No. 2 ranked Kansas to host Iowa State

Kansas to Host Iowa State:

Ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press and in the ESPN/USA Today polls, Kansas continues its two-game home stand when Iowa State pays a visit to Allen Fieldhouse Saturday at 3 p.m. on the Big 12 Network. The Jayhawks are 23-1 on the season and 8-1 in Big 12 play after their 103-86 win against Border Showdown foe Missouri on ESPN Big Monday. Iowa State is 14-10 on the season and 1-8 in Big 12 play and did not have a mid-week game.

About Kansas:

Kansas is 23-1 on the season and has won at least 23 games for the 22nd consecutive season dating back to 1989-90. That is the longest active 23-win streak in the nation as Gonzaga is second at 13 prior to 2010-11. The Jayhawks average 83.7 points per game and give up 64.0 for a +19.8 scoring margin. KU also leads the battle of the boards with a +7.3 rebound margin. Kansas leads the nation in field goal percentage at 52.4 percent. KU also leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+19.8), three-point field goal percentage (39.4), assists (18.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).

Junior forward Marcus Morris has averaged 19.0 points in Big 12 play and leads Kansas in all games with a 16.9 scoring average. Marcus leads the Big 12 with his 61.0 percent field goal percentage. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season and a Wooden Award Mid-Season candidate, Marcus' 6.8 rebounds per game are second best on KU's team. Marcus' twin, Markieff Morris, a junior forward, leads the Big 12 in rebounding with 8.4 boards per game and in double-doubles with eight. Markieff is averaging 13.2 points per game. He leads KU with 27 blocked shots.

Freshman guard Josh Selby missed the Nebraska (Feb. 5) and Missouri (Feb. 7) games due to an ankle injury. Selby averages 12.0 points, 2.1 three-pointers, 3.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds per contest this season. Senior guard Tyrel Reed is averaging 9.6 points per game for the season. He leads KU with 48 three-point field goals made in 2010-11. Thomas Robinson, a sophomore forward, is third on the team with a 6.4 rebound average to complement his 8.9 scoring average.

Junior Tyshawn Taylor averages 8.6 points per game and ranks third in the Big 12 with 4.8 assists per contest. A Bob Cousy Award finalist, Taylor has 31 steals this season. Senior guard Brady Morningstar leads the Big 12 with an incredible 7.4 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games (37 assists, five turnovers). He is scoring 7.8 points in Big 12 play and 6.0 for the season.

Other KU contributors include senior guard Mario Little (6.4 ppg, career-high 17 points against Missouri Monday), sophomore Travis Releford (5.1 ppg, including 10 points versus Missouri), sophomore guard Elijah Johnson (3.5 ppg) and sophomore center Jeff Withey (2.3 ppg, 15 blocked shots).

About Iowa State:

Located in Ames, Iowa, with an enrollment of 27,945, Iowa State is 14-10 on the season and 1-8 in Big 12 play after its 86-85 loss to Kansas State (Feb. 5) in Ames. Iowa State averages 76.3 points and gives up 67.9 points for a +8.5 scoring margin. ISU is 11-5 at home and 2-5 in true road games in 2010-11 and leads the Big 12 with 8.7 three-point field goals made per game.

Senior guard Diante Garrett leads Iowa State in scoring at 17.9 ppg, which is fifth in the Big 12. Garrett's 6.0 assists per game lead the Big 12 and he is fourth in the conference with 1.9 steals per game. Junior guard Scott Christopherson is next in scoring for Iowa State at 14.2 points per game and he is second the Big 12 with a 45.5 three-point field goal percentage and 2.8 three-pointers made per game. Senior guard Darion Anderson is third in the Big 12 in rebounds with 7.8 per game. He is scoring 11.9 points per contest.

Senior forward Jamie Vanderbeken leads Iowa State with 45 blocked shots and his 1.9 blocked shots average are third in the league. Vanderbeken averages 11.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 2010-11. Freshman forward Melvin Ejim rounds out the ISU starters. He scores 10.8 points per game and his 6.9 rebound average is second on the ISU team. Key contributors off the bench include freshman forward Calvin Godfrey (4.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and freshman guard Bubu Palo (4.0 ppg).

The Kansas-Iowa State Series:

Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa State 169-58 dating back to 1908 and has won the last 11 meetings. KU holds an 86-15 record against ISU in games played in Lawrence, including a 45-9 record in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have defeated the Cyclones five-straight times in Allen Fieldhouse dating back to 2005. Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas is 24-7 against Iowa State with a 22-7 record in regular-season play and a 2-0 mark in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

Earlier this season, Kansas edged Iowa State 84-79 in Ames on Jan. 12. The game was KU's Big 12 opener and the Jayhawks were led by Marcus Morris' career-high 33 points and 13 rebounds. Twin brother Markieff Morris also had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Josh Selby scored 14 points for KU. ISU's Diante Garrett scored 27 points to lead the Cyclones.

Team Notables:

--Kansas leads the nation in field goal percentage at 52.4 percent. KU also leads the Big 12 in scoring offense (83.7), scoring margin (+19.8), three-point field goal percentage (39.4), assists (18.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).

--Kansas has held 10 opponents to 60 or less points this season.

--Kansas has outrebounded 20 of 24 opponents this season, including 15 of its last 17.

--KU has outshot all but two teams this season (USC on Dec. 18 and Texas on Jan. 22).

--The Jayhawks have shot 50 percent or better in 17 games this season. KU has shot 50 percent or better in each of its last five games and six of its last seven.

--Over the last two games, KU has made 24-of-43 three-point field goal attempts (55.8 percent).

--Kansas' bench averages 28.7 points compared to its opponents' 17.4 ppg. KU's bench has outscored its opponents' bench in 19 of 24 games this season, including 36-16 against Missouri Monday.

--Kansas is 22-1 when leading at the half this season and 23-0 when leading with five minutes remaining.

--KU has used six different starting lineups this season.

--Under Bill Self, Kansas has nine streaks of 10 or more victories, including the 18-0 start of 2010-11.

--KU is 2-1 against ranked foes this season with its win against No. 13/14 Memphis (Dec. 7) in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, a loss against No. 10/11 Texas (Jan. 22) and a win versus No. 19/20 Missouri (Feb. 7).

--Kansas' 57-point win against Ohio (98-41) in the Las Vegas Invitational was the third-largest margin of victory in the Bill Self era and the largest in a game away from Allen Fieldhouse under Self.

Individual Notables:

--Junior MARCUS MORRIS is 29-for-41 (70.7 percent) from the field in his last five games. He is scoring 19.0 points in Big 12 games, which is fourth in the conference. Overall, Marcus' 16.9 scoring average is sixth in the league. After his 22-point effort against Missouri Monday, Marcus has seven games with 20-plus points this season. Marcus leads the Big 12 in shooting percentage at 61.0 percent for all games, which ranks in the top 10 nationally. He is making 64.9 percent from the field in Big 12 contests. He has shot 70 percent or better in nine games this season and has led Kansas in scoring 12 times this season. His 6.8 rebounds per game are 11th in the Big 12. He has led KU in every stat at least once this season. Marcus has been named Big 12 Player of the Week twice (Nov. 29 and Jan. 17) and was named a Wooden Award Mid-Season candidate Jan. 6.

--Junior MARKIEFF MORRIS, twin of Marcus, is shooting 78.1 percent (25-for-32) in his last four games, including 5-for-6 (83.3 percent) from three-point range. In that span he is averaging 16 points per game. He notched his Big 12-leading eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds at Texas Tech Feb. 1. Markieff leads the Big 12 in rebounding at 8.4 rpg and has 10 games with double-figure boards. Named Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 27, Markieff is 17th in the Big 12 in scoring at 13.2 ppg. He has been the leading rebounder for KU in 13 of 24 games.

--Senior BRADY MORNINGSTAR has been a mark of efficiency over his last six games, including a season-high 19 points at Nebraska (Feb. 5). In that span, he is 23-for-37 (62.2 percent) from the field, including 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from three-point range. Even more impressive were his last two games when Morningstar had 13 assists and no turnovers. He is scoring 7.8 points in Big 12 play and 6.0 points per game for the season. Morningstar, who graduated in May 2010, leads KU with 36 steals and has recorded a steal in 17 of 24 games played this season. He is ninth in the Big 12 in steals per game at 1.5. In Big 12 play, Morningstar leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 7.4 (37 assists, five turnovers).

--Sophomore THOMAS ROBINSON is 20-for-25 (80.0 percent) from the field in his last four games with a 12.8 points per game average in that span. Robinson is 14-for-19 (73.7 percent) from the line in his last three games. Robinson missed the Colorado contest on Jan. 25 tending to the funeral of his mother, Lisa, in Washington, D.C. Robinson has two double-doubles in 2010-11. He averages 8.9 points per game in 2010-11 and his 6.4 rebounds are 15th in the Big 12.

--Senior TYREL REED has made five three-pointers in his last two games with three at Nebraska (Feb. 5) and two versus Missouri (Feb. 7). Reed leads Kansas with 48 three-pointers this season and has made multiple threes in 15 games. In conference play, Reed is scoring 10.1 points and 9.6 for the season. The guard is the only Jayhawk to have started every game this season. Reed has an 83.3 free throw percentage (40-of-48). Reed had career-highs in points with 18 and rebounds with seven at California (Dec. 22). Ranked 12th in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (38.4) and 11th in three-pointers made per game (2.0), Reed is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award who graduated from KU in December and has been accepted into KU Medicine's physical therapy school. He is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection and has been nominated for Academic All-America each of the last three seasons and is on the national ballot for Academic All-America in 2010-11.

--Junior TYSHAWN TAYLOR scored 13 points against Missouri (Feb. 7) to mark the ninth time this season he has scored in double figures and the first time in Big 12 play. Taylor is averaging 8.6 points per game this season. Named a Bob Cousy Award finalist (one of 20) on Jan. 12, Taylor is third in the Big 12 in assists per game at 4.8. He has led KU in assists in 14 of 24 games this season, including seven of the last 14 contests. Taylor is sixth in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.8.

--Senior MARIO LITTLE scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) shooting, including 3-for-3 from three-point range against Missouri (Feb. 7). In his last four games, Little is 15-for-19 (78.9 percent) from the field, including 5-for-5 from three-point range. He has three games in double figure points this season, including with 17 versus Missouri (Feb. 7), 10 points at Baylor (Jan. 15) and 11 points versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 19). Little averages 15.1 minutes, 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 56.6 percent from the field on the season.

--Sophomore TRAVIS RELEFORD scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, against Missouri (Feb. 7). It was the most points scored in Big 12 play for Releford this season. Releford has played the last four games after missing the previous five contests due to an ankle sprain on his right foot suffered at Michigan (Jan. 9). Releford is shooting 54.5 percent from the field. He is averaging 5.1 points this season and has scored in double figures five times. A Las Vegas Invitational all-tournament selection, Releford's windmill dunk against UMKC (Jan. 5) was No. 1 on ESPN's Top 10 List on Jan. 6.

--Freshman JOSH SELBY has missed the last two games due to a stress reaction in his right ankle. X-Rays and MRI indicated no fracture to the ankle. He is averaging 14.3 points in his last three games and 12.0 for the season. With 17 points at Colorado, 12 versus Kansas State and 14 at Texas Tech, Selby's current string of three-straight double figure scoring games are the longest of the season for the guard. He has scored in double figures in nine of 13 games played this season. He is 17-for-32 (53.1 percent) from the floor in his last three games, including 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from three-point range. Selby has multiple three-pointers in nine games, including four of his last five contests. Selby averages 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per contest on the season. He has scored 16 or more points in five games and is 21-for-26 (80.8 percent) from the free throw line. Selby is a two-time Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Jan. 31 and Dec. 20).

--Sophomore ELIJAH JOHNSON led Kansas with six assists against Kansas State (Jan. 29). He has appeared in 22 games this season with one start. He scored a career-high 13 points against UMKC (Jan. 5). Johnson had his first start of the season against UT Arlington (Dec. 29) and scored 11 points. He has a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio for the season. Johnson averages 3.5 points and 2.0 assists in 2010-11.

--Sophomore JEFF WITHEY played five minutes at Texas Tech (Feb. 1). He scored three points and pulled down four rebounds in eight minutes at Colorado (Jan. 25). Withey averages 6.6 minutes, 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shots per game.

Up Next:

Kansas will travel to Kansas State for its third ESPN Big Monday appearance on Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. Kansas will then host Colorado on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. on ESPN. The game will mark the return of KU alum and CU head coach Tad Boyle and will be the final conference regular-season meeting between the two schools. On Monday, Feb. 21, Oklahoma State will travel to Lawrence for an 8 p.m. matchup with the Jayhawks on ESPN Big Monday.