Kansas Men's Basketball to Host Iowa State
Feb. 17, 2005
No. 2 Kansas (20-2, 10-1) looks to bounce back from its second loss of the season when it plays host to Iowa State (14-8, 6-5) Saturday at noon on ABC. KU entered the week ranked in the top five of both national polls for all but one week this season. The Jayhawks remain in first place in the Big 12 standings. Iowa State brings a six-game winning streak into Allen Fieldhouse after its 57-42 win against Kansas State Tuesday.
About Kansas
No. 2 Kansas fell by one point – 80-79 – in double overtime in its last outing at Texas Tech on Monday. The Jayhawks have won 20 games for the past 16 seasons dating back to the 1989-90 season. KU is 29-5 (85.3 percent) in its last 34 games dating back to last season. Named to the Midseason Wooden Award watch list, senior Wayne Simien leads KU and the Big 12 in scoring at 18.8 points per game, including 20.1 ppg in Big 12 play. The Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year recorded his fourth straight and 11th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds at Texas Tech on Monday. Simien has averaged 21.9 points and 10.4 rebounds in his last seven games. Also named to the Midseason Wooden Award watch list is senior Keith Langford who is averaging 15.5 ppg overall and 16.7 in Big 12 play. Langford has averaged 22.3 points in his last four games. Langford led KU in scoring with 24 points at Texas Tech and scored the final four points in regulation to send the game into overtime on Monday. Sophomore J.R. Giddens is next in scoring at 10.8 ppg and has scored in double figures in six of his last eight outings. Giddens is averaging 2.8 three-point field goals per game in his last eight contests. He has made multiple three-pointers in nine of his last 11 games. Senior Aaron Miles has crushed every KU and Big 12 assists record and is averaging a league-best 7.4 assists per game, which is sixth in the nation. In the last game at Texas Tech, Miles became only the 12th player in NCAA Division I history to record 900 career assists. His 901 assists are one shy of 11th place. Miles has averaged 8.3 assists in his last seven games. Junior Christian Moody is another starter who is averaging 6.1 ppg and is second on the team with five rpg. Moody has pulled down six or more rebounds 10 times this season and has averaged six rebounds in his last five games.
Kansas Head Coach Bill Self
Kansas coach Bill Self recorded his 250th career win at Kansas State on Feb. 9. His win against Colorado on Feb. 12 marked Self’s seventh straight 20-win season as a head coach and his eighth overall. He is 44-11 in his second season at KU and 251-116 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 2-1 against Iowa State.
About Iowa State
Iowa State is one of the hottest teams in the nation bringing a six-game winning streak into Saturday’s contest in Allen Fieldhouse. Included in the run are victories over ranked foes Oklahoma, at Texas and Texas Tech. During its streak, ISU is winning by an average of 13.2 points per game. The Cyclones lead the Big 12 in steals with 9.2 thefts per game. Sophomore guard Curtis Stinson leads ISU with a 17.2 scoring average. Stinson also paces Iowa State in assists with 101 – 4.6 per game – and in steals with a 2.5 average. Senior center Jared Homan is next in scoring at 13 ppg and leads the Cyclones in rebounding at 7.5 rpg. Homan is second in the Big 12 with a 1.9 blocked shots per game average. Sophomore guard Will Blaylock is also scoring in double figures at 12.6 ppg. He is just behind Stinson in assists with 100 and is second on the team in steals with a two steal per game average.
Iowa State Head Coach Wayne Morgan
In his first season at Iowa State, head coach Wayne Morgan guided the Cyclones to a 20-win season and the semifinals of the NIT in 2003-04. In his second season at ISU, Morgan is 34-21. Overall, Morgan is 125-105 in his eighth season as a head coach.
The Series
Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 158-57, which includes a 71-66 KU win on January 12 in Ames, Iowa… The last meeting in Lawrence saw the Jayhawks edge the Cyclones in overtime, 90-89, on Feb 21, 2004… KU coach Bill Self is 2-1 versus the Cyclones, while ISU head coach Wayne Morgan is 1-2 against the Jayhawks… The Jayhawks are 40-8 against the Cyclones in Allen Fieldhouse, including three straight… The Jayhawks won the first-ever meeting with the Iowa State Cyclones, 53-35, on Feb. 20, 1908, in Ames.
Kansas Celebrating 50 Years of Allen Fieldhouse
Named in honor of the late Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, the Jayhawks’ head coach for 39 years, Allen Fieldhouse is labeled by many as one of the best places in America to watch a college basketball game. The Fieldhouse was dedicated on March 1, 1955, as the Jayhawks defeated Kansas State, 77-66, before an overflow throng of 17,228. This season, Allen Fieldhouse will celebrate its 50th year of existence. Ceremonies for the anniversary of the Fieldhouse are being planned around the March 2 game against Kansas State — the first opponent for KU in the facility.
Did You Know?
In addition to Kansas being the only conference school to have won 10 league regular season games every year the Big 12 has existed, KU is also the only league school to have won 20 or more games in all those seasons as well.
Up Next
Kansas hits the road for an ESPN Big Monday game at Oklahoma on Feb. 21. Tip from the Lloyd Noble Center is set for 8 p.m. The Jayhawks then return home to face Oklahoma State on Sunday, Feb. 27. Tip from Allen Fieldhouse is 3 p.m. and the game will air on CBS Television.
