Kansas Jayhawk News and Notes 1.4.12

Kansas Basketball

Allen Fieldhouse will be jumping for K-State game - KansasCity.com
Yes, yes it will.

Bracketology - NCAA College Basketball Brackets and Predictions - ESPN
Somehow we've jumped up to a #2 seed in the West. Our #1? Ohio State. #3? Georgetown...not a lot that I like about the ALL REVENGE draw. Odd that all the sudden Jason King and Lunardi are on the Kansas bandwagon in back to back days. ESPN must have decided it was time to get back to liking Kansas.

Talking toughness: Jayhawks say they’re ready to grind it out with rival KSU | KUsports.com
I have no doubt that Martin will try to make it a grind. That's what the Wildcats do well, we have to counter that.

Good and bad, Tyshawn Taylor is key to KU | KUsports.com
I can’t relate to people who lead with the negative when discussing Taylor’s on-court pros and cons. He’s the second-best player on college basketball’s 14th-ranked team. Without him on the roster, Kansas would have a shaky Selection Sunday, after the TV show, nervously waiting for an NIT bid. - Keegan

KU guards must handle Cats' pressure | CJOnline.com
"And yet, for all the talk of toughness, physical play and offensive rebounding leading up to the game, it may come down to the way Kansas’ guards handle the pressure from their K-State counterparts."

SUNFLOWER BREAKDOWN: Who has the edge? | CJOnline.com
Somewhat hard to believe that the backcourt has become a push in this one. I definitely see where K-State has the edge in terms of bench but at the start of the year I would have been hard pressed to predict that their backcourt could be considered on par with ours.

Rebounding will be key in Sunflower Showdown - KansasCity.com
"But Kansas State excels in offensive rebounding, getting second-chance opportunities on 42.3 percent of its shots. That ranks second in the Big 12."

Kansas Football

Steven Johnson Accepts Invitation To Play In East-West Shrine Game - KANSAS OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
One more opportunity to watch Steven Johnson wearing a KU helmet. Johnson headed off to one of those training facilities in Arizona this week to start training for his attempt at the NFL. Based on what we know of his work ethic, I won't count him out until he decides he's ready to hang it up.

Charlie Weis’ defensive line a priority | KUsports.com
This was probably the easiest assessment that Weis had to make.

Big 12

Missouri says F Kadeem Green plans to transfer - NCAA Basketball - SI.com
I just thought this was interesting. Other than record and ranking I haven't paid too much attention to Missouri this year but I assumed that they had more depth than this. Sounds like their bench is thinner than ours. Obviously they've done a nice job thus far this year but with just Ratliffe and Moore on the interior I'm a little curious as to how they hold up in Big 12 play.

Sooners stake their claim on two Fox RSNs - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal
School based programming for Oklahoma and it's going to be airing in Texas. Kind of funny.

No. 7 Missouri routs Oklahoma 87-49 | KUsports.com
Tiger continue to look pretty good.