NCAA Tournament 2011: Previewing Kansas Jawhawks vs. Richmond Spiders Matchup

On Friday evening the Jayhawks will look to continue their run to another national championship as they tip off against the upset-minded Richmond Spiders.

This Sweet 16 matchup was expected to be between Louisville and Kansas, until Louisville was sent packing in its first game by Kenneth Faried and Morehead State.

Kansas is the only remaining single-digit seed in the Southwest, after Notre Dame and Purdue were also upset in the third round.

Will Kansas still be dancing come Friday night, or will Richmond be one game away from the Final Four?

How Richmond Got Here

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Josh Duinker #11, Greg Robbins #22, Francis-Cedric Martel #15 and Darrius Garrett #1 of the Richmond Spiders celebrate after defeating the Morehead State Eagles during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at

Richmond won the A-10 tournament this season and entered the NCAA tournament with a record of 27-7, including wins over Purdue and VCU during the regular season.

Richmond enters this Sweet 16 matchup coming off wins against Vanderbilt and Morehead State. 

Richmond needed to rally in the last few minutes of regulation to pull off the upset victory over Vanderbilt.  The Spiders were rewarded by getting to play 13-seed Morehead State after they hit a late three to upset Louisville.

Richmond led Morehead State from start to finish, and the outcome was rarely in question, winning 65-48.

Kevin Anderson and Justin Harper have led the way for the Spiders so far.  Anderson's big three-pointer against Vanderbilt helped seal that 69-66 victory.  On the other hand, Justin Harper was good on both ends of the floor and carried Richmond in its defeat of Morehead State.

How Kansas Got Here

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Marcus Morris #22 and Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks walk off the court after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 59-73 in the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 i

Kansas entered this tournament as the regular season and Big 12 tournament champions.  The Jayhawks came in with a 32-2 record, with their only losses against Texas and Kansas State.

Kansas struggled in its opening-round matchup against Boston University and needed a big second-half surge to blow the game out of the water.

Kansas' next game didn't come much easier, as Illinois hung around for most of the game. Kansas again needed a second-half run to come out on top.

The Morris brothers are obviously the key to Kansas' success, and Markieff has really impressed in this tournament.  Markieff Morris had a big game against Illinois, as he scored 24 points and hauled in 12 rebounds.  That performance followed a 15-point, eight-rebound performance against Boston University.

Richmond's Key Player: Justin Harper

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Justin Harper #32 of the Richmond Spiders dunks the ball against Ty Proffitt #13 of the Morehead State Eagles during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado

Justin Harper is the Spiders' leading scorer, averaging nearly 18 points per game.  If Richmond wants to beat the Jayhawks, Harper will have to score more than just 18.

Kansas is one of the highest scoring teams in the country, averaging over 82 points per game, so Richmond is going to need its stars to pick up their scoring totals.

If Harper is on fire, he could be enough to keep Richmond in this game.

Kansas' Key Player: Tyshawn Taylor

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Tyshawn Taylor #10 of the Kansas Jayhawks jogs off the court after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 59-73 in the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Ph

Everybody knows that in order to beat Kansas, opponents have to stop the Morris brothers.  If Richmond can slow down the Morris brothers just a little bit, it will have a chance to win this game.

However, the Spiders will have to stop Tyshawn Taylor as well.  Taylor is the X-factor for the Jayhawks. If he has a big game, this will be a blowout.

Taylor has scored in double digits his last four games, and if he goes for 15-plus points against Richmond, the Jayhawks should have no problem winning.

Keys to the Game for Richmond

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Darrius Garrett #1 of the Richmond Spiders fights for a rebound aganst Kenneth Faried #35 of the Morehead State Eagles during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver,

1. Tempo

If Richmond is going to have a chance to win this game, it needs to slow the game down.  Kansas loves to get up and down the court, while Richmond is one of the slowest-paced teams in college basketball.  Richmond has to do the best it can to keep Kansas in the half-court.

2. Rebounding

Richmond is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country.  The Spiders are ranked 259th in college basketball.  Yes, that is right, 259th overall.  Kansas, on the other hand, comes in 19th in that category.  If Richmond is going to have a shot, it is going to have to rebound the basketball better than it has in any other game this season.

3. Shooting

Richmond is a solid shooting team, as it shoots 46 percent as a team for the season.  The problem for the Spiders is that Kansas is the best shooting team in the country.  The Spiders need to have their best shooting game all year. Just remember that it is March, and miracles do happen.  Any time Richmond has an open jumper, it must knock it down if it wants a chance to play for a trip to the Final Four.

Keys to the Game for Kansas

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks drives with the ball against Mike Tisdale #54 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tulsa, O

1. The Morris Brothers

If the Morris brothers play the way they have all season, the Jayhawks shouldn't have much of a problem defeating Richmond.  Markieff and Marcus Morris are two of the most dominant players in the country, and know how to take over games.  They are very versatile and can shoot from anywhere on the floor, and they are dominant on the glass.  As long as they don't disappear on Friday, Kansas should win.

2. Turnovers

Kansas needs to hold onto the ball and not give Richmond any easy baskets.  Kansas also needs to create turnovers on the defensive side of the ball in order to jump start its fast break.  Richmond likely won't be attacking the offensive glass, as it will be trying to prevent transition baskets.  By creating turnovers, Kansas will be able to speed up the tempo and run its fast-break offense.

3. Stay Composed

The Morris brothers are both considered to be hot heads at times, and need to control their tempers.  If things are not going Kansas' way early, the Morris brothers will need to keep their cool.  The Jayhawks cannot afford to beat themselves, and need to force Richmond to beat them at their own game.

Prediction

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Marcus Morris #22 and Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrate after a play against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tuls

Kansas 75

Richmond 62

Kansas is just going to be too much for the Spiders to handle.  Richmond has proved it is worthy of being in the tournament, and that mid-majors are here to stay.

However, Kansas is one of the best teams in the tournament and may have the best chance of knocking off Ohio State to win another championship.

Kansas should be on its way to another Final Four, where it should be favored to reach another title game to face off against the Buckeyes.