USA to Face Lithuania in Medal Round Quarterfinals

USA Stats in PDF
USA Roster

The USA National Team (5-0) for the World University Games (WUG), consisting mainly of the Kansas men’s basketball student-athletes and staff, will face Lithuania (4-1) in the medal round quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11, at noon local time which is 10 p.m. on July 10 in Kansas, at Dongkang College Gymnasium. The USA-Lithuania contest will be televised on ESPNU and the Watch ESPN app.
 
Matched on the other side of the quarterfinals bracket is Russia (5-0) and Estonia (3-1). The USA-Lithuania and Russia-Estonia winners will advance to the semifinals and the potential to win a medal, while the two losers will play in the consolation bracket. The other side of the quarterfinals includes Germany (5-0) vs. Canada (4-1) and France (5-0) vs. Brazil (4-1). Including exhibition play, the USA is 3-0 against the medal bracket foes (2-0 vs. Canada and 1-0 vs. Brazil).
 
Having won an all-time most 19 medals (13 gold, three silver and three bronze), the USA is looking for its first medal in the last three World University Games. USA finished ninth in the 2013 WUG and fifth in 2011. The last medal won by the American men’s basketball team was bronze in 2009. The previous USA medal was gold in 2005.
 
Historically, the USA is 2-1 against Lithuania in the World University Games. Lithuania won the last meeting in 2011, 76-74, and would later win the bronze medal. The USA won the first two matchups – 106-81 in 1995 and 97-88 in 1999 – with both eventually being gold for the Americans.
 
USA Update
Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., has led USA in scoring in three of the five games and leads the World University Games (WUG) with 19.4 points per game average. He has made a team-best 11 three-pointers, one more than guard Nic Moore who has 10. Selden is tied forward Perry Ellis for the team lead in rebounding with 6.4 boards per game. Ellis is scoring 10.6 points per contest, which is third on the team. Frank Mason III is second on the team with a 14.0 ppg, which is tied for eighth in the WUG, and leads the squad with 21 assists. His 4.2 assists per game are tied for second in the WUG. Mason also leads the team with 11 steals. Forward Hunter Mickelson is third the WUG in field goal percentage at 59.5 percent. He has a team-best four blocked shots and is averaging 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. Moore scores 6.6 points per contest, while guard Julian DeBose, who led USA with 18 points against Switzerland, has a 6.0 scoring average, just ahead of guard Lagerald Vick’s 5.6 ppg.
 
As a team, USA holds a +12.0 rebound margin and has outrebounded four of five opponents. Additionally, the USA squad is outshooting its opponents 46.4 percent to 34.3. The USA’s best quarter has been the third where is averages 23.6 points, followed by the second (22.2), fourth (20.2) and first (17.0).
 
About Lithuania
Lithuania finished second in Pool C, posting a 4-1 record. It opened the World University Games with a 70-67 loss to Pool C winner France and then won four straight defeating Finland (87-70), Chinese Taipei (93-37), Japan (90-76) and Australia (74-67). The winner of the Lithuania-Australia contest advanced to the medal bracket. Lithuania leads the World University Games in scoring at 86.6 points per game. The Lithuanians are giving up 69.2 ppg for a +17.4 scoring margin. Lithuania is also leading the Games in field goal percentage at 50.2 percent, outrebounding opponents 41.2 to 30.0 and rank second in the WUG with 5.0 blocked shots per game.
 
No. 31 Rokas Giedraitis leads Lithuania in scoring at 14.4 points. He has made a team-best 15 three-pointers. Other Lithuanians double-figure scorers include No. 27 Donatas Tarolis (12.0 ppg) and No. 10 Egidijus Mockevicius (11.0 ppg). Mockevicius lead the World University Games in field goal percentage at 60.5 percent.
 
What’s Ahead
Should the USA advance to the semifinals of the 2015 World University Games, it would play on Sunday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m. local, 4:30 a.m. in Kansas, at Dongkang College Gymnasium against the winner of the Russia-Estonia contest. The losers in those quarterfinals games will play July 12 at 6 p.m. local, 4 a.m. in Kansas, at Muan Indoor Gymnasium.
 
USA Goes Undefeated in Pool D
With its 96-57 win against Switzerland on July 9, the USA posted a 5-0 record in winning Pool D. USA opened the Games with two nine-point victories against Turkey (66-57) on July 4, and Brazil (81-72) on July 5. Following a 106-41 blowout win versus Chile on July 7, the USA team won a 66-65 nail biter against Serbia on July 8. The Americans closed out pool play with the win versus Switzerland.
 
How this Happened
In April 2014, the Kansas basketball team was selected by the United States International University Sports Federation (US-IUSF) to represent the United States in the World University Games. Kansas was selected as the team to represent the U.S. from the schools that expressed interest.
 
With more than 150 countries competing in 21 sports, the World University Games are held every two years and are governed by the International University Sports Federation. Only current university student-athletes or recent graduates, born between Jan. 1, 1990, and Dec. 31, 1997, are eligible for the 2015 Games. For Kansas’ participation, only U.S. citizens can compete and incoming freshmen and transfers qualify. The Kansas travel party, consisting of 12 competitors and 11 staff (23 total), will leave Lawrence June 28 and live in the athlete village throughout the Games.
 
This is the second time a college team will compete in the World University Games. In 2007, the University of Northern Iowa participated and finished ninth in Bangkok, Thailand.
 
Historically
The World University Games are held every other year and are organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The World University Games is a multi-sport competition open to men and women who are between the ages of 17 and 24, and are or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university.
 
The World University Games began in 1965 in Budapest, Hungary, with the United States men’s basketball team posting a 9-0 record in winning the gold medal. The USA has won 13 gold medals with its last in 2005 and its 19 total medals are more than any other country.
 
Eighteen players who have represented the USA in the World University Games have gone on to compete in the Olympic Games, including KU’s Jo Jo White, who won gold for the USA at the 1967 World University Games in Tokyo, Japan.
 
Seven other Jayhawks besides White have competed in the World University Games, the last being Jerod Haase, who won gold for the USA in 1995. Other KU players who have competed for the U.S. in the World University Games include: Dave Robisch in 1970 (silver), Greg Dreiling and Ron Kellogg in 1985 (silver), Mark Randall in 1989 (gold), Adonis Jordan in 1991 (gold) and Richard Scott in 1993 (gold). Additionally, former KU coach Roy Williams was an assistant coach in the 1991 World University Games, and KU Head Team Physician, Dr. Larry Magee, was the USA physician in 1995 and is with the USA squad this trip.
 
About the National Team
The USA National Team for the upcoming World University Games (WUG), July 3-14 in Gwangju, Korea, continued preparation for the event when the student-athletes returned to Lawrence for summer school June 7. The national team is coached by Bill Self, who has guided Kansas to an unprecedented 11-straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles (2005-15) and two Final Fours as the Jayhawks are the winningest program in NCAA Division I since the 2006-07 season, averaging 31.1 wins in that span with an 83.8 winning percentage. In 12 seasons at Kansas, Self is 352-78 (81.9 percent), averaging 29.3 wins per year. Overall, Self has a 559-183 (75.3 percent) record in his 22nd seasons as a head coach.
 
Forward Perry Ellis is one of four returning all-conference performers from 2014-15 and headlines the USA National Team roster. A Wichita, Kansas native, Ellis was an All-Big 12 First Team selection last season, leading Kansas in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). He was also named to the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 First Team and the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
 
Guard Frank Mason III, from Petersburg, Virginia, was an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree who was second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game and led Kansas with 142 assists and 50 steals in 2014-15. Mason’s 42.9 percent shooting from three-point range was best on the KU team last season. Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., from Roxbury, Massachusetts, was a 2015 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection who led Kansas with 46 three-pointers made last year as he averaged 9.4 points per contest.
 
The only non-Jayhawks on the roster are SMU guard Nic Moore and Florida Gulf Coast guard Julian DeBose, who replaced Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham who suffered an injury which will not allow him to compete in the games. Moore was the 2015 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and led SMU in scoring (14.5 ppg), assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.3 spg) last season. The Winona Lake, Indiana all-conference first-team selection led the Mustangs to their first conference regular-season title since 1993. DeBose, who joined the team June 20, averaged 11.9 points and 3.9 rebounds for FGCU last year under former KU assistant coach Joe Dooley.
 
Ellis, forwards Jamari Traylor (4.8 points, 3.7 rebounds in 2014-15) and Landen Lucas (3.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and guards Evan Manning and Tyler Self have international experience heading to Gwangju as they competed in Kansas’ four exhibition games in Switzerland and France in August 2012. Lucas and forward Hunter Mickelson (2.4 ppg, 19 blocked shots in 2014-15) spent August 2014 playing internationally as Lucas played for the Athletes in Action touring Estonia and Latvia and Mickelson was a member of Guy Rancourt’s USA East Coast Basketball Team in the 2014 Four Nations Cup in Estonia and Finland.
 
Expect newcomers Carlton Bragg, Jr. and Lagerald Vick to be key contributors for the World University Games. Bragg, who broke his nose in USA’s second practice in Gwangju and may play in the WUG, is a power forward who was a McDonald’s All-American last year, while Vick is an explosive guard with great range shooting.
 
Timing Format for FIBA
Timeouts (source: FIBA Rule Chart):
2 x 60 seconds in the first 2 quarters
3 x 60 seconds in the last 2 quarters – can only use 2 in the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half.
Cannot buy an extra time out.
Requested at score table by Coach or Assistant.
If your team is scored upon, T.O. may be called.
After successful free throw, either team may call T.O.
Teams stay in huddle for 50 seconds.
Not allowed between free throws.
They do not carry over from one half to the next.
1 x 60 second time out allotted for an overtime period.
Opportunity ends when the ball is in the thrower in’s hands.
No time out for scoring team when the clock is under 2:00 of the 4th quarter unless an official has stopped the game.
 
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