The Kansas Jayhawks will take on the UCLA Bruins in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday night. Kansas comes into the game 2-1 and ranked fifth in the nation while UCLA comes in 3-1 and unranked.
Kansas lost in the Champions Classic to Michigan State last week but was able to bounce back on Monday night against Chaminade as they won by 51 points. UCLA though will be a good test for the Jayhawks as they have not beaten any good teams yet this season.
One of the big stories for Kansas is who they will be without in this game as Brannen Greene and Cheick Diallo will not be available for this one. Diallo traveled with the team but still has not been ruled eligible by the NCAA and Greene was suspended for six games for conduct detrimental to the team. Greene is the team's best long range shooter so his absence could be big in this game.
On the court the Jayhawks have four guys available who are averaging double figures this season including senior forward Perry Ellis. Ellis is leading the team with 16.0 points per game and has added 5.3 rebounds as well.
A player to watch for Kansas in this one is Landen Lucas who is coming off a double-double against Chaminade. Lucas leads the team with 7.3 rebounds despite only playing 13.3 minutes per game and his rebounding ability might be big in this one because UCLA has posted a plus 10.2 rebounding margin so far this season.
UCLA lost their first game of the year to Monmouth but they have rattled off three straight wins since then including Monday night's win over UNLV. UCLA returns a few key players from last year's sweet sixteen team including leading scorer Bryce Alford. Through four games Alford is averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while making 36 percent of his threes.
UCLA's big men are big keys to whether they will have a shot to win this game. Senior forward Tony Parker came into Monday's game averaging 16.7 rebounds per game before only having three against UNLV while dealing with foul trouble. Even with that though, Parker is still averaging 13 points and 12.8 rebounds per game and is a load to handle down low.
Center Thomas Welsh is also off to a great start to this season as he is averaging 15 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 71 percent from the floor. Both Welsh and Alford had 20 points on Monday night and UCLA will need performances like that again plus something from Parker on Tuesday night.
This will be the first matchup between these schools since 2011 when Kansas beat UCLA by 16 points in the Maui Invitational semifinals. Overall the Jayhawks have won seven of the last nine meetings against the Bruins including the last three and will look to continue that streak on Tuesday night. The winner of this game will take on the winner between Vanderbilt and Wake Forest in the championship.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 10 P.M. Eastern time and to watch the live broadcast go here. For the UCLA radio broadcast go here and for the Kansas radio broadcast go here.
