No. 1 Seed Kansas to Face No. 12 Seed Richmond in NCAA Sweet 16 Friday at Alamodome

March 22, 2011

Kansas notes for Richmond in PDF Format

Kansas in the Sweet 16

No. 1 seed Kansas defeated No. 9 seed Illinois 73-59 on March 20 to advance to its 27th NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Kansas is 18-8 all-time in NCAA Sweet 16 contests. The Jayhawks will face No. 12 seed Richmond at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, March 25, at 6:27 p.m. on TBS. Should the Jayhawks win, they would play the winner of the No. 10 Florida State vs. No. 11 VCU game on Sunday, March 27 (time to be determined). Kansas is making its fifth Sweet 16 apprearance (2004-07-08-09-11) under head coach Bill Self. The Jayhawks are returning to San Antonio and the Alamodome, the site of their last NCAA National Championship in 2008.

About Kansas

Kansas is 34-2 on the season and its 34 wins tie for the fourth most in school history. The Jayhawks bring a 10-game winning streak into the Richmond contest. Kansas averages 81.8 points per game and gives up 64.7 for a +17.1 scoring margin. KU also leads the battle of the boards with a +7.9 rebound margin. Kansas leads the nation in win-loss percentage (94.4, tied with Ohio State and San Diego State), field goal percentage (51.4) and assists (17.9). Junior forward Marcus Morris, who was named the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player, leads Kansas in all games with a 17.3 scoring average. Marcus’ 7.4 rebounds per game are second-best on KU’s team. The 2010-11 Big 12 Player of the Year, a three-time Big 12 Player of the Week, an Oscar Robertson Award finalist, a Wooden Award finalist and a Naismith Trophy mid-season candidate, Marcus is second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 58.2 percent, just behind twin brother, Markieff, who is shooting 60.5 percent. Markieff, a junior forward, leads the Big 12 in rebounding with 8.3 boards per game and in double-doubles with 12. Markieff is averaging 13.9 points per game. He leads KU with 41 blocked shots. An Academic All-America First Team selection, senior guard Tyrel Reed averages 9.8 points for the season and leads KU with 69 three-point field goals made in 2010-11. Senior guard Brady Morningstar leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 2.8 mark in all games and scores 7.0 points for the season. Junior guard Tyshawn Taylor averages 9.3 points per game and 4.5 assists per contest. A Bob Cousy Award finalist, Taylor has 36 steals this season. Freshman guard Josh Selby averages 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 three-pointers per game. Sophomore forward Thomas Robinson is third on the team with a 6.4 rebound average to complement his 7.7 scoring average. Sophomore guard Elijah Johnson comes off the bench and is scoring 3.5 points and has a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Other KU contributors include senior guard Mario Little (5.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg), sophomore guard Travis Releford (3.9 ppg) and sophomore center Jeff Withey (2.4 ppg, 19 blocked shots).

About Richmond

Located in Richmond, Va., with an enrollment of 2,750, Richmond (29-7) brings a nine-game winning streak to San Antonio. The Spiders are coached by Chris Mooney, who is 112-86 in his sixth season at Richmond and 153-127 in his ninth season overall. Richmond finished third with a 13-3 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference behind Xavier (15-1) and Temple (14-2). The Spiders won the A-10 Tournament defeating Dayton in the finals 67-54. Richmond averages 70.0 points per game and gives up 60.8 for a +9.2 scoring margin. The Spiders average 7.9 three-pointers and 6.0 steals per game. Richmond is a veteran team as 14 of its 16 players were on last season’s NCAA Tournament team. Senior forward Justin Harper leads Richmond in scoring (17.8), rebounding (6.9), three-pointers (75), blocked shots (46) and free throw percentage (79.3). Senior guard Kevin Anderson is next in scoring at 16.7 points per game. He has a team-best 53 steals and 119 assists. His 71 three-pointers are second to Harper. Senior center Dan Geroit averages 9.7 points per game and is third on the team with 100 assists. Sophomore guard Darien Brothers (7.7 ppg) and senior forward Kevin Smith (3.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) round out the Richmond starters. Other key Richmond contributors include junior guard Francis-Cedric Martel (4.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 18 starts), freshman guard Cedrick Lindsay (4.4 ppg) and junior center Darrius Garrett (1.9 ppg).

The Kansas-Richmond Series

Kansas and Richmond are meeting for the second time in men’s basketball. The Spiders defeated the then-12th-ranked Jayhawks 69-68 on Jan. 22, 2004, in Allen Fieldhouse. The game came during the first season under current KU head coach Bill Self and in the middle of the Big 12 Conference regular season. Richmond’s Tony Dobbins made a 12-foot jumper in the lane with 1.3 seconds left for the win. The loss snapped a KU 52-game home court winning streak against unranked foes. Kansas is 47-14 against current membership of the Atlantic 10 Conference. KU last faced an A-10 team in the NCAA Tournament in the the second round of the 2009 event when it defeated Dayton, 60-43, behind Cole Aldrich’s triple-double (13 points, 20 rebounds, 10 blocked shots) at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

Team Notables

–Kansas leads the nation in field goal percentate (51.4) and assists (17.9) and is tied for nation’s lead in win-loss percentage (94.4). The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 Conference in scoring (81.8), scoring margin (+17.1), three-point field goal percentage (38.8), rebound margin (+7.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).

–Kansas has held 13 opponents to 60 points or less this season, including both games in the 2011 NCAA Tournament – Boston (72-53) and Illinois (73-59).

–Kansas has out-rebounded 29 of 36 opponents this season, including its last six, nine of the last 10 and 15 of the last 17.

–KU has outshot all but five teams this season.

–The Jayhawks have shot 50 percent or better in 24 games this season, including their last three contests and 12 of the last 17 games.

–Kansas’ bench averages 24.8 points compared to its opponents’ 17.5 ppg. KU’s bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 25 of 36 games this season.

–Kansas is 32-1 when leading at the half (2-1 when trailing) this season and 34-0 when leading with five minutes remaining (0-2 when trailing).

–KU has used eight different starting lineups this season.

–Kansas has scored 50 or more points in the first half five times this season.

–Under Bill Self, Kansas has 10 streaks of 10 or more victories, including the 18-0 start of 2010-11 and its current 10-game winning streak.

–KU is 5-1 against ranked foes this season with a win against No. 13/14 Memphis (Dec. 7) in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, a loss against No. 10/11 Texas (Jan. 22), a win against No. 19/20 Missouri (Feb. 7), a win against No. 24/22 Texas A&M (March 2), a win at No. 22/24 Missouri (March 5) and a win against No. 10/10 Texas (March 12).

–Kansas ended three home-court winning streaks of 10 or more this season with victories at Baylor (10-0) Jan. 17, at Nebraska (14-0) Feb. 5 and at Missouri (17-0) March 5.

–Kansas’ 57-point win against Ohio (98-41) in the Las Vegas Invitational (Nov. 26) was the third-largest margin of victory in the Bill Self era and the largest in a game away from Allen Fieldhouse under Self.

Individual Notables

–Junior Marcus Morris is averaging 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in two NCAA Tournament contests. He led Kansas for the 19th time this season with 16 points against Boston U., on March 18. Named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Championship, Marcus leads Kansas with 17.3 points per game. A 2011 USBWA All-America Second Team selection, Marcus was named the 2011 Big 12 Player of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team by the league coaches. He is averaging 18.9 points in his last nine games, including four double-doubles. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Illinois (March 20). Marcus is second in the Big 12 Conference in shooting percentage at 58.2 percent, which ranks 15th nationally. Marcus has 11 games with 20-plus points and his 7.4 rebounds per game are second on the team. He has led KU in every statistical category at least once this season. Marcus was named Big 12 Player of the Week three times (Nov. 29, Jan. 17 and Feb. 14), a Wooden Award Finalist March 13, a Naismith Mid-Season candidate Feb. 11 and an Oscar Robertson Award finalist Feb. 28.

–Junior Markieff Morris is having a solid NCAA Tournament as he leads Kansas with 19.5 ppg. His 10 rebounds average through the two games are second to his twin Marcus’ 10.5 rpg. Markieff leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 60.5 percent, which is seventh nationally. In two NCAA contests, he is shooting 65.2 percent. Markieff joined his twin brother Marcus on the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team and is scoring 13.9 points per game overall this season, which is 14th in the conference. An All-Big 12 Second Team selection, Markieff also leads the conference in rebound average at 8.3 rpg and double-doubles with 12. He has 14 games with double-figure rebounds. Named Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 27, Markieff has been the leading rebounder for KU in 18 of 36 games this season.

–Senior Tyrel Reed is averaging 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in two NCAA games. He was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and has scored in double figures in five of his last nine games. Reed averages 9.8 points per contest for the season. He was named Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team on Feb. 22. He is also a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection. Reed leads Kansas with 69 threes made this season and has made multiple threes in 22 games, including 2-for-3 against Boston U. (March 18) in scoring eight points. Reed also leads KU with 53 steals. In conference play, Reed was KU’s third-leading scorer with 10.6 points per game. He is the only Jayhawk to have started every game this season and has an 80.2 free throw percentage. Reed is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. He graduated from KU in December and has been accepted into KU Medicine’s physical therapy school.

–Senior Brady Morningstar has averaged 10.3 points in his last three games with 13 points each against Texas (March 12) and Boston (March 18). Morningstar was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team March 6. Morningstar leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.8 for all games and was tops in the same stat in conference games at 4.4. Morningstar averages 3.3 assists per game, which is 10th in the Big 12. Morningstar, who graduated in May 2010, is scoring 7.0 points per game for the season and is second on the team with 50 steals, three behind Tyrel Reed. A 2011 Academic All-Big 12 Second Team selection, Morningstar averages 1.4 steals per game, which is 11th in the conference.

–Sophomore Thomas Robinson is shooting 60 percent from the field with 3.0 ppg and 4.5 rpg averages in two NCAA Tournament games. In his last four contests, Robinson is 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) from the field. He scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting with nine rebounds in the Big 12 Championship title win against No. 10 Texas March 12. Robinson averages 7.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and is shooting 60.4 percent from the field overall in 2010-11. A V Foundation Comeback Award finalist, Robinson missed the Colorado contest on Jan. 25 tending to the funeral of his mother, Lisa, in Washington, D.C.

–Junior Tyshawn Taylor is averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 assists and is shooting 57.1 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range, in two NCAA Tournament games. Taylor has scored in double figures in each of the last four games and is averaging 14.5 points in that span. He scored a season-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with five assists and four rebounds in the Big 12 Championship title win against No. 10 Texas (March 12). He has 15 games in double-figure scoring this season and averages 9.3 points overall per game. Named a Bob Cousy Award finalist (one of 20) on Jan. 12, Taylor is fifth in the Big 12 in assists per game at 4.5. He has led KU in assists in 18 of 34 games played this season, including seven against Boston U. on March 18.

–Sophomore Elijah Johnson averages 14.0 minutes per game with a 3.5 scoring average. He has scored in double figures four times this season. Johnson has a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio for the season.

–Senior Mario Little averages 13.9 minutes, 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 47.7 percent from the field on the season. He has three games of double-figure scoring.

–Freshman Josh Selby has scored in double figures in nine of 24 games played in 2010-11. Selby averages 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest. He is a two-time Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Jan. 31 and Dec. 20).

–Sophomore Travis Releford has played in 28 games this season with a 3.9 scoring average. He missed five contests due to an ankle sprain on his right foot suffered at Michigan (Jan. 9). Releford is shooting 50.0 percent from the field and has scored in double figures five times. A Las Vegas Invitational all-tournament selection, Releford’s windmill dunk against UMKC (Jan. 5) was No. 1 on ESPN’s Top 10 List on Jan. 6 and is a national dunk of the year entrant by Intersport to be voted on in March.

–Sophomore Jeff Withey is a combined 8-for-9 from the field in his last six games played. Withey averages 6.4 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shots per game in 2010-11.

Seed Notes

Kansas is the No. 1 seed for the 10th time since the NCAA Tournament started seeding in 1979 – 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2002, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1992 and 1986. This is the fourth time KU has been a No. 1 seed under Bill Self (2007-08-10-11). Kansas is 26-8 as a No. 1 seed, 10-0 against the No. 16 seed, 4-2 against the No. 9 seed and 3-0 against the No. 12 seed entering the Richmond contest.

Kansas in the NCAA Tournament

–Kansas’ 40th NCAA Tournament appearance. -The Jayhawks’ 40 NCAA Tournament appearances are fourth nationally behind only Kentucky (51), UCLA (42) and North Carolina (42).

–Kansas’ 22-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.

–Kansas is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in the Alamodome in San Antonio. KU lost to Bill Self’s Illinois team 80-64 in the Sweet 16 of the 2001 NCAA tourney and won the 2008 NCAA National Championship in the Alamodome under Self, defeating North Carolina 84-66 and Memphis 75-68 in overtime.

–To open this year’s NCAA Tournament, KU made its third trip to Tulsa. In 1974, Kansas advanced to the Final Four in Greensboro, N.C. KU’s journey started in Tulsa with victories against Creighton (55-54) and Oral Roberts (93-90). The following year, KU lost to Notre Dame 77-71 in Tulsa. All three games were played at the Mabee Center on the campus of Oral Roberts.

–Under head coach Bill Self, Kansas is 17-6 (73.9 percent) in the NCAA Tournament, with five Sweet 16s (2004-07-08-09-11), three Elite Eights (2004-07-08), one Final Four (2008) and one NCAA National Championship (2008).

–In the last 10 NCAA Tournaments, including 2011, Kansas has a 26-8 (76.5 percent) record with one NCAA National Championship (2008), three Final Four (2002-03-08) and five Elite Eight (2002-03-04-07-08) appearances.

–Kansas sports an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 87-38 and the Jayhawks’ 87 wins rank fifth behind North Carolina (104), Kentucky (102), Duke (96) and UCLA (95).

–The Jayhawks will play their 126th NCAA Tournament game on Friday, which ranks fifth all-time in NCAA history behind Kentucky (148), North Carolina (143), UCLA (130) and Duke (126).

–Entering the 2011 event, KU’s NCAA Tournament winning percentage of 69.1 percent ranks seventh all-time for a minimum of 20 games played.

–Kansas coach Bill Self is making his 13th 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 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 2008, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA and Memphis marked the first time all four No. 1 seeds reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four. KU went on to win the title defeating North Carolina and Memphis.

–In 2007-08, Kansas became only the fourth school to win a BCS game, 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 overtimes.

–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, four months and eight days old. That is still the oldest age for the head coach of a championship team.

–Adonis Jordan’s 5-of-7 three-point shooting performance in the 1993 national semifinal game against North Carolina is tied for the highest percentage ever in an NCAA Final Four game. Donald Williams of UNC accomplished the feat twice, both times in 1993.

–In the 1988 championship game versus Oklahoma, the Jayhawks and Sooners set an NCAA record for most combined points in a first half of a championship game, with a 50-50 halftime score.

–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.

Tyrel Reed on Cusp of Best Four-Year Record in College Basketball

Kansas has won 131 games over the past four seasons, which is the most victories in a four-year span at KU. Senior Tyrel Reed has dressed all four of those years, while current redshirt senior Conner Teahan and fifth-year redshirt senior Brady Morningstar were also part of the team. Kansas has a combined 131-16 record for 89.1 percent (37-3, 27-8, 33-3 and 34-2) in the last four seasons (2008-09-10-11). Included in that span is an 20-3 (87.0 percent) postseason record, four Big 12 regular-season titles, three Big 12 postseason championship titles, one Elite Eight, one Final Four and one NCAA National Championship while at KU. NCAA-wise, the list goes – Duke (133-15, 1998-2001), Duke (132-15, 1999-2002), Kentucky (132-16, 1995-98), Kentucky (132-20, 1996-99), KANSAS (131-16, 2008-11), KANSAS (130-19, 2007-10), Kentucky (130-10, 1946-49), UNLV (129-21, 1987-90).

30-Win Seasons

Kansas has posted 10 seasons with 30 or more victories and has accomplished the feat four of the last five years under head coach Bill Self. KU’s 30-win seasons include – 37-3 in 2008, 35-4 in 1998, 35-4 in 1986, 34-2 in 2011, 34-2 in 1997, 33-3 in 2010, 33-5 in 2006, 33-4 in 2002, 30-8 in 2003 and 30-5 in 1990.

Kansas is Tops for the Last Two, Three, Four and Five Seasons

As of March 20, 2011, Kansas is the winningest team in the country for the last two, three, four and five seasons. Here is a breakdown:

Most Wins in Past Two Years (2010-11) – 1. KANSAS (67-5, .930); 2. Duke (66-9, .857); 3. Ohio State (62-10, .861); 4. BYU (61-10, .859); 4. Kentucky (61-11, .847)

Best Winning Percentage in Past Three Years (2009-10-11) – 1. KANSAS (94-13, .879); 2. Duke (97-16, .858); 3. Utah State (87-17, .837); 4. BYU (87-18, .829)

Most Wins in Past Four Years (2008-09-10-11) – 1. KANSAS (131-16, .891); 2. Duke (125-22, .850); 3. North Carolina (118-31, .792); 3. Butler (114-24, .826); 4. BYU (114-26, .814)

Most Wins in Past Five Years (2007-08-09-10-11) – 1. KANSAS (164-21, .886); 2. North Carolina (149-38, .797); 3. Duke (147-33, .817); 4. Ohio State (144-38, .791); 5. Butler (143-31, .822)

Noting Kansas Basketball

–Kansas has 2,037 all-time victories, second most in NCAA Division I.

–Entering 2010-11, over the last four seasons, Kansas has averaged 32.5 wins per year with three 30-win seasons.

–Kansas has held 142 of its last 146 opponents to under 50 percent shooting. Kansas State (Feb. 14, 2011) shot 56.3 percent, Missouri (Feb. 7, 2011) shot 51.7 percent, Oklahoma State (Feb. 27, 2010) shot 60.4 percent and Baylor (Jan. 20, 2010) shot 52.1 percent from the field to end a 91-game string of KU holding foes to under 50 percent shooting. Before Baylor, the last team to shoot above 50 percent against Kansas was Louisiana-Monroe (.510) on Nov. 9, 2007, the first game of the 2008 NCAA National Championship season.

–KU has held opponents to fewer than 100 points in 332 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 164 games in Allen Fieldhouse dating back to the second game of the 2001-02 season.

–Each KU senior class since 1986-87 has won at least 100 games. Fourth-year senior Tyrel Reed is 131-16 as a Jayhawk. Redshirt senior Brady Morningstar is 163-21 in a Kansas uniform. Note: senior Conner Teahan is a redshirt in 2010-11 and came to Kansas in 2007-08.

–Including 2010-11, Kansas has won 23 or more games in each of the last 22 seasons dating back to 1988-89 and has 22 victories 26 times in the last 27 years starting in 1984-85.

–Bill Self has won 23 or more games each of his last 13 seasons as a head coach, including 2010-11.

–Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 to have a winning series record against every conference foe.

–Including 2010-11, KU has led its league in home attendance each of the last 25 seasons dating back to 1986-87 and 30 times in the last 34 years.

–Kansas’ 2002 team remains the only squad in Big 12 history to go undefeated in conference play at 16-0. Kansas’ 13-0 record to start 2010 was the second-best undefeated league record behind KU’s 2002 team.

–Kansas is first in the conference in wins with a 202-39 record in Big 12 regular-season games. Texas is next at 168-73. Including the league postseason championship, Kansas is tops at 232-46. Texas is second at 187-88.

–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 60-4 (93.8 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 and 7-1 in 2011.

–Including 2011, KU has won 10 or more league games for the last 17 seasons and 49 times overall.

–Kansas ended the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series with a 3-1 record (1-1 vs. Arizona, 2-0 vs. UCLA).

–KU went 4-0 against Pac-10 opponents this season.

–Kansas has won 42-straight home games against non-conference competition.

–Under Bill Self, Kansas is 39-6 following a loss. The Jayhawks have won 21-straight games following a loss.

Up Next

Should Kansas win both of its games this weekend, it would advance to its 14th NCAA Final Four. This year’s Final Four will be April 2 and 4, at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.