No. 5/6 Kansas Set for Final Exhibition Game

LAWRENCE, Kan. – One more tune-up remains for the No. 5/6 Kansas Jayhawks as they prepare to host the final exhibition contest of the 2013-14 season against the Tigers of Fort Hays State inside Allen Fieldhouse, Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Kansas Continues Exhibition Play
No. 5/6 Kansas continues 2013-14 exhibition play when it hosts Fort Hays State Nov. 5. The game will be televised on Jayhawk IMG TV and can also be seen via the internet by fans outside of Kansas by visiting KUAthletics.com/ESPN. For more information on accessing Kansas video content, visit KUAthletics.com/TV.

Following its 97-57 win against Pittsburg State on Oct. 29, Kansas is 62-9 in exhibition contests, including 30-2 under head coach Bill Self, who is starting his 11th season at KU. The Kansas contest will be the second exhibition game for Fort Hays State this season. The Tigers defeated Bethel College, 94-68, on Oct. 30 in Hays, Kan.

About Kansas
Preseason ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches’ poll, Kansas won its exhibition opener 97-57 over Pittsburg State on Oct. 29 in Allen Fieldhouse. Sophomore forward Perry Ellis and freshman guard Andrew Wiggins each scored 16 points to lead KU, while senior forward Tarik Black pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. With eight rebounds, Ellis just missed a double-double (DD), while Black also neared a DD with seven points. Sophomore guard Andrew White III and freshman guard Brannen Greene also scored in double figures for KU with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Kansas returns nine letterwinners from last season’s team which went 31-6 and won an NCAA-best 56th, the 13th Big 12 and an unprecedented ninth-straight regular-season conference title. The Jayhawks also won the Big 12 postseason championship, KU’s ninth in the Big 12 and 13th all-time.

The Jayhawks entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and advanced to KU’s 30th Sweet 16. KU’s 31 victories marked the 12th time in school history the Jayhawks won 30 or more games, including six under head coach Bill Self.

Ellis is KU’s leading returning scorer at 5.8 points per game and rebounder at 3.9 boards per contest in 2012-13. Ellis came on strong down the stretch for KU last season being named to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team. Junior guard Naadir Tharpe ranked 12th in the Big 12 in 2012-13 in assists per game at 3.1. He averaged 5.5 points per outing.

Redshirt sophomore forward Jamari Traylor (2.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) averaged nearly 10 minutes per game for KU in 2012-13. White III scored 2.2 points per game and has proven he can be a three-point threat for the Jayhawks. Redshirt freshman forward Landen Lucas could also have an immediate impact having been in the KU system for one season. Look for forward Justin Wesley and guard Niko Roberts to also provide leadership heading into their senior campaigns.

Reloading in a hurry from losing five starters from 2012-13, Self and his staff welcome eight newcomers to the 2013-14 roster, including the nation’s No. 1 recruit in Wiggins. A transfer from Memphis, Black will provide leadership for his final year of playing collegiately. Assisting on the inside will be 7-foot freshman center Joel Embiid. Joining Wiggins on the perimeter are newcomers Greene, Conner Frankamp, Frank Mason and Wayne Selden, Jr.

Forward Hunter Mickelson will sit out 2013-14 after transferring from Arkansas. He will be a junior for the Jayhawks in 2014-15. Together, KU’s class of 2013 comprises the second-ranked recruiting class in the country.
About fort hays State
Located in Hays, Kan., with an enrollment of 13,310, Fort Hays State is the preseason pick to win the 2013-14 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) in a vote by the conference coaches. The Tigers are coached by Mark Johnson who is 246-106 in 11 seasons at Fort Hays State. Last year the Tigers posted a 20-8 record and tied Central Missouri for first in the MIAA with a 13-5 league record. FHSU returns two starters, in senior forward Dwayne Brunson and sophomore guard Craig Nicholson, and seven letterwinners from last season. Brunson led the Tigers in scoring last year at 14.9 points per game and rebounding with a 7.6 average. Nicholson was third on the team with a 13.8 scoring average. Senior guards Lance Russell (13.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Ben Congiusta (12.8 ppg, 3.8 assists per game) are also back from last season.

Fort Hays State opened its season with a 94-68 exhibition win against Bethel College on Oct. 30, in Hays, Kan. Junior guard James Fleming led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 6-for-7 from three-point range. Junior center Jared Tadlock added 19 points and six rebounds for the Tigers in the victory.

A Kansas Win Would…
Make Kansas 63-9 all-time in exhibition games… Extend Kansas’ home exhibition winning streak to 40 games dating back to the 1994 season… Make Kansas 9-0 against Fort Hays State, including 6-0 in exhibition games… Improve Kansas head coach Bill Self to 31-2 in exhibition play while at KU… Make KU 54-4 in exhibition games in Allen Fieldhouse… Make Bill Self 22-0 in home exhibition games while at Kansas.

A Kansas Loss Would…
Break KU’s 39-game home exhibition win streak, marking the first loss in an exhibition game in AFH since a 93-82 loss to Australia on Nov. 9, 1993… Give Fort Hays State its first win against Kansas, making the all-time series 8-1 in favor of the Jayhawks, 5-1 in exhibition meetings… Drop Bill Self to 30-3 in exhibition games while at KU… Give KU a 53-5 record in exhibition play at Allen Fieldhouse and 62-10 all-time exhibition record.

Exhibition Notables
–Kansas has scored 100-plus points in 24 exhibition games, including four of its last eight.
–Kansas has won 39-straight exhibition contests in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas-Pittsburg State Leftovers
–The Jayhawks held the Gorillas without a field goal for the first 5:25 of the game.
–Over the final 4:25 of the first half, Kansas went on a 14-4 run to go to the locker room with a 50-32 lead.
–Kansas committed 27 fouls vs. PSU, eclipsing the previous high of the last three seasons. Kansas hasn’t been whistled for more than 18 fouls in a home exhibition contest in the last three seasons. The 27 misdemeanors were the most in exhibition play since committing 28 against Washburn in 2008.
–The Jayhawks’ 97 points were there most in an exhibition since scoring 101 against Fort Hays State (11/8/11).
–KU’s 67.7 free throw percentage was its highest in its last seven exhibition games, dating back to Fort Hays State in 2011, when the Jayhawks shot 74.3 percent from the charity stripe.
–Kansas’ 40-point margin of victory marked the sixth time KU beat an exhibition opponent by 40 points in the Bill Self era.
–Sophomore guard Andrew White III’s 12 points would have been his second-highest scoring output of his career.
–Sophomore forward Perry Ellis tallied 16 points, which would have been the second-most points scored in his career.
–Ellis’ eight rebounds would also have been the second most in his time as a Jayhawk.
–Freshman guard Andrew Wiggins scored his first bucket at the 9:36 mark in the first half and went on to add 14 more in the remaining 29:36 of the game.
–Junior guard Naadir Tharpe dished nine assists, which would have been his second-highest dime total of his career.

In the Polls
Kansas men’s basketball enters the 2013-14 season at No. 5 in the Associated Press (AP) and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches’ preseason polls. Kansas has been ranked in 22 of the 25-year history of the coaches’ poll. The ranking is the eighth time in the Bill Self era that the Jayhawks enter the season slotted seventh or higher. Last season, KU entered the year No. 7 nationally in the coaches’ poll and finished at No. 8 on the final poll. The Jayhawks were ranked in the top 10 in all but two polls during the 2012-13 season.

In 2013-14, Kansas is scheduled to play four games against teams ranked in the 2013-14 preseason coaches’ poll: No. 4 Duke, No. 8 Florida and No. 12 Oklahoma State (twice).

This marks the second-straight year, and the fourth time in the last five seasons, that the Jayhawks have entered the season No. 7 or higher by AP. Last year the Jayhawks were preseason No. 7, No. 1 in 2009-10 and No. 7 in 2010-11.

Historically, this is the eighth time in the 11-year Bill Self era that Kansas enters the season ranked seventh or higher in the Associated Press preseason poll and the No. 5 ranking marks the 16th time since the 1992-93 season that Kansas will enter the season seventh or higher. Last season, KU entered the year No. 7 nationally in the Associated Press poll and ended at No. 3. The AP’s final poll is released prior to the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks were ranked in the top 10 in all but two AP polls during the 2012-13 season.

Kansas will play six regular-season games against teams ranked in the AP preseason poll: No. 4 Duke, No. 8 Oklahoma State (twice), No. 10 Florida and No. 25 Baylor (twice).

This Date in Kansas Basketball History
In the only other game played on Nov. 5, Kansas defeated Washburn, 62-50, in exhibition play inside Allen Fieldhouse last season. Freshman guard Ben McLemore recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds while senior center Jeff Withey blocked seven shots. Senior guard Elijah Johnson had 13 points, while freshman forward Perry Ellis added 10 in the victory.

Up Next
Kansas will open regular-season play on Friday, Nov. 8 against Louisiana at Monroe in Allen Fieldhouse. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. (Central) and the game can be seen on Jayhawk IMG Television, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3 outside the state of Kansas. KU will then play Duke at the United Center in Chicago as part of the in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Tip time is approximately 8:30 p.m. (Central), or 30 minutes following the Michigan State-Kentucky contest (6:30 p.m.), and can be seen on ESPN.

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