Men’s Hoops to Close Out Exhibition Tuesday Against Tigers

Kansas Closes Out Exhibition Play
No. 4/5 Kansas closes out its portion of 2015-16 exhibition play when it hosts Fort Hays State Nov. 10. The game will be televised on Jayhawk IMG TV and can also be seen via the internet by fans outside of Kansas by visiting KUAthletics.com/ESPN3.com. For more information on accessing Kansas video content, visit KUAthletics.com/TV.
 
After its 89-66 win versus Pittsburg State on Nov. 4, Kansas is 76-9 in exhibition contests, including 44-2 under head coach Bill Self. The Fort Hays State contest will be KU’s 12th of the 2015 calendar year as the Jayhawks went 10-0 during the summer of 2015 at the World University Games. KU won two exhibition contests versus Canada at Sprint Center in late June and then went 8-0 in winning the gold medal in Gwanju, Korea at the Games in July. This will also be the second exhibition game for Fort Hays State as the Tiger lost at Kansas State, 70-52, on Nov. 6.
 
The Fort Hays State contest will have a “Salute to Service” theme with Nov. 11 being Veterans Day, honoring people who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The KU Air Force ROTC will be the color guard for the game and ArmySargent Ashley Reynolds will sing the national anthem and alma mater.
 
About Kansas
Kansas opened the 2015-16 season with an 89-66 exhibition win against Pittsburg State on Nov. 4. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures led by All-American candidate senior F Perry Ellis who had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Junior G Frank Mason III and freshman F Carlton Bragg Jr., each added 14 points. Senior F Hunter Mickelson scored 10 points, pulled down six rebounds and had four blocked shots for the contest. KU led 46-28 at intermission and outrebounded Pitt State 55-45 for the game. The win was Kansas’ 17th-straight exhibition victory and made KU 76-9 all-time in exhibition games.
 
Kansas returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from last season’s 27-9 team that won KU’s 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season title with a 13-5 league record. In 2014-15, the Jayhawks posted their 18th undefeated season inside historic Allen Fieldhouse by going 15-0 in the venue’s 60th year of existence. Additionally, KU led its conference in home attendance for the 29th-straight season, beginning in 1986-87, with an average of 16,383 last season. KU has sold out 227 consecutive regular-season games in Allen Fieldhouse dating back to the 2001-02 season.
 
Ellis is one of four returning all-conference Jayhawks from 2014-15. A Wichita, Kansas native, Ellis was an All-Big 12 First Team selection last season, leading Kansas in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). The 2014 Orlando Classic MVP, Ellis was also named to the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 First Team and the 2015 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Mason, from Petersburg, Virginia, was an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree who was second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game and led Kansas with 142 assists and 50 steals in 2014-15. Mason’s 42.9 percent shooting from three-point range was best on the KU team last season. Junior G Wayne Selden Jr., from Roxbury, Massachusetts, was a 2015 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection who led Kansas with 46 three-pointers made last year as he averaged 9.4 points per contest. Senior forward Jamari Traylor (4.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg in 2014-15) started 18 games last season for KU.
 
Junior F Landen Lucas started 14 games for KU last season. He averaged 3.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Mickelson (2.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg) also came on strong toward the end of 2014-15 and at the World University Games where he averaged 8.4 points and 4.9 rebounds for the gold medal USA team.
 
Sophomore G Devonte’ Graham (5.7 ppg, 2.1 assists per game) should see minutes at the point guard spot, while junior G Brannen Greene (5.7 ppg, 40 threes) and sophomore G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (2.8 ppg, six starts) are outside threats and will assist on the perimeter.
 
Forwards Cheick Diallo and Bragg, and G Lagerald Vick headline the incoming class for 2015-16. The 2015 McDonald’s All-American Game MVP, Diallo has yet to be cleared by the NCAA and may not play against Fort Hays State. Fellow McDonald’s All-American Bragg and Vick each earned valuable playing time at the 2015 World University Games.
 
About Fort Hays State
Located in Hays, Kansas, with an enrollment of 14,210, Fort Hays State is playing its second exhibition game of the 2015-16 season at Kansas. The Tigers lost at Kansas State, 70-52, on Friday, Nov. 6. FHSU is coached by Mark Johnson who is 284-127 entering his 15th season as a head coach, all at Fort Hays State. Johnson has guided the Tigers to eight 20-win seasons and six NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Picked to finish sixth by the conference coaches in the MIAA this season, Fort Hays State returns three starters and six letterwinners from last season’s 16-13 team which finished ninth in the MIAA with a 9-10 league record. Senior G Craig Nicholson is FHSU’s leading returning scorer having averaged 14.9 points per game last season. Nicholson also averaged a team-best 6.1 assists per contest. Senior forwards Dom Samac (10.4 ppg, 4.8 rebounds) and Jake Stoppel (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg) join Nicholson as returning starters.
 
In its exhibition loss at Kansas State, Nicholson and Samac led FHSU with nine points each, while sophomore F Hadley Gillum added seven. Stoppel had a team-high six rebounds to go along with five points. KSU led 37-24 at halftime and outrebounded FHSU 38-35 for the game.
 
The Series
Kansas has won all nine meetings with Fort Hays State, which includes a 6-0 record in exhibition contests. The Jayhawks have reached the century mark in two of the last three meetings with the Tigers with a 107-68 win in 2009 and 101-52 victory in 2011. All nine match ups have come in Allen Fieldhouse as the series started in 1994. KU head coach Bill Self is 6-0 against Fort Hays State, while FHSU’s Mark Johnson is 0-7 versus Kansas.
 
Exhibition Notables
–Kansas has scored 100-plus points in 26 exhibition games, including 10 under Bill Self.
–Kansas has won 43-straight exhibition contests in Allen Fieldhouse. The last home loss in exhibition play was 93-82 to Australia on Nov. 29, 1993.
 
Up Next
Kansas will host Northern Colorado on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in its regular-season opener. The contest is part of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The game will be on the Jayhawk IMG Television Network and ESPN3 outside the state of Kansas. KU has won a mindboggling 42 straight home openers in historic Allen Fieldhouse dating back to the 1973-74 season. Since 2001-02, the Jayhawks have won their last 13 season openers.
 
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