Staring Down The Musket At...The Kansas Jayhawks. A Q&A With Rock Chalk Talk.

Matt: KU has it's 11th straight Big 12 title all but locked up. That's an amazing stretch, and one that I can't even fathom. How does it feel as a fan to witness a stretch like the one KU is currently on?

Andy: It definitely gets taken for granted by a large portion of the fanbase. Even by myself, as I can't even really remember a year where we didn't win the title. Sure, I remember that in my freshman year, we didn't win the league, but I can't remember what it FEELS like. Even so, I understand how amazing this streak is. Especially when you consider how strong this league has been every single year. When the streak finally ends, it will definitely suck. But we know it is going to happen at some point, and I think more of the fanbase will appreciate it a few years after it ends.

Matt: I talked with you about how I don't think Cliff Alexander's absence is going to do much to change WVU's plan of attack against the Jayhawks. How does his suspension effect KU, both tonight and long term in March?

Andy: The frontcourt depth has taken a huge hit. Alexander had been struggling recently, but he still is our second best big man. There were indications that he was going to get a chance to play through some of his struggles before this suspension, and losing him lowers the expectations for the NCAA tournament.

Matt: KU struggled against the press early on against WVU before adjusting a bit in the second half? Do you think we'll see similar early struggles tonight or will the adjustments in Morgantown carry over?

Andy: This Kansas team seems to struggle coming out of the gate, especially when the style of the team they are playing is vastly different from the last opponent. So I'm expecting Kansas to start slow like they usually do. But the adjustments come much quicker at home than they do on the road, and I expect Kansas to start pulling away at the end of the first half. But as we've seen all too often this year, Kansas can't really put any team away, so West Virginia will definitely be in the game during the second half.

Matt: How do you see this one playing out tonight? Does WVU have much of a chance to pull another upset or will Kansas storm to clinching their status as #OneTrueChampion?

Andy: The fact that Kansas can clinch the outright title tonight is going to be a huge motivating factor. But we've had huge emotional games before and suffered big letdowns, so I'm not expecting that to carry us to victory. But Perry Ellis is a man on fire, and I know that Mason is wearing down. Having the opportunity to ease off on the last game should spur those two to give their best performance of the season, and I expect Bill Self to have the team as a whole fired up, especially on Senior Night. Kansas does have trouble putting teams away, but I see them pulling away late for a comfortable victory. I'll go Kansas 81, West Virginia 67.

Matt: (Bonus) Who wins in a fight between Iron Man and Batman?

Andy: This is a tough one, but I'm going to have to go with Batman. I understand that the suit give Tony Stark a lot of physical advantages, but Bruce Wayne has all kinds of experience in tactics, and I have to think he'll find a weakness that he can exploit. Add in the fact that Batman is in peak physical shape, and he'll be extremely difficult to bring down.

Thanks again to Andy for the insights. You can follow Rock Chalk Talk on Twitter @RockChalkTalk and be sure to check out RCT for more KU coverage.