Game Notes for Kansas-Pacific

Dec. 3, 2004

Today’s Game

Kansas welcomes the Pacific Tigers to Allen Fieldhouse today for the first time since Dec. 13, 1966. KU and Pacific will meet for the third time in school history with the Jayhawks holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. Kansas’ last victory over Pacific on March 21, 2004 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament ended the Tigers’ season.

Scene Setter

Last season, Kansas ended Pacific’s postseason run in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks defeated the Tigers 78-63 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City en route to their third straight Elite Eight appearance. The Tigers, defending Big West Conference regular season and tournament champs, look to avenge the loss against the Jayhawks tonight.

The Series

Kansas and Pacific are meeting for only the third time in men’s basketball. The Jayhawks have won both previous meetings with the Tigers. KU defeated Pacific 70-54 in Lawrence on Dec. 13, 1966, and 78-63 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 21, 2004. Kansas is 12-3 all-time against current members of the Big West Conference.

About Pacific

Pacific enters the Kansas game 2-0 after defeating Santa Clara 71-65 on Nov. 23. The Tigers opened the year with a 70-52 win at San Jose State. Pacific was predicted to win the Big West championship for the second straight year. Four Tigers are averaging double figures — Guillaume Yango (13.0), Christian Maraker (12.5), Marko Mihailovic (12.5) and David Doubley (11.5). Pacific’s 25 wins in 2003-04 were the most in school history. The Tigers return three starters and 11 letterwinners from the squad which won the Big West regular season title and tournament last year. Pacific also was a solid road team last year, going 9-4 away from Stockton, Calif.

Pacific Coach Bob Thomason

Head coach Bob Thomason is in his 17th season at Pacific where he is 261-209 with the Tigers. A 1971 Pacific graduate, Thomason is the winningest coach in school history with a record of 261-209 with the Tigers. He is in his 23rd overall season as a college coach.

About Kansas

No. 2 Kansas enters the week ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 for the ninth time under second-year head coach Bill Self. The Jayhawks have been ranked for three weeks this season as KU opened the year No. 1 for the first time since 1956-57. Through three games, Kansas’ bench has outscored its opponents’ bench 101-27 while eight different Jayhawks have averaged 11-plus minutes. Two Jayhawks – seniors Wayne Simien and Keith Langford – are averaging double figures through three games. Simien is at 19.7 points per game and Langford averages 10.0 per game. Four other Jayhawks – J.R. Giddens, Aaron Miles, Russell Robinson and Michael Lee – add 7.0 or more points per game.

Kansas Head Coach Bill Self Update

Kansas coach Bill Self (Oklahoma State, 1985) is in his second season at Kansas and is 27-9 with the Jayhawks. Self is 1-0 against Pacific as a head coach. Last year, KU posted a 24-9 record and finished tied for second in the Big 12 race at 12-4. KU advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, falling to Georgia Tech in overtime, 79-71. Self’s 24 victories tied Dick Harp for the most wins by a KU coach in his debut season at Kansas. Self is in his 12th season as a coach overall and is 234-114. Prior to KU, Self led Illinois to two Big Ten titles and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Before Illinois, he guided Tulsa to two WAC championships in 1999 and 2000 and was The Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2000. A four-time Naismith Coach of the Year Award finalist, Self began his coaching career at KU in 1985-86 and was an assistant at his alma mater – Oklahoma State – from 1986 until 1993. His first head coaching stint was at Oral Roberts where he guided the Golden Eagles to the NIT in 1996-97, their first postseason appearance since 1983-84.

Last Game – Kansas 85, Nevada 52

Eleven different Jayhawks put their names in the scoring column as No. 2 Kansas defeated Nevada 85-52 last Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks (3-0) held Nevada to just 28 percent shooting and pressured the Wolf Pack into 18 turnovers. KU capitalized on Nevada’s mistakes, scoring 27 points off of the miscues. The Jayhawks played a team game on the offensive end. KU had four players in double figures, led by senior Wayne Simien who continued his impressive senior campaign. Simien recorded his third double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore J.R. Giddens scored 13 points, while senior Keith Langford chipped in with 12. Senior Aaron Miles continued his quest for the school’s assist record as he dished out a game-high 10 assists, with no turnovers, to go along with eight points. The Kansas bench outscored Nevada’s bench 34-10. Freshman Russell Robinson led the charge for the KU reserves with 13 points. Senior Michael Lee and freshman C.J. Giles added five points apiece. Giles also grabbed eight rebounds in his 10 minutes of play.

Kansas-Nevada Leftovers

Senior Aaron Miles’ eight first half assists were the most by a KU player in a single half since he dished out eight dimes in the second half against Nebraska on Feb. 1, 2003…Freshman Russell Robinson’s three steals and 13 points marked career-highs…Freshman Sasha Kaun recorded his first career steal in the first half…Miles’ 10 assists moved him into a tie with Jacque Vaughn for the most KU double-figure assist games with 18…Kansas has held each of its first three opponents under 30 points in the first half…With 12 points, senior Keith Langford (1,436) passed Wilt Chamberlain (1,433) on KU’s all-time scoring list and sits alone in 18th place…Senior Wayne Simien (14 points, 10 rebounds) posted his fourth-straight double-double dating back to last season and the 25th of his career…Junior Jeff Hawkins saw his first action of the season…Freshman Alex Galindo’s six points were a career-high…Freshman C.J. Giles’ eight rebounds marked a career-high.

Home Stretch

Today is Kansas’ fourth of seven straight games at Allen Fieldhouse to open the season. The Yellow Book Shootout — formerly the Feist Shootout — on Dec. 22 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., is a home game for KU season ticket holders but it is a neutral site. The last time Kansas opened the season with seven straight home games was 1977-78 under head coach Ted Owens. KU’s longest homestand to open the season is 10 games which dates back to the 1917-18 season under head coach William O. Hamilton.

Series History

Kansas leads the all-time series with Pacific, 2-0 … Last meeting saw the Jayhawks defeat the Tigers, 78-63, on March 21, 2004 in Kansas City, Mo., in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament … Kansas coach Bill Self is 1-0 against the Tigers and Pacific head coach Bob Thomason is 0-1 against the Jayhawks … KU is 1-0 all-time against the Tigers in Lawrence, claiming a 70-54 win in Allen Fieldhouse on December 13, 1966 … Kansas is 12-3 all-time against teams from the Big West Conference.

Connections

-Kansas freshman Matt Kleinmann was recruited by Pacific.

Every player on the Pacific roster is from the state of California, while KU features one player, Moulaye Niang, who attended high school in California at Christina High School in El Cajon, Calif.

-All three Kansas assistant coaches had faced Pacific during their careers prior to last season’s NCAA Tournament meeting between the schools. Tim Jankovich coached against the Tigers in 1988 as a member of the coaching staff at Colorado State and in 1997 when he was an assistant coach with North Texas. In 2001, as an assistant coach at New Mexico, Joe Dooley help lead the Lobos to a 85-66 victory over Pacific. First-year KU assistant Kurtis Townsend faced the Tigers several times as an assistant at California, where he served from 1993-97.

Last Meeting

Wayne Simien scored 18 points and collected 12 rebounds to lead the Jayhawks to a 78-63 victory over the Pacific Tigers and into the Sweet 16 round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Kansas shot 48 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the three point arch during the contest. Junior Keith Langford chipped in 16 points and Aaron Miles dished out nine assists. Pacific’s Guillaume Yango poured in a game-high 22 points in the losing effort for the Tigers who finished their season with a 25-8 record.

A Kansas Win Would…

Make Kansas 4-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season… KU was 4-0 for 10 straight seasons from 1991-92 to 2000-01… Mark Kansas’ third win against Pacific to make the series 3-0… Be KU’s 11th straight home win… Make Kansas coach Bill Self 28-9 at KU, 235-114 overall and mark his second win versus Pacific… Give KU and 13-3 record in its last 16 games… Make KU 1,828-762 all-time and 555-101 in Allen Fieldhouse.

A Kansas Loss Would…

Make Kansas 3-1 for the second straight season… Give Pacific its first win against KU and make the series 2-1 in favor of Kansas… Break Kansas’ 10-game home court winning streak, marking KU’s first loss in Allen Fieldhouse since the team fell to Richmond 69-68 on Jan. 22, 2004… Make Bill Self 27-10 at KU, 234-115 overall and 1-1 versus Pacific… Make Kansas 1,827-763 all-time and 554-102 in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas Quick Hits

-Through three games, Kansas’ bench has outscored its opponents bench 101-27 — 20-9 vs. Vermont; 47-8 vs. Saint Joseph’s; and 34-10 vs. Nevada.

-Last season, Kansas was 0-8 when trailing with 5:00 remaining. The Jayhawks have already bucked that trend as Vermont held a 56-54 lead at the 5:00 mark in KU’s 68-61 season-opening win.

-Through three games, Kansas has eight players averaging 11-plus minutes with seven of those at 15-plus.

-KU went 5-for-5 from three-point range in the first half against Saint Joseph’s. The last time KU was perfect from way out in a first half was in the against North Carolina State on Dec. 10, 1994.

-Junior walk on Christian Moody’s start against Vermont was the first of his career.

-Last Kansas had three – Keith Langford, Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien – of the 30 players nominated for the fourth annual Bayer Advantage® Senior CLASS Award. The award is presented annually to the nation’s senior player-of-the-year for NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball.

-Kansas was 124-7 (94.7 percent) in Allen Fieldhouse over the past 11 seasons. Included in that run are five undefeated seasons – 14-0 in 1994-95; 13-0 in 1995-96; 15-0 in 1996-97; 16-0 in 1997-98; and 13-0 in 2001-02.

Records, Milestones, Streaks to Watch

-The Jayhawks have held their opponents under 100 points for 87 straight games. The last team to score 100 points on KU was Texas on Feb. 11, 2002.

-KU has hit at least one three-pointer in 148 straight games. Kansas last failed to hit a long ball in a loss to Texas in 2000.

-Senior Aaron Miles enters the Pacific game with 761 career assists – 32 shy of the Big 12 record of 793 held by Doug Gottlieb of Oklahoma State and 43 shy of the Kansas career mark of 804 by Jacque Vaughn.

-Miles is 10th on the all-time games started list at KU with 109. He is four shy from moving into the ninth spot.

-Miles’ next 10-assist game will pass Jacque Vaughn for most career double-figure assist games at KU. Both stand atop with 18 games.

-Senior Wayne Simien ranks 17th on the KU career rebound list at 634. Simien is just six boards shy of 16th spot.

-Senior Keith Langford has played and scored in all 110 games while at Kansas.

Keith Langford Passes Wilt

Senior Keith Langford entered the week No. 19 on the all-time KU scoring list with 1,424 career points. With his 12 points against Nevada, Langford passed legend Wilt Chamberlain and moved into 18th place. Chamberlain scored 1,433 points in only two seasons at KU (1957-58). Should Langford score at his career average this season, he will become only the sixth player in KU history to score at least 1,800 points.

Simien Seeing First Half Double-Doubles

In his first two games this season, senior Wayne Simien recorded a double-double in each of the first halves. Against Vermont, the Leavenworth, Kan., forward had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. His 25 points and 14 rebounds for the game earned Simien Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Against Saint Joseph’s, Simien had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the opening half. He went on to register 20 points and 13 rebounds for his 24th career double-double. Another impressive note — the preseason All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year is 21-for-22 from the free throw line in 2004-05.

In the Rankings

Kansas is No. 2 for the second straight week in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ polls. The Jayhawks entered the season No. 1 in both outlets which was the first time since 1956-57 in AP and since 1996-97 in the coaches’ poll. Under Bill Self KU has appeared in the AP poll top 10 on 10 occasions and the coaches’ poll nine times. KU concluded the 2003-04 season No. 9 in the coaches’ poll (No. 16 in by AP whose poll concludes prior to the NCAA Tournament).

Did You Know?

Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996-97, Kansas is the only school in men’s basketball to have finished in the upper half of the league race every season. In fact KU has finished in the upper half of its conference race for the last 15 seasons dating back to 1989-90.

Simien Collects 600th Career Rebound

Kansas senior Wayne Simien is etching his name up the KU career charts every game. The Leavenworth, Kan., forward pulled down his 600th career rebound in the season opener against Vermont to move into the Top 20 on the Kansas career rebounds list. He currently has 634 rebounds which is 17th on the KU list and six shy of 16th. Last year, Simien was second in the Big 12 with 9.3 rebounds per game. Should he keep that pace he could become only the seventh player in school history to record 900 career rebounds.

Simien Earns Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week

Simien was named the season’s first Big 12 Player of Week on Nov. 22 as he scored 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in the Jayhawks’ win over two-time America East champion Vermont, 68-61. The senior forward shot 53.3 percent (9-of-10) from the field and hit nine of 10 shots from the free throw line. He had a double-double in the first half, recording 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. It was the 23rd double-double of his career and the 18th time he has scored 20 points or more in a game.

Miles(tones)

Kansas senior guard Aaron Miles has started all but one game during his career at KU and that game was Senior Day his freshman year. Miles enters his final season having ranked in the top two assists average in the Big 12 each season – second his freshman and sophomore years and first last year. He is second on the Kansas and Big 12 career assists list at 761. The Portland, Ore., native is 32 assists shy of the Big 12 mark of 793 held by Doug Gottlieb of Oklahoma State and 43 assists behind former KU great Jacque Vaughn at 804. Miles holds three of the top five single season assists records at KU. He is also only 239 assists from becoming only the fourth player in NCAA Division I history to amass 1,000 assists for his career.

Up Next

Kansas plays host to TCU on Thursday, Dec. 9. The game will tip at 8 p.m. (Central) and air on ESPN. Last year, Kansas defeated TCU 85-66 in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will mark the first of five jersey retirements for former KU greats this season. Bill Bridges averaged 13.2 points and 13.9 rebounds for KU from 1959-61. He was also named All-America in 1961 and was a three-time All-Big Eight Conference honoree.

Upcoming KU Jersey Retirement Dates

Bill Bridges – December 9

Walt Wesley – December 18

Darnell Valentine – January 1

Bud Stallworth – January 31

Dave Robisch – February 27