**Jesse Newell:** Welcome back to the GameDay Cram Session, as Kansas is taking on Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
Tom, what do you think of the job that coach Doc Sadler has done at NU?
**Tom Keegan:** Nebraska has no nearby city that’s rich with basketball talent and no winning tradition, which makes it such a tough place to recruit. Even with poor talent on the floor most of the time, it was obvious he was getting a lot out of what he had. His teams always play hard and when he was at UTEP, the Miners had enough talent to turn that effort into a pair of 20-win seasons.
**JN:** Sadler has done a brilliant job with his team defensively this year, even if most of that performance has come against weak competition.
The Cornhuskers are 13th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency ranking, which places them third in the Big 12 defensively behind KU and Texas.
Nebraska’s strength defensively has been inside, as opponents have made just 39.1 percent of their two-pointers (third nationally). Most of the credit goes to NU’s front line of Jorge Brian Diaz (6 foot 11), Andre Almeida (6 foot 11) and Brandon Ubel (6 foot 10), who have made it difficult for opponents to get points in the paint.
Switching back to KU, Tyshawn Taylor didn’t appear to be great defensively against Iowa State’s Diante Garrett last game (27 points, 11-for-25 shooting).
Do you still think Taylor can be a defensive stopper for KU?
**TK:** Yes. I wrote a column about that topic. After talking to a retired psychologist, I have changed my thinking. I used to think Taylor just didn’t have the ability to focus well enough to become a consistent defense stopper and nothing would change that, but the retired psychologist convinced me otherwise.
**JN:** Taylor should be tested Saturday against Nebraska guard Lance Jeter, who is an underrated player in the Big 12.
The 6-foot-3 senior guard is efficient offensively, making the most out of the few shots he takes (55.4 percent two-point percentage; 35.7 percent three-point percentage). He also leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.68-to-1) and is fourth in steals (2.1 per game).
All right, Tom, what’s your prediction for this game?
**TK:** Nebraska has given up as many as 70 points just twice, in losses to Davidson and Missouri. Davidson isn’t Kansas and neither is Missouri. Kansas 80, Nebraska 60.
**JN:** I’ll say KU by seven. This has the potential to be a tough matchup for KU, as Nebraska is good at nearly every statistical category defensively except for turnovers, and the Jayhawks have shown this year that they are capable of turning it over against any team they play. Still, I think the Jayhawks — happy to be back at Allen Fieldhouse — will end their three-point shooting slump and knock in enough long-range shots to escape with the home win.
OK, Tom, who’s your Hawk to Rock?
**TK:** Josh Selby.
Nebraska will pack it in defensively to stop the twins, which should give Selby plenty of good looks at the basket.
**JN:** Nebraska will play big, meaning KU will need to play big. That means plenty of minutes for Thomas Robinson, who has struggled in his last two games (six turnovers in 15 combined minutes).
This will be the bounceback game for the sophomore, who should grab plenty of rebounds and also provide hustle plays if/when one of the Morris twins gets early foul trouble.
Tracking the picks
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**Predictions tally (through 16 games)**
Tom: 15-1 record, 193 points off (12.1 points off/game)
Jesse: 16-0 record, 214 points off (13.4 points off/game)
Hawk to Rock
————
**Tom Keegan**
Longwood: Tyrel Reed (6th in Keegan ratings)
Valparaiso: Marcus Morris (1st)
North Texas: Tyrel Reed (6th)
Texas A&M-CC: Marcus Morris (5th)
Ohio: Markieff Morris (3rd)
Arizona: Marcus Morris (1st)
UCLA: Tyshawn Taylor (1st)
Memphis: Markieff Morris (4th)
Colorado State: Tyshawn Taylor (2nd)
USC: Tyrel Reed (6th)
Cal: Marcus Morris (6th)
UT Arlington: Tyrel Reed (8th)
Miami: Marcus Morris (3rd)
UMKC: Markieff Morris (9th)
Michigan: Thomas Robinson (8th)
Iowa State: Tyshawn Taylor (7th)
**Average Hawk to Rock: 4.8th in Keegan ratings**
**Jesse Newell**
Longwood: Markieff Morris (1st in Keegan ratings)
Valparaiso: Brady Morningstar (8th)
North Texas: Tyrel Reed (6th)
Texas A&M-CC: Thomas Robinson (2nd)
Ohio: Tyshawn Taylor (4th)
Arizona: Brady Morningstar (8th)
UCLA: Markieff Morris (6th)
Memphis: Thomas Robinson (1st)
Colorado State: Markieff Morris (1st)
USC: Thomas Robinson (2nd)
Cal: Markieff Morris (2nd)
UT Arlington: Brady Morningstar (10th)
Miami: Tyshawn Taylor (8th)
UMKC: Josh Selby (1st)
Michigan: Tyrel Reed (4th)
Iowa State: Marcus Morris (1st)
**Average Hawk to Rock: 4.1st in Keegan ratings**
