🏀 No. 14 Kansas to Host Kansas State Tuesday in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 14 Kansas (21-8, 9-7 Big 12) concludes the home portion of the 2023-24 regular season when it plays host to Kansas State (17-12, 7-9) on Tuesday, March 5, in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. The KU Senior Night tip from Allen Fieldhouse will be at 8 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Beginning in 1983-84 under head coach Larry Brown, Kansas has not lost its final home game of the season.

Kansas is looking to bounce back from an 82-74 loss at No. 15 Baylor on March 2. KU is 14-1 at home this season. KU is 121-19 following a loss in the Bill Self era, including 6-1 this season. Kansas State had its two-game winning streak snapped with a 74-72 loss at Cincinnati on March 2 in its last outing.

Kansas leads the overall series with Kansas State, 201-96, including a 52-18 record in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas’ 201 wins against K-State are the most of any one team against another in NCAA history.

Kansas’ NET strength of schedule is No. 1 in the nation through games of March 3. With a NET of No. 18, seven of Kansas’ eight losses this season have been versus Quadrant 1 teams. KU is 7-7 against Q1 teams.

Kansas enters Tuesday’s matchup averaging 76.6 points per game with a plus-8.2 scoring margin. The Jayhawks pull down 35.9 rebounds per outing with a plus-2.9 rebound margin. Kansas leads the nation in assists per game at 19.5. KU leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally in field goal percentage at 49.9%. KU also averages 7.4 steals and 3.7 blocked shots per contest.

Named to most every national player of the year late watch list, graduate G Kevin McCullar Jr. leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.1 points per game, which is 54th nationally. His two triple-doubles are the third most in the NCAA. McCullar is second on the KU team with 37 three-point field goals made. His 6.4 rebounds per game are second on the team and he ranks in 11 Big 12 statistical categories.

A six-time Big 12 weekly award winner and also on most every national player of the year list, senior C Hunter Dickinson leads the Big 12 and is ninth nationally in rebounds per game at 10.7. He recorded his 15th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds against BYU (2/27) and his 15 double-doubles lead the Big 12 and are 11th nationally. With an 18.3 ppg, which is second in the Big 12 behind McCullar, Dickinson is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double. He also leads the Big 12 with 14 games of 20-plus points. Dickinson leads KU with 37 blocked shots and has 28 steals.

Junior F KJ Adams Jr. continues to lead the Big 12 and is 22nd nationally in field goal percentage at 60.5%. Adams is averaging 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He has 95 assists in 2023-24, including 33 in his last nine contests.

Named a Bob Cousy Award top-10 candidate, redshirt-senior G Dajuan Harris Jr. is second in the Big 12 with 6.6 assists per game, which is eighth nationally, and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0), which is 23rd nationally. Harris averages 8.5 points per contest and has a team-high 45 steals.

Freshman G Johnny Furphy (9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is averaging 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in Big 12 play. He has started the last 14 games for KU and leads KU with 38 threes made this season.

Other KU regulars include graduate G Nicolas Timberlake (4.2 ppg, 20 3FGs, four starts), freshman G Elmarko Jackson (4.2 ppg, 52 assists, 22 steals, 16 starts), graduate F Parker Braun (2.3 ppg, 19 blocked shots) and freshman G Jamari McDowell (1.7 ppg).

UP NEXT
Kansas concludes the 2023-24 regular season at No. 1 Houston on Saturday, March 9. Tip from the Fertitta Center is set for 5 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Kansas leads the overall series with Houston, 6-2, including a 78-65 win on Feb. 3, 2024 in Allen Fieldhouse earlier this season.