy against the Cyclones. He had 11 points in the last matchup.
IOWA STATE AT NO.1 KANSAS 7 p.m., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE, ESPNU
Brady Morningstar, guard
Morningstar had one for the highlight reel at Texas Monday, though it's one he won't be proud of. While shooting a free throw all by his lone-some, the ball squirted two feet out of his hands and he caught it and hoisted another shot. It wasn't pretty at the time, but the team is laughing at it now. Morningstar has been extremely steady
since being promoted to the starting lineup.
Henry
Xavier Henry,guard
It had been so long since he was in the spotlight he forgot to speak into the microphone. Henry finally had a noteworthy game against a Big 12 opponent with 15 points and five rebounds at Texas. As upbeat as the 18-year-old usually is, you could sense he was starting to lose confidence, but maybe that game is enough to turn it around. Now he has the home crowd with him.
★★★☆★
Prediction: Morris will have somewhere in the neighborhood of 16-22 points and 8-10 rebounds In a sense, that's all he's been doing in the conference schedule thus far. The only question mark is his torn ligament in his middle finger on his shooting hand. He scored 18 points against the Longhorns after sustaining it
Marcus Morris. forward
early in the game, but he said it was numb. Now, it's starting to regain feeling.
Cole Aldrich, center
Aldrich took a step in the wrong direction recently against Texas, but now he's playing the team that got him started on his recent tear. At
lowa State last month, he put up 19 points and 11 rebounds. Scoring a total of 15 points in his past two games, it's hard to imagine he doesn't break out of this mini-funk.
★★★★
The second part of the Morrii, Markieff has averaged eight points and four rebounds in his past three games, including having eight points and nine boards against the Longhorns. Center
Jeff Withey didn't play at all in Texas and nor did Thomas Robinson, making Morris the only consistent big man if coach Bill Self keeps his 8-man rotation going.
SIXTH MAN
Markieff Morris, forward
Taylor
Corey Thibodeaux
IOWA STATE
(13-11)
STARTERS
Diante Garrett, guard
The dangerous thing about Garrett is his ability to fill whatever role the Cyclones need him to. If he needs to be a double-digit scorer, he can—and will—be, but if it better serves Iowa State for him to be a distributor, he's just as comfortable in that role. He's one of just three players averaging more than five assists per game in the Big 12.
Garrett
★★★☆☆
Scott Christopherson, guard
In just his second career start, Christopherson posted nine points on 4-of-7 shooting. It's not an anomaly that he scored nine, but the fact that most of his points came from inside the arc is surprising. The majority of Christopherson's damage is done from behind the three-point line, where he shoots 46.8 percent.
★★☆☆★
Gilstrap is an NBA-ready forward who can really do it all for the Cyclones. He shoots well (40 percent from long range), he can score in a variety of ways and he's maybe the best rebounder under 6-foot-7 in the country, pulling down 9.2 rebounds per game. Gilstrap handled Kansas' defense last time around, posting 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Marguis Gilstrap,guard
Christopherson
Craig Brackins. forward
Brackins had fits with the Jayhawks' frontline the first time around this year. The Morris twirls weren't as much the issue as Jeff Withey was. In his first extended sluggy Time Withey
his first extended playing time, Withey
Gilstrap
averages with 13 points and just one rebound. This time around, don't expect that kind of slow day from Brackins.
Brackins
Justin Hamilton, center It'd be easier to feel good about Hamilton's chances to hold Cole Aldrich if he weren't the first victim of Aldrich's climb back to the top
Last time out against the Jayhawks, Hamilton had 11 points and four rebounds against Aldrich's 19 and 11. Hamilton is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game over his last four performances.
Hamilton
★★☆☆☆
SIXTH MAN
Dendy, at 6-foot-9, provides good size off the bench for when the Cyclones want to move Gilstrap to shooting guard and
Dendy
Brackins to small forward. He's seen his minutes taper off of late, but he was a solid contributor off the bench last time out against Kansas, finishing with seven points and six rebounds.
Tim Dwyer
IOWA STATE TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
If any team is going to end Kansas' 55-game home winning streak, it's not going to be the Cyclones, who have two guys that start on any team, and not much else. Even given the Jayhawks' propensity to play down to the level of their opponents, Kansas should have no issues putting away a bottom-third team in the conference. The matchup to watch, again, will be Marcus Morris against Brackins. Morris has developed into a future first rounder, while Brackins has been a future first rounder since last year.
PLAYERTOWATCH
Marquis Gilstrap
ican Damion
Since conference play began, Gilstrap trails only likely All-American Damion James with 10.6 rebounds per game. It's a remarkable feat, considering he spends most of his time at shooting guard or small
Gilstrap
forward, while power forwards and centers traditionally dominate the rebounding numbers. There's actually not another guard in the top-10 in Big 12 rebounding - Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn is next, checking in at 15th with just over six boards per game. Look for Gilstrap to post his 11th double-double, and his second against Kansas, of the season.
Can Kansas quiet Brackins again?
Cole Aldrich
QUESTION MARK
If Brackins is held even to his season averages of 17 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, the Cyclones don't stand a chance of pulling the upset. If he makes like last year and drops 42 on the Jayhawks, things could get a little hairy at the end. The reality lies, probably, somewhere in the middle. Don't be surprised if Brackins has a 20-plus point performance and double-digit rebounds, but that won't be near enough to propel Iowa State to the massive upset.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"We just didn't have an answer for them defensively."
— Iowa State coach Greg McDermott, after the Jayhawks scored 84 points in routing the Cyclones earlier this year
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Time (CT)
Game
time Time (Ct)
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech 12:30 p.m. Big 12 Network
Kansas State at Iowa State 1p.m. ESPN2
Missouri at Colorado 2 p.m. Big 12 Network
Baylor at Texas A&M 3 p.m. Big 12 Network
Texas at Oklahoma 3 p.m. ESPN
TV Channel
SCHEDULE
IF...
JAMES NAISMITH WILL ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE
ALLEN FIELDHOUSE WILL ROCK IF...
...Craig Brackins and Marquis Gilstrap have a field day. Usually, the Jayhawks are matched up with an opponent with one player who can dominate a game. Playing teams like Texas and Kansas State have deviated from that trend because they have more than one star, but Kansas found a way to contain at least one of the big names. Brackins and Gilstrap both have 30-point potential and if they can stifle Allen Fieldhouse, good things can happen for Iowa State.
...the Jayhawks get a lot of dunks. The bigs for Kansas owned Iowa State last month and what's to say they can't do it again? Nothing gets the crowd going like a ferocious dunk by the home team. Nothing demoralizing the opposing team more, either.
Prediction:
Kansas 90, Iowa State 76
Date Opponent TV Channel Time
Feb. 15 at Texas A&M ESPN 8 p.m.
Feb. 20 COLORADO Big 12 Network 3 p.m.
Feb. 22 OKLAHOMA ESPN 8 p.m.
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.