Jayhawks to Host Owls Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Dec. 18, 2008
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Kansas notes for Temple in PDF Format 
Kansas returns to the friendly confines of Allen Fieldhouse to close out its six-game home stand against Temple Saturday, Dec. 20, at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2. KU is 7-2 on the season and looking to bounce back from a 61-60 setback against Massachusetts in the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout Dec. 13. Temple is 5-3 on the year following its 88-72 victory against then-No. 8 Tennessee Dec. 13. The Owls are 3-1 on the road this season.
About Kansas
Kansas is 4-1 in his last five games and 7-2 on the season. Kansas has won its last 29 games in Allen Fieldhouse dating back to the last four contests in the Fieldhouse of the 2006-07 season. It is the fourth longest active home court winning streak in the nation. Kansas is scoring 80.9 points per game and giving up 62.1 for a +18.8 scoring margin. The Jayhawks force 16.6 turnovers per game. KU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 73.4 percent. KU also leads the league in rebounding at 42.6, rebound margin at +10.1 and rebounding defense at 32.4. KU’s two losses have been by one point to UMass (61-60) and in overtime to Syracuse (89-81).
Junior guard Sherron Collins leads KU in scoring at 17.9 points per game. Collins has led the team in scoring in seven of nine games this season and has a team-high 18 three-point field goals and 43 assists. Sophomore center Cole Aldrich is one of two players in the Big 12 who average a double-double with 14.1 points and 10.4 rebounds. The other is Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin (23.1 ppg, 15.1 rpg). Aldrich has led Kansas in rebounding in each of the last seven games with five double-doubles in that span. Aldrich has 24 of KU’s 48 blocked shots for a Big 12-leading 2.7 per game. Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor is next in scoring at 10.8 ppg. He is second on the team with 33 assists and also has 10 steals. Freshman forward Marcus Morris (8.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg) is a starter who has two double-doubles in 2008-09. Sophomore guard Brady Morningstar rounds out the KU starters. He is scoring 7.1 points per game. Sophomore guard Tyrel Reed (7.4 ppg) and freshman Markieff Morris (5.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg) are the first KU subs. Freshman forward Quintrell Thomas (2.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and freshman guard Travis Releford (3.9 ppg) are also in KU’s rotation.
About Temple
Temple brings a two-game winning streak to Lawrence following its 88-72 win against then-No. 8 Tennessee on Dec. 13 in Philadelphia. Like Kansas, Temple – the 2008 Atlantic 10 Conference champion – was off last week for final exams. The Owls are 5-3 on the season, including 3-1 in true road games. Temple averages 71.2 points per game and gives up 67.9. The Owls outrebound foes 37.2 to 34.4 and have 31 blocked shots. TU makes 7.3 three-pointers per contest. Senior guard Dionte Christmas was the 2008 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and leads the team with a 21 point scoring average. He has made 29 of Temple’s 58 three-pointers and also averages 6.6 rebounds which is second on the team as are his 11 steals. Junior guard Ryan Brooks is next in scoring at 13.5 points per game. Senior center Sergio Olmos is scoring 12.8 points per contest and he leads the team with 11 blocked shots in just four games played. Sophomore forward Lavoy Allen leads TU with a 7.7 rebound average to go along with his 9.4 ppg. Senior guard Semaj Inge rounds out the Temple starters. He is scoring 9.3 points per contest and leads the team with 36 assists. Freshman guard Ramone Moore (6.6 ppg) and junior guard Luis Guzman (3.0 ppg) are TU’s top reserves.
The Series
Kansas leads the overall series with Temple 5-3, yet the Owls have won the last two meetings. This series dates back to 1940 when the Owls defeated the Jayhawks 40-35 in Philadelphia. The two teams have played in Lawrence two times – Jan. 8, 1987 a KU 67-64 win; and Dec. 1, 1993 a 73-59 TU win. In the 1987 game, current KU assistant coach Danny Manning made a three-pointer as the clock was running out. Kansas defeated Temple in the first round of the 1968 postseason NIT, 82-76, in New York City. The Jayhawks would go on to finish runner-up to Dayton in the event. Kansas defeated Temple 65-43 in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament in Dayton, Ohio. Manning tied for the team high scoring with 14 points (along with Ron Kellogg and Calvin Thompson). KU would go on to advance to the 1986 Final Four in Dallas. In the last meeting, Temple defeated Kansas 74-66 in overtime on Dec. 22, 1995, at the Jimmy V Classic in East Rutherford, N.J.
Team Notables
–Kansas leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 73.4 percent. KU has shot 80 percent or better from the line in four games this season.
–Besides free throw percentage, Kansas leads the Big 12 in rebounding (42.6), rebound margin (+10.1) and rebound defense (32.4).
–KU is 77-10 (88.5 percent) in its last 87 games.
–KU has outshot seven of nine opponents this season and has shot 50 percent or better in three of its last four games. Last year, KU outshot 39 of 40 opponents.
–Through nine games, four different Jayhawks have scored 20 or more points this season. Sherron Collins leads the list with two 20-point efforts (25 vs. Florida Gulf Coast and 21 vs. Syracuse). Other 20-point scorers include Brady Morningstar (21 vs. Coppin State), Cole Aldrich (23 vs. Coppin State) and Tyshawn Taylor (23 vs. New Mexico State).
–Kansas has held 119 of its last 122 opponents to under 50 percent shooting, including all nine foes this season.
–Kansas posted its 100th game of scoring 100 points in the 100-79 win against defending WAC champion New Mexico State Dec. 3.
–Five different Jayhawks have led the team in assists this season.
Player Notables
–Junior guard Sherron Collins has scored 19 or more points in four games this season, including 19 against UMass. Collins is 14-for-16 from the free throw line in his last five games. Collins is fifth in the Big 12 in scoring at 17.9 ppg. He also ranks among the league leaders in assists (sixth at 4.8), field goal percentage (12th at 43.6), free throw percentage (fifth at 81.8), steals (tied for 13th at 1.7), three point field goals made (tied for 13th at 2.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (10th at 1.9).
–Sophomore Cole Aldrich has shot 50 percent or better from the field in seven of nine games this season, including 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) against UMass. He has five double-doubles on the season, all in his last six games. Aldrich leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 89.2 and blocked shots at 2.7 per game. He is second in the conference in rebounding at 10.4, third in field goal percentage at 58.0 and 18th in scoring at 14.1 ppg.
–Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games. He has multiple steals in three of his last four contests and has 14 assists in his last two games. He is 11th in the league in assists at 3.7 apg and 13th in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5.
–Sophomore guard Tyrel Reed has made 10 three pointers in his last three games and is 10-for-19 (52.6 percent) from beyond the arc in that span. Reed has scored in double figures in two of his last three games and three times this season.
–Freshman forward Marcus Morris has started six games for KU this season and is second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. Marcus leads the Big 12 freshmen in rebound average, which is 12th overall in the conference.
–Sophomore guard Conner Teahan played a career-high 17 minutes against UMass, tying a season high with five points and setting a career high with five rebounds.
Up Next
Kansas hits the road to take on Arizona in the Big12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 9:30 p.m. (Central) on Fox Sports Net. Last season, Kansas defeated Arizona 76-72 in overtime in Allen Fieldhouse. KU will then take a week off before hosting Albany on Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. That game will be televised on ESPNU.
