Jayhawks to Host Crusaders Wednesday in Men’s Hoops

Jayhawks Host Holy Cross
No. 2/7 Kansas (6-1) plays its third of a five-game homestand when it hosts Holy Cross (3-5), Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. (Central) on Jayhawk IMG TV/ESPN3. Kansas takes a five-game winning streak into the Holy Cross contest after its 75-69 win against Harvard on Dec. 5 in Allen Fieldhouse. Holy Cross looks to snap a two-game losing streak after its 88-84 overtime loss to Albany on Dec. 5.
 
About Kansas
Kansas is 6-1 on the season after defeating Harvard, 75-69, on Dec. 5, to win its 27th-straight home game inside historic Allen Fieldhouse. KU ranks third in NCAA Division I in scoring at 90.9 points per game. The Jayhawks are 13th nationally in scoring margin at +21.0 and third in 3-point field goal percentage at 45.5 percent. KU averages 39.4 rebounds per game and has a +5.1 rebound margin. The Jayhawks also average 18.9 assists, 15th nationally, 7.7 steals and 4.0 blocked shots per contest.
 
Junior G Wayne Selden Jr. leads Kansas in scoring at 16.0 points per game. The Nov. 30 co-Big 12 Player of the Week selection, Selden leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made at 3.1 and 3-point field goal percentage at 57.9 percent. He is sixth in the league in scoring. Senior F Perry Ellis is second on the KU team in scoring at 14.9 points per game and in rebounding at 5.7 rpg. He has two games of 20-plus points this season. Junior G Frank Mason III leads KU in assists with 39 and steals with 15. He averages 13.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest after his career-high-tying 21 points against Harvard (12/5). Sophomore G Devonte’ Graham is a starter who averages 10.4 points per contest. He is second on the team with 24 assists and 14 steals. Senior F Jamari Traylor (4.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg) rounds out the KU starters.
 
Sophomore G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is second on the team with 12 3-pointers made this season. Mykhailiuk scores 9.1 points per game. Freshman F Cheick Diallo averages 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds and in only two games has four blocked shots. Junior F Landen Lucas led KU with eight rebounds against Harvard (12/5) and is shooting 60.0 percent from the field. Lucas averages 6.0 points and leads KU with 6.5 rebounds per contest. Other key contributors include freshman F Carlton Bragg Jr. (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg), freshman G Lagerald Vick (3.5 ppg) and senior F Hunter Mickelson (3.0 ppg and a team-high nine blocked shots).
 
About Holy Cross
Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, with an enrollment of 2,904, Holy Cross is 3-5 on the season after its 88-84 overtime loss to Albany, Dec. 5. The Crusaders are coached by Bill Carmody who is in his first season at Holy Cross with a 3-5 record and his 18th season overall with a 287-250 mark. Out of the Patriot League, Holy Cross defeated Harvard, 50-49, on Nov. 29, in Worcester. The Crusaders average 63.2 points per game and give up 67.6 per contest. They make 7.9 3-pointers game and average 29.9 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 5.1 steals and 3.0 per outing in 2015-16.
 
Junior F Malachi Alexander leads Holy Cross with an 11.1 scoring average and 6.0 rebounds per game. He is also the team leader with 24 assists through eight games and is second with 11 3-pointers made. Senior G Cullen Hamilton is a starter who scores 10.0 points per game, while junior G Anthony Thompson averages 8.4 points, has made 10 3-pointers and is tied for the team lead with 11 steals. Freshman F Karl Charles (8.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and junior C Matt Husek (7.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg) round out the Holy Cross starters.
 
Junior G Robert Champion comes off the bench and is the second-leading scorer for the Crusaders with a 10.9 average. He has made a team-high 13 3-pointers and is tied with Thompson for the team high in steals with 11. Freshman G Matt Zignorski scores 6.1 points per game and has made 10 3-pointers through eight games.
 
The Series
Kansas and Holy Cross are meeting for the fourth time in men’s basketball with KU leading the series 2-1. Holy Cross won the first meeting, 57-53, on Dec. 20, 1949, with basketball legend Bob Cousy on the Holy Cross roster. Kansas won the next two matcups with both meetings in the same calendar year. KU defeated Holy Cross 70-59 in St. Louis in the opening round game of the 2002 NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks would later advance to the 2002 Final Four in Atlanta. Later that fall, KU defeated Holy Cross in its season opener, 81-57, on Nov. 19, 2002, in Allen Fieldhouse. KU would eventually advance to the 2013 Final Four in New Orleans.
 
Holy Cross is the second member of the Patriot League Kansas will play this season. The Jayhawks defeated Loyola Maryland, 94-61, on Dec. 1 in Allen Fieldhouse. KU is 8-2 all-time against current membership of the Patriot League.
 
Kansas Notables

• Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring offense (90.9), 3-point field percentage (45.5) and 3-point field goals made (9.3). The Jayhawks also rank in the upper half in the league in scoring margin (third at +21.0), field goal percentage (second at 50.7), rebounding (fifth at 39.4), 3-point field goal percentage defense (fifth at 29.3), rebounding defense (fourth at 34.3), rebound margin (fourth at +5.1), assists (second at 18.9), turnover margin (second at +4.4), steals (fourth at 7.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.6).
• Kansas has outshot six of seven opponents this season. The Jayhawks have also outrebounded five of seven foes.
• The KU bench is averaging 31.3 points per game in 2015-16, compared to 22.4 by its opponents.
• KU has made eight or more 3-pointers in five of seven games this season. KU has made 10 or more 3-pointers three times, including 15 threes vs. Northern Colorado (11/13) and Chaminade (11/23), which were one off the school record.
• Junior G Wayne Selden Jr. leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game at 3.1 and 3-point field goal percentage at 57.9 percent. He has made three or more 3-pointers in five of seven games this season.
• Junior G Frank Mason III has led KU in assists in each of the last five games and six of seven games this season.
• Senior F Perry Ellis has led KU in rebounds in three of the last four games. Ellis has shot 50 percent or better in five of seven games this season. He has two 20-point efforts this season and 15 for his career.
• Sophomore G Devonte’ Graham is 8-for-15 (53.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
• Sophomore G Svi Mykhailiuk has made at least one 3-pointer in six of seven games and multiple threes in two contests. His six threes versus Chaminade (11/23) were a career high.
• Junior F Landen Lucas has more rebounds than points in three games this season. Lucas leads KU and is 10th in the Big 12 in rebounding with a 6.5 rpg.
   
  Men’s Hoops to Host Annual Holiday Clinic Dec. 27
  Kansas men’s basketball program will hold its annual Men’s Basketball Holiday Clinic for boys and girls, ages first through sixth grade, on Sunday, Dec. 27, from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. inside Allen Fieldhouse.
   
  Participants of the yearly event will receive fundamental instruction from current KU players, coaches and staff, an official camp T-shirt, a “Junior” Jayhawk Basketball and one general admission ticket to KU’s Dec. 29 home game against UC Irvine. Additionally, there will be an autograph session with the current KU team and coaches following the clinic.
   
  The cost of the clinic is $85 and pre-registration must be done online at www.billselfbasketballcamp.com. No walk-up registration will be taken on the date of the clinic. Families with a child attending the clinic can purchase a maximum of two additional tickets to the UC Irvine matchup at a reduced rate of $50 per ticket.  These can be purchased with cash or credit card, at check-in and cannot be purchased online.
   
  Check-in will be from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the north end of Allen Fieldhouse. Parents are welcome to watch and take pictures from the second level of Allen Fieldhouse during the clinic.
   
  In the Polls
  Kansas is ranked No. 2 by the Associated Press and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches’ polls released Dec. 7. This is the highest AP ranking for KU since it was No. 2 early in the 2013-14 season. KU has been ranked in each of the last 128 AP polls which is the second-longest active streak in NCAA Division I behind Duke’s 160. The last time Kansas was not ranked by AP was during the 2008-09 season.
   
  Under head coach Bill Self, Kansas has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 214 weeks, which includes 152 weeks in the Top 10 and 85 times in the Top 5. In the coaches’ poll, under Self, Kansas has been ranked 227 times with 165 in the top 10 and 99 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.
   
  Grab Your Sweater and Be a Part of History Dec. 19
  Kansas Athletics will attempt to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title for the “largest gathering of people wearing holiday sweaters.” at the men’s basketball game against Montana on Dec. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. (Central).
   
  The current record is 1,175 people and was set December 10, 2014 at Loughborough University in Loughborough, United Kingdom. In preparation for the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® record attempt, Kansas Athletics has designed a special Kansas Basketball holiday sweater for the occasion. The sweaters are available to purchase at several retailers throughout the state and online.
   
  A holiday sweater is defined by having long sleeves and at least one holiday themed item on it (i.e. reindeer, trees, snowman, peppermint candies, lights, etc.). Fans are encouraged to wear their “ugly” holiday sweaters to the Dec. 19 game and help Kansas Athletics make history, while also getting into the holiday spirit.
   
  UP NEXT
  Kansas continues its five-game home stand when it plays host to Oregon State on Dec. 12 at Sprint Center in Kansas City at 7 p.m. (Central), on ESPN2. The Jayhawks then take a week off for final exams and return to Allen Fieldhouse to host Montana on Dec. 19 at 1 p.m., on Jayhawk IMG TV/ESPN3.
   
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