Kansas to battle West Virginia Saturday in Lawrence

RS-Sophomore guard K.J. Lawson 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 14/14 Kansas Jayhawks (19-6, 8-4) will return to Allen Fieldhouse to host the West Virginia Mountaineers (10-14, 2-9) on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Allen Fieldhouse. KU, which enters the contest with an 18-game home winning streak, will take on a WVU team that came out on top in the two teams’ last meeting on Jan. 19. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. (CT) on ESPN, with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) calling the action.

WATCH JAYHAWK GAMEDAY LIVE FROM ALLEN FIELDHOUSE
Jayhawk Gameday Live, a 30-minute pregame show and a 60-minute postgame show, will be live before KU’s match-up with West Virginia starting at 2:30 p.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

• The Jayhawks have won two-straight after an 82-77 overtime win at TCU on Feb. 11. West Virginia is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after its 75-53 loss to Texas on Feb. 9.
• At 8-4, Kansas is tied with Texas Tech for second in the Big 12 race, 1.5 games behind Kansas State (9-2). Five of the 10 Big 12 teams are within 2.5 games of the league leader.
• On Feb. 9, the NCAA selection committee posted its current top 16 with Selection Sunday just a month away. Kansas was slotted as a No. 3 seed and the No. 10 seed overall. Under Bill Self, KU has never been lower than a No. 4 seed and has been a No. 1 seed each of the last three years.
• Kansas’ 18-game home court winning streak, which includes 17 victories in Allen Fieldhouse and one at Sprint Center, is tops in the Big 12 and is the seventh-longest active streak nationally.
• Kansas is 6-3 against the current AP top-25 with victories against No. 1 Tennessee, No. 10 Marquette, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 13 Villanova, No. 15 Texas Tech and No. 23 Iowa State.
• WVU is vying to become only the second team to sweep Kansas in the Bill Self era. In 105 regular-season Big 12 home-and-home series, KU has 71 sweeps, 33 splits and has been swept once, by Oklahoma State in 2017-18. 
• Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson has posted a league-leading 16 double-doubles this season, which ranks fifth nationally. He also leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.4 ppg and rebounding at 10.6 rpg.
• Just 11 games into his KU career, freshman G Ochai Agbaji is averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Agbaji’s collegiate debut came against TCU (1/9) and he has scored 20 or more points in three of his last five outings.
• Freshman G Devon Dotson post his first double-double with career highs in points (25) and rebounds (10) at TCU (2/11) in logging all 45 minutes. Dotson was named the CBS Sports/USBWA National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12.

 
ABOUT KANSAS
No. 14/14 Kansas is 19-6 overall and 8-4 in Big 12 play after its 82-77 overtime win at TCU on Feb. 11. In all games, Kansas ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (second at 76.9), field goal percentage (second at 47.0), field goal percentage defense (third at 40.3) and 3-point field goal percentage (second at 35.9). KU has a +6.4 scoring margin and a +1.9 rebound margin. KU also averages 7.4 3-pointers made, 13.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 3.7 blocked shots per game.
 
Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson posted his 16th double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebound sat TCU (2/11). He has 13 games of 20 or more points including two of KU’s last four contests. A national player of the year and All-American candidate, Dedric Lawson has five double-doubles in his last eight games and his 16 DDs leads the Big 12 and is tied for fifth nationally. Dedric Lawson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.4 ppg and in rebounding at 10.6 rpg. 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 28 blocked shots and his 1.1 blocks per game are fifth in the conference. His 50.6 field goal percentage is fifth in the league.
 

 
Freshman G Devon Dotson is coming off a career game at TCU (2/11) where he recorded personal highs in points (25), rebounds (11) and minutes played (45). Named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12, Dotson is averaging 19.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steaks in his last four games. Dotson ranks tied for sixth in the Big 12 in assists at 3.6, eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5, sixth in steals at 1.6 and 19th in scoring at 12.0.
 
Freshman G Ochai Agbaji is also coming off a spectacular game at TCU (2/11) where he posted his second double-double in his last four games with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Agbaji has scored 20 or more points in each of his last two contests and three of his last five outings. He has made seven 3-pointers in his last two contests. Agbaji, pulled his redshirt prior to the TCU game (1/9) and averages 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest and is making 54.5 percent from the floor.
 
Freshman G Quentin Grimes had four assists at TCU (2/11) and is second on the team with 33 3-pointers made this season. He has made multiple treys in three of his last four games and four of his last six contests. Grimes averages 7.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest and has 45 assists for the season.
 
Sophomore G Marcus Garrett has missed the last four games due to a sprained ankle. He has 14 steals in his last five games played and ranks third in the Big 12 with 1.8 steals per contest. He has 10 games with multiple steals in 2018-19. Garrett has started his last eight games played and 13 for the season. He averages 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and has 47 assists.
 
Other KU regulars include redshirt-sophomore G Charlie Moore (3.2 ppg, 14 3-pointers), redshirt-sophomore G K.J. Lawson (2.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg), junior F Mitch Lightfoot (2.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and freshman F David McCormack (1.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg). Moore has averaged 15.3 minutes in his last four games. McCormack has started each of the last two games. Lightfoot is averaging 5.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg in his last three games, including a season-high three blocked shots at TCU (2/11).
 
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA
Located in Morgantown, West Virginia, with an enrollment of 31,442, West Virginia (10-14, 2-9) looks to end a two-game losing streak when it visits Allen Fieldhouse. The Mountaineers are coached by Bob Huggins who is 264-141 in his 12th season at WVU, his alma mater, and 854-352 in his 37th season overall. West Virginia has lost five of six games since defeating the Jayhawks in Morgantown on Jan. 19.
 
West Virginia averages 72.2 points per game and rank in the top three in the Big 12 in rebound margin (second at +4.3), offensive rebounds (first at 41.2), offensive rebound percentage (second at 36.8). The Mountaineers make 7.2 3-pointers per game and average 12.8 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.0 blocked shots.
 
Junior F Sagaba Konate (13.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 22 blocked shots in eight games) is WVU’s leading scorer but he is out indefinitely, and has missed the last 14 games due to injury. Junior G James Bolden scores 12.2 points per game and leads team with 45 assists. His 30 3-point field goals are second most on the team.
 
Freshman F Derek Culver has played in 14 games with three starts and scores 11.7 points per contest. His 13.2 scoring average in Big 12 play leads WVU. Culver leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per outing. Junior F Lamont West has made a team-high 39 3-pointers in 2018-19 and he averages 9.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
 
Other WVU regulars include redshirt-freshman G Brandon Knapper (5.4 ppg, 32 assists), junior G Chase Harler (4.7 ppg, 23 3FGs), junior G Jermaine Haley (3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 44 assists, 20 steals), freshman G Jordan McCabe (2.7 ppg, 34 assists) and freshman F Emmitt Matthews Jr. (2.7 ppg).
 
THE SERIES
The Kansas-West Virginia series started when WVU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012-13, with KU holding a 10-5 advantage. The Jayhawks have won four of the last five meetings. KU is 6-0 against West Virginia in games played in Allen Fieldhouse, 2-5 at WVU Coliseum and 2-0 in the Big 12 Championship. KU defeated WVU, 81-71, in the 2016 Big 12 title game and 81-70 in the 2018 Big 12 title game, with both at Sprint Center in Kansas City.
 
KU head coach Bill Self is 10-5 against West Virginia, with all 15 meetings as Kansas’ coach. Bob Huggins is 5-14 all-time against Kansas, 5-10 while at WVU.
 
Earlier this season, West Virginia held Kansas scoreless over the final 2:34 of regulation and blew past KU, 65-64, Jan. 19 inside WVU Coliseum. West Virginia’s Jermaine Haley hit the go-ahead bucket with seven seconds remaining before two Jayhawk game-winning attempts on the other end fell short as KU suffered its second loss of the Big 12 season.
 
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 20-6 and 9-4 in Big 12 play … Give Kansas 20 victories for the 30th-consecutive season, beginning in 1989-90, which is the longest active streak in the nation and one behind the all-time NCAA DI record of 31-straight 20-win seasons by North Carolina (1971-2001) … Make Kansas 11-5 against West Virginia, including 7-0 in Allen Fieldhouse … Give Kansas its 19th-straight home win, which includes 18-consecutive victories in Allen Fieldhouse … Make KU 14-0 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 786-113 all-time in the venue, including 248-13 under head coach Bill Self … Make Self 467-102 while at Kansas, 674-207 overall and 11-5 all-time versus West Virginia (11-5 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,268-855 all-time.
 
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 19-7 and 8-5 in conference play, tying last season’s league loss number … Give West Virginia its first win in Allen Fieldhouse … Make the KU-WVU series 10-6 in favor of Kansas, including a 6-1 mark in Allen Fieldhouse … Make West Virginia only the second team to sweep a Big 12 home-and-home series with Kansas in the Bill Self era … End a KU 18-game home court winning streak, including 17 consecutive wins in Allen Fieldhouse … Make KU 13-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 775-114 all-time in the venue, including 247-14 under Self … Make Self 466-103 while at Kansas, 673-208 overall and 10-6  all-time versus West Virginia (10-6 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,267-856 all-time.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Freshmen Devon Dotson and Ochai Agbaji combined for 45 points as the No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks outlasted the TCU Horned Frogs, 82-77, in overtime Feb. 11 night at Schollmaier Arena. Dotson posted a game- and career-high 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds, while Agbaji also tallied a double-double via his 20 points and 11 boards.
 
Despite leading by 12 points just over midway through the second half, Kansas was unable to hold off a determined TCU squad that had yet to lose a Big 12 home game. The Horned Frogs stormed back on a 17-2 run to take a four-point lead, 69-65, with just over a minute to play in regulation.
Redshirt-sophomore K.J. Lawson came up big for the Jayhawks on their last two possessions to help send the game to overtime. The Memphis native hit a runner in the lane to pull his team within two points with 66 seconds to play, before hitting a baseline jumper on KU’s next possession to pull the score level at 69-69. TCU couldn’t get the game-winner on its final possession as the Jayhawks headed to their third overtime of the season.
 
Agbaji kicked off the extra period with his second 3-pointer of the game before Dedric Lawson connected on his 13th and 14th points of the game with a turnaround jumper, putting the Jayhawks up 74-69 with 2:41 to go in OT. TCU again had an answer though, responding with a 5-0 spurt of its own to tie the score for what would be the final time on the night at 74-74 with 1:28 remaining.
 
K.J. Lawson again came up big and put the Jayhawks back in front for good with another mid-range jumper before Dotson put the game away with his free throw shooting. The freshman guard hit all six of his free throw attempts in the final 40 seconds of overtime.
 
Dotson, who tallied the first double-double of his young career, led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, which included four 3-pointers, also a career-best. Agbaji hit the 20-point plateau for the third time in his last five games and posted his second double-double with his 20 points and season-high 11 rebounds.
 
TCU LEFTOVERS & Notables

• The win made KU 3-0 in overtime games this season and 23-9 under Bill Self.
• Kansas grabbed a season high 49 rebounds.
• Kansas’ 30 shots from 3-point range were the most attempted by the Jayhawks in a game this season.
• With freshman G Devon Dotson, redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson and freshman G Ochai Agbaji each recording 10+ rebounds, it marked the first time KU has had three players with double digit rebounds since Kansas had three double figure rebounders against Valparaiso (11/15/10) and only the second time since the 1988-89 season.
• Double-doubles from Agbaji, Dotson and Lawson marked the fifth time that three Jayhawks have recorded double-doubles in a Big 12 game and the first time since Elijah Johnson, Jeff Withey and Kevin Young each recorded a double-double against Iowa State (1/9/13).
• Dotson replaced his season high as the freshman scored a team high 25 points (14 in the first half), including a season high four makes from beyond the arc.
• Dotson also grabbed a season- and career-high 10 rebounds as the freshman recorded his second double-double of the season.
• Dotson played a season high 45 minutes, the most by a Jayhawk since Devonte’ Graham played 45 in an overtime victory over Duke (3/25/18). Dotson’s 45 minutes were the most by a Jayhawk in a conference game since Perry Ellis tallied 53 minutes against Oklahoma (1/4/16).
• Agbaji earned his second double-double of the season scoring 20 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.
• Agbaji has now scored 20+ in back-to-back games and three times in his last five games.

 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Kansas has one of the youngest teams in the nation having started four freshmen in each of its last two games. In KU’s 12 conference games, the Jayhawk freshmen have accounted for 45.2 percent of the minutes played and 41.8 percent of the scoring.
 

 
KANSAS STREAKING AT HOME (AGAIN)
The Jayhawks are once again building an impressive winning streak on its home court, something that has been a common occurrence in Lawrence over recent decades. KU has won 18-straight home games, 17 of which have come at Allen Fieldhouse (Dec. 8, 2018 win at Sprint Center considered a home game). The streak currently ranks as the seventh-longest active among NCAA DI schools. KU’s last home loss came to Oklahoma State on Feb. 3, 2018.
 
Kansas has posted home-court winning streaks of 20 games or more 14 times, with 10 of those streaks coming at Allen Fieldhouse. The program record is 69-straight home wins from Feb. 7, 2007 to Jan. 22, 2011. That streak is a Big 12 record and the 11th-longest in NCAA DI history.
 

 
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 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 finalist 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.

 
DOTSON COLLECTS NATIONAL HONOR
Kansas freshman Devon Dotson was named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week, announced Feb. 12 by CBS Sports and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
 
Dotson’s honor stretched back the last three games where he averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals. The Charlotte, North Carolina, guard’s best game came in Kansas’ 82-77 overtime win at TCU on Feb. 11 where he posted career highs in points, with 25, and rebounds, with 10, to go along with five assists and two steals in logging all 45 minutes of the contest. Dotson was clutch down the stretch and in overtime where he scored KU’s final six points from the free throw line to seal the victory.
 
For the week, Dotson was 18-for-35 (51.4 percent) from the field and 15-for-18 from the free throw line with 14 assists and seven steals. This is the second weekly honor Dotson has earned this season. He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 31.
 
According to CBS, Dotson’s clutch performance at TCU put him over the top for the weekly award against the likes of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett (Duke), Naz Reid (LSU), Coby White (UNC) and Giorgi Bezhanishvili (Illinois).
 
LAWSON CLAIMS EIGHTH BIG 12 WEEKLY AWARD
Kansas redshirt-junior Dedric Lawson averaged 21.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in two games last week and was named the co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 11. This was the fifth conference newcomer of the week for Lawson and his eighth weekly award by the league in 2018-19.
 
Lawson, who won the honor with Texas’ Courtney Ramey, recorded 18 points with nine rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals at Kansas State. In the win against Oklahoma State the Memphis, Tennessee, forward posted his 13th 20-point game of the season with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, with seven rebounds, five assists and one steal.
 
Lawson’s honor marked the eighth time this season a Jayhawk has been named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. Last week, freshman Ochai Agbaji earned the honor, while Quentin Grimes was named Nov. 12 and Devon Dotson Dec. 31. Including KU’s five Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season, the Jayhawks have amassed 13 league weekly accolades in 2018-19, a mark which ties the KU all-time single season high for Big 12 weekly awards.
 

 
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
After his 14 points and 10 rebounds at TCU (2/11), redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson leads the Big 12 with 16 double-doubles this season, including five of his last eight contests and eight in his last 13 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 52 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 16 DDs are tied for ninth on the school’s top-10 list of single-season double-doubles and he is three DDs from the top five. Thomas Robinson holds the record with 27 DDs in the 2011-12 season.
 

 
UP NEXT
After a seven-day break, the Jayhawks will return to action against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock on Saturday, Feb. 23. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., on ESPN. The Jayhawks lead the all-time series with the Red Raiders 35-5, which includes a 79-62 win over TTU on Feb. 2 in Lawrence. KU is 14-4 all-time in Lubbock and 10-3 inside United Supermarkets Arena.
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