No. 1 Kansas to Face Lehigh in NCAA Tournament First Round Thursday in Oklahoma City
March 15, 2010
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Kansas notes for NCAA First Round in PDF Format 
Kansas No. 1 Seed in NCAA Championship
Here are some No. 1 Kansas quick hits heading into its 39th NCAA Tournament:
–Kansas holds the longest active NCAA Tournament appearance streak at 21 years.
–Kansas is a No. 1 seed for the ninth time since the seedings started in 1979.
–In the win against Texas A&M (March 12), Bill Self picked up his 200th win while at Kansas, joining Phog Allen (590-219 in 39 seasons), Ted Owens (348-182 in 19 seasons) and Roy Williams (418-101 in 15 seasons). Self is 200-42 in his seventh season. Self is the fastest coach in KU’s rich history to reach the 200-win mark doing it in 242 games on the Jayhawks’ sidelines. Williams won 200 at Kansas in 252 games, Allen in 265 games and Owens in 287 games.
–Kansas won its 2,000th all-time game with the 80-68 win against Texas Tech (March 11). Only Kentucky and North Carolina have also won 2,000 games.
–KU’s Sherron Collins and Brady Morningstar were part of the 1,900th and 2,000th Kansas all-time victories.
–Kansas posted its 30th victory of the season against Texas A&M (March 11). Kansas has now won 30-plus games nine times, including three of the last four seasons.
About Kansas
Kansas is 32-2 on the season and has won five straight and 18 of its last 19 games. Kansas is tied with Kentucky for the nation’s best winning percentage at 94.1 and leads the nation in scoring margin at +18.0. KU averages 81.8 points per game and gives up 63.8 ppg. Senior guard Sherron Collins was named the Big 12 Championshp MOP where he averaged 19 points and 6.7 assists in KU’s three victories. Collins leads the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game and he has seven games with 20 points or more this season. A Bob Cousy Award finalist, Collins is second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 85.1 percent and he leads KU in assists with 151 and three-pointers with 68, two ahead of freshman Xavier Henry. Henry, a three-time Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week this season, is scoring 13.6 points per game on the season. He averages 4.2 rebounds per game and leads KU with 50 steals. Junior center Cole Aldrich, who was named 2010 Academic All-American of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, has eight double-doubles in his last 16 games and 14 DDs in 2009-10. He is averaging nearly a double-double with 11.2 ppg and 9.9 rebounds per game. Aldrich’s 118 blocked shots are a KU single-season record. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris is third on the team in scoring at 12.3 ppg and second in rebounds at 6.1 rpg. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor moved back into the starting lineup against Colorado (Feb. 20) and has started 23 games this season. He is second on the team with 114 assists and is scoring 7.4 ppg for the season. Junior guard Brady Morningstar is scoring 4.3 points per game and averaging 3.0 assists per contest. Sophomore forward Markieff Morris, twin of Marcus, is a top reserve who averages 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 2009-10. Junior guard Tyrel Reed averages 4.9 points per game, has 38 three-pointers and 67.9 percent of his field goals are from behind the arc.
About Lehigh
Located in Bethlehem, Pa., with an enrollment of 4,700, Thursday will mark the first time Lehigh (22-10) has played in the NCAA Tournament since 2004 and it will be Lehigh’s fourth NCAA appearance in school history (1985, 1988, 2004). The Mountain Hawks are coached by Brett Reed, who is in his third season, have won a school record 22 games this season, including five straight, with their latest win coming on Friday evening over archrival Lafayette in the 2010 Patriot League championship game. Freshman guard C.J. McCollum leads the team in scoring with an 18.9 ppg. McCollum also leads Lehigh with 70 three-point field goals and 40 steals. His 76 assists are second on the squad behind senior guard Marquis Hall’s 182. Hall is second on the team scoring 11 points per game, 53 three-pointers and 37 steals. Senior forward Zahir Carrington leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game and 39 blocked shots to complement his 10.8 ppg. He and freshman forward Gabe Knutson shoot a team-best 51.9 percent from the field. Knutson scores 9.6 ppg and is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per outing. Senior guard Dave Buchberger (6.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg) rounds out the starters. Junior guard Michael Ojo is a top reserve who scores seven points per game. Freshman forward Holden Greiner (3.6 ppg), junior guard Rob Keefer (3.6 ppg) and sophomore forward John Adams (3.0 ppg) each average more than nine minutes per game for the Moutain Hawks.
The Kansas-Lehigh Series
Kansas and Lehigh are meeting for the first time in men’s basketball. Lehigh will be the seventh team Kansas has faced for the first time this season. The Jayhawks were 6-0 against those foes. Kansas is 4-2 all-time against current membership of the Patriot League – 2-1 vs. Holy Cross, 1-0 vs. American, 1-0 vs. Colgate and 0-1 vs. Bucknell. Three of the six games – vs. Colgate, Holy Cross and Bucknell – have come in NCAA Tournament play with Kansas having a 2-1 record. KU’s last meeting against a Patriot League member was in Oklahoma City when Bucknell upset Kansas 64-63 in the first round in 2005.
Kansas vs. the Postseason Field
In 2009-10, Kansas played 14 games against 11 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament field: Baylor, California, Cornell, Kansas State, Missouri, Oakland, Oklahoma State, Temple, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M. KU went a combined 12-2 against those 11 squads in 2009-10.
Seed Notes
Kansas is the No. 1 seed for the ninth time since the NCAA Tournament started seeding in 1979 – 2010, 2008, 2007, 2002, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1992 and 1986. This is the third time KU has been a No. 1 seed under Bill Self (2007-08-10). Kansas is 23-7 as a No. 1 seed and 8-0 against the No. 16 seed. The last time Kansas was a No. 1 seed was in 2008 when it went on to win the NCAA National Championship.
Kansas in the NCAA Tournament
–Kansas’ 39th NCAA Tournament appearance.
–Kansas’ 21-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, from 1990-2010, is the nation’s longest active list and ranks second-best all time. North Carolina had 27 straight from 1975-2001. Note: Arizona had an actual streak of 25 consecutive appearances from 1985-2009 but its 1999 appearance was later vacated.
–Kansas is making its fourth NCAA Tournament trip to Oklahoma City and is 3-2 in the event in Oklahoma City. This will be Kansas’ first trip to Oklahoma City since 2005 when it lost to Bucknell in the opening round. KU played in the Myriad Convention Center in 1998 and the Ford Center in 2003 and 2005. The 2003 KU squad advanced to the Final Four and the NCAA Championship game.
–Under head coach Bill Self, Kansas is 14-5 (73.7 percent) in the NCAA Tournament, with four Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights, one Final Four and one NCAA National Championship.
–In the last eight NCAA Tournaments, Kansas has a 23-7 (76.7 percent) record with one NCAA National Championship (2008), three Final Four (2002-03-08) and five Elite Eight (2002-03-04-07-08) appearances.
–The Jayhawks’ 39 NCAA Tournament appearances are fourth nationally behind only Kentucky (50), UCLA (41) and North Carolina (41).
–Kansas sports an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 84-37 and the Jayhawks’ 84 wins rank fifth behind North Carolina (102), Kentucky (98), UCLA (94) and Duke (88).
–The Jayhawks will play their 122nd NCAA Tournament game on Thursday, which ranks fourth all-time in NCAA history – Kentucky (142), North Carolina (141) and UCLA (128).
–KU’s NCAA Tournament winning percentage of 69.4 percent ranks fifth all-time – Duke (74.6), UCLA (72.3), North Carolina (72.3) and Florida (26-10). This is for a minimum of 20 games played.
–Kansas coach Bill Self is making his 12th 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 Jayhawks have appeared in the Final Four 13 times – making KU one of just six schools to reach the Final Four 10-plus times.
–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 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.
Team Notables
–Of Kansas’ 10 Big 12 regular season titles, KU has won seven outright (1997-98-2002-03-07-09-10).
–Kansas’ 32 wins in 34 games is the second-best 34-game record in school history. KU was 34-1 in 1996-97 and ended up 34-2.
–Five of Kansas’ non-conference foes won or tied for their league’s regular season title in 2009-10. Those include Oakland (Summit League), California (Pac-10), Belmont (ties for Atlantic Sun), Temple (tied for Atlantic 10) and Cornell (Ivy).
–Kansas leads the nation in scoring margin at +18.0. KU also leads the Big 12 in scoring (81.8), three-point percentage (40.9), scoring defense (63.8), field goal percentage defense (37.7), assists (17.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).
–Ten of KU’s wins this season have been by 25-plus points with eight of those by 30 points or more.
–KU averages 6.4 blocked shots per game to its opponents’ 3.8.
–KU has shot 50 percent or better in five the last seven games and 17 of 34 games overall this season.
–Kansas has also held 21 of 34 opponents this season to under 40 percent from the field.
–KU’s bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 25 of 34 games this season.
Player Notables
–Senior Sherron Collins was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Championship where he averaged 19 points with nine assists in three KU victories. Collins was 15-for-16 from the free throw line at the event. Collins leads KU with a 15.6 ppg average for the season. He has seven games with 20 or more points. He is second in the Big 12 with his 85.1 free throw percentage. Collins’ 15.6 point scoring average is 11th in the Big 12. Collins also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (10th at 43.0), assists (fifth at 4.4), three-point field goal percentage (10th at 38.0), three-point field goals made (tied for 10th at 2.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (ninth at 1.9).
–Junior Cole Aldrich, the 2010 Academic All-American of the Year, was named to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team where he averaged 10.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in three games. Included was an 18-rebound effort against Texas Tech in the quarterfinals. Aldrich averages nearly a double-double (11.2 ppg and 9.9 rpg) this season. Aldrich has pulled down at least nine rebounds in 17 of his last 25 games and double-digit boards in five of his last nine outings. Aldrich was named Big 12 Player of the Week twice (Feb. 1 and Jan. 4). He is second in the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally with 3.5 blocked shots per game. Aldrich is second in the Big 12 in rebounding at 9.6 rpg.
–Freshman Xavier Henry averaged 10.7 points at the Big 12 Championshp and was 7-of-14 from three-point range at the event. He averages 13.6 ppg for the season. Henry was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week three times this season (Dec. 7, Dec. 14 and Feb. 22) and has led KU in scoring in 11 games in 2009-10. Henry leads Kansas with 50 steals and had a KU freshman-record-tying seven steals against Baylor (Jan. 20). Henry is second on the team with 66 three-point field goals made. He has made multiple three-pointers in 20 contests. He is sixth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 41.5 percent. He ranks 18th in the Big 12 in scoring at 13.6 ppg, ninth in steals at 1.5 and 12th in three-pointers made at 1.9.
–Sophomore Marcus Morris had a solid Big 12 Championship where he averaged 10.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg. He had 18 points and eight rebounds against No. 9 Kansas State in the Big 12 title game. Morris posted his sixth double-double of the season, fourth in league play, with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Missouri (March 6). Morris averaged 14.2 points per game in Big 12 play, 16th in the league. Morris has four 20-point efforts so far this season. Also in league play, Morris led the Big 12 with his 56.1 percent shooting from the field, while his 7.3 rebounds are tied for ninth. For the season, he is averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.1 rpg (13th in the Big 12). Morris has started 31 of 34 games in 2009-10.
–Sophomore Tyshawn Taylor scored nine points with four rebounds in the Big 12 semifinal victory against Texas A&M. He led Kansas with 13 points at Missouri (March 6). He is averaging 7.4 points on the season. Taylor has shot 50 percent or better in 16 games, including 10 times in Big 12 play. He has 12 games with five-plus assists and ranks 11th in the Big 12 in assists at 3.4 per game and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.8.
–Junior Brady Morningstar led the Big 12 this season in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.6 in league games (49 assists, 19 turnovers). He is scoring 4.3 ppg in all games. In addition to his assist-to-turnover ranking, in league play, Morningstar ranked among the conference leaders in assists (tied for 12th at 3.1). A defensive stopper who started all but one game last season, Morningstar missed the first nine games of the season due to breaking team rules. Morningstar is a redshirt junior who is the oldest player in the Big 12 at 24.
–Sophomore Markieff Morris averaged 9.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg and blocked five shots in the Big 12 Championship. He has shot 50 percent or better in seven of the last nine games, including a 4-for-5 effort in the Big 12 semifinals against Texas A&M. Morris averages 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He has pulled down six-plus rebounds in eight of his last 11 games and 18 times this season. His 5.4 rpg are third on the KU team. He is second on the team with 31 blocked shots and is shooting 56.6 percent from the field on the season.
–Junior Tyrel Reed had a season-high 15 points in the Big 12 Championship title game against Kansas State. Against KSU, Reed was 3-for-4 from the field, including 2-2 from three-point range and 7-for-9 from the free throw line. Reed has made 38 three-pointers this season and 70 percent of his field goals made have been from beyond the arc. He went 18-for-34 (52.9 percent) from three-point range in Big 12 play and is 46.3 percent from beyond the arc for the season. Reed has made at least one three in 24 games this season and multiple threes in eight contests. Reed is averaging 4.9 points per game for the season.
–Freshman Thomas Robinson made appearances in all three Big 12 Championshp games and pulled down five rebounds in 10 minutes of tourney action. He had four points and three rebounds in five minutes at Missouri (March 6). His four points at MU matched his conference high also set at Nebraska (Jan. 13) and versus Oklahoma (Feb. 22). Robinson averages 7.2 minutes per game with 2.6 ppg and 2.7 rpg. He is third on the team with 16 blocked shots, including two against Texas Tech in the Big 12 quarterfinals.
Senior Sherron Collins Notables
–During Collins’ stint, Kansas has won four Big 12 regular-season titles, three Big 12 postseason championship titles, advanced to three NCAA Tournament Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, one Final Four and has won one NCAA National Championship. Of a possible 12 postseason titles (league regular season, league tourney and NCAA Tournament), Collins has been a part of Kansas’ eight titles won in the last four seasons.
–Collins has been part of the most wins in a four-year span in Kansas basketball history with 129 victories.
–While at Kansas, Collins has a 20-3 (87 percent) postseason record, which includes Big 12 and NCAA Tournament postseason play.
–Collins has been named All-Big 12 First Team each of the last two seasons.
–Collins was named USBWA All-America First Team and The Sporting News All-America Second Team. He has been listed on many All-America teams in 2010.
–As a junior in 2009, Collins was consensus second-team All-America selection.
–Including this season, Collins is a two-time Bob Cousy Award finalist for the nation’s top point guard.
–For his career, Collins has been named Big 12 Player of the Week three times.
–As a sophomore, KU’s national championship season, Collins was the recipient of the 2008 Big 12 Sixth Man Award and selected to the Big 12 All-Reserve Team.
–In 2007, Collins was selected to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team and was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
–Collins is the seventh player in KU history to record 1,800 career points. He is 40 points shy of becoming only the fifth player in school history to score 1,900 career points.
–Collins is one of only two Jayhawks to have recorded 1,800 career points and 500 career assists, joining KU great Darnell Valentine.
–Collins ranks fourth on the Kansas career three-point field goals made list with 230. His 605 three-pointers attempted are third.
–Collins is seventh on the KU all-time assists list with 542.
–Collins has 26 games of 20 or more points while at Kansas, including a 32-point effort against North Dakota State in last year’s NCAA Tournament and a 33-point game in KU’s come-from-behind victory versus Cornell earlier this season. He had 26 points in Kansas’ Big 12 Championship semifinal win against Texas A&M.
