🏀 No. 20 Kansas Heads to Nebraska to Close Non-Conference Play

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 20 Kansas Jayhawks will close out the non-conference portion of the 2022-23 season on Wednesday evening by facing the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big Ten Network+ and Nebraska Public Media, with Ana Bellinghausen and Kara Graham on the call. Jayhawk fans can also listen to the game on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis calling the action.

Led by Big 12 Player of the Week Zakiyah Franklin, the Jayhawks improved to 10-0 with an 81-62 victory over Tulsa on Friday evening at Allen Fieldhouse. Franklin matched her career-high with 26 points and helped the Jayhawks overcome a halftime deficit for the first time this season. The Jayhawks are now 10-0 for the fourth time in program history.

Following the win over Tulsa, Kansas moved up two spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, coming in at No. 20 this week. The Jayhawks moved into the rankings at on Dec. 12 for the first time since 2013, entering at No. 22.

KU is now 10-0 for the fourth time in school history and the second time under coach Brandon Schneider, who led the Jayhawks to an 11-0 start to the 2019-20 season. Kansas has won its last eight games by an average of 26.5 points per game, with seven of those eight wins by 20+ points. Kansas is one of 10 remaining unbeaten programs in Division I Women’s Basketball and the lone team from the Big 12 Conference with an unblemished record.

Nebraska enters Wednesday’s matchup with a 9-3 record and winners of four straight games, including a 90-67 win at No. 20 Maryland on Dec. 4. Kansas will be the fourth ranked team to face the Cornhuskers this season, and the third to enter the game ranked No. 20. Nebraska is Kansas’ third-most played rival in women’s basketball, with 83 meetings between the two programs dating back to the 1974-75 season. Kansas leads the all-time series 50-33, but the Jayhawks are 1-2 against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers departed the Big 12 Conference in 2012.

Senior guard Zakiyah Franklin became the first Jayhawk since 2019 to be named the Big 12 Player of the Week when she earned the honor from the conference on Monday. Franklin tied her career-high with 26 points in the win over Tulsa and moved into 25th on KU’s all-time scoring list in the game. She has now scored in double figures in seven-straight games and ranks second on the team with 14.6 points per game.

Ioanna Chatzileonti and Taiyanna Jackson both recorded double-doubles against Tulsa. Chatzileonti finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds – both season-highs – as she secured her first double-double of the season, while Jackson had 17 points and 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year and 10th as a Jayhawk. Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+22.8) and field goal percentage defense (32.5) while ranking second in rebounding margin (+10.5) and blocked shots (51).

Up Next
Kansas opens Big 12 Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 31, as the Jayhawks head to Oklahoma State in the final game of 2022. That game will tip off at 4 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Big 12 NOW.