Kansas Men's Basketball to Host Pepperdine Dec. 19
Dec. 15, 2005
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Kansas starts a five-game home stand when it plays host to the Pepperdine Waves Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. KU, currently 4-4 on the season, has won two of its last three games and is 2-1in Allen Fieldhouse in 2005-06. Pepperdine is currently 1-6 heading into its Dec. 17 game against Long Beach State. Tonight will be the Waves’ fifth road game this season.
About Kansas
Kansas is coming off a 69-56 win against Pac-10 foe California in the American Century Investments Shootout in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 10. The Jayhawks are 4-4 overall and 3-2 in their last five games with the two losses coming by a combined five points. KU’s top seven scorers are freshmen and sophomores. Kansas has nine players who average 14 minutes or more per contest. Freshman guard Brandon Rush leads the team with 13.4 points per game, ranking 17th in the Big 12 (tops among league freshman). Sophomore center Sasha Kaun is next in scoring at 11.1 ppg and is second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per game – good for 11th in the conference. Sophomore center C.J. Giles is scoring 10.3 points per contest and his 7.1 rebounds per outing leads KU and are tied for eighth in the conference. Giles’ 2.38 blocked shots per game are second in the Big 12. Sophomore transfer Rodrick Stewart will make his KU debut against Pepperdine. Stewart is a guard who transferred from Southern California a year ago.
About Pepperdine
Pepperdine (1-6) took a four-game losing skid into its Dec. 17 contest against Long Beach State. Freshman guard Michael Gerrity leads the team in points (15.4), assists (3.4) and steals (2.0). Senior forward/guard Tashaan Forehan-Kelly is next in scoring at 13.4 points per contest. Freshman Chris Oakes paces the Waves in rebounds with a 7.6 average per contest. Sophomore center Jarrad Henry leads Pepperdine in blocked shots with 12. Last year, the Waves finished tied for fifth in the West Coast Conference after posting 17-14 overall and 6-8 league records.
The Series
This series dates back to 1979 and Kansas holds an 8-1 advantage. Pepperdine won the first meeting 96-89 in Malibu, Calif., but KU has won the last eight match ups. The last meeting was in the 1999-2000 season when Kansas claimed a 76-61 win in Lawrence. This will be the fifth time Kansas and Pepperdine have met in Lawrence with KU winning all of those games. The 1992 contest was a KU 79-73 overtime victory in Allen Fieldhouse. KU is 22-2 against teams from the West Coast Conference.
Up Next
KU continues its five-game home stand on Thursday, Dec. 22 against Northern Colorado. The game will tip from Allen Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. and will air on Jayhawk TV. KU will then host New Orleans on Dec. 22, Yale on Dec. 29 and Kentucky Jan. 7 to close out the non-conference schedule.
