Jayhawks

Offense

After nearly putting up 100 points against Colorado, it would appear that Kansas has regained its shooting touch. That’s good news for sophomore guard Brandon Rush and sophomore forward Julian Wright. They’ll have to connect from longer distances to draw the Aggie big men away from the basket, which will give junior center Sasha Kaun a rebounding advantage.

Texas A&M; will bring the best defense Kansas has faced this year, so it’s not unthinkable that the Jayhawks will be held under 65 points – and still win the game.

Defense

The Jayhawk defense has earned the top mark in every conference game this season, and this one is no different. Everybody has bought into coach Bill Self’s defensive philosophy, which involves intercepting passes and applying pressure around the basket. Critics say the Jayhawks should press more, but opening the door for transition points isn’t their style. When they do turn up the pressure, watch for sophomore guard Mario Chalmers – his quick hands often create a turnover in that situation.

Momentum

Coming off three blowout victories, the Jayhawks are looking good. But none of those three were against a team nearly as good as the Aggies. Still, Kansas is a “big-game” team, and they don’t come much bigger than Saturday. Allen Fieldhouse will be as loud as usual, as will ESPN’s Dick Vitale. He’ll be yelling “Awesome, baby!” as the Jayhawks win the game and establish themselves as the team to beat in the Big 12 Conference.

The winner will be in the driver’s seat in the Big 12 Conference. That’s not to say it’s a sure thing, because both schools still have to play Texas, and Texas Tech could also make a late run, but Saturday’s winner will be one step closer to the conference title and a top seed in the NCAA tournament.

Junior guard Russell Robinson. He’s seen big games before, so the atmosphere Saturday isn’t going to rattle him. What may is the defense of Aggie guard Acie Law IV, who is one of the best players in the country. Robinson will have to raise his game accordingly.

Question Mark

Will the freshmen come out jittery? It’s what happened last year when GameDay visited Austin and the young Jayhawks were beaten by the Longhorns. Freshman forward Darrell Arthur and guard Sherron Collins have shown lots of poise already at Kansas – this is just another opportunity for them to prove they are among the best newcomers in the country.

Three reasons KU wins

One — Five days of preparation. After playing on Big Monday earlier this week, the Jayhawks got an extra two days of practice time for this one. The players should be fresh and prepared for whatever Texas A&M; is going to throw at them.

Two — They’re a big-game team. Tired of hearing that? Coach Bill Self is. But there is some truth behind the label. The Jayhawks smoked Oklahoma State and Boston College, and defeated Florida in overtime. Saturday is a big game, and the Jayhawks will be ready.

Three — You, the fan. When Georgia Tech jumped out to a huge lead in 2005, the crowd didn’t quiet down, and Kansas pulled off a comeback victory in overtime. Allen Fieldhouse should be the loudest it has been all year on Saturday, and that’s because of you.

Aggies

Offense

Acie Law IV, Joseph Jones, Antanas Kavaliauskas and Josh Carter headline a productive A&M; offense. Law is an extremely quick guard known for his ability to drive and score with both hands. Jones and Kavaliauskas form an imposing inside duo, each one weighs 250 pounds. They both receive the ball often in the Aggies’ high-low offense and will likely be the best inside men Kansas has seen since the Florida game. Carter is an inconsistent but good outside shooter. Even though A&M; is best known for its defense, its offense is almost as dangerous.

Defense

One word that best describes the Aggies is tough. Their coach Billy Gillispie is an intense guy and instills his attitude in all his players. Add that to the blinding quickness provided by Law and the size of Kavaliauskas and Jones, and you get the best defense in the Big 12. A&M; holds its opponents to under 55 points per game and its shooting to 35 percent. Those numbers aren’t just the best in the Big 12; they’re second in the nation in points allowed and first in field goal percentage.

Momentum

The Aggies have all the momentum in the world simply because this is their biggest game of the season so far. It doesn’t matter that they blew a game against Texas Tech last week. A&M; will come into Saturday’s game poised and energetic, knowing it has a chance to prove itself as a national title contender on ESPN in one of college basketball’s greatest venues. The game, which matches the Big 12’s two best defenses, should be hotly contested and close. But by about 10 p.m. Saturday, one of these teams will have taken a huge step in the race for the Big 12 title.

First place in the Big 12 Conference. Texas also needs to be included in the battle for conference supremacy, but Kansas and Texas A&M; have been regarded as favorites since October. If the Aggies lose this game, they can still win the conference, but a victory would definitely increase their odds.

If Kevin Durant didn’t reach new levels of brilliance every game, Acie Law IV would probably win Big 12 Player of the Year. He is a great unselfish point guard in that he looks for his shot only when the team needs him to score. Law is capable of scoring 30 points, like Colorado’s Richard Roby, but instead he focuses more on passing, evidenced by his average of five assists per game.

Can Texas A&M; beat Kansas for the first time in Big 12 play?

The Aggies have never defeated the Jayhawk in 11 tries. Saturday night will clearly be A&M;’s best chance to date. A good sign for the Aggies is that they already have ended a similar streak this season: they beat Oklahoma for the first time.

ONE— Big game experience- In years past A&M;’s non-conference schedule was stocked with lesser lights such as Mississippi Valley State or Savannah State. This year it has already played UCLA, which was ranked No. 1 at the time, and former top 10 team LSU.

TWO — South Pride — By now, everyone and their mom knows of the south division’s winless record at Allen Fieldhouse. So of course, the Aggies know. They will be even more motivated knowing they have a chance to be the first south team to win in Lawrence.

THREE — Billy Gillispie. In only five seasons as a coach, Gillispie has earned a reputation as one of the best in the game. The turnaround he has orchestrated in College Station will become even more remarkable with a victory.

Arthur fared well against big guys before, including Nebraska’s Aleks Maric. But Jones is a different kind of big guy. He’s not as tall or nimble, but he makes up for it by being able to back down anyone he wants in the paint. Arthur will be put to the test when he has to guard Jones or Antanas Kavaliauskas. Sophomore forward Julian Wright could also go up against the Aggies’ beefy inside duo and have a tough time because of his smaller frame.