ST. LOUIS – Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson has been named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the Wayman Tisdale Award committee announced on Tuesday.

In the last two games, Jackson has averaged 22.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.0 steals and shot 16-for-28 from the field. Jackson posted a career-high 31 points with 11 rebounds at Texas Tech on Feb. 11. During Monday’s epic comeback victory over No. 9 West Virginia he contributed 14 points and 11 boards.

Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com, who collaborates with the USBWA to present the Tisdale Freshman of the Week, praises Jackson as, “No freshman in America has had a better three-week run than Jackson, who’s helped keep Kansas on the No. 1 (NCAA Tournament seed) line while averaging a double-double in the process.”

The 6-foot-8 guard has nine double-doubles this season, including five in the last six games. During that six-game span, Jackson has averaged 20.1 points and 9.2 rebounds. His 31 points at Texas Tech were the most by a KU freshman since Andrew Wiggins scored 41 points at West Virginia on March 8, 2014.

Jackson was previous named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week on Jan. 17 this season.

The Detroit native has seven Big 12 Conference weekly honors this season as a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week and five-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. His seven Big 12 weekly honors are the most ever by a Jayhawk in one season.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Frank Mason III had 24 points, including two free throws to cap a frantic comeback from 14 down in the final three minutes of regulation, and No. 3 Kansas stunned No. 9 West Virginia 84-80 in overtime Monday night to assume control of the Big 12 race.

Devonte Graham added 18 points, hitting two of his five 3-pointers in the extra period, and Josh Jackson added 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Jayhawks (23-3, 11-2) avenged a loss in Morgantown while extending their lead over fourth-ranked Baylor to two games in the league standings.

Esa Ahmad scored 20 points and Tarik Phillip had 18 for the Mountaineers (20-6, 8-5), who appeared to have the game locked up when they led 64-50 with 2:58 left in the second half.

Kansas answered with some more Allen Fieldhouse magic.

Spurred on by their own version of a full-court defense, the Jayhawks began forcing turnovers and turning them into easy baskets. And by the time Graham curled in a 3-pointer, Phillip threw the ball away and Mason made a pair of free throws, it was 71-all with 21.6 seconds left in regulation.

The Mountaineers called a timeout with 16.1 seconds to go to set up a final play, and they managed to get Phillip isolated on the wing. But his long 3-pointer clanked off the iron as the buzzer sounded.

Graham’s 3-pointers helped Kansas score the first eight points of overtime.

The Jayhawks had their 51-game winning streak at the Phog snapped by Iowa State just more than a week ago, but they still have not lost consecutive home games since February 1989. They also have never been swept in the regular season by a Big 12 foe in 14 years under coach Bill Self.

West Virginia has never beaten the Jayhawks at the Phog in five tries.

The Mountaineers scored the game’s first 10 points to silence a record-breaking crowd, only for the Jayhawks to answer with a 16-0 run spanning nearly five minutes. Lagerald Vick was the instigator, hitting back-to-back 3s when nobody else in a Kansas uniform could hit much of anything.

The Mountaineers soon regained their composure and took a 39-32 lead into the locker room, then kept the Jayhawks at arm’s length throughout much of the second half.

But it wasn’t the Mountaineers’ vaunted Press Virginia defense that caused problems for Kansas. It was some stingy half-court defense, which prevented the Jayhawks’ guards from getting open looks on the perimeter or finding creases to get to the basket.

That is, until the final few minutes of regulation.

NO BUFFER NEEDED

Kansas fans set the record for loudest indoor crowd cheer at 130.4 decibels just before tipoff, breaking the mark set by Kentucky fans in a game against the Jayhawks at Rupp Arena last month.

Kentucky fans needed some help from legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer to get charged up for their record-breaking attempt. Their counterparts at Kansas needed no such assistance in establishing a threshold verified by a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records.

BIG PICTURE

West Virginia squandered a chance to get back in the Big 12 race, not to mention pick up a marquee road win that would have helped with NCAA Tournament seeding next month.

Kansas was dreadful shooting from the floor for most of the night, only to heat up when the game was on the line. It was the kind of back-against-the-wall performance the Jayhawks have put together so many times while winning 12 consecutive Big 12 championships.

UP NEXT

West Virginia begins a two-game homestand Saturday against Texas Tech.

Kansas visits No. 4 Baylor on Saturday for a top-five tilt.

— Associated Press —

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — After Josh Jackson missed the first free throw with 2.8 seconds left and the score tied, he told himself not to think about missing the next one.

He didn’t, and after a possible game-winning shot fell short for Texas Tech, No. 3 Kansas came away with an 80-79 victory on Saturday.

Jackson, a freshman, finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

“After I missed the first one, just tried not to think about me missing it too much because I find often that when I think about missing one, then I think about missing another one,” Jackson said. “And it just happens. So I just kept telling myself to knock it down.”

Landen Lucas scored 13 points, and Frank Mason III had 12 points for Kansas (22-3, 10-2), which has a crucial week upcoming: The Big 12 leaders will face the second- and third-ranked conference teams this week in West Virginia and Baylor.

“Anytime you get it handed to you and get an opportunity to play that same team, that should be motivation enough,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of facing West Virginia, which beat Kansas earlier this year.

Keenan Evans finished with 25 points, and Niem Stevenson had a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for Texas Tech (16-9, 4-8). Zach Smith finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

After Kansas inbounded the ball with 5.4 seconds left, Jackson was fouled on a drive and missed the first free throw before making the game winner.

“He did such a good job of driving downhill,” Self said. “I don’t know if it was a fair play for Zach [Smith] because I don’t believe he was guarding Josh. Josh’s man fell, and Zach had to take Josh. So [Jackson] was able to get a head of steam driving at him downhill.”

On Texas Tech’s inbound with one second remaining, the Red Raiders managed an off-balance shot attempt from Evans that fell short.

Mason, the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, fouled out and was held under his 20.4 points per game average.

“I think you give our guys some credit for that,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “I think we contributed to Frank not playing the game that he’d like to play. I thought we were dialed in defensively. I thought we put pressure on him to play defense.”

Texas Tech used a Kansas scoring lull midway through the second half to get back in the game. During that stretch, the Jayhawks managed just one field goal in a four-minute stretch.

Kansas trailed 77-75 with 2:17 remaining after Justin Gray hit two free throws for the Red Raiders. A dunk by Jackson tied the game with 2:05 left, and Kansas did not trail after that.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: After two losses in its past five games entering Saturday, Kansas built on a three-point win against Kansas State with a tight road victory against the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have not beaten Kansas since 2009 and came close to upsetting a No. 3-ranked team at home for the second straight season. Last year, Texas Tech knocked off then-No. 3 Oklahoma.

BIG PLANS

Beard complimented Jackson after the game by joking that he might not be a college player for long.

“I thought about asking him like after the game, ‘Hey, Jackson, can I borrow a couple hundred dollars?'” Beard said. “‘I’ll pay you back next year when you’re in Lubbock.’ Because he’s not coming back to Lubbock. He’ll be a one-year player in the Big 12. He’s special.”

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts No. 13 West Virginia on Monday.

Texas Tech plays No. 6 Baylor at home on Monday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. –  With the help of a stifling defensive effort, Kansas women’s basketball put together its most dominating Big 12 Conference victory under head coach Brandon Schneider, after surging past Oklahoma State, 67-49, on Wednesday evening inside Allen Fieldhouse.

On a night where not all of Kansas’ own shots were falling, the entire team hunkered down and committed to winning the game the gritty way – on the defensive end. The Jayhawks forced 25 turnovers, including three shot-clock violations, their fourth game this year forcing at least 25 turnovers. Even when the Cowgirls could get shots off, OSU could not convert, shooting 16-of-52 (30.8%), the lowest field goal percentage allowed by KU in Big 12 play this year.

Kansas (8-16, 2-11 Big 12) was led on the offensive end by a balanced scoring effort from the guard trio of redshirt junior Jessica Washington, sophomore Aisia Robertson and senior Timeka O’Neal. All three did most of their damage from beyond the arc, shooting a combined 8-of-15 (53.3%) from three-point land. Robertson and O’Neal registered season-high points with 14 and 13, respectively, while Washington notched her ninth-straight game in double figures with 12 points.

Mandy Coleman led Oklahoma State (13-10, 3-9 Big 12) in scoring with 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double on the year. OSU’s only other scorer in double-digits was Kaylee Jensen, who dropped in 11 points before fouling out.

The Jayhawks asserted themselves defensively from the get-go, halting Oklahoma State on its first five possessions en route to building a quick 8-0 lead. Even after breaking the seal with its first bucket nearly four minutes into the game, the Cowgirls struggled from the floor and put up just six points in the first quarter. It was Kansas’ second time this season, and first in conference play, holding its opponent to six points in the opening quarter.

Oklahoma State’s Jensen was the only player who could seemingly figure out the KU defense, accounting for all of her team’s first quarter points. The center showed range with a 3-pointer midway through the quarter to bring the Cowgirls within four in a 9-5 game, the closest OSU would come to matching the Jayhawks the rest of the night. Kansas added five more points and OSU could only muster a Jensen free throw the rest of the quarter, and the Jayhawks held on to a 14-6 lead at the end of the first.

Sophomore guard Jayde Christopher provided the spark at the beginning of the second quarter to ensure Kansas’ lead would remain safe. Christopher was fouled on a drive and converted both the layup and the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play. She followed on the next possession with another slash to the basket, opening the quarter with a quick 5-0 run.

Once again, Oklahoma State could not figure out the Kansas defense to open the quarter, scoring one point in the first 3:50 of the second quarter. The Cowgirls manage to score another eight points before the end of the quarter to bring their halftime total to 15, the fewest points allowed by the Jayhawks in a half during Big 12 play.

A 15-second sequence at the end of the half fully swung momentum in Kansas’ favor and demonstrated the type of two-way play that Schneider knows his team is capable of. Robertson drove to the basket and wowed the crowd with a reverse layup, but was prevented from celebrating by OSU, who was already pushing the ball down the floor. The entire team took a pause to celebrate the team’s great play once junior guard Chayla Cheadle stopped the transition by drawing a charging foul. The pumped-up Jayhawks ran into their locker room holding a 29-15 halftime lead.

The second half opened with both teams trading baskets for the first seven minutes until Kansas ripped off the lid with a Cheadle layup and consecutive triples from O’Neal and Washington, extending the lead to 21 points. As the lid opened up for Kansas, it almost completely shut for OSU, who managed to eke out six points from the free throw line for the remainder of the third quarter. With one quarter remaining in its best Big 12 outing thus far, Kansas maintained a 49-32 lead.

Kansas did not let up in the final 10 minutes, pushing the leading as far as 24 before settling into a comfortable 18-point lead at the 2:55 mark. From there, Kansas traded baskets with OSU until the buzzer sounded and the scoreboard read 67-49, avenging KU’s four-point loss earlier this season to the Cowgirls and marking a milestone in Schneider’s tenure with the Jayhawks.

UP NEXT
Kansas hits the road to complete the 2017 series against Texas on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tipoff against the Longhorns is slated for 1:30 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. –  After shooting above 40 percent for the first time in Big 12 Conference action, Kansas women’s basketball found its rhythm offensively, but couldn’t find an answer to TCU’s timely baskets down the stretch, as the Horned Frogs swept the 2017 series with an 80-68 victory on Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks (7-16, 1-11 Big 12) and the Horned Frogs (11-11, 3-8 Big 12) sported pink uniforms to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research in KU’s annual ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ game. Although Kansas didn’t get the outcome it wanted at the end of the ballgame, KU was able to donate over $7,000, which went to Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the KU Cancer Center.

In a back-and-fourth game, redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington led all scorers with 27 points. Senior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen tied her season high with 14 points along with grabbing six rebounds. Defensively, sophomore guard
34268 Redshirt junior Jessica Washington

Jayde Christopher tied her career high of five rebounds and dished out a team-best four assists.

Junior guard AJ Alix led the Horned Frogs with 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, while also connecting on all eight attempts from the free throw line. Sophomore center Jordan Moore registered the only double-double of the day with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Senior guard Jada Butts added 13 points and six assists rounding out TCU’s double-digit scorers.

TCU opened up the ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ game on fire offensively outshooting the Jayhawks, 8-2, in the opening three minutes. The Jayhawks’ defense would be the story of the first quarter, however, forcing the Horned Frogs to eight turnovers. Kansas leads the league in turnovers forced with 19.1 and by the end of the matchup, TCU had turned the ball over 20 times.

Kansas stayed within striking distance after a jumper by Washington cut the Jayhawks deficit, 10-6. The Horned Frogs’ best defensive effort couldn’t stop Manning-Allen from earning three points for the Jayhawks to put KU within three. KU continued to chip away at TCU’s advantage late in the first quarter.

Defensive efforts by sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich and Washington contributed to a five minute TCU scoring drought from the floor and three turnovers in two minutes. Washington followed up on the offensive end with a 3-point basket to cut the Horned Frogs’ lead to one possession, 14-12. Senior forward Sydney Umeri sank a jumper just before the buzzer sounded at the end of the opening period. Umeri’s buzzer-beater cut the Jayhawks deficit, 15-14, going into the second period.

The Jayhawks opened up the second quarter with a 3-point basket from senior guard Timeka O’Neal to give Kansas its first lead of the game, 16-15. O’Neal followed up with a charge that ended in a basket for Manning-Allen on the offensive end for KU.

TCU’s offensive intensity kept the game within one point for much of the second quarter. Moore gave the Horned Frogs the lead with a put-back layup, but Kansas regained the lead, 25-23, after three-points from Washington. TCU returned the three-point play with an and-one opportunity from Butts giving the Horned Frogs a one-point lead, 26-25. Moore added another layup to extend the TCU lead to three, 28-25.

A pair of free throws from Christopher put KU back within one, 28-27. The TCU’s advantage grew to five for a brief time until Kopatich responded with a layup. A 3-point basket from freshman guard Amber Ramirez looked to extend the Horned Frogs’ lead, but Manning-Allen responded with a layup, as KU’s deficit narrowed, 35-32, heading into the locker room at the half.

Junior guard Chayla Cheadle started off the second half with a layup to cut the TCU lead, 35-34 and a pair of free throws from Washington allowed Kansas to regain the lead, 36-35. The third quarter continued to be a back and forth game as the Jayhawks struggled to stop TCU’s Moore. Kansas was unable to stop the Horned Frogs, defensively, as they went on an 8-0 run over 36 seconds, giving them a nine-point lead, 47-38.

Manning-Allen cut the TCU lead to six with a layup, 49-43. Washington attempted to spark another comeback attempt for the Jayhawks with a 3-pointer, but TCU’s Alix answered with back-to-back baskets from long range of her own extending TCU’s lead to 10, the first time to reach a double-digit advantage in the ballgame. The Jayhawks kept up the intensity on the offensive end, and worked to erase their deficit. Despite strong efforts, offensively, the Horned Frogs remained on top by seven going into the final quarter, 63-55.

The Horned Frogs had an answer for every move the Jayhawks made in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. A Washington 3-pointer and a Manning-Allen block on the defensive end attempted to ignite a Jayhawk run, but the Horned Frogs once again responded and maintained momentum.

TCU went on a 9-0 run late in the game as Kansas was held scoreless for four and a half minutes. The drought was ended, but the damage was done and the Jayhawks couldn’t muster a comeback in the final minutes of the game. TCU ran away with the victory, 80-68, in the fourth quarter to sweep the 2017 series.

Kansas welcomes Oklahoma State to Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 8, for the final contest of its two-game homestand. Tipoff against the Cowgirls is set for 7 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Josh Jackson had 23 points and 10 rebounds, then helped third-ranked Kansas prevent No. 2 Baylor from getting off a potential tying shot in the closing seconds of the Jayhawks’ 73-68 victory Wednesday night.

Frank Mason III added 19 points, including two free throws to seal the win, and Devonte Graham scored 13 as the Jayhawks (20-2, 8-1) pulled a game ahead of the Bears (20-2, 7-2) in the Big 12 race.

It was nip-and-tuck almost the entire way.

The game was tied 64-all with 2:23 left when Jackson went baseline for a dunk. After Mason made a couple of foul shots moments later, the teams began trading baskets down the stretch in a matchup that lived up to its billing.

Manu Lecomte’s fall-away jumper brought Baylor to 70-68 with 51 seconds left, but Ish Wainwright missed a 3-pointer badly on the team’s next possession. Svi Mykhailiuk made one of two free throws with 18 ticks left for the Jayhawks, then they buckled down for the biggest stop of the night.

Lecomte was hounded around the perimeter by Mason and Landen Lucas, and passed it off to Johnathan Motley, who likewise had nowhere to go with Jackson in his face. Motley’s pass landed out of bounds with 1.3 seconds left, and Mason made both free throws after getting fouled on the inbounds play.

Mykhailiuk finished with 11 points for the Jayhawks, who hung on to win their 51st consecutive game at Allen Fieldhouse — a building where Baylor has never won in 15 tries.

Motley led the Bears with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Lecomte also finished with 16 points.

The Jayhawks dominated the opening minutes, getting off shots before Baylor could settle into its vaunted zone. But they eventually got too sped up, turning it over three straight times.

Gradually, the Bears were able to slow the game to their liking, clawing back to take their first lead at 18-16 midway through the half. They proceeded to rip off a 10-2 run a few minutes later, their big salvo triggered by a defense that completely shut down the Jayhawks in the paint.

Motley began to assert himself at the other end, scoring most of his 14 first-half points right at the basket, as the Jayhawks’ poor interior play continued to drag them down in the second half.

It was their outside shooting that kept them in the game.

Mykhailiuk drained two 3-pointers in quick succession out of the locker room, part of a 13-0 run that gave the Jayhawks a 41-36 lead. Mason added five points during the charge, which energized another sellout crowd at the Phog and prompted Baylor coach Scott Drew to call a timeout.

WHO IS HE?

Wainwright honored his late grandfather, Maurice King, by wearing “King-Wainwright” on his jersey rather than just his last name. Maurice King, who died in 2007, was the first black starter in Kansas history and played alongside Wilt Chamberlain in the 1950s.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor is hardly out of the conference race. Its two Big 12 losses have come at West Virginia and Kansas, and there is no harm in that. The challenge going forward is to beat those teams at home.

Kansas nevertheless took a big step toward winning its 13th straight league title, and did it by beating the Bears for the ninth straight time. Jayhawks coach Bill Self improved to 8-0 against top-5 teams in Allen Fieldhouse.

UP NEXT

Baylor returns home to play Kansas State on Saturday.

Kansas welcomes Iowa State to the Phog on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday. This is the fifth time this season Jackson has earned the honor which is a Kansas record for newcomers.

Jackson averaged 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Jayhawks during two road games against top-20 teams. The Detroit native connected on 6-of-9 3-pointers in the two contests.

Jackson’s highlight performance was his fifth double-double of the season when he had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas’ 79-73 win at No. 4/4 Kentucky in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge Jan. 28. KU had gone 0-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half of the game and Jackson opened the second half with two treys to give the Jayhawks the lead and momentum en route to the victory. Jackson opened the week tying his career high with 22 points in the 85-69 loss at No. 18/18 West Virginia. Included was a 4-for-4 effort from 3-point range against the Mountaineers.

Jackson’s five times being named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week surpasses former KU guard Tyshawn Taylor’s four times during the 2010-11 season. His five newcomer accolades rank tied for fifth most on the Big 12 list with Clifton Cook of Texas A&M during the 1998-99 season.

— KU Athletics —

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Frank Mason III scored 21 points, Josh Jackson had 20 points and a pair of big 3-pointers and No. 2 Kansas rallied past No. 4 Kentucky 79-73 on Saturday night in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Challenge’s marquee matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs ended with the Jayhawks earning their second straight win over the Wildcats on Kentucky’s home floor. Three-point shooting was critical for Kansas (19-2) as it shook off an 0-for-8 first half to make 5 of 11 after halftime, with Jackson’s consecutive 3s starting things for the Jayhawks. They shot 59 percent in the second half.

Mason had 13 second-half points and Landen Lucas contributed 13 points — including a layup with 4:41 remaining for a 69-59 lead — and five rebounds before fouling out. Jackson also had 10 rebounds.

Malik Monk and Derek Willis each had 18 points for Kentucky (17-4), which dropped its second straight.

THE BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Unfazed by first-half perimeter woes, the Jayhawks made their first three attempts from long range to change the momentum. They also forced 17 turnovers for 21 points. Devonte’ Graham had 12 points, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk provided a big lift in place of suspended forward Carlton Bragg Jr., scoring eight points. This was Kansas’ first game since coach Bill Self acknowledged Thursday that police are investigating an alleged rape at the team’s dormitory.

Kentucky: The Wildcats’ ragged stretch just before halftime resulted in 10 turnovers, and their problems continued in the second half. They gave the Jayhawks all kinds of opportunities that not even 40-percent 3-point shooting could overcome. The Wildcats don’t lose often at Rupp Arena, but they now have two home defeats this season, both in marquee games against ranked teams — they lost to now-No. 8 UCLA in December.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kansas’ gutsy win in a tough environment might be enough to convince some poll voters to put the Jayhawks on top. Kentucky figures to drop several spots with a home loss following an SEC defeat at mid-pack Tennessee.

UP NEXT

Kansas: The Jayhawks have a few days to savor this win before hosting No. 5 Baylor on Wednesday night in a battle of the Big 12’s top two teams. Iowa State comes in next Saturday.

Kentucky: Looks to end its two-game slide at home against Georgia on Tuesday night before traveling to Florida next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Thursday that Carlton Bragg Jr. has been suspended indefinitely from the team effective immediately.

“Carlton is suspended for a violation of team rules,” Self said. “This violation is not connected to the alleged incident in McCarthy Hall on December 17th.”

No. 2 Kansas travels to No. 4 Kentucky Saturday for a showdown with the Wilcats.  The tip off is set for 5:15 from Rupp Arena.

— KU Athletics —