The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team will return to Allen Fieldhouse on December 9th to take on the Radford Highlanders. The Jayhawks enter the game as the near unanimous number one team in America, garnering 30 of the 31 possible first place votes in the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. The Jayhawks are entering the game after a workmanlike 73-61 victory over UCLA in Pauley Pavillion last Sunday, which was their first road win of the season. Wednesday’s game will be televised on ESPNU at 7:00PM.
The Jayhawks are looking to continue their dominance this year, with UCLA being the latest sacrificial victim. The Jayhawks are looking to improve to 8-0 and build upon a tough road win against the Bruins. The key to the Kansas victory over UCLA was the impressive play of the Kansas frontcourt, especially Markieff Morris. Morris scored a career-high 19 points while making a career-best eight field goals and attempting a career-high 11 shots. His eight field goals also ties the season high by a Jayhawk this season. Kansas also held a 43-36 advantage on the boards. Junior Cole Aldrich finished with a game-high 12 rebounds in his third-straight contest with double-digit rebounds. Marcus Morris pulled down nine boards in the contest, two shy of his career best. Freshman Xavier Henry and senior Sherron Collins joined Morris in double figures scoring 16 and 14 points, respectively. KU collected its 73 points behind a team 44.4 percent shooting from the field, but held the Bruins to 36.1 percent shooting as UCLA became the 81st consecutive opponent to shoot under 50 percent versus KU.
Radford is 4-5 after back to back conference wins over Wintrop and Presbyterian University. The Highlanders are coached by Brad Greenburg, who was the Big South coach of the year after leading Radford to the Big South regular season and post season conference tournament championships. Radford is a very deep squad for a mid major opponent, with eight players who average 15 or more minutes per game. Big South Preseason Player of the Year Art Parakhouski anchors the Highlanders with his 22.3 scoring and 14.8 rebound averages. The senior center has scored 20 or more points in all but one game this season and he leads the team with 14 blocked shots. Senior forward/center Joey Lynch-Flohr is next in scoring at 13.2 points and he averages 8.2 rebounds. Junior forward Lazar Trifunovic has only played the last two games yet he is second on the team with 8.5 rebounds per game along with a 12 point scoring average. Freshman guard Blake Smith has a team-high nine three pointers, 13 steals and is scoring 11 points per game. Senior forward Philip Martin is a starter and averages 7.8 points per game. Senior guard Amir Johnson also starts for the Highlanders and averages 4 points per game, while leading Radford with 23 assists.
Key Losses for Radford
Duke 67-104
Duquesne 63-71
Key Wins for Radford
Winthrop 61-59
Presbyterian 61-57
Key Stats
Radford is averaging 70.3 points per game this season and is shooting 25.8% from three point range.
Brad Greenberg is in his 2nd season as the head coach of the Highlanders, and has a 35-34 record.
Radford has a +5.4 rebound margin on the season and is averaging 17.3 turnovers per game.
Brad Greenberg is the younger brother of Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg, and Brad served as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech from 2003 through 2007. Greenberg also has extensive NBA experience, being an assistant coach with the Clippers and the Knicks. He was also the director of player personnel with the Trailblazers from 1989 through 1995 and drafted Allen Iverson during his two year stint as the GM for the Philadelphia 76′ers.
The Series
Kansas and Radford are meeting for the first time in men’s basketball. The Jayhawks have only faced one other team from the Big South in men’s basketball, Winthrop. KU defeated the Eagles 94-51 on Jan. 6, 1990, in Allen Fieldhouse.
Prediction
Radford is not going to win this game in Allen Fieldhouse, but they should give Kansas a much better test than the Jayhawks have received from the likes of Alcorn State and Central Arkansas. Radford has a big frontline, with Parakhouski being the key to thier attack. He is one of the few guys that Cole Aldrich will face this season that will be bigger than him. The other Radford front line players all are over 6′8″ with a decent amount of experience and skill, which should give coaches Self and Manning something to focus on after the game when breaking down film. The Radford guards are suspect and shoot the ball poorly, which is where Kansas will look to exploit their advantage early and often. Look for Xavier Henry and Sherron Collins to take advantage on the offensive end, while Tyshawn Taylor should be able to wreak some havoc on the defensive end.
Outcome
Kansas 102 Radford 72
