SB Nation - UMKC Kangaroos

RPI WATCH: 11/25/09

BracketCat — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:00:14 -0000

Quite a few of our conference brethren were in action last night — albeit largely against inferior competition — and a few of our non-conference opponents were, as well.

Updates from Tuesday's games can be found after the jump.

If for some reason you absolutely need to know up-to-date numbers, I get them here.

Current Kansas State RPI = 33

Current Kansas State SOS = 51

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Loyola

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (3-1) | RPI = 54
Western Illinois (2-3) | RPI = 125: Loss at Savannah State (52-48)
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76
No. 18 Dayton (2-2) | RPI = 32
IUPUI (4-1) | RPI = 75
Fort Hays State (3-0): Win at Nebraska-Kearney (75-60)
Washington State (3-0) | RPI = 140
Xavier (3-0) | RPI = 79
UNLV (3-0) | RPI = 1
Alabama (2-1) | RPI = 186
UAPB (0-3) | RPI = 166
Cleveland State (3-2) | RPI = 265: Loss to No. 5 Kentucky (73-49)
South Dakota (2-3): Loss to Marquette (93-68)
Missouri (3-0) | RPI = 283: Win over Chattanooga (99-56)
Texas A&M (3-0) | RPI = 135
Colorado (3-2) | RPI = 193: Loss to Arizona (91-87 in OT)
No. 3 Texas (4-0) | RPI = 71: Win over Pittsburgh (78-62)
Oklahoma State (4-0) | RPI = 22: Win over Prairie View A&M (80-58)
Baylor (4-0) | RPI = 60
No. 1 Kansas (3-0) | RPI = 46
Nebraska (3-1) | RPI = 126: Win over UMKC (70-48)
Iowa State (5-0) | RPI = 187: Win over Tennessee State (84-53)
No. 17 Oklahoma (2-1) | RPI = 65
Texas Tech (6-0) | RPI = 94: Win at Stephen F. Austin (63-61)

BtB 2009-10 Summit League Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:03:07 -0000

Much like the other two one bid leagues I've covered so far in this series of season previews, the America East and Patriot League, the Summit League is likely to feature a new champion in 2009-10 thanks to significant losses for the defending champion. Last March, North Dakota State, a team led by a core group of fifth-year seniors who led their team an NCAA berth in their first year of eligibility, caused an outbreak of Bison Fever in the upper Midwest. Now that Summit League MVP Ben Woodside (23.2 ppg, 6.2 apg), first-teamer Brett Winkelman (18.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Mike Nelson (11.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Lucas Moorman (4.5 ppg, 4 rpg) have graduated, Saul Phillips has some holes to plug to make his team a contender again.

In offseason news, the conference's membership, which has settled into a level of stability that's rare for it's history, was the dominant topic. The Summit League will indeed experience some change in the coming seasons. South Dakota will leave the fledgling Great West and join the conference in 2011-12. The Coyotes won't be eligible for the league championship until the next season, however, as that's when their transition into Division I ends. North Dakota had hoped to join the other three Dakota state schools and join the league's as its 12th member, but as I explained in this post, the conference won't look at them until they resolve the controversy surrounding their Fighting Sioux nickname, a topic that won't be resolved until the end of this month.

North Dakota's chances at received a further boost later in the offseason, as there will be an additional opening. Centenary, long the league's hoops doormat and a fringe member geographically, decided to in July to de-emphasize athletics and drop to Division III, effective with the 2011-12 academic year. They'll continue to compete in the conference before they leave D-I.

No matter the membership, the Summit typically a competitive league, and with such a void at the top, it should be a epic tussle for the championship this season. More on each team after the jump.

Here are my picks for the 2009-10 Summit League season, presented in reverse order.

Centenary (last NCAA: None) The Gents begin the first of two lame duck years in the conference with little to play for. They're already banned from the postseason for APR shortcomings. Then, Summit League Defensive Player of the Year decided that he'd had enough and transferred to Pittsburgh. With only one returning starter, 6-8 F Jerrald Bonham (2.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and nowhere to really go, second year head coach Greg Gary has one of the most unenviable jobs in college sports.

Western Illinois (last NCAA: None) The Leathernecks went 9-20 a year ago, while not even averaging 60 points a game. Add in the fact that WIU's two leading scorers from last season, David DuBois and Josh Rivers, graduated, and it could be an ugly year in Macomb. Guards David Nurse (8.4 ppg) and Ceola Clark (7.7 ppg) will have to lead the way offensively, while the frontcourt is rather thin. The one reason to pay attention to the Leathernecks this season is that Emeka Okafor, Jr. may feature more in that frontcourt. No, he's not the former UConn star's son, but he is a cousin.

UMKC (last NCAA: None) The Kangaroos lost two very productive starters, swingman Dane Brumagin (15.3 ppg) and guard Reggie Hamilton (12 ppg), but the three returning starters, G Bakari Lewis (10.8 ppg), F Spencer Johnson (10.7 ppg), and F Latreze Mushatt (9.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are a serviceable group. Coach Matt Brown's group of newcomers could provide a real boost, however. They include Jay Couisnard, a 6-6 F who will be eligible after transferring from Evansville; Max Rockmann, a 6-6 German forward; and 6-7 F/C Kirk Korver, youngest brother of former Creighton star and NBAer, Kyle.

IPFW (last NCAA: None) Dane Fife is only 30, but is entering his fifth season in charge of the Mastodons. His team could be poised for a breakout year, as IPFW returns four starters and the defending Summit League Sixth Man of the Year, Deilvez Yearby (9.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg). If guard Ben Botts (11.3 ppg) can score and Yearby and the 6-10 Trey McCorkle can take care of things inside, the Mastodons could do well during conference play. A non-conference slate featuring Gonzaga, Michigan State, Washington State, and Wisconsin will provide plenty of tests beforehand.

North Dakota State (last NCAA: 2009) Earlier, I talked about everything the Bison lost after last year's championship. 6-7 F Michael Tveidt (9.8 ppg, 44.9% on 3-pointers) is the lone returning starter. Last year's bench players, led by F Dejuan Flowers (3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and G Josh Vaughan (2.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg), will have to step it up for there to be any chance at a repeat. If you're looking for someone who could replace Ben Woodside, pay attention to freshman G Mike Felt, who was second-team all-Minnesota last year, averaging 30.3 points per game.

Southern Utah (last NCAA: 2001) Head coach Roger Reid brought in a whole bunch of recruits to support all-Summit League selection Davis Baker (17.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg). The newcomers, led by 6-10 Australian Matt Hodgson and 6-11 Canadian Dallin Bachynski, will be expected to fill the void left by the graduation of F Tyler Quinney (13.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and C John Clifford (9.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg). Matt Massey, a 6-9 Australian transfer from Nova Southeastern, will also see significant time after sitting out last season.

Oral Roberts (last NCAA: 2008) The Golden Eagles' run atop the Summit League ended at the hands of South Dakota State in the first round of last year's conference tournament. They'll have a hard time getting back, as they lost three starters, including the team's two leading scorers, Robert Jarvis and Marcus Lewis. The frontcourt should in be good shape, thanks to the return of 6-9 Kevin Ford (9.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and 6-6 Dominique Morrison (9.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and the arrival of JC transfers Michael Craion and Javier Nasarre. In the backcourt, Kyron Stokes (7 ppg) will have to prove he's recovered from ankle surgery and Southeast Missouri transfer Rod Pearson has to show he's ready to take over the offense from the graduated Kelvin Sango.

IUPUI (last NCAA: 2003) The Jaguars have recorded a .500 mark or better in the Summit League for seven straight years. With four starters returning off last year's squad that got better as the year went on, they should make it eight. Robert Glenn (14.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg) was the conference's Newcomer of the Year last season, and he'll be a serious contender for Player of the Year honors this season. Frontcourt-mate Alex Young (11.0 ppg) was the only other Jaguar to average in double-figures, but three-point sharpshooter Leroy Nobles (9.9 ppg, 41.7% from 3) and Jon Avery (9.1 ppg) should join the club this season. Billy Pettiford, a 6-7 senior F who averaged a bit more than 5 points and 5 boards a game, could be a factor too, if he performs more consistently.

South Dakota State (last NCAA: None) The Jackrabbits could very well replace their Northern rivals at the top of the league this season, as they can follow a similar formula. SDSU returns all five starters, and four top-10 scorers. 6-1 Garrett Callahan (15.8 ppg) and Clint Sargent (14.1 ppg) will anchor the backcourt. Callahan's brother, Griffan also features on the roster, as he averaged 5.4 points and 3 boards a game last season. Meanwhile, Anthony Cordova (12 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Kai Williams (9.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) are two players who can be counted on to do the hard work inside. The Jackrabbits also have the advantage of having the conference tournament in their backyard, as Sioux Falls is only an hour south of Brookings on I-29.

Oakland (last NCAA: 2005) Last March, the Grizzlies very nearly eradicated Bison Fever before it ever reached the Metrodome. They should be able to finish the job this season thanks to an excellent crop of returnees. 6-11 C Keith Benson, the league leader in blocks (2.4 bpg) and field goal percentage (62.2 %) and second-leading rebounder in the Summit (7.8 rpg) is back. Point guard Johnathon Jones, the country's best assist man (8.1 apg), is back too. So is Derick Nelson, who redshirted last season after a foot injury. The 6-5 PF averaged 17.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg during the 2007-08 campaign. Head coach Greg Kampe even picks up St. John's transfer Larry Wright to replace the only major loss from last year's squad, Erik Kangas (18.9 ppg), who set the Summit League's single-season record for 3-pointers.

With all of that firepower, it's no wonder that the Grizzlies are my preseason pick for the Summit League crown. You'll see them in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Summit League team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Summit League Team

Player of the Year: Keith Benson, 6-11 C, Jr. (Oakland)

Remainder of the Team
Davis Baker, 6-4 G, Sr. (Southern Utah)
Garrett Callahan, 6-1 G, Sr. (South Dakota State)
Johnathon Jones, 5-11 G, Sr. (Oakland)
Derick Nelson, 6-5 F, Sr. (Oakland)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Summit League this season? (Since Centenary is not postseason eligible, they're not listed.)

IPFW

4 votes

IUPUI

1 votes

North Dakota State

2 votes

Oakland

10 votes

Oral Roberts

2 votes

South Dakota State

0 votes

Southern Utah

3 votes

UMKC

2 votes

Western Illinois

1 votes

25 votes | Poll has closed

KU vs. UMKC Recap

Denverjhawk — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:27:06 -0000

Sorry for the late posting here and lack of personal insight but until these start showing on TV and I can get a little more focused on basketball instead of football these generic news releases will have to do. Any discussion or comments on everyone's part would be greatly appreciated especially those who are able to see that games right now.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Sherron Collins scored 16 points to lead 23^rd-ranked Kansas to a 71-56 basketball victory against Missouri-Kansas City in the season-opener for the defending national champions.

The victory was not easy for KU, which after leading 5-3, did not pull ahead of the visiting Kangaroos until the 17:35 mark of the second half, a span of 21 minutes and 30 seconds either trailing or tied.

Kansas improved to 5-0 in its series with UMKC while the Kangaroos fell to 0-2 on the season.

The Jayhawks started their season with a victory for the seventh straight year, as well as the 17^th time in the last 18 seasons. The win was also the 25^th straight home win for KU.

In addition to Collins, Cole Aldrich scored 13 points, all in the second half, while Tyrell Reed added 12 for KU. Markieff Morris pulled down 15 rebounds, the most by a Jayhawk since Nick Collinson had 21 in the 2003 NCAA Championship game against Syracuse.

UMKC was led by Dane Brumagin, who had 14 points, including making four of eight three-pointers and Reggie Hamilton, who scored 13.

After UMKC opened the second half with a three-point basket to take a 35-32 lead, Kansas ran off 10 straight points as part of a 17-5 run which gave the Jayhawks a 49-40 lead.

Reed scored four points in the run, while Aldrich scored seven and Tyshawn Taylor had six.

UMKC fought back pulling within 49-44, but the Jayhawks proved to be too much inside. KU outscored the Kangaroos 32-14 in the paint, while also out-racing UMKC and gaining a 16-0 advantage in fast break points.

After shooting just 32 percent from the field in the first half, KU shot 65.2 percent in the second half. KU struggled from behind the three-point line as after Collins made a three on the first possession of the game, the Jayhawks finished one of 13 from behind the line.

KU started the second half making 11 of its first 13 shots and cruised to the victory with a strong second half.

Kansas scored the first basket of the game, on a three-pointer by Collins, and led 5-3 after a basket by Reed. However, the Jayhawks would not lead again in the half as UMKC built up as much as a seven-point lead at 16-9.

The visiting Kangaroos led for a 12:29 stretch of the half before KU tied the game at 21 with 6:36 left. However, UMKC pulled back ahead and led the rest of the way until KU scored the half's final five points, including a Brady Morningstar layup to tie the game at halftime at 32.

Kansas did not score a basket from the 9:11 mark until Morningstar's layup at the end of the half. KU scored 13 straight points on free throws in that stretch, while slowing chipping away at the UMKC lead.

Kansas will host Florida Gulf Cost in the second round of the Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 8 pm. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

additional notes as well as postgame quotes after the jump...

Kansas Head Coach Bill Self

On the team’s overall performance:

"It was a struggle. Somehow Travis (Releford) sparked us at the end of the half and we went on a 6-0 run and got it tied. We shot a ton of free throws and didn’t make them. It was pretty frustrating, but we hung in there. We need to play a game like this, a grind it out game where we don’t make shots. When we got Cole (Aldrich) in the second half, we actually looked a lot better and we defended a little bit better. I thought that Cole obviously makes a huge difference but how about the three fouls that he had. I know that he is just a sophomore but he can’t do that. They were all just silly fouls."

On the team’s quick shooting:

"Playing fast means that you push it. You look to score early. The ball moves quickly and everything moves quickly. The first half they did not guard us. So what did we do, we just stepped up and shot the ball as soon as we had a look and didn’t make anything. That was frustrating. We have got to be smarter but we are young so we are going to make some mistakes.

Freshman Forward Markieff Morris

On his rebounding:

"Coach Manning just told me to keep going. He didn’t tell me until the end of the game. I could have had more, but I fell like five times."

On his nerves:

"I was nervous at the beginning. My teammates were telling me that it was going to be alright."

Junior Guard Sherron Collins

On the overall performance of the team:

"It’s the first game of the official season. A lot of people have to adjust, especially the freshmen. They’ve got sweaty hands. They’re scared a little bit. But we just didn’t make shots today. We were one of 13 from the three-point line. Things didn’t fall our way, but I think we did a pretty good job."

On bringing out the best in each opponent:

"We know we’re going to take everybody’s best shot. We’re still defending the National Championship last year, so we’ve got a bull’s eye on our back. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. Especially because we beat a lot of people pretty bad last year, and this is their chance to get back at us. We’re rebuilding, but I think we’ve got some great pieces, and when we put it all together, we’ll be alright."

On the differences between the performances in each half:

"I think in the first half, we played a little bit conservative. We got into foul trouble. When Cole came back out, he gave us a better inside presence. Then we got a few easy buckets and we got a little bit more confidence and a little bit more energy. The second half, we came out and pressured a little bit more and got some easy turnovers."

Freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor

On a pivotal steal:

"I was waiting for him to take it out, but he lost it. It came right to me and I just laid it up. It seemed like a change of momentum a little bit. Everybody got hyped, and we started rolling from there."

On the differences between the performances in each half:

"I think in the first half, we shot a lot of threes. In the second half, we came out and just let the game come to us. We got a lot of easy buckets off of turnovers. Markieff had a bunch of outlet passes that that led to lay-ups."

On playing without Cole Aldrich in the first half:

"It was tough playing without Cole in the first half. Markieff (Morris) came in and helped with a lot of rebounds, and usually those are rebounds that Cole grabs. He picked up the pieces for Cole and I think that helped us a lot. We went down and at the end of the half we tied it up, possibly because we got a lot of rebounds on defense. Losing Cole in the first half was tough, but all together we ground it out. When he (Cole) came back he played his tail off in the second half."

On halftime adjustments:

"Coach told us to keep playing defense. We missed a lot of shots that we usually make and they made a lot of shots, so we had to keep playing and grinding it out. I think we knew that because if we continued playing hard, kept rebounding and getting easy buckets, we were going to come out with a win eventually."

HOME TEAM: Kansas 1-0

TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS

## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

11 Quintrell Thomas.... f 0-3 0-0 3-7 2 2 4 0 3 0 0 1 0 12

45 Cole Aldrich........ c 5-7 0-0 3-4 2 3 5 3 13 2 1 1 1 22

04 Sherron Collins..... g 6-11 1-4 3-4 0 3 3 2 16 2 4 0 1 37

12 Brady Morningstar... g 1-4 0-1 3-4 0 2 2 0 5 1 1 0 0 22

14 Tyrel Reed.......... g 5-10 0-5 2-2 0 4 4 2 12 0 1 0 0 34

02 Conner Teahan....... 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4

15 Tyshawn Taylor...... 2-4 0-1 3-6 0 3 3 4 7 2 2 0 2 19

21 Markieff Morris..... 0-3 0-1 7-10 3 12 15 3 7 3 4 2 0 29

22 Marcus Morris....... 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 2 2 0 2 1 0 8

24 Travis Releford..... 3-3 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 2 6 1 0 0 2 13

32 Tyrone Appleton..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+

TEAM................ 1 4 5

Totals.............. 23-48 1-13 24-37 9 37 46 21 71 11 15 5 6 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 8-25 32.0% 2nd Half: 15-23 65.2% Game: 47.9% DEADB

3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-11 9.1% 2nd Half: 0-2 0.0% Game: 7.7% REBS

F Throw % 1st Half: 15-21 71.4% 2nd Half: 9-16 56.3% Game: 64.9% 7Notes

Notes...

Kansas' win over UMKC...

... Marks the seventh straight year KU has won its season-opener.

... Gives the Jayhawks 17 wins in their last 18 season-opening games.

... Marks Kansas' 36th straight home-opening win.

... Makes the Jayhawks 5-0 all-time against UMKC.

... Improves Kansas head coach Bill Self's record to 143-32 at KU, 350-137 overall, and 5-1 against UMKC.

... Makes Kansas 1,944-785 all-time

Kansas vs. UMKC Preview

Denverjhawk — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:00:06 -0000

The Kansas Jayhawks officially kick of the season tonight against the UMKC Kangaroos at 7:30 CST. Here's your game preview for the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

Season Opener

Defending NCAA Champion Kansas opens up the 2008-09 season by hosting UMKC in the first round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, Sunday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. KU will then host Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. in the second round of the event. Both games will be televised on ESPNU. Kansas went 5-0 in the exhibition season with three wins in Canada over Labor Day weekend and two victories at home – 98-79 vs. Washburn (11/4) and 103-58 vs. Emporia State (11/11). Kansas is looking to win its 36th straight home opener at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have won their last six consecutive season openers dating back to 2001-02. UMKC opened its 2008-09 season with a 61-56 loss to North Dakota on Friday. Florida Gulf Coast will be opening its season at Allen Fieldhouse. FGCU was 10-21 last season.

About Kansas

Kansas is coming off a 103-58 win against Emporia State Tuesday in its final exhibition game of the preseason. Every Jayhawk who suited up scored in the contest as junior guard Sherron Collins led the team with 22 points. Sophomore center Cole Aldrich recorded a double-double in the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots. Sophomore guard Brady Morningstar had 13 points, while freshmen Marcus Morris (11 points) and Travis Releford (10 points) also scored in double figures. Morris also pulled down six rebounds for the game. In KU’s two full-team exhibition contests – the Morris twins did not compete in Canada – Collins led the team with a 22.0 scoring average. Morningstar was next with 14 points, while Aldrich scored 12.5 ppg and led KU with a 9.5 rebound average. Freshman forward Quintrell Thomas (7.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and sophomore guard Tyrel Reed (9.5 ppg, 6-11 3FGs) also stood out in exhibition play. KU enters its 111th year of college basketball. Last season, KU won its 51st league title, most in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks return eight letterwinners from last season’s 37-3 team, yet less than 20 percent of almost every statistical category.

About UMKC

UMKC opened the 2008-09 season with a 61-56 loss to North Dakota on Friday at the Swinney Rec Center. Sophomore guard Reggie Hamilton led UMKC with 22 points, including going 4-for-7 from three-point range. Sophomore forward Spencer Johnson had 15 points and senior guard Dane Brumagin 11 in the game. The Kangaroos return two starters and four letterwinners from last season’s 11-21 team. UMKC went 6-12 in Summit League play and finished eighth. Brumagin is the lone senior and he and Hamilton are the returning starters. Brumagin averaged 17.1 points and 4.8 rebounds last season, while Hamilton scored 11.7 points per contest with 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Sophomore forwards James Humphrey (4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Spencer Johnson (1.8 ppg) also return for UMKC. All of the seven eligible newcomers for UMKC are either freshmen or sophomores.

More basketball notes, roster information, jump into the post...

CBE Classic Notes & Schedule

The 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic will feature four regional sites (Lawrence, Syracuse, N.Y., Gainesville, Fla., and Seattle, Wash.) and culminate with the championship rounds Nov. 24 and 25 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. KU will face Washington on Nov. 24 and either Florida or Syracuse on Nov. 25 in Kansas City. The event is formally known as the Guardians Classic and started in 2001. last year, #2 UCLA defeated #10 Stanford 68-63 in the CBE Classic at the Sprint Center. This is Kansas’ first appearance in the event.

Thomas Robinson Inks NLI

University of Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Wednesday that Thomas Robinson has signed a national letter of intent to play at KU next season. A native of Washington, D.C., Robinson is a 6-8, 224-pound forward who plays at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. He played his junior season at Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., where he averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks per game. A five-star prospect, Rivals.com rates Robinson the No. 18 player nationally and the No. 7 power forward in the class of 2009. Robinson verbally committed to Kansas on October 11 and chose KU over Memphis. His coach at Brewster Academy is Jason Smith. Last summer, Robinson played for Dwight Redd’s Squash All Beef AAU team of Virginia. Self indicated Kansas could announce more signees later.

Unveiling 2008 National Championship Banner on Nov. 18

A fifth national championship banner honoring the 2008 Kansas NCAA title will be unveiled prior to the Florida Gulf Coast contest at approximately 7:45 p.m. (Central), next Tuesday (Nov. 18). The banner will be hung at the north end of Allen Fieldhouse. Fans are encouraged to show up early for this ceremony. General admission tickets are still available for the contest via the KU ticket office at 785.864.3141, 800.34.HAWKS or kuathletics.com. Earlier this year, a 2008 Final Four banner was raised at the south end of Allen Fieldhouse during Late Night in the Phog.

2008-09 Kansas Roster

No. Pos. Name Cl.-Exp. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Previous School)

2 G Conner Teahan So.-1L 6-5 215 Leawood, Kan. (Rockhurst HS)

4 G Sherron Collins Jr.-2L 5-11 200 Chicago, Ill. (Crane HS)

10 G Brennan Bechard Sr-2L (TR) 6-0 185 Lawrence, Kan. (Lawrence HS/Barton County CC)

11 F Quintrell Thomas Fr.-HS 6-7 240 Newark, N.J. (Saint Patrick HS)

12 G Brady Morningstar So.-1L(RS) 6-3 180 Lawrence, Kan. (Free State HS/New Hampton Prep)

14 G Tyrel Reed So.-1L 6-3 185 Burlington, Kan. (Burlington HS)

15 G Tyshawn Taylor Fr.-HS 6-3 180 Jersey City, N.J. (St. Anthony HS)

21 C Markieff Morris Fr.-HS 6-9 232 Philadelphia, Pa. (Prep Charter HS/APEX Academy [N.J.])

22 F Marcus Morris Fr.-HS 6-8 225 Philadelphia, Pa. (Prep Charter HS/APEX Academy [N.J.])

23 G Mario Little Jr.-TR 6-5 210 Chicago, Ill. (Washington HS/Chipola [Fla.] CC)

24 G Travis Releford Fr.-HS 6-5 200 Kansas City, Mo. (Bishop Miege HS)

32 G Tyrone Appleton Jr.-TR 6-2 203 Gary, Ind. (Harmony Prep/Midland[Texas] College)

40 G Jordan Juenemann Fr.-HS 6-4 195 Hays, Kan. (Hays HS)

41 G Chase Buford So.-1L 6-3 210 San Antonio, Texas (Alamo Heights HS)

45 C Cole Aldrich So.-1L 6-11 245 Bloomington, Minn. (Jefferson HS)

54 C Matt Kleinmann Sr-3L (RS) 6-10 250 Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West HS)

Upcoming November Games

16 UMKC (ESPNU) ............ 7:30 p.m.1

18 FLORIDA GULF COAST (ESPNU) . 8 p.m.

24 Washington (ESPN2) ........... 9 p.m.

25 Florida/Syracuse .............................(ESPNU/ESPN2) .......6:45/9:15 p.m.

28 COPPIN STATE (JTV) .......... 7 p.m.