Kansas Men's Basketball to Open Big 12 Play Against Texas A&M

Jan. 4, 2005

Texas A&M Aggies (11-0) vs. #2 Kansas Jayhawks (9-0)

Game 10 – Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 – 8:06 p.m. – Lawrence, Kan. – Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) – ESPN Regional TV

Kansas welcomes Texas A&M to Allen Fieldhouse tonight for its Big 12 Conference opener. The Jayhawks enter the match-up 9-0 after defeating No. 9 Georgia Tech 70-68 in overtime, while the Aggies are 11-0 after their first road win of the season 64-62 at Penn State Jan. 2. Something will have to give as KU and A&M are the only two undefeated Big 12 teams remaining. The Jayhawks have won 13 straight conference-opening games, dating back to an 88-82 loss at Oklahoma on Jan. 8, 1991. Texas A&M has lost its last nine league openers.

About Kansas

No. 2 Kansas is 9-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season after its 70-68 overtime win against No. 9 Georgia Tech on New Years Day. KU has been ranked in the top two nationally the entire season. In their last two home games, the Jayhawks have shown resiliency as they have overcome double-digit deficits – 11-0 to South Carolina and 27-11 to Georgia Tech. KU has out shot eight of nine opponents this season and is averaging 80.1 points per game. Kansas is giving up 61 points per contest. With senior Wayne Simien out four to six weeks due to injury, senior Keith Langford is the active scoring leader at 15.6 points per game, while sophomore J.R. Giddens is at 11.1 ppg. Senior Aaron Miles is scoring 9.1 points per game and leads the league with 7.8 assists per contest. Junior Christian Moody is averaging 6.1 points and is second on the team with 5.2 rebounds per game. Simien leads KU with 17.4 points and 12 rebounds per contest. Simien is the only player in the Big 12 who is averaging a double-double.

Kansas Head Coach Bill Self

Kansas coach Bill Self is 33-9 in his second season at KU and 240-114 in his 12th season overall. Last year, KU posted a 24-9 record and finished tied for second in the Big 12 race at 12-4. KU advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, falling to Georgia Tech in overtime, 79-71. Self’s 24 victories tied Dick Harp for the most wins by a KU coach in his debut season at Kansas. Prior to KU, Self led Illinois to two Big Ten titles and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Before Illinois, he guided Tulsa to two WAC championships in 1999 and 2000 and was The Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2000. A four-time Naismith Coach of the Year Award finalist, Self began his coaching career at KU in 1985-86 and was an assistant at his alma mater – Oklahoma State – from 1986 until 1993. His first head coaching stint was at Oral Roberts where he guided the Golden Eagles to the NIT in 1996-97, their first postseason appearance since 1983-84. Self is 1-2 against Texas A&M. His win was last season – 71-65 at College Station.

Last Game – Kansas 70, Georgia Tech 68 (overtime)

No. 2 Kansas overcame its biggest deficit of the season to beat No. 9 Georgia Tech 70-68 in overtime, Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. Senior guard Keith Langford nailed a fall-away jumper with 3.3 seconds remaining for the victory. Langford led KU with 18 points after scoring 16 in the second half. Sophomore guard J.R. Giddens added 16 points, while senior guard Aaron Miles connected on 4-of-5 three-point shots to collect 14 points. It was another milestone day for Miles, as just 10 days after setting the Big 12 record for career assists, Miles became KU’s all-time assist leader. He recorded a game-high eight assists against Tech and currently has 808 assists in his career. Georgia Tech jumped out the gates quickly to grab an 18-4 advantage and led by as much as 16 points – 27-11. The Jayhawks narrowed the Yellow Jacket lead to 34-27 at the break. The Jayhawks hit seven second half three pointers to keep the game close. Langford nailed a three with 1:34 remaining for the first tie of the game. The Jayhawks had a chance to win the contest at the end of regulation, but Langford’s shot fell just short. The lead changed hands three times during the overtime period. After a Langford jumper gave the Jayawks a slim one-point advantage with 44 seconds left in OT, Georgia Tech’s Isma’il Muhammad connected on 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game 68-68. With the shot clock off, Langford took the game into his hands and hit the winning shot from just inside the free throw line.

KU-Tech Leftovers

This marked the 100th overtime game in Kansas history. The Jayhawks are 50-50 in OT contests…KU’s two-point win was its narrowest this season…Freshman C.J. Giles made his first career start, and became the first Jayhawk other than Christian Moody to jump center this season…Sophomore J.R. Giddens has made at least one three-pointer in every game this season, and three or more from beyond the arc five times…Senior Aaron Miles moved into sole possession of eighth place all-time at KU with his 116th career start…Senior Keith Langford has played and scored in all 117 games at Kansas…KU’s 1-of-2 free throw shooting in the first half marked the fewest made and attempted since the Jayhawks did not attempt a free throw versus Fort Hays State on Dec. 10, 2003. KU finished the game 4-of-10 from the line. The four made free throws were the fewest since KU made four against Arizona on Jan. 25, 2003…Langford’s 18 points moved his career total to 1,548 which ties Calvin Thompson for 13th place on the all-time KU scoring list…Freshman Alex Galindo recorded career-highs with seven rebounds…Miles’ 11 field goal attempts marked his season high. He connected for a career-high four three-pointers made…Giddens’ tied his season-high with 16 points (also done vs. Louisiana-Lafayette). Giddens’ tied his career-high with 40 minutes played…Junior Christian Moody tied a career-high 10 rebounds (also done vs. TCU) and set a career-high with 32 minutes played…KU’s 12 three-point field goals tied a season-high (also done vs. Louisiana-Lafayette)…KU is now 2-0 when trailing at halftime this season.

About Texas A&M

Texas A&M is 11-0 following its 64-62 win at Penn State Jan. 2. The last time A&M started 11-0 was in 1919-20, when it went on to finish 19-0. The last time A&M had an 11-game winning streak was in 1921-22. The Aggies average 82.5 points and allow 56.6 per contest. Junior Antoine Wright leads the team in scoring at 18 points per game. He is second on the team with a 6.4 rebounding average. Sophomore Acie Law IV is next in scoring at 13.5 points per game. Law leads Texas A&M in assists with 66. Freshman Joseph Jones is also averaging double digits with 12.1 points per contest. Jones leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game.

Texas A&M Coach Billy Gillispie

First year Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie worked as an assistant under Kansas head coach Bill Self at Tulsa from 1997-00 and at Illinois from 2000-02 before taking his first head coaching job at UTEP in 2002. In his first season at UTEP, the Miners finished just 6-24, but rebounded to win the Western Athletic Conference championship and post a 24-8 record last year. Gillispie is 41-32 overall and 11-0 at Texas A&M. He has matched the record start by an A&M coach – 11-0 by Tubby Graves in 1915-16.

The Series

Kansas has won all nine meetings with Texas A&M, which includes going 8-0 against the Aggies since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97. The series dates back to 1967 when Kansas defeated the Aggies 78-52 at the Sunflower Double-Header in Manhattan, Kan. The Jayhawks and Aggies have met four times in Allen Fieldhouse and KU has won those match-ups by an average of 34.3 points. Texas A&M’s last visit to Allen Fieldhouse was Feb. 26, 2003. KU’s 85-45 win that day was the largest in the series. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 1-2 all-time vs. the Aggies, losing both match-ups with Texas A&M prior to coming to Kansas. Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie has never faced Kansas in his coaching career.

Connections

Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie was an assistant coach under Kansas’ Bill Self on two occasions, at Tulsa from 1997-00 and at Illinois from 2000-02 … Both teams feature a player that hails from Puerto Rico, for Kansas — Alex Galindo and for Texas A&M — Luis Clemente … Both teams also feature assistant coaches who were at one time the associate head coach at Colorado State — KU’s Tim Jankovich (1987-91) and A&M’s Buzz Williams (2003-04).

The Last Meeting – Jan. 17, 2004 – KU 71, Texas A&M 65 – at College Station, Texas

The 14th ranked Jayhawks entered Reed Arena with a 10-2 record on the season and shot a season high 60% (6-10) from three point range to seal the win. KU put four players in double figures led by Keith Langford’s 21 points. Freshman J.R. Giddens added 14 points and Aaron Miles recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 assists. Antoine Wright paced the Aggies with 25 points.

KU Seniors Headlines

Here are some headlines of the current Kansas senior class – Keith Langford, Michael Lee, Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien:

-Kansas’ record 96-21 (82.1 winning percentage).

-Two Final Four appearances (2002, 2003).

-NCAA Runner-Up in 2003.

-Three NCAA Tournament Elite Eights (2002, 2003, 2004).

-Two Big 12 Championships (2002 – 16-0, 2003 – 14-2).

-Has been ranked in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll 42 times, including No. 1 on seven occasions and in the top five 30 times.

KU — Dominant in Big 12 Play

Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in the 1996-97 season, Kansas has been the dominating force in the league. KU is the only league team to have won more than 100 games in regular season play. The Jayhawks are 106-22 which is 17 more wins than the next team on that list, Texas (89-39). In addition, the Jayhawks have won four of the eight regular-season Big 12 titles and KU won the first three Big 12 Tournament crowns.

Miles Shatters Kansas Assists Record

With his eight assists against Georgia Tech KU senior Aaron Miles became the school’s all-time assists leader – currently at 808 – passing Jacque Vaughn’s (1994-97) 804. Against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 22, Miles became the Big 12’s career assists leader surpassing Oklahoma State’s Doug Gottlieb (793). Miles has had seven or more assists in eight of nine games this season. His season high was 10 assists against Nevada and he leads the Big 12 with 7.8 assists per game. He needs 192 assists to become the fourth player in NCAA Division I history to amass 1,000 for his career. He also leads the team in steals with 20 on the year. In addition Miles has 116 starts which is eighth on Kansas’ career list.

Langford Still Rolling

Senior Keith Langford is averaging 18.6 points in his last six games and is shooting 51.9 percent (41-for-71) from the field in that span. The Fort Worth, Texas, guard was the go-to guy against Georgia Tech as he scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and overtime, made 10 points in the final 2:46 of regulation and overtime and drained the game-winner with 3.3 seconds remaining in OT. For his efforts Langford was named the ESPN.com National Player of the Week and the co-Big 12 Player of the Week with Texas’ P.J. Tucker. Langford has three games with 20 or more points, all within the last six games, including 21 against UW-Milwaukee. He had a season-high 24 points in 23 minutes versus Louisiana-Lafayette. In the TCU win, Langford had 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. A preseason Wooden and Naismith awards watch lists selection, Langford had 21 points versus Pacific with career-high seven assists. Against South Carolina, Langford became the 16th player in KU history to score 1,500 points in his career. He currently ranks tied for 13th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,548 points.

Moody Making Mark

Junior walk-on Christian Moody has been in the starting line up since the first game of the season. The Asheville, N.C., forward is shooting 63.9 percent (23-for-36) from the field which includes 9-for-12 (75 percent in his last three games. Twice, Moody has pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds this season, including his last outing against Georgia Tech. Against TCU, he produced his first double-double with career-highs in points (10) and rebounds (10). His second assist of the game was a blind kick out to a J.R. Giddens’ three-pointer that ended up on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 list. Moody has pulled down six or more rebounds four times this season. He is averaging 21.6 minutes, 6.1 points and is second on the team with 5.2 rebounds per game in 2004-05. Last year, he averaged seven minutes, 1.4 points and one rebound in 25 games for KU.

J.R. Finding Touch

Sophomore J.R. Giddens is finding his touch. The Oklahoma City guard has made three or more three-pointers in four of his last five games, including four against Georgia Tech. Last year, he turned that trick 14 times. In only his second season, Giddens has 97 career threes and is 29 three-pointers from cracking the KU career Top 10 list. Giddens is also performing well on both ends as he has 11 steals this season.

Robinson Earning Time

Freshman Russell Robinson has played 17 or more minutes in each of his last three games. The New York City guard scored 12 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee which included two three pointers. He was a clutch performer against South Carolina as he made his lone field goal and two free throws in the final 38 seconds in the 64-60 win. He earned ESPN.com Freshman of the Week honors for his efforts against USC. Robinson is shooting 47.2 percent from the field (25-for-53) and is averaging 7.4 points per contest. He is second on the team with 12 steals and has at least one steal in eight of nine games this year.

Status of Simien’s Thumb

Senior Wayne Simien underwent surgery on his left thumb Dec. 20, which he injured in the second half of the South Carolina contest. He is expected to be out four to six weeks, according to head coach Bill Self. He did return in the second half against USC to record his sixth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Simien Steady

Senior Wayne Simien has shot 50 percent or better in six of seven games this season. The Leavenworth, Kan., forward has four games with 20 points or more this year and leads the Big 12 with six double-doubles. In his first two games this season, Simien recorded a double-double in each of the first halves. Against Vermont, he had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. His 25 points and 14 rebounds for the game earned Simien Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Against Saint Joseph’s, Simien had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the opening half. Simien has 28 career double-doubles, which is fifth on the KU career chart and tied for ninth (James Thomas of Texas) on the Big 12 all-time list.

Kansas Quick Hits

-Tip time for the Kansas at Kentucky game has been set for 3:30 p.m. (Central) on CBS.

-KU has held all nine opponents to under 50 percent shooting this season. Additionally, the Jayhawks have out shot all but one opponent in 2004-05.

-Last season, Kansas was 0-8 when trailing with 5:00 remaining. The Jayhawks have already bucked that trend twice this season as Vermont held a 58-56 lead at the 5:00 mark in KU’s 68-61 season-opening win and Georgia Tech was up 57-51 in the Jayhawks’ 70-68 overtime victory.

-Kansas is 143-7 (95.3 percent) in Allen Fieldhouse over the past 11 seasons. Included in that run are five undefeated seasons – 14-0 in 1994-95; 13-0 in 1995-96; 15-0 in 1996-97; 16-0 in 1997-98; and 13-0 in 2001-02.

-In two wins this season, Kansas has overcome 11-point or greater deficits twice – 27-11 agaisnt Georgia Tech and 11-0 versus South Carolina.

-The Jayhawks have outrebounded eight of nine opponents this season.

-Kansas has registered 10 or more steals in five of nine games this season. Last year, KU had seven games with 10-plus steals.

-Against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kansas wore red uniforms for the first time this season. The Jayhawks are 4-0 when wearing red uniforms under head coach Bill Self.

KU Player Quick Hits

-Freshman Alex Galindo has pulled down a career high seven rebounds in his last two games – Georgia Tech and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Against UWM he scored a career-high 14 points in only 17 minutes. Galindo has made all seven of his three-point field goals in the last four games (which includes four seconds against South Carolina).

-Freshman C.J. Giles started his first game against Georgia Tech. He has six blocked shots in his last three games. He had two against Georgia Tech, three against South Carolina and one versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

-Freshman Darnell Jackson started the first game of his career against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Records, Milestones, Streaks to Watch

-Senior Aaron Miles is both the Kansas and Big 12 career assists leader, currently at 808. He passed KU great Jacque Vaughn (1994-97) on New Years Day against Georgia Tech for the school mark. In the previous game against UW-Milwaukee Miles surpassed the Big 12 record of 793 held by Doug Gottlieb of Oklahoma State (1998-2000).

-The Jayhawks have held their opponents under 100 points for 93 straight games. The last team to score 100 points on KU was Texas on Feb. 11, 2002.

-KU has hit at least one three-pointer in 155 straight games. Kansas last failed to hit a long ball in a loss to Texas in 2000.

-Miles is eighth on the all-time games started list at KU with 116. He is two from seventh spot.

-Miles’ next 10-assist game will pass Jacque Vaughn for the most career double-figure assist games at KU. Both stand atop the KU list with 18 games.

-Wayne Simien ranks 13th on the KU career rebound list at 681. Simien is 42 shy of the 12th spot.

-Keith Langford has played and scored in all of his 117 games while at Kansas.

Streak Stuff

Kansas enters the 2004-05 campaign with an impressive number of streaks intact:

-KU has claimed 13 straight wins in conference-openers. The Jayhawks’ last loss in a league-opener was to Oklahoma on Jan. 8, 1991.

-Kansas boasts a 21-game win streak on Senior Day. The last time KU lost its last home game of the season was a 60-58 defeat to Nebraska in 1983.

-KU, which went 24-9 last season, has won at least 20 games for 15 straight years.

-The Jayhawks have made 15 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The last time KU failed to participate in the Big Dance was in 1989 due to probation.

-Kansas has had success in the early stages of the NCAA Tournament, having won 21 straight first-round games. UCLA in 1978 is the last team to knock off the Jayhawks in the first round.

-Kansas has been to two NCAA Final Fours and won two Big 12 regular-season championships in the last three seasons.

In the Rankings

Kansas has been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 the entire season in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ polls. The Jayhawks entered the season No. 1 in both outlets which was the first time since 1956-57 in AP and since 1996-97 in the coaches’ poll. Under Bill Self, KU concluded the 2003-04 season No. 9 in the coaches’ poll (No. 16 by AP whose poll concludes prior to the NCAA Tournament).

Kansas Celebrating 50 Years of Allen Fieldhouse

Named in honor of the late Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, the Jayhawks’ head coach for 39 years, Allen Fieldhouse is labeled by many as one of the best places in America to watch a college basketball game. The Fieldhouse was dedicated on March 1, 1955, as the Jayhawks defeated Kansas State, 77-66, before an overflow throng of 17,228. This season, Allen Fieldhouse will celebrate its 50th year of existence. Ceremonies for the anniversary of the Fieldhouse are being planned around the March 2 game against Kansas State — the first opponent for KU in the facility.

Did You Know?

Kansas’ 47 conference titles are twice as many as the next highest Big 12 team – Texas with 23.

Up Next

Kansas heads to Kentucky for a CBS televised game on Sunday. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. (Central). Kentucky leads the overall series with KU 19-3 and the Wildcats have won the last three meetings with two of those in the NCAA Tournament.

KU Jersey Retirement Dates in 2004-05

Bill Bridges – December 9

Walt Wesley – December 18

Darnell Valentine – January 1

Bud Stallworth – January 31

Dave Robisch – February 27