SB Nation - Cole Aldrich

Kansas 84, Cal 69: Lack of Depth, Big Men Costs Bears

Avinash — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:11:16 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Hard to say anything too bad about this one. We were expected to lose by 14, and that's about where we ended up--eventually. Kansas is the #1 team for a reason. They have NBA blue-chippers, a solid coach, and they don't dig themselves holes. When they make mistakes, they atone for them, they hang around, and eventually they let their talent take them home. The Jayhawks did it against Michigan, and they did it against Cal; eventually they'll fall (probably in Austin), but it didn't come here.

Anyway, Cal's biggest weakness last year was depth, and it's looking like it'll be our weakness down the stretch. You want a great basketball team, you need depth, especially when you're playing the best. Right now, the Bears have a pretty good big four, maybe two good bench players, and not much else. Against the best in the nation on the road, unless you're shooting lights out, that's not going to hold out. Hard to really make a huge dent with that thin a line.

And the fact is without Harper Kamp, there is NO depth beyond Boykin on that frontline. During the crucial stretch of the game in the second half, Kansas pounded the ball inside and got the easy baskets to give them breathing room. Eventually Cal collapsed on the post, that opened up the 3 ball, the Jayhawks hit a few, ran the fastbreak and that was that. The biggest thing I noticed was Theo Robertson was playing the 4 spot at points, which is a baaaad sign.

But let's enjoy this season come Pac-10 time. This is a really good team (still ranked 8th in Pomeroy despite being 6-4), and this conference is ripe for the taking. If the Bears are as good as they showed last night, it could be a special year, depth or no depth.

Other thoughts after the jump.

For most of the game, the Bears tried to outscore the Jayhawks. They ran at the same pace, took quick shots, hit a lot of them, but eventually they were cracking through ice. Very happy to see them match Kansas's abilities for 25-30 minutes, but I kept on urging them to slow the ball down, keep the pace slow.
The guys burned out at the end. There were just too many jumpers in a game that needs to be settled at the rim. It'd have been nice to see what'd have happened if we played a little bit slower; maybe Randle and PC don't miss those 3s late in the second half...
Christopher did score plenty and make plenty, but those baskets he took...argh. How more low percentage can you get? Stepback fallaways are hard enough to do in the NBA. PC falls in love with that jumper and he depends on it instead of attacking. Still, 9-18 isn't much to gripe at (although the bare 4 free throw attempts merits a little more dispute)
I was surprised at how little Amoke played, although he probably doesn't match up well against Kansas's bigs.
Randle had a really bad game. The 3-9 from 3 point land is bad enough, but 7 turnovers and 0-6 from 2 point land? There were some plays that boggled me, like the long alley-oop try to Christopher and the bounce pass to Jorge. Tough passes when Cal was better off keeping it simple.
Boykin was probably the player of the night. Another double-double notched, and his effort inside kept Kansas's bigs stifled for a little bit. He interestingly had the highest defensive rating of the night (when he was in the game, Kansas scored at a less efficient rate).
Without Theo, the Bears lose this one by 30.
Finally, Rock Chalk Talk broke down this game statistically (thanks to help from StatSheet). Take a look at the balance between all the Kansas players as opposed to the dependence on the big 4 for Cal. Just makes the game easier when everyone on a more talented team plays less minutes.

NCAA Basketball

Poll

I was _________ with Cal's play versus Kansas.

Big Evening for the Big XII

Evan Pfaff — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:15:10 -0000

Setting aside the non-marquis wins and gruesome injuries, the Big XII set the national stage a fire last night.

The top two teams in the country, #1 Kansas and #2 Texas, put on a show in front of national television audiences.

Starting with the early game, the Longhorns, held off #9 Sparty in Austin 79-68 in a hard fought grudge match. MVP of the game was Damion James who scored 23 and grabbed 15 boards. (This W comes in the same week the ‘Horns knocked off the Spartans '09 national championship game foe UNC Tar Heels).

Full analysis of the game can be found over at Burnt Orange Nation.

Following the first Big 12 victory, the Kansas Jayhawks dismantled the Cal Bears at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence 84-69.

Sherron Collins led the way in that game with 17 points and Big12Hoops.com All Decade first teamer Cole Adrich added 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Full analysis of the game can be found over at Rock Chalk Talk.

Statistical Rearview: Kansas vs. California

Denverjhawk — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:40 -0000

A good test and a good game for the Jayhawks. Tough first half, slowly wearing down the opponent and steadily increasing a lead in the second half until the result was certain. A nice job by the Jayhawks.

College Basketball

Kansas shot great, so did Cal...for a half. At one point this looked like Cal was going to really test Kansas' stretch of holding opponents under 40% shooting but the Bears came just shy. In terms of eFG% the Bears were over the 40% mark due to their effectiveness from behind the arc. Still Kansas overwhelmingly won one battle last night and that was the eFG%. Turnovers were plentiful from both sides, fouls and free throws were pretty even, Kansas had a slight rebounding edge but it was Kansas' ability to force opponents into tough shots that made the difference.

College Basketball

Top to bottom this thing was pretty even. Shots, rebounds, fouls, free throws, turnovers, steals...you name it Cal played it pretty even with two exceptions. Assists and FG%. I'd argue the two are closely related. Cal chooses to play one on one basketball against a Kansas team that prides itself on tough man defense and help underneath from Cole. Play the Jayhawks that way and chances are you are going to take some tough, low percentage shots. Kansas moves the ball, makes the extra pass and with 27 turnovers found itself in position for some very high percentage shots and they converted.

Stat	Game
Stat
Points	69	84
FG Att	64	60
FG Made	25	33
FG Pct	39.1	55.0
FT Att	18	17
FT Made	13	11
FT Pct	72.2	64.7
3pt FG Att	18	17
3pt FG Made	6	7
3pt FG Pct	33.3	41.2
Rebounds	33	39
Off Rebs	13	11
Def Rebs	20	28
Team Rebs	4	2
Assists	13	27
Steals	8	8
Blocks	2	7
Turnovers	17	18
Fouls	21	20

Great balance in the contributions from the Jayhawks. 9 players contributed meaningful minutes and scoring, rebounding and assists were spread across the board.

NCAA Basketball

Brady with 7 points 7 assists, solid game. Tyshawn steps up for 13 points and 7 assists, solid game. Sherron drops 17 in with 5 assists, another solid game. Cole Aldrich, despite leaving us all wanting more, double double. Xavier 12 points and more importantly 8 rebounds, solid game. Finally McMorris, 14 points and 7 boards. This was really a team effort with different players stepping up at different times.

Also in the OGT the question was how much the Cal starters were forced to play last night. Answer, a lot. Every one of them played over 30 minutes with their two key guards over 35 minutes. Kansas...only one player hit the 35 minute mark and that's Sherron. Fresh legs win in the end, it's good to have depth.

	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
J. Randle	*	39	16	3	15	20	7	8	87	3	9	33	0	1	1	4	2	0	7	3
J. Boykin	*	37	15	7	13	53	1	1	100	0	0	0	4	11	15	2	2	0	2	3
P. Christopher	*	36	21	9	18	50	2	4	50	1	5	20	2	3	5	0	0	0	3	1
T. Robertson	*	32	13	5	11	45	1	2	50	2	3	66	1	2	3	1	0	0	0	2
M. Zhang	*	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	3
J. Gutierrez		32	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	2	5	4	0	4	3
M. Sanders-Fris		14	1	0	2	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	4
O. Amoke		6	3	1	2	50	1	1	100	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	2
	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
S. Collins	*	35	17	6	15	40	2	2	100	3	6	50	1	0	1	5	1	0	3	2
M. Morris	*	31	14	4	8	50	6	8	75	0	1	0	2	5	7	0	0	1	1	2
X. Henry	*	31	12	5	10	50	1	2	50	1	3	33	1	7	8	3	1	0	3	1
T. Taylor	*	28	13	6	8	75	0	0	0	1	3	33	0	2	2	7	2	0	1	3
C. Aldrich	*	22	10	4	6	66	2	2	100	0	0	0	2	8	10	1	0	5	1	4
B. Morningstar		21	7	3	4	75	0	1	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	7	2	0	2	1
M. Morris		11	6	3	6	50	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	7	1	0	1	2	4
T. Reed		11	3	1	2	50	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	0
T. Robinson		9	2	1	1	100	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	5	3
E. Johnson		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Kansas Takes on Cal Tonight in the Phog

Denverjhawk — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:00:19 -0000

Kansas vs. California

No. 1 Kansas (10-0) continues is home stand against Pac-10 power California (6-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The Jayhawks and Golden Bears are favored to win their respective conference races in 2009-10. KU was consensus preseason No. 1 nationally, while California entered the year in many top 10 polls. Kansas is coming off a 75-64 win against Michigan on Dec. 19, while California last played on Dec. 9, posting a 69-45 win at Pacific.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
CAL	79.1	46.6	75.1	38.1	40.2	12.8	27.4	15.3	12.4	5.1	3.0	18.2
KU	88.8	51.3	67.7	43.0	43.0	13.8	29.2	19.3	12.1	9.2	7.3	17.9
CAL Opponents	68.0	41.2	67.2	31.5	33.1	10.3	22.8	12.4	12.8	5.1	4.3	16.8
KU Opponents	58.3	34.5	67.2	26.9	33.7	13.7	20.0	11.5	16.0	6.2	3.0	20.0

Rank and Records	CAL	KU
RPI	#14	#13
Strength of Schedule	#6	#160
Overall	6-3	10-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	5-0	7-0
Away	0-1	1-0
Top 25	0-1	1-0
RPI Top 50	0-1	0-0

About Kansas

Kansas followed final exams with a 75-64 win against Michigan on Dec. 19. Kansas averages 88.8 points per game, is giving up 58.7 points and ranks in the top five nationally with a +30.5 scoring margin. KU is shooting 51.3 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 34.5 percent.

Sophomore forward Marcus Morris is coming off his second double-double of the season with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds versus Michigan. He is a starter who is scoring 11.1 points and pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game.

Xavier Henry leads the team with a 17.7 point scoring average. He is making 53.5 percent of his shots from the field and 49.1 from three-point range. Xavier leads KU with 26 threes and 18 steals. Senior guard Sherron Collins scores 13.9 points per game, including 19 against Michigan, and he has made 20 three pointers. Collins leads the team with 42 assists, two ahead of sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor (6.8 ppg). Taylor has 15 steals, two ahead of Collins (13). Junior center Cole Aldrich leads the team in rebounds with 9.7 per game and had 11 boards against Michigan.

About California

Located in Berkeley, Calif., and coached by Mike Montgomery, California (6-3) has won two straight and four of its last five games. The Golden Bears defeated Big 12 foe Iowa State 82-63 on Dec. 5 in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series matchup and also won convincingly at Pacific 69-45 on Dec. 9. Cal averages 79.1 points and is giving up 68 for a +11.1 scoring margin. The Golden Bears average 40.2 rebounds per game and have a +7.1 rebound margin.

Four Cal players average in double figures led by senior guard Jerome Randle who is scoring 19.6 points per game. Randle leads the team with 46 assists and 23 three-point field goals. Senior guard Patrick Christopher is next in scoring at 15.6 points and he leads Cal with 14 steals. He is also a solid rebounder with his 5.6 boards per game.

Senior forward Theo Robertson was welcomed back to the lineup last game after missing six games due to injury. Robertson averages 14.7 points in his three games played this season. Senior forward Jamal Boykin is a starter who is second on the team in rebounds with 6.9 per game to complement his 12.2 scoring average.

Sophomore forward Omondi Amoke leads Cal in rebounds with 7.2 per game. He scores 5.8points per contest. Sophomore guard Jorge Gutierrez (7.0 ppg), sophomore center Max Zang (4.5 ppg) and junior center Markhuri Sanders-Frison (2.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) round out the California regulars. Zang is 7-3 and leads the team with 12 blocked shots in his eight games played.

Meet the Opposing Coach

Mike Montgomery is in his second season overseeing the California program. He has a 28-14 record with the Golden Bears and a 575-258 (.690) overall mark that includes eight years at Montana and 18 seasons at Stanford. Montgomery has coached teams to the NCAA Final Four (1998), four Pac-10 regular-season crowns (1999, 2000, '03, '04) and one Pac-10 Tournament title (2004), as well as one NIT title (1991). He was named the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2000 and is a four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, '03, '04).

The Series

Kansas leads the overall series with California, 14-3, and has won the last eight meetings with Cal. This series dates back to 1929 when the two teams met Jan. 3-4-5 in Oakland, Calif. The following year, the teams clashed Jan. 2-3 in Kansas City, Mo., and Jan. 4 in Lawrence. Of the 17 matchups between KU and Cal, only one has been played in Berkeley, Calif., and two in Lawrence. The rest have been in Oakland, Kansas City, Mo., Anchorage, Alaska, St. Louis, Mo., and Lahaina, Hawaii. KU won the last meeting on Dec. 10, 2005, at the Kemper Shootout in
Kansas City, Mo., during KU's third season under head coach Bill Self.

KU-Michigan Leftovers

The Jayhawks attempted 29 two-point field goals, KU's lowest this season.
The game marked the second time all season the Jayhawks committed more turnovers than their opponent.
Sophomore forward Marcus Morris recorded his fourth career double-double with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus' last double-double came against Oakland on Nov. 25.
Marcus was also 8-for-8 from the free throw line. The eight makes were the most by a Jayhawk this season and 100 percent from the line is the highest percentage by an individual this season with at least seven attempts.
Junior center Cole Aldrich registered 11 rebounds tying him with Kenny Gregory for 22nd on the all-time rebounding list. It also marks the fifth time this season he has had 10 or more boards.
Senior guard Sherron Collins moved into fifth place on the career three-point field goal attempts list with 474, passing Brandon Rush.
Junior guard Brady Morningstar logged 22 minutes in his first appearance of the season.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#23	P. Christopher	9	7	32.889	15.556	43.7	76.5	34.7	5.444	1.778	3.667	2.111	1.778	1.556	0.0	2.222
#3	J. Randle	9	8	32.333	19.556	44.7	93.5	39.0	1.667	0.333	1.333	5.111	3.111	0.444	0.0	1.667
#10	J. Boykin	9	9	25.667	12.222	63.0	66.7	0.0	6.889	2.111	4.778	1.0	1.444	0.889	0.222	2.0
#2	J. Gutierrez	9	8	21.667	7.0	47.8	50.0	58.8	3.222	0.667	2.556	3.0	1.111	0.667	0.111	2.333
#21	O. Amoke	9	0	17.111	5.778	42.1	80.0	0.0	7.222	2.778	4.444	0.111	0.889	0.222	0.333	1.556
#45	M. Sanders-Fris	8	3	17.25	2.875	34.6	83.3	0.0	4.375	1.25	3.125	0.75	0.5	0.375	0.25	3.125
#14	M. Zhang	8	4	14.5	4.5	64.0	33.3	0.0	3.75	1.375	2.375	0.25	0.625	0.25	1.5	2.625
#13	N. Knezevic	8	0	11.625	3.25	34.8	75.0	33.3	0.375	0.0	0.375	0.625	0.875	0.625	0.0	0.5
#24	T. Robertson	3	2	30.0	14.667	60.0	76.9	57.1	4.0	1.333	2.667	1.0	2.0	0.0	0.333	2.333
#12	B. Smith	9	2	8.333	1.333	31.2	0.0	40.0	0.333	0.0	0.333	1.111	0.444	0.111	0.0	0.556
#1	D. Seeley	9	2	8.222	1.778	28.6	75.0	14.3	1.667	0.333	1.333	1.0	0.556	0.111	0.111	1.0
#15	B. Bak	5	0	7.0	1.2	12.5	100.0	0.0	1.4	0.4	1.0	0.2	0.6	0.0	1.0	0.4
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	10	10	29.8	13.9	46.2	77.8	41.7	2.0	0.2	1.8	4.2	2.0	1.3	0.0	1.4
#1	X. Henry	10	10	27.7	17.7	53.5	80.6	49.1	3.8	0.9	2.9	1.7	1.9	1.8	0.7	2.0
#45	C. Aldrich	10	10	26.0	11.3	54.1	68.8	0.0	9.7	3.2	6.5	1.3	1.4	0.6	3.5	1.9
	T. Taylor	10	8	23.5	6.8	39.7	68.4	29.4	3.0	0.6	2.4	4.0	1.9	1.5	0.2	1.9
#22	M. Morris	10	8	23.4	11.1	57.6	73.8	36.4	5.8	2.5	3.3	1.3	1.5	1.0	0.5	2.4
#21	M. Morris	10	2	16.0	8.1	69.8	65.4	66.7	5.7	1.9	3.8	1.2	0.9	0.7	0.9	2.2
#14	T. Reed	10	0	15.6	4.9	43.6	75.0	38.7	1.6	0.1	1.5	1.4	0.4	0.9	0.1	0.9
#0	T. Robinson	10	0	11.9	5.1	46.2	44.1	0.0	4.8	1.7	3.1	0.7	0.5	0.4	1.2	1.9
#15	E. Johnson	9	2	12.222	4.333	51.7	55.6	36.4	2.111	0.889	1.222	2.667	1.111	0.667	0.0	1.889
#2	C. Teahan	7	0	7.286	2.714	50.0	66.7	42.9	1.429	0.857	0.571	0.857	0.429	0.286	0.143	0.571
#13	C. Henry	5	0	8.6	5.2	60.0	50.0	53.8	1.2	0.2	1.0	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	1.2
#12	B. Morningstar	1	0	22.0	2.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	3.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	2.0

Statistical Rearview: Kansas vs. Michigan

Denverjhawk — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:31:28 -0000

Game flow...what more is there to say. I think Jay Bilas said it best. This team didn't play the best and they won easy. That's why right now many think they are the best team in the country. As a Kansas fan and someone who's looking at this from the perspective of wanting to win a National Title, I'm left wanting a little more. Scoring margin aside, a consistent overall intensity isn't always there and I can't really blame the team. When as a player you can show up, win on talent alone and win fairly easily on talent alone, I'm sure it can be tough to come out spittin fire. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe the high ceiling with this group is a positive. Let's just hope we started consistently playing at that level before it's all said and done.

NCAA Basketball

In the four factors of winning Kansas again dominated the eFG% category. Michigan lives and dies by the three, while Kansas attacks the basket. For that same reason Kansas doubled Michigan in trips to the line, dominating that aspect of the game. However, Michigan's 10 steals led to Kansas losing the turnover battle, an area Kansas had looked pretty good lately but took a step back in on Saturday. Also in terms of second chances Michigan won the battle of the offensive boards and really went toe to toe with Kansas in terms of rebounding all day. A lot of that has to do with Michigan's tendancy to shoot a lot of threes, long threes...long rebounds...more second chances. Those two areas kept it close as Michigan shot the ball 19 times more than the Jayhawks, but today was a day where effiiciency won out.

NCAA Basketball

Michigan attempted 67 FG's, Kansas only 48. However Kansas converted at a 52% clip while Michigan a mere 35%. That gives Kansas a +1 margin in FG's made while also doubling the Wolverines in trips to the free throw line. Sure the run and gun three point shooting style can be glamorous, but it's awful nice to have advantages like the two above.

Stat	Game
Stat
Points	64	75
FG Att	67	48
FG Made	24	25
FG Pct	35.8	52.1
FT Att	13	26
FT Made	11	19
FT Pct	84.6	73.1
3pt FG Att	28	19
3pt FG Made	5	6
3pt FG Pct	17.9	31.6
Rebounds	34	37
Off Rebs	14	7
Def Rebs	20	30
Team Rebs	5	0
Assists	15	16
Steals	10	6
Blocks	1	6
Turnovers	10	14
Fouls	20	16

I don't recall who said it, but in the OGT the statement was "who would have thought the Morri would be our most consistent players." Last year the Morri were the guys that every opposing school loved to hate, mocking the BB Gun incident and their seemingly sour attitudes on the court. This year, I have a feeling they are again going to be the guys our opponents fans are going to hate...but this time it isn't because they are the butt of a joke. This time it's going to be because they are producing at a level better than their players. Sherron, Xavier and McMorris ran the show on Saturday. Two of those names would have been expected at the beginning of the season. A double double and top scoring performance from McMorris...not a bad bonus.

College Basketball

Despite all the talk that Coach Self could go 12 or 13 deep if he wanted to, we got a little glimpse of reality. In a game that wasn't as crisp and had the potential to be close down the stretch the bench went about 9 deep. 9 deep is probably pretty much par for the course at this point in the year for Coach Self. Makes you wonder if the talk a week or so ago about changing his philosophy in that area was real or lip service. As a fan, I'm not partial to one way or the other, just an interesting observation.

	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
M. Harris	*	37	16	6	15	40	2	2	100	2	7	28	0	4	4	4	2	1	4	1
S. Douglass	*	36	8	2	8	25	2	2	100	2	7	28	0	4	4	2	2	0	0	3
Z. Novak	*	35	8	4	10	40	0	0	0	0	4	0	5	2	7	2	2	0	2	4
D. Sims	*	29	19	7	16	43	5	6	83	0	2	0	3	4	7	0	2	0	1	4
L. Lucas-Perry	*	20	2	0	3	0	2	3	66	0	2	0	0	1	1	2	1	0	1	3
D. Morris		23	9	4	7	57	0	0	0	1	3	33	1	1	2	4	0	0	0	2
Z. Gibson		11	2	1	6	16	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	2	4	1	0	0	1	3
A. Wright		8	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
M. Vogrich		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
X. Henry	*	34	15	6	15	40	1	2	50	2	8	25	1	0	1	1	2	0	1	2
M. Morris	*	32	23	7	10	70	8	8	100	1	2	50	3	7	10	0	0	1	3	1
S. Collins	*	31	19	7	10	70	4	5	80	1	4	25	0	2	2	2	1	0	6	2
C. Aldrich	*	27	5	0	3	0	5	8	62	0	0	0	2	9	11	2	0	3	1	0
T. Taylor	*	23	2	1	3	33	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	5	5	5	1	0	1	3
B. Morningstar		22	2	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	2	3	1	0	0	2
T. Robinson		11	2	1	2	50	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	0	2	0	1
T. Reed		11	6	2	3	66	0	0	0	2	3	66	0	3	3	0	1	0	1	0
M. Morris		9	1	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	5

Kansas Hosts Michigan Saturday in an Early Tip

Denverjhawk — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:00:20 -0000

Kansas v Michigan

No. 1 Kansas (9-0) took a week off for exams but heads back to the hardwood hosting Big Ten Conference foe Michigan (5-4) Saturday at 11 a.m. Michigan as a team looked to be a potentially strong test for the Jayhawks before the year began. However, after losing four of their last six, the youthful Michigan squad doesn't appear to have a single victory against a qualify opponent through 9 games of the season. Oh, where have the days of the fab five gone.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
MICH	71.1	42.2	70.5	29.7	33.6	11.1	22.4	15.3	10.0	8.2	2.9	14.1
KU	90.3	51.2	67.1	44.2	43.7	14.6	29.1	19.7	11.9	9.6	7.4	18.1
MICH Opponents	63.9	44.0	65.1	30.3	37.1	12.0	25.1	14.3	15.6	5.2	3.3	18.1
KU Opponents	57.7	34.3	65.9	28.7	33.7	13.7	20.0	11.1	16.7	5.8	3.2	20.0

Rank and Records	MICH	KU
RPI	#243	#21
Strength of Schedule	#255	#181
Overall	5-4	9-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	4-1	6-0
Away	0-1	1-0
Top 25	0-0	0-0
RPI Top 50	0-1	0-0

About Kansas

Kansas posted a 90-65 win against La Salle in the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout on Dec. 12 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Freshman Xavier Henry had a career-high 31 points in the game and was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the second-straight week for his efforts.

Kansas averages 90.3 points per game, is giving up 57.7 points and ranks in the top five nationally with a +32.7 scoring margin. KU is shooting 51.2 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 34.3 percent. Only one KU opponent, Radford, has shot above 40 percent against the Jayhawks this season.

Xavier Henry leads the team with an 18 point scoring average. He is making 53.3 percent of his shots from three-point range and leads KU with 24 threes and 16 steals.

Senior guard Sherron Collins scores 13.3 points per game and he has made 19 three pointers. Collins leads the team with 40 assists, which are five ahead of sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor (7.3 ppg). Taylor has 14 steals, two ahead of Collins (12).

Junior center Cole Aldrich leads the team in rebounds with 9.6 per game. He also leads KU and the Big 12 in blocked shots with 3.6 per outing. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris is a starter who is scoring 9.8 points and pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game.

Sophomore forward Markieff Morris is coming off the bench to score 8.9 points per game. Markieff, who recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against La Salle on Dec. 12, is second on the team with his 6.2 rebound average and leads KU with a 69.8 percent field goal shooting.

Junior guard Tyrel Reed scores 4.8 points per outing and he has 10 three-pointers this season. Freshman guard Elijah Johnson (4.3 ppg) has started the last two games.

About Michigan

Located in Ann Arbor, Mich., and coached by John Beilein, Michigan has won two of its last three games and is 5-4 on the season following its 75-64 win against Detroit on Dec. 13 in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines average 71.1 points and give up 63.9 per game for a +7.2 scoring margin. U-M averages 8.2 steals per game and forces 15.6 turnovers per contest.

Michigan is one of the youngest teams in America with 12 players redshirt sophomores or younger. Junior guard Manny Harris leads the team with 22.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Harris also has a team-high 18 steals and 45 assists. He is tied for the team lead with 13 three pointers along with sophomore guard Laval Lucas-Perry, who is scoring 7.4 points per game.

Senior forward DeShawn Sims is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per contest and he is just behind Harris in rebounds with a 7.4 average. Sophomore guard Zack Novak and freshman guard Darius Morris round out the starters. Novak scores 6.3 points per game, while Morris averages 4.8 ppg.

Senior forward Zack Gibson (6.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Stu Douglass (4.7 ppg) each average more than 24
minutes per game for the Wolverines.

Meet the Opposing Coach

Michigan coach Jim Beilein is 36-40 in his third season at Michigan and 587-358 in his 32nd season overall. Beilein's 587 career victories place him in the top 20 in victories among active Division I head coaches. He has compiled 27 winning seasons and put together 15 campaigns of 20-wins or more. Beilein is the only active coach in the collegiate ranks to record a 20-win season at four different levels -- junior college, NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I. During the 2008-09 season, Beilein's second in Ann Arbor, Michigan posted a 21-14 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 seasons, falling in the second round. Michigan's 21 victories during the 2008-09 campaign tied a school record for the largest single-season turnaround in program history.

John Beilein
Team	Years	Record
Michigan	2007-2010	36-39 (48.0%)
West Virginia	2002-2007	104-60 (63.4%)
Richmond	1997-2002	100-53 (65.4%)
Canisius	1992-1997	89-62 (58.9%)
Le Moyne	1983-1992	163-94 (63.4%)
Nazareth	1982-1983	20-6 (76.9%)

The Series

Michigan has won all five meetings with Kansas in men's basketball. This is a rarity for Kansas - the third winningest program in NCAA Division I. Of teams with multiple games played against Kansas, Bradley (2-0) and UTEP (3-0) are the only teams that have undefeated records versus KU, damn Bradley. The Kansas-Michigan series dates back to 1949 and runs through 1992. Two of the matchups have been on neutral floors with a 49-47 Michigan win in 1949 in Kansas City and the last meeting, an 86-74 Michigan victory on Dec. 30, 1992, at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. This will be the second meeting between the schools in Allen Fieldhouse as Michigan defeated Kansas 64-52 during the 1980-81 season.

KU-La Salle Leftovers

Kansas freshman guard Xavier Henry scored 31 points to set a career high. The last Jayhawk to score 30-plus points was Sherron Collins, who scored 32 against North Dakota State last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
X. Henry also set career highs in field goals (10), free throws made (seven) and free throws attempted (nine). His totals were also the most by a Jayhawk this season.
Markieff Morris recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Morris' 12 boards were his best output since his Jayhawk debut. Markieff Morris' four blocked shots were also a career high.
Junior center Cole Aldrich scored a season-high 19 points. He also set a season high in field goals (eight) and had five blocked shots to match a season high. Aldrich's five blocked shots gave him 160 for his career and moved him into sixth place all-time at KU, behind Danny Manning (200).
Kansas held La Salle to 36.1 percent shooting from the field, marking the 83rd-straight opponent the Jayhawks have held under 50 percent. KU has also held eight of its nine opponents this season under 40 percent.

What to Look For Against Michigan

Sherron Collins is 27 points from cracking the KU Top 20 career scoring list. Collins is 21st with 1,450 career points. Collins' former teammate Brandon Rush (2006-08) is at No. 20 with 1,477 points.
Collins is six assists from cracking the KU Top 10 all-time list. Collins is No. 11 with 431 career assists, while former KU great and current Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon is No. 10 with 437 assists from 1984-87.
Cole Aldrich is four rebounds from moving into 25th on the Kansas career rebound list. Aldrich has 592 all-time boards. David Magley (1979-82) is 25th at 596 and Kelly Knight (1980-84) is 24th at 601.
Through only nine games, Xavier Henry already ranks tied for 11th on the KU freshman list for three point field goals made with 24. Kirk Hinrich (2000) is 10th with 25, while Jacque Vaughn (1994) is ninth with 28.
Redshirt junior guard Brady Morningstar and redshirt freshman center Jeff Withey are both eligible to play against Michigan. Morningstar was suspended for the first semester for breaking team rules. He started 34 of 35 games last season and averaged 30.3 minutes per game with a 6.5 scoring average. Withey, who returned to practice full-time Dec. 7 from a knee injury, transferred to Kansas from Arizona in December 2008 and becomes academically eligible.

Team Notables

Kansas remains one of 11 undefeated teams in NCAA Division I (Dec. 13). Others include Georgetown, Kentucky, Missouri State, New Mexico, Purdue, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
Seven of Kansas' nine victories this season have been by 25 or more points with six of those by 30 points or more.
Entering the week, Kansas led the nation in scoring margin at +32.7. The Jayhawks also ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (third at 90.3), field goal percentage (seventh at 51.2), field goal percentage defense (second at 34.3), three-point field goal percentage (fifth at 44.2), assists (fourth at 19.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (fourth at 1.65) and blocked shots (seventh at 7.4).
Kansas forces 16.7 turnovers per game and averages 21.3 points off turnovers per game.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#3	M. Harris	9	9	35.778	22.222	46.8	76.0	28.9	8.444	3.222	5.222	5.0	2.333	2.0	0.111	1.111
#34	D. Sims	9	9	30.667	15.556	47.0	75.0	37.5	7.444	3.0	4.444	1.0	1.0	1.222	0.889	1.889
#0	Z. Novak	8	8	31.0	6.25	40.0	55.6	28.1	4.375	0.875	3.5	1.5	0.5	1.5	0.5	2.25
#31	L. Lucas-Perry	9	9	24.667	7.444	38.9	57.1	36.1	2.111	0.667	1.444	1.667	1.556	0.889	0.111	2.444
#4	D. Morris	9	9	24.222	4.778	42.1	75.0	20.0	1.889	0.222	1.667	2.222	2.222	0.444	0.111	1.778
#1	S. Douglass	9	0	24.0	4.667	26.4	71.4	23.1	1.444	0.222	1.222	2.556	0.778	1.0	0.0	0.889
#32	Z. Gibson	9	1	12.333	6.0	56.8	62.5	22.2	2.667	1.444	1.222	0.222	0.444	0.444	0.889	1.667
#12	A. Wright	9	0	9.111	1.889	26.1	75.0	16.7	1.444	0.667	0.778	0.889	0.333	0.222	0.111	0.889
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	9	9	29.667	13.333	43.8	77.3	43.2	2.0	0.222	1.778	4.444	1.556	1.333	0.0	1.333
#1	X. Henry	9	9	27.0	18.0	55.6	82.4	53.3	4.111	0.889	3.222	1.778	2.0	1.778	0.778	2.0
#45	C. Aldrich	9	9	25.889	12.0	56.3	70.0	0.0	9.556	3.333	6.222	1.222	1.444	0.667	3.556	2.111
	T. Taylor	9	7	23.556	7.333	40.0	68.4	31.2	2.778	0.667	2.111	3.889	2.0	1.556	0.222	1.778
#22	M. Morris	9	7	22.444	9.778	55.4	67.6	33.3	5.333	2.444	2.889	1.444	1.333	1.111	0.444	2.556
#21	M. Morris	9	2	16.778	8.889	69.8	66.7	66.7	6.222	2.111	4.111	1.222	0.889	0.778	1.0	1.889
#14	T. Reed	9	0	16.111	4.778	41.7	75.0	35.7	1.444	0.111	1.333	1.556	0.333	0.889	0.111	1.0
#15	E. Johnson	9	2	12.222	4.333	51.7	55.6	36.4	2.111	0.889	1.222	2.667	1.111	0.667	0.0	1.889

Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump - 12.18.2009

Evan Pfaff — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:00:17 -0000

The goal of the Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump is to help you ease into the weekend by giving you things to occupy your time at work until the clock strikes 5pm.

All the links available after the Jump

Big 12 North

Colorado Boulder Daily Camera - CU men's basketball team looks for consistency

Kansas Lawrence Journal World - Aldrich sets lofty goal: Junior wants to be Academic All-American

Kansas St Manhattan Mercury - Attention-grabbers No. 17 Wildcats now go from hunter to hunted

Iowa St GoCyclones.com - McDermott thinks ISU is "right there"

Missouri Columbia Daily Tribune - Tiller facing one-game suspension

Nebraska Lincoln Journal Star - Anderson gets double-double in Husker win

Big 12 South

Baylor Waco Tribune-Herald- John Werner: Baylor's Drew favors expanding March Madness

Oklahoma Norman Transcript - First-half woes irk Sooner women (Women)

Oklahoma St Stillwater NewsPress - Oklahoma State's Marshall Moses finding his own path

Texas Austin American-Statesman - For Horns' Jai Lucas, the wait is over

Texas A&M AggieSports.com - NBA experience made Sloan, Davis better

Texas Tech RedRaiders.com - Tech has learned from pressure situations

Non Big 12 Links

HogsHeaven.com The Revolution - On the 1st Day of Christmas, My Owner Gave To Me: A Future Without Vinny [NFL]

SI.com Bengals owner Brown on Henry: 'He was starting to blossom' [NFL]

CBSSports.com Rams cancel practice, term it swine flu 'precaution' [NFL]

CBSSports.com Bowl Rankings: Rating all 34, from Pasadena to pizza [College Football]

Yahoo! Sports Knight: college hoops lacks integrity [College Basketball]

ESPN.com Pitt coach Jamie Dixon sas move to the Big Ten would be a mistake [College Basketball]

Beyond The Boxscore Worth the Money? [MLB]

ESPN.com Seattle Mariners' Cliff Lee expresses disbelief, shock over trade [MLB]

Fantasy Football Projections - CBSSports.com | ESPN.com [Fantasy Football]

Big 12 All Decade Team

Evan Pfaff — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

With almost a full year yet to play, Kansas center Cole Aldrich muscled his way onto the Big12Hoops.com First Team All Big 12 Decade Team (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Browse more photos »

In the first full calendar decade of the Big 12 conference, one thing was apparent: there were two schools that produced a good majority of the talent. And while the best individual players may not have come from Kansas or Texas, a look at the Big12Hoops.com All Decade team reveals that a majority were either Jayhawks or Longhorns.

Don't see your favorite? The Honorable Mention list is after The Jump

First Team All Big 12

PG – Jamaal Tinsley, Iowa St
SG – Tony Allen, Oklahoma St
SF – Kevin Durant, Texas
PF – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
C – Cole Aldrich, Kansas

Second Team All Big 12

PG – Kirk Hinrich, Kansas
SG – Acie Law, Texas A&M
SF – Michael Beasely, Kansas St
PF – Marcus Fizer, Iowa St
C – Chris Mihm, Texas

Third Team All Big 12

PG – TJ Ford, Texas
SG – Andre Emmett, Texas Tech
SF – PJ Tucker, Texas
PF – Drew Gooden, Kansas
C – Nick Collison, Kansas

[UPDATE: Lots of good suggestions and opinions in the comments section. Lemme give a little insight into how I compiled this list.

I started with a list of Big 12 Players of the Year. My rationale was that if someone was good enough to be the best in the league, even for one year, he warranted entry into this exclusive club. 9 of the 10 Big 12 Players of the Year made the top three teams. The only one who didn’t was Wayne Simien, and that is because he played a PF position that, if you look at the past decade, was just STACKED. Blake Griffin, Marcus Fizer, Drew Gooden. Really you could put Simien in there, but who gets bumped off?

As for PG, Tinsley over TJ Ford and Kirk Hinirich has also garnered a lot of attention. Tinsley’s place as the 2000-01 POY got him on the first team. But you really cant go wrong with any of them.

Lastly, there is this question on what to do with Durant and Beasley. Each only played one year, but they dominated the league (and the country). Durant was a Naismith winner as the best player in the country and Beasley was a finalist for the award. Both were league POYs. Because they didn’t play a full 4 years, they didn’t accumulate career stats that some others players did, but my list was based on selecting the best players, during their time in the Big 12, at each position.]

All Big 12 - Honorable Mention

Baylor Bears
LaceDarius Dunn
Lawrence Roberts

Colorado Buffaloes
Reggie Roby
David Harrison

Iowa St Cyclones
Craig Brackins

Kansas Jayhawks
Wayne Simien
Aaron Miles

Kansas St. Wildcats
Cartier Martin

Missouri Tigers
DeMarre Carroll
Clarence Gilbert
Arthur Johnson
Kareem Rush

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Aleks Maric

Oklahoma Sooners
Taj Gray
Hollis Price

Oklahoma St Cowboys
Byron Eaton
Joey Graham

Texas Longhorns
DJ Augustine
LaMarcus Aldridge

Texas Tech Red Raiders
Jarrius Jackson

Texas A&M Aggies
Bernard King

Statistical Rearview: Kansas v La Salle

Denverjhawk — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:58:29 -0000

Is it just me, or are things pretty damn easy when it comes to Jayhawk basketball. Sure it's La Salle but I continue to believe the competition in practice is better than the majority of the games we've played this year. Once again yesterday was a situation where when the lead became 10 it just went downhill from there for an overmatched opponent. Thanks to Warden and his fanshot I'm going to avoid bashing the schedule, but I am looking forward to Michigan this week and a possible formal introduction of our new football coach to the fans. On a side note Kansas fans, regardless of how you feel about the Gill hire...PLEASE give the man a standing O!! We're likely going to have some football recruits in town for that game.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Kansas continues to win in almost every area as it pertains to the four factors of winning. Most impressive...the field goal shooting percentage and the ability to take care of the basketball.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Statistically the Jayhawks defense clearly got the job done. 11 blocks point to a big reason why the Explorers were held to just 36% shooting from the field as La Salle was likely disrupted in their shooting efforts all night long. Throw in a +10 rebounding margin and the Jayhawks were able to match a pretty good night from the three point line for the Explorers with one of their own.

Stat	Game
Stat
Points	65	90
FG Att	61	61
FG Made	22	32
FG Pct	36.1	52.5
FT Att	24	25
FT Made	14	18
FT Pct	58.3	72.0
3pt FG Att	19	17
3pt FG Made	7	8
3pt FG Pct	36.8	47.1
Rebounds	34	44
Off Rebs	16	13
Def Rebs	18	31
Team Rebs	3	1
Assists	14	20
Steals	6	5
Blocks	2	11
Turnovers	14	12
Fouls	22	21

HUGE game from Xavier Henry as he goes for 31 and continues to look more and more like a one and done type player with his ability to score anywhere on the floor. Cole with a solid game and the Morri put together another performance displaying their improvement year over year. Lastly, I'd challenge anyone to find a player impact chart from last year where this little Sherron Collins resulted in a win. Not gonna happen.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Not a starter logging over 30 minutes in this one which is good to see. Keep the legs fresh for later in the season when we might need to rely on some of them a little more. Morri with 21 pts, 18 boards and 4 blocks. Good production from the four spot. Throw in a great game from Xavier, Cole getting into the offense and Tyshawn Taylor finding a bit of a groove and you've got a team that seems to be finding it's way to some consistency from the guys that need to show it.

	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
Y. Mekongo Mbal	*	40	10	2	7	28	5	8	62	1	2	50	6	3	9	6	1	0	2	1
R. Green	*	40	19	8	21	38	0	1	0	3	7	42	0	1	1	4	1	0	3	3
K. Barrett	*	36	8	3	7	42	1	2	50	1	4	25	2	3	5	2	2	0	0	3
J. Williams	*	33	21	7	13	53	5	8	62	2	3	66	3	2	5	2	1	1	4	4
A. Murray	*	20	4	1	6	16	2	3	66	0	3	0	2	4	6	0	1	1	2	5
T. Williams		12	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	3
D. White		10	3	1	4	25	1	2	50	0	0	0	2	1	3	0	0	0	2	3
S. Weingarten		8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
P. Grant		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
S. Collins	*	29	5	1	12	8	2	2	100	1	4	25	0	2	2	6	0	0	2	4
X. Henry	*	29	31	10	15	66	7	9	77	4	5	80	1	3	4	2	2	1	3	4
C. Aldrich	*	27	19	8	10	80	3	4	75	0	0	0	1	5	6	1	0	5	3	1
M. Morris	*	21	9	4	6	66	1	1	100	0	1	0	3	3	6	0	0	0	1	3
E. Johnson	*	6	1	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	0
M. Morris		28	12	5	6	83	1	4	25	1	1	100	3	9	12	2	1	4	1	0
T. Taylor		28	10	3	6	50	3	3	100	1	2	50	1	2	3	6	0	1	0	1
C. Henry		11	3	1	3	33	0	0	0	1	3	33	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	2
T. Reed		10	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2
T. Robinson		9	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4	0	1	0	1	3
C. Teahan		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	1
C. Buford		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Kansas Takes on La Salle at Sprint Center

Denverjhawk — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:00:23 -0000

Kansas vs. La Salle

Kansas returns to the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., when it plays host to La Salle in the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout, Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. on ESPN. The Jayhawks are 8-0 on the season, while the Explorers have won three straight and are 6-2 in 2009-10.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
LAS	72.8	47.2	63.4	43.5	46.0	14.4	26.9	13.4	16.8	6.2	4.8	16.8
KU	90.4	51.1	66.5	43.9	46.5	14.8	28.9	19.6	11.9	10.1	7.0	17.8
LAS Opponents	69.6	41.0	71.7	34.4	35.1	12.2	18.6	13.5	11.5	8.4	4.2	20.4
KU Opponents	56.8	34.1	67.1	27.4	37.1	13.4	20.2	10.8	17.0	5.8	3.4	19.8

Rank and Records	LAS	KU
RPI	#82	#34
Strength of Schedule	#214	#234
Overall	6-2	8-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	3-0	6-0
Away	1-1	1-0
Top 25	0-1	0-0
RPI Top 50	0-1	0-0

About Kansas

Kansas extended the nation's longest home court winning streak to 47 games with its 99-64 win against Radford on Dec. 9. The Jayhawks are looking to snap a two-game losing streak at the Sprint Center, a venue which they are 5-2 in, including a 4-0 mark during their 2008 NCAA National Championship season. Kansas averages 90.4 points per game, is giving up 56.8 points and ranks in the top five nationally with a +33.6 scoring margin. KU is shooting 51.1 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 34.1 percent. Only one KU opponent, Radford, has shot above 40 percent against the Jayhawks this season.

About La Salle

Located in Philadelphia, Pa., La Salle is 6-2 on the season and has won five of its last six games after its 69-60 win at Rider on Dec. 9. La Salle averages 72.8 points per game and gives up 69.6. La Salle dominates the rebounds with a +10.4 margin through eight games, yet no Explorer averages more than 7.1 boards per game.

Senior guard Rodney Green leads La Salle with an 18 point scoring average. He has made a team-high 14 three pointers, just ahead of senior forward Kammini Barrett who has 12 threes. Barrett is second in scoring at 13.3 points per game.

Freshman center Aaric Murray leads La Salle with 7.1 rebounds per game to complement his 11.5 scoring average. Murray has a team-high 20 blocked shots on the season. Senior forward Yves Mekongo is next in scoring at 10.1 ppg, while junior forward Terrell Williams (6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) rounds out the starters. He is second on the team in rebounds.

Senior guard Ruben Guillandeaux comes off the bench to score 9.5 points per game.

Meet an Opposing Coach

Dr. John Giannini is in his sixth season as head coach at La Salle with a 77-81 record. Overall, Giannini is 374-230 in his 21st season. In 2008-09, Giannini led the Explorers to 18 wins, including a 3-1 record in the Philadelphia Big 5, which was second to only Final Four participant Villanova. Giannini is one of three NCAA Division I head men's basketball coaches with doctorates, joining Lehigh's Brett Reed and Valparasio's Homer Drew. He earned his Ph.D. in kinesiology from Illinois in 1992.

KU-La Salle Notables and Connections

--Both teams feature identical twins with Kansas sophomores Markieff and Marcus Morris and La Salle's
juniors Terrell and Jerrell Williams.
--The Morris twins played high school basketball with La Salle's Parrish Grant and Rodney Green. With Green as a teammate, they led Prep Charter to the 2006 Pennsylvania Class AA State Championship. Additionally, the KU twins played AAU basketball with La Salle's Devon White and Earl Pettis.

KU in Kansas City

Kansas City has been a second home of sorts for Kansas over the years. KU's first ever game -- a 16-5 loss to Kansas City YMCA on Feb. 3, 1899 -- was played in Kansas City. The Kansas-La Salle game will mark KU's 268th game all-time in Kansas City, and its eighth in the Sprint Center. KU is 5-2 in the Sprint Center. Last season, KU went 1-2 in the Sprint Center defeating Washington and losing to Syracuse in the CBE Classic, and then falling to UMass in the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout. In 2007-08, Kansas went 4-0 in the venue, including winning the Big 12 Championship en route to its NCAA National Championship. KU played 104 games in Kemper Arena with an 80-24 record. KU is 190-76 in games played in Kansas City.

More Notes on the Jayhawks in Kansas City

--Kansas went 26-4 in Kemper Arena from 1997 until 2006, when it played its last game in the venue.
Included in that run were Big 12 Tournament titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999.(I was at all three!!)
--Kemper Arena was the host of the 1988 NCAA Final Four when the Jayhawks won the national championship.
--When KU faces La Salle on Dec. 12, 2009, at the Sprint Center for the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout, Kansas will have played at least one regular-season game in Kansas City in 19 of the last 21 seasons.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#10	R. Green	8	8	35.5	18.0	46.5	75.0	45.2	5.75	1.0	4.75	3.875	3.5	2.0	0.25	2.375
#12	Y. Mekongo Mbal	8	8	35.125	10.125	38.6	66.0	22.2	5.5	1.5	4.0	1.125	2.875	0.375	0.75	2.0
#5	K. Barrett	8	8	34.625	13.25	45.6	68.8	36.4	4.375	1.875	2.5	1.25	2.5	1.125	0.5	1.875
#24	A. Murray	8	7	27.625	11.5	50.6	46.2	50.0	7.125	3.125	4.0	1.375	2.875	0.75	2.5	2.25
#20	J. Williams	7	7	21.143	6.857	48.5	50.0	0.0	6.143	3.143	3.0	2.143	2.143	0.714	0.143	2.143
#41	S. Weingarten	8	1	16.875	4.625	60.0	55.6	80.0	3.25	1.375	1.875	1.125	0.75	0.625	0.25	2.125
#34	R. Guillandeaux	4	0	28.0	9.5	41.9	57.1	61.5	0.75	0.0	0.75	3.25	1.5	1.0	0.0	2.5
#3	T. Williams	7	1	11.571	2.429	70.0	75.0	0.0	2.286	0.429	1.857	1.0	1.143	0.0	0.429	1.286
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	8	8	29.75	14.375	48.8	75.0	45.0	2.0	0.25	1.75	4.25	1.5	1.5	0.0	1.0
#1	X. Henry	8	8	26.75	16.375	53.6	84.0	50.0	4.125	0.875	3.25	1.75	1.875	1.75	0.75	1.75
#45	C. Aldrich	8	8	25.75	11.125	52.5	69.4	0.0	10.0	3.625	6.375	1.25	1.25	0.75	3.375	2.25
	T. Taylor	8	7	23.0	7.0	38.9	62.5	28.6	2.75	0.625	2.125	3.625	2.25	1.75	0.125	1.875
#22	M. Morris	8	6	22.625	9.875	54.0	66.7	37.5	5.25	2.375	2.875	1.625	1.375	1.25	0.5	2.5
#14	T. Reed	8	0	16.875	5.375	44.1	75.0	37.0	1.5	0.125	1.375	1.75	0.375	1.0	0.125	0.875
#21	M. Morris	8	2	15.375	8.5	67.6	75.0	60.0	5.5	2.0	3.5	1.125	0.875	0.75	0.625	2.125
#15	E. Johnson	8	1	13.0	4.75	51.7	57.1	36.4	2.125	0.875	1.25	2.75	1.25	0.75	0.0	2.125