Kansas to Face Detroit Friday in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
March 13, 2012
Kansas notes for Detroit 
| Gametracker vs. (15) Detroit
NCAA Tournament Central
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2012 NCAA Tournament
Kansas (27-6, 16-2) is the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional as selected March 11. KU will take on the No. 15-seeded Detroit (22-13, 11-7) from the Horizon League on Friday, March 16, at approximately 8:57 p.m. (Central) at the CenturyLink Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb. The game will be televised on truTV. Kansas will have open practice in the venue on Thursday, March 15, from 5:10-5:50 p.m.
Kansas is making its 41st NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as its 23rd-consecutive trip to the tournament, the longest active streak in the nation. KU is a number two seed for the fifth time since seeding began in 1979. The Jayhawks were a two seed in 1990, ’93, ’96, 2003 and this season.
KU, which is ranked No. 6 in the latest Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls, has won eight-straight Big 12 regular season championships dating back to 2005 under head coach Bill Self. This season, KU enters the postseason tournament with a 27-6 record and a 16-2 mark in Big 12 conference play. Kansas has won nine of its last 10 games.
About Kansas
No. 6 Kansas is 16-0 at home, 8-2 in road games and 3-4 on neutral courts this season. KU averages 75.0 points per game and allows 61.9 for a +13.1 scoring margin. KU leads the Big 12 in rebound margin (+5.9), field goal percentage defense (38.3), rebound defense (31.0) and blocked shots (5.6). The Jayhawks also rank among the top three in the conference in scoring offense (second at 75.0), scoring margin (second at +13.1), field goal percentage (second at 48.5), rebounding (second at 36.9), scoring defense (second at 61.9), assists (second at 15.6), assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.2) and steals (third at 7.4).
The Jayhawks are led by 2012 ESPN.com National Player of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year Thomas Robinson, who is the only player in the conference to average a double-double this season with 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He is tied for the national lead with 23 double-doubles this season, along with O.D. Anosike of Siena, whose season has concluded. A four-time Big 12 Player of the Week and one time Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week this season, Robinson has five double-doubles in his last six games and nine DDs in his last 12 contests. His league-leading 11.8 rpg average ranks second nationally. An All-American candidate and Bob Cousy Award finalist, senior guard Tyshawn Taylor has scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games and averages 17.3 ppg for the season. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week and All-Big 12 First Team selection, Taylor leads KU with 159 assists and 57 three-pointers made in 2011-12. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Big 12 Third Team selection, Jeff Withey averages 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots for the season. Named the Big 12 and USBWA national player of the week on Feb. 13, Withey leads the conference with 3.3 blocked shots per game, which ranks seventh nationally. Junior guard Elijah Johnson averaged 20.5 points in KU’s two Big 12 Championship games, including a career-high 26 points against Texas A&M (3/8). He is scoring 9.6 points per contest. Johnson leads Kansas with 49 steals and he is second on the team with 56 three-pointers made and 124 assists. A lockdown defender, junior guard Travis Releford rounds out the Kansas starters. Releford, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Jan. 9, averages 8.5 points per game and has 37 steals.
Senior guard Conner Teahan, an Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honoree, is third on the team with 47 three-pointers this season, including a 4-for-4 effort from beyond the arc against then-No. 3 Missouri (2/25). Teahan averages 5.9 points per game. Junior forward Kevin Young (3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg), sophomore forward Justin Wesley (1.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg) and freshman guard Naadir Tharpe (0.9 ppg, 20 assists) are also KU regulars.
About Detroit
Located in Detroit, Mich. with an enrollment of 5,600 the University of Detroit (22-13, 11-7) is making its sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 1999. Detroit earned an automatic bid after defeating Valparaiso in the Horizon League Championship, 70-50. The Titans are led by All-Horizon League First Team selection Ray McCallum, who leads the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game, assists at 3.9 and steals with 54. McCallum, a sophomore guard and son of the head coach, is one of four different players to average 10 or more points per game. McCallum was named to the All-Horizon League First Team and senior center/forward Eli Holman was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year. Holman averages 10.9 points and leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Chase Simon is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and has made a team-high 47 three-pointers. Junior guard Jason Calliste (10.4 ppg), junior forward Doug Anderson (9.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and senior forward/center LaMarcus Lowe (6.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) join McCallum and Simon in the starting lineup. Other key reserves for the Titans include sophomore forward Evan Bruinsma (4.2 ppg), senior guard Donovan Foster (3.5 ppg) and P.J. Boutte (0.8 ppg). Detroit is coached by Ray McCallum who is in his fourth year at UDM and has amassed a record of 66-66 and 236-215 through 15 years.
The Kansas-Detroit Series
Kansas and Detroit are meeting for the fourth time in men’s basketball and KU has won the three previous matchups with UDM. Kansas defeated Detroit 86-64 on Dec. 1, 1984, in Allen Fieldhouse, behind 19 points from Ron Kellogg and 15 points from Danny Manning in his KU home debut. In KU’s 60-51 on Jan. 6, 1986, in Detroit, Kellogg once against paced the Jayhawks with 13 points, while Manning recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Behind Mario Chalmers’ 22 points, Kansas defeated Detroit 63-43 on Dec. 28, 2006, in Allen Fieldhouse.
Team Notables
–Kansas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.3, which is seventh nationally. KU has led the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense in five of the last six seasons, all under head coach Bill Self.
–KU leads the conference in rebound margin at +5.9. The Jayhawks have led the Big 12 in rebound margin in each of the last five seasons, all under Bill Self.
–Kansas also leads the Big 12 in rebound defense (31.0) and blocked shots (5.6).
–Kansas’ 22-game home court winning streak leads the Big 12 and is tied for fourth nationally. The 22-game streak followed a school-record 69-game home court winning streak. KU is 91-1 in its last 92 games at Allen Fieldhouse. At 16-0 at home this season, Kansas has recorded undefeated home records three of the last four seasons.
–KU has tied or outrebounded 26 of 33 opponents this season, including 11 of the last 15 games. KU has 11 games with a +10 rebound margin, including a season-best 50-21 (+29) vs. Oklahoma State (2/11).
–Six different Jayhawks – Thomas Robinson, Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson, Conner Teahan, Travis Releford and Jeff Withey – have led Kansas in scoring through 33 games.
–KU has shot a higher percentage than 31 of 33 opponents this season. KU shot a season-high 61.4 percent against Texas A&M in the Big 12 Championship and has shot 50 percent or better in six of its last 12 games and 14 times this season.
–Kansas has blocked five or more shots in 16 games this season, including a season-high 13 against Florida Atlantic (11/30). KU had 12 blocked shots against Long Beach State (12/6) and Texas A&M (1/23) and 10 versus Iowa State (1/14).
–Kansas is 5-4 against ranked teams in 2011-12, 31-12 versus ranked foes since 2006-07 and 40-22 against ranked foes under Bill Self (since 2003-04).
–Kansas’ 19-point deficit overcome against Missouri was the largest since KU was down 22 points to Texas on March 11, 2007, in the Big 12 Championship title game.
–Kansas has 155 dunks to its opponents’ 55 through 33 games. Thomas Robinson leads KU with 65 dunks, while Jeff Withey has 35.
Player Notables
–Junior Thomas Robinson, who has five double-doubles in his last six games was named the 2012 National Player of the Year by ESPN.com; USBWA, Sporting News and ESPN.com All-American First Team, the consensus 2012 Big 12 Player of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team. He posted 13 DDs in 18 conference games. Robinson has scored 20-plus points on 11 occasions in 2011-12. A four-time Big 12 Player of the Week and one time Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week this season, Robinson had career highs with 30 points and 21 rebounds against North Dakota (12/31). Robinson is the only player in the Big 12 Conference this season that is averaging a double-double with 17.9 ppg and 11.8 rpg. His 23 double-doubles tied for first nationally this season and are second on KU’s single-season list. His 11.8 rebounds are second in NCAA Division I in 2011-12. Robinson’s 17.9 points are second in the league and he ranks second in field goal percentage (53.1) and tied for ninth in blocked shots (1.0).
–Senior Tyshawn Taylor, a Bob Cousy Award finalist, has scored 20 or more points in four of his last five games, including 20 points against Baylor in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship. A 2012 All-Big 12 First Team honoree and All-American Third Team selection by The Sporting News, he has 12 20-point games in 2011-12. Taylor scored a career-high 28 points in back-to-back games against Iowa State (1/14) and Baylor (1/16). A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week (1/16, 3/4), he is second on the team with 17.3 points per game and led KU in conference game scoring at 18.6 ppg. In all games, Taylor leads KU with 159 assists, 57 three-pointers made and a 43.5 three-point field goal percentage. Taylor’s 17.3 ppg average is fourth in the Big 12. Also in the league, he is sixth in field goal percentage at 49.2, fourth in three-point field goal percentage at 43.5, 12th in three-pointers made at 1.7, sixth in assists at 4.8 and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.4. Taylor underwent knee surgery on Dec. 11 but returned to start the Davidson contest on Dec. 19, when he scored 15 points and had seven assists.
–Junior Jeff Withey averaged 11.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots in two Big 12 Championship games. He averaged 10.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots in Big 12 play and 9.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 3.3 blocks in all games this season. The 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Big 12 Third Team selection, Withey was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week and the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week after he scored a career-high 25 points at No. 6 Baylor (2/8) and had 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against Oklahoma State (2/11). Withey has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 17 games, including four double-doubles. Withey leads the Big 12 with 3.3 blocked shots per game, which ranks seventh nationally. His 65 blocked shots in league play set a new conference season record and his 109 for the season are second on the KU list. Withey has multiple blocks in 15 of his last 20 games. His 6.2 rebound average is ninth in the Big 12, while his 80.1 free throw percentage is 10th in the conference.
–Junior Elijah Johnson led Kansas in scoring in the Big 12 Championship with 20.5 ppg, including a career-high 26 points against Texas A&M in the quarterfinals. Johnson has 26 assists and just four turnovers in his last seven games. He tied his season high with eight assists, and no turnovers, against No. 3 Missouri (2/25). He has 14 games with 10 or more points this season. Johnson is second on the team with 56 three-pointers made and has made multiple threes in four of his last six games and 15 times this season. He has started all but one game this season for KU (Senior Night), is the team leader with 49 steals and is second on the team in assists with 124. Johnson is tied for eighth in the Big 12 in assists at 3.8, fifth in steals at 1.5, third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.1 and 13th in three-pointers made at 1.7.
–Junior Travis Releford, the Big 12 Player of the Week on Jan. 9, pulled down seven rebounds against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship semifinals (3/9). He has scored in double figures 14 times this season. He is fifth on the team in scoring with 8.5 ppg in all games and scored 8.9 ppg in Big 12 contests. Releford opened Big 12 play with his first career double-double, recording 16 points and 11 rebounds against Kansas State (1/4). Both were career highs at the time. He then scored 28 points at Oklahoma (1/7). A lockdown defender, Releford has 37 steals this season.
–Senior Conner Teahan scored 12 points against No. 3 Missouri (2/25) on 4-for-4 shooting with all shots from three-point range. The four threes tied his career high, which he has done three times this season, and his 12 points were a conference career high. He has made 47 three-pointers in 2011-12, which is third most on the team. In his first career start, Teahan scored a career-high 14 points versus LBSU (12/6) and has chipped in 13 points twice (at USC, 12/22 and vs. Howard, 12/29). Teahan was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team on Feb. 16.
–Junior Kevin Young had five points and five rebounds against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship semifinals (3/9). He had five points and pulled down a personal KU best eight rebounds against Missouri (2/25). Young averages 10.8 minutes, 3.6 points and 2/7 rebounds per game. He scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Texas Tech (2/18). It marked the third time this season Young has scored in double figures. His best scoring performance of the season came against then-No. 2 Ohio State (12/10) with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He has pulled down four or more rebounds nine times this season. In 2011-12, Young is shooting 53.8 percent (43-for-80) from the field.
Kansas in Nebraska for the NCAA Tournament
This season marks the third time Kansas has started the NCAA Tournament in the state of Nebraska with the two previous trips ending in national championships: 1988 and 2008. In 1988, Kansas opened the NCAA Tournament in Lincoln, defeating Xavier (85-72) and Murray State (61-58). In 2008, KU played in Omaha at the Quest Center, now the CenturyLink Center Omaha, and defeated Portland State (85-61) and UNLV (75-61) in the NCAA Tournament’s first two rounds.
Kansas vs. the Field
In 2011-12, Kansas played 17 games against 11 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament field: Baylor, Davidson, Duke, Georgetown, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio State, South Florida, Texas. KU went a combined 11-6 against those squads.
Seed Notes
Kansas is the No. 2 seed for the fifth time since the NCAA Tournament started seeding in 1979 – 1990, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2012. This is the first time KU has been a No. 2 seed under Bill Self. Kansas is 13-4 as a No. 2 seed and 4-0 against the No. 15 seed. Kansas’ 17 games as the No. 2 seed is its second most in the NCAA Tournament behind its 36 games as the No. 1 seed.
Kansas in the NCAA Tournament
–Kansas’ 41st NCAA Tournament appearance.
–Kansas’ 23-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, from 1990-2010, is the nation’s longest active streak and ranks second-best all time. North Carolina had 27 straight from 1975-2001.
–Under head coach Bill Self, Kansas is 18-7 (72.0 percent) in the NCAA Tournament, with five Sweet 16s, four Elite Eights, one Final Four and one NCAA National Championship.
–In the last 10 NCAA Tournaments, Kansas has a 27-9 (75.0 percent) record with one NCAA National Championship (2008), three Final Four (2002-03-08) and six Elite Eight (2002-03-04-07-08-11) appearances.
–The Jayhawks’ 41 NCAA Tournament appearances are fourth nationally behind only Kentucky (51), North Carolina (42) and UCLA (42).
–Kansas sports an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 88-39 and the Jayhawks’ 88 wins rank fifth behind North Carolina (106), Kentucky (105), Duke (97) and UCLA (96).
–The Jayhawks will play their 128th NCAA Tournament game on Friday. The Jayhawks’ 127 games in the event rank fifth all-time in NCAA history – Kentucky (151), North Carolina (145), UCLA (131) and Duke (128).
–KU’s NCAA Tournament winning percentage of 69.3 percent ranks seventh all-time for a minimum of 20 games played.
–Kansas coach Bill Self is making his 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.
–KU is one of six schools that has won at least three NCAA Championships. The Jayhawks won the NCAA crown in 1952, 1988 and 2008. The other schools are UCLA (11), Kentucky (7), Indiana (5), North Carolina (5), Duke (4) and Connecticut (3).
–Kansas has appeared in the Final Four 13 times, making KU one of just six schools to reach the Final Four 10-plus times – North Carolina (18), UCLA (17), Duke (15), Kentucky (14) and Ohio State (10).
–Kansas has won 11 games in the Final Four, which is sixth-best all time.
–Five different Jayhawks have been named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, including B.H. Born in 1953 and Wilt Chamberlain in 1957, who both won the award even though KU lost in the finals. Clyde Lovellette (1952) and Danny Manning (1988) also won the honor. Mario Chalmers won the Most Outstanding Player Award for the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
–Former Jayhawk player and coach Dick Harp is the only person to play in the Final Four and later coach his alma mater in the Final Four.
NCAA Tournament Notables
–In 2007-08, Kansas became only the fourth school to win a BCS game, and then play in the Final Four the same academic year. The 2007 KU football team won the FedEx Orange Bowl and the men’s basketball team captured the NCAA National Championship. Other schools to accomplish the feat include Ohio State (1999), Wisconsin (2000) and Florida (2007).
–In 1993, Kansas became the first school in NCAA history to make a Final Four appearance, a College World Series appearance and win a bowl game in the same year.
–Larry Brown is one of two coaches to take two different teams to the NCAA championship game (UCLA, 1980 and Kansas, 1988). Frank McGuire took St. John’s in 1952 and North Carolina in 1957. Brown attended North Carolina. McGuire’s 1957 North Carolina team defeated Kansas for the championship in triple overtime.
–Brown is the only man to coach teams to the NCAA Championship – Kansas in 1988 – and the NBA Championship – Detroit in 2004.
–When Phog Allen’s 1952 team won the NCAA title, Allen was 66 years old. That was the oldest age for the head coach of a championship team until Jim Calhoun (68) of Connecticut won last year. Allen became the fourth coach to win the NCAA National Championship at his alma mater, a feat that has been accomplished 14 times.
–Adonis Jordan’s 5-of-7 three-point shooting performance in the 1993 national semifinal game against North Carolina is tied for the second highest percentage ever in an NCAA Final Four game. Donald Williams of UNC accomplished the feat twice, both times in 1993. In 2011, Butler’s Shelvin Mack went 5-for-6 (83.3 percent) to break the record.
–Kansas won the NCAA Tournament in 1988 as a No. 6 seed. Only one team has won the tournament with a lower seed – Villanova in 1985 as an eighth seed. Jim Valvano’s 1983 N.C. State team also won the tournament as a No. 6 seed. In the 1990s, the lowest seed to win the tournament was the 1997 Arizona team, which captured the title as a No. 4 seed. The Wildcats upset Kansas, the top seed, in the Sweet 16.
KU is the Cradle of Tournament Coaching Legends
Eight head coaches who have advanced to the NCAA Tournament have graduated from the University of Kansas. In fact, the 121 combined NCAA Tournament wins by those men are easily the most by graduates of any one school: Phog Allen (KU 1906, 10-3), Tim Carter (KU, 1979, 0-2), Frosty Cox (KU 1930, 2-4), Dick Harp (KU 1940, 4-2), Ralph Miller (KU 1942, 5-11), Adolph Rupp (KU 1922, 30-18), Dean Smith (KU 1953, 65-27) and Mark Turgeon (KU 1987, 5-5).
In the Polls
Kansas is ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls released March 12. This is Kansas’ 10th appearance in the Top 10 of either poll in 2011-12. KU has been ranked in each of the last 66 Associated Press polls dating back to the 2008-09 season. Included are 49 times when the Jayhawks have appeared in the AP Top 10. KU has been ranked in each of the last 67 coaches polls with 52 appearances in the Top 10. Kansas has faced six currently-ranked teams and is 5-4 against ranked foes (at tip) in 2011-12.
Conference Titles
With its eighth-straight Big 12 regular-season championship and Gonzaga not winning the 2012 Big West title, Kansas is now the nation’s active consecutive conference regular-season champion leader. Kansas’ 55 conference regular-season titles are first among NCAA Division I schools.
Robinson Named to All-American and National Player of the Year Lists
Kansas junior Thomas Robinson was named to the 2011-12 U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-America Team it was announced March 12. The first team consists of five forwards, as the USBWA selected the nation’s top five players regardless of position.
This marks the fourth-straight season that a Jayhawk has been named a USBWA All-American and 21st time overall. Last season, former Jayhawk Marcus Morris was named to the second team.
Robinson was named a John R. Wooden Award finalist on March 6, by The Los Angeles Athletic Club. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is made up of 15 student-athletes.
On March 4, Robinson was named the ESPN.com National Player of the Year. He was on the outlets All-American First Team. Senior teammate Tyshawn Taylor was ESPN.com All-American Third Team.
On Feb. 29, Robinson was named to the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Midseason Watch List, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Robinson is one of 30 players from around the country named to the prestigious watch list. The Naismith Men’s Basketball Player of the Year Award presented by AT&T Midseason 30 Watch List was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the 2011-12 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy, presented by AT&T, will be awarded at the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans.
On Feb. 6, Robinson was named one of 20 players by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its 2012 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake in New Orleans at the USBWA’s College Basketball Awards Breakfast on March 30.
Taylor To Join Elite Company
Senior Tyshawn Taylor continues to etch his name into the all-time Kansas career lists. A four-year starter, Kansas is 122-20 (85.9 percent) during Taylor’s time in Lawrence with four Big 12 regular-season titles, two Big 12 Championship crowns and trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. His 121 all-time KU starts are eighth all-time. Statistically, against Duke, Taylor became the 54th player in school history to record 1,000 points. He currently sits 19th with 1,503 points. He is eighth on the KU all-time assists list with 548. Taylor also ranks 16th with 159 career steals and his 39.3 percent career three-point percentage is 16th best at Kansas. Taylor is only the third player in KU history with the combination of at least 1,400 points, 500 assists and 150 steals in his career. He is in the company of KU greats Darnell Valentine (1,821 points, 609 assists, 336 steals) and Kirk Hinrich (1,753 points, 668 assists, 206 steals).
Jayhawks on NBA Rosters
A total of 12 Kansas Jayhawks appeared on NBA opening-day rosters for the 2011-12 season (Dec. 25). NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce leads the list heading into his 13th season with the Boston Celtics. The Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder each have two Jayhawks on their roster with Darrell Arthur and Josh Selby on Memphis and Cole Aldrich and Nick Collison for Oklahoma City. Other KU players on opening day NBA rosters include: Mario Chalmers (Miami), Drew Gooden (Milwaukee), Xavier Henry (New Orleans), Kirk Hinrich (Atlanta), Marcus Morris (Houston), Markieff Morris (Phoenix) and Brandon Rush (Golden State).
Noting Kansas Basketball
–Kansas has gone 237 games without consecutive losses, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I. KU’s last two straight losses were Jan. 14 vs. Kansas State (59-57 in Allen Fieldhouse) and Jan. 16 at Missouri (89-86 overtime in Mizzou Arena), during the 2005-06 season.
–Kansas has 2,065 all-time victories, second most in NCAA Division I.
–Kansas won its 1,000th all-time conference game with the 83-50 win against Texas Tech on Feb. 18, 2012.
–Kansas has held 172 of its last 178 opponents to under 50 percent shooting.
–KU has held opponents to fewer than 100 points in 367 consecutive games. The last team to score 100 on Kansas was Texas on Feb. 11, 2002, a KU 110-103 overtime victory.
–Kansas has sold out its last 180 games in Allen Fieldhouse, dating back to the second game of the 2001-02 season.
–Over the last five seasons, prior to 2011-12, Kansas has averaged 33 victories per year with four 30-win seasons.
–Each KU senior class since 1986-87 has won at least 100 games. Tyshawn Taylor’s four-year record is 122-20. A fourth-year senior last season, Tyrel Reed’s record of 132-17 tied for the second-most wins in a four-year span in NCAA Division I history.
–Including 2012, Kansas has won 12 of the 16 Big 12 regular-season titles (includes ties), including the last eight. Kansas’ 55 conference titles are the most in NCAA Division I. Kansas’ eight-straight league titles is a school record, surpassing the six straight set from 1922-27.
–Including 2011-12, Kansas has won 23 or more games in each of the last 23 seasons dating back to 1988-89 and has 22 victories 27 times in the last 28 years starting in 1984-85.
–Including 2011-12, Bill Self has won 23 or more games each of his last 14 seasons as a head coach.
–Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 to have a winning series record against every conference foe.
–Including 2011-12, KU has led its league in home attendance each of the last 26 seasons dating back to 1986-87 and 31 times in the last 35 years.
–Kansas’ 2002 team is the only squad in Big 12 history to go undefeated in conference play at 16-0.
–Kansas is first in the conference in wins with a 217-41 record in Big 12 regular-season games. Texas is next at 176-82. Including the league postseason championship, Kansas is tops at 248-49, while Texas is second at 197-98.
–Kansas is the only Big 12 school to have won a regular-season championship with two different coaches (Roy Williams and Bill Self).
–Under Bill Self, Kansas is 69-4 (94.5 percent) in Big 12 home games: 8-0 in 2004, 7-1 in 2005, 7-1 in 2006, 7-1 in 2007, 8-0 in 2008, 8-0 in 2009, 8-0 in 2010, 7-1 in 2011 and 9-0 in 2012.
–Kansas has won 10 or more league games for the last 18 seasons and 50 times overall, including 2011-12.
–Kansas leads the Big 12 with 48 all-time Academic All-Big 12 selections since the inception of the conference in 1996-97.
–Including 2011-12, KU has 37 Academic All-Big 12 First Team selections and 11 second team selections. KU’s 37 first team selections are 16 more than Texas and Kansas State’s 21 each.
–In the Bill Self era, Kansas has had 25 Academic All-Big 12 selections, which is best in the Big 12, for an average of almost three per year (2.8 average). This includes 2011-12.
–In December 2010, KU alum David Booth bought the original rules of basketball by the inventor of the game and KU’s first coach James Naismith. Booth plans to bring the rules to Lawrence and Allen Fieldhouse.
–Kansas’ school-record 69-game home court winning streak, from 2007-11, which led the nation for more than two seasons and ranks 11th all-time in the NCAA records book. With the current 22-game win streak, Kansas is 91-1 in Allen Fieldhouse in its last 92 games.
–Under Bill Self, Kansas has won 10 or more consecutive games 10 times, including once during the 2011-12 season.
–Kansas has won 55-straight home games against non-conference competition.
–Under Bill Self, Kansas is 42-6 following a loss. Kansas has won 24-straight games following a loss.
Kansas Inks Three to NLIs in Early Signing Period
Kansas signed three outstanding high school prospects in the November 2011 early signing period. Five-star forward Perry Ellis and big men Zach Peters and Landen Lucas will be freshmen men’s basketball players for the 2012-13 season at Kansas.
Ellis, from Wichita (Kan.) Heights High School, has a long list of accolades, including McDonald’s All-American in 2011-12. With a 4.0 grade point average, the 6-8, 220-pound Rivals.com five-star recruit is the three-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year heading into his senior season. In 2011-12, Ellis guided Wichita Heights to its fourth-straight 6A state championship under head coach Joe Auer. His sophomore and junior seasons, Wichita Heights went undefeated. Ellis led Kansas Players AAU team, based in Wichita and coached by Steve Young, to several high finishes in major AAU events this past summer.
Ranked No. 24 overall by Rivals.com, Ellis averaged 22.1 points and 7.9 rebounds his junior season at Wichita Heights. As a freshman, he averaged 19.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while the following year he averaged 22.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest.
Peters, who signed on Nov. 14, averaged 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in 2010-11 in guiding Prestonwood to a state runner-up finish in TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools). In 2011-12, Prestonwood won the TAPPS state championship. As a junior Peters was an all-state first team TAPPS selection and he was rated the No. 97 player by Rivals.com following his junior season at Prestonwood. Peters is also an outstanding wide receiver on the Prestonwood football team.
The top prospect in the state of Oregon and a three-star recruit, Lucas (6-10, 230-pounds from Portland) is no stranger to the Lawrence area as he attended one of Bill Self’s basketball camps last summer. Lucas, who signed with KU on Nov. 15, began his high school career at Sunset High School in Portland, moved to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev., last year and is back in Portland at Westview High School for his senior season. Last year at Findlay Prep, Lucas averaged 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game.
Lucas is the son of former Oregon standout Richard Lucas, who played for the Ducks from 1987-91. Richard Lucas is listed on many of Oregon’s field goal percentage and rebounding top-10 season and career lists.
Bill Self Basketball Experience Slated for April
Kansas head coach Bill Self announced Dec. 8 the launch of the Bill Self Basketball Experience (BSBE) slated for April 13-15, 2012. Legendary Allen Fieldhouse is the backdrop for this unique fantasy basketball experience involving one of college basketball’s most powerful and tradition-rich programs. The event is for basketball playing and non-basketball playing participants ages 35 and older. Campers will compete in storied Allen Fieldhouse, receive expert coaching from current KU staff and former KU greats and enjoy elite social opportunities including an exclusive dinner at the home of Coach Self. For non-playing participants, the BSBE offers the “Phog Allen Coaching Experience” that allows campers to see the inner workings of collegiate coaching at the highest level as you “match wits” with Bill Self, a two-time national coach of the year who has guided KU to eight-straight conference titles, five conference tournament championships and one national championship. A portion of the proceeds will go to Self’s Assist Foundation, founded in 2006 by Bill and Cindy Self, whose mission is to provide young people access to better lives. Positions in the camp are limited and are secured on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information go to www.billselfbasketballexperience.com, call 513-519-2436 or e-mail jsundermanprocamps.com.
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Should Kansas advance from Omaha, Kansas would play in the Midwest Regional semifinals in St. Louis, March 23 and 25 at the Edwards Jones Dome.
