Kansas Faces No. 17 Nebraska in NCAA Tournament First Round
March 15, 2012
- Coach Henrickson
- C. Gardner
- A. Sutherland
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the 12th time in program history, Kansas women’s basketball is headed to the NCAA Tournament as the 11th-seeded Jayhawks will take on former Big 12 Conference foe No. 17/22 Nebraska, a six seed, on Sunday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 from the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark. KU is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Bonnie Henrickson and first since 2000.
Follow the Jayhawks
Fans can watch Sunday’s game live on ESPN2, online at ESPN3.com and through the ESPN phone app. The Jayhawk Radio Network will broadcast the game over the air waves or fans can listen online through Jayhawk All-Access at www.KUAthletics.com.
Tickets
An all-session pass for first and second round games at the Jack Stephens Center is $50 for all chair back seats and $40 for end zone seats. Single-game tickets start at $20. To purchase tickets visit UALRTrojans.com or call 501-565-8257.
Fast Breaks
– Kansas has a season-high eight three-pointers in each of its last two games.
– Despite shooting just 64.7 percent from the free throw line versus Texas A&M in its last contest, Kansas is averaging a 79.0 free throw percentage over its last four games compared to its season average of 69.9 percent.
– The Jayhawks rank ninth nationally shooting 45.9 percent from the field.
– Kansas had eight Big 12 wins for the first time since 2000, its last trip to the NCAA tourney.
– The team collected the second-best road mark among Big 12 schools going 5-4 as KU earned its most league victories on the road since 1997.
– Six of KU’s 12 losses have been by six points or less.
– Kansas is 2-5 versus ranked teams in 2011-12.
– KU is without leading scorer Carolyn Davis (16.9 ppg) who suffered a season-ending knee injury at Feb. 12. The Jayhawks have had the misfortune of four ACL tears in the last four seasons- Angel Goodrich (2009, 2010), Danielle McCray (2010) and Davis (2012).
– Aishah Sutherland and Angel Goodrich each have two 20-point outings in the last five games.
About the Jayhawks
Kansas is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance … The Jayhawks fell to No. 14 Texas A&M in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals to give them a 19-12 overall record (8-10 Big 12) … KU has ranked as one of the top teams in field goal percentage all season and currently holds the ninth-best mark shooting 45.6 percent … Senior Aishah Sutherland ranks in the top 10 of the Big 12 in points and rebounds averaging a team-high 13.9 points and 9.0 rpg … Junior guard Angel Goodrich is next contributing 13.1 ppg and 4.0 rpg and also leads the nation dishing 7.5 apg … She is KU’s top threat from long-range with 44 three-pointers … Freshman Natalie Knight has started all 31 games alongside Sutherland and Goodrich … She averages 5.9 ppg but is scoring 10.5 ppg over the last six games after going 12-for-23 (52.2%) from three in that span … Freshman Chelsea Gardner has played in place of injured Carolyn Davis and has stepped up with 9.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game over her last four starts.
Scouting Nebraska
In its first season with the Big Ten Conference, No. 17 Nebraska went 24-8 overall, including 10-6 in league play … The Cornhuskers, who are making their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance, fell in double overtime to Purdue in the Big Ten Championship title game … All-Big Ten First Team selection Jordan Hooper leads NU with 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and has 14 double-doubles … She also has a team-high 67 three-pointers … As a team, Nebraska is in 19th in the country averaging 7.2 treys per game … Lindsey Moore, a second team all-conference member, also contributes double-figure scoring with 15.8 ppg to go along with a team-high 5.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game … All-Big Ten Freshman Emily Cady (9.9 ppg) provides defensive support with a team-high 26 blocks, while her 6.4 rebounds per game and 46 steals are second.
Series History
Kansas leads 49-31 in the all-time series versus Nebraska, including a 10-2 mark in neutral site contests. Last season, the teams split their final series as members of the same conference. KU notched a 77-61 win in Lawrence during the second meeting to stop a three-game skid versus the Cornhuskers. Since 2008 the teams have been evenly matched going 5-5 in their last 10 meetings.
NCAA Tournament Notes
–Kansas is making its 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament (1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2012).
–The Jayhawks are 9-11 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, including 7-4 in first round games.
–KU is 1-3 versus current members of the Big Ten in NCAA Tournament play.
–Head coach Bonnie Henrickson is making her sixth trip to the NCAA tourney and first with Kansas. She is 6-5 in NCAA games.
–The Sweet 16 is the farthest Kansas has advanced in the NCAA Tournament doing so in 1996 and 1998.
Big 12 Honors Three Jayhawks on Postseason Awards List
Kansas junior Carolyn Davis was named All-Big 12 First Team for the second consecutive year to highlight a list of three Jayhawks placed on the league’s postseason awards list. Junior Angel Goodrich earned second team honors while senior Aishah Sutherland was an honorable mention selection. Both were recognized by the conference for the first time in their careers.
Knight Named Big 12 Freshman of the Week
Natalie Knight was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Freshman of the Week on March 5 after she averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 38 minutes in two contests. She had a career-high 18 points at Oklahoma to help KU to a road victory in its regular-season finale. The selection is KU’s first weekly conference award this season.
Offense Goes Through Goodrich
So far this season Angel Goodrich has tallied 406 points. The point guard also owns 233 assists. By calculating two points for every assist, Goodrich is in turn directly responsible for a total of 872 of Kansas’ points in 2011-12, which comes out to 40.9 percent of the Jayhawks’ scoring.
Up Next
If the Jayhawks advance past Nebraska, they will play the winner of No. 7/8 Delaware versus UALR on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. in Little Rock, Ark.
