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KU set to face WSU in KC on Monday night

Kansas (2-1) will face Washington State (2-1) Monday, Nov. 19, at 9 p.m. (Central) in the championship semifinal of the Edward Jones CBE Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The KU-WSU game will be televised on ESPN2. The Jayhawks will face either Texas A&M or St. Louis on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., concluding the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
Kansas is currently 2-1 on the season after defeating Chattanooga, 69-55, Thursday in the second round of the CBE Classic. Washington State will be looking to rebound from a 58-56 overtime loss at Pepperdine on Friday.
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ABOUT KANSAS
No. 7/7 Kansas is 2-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Edward Jones CBE Hall of Fame Classic with wins against Southeast Missouri State (74-55) on Nov. 9 and Chattanooga (69-55) on Nov. 15. The Chattanooga victory avenged a 67-64 loss to No. 21/22 Michigan State Nov. 13 in Atlanta in the State Farm Champions Classic. Kansas averages 69 points per game and is giving up 59 for a plus-10 scoring margin. KU is outrebounding foes 38.3 to 34.3 and averages 7.7 steals and a Big12-leading 8.7 blocked shots per game.
After his 25 points against Chattanooga, redshirt freshman Ben McLemore leads Kansas in scoring with 16.0 points per game. He also is tied for the team lead with 11 assists and is second on the squad with 7.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Elijah Johnson has a team-high six three-pointers made and averages 12.7 points per game. Johnson is second on the team with five steals.
Senior center Jeff Withey leads the Big 12 with two double-doubles and 4.3 blocked shots per game. He averages 12.0 points and 9.7 rebounds and is shooting 53.8 percent from the field. Senior guard Travis Releford leads Kansas with seven steals and is tied with McLemore for the team high with 11 assists. Releford is scoring 6.3 points per game. Freshman forward Perry Ellis has started two games and is scoring 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
Redshirt freshman forward Jamari Traylor started against Chattanooga and averages 4.0 points and is second on the team with five blocked shots. Other KU regulars include sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe (6.0 ppg, seven assists) and senior forward Kevin Young (3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
Kansas returns four seniors - Johnson, Releford, Withey and Young - from a team that advanced to the 2012 NCAA championship game, won the school's eighth-straight Big 12 regular-season title with a 16-2 record and finished 32-7 overall. KU welcomes nine freshmen, once again making the Jayhawks one of the youngest teams in the nation for head coach Bill Self--who is in his 10th season at KU with a 271-54 record for an 83.4 winning percentage.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
Located in Pullman, Wash., with an enrollment of 19,255, Washington State is 2-1 on the season after its 58-56 overtime loss at Pepperdine on Friday. The Cougars are coached by Ken Bone who is 59-47 in his fourth season at WSU and 394-219 in his 13 season overall. WSU averages 72.0 points per game and has a +13.3 scoring margin. The Cougars crash the boards with a +10.0 rebound margin (37.0-27.0).
Senior forward Brock Motum leads Washington State in scoring with 17.7 points per contest to go along with 6.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Mike Ladd is the Cougars' second-leading rebounder at 7.0 per outing and has four steals through three games. He is second on the team with a 12.7 scoring average. Freshman guard DaVonte Lacy is also scoring in double figures at 11.3 ppg, leads WSU with five three-pointers and he is tied for the team high with 10 assists.
Former Kansas Jayhawk Royce Woolridge (7.7 ppg) and sophomore forward D.J. Shelton (5.3 ppg) round out the Washington State starters. Woolridge, a sophomore guard at WSU who played in 16 games for Kansas during the 2010-11 season and scored nine points, is tied for the WSU lead with 10 assists and four steals, while Shelton leads the Cougars with 7.3 rebounds per game. Other WSU regulars include sophomore guard Dexter Kernich-Drew (8.7 ppg), sophomore guard Will DiIorio (3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and freshman forward Richard Longrus (2.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg).
ABOUT SAINT LOUIS
Located in St. Louis, Mo., St. Louis is 1-1 on the season heading into its game against Texas A&M. The Billikens are coached by interim head coach Jim Crews (1-1 at SLU, 355-349 in 25th season overall) as Rick Majerus and SLU announced Nov. 16 that he would not return to the St. Louis sidelines due to health issues. SLU defeated USC Upstate in its season opener, 76-59, on Nov. 9 and lost to Santa Clara, 74-62, on Nov. 14.
The Billikens average 69.0 points per game and are giving up 66.5 for a +2.5 scoring margin. They have a plus-seven rebound margin and average 32 boards per contest. Junior forward Dwayne Evans leads SLU with 15 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting 60 percent from the field. Senior forward Cody Ellis comes off the bench and is second in scoring at 13.0 ppg and rebounding at 4.5 rpg. Junior guard Jordair Jett leads the team with five steals to go along with 11.0 points per contest.
Junior guard Mike McCall has a team-high eight assists and is also scoring in double figures at 10.0 ppg. Junior forward Rob Loe (8.5 ppg and a team-high three three-pointers) and sophomore forward Grandy Glaze (4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg) round out the SLU starters. Junior forward Jake Barnett (5.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and freshman guard Keith Carter (1.5 ppg) also come off the bench for the Billikens.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M
Located in College Station, Texas, Texas A&M is 3-0 on the season after its 81-59 win against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 15. The Aggies are coached by Billy Kennedy who is 17-18 in his second season at A&M and 228-197 in his 15th season overall. A&M averages 78.3 points per game and has a +17.3 scoring margin. A&M averages 7.0 three-pointers made per game and is shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc and 47.0 percent from the field.
Senior guard Elston Turner leads the team with a 17.0 scoring average. He has made a team-high nine three-pointers and has five steals in three games. Junior guard Fabyon Harris is next in scoring at 15.3 points per game and he has made seven three-pointers. Senior guard Ray Turner is also scoring in double figures at 13.0 ppg and he leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game.
Freshman guard J'Mychal Reese has a team-high 11 assists and averages 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Kourtney Roberson (6.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg) rounds out the A&M starters. Freshman guard Alex Caruso leads A&M with seven steals to complement his 7.0 points per game. Other regulars include sophomore guard Jordan Green (6.0 ppg) and junior forward Andrew Young (5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg).
THE KU-WSU SERIES
Kansas holds a 1-0 series advantage against Washington State. KU defeated WSU 66-51 in the opening round of the Jayhawk Classic on Dec. 14, 1973, in Allen Fieldhouse. KU's Norm Cook led all scorers with 16 points, while Danny Knight scored 16 and Dale Greenlee 10 for the Jayhawks. KU went on to win the 1973 Jayhawk Classic defeating Oregon, 67-49, the following day. Under head coach Ted Owens, KU went 23-7 in 1973-74, won the Big Eight regular-season title with a 13-1 record and advanced to the Final Four in Greensboro, N.C.
THE KU-ST. LOUIS SERIES
Kansas leads the series with Saint Louis, 12-3, in a series which dates back to 1943. The last meeting between KU and SLU was Dec. 30, 1999, a Kansas 71-60 victory at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. KU won the first three meetings in the series from 1943-52, then Saint Louis claimed the next two victories. From 1967-83, KU rolled off eight-straight wins against the Billikens. SLU won its third game in the series in 1998, a 78-64 win in St. Louis.
THE KU-A&M SERIES
Kansas and Texas A&M would meet for the 22nd time in a series that dates back to 1967. KU leads the overall series, 20-1, and has won the last nine meetings with its former Big 12 foe. The first game of the series was played in 1967 in the Sunflower Doubleheader in Manhattan, Kan., with KU winning, 78-52. Ever since, the series was during the Big 12-era. The teams have met in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship in two of the last five years - 2008 and 2010 - with Kansas winning both meetings and eventually claiming the league tourney titles. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97, Kansas went 19-1 against A&M. Bill Self is 12-3 all-time against A&M, including 12-1 while at Kansas.
Kansas in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic
With its victories against Southeast Missouri State and Chattanooga earlier this season, Kansas is 5-1 heading into the championship bracket of the 2012 Edward Jones CBE Hall of Fame Classic. Kansas went 3-1 in its only other Classic appearance during the 2008-09 season. In 2008, KU defeated UMKC (71-56) and Florida Gulf Coast (85-45) in Allen Fieldhouse and Washington (73-54) in the semifinals. The Jayhawks fell to Syracuse, 89-81, in overtime in the 2008 title game. KU's Sherron Collins was named to the 2008 CBE Hall of Fame Classic all-tournament team.
KU in Kansas City
Kansas City has been a second home of sorts for Kansas over the years. KU's first-ever game -- a 16-5 loss to Kansas City YMCA on Feb. 3, 1899 -- was played in Kansas City. The CBE Hall of Fame Classic will mark KU's 277th and 278th games played all-time in Kansas City, and its 19th and 20th in Sprint Center. KU is 14-4 in Sprint Center including winning the 2008, 2010 and 2011 Big 12 Championships in the venue. In 2009-10 and 2010-11, Kansas went 4-0 in Sprint Center. In 2008-09, KU went 1-2 in the venue. In 2007-08, Kansas went 4-0 in the venue, including winning the Big 12 Championship en route to its NCAA National Championship. KU played 106 games in Kemper Arena with an 81-25 record. KU is 199-78 in games played in Kansas City.
More Notes on the Jayhawks in Kansas City
--Kansas went 26-4 in Kemper Arena from 1997 until 2006, when it played its last game in the venue. Included in that run were Big 12 Championship titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
--Kemper Arena was the host of the 1988 NCAA Final Four when the Jayhawks won the national championship.
--With the Nov. 30 contest against Oregon State, Kansas will have played at least one regular-season game in Kansas City in 23 of the last 25 seasons, including every year Sprint Center has existed.
Clyde Lovellette to be Inducted into National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Kansas basketball legend Clyde Lovellette will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Nov. 18 at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City. Lovellette, who played for the Jayhawks from 1950-52, was a three-time All-American for KU and was a key piece in Kansas' march to its first NCAA title in 1952.
Playing for Hall of Fame coach Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen at Kansas, Lovellette was the first player to win championships in the NCAA, AAU, NBA and Olympic Games. The 6-9 center was a three-time All-America selection for the Jayhawks and led the Big Seven Conference in scoring in each of his three seasons. He was the nation's top scorer in 1952 with 28.6 points per game and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1952 NCAA Tournament.
Lovellette is joined in the induction class of 2012 by Georgetown's dominating center Patrick Ewing, North Carolina's star guard Phil Ford, coaches Joe B. Hall and Dave Robbins, players Kenny Sailors, Earl Monroe and Willis Reed and contributors Jim Host and Joe Dean.
Kansas Signs Five in Fall
Kansas inked five standouts in the first three days of the fall National Letter of Intent signing period: guards Conner Frankamp, Frank Mason and Wayne Selden, center Joel Embiid and forward Brannen Greene. All will be KU freshmen for the 2012-13 season.
Embiid is a 7-foot, 220-pound, center from The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla. The Cameroon native began playing at one of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's basketball camps in Cameroon when he was 16. Mbah a Moute, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, encouraged him to attend Montverde Academy (Fla.). Embiid transferred to The Rock School for coach Justin Harden for his senior season. In his first weekend tournament at The Rock School, Embiid guided his team to three victories and scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds in one contest and had 12 points and 20 rebounds in another, both wins.
Though Embiid is unranked due to his lack of playing, Rivals.com has reported Embiid to be in the No. 25-75 range when its next rankings are out. Last summer he played for Florida Elite on the AAU circuit. Embiid chose Kansas over Florida and Texas.
A 6-foot-0, 160-pound, Wichita, Kan., sharpshooter, Frankamp verbally committed to Kansas during his sophomore season at Wichita North High School. As a junior last season, Frankamp averaged 32.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game at Wichita North for coach Gary Squires. The Redskins advanced to the 2012 state quarterfinals with a 15-8 record and Frankamp earned All-State honors for the second straight season.
Frankamp also has international experience as this past summer he led the U17 USA Basketball team to the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. Frankamp led the Americans in scoring by averaging 14.1 points per game during the FIBA Championships. Frankamp also has international experience as this past summer he led the U17 USA Basketball team to the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Frankamp led the Americans in scoring by averaging 14.1 points per game during the FIBA Championships.
Greene is a forward from Monroe, Ga., where he heads into his senior season at Tift County High School in Tifton, Ga. Last season, the 6-foot-7, 200-pound Greene averaged 25.4 points and 14 rebounds for Mary Persons High School in Forsyth, Ga., where he was named the Macon Telegraph's All Middle Georgia Player of the Year.
Additionally, Greene carries a 4.0 grade point average in the classroom. Greene is ranked as the No. 25 overall player by Rivals.com and the No. 5 small forward in the 2013 class.
Mason is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound point guard from Petersburg, Va., where he plays at Massanutten Military Academy, in Woodstock, Va. Prior to Massanutten, Mason played at Petersburg High School where led the state in scoring in 2011 at 27.4 points per game and in 2012 at 27.1 points per contest.
During his Petersburg career he scored 1,901 points and the Wave were a combined 78-4. Mason guided the Wave to two state tournament appearances. Mason is three-star player ranked No. 134 by Rivals.com and is the No. 29 point guard in the 2013 class. Mason chose Kansas over Alabama, Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Described as a dynamic, explosive and powerful athlete, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Selden attends The Tilton School in Tilton, N.H. He reclassified from 2014 to 2013 earlier this year. Last year Selden averaged 16 points, five assists and three rebounds and helped lead Tilton to a 25-6 record and the NEPSAC Class AA title game.
Selden has also had success on the club circuit where he plays for Boston Amateur Basketball Club. His club team won the highly-competitive Elite Youth Basketball League title in 2011. Selden has a four-star rating and ranks No. 14 nationally by ESPN100 and No. 23 by Rivals.com. He verbally committed to playing for the Jayhawks after his visit during Late Night in the Phog in October and chose Kansas over Syracuse, Florida, UCLA and Missouri.
Next
Kansas will play either Texas A&M or St. Louis on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., concluding the Edward Jones CBE Hall of Fame Classic. The Jayhawks will then take a break for Thanksgiving before returning home to face San Jose State on Monday, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. The San Jose State game begins a five-game homestand for KU.
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