LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s basketball sophomore Wayne Selden, Jr., will return to KU for his junior season, the guard announced Friday.

“I’m using that last game and the season as my everyday motivation to get better,” Selden said. “I’m happy to come back to Kansas next season. This is a special place.”

A two-year starter from Roxbury, Massachusetts, the 6-5 Selden averaged 9.4 points per game last season and led KU with 46 three-pointers made. He was named to the 2015 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team where he scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting in KU’s 62-52 win against Baylor in the semifinals and a career-high 25 points versus Iowa State in the championship game, a 70-66 loss. In all, Selden had four 20-point efforts during his sophomore campaign and led KU in scoring seven times.

An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection both his freshman and sophomore seasons, in 2014-15 Selden was second on the team with 95 assists and his 2.6 assists per game ranked 12th in the Big 12 Conference.

“Wayne is such a great kid and competitor and feels that there are so many things to accomplish, not only as an individual, but as a team,” KU head coach Bill Self said. “He is committed to this program and I know he’ll work his tail off to put himself into in a spot to be a high (NBA) draft pick, hopefully next year, and put our team into position to have another great year.”

For his career, Selden enters 2015-16 with 679 points (9.6 ppg), 88 three-point field goals and 254 three-pointers attempted. His 34.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc ranks 23rd on KU’s career three-point field goal percentage list. Selden is 12 threes from cracking KU’s career top-25 list for three-point field goals made.

“A lot of good things are coming up for KU and I want to be a part of that,” Selden said. “We’re going to represent the USA at the World (University) Games this summer. We’re moving into new dorms (McCarthy Hall) before school starts and we’re playing in Maui (Hawaii) next year.”

Kansas posted a 27-9 overall record in 2014-15 and won its 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season championship with a 13-5 league record. The Jayhawks had the toughest schedule in the nation and their 10 victories against Associated Press nationally-ranked teams at tip were the most for KU in a season. Kansas faced 16 ranked teams at tip, which were four more than the previous high for a season set three times (1994-95, 2002-03 and 2011-12). Included were 2015 Final Four teams Kentucky and Michigan State.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Tuesday that freshman Cliff Alexander will declare for the 2015 NBA Draft. Alexander joins fellow KU teammate Kelly Oubre, Jr., who announced he was going to enter the 2015 NBA Draft on April 1.

“This should come as no surprise to anybody,” Self said. “Cliff had a very interesting and educational year. He was a major contributor to our team from the beginning of the season. He worked his way into the starting lineup and has had to deal with an off-the-court issue with the NCAA that made him ineligible for the last eight games of our season. We all feel bad for Cliff for what he and our team had to go through because it was difficult for him to sit and watch his teammates play without him. During his time here, Cliff certainly got better. I loved coaching Cliff, but we support his decision 100 percent to move on and take his ability to the next level.

A 6-8 power forward from Chicago, Alexander missed the final three regular-season games, the Big 12 Championship and KU’s NCAA Tournament contests, eight games total, as a precautionary measure after the NCAA alerted KU about issues that could affect Alexander’s eligibility.

Alexander averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Jayhawks in 2014-15. His 5.3 rebounds were second best on the team behind junior forward Ellis’ 6.9 boards per game. Alexander led KU with a 56.6 field goal percentage and his 37 blocked shots tied for the team-high with junior Jamari Traylor. His 1.3 blocking average ranked ninth among his Big 12 counterparts.

“I talked this over with my mom and my dad and we decided the timing was right for me to enter the NBA Draft,” Alexander said. “Kansas has been a great experience. I enjoyed being on campus. When I came in I didn’t really know much (about playing in college). I was undersized and not strong enough to bang with other guys. As the year went on, I got settled and comfortable with the system. I got stronger in the weight room and competed harder.”

Alexander recorded two double-doubles during the season with his first in KU’s 61-56 win against then-No. 20 Michigan State in the title game of the Orlando Classic, Nov. 30, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 and the Wayman Tisdale Award Watch List for the top freshman in the nation, Alexander’s  second double-double came against then-No. 19 Oklahoma on ESPN Big Monday, Jan. 19, where he scored 13 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in KU’s 85-78 win.

“Playing in Allen Fieldhouse… that’s the craziest place I have ever played,” Alexander said about his fondest memory of playing at Kansas. “I’m going to miss the fans. They showed me a lot of love everywhere I went. They are a very supportive fan base. I’m going to miss my teammates a lot. I’m going to miss everybody.”

Alexander would later be named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 26 for his efforts against the Sooners and his 15 points and nine rebounds in KU’s 75-62 win at then-No. 17 Texas.

“Coach Self knows the game of basketball and taught me a lot on and off the court while I was here,” Alexander said. “I’ve known Jerrance (Howard) since I was a sophomore in high school. We’ve had a great relationship. When I got here that just grew, he felt like a big brother to me. All the coaches and staff were very supportive during my time here. They helped me grow and mature.”

Kansas posted a 27-9 overall record in 2014-15 and won its 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season championship with a 13-5 league record. The Jayhawks had the toughest schedule in the nation and its 10 victories against Associated Press nationally-ranked teams at tip were the most for KU in a season. Kansas faced 16 ranked teams at tip which were four more than the previous high for a season set three times (1994-95, 2002-03 and 2011-12). Included were 2015 Final Four teams Kentucky and Michigan State.

— KU Sports Information —

INDIANAPOLIS – Two-time Kansas men’s basketball All-American and seven-time NBA All-Star Jo Jo White joined the best of the best among his life’s work on Monday. White was one of six individuals announced as making up the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2015.

White donned the Crimson and Blue from 1966-69 under the direction of head coach Ted Owens. An All-America selection in 1968 and 1969, White was a three-time All-Big Eight Conference honoree and KU’s Most Valuable Player for three-straight seasons. The Saint Louis native scored 1,286 career points, which still ranks 29th all-time at Kansas.

His four years at KU saw the Jayhawks win two Big Eight Championships, three Big Eight Holiday Tournaments, make two NCAA Tournament appearances and finish runner-up in the NIT. He was a member of the 1968 Gold Medal USA Olympic basketball team and played 11 seasons in the NBA.

Drafted by Boston with the ninth overall pick in 1969, White led the Celtics to NBA Championships in 1974 and 1976, where in the latter he was named NBA Finals MVP. A seven-time NBA All-Star, he averaged 18.3 points per game in his 10-year Celtics career, shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free throw line, while he averaged 21.5 points per game in 80 playoff games.

A major impact at the collegiate and professional levels, White’s No. 10 was retired by the Celtics in 1982, one of 21 numbers that hang in the TD Garden rafters. His Kansas jersey was officially retired on Jan. 27, 2003.

The electees will be enshrined during Hall of Fame weekend, Sept. 10-11, at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Along with White, fellow former NBA players Dikembe Mutombo and Spencer Haywood also were voted in, as was longtime referee Dick Bavetta, college and NBA coach John Calipari, and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie.

White marks the 18th Jayhawk all-time to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is named in honor of the game’s inventor and KU’s first head coach, Dr. James Naismith.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas freshman guard Kelly Oubre, Jr., will declare for the 2015 NBA Draft, the 6-7 guard announced Wednesday. In lieu of a press conference, Oubre chose to keep his decision between himself, his dad (Kelly Oubre, Sr.) and head coach Bill Self before making his announcement public.

“I’m leaving the University of Kansas for the upcoming NBA Draft,” Oubre said. “It’s always been a dream to play in the NBA. This is an opportunity to play against the best in the world and expand my game in hopes of someday becoming one of those great players. It’s been a great year. I’ve been blessed to be here at the University of Kansas. I was blessed to go through the things that I went through and I was blessed to play for coach (Bill Self). He taught me a lot this year, the little things that will help out my game a lot.”

An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Oubre averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Jayhawks in 2014-15. A member of the 2015 Big 12 All-Newcomer Team, the New Orleans native with a 71-inch wingspan, was second on the KU squad with 41 steals and led the Jayhawks in steals 11 times during the season.

“I talked with guys who have been in this situation before me and they told me different things,” Oubre said. “JoJo (Joel Embiid) said he knows what I am going through and he told me his process and some of the things he went through. It’s definitely been a hard and tough decision and I’ve come to this conclusion.”

Oubre started 27 games for KU including the last 26 contests, missing only Senior Night as Jayhawk senior Christian Garrett replaced him against West Virginia (3/3).

“This should come as really no surprise to anybody that has followed us,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “Kelly came in being well thought of by NBA personnel and certainly, nothing has changed in that regard. In the time he was here he’s been a great ambassador, a great teammate and, obviously, a very talented player.”

Named one of 10 finalists for the USBWA Wayman Tisdale Award honoring the top freshman in the country, Oubre was a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in 2014-15. He recorded three games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 25 points against TCU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship, March 12, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. He also recorded three double-doubleson the season.

“Kelly is an excellent student and going to fulfill his academic obligations this semester at KU,” Self said. “At some point and time I am convinced that he will complete his degree because education is important to him and his family.”

Kansas posted a 27-9 overall record in 2014-15 and won its 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season championship with a 13-5 league record. The Jayhawks had the toughest schedule in the nation and its 10 victories against Associated Press nationally-ranked teams at tip were the most for KU in a season. Kansas faced 16 ranked teams at tip which were four more than the previous high for a season set three times (1994-95, 2002-03 and 2011-12). Included were 2015 Final Four teams Kentucky and Michigan State.

“The University of Kansas has always been behind me,” Oubre said. “This has been a great experience. It has felt like home since the first time I took my official visit. I wouldn’t trade this situation and this time for anything in the world. I feel like I will always have a home I can come back to and I will always have people I can lean on.”

“Getting my degree from Kansas will be the biggest accomplishment of my life, bigger than making it to the NBA,” Oubre said. “Having that degree is something you can look back on and say ‘I worked hard’ to earn that.”

“I’ll miss the different personalities in the locker room,” Oubre said. “We all gelled from the first time we were together. I’ll miss the coaches pushing us every day to be the best players we can be. Every time coach Self says something, it’s definitely something you need to work on. He’s seen it. He’s seen it before, multiple, multiple times.”

“On the surface this presents a void on our perimeter from last year but this is something we have known could happen for several months and we are prepared for it,” Self said. “I’m real excited about our players returning.”

— KU Sports Information —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas men’s basketball duo of Perry Ellis and Frank Mason III have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District 8 Team, the NABC announced Friday.

Reflecting their All-Big 12 recognitions earlier this month, Ellis is a first-team member of the NABC All-District 8, while Mason is on the second team. A total of 24 districts were recognized by the NABC and District 8 represented the Big 12 Conference.

A junior forward from Wichita, Kansas, Ellis is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top-10 in scoring (7th, 13.8 ppg), rebounding (4th, 6.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (7th, .457) in 2014-15. Four other players in the league check in among the top-10 in two of the three stats, including Mason, but only Ellis holds a top-10 ranking in all three. A three-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season, Ellis tied for third in the conference with seven double-doubles and posted four games with 20 or more points, including three in league play.

A sophomore guard from Petersburg, Virginia, Mason led Kansas, and ranked fifth in the Big 12, with 3.9 assists per game. KU’s second-leading scorer, Mason posted three 20-point games this season, including a career-high-tying 21 points at then-No. 15 Oklahoma in the regular-season finale. He scored 12.6 points per game, which is ninth in the league. A mulit-dimensional guard, Mason also ranked ninth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 78.6 percent, eighth in field goal percentage at 44.1 percent, ninth in steals at 1.4 per game and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.9.

Kansas posted a 27-9 overall record in 2014-15 and won its 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season championship with a 13-5 league record. The Jayhawks had the toughest schedule in the nation and its 10 victories against Associated Press nationally-ranked teams at tip were the most for KU in a season.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Selected as a No. 2 seed, the Kansas men’s basketball team will make its 26th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The nation’s longest-active streak in the Big Dance will start against No. 15 seed New Mexico State in the Midwest Region on Friday, March 20, at 11:15 a.m. (Central) on CBS.

Kansas (26-8, 13-5) extended its unprecedented run of 11-straight Big 12 titles to conclude the regular season and, on Sunday, the Jayhawks lengthened their NCAA Tournament streak to 26 seasons in a row – the longest streak in the nation. The unveiled bracket paired Kansas against Western Athletic Conference champion New Mexico State (23-10, 13-1) in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

This marks the sixth-straight season that the Jayhawks have earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. In head coach Bill Self’s 12 seasons, KU has never been seeded lower than fourth. Kansas has been a two-seed seven times, including each of the last two seasons (1990, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2012, 2014, 2015).

The Jayhawks and Aggies have played twice previously, with the Jayhawks coming away with victories in each (102-51, Dec. 7, 1965; 100-79, Dec. 3, 2008).

ABOUT KANSAS (26-8, 13-5 Big 12)
Overall, the Jayhawks are making their 44th NCAA Tournament appearance. KU is 96-42 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, including 30 Sweet 16 appearances and 14 trips to the Final Four.

The Jayhawks finished the 2014-15 regular season with a 26-8 record against the nation’s toughest schedule, which included a program-best 10 victories against ranked opponents. In conference tournament action, Kansas defeated TCU and Baylor to advance to the Phillips Big 12 Championship finals against Iowa State. The Cyclones won their second-consecutive conference tournament to hand Kansas a 26-8 record to begin postseason play. Against the No. 1 RPI conference and the nation’s toughest strength of schedule, Kansas won the Big 12 Conference regular-season outright on March 3.

Kansas is one of seven Big 12 Conference teams to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, marking just the sixth time in NCAA history that 70 percent of a league was selected. The seven teams tied the Big Ten for the conference with the most teams represented in the tournament. In all, KU faced 10 NCAA Tournament teams in 2014-15.

Led by the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year, Self guided his Jayhawks through a non-conference schedule that included the No. 1 overall seeded and undefeated Kentucky, as well as, Michigan State, Utah and Georgetown. All-Big 12 First Team junior forward Perry Ellis set the tone for Kansas and is the only player in the Big 12 that ranks in the top-10 in the league in points per game, rebounds per game and field goal percentage. As a team, KU averages 71.2 points per game and outscores opponents by a +6.8 margin.

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE (23-10, 13-1 WAC)
The Aggies head to the NCAA Tournament after claiming their fourth-consecutive Western Athletic Conference Tournament title, an impressive addition to their 2015 WAC regular-season championship. The tourney title, which NMSU won handily over Seattle on Saturday, marked the team’s fifth in the last six years under 2015 WAC Coach of the Year Marvin Menzies.

Redshirt freshman forward Pascal Siakam leads an otherwise veteran Aggie lineup. He shoots 57.7 percent from the floor and averages 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, earning himself WAC Freshman of the Year honors. Senior forward Remi Barry leads the team with a 13.3 scoring average and is one of four Aggies to average double-figures. Senior guard Daniel Mullings was named to the All-WAC First Team, while fellow senior Tshilidzi Nephawe earned WAC Tournament MVP honors. Running the floor, sophomore guard Ian Baker leads the team with a 47.2 three-point field goal percentage (58-of-123) and dishes 2.8 assists per game.

Aside from a 13-1 conference slate, New Mexico State will enter postseason play on a 13-game win streak. The Aggies’ last loss came on Jan. 17 at Seattle, which they avenged with an 80-61 win in the WAC Tournament championship game.

UP NEXT
The winner of (2) Kansas vs. (15) New Mexico State will advance to play the winner of (10) Indiana and (7) Wichita State on Sunday, March 22.

— KU Sports Information —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — During a break early in the second half of the Big 12 tournament title game, Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg gathered his team in front of the bench and asked them a simple question:

“How much do you have left?”

The answer turned out to be just enough.

After digging a 17-point hole against ninth-ranked Kansas, the Cyclones put together another of their trademark comebacks. Georges Niang led the way with 19 points, Abdel Nader made the go-ahead foul shots with 48 seconds left, and No. 13 Iowa State beat the Jayhawks 70-66 to win its second consecutive tournament championship.

“We got down 17, and they were still talking and positive in the huddle,” Hoiberg said, “and that’s a great sign, when your guys can stick together through adversity.”

They’re getting quite accustomed to it.

It was the fifth straight game — including all three in the tournament — that the Cyclones rallied from a double-digit deficit, prompting Niang to dub his teammates the “Comeback Kids.”

“We don’t want to come back every time, but it just seems to keep happening to us,” Niang said. “If that’s our emergency button, if that’s what we have to do, we’ll do it.”

Nader finished with 13 points, and Jameel McKay and Monte Morris had 11 each for the Cyclones (25-8), who also knocked off the Jayhawks on their way to winning the title a year ago.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Cyclones streamed onto the floor and chants of “I-S-U” echoed through the Sprint Center, which was evenly split between the red-clad fans from the north and the blue-clad Kansas fans from the west.

“We knew it’s a long game, no matter what team you’re playing,” said the Jayhawks’ Wayne Selden Jr., who had a career-high 25 points. “Whether you’re up or down, it’s a long game.”

Frank Mason III had 13 points for the Jayhawks (26-8), who had their chances after Nader’s two foul shots made it 65-63 with 48 seconds left.

Freshman guard Devonte Graham went to the basket but was out of control, turning the ball over, and Kansas quickly fouled. Morris made the second of two free throws with 23.8 seconds left.

Kansas still had a chance to tie the game with a 3, but coach Bill Self opted to drive to the rim. Mason missed a spinning layup, Dustin Hogue gathered in the rebound, and Iowa State began to celebrate its second consecutive championship and third overall.

“Coach always talks to us about fighting through adversity, staying together as a team,” Nader said. “That’s what we did again tonight.”

With Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard recovering in the hospital from a heart attack, the Cyclones went on a 12-0 finishing run with a buzzer-beater from Morris to knock off Texas in the quarterfinals. Then they rallied from an 11-point hole in the semifinals, a game that ended when Oklahoma’s Ryan Spangler missed a tying layup at the horn.

Their comeback Saturday night may have been the most impressive yet.

After trailing 37-23 at the break and watching Mason hit three straight foul shots to start the second half, Iowa State rallied against one of the Big 12’s best defenses. Niang led the way with seven points during a 17-2 run that forced Self to burn several timeouts.

Selden tried to answer the charge, elevating high above the rim and spearing an alley-oop pass from Mason with one hand before slamming it through.

Iowa State kept on coming, though.

With relentless pressure in the half court, the Cyclones forced the Jayhawks into difficult shots — when they weren’t turning the ball over. Eventually, Iowa State embarked on a 10-0 run capped by Bryce Dejean-Jones’ basket for a 57-51 lead with six minutes left.

That’s when Kansas mounted a charge of its own, with Selden driving to the rim and getting fouled three times down the stretch. With 1:29 to go, he went to the rim and was fouled by Niang, the ball hanging on the rim for a moment before falling in. The ensuing free throw made it 63-all.

Set up a memorable final minute too.

BUMPS AND BRUISES

The Jayhawks’ Perry Ellis, who returned from a knee injury for the semifinals, played 30 minutes but was just 2-of-10 shooting.

“He’s not 100 percent, but the great thing is he got through it,” Self said. “Give him six of seven days and he’ll be fine.”

MORE ON POLLARD

Iowa State’s athletic director taped a video from his hospital bed that was shown to fans on a big screen outside the arena before the game. He had triple-bypass surgery after having a heart attack while watching his children compete in a track meet Monday.

TIP-INS

Iowa State: The Cyclones won despite going 2-for-16 from beyond the arc. They had just six turnovers. … McKay had eight rebounds.

Kansas: The Jayhawks had won 19 of the last 22 meetings with Iowa State. … Kansas was 21-of-23 from the foul line. … The Jayhawks were outscored 46-22 in the paint.

UP NEXT

Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg earns a $50,000 bonus for making the NCAA tournament.

Kansas learns whether it will open the NCAA tournament in nearby Omaha, Nebraska.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bill Self was the first to admit that Kansas and Baylor set basketball back Friday night. In fact, the Jayhawks coach said the late Phog Allen and Henry Iba would have been rolling in their graves watching their ugly execution.

Then again, it was exactly what Self wanted to see.

“I think sometimes when it’s not very artistic, people say, ‘You didn’t play well,'” Self explained. “But if we played a pretty game with Baylor, they would have beat our butts.”

Instead, the ninth-ranked Jayhawks muddied things up enough to earn a 62-52 victory over the No. 16 Bears in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament.

Wayne Selden Jr. led the way with 20 points, and Perry Ellis returned from a right knee injury to add 11 as the top-seeded Jayhawks (26-7) cruised into Saturday night’s championship game for the 11th time. They’ll face the winner of No. 2 seed Iowa State and No. 3 seed Oklahoma.

Wearing a bulky brace on his knee, Ellis limped off late in the game. He never returned, but said afterward that he simply took a shot to his thigh and would be ready for the title game.

“I could have put him back in late,” Self said, “but I thought we had the game.”

Indeed, they did.

Rico Gathers had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Kenny Chery added 20 points for the fourth-seeded Bears (24-9), who should still feel quite secure heading into Selection Sunday.

With a school-record seven wins over ranked teams this season, the Bears are a near-lock to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large in back-to-back years for the first time.

“We didn’t take care of the ball well enough. Shooting obviously wasn’t good, wasn’t pretty. But the turnovers is the one that got us,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team coughed it up 17 times — one turnover fewer than the Jayhawks.

The Bears came in touting one of the best defenses in school history, a vexing 1-3-1 mashup of zones. But the simpler, man-to-man defense of Kansas was even more effective in the first half, holding the Bears to 5-for-25 shooting from the field as the Jayhawks built a 26-18 lead.

It was the Bears’ lowest-scoring half since they managed just 16 points over the first 20 minutes in a loss to Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

It took the Bears another 3 minutes in the second half before they finally scored another field goal, a layup by Lester Medford. Selden promptly answered with an and-one at the other end, pushing the Jayhawks’ lead to 35-20 and leaving a heavily-pro Kansas crowd roaring.

Baylor responded with its only real run of the game, getting within 41-35 and energizing a smaller bunch of green-clad fans. But the Jayhawks clamped down on defense one more time.

They forced turnovers on two of the next three possessions, Gathers missed a pair of foul shots and Baylor missed seven straight field goals. The scoring lull allowed the Jayhawks, driving to the basket almost at will, to crank out a 10-0 run that gave them control.

Kansas managed to put the game away from the foul line in the closing minutes, beating the Bears for the first time in three tries in the Big 12 tournament.

“We knew we hadn’t been playing defense to our capability the last few games,” Selden said. “We wanted to get out and pressure their guards and play with a lot of energy.”

PRINCE OR PAUPER

Baylor’s Taurean Prince was just 1 for 11 from the field and 0 for 7 from beyond the arc. He finished with two points in 22 minutes. “It happens to the best of us,” Chery said. “We weren’t making shots tonight and you can’t do nothing about it.”

ABOUT THE ARC

After going 0 for 8 in the quarterfinals against TCU, the Jayhawks hit their first two 3-pointers. Then, they made one of their next 10. “We were on fire from 3, because we made 3 — we were 3 for 12,” Self said, sarcastically. “That’s the best we’ve shot it in a while.”

TIP-INS

Baylor: Gathers fouled out in the closing minutes. … The Bears finished 4 for 22 from the 3-point line. … Baylor’s largest lead was two points, the first time all season it has not led an opponent by at least six. … The Bears trailed at halftime for just the fifth time.

Kansas: Kelly Oubre Jr. had nine points, one night after scoring a career-high 25 against TCU. … The Jayhawks outrebounded Baylor for the first time in three games this season. … Kansas has won its last five against the Bears.

UP NEXT:

Baylor: waits for its NCAA tournament seeding on Sunday.

Kansas: will play for the Big 12 tournament title on Saturday night.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kelly Oubre Jr. admitted that Kansas underestimated TCU the first time the teams met this season. Underestimated them a little bit the second time, too.

Good thing they didn’t do the same thing the third time.

The ninth-ranked Jayhawks needed just about every one of Oubre’s career-high 25 points, along with a couple of big defensive stops, to hold off the Horned Frogs for a 64-59 victory Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

“This game, we wanted to show we could handle their punches,” Oubre said, “and they threw a lot of them. We withstood them.”

Still, the top-seeded Jayhawks (25-7) had to sweat out all 40 minutes against the No. 9 seed Horned Frogs for the third time this season. It wasn’t until Oubre got loose for an easy jam with a minute left that Kansas finally had some breathing room.

Trey Zeigler turned the ball over at the other end for TCU (18-15), and Kansas was able to run down the shot clock before Frank Mason III found Landen Lucas for an alley-oop jam and a 63-57 lead with 30 seconds left. The Jayhawks were able to hold on the rest of the way.

“We didn’t play particularly well,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I thought TCU played really smart and really tough and we didn’t make as many plays as I’d like throughout the game.”

Still, they made enough to advance. Kansas will play No. 16 Baylor in the semifinals Friday night. The fourth-seeded Bears beat No. 18 West Virginia 80-70 in an earlier quarterfinal.

Zeigler finished with 20 points for TCU (18-15), which must wait to see whether it has done enough to qualify for one of the lower-tier postseason tournaments. The Horned Frogs have missed out the past two years, their last appearance coming in the CBI in 2012.

“I thought we competed really, really hard, had opportunities to make plays down the stretch,” TCU coach Trent Johnson said, “and we didn’t make them.”

Self was hopeful that leading scorer Perry Ellis would return from a sprained knee, but the junior forward was still feeling sore after practice Wednesday. Ellis wound up spending the game in a sweatsuit on the sideline, and his availability for Baylor was still in question.

The Jayhawks also played again without freshman forward Cliff Alexander, who has been sitting out while the NCAA investigates concerns that his family received improper benefits.

The Horned Frogs, meanwhile, played most of the way without leading scorer Kyan Anderson, who picked up his fourth foul with 15:58 left in the game. He sat for nearly 10 minutes before getting back on the floor, then picked up his fifth foul about 30 feet from the basket.

“Kyan is a big part of what we do,” Zeigler said, “so not to have him out here was really tough. Me and him usually share the ball-handling responsibility for our team. It sort of got put in my hands the whole second half.”

The teams were tied 51-all after Brandon Parrish made a pair of free throws for TCU with 6:42 left in the game. Oubre responded by driving to the basket and getting fouled on four consecutive trips down floor, making enough of his free throws to give Kansas a bit of a cushion.

The Jayhawks held on the rest of the way, improving to 10-1 against TCU. They also improved to 25-5 in the Sprint Center, just a short drive from their campus in Lawrence.

“We’re just kind of make-shifting,” Self said. “Today was a good game for us in this regard because we had to play a way we haven’t practiced very much at all.”

NO 3S

The Jayhawks finished 0 for 8 from beyond the arc, the second time in three games that they have failed to his a 3-pointer. “It’s not concerning because we know we can shoot,” Oubre said.

TIP-INS

TCU: The Horned Frogs were done in by 15 turnovers. Zeigler had eight of them. … Anderson finished with three points. … TCU dropped to 1-12 when tied or trailing at the half.

Kansas: Lucas finished 6 for 7 from the field. He also had seven boards. … Kansas overcame 17 turnovers in part by blocking nine shots. … Kansas has won at least 25 games 10 straight years. … The Jayhawks improved to 5-1 in neutral-site games this season.

UP NEXT

TCU is left to wait for a call from one of the postseason tournaments.

Kansas won a pair of close games against Baylor in the regular season.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Bonnie Henrickson, head women’s basketball coach at the University of Kansas since 2004, has been relieved of her duties, KU Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger announced Monday.

“Bonnie has been an outstanding representative of the University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics,” Zenger said. “It came down to the fact that we expect this program to rank among the best in the Big 12 Conference, and we have not accomplished that goal.”

In Henrickson’s 11 seasons as coach the Jayhawks reached the NCAA Tournament twice (2012 and 2013), both times reaching the Sweet 16. KU also earned berths in five National Invitation Tournaments, reaching the championship game in 2009.

Zenger said a national search for a head coach would begin immediately. KU assistant coach Katie O’Connor will serve as interim head coach until a successor is named.

— KU Sports Information —