Kansas and Oklahoma State set for Saturday clash in Stillwater

Freshman guard Quentin Grimes 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 15/16 Kansas Jayhawks (21-7, 10-5) will begin a key two-game road stretch when they journey to Stillwater, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-18, 3-12) on Saturday, March 2. Kansas, looking to stay in contention for a 15^th-straight Big 12 regular-season title, is currently one game behind league leaders Kansas State and Texas Tech in the league standings. Tip-off from Gallagher-Iba Arena is set for 11 a.m. (CT) on CBS, with Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Jim Spanarkel (analyst) set to call the action.

WATCH JAYHAWK GAMEDAY LIVE FROM STILLWATER
Jayhawk Gameday Live, a 30-minute pregame show and a 60-minute postgame show, will be live before KU’s match-up with Oklahoma State starting at 10:30 a.m. (CT). Full postgame reaction and analysis will follow immediately after the game’s conclusion. The show will be available across the country on the ESPN app, as well as regionally on KMCI, Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network and Cox Cable. For more information on how to access Jayhawk Gameday Live as well as content from the Jayhawk Network, visit KUAthletics.com/JTV.

TIP-OFF

• KAt 10-5, No. 15/16 Kansas is tied with Baylor for third in the Big 12 race with three games left in the league season. KU is one game behind Kansas State (11-4) and Texas Tech (11-4).
• For the 22nd time in the 23-year history of the Big 12, Kansas has clinched one of the top four seeds and a first-round bye in the upcoming conference tournament. In 22 Big 12 Championships KU has been a No. 1 seed 15 times (including each of the last 10 years), a No. 2 seed four times, a No. 3 seed twice and a No. 5 seed once (in 2000).
• Kansas is 6-3 against the current Associated Press Top-25 with victories against No. 6 Michigan State, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 10 Marquette, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 16 Kansas State and No. 24 Wofford.
• KU leads the series with Oklahoma State, 115-59, including a 36-35 record in contests in Stillwater. OSU holds a 35-34 edge in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
• Kansas head coach Bill Self will be meeting his alma mater for the 33rd time in his head coaching career and the 29th time as the head man at KU. Self, who was a four-year letterwinner for the Cowboys from 1982-85, is 19-13 against OSU and 18-10 while at Kansas. 
• After its 64-49 win against Kansas State on Feb. 25, Kansas is 91-12 following a loss in the Bill Self era, including 6-1 this season. Since the 2013-14 season, KU is 41-4 following a loss.
• At 10-5, KU has won 10 conference games for the 25th-consecutive season, a run which started in 1995 and is the longest-active streak in the nation. 
• Freshman point guard Devon Dotson is one of only three true freshmen in NCAA DI to be averaging 13+ ppg, 4+ apg, and 4+ rbg in conference play.
• Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.0 ppg, rebounding at 10.3 rpg and double-doubles with 17, which ranks tied for ninth nationally. The last conference player to lead the league in scoring and rebounding in the same season was Blake Griffin of Oklahoma in 2008-09.

 
ABOUT KANSAS
No. 15/16 Kansas is 21-7 overall and 10-5 in Big 12 play after its 64-49 win against No. 16/15 Kansas State on ESPN Big Monday, Feb. 25. In all games, Kansas ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (second at 75.9), field goal percentage (third at 46.9) and field goal percentage defense (third at 40.5). KU has a +1.6 rebound margin and also averages 7.5 3-pointers made, 13.6 assists, 6.9 steals and 3.8 blocked shots per game.
 
Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.0 ppg, rebounding at 10.3 rpg and with 17 double-doubles after his 18 points and 14 rebounds against Kansas State (2/25). A national player of the year and All-American candidate, Dedric Lawson has 13 games of 20 or more points and his 17 DDs and are tied for ninth nationally. He is the only player in the league averaging a double-double. A three-time Big 12 Player of the Week (11/12, 11/26, 12/26) and five-time league newcomer of the week (12/3, 12/17, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11), Lawson leads KU with 30 blocked shots and his 1.1 blocks per game are fifth in the conference.
 
Freshman G Devon Dotson is averaging 16.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.6 spg in his last seven games. Included was a 15-point and career-high-tying eight assists against West Virginia (2/16). Named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12, Dotson ranks 15th in the Big 12 in scoring (12.1), sixth in assists (3.6), ninth in FG% (49.3), tied for sixth in steals (1.4) and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).
 
Freshman G Ochai Agbaji has scored in double figures in three of his last five games and five of his last eight contests. That includes his second double-double of the season with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds at TCU (2/11). Agbaji pulled his redshirt prior to the TCU game (1/9) and averages 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest and is making 50.5 percent from the floor.
 
Freshman G Quentin Grimes is coming off a 12-point effort against Kansas State (2/25) where he was 3-for-6 from 3-point range. He has 11 assists in his last four games and five steals in his last three contests. He is second on the team with 37 3-pointers made this season. Grimes has made multiple treys in four of his last seven games and averages 7.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest.
 
After missing five games with a sprained ankle, sophomore G Marcus Garrett has been back the last two KU contests. Garrett ranks third in the Big 12 with 1.7 steals per contest. He has 11 games with multiple steals in 2018-19. Garrett averages 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and has 47 assists.
 
Other KU regulars include redshirt-sophomore G Charlie Moore (3.3 ppg, 18 3-pointers), redshirt-sophomore G K.J. Lawson (3.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg), junior F Mitch Lightfoot (2.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and freshman F David McCormack (2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg). McCormack has started each of the last five games, while Lightfoot is had nine points, five rebounds and three blocked shots against Kansas State (2/25). Moore made three 3-pointers at Texas Tech (2/23) and his nine points for the game were his most in Big 12 play.
 
ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE
Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with an enrollment of 24,274, Oklahoma State (10-18, 3-12) is looking to end a two-game losing streak after its 84-80 overtime loss at No. 11/11 Texas Tech on Feb. 27. The Cowboys are coached by Mike Boynton who is 31-33 in his second season as a head coach with both at Oklahoma State.
 
OSU leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.2 percent and 3-point field goals made at 8.8 per game. The Cowboys average 67.5 points per game and give up 71.5. Oklahoma State pulls down 34.2 rebounds per contest and average 13.1 assists, 5.7 steals and 3.9 blocked shots per game.
 
Junior F Cameron McGriff leads OSU in scoring at 12.3 points per game, which is 14th in the Big 12. McGriff also leads the team in rebounds and his 7.5 boards per contest are third in the league. McGriff is second on the team with 23 blocked shots and has made 34 3-pointers this season. Junior G Lindy Waters leads OSU in Big 12 scoring with 12.4 points per game. Overall, Waters averages 12.1 points. Waters is second in the league in free throw percentage at 92.9 percent and is second on the team with 61 3-pointers made and 33 steals this season. Junior G Thomas Dziagwa leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made with 3.3 per outing. Dziagwa averages 11.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest. Freshman F Yor Anei leads OSU and is third in the Big 12 with 2.1 blocked shots per game. Anei averages 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
 
Junior G Curtis Jones (7.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg) comes off the bench, while freshman G Isaac Likekele (8.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is a starter who leads OSU with 37 steals. Freshman F Duncan Demuth (1.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg) rounds out the OSU regulars.
 
THE SERIES
The Kansas-Oklahoma State series dates back to 1926 with KU holding a 115-59 all-time advantage. KU holds a slim 6-4 edge in the last 10 meetings. KU is 36-35 against OSU in meetings in Stillwater with OSU holding a 35-34 edge in games in Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU has won four of the last five meetings in Stillwater dating back to March 1, 2014, and the Cowboys are 6-4 versus KU in the last 10 Gallagher-Iba Arena matchups. Gallagher-Iba Arena is the oldest venue in the Big 12 opening in 1938, while Allen Fieldhouse is the second oldest, opening in 1955.
 
Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas is 26-12 versus OSU: 20-10 in regular-season play and 6-2 in the Big 12 Championship. KU defeated OSU in each of the teams’ last four Big 12 Championship meetings in 2018, 2014, 2011 and 2006. KU head coach Bill Self is 19-13 all-time against his alma mater, including an 18-10 record at KU. OSU head coach Mike Boynton Jr., is 2-2 against Kansas.
 
In 2017-18, Oklahoma State became first team to sweep a conference home-and-home series against Kansas in the Self era. The Cowboys won 84-79 on Feb. 3 in Allen Fieldhouse and 82-64 on March 3 in Stillwater. In 108 regular-season Big 12 home-and-home series during the Self era, Kansas has 70 sweeps, 34 splits and has been swept just once.
 
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 22-7 and 11-5 in Big 12 play … Give Kansas 22 victories for the 30th-consecutive season, beginning in 1989-90 … Give KU 11 league victories for the 25th-straight year, beginning in 1994-95 and would add to its nation’s longest active league 11-win streak … Make the Kansas-Oklahoma State series 116-59 in favor of the Jayhawks, including 37-35 in meetings in Stillwater (35-35 in Gallagher-Iba Arena) … Make Kansas 3-7 in true road games in 2018-19 and 7-7 in games not played in Allen Fieldhouse … Make Bill Self 469-103 while at Kansas, 676-208 overall and 20-13 all-time versus Oklahoma State (19-10 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,270-856 all-time.
 
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 21-8 and 10-6 in conference play, giving KU is most league losses since 1988-89 (6-8) … Make the KU-OSU series 115-90 in favor of the Jayhawks … Give KU two-straight losses in Gallagher-Iba Arena … Give OSU wins over KU in five of the last six meetings in Stillwater … Make Kansas 2-8 in true road games this season and 6-8 in games not played in Allen Fieldhouse … Make Bill Self 468-104 while at Kansas, 675-209 overall and 19-14 all-time versus Oklahoma State (18-11 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,269-857 all-time.
 
LAST TIME OUT
An All-American-caliber performance from redshirt-junior Dedric Lawson along with stifling Jayhawk defense helped No. 15/16 Kansas to a 64-49 win over the No. 16/15 Kansas State Wildcats Feb. 25 on ESPN Big Monday in the 291st edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. Lawson led all scorers with 18 points and 14 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season, while the KU defense held KSU to a Big 12 season-low 31.6 percent shooting from the field.
 
Mitch Lightfoot scored seven points during a 12-2 first-half spurt, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key, his first of the season, to give the Jayhawks a 23-16 advantage with 6:23 left in the half. KU then went 6-of-7 from the free throw line in the last five minutes of the half, which included an and-one bucket from freshman Devon Dotson, helping KU take a 34-27 lead into the intermission.
 
The Kansas defense took the reins in the early minutes of the second half. KU kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard over the first four minutes after the restart, forcing K-State to start the half going 0-for-10 from the field. That stretch included two blocks from Lightfoot. Meanwhile, the KU offense continued to hum along. Grimes’ second 3-pointer of the night got the Jayhawks’ lead to 41-27 before four minutes were gone in the second frame.
 
The Jayhawk lead never shrank to fewer than 10 points from there on out as KU limited the Wildcats to just six field goals over the final 13 minutes.
 
Lawson finished the night with his league-leading 17th double-double, scoring 18 points and pulling down 14 rebounds to go along with five assists. Dotson added 16 points and 5-of-5 shooting from the free throw line. Grimes was the third player to score in double-figures, notching 12 points which included 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
 
KANSAS STATE LEFTOVERS & NOTABLES

• The win gave KU 21 victories for the 30th-straight season, beginning in 1989-90.
• The win also gave KU 10 league victories for the 25th-straight year, beginning in 1994-95 and would add to its nation’s longest active 10-win streak.
• KU improved to 91-12 following a loss in the Bill Self era, including 6-1 this season. Since the 2013-14 season, KU is now 41-4 following a loss.
• The Jayhawks held their opponent to under 59 points for the fourth time this season, the Jayhawks are 4-0 in those games with a 166-1 clip in the Self era.
• K-State’s 49 points marked the lowest by a conference opponent since the Jayhawks limited Texas Tech to 42 points on March 4, 2013. It was also the fewest points by a team in the KU-KSU series since Kansas held the Wildcats to 49 points in a KU win on January 4, 2012.
• Kansas limited Kansas State’s three senior starters (Brown, Stokes, Wade) to 24 points while going 8-for-25 from the field. The trio entered the day averaging 38.9 points per game.
• Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson tallied a team-high 18 points along with a team-high 14 rebounds, marking the 17th double-double of the season and the 53rd of his career.
• Lawson is now tied for eighth place for most double-doubles in a single season by a Jayhawk with Dave Robisch, who tallied 17 in 1971.
• Freshman G Devon Dotson swiped his 40th steal of the season, moving him into a tie with Jeff Boschee for 10th all-time in a single season as a freshman.
• Junior forward Mitch Lightfoot recorded three blocks in a game for the 10th time in his career. He has now swatted three shots in three of his last four games.

 
DOTSON COMING OF AGE IN LEAGUE PLAY
Freshman point guard Devon Dotson is quietly putting together a stellar debut season for the Jayhawks and has established himself as one of the top-performing freshmen in the nation. His stats in Big 12 play back that up. The Raleigh, North Carolina product is one of only three true freshmen in NCAA DI to be averaging 13+ ppg, 4+ apg and 4+ rpg in league play.
 
If you throw in Dotson’s 47 percent field goal percentage and 43 percent 3-point-percentage in his 15 Big 12 outings, he becomes the only freshman in the nation to boast those five stats. Dotson was named the CBS/USBWA Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12 following a 25-point, 10-rebound outing at TCU (2/11). He has also scored 15 or more points in five of his last seven outings.
 

 
 
KU NAVIGATING THE TOUGHEST SLATE IN THE NCAA
The NCAA Evaluation Tool (“NET”) has shown that, not only have the Jayhawks endured the strongest schedule in the nation, but have tallied some of the more impressive wins among the 353 teams in Division I. Kansas’s strength of schedule ranks No. 1 in the latest NET breakdown, with the Jayhawks playing opponents that have an average NTE ranking of 58th, a figure that leads the nation.
 
The Jayhawks have also collected some impressive wins during this gauntlet of a schedule, claiming 10 wins against teams in “Quadrant 1” (Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75). KU is one of only two teams in the nation with double-figure Quad 1 wins (Michigan State – 11).
 

 
 
LAWSON COLLECTION OF MIDSEASON WATCH LISTS GROWS
Redshirt-junior Dedric Lawson has a quickly growing collection of midseason accolades that have him among a small list of players on watch for national awards come season’s end. Here is a quick rundown of the recent announcements that included Lawson:
 

• Lawson was named to the 2018-19 Sporting News Midseason All-America First Team, the publication announced Jan. 15. Last year, 11 of the 15 players on the midseason team made on the final ballot.
• On Feb. 4, Lawson was named to the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s Late Season Top 20 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Kansas has had representation each of the last two seasons at the Wooden Award ceremony as Frank Mason III won the award in 2017 and Devonte’ Graham was a finalist last year. Lawson is vying to become the third Jayhawk to win the honor with Mason in 2017 and Danny Manning in 1988.
• On Feb. 6, Lawson was named one of 12 to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Final Midseason Watch List by the USBWA. Like the Wooden, the Oscar Robertson Trophy recognizes the national player of the year. Frank Mason III was the first KU player to win the Oscar Robertson Trophy in 2017.
• On Feb. 7, Lawson was named one of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year by the Naismith Hall of Fame. Established in 2015, the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year will be narrowed down to five finalists with the winner being named April 12, 2019.
• On Feb. 13, Lawson was one of 30 named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team by the Atlanta Tip Off Club. KU’s Frank Mason III won the honor in 2017 as did Danny Manning in 1988. The Naismith Trophy will narrow down its nominees to 10 on March 6 and later will announce its four finalists.

 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Kansas has one of the youngest teams in the nation having started four freshmen in each of its last five games. In KU’s 15 conference games, the Jayhawk freshmen have accounted for 46 percent of the minutes played and 41.9 percent of the scoring.
 

 
KANSAS VS. TOP-25 TEAMS
With its win versus then-No. 23 Kansas State (2/25), Kansas is 8-3 against top-25 teams in 2018-19. Under Bill Self, KU is 98-48 against AP-ranked opponents. In his first 16 seasons at KU, Self’s Jayhawks have collected four wins or more over top-25 ranked foes in 13 of those seasons, which includes a 43-19 record from 2014-present.
 
KU’s record against top-10 ranked opponents is even more impressive. KU is 18-5 against foes ranked inside the top-10 of the AP poll since 2013-14, including 2-1 this season and 4-1 in 2017-18. Last season, KU’s top-10 wins included Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Duke. Since Bill Self’s first season, the Jayhawks are 13-3 against AP top-10 teams inside Allen Fieldhouse, which includes KU’s current streak of nine-straight home victories against top-10 foes.
 

 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
After his 18 points and 14 rebounds against No. 23 Kansas State (2/25), redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson leads the Big 12 with 17 double-doubles this season, including six of his last 11 contests and nine in his last 16 outings. Lawson entered the 2018-19 season with 36 double-doubles in his two seasons at Memphis. He had 17 as a freshman in 2015-16 and 19 as a sophomore in 2016-17.
 
Lawson’s 53 career double-doubles are fourth on the NCAA Division I active list. Lawson is the only non-senior on the NCAA Division I top-10 list.
 
Lawson is also already making his impact on the Kansas single-season double-double chart. His 17 DDs are tied for eighth on the school’s top-10 list of single-season double-doubles with Dave Robisch (1970-71). Lawson is two DDs from the top five. Thomas Robinson holds the record with 27 DDs in the 2011-12 season.
 

 
 
AZUBUIKE, MOORE NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12
Kansas men’s basketball junior Udoka Azubuike and redshirt-sophomore Charlie Moore have been named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, announced by the league office on Feb. 28.
 
This is the second-straight season Azubuike, from Delta, Nigeria, has been named Academic All-Big 12 as he was a second-team selection in 2017-18. Moore, from Chicago, is earning the honor for his first time which is also the first time he was eligible. A total of 34 men’s basketball student-athletes were named to the 2019 team with Azubuike and Moore being two of the 20 first-team honorees.
 
Kansas has a league-leading 59 all-time Academic All-Big 12 honorees since the inception of the conference in 1996-97. Texas is second with 54 and Oklahoma third with 50. KU has 44 Academic All-Big 12 First Team honorees and 15 second-team selections.
 
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will close out the road portion of the regular season when KU heads to Norman to meet the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday, March 5. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., on ESPN2.
 
Kansas leads the all-time series with Oklahoma 148-67, including a 70-63 win over the Sooners in this season’s Big 12 opener on Jan. 2 in Lawrence. KU is 52-43 all-time in Norman, with each of those contests inside Lloyd Noble Center. 

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