Kansas to Face Niagara in NCAA Championship First Round
March 14, 2007
Kansas NCAA Championship First Round Info
Opponent: No. 16 seed Niagara (23-11)
Game Day/Time: Friday, March 16 at 6:10 p.m. Central
Venue: United Center, Chicago
Phone: 312/455-4667
Host: Big Ten Conference — official host page
TV: CBS (check local listings)
Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (check local listings)
Team travel plans: Depart Lawrence Wednesday, March 14, fly via charter to Chicago
KU practice open to the public: United Center, Thursday, March 15; 4:25-5:05 p.m.
Other Important Links
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Kansas Alumni Association events in Chicago
2007 NCAA Championship Bracket
Complete Release in PDF Format
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NCAA Championship Time
Big 12 Champion Kansas (30-4) makes its 18th straight and 36th overall NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 1 seed in the West Regional and will take on Niagara (23-11) Friday, March 16, at 6:10 p.m. (Central) at the United Center in Chicago. The Jayhawks – 2007 Big 12 regular-season champions – are coming off their fifth Big 12 and ninth overall league tournament title after their 88-84 overtime win against then-No. 14 Texas Sunday. This marks the seventh time since seeding started in the NCAA Tournament that the Jayhawks have been a No. 1 seed.
About Kansas
Kansas has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 for 15 weeks in 2006-07 and its No. 2 rating for the past two polls is its highest of the season. Kansas’ current 11-game winning streak is its second longest of the season. At 30-4, the Jayhawks have posted the most school victories since the 2003 Final Four team also won 30 games and went 30-8. KU’s 30 victories are the most in the Bill Self era while at KU. Kansas averages 78.4 points per game and is giving up 61. The Jayhawks are outrebounding foes 40.4 to 32.9 per game and hold a 49.0 to 37.4 field goal percentage edge. KU is a young team, as its top five scorers are sophomores and freshmen. Seven Jayhawks earned postseason Big 12 accolades in 2006-07. Sophomore guard Brandon Rush, an All-Big 12 First Team selection each of the last two seasons, leads Kansas in scoring at 13.8 points per game and with 66 three-point field goals made. Sophomore Mario Chalmers, the co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, is next in scoring with a 12.3 average. Chalmers leads the Big 12 with 2.44 steals per game. Sophomore Julian Wright, an all-league first team selection along with Rush, leads KU with 8.0 rebounds a game and is scoring 12.1 points per contest. He and freshman forward Darrell Arthur are tied for the team lead with 49 blocked shots. Arthur is scoring 10.1 points per contest, while freshman guard Sherron Collins is at 9.7 points per game. Arthur and Collins were each named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and to the Big 12 All-Rookie team. Junior guard Russell Robinson, a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award and member of the Big 12 All-Defensive team, leads KU with 146 assists in addition to his 6.8 scoring average. He is second on the team with 60 steals. Juniors Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson round out the regulars for KU. Kaun, the starting center and an Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection, is scoring 6.2 points per game, while Jackson, a forward, is averaging 5.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per outing off the bench.
The KU-Niagara Series
Kansas and Niagara have met once in men’s basketball. The Jayhawks defeated the Purple Eagles 134-75 in Lawrence on January 9, 1997. KU is 10-1 against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – 2-0 vs. Canisius, 2-0 vs. Rider, 2-0 vs. Saint Peter’s, 1-0 vs. Fairfield, 1-0 vs. Niagara and 2-1 against Iona with the loss in 1980.
