For the fourth time in his 12 years at Kansas, head coach Bill Self was voted the Associated Press Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, announced by the AP Monday morning.

One day after the All-Big 12 awards were announced by the conference, the AP’s version is chosen by a panel of media representatives who cover the league on a regular basis. The panel also voted KU junior forward Perry Ellis to the All-Big 12 First Team and sophomore guard Frank Mason III to the second team, rounding out the Jayhawk representatives. Just as he was in the Big 12 coaches’ vote, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield was the AP’s Big 12 Player of the Year.

Self’s four-time AP Big 12 Coach of the Year selection marks the most in the conference, surpassing three-time honorees Rick Barnes of Texas and former KU coaching great, Roy Williams. In his latest installment, Self led the Jayhawks to their 11th-straight Big 12 regular-season title and the 58th conference championship in Kansas history – the most all-time in the NCAA.

Now in his 12th season at the helm, Self is 349-76 at Kansas. A win in his next outing would make him the fastest Kansas coach to tally 350 wins as Williams recorded his 350th at KU in 430 games. Overall, Self is 556-181 in his 22 seasons as a head coach.

Kansas Associated Press Big 12 Coaches of the Year

1997 — Roy Williams
2002 — Roy Williams
2003 — Roy Williams
2006 — Bill Self
2009 — Bill Self
2011 — Bill Self
2015 — Bill Self

— KU Sports Information —

ATLANTA – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self has been named one of 15 finalists for the 2015 Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tip-Off Club announced Wednesday.

In his 12th season at Kansas, Self has guided the Jayhawks to an unprecedented 11-consecutive Big 12 Conference regular-season titles, including the 2014-15 crown. The 11-straight league championship ties for the second-most in NCAA Division I history.

At 24-6 overall and 13-4 in Big 12 play, Kansas’ 2014-15 schedule is the toughest in the country, while its Rating Percentage Index (RPI) has been ranked either first or second in NCAA Division I all season and is currently second. The Big 12 Conference is rated No. 1 in the league RPI in 2014-15.

In addition to their Big 12 regular-season title, the Jayhawks won the Orlando Classic over Thanksgiving weekend to highlight non-conference action. In the 60th season inside Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas posted its 18th all-time, fifth under Self, undefeated season inside the historic venue by going 15-0 at home in 2014-15.

In the 2014-15 national polls, the No. 9/10 Jayhawks have been ranked in the Associated Press top 10 for 12 weeks and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll top 10 on 11 occasions. With their 76-69 overtime win versus No. 20/20 West Virginia on March 3, the Jayhawks are 9-3 against ranked foes this season.

Self is currently 349-75 in his 12 years in Lawrence and 556-180 in his 22nd season overall. He is 190-9 inside Allen Fieldhouse and has won more conference titles (11) than lost home games (9).

Self was the 2012 Naismith Coach of the Year and this is the seventh time he has been a finalist for the honor. Self has been named national coach of the year by other organizations four times: in 2000 while at Tulsa and in 2008, 2009 and 2012 while at Kansas. He has been selected as his conference coach of the year on five occasions, including four while at KU.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Frank Mason III capped one of the biggest comebacks in Allen Fieldhouse history by scoring the last eight points in overtime to lead No. 9 Kansas past No. 20 West Virginia 76-69 on Tuesday night for the Jayhawks’ 11th consecutive Big 12 championship.

Mason had 19 points for the Jayhawks, whose 11 straight conference titles trail only the 13 in a row UCLA won in the John Wooden era.

Junior forward Perry Ellis, the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, appeared to injure his knee late in the first half and did not return.

Daxter Miles had 23 points for West Virginia (22-8, 10-7), which was without star guard Juwan Staten, who had scored at least 20 points in each of the last three games against Kansas.

Trailing by as many as 18 points in a ragged first half, Kansas (24-6, 13-4) finally tied it 59-all on two free throws by Devonte Graham with 11.5 seconds left in regulation. Miles’ 3-pointer gave West Virginia a quick 63-61 overtime lead before Jamari Traylor’s three-point play made it 64-63.

Mason went 4 for 4 from the free throw line in the waning seconds, the final shot going in with 4.1 seconds to play as the Jayhawks completed a 16-0 home season.

Traylor had 14 points for Kansas, which was outrebounded 46-34. The Jayhawks, who have been living by their outside shooting most of the season, were 0 for 15 from behind the arc.

The Mountaineers stunned the favored Jayhawks and their 230th consecutive sellout crowd with an 18-4 run in the first half to take a 22-10 lead. Kelly Oubre’s basket had Kansas ahead 6-4 with 16:59 left in the half. But stymied by West Virginia’s swarming defense and overwhelmed on the offensive and defensive boards, the Jayhawks did not make another field goal until Hunter Mickelson, a little-used reserve, got a layup at the 8:31 mark

The Mountaineers’ lead reached 38-22 when Tarik Phillip’s two free throws and basket capped an 8-0 spurt near the end of the half. The Jayhawks, who were 0 for 7 from behind the arc and were outrebounded 26-11, were within 40-26 at halftime by hitting 12 of 14 free throws.

TIP-INS

Kansas: As soon as the game ended, Kansas closed down the Booth Family Hall of Athletics. The hall, attached to the east side of Allen Fieldhouse, will be closed for six months to make room for construction of the DeBruce Center, which is being built to house James Naismith’s original rules for basketball that a Kansas fan bought on auction for $4.3 million and donated to the university.

West Virginia: In their take-charge first half, the Mountaineers had more offensive rebounds (14) than defensive (12).

UP NEXT

Kansas: at Oklahoma on Saturday.

West Virginia: hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Rick Barnes was asked what made Kansas forward Perry Ellis so difficult to contain, and the Texas coach twice pointed out the way his senior instincts have developed.

Nobody had the heart to tell Barnes that he’ll still be dealing with Ellis next season.

The junior poured in 28 points while ripping down 13 rebounds in a brilliant performance on Saturday, leading the eighth-ranked Jayhawks to a 69-64 victory over the Longhorns.

“He’s been around, played some games,” Barnes said. “You have to be impressed.”

Ellis has gone over 20 points each of his last three games, moving the Jayhawks (23-6, 12-4) within striking distance of an 11th straight Big 12 title. They are a game clear of second-place Oklahoma with only games left against West Virginia and the Sooners.

“We rode Perry as hard as we’ve ever ridden him and he played great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “He’s playing as well as anybody in the country right now.”

Trying to bolster its NCAA resume, Texas (17-12, 6-10) had its chances down the stretch.

Isaiah Taylor missed the front end of a one-and-one with the Longhorns trailing 66-64 and 48.3 seconds left. Then, the talented sophomore guard missed a spinning, off-balanced floater as he appeared to get fouled that would have tied the game with 6.1 seconds remaining.

Kelly Oubre Jr. made two last foul shots to put the game away, finishing with 15 points.

Taylor wound up with 17 for the Longhorns, though it’ll be the final couple of minutes that he will remember most vividly. Demarcus Holland added 15 points and Kendal Yancy 11.

“Seems like you’re fighting as hard as we are, everything is going against you,” said Barnes, whose team has lost four straight. “We can take a lot of plays and say this, that or whatever, you look at the numbers, you have a pretty even game.”

There was a festive atmosphere inside Allen Fieldhouse as snow blanketed the ground outside. Kansas was celebrating the 60th anniversary of its fabled home, showing special video montages of grainy black-and-white film of its construction as cheerleaders dressed in 1950s-era outfits.

The joie de vive hardly waned when the ball was thrown up.

Two teams have faced each other regularly for Big 12 tournament titles traded blows like a couple of wary and respectful boxers in the middle of the ring.

Ellis threw most of the haymakers for the Jayhawks, scoring on an array of jumpers and scooping layups. Then there was the biggest highlight of the half, his alley-oop dunk off a pass from Wayne Selden Jr. that brought the sellout crowd to its feet.

Holland kept punch back for Texas, hitting all three of his first-half field goals. His final one, a 3-pointer at the buzzer, rattled through to make it 34-31 at the break.

The Longhorns kept the pressure up early in the second half, building a 48-42 lead — its biggest of the game — when Taylor got a leaner to go with just over 11 minutes remaining.

That’s when the Jayhawks started their comeback.

Ellis did most of the work, bookending a couple field goals around a pair of free throws. But it was a three-point play by Oubre that finally gave Kansas the lead back, and Frank Mason III’s 3-pointer — the Jayhawks’ first of the game — created some brief separation.

Holland’s 3-pointer with just over 2 minutes remaining get Texas within 62-61, and Yancey got another 3 to go moments later to make it 66-64 and set up a frantic finish.

“All the coaches were saying was, ‘Attack, attack, attack,'” Ellis said. “That’s what we did.”

ALEXANDER HELD OUT

The Jayhawks played without part-time starter Cliff Alexander after the NCAA raised questions about his eligibility. The freshman forward spent the game in sweats. “Hopefully it’ll be resolved and in a timely manner,” Self said, stressing that the issue had nothing to do with Kansas.

BEWARE THE PHOG

Texas still has won just once in 13 games at Allen Fieldhouse. It happened on Jan. 22, 2011, when the Longhorns ended the Jayhawks’ 69-game home winning streak.

TIP-INS

Texas: The Longhorns had a 27-7 edge in bench points. … Taylor also had eight assists. … Myles Turner had 10 points, eight boards and five blocks.

Kansas: The Jayhawks only committed six turnovers and were 26 of 32 from the foul line. … Kansas is 14-0 at home, 9-6 in all other games.

UP NEXT

Texas plays its fifth consecutive ranked opponent Monday night against No. 19 Baylor.

Kansas plays its home finale Tuesday night against No. 20 West Virginia.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Perry Ellis had five long days to think about six quick seconds.

On Saturday, he was finally able to put his blown layup at West Virginia behind him.

The senior forward had 23 points on near-perfect shooting, and eighth-ranked Kansas bounced back from a frustrating loss to the Mountaineers with an 81-72 victory over TCU.

Devonte’ Graham added a career-high 20 points and Frank Mason III finished with 14 for the Jayhawks (22-5, 11-4), who maintained their one-game lead over Iowa State with four left in the Big 12 race. Kansas also extended its win streak in the Allen Fieldhouse to 22 games.

“I was anxious to play, get back on the court,” said Ellis, who had the ball in his hands with six ticks left Monday, but watched his lay-in bounce off the rim in the 62-61 defeat. “It was tough, man. I knew I had a chance to make it but I couldn’t.”

He almost couldn’t miss on Saturday, going 9 for 10 from the field.

“I know he probably felt like he let us down (Monday), but he didn’t. He played very well in the game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I hope that wasn’t his motivation to play well today.”

Trey Zeigler had 20 points to lead the Horned Frogs (16-11, 3-11), who still have never won in Lawrence. Kyan Anderson added 14 points and Amric Fields finished with 11.

“Our margin of error is pretty slim, in this league especially,” Horned Frogs coach Trent Johnson said. “I can’t fault our effort. I can’t fault our execution, because they put it on you to be really good.”

Kansas led just 35-29 at halftime, and Anderson converted a four-point play immediately out of the break that allowed the Horned Frogs to close within a possession. But a few minutes later, Ellis knocked down a basket in the paint to restore a 43-35 lead, and then scored two more baskets to cap a 10-2 spurt and give the Jayhawks a 47-37 advantage.

By that point, TCU’s foul problems had really started to mount.

Karviar Shepherd went to the bench with four fouls with 17:15 to play, and Chris Washburn followed him to coach Trent Johnson’s side with his fourth foul with 9:30 remaining.

Kansas spent the final 11 minutes in the double bonus.

“We knew we were going to take a punch or two,” Zeigler said.

The Horned Frogs were still within 59-50 after the under-8 timeout, but Ellis followed a basket by Mason with the game’s two biggest highlights: He speared a lob from Mason and slammed it while getting fouled, then picked a pass near midcourt and added another dunk.

The duo kept of Ellis and Graham eventually put the game out of reach, the freshman guard feeding one of the Jayhawks’ only upper classman for an easy lay-in and a 70-62 lead with 3:11 to go. Then, Graham added a scooping layup a minute later to extend the lead.

The Jayhawks put the game away from the foul line in the final minute.

“They played really well in the second half, and we knew they were going to go on runs. We were going to take some punches,” Zeigler said. “We just tried to play through their runs.”

MANAGER’S SPECIAL

Self rewarded manager Chris Huey for his help on the scout team by letting him suit up Saturday. With about 30 seconds left, Self told Huey to check in to a huge roar from the student section. Groans followed when he missed an open layup.

SOLID GUARDING

As Johnson was leaving his post-game news conference, he noticed two police officers standing by the door, ready to walk him back to the TCU locker room. “Why they got two officers escorting me?” Johnson asked. “This isn’t West Virginia. I’m good.”

TIP-INS:

TCU: The loss snapped the Horned Frogs’ two-game win streak. … TCU fell to 9-2 when scoring more than 70 points. … Shepherd finished with six points and six rebounds. … Anderson also had seven assists with only one turnover.

Kansas: The Jayhawks got 37 points from their bench. … Coach Bill Self improved to 13-4 against TCU, including 7-1 with the Jayhawks. … Graham’s previous career high of 14 points came in the season opener against UC-Santa Barbara. … Kansas shot 58 percent from the floor.

UP NEXT:

TCU travels to Texas Tech on Wednesday night.

Kansas heads down Interstate 70 to Kansas State on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Leg cramps weren’t going to keep Juwan Staten from getting West Virginia to 20 wins for the first time in four seasons on Monday night.

Staten scored 20 points, including a layup with four seconds left, then draped Perry Ellis on the other end after a long pass before the Jayhawks forward missed a layup off the back of the rim at the buzzer as No. 23 West Virginia beat No. 8 Kansas 62-61.

“I might have rushed it a little bit, but I should have made it,” Ellis said.

It was a resume-building victory for the Mountaineers (20-6, 8-5 Big 12), who had lost three of their previous four games and four straight against ranked opponents. They’re looking for their first NCAA tournament bid in three seasons.

“This was definitely a must-win game at home,” Staten said. “We had the crowd behind us and we fought to the end.”

With the game on the line, coach Bob Huggins knew who he wanted to give the ball to: Staten, West Virginia’s leading scorer and the Big 12 preseason player of the year.

Staten took an inbounds pass and went the length of the court, made a spin move around Frank Mason III and hit the left-handed layup over the outstretched arms of two other Kansas defenders.

It was Staten’s first field goal over the final eight minutes after he had gone to the bench with cramps.

“That is exactly how we drew it up,” Staten said. “When I spinned, I’d seen nothing in the lane. I laid the ball up. It was a good call by coach.”

Ellis finished with 19 points, Mason had 18 and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 points for first-place Kansas (21-5, 10-3), whose lead was trimmed to 1.5 games over No. 14 Iowa State.

Jevon Carter, who also played through leg cramps, added 13 points for West Virginia, including back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Mountaineers ahead 60-59 with 2:31 remaining.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my teammates for setting me up with good passes and good screens leading to open shots,” Carter said. “I just dug deep, knocked them in and gave my team the momentum.”

Mason made a layup with 2:13 left to give Kansas the lead, but the Jayhawks didn’t score again. He missed another layup with nine seconds left and the ball went out of bounds, setting up Staten’s heroics.

“He made a nice play, but we couldn’t have defended it worse,” said Kansas coach Bill Self.

Ellis had 15 points after halftime, capping a 10-0 run to start the second half with a 3-pointer to put Kansas ahead 40-33. But the Jayhawks later went seven minutes without a field goal.

Staten hit a layup and a jumper 50 seconds apart, and Jonathan Holton made a free throw to put West Virginia ahead 50-49 with 7:20 left.

“We had our chances but we just didn’t capitalize,” Self said. “The end of the game was a perfect example. Jamari makes the best pass of the year, Perry catches it right in stride, has an uncontested layup and basically he just missed the layup.”

TIP-INS:

Kansas: The Big 12’s top 3-point shooting team made 6 of 11. … Wayne Selden, who averaged 16 points over his five previous games, was held to four Monday night.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers led by as many as 11 points in the first half, were ahead 33-30 at halftime and were outscored in the second half for the fifth straight game. … Devin Williams reinjured his right hand that had been heavily taped in a loss at Iowa State on Saturday. Williams, who had 22 points and 13 rebounds a year ago in a home win over Kansas, finished with eight points and four rebounds.

BOARD SAVVY:

Huggins admits his team doesn’t shoot well consistently, which is why he stresses getting multiple chances on offensive possessions. West Virginia leads the nation with 17 offensive rebounds per game and got 22 on Monday night.

UP NEXT:

Kansas hosts TCU on Saturday.

West Virginia plays at No. 22 Oklahoma State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bill Self never has to worry about Perry Ellis speaking out of turn.

Even now, midway through his junior season, the Kansas forward rarely strings together more than a few words at a time. He talks in short, clipped sentences. He deflects attention, even when he has just joined the 1,000-point club at a school drenched in basketball tradition.

So after pouring in 18 points to reach the scoring milestone Saturday, and helping the eighth-ranked Jayhawks to a 74-64 victory over No. 16 Baylor, it was no surprise that Ellis didn’t have a whole lot to offer eager reporters or in front of television cameras.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” he said simply. “I’m just blessed.”

Leave it to Self to lavish the praise.

“I’ve coached him for three years and he leaves me wanting more, but I haven’t thought that of late,” Self said. “I think he’s playing closer to his ceiling now than he has.”

Ellis had plenty of help on Saturday. Kelly Oubre also had 18 points and Wayne Selden Jr. had 15, helping the Jayhawks (21-4, 10-2 Big 12) dig out of a 13-point first-half hole.

The win was their 21st straight at Allen Fieldhouse, and ensured the 10-time champs would have no worse than a two-game lead in the conference race with six games to go.

“You don’t get easies (against them),” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “You have to beat them.”

Kansas was clinging to a 57-55 lead after the Bears’ Rico Gathers made two foul shots with about 6 minutes left. But Ellis scored a couple of baskets around a midrange jumper from Landen Lucas, who had nine points off the bench, and the Jayhawks began to pull away.

Oubre’s 3 from the top of the key, his fourth of the game, made it 67-59 with 1:59 left.

Gathers led the Bears (18-7, 6-6) with 18 points and eight rebounds, despite playing with four fouls late in the game. Kenny Chery followed his 25-point performance in the teams’ first meeting in Waco with 17 points, and Taurean Prince had 14 points off the bench.

Despite their long losing streak in Lawrence, the Bears looked unperturbed early on by the roaring sellout crowd stuffed inside the Jayhawks’ old barn. They launched an 18-6 run to open the game, beat Kansas to every loose ball and at one point had a 12-2 edge on the glass.

The Jayhawks finally hit their stride from behind the arc, hitting three straight 3s — perhaps to the chagrin of Bill Self, who called a period of hot outside shooting by his team “fools gold” after a recent victory. Baylor’s lead had been trimmed to 33-27 by halftime.

The Jayhawks kept up the pressure early in the second half, scoring right away on an alley-oop dunk by Wayne Selden. They finally took the lead for the first time when Oubre followed up his own missed 3 with a bucket at the rim to make it 36-35 with 17:13 remaining.

Baylor regained the lead a few minutes later, but the trio of Ellis, Oubre and Selden took over down the stretch, allowing Kansas to celebrate their forward’s personal achievement.

Even if everybody else would have to talk about it.

“Perry and I, we talk about everything imaginable — a lot of current issues, world peace, a lot of things that Perry and I have similar interests in,” Self said sarcastically. “But truthfully speaking, he has become more vocal, which doesn’t mean he’s vocal. But he’s much more comfortable in his own skin. He’s a much more confident player.”

FEELING ILL

Drew has been ill lately, and could barely croak out a sentence in his own right at his postgame news conference. “The officials love it,” he said. “They can’t hear me.”

HONORING SMITH

Kansas played a special video in memory of Dean Smith, who died last Saturday at his home in North Carolina. The longtime Tar Heels coach grew up in nearby Topeka and was part of the Jayhawks’ national title team in 1952. He later served as an assistant at Kansas under Phog Allen.

TIP-INS

Baylor: The Bears fell to 3-15 against Kansas under Drew. … Baylor wound up with a 33-32 edge on the boards. … The Bears allowed the Jayhawks to shoot 29 free throws.

Kansas: Frank Mason’s streak of 21 straight games scoring in double figures ended Saturday. He finished with five points and eight assists. … Among former players who returned during the NBA’s All-Star break were Ben McLemore, Nick Collison and Joel Embiid.

UP NEXT:

Baylor heads to Lubbock to face Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

Kansas visits No. 21 West Virginia on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas assistant Jerrance Howard was suspended for two weeks Thursday after coach Bill Self learned that his former player and one of the nation’s top recruiters was arrested last summer in his Illinois hometown for marijuana possession.

Howard was charged last July with misdemeanor possession and ordered to pay $1,178.26 in fines after the arrest, the Peoria Journal Star reported. Howard also was placed on six months of court supervision, which was set to end Friday.

Self said that he didn’t learn of the situation until Wednesday.

“Just to be real candid, I’m disappointed I didn’t know about it,” Self said during his regular news conference. “I love the guy. And the fact that I didn’t know about it regardless of what circumstances surrounded it is disappointing to me.”

Howard, who played for Self at Illinois before joining his staff at Kansas before last year, will not be able to participate in practices or games during his suspension. That includes Saturday’s showdown between the eighth-ranked Jayhawks and No. 16 Baylor, and includes games against No. 21 West Virginia, TCU and Kansas State that could help decide the Big 12 race.

Howard would be back in time for the Jayhawks’ final three regular-season games.

“I take full responsibility for my actions,” Howard said in a statement released by the school. “I should have never been in that situation. Not only did I let myself down but also my family, my coaches, my players, the fans and this program.

“I compounded the problem by not disclosing this incident to Coach Self and Kansas athletics,” he said. “I brought this penalty upon myself and will use this situation as motivation to work harder and represent this great program positively moving forward.”

Howard, 34, is considered one of the rising stars in coaching, working under Larry Brown at SMU and Bruce Weber at Illinois before joining the Jayhawks. He is especially known for his work in recruiting, helping land five-star prospect Cliff Alexander in last year’s class and leading the recruitment of Malik Newman, one of the top unsigned players in this year’s class.

“Jerrance has been a part of our family for any years,” Self said. “I’m confident that he will take ownership of this and be better for it.”

— Associated Press —

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Wayne Selden Jr. scored 16 points and No. 8 Kansas shot well from 3-point range, beating Texas Tech 73-51 on Tuesday night.

The Jayhawks (20-4, 9-2 Big 12) hit 11 of 20 on 3s, with Selden going 4 of 7. Kansas reached the 20-win mark for the 26th straight season.

Kansas sped up play in the second half and the Red Raiders couldn’t keep pace. Perry Ellis scored 14 points, and Frank Mason III, Brannen Greene and Cliff Alexander each added 10 in the win.

Norense Odiase scored 13 points and Devaughtah Williams added 11 for the Red Raiders (12-13, 2-10).

Kansas, which lost 67-62 at Oklahoma State on Saturday, came out after halftime with more zip on its passes. That allowed them to get open for more 3-pointers and they hit six after the break.

Ellis, a junior, needs three more points to reach 1,000 for his career. He left the game in the second half just shy of becoming the 56th Kansas player in program history to get to the milestone.

TIP-INS:

Kansas: The Jayhawks were coming off their second Big 12 road loss of the season, which ended their five-game winning streak.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have beaten a Top 10 Kansas team in Lubbock three times in the past 10 seasons. Texas Tech won in double overtime in 2005 when the Jayhawks were No. 2 and again in 2007 when Kansas was No. 5 — both under Bob Knight. In 2009, No. 9 Kansas fell to Pat Knight’s Red Raiders.

UP NEXT:

Kansas plays host to No. 16 Baylor on Saturday.

Texas Tech travels to Texas on Saturday night.

— Associated Press —