Player Performance Analysis

What a delightful insurance policy it is to have two All-Americans on the same team, isn't it?  Sherron Collins goes down with cramps (near his jewels, per TV commentators' not-so-subtle hints), and Cole Aldrich carries the team.  Granted, it was when Collins was back in the game that Cole was at his best.  Nevertheless, KU always had a viable option on the floor.  That's a luxury that carries a team through its growing pains.  It keeps away those 1 or 2 extra losses that might be the difference between a #1 or #2 seed in March.

On this night, it was Cole Aldrich who stood tallest of them all.  On 70 eFG% shooting, he poured in 18 PTS (that's a little less than a third of KU's points), 11 REB (4 OREB), 5 BLK, 1 STL and 0 TO.  Zero turnovers when everyone around him was giving the ball away like it was a late-year tax deduction.  Most viewers would argue that he had many more than 5 blocks, too.  One was called a foul when he pinned the ball between the rim and the backboard (replays looked very clean), and a few others the statistician must have missed.  Cole was EVERYWHERE.  I think he blocked a couple from the bench and during warmups, too.  A +17.77 PSAN-Composite efficiency rating for 30 minutes is pretty darn near as good a player can play.  The difference between Aldrich's line and Xavier Henry's debut is that we know Aldrich has amazing games all the time.

Sure Collins struggled with cramps, but he sure as heck didn't struggle when he was in the game.  Collins sizzled from the field at 79 eFG% (making his only 3FG attempt, and the only one KU made all night), and he finished with 12 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL and 2 TO in 32 MIN.  Really, the only mistake he had was the missed free throw at the end, but it was clear that he was giving all he had and that KU was probably going to lose if he weren't in the game at the end.

Another solid outing for Markieff Morris probably has KU fans excited that maybe he can be the inside yin to Aldrich's yang.  Markieff made his only FG attempt and both his FT attempts while securing 6 REB (2 OREB) and swatting one shot, but did have 2 TO in 15 MIN.  Still, he's providing a boost in the frontcourt that needs someone to complement the force that is Cole Aldrich.

Xavier Henry and Marcus Morris were the only other KU players with efficiency ratings over zero.  Henry was just awful from the field (27 eFG%) but managed to score 11 PTS with 5-of-6 from the FT line, 6 REB, 3 STL but also 4 TO in 32 MIN.  Marcus shot a very respectable 57 eFG% but struggled at the FT line (2-of-4) and managed only 1 DREB to go with 2 AST and 2 TO and 4 PF in 31 MIN.  Obviously, Self has great confidence in Marcus and really needed his offensive spark.  Still, neither Henry nor Marcus had games to write home about.

Boy oh boy, do things get ugly after that.  Tyshawn Taylor had the worst impact of all, from either team.  At least his defensive rating was slightly better than zero (negative is good on defense, remember).  But he missed all 4 FG's, canceled out his 5 AST with a whopping 7 TO, and added 3 DREB and 2 STL.  One of those steals was very big though, as it was the one right before half that swung momentum back in KU's favor.  Taylor is really getting a lot of heat right now for playing out of control.  His ability to turn things around may be the difference between a championship and an Elite 8 or Final Four appearance.

Tyrel Reed's impact was slightly less bad, but that's only because he played fewer minutes than Taylor.  His efficiency was awful, and on the wrong side for offense and defense both.  Once again, Reed missed his shots (2 FG's) and had just 1 REB in 18 MIN.  At least he didn't turn the ball over.  Elijah Johnson didn't play enough minutes for his rating to be significant, but it was so bad that it has to be mentioned.  In 7 MIN, all he had was 3 TO and 1 AST.  At least he didn't take any shots, but it was just awful.  Thomas Robinson played just 2 MIN and missed his putback attempt.  Self said it was the speed of the game that kept him out, but it didn't help that he didn't look ready at all.

For the Tigers, it was the terrific play of two players, Will Coleman and Elliot Williams, that kept Memphis in it.  The other thing was that Memphis didn't have any players who absolutely stunk it up.  Only one player had 3 TO, and that was Coleman.  Guys who shot poorly did other things to make up for it.  Witherspoon is really the only player who qualifies for "bad game" status.  He shot 33 eFG% and had 2 TO against 0 AST.

Game Projections