Okie dokie, here's my breakdown on Kansas and the game Saturday. Take it for what it is worth
Starters:
PF Perry Ellis
Perry Ellis was a freshman at KU back in 1940. After taking some time off to serve his country in WWII he returned to KU, where he has been a fixture for the past 75 years. Rumor has it he will run out of eligibility this year, although that has been rumored before. Ellis can beat you from both the inside and outside. Putting a typical Big on Ellis will not work, as in addition to being good inside he is a very good three point shooter. At pretty much any time Kansas will have four players on the court that can shoot the 3, a vast difference from past Bill Self teams
Guard Frank Mason
Both Frank Mason and Devonte Graham are proof that the high school player rankings can sometimes be taken with a grain of salt. Mason barely cracked the top 100 coming out of High School, but Bill Self saw something he liked and Mason has been a fixture in the KU lineup for the past 3 years. He is a good 3 point shooter and a good defender who is not afraid to guard the other teams best guard. Where he sometimes gets into trouble is trying to drive and put up the shot. Kansas works much better when he drives and dishes out to the 3 point line. Mason has been banged up as of late but should be good to go Saturday.
Guard Devote Graham
Kansas starts 3 guards, with both Frank Mason and Devonte Graham handling point guard responsibilities. Graham signed with Appalachian State out of High School. When they refused to release him from his scholarship he went to prep school for a year and signed with Kansas. As with most of the Kansas players he is a very good 3 point shooter, and got MVP honors in the Big XII tournament. Not a great driver and an average defender.
Guard Wayne Selden
Which Wayne will show up? When Kansas won the World Games in Korea over the summer Selden was very, very good, but there are times he can be very average. He is by far the most athletic starter Kansas has. He can hit the 3 as well as drive to the basket, and in the Big XII tournament he had a highlight film dunk over Baylors Isiah Wainwright. Whenever he does something special the tv crews will cut to his Uncle Anthony, a Youtube sensation for his reactions. Expect lots of shots of Uncle Anthony, who kinda looks like Flava Flav on PCP with the giant clock he has around his neck and his outrageous reactions. If you guys are going to hang in and make this a game you had best hope Korea Wayne doesn't show up.
Center Landen Lucas
Earlier in the season KU really struggled with who would start at the 5. After the blowout loss at Oklahoma State where Kansas played like a bunch of Nuns with Leukemia Bill Self approached his other starters and asked them who they wanted to start at Center. They all answered Lucas. Since that game Lucas has started at center and KU has won 14 in a row while running away with the BiG XII. Lucas has one job which is to play defense and rebound. Any points KU gets from him is gravy. He runs the floor well, and had one of the more impressive dunks you will see when he slashed his elbow on the rim finishing off a fast break against Texas.
Others who will see significant playing time
Guard Brannen Greene
He can be a knucklehead as well as one of the best 3 point shooters in the country. Has a permanent reservation in Bill Self's doghouse. Got in trouble at the end of the Kansas State game when he drove in for a dunk at the end of the game when players from both teams started out on the court to shake hands. Is a below average defender, so when he is in the game he has one job, which is to shoot the 3. If you leave him alone he will make you pay
Guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
Call him "Svi" as I'm not sure even he can pronounce his full name. He is an 18 year old soph., and last year he was one of the youngest players in Di and at times it showed. He can hit the 3 and this year has started to drive better. He was the leading scored in the Austin Peay game, and if you pick your poison and let him shoot outside the arc he will have a big day.
Center Jamari Traylor
It's impossible not to root for this guy. He spent parts of his High School years homeless sleeping in abandoned cars and was a partial qualifier his Freshman year and ineligible to play He has since earned his degree and is in graduate school. He is the "energy guy" off the bench. He runs the court well and is athletic but not a big scorer. If he plays big minutes it will be because Lucas is in foul trouble.
Forward Carlton Bragg
A Burger Boy, he has started to see more playing time as of late. This is a guy that is a year or two away from being a force. He shows flashes, but now he is a foul waiting to happen as soon as he checks in the game. Not as good of a rebounder as he will be a year from now.
Kansas will win this game if
- They play like they are capable of. This team is on a roll and playing well and is deserving of the overall 1 seed in the tournament. They don't need one guy in particular to have a great game, as they have a number of players capable of putting up big games. Kansas is the better team, and for the first time in years they are healthy with no distractions. Not to be nasty, but let's face it - you guys are a miracle shot away from sweating out Selection Sunday and possibly looking at your first NIT opponent.
- They control the boards. Kansas is not a bad rebounding team but at times they have had brain farts and got killed on the boards.
- Frank Mason does not try to force it inside. When Kansas has struggled it has been because Frank Mason has driven inside and inside of dishing it outside when the shot is not there he has forced it.
- They play better defense than they did against Austin Peay. That was not good defense.
UCONN will win if
= They have several players step and play way over their heads. Kansas has survived games where one player go off. Buddy Heild laid about 200 on them in Lawrence and Kansas survived. It will take more than one UCONN player to have a great game to get it done. Anita Bryant (I know, not his real name but what I like to call him) has to be a stud and control the paint.
- Kansas doesn't hit its free throws. There have been games where Kansas has been brutal from the stripe and for UCONN to win that has to happen Saturday.
Should be fun. Good luck Saturday (but obviously not too much luck)!
