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Kansas at Oklahoma State
Big 12 Hoops Picks and Analysis
2/27/10
The Kansas Jayhawks are the #1 team in the country. Being the best has its perks, but it also has its downfalls. They are going to get every teams best Game as they will find out Saturday at 4 PM EST when they will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys on CBS. The last tough Game that Kansas played was against Texas A&M, but they could find themselves in a tussle with a tough Cowboys squad. Oklahoma State owns wins over Baylor and Texas A&M. Beating Kansas would virtually guarantee them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It will take a monumental effort, but they are a dangerous team capable of pulling it off when playing their best basketball.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys will go as far as junior G James Anderson takes them. He is putting up 22.5 PPG while dishing out 2.4 APG, and grabbing 6.1 RPG. He also gets 1.3 SPG. He had 31 points and 12 rebounds in a big win over Baylor one week ago. He dropped 30 points in a win on the road against Kansas State. He is very effective from the free throw line. He has to have a huge Game if the Cowboys are going to have a shot at winning. He fouled out in losses to Rhode Island and Texas Tech. If he gets in foul trouble early in the second half then the Cowboys chances of winning could be shot.
Obi Muonelo plays G and I bet you cant say his name five times fast. Name aside, he scores 13.3 PPG and gets 5.3 RPG. The senior gets 2 APG as well. He is very strong from three point range at 44.5%. He had 31 points in a narrow road victory over Iowa State. Matt Pilgrim is a force at F for the Cowboys. He averages 7.7 PPG and 6.8 RPG. The Cincinnati native will return to the starting lineup after serving a one Game suspension against Texas for violation team rules.
The Kansas Jayhawks have a plethora of strong players, but freshman Xavier Henry gets the most attention. The freshman G scores 13.9 PPG and gets 4.2 RPG. He is strong from three point range at 40.3%. He enters this Game off one of his best performances of the year when he had 23 points against Oklahoma. He is nearly a sure thing from the charity stripe. He will be a very hot commodity when the NBA draft arrives.
Sherron Collins is a bit undersized at 5 11 but the G is the leading scorer for the Jayhawks at 15.1 PPG. He also averages 4.4 APG. The senior had 33 points against Cornell. He made 13 of 14 FTs in that Game. Cole Aldrich is also an integral part to the Jayhawks team. He averages a double-double with 11.5 PPG and 10.2 RPG. The junior stands taller than most of his opposition at 6 11. He played a great Game against Missouri when he had 12 points and 16 rebounds. Marcus Morris is a young gun like Xavier Henry. The sophomore gets 12.7 PPG and 6.3 RPG. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds against Michigan.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys enter this Game with their backs against the wall. Their resume for the Tournament is so-so, but a win a here would put their minds at ease. They must take advantage of being at home and stay with Kansas the whole Game. The Jayhawks have only lost one time this year for a reason; they are REALLY good. They arent going to lie down, but they should certainly expect a fight.
Predicted Final Score- Kansas 77 Oklahoma State 68
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