No. 2 Kansas to Face Wake Forest in Battle 4 Atlantis on Thanksgiving Day

Battle 4 Atlantis
Game 5: No. 2/2 Kansas vs. Wake Forest
Time 2:30 p.m.
Location Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Arena Imperial Arena (3,900)
Series Tied, 2-2
Television AXS TV
Seth Davis (Play-by-Play)
Kenny Rice (Analyst)
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Affiliate List
Online: Jayhawk Digital Passport
Live Stats Battle 4 Atlantis Live Stats
Notes Kansas
Wake Forest
Big 12 Conference (11.26.13)
Stats at a Glance KU WAKE
Record 4-0 5-0
Rankings No. 2/2
Points/GM 87.0 85.6
Points Allowed/GM 67.5 66.8
FG% .568 .445
Rebounds/GM 38.8 49.2
Assists/GM 19.3 17.2
Blocks/GM 5.0 5.2
Steals/GM 6.0 6.2

Battle 4 Atlantis Continues
No. 2/2 Kansas (4-0) continues its participation in the Battle 4 Atlantis when it faces Wake Forest (5-0) Thanksgiving Day at 2:30 p.m. (Central) at Imperial Arena in Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas. The Jayhawks opened the Battle 4 Atlantis with an 88-58 win against Towson on Nov. 22 in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas is 4-0 for the fifth time in the Bill Self era. Wake Forest is coming off an 82-54 win versus The Citadel in its Battle 4 Atlantis opener. The Jayhawks will face Villanova or USC on Nov. 29 and Iowa, Tennessee, UTEP or Xavier on Nov. 30.

Battle 4 Atlantis * Imperial Arena (Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas)
Thursday, Nov. 28
Game 1: Villanova vs. USC (12 p.m. CT, AXS TV)
Game 2: KANSAS vs. Wake Forest (2:30 p.m. CT, AXS TV)
Game 3: Xavier vs. Iowa (6 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Network)
Game 4: Tennessee vs. UTEP (8:30 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Network)

Friday, Nov. 29
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser (12 p.m. CT, AXS TV)
Game 6: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (2:30 p.m. CT, AXS TV)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (6 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Network)
Game 8: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (8:30 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Network)

Saturday, Nov. 30
7th-8th Place: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser (12 p.m. CT, AXS TV)
5th-6th Place: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (2:30 p.m. CT, AXS TV)
3rd-4th Place: Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser (6 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Network)
1st-2nd Place: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (8:30 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Network)

About Kansas
Kansas averages 87.0 points and has a plus-19.5 scoring margin through four games. The Jayhawks have been equally dominant on the boards, averaging 38.8 per game for a plus-12.5 rebounding margin. KU is also winning the efficiency battle, having outshot its three opponents 56.8 percent to 42.4 percent. Kansas leads the nation in field goal percentage (56.8) and the Big 12 also in rebound defense (26.3), rebound margin (+12.5) and assists (19.3). KU has shown its depth with 10 players averaging 10-plus minutes per game. KU’s bench averages 34.2 points per game.

Sophomore F Perry Ellis and freshman G Andrew Wiggins are tied for the team lead in in scoring at 16.8 points per game. Ellis leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 69.4 percent and is second on the team in rebound average at 7.0 rpg. Wiggins has a team-best five steals and averages 6.3 rebounds per contest. Freshman G Wayne Selden, Jr. is also scoring in double figures with 10.5 ppg. Joining the aforementioned in the starting lineup are junior G Naadir Tharpe (5.7 ppg, team-high 20 assists) and senior F Tarik Black (3.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg). Freshman C Joel Embiid leads Kansas in rebounds with an 8.0 average to complement his 8.8 scoring average. He has a team-best six blocked shots. Others contributors from the bench include freshman G Frank Mason (8.3 ppg, team-best 7.0 assist-to-turnover ratio), sophomore G Andrew White III (7.8 ppg, team-best seven three-pointers), freshman G Conner Frankamp (3.3 ppg) and sophomore F Jamari Traylor (2.5 ppg, five blocked shots).

About Wake Forest
Located in Winston-Salem, N.C., with an enrollment of 4,815, Wake Forest is 5-0 on the season. The Demon Deacons are coached by Jeff Bzdelik who is 39-50 in his fourth season at Wake and 150-165 in his 11th season overall which included a stint at former Big 12 member Colorado. Wake Forest averages 85.6 points per game and has a plus-18.8 scoring margin. The Demon Deacons also dominate the boards averaging 49.2 for a plus-13.4 margin. Wake Forest averages 6.2 steals, 5.2 blocked shots and 17.2 assists per game.

Sophomore G Codi Miller-McIntyre leads Wake Forest in scoring at 18.6 points per game. He averages 4.0 rebounds per game and has a team-high 24 assists. Sophomore F Devin Thomas leads Wake in rebounds with 11.6 per contest and field goal percentage at 65.1. Thomas averages 14.4 points per outing. Senior F Travis McKie has a team-best 10 blocked shots to go along with 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Also in the starting lineup for Wake Forest are sophomore F Tyler Cavanaugh (6.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and sophomore G Madison Jones (4.0 ppg, 22 assists). Senior G Coron Williams has made a team-high 14 three-pointers and averages 11.2 points per game. Other key Wake contributors include sophomore F Arnaud William Adala Moto (5.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg), freshman G Miles Overton (4.6 ppg), sophomore F Aaron Rountree (4.0 ppg) and sophomore C Andre Washington (3.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg).

The Series
Kansas and Wake Forest are meeting for the fifth time in men’s basketball with the series tied at 2-2. Wake Forest won the first meeting, 69-59, in the 1984 NCAA Midwest Regional in Lincoln, Neb. Ten years later, Kansas won the second matchup, 69-58, in the 1994 NCAA Southeast Sub-Regional in Lexington, Ky. The two teams then split a home-and-home series in 2000 and 2001 with Wake winning in Winston-Salem, N.C., 84-53 on Dec. 7, 2000, and Kansas taking an 83-76 victory the following season in Allen Fieldhouse.

NEUTRAL COURTS AND IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT TITLES UNDER BILL SELF
Kansas is 68-24 (73.9 percent) on neutral courts under Bill Self, including a 94-83 win against then-No. 4 Duke on Nov. 12 in the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago. Under Self, Kansas has won the Las Vegas Invitational twice in 2006 and 2010 and the CBE Classic last season.

IN THE POLLS
Kansas is ranked No. 2 by the Associated Press and No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches’ poll released Nov. 25. In the Bill Self era, this is the 154th week Kansas has been ranked in the AP top 25, 111th time in the top 10 and 72nd time in the top five. KU has been ranked in each of the last 88 polls dating back to the 2008-09 season. In the coaches’ poll, Kansas has been ranked 181 times, including 136 in the top 10 and 92 in the top five in the Self era. KU has been in each of the last 92 coaches’ polls.

UP NEXT
Kansas will face either Villanova or USC on Nov. 29 and play its third-round game in the Bahamas on Nov. 30. KU will then go on the road to Colorado (Dec. 7) and Florida (Dec. 10). Kansas will play New Mexico on Dec. 14 in the Kansas City Shootout at the Sprint Center and return to Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 21 against national power Georgetown.

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