No. 9/8 Jayhawks Continue Road Swing at Colorado Wednesday
Feb. 12, 2007
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No. 9/8 Kansas (21-4, 8-2) continues its Big 12 road swing at Colorado (6-14, 2-8) as the Jayhawks are in their third cycle of four games in nine days during the 2007 conference season. Kansas is coming off a 92-74 win at Missouri Saturday. Colorado fell at Kansas State, 78-59, Saturday. KU is looking to sweep the league series with CU for the fourth consecutive season and 15th time in the last 16 years dating back to 1992.
About Kansas
No. 9/8 Kansas (21-4, 8-2) is looking for its fourth straight road win and sixth victory in true road games. The Jayhawks have won 21 games in each of the last 18 seasons after its 92-74 win at Border Showdown rival Missouri Saturday. The win was the first for KU at Mizzou Arena and the widest margin of victory for Kansas at Missouri since 1966 – a span of 17 Jayhawk triumphs in Columbia, Mo. Kansas has won two straight, five of its last six games and 15 of its last 17. Kansas averages 78.6 points per game and is giving up 61.3. The Jayhawks are outrebounding foes 40 to 32.6 per game and hold a 49 to 38.2 field goal percentage edge. Additionally, Kansas boasts a +3.0 turnover margin this season. KU is a young team as its top five scorers are sophomores and freshmen. Sophomore guard Brandon Rush, a Midseason Wooden Award All-American selection, leads Kansas in scoring at 14.6 points per game and with 50 three-point field goals made. He is scoring 16.4 points and pulling down 6.6 rebounds in Big 12 play. Sophomore guard Julian Wright is next in scoring with a 12.1 average, leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per outing and is second in blocked shots with 38. Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers averages 11.4 points per game and leads the Big 12 in steals with 2.76 per contest. Freshman forward Darrell Arthur has a team-leading 39 blocked shots to go along with his 10.6 points per game. Freshman guard Sherron Collins is scoring 12.9 points in Big 12 play and 9.6 on the season. He is making a team-high 44.2 percent from three-point range. Junior guard Russell Robinson, a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, leads KU with 115 assists to go along with his 6.6 scoring average. He is second on the team with 45 steals. Junior Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson round out the regulars for KU. Kaun, the starting center, is scoring 6.0 points per game and shooting 52.7 percent from the field, while Jackson, a forward, is averaging 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing off the bench.
About Colorado
Colorado is currently 6-14 overall and 2-8 Big 12 play following its 78-59 loss at Kansas State Saturday. The Buffaloes have lost four of their last five outings heading into the KU contest. Colorado is 5-7 at home this season, including both Big 12 victories against Iowa State and nationally-ranked Oklahoma State last week. CU is scoring 69.8 points and giving up 80.5. Junior guard Richard Roby leads the team in scoring at 17 points per game, which ranks fifth in the Big 12. Freshman guard Xavier Silas is second in scoring at 11.9 points per game followed closely by senior guard Dominique Coleman at 11 points per outing. Coleman’s 6.2 rebound average leads the team and is 12th in the conference. He leads CU with 69 assists and 33 steals. Sophomore forward Jermyl Jackson-Wilson is adding 7.9 points per game and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per contest – good for 18th in the Big 12. Freshman guard Kal Bay leads CU with 35 three-pointers made to go along with his 6.8 scoring average. Freshman forward Jeremy Williams is scoring 7.8 points per game, while sophomore forward Marcus King-Stockton rounds out the CU starters averaging 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
The Series
This series dates back to 1931 and Kansas leads, 112-39, including a 35-26 record in Boulder and 20-7 mark in the Coors Events Conference Center. Kansas has won eight straight and 35 of the last 36 meetings with CU dating back to 1991. The last Colorado win in the series was 60-59 thriller on Jan. 22, 2003 in Boulder. The previous CU win was a 79-71 victory on Feb. 20, 1991, also in Boulder. On Jan. 27, Kansas defeated Colorado 97-74 behind a pair of 21-point performances from Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers. Rush also led KU with eight rebounds. The first two games of the series — Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, 1931 — were played in Denver, Colo.
Up Next
The Jayhawks return home to face Nebraska on Saturday, February 17. That game will be part of the Big 12 television package with a 3 p.m. tip from Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won at Nebraska 76-56 on Jan. 29. KU will then have one day off before traveling to Kansas State for ESPN Big Monday on Feb. 19.
