No. 19 Baylor Awaits No. 2 Kansas in Waco on Tuesday

 GAME 28
#2/2 KANSAS (23-4, 11-3 Big 12)
at #19/16 Baylor (20-7, 9-5 Big 12)
Date Tuesday, Feb. 23
Time 7 p.m. CST
Location Waco, Texas
Arena Ferrell Center (10,284)
 LIVE COVERAGE
TV ESPN2
Video WatchESPN
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Audio KUathletics.com/radio
Stats Gametracker
Social Twitter | Instagram | #kubball
KU STATS BU
82.7 Points 78.9
68.6 Points Allowed 69.4
.490 Field Goal % .476
38.4 Rebounds 37.5
15.9 Assists 19.1
4.0 Blocks 4.0
6.7 Steals 8.4

Notes Links Kansas Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Links Baylor Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Links Big 12 Game Notes (.pdf)
Tickets Link Tickets

No. 2/2 Kansas (23-4, 11-3 Big 12) heads to Waco, Texas, to face No. 19/16 Baylor (20-7, 9-5) Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. After its 72-63 win at Kansas State Feb. 20, Kansas holds a two-game lead in the 2016 Big 12 standings ahead of Baylor, Oklahoma and West Virginia at 9-5 in league play with four games remaining; 13 league wins would clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title. Kansas has won seven consecutive contests which is the tied for the third longest active streak in the nation. Baylor has won two straight and three of its last four games after its 78-64 win at No. 24 Texas Feb. 20.

KU TO DEBUT adidas BLACK HISTORY MONTH JERSEYS
Inspired by Jayhawk uniforms of the 1950s, adidas and Kansas Athletics will unveil special uniforms in Waco to honor Black History Month. The Jayhawks will don the home version of the uniforms against Texas Tech Saturday, Feb. 27. Designed with royal blue and cream tones, the jerseys feature classic block lettering and numbers used during basketball’s early years. The jersey includes crimson, blue and white accents, while the shorts feature a two-color stripe as a nod to Kansas’ classic look and feel. 

ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas averages 82.7 points per game and has a +14.1 scoring margin. The Jayhawks are third nationally with a 42.3 3-point field goal percentage. KU pulls down an average of 38.4 rebounds per game and has a +5.7 rebound margin. The Jayhawks also average 15.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.0 blocked shots per contest.

Senior F Perry Ellis leads Kansas in scoring (16.5  ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). At Kansas State, Ellis suffered two injuries which included 12 stitches to the head and a scratched eye but he still managed to score 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Ellis has scored 19 or more points in five of his last nine games, including four 20-point efforts. Ellis is averaging 18.1 points and 6.1 rebounds during Big 12 play. He is one of two players in the Big 12 to rank in the top seven in both scoring (third) and rebounding (tied for seventh) with the other being Georges Niang of Iowa State. Junior G Wayne Selden Jr., has averaged 15.0 points in his last two games after averaging 6.8 ppg in the previous four contests. Selden is seventh in the Big 12 in scoring at 14.1 points per game. He is also third in the league in 3-point  field goals made per game at 2.3 and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage at 42.9 percent. Junior G Frank Mason III led all scorers with 16 points at Kansas State (2/20) and has 11 assists with one turnover in his last two games. Mason is scoring 13.3 points per game, which 13th in the Big 12. He is fifth in the league with a 4.6 assist average and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.4. Mason has a team-high 37 steals, which is two more than sophomore G Devonte’ Graham‘s35.Graham, who was named Big 12 Player of the Week (2/15), has averaged 14.3 points in his last three games. He is scoring 11.1 points per game and is sixth in the Big 12 with a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio and 10th with 3.5 assists per game. Junior F Landen Lucas rounds out the KU starters. Lucas averages 5.1 scoring and 6.0 rebounding for the season, which includes a 9.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg in his last four games. Included was his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Oklahoma State (2/15). His 6.0 rebounds per game are 10th in the Big 12.

Junior G Brannen Greene went 3-for-3 from 3-point range against Oklahoma State (2/15) and has scored a combined 30 points in his last four games. He scores 6.7 points per game off the bench. Sophomore G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk went 3-for-4 from 3-point range at Kansas State (2/20) in scoring nine points. Mykhailiuk averages 5.5 points and has made 25 3-pointers this season. Freshman F Carlton Bragg Jr., scored six points against Oklahoma State (2/15) and is averaging 4.1 ppg and 2.4 rpg in all games. Freshman Cheick Diallo (3.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg) had five rebounds and three blocked shots versus Oklahoma State (2/15). He is 10th in the conference with 0.9 blocked shots per game. Senior F Jamari Traylor (2.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg) is a high-energy forward who has started seven games in 2015-16 and is 11th in the Big 12 with 0.8 blocked shots per game. Senior F Hunter Mickelson, who has started 10 games this season, is averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds and his 1.0 blocked shots per game are ninth in the Big 12. 

ABOUT BAYLOR
Located in Waco, Texas, with an enrollment of 16,263, No. 19/16 Baylor is 20-7 on the season and tied for second in the Big 12 race at 9-5. The Bears are coached by Scott Drew, who is 248-167 in his 13th season at Baylor and 268-178 in his 14th season overall. Baylor averages 78.9 points per game and has a +9.4 scoring margin. The Bears are second in the nation in assists per game at 19.1 per game and also lead the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5. Baylor averages 37.5 rebounds per game and has a +8.4 rebound margin which is 13th in the NCAA. BU also averages 8.4 steals and 4.0 blocked shots per contest.

Senior F Taurean Prince leads Baylor in scoring at 15.1 points per game which is fifth in the Big 12. His 5.7 rebounds are second on the team and tied for 11th in the league. Senior F Rico Gathers is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double with 12.2 points per game (15th in the Big 12) and a conference-leading 10.0 rebounds per contest. Sophomore G Al Freeman leads Baylor with 42 3-pointers made as he scores 11.6 points per game. Sophomore F Johnathan Motley leads the conference in field goal percentage at 64.0 percent. Motley averages 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds. Senior G Lester Medford leads the Big 12 in steals at 1.9 per game and is second in assists at 6.9 per contest. Medford scores 9.7 points per outing. Junior G Ishmail Wainright is a starter who averages 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. Other BU regulars include sophomore F Terry Maston (6.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg), freshman G King McClure (4.4 ppg) and freshman G Jake Lindsey (2.5 ppg).

THE SERIES
The Kansas-Baylor series dates back to 1951 with the Jayhawks leading 25-4. Kansas has won six straight in the series and holds an 11-2 advantage in the last 13 meetings. Baylor’s two wins in that stretch came March 9, 2013 in Waco and March 9, 2012 at the Big 12 Championship semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri. KU won all three meetings last year, including a 62-52 win in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship at Sprint Center in Kansas City. The Jayhawks are 10-2 in Waco with all 12 meetings in the Ferrell Center. Since the inception of the Big 12, KU is 24-4 against Baylor — 23-2 in regular-season play and 1-2 in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 17-4 all-time against Baylor, including a 17-3 mark while at Kansas, while Baylor’s Scott Drew is 3-17 versus Kansas.

Kansas and Baylor opened up the Big 12 season with KU defeating BU 102-74 in Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 2. The win was KU’s mindbogglingly 25th-straight league-opening victory beginning in 1991-92. KU’s Wayne Selden Jr. led all scorers with 24 points, while Perry Ellis added 17, Devonte’ Grahm 15 and Frank Mason III 11. KU led 46-32 at hlatime and shot 53.7 percent from the field, including 57.9 percent from 3-point range. Baylor’s Taurean Prince led BU with 17 points.

KANSAS STATE LEFTOVERS
• Kansas has won 11 conference games for the 22nd-straight season, which began during the 1994-95 season in the Big Eight era.
• During KU’s 18-4 run to end the half, the Jayhawks made 8-of-10 field goals.
• After starting the game shooting 4-of-12 from the field, Kansas shot 11-for-13 during a stretch from the 7:30 mark of the first half to the 18:43 mark of the second half.
• Junior G Frank Mason III reached 1,000 career points, ending the night with 1,001 as a Jayhawk. He becomes the 58th Jayhawk to reach 1,000 career points and joins teammates Wayne Selden Jr., and Perry Ellis as the first Kansas trio of 1,000-point scorers on the same team since Keith Langford, Wayne Simien and Aaron Miles teamed up during the 2004-05 season.
• Junior F Landen Lucas grabbed eight rebounds with seven points and a block. He has led Kansas in rebounding for the eight times in the last 10 games.
• Senior F Perry Ellis scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 30 minutes and suffered a scratch to his eye and a blow to the head that needed 12 stiches.
• Sophomore G Svi Myhailiuk made his first three 3-point field goals, finishing with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists in 20 minutes.

KANSAS NOTABLES
• Kansas’ seven-game winning streak is tied for the third longest active streak in NCAA Division I – Stephen F. Austin (13), Northern Iowa (8), KANSAS (7), Villanova (7), Boston (7), UT Martin (7).
• With Texas’ loss to Baylor at home Feb. 20, Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 with an undefeated league record at home (7-0) in 2015-16.
• Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring margin at +14.1. KU also ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (second at 82.7), field goal percentage (second at 49.0), 3-point field goal percentage (second at 42.3), 3-point field goals made (second at 8.4), assists (third at 15.9), rebound margin (third at +5.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (third at 1.3).
• Kansas’ 82.7 scoring average is the best in the Self era (81.6 in 2009-10) and the highest since a 90.9 scoring average in 2001-02.
• Out of its 23 victories this season, Kansas has won by 10 or more points in 15 of those wins, including four of the last six games. Five KU wins have been by 30 points or more.
• KU has out-shot 23 of 27 opponents, including each of their last six opponents. KU is shooting 51.0 percent from the field in its last six games.
• Kansas has shot 50 percent or better in five of its last six games, seven Big 12 contests and 13 times overall this season.
• The Jayhawks have out-rebounded 21 of 27 foes, including eight of the last nine contests. KU had a +18 rebound advantage against Oklahoma State (2/15), +21 at TCU (2/6) and +11 (42-31) versus Kentucky (1/30).
• Kansas has shot 40 percent or better from 3-point range in 18 of its 27 games, including three of the last four contests.
• The KU bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 16 of 27 games this season and is 15-1 in those contests.
• KU has made seven or more 3-pointers in 19 of 27 games this season, including four of the last six battles. KU has made 10 or more 3-pointers 10 times, including 15 threes vs. No. Colorado (11/13) and Chaminade (11/23), which were one off the school record.
• When guards Frank Mason III, Wayne Selden Jr. and Devonte’ Graham each score 10-plus points in the same game, KU is 13-0, including 7-0 in Big 12 play.
• Senior F Perry Ellis is one of two players in the Big 12 to rank in the top seven in scoring (third at 16.5 ppg) and rebounding (tied for seventh at 6.3).
• Ellis has pulled down nine or more rebounds in eight games this season.
• Ellis has led KU in scoring in seven of 13 Big 12 games, averaging 18.1 points per Big 12 contest (16.5 ppg overall).
• Despite a 1-for-6 shooting game at Kansas State (2/20), sophomore G Devonte’ Graham is 22-for-42 (52.3 percent) from the field in his last five games, including 13-for-28 (46.4 percent) from 3-point range. Graham is also 11-for-12 from the free throw line in that span.
• Junior G Wayne Selden Jr., is third in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game at 2.3 and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage at .430 for all games. Selden has made three or more 3-pointers in 13 games this season, including four versus Oklahoma St. (2/15).
• Kansas’ 38-game winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse is the third longest in school history. In that span, KU has defeated 14 nationally-ranked opponents during the streak.
• Kansas is 32-6 when following a conference loss under Self with only one of those losses coming in Allen Fieldhouse (Feb. 19, 2005 vs. Iowa State).

DOWNTOWN
Kansas is making 42.3 percent from 3-point range which is fourth nationally and second in the Big 12. At their current percentage pace, the 2015-16 Jayhawks would finish second on the school’s single-season 3-point field goal percentage list.

KANSAS MILESTONES
• Senior F Perry Ellis is only the 13th Jayhawk to reach the 1,600 point plateau, reaching the milestone at Kansas State (2/20). Ellis has 1,602 career points, which is 13th on the KU career scoring list. Earlier this season, Ellis became the 16th player in KU history to reach 700 career rebounds, currently 13th at 781. Ellis is the seven player in KU history to rank in the top 13 in both career points and career rebounds: Danny Manning (2,951 points/1,187 rebounds), Nick Collison (2,097 points/1,143 rebounds), Raef LaFrentz (2,066 points/1,186 rebounds), Clyde Lovellette (1,979 points/839 rebounds), Dave Robisch (1,754 points/815 rebounds) and Mark Randall (1,627 points/723 rebounds).
• Junior G Wayne Selden Jr., had 33 points against Kentucky (1/30) and in the process became the 57th Jayhawk to reach the 1,000-point plateau. He is 45th on the KU scoring list at 1,060 points and ranks 13th on the KU career 3-pointers made list at 149 and 12th on the 3-pointers attempted list at 396.
• Junior G Frank Mason III surpassed the 1,000 points mark at Kansas State (2/20) and is the 58th Jayhawk to accomplish the feat. He is 58th at 1,001 career points. Mason ranks 19th on the KU career assists list, currently at 339. 

1,000-POINT TEAMMATES
When junior G Frank Mason III surpassed the 1,000-points plateau, he joined teammates Perry Ellis (1,602) and Wayne Selden Jr. (1,060) who have also reached the milestone. Historically, this is only the sixth time in KU history there have been three or more 1,000-point scorers on the same floor with all three having scored 1,000 points at that time and the first since 2004-05. Kansas and Oklahoma are the only two Big 12 schools that have three active players with 1,000 points or more. OU has senior Buddy Hield, senior Isaiah Cousins and junior Jordan Woodard.

SEASON – KU 1,000-POINT SCORERS
2015-16 – Ellis (1,602) / Selden (1,060) / Mason (1,001)
2004-05 – Langford (1,821) / Simien (1,593) / Miles (1,183)
2001-02 – Collison (1,395) / Boschee (1,560) / Gooden (1,526) / Hinrich (1,112)
1997-98 – LaFrentz (2,066) / Pierce (1,768) / Thomas (1,152)
1996-97 – LaFrentz (1,473) / Haase (1,264) / Pollard (1,209) / Vaughn (1,207)
1985-86 – Manning (1,149) / Thompson (1,548) / Kellogg (1,508) / Dreiling (1,209)

KANSAS vs. RANKED TEAMS
With its 76-72 win at No. 3/3 Oklahoma, Kansas improved to 6-3 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2015-16, including 3-0 versus top-10 foes. Six of those nine contests have been versus Big 12 members with KU having a 4-2 record. In the Bill Self era, Kansas is 70-37 against ranked opponents and has had a winning record against ranked foes each of the last 11 seasons. In 2014-15 KU played an all-time high 16 games vs. ranked foes and its 10 wins last year were also a season best.

ELLIS NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
Senior F Perry Ellis is one of 10 finalists for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award®. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 men’s candidates announced in January. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online through March 21 at SeniorCLASSaward.com. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. KU’s Wayne Simien won the Senior CLASS Award in 2005.

DOMINATING DEFENSE
In Bill Self’s previous 12 seasons at Kansas, the Jayhawks have led the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense eight times and finished no lower than fourth. Nationally, Self-coached Jayhawks have ranked eighth or higher in all but two seasons in field goal percentage defense and have ranked in the top five on eight occasions, including first in 2005-06 and 2011-12.

UP NEXT
Kansas will return home to host Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. on ESPN. Kansas will then travel to Texas for an ESPN Big Monday matchup on Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. Kansas will then host Iowa State on Saturday, March 5 to close out the regular season.

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