No. 5 Kansas Travels to Texas Tech for Men's Hoops Saturday
Jan. 18, 2007
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No. 5/5 Kansas (16-2, 3-0) takes a 10-game winning streak to Texas Tech (13-5, 2-1) in a Big 12 battle Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN from United Spirit Arena. The Jayhawks are coming off an 80-77 win against Border Showdown foe Missouri on ESPN’s Big Monday. Texas Tech had the mid-week off and is looking to bounce back from a 73-70 loss at Baylor on Jan. 13.
About Kansas
Kansas is 3-0 in league play for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons dating back to 1996. The Jayhawks’ 10-game winning streak ties for the second longest in the four-year history under head coach Bill Self. The current streak ranks as the fifth longest in the nation heading into Jan. 17 contests. KU is 31-4 in its last 35 games. Kansas averages 77.2 points per game and is giving up 59.2. KU is shooting 48.6 percent from the field and holding opponents to 37.1 percent. KU is 15-1 when shooting better than its opponents. On the boards, KU is outrebounding foes 40.1 to 33.2. Sophomore preseason All-American guard Brandon Rush leads the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game and 32 three-pointers made. He is second on the team with a 5.7 rebound average. Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers is next in scoring averaging 11.9 points per game, leads KU in steals with 51 and is second in assists with 63. Sophomore forward Julian Wright has had six games with 10 or more rebounds this season and paces KU on the boards with an 8.2 average to go along with his 11.1 scoring average. Juniors Russell Robinson (guard) and Sasha Kaun (center) round out the KU starters. Kaun is scoring 6.8 points per game and is shooting a 58.1 field goal percentage. Robinson is scoring 6.1 points per outing and leads the team in assists with 84. Freshman forward reserve Darrell Arthur is scoring 11.6 points per game and leads the team with 37 blocked shots. Junior Darnell Jackson and freshman guard Sherron Collins join Arthur as top reserves. Collins is scoring 8.6 points per outing after his career-high 23 against Missouri and Jackson averages 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. Jackson leads the team with a 58.5 field goal percentage.
About Texas Tech
Texas Tech is 13-5 on the season and 2-1 in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders are 8-1 at home this season with the lone loss to UNLV on Dec. 28. TTU is scoring 74.1 points per game and giving up 66.6. The Red Raiders are outshooting foes 47.2 percent to 43.4. Tech leads the Big 12 with a 44.3 three-point field goal percentage. Senior guard Jarrius Jackson ranks third in the conference in scoring at 20.8 points per game. He also leads TTU with 46 three-pointers and 35 steals. Junior guard Martin Zeno is next in scoring at 16.4 points good for ninth in the Big 12 – and paces the team in rebounding with a 4.9 average. He leads the team with 65 assists and is just behind Jackson with 24 steals. Junior guard Charlie Burgess is scoring 10.1 points per game and his 4.1 rebound average is second best on the team as are his 18 three-pointers made. After Burgess, Tech’s next leading scorer is senior forward Darryl Dora at 5.2 points per game.
The Series
Kansas leads the overall series with Texas Tech 16-2, which includes a 6-2 record in Lubbock, Texas. The series dates back to 1959, during which Kansas won the first nine meetings. As members of the Big 12, KU holds a 9-2 advantage – 8-2 in regular season and 1-0 in league tournament play. Kansas won last year’s meeting 86-52 when Brandon Rush scored 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in Allen Fieldhouse. Texas Tech won the last contest in Lubbock, 80-79 in double overtime, at United Spirit Arena.
Up Next
Kansas continues its road swing through the Lone Star state when it travels to Baylor Wednesday, Jan. 24. The game from the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, tips at 7 p.m. and can be seen on Jayhawk TV. Kansas then returns home to host Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 27 with a 12:45 p.m. tip from Allen Fieldhouse. That game will be televised by ESPN Plus as part of the Big 12 Conference TV package.
