No. 3 Kansas to Host UMKC in Men's Basketball Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Jan. 4, 2011
Kansas notes for UMKC in PDF Format 
Jayhawks vs. Kangaroos
No. 3 Kansas concludes its home portion of the non-conference schedule for 2010-11 playing host to UMKC on Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. (Central) on Jayhawk TV and ESPN Full Court. Kansas is 13-0 for the second straight season after its 83-56 win against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 2. KU has the nation’s longest active home court winning streak at 67 games. UMKC is 8-6 on the season and will be playing its first game of the 2011 calendar year.
About Kansas
Kansas improved to 13-0 on the season after its 83-56 win against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 2. The Jayhawks are one of seven teams in NCAA Division I to remain undefeated as of Jan. 2. Kansas averages 84.5 points and gives up 60.2 for a +24.3 scoring margin. KU also leads the battle of the boards with a +9.8 rebound margin, including a 46-17 (+29) rebound advantage in the Miami game on Jan. 2. Junior forward Marcus Morris leads Kansas in scoring at 15.5 points per game. He leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 60.5 percent and his 6.0 rebounds per game are third best on the team. Freshman guard Josh Selby has played four games this season and he is scoring 14.8 points and averages three three-pointers made per contest. He had 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc against Miami. Marcus Morris’ twin, Markieff, a junior forward, has three double-doubles in his last five games, including 20 points and 10 rebounds against Miami and leads the Big 12 in rebounding with 8.8 boards per game. Markieff is averaging 13.6 points per game. Sophomore Thomas Robinson had a career-high 20 points against UT Arlington (Dec. 29) to go with 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Robinson scores 9.8 points per game and is second on the team with 6.9 rebounds per contest. Junior Tyshawn Taylor scores 9.2 points per game and ranks among the Big 12 leaders in assists with 5.4 per contest. Senior guard Tyrel Reed leads KU with 21 three-point field goals made this season. He averages 9.1 points per game and is 21-for-23 (91.3 percent) from the free throw line. Senior guard Brady Morningstar leads the team with 23 steals, three ahead of Taylor. Morningstar has 29 assists and is scoring 4.7 points per game. Other KU contributors include sophomore guard Travis Releford (5.6 ppg with four starts), sophomore guard Elijah Johnson (4.8 ppg and has 30 assists) and sophomore center Jeff Withey (2.7 ppg and started against Miami). Withey, Markieff Morris and Robinson are tied for the team lead with 14 blocked shots this year.
About UMKC
UMKC, with an enrollment of 14,221, is located in Kansas City, Mo., and 46 miles from Allen Fieldhouse. The Kangaroos are 8-6 on the season and 1-3 in Summit League play after their 91-71 loss to South Dakota State on Dec. 30 in Kansas City. UMKC, 7-1 at home and 1-5 in road games, averages 68.6 points and 34.9 rebounds per game. Senior forward Jay Couisnard leads the team in scoring with 15.9 points per game. He leads UMKC with 15 blocked shots and is second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per contest and 17 steals. Senior forward Spencer Johnson leads the Kangroos in rebounds with 9.8 boards per game. He averages 12.1 points per contest and is second on the team with 24 three-pointers made, two ahead of junior guard Reggie Chamberlain’s team-high of 26. Chamberlain scores 11 points per game and is making 80 percent of his free throws. Senior guard Bakari Lewis has made 20 three-pointers and is averaging 9.5 points per game, while freshman forward Trinity Hall (8.7 ppg) rounds out the UMKC starters. Junior forward/center Bernard Kamwa (3.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 12 starts), sophomore forward Max Rockman (3.1 ppg), junior guard Michael Gholston, Jr. (2.7 ppg) and junior guard Dustin Dibble (2.2 ppg) round out the UMKC regulars as each average 10-plus minutes per contest.
The KU-UMKC Series
Kansas has won all five meetings with UMKC, with the last meeting during the 2008-09 season, a KU 71-56 win in Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 16, 2008. The Jayhawks defeated the Kangaroos 85-62 the previous season (Nov. 11, 2007). The 2008 box score is elsewhere in this release, while current Jayhawk Tyrel Reed played nine minutes and was 0-1 with no points in the 2007 meeting. This series dates back to 1992. The Jayhawks defeated the Kangaroos 108-62 in Kemper Arena in 1992 in the Golden Harvest Classic in their first meeting. KU later faced UMKC in back-to-back seasons with a 79-68 win on Dec. 28, 2001, in Allen Fieldhouse and a 100-46 victory at Kemper Arena on Jan. 4, 2003.
Like Father, Like Son
Kansas veteran play-by-play announcer Bob Davis and son Steven Davis will both be on the radio broadcast when Kansas faces UMKC. Bob is in his 27th year calling play-by-play for Kansas football and basketball and 43rd season overall in the broadcast booth. Bob also serves as host for the weekly radio call-in program – HawkTalk, featuring the Jayhawk football and basketball coaches. A 2005 KU graduate, Steven is in his third season of play-by-play for UMKC. He is also the voice for the Kansas City Royals Double-A affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Professional Baseball Club, in Springdale, Ark. Prior to his current post, Steven also called play-by-play for Kansas women’s basketball for both the TV and radio broadcasts from 2005-08. He was a KU men’s basketball student manager for four years as an undergrad. This is not the only time the Davis duo has called the same game. Steven called for the Kangaroos in the 2008 KU-UMKC match up and he subbed in for the Idaho State radio play-by-play spot when the Bengals came to Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 18, 2005.
Team Notables
–At 13-0, Kansas is one of seven teams in NCAA Division I that remain undefeated as of Jan. 2. Other undefeated teams include Syracuse (15-0), Cincinnati (14-0), Ohio State (14-0), Duke (12-0), Central Florida (13-0) and San Diego State (15-0).
–Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+24.3), field goal percentage (53.5), 3-point field goal percentage (40.0), 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.4), assists (18.9) and blocked shots (5.6).
–Kansas has outrebounded 11 of 13 opponents this season, including its last six.
–KU has outshot all but one team this season (USC on Dec. 18).
–Kansas’ bench averages 34.3 points compared to its opponents’ 19.5 ppg.
–KU is 1-0 against ranked foes this season with its win against No. 13/14 Memphis (Dec. 7) in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
–Kansas’ 57-point win against Ohio (98-41) in the Las Vegas Invitational was the third-largest margin of victory in the Bill Self era and the largest in a game away from Allen Fieldhouse under Self.
–Kansas ended the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series with a 3-1 record (1-1 vs. Arizona, 2-0 vs. UCLA).
–KU went 4-0 against Pac-10 opponents this season.
–Kansas has won 42-straight home games against non-conference competition.
–Kansas men’s basketball (13-0) and women’s basketball (13-1) are a combined 26-1 in 2010-11.
Individual Notables
–Junior Marcus Morris leads the Big 12 in shooting percentage at 60.5 percent. Marcus has led Kansas in scoring five times this season and has scored in double figures in all but two games. His 15.5 scoring average is ninth in the conference. He has led KU in every stat at least once this season. Marcus, who was named Big 12 Player of the Week Nov. 29, has three games of 20-plus points in 2010-11. He is 18th in the Big 12 in rebounding at 6.0 rpg.
–Junior Markieff Morris, twin of Marcus, has two double-doubles in the last three games after his 20 points and 10 rebounds against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 2. He has five double-doubles for the season. Markieff had a career-high 21 points with 10 rebounds at California (Dec. 22). Named Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 27, Markieff leads the conference with an 8.8 rebound average, is 15th in scoring at 13.6 ppg, fourth in field goal percentage at 55.9 and 13th in free throw percentage at 74.0 percent. Markieff has pulled down eight-plus boards in nine games this season and has been the leading rebounder for KU in eight of 13 games.
–Senior Tyrel Reed is the only Jayhawk to have started every game this season. He leads Kansas with 21 three-pointers and a 91.3 (21-of-23) free throw percentage. Reed had career-highs in points with 18 and rebounds with seven at California (Dec. 22). Reed is averaging 9.1 ppg on the season. One of 30 nominees for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award who graduated from KU in December and has already been accepted into KU Medicine’s physical therapy school. Reed is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection and will be nominated for Academic All-American for the third straight year in 2010-11.
–Freshman Josh Selby is second on the team with a 14.8 scoring average after his 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 4-for-5 from three-point range, against Miami (Ohio). He had season highs with seven rebounds and five assists against the RedHawks. Selby is 9-for-10 from the free throw line in 2010-11. Selby’s career debut saw the guard score a team-high 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range against USC (Dec. 18). His final three-pointer against USC came with 26 seconds remaining to give KU a 69-68 lead in the 70-68 win. For his efforts against USC, Selby was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 20).
–Sophomore Thomas Robinson has started each of the last two games. In his first start against UT Arlington (Dec. 29) he had a career-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting. His 10 rebounds against the Mavericks gave him his second double-double of the season. In his last five games, Robinson is 22-for-32 (68.9 percent) from the field. Robinson has pulled down 10 rebounds in five games this season, including two of the last three contests. Robinson is tied with Markieff Morris for the team lead with 17 dunks this season. He averages 9.8 points per game in 2010-11, while his 6.9 rebounds are 13th in the Big 12. He is tied for 14th in the conference with 1.1 blocked shots per game.
–Junior Tyshawn Taylor is second in the Big 12 in assists per game at 5.4. Taylor has led KU in assists in nine of 13 games this season, including two of the last three games. Taylor is scoring 9.2 points per game in 2010-11. Taylor is 13th in the Big 12 in steals at 1.5 spg and tied for sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.7. On Dec. 20, Taylor was named one of 66 candidates for the Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s top point guard. The list will be narrowed down to 20 in early January.
–Senior Brady Morningstar has recorded a steal in nine of 13 games played this season and has four steals three times. Morningstar is ninth in the Big 12 in steals per game at 1.8. A lockdown defender who scores 4.7 points per game, Morningstar has pulled down three or more boards in five games this year.
–Sophomore Travis Releford has two starts and is averaging 5.6 points this season. Releford has eight steals in his last five games and 11 steals for the season. He pulled down a career-high five rebounds against Colorado State (Dec. 11). He is shooting 56.0 percent from the field this season. A Las Vegas Invitational all-tournament selection, Releford averages 15.1 minutes per game and has scored 10-plus points three times this season, including a career-high 13 points against Ohio (Nov. 26).
–Sophomore Elijah Johnson had his first start of the season against UT Arlington (Dec. 29) and tied his career high with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 3-of-4 from three-point range, against the Mavericks. He has nine assists in his last two games and averages 2.7 assists for the season. Johnson has a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is 20-for-33 (60.6 percent) from the field this season, including 10-for-19 (52.6 percent) from three-point range. Johnson averages 4.8 points and 2.7 assists in 2010-11.
–Sophomore Jeff Withey had his first career start against Miami (Ohio) and responded with six points on 3-of-5 shooting with four rebounds. He is tied for the team lead with 14 blocked shots and his 1.2 blocked shots average is tied for ninth in the Big 12. He is scoring 2.7 ppg. Withey averages 7.4 minutes per game compared to 3.0 last season.
–Senior Mario Little was suspended indefinitely from the team on Dec. 16. He is scoring 6.2 points per game and is shooting 55 percent from the field.
Up Next
Kansas will close out non-conference play at Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 9, at 3:30 p.m. (Central). KU will open Big 12 play at Iowa State on Wednesday, Jan. 12, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
