Jayhawks return home for Dillons Sunflower Showdown

Notes Kansas Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes K-State Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Big 12 Game Notes (.pdf)

DILLONS SUNFLOWER SHOWDOWN
No. 3/2 Kansas (12-1, 1-0) continues Big 12 play when it plays host to Kansas State (12-1, 1-0) in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, Tuesday, Jan. 3. The game from Allen Fieldhouse will begin at 8 p.m. (Central) and will be televised on ESPN2. Kansas won its 26th-straight conference opener with an 86-80 win at TCU on Dec. 30. Kansas State won its seventh-straight game with a 65-62 home win against Texas Dec. 30.

ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas’ 12-game winning streak is the fourth-longest in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are coming off a 6-0 December record, which included a league-opening win at TCU, Dec. 30. KU averages 86.5 points per game and has scored 86 or more in seven of its last eight contests. KU has a +18.1 scoring margin. Kansas is second in the Big 12 and seventh nationally with a 51.0 field goal percentage. KU leads the league with a 40.9 3-point field goal percentage, which is 12th in NCAA Division I. KU averages 41.1 rebounds per contest with a +6.5 rebound margin. KU also averages 18.2 assists, 7.4 steals and 5.7 blocked shots per game.

Two-time Big 12 Player of the Week in 2016-17, senior G Frank Mason III leads the conference in scoring with a 19.8 scoring average after his 22-point game at TCU (12/30). Mason has led Kansas in scoring in 10 of 12 games this season. He has seven 20-point efforts, including two 30-point outings and has scored 18 or more points in all but two games this season. Mason also leads KU in 3-point field goal percentage at 48.2 percent as he has made 27 treys this season. He also leads the Big 12 with 5.9 assists per game. Freshman G Josh Jackson is next in scoring at 14.7 points per game which ranks seventh in the Big 12 and leads the league’s freshman class. He has earned Big 12 Player of the Week once and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice this season. Jackson is second on the team with 20 steals and tied for the team lead with 18 blocked shots. Junior G Devonte’ Graham is Kansas’ third-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game. He leads KU with 21 steals and is second on the squad with 28 3-pointers made. Graham’s 4.5 assists per game average is second on the team and tied for seventh in the Big 12. Junior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has started the last three games and is averaging 15.0 points per game in that span. He is scoring 11.2 ppg for the season and has a team-high 30 3-pointers, including seven in his last two games. Senior C Landen Lucas is coming off his first double-double of the season, fifth of his career, with 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at TCU (12/30). Lucas leads KU with 6.6 rebounds per game which is ninth in the Big 12. Lucas is scoring 6.5 points per game.

Sophomore G Lagerald Vick has started five games this season and is averaging 9.3 points after his 17 points at TCU (12/30). Vick has made six 3-pointers in his last three games and 18 for the season. Sophomore F Carlton Bragg Jr. pulled down nine rebounds at TCU (12/30) and is averaging 5.9 boards per game. He is scoring 7.0 points per contest. Freshman F Mitch Lightfoot (1.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg) and junior F Dwight Coleby (1.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg) are also KU regulars off the bench.

ABOUT KANSAS STATE
Kansas State is located 75 miles from Lawrence, Kansas, in Manhattan, with an enrollment of 24,212. The Wildcats are 12-1 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 play. K-State is coached by Bruce Weber who is 81-55 in his fifth season at KSU and 404-210 in his 19th season overall. Kansas State averages 75.5 points per game and is second in the Big 12 with a 58.8 scoring defense for a +16.8 scoring margin. K-State is third in the league in field goal percentage defense at 37.7 and averages 36.2 rebounds per game with a +3.2 rebound margin. The Wildcats make 7.7 3-pointers per game and also average 16.7 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.7 blocked shots per game.

Kansas State has a balanced scoring attack as its top six scorers average between 12.1 and 9.5 points per game. Sophomore G Barry Brown leads the team with a 12.1 scoring average. He is third in the Big 12 with 2.3 steals per game and has made 16 3-pointers this season. Senior F Wesley Iwundu is next in scoring at 11.9 points per contest and he has made a team-best 36 free throws. Iwundu averages 5.4 rebounds and has 40 assists and 13 steals this season. Senior F D.J. Johnson leads Kansas State in rebounds with 6.8 per game to complement his 11.8 scoring average. Johnson also has a team best 23 blocked shots. Sophomore G Kamau Stokes leads KSU with 24 3-pointers made and 57 assists to go along with his 10.7 scoring average. Stokes is second on the team with 17 steals. Sophomore F Dean Wade rounds out the KSU starters. He is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and scores 9.7 points per contest.

Freshman F Xavier Sneed is a reserve who averages 9.5 points per game. He has made 19 3-pointers this season. Senior G Carlbe Ervin II (2.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg),  freshman G Brian Patrick (2.1 ppg) and senior F Austin Budke (0.8 ppg) are also regulars for KSU.

THE SERIES
Kansas leads the overall series with Kansas State, 191-93 and has won the last three match ups. Since Feb. 12, 1994, Kansas has won 52 of the last 57 meetings with K-State. KU is 87-35 against Kansas State in games played in Lawrence, including 48-18 in Allen Fieldhouse. KU has won the last nine games in Allen Fieldhouse beginning in 2007. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, KU is 44-5 against KSU (35-5 in regular-season battles and 9-0 in the Big 12 Championship). Kansas head coach Bill Self is 27-5 all-time against K-State, including 26-5 while at KU. Bruce Weber is 2-9 against Kansas, all while at K-State.

A KANSAS WIN WOULD …
Make Kansas 13-1 or better for the second-straight season and seventh time in the Bill Self era … Give Kansas its 13th-straight win, which would tie for the ninth-longest winning streak in the Self era … Give Kansas its fourth-straight win against Kansas State and make the overall series 192-93 … Extend the nation’s longest home court winning streak to 50 games, including 47 inside Allen Fieldhouse … Make Kansas 8-0 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 751-109 all-time in the venue, including 213-9 under Self … Improve Self to 398-84 at Kansas and 605-189 overall … Make KU 2,199-837 all-time.

A KANSAS LOSS WOULD …
End a 12-game winning streak, making KU 12-2 on the season … End a KU three-game winning streak against Kansas State, making the series 191-94 … Make Kansas State the first team in the Bill Self era to win two games in Allen Fieldhouse … End the nation’s longest home court winning streak at 49 games, including 46 inside Allen Fieldhouse … Make KU 7-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 750-110 all-time in the venue, including 212-10 under Self … Make Self 397-85 while at KU and 604-190 overall … Make KU 2,198-838 all-time.

WHAT’S TRENDING
• Kansas leads the Big 12 and ranks 12th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at 40.9 percent. KU also ranks in the upper half in the Big 12 in win-loss percentage (tied second at 92.3), scoring (third at 86.5), scoring margin (fifth at +18.1), field goal percentage (second at 51.0), rebounding (second at 41.1), rebounding defense (fifth at 34.5), rebound margin (third at +6.5), assists (second at 18.2), blocked shots (second at 5.7) and 3-point average (third at 8.6).
• Senior G Frank Mason III leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.8 points per game. He has led KU in scoring in 10 of 13 games this season, including five of the last six contests.
• In his last six games, Mason has averaged 20.2 points and 6.5 assists.
• Mason leads the Big 12 with 5.9 assists per game. He ranks fourth in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.482), eighth in field goal percentage (.538) and seventh in 3-pointers made (2.1).
• In his last two games, both starts, senior C Landen Lucas is averaging 9.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and is 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) from the field.
• Freshman G Josh Jackson ranks seventh in the Big 12 in scoring at 14.7 ppg, which leads the conference freshman class. His 6.2 rebounds per game are 13th in the league.
• Junior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is fourth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made at 2.3 per game. He is 7-for-11 (63.6 percent) from behind the arc in his last two games.

TOP GUARDS
When you talk top point guards in the Bill Self era at Kansas, senior G Frank Mason III has to be part of the discussion. Mason leads the Big 12 with a 19.8 scoring average.

KU Guard Top Scoring Seasons Under Bill Self
Name (season) Avg.
Frank Mason III (2016-17)         19.8
Sherron Collins (2008-09)          18.9
Andrew Wiggins (2013-14)        17.1
Tyshawn Taylor (2011-12)        16.6
Ben McLemore (2012-13)          15.9

15 TIMES
With its 89-71 win against Davidson (12/17), Kansas posted its 10th-straight win. Under Bill Self, KU has won 10 or more straight games 15 times. KU’s current 12-game win streak ranks tied for the 11th longest in the Self era.

KU 10-Plus Winning Streaks Under Bill Self (2003-04)
No.       Dates
20        Nov. 9, 2007-Jan. 26, 2008
18        Nov. 15, 2012-Jan. 28, 2013
18        Nov. 12, 2010-Jan. 17, 2011
17        Jan. 30, 2016-March 24, 2016
16        Feb. 27, 2008-Nov. 24, 2008
14        Nov. 13, 2009-Jan. 6, 2010
14        Feb. 7, 2007-March 22, 2007
14        Nov. 19, 2004-Jan. 19, 2005
13        Nov. 23, 2015-Jan. 9, 2016
13        Jan. 13, 2010-Feb. 22, 2010
12        Nov. 15, 2016-present
11        Feb. 19, 2011-March 25, 2011
10        Dec. 22, 2011-Jan. 23, 2012
10        Dec. 4, 2006-Jan. 15, 2007
10        Nov. 21, 2005-Feb. 21, 2006

NOT BAD COMPANY
Senior G Frank Mason III is 26th in KU men’s basketball history with 1,390 all-time points and 12th with 466 career assists. Mason is only the sixth Jayhawk to rank that high in both categories.

Name (KU seasons)     Rank/Points     Rank/Assists
Sherron Collins (2007-10)          1,888/5th          552/8th
Darnell Valentine (1978-81)       1,821/6th          609/5th
Kirk Hinrich (2000-03)   1,753/11th        668/4th
Kevin Pritchard (1987-90)          1,692/12th        499/10th
Tyshawn Taylor (2009-12)        1,580/15th        575/6th
Frank Mason III (2014-pres.)    1,390/26th        466/12th

SELF NOMINATED FOR HALL OF FAME
Kansas head coach Bill Self is a first-time nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the ‘Hoop Hall’ announced Dec. 21 – the 125th Birthday of Basketball.

A press conference announcing the finalists for the Class of 2017 will be held at NBA All-Star Weekend, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 18, in New Orleans. The entire Class of 2017, including those selected by the direct elect committees, will be unveiled on Monday, April 3, at the NCAA Final Four in Glendale, Arizona.

MILESTONE MET
Kansas head coach Bill Self won the 600th game of his career with KU’s 105-62 win against UMKC on Dec. 6. Self is in his 24th season as a head coach with stints at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois before taking over at Kansas in 2003-04.

Bill Self’s Milestone Victories
Win      Date     School Opponent        Score
1          11.26.93           Oral Roberts     Sam Houston State       78-66   
100       11.27.99           Tulsa    Arkansas-Pine Bluff      97-45   
200       2.22.03 Illinois  at Northwestern 73-61
300       2.10.07 Kansas at Missouri       92-74
400       2.13.10 Kansas Iowa State        73-69
500       2.25.13 Kansas at Iowa State    108-96 (ot)
600       12.6.16 Kansas UMKC  105-62

SELF SETS ALLEN FIELDHOUSE MARK
With Kansas’ 86-65 win against Siena, Nov. 18, head coach Bill Self became the winningest coach inside Allen Fieldhouse. Self is 212-9 in Allen Fieldhouse and passed Ted Owens, who was 206-47 from 1964-65 to 1982-83. (Bill Self 212-9, Ted Owens 206-47, Roy Williams 201-17, Larry Brown 71-5, Dick Harp 51-29, Phog Allen 9-2).

LUCAS NOMINATED FOR NABC GOOD WORKS TEAM
Senior C Landen Lucas has been nominated for the 2017 Allstate NABC Good Works Team, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced Nov. 30.  Athletic departments and sports information directors across the country nominated the 181 NABC and the 97 WBCA student-athletes for the honor. Two special voting panels will select 10-member teams from both the NABC and WBCA, comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level and five student-athletes from Divisions II, III and the NAIA. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.

JACKSON JOINS ELITE COMPANY
With his 21-point, nine rebound effort at UNLV (12/22), Kansas freshman G Josh Jackson was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 27.

A two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honoree this season, Jackson is only the third Jayhawk to be selected as both Big 12 player and newcomer of the week in the same season (Ben McLemore in 2012-13 and Mario Chalmers in 2005-06). Jackson joins senior G Frank Mason III in receiving Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season. Mason has earned the accolade twice (Nov. 16 and Dec. 12).

MASON’S 30-POINT GAMES
Senior G Frank Mason III tied his career high with 30 points against UMKC on Dec. 6. He also scored 30 in the season opener against then-No. 11 Indiana (11/11) in the  Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu. In the Bill Self era at Kansas, Mason’s 30-point efforts are the 21st and 22nd time a Jayhawk has surpassed the 30-point mark for a game. Additionally, Mason is also one of six KU players to have accomplished the feat multiple times in the Self era.

30-Point Games Under Bill Self
41 – Andrew Wiggins at West Virginia (3-8-14)
39 – Elijah Johnson at Iowa State (2-25-13)
36 – Ben McLemore vs. West Virginia (3-2-13)
33 – Wayne Selden Jr. vs. Kentucky (1-30-16)
33 – Ben McLemore vs. Iowa State (1-9-13)
33 – Marcus Morris vs. Iowa State (1-12-11)
33 – Sherron Collins vs. Cornell (1-6-10)
33 – Julian Wright at Missouri (2-10-07)
32 – Perry Ellis vs. TCU (2-15-14)
32 – Sherron Collins vs. North Dakota State (3-20-09)
32 – Wayne Simien vs. Oklahoma State (2-27-05)
31 – Xavier Henry vs. LaSalle (12-12-09)
31 – Wayne Simien vs. Missouri (3-7-04)
30 – FRANK MASON III VS. UMKC (12-6-16)
30 – FRANK MASON III VS. INDIANA (11-11-16)
30 – Perry Ellis vs. Iowa State (3-14-14)
30 – Andrew Wiggins vs. Oklahoma State (3-13-14)
30 – Ben McLemore vs. Kansas State (2-11-13)
30 – Thomas Robinson vs. North Dakota (12-31-11)
30 – Mario Chalmers vs. Texas (3-16-08)
30 – Wayne Simien vs. Oklahoma State (3-12-05)
30 – Wayne Simien vs. UAB (3-26-04)

30-Point Breakdown (under Bill Self)
4 – Wayne Simien
3 – Ben McLemore
2 – Frank Mason III, Perry Ellis, Andrew Wiggins, Sherron Collins

JAYHAWKS NAMED TO WATCH LISTS
Senior Frank Mason III, junior Devonte’ Graham and freshman Josh Jackson were named to the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy’s® Preseason Top 50, the Los Angeles Athletic Club Nov. 15.

Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for John R. Wooden Award. The same three Jayhawks were named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Preseason Watch List on Nov. 10.
With three Jayhawks on the Wooden list, Kansas has tied for the most by any school on the preseason watch. Duke, Kentucky and Oregon also have three each on the preseason top 50.

CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Including 2015-16, Kansas has won 16 of the 20 Big 12 regular-season titles (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 53 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. UCLA, from 1967-79, holds the NCAA record of 13 straight, which was under two coaches. Kansas’ current run has been under head coach Bill Self.

DOMINATING DEFENSE
In Bill Self’s 13 seasons at Kansas, the Jayhawks have led the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense nine times and finished no lower than fourth. Nationally, Self-coached Jayhawks have ranked eighth or higher in all but four seasons in field goal percentage defense and have ranked in the top five on eight occasions, including first in 2005-06 and 2012-13.

BIG 12 RUN NO CAKEWALK
Kansas ended 2015-16 ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and its strength of schedule was second nationally. In Bill Self’s 13 seasons, KU has ranked fifth or higher in the final RPI nine times, including each of the last seven years.

KANSAS VS. RANKED TEAMS
Kansas opened the 2016-17 season going 1-1 against ranked foes. In 2015-16, KU posted a season-high 12 wins against Associated Press Top 25 teams. The mark surpassed the previous season, 2014-15, of 10. In the Bill Self era, Kansas is 76-38 against ranked opponents and has only had one non-.500 record, that being his first in 2003-04. Each of the past two seasons, Kansas has played a season-high 16 games vs. ranked foes.

THIS DATE IN KANSAS BASKETBALL HISTORY
Kansas is 14-2 all-time in games played on Jan. 3
Jan. 3, 1989: The Jayhawks recorded the biggest margin of victory in Kansas basketball history with a 115-45 win over Brown at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas set two other school records with seven players scoring in double figures and by scoring 65 points in the second half of the game. Senior G Milt Newton led the way for the Jayhawks recording a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore G Kevin Pritchard also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Sophomore F Mark Randall pitched in 17 points along with junior G Freeman West scoring 16 points. KU led at halftime, 50-17. The 70-point victory smashed the previous high, a 60-point victory over Washington University (Mo.) in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1912-13 season, a game in which the Jayhawks won 68-8.

UP NEXT
Kansas will host Texas Tech on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 6:15 p.m., on ESPN2. The Jayhawks will then travel to Oklahoma on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m., on ESPN2 and return home to host Oklahoma State on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m., on ESPN2.

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