AP PhotoManhattan ? Tonight, for the first time in a long time, the men’s basketball teams of Kansas University and Kansas State each will have all-Big 12 Conference candidates on the floor.
Kansas State, which hasn’t had a first-team all-league player since Elliot Hatcher in 1996 — that’s right, in the old Big Eight — has a bona fide contender in Jeremiah Massey.
The senior forward takes a 17.3 scoring and 6.4 rebounding average for KSU (13-6 overall, 3-5 Big 12) into tonight’s game against the Wayne Simien/Keith Langford/Aaron Miles-led Jayhawks (18-1, 8-0).
Tip is 8:05 p.m. with a live telecast on channels 13 and 38 (Sunflower Broadband Channel 15).
“He can play. He’s definitely all-Big 12,” Oklahoma State’s Joey Graham said after Massey had 25 points and eight boards in a 77-57 Cowboys victory Feb. 2 in Stillwater, Okla. “His physicality surprised me. He got in there and banged, and he can finish plays.”
Journal-World File PhotoMassey, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound senior from Detroit, will not take the Jayhawks by surprise.
“I think he is one of the most underrated players, and he is one of the most productive in our league,” KU coach Bill Self said. “He’s shooting 50 percent from the field. He gets fouled a ton. He’s hard to guard. He can face it and drive so well. He’s tough, a really good player.”
This season, Massey has shot 50 percent from the field and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line.
“I’ve watched him play on TV. He’s good,” KU sophomore J.R. Giddens said. “We will have a hard time matching up.”
One of the Jayhawks who likely will guard Massey equally is respectful.
“Massey is playing very well. You can say we have to work on guarding him,” junior Christian Moody said. “He’ll be a big focus for us.”
One of the Jayhawks who won’t be guarding Massey knows the Wildcat well.
“I know Massey from working camps with him this summer. He’s cool. He’s good,” said KU junior guard Jeff Hawkins, who worked Washburn coach Bob Chipman’s camps with Massey.
He’s not the Wildcats’ only threat.
KSU has shot 40.3 percent from three-point range, including 41.7 percent in Big 12 games. Cartier Martin has made 30 of 60 and Lance Harris 30 of 73, while Fred Peete has cashed 26 of 73 and Clent Stewart 18 of 52.
“They were 47 percent in conference play until their last game,” Self said of KSU’s disappointing 70-60 home loss to the Buffs.
“They didn’t shoot well against Colorado. They’ve got three guys in the game all the time that can stretch the defense and have a guy in the post as good as anybody in the league drawing numbers.”
That guy is Massey, who is wary of the Jayhawks after KU has reeled off 21 straight victories in Manhattan and 28 overall against K-State.
“They are a good team, just like everybody else in the Big 12,” Massey said after Saturday’s loss to CU. “It’ll take us playing our kind of basketball. We’ve got to come out and play hard-nosed ball the way we’ve done all year.”
Of the streak, he said: “I don’t even pay attention to that. I just come out every night and play basketball.”
The Wildcats’ thoughts about the game have been kept to themselves since Saturday. The KSU players have been off-limits to the media.
“I don’t every remember doing that (before). I just want them focused on going to school and preparing to play this game,” KSU coach Jim Wooldridge said. “I just want them a little more focused on getting prepared to play the game. I don’t know that they have anything that they can say that would make a big difference to the public right now, and I just decided I’d take care of all the public statements.”
¢
Bumps: C.J. Giles (bruised foot) and Alex Galindo (groin) each practiced Tuesday but are listed as “doubtful” for tonight.
KSU’s Marcus Hayden has missed the last two games because of migraine headaches and has not practiced this week.
“He hasn’t practiced enough and is not in a position where we can play him right now,” Wooldridge said.
¢
Sellout crowd: Tonight’s game is a sellout, KSU’s first since the 2002-03 season when capacity crowds packed Bramlage Coliseum for games against Texas Tech and KU.
“That’s the loudest I’ve ever played here in Bramlage Coliseum,” sophomore guard Lance Harris said of last year’s 78-70 loss to KU in Manhattan. “It’s a big game, a rival game. But it’s more than just a rival game to us, because our backs are against the wall and we need the ‘W’ bad.”
He was asked if this year’s team was more equipped to beat KU.
“I believe so,” Harris said. “We have more talent and our players are being a lot more aggressive, so I think we will have a good chance.”
¢
Job in jeopardy?: Wooldridge was asked Tuesday about his job status, which he and K-State athletic director Tim Weiser have discussed.
“I don’t think we need go into detail right now about what Tim and I talked about,” Wooldridge said. “To sum it up, improvement and overall improvement of the program and more success and better attendance and all the things we want out of this program. Tim and I are very much on the same page with expectations and improvement and success and what all that means.
“I think that would be fair to say that in these next eight ballgames we need to show success and that these young kids are getting better and there is a base underneath the program and the team that can grow as time goes on.”
6Sports video: All-Big 12 contender comes to fieldhouse
Solid in the Little Apple
‘Hawks Hoops Forecaster – Kansas at Kansas State
Sign up for cell phone updates
Sign up for e-mail updates