Jayhawks visit Cyclones on ESPN's Big Monday

 Game 18: ESPN Big Monday
 KANSAS (16-1, 5-0 Big 12) vs.
 Iowa State (11-5, 3-2 Big 12)
Date Monday, Jan. 16
Time 8 p.m. Central
Location Ames, Iowa
Arena Hilton Coliseum
 LIVE COVERAGE
TV ESPN
Video WatchESPN
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Audio KUAthletics.com/radio
Stats Cyclones.com
 SOCIAL
Twitter @KUHoops | #kubball
Instagram @kuhoops | #kubball
Facebook /KansasBasketball
 STATS KU ISU
 Points / game 86.3 81.6
 Opp. Points / game 69.8 66.9
 Field Goal % .505 .461
 3-Point Field Goal % .422 .374
 Free Throw % .637 .650
 Rebounds / game 40.4 39.9
 Assists / game 18.0 16.3
 Turnovers / game 12.5 9.8
 Steals / game 7.1 7.9
 Blocks / game 5.4 2.9

Notes Kansas Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Iowa State Game Notes (.pdf)
Notes Big 12 Game Notes (.pdf)

ESPN BIG MONDAY
No. 2/2 Kansas (16-1, 5-0) plays its first four four ESPN Big Mondays when it travels to Iowa State (11-5, 3-2) Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. Kansas won its 16th-straight game with an 87-80 victory over Oklahoma State on Jan. 14. Iowa State is looking to rebound from an 84-77 loss at TCU on Jan. 14.

In 2016-17, Kansas is making four ESPN Big Monday appearances for the 11th-straight season. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97, Kansas is 57-20 all-time on Big Monday (33-1 at home, 24-19 on the road), including 38-12 under head coach Bill Self (22-0 at home, 16-12 on the road). Additionally, KU has won 26-straight Big Monday games in Allen Fieldhouse, which includes a 22-0 mark under Self.

ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas’ 16-game winning streak is second longest in NCAA Division I with Gonzaga (17). The 16-game streak is tied for the fifth longest in Bill Self’s 14 seasons at Kansas. KU averages 86.4 points per game and has scored 80 or more in 14 of 17 games this season. KU has a +16.0 scoring margin. Kansas leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally with a 50.1 field goal percentage. KU leads the league with a 41.3 3-point field goal percentage, which is fourth in NCAA Division I. KU averages 40.7 rebounds per contest with a +5.9 rebound margin, which is third in the Big 12 and 13th nationally. KU also averages 17.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 5.4 blocked shots per game.

Two-time Big 12 Player of the Week in 2016-17, senior G Frank Mason III is having a national player of the year season. He leads the conference in scoring with a 20.5 scoring average and has scored 76 points in his last three games (26 points vs. Texas Tech on Jan. 7, and 28 at Oklahoma on Jan. 10 and 22 vs. Oklahoma State Jan. 14). He has 10 games of 20 points or more and has led Kansas in scoring in 14 of 17 games this season. Mason leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 53.3 percent. He is fourth in the conference, second on the KU team, with 2.4 3-pointers made per game. The Jan. 9 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, freshman G Josh Jackson is coming off his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds against Oklahoma State (1/14). He has averaged 18.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in his last four games. Jackson ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring at 15.6 points per game and ninth in rebounds at 6.7 boards per contest. He has earned Big 12 Player of the Week once and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week three times this season. Jackson leads KU with 24 blocked shots and 28 steals. Junior G Devonte’ Graham scored a season-high 21 points versus OSU (1/14) and has two 20-point efforts in his last three games. Graham is 12th in the league in scoring at 13.5 points per game. He leads KU with 41 3-pointers made and is second on the team with 27 steals, one behind Jackson. Junior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has made 37 3-pointers to complement his 10.8 scoring average. Mykhailiuk has started the last seven games and has made 15 3-pointers in that span. Rounding out the starters is senior C Landen Lucas who has three double-doubles in the last five games. The Jan. 3 Big 12 Player of the Week, Lucas leads KU with 7.6 rebounds per game, which is sixth in the Big 12. Lucas’ 12.0 rebounds in conference play leads the league and he is averaging 11.6 points against Big 12 foes.

Sophomore G Lagerald Vick has started five games this season and is averaging 8.1 points, including 17 points at TCU (12/30). Vick has made eight 3-pointers in his last seven games and 20 for the season. Sophomore F Carlton Bragg Jr., pulled down nine rebounds at TCU (12/30) and is averaging 5.2 boards per game. He is scoring 5.9 points per contest. Freshman F Mitch Lightfoot (1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg) and senior F Dwight Coleby (1.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg) also see time off the bench for KU.

ABOUT IOWA STATE
Located in Ames, Iowa, with an enrollment of 36,660, Iowa State is 11-5 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play after its 84-77 loss at TCU (1/14). The Cyclones are coached by Steve Prohm who is 34-17 in his second season at ISU and 138-46 in his sixth season overall. Iowa State is 7-1 at home this season in Hilton Coliseum. ISU averages 81.6 points per game and has a +14.7 scoring margin. The Cyclones are second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 40.2 and in rebounding at 39.9. They have a +1.3 rebound margin. ISU leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.7 and forces 15.4 turnovers per game. Iowa State also averages 16.3 assists, 7.9 steals and 2.9 blocked shots per game.

A veteran team, Iowa State starts five seniors. Senior G Nazareth Mitrou-Long leads Iowa State in scoring at 15.7 points per game. He has made a team-high 41 3-pointers this season and is second on the squad with 47 assists. He also pulls down 4.8 rebounds per game. Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Monte Morris is next in scoring at 15.5 points per game. The senior guard leads the Big 12 with 5.8 assists per game. He has made 24 3-pointers so far this season. Morris is second on the team with 21 steals and averages 5.0 rebounds per contest.  Senior G Deonte Burton leads ISU in rebounds with a 6.9 per game average, which ranks eighth in the Big 12. Burton scores 12.4 points per game and leads the team with 18 blocked shots and 24 steals. Senior G Matt Thomas has made 33 3-pointers and scores 11.3 points per game. He averages 4.8 rebounds per game for ISU. Senior F Darrell Bowie (8.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg) rounds out the Iowa State starters. Other ISU regulars include sophomore G Nick Weiler-Babb (5.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg), junior G Donovan Jackson (5.3 ppg, 19 3-pointers) and freshman F Solomon Young (4.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg).

THE SERIES
Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 178-63, dating back to 1908. Iowa State has won four of the last six 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 68-39 versus ISU in games played in Ames, including 24-21 in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State has won the last two meetings in Ames, yet KU is 9-4 versus ISU in Ames during the Bill Self era. Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas is 32-12 against Iowa State with a 30-10 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.

A KANSAS WIN WOULD …
Make Kansas 17-1 or better for the sixth time in the Bill Self era and first since the 2012-13 Jayhawks went 19-1 … Make Kansas 6-0 in Big 12 play for the 10th time in the 21-year history of the league … Give Kansas its 17th-straight win, which would tie for the fourth-longest winning streak in the Self era … Make the KU-ISU series 179-63 all-time in favor of KU, including a 25-21 record inside Hilton Coliseum, ending a two-game ISU win streak in the venue … Improve Self to 402-84 at Kansas and 609-189 overall … Make KU 2,203-837 all-time.

A KANSAS LOSS WOULD …
End a 16-game winning streak, making KU 16-2 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 play … Give Iowa State its third-straight win against Kansas in Hilton Coliseum … Make the KU-ISU series 178-64 in favor of the Jayhawks, including 68-40 in Ames (24-22 in Hilton Coliseum) … Make Bill Self 401-85 while at KU and 608-190 overall … Make KU 2,202-838 all-time.

WHAT’S TRENDING
• Kansas leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.3 percent and rebounding at 40.7. KU is tied for first in the league with a 94.1 won-loss percentage. Additionally, KU ranks in the upper half in the Big 12 in scoring (third at 86.4), scoring margin (second at +16.0), field goal percentage (second at 50.1), rebound margin (third at +5.9), assists (second at 17.6), assist-to-turnover ratio (third at 1.4) and blocked shots (second at 5.4).
• During Big 12 play, KU is shooting 73.8 percent at the charity stripe — nearly a 15-percentage point jump from nonconference games (59.2 free throw percentage).
• The Jayhawks have maintained a lead at the five-minute mark of every game this season.
Senior G Frank Mason III leads the Big 12 in scoring at 20.5 points per game, 3-point field goal percentage (53.3) and is second in assists at 5.5 per game.  He has led KU in scoring in 13 of 17 games this season, including eight of the last 10 contests.
Senior C Landen Lucas is averaging a double-double in Big 12 play with 11.6 ppg and a league-leading 12.0 rebound average. Lucas’ 67.7 field goal percentage is also first in the league in conference games played.
Freshman G Josh Jackson ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring at 15.6 ppg, which leads the conference freshman class. His 6.7 rebounds per game are ninth in the league.
Junior G Devonte’ Graham has two 20-point games this season with both in the last three contests.
• Graham is 13-for-30 (43.3 percent) from 3-point range in his last four games. In the three games prior, Graham was 1-for-15 from beyond the arc.
Junior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk pulled down a career-high nine rebounds at Oklahoma (1/10). He has made multiple 3-pointers in four of his last six games. He is seventh in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made at 2.2 per game and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage at 42.5.

ON PACE
Kansas averages 86.4 points per game, the highest scoring average in the Bill Self era, which began in 2003-04. The 86.4 average is the highest since the 2001-02 Jayhawks averaged 90.9 points per game.

85-Plus Scoring averages in KU History
Season Avg.
2001-02 90.9
1989-90 92.1
1988-89 89.0
2016-17 86.4

DOWNTOWN
Kansas is currently averaging 8.8 3-point field goals made per game with a 41.3 3-point field goal percentage. Last season, Kansas set the school single-season 3-point record, making 304 from beyond the arc for 8.0 per game. KU’s 41.8 3-point field goal percentage in 2015-16 tied for second on the single-season records list.

STREAKING
Here are some active Kansas streaks, all of which lead the nation:
• 12 Big 12 Conference regular-season titles
• 27 NCAA Tournament appearances
• 27 seasons with 20+ wins
• 52 wins at home, including 49 in Allen Fieldhouse
• 150 weeks ranked in AP Top 25
• Won at least 12 league games for 16-straight years.

MILESTONE VICTORIES IN 2016-17
Bill Self becomes the third coach in Kansas history to win 400 games while at KU, currently at 401
• Kansas gets all-time victory No. 2,200, currently at 2,202
Bill Self becomes the ninth fastest coach to 600 career victories, currently at 608
Bill Self becomes the winningest coach in Allen Fieldhouse history (Nov. 18, 2016, 86-65 vs. Siena), currently at 215-9.

KU NOTCHES WIN 2,200
With its 85-68 win against Texas Tech on Jan. 7, Kansas became only the second team in NCAA Division I to have won 2,200 all-time games.

NCAA Division I All-Time Victories (as of 1.15.17)
School W-L
Kentucky          2,220-684
KANSAS           2,202-837
North Carolina   2,193-777
Duke    2,101-868
Syracuse          1,954-872

IN THE POLLS
Kansas jumped one spot to No. 2 in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and remained at No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, released Jan. 9. KU entered the 2016-17 season with the exact same ranking — No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the coaches’ poll.

The Jayhawks have been ranked in each of the last 150 AP polls dating back to the 2008-09 season, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.

Kansas was ranked in the preseason for the 25th time in time in the 28-year history of the coaches’ poll. The No. 2 preseason ranking marked the sixth time KU has been preseason No. 2 or higher in the coaches’ poll.

The AP ranking marked the highest preseason rank for the Jayhawks since entering the 2009-10 season No. 1. This is the fourth-straight season KU has been ranked No. 5 or higher by the AP preseason poll. KU was No. 4 last season in the AP preseason poll and No. 5 in 2014-15 and 2013-14. It is also the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Jayhawks have entered the season No. 7 or higher by the AP.

Should Kansas be ranked No. 1 in the Jan. 16 poll, it would be the first time since last season the Jayhawks were No. 1. KU was No. 1 in fine AP polls last season, including the regular-season final poll. The Jayhawks have been No. 1 by AP 63 times. KU was No. 1 in the coaches’ poll four times last season have been No. 1 in that poll 56 times.

TOP GUARDS
When you talk top guards in the Bill Self era at Kansas, senior G Frank Mason III has to be part of the discussion. Mason currently leads the Big 12 with a 20.5 scoring average.

KU Guard Top Seasons Under Bill Self
Name (season) PPG     APG     SPG
Frank Mason III (2016-17)           20.5      5.5        1.3
Sherron Collins (2008-09)           18.9      5.0        1.1
Andrew Wiggins (2013-14)          17.1      1.5        1.2
Tyshawn Taylor (2011-12)           16.6      4.8        1.3
Ben McLemore (2012-13)           15.9      2.0        1.0

NOT BAD COMPANY
Senior G Frank Mason III is 26th in KU men’s basketball history with 1,431 all-time points and 12th with 474 career assists. Mason is only the sixth Jayhawk to rank that high in both categories.

Name (KU seasons)      Points/Rank     Assists/Rank
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.)     1,481/23rd        483/12th

THIS DATE IN KANSAS BASKETBALL HISTORY
Kansas is 24-5 all-time on Jan. 16.
Jan. 16, 1991: On the day Operation Desert Storm began in the Persian Gulf, the Kansas men’s basketball team responded to national uncertainty by outlasting nonconference foe Miami (Fla.), 73-60, in Allen Fieldhouse. Senior guard Terry Brown, who had a sister stationed in Saudi Arabia, led the Jayhawks with 26 points. Junior forward Alonzo Jamison and senior forward Mark Randall both recorded double-digit scoring efforts with 11 and 10 points, respectively. KU went on to claim a share of the Big Eight Conference Championship going 27-8 on the season and 10-4 in the league. Kansas also amassed a perfect 15-0 record in Allen Fieldhouse during the 1990-91 campaign. The scrappy Kansas team stunned experts by knocking off Indiana, Arkansas and North Carolina in succession before falling to Duke in the NCAA Championship game.

UP NEXT
Kansas returns home to host Texas on Jan. 21 at 1 p.m., on CBS. KU will then play at West Virginia on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. (Central) on ESPN2. Kansas will travel to Kentucky for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m., on ESPN.

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