No. 3/2 Kansas closes out exhibition play hosting Hornets Sunday

Notes: Kansas Game Notes (.pdf);  Emporia State Game Notes (.pdf)
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Kansas continues Exhibition Play
After a 92-74 win against Washburn on Nov. 1, No. 2 Kansas continues 2016-17 exhibition play when it hosts Emporia State Sunday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be televised on Jayhawk Television Network and can also be seen via the internet by fans outside of Kansas by visiting KUAthletics.com/ESPN3. For more information on accessing Kansas video content, visit KUAthletics.com/TV. Kansas is 78-9 in exhibition contests, including 46-2 under head coach Bill Self. This will be the second exhibition game of the season for both Kansas and Emporia State.
 
Washburn Recap
On a sweltering night inside Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas senior G Frank Mason III nearly had a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in KU’s 92-74 win against Washburn, Nov. 1.
 
Four Jayhawks reached double figures with junior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (16), freshman G Josh Jackson (14) and senior C Landen Lucas (10) joining Mason’s 12 points for the evening. Mason led all rebounders with his 10 boards, while freshman F Mitch Lightfoot pulled down seven for the Jayhawks.
 
For the game, Kansas shot 54.2 percent to Washburn’s 38.4 percent. The Ichabods outrebounded the Jayhawks, 45-44, for the contest.
 
About Kansas
Kansas returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last season’s 33-5 team which went 15-3 in Big 12 play, winning its unprecedented 12th-straight, 16th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 59th overall conference regular-season championships. KU also won the 2015 Maui Invitational and 2016 Big 12 Championship titles and was the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament where it advanced to the Elite Eight. Additionally, Kansas head coach Bill Self was named the national coach of the year for the third time in his career reaping Associated Press (AP) and National Association of Basketball Coaches accolades in 2015-16. Self was also the 2016 Big 12 Coach of the Year by the AP, earning the conference honor for the seventh time.
 
Senior G Frank Mason III and junior G Devonte’ Graham return in the backcourt as starters, as does senior F Landen Lucas. All three earned All-Big 12 recognition last season with Mason garnering All-Big 12 Second Team for the second-straight season. Graham and Lucas were all-conference honorable mention in 2015-16. Mason and Graham were also named to the five-person the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.
 
Mason is Kansas’ leading returning scorer at 12.9 points per game, which ranked 12th in the Big 12 and is the second-highest returning scorer in the league for 2016-17. He led KU in assists at 4.6, which was fourth in the conference. Graham averaged 11.3 points per game and was the team leader in steals with 1.4 per contest. Lucas, who scored 5.8 points per game, started 19 of KU’s final 20 games and led the Jayhawks in rebounds at 6.8 per outing, which was seventh in the conference and is the second leading returner in the league for this year.
 
Sophomore F Carlton Bragg Jr., should play more of a key role this upcoming season. Bragg, who averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, played in all 38 games for KU in 2015-16 in a backup role to Jayhawk All-American Perry Ellis. Other key returnees for Kansas in 2016-17 include junior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (5.4 ppg, 37 3-pointers) and sophomore G Lagerald Vick (2.1 ppg). Junior F Dwight Coleby will also add depth to the inside. Coleby sat out last year after transferring from Ole Miss. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game his sophomore for the Rebels in 2014-15.
 
Led by No. 1 overall recruit Josh Jackson, Kansas’ newcomers rank as one of the highest recruiting classes in the nation entering 2016-17. Joining Jackson in the rookie class are center Udoka Azubuike and forward Mitch Lightfoot. Those three will be eligible this season. Two other newcomers – sophomore G Malik Newman (Mississippi State) and junior C Evan Maxwell (Liberty) – will practice with KU but will sit out the upcoming season due to transfer rules.
 
Jackson is the third overall No. 1 recruit to play at Kansas since 2010-11, joining Josh Selby (2010-11) and Andrew Wiggins (2013-14). Jackson and Azubuike were McDonald’s All-Americans last season as Azubuike was ranked No. 22 in the final ESPN100 rankings. Look for both to contribute immediately, while Lightfoot, the 2016 Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, will also be a spark in the big man rotation.
 
About Emporia State
Located in Emporia, Kansas, with an enrollment of 6,094, Emporia State opened exhibition play with a 94-44 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 4. ESU had 30 turnovers in the game and trailed 49-16 at halftime. The Hornets went 13-16 last season and placed 10th in the 14-team Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) with a 10-12 league record. The Hornets are coached by former Colorado standout Shaun Vandiver who is 65-77 in five seasons at ESU. Emporia State was selected to finish 11th in the MIAA Preseason coaches’ poll.
 
Emporia State has a veteran team that includes five seniors. Senior F Josh Pedersen started the final nine games of last season and averaged 6.1 points per contest. Senior G Jay Temaat made a team-best 39 3-pointers last season and scored 5.4 points per game. Senior G Jevon Taylor (3.8 pgg, 28 3-pointers) also returns as do fellow senior starters Terrence Sardin (1.8 ppg) and Tyler Jordan (1.9 ppg). Sophomore G Brandon Hall is the team’s leading returning scorer at 8.7 points per game. Junior C Bradley Fisher (1.2 ppg) wraps up the returning starters, having started 10 of the 18 games he appeared in last year.
 
The Series
Kansas leads the overall series with Emporia State, 20-3, which includes a 7-0 record in exhibition play. The series dates back to 1904 with the Hornets winning the first meeting in Emporia. ESU’s three wins came in 1904, 1916 and 1947. Since 1992, Kansas has won 10 straight in the series with all of those meetings in Allen Fieldhouse.
 
Exhibition Notables
• Kansas has scored 100-plus points in 26 exhibition games, including 10 under Bill Self.
• Kansas has won 45-straight exhibition contests in Allen Fieldhouse. The last home loss in exhibition play was 93-82 to Australia on Nov. 29, 1993.
 
In the Polls
Kansas enters the 2016-17 season No. 2 in the USA TODAY Coaches’ Poll released Oct. 20 and No. 3 in the Associated Press poll released Oct. 31.
 
In the coaches’ poll, this is the highest ranking for the Jayhawks since KU was preseason No. 1 in 2009-10. Kansas is ranked in the preseason for the 25th time in time in the 28-year history of the poll. The No 2 ranking marks the sixth time KU has been preseason No. 2 or higher in the coaches’ poll.
 
KU will face two nationally-ranked teams in its first two regular-season games of the 2016-17 season. The Jayhawks will play No. 12 Indiana on Nov. 11, in the State Farm Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu and will then play No. 1 Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic, Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
 
Last season Kansas tied its previous season’s record by facing 16 ranked foes. The Jayhawks’ 12 wins against ranked teams was an all-time season high.
In 2015-16 Kansas opened the year No. 5 in the preseason coaches’ poll and ended No. 3.
 
The AP ranking marks the highest preseason rank for the Jayhawks since entering the 2009-10 season No. 1.
This is the fourth-straight season KU has been ranked No. 5 or higher by the AP. KU was No. 4 last season in the AP preseason poll and No. 5 in 2014-15 and 2013-14. It is also the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Jayhawks have entered the season No. 7 or higher by the AP.
 
Under Self, this is the 11th time that Kansas enters the season ranked seventh or higher in the AP preseason poll and historically, the No. 3 ranking marks the 19th time since the 1992-93 season that Kansas will enter the season seventh or higher.
 
Last season, KU entered the year No. 4 nationally in the Associated Press poll and ended at No. 1. The AP’s final poll is released prior to the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks were ranked in the top 10 every week during the 2015-16 season.
 
Kansas has been ranked in each of the last 143 polls dating back to the 2008-09 season, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.
 
Kansas, adidas reveal commemorative Armed Forces Classic jersey
On Nov. 1, adidas and Kansas Athletics unveiled basketball uniforms the Jayhawks will wear during the fifth annual Armed Forces Classic near Pearl Harbor  on Nov. 11, honoring America’s bravest on Veterans Day. The uniforms pay homage to the stars of the American flag while upholding the aesthetics of one of college basketball’s most iconic programs.
 
To commemorate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the back of the jerseys display an emblem featuring “REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR” alongside two anchors, an eagle and a star, which take inspiration from Navy medals and accolades.
 
The Armed Forces Classic uniforms display a digital camouflage pattern inspired by military fatigues. Bold contrasting is present along the jersey collar and waistband, using white terrycloth material for sweat management and optimal performance during the game’s critical moments.
 
The Jayhawks will don an all-blue uniform featuring white stars mirroring the American flag along the side. The iconic elements of the five-time national championship winning program are highlighted with customary white name, numbering and KU logo. The names of each player will be replaced on the backs of the game jerseys with the word “Honor” to commemorate those who fought in Pearl Harbor.
 
The Jayhawks will lace up adidas’ latest basketball footwear, stylized in a special Veteran’s Day colorway that evokes the spirit of the armed forces. Drawing inspiration from the footwear worn by elite forces of the U.S. military, primarily black and grey camouflage top off the homage instilled by the uniforms.
 
Up Next
Kansas will open the regular season in Honolulu when is plays No. 11/12 Indiana on Nov. 11 in the State Farm Armed Forces Classic. The game will begin at 8 p.m. (Central) and will be televised on ESPN. The Jayhawks will then fly to New York City to play No. 1 Duke in the State Farms Champions Classic, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The contest will be played in historic Madison Square Garden.