No. 3 Kansas Hosts Texas Tech Saturday in Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2010
Kansas notes for Texas Tech in PDF Format 
No. 3 Kansas (15-1, 1-0 Big 12) returns home to face Texas Tech (12-4, 0-2 Big 12) Saturday, Jan. 16, at 12:45 p.m., on the Big 12 Network. Kansas won its 19th-straight conference opener with an 84-72 win at Nebraska on Wednesday. Texas Tech is coming off a 94-89 overtime loss to Missouri on Wednesday.
Upcoming Information and Promotions
–The 1952 Kansas NCAA National Championship team and the 1974 Kansas Final Four team will be having reunions the weekend of the Texas Tech game.
–Coaches vs. Cancer® Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend, a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), is slated for the weekend of Jan. 29-31, 2010 (KU at Kansas State).
–The 26th Annual Wilt Chamberlain Clinic for Special Olympics will be held Sunday, Jan. 31 in Allen Fieldhouse
About Kansas
Kansas puts the nation’s longest home court winning streak on the line at 51 games when it hosts Texas Tech. The Jayhawks average 85 points per game and give up 60.6 ppg for a +24.4 scoring margin. The Jayhawks shot 57.8 percent from the field in the win at Nebraska on Wednesday and have shot 50 percent or better in seven of their last nine games. KU has held 12 opponents to under 40 percent shooting in 2009-10. KU ranks in the top three in all but two Big 12 statistical categories and leads the conference in scoring margin, assists (18.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5). Senior guard Sherron Collins leads the team in scoring at 16 points per game and has scored 22 or more points in each of his last three games. In that span he is averaging 25.7 points. Collins leads the team with 69 assists and is second on the team with 34 three-pointers, one behind freshman guard Xavier Henry’s 35 treys. Henry averages 15 points per game and also has a team-high 26 steals. He has shot 50 percent or better in nine games this season and is making 47.9 percent of his shots from the field. Junior center Cole Aldrich, an Academic All-America candidate, has pulled down 27 rebounds in his last two games, including a season-high 18 boards at Tennessee. He has six double-doubles on the year and 28 for his career. Aldrich leads KU in rebounds with 10.4 per game and blocked shots at 3.7. His rebounds are third in the Big 12 and his blocked shots are second. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor has averaged 12 points in his last two games and scores 7.5 points per game for the season. He is just behind Collins in assists with 62. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris scored 19 points at Nebraska on Wednesday and is scoring 11.1 points per contest in 2009-10. He has scored in double figures in five of his last seven outings. Marcus’ twin, Markieff Morris, is coming off the bench to score 6.3 points per game and he is second on the team with a 5.3 rebound average. Junior guard Brady Morningstar returned to the lineup against Michigan (Dec. 19) and averages 20 minutes per game with a 4.0 scoring average. Morningstar has made one three-pointer in five of his seven games played this season. Junior guard Tyrel Reed had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting at Nebraska and scores 4.8 points per outing. He has 20 three-pointers and 27 field goals made this season. Freshman guard Elijah Johnson (3.8 ppg) has started two games this season. Thomas Robinson (3.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) is another KU regular. Robinson started his first career game at Nebraska on Wednesday.
About Texas Tech
Texas Tech is looking to rebound from an 0-2 start in Big 12 play after its 94-89 overtime loss to Missouri on Wednesday. Coached by Pat Knight, who is 30-30 in his second full season, Texas Tech scores 79.1 points per game and has a +6.4 scoring margin. The Red Raiders average 20.1 free throws made per game and 14 assists per game. Mike Singletary leads Tech in scoring with a 15.4 scoring average. He is second on the team in rebounds at 6.6 rpg. John Roberson is next in scoring at 13.8 ppg and he leads Tech with 87 assists, 27 steals and 28 three-pointers. David Tairu scores 12.1 points per game and he is shooting 50 percent from three-point range (15-for-30). Nick Okorie is second on the team with 20 steals to complement his 8.8 scoring average. D’Walyn Roberts is a starter who scores 8.1 points per game and leads the Red Raiders with a 7.2 rebound average and 22 blocked shots. Brad Reese comes off the bench to score 7.1 points per game, while Darko Cohadarevic is a starter who also scores 7.1 points per contest. Theron Jenkins (3.9 ppg) is another regular off the bench for Texas Tech.
The Series
Kansas leads the series with Texas Tech 17-4 as this series dates back to 1959. KU is 10-0 against TTU in Lawrence with all games played in Allen Fieldhouse. Texas Tech won the last meeting 84-65 last season in Lubbock, Texas. Since the inception of the Big 12, KU is 10-4 against Tech with a 9-4 record in the regular season and 1-0 mark in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
Team Notables
–KU leads the nation in scoring margin (+24.4). The Jayhawks also lead the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.507), three-point field goal percentage (.429), field goal percentage defense (.357), assists at 18.6 and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5. The Jayhawks rank in the top three in all but two Big 12 statistical categories.
–Through 16 games, Bill Self has used at least nine players in the first half of every game. He used a season-high 11 players in the first half against Central Arkansas (Nov. 19).
–Nine of Kansas’ 15 victories this season have been by 25 or more points with eight of those by 30 points or more.
–KU averages 6.8 blocked shots per game to its opponents’ 2.7.
–Kansas has shot 50 percent or better in 11 of 16 games this season, including seven of its last nine contests.
–Kansas has also held 12 of 16 opponents this season to under 40 percent from the field.
–KU’s bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 12 of 16 games this season. KU’s bench averages 26.7 points per game compared to 14.4 by its opponents.
–Through 16 games, nine different Jayhawks, including ties, have led the team in steals, seven in points and six in assists.
–Kansas forces 14.9 turnovers per game and averages 18.2 points off turnovers per game.
Player Notables
–Senior Sherron Collins has scored 77 points in his last three games for a 25.7 average in that span. Included was a career-high 33 points in the come-from-behind win against Cornell (Jan. 6). He had 22 points at Tennessee (Jan. 10), 22 at Nebraska (Jan. 13) and is now Kansas’ leading scorer with 16 points per game. Collins has shot 50 percent or better in four of his last five games and five of his last seven outings. Collins’ 16-point scoring average is 10th in the Big 12. Collins also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (ninth at 47.3), free throw percentage (second at 85.7), assists (seventh at 4.3), three-point field goal percentage (eighth at 41.3), three-point field goals made (seventh at 2.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (eighth at 2.1).
–Junior Cole Aldrich, an Academic All-America candidate, had averaged 11.6 rebounds in his last seven games and has pulled down at least nine in each of those contests. He had a season-high 18 rebounds at Tennessee (Jan. 10). The mark was two shy of his career high set twice last season – at Oklahoma and vs. Dayton. Aldrich was named Big 12 co-Player of the Week (Jan. 4) after posting two straight double-doubles in wins against Belmont and at Temple. Aldrich has 32 blocked shots in his last eight games. He is second in the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally with 3.7 blocked shots per game. Aldrich is third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 10.4 rpg. He has 28 career double-doubles, including six this season.
–Freshman Xavier Henry has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week twice this season and is second on the team in scoring with 15.1 ppg. He has led KU in scoring in six games this season, including a career-high 31 points against La Salle (Dec. 12). He has scored in double figures in all but two games. Xavier leads Kansas with 26 steals on the season and with 35 three-point field goals made. He has four steals in three games this season, including four against Cornell (Jan. 6) and has made multiple three-pointers in nine contests. Xavier is second in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 44.9 percent. He also ranks 13th in the Big 12 in scoring at 15.1 ppg, seventh in field goal percentage at 47.9, tied for 14th in free throw percentage at 75.0, tied for eighth in steals at 1.8 and sixth in three-pointers made at 2.2.
–Sophomore Marcus Morris had 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, with seven rebounds at Nebraska (Jan. 13). He is third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game. He has two double-doubles on the season – vs. Michigan (Dec. 19) and vs. Oakland (Nov. 25). He has started 13 games and is third on the team with a 5.2 rebound average. Marcus is shooting 57.8 percent from the field and has pulled down six or more boards seven times.
–Sophomore Markieff Morris was perfect at Nebraska (Jan. 13) going 2-for-2 from the field and making his only three-point attempt in scoring five points. He is second on the team with a 5.3 rebound average to complement his 6.6 scoring average. He pulled down six rebounds against Cornell (Jan. 6) to mark the eighth time this season he has pulled down six or more boards. Markieff had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against La Salle (Dec. 12). He is second on the team with 13 blocked shots. He is shooting 60 percent from the field on the season.
–Sophomore Tyshawn Taylor has scored in double figures in each of his last two games with 11 points at Nebraska (Jan. 13) and 13 points at Tennessee (Jan. 10). He has scored in double figures in five games this season and is averaging 7.5 ppg. Taylor has shot 50 percent or better in seven games. Taylor ranks 10th in the Big 12 in assists at 3.9 and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.1.
–Junior Brady Morningstar had four points on 2-for-2 shooting with four assists and one turnover at Nebraska (Jan. 13). He has 22 assists and five turnovers in his seven games played for a 4.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has made one three pointer in five of seven games. Morningstar dished out a career-high seven assists against California (Dec. 22). In seven games, Morningstar is 11-for-20 (55 percent) from the field, including 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from three-point range. A defensive stopper who started all but one game last season, Morningstar missed the first nine games of the season due to breaking team rules. Morningstar is a redshirt junior who is the oldest player in the Big 12 at 23.
–Junior Tyrel Reed, an Academic All-America candidate, scored 11 points at Nebraska (Jan. 13), which was one shy of his season-high of 12 against Central Arkansas (Nov. 19). Reed has made 20 three-pointers and 74.1 percent of his field goals made this season have been from beyond the arc. His lone field goal against Cornell gave Kansas its first lead of the game at 61-60. Reed has made at least one three in 13 games this season and multiple threes in four contests, including 3-for-5 at Nebraska. Reed is averaging 4.8 points per game.
–Freshman Thomas Robinson made his first career start at Nebraska. Robinson averages 9.9 minutes per game with 3.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg. He is third on the team with 12 blocked shots. Robinson has had two games of double-figure scoring and had his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Alcorn State (Dec. 2). He has pulled down four or more rebounds in seven games.
–Freshman C.J. Henry is 14-for-21 (66.7 percent) from the field on the season, including 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) from three-point range. He was 3-for-4 against Belmont (Dec. 29) and 2-for-2, both three point attempts, at Temple (Jan. 2). C.J averages 4.4 points in only 7.1 minutes of action.
–Freshman Elijah Johnson has appeared in 13 games, averages 9.8 minutes per game with a 3.8 scoring average and 2.2 assist average. He has scored seven or more points in five games. Johnson, who has two starts this season, had a career-high 11 points in his starting debut against Radford (Dec. 9). He is third on the team with 28 assists.
Up Next
Kansas continues its two-game homestand when it hosts Baylor on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The Jayhawks will then play at Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m. on ESPN before hosting Missouri on ESPN’s Big Monday on Jan. 25 at 8 p.m.
