KU Men's Hoops Hosts Tennessee State in Second Round of Las Vegas Invitational
Nov. 20, 2006
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No. 10/12 Kansas (2-1) hosts Tennessee State Tuesday, Nov. 21, in the second of four games in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational. The Jayhawks defeated Towson 87-61 Sunday and are in the middle of a five-game stretch in 10 days. KU will close out the Las Vegas Inviational playing Ball State and Florida Nov. 24-25 and will host Dartmouth Nov. 28. Tennessee State (0-1) lost its season opener 87-69 at Western Kentucky on Sunday.
Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational Schedule
(all times are local)
Nov. 18
at Florida 93, Tennessee-Chattanooga 44
Nov. 19
at Ball State 65, Prairie View A&M 48
at Western Kentucky 87, Tennessee State 69
AT KANSAS 87, TOWSON 61
Nov. 21
TENNESSEE STATE AT KANSAS, (JTV) 7 p.m.
Prairie View A&M at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee-Chattanoog at Ball State, 7 p.m.
Towson at Western Kentucky, 7 p.m.
Nov. 24
Third Round — at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
Tennessee State vs. Prairie View A&M, 11:30 a.m. (PST)
Tennessee Chattanooga vs. Towson, 2 p.m. (PST)
BALL STATE VS. KANSAS, 5 p.m. (PST)
Western Kentucky vs. Florida, 7:30 p.m. (PST)
Nov. 25
Championship Round – at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
loser Tennessee State/Prairie View A&M vs. loser Tennessee Chattanooga/Towson, 11:30 a.m. (PST)
winner Tennessee State/Prairie View A&M vs. winner Tennessee Chattanooga/Towson, 2 p.m. (PST)
Western Kentucky vs. Ball State, 4:30 p.m. (PST)
KANSAS VS. FLORIDA, 8 p.m. (ESPN2) (PST)
The Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational tiebreakers are: 1. Head-to-head of tied teams; 2. Determined under the discretion of the tournament directors.
About Kansas
No. 10/12 Kansas (2-1) is coming off an 87-61 win against Towson in the first round of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational. The Jayhawks feature four players who average in double figures led by freshman Darrell Arthur. The 6-9 forward is coming off a career-high 26 points against Towson and is averaging 20 points per contest. He leads the team with a 66.7 field goal percentage. Preseason All-America honoree Brandon Rush is next in scoring at 16 points per game. Sophomore forward Julian Wright leads KU in rebounding with nine per game to go along with his 11.3 scoring average. Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers is next in scoring at 11 points per contest after his 15 against Towson. Junior Russell Robinson leads Kansas in assists with 18 and steals with nine. He is averaging 7.3 ppg, just behind junior forward Darnell Jackson’s 9.3 ppg. Jackson is second on the team in rebounding with a 6.7 average.
About Tennessee State
After two exhibition victories, Tennessee State opened the season with an 87-69 loss at Western Kentucky Sunday. The Tigers return three starters and seven letterwinners from last season’s 13-15 team. TSU finished fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference with an 11-9 record. Tennessee State is picked to finish second in the OVC preseason poll led by senior forward Clarence Matthews, who averaged 13.7 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Tigers last season and paced TSU with 18 points at Western Kentucky. Other returning starters include junior guard Reiley Ervin, who scored 10 points at WKU and averaged 9.1 points and 5.1 assists in 2005-06, and senior center Larry Turner who scored six points and pulled down 4.3 rebounds per game last year. Turner totaled a game-high 12 rebounds at WKU while junior guard Ladarious Weaver chipped in 15 points in the effort.
The Series
This is the first meeting in men’s basketball between Kansas and Tennessee State. Kansas has faced four teams from the Ohio Valley Conference and is a combined 14-0 against the league.
Up Next
Kansas heads west for the final two games of the Las Vegas Invitational. On Friday, Nov. 24, KU will play Ball State at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The game will start at 7 p.m. (Central) and can be seen on Jayhawk TV. The following day, Kansas will face defending NCAA champion Florida. That game will tip at 10 p.m. (Central). Kansas returns home to face Dartmouth Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.
