2013-14 Kansas Campaign Starts Friday Against ULM

Sophomore forward Perry Ellis averaged a team-high 14.5 points in exhibition play.

Game 1: No. 5/6 Kansas vs. Louisiana at Monroe
Time	7 p.m.
Location	Lawrence, Kan.
Arena	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Series	Kansas leads, 1-0
Television	Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 Dave Armstrong (Play-by-Play) Chris Piper (Analyst)
Radio	Jayhawk Radio Network Affiliate List Online: Jayhawk Digital Passport
Live Stats	Kansas Sidearm Stats
Notes	Kansas Louisiana at Monroe

Stats at a Glance *2012-13	KU	ULM
Record	31-6	4-23
Rankings	No. 5/6	NR
Points/GM	75.2	60.0
Points Allowed/GM	61.9	72.6
FG%	.481	.427
Rebounds/GM	39.2	29.6
Assists/GM	15.5	13.6
Blocks/GM	6.7	1.3
Steals/GM	7.0	7.2

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Nationally ranked and ready to get started, the No. 5/6 Kansas men’s basketball team will officially kick-off the 2013-14 season on Friday when the Jayhawks play host to Louisiana at Monroe inside Allen Fieldhouse. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

Opening Night
Nine-time defending Big 12 Conference champion Kansas begins the 2013-14 season by hosting Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). Ranked No. 5 by Associated Press and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches’ preseason polls, Kansas is looking to win its 41st consecutive home opener in Allen Fieldhouse, dating back to the 1973-74 season. Since 2001-02, the Jayhawks have won their last 11 season openers. ULM is coming off a 4-23 season in which it placed fifth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division with a 3-17 record.

KU on Cusp of Allen Fieldhouse’s 700th Win
Kansas enters the ULM contest with a 699-108 all-time regular-season record in Allen Fieldhouse and its next win in the building will be its 700th. Dedicated on March 1, 1955, in a 77-67 win against rival Kansas State, here are some notables regarding Allen Fieldhouse :

Five of the eight KU head coaches have coached in Allen Fieldhouse. Ted Owens has the most victories with 206, followed by Roy Williams (201), Bill Self (161), Larry Brown (71), Dick Harp (51) and Phog Allen (9).
Current head coach Bill Self is 161-8 (95.3 percent) in Allen Fieldhouse and has won more conference titles (9) than lost games in AFH.
Starting with Wilt Chamberlain in 1957, 12 of KU’s NCAA-leading 28 Consensus All-American First Team selections played in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas has sold out 197 straight games in Allen Fieldhouse dating back to the second game of the 2001-02 season.
Kansas has led its league in home attendance each of the last 27 seasons dating back to 1986-87 and 32 times in the last 36 years.
Kansas is second all-time with 2,101 wins and the Jayhawks won victories 1,000, 1,100, 1,200, 1,300, 1,400 and 1,900 in Allen Fieldhouse. The 1,900th all-time win also won the 2007 Big 12 regular-season title outright.
Kansas has won 30-straight home season finales in Allen Fieldhouse, including 29 consecutive Senior Nights. In 2006-07, Kansas did not have a senior on its roster.

About Kansas
Kansas swept through its exhibition contests defeating Pittsburg State, 97-57, on Oct. 29 and Fort Hays State, 92-75, on Nov. 5. The Jayhawks were paced by sophomore forward Perry Ellis who averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in exhibition action. Freshman guard Andrew Wiggins was next in scoring at 13.0 points per game and led KU with four blocked shots. Junior guard Naadir Tharpe had a team-high 15 assists and no turnovers in exhibition play, while freshman guard Brannen Greene had a team-best five three-pointers made. He tied fellow freshman guard Frank Mason with a team-high three steals in the two victories.

Kansas returns nine letterwinners from last season’s team which went 31-6 and won an NCAA-best 56th, the 13th Big 12 and an unprecedented ninth-straight regular-season conference title. The Jayhawks also won the Big 12 postseason championship, KU’s ninth in the Big 12 and 13th all-time.

The Jayhawks entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and advanced to KU’s 30th Sweet 16. KU’s 31 victories marked the 12th time in school history the Jayhawks won 30 or more games, including six under head coach Bill Self.

Ellis is KU’s leading returning scorer at 5.8 points per game and rebounder at 3.9 boards per contest in 2012-13. Ellis came on strong down the stretch for KU last season being named to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team. Tharpe ranked 12th in the Big 12 in 2012-13 in assists per game at 3.1. He averaged 5.5 points per outing. He will sit out the the ULM (11/8) game after Kansas self-reported he participated in a pro-am game during the summer of 2013.
Sophomore forward Jamari Traylor (2.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) averaged nearly 10 minutes per game for KU in 2012-13. Sophomore guard Andrew White III scored 2.2 points per game and has proven he can be a three-point threat for the Jayhawks. Redshirt freshman forward Landen Lucas could also have an immediate impact having been in the KU system for one season. Look for forward Justin Wesley and guard Niko Roberts to also provide leadership heading into their senior campaigns.

Reloading in a hurry from losing five starters from 2012-13, Self and his staff welcome eight newcomers to the 2013-14 roster, including the nation’s No. 1 recruit in Wiggins. A transfer from Memphis, senior forward Tarik Black will provide leadership for his final year of playing collegiately. Black is 51 points shy of his 1,000th career point in college. Assisting on the inside will be 7-foot freshman center Joel Embiid. Joining Wiggins on the perimeter are newcomers Greene, Mason, Conner Frankamp, and Wayne Selden, Jr.

Forward Hunter Mickelson will sit out 2013-14 after transferring from Arkansas. He will be a junior for the Jayhawks in 2014-15. Together, KU’s class of 2013 comprises the second-ranked recruiting class in the country.

About Louisiana at Monroe
Located in Monroe, La., with an enrollment of 8,858, ULM returns four starters and seven letterwinners from last season’s 4-23 team. The Warhawks are coached by Keith Richard who is 14-73 entering his fourth season at ULM and 164-190 in his 13th season overall. ULM returns 73.7 percent of its scoring and 69.8 percent of its rebounding from last season.

Senior guard Amos Olatayo is ULM’s leading returning scorer at 15.8 points per game in 2012-13. Senior forward Jayon James is ULM’s leading rebounding returner, having averaged 6.1 boards per game last season. James also averaged 9.4 points per contest. Of ULM’s nine newcomers, seven are transfers, including five juniors.

The Series
Kansas won the only meeting with Louisiana at Monroe, 107-78, on Nov. 9, 2007. The game was the season opener for KU as it went on to win its first 20 games and eventually the NCAA National Championship with a school-record 37 victories.

A Kansas Win Would…
Be Kansas’ 700th all-time in Allen Fieldhouse… Give KU its 41st-consecutive Allen Fieldhouse season-opening victory dating back to the 1973-74 season… Give Kansas its 12th-straight season-opening victory dating back to 2001-02… Give KU a 2-0 series record against ULM… Give Kansas a 700-108 all-time record in Allen Fieldhouse, including 162-8 under Bill Self… Make Kansas 11-0 in season openers under Bill Self… Make Self 301-59 while at Kansas and 508-164 overall… Make KU 2,102-812 all-time.

A Kansas Loss Would…
End a 40-game Allen Fieldhouse season-opening victory streak… Snap an 11-game regular-season opening winning streak… Tie the Kansas-ULM series at 1-1… Give Kansas an all-time record of 699-109 in Allen Fieldhouse, including 161-9 under head coach Bill Self… Make Bill Self 300-60 while at Kansas and 507-165 overall… Make Kansas 2,101-813 all-time.

Kansas-Fort Hays State Leftovers

Kansas improved to 63-9 all-time in exhibition games.
KU extended its home exhibition winning streak to 40 games dating back to the 1994 season. Under Bill Self, the Jayhawks are 22-0 in home exhibition play.
Self improved to 31-2 in exhibition play while at KU
Fort Hays State shot 49.1 percent in the game, the most by a Kansas exhibition opponent since the Swiss National Team shot 50 percent during the 2012 Europe Trip in Fribourg, Switzerland. The mark was the highest in Allen Fieldhouse since Washburn shot 50 percent on Nov. 2, 2010.
Freshman G Wayne Selden, Jr. and sophomore F Perry Ellis tied for the team lead with 13 points. Selden more-than-doubled his total from the exhibition opener when he tallied five points. Ellis was three off his exhibition pace, having scored 16 against Pitt State. If exhibition games counted, Ellis would have averaged 11.5 points per game over his last nine contests dating back to last season.
Freshman G Conner Frankamp made both of his three-point attempts in the first half against Fort Hays State after going 0-for-3 in the first half of the exhibition opener against Pitt State. Frankamp finished the game 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and added two free throws for eight points.
Junior G Naadir Tharpe closed the exhibition season perfect in the turnovers category, logging 15 assists in two games with no turnovers. If the stats counted, Tharpe has a 40-to-11 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last eight contests dating back to last season.
Freshman G Andrew Wiggins chipped in 10 points, giving him back-to-back double figure scoring games in exhibition play.
Sophomore F Jamari Traylor pulled down a team-high-tying seven rebounds against Fort Hays State Tuesday night, giving him 13 total in the two exhibition games. Freshman C Joel Embiid and Ellis joined Traylor with seven boards against the Tigers.

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