Big 12 Play Heats Up With Texas On Tuesday
Jan. 2, 2006
Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader Kansas Jayhawks vs. Texas Longhorns
Game #12 – Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006 – 6:05 p.m. – Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Live video streaming, Gametracker and post-game results will be available on Kansas Athletics’ official website, kuathletics.com. Radio
Jayhawk Radio Network. Nate Bukaty (play-by-play), Brian Hanni (color).
Television
CSTV. Ann Schatz (play-by-play), Debbie Antonelli (color). Produced by Metro Sports.
Records
Kansas is 11-0 to open the season. Texas is 6-4, and is coming off a loss at Rutgers.
Rankings
Kansas is receiving votes in the Jan. 2 Associated Press poll. Texas is ranked No. 23 by the AP (coaches n/a).
Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 23-16 in her second year at Kansas and 181-78 in her ninth season overall. The
Longhorns are coached by Jody Conradt, who is 758-220 in her 30th year at Texas and 875-282 in her 37th year as a head coach overall.
Series History
Texas leads the all-time series 10-5 and has won the last six meetings. In Lawrence, the series is tied 3-3. Texas leads 7-5 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference.
Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas is 11-0 for the first time in school history. The Jayhawks have never won 12-straight at any point of a season in program history.
– Kansas is averaging 76.0 points per game this year and has scored at least 70 points in 10 of 11 games. Last year, the Jayhawks reached 70 points only four times, and averaged 58.0 for the season.
– The Jayhawks are one of seven remaining undefeated teams in the country. The other six teams include the top five in the national polls — Tennessee, Baylor, Duke, LSU and North Carolina, and Bonnie Henrickson’s former school Virginia Tech.
– Kansas’ starting five has played 82 percent of the available minutes in the last five games.
– Kansas has lost its last six conference openers. This marks the third-straight year KU opens with UT.
– Kansas plays away from Allen Fieldhouse for the first time this Saturday, Jan. 7, when it plays Nebraska at 7 p.m. in the Devaney Center on Fox Sports Net-Midwest.
The Matchup
Big 12 Conference play kicks off on Tuesday, Jan. 3 as the University of Kansas and the nationally-ranked University of Texas square off in the league opener for both squads in Allen Fieldhouse. The game will tip off at 6:05 p.m. and will be televised nationally on CSTV.
One of seven undefeated teams in the country, Kansas (11-0) is coming off its first perfect non-conference slate in school history. Texas (6-4) enters the game after falling at No. 9 Rutgers on Dec. 30.
Kansas picked up its historic 11th victory on Dec. 30 by defeating La Salle 75-72. Senior Crystal Kemp posted game-highs of 25 points and nine boards, marking the fourth time in the last five games she has scored over 20 points. After sitting most of the first half with foul trouble, senior Erica Hallman sparked the Kansas effort by scoring seven of her 11 points in the final four minutes. Freshman Ivana Catic tied a career-high 16 points to go with five assists.
The Jayhawks are scoring at a pace not seen in Lawrence since the early 1990s, and are led by the senior trio of Kemp, Hallman and Kaylee Brown. Kemp averages 19.1 points per outing to go with 8.0 boards. Hallman and Brown chip in 15.2 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. Catic adds a steady 11.7 points per outing to go with a team-high 6.3 assists per game. KU averages 76.0 points as a team, while holding opponents to an average of 61.2.
Texas (6-4) has been a mainstay in the top-25 polls throughout the season. After falling to New Mexico in its season-opener, the remainder of the Longhorns losses have come to top-10 opponents Tennessee, Duke and Rutgers.
A young team, the Longhorns feature the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class which includes seven freshmen. Six of those freshmen rank among the team’s top eight scorers. Junior All-American candidate Tiffany Jackson leads the Longhorns with 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Freshman Erika Arriaran is also in double-figures with 11.8 ppg. UT averages 67.2 points while its opponents have tallied an average of 63.7.
The meeting is the 16th all-time between Kansas and Texas, with UT holding a 10-5 advantage. UT has won the last six meetings. In Lawrence, the series is knotted at three apiece.
The Longhorns are coached by 37-year coaching veteran Jody Conradt, who is 758-220 in her 30th year at Texas and 875-282 as a head coach overall.
Kansas is 3-6 all-time in Big 12 openers.
Game Promotions
Promotions for the game include Big Blue Night (free popcorn for fans wearing blue) and reduced ticket prices for fans with tickets stubs from either Kansas men vs. New Orleans or the women’s game versus La Salle. Halftime entertainment provided by the Bucket Boys.
More From The Last Game
Kansas defeated La Salle, 75-73, Friday, Dec. 30 at Allen Fieldhouse to remain undefeated at 11-0. A crowd of 4,025 – the second most ever to watch a non-conference game in Allen Fieldhouse – witnessed KU secure its school-record 11th straight victory to open the season.
Trailing by seven points with under four minutes remaining in the game, seniors Erica Hallman and Crystal Kemp carried the Jayhawks to victory, scoring 11 of KU’s final 13 points. Hallman gave KU the lead for good when she knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining. After LaSalle missed a jumper, Kemp was fouled and drilled two free-throws with 1.2 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Kemp finished the game with 25 points and nine rebounds while shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Hallman scored two points and played only seven minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls. The Covington, Ky., native responded in the second half to finish with nine points, including the go-ahead trey.
Freshman Ivana Catic tied a career high with 16 points including 6-of-6 from the charity stripe while also dishing out five assists and pulling down four rebounds. Catic and Kemp played all 40 minutes.
After trailing by as many as 10 points, La Salle battled back to take the lead with 3:05 remaining in the first half. KU eventually went into the locker room leading 38-37.
The Explorers shot 6-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc and 47 percent from the field during the game. Four La Salle players scored in double figures, led by Crista Ricketts’ 19 points. After scoring 13 points in the first half, KU held Ricketts to just six in the second stanza.
Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson, one the top young coaches in the nation, is in her second season at the helm of the Jayhawks. In her first year on the Kansas sidelines, Henrickson led KU to its best record in five seasons and highest Big 12 finish in six campaigns. Following the season, Henrickson was honored with the Carol Eckman Award — given by the WBCA to a coach who exemplifies spirit, integrity, and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose. Henrickson came to KU after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech where she compiled a record of 158-62 (.718). Her teams averaged 23 wins per season and advanced to postseason play all seven years including five NCAA appearances. Overall, the Willmar, Minn., native has been a part of postseason play in 11 of the last 12 seasons. She is 23-16 (.590) at KU and 181-78 (.699) in her career.
Jayhawk Starters
Kansas has used three different starting lineups in 11 games with sophomore forward Taylor McIntosh, senior forward Crystal Kemp, freshman point guard Ivana Catic and senior guard Kaylee Brown starting every game. Senior Erica Hallman (8 starts), junior Shaquina Mosley (2) and junior Sharita Smith (1) have all received starting nods at the third guard spot. Hallman has started the last eight games.
Today’s Opponent – Texas
Texas enters the game against Kansas on Tuesday, Jan. 3, with a 6-4 overall record after falling 63-49 at Rutgers on Dec. 30. Of UT’s four losses, three have come against top-10 opponents including Tennessee, Duke and Rutgers. The only other loss was the season-opener against New Mexico.
The Longhorns are a young team as six of their top eight scorers are freshmen. Junior All-American Tiffany Jackson is the centerpiece of the team and leads UT with 13.9 points and 7.7 boards per game.
Rookie Erika Arriaran is second on the team with 11.8 ppg to go with 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per outing.
Against Rutgers, UT was led by Arriaran with 13 points. Jackson chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes of action. The UT loss came after being outrebounded 38-25 and 20 Longhorn turnovers.
Kansas and Texas open up Big 12 play against each other for the third straight year. Last year in Austin, the Longhorns defeated the Jayhawks 66-51 on Jan. 5. Two years ago in Lawrence, UT won 73-54 on Jan. 7.
Last year, Texas ended the season 22-9 overall and 13-3 in the Big 12 for second place.
The Longhorns are coached by Jody Conradt, who is 758-220 in her 30th year at UT and 875-282 in her 37th year as a head coach overall. Conradt is searching for her 876th career victory which would tie her with legendary coach and Kansas graduate Adolph Rupp for the No. 3 spot in all-time college basketball victories – men or women. She needs four victories to catch another KU grad — Dean Smith — for the No. 2 spot.
Kansas/Texas Notes
Kansas and Texas are meeting for the 16th time in history. Prior to the inception of the Big 12 Conference the two teams faced off three times — all Texas wins. After the inception of the Big 12, KU won five of the first six meetings, before UT won the last six. Texas features a pair of Kansas City players in senior Tamra Cobbins (Schlagle HS, KCK) and sophomore Erneisha Bailey (Pembroke Hill HS, KCMO). Kansas sophomore Sharita Smith is a native of Dallas, Texas, while senior Crystal Kemp was also born in Dallas.
A Kansas Win Would
Make the Jayhawks 12-0 to start the season, extending KU’s already school-best season start … Give Kansas its first win in a conference opener since 1999-2000 when KU defeated K-State in its first Big 12 contest of that season … Give the Jayhawks their first 12-game winning streak in the history of the program … Make KU 6-10 all-time against Texas … Snap a six-game losing streak to the Longhorns … Make the Jayhawks 12-0 at home this season … Improve head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record to 24-16 at Kansas and 182-78 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 621-414 all-time.
A Kansas Loss Would
Make the Jayhawks 11-1 to start the season … Halt KU’s 11-game winning streak … Make KU 5-11 all-time against Texas … Extend UT’s winning streak over KU to seven … Mark Kansas’ sixth-straight loss in Big 12 openers … Make the Jayhawks 11-1 at home this season … Make head coach Bonnie Henrickson’s record 23-17 at Kansas and 181-79 in her career … Make the Jayhawks 620-415 all-time.
11-0
With a 75-72 win over La Salle on Dec. 30, Kansas did something it had never done before by starting a season 11-0 and finishing the non-conference part of the schedule undefeated. The perfect start surpassed the 1991-92 team which went 10-0 before becoming the first of nine straight Jayhawk teams to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Through games of Jan. 1, Kansas joins Tennessee (12-0), Baylor (10-0), North Carolina (13-0), Duke (10-0), LSU (11-0) and Virginia Tech (12-0) as the only teams in the country undefeated.
Offensive Explosion
Kansas has scored 70 or more points in 10 of 11 games and averages 76.0 per outing. Last year, the Jayhawks reached 70 points only four times all season. The last time KU averaged 70 or more points for an entire season was 1999-2000 when the team averaged 70.4. KU’s high scoring game this year came when the squad scored 100 points against New Orleans on Dec. 3. It marked the first time since Dec. 21, 2000 — when KU outscored Mississippi Valley State 116-34 — that Kansas reached 100 points. KU also reached 90 points against Wisconsin — marking the first time in six seasons Kansas scored 90 twice in one season.
Sharing Is Fun
The Jayhawks have passed out 197 assists and made 314 field goals, or an assist for every 1.59 field goals made. KU’s 17.91 assists per game ranks third in the Big 12 behind Kansas State (18.73) and Oklahoma State (18.55). Additionally, KU has only turned the ball over 136 times for a Big 12-leading assist/turnover ratio of 1.45. Kansas has finished a season with a positive assist/turnover ratio only once, in 1986-87, when the team sported a ratio of 1.18.
Attendance Boost
The Jayhawks have enjoyed season-highs in attendance in the last two games. The crowd of 4,025 against La Salle ranked as the second-most in school history for a non-conference game, while the Pepperdine attendance of 3,622 ranked third. The record for a non-conference home game is 7,850 on Dec. 18, 1994 during a “Fill The Fieldhouse” event when admission was free.
Kemp Among KU’s All-Time Elite
Junior Crystal Kemp became the 18th player in KU history to reach 1,000 career points when she hit a jumper from the right wing with 18:13 on the clock in first half against Texas Tech last season. Against Birmingham-Southern this year, the Topeka, Kan., native collected her 600th career rebound. She is now the eighth player in KU history to accumulate over 1,200 points and 600 career boards. She continues to move up both career lists as she ranks among the top players to ever don the Crimson & Blue. She is just 10 points away from reaching the 1,300 point plateau.
This & That
– KU trailed by as many as 18 points against Wisconsin. The 14-point halftime comeback for the victory tied for the third-biggest halftime comeback in program history.
– Kaylee Brown ranks fourth on the KU career free throw percentage at 77 percent (57-74).
– The Jayhawks have seven 20+ scoring games this year as Crystal Kemp has five and Erica Hallman has two. Kemp has four 20+ games in the last five outings.
– Kemp reached 500 career made field goals against Pepperdine. Her current total of 511 ranks 10th on the all-time KU list.
– Hallman is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game in the last five outings.
– Kemp has played all but four minutes in the last five games, logging 49, 40, 39, 38 and 40 minutes.
– Kansas continues to lead the Big 12 in three-point shooting accuracy at a clip of 40.0 percent, although the Jayhawks have cooled from behind the arc hitting just 32.1 percent (27-84) over the last six games.
– The Jayhawks went undefeated in non-conference play for the first time in school history.
No Place Like Home
Kansas plays an unprecedented 21 games in Allen Fieldhouse this season including two exhibition contests, all 11 non-conference matchups and eight Big 12 games. The Jayhawks will not play away from Lawrence until this Saturday when KU plays at Nebraska on Jan. 7. KU was originally scheduled to play in the UNO Lady Privateer Tournament in New Orleans on Dec. 2-3, but those games were moved to Lawrence as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Serbian Sensations
Kansas welcomes the addition of two international players in 2005-06 with the addition of freshmen Ivana Catic and Marija Zinic — both natives of Serbia & Montenegro. The duo has extensive experience playing together on various teams in their home country. The pair bring Kansas’ all-time list of international players to eight. Other international players to suit up for KU include Bente Dahl (Oslo, Norway – 1985), Sandra de Bruin (Beetgum, Holland – 1990), Suzi Raymant (Melbourne, Australia – 1996-2000), Fernanda Bosi (Americana, Brazil – 2000-01), Leila Mengüç (Stockholm, Sweden – 2000-04) and Valerie Migicovsky (North Bay, Ontario – 2001-03).
Kansas Inks Seven For `06-’07
Kansas signed seven recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Below is a quick look at those seven commitments for next season.
Player (position, height, hometown – high school)
Lindsay Ballweg (guard, 5-10, Overland Park, Kan. – St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Rebecca Feickert (forward/center, 6-2, Goodrich, N.D. – Sheridan County HS)
LaChelda Jacobs (guard, 5-10, Mansfield, Texas – Mansfield Summit HS)
Kelly Kohn (guard, 5-9, Adrian, Mich. – Adrian HS)
Danielle McCray (forward, 6-0, Olathe, Kan. – Olathe East HS)
Sade Morris (forward, 6-0, Norman, Okla. – Norman HS)
Porscha Weddington (forward, 6-1, Temple, Texas – Temple HS)
Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
In the only official poll conducted this season, Baylor was picked by the Big 12 Conference coaches to win the Big 12 Championship again in 2005-06. The Lady Bears received six first place votes, while Texas received two first place nods and Texas Tech got four votes for first place. The coaches believe Kansas will be better this season as the Jayhawks were selected to finish sixth (after finishing eighth last season). The only Big 12 North team picked higher than KU was Nebraska, who was picked fifth.
Kemp Named Big 12 Player of the Week
Senior Crystal Kemp was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week by a media voting panel for games played Dec. 5-11. A Topeka, Kan., native, Kemp posted a double-double with a career-high 28 points to go with 11 rebounds, one steal, one block and one assist while playing a career-high 49 minutes in KU’s double overtime win over Wisconsin. She led KU to a come-from-behind win after trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half. Twenty of Kemp’s points came in the second half or overtime periods including a crucial three-point play plus another free throw in the final minutes of the game. For the week, she averaged 22 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line. She became the first KU player to receive a Player of the Week honor since Lynn Pride on Jan. 3, 2000.
Mosley Tabbed Preseason Big 12 Rookie of the Year
Junior transfer Shaquina Mosley was named the Preseason Newcomer of the Year in a vote of the Big 12 women’s basketball coaches released Oct. 18 by the conference office. A 5-6 junior guard, Mosley transferred to Kansas from Central Arizona Community College. She led her team to the NJCAA national championship last year while being named the 2005 WBCA Junior College/Community College Player of the Year.
Kemp Chosen Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Senior Crystal Kemp was selected as a preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention pick by a vote of the league coaches as released on Oct. 18. Last season, Kemp was named postseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after leading the Jayhawks with 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
An All-Star Staff
Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines are assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy and Katie O’Connor. Also on staff is director of operations Trena Anderson and administrative assistant Katie Capps. Lange, O’Connor and Anderson followed Henrickson from Virginia Tech, while Elzy and Capps both joined KU from Western Kentucky. Prior to WKU, Elzy also worked as an administrative assistant for Henrickson at Virginia Tech. At an average age of less than 29 years old, Henrickson’s three assistant coaches (Lange, Elzy, O’Connor) have already been part of a combined 19 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours and two National Championships, combined.
27 Games On TV
With 27 games on the tube, KU’s television package in 2005-06 is the finest in school history and among the very best in the nation for any men’s or women’s team. In fact, other than the Kansas men, no other Big 12 team will play more games on television this season. The next closest team in the league is Texas Tech with 21, followed by Texas (16), Oklahoma (13), Baylor (11), Nebraska (10), Kansas State (9), Colorado (9), Iowa State (7), Missouri (6), Texas A&M (5) and Oklahoma State (4). The only two KU games not on TV are at Texas Tech and at Oklahoma. Overall, KU plays two games on Fox Sports Net, three games on FSN regional television and three contests on CSTV. Locally, 14 games will be produced and aired by Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, and five contests will be produced by Metro Sports of Kansas City.
Increased Radio Coverage
The Jayhawk Radio Network has improved its coverage over the past two seasons. Stations carrying the Jayhawks include KLWN 1320-AM in Lawrence, KWIC 99.3-FM in Topeka, KFH 98.7-FM in Wichita and KXTR-1660-AM in Kansas City.
11-0 Not A Bonnie Best
Kansas’ 11-0 start is not Bonnie Henrickson’s best career start. Her 1998-99 Virginia Tech team won 18 straight to open the season, and her last Hokie team in 2003-04 rattled off 12.
Up Next For KU
Kansas goes on the road for the first time this season to face the University of Nebraska on Saturday, Jan. 7 in Lincoln, Neb. Game time is 7:05 p.m. from the Devaney Center. Jayhawk fans can listen to the broadcast on all Jayhawk Radio Network stations, in addition to watching live on Fox Sports Net-Midwest. The game will be a battle of the top two Big 12 North teams as predicted in the preseason poll by the league’s coaches. Kansas leads the all-time series 44-22, although the Cornhuskers hold a 14-13 advantage in Lincoln.
