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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
KU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
This is the Jayhawks third game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase and the second on their four-game homestand. This is the third straight season where Kansas started 3-0. Kansas hopes to extend its nation-leading 43 home game winning streak. On the season, Kansas has a plus-29.3 margin of victory, scoring 84 points per game and allowing 54.7 a game.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Cole Aldrich
Aldrich said he was excited for the match-up because he had the chance to compete against a bigger team in the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. With only five rebounds against a smaller Central Arkansas, look for Aldrich to be more aggressive on the boards and maybe in scoring, too.
Aldrich
QUESTION MARK
Can the ball movement become fluid?
Kansas coach Bill Self said the ball was "sticking"too much. In other words, the ball is not moving like it should be. Teams continually pass the ball to make the defense work and eventually they are caught off guard and somebody is left with an open shot. Self said the team wasn't passing the ball well enough, giving the defense enough time to reset.The absence of Brady Morningstar is evident in the ball "sticking."
HEARYE, HEARYE
"I would say that it's one of those games that you really look forward to because they have a lot of guys coming back from last year. A good challenge is always fun."
Cole Aldrich, junior center
The Bottleneck
Tuesday, Nov 24
CURSIVE
Cap Gun Coup
Friday, Nov 27
MORELAND &
ARBUCKLE
Tyler Gregory & the Blue Shuffle
Thursday, Dec 3
JAY NASH
Cattin Crosby / Crosby Loggins
Friday, Dec 4
JACOB FRED
JAZZ ODYSSEY
Panda Resistance
Saturday, Dec 5
MOUNTAIN
SPROUT
Kansas City Bear Fighters
Monday, Dec 7
MY LADY FOUR
See the World / Building
Rorne
Thursday, Dec 10
MAYDAY PARADE
Therefore Tomorrow
/The Dangerous Summer
/City Lights
NewYear's Eve, Dec 31
SPLIT LIP RAYFIELD
Mountain Sorrow
www.thebottleneckdive.com
www.pipelineproductions.com
LIBERTY HALL 642 MASS ST LAWRENCE KS
WED FEB 10
GOV'T MULE
KANSAS (3-0) STARTERS
Collins
A LOOK AT WHAT'S AHEAD
KANSAS VS. OAKLAND
7 p.m. Wednesday, ALLEN FIELD HOUSE, Lawrence, Jayhawk TV
Kansas will play host to Oakland for the first time in University history
Sherron Collins
Collins has a lighter load this season with his other teammates making plays. Fewer double teams should open him up and make life easier for him and the Jayhawks if the game gets close for any reason.
Tyshawn Taylor
KANSAS VS. OAKLAND
Taylor
Taylor is playing solid defense, but offensively Taylor is not where the team thought he would be at this point in the season. He didn't turn the ball over last game after turning it over seven times against Memphis. Still, it would be nice to see more production.
OAKLAND
Xavier Henry
(2-2) STARTERS
Keith Benson
Benson, a 6-foot-11 center, leads the Golden Grizzlies with 16 points,10.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. He will give Cole Aldrich all he can handle.
Marcus Morris
Jones is second on the team with 13.7 points per game, but has cooled off lately. His scoring has gone down each of his first three games this season.Starting from game one, he went 23, 15 and three.
Freshman phenom Henry leads the team in scoring 16.7 points per game. He did not perform well when Memphis put the pressure on. Oakland is closer to him in talent than any of the Jayhawk's recent opponents.
Johnathon Jones
Henry
Morris had his first start this season against Central Arkansas replacing brother Markieff. Coach Bill Self said it was just a matter of using his perimeter defense to play around with the lineup and give more minutes to Thomas Robinson.
Cole Aldrich
Morris
Rebounding is an early weakness to this team and it all starts with Aldrich. He had five rebounds in 24 minutes against Central Arkansas after having 11 against Memphis.
Derick Nelson
Nelson is third on the team with 13 points per game and second with 7.3 rebounds. He shoots a lot of outside shots and will give Xavier Henry and Marcus Morris a good test on the perimeter.
Morris
Aldrich
Markieff Morris
Averaging six points and 5.7 rebounds per game, the Morris twins have shown vast improvement more on their athletic ability than stat sheet. The twins own most of the highlights of the season. Surprisingly, most of those highlights include what they disliked doing last season: dunking.
Larry Wright
Wright transferred from St. John's to Oakland last season and had to sit out because of NCAA transfer rules. He had his biggest scoring output against Rochester with 16 points.
Will Hudson
"Will the Thrill" is one of their better defenders and rebounds at 6.3 a game.
Benson
Blake Cushingberry
Jones
He averages 18 minutes per game and has yet to score in double figures."Cush" doesn't shoot a high percentage and doesn't fill the stat sheet in any other area.
Nelson
Wright
Hudson
— Corey Thibodeaux
KU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Oakland is the favorite to win the Summit League this season, but the team is off to a 2-2 start. All five starters from a year ago have returned and this year, the Golden Grizzlies have to be hungry after losing to Bradley from a 75-foot buzzer beater in the quarterfinals in the D-I Collegesider.com Postseason Tournament. Oakland has scored 97 points twice this season — both victories. Offensively, the Golden Grizzlies average 72 points while allowing 67.3 points per game.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Keith Benson
Benson is a 6-foot-11 junior and holds the all time season for blocks at Oakland. He's averaging a double double
Benson
this year and that is more than can be said about Cole Aldrich. He was one of the 15 players (along with Aldrich) to attend the Amare Stoudemire Skills Academy this summer. He's also projected to be a first round pick in the NBA. Benson is the best individual Kansas has faced so far.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
QUESTION MARK
Can Oakland pressure Kansas as well as Memphis?
"It's a disappointing way to start the season. I think that there was a lot of talk and speculation about how good we are and all that kind of stuff. I think a good Eastern Michigan team showed us today that we're not that good and we have a lot of work to do."
The Kansas coaches and players said Oakland was one of the biggest challenges in the early part of the season along with Memphis. That said, the only way Memphis had success against Kansas is because of its defensive pressure, Kansas turned the ball over 21 times as a result and was held to 57 points. Oakland may not be as athletic as Memphis, but the team have a dominant big man in Keith Benson. That dimension is going to test Cole Aldrich, Thomas Robinson, Marcus and Markieff Morris.
Oakland Coach Greg Kampe on the Golden Grixlies 2-2 start
Edited by Megan Morriss
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