photo by: Nick Krug

The students section waits in anticipation for the final buzzer to sound during the second half against USC , Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Jesse Newell: Welcome back to the GameDay Cram Session, as KU is taking on Cal on Wednesday in Berkeley, Calif. Tom, what are you expecting from KU in its first true road game against Cal?
Tom Keegan: Well, I’m not so sure it will be a true road game. KU’s national fan base does such a great job of getting in on tickets early and I’m expecting a lot of KU fans from all over California to show up for this one and make their voices heard.

photo by: Nick Krug

The students section waits in anticipation for the final buzzer to sound during the second half against USC , Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Cal fans will be excited because the nation’s No. 3 team is in town, but they haven’t fallen in love with this Bears team.

JN: It might have been tough to. The Bears have played a tough schedule so far, but they’ve racked up four losses and have been only average offensively. Cal has had three games already where it has failed to score 58 points, including Saturday’s 51-41 victory over Cal Poly.

California guard Gary Franklin (4) and forward Harper Kamp (22) celebrate their victory against Cal Poly on Saturday in Berkeley, Calif. The Bears welcome the Jayhawks to Haas Pavilion tonight.

I can’t imagine that made for exciting basketball at Haas Pavilion.

Speaking of falling in love, though, it appears KU fans have done just that with KU freshman guard Josh Selby. What impressed you most about Selby’s 21-point debut against USC?

http://www2.kusports.com/videos/2010/dec/18/33710/

TK: He has the prettiest jumper since Brandon Rush and just on that fake pass to the corner that preceded his game-winning shot, he revealed so much about himself: He’s a great actor and the thing about actors is you never think that they’re acting, you get lost in their character. The fake was so subtle that it didn’t seem like a fake and the defender bit. And here’s the best thing about the fake: He didn’t fake a shot and pass the ball so that someone else would have the responsibility of possibly winning or losing the game. He wanted the responsibility.

JN: I almost missed the shot fake the first time I saw the shot. That’s one of those plays that a player either instinctively can do, or one he’ll never be able to do.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Josh Selby celebrates his last-minute three pointer against USC with the Morris twins Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

From watching his first game, it looks like Selby has all the natural instincts (and also raw ability) to be a successful future pro. For the here and now, though, his help defense needs a lot of work. You’d have to think that will come more naturally after additional work with KU coach Bill Self.

All right, Tom, what’s your prediction for this game?

TK: Kansas by 15. It’s going to be tough for Cal to put points on the board against Kansas because it will be tough for the Bears’ guards to get the ball where it needs to go against KU’s quickness.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Kansas guard Brady Morningstar reaches on USC's Nikola Vucevic Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Harper Kamp, a 6-8, 245-pound, fourth-year junior, has been through a lot to get his knee right and he’ll be hungry to show what he can do against an elite team. He’s averaging 13.1 points and 5.8 rebounds and knows how to get to the line, where he shoots .878, so he gives Cal a shot if the Morris twins play defense with their hands instead of their feet and don’t deny passes to him.

JN: I’ll go KU by eight. Even if this isn’t a true home game for Cal, I think the road environment could shake up the Jayhawks a bit. Also, KU had a bunch of players straining to find their new roles with Selby in the game against USC. Tyshawn Taylor pushed the issue too much and had his worst game this year. The Morris twins played OK, but also seemed to rush some shots at times. Until everyone figures out how to play with the new kid, KU isn’t going to look as efficient offensively as it did earlier in the year.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Josh Selby laughs with Markieff Morris on the bench during the second half, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

This one could have long stretches where neither team is doing much offensively.

OK, Tom, who’s your Hawk to Rock?

TK: Marcus Morris.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Marcus Morris fights for a rebound with USC forward Nikola Vucevic during the first half, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Marcus is an extremely talented player and defenses can’t pay quite as much attention to him now that another big-time scorer is in the lineup in Josh Selby.

JN: I’ve picked him a lot lately, but with this matchup, I have to go with Markieff Morris.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Markieff Morris fights for a rebound with USC players Nikola Vucevic (5) and Maurice Jones (10) during the first half, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Cal is one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the nation, ranking 294th in offensive rebounding percentage. Markieff, meanwhile, is one of the best defensive rebounders in the nation, ranking fifth in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage in kenpom’s weekly ratings.

If he can stay out of foul trouble (and Cal has done a good job this season of getting to the free throw line), Markieff should have a huge day on the defensive boards. I’ll be surprised if we don’t see a double-double out of Markieff tonight.

Tracking the picks

Predictions tally (through 10 games)
Tom: 9-1 record, 146 points off (14.6 points off/game)
Jesse: 10-0 record, 152 points off (15.2 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)
Average Hawk to Rock: 3.7th 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)
Average Hawk to Rock: 3.9th in Keegan ratings