January 12, 2014

Kansas to Play at Iowa State on ESPN Big Monday in Men's Basketball

Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points to lead KU against Kansas State.

Game 16: No. 18/20 Kansas at No. 9/7 Iowa State
Time	8 p.m.
Location	Ames, Iowa
Arena	Hilton Coliseum (14,384)
Series	Kansas leads, 173-59
Television	ESPN Brent Musburger (Play-by-Play) Fran Fraschilla (Analyst) Holly Rowe (Sideline)
Radio	Jayhawk Radio Network Affiliate List Online: Jayhawk Digital Passport
Live Stats	Iowa State live stats link
Notes	Kansas Iowa State Big 12

Stats at a Glance	KU	ISU
Record	11-4, 2-0	14-1, 2-1
Rankings	No. 18/20	No. 9/7
Points/GM	79.1	86.7
Points Allowed/GM	68.7	68.8
FG%	.501	.495
Rebounds/GM	37.9	40.2
Assists/GM	15.9	18.9
Blocks/GM	6.3	2.7
Steals/GM	5.5	6.0

ESPN BIG MONDAY
No. 18/20 Kansas (11-4, 2-0) hits the road to No. 9/7 Iowa State (14-1, 2-1) for its first of four ESPN Big Monday appearances in 2013-14 on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. At 2-0, Kansas is the lone remaining undefeated team in Big 12 play after its 86-60 win versus No. 25 Kansas State Saturday in the Sunflower Showdown presented by Dillons. After opening the year 14-0, its longest winning streak in school history, Iowa State is looking to rebound from an 87-82 loss at Oklahoma Saturday. The Cyclones are the second of who will be four-straight ranked opponents for KU.

ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas averages 79.1 points per game and has a +10.4 scoring margin. The Jayhawks have outrebounded 13 of 15 opponents, including both conference contests, and hold a +6.9 rebound margin. Kansas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 50.1 percent and has shot 50 percent or better in five of its last six games, including both league outings. KU has outshot 13 of its 15 opponents in 2013-14. KU’s bench has outscored 10 opponents this season and averages 23.7 points per contest.

Following his fifth 20-point effort of the season, 22 versus Kansas State, freshman G Andrew Wiggins leads Kansas with a 15.7 scoring average, which also leads the Big 12 freshman class and is ninth overall in the conference. Wiggins is 38-of-43 (88.4 percent) from the free throw line in his last seven games. After going 3-for-4 from three-point range Saturday. He has made 17 threes this season. He leads KU with 15 steals and his 5.4 rebound average is third on the team. Sophomore F Perry Ellis is next in scoring at 13.7 points per game. He is second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 57.9 percent and has five 20-point games in 2013-14. Ellis’ 6.7 rebound average is second on the team and 13th in the Big 12. Freshman C Joel Embiid has a team-high 36 blocked shots and his 2.4 blocked shots per game average ranks second in the conference. Embiid is tied with Ellis for second on the team with 13 steals, while his 7.3 rebounds per game are a team best and ninth in the league. He is shooting 65.9 percent from the field. Embiid averages 10.5 points per game and has two double-doubles in his last four outings. Freshman G Wayne Selden Jr. is Kansas’ leading scorer in Big 12 play at 22.0 ppg after his career-high 24 points at Oklahoma (1/8) and 20 points versus Kansas State (1/11). Selden has made a team-high 20 three pointers on the season and is scoring 10.3 points per game. Junior G Naadir Tharpe is KU’s fifth starter. He scores 8.0 points per game and his 5.4 assists are third in the Big 12. Tharpe had nine assists and no turnovers against KSU and his 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the league.

Freshman G Frank Mason averages 7.1 points per game and is second on the team with 40 assists. Sophomore F Jamari Traylor leads KU with a 70.4 field goal percentage (19-for-27) and is averaging 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. Other contributors off the bench include senior F Tarik Black (3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg), freshman G Conner Frankamp (2.1 ppg), sophomore G Andrew White III (3.4 ppg), freshman G Brannen Greene (2.1 ppg) and redshirt freshman F Landen Lucas (1.5 ppg). Black eclipsed the 1,000-point scoring mark against Kansas State, and sits currently at 1,002 (three seasons at Memphis prior to Kansas).

ABOUT IOWA STATE
Located in Ames, Iowa, with an enrollment of 33,241, Iowa State opened the year 14-0 and lost its first game to Oklahoma, 87-82, Saturday in Norman. The Cyclones are coached by Fred Hoiberg who is 76-40 in his fourth season at ISU, his first head coaching stint. Iowa State entered last weekend No. 1 in the country in assists per game, currently at 18.9, and assist-to-turnover ratio, currently at 1.9. The Cyclones average 86.7 points per game for a +17.9 scoring margin, while pulling down 40.2 rebounds per game with a +2.7 rebound margin over their opponents. ISU leads the Big 12 with 8.9 three-pointers made per game and they attempt 24.9 per outing.

Senior F Melvin Ejim leads Iowa State in scoring at 18.0 points per game which is third in the Big 12. His 7.2 rebound average is second best on the team and ninth in the league. Senior G DeAndre Kane is next in scoring at 16.5 points per game. He is second for ISU and eighth in the Big 12 in rebounds with a 7.3 per game average. Kane leads the conference in assists with 6.1 per game. His 53.2 field goal percentage is second on the team. Kane has a team-high 22 steals. Sophomore G Georges Niang averages 15.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He is second on the team with 53 assists. Junior F Dustin Hogue leads the Big 12 in rebound average at 9.3 rpg to complement his 12.3 scoring average. Hogue shoots a team-best 58.0 percent from the field and has eight blocked shots. Freshman G Matt Thomas (6.8 ppg) rounds out the ISU starters. His 22 three-pointers are second most on the team.

Sophomore G Naz Long leads ISU with 32 three-pointers made. He is scoring 8.4 points per game and his 45.7 three-point field goal percentage is third in the Big 12. Freshman G Monte Morris is a regular who scores 6.3 points per game. He is third on the team with 44 assists and second with 16 steals.

THE SERIES
Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa State 173-59, dating back to 1908 and has won 16 of the last 17 meetings. ISU’s last win was Jan. 28, 2012, 72-64 in Hilton Coliseum. Kansas holds a 67-37 advantage in games played in Ames, Iowa, including a 23-19 edge in Hilton Coliseum. Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas is 29-8 against Iowa State with a 26-8 record in regular-season play and a 3-0 mark in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 19-3 all-time versus Iowa State, including 18-3 while at KU, while ISU’s Fred Hoiberg is 1-6 all-time against KU. Expect a close one as since Hoiberg’s arrival at ISU, four of the five meetings have been decided by nine points or less with two of those in overtime, both being last season’s regular-season matchups. Kansas defeated Iowa State 88-73 in the semifinals of the 2013 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City en route to the title.

KANSAS ON ESPN BIG MONDAY
Kansas will appear on ESPN’s Big Monday four times in 2014 with the Iowa State game being the first occasion. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97, Kansas is 49-16 all-time on ESPN’s Big Monday (27-1 at home, 22-15 on the road), including 30-8 under head coach Bill Self. Additionally, KU has won 20-straight Big Monday games in Allen Fieldhouse, which includes a 16-0 mark under Self.

WHAT’S TRENDING

Kansas has shot better than 60 percent from the field in a half six times this season and is 9-1 when shooting 50 percent or better in the game.
In 10 of KU’s 11 victories, the Jayhawks have scored at least 80 points.
Kansas has outrebounded 13 of its 15 opponents this season. KU has seven games with a +10 rebound advantage, including four of its last seven contests (36-22 at Oklahoma, 44-28 vs. Toledo, 39-29 vs. Georgetown and 40-30 at Florida).
KU has held all but one opponent (Duke, 51.7) under 50 percent shooting this season, while the Jayhawks have shot 50 percent or better in 10 games, including five of their last six contests and six of the last eight outings.
After shooting 7-for-10 against Kansas State, freshman G Wayne Selden, Jr. has shot 50 percent or better in six of his last nine games and is 13-for-26 (50.0 percent) from three-point range in his last six games. Selden’s eight threes in the last two games are more than any other KU player in a two-game span this season.
Freshman C Joel Embiid leads KU with three double-doubles, which is tied for seventh in the Big 12, while sophomore F Perry Ellis has two and freshman G Andrew Wiggins one.
After his 5-for-7 effort versus Kansas State (1/11), Embiid is 24-for-35 (68.6 percent) from the field in his last six games with 11.3 ppg and 8.5 rpg averages in that span. Embiid has 27 blocked shots in his last nine games. Additionally, he was 1-for-2 from three-point range versus Kansas State and is 1-for-4 for the season from beyond the arc.
Junior G Naadir Tharpe has topped the team in assists 11 times, including each of the last seven games (which includes ties). Tharpe has 17 assists and one turnover in his last three games (5-0 vs. San Diego State, 3-1 at Oklahoma and 9-0 versus Kansas State).
After his 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) effort against Kansas State (1/11), including a 3-for-4 effort from three-point range, Wiggins has shot 50 percent or better in six games. His three threes against the Wildcats were his second most this season (four at Florida). Wiggins is 45-for-52 (86.5 percent) from the free throw line in his last eight games.
Ellis was 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from the field against Kansas State (1/11) and is 12-for-20 (60 percent) in Big 12 play with 17.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg averages.
Sophomore F Jamari Traylor is 13-for-16 (81.3 percent) from the field in his last eight games. He has pulled down five or more rebounds in five games this season.

KANSAS VS. RANKED FOES UNDER BILL SELF
No. 9/7 Iowa State will be the fifth ranked team Kansas has faced in 2013-14. The Jayhawks are 2-2 against ranked foes this season having defeated then-No. 4 Duke, 94-83, in the State Farm Champions Classic on Nov. 12 at the United Center in Chicago, lost at then-No. 19 Florida, 67-61 on Dec. 10, lost to No. 21 San Diego State, 61-57 on Jan. 5 and defeated No. 25 Kansas State 86-60 on Jan. 11. Kansas has played 78 games against Associated Press-ranked opponents in the 10-plus seasons under head coach Bill Self. Last year, Kansas went 5-2 against ranked foes. Under Self, KU is 50-28 (64.1 percent) against ranked competition. That percentage has an upward trend since the 2007-08 season as the Jayhawks are 40-18 (68.9 percent) versus ranked foes.

GET TO THE LINE
In two Big 12 contests, Kansas is shooting 77.6 percent from the free throw line compared to 69.1 percent for the season. Sophomore F Perry Ellis is 10-for-12 (83.3 percent) and junior G Naadir Tharpe is 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) in conference play from the charity stripe. For the season, with a team-high 90 attempts from the charity stripe, freshman G Andrew Wiggins has the official team lead with a 76.7 free throw shooting mark (69-for-90). As of late, the rookie Jayhawk has further upped his clutch status at the line, making 38 of his last 43 free throws (88.4 percent).

SOLID START FOR SELDEN IN BIG 12 PLAY
Kansas freshman G Wayne Selden, Jr., is second in the Big 12 in conference games, scoring 22.0 points per contest. He opened league play with a career-high 24 points, including five three-pointers in KU’s win at Oklahoma. The Roxbury, Mass., native then put up his second 20-point effort of the season against Kansas State (1/11). It marked the first back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts of the season for Selden and the first back-to-back 20-point scoring outings by a Jayhawk since Ben McLemore turned the trick last season with 23 points at Baylor in the regular-season finale and 24 points versus Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship.

UP NEXT
Kansas and No. 11/12 Oklahoma State were co-preseason Big 12 favorites and the Cowboys will come to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 3 p.m. on CBS. Two days later, Kansas will host No. 7/9 Baylor on ESPN Big Monday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. KU will play at TCU on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

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