No. 2 Kansas returns home to meet Stanford Saturday

RS-Junior forward Dedric Lawson 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Following a two-week hiatus, the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks (5-0) will return to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the Stanford Cardinal (4-3) on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 4:30 p.m. (CT). KU, coming off the NIT Season Tip-Off championship, will meet a Stanford team that is led by former Jayhawk guard Jerod Haase, who is in his third season coaching the Cardinal. The contest will be televised on ESPN with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (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 Stanford starting at 4 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

• With its win against No. 5 Tennessee in the title game of the NIT Season Tip-Off, Kansas has now won 13-straight regular-season games against teams ranked in the AP top-10. In fact, KU has won 20 of the last 21 regular-season contests versus top-10 teams dating back to Feb. 8, 2012.
• Kansas is looking to go 6-0 for the second-straight year and sixth time in Bill Self’s 16 seasons at KU.
• The Jayhawks concluded the month of November without a loss (5-0). It marked the 12th time overall and the fifth time since 2007 that a KU squad has entered December perfect with four or more games played.
• Kansas leads the series with Stanford, 10-3, and the Jayhawks have won the last two meetings, each coming in the last two seasons.
• Kansas won its fifth-straight in-season tournament by claiming the NIT Season Tip-Off. Beginning with the Orlando Classic in 2014, the Jayhawks have also won the Maui Invitational in 2015, the CBE Classic in 2016 and the Miami Hoophall Invitational in 2017.
• Redshirt junior F Dedric Lawson has three double-doubles this season and 39 for his career. He is tied for fourth on the NCAA active double-double career list.
• Senior G Lagerald Vick is 21-of-32 from 3-point range in his last four games. His 21 treys mark the third-most ever by a Jayhawk in a four-game stretch and his 65.6 percent clip in that span is the highest by a KU player over four games with a minimum of 25 total attempts.
• Kansas is 3-for-3 in Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season with Dedric Lawson on Nov. 12 and 26 with Lagerald Vick sandwiched in between on Nov. 19. Additionally, freshman Quentin Grimes was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Nov. 12.

 
ABOUT KANSAS
No. 2 Kansas is 5-0 for the second-straight season and seventh time under head coach Bill Self after its 87-81 overtime win against then-No. 5 Tennessee in the title game of the NIT Season Tip-Off, Nov. 23. Through five games, Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring offense at 85.8 and 3-point field goal percentage at 44.0 percent, which ranks in the top-10 in the NCAA. KU averages 41.2 rebounds per game with a +7.0 rebound margin. KU also has a +9.8 scoring margin and makes 8.0 3-pointers per game.
 
Senior G Lagerald Vick leads the Big 12 in scoring with 19.6 points per game and 3-point field made per game at 4.2. He is second on the league with a 58.3 3-point field goal percentage and is 21-of-32 (65.6 percent) from beyond the arc in his last four outings. Vick, who will play in his 100th career game Saturday, is tied for the team lead with eight steals.
 
Redshirt junior F Dedric Lawson, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Week Nov. 26 for the second time this season, has recorded back-to-back double-doubles in his last two games and leads the Big 12 with a 10.4 rebound average. Dedric Lawson is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double as his 17.8 scoring average is sixth in the league. He also leads the team with 19 assists and 30 free throws made. Junior C Udoka Azubuike is next in scoring at 14.4 points per game and his 6.0 rebound average is second on the squad. Azubuike leads the team with 10 blocked shots and a 66.7 field goal percentage. Freshmen guards Devon Dotson (10.8 ppg, team-high-tying eight steals) and Quentin Grimes (9.0 ppg, 17 assists) round out the Kansas starters.
 
Sophomore G Marcus Garrett (6.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg) has 10 assists. Garrett, who missed the Tennessee (11/23) game due to concussion-like symptoms, had a season-high 11 points against Marquette (11/21). Other KU regulars include redshirt sophomore G Charlie Moore (3.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg), redshirt sophomore G K.J. Lawson (2.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg), freshman F David McCormack (1.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and junior F Mitch Lightfoot (2.6 ppg).
 
ABOUT STANFORD
Located in Stanford, California, with an enrollment of 16,424, Stanford is 4-3 on the season after its 79-67 win against Portland State on Nov. 28. The Cardinal are coached by former KU guard Jerod Haase, who is 37-36 in his third season at Stanford and 117-89 in his seventh season overall. Stanford has won two straight and its three losses have been to nationally-ranked North Carolina and Wisconsin and Florida, who is receiving votes in the Associated Press polls. Stanford averages 68.7 points per game. The Cardinal pull down 36.3 rebounds per contest and make 5.7 3-pointers per outing.
 
Stanford is young as all five of its projected starters are sophomores and freshmen. Sophomore F KZ Okpala leads Stanford in scoring with 16.3 points per game and his 6.0 rebound average is tied for the team lead. Freshman G Cormac Ryan is next in scoring at 10.7 points per game and he leads the Cardinal with 15 3-pointers made and is tied for the team lead with 10 steals. Ryan pulls down 4.3 rebounds per outing. Sophomore G Daejon David leads the team with 19 assists and is tied with Ryan for the team lead with 10 steals. He averages 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore F Oscar da Silva is tied with Okpala for the team lead with a 6.0 rebound average and he scores 7.1 points per outing. Freshman G Bryce Willis (4.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg) rounds out the Stanford starters.
 
Senior C Josh Sharma has started three games and averages 6.9 points per outing. Other Stanford regulars include junior F Marcus Sheffield (6.0 ppg) and freshman F Jaiden Delaire (4.4 ppg).
 
A transfer from California, Haase played three seasons at KU from 1995-97 under head coach Roy Williams. From 1999-2003, Haase was on the KU staff as director of basketball operations. He then followed Williams to North Carolina where he was an assistant coach and director of basketball operations from 2003-09. He was then an assistant coach for the Tar Heels until taking the head coaching position at UAB, where he was from 2012-16. A 1997 Academic All-American at KU, Haase, who won two conference regular-season titles (1996, 1997) as a player at Kansas, ranks 34th on the KU career scoring list with 1,264 points. Haase led KU in 3-pointers made in 1995 and 1996 and also ranks 14th in career 3-point field goals made (156) and 12th in steals (174).
 
THE SERIES
Kansas holds a 10-3 all-time series advantage against Stanford, including victories in each of the last two seasons, an 89-74 win on Dec. 3, 2016, in Allen Fieldhouse and a 75-54 win on Dec. 21, 2017, in Sacramento. This series dates back to 1932 and Kansas won the first four meetings. In 2002, in St. Louis, Kansas defeated Stanford, 86-63, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. KU would later advance to the Final Four in Atlanta.

Last season, Kansas and Stanford met at Golden1 Center in Sacramento, California, with KU winning 75-54. Jayhawk center Udoka Azubuike led all scorers with 24 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk each had 14 points. Current senior Lagerald Vick scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. KU led 47-29 at half and shot 52.5 percent from the field for the game.
 
Saturday’s game will be the third of a four-game series between Kansas and Stanford. The original agreement was for two years, concluding this season. With Stanford’s appointment of former KU guard Jerod Haase as the Cardinal head coach, the two programs agreed on an extended series that included games in 2018 and 2019. Stanford will host the Jayhawks at Maples Pavilion on Dec. 29, 2019.
 
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 6-0 for the second-straight season and sixth time in head coach Bill Self’s 16 seasons at KU … Make KU 1-0 in the month of December for the fifth-straight season … Make Kansas 11-3 all-time versus Stanford, giving KU a three-game series winning streak … Give Kansas its eighth-straight win in Allen Fieldhouse, including a 3-0 record this season … Make KU 237-13 in Allen Fieldhouse under head coach Bill Self and 776-113 all-time in the venue … Make Self 453-96 while at Kansas and 660-201 overall … Make Kansas 2,254-849 all-time.
 
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 5-1, ending a five-game winning streak … Make KU 0-1 in the month of December for the first time since the 2013-14 season … End a Kansas two-game winning streak against Stanford, making the series 10-4 in favor of the Jayhawks … End a KU seven-game winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse, making KU 3-1 at home this season … Make KU 236-14 in Allen Fieldhouse under Bill Self and 775-114 all-time in the venue … Make head coach Bill Self 451-97 while at Kansas and 658-202 overall … Make Kansas 2,253-850 all-time.
 
LAST TIME OUT
An MVP effort by junior Dedric Lawson gave the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks an 87-81 overtime win over No. 5 Tennessee in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off Nov. 23 inside Barclays Center. Lawson tallied 24 points and collected 13 rebounds en route to claiming tournament most valuable player honors. Senior guard Lagerald Vick, who added 15 points, was also named to the all-tournament team as the Jayhawks claimed their fourth NIT title.
 
Redshirt sophomore Charlie Moore made two free throws with 1:24 remaining that ended regulation at 69-69, sending the contest into overtime. Highlighted by Dedric Lawson’s seven points, KU outscored UT 18-12 in the extra period.
 
Kansas found its three redshirts, who sat out the 2017-18 season together, seeing extended time on the floor, and all contributed positively in Dedric Lawson; his brother, K.J. Lawson (eight points, six rebounds in 19 minutes); and Moore (nine points scored in 32 minutes).
Lagerald Vick continued to have the hot hand for the Jayhawks, as he collected 15 points in 43 minutes played, his fourth-straight contest in which he has scored in double-figures.
 
TENNESSEE LEFTOVERS & NOTABLES

• Kansas’ 20-3 record in the NIT Season Tip-Off marked the third-most wins in the NIT, trailing Duke’s 25 and Arizona’s 22.
• Kansas’ four NIT Season Tip-Off titles tie for the most in the event. Duke and Arizona have also won four NITs.
• The win gave the Jayhawks their 13th-straight regular-season victory over a top-10 ranked team.
• KU improved to 15-3 against Associated Press top-10 teams since the 2015-16 season.
• KU has won three-straight overtime games and is now 7-2 in its last nine OT contests. KU is 21-9 in games that go to overtime under Bill Self.
• The win gave the Jayhawks their fifth-straight in-season tournament championship, a streak which began in 2014.
• With Tennessee building a nine-point lead (45-36) with 16:06 left in regulation, Kansas has trailed by eight or more points in each of its last four games. KU went on to win each contest by six or more points.
• The Jayhawks’ 18 points in overtime were their most since also scoring 18 points in a 97-89 extra-period win over Iowa State in Lawrence on Jan. 3, 2013.
• Dedric Lawson became the third Jayhawk to be named Most Valuable Player of the NIT Season Tip-Off joining Mark Randall (1989), Richard Scott (1993) and Paul Pierce (1997).

 
TOP-10 TRIUMPHS
With its win over then-No. 5 Tennessee in the title game of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Nov. 23, Kansas extended an impressive streak. The Jayhawks’ victory marked their 13th-straight over an Associated Press top-10 opponent in regular-season play. Since the 1996-97 season, no other team in the nation has strung together more than seven regular-season wins over top-10 foes. KU’s last regular-season loss to a team ranked in the AP’s top-10 came to No. 1 Kentucky in the 2014 Champions Classic (11/18/14).
 
Even more impressive, prior to its Champions Classic loss to the Wildcats in 2014, the Jayhawks amassed a streak of seven-straight regular-season top-10 victories. This means that Kansas is an astounding 20-1 in its last 21 regular-season contests against top-10 ranked squads.
 
Since Bill Self took the reins of the Jayhawks in 2003, KU is 40-20 against top-10 teams, which includes postseason play.
 

 
 
THREE-STRAIGHT BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEKS FOR KU
Kansas redshirt junior Dedric Lawson posted back-to-back double-doubles in being named the most valuable player of the NIT Season Tip-Off and has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Nov. 26.
 
This is the second time this season Lawson has earned the honor and the third-straight week Kansas has taken home the conference player of the week. Lawson’s two weekly league honors, Nov. 12 and 26, were sandwiched by Jayhawk senior Lagerald Vick being named Nov. 19. Additionally, KU’s Quentin Grimes was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Nov. 12.
 
Lawson scored 26 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in Kansas’ 77-68 win versus Marquette (11/21) in the NIT semifinals. The Memphis native also had three assists and two blocked shots against the Golden Eagles.
 
In KU’s 87-81 overtime win against No. 5 Tennessee (11/23) in the title game, Lawson scored 24 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and had five assists. It marked the first time since 2003 a Jayhawk has posted 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. He averaged 25 points and 12.5 rebounds in Kansas’ NIT title run and in the title game against the Volunteers, Lawson scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and overtime.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Redshirt junior F Dedric Lawson is tied for the Big 12 lead with three double-doubles this season. He is tied with Brady Manek (Oklahoma) and Dylan Osetkowski (Texas). 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 39 career double-doubles tie for fourth on the NCAA Division I active list. Lawson is the only non-senior on the NCAA Division I top-10 list.
 

 
 
ONLY THREE COMBINED UNDEFEATED SCHOOLS LEFT
Through games of Nov. 27, Kansas, Maryland and Abilene Christian are the only three teams in the nation to have both their men’s and women’s basketball programs are undefeated. At Kansas, both the men’s and women’s teams are 5-0. At Maryland the men’s team is 6-0 and the women’s team is 6-0, while at Abilene Christian the men’s team is 7-0 and the women’s team is 6-0.
 
TOUGH COMPETITION
Many talk about how tough the Kansas schedule is for 2018-19. One look at KU’s nonconference opponents shows that six foes were preseason selections in their respective league races, with an additional five picked for second-place finishes.
 

 
 
VICK ON A ROLL
Kansas senior Lagerald Vick is in the midst of one of the best shooting stretches in program history. In his last four outings, the Memphis product combined for a 21-of-32 clip from 3-point range, good for 65.6 percent in that span.
 
Only one other Jayhawk in school history has hit 20 or more threes over a four-game stretch. “Downtown” Terry Brown (1989-91), connected on 20 or more treys over a string of four games on three separate occasions, once during the 1989-90 season and twice in 1990-91.
 
Vick’s 65.6 percent shooting from deep over his last four contests has not been matched by another Jayhawk. The two closest are Wayne Selden Jr. and Malik Newman. Over four games during the 2014-15 season, Selden was 16-of-25 (64 percent), and last season, Newman also hit 16-of-25 over four outings in early March.
 

 
UP NEXT
Kansas will meet Wofford for the first time in program history when the Terriers come to Lawrence on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m., on Jayhawk TV and ESPN+.
 
KU will then head down the road to Kansas City to take on New Mexico State in the Jayhawk Shootout inside Sprint Center on Saturday, Dec. 8. The contest is slated for 7:30 p.m., on ESPN2.
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