Kansas-Oklahoma, Pt. 2: Big 12 Leaders Set to Battle in Norman

Video Link Coach Self Press Conference
Notes Links Kansas Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Links Oklahoma Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Links Big 12 Game Notes (.pdf)
Tickets Link Tickets [SOLD OUT]

No. 6/6 Kansas (20-4, 8-3) plays its second-straight top-10 team when it faces No. 3/3 Oklahoma (20-3, 8-3) Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN. For the second time this season, Kansas will be part of ESPN College GameDay as its theme for the week has been the rematch of then-No. 1/2 Kansas defeating then-No. 2/1 Oklahoma, 109-106 in triple overtime on Jan. 4 in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas has won four straight games entering Saturdays tilt — the longest current winning streak in the Big 12, after a 75-65 win against No. 10/10 West Virginia on Feb. 9 in Allen Fieldhouse. Oklahoma has won five of its last six games after defeating No. 24/25 Texas, 63-60, on Feb. 8 in Norman. Kansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia are tied atop the Big 12 standings with 8-3 league records heading into the weekend.

ABOUT KANSAS
No. 6/6 Kansas is 20-4 overall and 8-3 in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are 13-0 in Allen Fieldhouse, 3-3 in true road games and 6-4 away from AFH this season. KU averages 83.0 points per game and has a +14.3 scoring margin. The Jayhawks are fifth nationally with a 42.2 3-point field goal percentage. KU pulls down an average of 38.4 rebounds per game and has a +5.5 rebound margin. The Jayhawks also average 16.3 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.1 blocked shots per contest.

Senior F Perry Ellis has scored 19 or more points in five of his last six games, including four 20-point efforts. Ellis is averaging 19.5 points and 6.6 rebounds during Big 12 play, and 16.9 points and 6.5 rebounds overall. Ellis is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top-seven in scoring (third) and rebounding (seventh). Junior G Wayne Selden Jr. is seventh in the Big 12 in scoring at 14.4 points per game, third in the league in 3-point  field goals made per game at 2.3 and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage at 43.7 percent. Junior G Frank Mason III is scoring 13.1 points per game, which 12th in the Big 12. He is fifth in the league with a 4.6 assist average and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.2. Mason and sophomore G Devonte’ Graham are tied for the team high with 34 steals. Graham is scoring 10.7 points per game and he is third in the Big 12 with a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and eighth with a 3.8 assists per game average. Junior F Landen Lucas rounds out the KU starters. He is coming off a career-high 16 rebounds and four blocked shots against West Virginia (2/9) and just missed a double-double with nine points. He scores 4.5 points per game and is second on the team with a 5.5 rebound average, which is 16th in the Big 12.

Junior G Brannen Greene is a 3-point specialist who scores 6.7 points per game off the bench, His 10 points against West Virginia (2/9) were his high in league play this season. Greene is 24-for-43 (55.8 percent) from beyond the arc in 205-16. Sophomore G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk had 10 points against Kansas State (2/3) which is his career high in Big 12 play. He has made 22 3-pointers this season, helping him average 5.5 points per game. Freshman F Carlton Bragg Jr., is averaging 4.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg overall. Freshman Cheick Diallo (3.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg) has 14 blocked shots. Senior F Jamari Traylor (2.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) pulled down a season-high-tying seven rebounds at TCU (2/6). Traylor is a high-energy forward who has started seven games in 2015-16 and is tied for 11th in the Big 12 with 0.9 blocked shots per game. Senior F Hunter Mickelson, who has started 10 games this season averaging 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds and his 1.1 blocked shots per game are eighth in the Big 12. 

ABOUT OKLAHOMA
Located in Norman, Oklahoma, with an enrollment of 30,813, No. 3/3 Oklahoma is 20-3 overall and 8-3 in Big 12 play. OU is 12-0 at Lloyd Noble Center this season. The Sooners are coached by Lon Kruger who is 102-52 in his fifth season at OU and 581-356 in his 30th season overall. OU leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 45.1 percent and is fourth nationally in 3-pointers made per game at 11.0. The Sooners average 84.1 points per contest, which is 10th in the nation and tops in the conference. Oklahoma also leads the Big 12 in rebounding (40.3).

Senior G Buddy Hield leads the Big 12 and is second nationally in scoring at 25.7 points per game. He is third on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game. Hield leads the Big 12 with 4.2 3-pointers made per game and in 3-point field goal percentage at 50.0, which is second nationally. Hield’s 90.2 free throw percentage is third in NCAA Division I. Senior G Isaiah Cousins scores 13.6 points per game and leads OU with 4.6 assists per contest, which is sixth in the Big 12. He pulls down 4.6 rebounds per game and has made 44 3-pointers. Junior G Jordan Woodard is next in scoring at 13.3 points per game and he makes 2.3 3-pointers per contest, which is fourth in the league. He is third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 85.5 percent. Senior F Ryan Spangler is averaging nearly a double-double with 11.0 points and 9.8 rebounds. His 9.8 boards per contest are second in the Big 12 and 26th nationally. Spangler is third in the conference with a 55.4 field goal percentage. Sophomore F Khadeem Lattin (6.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 55 blocked shots) rounds out the OU starters. Other OU regulars include senior G Domjiyl Walker (3.7 ppg), Dante Buford (3.6 ppg), junior C Akolda Manyang (2.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 31 blocked shots) and freshman G Christian James (2.6 ppg).

THE SERIES
The series between Kansas and Oklahoma dates back to 1920 when both schools were members of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Kansas leads, 143-66. Since 2006, the Jayhawks have won 14 of the last 16 meetings against the Sooners. The two teams split last year’s clashes with both winning home contests. Kansas is 49-42 against Oklahoma in games played in Norman, which includes an 18-15 record games played at Lloyd Noble Center. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, Kansas is 22-6 against Oklahoma; 20-4 in regular-season play and 2-2 in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 15-5 all-time against Oklahoma, including 15-3 while at KU. Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger is 7-17 versus Kansas, 2-7 while at OU.

The most historic game in the series came during the 1988 NCAA title game, when Kansas defeated Oklahoma, 83-79, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. That contest was the 50th Final Four and the halftime score was 50-50. The second-most epic series game was earlier this season when then-No. 1/2 Kansas defeated then-No. 2/1 Oklahoma, 109-106 in triple overtime on Jan. 4, 2016 in Allen Fieldhouse on ESPN Big Monday. Here are some notables from that contest:
• The game marked the 40th time since the Associated Press poll came out that No. 1 played No. 2. No. 1 now holds a 22-18 advantage in those match-ups. Kansas is 1-4 in No. 1 vs. No. 2 battles.
• The contest was the second-ever triple overtime contest in NCAA history with the other being Kansas vs. North Carolina in the 1957 NCAA title game.
• The game marked the third triple overtime game in Kansas history, and there have been two quadruple overtime games. The last triple overtime contest for KU was a 76-73 loss at Oklahoma State, Feb. 4, 1981.
• The contest marked the longest game (in game minutes) ever played in Allen Fieldhouse – no other contest had gone longer than double overtime.
• The game was tied 13 times and had 13 lead changes. In the third overtime alone there were four lead changes and three ties.
• Kansas had three players score 20-plus points, including Perry Ellis (27), Devonte’ Graham (22) and Wayne Selden Jr. (21).
• Five players notched 50 or more minutes with two from Kansas – Ellis (53) and Frank Mason III (53) – and three from OU – Buddy Hield (54), Ryan Spangler (51) and Joradn Woodard (50).
• Hield ended the night with 46 points, which tied for the second-most ever scored against Kansas, which was also in Allen Fieldhouse (Mike Wroblewski, Kansas State, 2/7/1962).

KANSAS NOTABLES
• Kansas ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (second at 83.0), scoring margin (second at +14.2), field goal percentage (second at 49.0), 3-point field goal percentage (second at 42.2), 3-point field goals made (second at 8.3), assists (second at 16.3), rebound margin (third at +5.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (third at 1.3).
• Kansas’ 83.0 scoring average is the best in the Self era (81.6 in 2009-10) and the highest since a 90.9 scoring average in 2001-02.
• Out of its 20 victories of the season, Kansas has won by 10 or more points in 14 of those wins, including each of the last three games. Five of those wins have been by 30 points or more.
• Kansas has out-shot 20 of 24 opponents this season, including 56.1 percent versus West Virginia (2/9).
• The Jayhawks have out-rebounded 18 of 24 foes, including five of the last six contests. KU had a +21 rebound advantage at TCU (2/6) and a +11 (42-31) versus Kentucky (1/30).
• Kansas has shot 40 percent or better from 3-point range in 16 of its 24 games, including 41.2 percent (7-17) against West Virginia (2/9).
• The KU bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 15 of 24 games this season and is 14-1 in those contests.
• After going 7-for-17 from 3-point range against West Virginia (2/9), KU has made seven or more three-pointers in 17 of 24 games this season, including two of the last three battles. KU has made 10 or more 3-pointers eight times, including 15 threes vs. Northern Colorado (11/13) and Chaminade (11/23), which were one off the school record.• Senior F Perry Ellis is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top seven in scoring (third at 16.9 ppg) and rebounding (seventh at 6.5).
• Ellis has pulled down nine or more rebounds in eight games this season.
• Ellis has led KU in scoring in seven of 11 Big 12 games, averaging 19.5 points per Big 12 contest.
• Junior G Wayne Selden Jr., is third in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game at 2.3 and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage at .437 for all games. Selden has made three or more 3-pointers in 12 games this season.
• Kansas’ 37-game winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse is the third longest in school history. In that span, KU has defeated 14 nationally-ranked opponents during the streak.
• Kansas is 32-6 when following a conference loss under Self with only one of those losses coming in Allen Fieldhouse (Feb. 19, 2005 vs. Iowa State).

QUITE THE COMPARISON
In Kansas’ 20 victories this season, the Jayhawks have won by an average of 14.4 points per game. In its four losses, KU lost by 12.2 points per game. Here is a breakdown of statistics when the Jayhawks win compare to when they lose.

DOWNTOWN
Kansas is making 42.2 percent from 3-point range which is sixth nationally and second in the Big 12. At their current percentage pace, the 2015-16 Jayhawks would finish second on the school’s single-season 3-point field goal percentage list.

IN THE POLLS
In the most recent national rankings released on Feb. 8, Kansas is No. 6 both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches’ Poll. The Jayhawks hold the longest active streak for consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25 (137) after Duke fell out of the poll for the first time in eight seasons, ending a 167-week streak, on Feb. 1.

KU spent two weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP poll (Jan. 4, Jan. 11) and one week at No. 1 in the Coaches’ poll (Jan. 11). On Jan. 11, Kansas was ranked No. 1 in both national polls for the first time since Feb. 14, 2011.

The last time Kansas was not ranked by AP was during the 2008-09 season. Under coach Bill Self, Kansas has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 222 weeks, which includes 160 weeks in the Top 10, 92 times in the Top 5 and 22 times at No. 1. In the coaches’ poll, under Self, Kansas has been ranked 235 times with 173 in the top 10 and 106 in the top five.

Kansas entered the 2015-16 season ranked No. 4 by AP and No. 5 in the coaches’ polls. This season’s AP poll is the highest ranking for the Jayhawks since 2009-10 when they entered the season No. 1 in the country. The preseason ranking is the 10th time in the Bill Self era that the Jayhawks enter the season slotted seventh or higher, including each of the last four seasons – No. 5 in 2015-16 and 2014-15, No. 6 in 2013-14, and No. 7 in 2012-13.
Last season, KU entered the year No. 5 nationally in the coaches’ poll and ended up No. 17. The Jayhawks were ranked in the top 10 in 12 times during the 2014-15 season.

KANSAS MILESTONES
• Senior F Perry Ellis is only the 20th Jayhawk to reach the 1,500 point plateau reaching the milestone against Kentucky (1/30). Ellis has 1,563 career points, which is 15th on the KU career scoring list. Earlier this month, Ellis became the 16th player in KU history to reach 700 career rebounds, currently 14th at 768. Ellis is on pace to become the eighth player in KU history to rank in the top 15 in both career points and career rebounds: Danny Manning (2,951 points/1,187 rebounds), Nick Collison (2,097 points/1,143 rebounds), Raef LaFrentz (2,066 points/1,186 rebounds), Clyde Lovellette (1,979 points/839 rebounds), Dave Robisch (1,754 points/815 rebounds), Mark Randall (1,627 points/723 rebounds) and Wayne Simien (1,593 points/884 rebounds).
• Junior G Wayne Selden Jr. had 33 points against Kentucky (1/30) and in the process became the 57th Jayhawk to reach the 1,000-point plateau. He is 53rd on the KU scoring list at 1,024 and ranks 15th on the KU career 3-pointers made list at 143 and 12th on the 3-pointers attempted list at 380.
• With his four assists against TCU (1/16), junior G Frank Mason III surpassed the 300 career assists mark, currently at 325, which is 20th on the KU all-time list. Mason has 102 career steals. 

KANSAS vs. RANKED TEAMS
With its 75-65 win against No. 10/10 West Virginia (2/9), Kansas improved to 5-3 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2015-16, including 2-0 versus top-10 foes. Five of those eight contests have been versus Big 12 members with KU having a 3-2 record.  In the Bill Self era, Kansas is 69-37 and has had a winning record against ranked opponents each of the last 11 seasons. In 2014-15 KU played an all-time high 16 games vs. ranked foes and its 10 wins last year were also a season best.

DOMINATING DEFENSE
In Bill Self’s previous 12 seasons at Kansas, the Jayhawks have led the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense eight times and finished no lower than fourth. Nationally, Self-coached Jayhawks have ranked eighth or higher in all but two seasons in field goal percentage defense and have ranked in the top five on eight occasions, including first in 2005-06 and 2011-12.

CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Kansas has won 15 of the 19 Big 12 regular-season titles (includes ties), including the last 11, which ranks tied for second on the NCAA all-time consecutive list. Kansas’ 58 conference titles are the most in NCAA Division I. Kentucky is second with 52 and Penn third at 37. KU’s 11-straight league titles are the longest active streak in NCAA Division I and the longest streak in school history.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Kansas basketball is packing arenas throughout the country this season. In addition to playing in front of 100-percent capacity crowds for all games at Allen Fieldhouse thus far this season, Kansas has filled visiting arenas to an average capacity of 96.5 percent.

UP NEXT
Kansas will host Oklahoma State on ESPN Big Monday on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. KU will then travel to Kansas State on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. The Sunflower Showdown will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2. Kansas will then travel to Baylor on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

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