Pool D Battle of the Unbeaten When USA Faces Serbia
Pool D Battle of the Unbeaten at Universiade Gwangju 2015
The USA National Team (3-0) for the World University Games, consisting mainly of the Kansas men’s basketball student-athletes and staff, will face Serbia (3-0) in the two teams’ fourth game of Pool D on Wednesday, July 8, at noon local time which is 10 p.m. on July 7 in Kansas, at Dongkang College Gymnasium. The USA-Serbia contest will be televised on ESPNU and the Watch ESPN app.
USA improved to 3-0 with a 106-41 victory against Chile on July 7. The Americans defeated Turkey in their opening round, 66-57, on July 4, and Brazil, 81-72, in their second round on July 5. Serbia has defeated Switzerland (58-41) on July 4, Chile (69-43) the following day and Turkey (61-43) on July 7 to get to 3-0 in pool play.
Pool D Update
The USA and Serbia stand atop Pool D at 3-0. Brazil is third at 2-1, while Turkey is 1-2 and Chile and Switzerland are 0-3. The top two of six teams from each of the four pools will play in the medal bracket in the World University Games. The second two play in the 9-16 bracket and the bottom two in the 17-24 bracket
USA Update
Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., has led USA in scoring in two of the three games with 19 points in the win against Turkey (7/4) and 23 versus Brazil (7/5). Selden, who is scoring 20.0 points per contest, has made a team-best eight three-pointers, one more than guard Nic Moore who has seven, including five against Chile (7/6). Selden is second on the team in rebounds per game with a 6.7 average. Frank Mason III is coming off a team-high 23 points against Chile. He is second on the team with a 16.7 ppg and leads the squad with 12 assists. His seven steals through three games are tied with Selden for the team lead. Forward Perry Ellis paces the USA team in rebounds with 7.0 per game. He is scoring 11.7 points per contest. Forward Hunter Mickelson is averaging 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds, while Moore is scoring 8.0 points and has five steals.
As a team, USA is controlling the boards outrebounding Turkey by one (37-36), Brazil by 23 (50-27) and Chile by 24 (52-28). Additionally, the USA squad is outshooting its opponents 45.6 percent to 33.9 and making 72.1 percent of its free throws through two contests.
Chile Capsule
Behind 23 points from guard Frank Mason III, the USA men’s basketball team jumped all over Chile from the start in posting a 106-41 win at Muan Indoor Gymnasium in Jeolinamdo, Korea. The facility is located about hour west of Gwangju, the host city for the Games.
Guard Nic Moore recorded two of his four first-half three-pointers within the first three minutes of the game. Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., sandwiched another three-pointer between Moore’s two to give the Americans a 9-2 lead. On USA’s next possession, Perry Ellis made a lay-in and then Carlton Bragg, Jr., hit a jumper to pile onto the Americans’ quick start, 13-2. USA led 22-11 at the end of the first quarter. Bragg, without his mask worn from a broken nose suffered in practice, started the game for USA.
Selden ended the contest with 18 points, while forward Hunter Mickelson scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Moore had 15 points, all from three-point range. Ellis had nine points and eight rebounds, while forward Landen Lucas led all rebounders with 14 boards to go along with six points. All-in-all, 11 of the 12 USA players reached the scoring column for the contest.
Brazil Summary
For consecutive games, guard Wayne Selden, Jr. put up All-American numbers as he led USA to an 81-72 victory over Brazil in its second contest of the World University Games July 5 at Dongkang College Gymnasium in Gwangju, Korea.
Selden scored team-high 19 points in the July 4 win against Turkey and poured in a USA-best 23 points the following day against Brazil. But Selden will be the first to tell you it wasn’t all him. Point guard Frank Mason III recorded 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and once again orchestrated the USA squad to victory. Forward Hunter Mickelson showed a lot of hustle in scoring 11 points and pulling down eight rebounds, while forward Jamari Traylor was his usual high-motor self in scoring 10 points in the win.
Brazil led 13-12 after one quarter but the USA team outscored the Brazilians 28-15 in the second period. The USA squad took a 24-23 lead midway through second quarter and never relinquished the lead the remainder of the game. Twice, in the third and fourth quarters, the USA built a 16-point advantage and the closest Brazil would get would be seven. The Americans dominated the boards outrebounding the Brazilians 50-27 for the game.
Turkey Wrap Up
Wayne Selden, Jr., led all scorers with 19 points to lead USA to a 66-57 win against Turkey on July 4, at Dongkang College Gymnasium in its opening round of Pool D competition. Selden just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, which also led both teams for the game. Forward Perry Ellis scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds, while guard Frank Mason III added 12 points and four assists. Guard Nic Moore had nine points, which included two three-pointers.
As a team, the USA team outscored Turkey 38-18 in points in the paint and 18-9 in points off turnovers. Turkey controlled the first five-plus minutes of the contest, building an 18-7 lead but the USA squad fought back to tie the game at 23 and went on a 12-2 run to start the second half en route to the victory.
Four USA Pool Games and Medal Bracket Play to be Shown on ESPNU
ESPNU and ESPN3 will have more than 100 hours of coverage of the World University Games from July 3 through July 14 from Gwangju, Korea, with an emphasis on Team USA Men’s and Women’s Basketball. ESPNU have and will televise the Team USA Men’s Basketball pool play games on July 3, 5, 7, and 8. Should Team USA advance out of the pool play, ESPNU will televise their quarterfinal game (July 11), semifinal game (July 12), and Gold Medal game (July 13). Danny Lee and Kevin Lehman will call the action.
What’s Ahead
Following the Serbia contest, the USA Team will conclude Pool D play against Switzerland on Thursday, July 9, at 10 a.m., 8 p.m. in Kansas, at Dongkang College Gymnasium. The game will be televise on ESPNU and the Watch ESPN app.
Bracket play for the World University Games begins Saturday, July 10 and lasts through Monday, July 13. There are four pools of six teams each and, following pool competition, the teams will be seeded for bracket play with the top two teams from each pool battling for a medal. Teams who finish third and fourth in their pool will participate in a consolation bracket, while the remaining teams that finish fifth and sixth in their pool will play in a third bracket. Each team is guaranteed to play at least eight games throughout the entire World University Games.
How this Happened
In April 2014, the Kansas basketball team was selected by the United States International University Sports Federation (US-IUSF) to represent the United States in the World University Games. Kansas was selected as the team to represent the U.S. from the schools that expressed interest.
With more than 150 countries competing in 21 sports, the World University Games are held every two years and are governed by the International University Sports Federation. Only current university student-athletes or recent graduates, born between Jan. 1, 1990, and Dec. 31, 1997, are eligible for the 2015 Games. For Kansas’ participation, only U.S. citizens can compete and incoming freshmen and transfers qualify. The Kansas travel party, consisting of 12 competitors and 11 staff (23 total), will leave Lawrence June 28 and live in the athlete village throughout the Games.
This is the second time a college team will compete in the World University Games. In 2007, the University of Northern Iowa participated and finished ninth in Bangkok, Thailand.
Historically
The World University Games are held every other year and are organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The World University Games is a multi-sport competition open to men and women who are between the ages of 17 and 24, and are or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university.
The World University Games began in 1965 in Budapest, Hungary, with the United States men’s basketball team posting a 9-0 record in winning the gold medal. The USA has won 13 gold medals with its last in 2005 and its 19 total medals are more than any other country.
Eighteen players who have represented the USA in the World University Games have gone on to compete in the Olympic Games, including KU’s Jo Jo White, who won gold for the USA at the 1967 World University Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Seven other Jayhawks besides White have competed in the World University Games, the last being Jerod Haase, who won gold for the USA in 1995. Other KU players who have competed for the U.S. in the World University Games include: Dave Robisch in 1970 (silver), Greg Dreiling and Ron Kellogg in 1985 (silver), Mark Randall in 1989 (gold), Adonis Jordan in 1991 (gold) and Richard Scott in 1993 (gold). Additionally, former KU coach Roy Williams was an assistant coach in the 1991 World University Games, and KU Head Team Physician, Dr. Larry Magee, was the USA physician in 1995 and is with the USA squad this trip.
About the National Team
The USA National Team for the upcoming World University Games (WUG), July 3-14 in Gwangju, Korea, continued preparation for the event when the student-athletes returned to Lawrence for summer school June 7. The national team is coached by Bill Self, who has guided Kansas to an unprecedented 11-straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles (2005-15) and two Final Fours as the Jayhawks are the winningest program in NCAA Division I since the 2006-07 season, averaging 31.1 wins in that span with an 83.8 winning percentage. In 12 seasons at Kansas, Self is 352-78 (81.9 percent), averaging 29.3 wins per year. Overall, Self has a 559-183 (75.3 percent) record in his 22nd seasons as a head coach.
Forward Perry Ellis is one of four returning all-conference performers from 2014-15 and headlines the USA National Team roster. A Wichita, Kansas native, Ellis was an All-Big 12 First Team selection last season, leading Kansas in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). He was also named to the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 First Team and the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Guard Frank Mason III, from Petersburg, Virginia, was an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree who was second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game and led Kansas with 142 assists and 50 steals in 2014-15. Mason’s 42.9 percent shooting from three-point range was best on the KU team last season. Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., from Roxbury, Massachusetts, was a 2015 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection who led Kansas with 46 three-pointers made last year as he averaged 9.4 points per contest.
The only non-Jayhawks on the roster are SMU guard Nic Moore and Florida Gulf Coast guard Julian DeBose, who replaced Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham who suffered an injury which will not allow him to compete in the games. Moore was the 2015 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and led SMU in scoring (14.5 ppg), assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.3 spg) last season. The Winona Lake, Indiana all-conference first-team selection led the Mustangs to their first conference regular-season title since 1993. DeBose, who joined the team June 20, averaged 11.9 points and 3.9 rebounds for FGCU last year under former KU assistant coach Joe Dooley.
Ellis, forwards Jamari Traylor (4.8 points, 3.7 rebounds in 2014-15) and Landen Lucas (3.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and guards Evan Manning and Tyler Self have international experience heading to Gwangju as they competed in Kansas’ four exhibition games in Switzerland and France in August 2012. Lucas and forward Hunter Mickelson (2.4 ppg, 19 blocked shots in 2014-15) spent August 2014 playing internationally as Lucas played for the Athletes in Action touring Estonia and Latvia and Mickelson was a member of Guy Rancourt’s USA East Coast Basketball Team in the 2014 Four Nations Cup in Estonia and Finland.
Expect newcomers Carlton Bragg, Jr. and Lagerald Vick to be key contributors for the World University Games. Bragg, who broke his nose in USA’s second practice in Gwangju and may play in the WUG, is a power forward who was a McDonald’s All-American last year, while Vick is an explosive guard with great range shooting.
Timing Format for FIBA
Timeouts (source: FIBA Rule Chart):
2 x 60 seconds in the first 2 quarters
3 x 60 seconds in the last 2 quarters – can only use 2 in the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half.
Cannot buy an extra time out.
Requested at score table by Coach or Assistant.
If your team is scored upon, T.O. may be called.
After successful free throw, either team may call T.O.
Teams stay in huddle for 50 seconds.
Not allowed between free throws.
They do not carry over from one half to the next.
1 x 60 second time out allotted for an overtime period.
Opportunity ends when the ball is in the thrower in’s hands.
No time out for scoring team when the clock is under 2:00 of the 4th quarter unless an official has stopped the game.
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