No. 2 Kansas to Take on No. 8 Kentucky in Men's Basketball

Jan. 7, 2005

# 2 Kansas Jayhawks (10-0) vs. #8 Kentucky Wildcats (10-1)

Game 11 – Sunday, Jan. 9, 2005 – 3:35 p.m. (Central) – Lexington, Ky. – Rupp Arena (23,000)

Today’s Game

Here are just a few angles to take when discussing the Kansas at Kentucky men’s basketball game:

-Two of the top three most winningest programs in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history square off – 1. Kentucky – 1,886 wins; 2. North Carolina – 1,839 wins; 3. KANSAS – 1,835 wins; 4. Duke – 1,747 wins.

-Two top 10 teams meet – No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 8 Kentucky.

-Kansas is 19-3 in its last 22 games. Kentucky is 23-3 in its last 26 contests.

-Rupp Arena is named after Adolph Rupp who was from Halstead, Kan., a KU graduate and played at KU in 1923 under coach F.C. “Phog” Allen.

-Former Tulsa coaches Bill Self and Tubby Smith meet for the second time.

No. 2 Kansas makes its first official road trip of the season when it travels to No. 8 Kentucky Sunday at 3:30 p.m. (Central) on CBS. Kentucky will mark the second top-10 team Kansas will have faced in the New Year. The Jayhawks defeated then-No. 9 Georgia Tech 70-68 in overtime on New Years Day. KU’s only other game away from Allen Fieldhouse was when it defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee 73-62 in the Yellow Book Shootout at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 22. The Jayhawks are 10-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 after winning their 14th straight conference opener 65-60 versus Texas A&M last Wednesday. No. 8 Kentucky is 10-1 and has won six straight. The Wildcats won their Southeastern Conference opener defeating South Carolina 79-75 on Wednesday.

About Kansas

No. 2 Kansas is 10-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 when the Jayhawks opened the season 22-0 and went on to finish 34-2. KU has been ranked in the top two nationally the entire season and opened the year No. 1. In two of their last three home games, the Jayhawks have shown resiliency as they have overcome double-digit deficits – 11-0 to South Carolina and 27-11 to then-No. 9 Georgia Tech. KU has out shot eight of 10 opponents this season and is averaging 78.6 points and giving up 60.9 points per contest. With senior Wayne Simien out four to six weeks due to injury, senior Keith Langford is the active scoring leader at 14.9 points per game and ranks ninth in the Big 12. Sophomore J.R. Giddens is next at 10 ppg and leads the team with 23 three pointers this season. Senior Aaron Miles is scoring 9.7 points per game and leads the league with 7.5 assists per contest. Junior Christian Moody is averaging 6.4 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 and is the only player in the Big 12 who is averaging a double-double.

Kansas Head Coach Bill Self

Kansas coach Bill Self is 34-9 in his second season at KU and 241-114 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 0-1 against Kentucky losing to the Wildcats while at Tulsa in 1998 – 74-53 in Lexington.

Last Game – Kansas 65, Texas A&M 60

Second-ranked Kansas opened up the Big 12 season with a 65-60 win over visiting Texas A&M Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks shot just 41 percent from the field in the game but hit a season-best 22-of-27 from the free throw line to seal the win. At the break, Kansas (10-0) led the Aggies 29-24. The game remained close in the second half with the score being tied on six different occasions. KU freshman Alex Galindo nailed a three from the top of the key with 40 seconds remaining to give the Jayhawks the lead for good. Senior guard Aaron Miles led the Jayhawks with 15 points and a game-high five assists. KU had just one other player in double figures as senior Michael Lee scored 10 points off the bench. The KU bench outscored A&M’s reserves 28-2. Galindo scored eight points, while junior Moulaye Niang contributed 11 solid minutes with four points and six rebounds.

KU-A&M Leftovers

Kansas was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the first half and shot a season-high 81.5 percent for the game… With his five assists, senior Aaron Miles moved into first place on the Big 12 conference career assists list in conference games… Miles has 355 assists in league games, passing former Oklahoma State guard Doug Gottlieb (354)… The Jayhawks have held their opponents under 100 points for 94 straight games… KU has hit at least one three-pointer in 156 straight games… Miles is eighth on the all-time games started list with 117. He is one away from the seventh spot… Miles passed Raef LaFrentz and Adonis Jordan and now sits in 10th position on KU’s all-time minutes played list with 3,615… Senior Keith Langford has started and scored in all of his 118 games at Kansas… With his 15 points, Miles became the 48th player in KU history to record 1,000 career points… With nine points, Langford (1,557 points) moved past Kenny Gregory for 12th place on Kansas’ all-time scoring list… Senior Michael Lee played a season-high 28 minutes… Junior Moulaye Niang made a career-high two field goals and grabbed a career-high six rebounds in a season-high 11 minutes… The Jayhawks were outrebounded 33-27, marking the first time they have been outrebounded this season… KU’s eight turnovers were the fewest this season.

About Kentucky

Kentucky is two-time defending Southeastern Conference champs and enters the Kansas game 10-1. The Wildcats have won six straight and are led by junior Kelenna Azubuike who is averaging 15 points and is second on the team with 4.5 rebounds per contest. Senior Chuck Hayes leads UK in rebounding at 9.5 per game and is second on the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg. Kentucky’s third leading scorer – junior Patrick Sparks – is at 11.5 ppg and leads the team in assists at 5.4 per outing. Freshman Randolph Morris is also averaging double figures in scoring at 10.2 ppg.

Kentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith

In seven seasons, Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith has guided the Wildcats to a national championship, four SEC titles and five SEC tournament championships. In 2003, Smith earned nine national coach of the year awards in leading UK to a 32-4 record – 19-0 versus the SEC (league season and conference tournament titles). Smith is in his 14th season overall and is 325-115 with stints at Tulsa and Georgia prior to taking over at Kentucky. He is 201-53 in his eighth season at UK.

The Series

Kentucky leads the all-time series with Kansas 19-3, with two of Kansas’ three wins coming in the last five meetings… The series dates back to 1950 with a 68-39 UK win in Lexington… The Jayhawks have never defeated the Wildcats in Lexington (0-7)… Kansas head coach Bill Self faced Kentucky in Lexington as the head coach of Tulsa in 1998, the Wildcats emerged victorious in the game, 74-53… Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith has faced and defeated the Jayhawks twice during the 1998-99 season – 63-45 in the Great Eight in Chicago Dec. 1, 1998 and 92-88 overtime in the NCAA Midwest Regional at the Superdome in New Orleans on March 14, 1999… Kansas’ single-game record of 150 points came against Kentucky in a 150-95 win over Rick Pitino’s Wildcats on Dec. 9, 1989 in Lawrence.

Connections

Both Kansas head coach Bill Self and Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith are former head coaches at Tulsa — Smith from 1991-95 and Self from 1998-2000… Self and Smith have squared off twice in their coaching career as a opposing head coaches. In 1994, Smith’s Tulsa team defeated Self’s Oral Roberts 99-54. In 1998, Smith’s Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Tulsa Hurricane 74-53 in Lexington… Both teams feature players from New York City on their roster — for Kansas, Russell Robinson, and for Kentucky, Ramel Bradley and Shagari Alleyne… Kansas chancellor Robert Hemenway previously served in the same capacity at Kentucky.

The Last Meeting

No. 8 Kentucky bounced No. 22 Kansas from the 1999 NCAA tournament with a 92-88 overtime victory in the bracket’s first round. KU’s Ryan Robertson concluded his career by scoring a career-high 31 points to lead the Jayhawks. Kansas rallied from a 40-36 halftime deficit to force overtime, but was unable to pull out the victory and advance to the next round.

KU Seniors’ Headlines

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

-Kansas’ record 97-21 (82.2 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).

-Kansas 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.

Miles Stepping Up

Senior Aaron Miles is averaging 14.5 points in his last two games – 14 vs. Georgia Tech and 15 vs. Texas A&M. Against then-No. 9 Georgia Tech, the Portland, Ore., guard was 4-for-5 from three-point range and had five rebounds and eight assists. Versus Texas A&M, Miles went 6-for-8 from the field with five assists and two steals. In his last two games, Miles is 5-for-7 from three-point range. For the season, he is hitting 61.1 percent from three-point range and has made 50 percent or better from way out in five games.

Miles’ Assists Notes

In the past three games, Kansas senior Aaron Miles has set three career records. Against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 22, Miles became the Big 12’s career assists leader surpassing Oklahoma State’s Doug Gottlieb (793). The following game against Georgia Tech, he became the school’s all-time assists leader – currently at 813 – passing Jacque Vaughn’s (1994-97) 804. In the win against Texas A&M, Miles dished five assists to become the league’s all-time conference games only assists leader at 355, passing Gottlieb who was at 354. Miles has had seven or more assists in eight of 10 games this season. His season high was 10 against Nevada and he leads the Big 12 with 7.5 assists per game. He needs 187 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 22 on the year.

Other Aaron Miles(tones)

–Last game senior Aaron Miles became the 48th player in Kansas history to score 1,000 points. His two game-sealing free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining in the 65-60 win against Texas A&M gave Miles his 1,000th and 1,001st points.

-Miles is third in KU career steals – currently at 236. He is 14 shy of KU great and current Director of Basketball Operations Danny Manning’s 250 for second place.

-Miles has 117 starts which is eighth on Kansas’ career list and one shy of seventh.

-Miles cracked the top 10 on the KU minutes played list and is currently 10th at 3,615. He is 40 from ninth.

Langford Still Rolling

Senior Keith Langford is averaging 17.3 points in his last seven games and is shooting 51.8 percent (43-for-83) 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, posted 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 seven 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 12th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,557 points and is three shy from 11th and 70 from cracking the top 10.

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 58.5 percent from the field on the season. Twice Moody has pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds this season, including against then-No. 9 Georgia Tech. He has averaged seven rebounds in his last three games. 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 five times this season. He is averaging 22.2 minutes, 6.4 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.

Robinson Earning Time

Freshman Russell Robinson has played 17 or more minutes in each of his last four games. One of the first players off the bench, the New York City guard scored 12 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee which included two three pointers. Robinson has been steady from the free throw line making 4-of-5 attempts against Texas A&M for a total of six points. 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 in eight of nine games this year.

Galindo Stepping Up

Freshman Alex Galindo has made two clutch three-pointers in each of the last two games. Against Georgia Tech, he was 1-for-7 when he drained a three-pointer to cut Tech’s lead to 65-64 in overtime. Against Texas A&M, he broke a 58-58 tie with a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining. Galindo is averaging 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds on the season. Against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Georgia Tech he set career highs with seven rebounds.

J.R. From Way Out

In his last outing, sophomore J.R. Giddens was held scoreless for only the third time in his two-year career at KU. The Oklahoma City guard has made three or more three-pointers in four of his last six games, including four against Georgia Tech. Last year, he turned that trick 14 times. Giddens leads KU with 23 three-pointers this season and is hitting 35.9 percent from way out. In only his second season, he has 97 career threes and is 29 away from cracking the KU career Top 10 list.

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 his 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

-Since the 2001-02 season, Kansas is 19-13 against ranked opponents, including 1-0 in 2004-05. KU is 3-5 against ranked foes under Bill Self.

-KU has held all 10 opponents to under 50 percent shooting this season. Additionally, the Jayhawks have out shot all but one foe in 2004-05.

-With the absence of Wayne Simien, Kansas has spread the wealth in minutes played. In the last three games, nine players have averaged nine or more minutes with seven of those 14 or more minutes per contest.

-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.

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

-The Jayhawks have outrebounded eight of 10 opponents this season.

-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.

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

-Kansas is 144-7 (95.4 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.

KU Player Quick Hits

-Against Texas A&M, senior Michael Lee played a season-high 28 minutes and scored in double figures for the second time this season.

-Versus Texas A&M junior Moulaye Niang made a career-high two field goals and grabbed a career-high six rebounds in a season-high 11 minutes.

-Freshman C.J. Giles has started the last two games and has six blocked shots in his last four 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, with 813. 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 94 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 156 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 117. He is one 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 118 games while at Kansas.

Streak Stuff

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

-KU has won 14 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).

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 107-22 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.

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 and Kentucky have combined for 89 conference championships. Kansas has won 47, while Kentucky has recorded 42.

Up Next

Kansas continues its three-game road swing at Iowa State Wednesday, Jan. 12. Last year the Jayhawks and Cyclones split their two meetings in a couple of close games – ISU 68-61 at Ames and KU 90-89 (ot) in Lawrence. Tip is set for 7 p.m. (Central).

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