LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 2 Kansas (12-1) will host TCU (11-2) on Saturday, Jan. 6, in the Big 12 opener for both schools. The contest from Allen Fieldhouse will tip at 1 p.m. (Central) and will be televised on CBS.
For the TCU contest, Kansas Athletics will honor the 50th anniversary of KU’s 1974 Final Four team. Then-head coach Ted Owens and many former players and staff will be present for the contest.
The game will also be KU’s men’s basketball Team IMPACT contest. Team IMPACT is a unique multi-year program that matches children facing serious illness and disabilities with college athletic teams across the country.
Kansas takes an eight-game winning streak into Saturday’s contest which is the eighth longest nationally. KU is coming off an 86-67 win against Wichita State on Dec. 30, in Kansas City. TCU brings a two-game winning streak to Allen Fieldhouse after its 77-42 home win against Texas A&M-Commerce on Jan. 1.
Kansas has won a mind-boggling 32-straight conference openers dating back to the 1991-92 season, with 13 of those at home in Allen Fieldhouse and 19 on the road. The last time Kansas lost a league opener was at Oklahoma, 88-82, on Jan. 8, 1991.
This will be the 30th meeting between Kansas and TCU with the Jayhawks having a 25-4 all-time series advantage, including a 10-1 mark in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas enters Saturday’s matchup averaging 79.6 points per game with a plus-14.3 scoring margin. The Jayhawks pull down 38.9 rebounds per outing with a plus-5.9 rebound margin. Kansas is second in the nation in assists per game at 21.5. KU is also second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in field goal percentage (50.5%). KU also averages 7.7 steals and 4.6 blocked shots per contest.
Graduate G Kevin McCullar Jr. is averaging 25.0 points in his last three games and leads the Big 12 in scoring at 20.4 points per game, which is 19th nationally. His two triple-doubles are the most amongst the NCAA. McCullar also leads KU with 21 steals and 20 three-point field goals made. His 6.9 rebounds per game are second on the team.
Senior C Hunter Dickinson leads the Big 12 and is second nationally in rebounds per game at 12.5. His eight double-doubles leads the Big 12 and are sixth nationally. A three-time Big 12 weekly award honoree this season, Dickinson is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double. He also leads KU with 17 blocked shots.
Junior F KJ Adams Jr. is coming off a career-high 11 rebounds against Wichita State on Dec. 30. Adams is second in the Big 12 and 26th nationally in field goal percentage at 61.5%. Adams is averaging 12.2 points and 4.2 rebounds for the season and has 43 assists after his five dimes against Wichita State.
Redshirt-senior G Dajuan Harris Jr. leads the Big 12 with 6.8 assists per game, which is eighth nationally. Harris averages 6.8 points per contest and has 17 steals. Freshman G Elmarko Jackson (6.2 ppg, 2.9 assists per game) is coming off a career-high 12 points against Wichita State on Dec. 30 and he rounds out the KU starters.
Other KU regulars include freshman G Johnny Furphy (5.4 ppg, 13 3FGs), graduate-senior G Nicolas Timberlake (3.7 ppg, 10 3FGs), graduate-senior F Parker Braun (3.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 11 blocked shots) and freshman G Jamari McDowell (2.4 ppg).
UP NEXT
Kansas hits the road for league play at Big 12 newcomer UCF on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Tip from Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida, will be at 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big 12 NOW via ESPN+.
Kansas and UCF will be meeting for the first time in men’s basketball.
