LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas (27-7, 13-5 Big 12) will open the 2018 NCAA Championship as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region on Thursday, March 15 when the Jayhawks take on the No. 16-seeded Penn Quakers (24-8, 12-2 Ivy) at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita. The game, set for 1 p.m. (CT), will be televised on TBS with Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Steve Lavin (analyst) and Evan Washburn (reporter) calling the action.
Kansas will have open practice in the venue on Wednesday, March 14, from 12:30-1:10 p.m.
TIP-OFF
ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas (27-7, 13-5) is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press and No. 3 in the USA TODAY Coaches' polls, released March 12. Kansas leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made at 10.1 per game, which is 20th nationally, 3-point field goal percentage (40.3, 13th nationally), 3-point field goal percentage defense (32.7) and is tied for first in scoring margin (10.6, 21st nationally). KU also ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring (third at 81.5), field goal percentage (second at 49.8, ninth nationally), assists (second at 17.0, 13th nationally) and assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.5, 15th nationally).
The 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year and on every national player of the year watch list, senior G Devonte' Graham averaged 18.7 points per game in Big 12 play and is scoring 17.3 in all games, which is third in the Big 12. An All-Big 12 First Team selection who has been named to three All-America first teams, Graham leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7) and is second in the conference in assists (7.5), sixth in free throw percentage (83.4), fourth in 3-point field goals made (2.9), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (41.2) and fifth in steals (1.6). Senior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, an all-league second-team honoree, is second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (45.3, 13th nationally) and third in 3-point field goals made (3.1) as he is the only player in the conference to rank that high in both 3-point stats. Mykhailiuk is averaging 15.1 points per game, which is 10th in the Big 12.
Sophomore C Udoka Azubuike, an All-Big 12 Third Team selection, leads the country in field goal percentage at 77.4 percent and is 42-for-49 (85.7 percent) from the field in his last seven games. He has seven 20-point games this season. Azubuike has five double-doubles on the season, two in Big 12 play, and ranks 14th in the league in scoring at 13.7 points per game. Azubuike's 7.1 rebound average is sixth in the conference. Azubuike did not play in the Big 12 Championship due to a knee injury but is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Redshirt-sophomore G Malik Newman was the 2018 Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player after averaging 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and making 15 3-pointers in Kansas' title run. Also the 2018 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, is averaging 13.1 points for the season, which is 17th in the conference. He is pulling down 4.9 rebounds per game.
Junior G Lagerald Vick, an honorable mention all-conference honoree, is averaging 12.0 points per game, which is 24th in the conference. He pulls down 4.9 rebounds per game and has made 49 3-pointers this season.
Freshman G Marcus Garrett averages 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. He has started seven games this season and plays 19.7 minutes per contest. Sophomore F Mitch Lightfoot is second on the team with 50 blocked shots. He is averaging 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and leads KU with 15 charges taken this season. Freshman F Silvio De Sousa (3.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg) led Kansas with a 9.7 rebound average in the Big 12 Championship. He also averaged 10.0 points per game and shot 77.8 percent from the field in KU's tourney title run.
ABOUT PENN
Penn (24-8, 12-2 Ivy League) heads to the NCAA Tournament after claiming the Ivy League Tournament title, an impressive addition to its 2018 Ivy League regular-season championship. The regular-season title, which Penn tied for with Harvard, marked the team's 26th and first since 2007. Penn is coached by Steve Donahue who is in his third season at Penn with a 48-40 record and was named the 2018 Ivy League Coach of the Year. Overall, Donohue is 248-254 in his 17th season.
Penn averages 76.4 points and has a plus-7.8 scoring margin. The Quakers pull down 37.7 rebounds per game with a plus-1.7 rebound margin. Penn leads the Ivy League in scoring margin (7.8), 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.2, second in NCAA Division I), field goal percentage defense (41.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and defensive rebounds (29.1, fourth nationally). The Quakers also average 15.4 assists, 5.9 steals and 2.8 blocked shots per game.
Four Quakers score in double figures and are led by sophomore G Ryan Betley, who scores 14.4 ppg. Betley is the team's top 3-point threat after averaging 2.5 threes per game and shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc. Sophomore F A.J. Brodeur, an All-Ivy League First Team selection, is the team's top rebounder at 7.1 per game and adds 13.1 ppg. Brodeur is also the team's most efficient scorer, making over 54 percent of his field goal attempts.
Aside from a 12-2 conference slate, Penn will enter postseason play with wins in seven of its last eight outings. The Quakers' last loss came on March 3 at Yale, 80-79.
THE KANSAS-PENN SERIES
This series dates back to 1997 and Kansas has won all three meetings. The Jayhawks defeated the Quakers, 89-71, on Feb. 8, 1997, in the Franklin Bank Classic in Washington, D.C. The following season, KU defeated Penn, 61-56, on Nov. 17, 1998, in Philadelphia. Penn then made a return trip to Lawrence with Kansas winning, 105-59, on Jan. 4, 2000, in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas coach Bill Self is 1-0 against Penn, having defeated the Quakers, 78-71, on Nov. 22, 2001, in Las Vegas, while he was head coach at Illinois. Penn head coach Steve Donahue has faced Kansas before when he was at Cornell (2000-01 to 2009-10). The Jayhawks edged Cornell, 71-66, on Jan. 6, 2010, in Allen Fieldhouse.
A KANSAS WIN WOULD...
Make Kansas 28-7 and give KU 28 victories for the third-straight season and ninth time in the 15-year career of head coach Bill Self ... Give KU its 12th-straight NCAA Tournament first-game victory which started in 2007... Make KU 33-2 in its last 35 NCAA Tournament round-of-64 games, beginning in 1981 ... Make KU 4-0 all-time against Penn ... Make KU 13-3 away from Allen Fieldhouse this season ... Make Kansas 104-45 all-time in NCAA Tournament games ... Make Bill Self 444-95 while at Kansas, 651-200 all-time and 44-18 in the NCAA Tournament (34-13 while at KU)... Make Kansas 2,245-848 all-time.
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD...
End Kansas' season at 27-8 ... End a Kansas 11-straight first-game NCAA Tournament win streak ... Make Kansas 13-4 away from Allen Fieldhouse this season ... Make Bill Self 443-96 while at Kansas, 650-201 all-time and 43-19 in the NCAA Tournament (33-14 while at Kansas)... Make Kansas 2,244-849 all-time.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP LEFTOVERS
Kansas will have open practice in the venue on Wednesday, March 14, from 12:30-1:10 p.m.
TIP-OFF
- Kansas is making its 47th NCAA Tournament appearance and has a 103-45 record in the event. The Jayhawks have advanced to 30 Sweet 16 contests, 14 Final Fours and three of their five national championships have been in NCAA Championship format (1952, 1988, 2008).
- Kansas' 29-consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, beginning in 1990, is the active longest streak and the longest consecutive in NCAA tourney appearances history.
- Since seeding in the NCAA Tournament began in 1979, Kansas has been a No. 1 seed 14 times, including each of the last three seasons ('86, '92, '95, '97, '98, '02, '07, '08, '10, '11, '13, '16, '17 and '18).
- This is the ninth-straight season that the Jayhawks have earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. In head coach Bill Self's 15 seasons, KU has never been seeded lower than a four seed.
- This season, Kansas is 17-3 against the 2018 NCAA Tournament field.
- Kansas has played four games in the NCAA Tournament in Wichita with a 4-0 record. The last time KU was in an NCAA Tournament game in Wichita was 1981.
- Kansas has won its last 11 NCAA Tournament first-round games, a string which started in 2007.
- Senior G Devonte' Graham, the 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year, is the only player in NCAA Division I averaging 17.0-plus points, 7.0-plus assists, 1.6-plus steals and fewer than 3.0 turnovers per game. Graham is third nationally in assists per game at 7.5.
- Kansas saw a big haul of Big 12 postseason awards, with all five starters being named to at least one of the all-league teams. Bill Self was named the league's co-Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his 15 seasons at KU and the second-straight year.
- Kansas won its NCAA-record breaking 14th straight, 18th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 61st overall conference regular-season title in 2017-18.
- Last week, KU won its 15th overall and 11th Big 12 Championship title. The Jayhawks have won eight league tournaments in the Bill Self era.
ABOUT KANSAS
Kansas (27-7, 13-5) is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press and No. 3 in the USA TODAY Coaches' polls, released March 12. Kansas leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made at 10.1 per game, which is 20th nationally, 3-point field goal percentage (40.3, 13th nationally), 3-point field goal percentage defense (32.7) and is tied for first in scoring margin (10.6, 21st nationally). KU also ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring (third at 81.5), field goal percentage (second at 49.8, ninth nationally), assists (second at 17.0, 13th nationally) and assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.5, 15th nationally).
The 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year and on every national player of the year watch list, senior G Devonte' Graham averaged 18.7 points per game in Big 12 play and is scoring 17.3 in all games, which is third in the Big 12. An All-Big 12 First Team selection who has been named to three All-America first teams, Graham leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7) and is second in the conference in assists (7.5), sixth in free throw percentage (83.4), fourth in 3-point field goals made (2.9), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (41.2) and fifth in steals (1.6). Senior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, an all-league second-team honoree, is second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (45.3, 13th nationally) and third in 3-point field goals made (3.1) as he is the only player in the conference to rank that high in both 3-point stats. Mykhailiuk is averaging 15.1 points per game, which is 10th in the Big 12.
Sophomore C Udoka Azubuike, an All-Big 12 Third Team selection, leads the country in field goal percentage at 77.4 percent and is 42-for-49 (85.7 percent) from the field in his last seven games. He has seven 20-point games this season. Azubuike has five double-doubles on the season, two in Big 12 play, and ranks 14th in the league in scoring at 13.7 points per game. Azubuike's 7.1 rebound average is sixth in the conference. Azubuike did not play in the Big 12 Championship due to a knee injury but is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Redshirt-sophomore G Malik Newman was the 2018 Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player after averaging 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and making 15 3-pointers in Kansas' title run. Also the 2018 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, is averaging 13.1 points for the season, which is 17th in the conference. He is pulling down 4.9 rebounds per game.
Junior G Lagerald Vick, an honorable mention all-conference honoree, is averaging 12.0 points per game, which is 24th in the conference. He pulls down 4.9 rebounds per game and has made 49 3-pointers this season.
Freshman G Marcus Garrett averages 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. He has started seven games this season and plays 19.7 minutes per contest. Sophomore F Mitch Lightfoot is second on the team with 50 blocked shots. He is averaging 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and leads KU with 15 charges taken this season. Freshman F Silvio De Sousa (3.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg) led Kansas with a 9.7 rebound average in the Big 12 Championship. He also averaged 10.0 points per game and shot 77.8 percent from the field in KU's tourney title run.
ABOUT PENN
Penn (24-8, 12-2 Ivy League) heads to the NCAA Tournament after claiming the Ivy League Tournament title, an impressive addition to its 2018 Ivy League regular-season championship. The regular-season title, which Penn tied for with Harvard, marked the team's 26th and first since 2007. Penn is coached by Steve Donahue who is in his third season at Penn with a 48-40 record and was named the 2018 Ivy League Coach of the Year. Overall, Donohue is 248-254 in his 17th season.
Penn averages 76.4 points and has a plus-7.8 scoring margin. The Quakers pull down 37.7 rebounds per game with a plus-1.7 rebound margin. Penn leads the Ivy League in scoring margin (7.8), 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.2, second in NCAA Division I), field goal percentage defense (41.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and defensive rebounds (29.1, fourth nationally). The Quakers also average 15.4 assists, 5.9 steals and 2.8 blocked shots per game.
Four Quakers score in double figures and are led by sophomore G Ryan Betley, who scores 14.4 ppg. Betley is the team's top 3-point threat after averaging 2.5 threes per game and shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc. Sophomore F A.J. Brodeur, an All-Ivy League First Team selection, is the team's top rebounder at 7.1 per game and adds 13.1 ppg. Brodeur is also the team's most efficient scorer, making over 54 percent of his field goal attempts.
Aside from a 12-2 conference slate, Penn will enter postseason play with wins in seven of its last eight outings. The Quakers' last loss came on March 3 at Yale, 80-79.
THE KANSAS-PENN SERIES
This series dates back to 1997 and Kansas has won all three meetings. The Jayhawks defeated the Quakers, 89-71, on Feb. 8, 1997, in the Franklin Bank Classic in Washington, D.C. The following season, KU defeated Penn, 61-56, on Nov. 17, 1998, in Philadelphia. Penn then made a return trip to Lawrence with Kansas winning, 105-59, on Jan. 4, 2000, in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas coach Bill Self is 1-0 against Penn, having defeated the Quakers, 78-71, on Nov. 22, 2001, in Las Vegas, while he was head coach at Illinois. Penn head coach Steve Donahue has faced Kansas before when he was at Cornell (2000-01 to 2009-10). The Jayhawks edged Cornell, 71-66, on Jan. 6, 2010, in Allen Fieldhouse.
A KANSAS WIN WOULD...
Make Kansas 28-7 and give KU 28 victories for the third-straight season and ninth time in the 15-year career of head coach Bill Self ... Give KU its 12th-straight NCAA Tournament first-game victory which started in 2007... Make KU 33-2 in its last 35 NCAA Tournament round-of-64 games, beginning in 1981 ... Make KU 4-0 all-time against Penn ... Make KU 13-3 away from Allen Fieldhouse this season ... Make Kansas 104-45 all-time in NCAA Tournament games ... Make Bill Self 444-95 while at Kansas, 651-200 all-time and 44-18 in the NCAA Tournament (34-13 while at KU)... Make Kansas 2,245-848 all-time.
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD...
End Kansas' season at 27-8 ... End a Kansas 11-straight first-game NCAA Tournament win streak ... Make Kansas 13-4 away from Allen Fieldhouse this season ... Make Bill Self 443-96 while at Kansas, 650-201 all-time and 43-19 in the NCAA Tournament (33-14 while at Kansas)... Make Kansas 2,244-849 all-time.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP LEFTOVERS
- The title was Kansas' 15th overall and 11th Big 12 postseason championship and its second in the past three seasons (2016).
- Kansas improved to 27-7, giving KU 27 wins for the fourth-straight season and the 11th time in the last 12 years, beginning in 2006-07.
- The victory over West Virginia made KU 12-4 in games not played Allen Fieldhouse this season.
- In the last four KU-WVU meetings, the Jayhawks have outscored the Mountaineers 100-45 over the final eight minutes of the second half, including a 20-7 closing run in Saturday's title contest.
- Kansas' 15 3-pointers tied its own tournament single-game record. The Jayhawks also hit 15 treys against Texas in the 2008 final.
- KU's 72.0 percent (18-of-25) shooting from the field in the second half marked the fourth time the Jayhawks have shot 70 percent or better in half this season.
- Kansas moved to 13-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. In Bill Self's 15 seasons the Jayhawks are 237-9 when connecting on more than half of its shots.
- In its three games of the Big 12 Tournament, the Jayhawks shot 53.5 percent (92-of-172), which was the second-best shooting performance by a team in the event.
- With Malik Newman and Devonte' Graham's selections to the All-Tournament team, Kansas now has 29 selections to the all-tournament squad in the 22-year history of the league.
- Senior G Devonte' Graham was named to the All-Tournament team for the second time after averaging 14.3 points and 10.0 assists in his three outings last week.
- With his career-high 13 assists against West Virginia, Graham set a Big 12 tournament final record. His 30 assists for the week were good for third-best in tournament history.
- Graham eclipsed the 600 assist plateau with his 13 dimes, now with 604 career helpers and is five from tying Darnell Valentine for fifth on the school's all-time assists list.
- Graham holds the mark for second-most assists in a season by a Jayhawk with 254 on the year. He is 24 assists shy of the single-season record of 278 set by Cedric Hunter in 1985-86.
- Graham logged 40 minutes for the 16th time this season and now has 4,301 minutes played in his career. That sits him third on the all-time list and is just 46 minutes shy of Frank Mason III's 4,347 minutes for second-most in KU history.
- Graham's 1,277 minutes on the year are the fourth-most by a Jayhawk in a single season.
- RS-Sophomore G Malik Newman was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player which marks the 10th time in the Big 12's 22-year history that a Jayhawk has walked away with the award.
- Newman averaged 24.0 points per game over the three-day event and shot 62.5 percent (25-of-40) from the field. His 72 points tied for the fifth-most in a single tournament and the most ever by a Jayhawk, topping Paul Pierce's former mark of 67 points set in the 1998 tournament.
- Newman's 15 3-pointers made in the tournament are the second-most in tourney history and his 68.2 (15-22) 3-point percentage was the third-highest mark in the event for players who saw a minimum of three games.
- Senior G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk made four 3-pointers against West Virginia and passed Billy Thomas for No. 3 on KU's single-season 3-point field goals list, now with 106. He is five shy of tying Terry Brown's single-season record of 111 threes set in 1990-91.
- Freshman F Silvio De Sousa tallied his first-career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds vs. WVU.
- De Sousa went a perfect 8-of-8 from the field, marking the fourth time a Jayhawk has been perfect this season with a minimum of five attempts. Udoka Azubuike has the other three instances.
- With his 11 rebounds, De Sousa posted two double-digit rebounding efforts in the Big 12 Championship.
