Game Primer: How to Watch, Key Players and Important Information for Kansas vs UT-Arlington

The Kansas Jayhawks got off to a great start in the first game of the season, before having to hold off a furious rally in the fourth quarter to secure their first win. Tonight, they are hoping to play a more complete game at home  against the UT-Arlington Lady Mavericks. 

Overview

The Jayhawks started off their prior game with some hot shooting, quickly building a large lead in the first quarter and stretching it 19 in the first half. However, some cold shooting and sloppy play in the second half saw Kansas nearly give up the lead a couple times in the second half. The stellar play of center Taiyanna Jackson pushed the Jayhawks to victory.

Kansas returns four starters and 11 players overall this year from a squad that went 21-10 and finished 5th in the Big 12 Conference standings. They returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, where they advanced out of the first round with a 77-58 win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. They fell in the second round to the overall 2nd seed Stanford Cardinal.

Head Coach Brandon Schneider is entering his eighth season as head coach, and is coming off a year where he was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year. Senior Holly Kersgieter was named to the All-Big 12 preseason team for the first time this year after being an honorable mention honoree the last two seasons. Senior guard Zakiyah Franklin and senior center Taiyanna Jackson both received honorable mentions this season.

The Kansas Jayhawks received votes in both preseason polls, with enough votes to slot in as the 28th-highest vote-getters in the AP Poll and the 33rd-highest vote-getters in the Coaches polls this week.

The Jayhawks lead the series between these two teams 2-1. The last meeting between these two programs was an 80-57 victory for Kansas back on December 30, 2010.

Here are the essentials:

The Numbers

Kansas: 1-0

UT-Arlington: 2-0

Line: NONE

O/U: NONE

How to Watch

Wednesday, November 16th, 7:00 p.m. CST

Lawrence, KS: Allen Fieldhouse

TV: Big12 Now on ESPN+

- Josh Klingler (Play-by-Play), Brenda VanLengen (Analyst)

Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network

- Steven Davis (Play-by-Play), David Lawrence (Analyst)

Webcast: Kansas Online Radio

Game Coverage

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Key Players (2021-2022 Stat Line)

Holly Kersgieter (17 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, against Jacksonville)

Kersgieter is still likely the most important player on the team, but a bad shooting night from her should no longer be a nearly insurmountable hurdle. She was only 1-7 from beyond the arc in the first game, which was a big part in the team only shooting 28.9% from long range on the night. But she contributed in plenty of other ways, including with big contributions on the glass and fantastic defense.

Taiyanna Jackson (16 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, against Jacksonville)

Jackson lived up to the billing as a much improved scorer, providing the team with a big option down low that takes some of the pressure off the perimeter shooters. If this can be a common occurrence for her, especially in conference play, she has an opportunity to go from being one of the best defensive players in the conference to one of the best all-around players in the conference.

Zakiyah Franklin (10.0 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 0 stl, against Jacksonville)

It was a little surprising to not see Franklin attempt a three-pointer in the first game, but it's hard to argue with the rest of her game. She was effective in distributing the ball, and adjusting to having other options to take care of handling the ball may take some time.

Sanna Strom (7 pts, 2.0 reb,  0 ast, 2stl, against Jacksonville)

The sophomore guard from Sweden got her first start in the season opener, a fact that was mildly surprising given the role she had on the team last season. However, it's easy to see that her role is somewhat that of a scoring threat from deep, even if her game is more versatile. It may take some time to figure out exactly what to expect long-term from Strom, but the early reviews are very positive.

Fun Facts

Taiyanna Jackson needs just 3 blocks to amass 100 for her Division I college career. She also needs just 7 points to hit 300 for her career

Wyvette Mayberry was the first player off the bench and contributed 8 points, leading the Kansas bench to outscore the Jacksonville bench 13-9.

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