Third-Seeded Jayhawks To Play Friday Against Bucknell

Tournament Central

March 13, 2005

Kansas will play in the NCAA Tournament for a school record 16th consecutive season and the 34th time overall. The Jayhawks earned a No. 3 seed and will face No. 14 seed Bucknell in the first round of the Syracuse Regional on Friday, March 18 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The winner of that game will play the winner of No. 6 seed Wisconsin and No. 11 seed Northern Iowa on Sunday. Times for all games will be announced late Sunday.

Check back with www.kuathletics.com regularly for updates.

Television: CBS will carry every game in the tournament. Kansas games will air locally on WIBW (Ch. 13) of Topeka and KCTV (Ch. 5) out of Kansas City.

Radio: The Jayhawk Radio Network will broadcast every Kansas game during the NCAA Tournament. The broadcast begins with the Crimson and Blue Line, which airs one hour prior to tip-off.

KU’s NCAA Tournament History: Kansas will make its 34th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which ranks fourth all-time behind Kentucky, UCLA and North Carolina. Kansas has the fifth-most NCAA Tournament victories all-time (73) and the Jayhawks’ NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.689/73-33) ranks sixth all-time. KU’s 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance is the second-longest current streak in Division I.

KU In Oklahoma City: The Jayhawks will play in Oklahoma City for the third time in their 34th NCAA appearance after the team went 2-0 there in 2003 when KU defeated Utah State 64-61 and Arizona State 108-76 in the first and second rounds (West Regional). KU also played there in 1998 and went 1-1. That year, KU defeated Prairie View A&M 110-52 in the first round, before falling to Rhode Island 80-75 in the second round (Midwest Regional).

Seed Notes: Kansas’ No. 3 seed marks the third No. 3 seed in its 34 tournament appearances. The Jayhawks went 1-1 as the No. 3 seed in 1985 with a win over Ohio and a loss to to Auburn. In 1991, the Jayhawks went 5-1 with wins over New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Indiana, Arkansas and North Carolina, before falling to Duke in the National Championship game.

Kansas Series History: Kansas has never faced Bucknell on the basketball court. The Jayhawks are 1-0 all-time against Northern Iowa with a 94-60 win in Lawrence on Dec. 8, 1973. Against Wisconsin, KU is 3-1 all-time with last meeting coming on Dec. 8, 1969 when the Jayhawks won 76-60.

The Records: Kansas is 23-6 overall after going 1-1 in the Big 12 Tournament. Bucknell is 22-9 overall after capturing the Patriot League Tournament championship. KU is 10-5 against the 65-team field this season.

The Rankings: Kansas was No. 9 last week in the Associated Press poll and No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Bucknell was not ranked last week.

About KU’s First-Round Opponent: Bucknell is 22-9 overall and recorded a 10-4 record in the Patriot League. The Bison are led by junior guard Kevin Bettencourt who averages 12.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Bucknell is coached by Pat Flannery who is 171-145 in his 11th year at his alma mater and 266-188 in his 16th season overall. Flannery starred as a point guard during his playing days at Bucknell. He was a two-year co-captain, led the team to a 20-win season as a senior in 1979-80, and ranks third on Bucknell’s all-time assists list (505). After serving as an assistant coach at Bucknell, Drexel and William & Mary in the 1980s, Flannery was the head coach at Division III Lebanon Valley College for five years, leading that team to its first-ever national championship in 1994. This is Bucknell’s third appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball championships (1987 and 1989). The Bison are 0-2 all-time in NCAA tourney games. In 1987, the Bison lost to Georgetown 75-53 at The Omni in Atlanta, and in 1989 they fell to Syracuse 104-81 at Reunion Arena in Dallas.

Tickets: Kansas receives 550. Those tickets have already been purchased. The Oklahoma City venue site has sold out of tickets.