8B
GAME DAY / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KU TIPOFF AT A GLANCE
Kansas (22-1, 8-0) and Texas (19-4, 5-3) have been the premiere teams in the Big 12 for the past few years. Kansas is 16-6 against Texas and has won five of the last six meetings. The two teams are perennial contenders in the Big 12 championship, meeting in three of the last four years—the Jayhawks winning all three. In the past five matchups, the games have all been within 10 points.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jeff Withey, freshman center
When Withey is in the game, he looks good for the most part. He was very rusty when he first got out there but is slowly getting more comfortable. When Cole Aldrich left the game early Saturday
because of foul trouble. Withe filled in admirably. Withe is used more against teams that have an extra big man instead of a guard, Kansas
Withey
Coach Bill Self said after the game, Texas is a big team and Withey will expectedly get the toughest task of his career.
QUESTION MARK
Have the Jayhawks overlooked teams just for this game?
Let's be honest — the overtime victory away at K-State was expected. The one in Colorado was a little sketchy, but understandable because of how well Colorado played. But when the Jayhawks found themselves trailing in the second half at home to last-place Nebraska, red flags were raised. This has been a grueling week for the Jayhawks, but they may have been looking past their opponents for the chance to take on the once-tranked Longhorns. Let's see if they play like it.
HEARYE. HEARYE
"This is a big game. We never look past any opponent, but this is the one we wanted."
— Marcus Morris on what the Texas game means to Kansas
Collins
KANSAS (22-1) STARTERS
Morningstar
Sherron Collins, senior guard
His 17 points against Nebraska Saturday were the most since he had 28 against Baylor on Jan. 20. He continues to lead the Jayhawks with a 15.6 scoring average and is tied for the Big 12 lead with an 84.1 free throw percentage.
Brady Morningstar, junior guard
TAKING ON TEXAS Kansas hopes to power past struggling Longhorns NO.1 KANSAS AT NO.10 TEXAS 8 p.m., FRANK ERWIN CENTER , ESPN
Morningstar hasn't been asked to score a lot recently, but he is getting open looks to his teammates. Surprisingly, he ranks second in the conference with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio and is seventh with 3.9 assists per game. Defense is still his forte, but the ability to penetrate and get the ball out on the perimeter is a bonus.
Henry
Xavier Henry, freshman guard
Morris
Henry hit two threes in the first two minutes of Saturday's game and it looked like he would finally break out of his slump. But for whatever reason, he had three more points the rest of the game, finishing with nine. Self said he's due for a breakout game. What a story it would be if it was against Texas.
Aldrich
Marcus Morris, sophomore forward
Fresh off his fourth double double of the season, this will be Morris' toughest test yet. He has been a beast since Big 12 play began, scoring 17.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Texas has a front court comparable to Kansas, so Morris will have to continue his strong defense as well as his offense.
Cole Aldrich, junior center
★★★☆
Aldrich had his four-game double double streak end against Nebraska, but he was in foul trouble for most of the game. Aldrich, along with Texas forward Damion James and Baylor center Ekpe Udoh, is averaging a double double in the league. With Dexter Pittman at center, Aldrich is going to have as much as he can handle.
Taylor
★★★★
SIXTH MAN
Tyshawn taylor sophomore guard
Tyshawn Trivia: Believe it or not, Taylor has a better assist-to-turnover ratio than Kentucky's freshman phenom, John Wall. During the most recent game against Nebraska, Taylor had the ultimate hustle play, sprinting full-speed down the court just to draw an offensive foul.
★★★☆
TEXAS (19-4) STARTERS
Dogus Balbay, junior guard
Self said Saturday that Dogus Balbay is probably the best athlete in the Big 12. He does some things extremely well – his 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in the conference – but he's not much of a scorer and he flat-out cannot shoot the ball from distance. He's shooting just ten percent behind the arc.
Avery Bradley, freshman guard
Balbay
41
Bradley is probably the best freshman in the country that doesn't play for Kentucky. He's really blossomed since conference play began, opening the Big 12 season with a 29-point outburst against Colorado and averaging 15.4 points per game. He's also the best shooter in the starting five, hitting 39.2 percent of his threes.
Justin Mason, senior guard
Mason is a Brady Morningstar-type player. He's never going to score 20 points and he probably won't overwhelm anyone with his numbers, but he does the little things right. He's the type of guy coaches love to have on their team. He averages just 3.7 points per game, but he protects the ball, turning it over less than once per game.
Bradley
Damion James, senior forward
This could be the only game of the regular season when the Jayhawks don't have the best player on the floor. James isn't the frontrunner for National Player of the Year, but he's certainly in the conversation, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. He's a supreme talent anywhere from shooting
guard to power forward
Sherron Collins
James
Dexter Pittman senior center
Pittman scored in double digits in 11 of the Longhorns' first 14 games. Since then, he's scored ten or more in just two of nine games. It's not the only reason for the Longhorns' recent slump, but it has played a major role. If he can use his prodigious size against Cole Aldrich, Texas can pull off the upset.
★★★☆★
SIXTH MAN
freshman guard Hamilton can be the best player on the Texas roster, including Damion James. He also can be maddeningly inconsistent. He poured in 27 points at Oklahoma State and
Jordan Hamilton freshmen guard
Pittman
Hamilton
almost single-handedly carried the Long-horns to a 72-60 victory. But in the rest of the Big 12 season, he's averaged just over six points per game.
★★★☆★
TEXAS TIPOFF
ATAGLANCE
Two weeks ago, this would have been the game of the season. But Texas is 2-4 in their last six games after winning their first 17. If they continue this tailspin, they could play their way out of a top-4 seed in the NCAA tournament. Don't expect that to happen, though.
This team is loaded with NBA-caliber players, and they'll figure it out sooner than later. If it happens to be Monday, the Jayhawks could be in serious trouble.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Texas roster who are absolutely
electric but
Damion James, senior forward There are a few guys on the exas roster who are absolutely
James is the best of the bunch.
He's a threat to go for 20 points and/or 15 rebounds every game he plays in. He's not the best BBA prospect for the Longhorns – that's Jordan Hamilton – because he doesn't have a true position at the next level. He's too small to be a power forward, but doesn't yet have the outside game of a three. It won't stop him at this level, though. He can overpower threes and is too athletic for most fours to cover.
James
Which Dexter Pittman shows up?
QUESTION MARK
If the pre-conference play Pittman shows up, the Jayhawks are in trouble. With his massive body and surprising athleticism, he's exactly the type of player who can make life difficult for Cole Aldrich and company in the Jayhawk front-court. Early in the season he displayed a powerful offensive game, including a 23-point, 15-rebound tour-de-force against a solid North Carolina front line with multiple NBA prospects. If the Pittman who managed just five points and two rebounds against Connecticut comes out, Texas will have a heck of a time trying to pull the upset.
HEARYE. HEARYE
"I don't want to take anything away from Nebraska, but this was one of those games, 'Let's get through this game, so we can get to that game.' I think we'll go down there very excited to play."
— Bill Self on Saturday after the Jayhawks beat
Nebraska 75-64
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Time (CT) TV Channel
Monday, February 8
Kansas at Texas 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Tuesday, February 9
Texas Tech at Oklahoma 7:00 p.m. Big 12 Network
Wednesday, February 10
Iowa State at Missouri 6:30 p.m. CTN/MSN
Baylor at Nebraska 8:00 p.m. ESPN2
Saturday, February 13
Saturday, February 13
Missouri at Baylor 12:30 p.m. Big 12 Network
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State 1:00 p.m. ESPN
Nebraska at Texas 3:00 p.m. Big 12 Network
Texas A&M at Texas Tech 4:00 p.m. ESPN2
Colorado at Kansas State 5:00 p.m. Big 12 Network
Iowa State at Kansas 7:00 p.m. ESPNU
SCHEDULE
FRANK ERWIN CENTER WILL ROCK...
KEVIN DURANT WILL MISS THE ALL-STAR GAME...
...if Texas plays like they are inferior. The Longhorns have lost four out of their last six games and are fourth in the Big 12, three games behind Kansas. When the No. 1 team comes to town, if the attitude is an expected loss then that's what will happen. Most teams that played well against Kansas had nothing to lose. Texas does.
... if Texas plays to their skill-level, not their ranking. Marcus Morris said he views Texas as a top-10 team no matter what their record says and his teammates feel the same way. If the Longhorns come out with the intensity to beat No.1 while not feeling sorry for themselves, expect another great Kansas/Texas matchup.
Prediction:
Kansas 73, Texas 69
Date Opponent TV Channel Time
Feb. 13 IOWA STATE ESPNU 7 p.m.
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.