No. 14 Jayhawks to Face UCLA in EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Semifinal
Nov. 22, 2011
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Kansas notes for UCLA 
EA SPORTS Maui Invitational — SEMIFINAL
No. 14 Kansas (2-1) advanced to the semifinals of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational with a 67-63 win against previously undefeated Georgetown at the Lahaina Civic Center Monday. KU is appearing in the semifinals for the second time in the event with the other being in 1996 when the Jayhawks won the Maui Invitational. Kansas will play UCLA (1-2) which defeated host Chaminade, 92-60, on Monday.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND – Nov. 21-23 (times are Central)
Monday, Nov. 21
Game 1 – Michigan 73, Memphis 61
Game 2 – Duke 77, Tennessee 67
Game 3 – UCLA 92, Chaminade 60
Game 4 – KANSAS 67, Georgetown 63
Tuesday, Nov. 22
Game 5 – Memphis vs. Tennessee – 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 6 – Chaminade vs. Georgetown – 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 7 – Michigan vs. Duke – 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 8 – UCLA vs. KANSAS – 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Nov. 23
Game 9 – TBD vs. TBD – 1:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 10 – TBD vs. TBD – 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 11 – TBD vs. TBD – 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 12 – TBD vs. TBD – 9 p.m. (ESPN)
About Kansas
No. 14 Kansas is 2-1 on the season after its 67-63 win against Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Monday night. KU is led by senior guard Tyshawn Taylor who is scoring 16.7 points per game. Taylor has made 21-of-28 free throws and scored 22 points against No. 2 Kentucky on Nov. 15. Junior forward Thomas Robinson is averaging a double-double with 16.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest. He has three double-doubles in three games this season and is second on the team with four blocked shots. Junior guard Travis Releford is shooting 64.7 percent from the field in three games and averages 9.3 points per contest. He is second on the team with five steals. Junior guard Elijah Johnson scores 8.3 points per game and he leads the Jayhawks with 17 assists and seven steals. Junior center Jeff Withey rounds out the KU starters. He averages 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, second on the team, and leads KU with eight blocked shots. Senior guard Conner Teahan scores 8.0 points per game and has made a team-best six three-pointers. Sophomore Justin Wesley is 5-for-7 (71.4 percent) from the field through three games with a 4.7 ppg scoring average. Junior forward Kevin Young (4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and freshman guard Naadir Tharpe (2.7 ppg, six assists) are the other KU regulars.
The Kansas-UCLA Series
Two of the most storied programs in college basketball square off with Kansas No. 2 on the all-time college victory list at 2,040 and UCLA No. 8 with 1,710. The two also rank in the top 10 all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances – UCLA 42, Kansas 40; NCAA Tournament victories – UCLA 96, Kansas 88; and NCAA Tournament games played – UCLA 131, Kansas 127. UCLA leads the all-time series with Kansas 10-6 but the Jayhawks have won the last two meetings in each of the last two seasons – 73-61 on Dec. 6, 2009, in Los Angeles and 77-76 on Dec. 2, 2010, in Allen Fieldhouse. Those two contests were part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. UCLA won the previous meeting 68-55 in the West Regional finals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament in San Jose, Calif. Five of the 16 matchups have come in NCAA Tournament play with UCLA winning each of those battles. This series dates back to 1958; UCLA won the first eight meetings, but Kansas has won five of the last seven.
Kansas in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational
Kansas is participating in its fifth EA SPORTS Maui Invitational where the Jayhawks have won the event once and have a combined 7-5 record. In KU’s 1988 NCAA National Championship season, the Jayhawks placed fourth in the event going 1-2. Kansas won the 1996 Maui Invitational defeating LSU, California and Virginia. Raef LaFrentz was named the MVP of the event. In 2001, KU finished third in the event with a 2-1 record. Drew Gooden was a member of the all-tournament team and is the lone Jayhawk on the Maui Invitational all-tourney list which began in 2000. In Kansas’ only appearance in the invitational under Bill Self, the Jayhawks placed seventh in 2005, losing to Arizona and Arkansas before defeating Chaminade. Hawaii-wise, Kansas has also played in three Rainbow Classics as well in 1986-87, 1992-93 and 1997-98.
In the Polls
Kansas is ranked No. 14 in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls released Nov. 21. KU has been ranked in each of the last 50 Associated Press polls dating back to the 2008-09 season. Included are 39 times when the Jayhawks have appeared in the AP Top 10. KU has been ranked in each of the last 51 coaches polls with 42 appearances in the Top 10.
Up Next
Kansas will face either Duke or Michigan on the final day of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Tip time will be a Kansas win at 9 p.m. (Central) on ESPN or a KU loss at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. KU will return home to host Florida Atlantic on Nov. 30. The game will be televised on the Jayhawk IMG Television Network with a 7 p.m. tip. Complete pregame, in-game and postgame audio for all KU men’s basketball games can be heard on AT&T Jayhawk All-Access via kuathletics.com.
