🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@approx Tried all of the things you mentioned.

@JayHawkFanToo

I logged out and logged back in and still can't edit anything.

@approx Hey, I was was not able to edit this. Somehow the numbering is off.

• list itemFrom NBC SportsTalk

In a new series here on College Basketball Talk, every Thursday we’re going to have a discussion about some of the hot topics in college basketball. Today’s installment? National title contenders. Are Louisville, Kentucky and Michigan State still on that list? Where do Arizona and Syracuse fall in the equation? What about Kansas and Oklahoma State?

One guy's comment:

Rob Dauster:

But I’l tell you what: I think we may be sleeping on Kansas. You guys can laugh at me if you want, but I don’t think there is a front line in the country that is nearly as good as the combination of Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Perry Ellis and Tarik Black. The Jayhawks still need to find consistent back court play, especially out of Naadir Tharpe, but those big guys have the potential to be utterly terrifying in three months.

And from Conference Catchups - Kansas Doesn't Lack for Challengers in Big 12:

Favorite: Kansas Jayhawks

A team that has three losses remains the favorite to win the league? Yes, and there are two reasons why. First, Bill Self’s young Jayhawks have been tested more than any team in the country to date, as according to the computers they’ve faced the toughest schedule in the country. Secondly, as this group dominated by freshmen and sophomores get more comfortable with each other and what Self wants done they’re only going to get better (especially Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins). Kansas’ hands will be full given how tough the Big 12 is, but how can you bet against the program that has won at least a share of the last nine regular season conference titles?

But then further down in the article there is this:

Most Disappointing Team: Kansas Jayhawks

This one’s tough, especially when considering just how tough of a schedule the Jayhawks have played to this point. But there have been issues, most notably the question mark at point guard. It looks as if Naadir Tharpe’s taken the strides needed to lead the way for the Jayhawks in Big 12 play, and if that remains the case the Jayhawks will be better for it. Another key for Kansas moving forward: Tarik Black has to snap out of his three-plus year habit of landing in foul trouble. He avoided that against Georgetown, and his presence on the floor made a big difference.

Most Important Player (in league play): PG Naadir Tharpe (Kansas)

Oklahoma State has Marcus Smart, Iowa State had DeAndre Kane and Baylor has Kenny Chery. Those are three strong point guards to contend with when looking to win the Big 12, which means that Tharpe will need to continue to take steps in the right direction. Over his last three games the junior has 18 assists and eight turnovers, and if he can get that ratio closer to 3-to-1 Kansas will be better for it.

Finally:

New Power Rankings

1. Kansas

2. Oklahoma State

3. Iowa State

4. Baylor

5. Oklahoma

6. Kansas State

7. Texas

8. West Virginia

9. Texas Tech

10. TCU

What great imagination! Chuckled at the very thought of such conversations between them. Thanks.

@Kip_McSmithers I know I saw the glaring error in the "12th year in a row". It came from the Bleacher Report.

Jayhawks Still Big 12 Favorites Despite Slow Start

By R. Cory Smith (Bleacher Report) (Analyst) on December 23, 2013

The Kansas Jayhawks started the season with hopes of contending for another national championship during the Bill Self era. But after a few early season hiccups, the Jayhawks have looked like a team that is struggling to find its identity through the first 11 games.

Those early bumps in the road for elite teams like Kansas are just that and typically nothing more. With just two games remaining before starting the Big 12 slate against an Oklahoma team that has lost just one game all season to Michigan State, here are the ways Kansas can still turn the season around and win the Big 12 title for the 12th year in a row.

Getting Talent to Work Together

Kansas has the talent to win a Big 12 title. It also has the talent to win a national championship. But if said talent doesn't mesh, winning at the highest level is next to impossible.

What Bill Self has done at Kansas is remarkable, but even he admitted that his teams for whatever reason tend to improve after December, according to Matt Tait of KUSports.com:

"We've always gotten better over Christmas. Last year was the one year we didn't."

In their last two wins, the Jayhawks have appeared to spread the ball around more and have scored more than 80 points against both Georgetown and New Mexico as a result. Against Georgetown, Kansas had four players—Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Naadir Tharpe and Tarik Black—post 10 or more points.

Even with Perry Ellis suffering a bruised nerve in his neck, Kansas' other prolific scorers were able to carry the team. In fact, Embiid's standout performance had Jay Bilas talking all sorts of nonsense on Twitter about the freshman:

Jay Bilas ✔ @JayBilas

If stock is being sold in Joel Embiid's future, I want to buy some. That kid is ridonkulously talented. Dare I say, upside?!
4:55 PM - 21 Dec 2013

472 Retweets 410 favorites

But playing as a team means more than just spreading around the points, it also leads to teams playing better defense. Against Georgetown, Kansas held the Hoyas to a .407 shooting percentage and forced them to shoot just 4-of-15 from three-point range (.267).

With consistency at the point guard position with Naadir Tharpe returning to form—Self said he needs him to be "the quarterback" of the team in Tait's article—the Jayhawks might be able to get back to playing Self's style of basketball.

For Kansas to get back to its old ways, it will also need to find a way to stop teams on the road.

Reversing Road Woes

Kansas has played just two actual road games early in the season and has lost both. The first loss to Colorado was shocking, but the Buffaloes have proven early in the season to be formidable foes for any team. The second came just three days later against a Florida team that now ranks 13th in the nation.

Needless to say, those are acceptable losses for a young team early in the season. But in order to turn around their season, the Jayhawks will need to learn quickly how to get road wins.

Kansas starts its Big 12 schedule with two early road games against the aforementioned Sooners and an Iowa State team that is currently ranked 14th in the country. Following the loss to the Gators, Self spoke about what his team needed to do to improve on the road to Mark Long of the Associated Press:

"We made a couple of shots and played pretty well the first four or five minutes. But we were awful after that. ... That was not a good team playing there at all, and when things started to go bad, we didn't do anything to stop it. That was frustrating."

For the Jayhawks to heed their coaches' advice, they will need to learn to not give up on the road. One of the biggest tendencies for young players is to take plays off, which is something experienced teams feast on.

If Kansas continues to allow teams to take over games on the road, it will get the same results and could be looking up at teams like Oklahoma State and Baylor at the end of the season.

I think everyone on the boards has said most of the same things this article lays out.

! ↗

Kansas' Andrew Wiggins Hangs out Backstage with Kanye West ↗

Wiggins hangs out with Kanye West while home over the holidays.

@wrwlumpy Living in Austin I was at the game last year (and every game played here in the last 10 years) when there were a good many KU fans and that helped in their comeback. We were louder than UT fans at times. I see the same thing happening this year if not more fans. UT has had dismal showing of fans (until Mich. State). They are advertising $5 tickets for their game next Monday, which is also the Alamo Bowl with UT/Oregon. The thing about UT is that Barnes is not really a game day coach and ALWAYS subs out the one or two guys that are doing something to put in his pet - this year that pet is Javan Felix. We have the bench this year to get past a lot of those that get themselves in foul trouble.

@jaybate 1.0 I have that one on my Nook but my computers show the big red K.

Black was the Big 12 Newcomer of the week and only needs 6 points to reach 1,000. He will get that and more hopefully next Monday vs Toledo.

Couldn't have a better Christmas present than to have a post by Jaybate.

(clap)

I raise my (beer) to you.

That strength of schedule will be what gets us far in conference play. The rest of the conference has to be worried about Joel, Tarik and Perry, not to mention they are always going to have to plan for Andrew. Throw in Jamari, Landen, Brannen, Frank and Conner and our bench strength is far above any of the others. OK State and Iowa State haven't played the type of schedule we have and I have watched a couple of each of their games. While they have won, the inferior teams they've been up against haven't pushed them to learning what we have fought through. I believe the amount of weight Coach puts on conference play and keeping the string alive will be a great motivator for the whole squad.

" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2013-12-19/kansas-we-have-heard-on-high-happy-holidays-jayhawks-hoops-fans) ↗

Done by Sporting News

KANSAS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

(Sung to the tune of Angels We Have Heard on High)

Kansas we have heard on high

Dominating the Big 12

And Marcus Smart in reply

Blocks out this next refrain

Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too

Bill Self we get your jubilee

What nine straight league titles do for thee

Even though you don't have Missouri

To beat cuz they're now SEC

Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too

Joel's dad came from Cameroon to see

His son play ball already

Joel's free throws do need work

But the rest of his game has its perks

Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too

Self's frontcourt stands 6-8 and above

But don't forget Selden, Mase or Tharpe

His starting 5 we may see

In Dallas' house of Jerry

Joel Embiid in the Jayhawks frontcourt

Joel Embiid with Wiggins and Perry Ellis too

[

Merry Christmas to all KU Fans.
RockChalk

Same thing occurred in the Texas Michigan State game. Tim Brando was so up Izzo's arse before the game it was sickening. Greg Anthony too. When Texas led at halftime and was leading into the second half they couldn't find anything to talk about Texas except all the players who left last year and Barnes not getting to the tournament last year. I turned the volume down and listened to play by play by UT guys.

@approxinfinity What am I doing wrong? I can never get it right. Is it the [! that I am missing? I clicked on the "link" chain above and then put the url in. Help me so you don't always have to fix it for me.

Thanks.

![This is the alternate text and doesn't really matter ↗](

Battle Atlantis

![This is the alternate text and doesn't really matter ↗](

Brings back lots of memories.

LeBron James Gets in Mario Chalmers' Face During Timeout (From Bleacher Report)

link texthttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/1894512-lebron-james-gets-in-mario-chalmers-face-during-timeout?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=kansas-jayhawks-basketball ↗

Members of the Miami Heat lost their cool on Wednesday night in a game against the Indiana Pacers. LeBron James and Mario Chalmers had to be separated during a timeout.

However, James took responsibility for the spat and was spotted telling Chalmers that it was his bad:

UPDATE: Thursday, December 19, 10:30 a.m. ET

James and Chalmers took to Twitter after the game to say things were all good between the two:

--End of Update--

This is usually a group that seems to have a lot of fun on and off the court, but James exploded off the bench at Chalmers. It happened during a big game, so emotions were already running high.

@truehawk93 UT hasn't really played anybody. Barnes was BEGGING for fans to show up for the Mich. State game after Sat. night's game.

Any thoughts on who comes out the victor in each of these 2 games between ranked teams this week?

On Tuesday, No. 15 Memphis and No. 16 Florida meet in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

On Saturday, No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 20 Colorado meet at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

And on Wednesday, No. 14 UNC plays UT in NC. (UT also plays Michigan St. Sat. here in Austin.)

The players meeting held this past week had some positive results. Everyone got their turn to vent and each one knew what was expected from this point on.

Do you think Releford got to talk to AWIII? Hope so.

That seems to be the $64,000 question doesn't it? I believe that it will be a running question until conference games begin. I know it will not be Ellis based on his past three games. As much as we had expected Black to bring that quality into the equation, and mentally he may be helping the young ones adjust, but on the floor no way. Each game forward any one of them are able to take the helm and it will be interesting to see who really does emerge.

Like what has been said and won't repeat. Imagine if they had NOT made half of the 24 turnovers = 12 = and out of those 12 they had made 75% of them. Just don't understand how they could go more than 7 minutes w/o making a basket. The outside shots were made early in the shot clock and no attempts made to even try to get into the lane. Minus -13 from the bench while the 21-0 run was going on. Where has the aggressiveness in Perry Ellis gone?

Loved the hustle and not giving up in the second half. That's the positive I have this morning AND that Joel did start. Even Dickie V said Black has underperformed all year and was a "foul machine."

@HighEliteMajor et al.

I like all points made and understand about Black. It was a reaction to having read the CJ article very early this morning.

I guess I was contemplating more like....

Why wouldn't Coach let Joel start in his "hometown" arena since he is so loved there and have some positive energy on our side in a hostile environment?

So why is Black listed as a starter in the CJ article? Why not Joel?

William Allen White, circa 1912:

"Neither Jayhawker winds, nor Jayhawker drought
Stops the Jayhawker's heart, nor the Jayhawker's mouth;
For the Jayhawker's faith is always first rate,
He has Jayhawker's pride in his Jayhawker state!"

Amelia Earhart:

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself. "

Dwight D. Eisenhower:

"When you put on a uniform, there are certain inhibitions that you accept. "

Paul Pierce:

"I worked at a hospital for a week. And at a golf course when I was in college at Kansas for about a week. The tips weren't good so I quit."

Duke dropped to 10. OK State dropped to 9. Baylor dropped to 20. UNC not ranked.

Dropped to 6 in AP poll and 7 in Coaches poll.

Watched the OkState v Memphis. Fran Frascilla was at a loss for words because he couldn't slobber on and on about M. Smart. Gave every excuse for him but had derogatory things to say about Wiggins production. Made me sick.

Disappointed they did not make any points the last 7 plus minutes in the first half. Why not drive to the hoop to create plays/ fouls on Villanova? Tharpe's shots were not what we needed when he clanked those 3s. Need to come out today and run run run right at UTEP down the lane. Hopefully everyone is feeling better and comes out to show their fight.

Duke has 2 losses. We should not drop below them in the polls. Maybe down to 5 or 6? Or do you think we will go lower?

When I checked available tickets last week there were few left, and those were way up in the top level. A few down below were at $190 or better. Glad I got mine when I did.

Big 12 Conference Highlight Video -- look for in video section

link text ↗

Happy Thanksgiving to all too. Unfortunately the only way I'll be able to follow the game in on 610 radio. I've downloaded the Tunein app in order to listen. No cable, no direct tv in my area -- 45 miles west of Austin.

Anybody see the Tyshawn video bumping into Kidd to spill his drink when they had no time outs left?

You will have to go to their website to see if your provider is part of the Mark Cuban network. Here is some of the info I saw.

AXS TV is available from major TV providers across the U.S. including:

•Allegiance #968
•Armstrong #186
•Atlantic Broadband
•AT&T Uverse #1106
•Blue Ridge Cable
•CableAmerica #515
•CenturyLink
•Charter
•Cincinnati Bell #563
•Comcast/Xfinity
•Comporium #1136
•DirecTV #340
•Dish Network #167
•Frankfort Plant Board Cable
•Frontier Communications
•GCI #628
•Grande #880
•Insight #928
•Knology
•Massillon Cable #698
•Mid-Hudson Cable #690
•NewWave Communications
•San Juan Cable #617
•Service Electric Cable TV
•Service Electric Cablevision
•Service Electric Broadband Cable
•Suddenlink
•SureWest
•Verizon #569
•Wave Broadband
•WEHCO Video #365

Watch AXS TV On Demand available from the following providers:
•AT&T Uverse
•Charter
•DirecTV
•Dish Network
•Insight
•Suddenlink
•Verizon

Andrew Wiggins And The University of Kansas Face Wake Forest Live On AXS TV Thanksgiving Day

Part of AXS TV's Exclusive Coverage of The 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis Men's College Basketball Tournament

By AXS TV

Published: Monday, Nov. 25, 2013 - 11:25 am

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 25, 2013 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Basketball fans will be able to catch standout freshman Andrew Wiggins and the second-ranked University of Kansas men's basketball team as they play Wake Forest in the Battle 4 Atlantis Men's College Basketball Tournament on AXS TV starting at 3:30 p.m. ET | 12:30 p.m. PT on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 28.

Battle 4 Atlantis, which continues through Saturday, Nov. 30, will be televised live on AXS TV from the 3,900-seat arena at the famed Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas. Alongside the University of Kansas and Wake Forest, the tournament features Villanova University, University of Tennessee, University of Southern California, University of Iowa, Xavier University, and University of Texas at El Paso.

Here's a clip highlighting this weekend's events: http://bit.ly/I5D11G ↗

AXS TV has set up a special landing page for fans to engage in the broadcast and interact during the games. CLICK HERE http://www.axs.tv/b4a/ ↗ to follow along with the action.

About AXS TV AXS TV, launched in July of 2012 by visionary entrepreneur Mark Cuban, has created a one-of-a-kind, live television environment for entertainment and other cutting-edge trends. AXS TV delivers relevant, unpredictable and irreverent programming offering an unparalleled experience to a nationwide audience by presenting unfiltered, uncensored and uncut access to entertainers and their performances. The network is available in the United States via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other TV providers. It is also distributed in Canada and the Caribbean. The network is spearheaded by a partnership including Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS. For more information, visit the website, www.axs.tv; go to the Facebook page here and follow the company on Twitter, @axstv; on Instagram; Tumblr and YouTube.

SOURCE AXS TV

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/25/5945351/andrew-wiggins-and-the-university.html#storylink=cpy ↗

cost of average resale price.

Posted on Mon, Nov. 25, 2013
KU basketball tickets lead nation in average resale price, report says

By RUSTIN DODD
The Kansas City Star

Where’s the most expensive ticket in college basketball?

It’s at Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, according to one secondary ticket marketplace.

The median price for Kansas basketball tickets on the secondary market is $265, according to a report by Vivid Seats, which tracks such numbers. The secondary market includes tickets sold through brokers and other online marketplaces — not official season tickets from Kansas.

The average Kansas ticket sold on the secondary market is more expensive than second-place Kentucky ($200) and Duke ($179). KU’s Allen Fieldhouse seats 16,300 for home games, while Kentucky plays its home games at Rupp Arena, which holds 23,500 for basketball. Duke plays its games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, which has an official capacity of 9,314.

According to Vivid, Kansas will play host to seven of the 25 most expensive college basketball games of this season — at least in the secondary market. Oklahoma State’s visit to Lawrence on January 18th is the most expensive KU game and seventh-most expensive matchup overall, with a median ticket price of $420. For now, North Carolina’s trip to rival Duke on March 8th projects as the most expensive ticket of year, with a current median price of $1,459.

The average Kansas ticket on the secondary market, according to Vivid, is $305. Official season tickets to Kansas games, of course, can be considerably cheaper on a per-game average. But those numbers wouldn’t include the contributions fans must make to KU’s Williams Education Fund to secure a prime seat location at Allen Fieldhouse.

From CBS Sports

By Jeff Borzello | College Basketball Writer
November 25, 2013 4:27 pm ET

Towson sophomore point guard Jerome Hairston has been suspended indefinitely, the school announced Monday.

“We have suspended Jerome for conduct detrimental to the team,” head coach Pat Skerry said in a statement. “The suspension is effective immediately and no other statements will be issued.”

Hairston, a 6-foot-3 Wyoming native, is averaging 5.0 points and 1.8 assists this season. A year ago, he made the CAA all-rookie team and put up 9.9 points and 2.5 assists per game. He has struggled a bit this season, scoring a combined two points in blowout losses to Villanova and Kansas.

Without Hairston available, expect Vermont transfer Four McGlynn to play more at the point guard spot. He's been a scoring asset off the bench after sitting out last season.

[Ellis and Lucas talk about Battle 4 Atlantis](

Transcript of conversation with Self here on KU Athletics ↗

From KU Athletics - Lots of good quotes:

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Freshman guard Andrew Wiggins missed just twice all night, leading a balanced and accurate attack No. 2/3 Kansas used to overrun Towson in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis, inside Allen Fieldhouse, 88-58, Friday night.

Wiggins wasn't the only efficient shooter for Kansas (4-0), which recorded its 66th-consecutive non-conference victory against Towson (3-2) while shooting 60 percent from the field (33-for-55). Fellow Jayhawks Wayne Selden, Jr. (4-for-6) and Andrew White III (4-for-6) also missed just twice, while rookie center Joel Embiid knocked down four of the five shots he took in the win.

The KU offense was led by Wiggins' 16 points, making him one of four in double-figures on the night. White tied a career-high with his three three-pointers and came in next with 13 points. Selden and sophomore forward Perry Ellis contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Picked to win the Colonial Athletic Conference in 2013-14, Towson was facing its first top-2 ranked opponent since 1990 (vs. No. 1 Oklahoma).

Senior forward Jerelle Benimon led the floor with the game's only double-double (21 points/10 rebounds), but the Tigers were outmatched. After taking a 5-2 lead in the opening moments of the night, Towson succumbed to the Jayhawks' 47-11 scoring sprint to halftime and never trailed by less than 25 for the remainder of the night.

Towson came out of the gate with speed, cutting to the basket for early attacks, but had trouble getting any of them to fall. Even so, a whistle on junior point guard Naadir Tharpe provided the opportunity for a free throw and a jumper followed to hand Towson a 3-0 lead less than a minute into the game. For his first time as a Jayhawk, it was senior forward Tarik Black that sparked a dominant scoring run. The veteran transfer sandwiched a pair of breakaway dunks around another from Selden to spark a 13-2 Jayhawk rally. Before the first media timeout, KU had righted the ship to take a 13-5 lead.

Kansas never slowed. Less than five minutes remained in the opening half when Embiid brought down a defensive rebound, flipped it out to freshman guard Frank Mason, who immediately fired it off to Wiggins for a transition dunk. In perfectly-executed tempo, the Jayhawks went coast-to-coast in five seconds to extend its lead to 20 points. Making it a habit, Kansas took advantage with its speed. In the first half alone, KU held a staggering 22-2 advantage in fast-break points and laid it on thick in the waning moments of the first half. Tiger forward John Davis drove the lane for a layup with 6:18 still to play. Towson wouldn't score again in the opening frame.

Thanks to the visitors missing their last 11 attempts heading into the break, the Jayhawks had room to run. KU cranked out 18 unanswered points, seven of which came from Wiggins, to end the first half with a convincing 49-16 lead. While Towson struggled to find the bottom of the net, finishing the first half at 21 percent (6-for-29), Kansas made triple the baskets with three less shots for a season-high 69.2 shooting percentage (18-for-26) for a half.

Black extended the scoring onslaught to 20-0 with a dunk to start the second half, but Towson was more than ready to break the drought and did exactly that. The Tigers came out firing, knocking down nine of their first 13 shots to kick off the second half.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Kansas did the same.

Through the first 10 minutes of the final frame, both teams were scorching the nets at a 69.2-percent rate. When Towson scored, Kansas scored. Benimon continued attacking the basket, chalking up 13 points in the second half, but the Jayhawks were adamant. With less than 12 minutes yet to play, the Jayhawks strung together five-straight buckets. Included were three-pointers from Selden, Tharpe and White all capped off nicely by an alley-oop dunk to Embiid to shove KU forward, 68-35. Although Towson outscored the home team from that point, 23-20, the tone wouldn't change as Kansas cruised to the 88-58 win.

UP NEXT
Kansas will continue the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament when it travels to Paradise Island, Bahamas, to play Wake Forest on Thursday, Nov. 28 at 2:30 p.m. Kansas will face either Villanova or USC on Nov. 29 and play its third-round game in the Bahamas on Nov. 30. KU will then go on the road to Colorado (Dec. 7) and Florida (Dec. 10). Kansas will play New Mexico on Dec. 14 in the Kansas City Shootout at the Sprint Center and return to Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 21 against national power Georgetown.

Game Notes
KU STARTERS (Season/Career Starts): Jr. Naadir Tharpe (3/3), Fr. Wayne Selden, Jr. (4/4), Fr. Andrew Wiggins (4/4), So. Perry Ellis (4/7), Sr. Tarik Black (4/64)

SERIES INFO: Kansas leads, 3-0

ATTENDANCE: 16,300

KANSAS' WIN

• Made Kansas 4-0 for the fourth time in the Bill Self era.

• Gave Kansas its 66th-straight win against a non-conference opponent in Allen Fieldhouse.

• Made Kansas 3-0 all-time against Towson.

• Improved Kansas to 702-108 all-time in Allen Fieldhouse, including a 164-8 record with Self as head coach.

• Moved Self's record to 304-59 at Kansas and 511-164 overall.

• Improved Kansas to 2,105-812 all-time.

TEAM NOTES:

• Kansas shot a blistering 69.2 percent in the first half (18-for-26) – although it's not an uncommon event for the Jayhawks. Dating back to last season, KU has shot 60 percent or better in at least one half in six of its last 10 games.

• The Jayhawks finished the evening with a season-high 60 percent field-goal percentage, its first 60-plus shooting effort in a game since March 13, 2013 (vs. Texas Tech).

• Towson G Marcus Damas hit a three-pointer at the 18:13 mark in the first half, putting the Tigers up 5-2. Kansas went on to finish the half on a 47-11 scoring run.

• Towson's 16 points in the first half marks the fewest KU has allowed in a half since Kansas State scored the same amount in the first half (3/16/13).

• The Jayhawks more than tripled the Tigers' first-half point total (49-16), marking the first time a KU opponent has suffered such a deficit since TCU fell behind 38-9 by halftime (2/23/13).

• It helped that Kansas held Towson scoreless for a solid four-minute span en route to the early run (18:13-14:10).

• That four-minute drought seemed minimal to the Tigers considering they didn't score for the last 6:18 of the first half. Towson missed 11-straight shots and two free throws to close the first half.

• KU held the Tigers to a single-digit for nearly 10 minutes until a layup by F Jerelle Benimon pushed Towson into double-digits (20-11) with 10:02 remaining in the first half.

• Stretching from the end of the first half to the start of the second half, Kansas put together a 20-0 run (6:18-18:50).

• Towson snapped the scoreless streak by hitting nine of its first 13 attempts to start the second half – but Kansas did the same. Through the first 10 minutes of the first half, KU and Towson were shooting 69.2 percent. Oddly enough, both teams were also hitting 55.0 percent (11-for-20) through the second-to-last media timeout.

• Kansas led 49-16 at the break and improved to 3-0 when leading after the game's first 20 minutes this season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

• Senior F Tarik Black slammed a pair of dunks for his first field goals in Allen Fieldhouse since the season opener against ULM (11/8). He finished the night with six points, and needs just 37 more points to hit 1,000 for his career.

• Sophomore G Andrew White III's second three-pointer of the night propelled Kansas to double-up the Tigers point total in the first half. He ended the night with 13 points, including three treys – his second multi-three contest of the season and fifth of his career. His three three-pointers tied his career-high.

• Freshman G Andrew Wiggins led the Jayhawks in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, giving him four straight double-digit efforts to begin his career.

• Sophomore F Perry Ellis chipped in 10 points, his fourth-straight game in double figures to start the year, and 11th game with 10 or more of his career.

• Freshman C Joel Embiid went 4-for-5 on Friday and has missed just one shot in his last two games and five all season to take the team field goal percentage lead at 72.2 percent.

• Embiid also rejected a career-high three blocks, the most by a Jayhawk this season.

• Freshman G Frank Mason led the team with a career-high six assists.

Kansas Head Coach Bill Self

Opening statement:

"We went on a 47-11 run to end the half. We were down 5-2 and then got cranked up pretty good. The guys played with good energy. We were much better defensively, much more active blocking shots. It seems like we had hands everywhere. We didn't get a lot of steals, but it seemed like we caused some havoc. I thought we really got out and ran better than we have, and Joel (Embiid) made some unbelievable outlet passes to get us going. A lot of guys played well. It was pretty consistently good for the most part, but the second half got pretty sloppy."

On Andrew Wiggins competing for rebounds:

"He really hasn't been that aggressive getting rebounds, but he was aggressive tonight. He got four offensive boards. We haven't done a good job offensively rebounding the ball, and we didn't do a good job tonight. We had 22 misses and only got seven back. We have to do a better job of that. Our defensive rebounding has been pretty good all year long, for the most part. We did some nice things. It was fun to see what the building can be like when the guys are playing with energy because they did a good job of inspiring the building. I know our guys had the most fun they have probably had all year long, including the Duke game, because they attacked the basket and did a lot of nice things."

On the key run in the first half to build the lead:

"I thought Andrew White came in and gave us some good minutes. Frank Mason was solid again. Our bench was pretty good. They were probably as good as our starters in the first half. The second half we didn't play quite as good, and that is kind of the tendency to let up a little bit. The law of averages kind of prevailed. We can still tighten up a lot of things, defensively."

On KU's depth being a big factor in the Battle for Atlantis:

"Hopefully, going into Atlantis, depth will be a positive factor for us."

On if he is looking forward to the trip to the Bahamas:

"Yes, I am looking forward to it. Teams don't become teams until they take a trip, or do something together. We aren't a team yet; no team in America is a team, yet. Hopefully, this will be a time when we can grow together and go have some fun, but make it a business trip and go down there and play well. I was looking at the most recent Sports Illustrated cover with Wayne (Selden) on the cover. Iowa is projected to be an eight seed; Villanova is projected to be a seven seed. Xavier and Tennessee are projected to be in the (NCAA Tournament) field. This is going to be a really competitive tournament, and our guys need to lace them up and have some fun. Hopefully, we can have some fun because we are winning basketball games."

Kansas senior center Tarik Black

To not be in foul trouble early on:

"It felt great. That's why as a basketball player I don't plan on coming out there and sitting on the side line. I was able to get on the court and do what I needed to do."

On his opening dunk:

"It got everything going. I feel that's what sparked everything because on the next play Wayne (Selden) came down and had the two-handed dunk. It got the energy flowing and gave us the fun we want to have this year."

On the team starting to come in sync:

"Instinct is kind of habit. You have to play with one another to get your habits to begin to align with one another. As you saw tonight with a team like ours, with how much talent that we have, if we come out playing the way we did tonight and play with that energy, we can be really good."

Kansas freshman forward Andrew Wiggins

On team's effort tonight:

"We came to play tonight. We came out of the gate very intense and used our athletic ability to our advantage. We ran the floor, threw lobs, and played hard."

On his performance tonight:

"It all came in the flow of the game. I didn't rush anything. I'm being around my team so we can play with great chemistry and within the flow of the game."

On his ability:

"I need to run the floor hard every time I'm out there, from baseline to baseline. I need to look to push the ball more and be even more assertive than I already am. I think today was better than my other games but I can still be better."

Kansas freshman center Joel Embiid

On his ability:

"I just need to get on the block and I will be able to score the ball more."

On pushing the ball tonight:

"Every time the other team shot it they would have four or five guys crash the boards. So if I had the ball I would just throw the ball down the court because I knew my teammates were getting out running."

On his improvement at blocking

"Coach Self has been helping me with my timing. They have been showing me what to work on along with showing me film of how Jeff Withey did it. They tell me to stay on the ground and not to go for it on shot fakes."

Towson Head Coach Pat Skerry

Opening Statement:

"I think it's suffice to say they're [Kansas] pretty good. You've got a special team here, they can beat you in a lot of different ways, they're obviously very well coached, they're deep, they're athletic. Unfortunately for us they were locked in tonight. Coach Self had them ready to play, we were hoping they thought the game was going to start a couple hours later, it obviously didn't. Then they handed it to us early, we did some uncharacteristic things, but they had a lot to do with that. If there's a better team in the country I'd like to find who they are, but I don't want to play them."

On the game to try to slow down Kansas:

"Transition defense was our big key then obviously not turning the ball over. Usually we can rebound it decently, but we had to get two guys back, normally we send four to the glass, but we had to get two guys back because they do such an unbelievable job of pulling it off the backboard and running it right down your throat. You'd like to have about seven guys to get back defensively."

On Kansas' transition game:

They're unbelievably talented, they've got length and their first three steps out of the gate are ridiculous. They beat you in a lot of different ways and I think to their credit they have exceptional ball movement right now."

On trying to keep Kansas out of transition:

"Their transition attack is special. I think to beat them you have to be able to play a whole bunch of different defenses and maybe hold the ball and make three's at the end of the clock. We worried about that coming in, we obviously were a level down trying to guard and rebound and be physical with them and the problem with these guys is they do all of these things, but they do them better so it's a tough match up. To beat them you'd have to force them to make long jump shots and then make a bundle of three's yourself as you use possession."

Towson senior forward Jerrelle Benimon

On the pace of the game:

"In the first half we shot a lot of long shots and a bunch of long rebounds came off. Basically, their game plan was to get out early so there were a bunch of long shots bouncing out and they were already out getting easy layups and dunks. I felt like when they were getting out they were at their best. When we settled down and we got a bucket we were able to settle down in the half-court defense. We were kind of just holding our own."

On Towson's game plan:

"In the first half we got some pretty good shots. The game plan was to get in the half-court defense more and then try to push it. We weren't making shots so we couldn't really keep them out of transition."

On Kansas:

"They have good depth; they play a bunch of players. I didn't realize they played that many players. I haven't really watched them yet that many times this season. They've got some good length up front. The freshman kid (Joel Embiid) blocked shots really well. He runs pretty good too. All of them run so they just get up and down."

On Andrew Wiggins:

"He's really athletic. He's obviously a really good player. He's good on defense. He rebounds the ball. I feel he is just at his best when he's getting out and running."

David Booth lives here in Austin. I've written him and thanked him for bringing the Rules back to KU. An incredible story. Everyone should watch the 30/30 video at least once. It will give you chills. Rock Chalk!

I remember reading the comments during the last game and someone mentioned that the LJW had posted a log in and password to watch on line on their facebook page. It wasn't provided in the comment section and I'm not on facebook so never verified it but someone who is might check that out and see if that is the case against tonight. Just trying to help. (smile)

@HEM

During the ISU v BYU game the other night, I cruised through the "conversations" on ESPN during the game and you are right. Some ISU fan posted a link to the video from last year's game where the "charge" that wasn't called a "charge" was what he had linked to along with all the ESPN analysts saying ISU got "hosed" and the rest of the guy's comment was something like "WE WILL NEVER FORGET".

Read in the Austin paper today the attendance at UT's four homes games were:

2,741 vs. Houston Baptist
4,018 vs. Mercer (opening night)
3,539 vs. Stephen F. Austin
3,087 vs. South Alabama
Season tickets were down by 1,259 from last season.

Jesse,

:=?
Do you think all these so-called "sports analysts" have been fair in that:

1. They were the ones who "hyped" Mr. Wiggins as the next LeBron James; and

2. Then because he hasn't lived up to THEIR hype, they now claim Mr. Wiggins is "overrated".

Is this just the nature of the business?

@bskeet Better late than never for those that only see 1 or 2 highlights. I checked out the first game vs PSU and was a good lengthy video.

@bskeet. Thanks for doing that. Also a great place to get game highlights for those unable to view these first 6 games.

I don't know how to do this on my Nook, but on You Tube if you search for AllAccessJayhawks there is the first episode of Season 2 featuring the Duke game and locker room after. Kirk Hinrich is in the locker room. Wayne Simien narrates and the end song is by Julian Wright. Good stuff.

Welcome Jesse. Look forward to reading you again.