Allen Fieldhouse Bids Farewell to Seniors as No. 1 Kansas Hosts No. 21 Iowa State Saturday

 GAME 31: Senior Day
#1/1 KANSAS vs. #21/20 Iowa State
Date Saturday, March 5
Time 3 p.m. Central
Location Lawrence, Kan.
Arena Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
 LIVE COVERAGE
TV ESPN
Video WatchESPN
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Audio KUathletics.com/radio
Stats KUathletics.com
Social Twitter | Instagram | #kubball
KU STATS ISU
81.7 Points 82.2
67.5 Points Allowed 74.5
.493 Field Goal % .503
37.9 Rebounds 36.1
15.9 Assists 16.8
4.1 Blocks 4.2
6.7 Steals 6.3

Notes Links Kansas Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Links Iowa State Game Notes
Notes Links Big 12 Game Notes (.pdf)
Tickets Link Tickets
Video Link Coach Self Press Conference
Video Link Senior Press Conference

Winners of 10-straight games, No. 1/1 Kansas (26-4, 14-3 Big 12) will host No. 21/20 Iowa State (21-9, 10-7) in both teams’ regular-season finale, Saturday, March 5, at 3 p.m. on ESPN. Kansas is coming off an 86-56 win at No. 23/22 Texas on Feb. 29. Iowa State has won two straight and three of its last four games after its 58-50 win versus Oklahoma State Feb. 29 in Ames.

Kansas will honor five seniors on Saturday with four players and one manager. Tim Skoch (Hastings, Nebraska) is the manager and the seniors student-athletes are forward Perry Ellis, guard Evan Manning, forward Hunter Mickelson and forward Jamari Traylor.

Kansas has won a mind-boggling 32-straight home finales, including 31 consecutive Senior Days, dating back to the 1983-84 season. In 2006-07, Kansas did not have a senior on its roster.

Kansas has won 10-straight games, which is tied for second among the nation’s active winning streaks: Stephen F. Austin (16), KANSAS (10) and Northern Iowa (10).

Kansas’ 12-consecutive conference titles, beginning in 2004-05 and all under head coach Bill Self, ranks second all-time on NCAA Division I list and only trails UCLA’s 13-consecutive titles as members of the then-Pac-10 Conference from 1967-79.

SENIOR DAY
Perry Ellis, Evan Manning, Hunter Mickelson, Jamari Traylor…
• All will graduate from Kansas and walk The Hill in May 2016.
• Have a combined four-year record of 109-29 (79.0 percent), averaging 27.3 wins per season.
• Are 60-2 inside Allen Fieldhouse
• Have won four-straight Big 12 regular-season championships. Traylor has five as he was a redshirt in 2011-12.
• Won the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship title.
• Won three in-season tournaments: 2012 CBE Classic, 2014 Orlando Classic and the 2015 Maui Jim Maui Invitational

GOING FOR 8,000
On March 1, the Williams Education Fund launched its 2016 Fund Drive and the Fund is on a quest to reach 8,000 members. Throughout Saturday’s game, fans will hear first-hand how gifts to the Williams Fund has impacted this group of seniors. Memberships begin for as little as $8 per month and one can contribute by going to WilliamsFund.com or call (785) 864-3946.

ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas averages 81.7 points per game and has a Big 12-leading +14.2 scoring margin, 39.4 field goal percentage defense and 43.0 3-point field goal percentage. KU pulls down an average of 37.9 rebounds per game and has a +4.9 rebound margin. The Jayhawks also average 15.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.1 blocked shots per contest.

Coming off his 10th 20-point effort of the season with 20 points at Texas (2/29), senior F Perry Ellis leads Kansas in scoring (16.3 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.0 rpg). Ellis has nine games of scoring 19 or more points in Big 12 play this season, including seven 20-point efforts and overall he ranks third in the league in scoring and ninth in rebounding. Ellis is averaging 17.5 points and 5.7 rebounds during Big 12 play. Junior G Frank Mason III has averaged 16.3 points in his last four games, including 14 at Texas (2/29), and is shooting 62.9 from the field in that span. He  is averaging 13.6 points for the season, which is eighth in the league. Mason has 23 assists and five turnovers in his last five contests. Mason leads KU with 4.6 assists per contest, fourth in the Big 12 and 41 steals. Junior G Wayne Selden Jr., is a starter who scores 13.3 points per game, 11th in the conference, and leads KU with 63 3-pointers this season. His 2.1 3-pointers made per game are fifth in the league. Sophomore G Devonte’ Graham is second on the team in assists (107), steals (40) and 3-point field goals made (55). He is scoring 11.0 points per game. Graham’s 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is a team best and fourth in the conference. Junior F Landen Lucas rounds out the KU starters. He leads Kansas in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game, which is seventh in the Big 12. Lucas has averaged 10.0 boards in his last seven games.

Junior G Brannen Greene is a regular who has made 30 3-pointers this season and scores 6.3 points per game off the bench. Sophomore G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk scored 17 points against Texas Tech (2/27) where he was 6-for-7 from the field, including 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Mykhailiuk averages 5.7 points and has made 31 3-pointers this season. Freshman F Carlton Bragg Jr. is averaging 3.7 ppg and 2.3 rpg, while senior F Jamari Traylor’s leads KU with 24 blocked shots. After his eight points at Texas (2/29), Traylor is averaging 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Freshman Cheick Diallo pulled down six rebounds against Texas Tech (2/27) and averages 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. His 21 blocked shots are second on the team. Senior F Hunter Mickelson, who has started 10 games this season, is averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds with 20 blocked shots. 

ABOUT IOWA STATE
Located in Ames, Iowa, with an enrollment of 36,001, Iowa State has won two-straight and three of its last four games after its 58-50 win against Oklahoma State on Feb. 29. The Cyclones are coached by Steve Prohm who is in his first season with a 21-9 record at ISU and is 125-38 in his fifth season overall. Iowa State leads the Big 12 in scoring average at 82.2 points per game and in field goal percentage at 50.3 percent. Kansas is second in both those stats (81.7 ppg, 49.3 FG Pct). ISU is second in the league with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Iowa State averages 36.1 rebounds, 8.3 3-pointers made, 16.8 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.2 blocked shots per game.

Iowa State has three players who rank in the top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring. Senior F Georges Niang is second in the Big 12 with a 19.3 scoring average. His 6.2 rebound average is second on the team and eighth in the conference. Niang is also second on the squad with 45 3-pointers made this season and 97 assists. Junior G Monte Morris is next in scoring at 14.3 points per game, which is seventh in the conference. He leads the league in assists at 7.2 and is fourth in steals at 1.8. Morris has made 33 3-pointers this season. Senior F Abdel Nader averages 13.5 points, which is ninth in the league, and he is second on the team with 32 steals and third with 44 3-pointers made. Senior F Jameel McKay is fourth in the Big 12 in rebounds at 8.9 to complement his 11.5 scoring average. His 1.8 blocked shots per game are third in the league. Junior G Matt Thomas (10.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) round out the ISU starters. Thomas leads ISU with 76 3-pointers made and his 2.5 made per game are second in the Big 12. Other ISU regulars include junior G Deonte Burton (10.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and sophomore G Hallice Cooke (2.9 ppg).

THE SERIES
Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 177-63, dating back to 1908. Iowa State has won four of the last five meetings which includes two contests in the Big 12 Championship. Prior to ISU’s recent success, KU posted an 18-1 record versus the Cyclones from 2006 until 2014. KU is 91-15 versus ISU in games played in Lawrence, including 50-9 in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have won the last 10 meetings against the Cyclones in Allen Fieldhouse starting in 2006. Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas is 32-12 against Iowa State with a 29-10 record in regular-season play and a 3-2 mark in the Big 12 Championship. Bill Self is 22-7 all-time versus Iowa State, including 21-7 while at KU, while ISU’s Steve Prohm is 1-0 against Kansas. Six of the last 11 meetings have been decided by nine points or less with two of those in overtime.

Earlier this season, then-No. 19/21 Iowa State overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Kansas 85-72 on ESPN Big Monday, Jan. 25. KU senior F Perry Ellis led all scorers with 23 points, while junior G Frank Mason III added 16. KU led 43-36 at intermission but was outscored 49-29 in the second half. Four Cyclones reached double figures led by Monte Morris’ 21 points and Georges Niang’s 19. That was the last loss for Kansas which has now rattled off 10-straight victories.

A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 27-4, 15-3 in Big 12 play… Extend KU’s winning streak to 11 games… Extend KU’s home finale win streak to 33 games, beginning in 1984… Give Kansas 26 wins for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons… Give KU 15 league victories for the sixth time in school history… Give KU its 11th-straight win in Allen Fieldhouse against Iowa State… Make the KU-ISU series 178-63 in favor of the Jayhawks… Extend the nation’s active longest home court winning streak to 42 games, including 40-straight in Allen Fieldhouse… Make KU undefeated in Allen Fieldhouse for the second straight and 19th season overall at 16-0… Make KU 744-109 all-time in Allen Fieldhouse, including 206-9 under Bill Self… Make Self 586-187 overall, including 379-82 while at Kansas and 23-7 against Iowa State (22-7 while at KU)… Make KU 2,180-835 all-time.

A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 26-5 overall, 14-4 in Big 12 play… End a KU 10-game win streak… End a Kansas 10-game win streak against Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse… Make the all-time KU-ISU series 177-64 in favor of KU… End KU’s 32-game win streak in home season finales, giving the opponent its first win since 1983… Make Iowa State the first team to twice defeat Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse in the Bill Self era… End the nation’s active longest home court winning streak at 41 games, including 39 in Allen Fieldhouse… Make Iowa State the first ever team to sweep Kansas in a Big 12 round-robin series in the Self era… Make Kansas 15-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 743-110 all-time in the venue, including 205-10 under Self… Make Self 585-188 overall, 378-83 while at Kansas and 22-8 all-time versus Iowa State (21-8 while at KU)… Make KU 2,179-836 all-time.

KANSAS NOTABLES
• Kansas has not trailed in the last two games (83 minutes) against Texas Tech and No. 23 Texas. The last time KU trailed was with 3:53 remaining in regulation at Baylor (Feb. 23), during an eventual 66-60 Jayhawk victory.
• Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 with an undefeated league record at home (8-0) in 2015-16.
• Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring margin at +14.2, field goal percentage (50.3), 3-point field goal percentage (43.0) and field goal percentage defense (39.4). KU also ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (second at 81.7), 3-point field goals made (second at 8.5), scoring defense (third at 67.5), rebounding (third at 37.9), assists (third at 15.9), rebound margin (third at +4.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (third at 1.3).
• Kansas and Iowa State are the only two teams to have three players rank in the top 11 in the Big 12 in scoring.
• Kansas’ 81.7 scoring average the best in the Bill Self era (81.6 in 2009-10) which is the highest since a 90.9 scoring average in 2001-02.
• Out of its 26 victories this season, Kansas has won by 10 or more points in 16 of those wins, including five of the last nine games. Six KU wins have been by 30 points or more, including 86-56 at Texas (2/29).
• KU has out-shot 26 of 30 opponents, including each of their last nine opponents. KU is shooting 51.5 percent from the field in its last nine games.
• Kansas has shot 50 percent or better in seven of its last nine games, nine Big 12 contests and 15 times overall this season.
• The Jayhawks have out-rebounded 21 of 30 foes, including eight of the last 11 contests. KU had a +18 rebound advantage against Oklahoma State (2/15), +21 at TCU (2/6) and +11 (42-31) versus Kentucky (1/30).
• Kansas has shot 40 percent or better from 3-point range in 21 of its 30 games, including six of the last seven contests.
• The KU bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 20 of 30 games this season and is 19-1 in those contests.
• KU has made seven or more 3-pointers in 23 of 30 games this season, including nine of the last 10 battles. KU has made 10 or more 3-pointers 11 times, including 15 threes vs. No. Colorado (11/13) and Chaminade (11/23), which were one off the school record.
• When guards Frank Mason III, Wayne Selden Jr. and Devonte’ Graham each score 10-plus points in the same game, KU is 13-0, including 7-0 in Big 12 play.
• Senior F Perry Ellis is one of two players in the Big 12 to rank in the top nine in scoring (third at 16.3 ppg) and rebounding (ninth at 6.0). The other is Georges Niang of Iowa State.
• Ellis has pulled down nine or more rebounds in eight games this season.
• Ellis has led KU in scoring in eight of 17 Big 12 games, averaging 17.5 points per Big 12 contest (16.3 ppg overall).
• Sophomore G Devonte’ Graham is 32-for-62 (51.6 percent) from the field in his last eight games. Graham is also 15-for-18 from the free throw line in that span.
• Junior G Wayne Selden Jr., is fifth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game at 2.1 and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage at .409 for all games. Selden has made three or more 3-pointers in 13 games this season, including four versus Oklahoma State (2/15).
• Kansas’ 39-game winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse is the fourth 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).

KANSAS vs. RANKED TEAMS
With its 86-56 win at No. 25/25 Texas (2/29), Kansas improved to 8-3 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2015-16, including 3-0 versus top-10 foes. Eight of those 11 contests have been versus Big 12 members with KU having a 6-2 record. In the Bill Self era, Kansas is 72-37 against ranked opponents and has had a winning record against ranked foes 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.

DOWNTOWN
Kansas is making 43.0 percent from 3-point range which is second nationally and leads 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. Additionally, Kansas’ 255 3-pointers made this season are currently third most in school history for a season ranking behind the 271 in 2010-11 and 262 in 2009-10.

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
Including the 2015-16 title, Kansas has won 16 of the 20 Big 12 regular-season championship (includes ties), including the last 12, which ranks second on the NCAA all-time consecutive list. Kansas’ 59 conference titles are the most in NCAA Division I. Kentucky is second with 52 and Penn third at 37. KU’s 12-straight league titles are the longest active streak in NCAA Division I and the longest streak in school history.

DURABLES
The Ellis-Mason-Selden-Graham combination is carrying the load for Kansas. All average 29-plus minutes per game and 10-plus points per game. KU’s next closest player is 16.5 minutes per game (Landen Lucas) and 6.3 points per game (Brannen Greene). The group of four combines for 34 35-plus minute games this season, while the rest of the team has none.

COMPARING WINNING STREAKS
Kansas has posted two winning streaks of 10 or more in 2015-16. KU’s current 10-game winning streak, which started Jan. 30, is the 14th time in the Bill Self era that the Jayhawks have won 10 or more straight games. The 13-game streak earlier this season included three ranked teams and three Big 12 foes, while the current 10-game includes five ranked opponents with nine of the victories against Big 12 competition.

IN THE POLLS
In the most recent national rankings released on Feb. 29, Kansas is No. 1 both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Kansas holds the longest active streak for consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25 (140) after Duke fell out of the poll for the first time in eight seasons, ending a 167-week streak, on Feb. 1.

KU has spent three weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP poll (Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Feb. 29) and two weeks at No. 1 in the Coaches’ poll (Jan. 11, Feb. 29). 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 the 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.

KANSAS MILESTONES
• Senior F Perry Ellis is only the 13th Jayhawk to reach the 1,600 point plateau, reaching the milestone at Kansas State (2/20). Ellis has 1,645 career points, which is 12th on the KU career scoring list. Earlier this season, Ellis became the 16th player in KU history to reach 700 career rebounds, currently 13th at 792. Ellis is the sixth player in KU history to rank in the top 13 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) and Dave Robisch (1,754 points/815 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 43rd on the KU scoring list at 1,078 points and ranks tied for 12th on the KU career 3-pointers made list at 151 and 12th on the 3-pointers attempted list at 408.
• Junior G Frank Mason III surpassed the 1,000 points mark at Kansas State (2/20) and is the 58th Jayhawk to accomplish the feat. He is 48th at 1,050 career points. Mason ranks 17th on the KU career assists list, currently at 351. 

THREE 1,000-POINT SCORERS
When junior G Frank Mason III surpassed the 1,000-points plateau, currently at 1,036, he joined teammates Perry Ellis (1,645) and Wayne Selden Jr. (1,078) who have also reached the milestone. Historically, this is only the sixth time in KU history there have been three or more 1,000-point scorers on the same floor with all three having scored 1,000 points at that time and the first since 2004-05. Kansas and Oklahoma are the only two Big 12 schools that have three active players with 1,000 points or more. OU has senior Buddy Hield, senior Isaiah Cousins and junior Jordan Woodard.

BIG 12 RUN NO CAKEWALK
Kansas currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI), through games of Feb. 27 and its strength of schedule is 11th nationally. KU ended 2014-15 ranked No. 5 in the RPI and No. 1 in strength of schedule. Following the 2013-14 season, for the second time in the Bill Self era, Kansas ranked first in strength of schedule, according to data from RPIratings.com. KU was also tops in Self’s second season, 2004-05. Prior to 2015-16, in Self’s 12 seasons, KU has ranked fifth or higher in the final RPI eight times, including each of the last six years. Kansas was fourth in the final RPI in 2013-14, its highest since 2010-11 when it ranked first.

HOME SWEET HOME
Since his arrival at KU, Bill Self is 205-9 in games played at Allen Fieldhouse for a 95.8 winning percentage, which includes five undefeated home seasons. Self’s Big 12 conference titles (12) are more than his home losses while at Kansas (9). Included was a school-record 69-game home-court winning streak which led the nation for more than two seasons and ranks 11th all-time in the NCAA records book as well as two 33-plus game home-court winning streaks, including KU’s current streak of 38, which is fourth-longest in KU history. Kansas is 151-3 in Allen Fieldhouse in its last 154 games. Kansas is 743-109 all-time in Allen Fieldhouse.

THIS DAY IN KANSAS BASKETBALL HISTORY
Kansas is 17-5 all-time on March 5
March 5, 2000: Seniors Ashante Johnson, Lester Earl, Nick Bradford and Terry Nooner started for Kansas in an 83-82 victory over Missouri in their final game in Allen Fieldhouse. Bradford posted 15 points and eight rebounds, but it was freshman Drew Gooden who stole the show, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Kansas started three freshmen for most of the season – Gooden, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. Gooden and Collison both made the All-Big 12 Freshman Team at the end of the season. The Jayhawks finished the year with a 24-10 record, advancing to their 11th-straight NCAA Tournament, a streak that has now reached 21 consecutive years.

UP NEXT
Kansas will host the 32nd Annual Wilt Chamberlain Special Olympics Clinic on Sunday, March 6, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas will be the No. 1 seed for 2016 Big 12 Championship, March 9-12, at Sprint Center in Kansas City. KU’s first game will be in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 10 at 1:30 p.m. (Central) against the winner of the No. 8-seed Kansas State vs. No. 9-seed Oklahoma State game to be played March 9. A KU win, it would play its semifinal game on Friday, March 11, at 6 p.m.

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