Kansas 70, Kansas State 54 - Postgame Notes

March 16, 2013

Recap | Final Stats |

No. 7/6 KANSAS 70, No. 11/12 Kansas State 54
Postgame Notes
March 16, 2013

KANSAS STARTERS (Career/Season):

Kevin Young (30/30), Ben McLemore (34/34), Elijah Johnson (80/34), Travis Releford (76/34) and Jeff Withey (74/34).

THE KANSAS WIN:

Marks Kansas’ 13th all-time conference tournament title and the ninth Big 12 tourney crown. KU, winner of nine-straight Big 12 regular-season titles, has won both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships in three of the last four seasons. Kansas improves its all-time record against Kansas State, 186-91. The Jayhawks have now won 47 of the last 50 meetings. KU is 8-0 against K-State in the Big 12 Championship and 27-11 against the Wildcats in neutral-site games. KU improves to 9-1 in Big 12 Championship title games. The Jayhawks are now 5-1 in games played on neutral floors this season. KU is now 65-24 all-time in league tournament play, including 35-8 at the Big 12 Championship. Kansas is 20-4 all-time at the Sprint Center, including a 6-0 mark this season. Coach Self’s record improves to 298-58 at Kansas and 505-163 overall. He owns a 30-9 all-time mark in conference tournament play and 21-4 at Kansas in the Big 12 Championship. KU is now 2,099-811 all-time. Kansas is 29-5 on the season and boasts 29 wins for the fourth-straight season and six out of the last seven seasons. KU is 12-4 this season in games away from Allen Fieldhouse (7-3 in true road games and 5-1 on neutral floors).

TEAM NOTES:

When Kevin Young sank a reverse layup prior to the first media timeout, Kansas took its first lead, 3-2, at the 15:50 mark. KU led in all but one game this season (at TCU). Kansas held K-State without a field goal for a 10:20 stretch during the first half, from 11:48 to 1:28. During that span, KU went on a 14-2 run. Kansas State was limited to 16 first-half points, which was the third-lowest halftime point total against the Jayhawks this season (TCU – 9; Texas – 15). It was also the fewest scored by K-State this season in the first 20 minutes. KU scored 24 points in the first half, which was the second-fewest scored by the Jayhawks this season. On Travis Releford’s fast-break dunk at the 13:53 mark of the second half, Kansas took a 38-28 lead. As a result, Kansas has now held a double-digit lead in all but seven games this season. Kansas held Kansas State to 54 points, which was the lowest point total scored in a Big 12 Championship title game since Texas put up 49 in a loss in the 2004 title game.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

Senior Jeff Withey collected a team-high 17 points on the night for his 27th double-figure scoring effort of the season and the 45th of his career. He has scored double-digits in 16 of his last 18 games. Withey was named a member of the All-Big 12 Tournament team and the Most Outstanding Player, becoming the first player at KU to receive the honor since Marcus Morris in 2011. Freshman Perry Ellis also earned a spot on the all-league tournament team, giving KU two selections for the first time since the 2011 event. Ellis also became the first freshman on the team since Texas’ Tristan Thompson in 2011. He is the first KU freshman since Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright in 2006. Ellis finished the tournament with a team-best 43 points and also shot 18-for-23 (78.2%), which is a new KU tournament record, topping Wayne Simien’s 65.6% effort in 2005. Ellis’ three-point field goal at the 6:14 mark of the second half marked the second made trey of his career. He is now 2-for-3 on the season. For the second-straight game, Ellis has posted a double-digit scoring effort, the first back-to-back double-figure games of his career. Ellis scored a career-high 23 points against Iowa State in Friday’s semifinal and followed up with 12 in the final against Kansas State. Withey also added nine rebounds, giving the KU senior 31 games this season with five or more boards. Senior Kevin Young collected nine boards as well and has had 19 games this season with seven or more boards. Sophomore Naadir Tharpe posted a career-best 12 points, thanks to a career-high four threes. He was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Senior Travis Releford collected three first-half turnovers and finished the game with three, equaling his second-highest total of the season. Freshman Ben McLemore missed his first four shots and scored his first points with a three-pointer from the right corner at the 10:11 mark in the second half. McLemore finished with a season-low five points, after scoring a combined 41 points against K-State in the two regular-season meetings.