**Jesse Newell:** Welcome back to the GameDay Cram Session, as Kansas is taking on Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon in Norman, Okla.
Tom, there are 18 games on the Big 12 schedule, and it’s not realistic to think that a team can get up for all 18. How about as a writer? Would this be a game that would be hard to “get up for” on an 18-game schedule?
**Tom Keegan:** No. Lubbock, yes. Norman, no.
Think about all the Big Eight history in the Noble Center on Saturday. Billy Tubbs. Ted Owens.
Bill Self played in the Big Eight and is coaching in the Big 12. Lon Kruger was a two-time Big Eight player of the year. He coached a Big Eight school, and he’s coaching a Big 12 school. These guys all know and respect each other, and then there’s the game itself.
Any time the home team is the underdog, that increases the chances of a close game. If you don’t like watching Tyshawn Taylor, Thomas Robinson and Cameron Clark play basketball, maybe you should watch C-SPAN instead.
**JN:** Speaking of Tyshawn Taylor, what sort of response do you think he will get from Kansas fans when he gives his Senior Night speech?
**TK:** Loud, long standing ovation, and well-deserved it will be. The true Kansas fans appreciate a four-year starter who busts his tail, plays an exciting brand of basketball and really takes his mistakes to heart. Nobody wants to do well more than Tyshawn Taylor, one of my favorite players to interview, watch and wish well upon during my seven years of living and working in Lawrence.
**JN:** Well said. Not much I can add to that, other than to agree with you that Taylor continues to be one of the friendliest guys I’ve had the chance to cover while working on a KU beat. That has nothing to do with basketball, but it definitely counts for something.
OK, Tom, what’s your prediction for this game?
**TK:** KU by two on a buzzer-beating Taylor drive to the hoop.
**JN:** I’ll go with KU by six.
What a scary game for the Jayhawks. KU comes off a big win, while OU comes off an embarrassing 38-point loss to Missouri. Kruger has done a great job with the Sooners this year, and Tuesday’s game against the Tigers definitely wasn’t an accurate representation of how well they have played this year.
Oklahoma actually has been better on the offensive glass than Kansas State, grabbing 41.4 percent of its misses. Also, 6-foot-4 guard Steven Pledger (18.2 points per game) has quietly become one of the best offensive players in the Big 12, making 58 percent of his twos and 49 percent of his threes while keeping his turnovers very low.
I actually would be tempted to pick the Sooners if I wasn’t convinced that KU fans will fill up half the seats in the Noble Center. OU’s basketball fans tend to be some of the most apathetic in the conference, and KU’s rowdy supporters should give the Jayhawks an extra boost that, frankly, they’ll probably need Saturday.
All right, Tom, who’s your Hawk to Rock?
**TK:** Taylor.
He’s too quick, too driven for the Sooners’ backcourt to handle.
**JN:** Give me Elijah Johnson.
More than one-third of the points against OU have come off three-pointers this year, meaning the Sooners appear to have a defense that packs the middle and forces other teams to outshoot them.
Johnson has made just 4 of 19 threes in his last three games (21 percent), but he also hasn’t had more than three poor outside shooting games in a row this season.
My gut tells me this is the game he gets hot. I’ll say Johnson leads KU in three-point attempts, three-point makes and also points against OU.
**Predictions tally (through 13 games)**
Tom: 11-3 record, 149 points off (10.6 points off/game)
Jesse: 13-1 record, 123 points off (8.8 points off/game)
Hawk to Rock
————
**Tom Keegan**
Towson: Tyshawn Taylor (4th in Keegan ratings)
Kentucky: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Georgetown: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
UCLA: Tyshawn Taylor (2nd in Keegan ratings)
Duke: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
FAU: Jeff Withey (4th in Keegan ratings)
South Florida: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Long Beach State: Elijah Johnson (7th in Keegan ratings)
Ohio State: Thomas Robinson (2nd in Keegan ratings)
Davidson: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
USC: Jeff Withey (4th in Keegan ratings)
Howard: Kevin Young (4th in Keegan ratings)
North Dakota: Elijah Johnson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Kansas State: Tyshawn Taylor (5th in Keegan ratings)
**Average: 3.3rd in Keegan ratings**
**Jesse Newell**
Towson: Conner Teahan (6th in Keegan ratings)
Kentucky: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
Georgetown: Kevin Young (9th in Keegan ratings)
UCLA: Elijah Johnson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Duke: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
FAU: Tyshawn Taylor (7th in Keegan ratings)
South Florida: Elijah Johnson (6th in Keegan ratings)
Long Beach State: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Ohio State: Travis Releford (5th in Keegan ratings)
Davidson: Jeff Withey (5th in Keegan ratings)
USC: Elijah Johnson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Howard: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
North Dakota: Conner Teahan (5th in Keegan ratings)
Kansas State: Travis Releford (1st in Keegan ratings)
**Average: 3.8th in Keegan ratings**
Elijah Johnson, (15) left, looks to pass beneath the KU basket during the second-half of the Jayhawks 67-49 win against Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012.
