No. 2 Kansas Travels to No. 11 Kansas State Saturday in Men's Basketball

Jan. 28, 2010

Kansas notes for Kansas State in PDF Format

Stage two of rivalry week for No. 2 Kansas continues at No. 11/13 Kansas State on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. on ESPN. ESPN’s College Gameday will originate from Manhattan on Saturday. Kansas opened rivalry week extending the nation’s longest home court winning streak to 54 games with an 84-65 win against Border Showdown foe Missouri on ESPN’s Big Monday. KU is 19-1 on the season and the only school undefeated in Big 12 play at 5-0. Kansas State is 17-3 and 4-2 in conference play after its 76-74 win at Baylor Tuesday.

Upcoming Information and Promotions

–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, from 1-3 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.

About Kansas

Kansas is 5-0 in Big 12 play for the third-straight season. The Jayhawks average 84.9 points per game and give up 61.7 ppg for a Big 12-leading +23.3 scoring margin. In Big 12 play, Kansas is scoring 84.4 points per game and holds a +17.2 scoring margin. Senior guard Sherron Collins leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game and has scored 22 or more points in four of his last seven games. Collins leads the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage at 87.3 percent and leads KU with 83 assists. Freshman guard Xavier Henry averages 14.1 points per game and leads the team with 42 three-pointers, two ahead of Collins, and 38 steals. He had a Kansas freshman record-tying seven steals against Baylor (Jan. 20). Junior center Cole Aldrich, an Academic All-America candidate, is one of three Big 12 players to average a double-double with 11.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg this season. He has eight double-doubles on the year, including a DD in each of his last two games. Aldrich also leads the team in blocked shots at 3.6 per contest. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris has really stepped up his game in his last five outings. In that span he has averaged 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. For the season Morris averages 12.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Junior guard Brady Morningstar has started each of the last three games and is scoring 5.2 points per game. He averages 3.4 assists and has a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ration. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor is scoring 6.9 points per game and is second on the team with 71 assists this season. Sophomore forward Markieff Morris, twin of Marcus, is coming off the bench to score 6.4 points per game. He is third on the team with a 5.2 rebound average. Junior guard Tyrel Reed tied his career high with 14 points against Missouri (Jan. 25) and averages 5.0 points per outing. He has 26 three-pointers, including a 4-for-4 effort from beyond the arc against Missouri. Freshman guard Elijah Johnson (3.1 ppg) has started two games this season. Thomas Robinson (3.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg) is another KU regular. Robinson started his first career game at Nebraska (Jan. 13). At Iowa State, freshman center Jeff Withey (2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg) posted career highs with eight points and five rebounds.

About Kansas State

No. 11/13 Kansas State has won four of its last five games and is 17-3 on the season after its 76-74 win at No. 24 Baylor Tuesday. The Wildcats are 11-1 at home and have defeated four nationally-ranked teams this season, including a 71-62 win versus then-No. 1 Texas on Jan. 18. KSU averages 81.4 points per game and gives up 68.8 for a +12.6 scoring margin. K-State attacks the basket as it averages 33 free throws attempted per game compared to Kansas’ 24.3 attempted. KSU leads the Big 12 in offensive rebounds with 15.8 per contest. Junior guard Jacob Pullen leads K-State in scoring at 19.2 points per game which ranks second in the Big 12. He has a team-high 60 three-pointers and 30 steals. He is second on the squad with 69 assists. Senior guard Denis Clemente leads the Wildcats with 82 assists to complement his 14.7 point scoring average. He is also second on the team with 39 three-point field goals made. Sophomore forward Jamar Samuels, who comes off the bench, is scoring 11.8 points per outing and averages 5.0 rebounds, while junior forward Curtis Kelly is a starter who leads KSU with 6.4 rebounds per game and he averages 11.2 points. Junior forward Dominique Sutton is second behind Kelly in rebounds at 5.6 rpg and scores 7.5 points per contest. Freshman guard Rodney McGruder (6.0 ppg, 3.1 ppg), freshman forward Wally Judge (3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg), freshman forward Jordan Henriquez-Roberts (2.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and senior center Luis Colon (2.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) round out the nine Wildcats who average 11-plus minutes per game. Not far behind is freshman guard Martavious Irving (2.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg) who averages 9.8 minutes per contest.

The Series

Kansas has won 38 of the last 40 meetings with Kansas State dating back to the 1994 season. The Jayhawks hold a 177-90 all-time series advantage over the Wildcats, including a 72-44 mark in games played in Manhattan and a 20-1 record in Bramlage Coliseum. Since 1984, Kansas is a mindboggling 25-1 in games played in Manhattan. K-State ended KU’s 24-game win streak in its home court with an 84-75 victory in 2008 in Manhattan. The win also gave KU its first of three losses on its 2008 NCAA National Championship season. From Feb. 2, 1994, Kansas won 31 straight against Kansas State before the Wildcats halted the streak with a 59-55 victory in Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 14, 2006. Since the inception of the Big 12, KU holds a 30-2 record against Kansas State – 24-2 in league play and 6-0 in Big 12 Championships. The Jayhawks won the first-ever meeting with K-State, 54-39, on Jan. 25, 1907, in Lawrence.

Team Notables

–KU leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+23.5), field goal percentage (49.6), field goal percentage defense (35.9), assists (18.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4). The Jayhawks rank in the top three in all but three Big 12 statistical categories.

–Through 20 games, Bill Self has used at least nine players in the first half of every game. He has used a season-high 11 players in the first half twice – against Baylor (Jan. 20) and Central Arkansas (Nov. 19).

–Ten of Kansas’ 19 victories this season have been by 25 or more points with eight of those by 30 points or more.

–KU averages 6.5 blocked shots per game to its opponents’ 3.5.

–Kansas has shot 50 percent or better in 11 of 20 games this season, including seven of its last 13 contests.

–Kansas has also held 15 of 20 opponents this season to under 40 percent from the field, including each of its last two opponents – 27.9 percent by Missouri (Jan. 25) and 37.7 percent by Iowa State (Jan. 23).

–KU’s bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 15 of 20 games this season. KU’s bench outscored Missouri’s bench 31-17 Monday.

–Through 20 games, nine different Jayhawks have led the team in steals, seven in points and six in assists.

–Kansas forces 14.9 turnovers per game and averages 17.8 points off turnovers per game.

Player Notables

–Senior Sherron Collins leads Kansas in scoring (for all games) with 15.5 points per game and has scored 22 or more points in four of his last seven games. Despite a season-low six points against Missouri Monday, in his last seven games, Collins is averaging 18.7 points. He had a career-high 33 points in the come-from-behind win against Cornell (Jan. 6). Collins has shot 50 percent or better in 11 games this season. He leads the Big 12 with his 87.3 free throw percentage. Collins’ 15.5-point scoring average is 12th in the Big 12. Collins also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (eighth at 45.0), assists (eighth at 4.2), three-point field goal percentage (12th at 39.2), three-point field goals made (tied for 12th at 2.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (ninth at 2.1).

–Junior Cole Aldrich, an Academic All-America candidate, has two double-doubles in each of his last two games and 30 for his career. He had 12 points and 16 rebounds against Missouri (Jan. 25) and 19 points and 11 rebounds at Iowa State (Jan. 23). He is one three Big 12 players averaging a double-double (11.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg). His seven blocked shots against Missouri were the most since he broke the school record with 10 blocked shots against Dayton in last season’s NCAA Tournament. He has pulled down at least nine rebounds in nine of his last 11 games and had a season-high 18 rebounds at Tennessee (Jan. 10). Aldrich has at least three blocked shots in 11 of his last 12 contests. 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. He is second in the Big 12 and ranks in the top 10 nationally with 3.6 blocked shots per game and his 3.2 blocks in conference play lead the league. Aldrich is third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 10.3 rpg.

–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 14.1 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 four games. Xavier leads Kansas with 38 steals and had a Kansas freshman-tying record seven against Baylor (Jan. 20). His 38 steals are tied for eighth on the KU freshman record list. Henry leads KU with 42 three-point field goals made. He has made multiple three-pointers in 12 contests. He is 10th in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 40.4 percent. He also ranks 17th in the Big 12 in scoring at 14.1 ppg, tied for 12th in free throw percentage at 77.9, third in steals at 1.9 and eighth in three-pointers made at 2.1.

–Sophomore Marcus Morris leads Kansas in conference-play scoring with an 18.8 scoring average. Also in league play, he is shooting 65.5 percent and has a 7.8 rebound average. For the season, Morris is averaging 12.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg. His 5.8 rebound average is 18th in the Big 12. He has two double-doubles on the season – vs. Michigan (Dec. 19) and vs. Oakland (Nov. 25). He has started 16 games in 2009-10.

–Junior Brady Morningstar had a season-high nine points against Missouri Monday. At Iowa State (Jan. 23) he had seven points and a season-high seven rebounds. He has started each of the last three games. He is scoring 5.2 ppg in all games and 6.6 in Big 12 play. Also, in league play he averages 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. 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 24.

–Junior Tyrel Reed, an Academic All-America candidate, tied his career high with 14 points against Missouri (Jan. 25) on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-for-4 from three-point range. Against Texas Tech (Jan. 16), he had a career high with three steals. Reed has made 26 three-pointers this season and 74.3 percent of his field goals made have been from beyond the arc. He is 9-for-15 (60 percent) from three-point range in Big 12 play and 44.1 percent from beyond the arc for the season. Reed has made at least one three in 16 games this season and multiple threes in five contests. Reed is averaging 5.0 points per game.

–Sophomore Tyshawn Taylor had scored seven points in each of his last two games and is scoring 6.9 for the season and 5.8 in Big 12 play. He has scored in double figures in five games this season, including 11 points at Nebraska (Jan. 13) and 13 points at Tennessee (Jan. 10). Taylor has shot 50 percent or better in nine games, including 3-for-5 at Iowa State (Jan. 23). He has nine games with five-plus assists and ranks 11th in the Big 12 in assists at 3.6 per game and 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.9.

–Sophomore Markieff Morris had nine points and grabbed 11 boards against Missouri Monday. Both totals were his best since scoring 12 with 12 rebounds against La Salle on Dec. 12 of this season. He is third on the team with a 5.2 rebound average and is scoring 6.4 points per game. He has pulled down six or more rebounds in nine games this season. Morris had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against La Salle (Dec. 12). He is second on the team with 15 blocked shots and is shooting 57.1 percent from the field on the season.

–Freshman Thomas Robinson scored six points at Iowa State (Jan. 23), the most since he scored 10 points against Radford (Dec. 9). His 12 minutes at ISU were also the most since the Radford game where he played 16 minutes. He made his first career start at Nebraska (Jan. 13). Robinson averages 9.5 minutes per game with 3.5 ppg and 3.6 rpg. He is third on the team with 13 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 eight games.

Up Next

Kansas will travel to Colorado Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. (Central) on ESPN2. Kansas returns home Saturday, Feb. 6, against Nebraska at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. The Jayhawks defeated the Huskers 84-72 on Jan. 13 in Lincoln, Neb.