Kansas Jayhawks Basketball: 5 Factors Kansas Must Execute to Beat Colorado
It certainly has been a wacky Big 12 tournament so far.
Baylor gets stomped by Oklahoma, OSU outlasts Nebraska's solid defense and Colorado breezes past the seemingly "on-fire" Kansas State.
For Kansas Jayhawk fans, the game against Oklahoma State yesterday was too close for comfort. While many KU fans wanted to play Kansas State in the semifinals of the tournament, it will instead be against the Colorado Buffaloes.
CU has surprised many of its critics and is looking to keep the upsets rolling in Kansas City.
In Colorado's first time in the Big 12 tournament semifinals, let's take a quick overview of what Kansas needs to do to ensure a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
5. Kansas' Post Players Must Dominate the Paint
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OK, I know this is a given in any game but it will be crucial to Kansas tonight.
While Colorado has an incredible backcourt, KU's depth and talent at the post position is far greater than CU's.
In the game against OSU, Kansas missed multiple opportunities on lay-ups and close shots with their big men. Oklahoma State saw its three best interior players foul out and still they were able to hold the Kansas big men at bay which helped the Cowboys stay in the game.
Marcus played well yesterday but Markieff was relatively quiet which needs to change tonight. Bill Self needs the twins to be productive on both ends of the court.
Kansas' big men did a good job of attacking the OSU big men but were lacking defensively with zero blocks.
If KU can get its three-headed monster going (Marcus, Markieff and Thomas Robinson), it will be a huge advantage over CU's interior players.
4. Josh Selby Must Get Involved
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Kansas had a possession at the end of the game against Oklahoma State where the lead could have been extended to at least three.
Oklahoma State played a tough zone and forced Kansas to think about shooting a long two or three-pointer. It was obvious there was no Kemba Walker-esque player on the court at the time, because the Jayhawks ended up with a shot clock violation.
Luckily, Oklahoma State couldn't capitalize on a game-winning shot.
Most feel that this is what Josh Selby was brought to Kansas to be.
The "go-to" guy. As of lately, Selby has been invisible. In yesterday's game, Selby finished with 11 minutes and three points on 1-for-3 shooting.
Self gave him his minutes early and pulled him due to inconsistency on both ends of the court. Josh Selby needs to be Kansas' guy to look for in the clutch.
He can be that guy and Kansas fans will sleep easier when he is putting in productive minutes. On a U-Stream broadcast last night, Selby claimed he was changing his nickname from "Showtime" to "The Problem" because he going to be a problem for opposing teams starting tonight.
Let's hope it truly is a problem for opposing teams and not for his team.
3. Capitalize on Colorado Turnovers
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Although Colorado took care of Kansas State last night, the Buffaloes committed 16 turnovers compared to Kansas State's 11.
Against Iowa State, Colorado committed 15 turnovers compared to ISU's eight.
Colorado is prone to turning the ball over and Kansas is good enough defensively to make this happen.
In those two games, Marcus Relephorde has nine turnovers alone. He is sure to make a few bad decisions against a stronger defensive team in Kansas.
KU needs to capitalize on these turnovers unlike Iowa State and Kansas State. If Kansas can get fast break points and create opportunities off of steals, it could get ugly early for the Buffs.
There is no doubt that Tad Boyle is warning his squad about being smarter with the ball, but we'll see how Kansas executes on golden opportunities.
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2. Free-Throw Shooting Must Improve
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This has been a struggle for Kansas all season and could be their Achilles' heel if not taken care of soon.
For the season, the Jayhawks have shot 67 percent, which has them ranked 10th in the conference. When placed in games where every point counts, poor free-throw shooting could cost the team its hopes of a national championship.
Against Oklahoma State, Kansas shot a poor 57 percent on 12-for-21 from the line. For a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, this simply won't fly.
There are much better teams than Oklahoma State who will hit that last-second shot and win the game because of missed opportunities to extend leads.
It was a poor day of shooting all around for Kansas, going 35.9 percent on 23-of-64 from the field. Even the stroke of Tyrel Reed was a bit off, as he shot 3-of-6 from the free-throw line.
So yes, the percentage can and probably will rise tonight against Colorado and going forward.
But if it doesn't, Colorado stands a real chance to upset the big dog.
1. Kansas Must Slow Down Alec Burks and Cory Higgins
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It's senseless to say that Kansas needs to stop Alec Burks and Cory Higgins.
Those two guys are NBA-material and have shown no signs of letting up in the Big 12 tournament. Burks and Higgins have been absolutely amazing so far this week.
Higgins is averaging 22 points in the tournament and Burks is averaging 26.5 points. These two are capable of taking over the entire game against Kansas and leading Colorado to victory.
Kansas can't stop Burks and Higgins, but it can slow them down and reduce their impact in the game.
This won't be easy, but it's certainly possible as Kansas has been able to do so twice this season. Look for Brady Morningstar to be covering one of the two throughout the game, as he could be Kansas' best defender.
But let's face it—it's a lot easier to say "slow down" two NBA-ready players than to actually do it. Bill Self will have to find a way to reduce the impact of Burks and Higgins, or this game will go down to the wire again.
And you know what? Burks and Higgins can make that final shot to send Kansas home, unlike the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
It will be a fun game to watch, as Colorado steps into unfamiliar territory and Kansas attempts to defend its crown.
But while watching the game, keep these five factors in mind, which are important if Kansas wants to play for the 'ship on Saturday.
For all of Kip's Kansas and Big 12 coverage, follow him on Twitter @KipReiserer and become a fan on his Sportswriters Profile Page!
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