No. 10 Jayhawks look to rebound at No. 16/15 TCU Saturday

Sophomore center Udoka Azubuike 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Coming off their first conference loss of the season, the No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks will look to bounce back when they journey to Fort Worth, Texas to take on the No. 16/15 TCU Horned Frogs. The Jayhawks, looking to avoid their first 1-2 start in league play since 1990-91, will tip-off against the 13-1 TCU squad inside Schollmaier Arena at 8:15 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2. Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) will call the action.
 
TIP-OFF

• TCU will be the second-straight and fourth ranked foe Kansas will play this season. The Jayhawks are 1-2 against ranked teams in 2017-18 and 83-43 in the Bill Self era (since 2003-04).
• Kansas and TCU are meeting for the second time when both teams were ranked but the first time when both were ranked as members of the Big 12 Conference. Previously, then-No. 2 Kansas defeated then-No. 24 TCU, 94-78, on Dec. 20, 1997, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Kansas has tied or surpassed its previous single-game 3-point record three times this season, including a new mark of 19 treys versus Texas Southern (11/21). The previous record was 16 treys at Baylor in 2005.
• Kansas is 79-11 following a loss in the Bill Self era, which began in 2003-04. Since 2013-14, KU is 29-3 following a loss.
• Kansas is the only league school that has three players ranked in the top seven in scoring in the Big 12 led by senior G Devonte’ Graham at second with 17.9 ppg. Junior G Lagerald Vick is sixth at 16.3 ppg and senior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is seventh at 16.2 ppg.
• Kansas is one of eight teams in NCAA Division I that has five players averaging 10.5 points or better. The others include Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan State, TCU, Villanova, Virginia Tech and William & Mary.
• Senior G Devonte’ Graham is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top five in scoring, assists, steals, 3-point field goals made and assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Sophomore C Udoka Azubuike is second in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage at 75.4 percent. He is one of only three players nationally to shoot 70 percent or better with a minimum of five field goals made per game.
• Kansas has had four different players score 26 points or more in a game this season – Udoka Azubuike, Devonte’ Graham, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Lagerald Vick.
• Kansas is scoring 86.8 points per game. The last KU team to average that many was the 2001-02 Final Four team at 90.9 and before then, it was the 1989-90 team at 92.1 ppg.

 
ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas is ranked No. 10 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches’ polls, released Jan 1. The Jayhawks average 86.8 points per game and their plus-18.3 scoring margin is third in the conference and 12th in NCAA Division I. KU leads the conference in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.6). KU also ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (third at 86.8), scoring margin (third at 18.3), field goal percentage (second at 51.3), field goal percentage defense (third at 39.4), 3-point field goal percentage (second at 40.9), assists (third at 18.9) and 3-point field goals made (second at 10.9). Kansas pulls down 38.1 rebounds per game, has a plus-3.4 rebound margin and averages 4.4 blocked shots per contest.
 
After back-to-back 20-point games, senior G Devonte’ Graham has taken over as Kansas’ leading scorer at 17.9 points per game, which is second in the Big 12. Graham is also second in the league in assists per game at 7.5 and third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.8 and free throw percentage at 89.5. He has a team-high 105 assists and 25 steals and his 46 3-pointers made are tied for the team lead. Junior G Lagerald Vick is next in scoring at 16.3 points per game, which is sixth in the Big 12. He is second on the team with a 6.1 rebound average and third with 27 3-pointers made. Senior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Graham are tied for the team lead with 46 3-pointers made this season. He is seventh in the Big 12 scoring at 16.2 points per game.
 
Sophomore C Udoka Azubuike has a team-high four double-doubles this season and also leads KU with an 8.3 rebound average which is fourth in the Big 12. Azubuike’s 13.0 scoring average, is 13th in the conference and he leads the Big 12 and is second nationally with a 75.4 field goal percentage. Freshman G Marcus Garrett has started the last two games for Kansas. He averages 3.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest and is second on the team with 22 steals.
 
Redshirt sophomore G Malik Newman has started 11 games this season and is scoring 10.5 points per contest with 21 3-pointers made. Sophomore F Mitch Lightfoot leads Kansas with 22 blocked shots and he averages 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. His 1.6 blocks per game are eighth in the Big 12.
 
ABOUT TCU
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, with an enrollment of 10,394, TCU is ranked No. 16 by Associated Press and No. 15 in the USA TODAY Coaches’ poll. The Horned Frogs are 13-1 on the season and 1-1 in Big 12 play after their 81-78 overtime win at Baylor Jan. 2. TCU is coached by Jamie Dixon who is 37-16 in his second season at TCU and 365-139 in his 15th season overall. TCU is 9-1 at home, only falling to No. 7/7 Oklahoma, 90-89, in its conference opener Dec. 30.
 
TCU averages 87.1 points per game and has a plus-12.9 scoring margin. The Horned Frogs lead the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 51.4 percent (10th nationally), 3-point field goal percentage (41.2) and assists (19.8, third nationally). They also rank in the top three in the conference in scoring offense (second at 87.1), rebound margin (third at +7.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.6). TCU averages 7.4 steals and 3.8 blocked shots per game.
 
TCU has a balanced team as six players average 9.1 points or better per game. Senior G Kenrich Williams leads the team in scoring at 14.8 ppg and rebounding at 9.2 rpg. His rebound average is third in the Big 12. Williams has a team-high 35 steals and his 2.7 per game are second in the league. Senior F Vlad Brodziansky is next in scoring at 13.7 ppg and he has a team-high 24 blocked shots. Brodziansky averages 4.4 rebounds per contest. Sophomore G Desmond Bane leads TCU with 30 3-pointers made and he averages 12.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. Sophomore G Jaylen Fisher is fifth in the Big 12 with 5.6 assists per game. He has made 20 3-pointers scores 11.3 points per game. Junior F JD Miller rounds out the TCU starters. He is second on the team with a 5.6 rebound average and scores 11.1 points per contest. Other TCU regulars include redshirt freshman F Kouat Noi (9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 18 3-pointers), junior G Alex Robinson (7.3 ppg, four starts) and senior F Ahmed Hamdy (7.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
 
THE SERIES
Though this is just the 16th conference meeting between Kansas and TCU, the men’s basketball series between the two schools dates back to 1952 when the Jayhawks defeated the Horned Frogs, 68-64, on March 21 in the NCAA Midwest Regional at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas is 14-2 against TCU and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Horned Frogs. Last year, TCU defeated Kansas, 85-82, in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Big 12 Championship. As members of the Big 12, KU leads the series 10-2, including a 5-1 record in Fort Worth. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 18-5 all-time against TCU, including 11-2 while at Kansas. TCU head coach Jamie Dixon is 1-2 versus Kansas.
 
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 12-3 or better for the ninth-straight year beginning in 2009-10 … Make Kansas 2-1 in conference play … Make the Kansas-TCU series 15-2 in favor of the Jayhawks … Make Kansas 5-1 in games not played in Allen Fieldhouse this season … Make Bill Self 19-5 all-time against TCU (12-2 while at Kansas), 428-91 while at KU and 635-196 for his career … Make Kansas 2,229-844 all-time.
 
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 11-4 on the season … Give Kansas consecutive losses for the second time this season … Make Kansas 1-2 in conference play for the first time since the 1990-91 season … Give TCU two-straight wins against Kansas for the first time … Make the KU-TCU series 14-3 in favor of the Jayhawks … Make Kansas 2-1 in true road games this season … Make Bill Self 18-6 versus TCU (11-3 while at Kansas), 427-92 while at Kansas and 634-197 as a head coach … Make KU 2,228-845 all-time.
 
TEXAS TECH LEFTOVERS & NOTABLES

• The loss made Kansas 1-1 in league play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
• Kansas lost for the second time in Allen Fieldhouse this season, marking the first time since 2006-07 that Kansas lost two in Lawrence and the third time in the Bill Self era.
• Kansas’ 23 free throw attempts (17-of-23) tied the season high set against Oakland (18-of-23).
• The loss marked just the 23rd time in 420 games during the Bill Self era that the Jayhawks lost a contest where they shot a better percentage from the field than their opponent.
• It marked the worst home conference loss since a 25-point defeat to Missouri on February 1, 1989.
• The Jayhawks never led in the game, which marked the first time Kansas didn’t hold a lead in a game since December 22, 2014 against Temple (77-52).
• It marked the first time in the Bill Self era that the Jayhawks never led at any point in the game in Allen Fieldhouse.
• Senior G Devonte’ Graham went 13-of-13 from the free throw line, marking the most makes by a single player in a game without a miss since the 1988-89 season. He has now made 17-straight free throws, including making his last four attempts at Texas.
• Graham played all 40 minutes of regulation, marking the third time this season and the seventh time in his career he has played 40 or more minutes in a game.
• Graham’s 27 points moved him past Walter Wesley to No. 30 on KU’s all-time scoring list, now totaling 1,326 career points.
• Graham moved into a tie with Sherron Collins for No. 4 on KU’s all-time list for 3-point field goals made in a career.
• Graham moved into a tie for No. 16 in KU’s career records with Jacque Vaughn and Steve Woodberry with 160 steals in his career.
• Senior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has made three or more 3-point attempts in all but four games this season, going 3-of-9 on the night from long range.

 
JAW DROPPERS
Here are some jaw-dropping notables for Kansas basketball heading into league play:

• Kansas holds the longest active streak of 169-consecutive weeks ranked in the Associated Press poll, a streak which started Feb. 3, 2009.
• With its 92-86 win at Texas (12/29), Kansas has won 27-straight conference openers, a streak which started in 1991-92 during the Big Eight era.
• Kansas has a current run of 265-consecutive sellouts in Allen Fieldhouse, a streak which started the second game of the 2001-02 season.
• Kansas has won an NCAA-record-tying 13-straight conference regular-season titles, a streak which began in 2004-05.
• Kansas has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 28-consecutive seasons, the longest streak, active and all-time, in NCAA history.
• Kansas has notched 25 or more victories for each of the last 12 seasons (starting in 2005-06) and 20 or more wins for 28 seasons (beginning in 1989-90). Both are the longest active streaks in the NCAA.
• Kansas has won at least 12 league games for 17-straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation.

 
DE SOUSA CLEARED TO COME TO KANSAS
Power forward Silvio De Sousa was cleared to come to KU and practice. De Sousa joined the team Dec. 26.
 
De Sousa, who will wear jersey No. 22 at Kansas, signed a National Letter of Intent to play at KU during the early signing period in November. He then pursued graduating from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, early to join the Jayhawks and play the spring semester. De Sousa was ranked No. 18 nationally by Rivals.com, No. 28 by ESPN100 and No. 31 by the 247Sports.com national recruiting services. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound Luanda, Angola, native was living in Florida for nearly four years.
 
NATIONAL NUMBERS

• Kansas is 11th nationally in field goal percentage at 51.3 percent. KU also ranks in the top-13 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (eighth at 1.6), field goal percentage (eighth at 51.3), assists per game (10th at 18.9), and scoring margin (10th at 18.3).
• Sophomore C Udoka Azubuike is second the NCAA in field goal percentage at 75.4 percent, while senior G Devonte’ Graham is sixth nationally in assists per game at 7.5.

 
KU FROM DOWNTOWN
Kansas is averaging 10.9 3-point field goals made per game with a 40.9 3-point field goal percentage. Last season, KU set the school single-season 3-point record, making 318 from beyond the arc for 8.8 per game. Three of the last eight Jayhawk squads have averaged more than seven treys per game, with both of the last two KU teams hitting an average of eight or more threes per contest.
 
THIS DAY IN KANSAS BASKETBALL HISTORY
Kansas is 28-3 all-time on Jan. 6
Jan. 6, 2013: Facing a 54-50 deficit with less than seven minutes to play, the Kansas seniors shouldered the load as Elijah Johnson, Kevin Young and Travis Releford scored 15 of KU’s final 19 points to defeat Temple, 69-62, on a Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse. Young posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Releford added 14 points and Ben McLemore added 13 in the win. The Jayhawks would finish 2013-14 with a 31-6 overall record en route to the Big 12 regular-season title with a 14-4 league record.
 
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
Udoka Azubuike ranks second in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage at 75.4 percent going 98-of-130 in his first 14 games of the 2017-18 season.
 
History has shown that it isn’t easy to lead the nation in a statistic. In fact, checking the NCAA Records Book of annual leaders, only twice has a Jayhawk led the country in a season stat and both were KU All-Americans. KU legend Clyde Lovellette led the NCAA in scoring average in 1951-52 at 28.6 points per game. More recently, Thomas Robinson led the country in double-doubles with 27 during the 2011-12 season. Under Lovellette’s leadership KU won the 1952 NCAA National Championship and Robinson led the Jayhawks to a runner-up finish in 2012.
 
With a minimum of 175 attempts, the Kansas single-season field goal percentage record is 64.6 percent by Mark Randall in 1988-89. Last year, Landen Lucas shot 63.1 percent from the field, which ranks fourth on the KU single-season list. On the NCAA level, with a minimum of five makes per game, there have been only 12 players who have shot 70 percent or better in a season, with the most recent being Devontae Cacok of UNC-Wilmington, who set the NCAA record last season (2016-17) at 80.0 percent.
 
DEVONTE’ + SVI = THREES
The senior pairing of Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is beginning to establish itself as one of the top long-range shooting duos in KU history. Already this year, the two Jayhawk guards have combined for 92 of KU’s 152 3-pointers. The prolific outside shooting from these two is nothing new as they continue to move up the all-time KU 3-point charts.
 
Since the advent of the 3-point line prior to the 1986-87 season, only two other Kansas duos have tallied more threes over a three-year stretch than the 368 that Graham and Mykhailiuk have combined for since the 2015-16 season. That mark is the third most for a duo in a three-year stretch. Jeff Boschee and Kirk Hinrich are the most prolific 3-point shooting duo in school history as they netted 405 treys while they played together from 2000-02. Graham is also one half of another sharp-shooting pair after he and Frank Mason III combined for the fourth-most threes (353) among KU duos during the last three seasons (2015-17).
 
Graham and Mykhailiuk are also among the most-accurate Jayhawk pairs. They have teamed up to shoot 41.4 percent from beyond the arc in that same three-year span, the third-best mark among KU teammates who have combined for 700 or more attempts. Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers boast the best combined percentage with a 42.7 percent (385-of-901) clip coming during their three seasons in Lawrence from 2006-08.
 
SELF MOVES TO NO. 2 IN ALL-TIME WINS AT KU
Bill Self surpassed yet another coaching milestone early this season. Now in his 15th year at the helm of the Jayhawks, Self has amassed 427 victories, which is second-most among the eight men who have roamed the sidelines in Lawrence. Self’s 427 wins surpassed his predecessor, Roy Williams, who reached 418 victories in 15 years (1988-2003) at KU. Self sits only behind the all-time winningest coach in Kansas history, Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, who amassed 590 victories in 39 seasons with the Jayhawks. 
 
KANSAS VS TOP-25 TEAMS
Kansas is 1-2 against ranked foes this season with a win over then-No. 7 Kentucky on Nov. 14 in the Champions Classic and losses to No. 16/17 Arizona State on Dec. 10 and No. 18 Texas Tech on Jan. 2. Under head coach Bill Self, Kansas is 83-43 against Associated Press ranked opponents. In his first 14 seasons, Self’s Jayhawks have collected four wins or more over top-25 ranked foes in 11 of those seasons, which includes a 29-14 record from 2014-present.
 
Kansas’ record against top-10 ranked opponents is even more impressive. KU is 13-3 against foes ranked inside the top-10 of the AP poll since 2013-14. This number includes the Jayhawks’ victory over Kentucky on Nov. 14. Since Bill Self’s first season, the Jayhawks are 13-2 against AP top-10 teams inside Allen Fieldhouse, which includes KU’s current streak of nine-straight home victories against top-10 foes
 
KANSAS IN THE POLLS
Kansas men’s basketball enters this week at No. 10 in the Associated Press and No. 10 in the USA TODAY Coaches’ polls released on Jan. 1.
 
Kansas has been ranked in each of the last 170 AP polls dating back to Feb. 3, 2009, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I. Kansas was preseason No. 4 by AP entering 2017-18. Under 15th-year and Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, this is the 12th time that Kansas entered the season ranked seventh or higher in the Associated Press preseason poll and historically, the No. 4 ranking marks the 20th time since the 1992-93 season that Kansas entered the season seventh or higher. Last season, KU entered the year No. 3 nationally in the Associated Press poll and ended at No. 3.
 
At No. 3 in the coaches’ preseason poll, 2017-18 marked the fourth-straight year the Jayhawks have opened the season in the top five in the coaches’ poll. Kansas is ranked in the preseason for the 26th time in time in the 29-year history of the coaches’ poll. The No 3 ranking marked the eighth time KU has been preseason No. 3 or higher in the coaches’ poll. Additionally, it is the 12th time in the Self era the Jayhawks have been preseason seventh or higher, including each of the last six seasons. In 2016-17 Kansas opened the year No. 2 in the preseason coaches’ poll and ended No. 4.
 
At No. 3 in the coaches’ preseason poll, 2017-18 marked the fourth-straight year the Jayhawks have opened the season in the top five in the coaches’ poll. Kansas is ranked in the preseason for the 26th time in time in the 29-year history of the coaches’ poll. The No 3 ranking marked the eighth time KU has been preseason No. 3 or higher in the coaches’ poll. Additionally, it is the 12th time in the Self era the Jayhawks have been preseason seventh or higher, including each of the last six seasons. In 2016-17 Kansas opened the year No. 2 in the preseason coaches’ poll and ended No. 4.
 
CELEBRATING 120 YEARS IN 2017-18
Kansas Athletics will host numerous events throughout the 2017-18 season to celebrate 120 years of KU men’s basketball and other Jayhawk basketball milestones. The first celebration will be for 120 years of Kansas basketball. It will be held Saturday, Feb. 3 when KU hosts Oklahoma State in Allen Fieldhouse. Players, coaches and staff from every era of KU basketball will be recognized during the game; the weekend’s festivities will also celebrate the 30-year anniversary of KU’s 1988 NCAA National Championship team.
 
The 2017-18 season marks the 10th anniversary of the 2008 NCAA National Championship team, which will be honored when KU hosts West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 17. That weekend, which is also the NBA All-Star Game weekend, KU will retire the jersey of former Jayhawk All-American Cole Aldrich. Additionally, plans are in place to retire the jersey of 2010 Consensus All-America First-Team selection Sherron Collins on KU’s ESPN Big Monday game against Oklahoma on Feb. 19.
 
BILL SELF INDUCTED INTO NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
Kansas head coach Bill Self, along with 10 others, was officially enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Sept. 8 at Springfield Symphony Hall in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts.
 
Joining Self in the evening’s enshrinement festivities were the other 10 Class of 2017 inductees: Zack Clayton (player, posthumous), Nick Galis (player), Robert Hughes (coach), Mannie Jackson (contributor), Tom Jernstedt (contributor), Jerry Krause (contributor, posthumous), Tracy McGrady (player), Rebecca Lobo (contributor), George McGinnis (player) and Muffet McGraw (coach).
 
Self becomes the 19th person associated with Kansas basketball to be inducted, the last being coaching legend John McClendon, who was inducted in 2016 for the second time. As only the eighth coach in KU history, Self is the fifth KU mentor to be inducted into Hall joining James Naismith, Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, Larry Brown and Roy Williams. Kansas has the highest percentage of coaches in the Hall of Fame, 63 percent, than any other school. KU’s five matches North Carolina’s five for the most inducted in college coaching with St. John’s third with four.
 
CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Including 2016-17, Kansas has won 17 of the 21 Big 12 regular-season titles (includes ties), including the last 13, which is tied for the NCAA record. Kansas’ 60 conference titles are the most in NCAA Division I. Kentucky is second with 54 and Penn third at 37. KU’s 13-straight league titles are the longest active streak in NCAA Division I and the longest streak in school history. Kansas is now tied with UCLA, which from 1967-79, also won the NCAA record of 13 straight, which was under two coaches. Kansas’ current run has been under head coach Bill Self.
 
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2017-18

• Senior G Devonte’ Graham is quickly moving up the school’s all-time career lists. Graham entered his senior season No. 45 on the KU scoring list with 1,075 points. Last game, Graham became the 31st player in KU history to score 1,300 career points. He currently sits 30th with 1,326 points and is 15 from No. 29 Mario Chalmers’ 1,341 from 2006-08.
• Against Syracuse on Dec. 2, Graham became only the sixth player in KU history to have made 200 threes for his career. His 232 3-pointers are tied for fourth all-time at KU with All-American Sherron Collins (2007-10) and four from third (236 by Kirk Hinrich from 2000-03).
• Graham is 232-557 (41.7 percent) all-time from 3-point range. His 3-point attempts are fourth on the KU career list and his 3-point field goal percentage is ninth.
• Graham has 455 career assists, which is 13th on the KU career assists list. Additionally, his 160 steals are tied for 16th on the KU career list with Jacque Vaughn (1994-97) and Steve Woodberry (1991-94).
• Entering 2017-18 with a 247-48 (83.7 percent) record since 2010, Kansas is the winningest program, by percentage, this decade: 1. KANSAS (247-48, 83.7%); 2. Gonzaga (239-47, 83.6%); 3. Kentucky (249-53, 82.5%); 4. Wichita State (233-53, 81.7); 5. Duke (238-56, 81.0%).
• The Jayhawks are pursuing their 14th-conseuctive Big 12 regular-season championship. A 14th-league title would break UCLA’s NCAA record mark of 13-consecutive conference championships from 1967-79.
• Should Kansas advance to the 2018 NCAA Tournament it would be its 29th-consecutive NCAA tourney appearance. The current 28 straight is the NCAA Tournament longest -consecutive appearance streak with North Carolina (1975-2001) second at 27

 
UP NEXT
Kansas returns to Allen Fieldhouse to host Iowa State on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. (Central) on ESPN2. Last season, Iowa State ended a Kansas 54-game home court winning streak, 51 in Allen Fieldhouse, with a 92-89 overtime win becoming the first program to win twice inside Allen Fieldhouse in the Bill Self era (2003-04 to present). Kansas leads the overall series with Iowa State, 179-64, but the meetings are 3-3 in its last six battles. 

FOLLOW 

@KUHoops

/KansasBasketball

@KUHoops 

KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.