Kansas welcomes Baylor for regular-season finale Saturday

RS-junior forward Dedric Lawson 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks (22-8, 11-6) will host the Baylor Bears (19-11, 10-7) in the final regular-season contest of 2018-19 on Saturday, March 9 inside Allen Fieldhouse. KU is looking to claim its 36^th-consecutive win in a regular-season home finale and its 16^th-straight victory over Baylor in Lawrence. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (CT) on ESPN with Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla 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 Baylor starting at 12:30 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

• Beginning in 1983-84 under then-head coach Larry Brown, KU has won a mindboggling 35-straight regular-season home finales.
• Kansas is vying to post its 20th undefeated season in Allen Fieldhouse and its first since going 16-0 in the venue in 2015-16. This would be the seventh undefeated record in Allen Fieldhouse in the Bill Self era.
• 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. Kansas will be the No. 3 seed for the third time in the 23-year history of the event. KU was also the No. 3 seed in 2004 and 1999. Kansas will play No. 6 seed Texas on March 14 at 8 p.m.
• Though it did not happen in 2018-19, Kansas has won 18-of-23 (78.3 percent) of the Big 12 regular-season titles since the inception of the league in 1996-97. Texas is second with three titles, Iowa State third with two, while Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have one each.
• KU leads the series with Baylor, 31-5, including a 16-0 mark in games played in Lawrence and 15-0 in Allen Fieldhouse. Four of the last five meetings in Lawrence have been decided by 10 points or less.
• Including 2018-19, KU has won at least 11 conference games for 25-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 at least 12 ppg, 4 apg, and 4 rbg in league play.
• On March 6, redshirt-junior Dedric Lawson was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Award. KU’s Frank Mason III won the honor in 2017 as did Danny Manning in 1988.
• Lawson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.0 ppg, rebounding at 10.5 rpg and double-doubles with 19, which ranks tied for sixth 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. 13/14 Kansas is 22-8 overall and 11-6 in Big 12 play after its 81-68 loss at Oklahoma March 5. In all games, Kansas ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (second at 75.5), field goal percentage (third at 46.5) and field goal percentage defense (third at 40.8). KU has a +2.1 rebound margin and also averages 7.5 3-pointers made, 13.4 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.7 blocked shots per game. In Big 12 games, KU averages 71.9 points and leads the league in defensive rebounds (26.5).
 
Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson has posted three straight double-doubles after his 18 points and 11 rebounds at Oklahoma (3/5). He leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.0 ppg, rebounding at 10.5 rpg and with 19 double-doubles, which ranks tied for sixth nationally. A national player of the year and All-American candidate, Dedric Lawson has 14 games of 20 or more points and 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 1.0 blocks per game are tied for fifth in the conference. Lawson is ninth in the Big 12 with a 49.3 field goal percentage.
 

 
Freshman G Devon Dotson is averaging 12.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg and 1.3 spg in Big 12 play. 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 18th in the Big 12 in scoring (11.6), seventh in assists (3.6), 13th in field goal percentage (47.5), tied for eighth in steals (1.3) and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5).
 
Freshman G Ochai Agbaji has scored in double figures in four of his last seven games and six of his last 10 contests, which includes 11 points and five rebounds at Oklahoma State (3/2). He has five games with multiple 3-pointers. Agbaji pulled his redshirt prior to the TCU game (1/9) and averages 9.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
 
Freshman G Quentin Grimes is 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from 3-point range in his last three contests. He has seven steals in his last five contests. He is second on the team with 42 3-pointers made this season. Grimes has made 11 treys in his last three games and multiple threes in five of his last nine games. He averages 7.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest.
 
After missing five games with a sprained ankle, sophomore G Marcus Garrett has been back the last four KU contests. In that span, Garrett is 12-for-23 (52.1 percent) from the field. Garrett ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 1.6 steals per contest. He is scoring 8.9 points in Big 12 play and overall 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, 19 3-pointers), redshirt-sophomore G K.J. Lawson (3.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg), freshman F David McCormack (3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg), junior F Mitch Lightfoot (2.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg). McCormack has started each of the last seven games and is coming off a career-high 18 points at Oklahoma (3/5). Lightfoot has averaged 5.1 rebounds in his last eight games.
 
ABOUT BAYLOR
Located in Waco, Texas, with an enrollment of 17,059, Baylor is 19-11 overall and 10-7 in Big 12 play after its 67-64 loss against Oklahoma State on March 6. The Bears are coached by Scott Drew who is 315-206 in his 16th season at Baylor and 335-217 in his 17th season overall. Baylor is 5-5 in true road games this season and 6-6 in games not play at the Ferrell Center.
 
Baylor averages 71.9 points and have a +5.6 scoring margin. BU leads the Big 12 in rebound margin at +6.6 and rebounding defense (31.3) and also ranks in the top three in the conference in scoring defense (third at 66.3), rebounding offense (second at 37.9), offensive rebounds (second at 13.2) and blocked shots (second at 4.8). Baylor also averages 14.1 assists, 6.2 steals and 8.0 3-pointers made per game.
 
Baylor’s leading scorer, sophomore F Tristan Clark (14.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, team-high 34 blocked shots) suffered a season-ending injury in early January. Redshirt-senior transfer G Makai Mason is next in scoring at 14.6 points per game, which is tied for seventh in the Big 12. Mason is second on the team with 50 3-pointers made and second with 80 assists. Mason averages 2.5 rebounds per game. Redshirt-sophomore G/F Mario Kegler also averages in double figures with 10.4 points per game. He pulls down 5.9 rebounds per contest and has made 20 3-pointers this season. Freshman G Jared Butler leads Baylor with 52 3-pointers made and 83 assists to complement his 9.6 scoring average. He is scoring 11.4 ppg in Big 12 play. Senior G King McClure leads Baylor with 32 steals as he averages 9.2 ppg and has made 42 threes this season. Junior G Devonte Bandoo scores 8.5 points per contest and has made 46 3-pointers. Redshirt-sophomore G Mark Vital is a starter who is fourth in the Big 12 and leads BU with 7.1 rebounds per game. He averages 6.9 points per contest and is second on the team with 31 steals and 26 blocked shots.
 
Other BU regulars include redshirt-junior F Freddie Gillespie (5.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), freshman G/F Matthew Mayer (5.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and freshman F Flo Thamba (2.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg).
 
THE SERIES
The Kansas-Baylor series dates back to 1951 with the Jayhawks leading 31-5. Kansas has won 12 of the last 13 in the series and holds a 17-3 advantage in the last 20 meetings. One of Baylor’s three wins in that stretch came last season, Feb. 10, 2018, 80-64, in Waco. Kansas is 16-0 against Baylor in Lawrence, including a 15-0 record in the Allen Fieldhouse.
 
Since the inception of the Big 12, KU is 29-5 against Baylor — 27-3 in regular-season play and 2-2 in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 23-5 all-time against Baylor, including a 23-4 mark while at Kansas. BU’s Scott Drew is 4-23 versus Kansas. Expect a close game, as six of the last seven meetings have been decided by six points or less with last year’s outcome in Waco being the lone exception. Dating back to 2014, four of the last five meetings in Lawrence have been decided by 10 points or less with the last two by a combined eight points (73-68 on 2.1.17, 70-67 on 1.20.18).
 
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 23-8 and 12-6 in Big 12 play, giving KU the outright No. 3 seed for the Big 12 Championship, March 13-16 … Give Kansas 23 victories for the 30th-consecutive season, beginning in 1989-90 … Give KU 12 league victories for the 19th-straight year, beginning in 2000-01 … Make the Kansas-Baylor series 32-5 in favor of KU, including 17-0 in games in Lawrence (16-0 in Allen Fieldhouse) … Give Kansas 36 straight home season finale wins, a streak which started in 1983-84 … Give Kansas its 20th undefeated season in Allen Fieldhouse and its first since going 16-0 in 2015-16 … Make KU 17-0 at home this season and extend its home court winning streak to 21 games, 20 in Allen Fieldhouse … Make KU 788-113 all-time in Allen Fieldhouse, including 250-13 under head coach Bill Self … Make Self 470-104 while at Kansas, 677-209 overall and 24-5 all-time versus Baylor (24-4 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,271-857 all-time.
 
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 22-9 and 11-7 in conference play, giving KU is most league losses since 1988-89 (6-8) … End a 35-year home finale win streak, a string which started in 1983-84 … Give KU consecutive losses for the second time this season … Give Baylor its first win in Allen Fieldhouse, making the all-time series 31-6, including 16-1 in Lawrence meetings (15-1 in Allen Fieldhouse) … End Kansas’ 20-game home court winning streak, which includes 19 straight wins in Allen Fieldhouse … Make KU 15-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 777-114 all-time in the venue, including 249-14 under head coach Bill Self … Make Self 469-105 while at Kansas, 676-210 overall and 23-6 all-time versus Baylor (23-5 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,270-858 all-time.
 
LAST TIME OUT
A torrid first half of shooting by the Sooners paired a flat offensive night for the Jayhawks saw Oklahoma claim an 81-68 victory over No. 13/14 Kansas March 5 inside Lloyd Noble Center. Redshirt-junior forward Dedric Lawson and freshman forward David McCormack each scored 18 points, with Lawson tallying his 19th double-double of the season; however, the Sooners got 20-point efforts from junior Kristian Doolittle and sophomore Brady Manek to help OU claim its largest win over the Jayhawks since 1990.
 
Lawson led the Jayhawks in scoring for the fifth-straight game, tallying 18 points and pulling down 11 rebounds for his 19th double-double on the year. McCormack went 8-of-11 from the field to tally a career-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds. Agbaji was the next Jayhawk on the scoresheet with nine points.
 
OKLAHOMA LEFTOVERS & NOTABLES

• KU’s 14.3 percent from 3-point range in the first half was its lowest in a half since the Jayhawks went 0-for-6 in the first half at West Virginia on January 19 earlier this season.
• The game marked just the second time this season KU never led. The first came against Texas Tech on Feb. 23.
• KU’s 17 three point attempts in the second half was the most by a Jayhawk team since Kansas attempted 19 in the second half during an Elite Eight victory over Duke on March 25, 2018. KU’s 31 three point attempts in the game was the most by Kansas since it attempted 36, also against Duke.
• Kansas outrebounded its opponent for the 18th time this season, KU is now 14-4 in those contests with a 348-43 mark in the Self era.
• KU gave up 80+ points for the sixth time this season, Kansas is 3-3 in those contests with a 33-38 record in the Self era.
• Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson tallied his 19th double-double of the season and the 55th of his career as he scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
• Lawson led KU in scoring for the fourth-straight game and the 16th time this season.
• Freshman F David McCormack scored a season and career-high 18 points going 8-for-11 from the field while grabbing five rebounds.
• McCormack’s eight makes and 11 attempts were also season/career highs.

 
DOTSON COMING OF AGE IN LEAGUE PLAY
Freshman point guard Devon Dotson has 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 Charlotte, North Carolina product is one of only three true freshmen in NCAA DI to be averaging at least 12 ppg, 4 apg and 4 rpg in league play.
 
If you throw in Dotson’s 44 percent field goal percentage and 80 percent free throw percentage in his 17 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 eight outings.
 

 
 
LOOKING BACK AT “THE STREAK”
With Kansas out of contention from winning this season’s Big 12 regular-season title, it will bring an end to one of the more remarkable streaks in the history of collegiate basketball. From 2005-18, the Jayhawks won or shared 14-consecutive league titles, a mark which topped UCLA’s previous collegiate record of 13-straight league championships from 1967-79. Here are some “nuggets” from Kansas’ NCAA-record 14-straight conference titles:
 

• Kansas won the title outright 10 times and shared it four times (2005, 2006, 2008 and 2013). Overall, Kansas has won 18 of the 23 Big 12 regular-season titles (78.2 percent), with those four seasons being the only ties. Texas is second with three titles (13.0 percent), Iowa State third with two, while Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have one each.
• In the 14-year streak, including the four ties and the two-game edge in 2018, Kansas won the Big 12 regular-season title by an average of 1.4 games. Twice, in 2009-10 and 2016-17, Kansas won the Big 12 regular-season title by four games.
• In the 14-year streak, 89 Jayhawks saw action during conference play, helping contribute to the run of titles. That list includes five players on this season’s roster: Udoka Azubuike, Silvio De Sousa, Mitch Lightfoot, Lagerald Vick and Chris Teahan.
• In Kansas’ national championship season, 2007-08, the Jayhawks won the fourth of the current string of 14-straight Big 12 Conference titles.
• Matt Kleinmann, Landen Lucas, Brady Morningstar, Travis Releford, Tyler Self, Jamari Traylor, Conner Teahan and Jeff Withey each won five Big 12 regular-season titles, as they were redshirts during their KU careers. Teahan is the only KU player in the streak to have been on two Final Four teams in 2008 and 2012.
• In 2005, George W. Bush was beginning his second term as the 43rd President of the United States. Barrack Obama, the 44th President, would serve two terms and current Commander-In-Chief, Donald Trump, the 45th President, giving the streak three sitting U.S. commanders.
• The last time Kansas failed to claim the regular-season Big 12 title (2004), Facebook was less than a year old, Twitter had not yet been launched, current KU football coach Les Miles was at the helm at Oklahoma State and current KU freshman guard Ochai Agbaji was three years old.

 
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 (March 7), with the Jayhawks playing opponents that have an average NET ranking of 60th, 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 three teams in the nation with double-figure Quad 1 wins (Michigan State – 10, Virginia – 10).
 

 
LAWSON COLLECTION OF MIDSEASON ACCOLADES 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 March 6, Lawson was one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy, 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 announce its four finalists on March 19.
• On March 7, Lawson was named one of five finalists for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award by the Naismith Hall of Fame. Established in 2015, the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year will be named April 12, 2019.

 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Kansas has one of the youngest teams in the nation having started four freshmen in each of its last seven games. In KU’s 17 conference games, the Jayhawk freshmen have accounted for 46.9 percent of the minutes played and 43.1 percent of the scoring.
 

 
KANSAS STREAKING AT HOME (AGAIN)
The Jayhawks are once again building an impressive winning streak on their home court, something that has been a common occurrence in Lawrence over recent decades. KU has won 20-straight home games, 19 of which have come at Allen Fieldhouse (Dec. 8, 2018 win at Sprint Center considered a home game). The streak currently ranks as the fourth-longest active among NCAA DI schools. KU’s last home loss came to Oklahoma State on Feb. 3, 2018.
 
Kansas has now posted home-court winning streaks of 20 games or more 15 times, with 11 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.
 

 
UP NEXT
Kansas will enter the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, March 13-16, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, as the No. 3 seed. Unofficially, KU will play the No. 6 seed Texas in the event’s quarterfinals on Thursday, March 14, at 8 p.m. (CT) on ESPN or ESPN2. Kansas is 74-27 all-time in postseason conference tournaments, including a 44-11 record in the Big 12 Championship. The Jayhawks have won 15 league tourney titles with 11 of those in the Big 12 era and its last in 2018. Kansas is 19-3 in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals.
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