Jayhawks to Host Hornets in Men's Basketball Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Nov. 10, 2008

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Defending NCAA National Champion Kansas closes out exhibition play when it hosts Emporia State, Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. on Jayhawk TV. The Jayhawks defeated Washburn, 98-79, on Nov. 4, to open the season. Emporia State lost at Wichita State, 71-58, in its first exhibition game of the season last night, Nov. 10. The Hornets are coming off a 14-16 season in 2007-08.

About Kansas

Kansas opened its exhibition season with a 98-79 win against Washburn on Nov. 4. Junior guard Sherron Collins led the team with 22 points and seven assists. Sophomore center Cole Aldrich paced KU with nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Sophomores Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar each had solid games. Reed had 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three-point range. Morningstar scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the victory. Freshman forward Quintrell Thomas had 10 points and six rebounds in 14 minutes. KU enters its 111th year of college basketball. Last season, KU won its 51st league title, most in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks return eight letterwinners from last season’s 37-3 team, yet less than 20 percent of almost every statistical category.

About Emporia State

Emporia State lost its exhibition opener at Wichita State 71-58 on Monday. Three Hornets scored in double figures led by junior guard Lamar Wilbern with 17 points. He also led the team with nine rebounds against WSU. Sophomore Matt Boswell had 15 points, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, while junior guard Robert Moores added 10. ESU returns five letterwinners from last season’s 14-16 team. ESU went 7-11 in the MIAA in 2008 and finished eighth. Like KU, the Hornets lost all five starters from last year and have 11 newcomers on the roster. ESU lost its top five scorers from last season. Of the newcomers, senior center Shang Ping is a transfer from Nebraska. Junior Dustin Andrews is the team’s leading returning scorer with a 2.5 ppg average in 30 games in 2007-08.

The Series

Kansas leads the overall series with Emporia State 16-3, including a 3-0 record in exhibition games. This series dates back to 1904 with the Hornets winning the inaugural match up 25-13 in Emporia. KU last faced Emporia State on Nov. 7, 2006, and defeated the Hornets 90-55 in an exhibition contest in Allen Fieldhouse. This will be the fourth exhibition battle between the two schools. KU defeated ESU 120-51 in 2000, 115-70 in 2004 and 90-55 in 2006 and has won six straight in the series dating back to 1992. The last ESU win over KU came Dec. 13, 1947 – 67-44 in Emporia.

Up Next

Kansas officially opens the 2008-09 season when it hosts the first two rounds of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, Nov. 16 vs. UMKC and Nov. 18 vs. Florida Gulf Coast. The UMKC contest will tip from Allen Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU. The Nov. 18 game will be part of ESPN’s 24-hour basketball broadcast. At 11 a.m. on that day, the Kansas women’s team will play Iowa on ESPN and the KU men’s team will host Florida Gulf Coast at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. Additionally, the FGC game will feature the unveiling of the National Championship banner at the north end of the Fieldhouse.