Kansas hosts Colorado in Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2005
Kansas (19-1, 9-0) looks to remain undefeated in Big 12 play when it plays host to Colorado (12-9, 4-6) on ABC at 2:30 p.m. The Jayhawks are looking to win their 20th game for the 16th straight season dating back to 1988-89. Colorado brings a two-game winning streak into Allen Fieldhouse after its 88-79 win against Texas on Tuesday. The Buffs have won four of their last six outings.
About Kansas
Kansas (19-1, 9-0) continued its umblemished Big 12 record with a 74-65 win at Kansas State on Wednesday. The Jayhawks are 9-0 in league play for the first time since the 2002 team went undefeated en route to the Big 12 title. KU’s starters were the key in the win as they accounted for 68 of the 74 points scored. KU’s 19-1 record is the best since the 1996-97 team went 22-1. The win extended KU’s streak to 29 straight against Kansas State and 22 consecutive games played in Manhattan. Named to the Midseason Wooden Award watch list, senior Wayne Simien leads KU in scoring at 18.3 points per game, including 19.5 ppg in Big 12 play. The Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year recorded his second straight and ninth double-double of the season at Kansas State with 23 points and 13 rebounds and has averaged 21.6 points in his last five games. Also named to the Midseason Wooden Award watch list is senior Keith Langford who is averaging 15.2 ppg overall and 16.2 in Big 12 play. Langford has averaged 25.5 points in his last two games – 27 points at Nebraska and 24 at Kansas State. Sophomore J.R. Giddens is next in scoring at 10.9 ppg after scoring a season-high 18 points at Kansas State. In the game Giddens was 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from three-point range. He has made multiple three-pointers in seven of his last nine games. Senior Aaron Miles has crushed every KU and Big 12 assists record and is averaging a league-best 7.3 assists per game. He is the nation’s active leading career assists leader at 883 and is averaging 8.7 ppg. Junior Christian Moody is another starter who is averaging 5.9 ppg and is second on the team with 4.8 rpg. Moody has pulled down six or more rebounds eight times this season.
Kansas Head Coach Bill Self
Kansas coach Bill Self recorded his 250th career win at Kansas State Wednesday. His next victory will give Self his seventh straight 20-win season and his eighth overall. He is 43-10 in his second season at KU and 250-115 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 3-0 against Colorado with all three wins as head coach of the Jayhawks.
About Colorado
Colorado (12-9, 4-6) enters Allen Fieldhouse with a two-game winning streak after its 88-79 win against No. 23 Texas Tuesday. CU has won four of its last six games and has posted two road wins in its last three games away from Boulder, Colo. The Buffs average 71.3 points per game. Freshman guard Richard Roby leads Colorado in scoring with a 15.9 average, which is ninth in the Big 12. Roby is also tops on the CU team with 43 three-point field goals made this season. Junior forward Chris Copeland is next in scoring at 13.6 points per game, 19th in the league. Sophomore guard Marcus Hall is next in scoring at 12 and he leads CU in assists with 4.3 per game.
Colorado Head Coach Ricardo Patton
In his ninth season at Colorado, head coach Ricardo Patton holds an overall record of 155-123, but is just 1-20 in his career against the Jayhawks. The Nashville, Tenn., native has guided the Buffaloes to the postseason in four of his last six years in Boulder, including an NCAA tournament appearance in 2003. Last season, Patton led the Buffs to an 18-11 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 — Colorado’s best finish since the 1996-97 season. Prior to his appointment as CU’s head coach, Patton served as both an assistant coach (1993-96) and interim head coach (1996) at the school.
The Series
Kansas leads the all-time series with Colorado, 108-39… The last meeting between the two teams saw the Jayhawks defeat the Buffaloes, 76-61, on Jan. 15, 2005, in Boulder, Colo… KU coach Bill Self is 3-0 versus the Buffaloes, while CU head coach Ricardo Patton is 1-20 against the Jayhawks as the lone win (60-59) came in Boulder on Jan. 22, 2003… The Jayhawks are 53-7 against the Buffs in Lawrence which includes a 44-5 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. The last CU win in Allen Fieldhouse was Feb. 10, 1983 (75-74)… The first two games of the series — Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, 1931 — were played in Denver, Colo.
Up Next
Kansas hits the road for an ESPN Big Monday game at Texas Tech on Feb. 14. Tip from the United Spirit Arena is set for 8 p.m. The Jayhawks then return home to face Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tip from Allen Fieldhouse is noon and the game will air on ABC Television.
