LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Perry Ellis and Cliff Alexander helped Kansas pull away late in a victory over Tennessee.

Ellis scored 24 points, Cliff Alexander added 16 and No. 11 Kansas beat Tennessee 82-67 Friday in an Orlando Classic semifinal.

“The big thing is we got stops,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Frank Mason III had 11 points and seven assists for Kansas (4-1).

Tennessee (2-2) got 16 points from Josh Richardson, while Kevin Punter finished with 14.

After Tennessee’s Armani Moore tied it with two free throws, Alexander’s 3-point play keyed a 7-0 stretch as Kansas went ahead 69-62 with five minutes left.

“He’s starting to get it,” Self said of Alexander.

Ellis’ 3-point play made it 74-64 with two minutes to go.

“They’re tough,” Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall said of Kansas. “They’re talented. They’re well coached. They have great depth.”

Alexander had consecutive dunks to give Kansas a 53-40 lead 4 minutes into the second half. Mason set up both with nifty passes.

The Volunteers, as they had throughout the game, battled back to 54-53 with 12 minutes to play as Detrick Mostella made a pair of 3s and Richardson had a layup following a Kansas turnover.

“We took some positives out of the game, but we’re disappointed we didn’t win the game,” Tyndall said.

Mostella had 13 points.

Dominic Woodson had two in-close baskets for Tennessee, while Kansas’ Brannen Greene connected on a long-range jumper just before the shot clock expired as the Jayhawks kept a narrow lead through the midpoint of the second half.

Perry had 11 points to help Kansas grab a 40-33 halftime lead.

A wild final few minutes saw Tennessee pull to 35-31 after Punter made a layup and two free throws after a flagrant foul call. Richardson had a basket on the ensuing possession.

“They got out to some runs, but I’m happy that we stayed composed,” Ellis said. “We fought back after those runs and I felt like that’s what we needed.”

Kansas responded by getting a 3 by Svi Mykhailiuk and Devonte Graham’s slam.

Graham, coming back from a shoulder injury, had two points and one rebound in seven minutes.

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks reached the semifinals by beating Rhode Island 76-60 Thursday. … Kansas is 34-6 in in-season tournament games under Self. … The Jayhawks are 4-1 or better for the 10th time in Self’s 12 years at the school.

Tennessee: The Volunteers topped Santa Clara 64-57 in their tourney opener Thursday. … Tennessee was called for 28 fouls. The Volunteers entered averaging 26.3, second-most in the country.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS

Kansas outrebounded Tennessee 44-22 and had 18 on the offensive end. … Ellis had 13 of the Jayhawks’ rebounds.

BALL CONTROL

The Jayhawks won the assist battle 17-8 but turned the ball over 16 times. Tennessee had 10 turnovers.

UP NEXT

Kansas will face No. 20 Michigan State in Sunday’s championship game.

Tennessee will play Marquette in Sunday’s third-place game.

— Associated Press —

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Perry Ellis and the Kansas Jayhawks took control early against Rhode Island.

Ellis scored 17 points and No. 11 Kansas beat Rhode Island 76-60 on Thursday in the opening round of the Orlando Classic.

“I think Perry is playing with more aggression without question,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Ellis had 11 points in the opening 20 minutes to help Kansas cruise to a 43-25 halftime lead. The Jayhawks went ahead 31-11 with just over 6 minutes before intermission on Ellis’ rebound slam.

“I just tried to keep attacking, that’s what coach is consistently telling me,” Ellis said.

Frank Mason III added 12 points for Kansas (3-1), which has a pair of victories since a 72-40 loss to No. 1 Kentucky on Nov. 18.

E.C. Matthews scored 20 points for Rhode Island (3-1), which was coming off a 66-62 overtime victory over then-No. 21 Nebraska on Saturday. Gilvydas Biruta had 16 points and seven rebounds.

“It was a lesson learned,” said Matthews, who was 6 of 18 from the field.

Ellis picked up his fourth foul with 11 minutes to play and Kansas up 52-38. A 3-point play by Cliff Alexander 3 minutes later gave the Jayhawks a 59-41 advantage.

“My teammates had my back,” said Ellis, who was on the bench for 7 minutes. “That’s what counts.”

Kansas held Rhode Island to 25.9 percent (7 for 27) shooting during the opening half. The Jayhawks shot 46.9 percent (15 for 32) from the floor in the half.

“The way they shot it in the first half I think was a little demoralizing because our game plan was to try to make them make perimeter shots,” Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley said.

Jayhawks guard Devonte Graham returned and had 10 points after sitting out Monday’s 87-60 victory over Rider with a sprained shoulder. He appeared to get shaken up midway through the second half and went to the bench, but was back in with 4 minutes left.

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks are 3-1 or better for the 11th time in Self’s 12 seasons at the school. .. Self is 3-0 against Rhode Island, with two of wins coming at Kansas.

Rhode Island: The Rams are 13-92 against ranked opponents. … Rhode Island’s victory over Nebraska stopped a 22-game skid against Top-25 teams, dating back to a 70-63 victory over No. 25 Utah on Dec. 2, 1988. … The Rams are 1-3 against Kansas. The lone win was an 80-75 victory in the 1998 NCAA tournament, a season that Rhode Island reached the final eight.

IN-CLOSE SCORING

Kansas outscored Rhode Island 30-14 in the paint, including 14-0 during the first half. The Jayhawks also won the rebound battle 40-31.

HELPING HAND

Kansas got 33 points off the bench, compared to Rhode Island’s 14.

UP NEXT

Kansas will face Tennessee in the semifinals Friday. Tennessee beat Santa Clara 64-57 Thursday.

Rhode Island will play Santa Clara in the consolation round Friday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Brannen Greene and the Kansas Jayhawks couldn’t wait to get back on the court after an embarassing loss to Kentucky.

Greene scored 17 points off the bench, Perry Ellis also had 17 and No. 11 Kansas beat Rider 87-60 on Monday night.

“We were ready to get another game under our belt, make the corrections,” Greene said.

Svi Mykhailiuk, the 17-year-old Freshman from the Ukraine, made his first start for Kansas, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds. Cliff Alexander had with 10 points and four rebounds.

Xavier Lundy paced Rider (3-2) with 13 points. Teddy Okereafor had 10 points and four assists.

Some of our key guys that we needed to step up, didn’t step up tonight,” Rider head coach Kevin Baggett said, adding that the team got off to a slow start.

One of those key guys was Okereafor. Even though he scored in the double figures, his performance against Kansas was nothing like his last outing against Lehigh. He scored 29 points and had six rebounds in that game.

Kansas (2-1) went on a 9-0 run midway through the first half, solely led by Alexander. In those two minutes, Alexander scored all nine points, grabbed two rebounds and blocked a shot. The freshman only played for 13 minutes.

Wayne Selden Jr. led the Jayhawks with a career-high nine assists. Kansas had 22 overall, more than in the past two games combined.

Greene said Selden was focusing on his passes in practice.

“He’s old enough to know how to do what we want to do,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Selden. “He’s a good example for the other guys.”

Kansas, then ranked fifth, was routed by No. 1 Kentucky last week in Indianapolis, 72-40, its lowest scoring total since Self took over as coach of the Jayhawks in 2003-04. They had no trouble against unranked Rider.

“Their whole team played with a lot of energy,” Lundy said. “That’s what gave them the extra boost on the court.”

Kelly Oubre Jr. drained a 3-pointer 80 seconds before halftime, extending the Kansas lead to 29. After that, Rider never got closer than 25.

Alexander started the second half in place of Landen Lucas, but was sent back to the bench after three minutes.

“I wanted to see how he handled starting a half and I don’t think he handled it very well,” Self said.

The Jayhawks held Rider scoreless for the first three minutes, and held them to under 10 points for 12 minutes.

“We know what we have to do,” Greene said of fixing issues. “We know where we need to improve. We’ll just keep working.”

TIP-INS

Kansas: Mykhailiuk became the youngest player to start in the Self era.

Rider: Kansas held Rider to 40 percent from the floor, the team’s lowest percentage of the season.

WHAT’S NEXT

Both teams are traveling to Orlando to play in the bracket rounds of the Orlando Classic.

Kansas faces Rhode Island on Thursday afternoon. Rider plays Michigan State later that evening.

STAR POWER

Freshman Devonte’ Graham sprained a shoulder in the game against Kentucky. Self said Graham could have played against Rider but the coach decided to keep him out because he wasn’t needed. Graham should be going full speed for practice on Tuesday and should be available for Rhode Island, Self said.

QUOTABLE

“I’d like to see us settle in on a starting five, but I have a hard time starting guys who are late to tutoring.” — Bill Self

STAT LINES

Selden shot 0 of 4 from the floor, but had nine assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal in his 28 minutes on the court.

— Associated Press —

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — As Samaje Perine churned up the yards, the rain-soaked crowd at half-filled Memorial Stadium chanted his name.

The Oklahoma true freshman rewarded those who braved the elements with history. He set a major college record by running for 427 yards, scoring five touchdowns to lead the No. 21 Sooners over Kansas 44-7 Saturday.

“It’s still surreal,” Perine said. “I just looked at it as doing what I had to do to help my team. I’m not really feeling special in any type of way.”

A week after Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon set the mark by rushing for 408 yards against Nebraska, Perine ran past him. He broke the 7-day-old record on his 34th and final carry, a 42-yard run with 12:16 left in the fourth quarter.

After his final run, his teammates hoisted him on their shoulders, one of the few times he was controlled by anyone all day. The way his teammates mobbed him offers a glimpse into Perine’s character.

“This is really awesome that he goes down in the record books,” Oklahoma center Ty Darlington said. “He’s such a team player. What people won’t see is he’s covering kickoffs, he’s blocking for other guys who don’t have the ball. He plays so hard every play, and he’s such a humble guy.”

The 5-foot-11, 243-pound bulldozer often bounced off would-be tacklers like a pingpong ball, then accelerated and used surprising breakaway speed to finish runs. He got off a fast start, running for a 49-yard TD on his first carry. He added TD runs of 33 and 34 yards in the second quarter and scored on runs of 66 and 27 yards in the third.

Perine’s first-half total of 222 yards was the best half by any player in Oklahoma history, and his second-half tally of 205 yards was the fourth-best.

In a game that started 90 minutes late because of lightning, Perine shattered the school rushing record of 294 yards set by Greg Pruitt in 1971.

The Sooners (8-3, 5-3 Big 12, No. 23 AP) held Kansas to 103 yards to win their second straight.

The Jayhawks (3-8, 1-7) lost their 29th straight true road game and 32nd in a row straight outside of Lawrence. Kansas had hoped to build on last week’s 34-30 loss to then-No. 5 TCU, but the Jayhawks failed to produce any points on offense.

Kansas’ lone touchdown came when Cassius Sendish returned Keith Ford’s fumble 63 yards for a touchdown. The Sooners now have won 10 straight in the series — the Jayhawks haven’t beaten Oklahoma since 1997 and haven’t won in Norman since 1996.

Perine carried the Sooners on an afternoon when they were minus their top passing threats.

Quarterback Trevor Knight sat out with a neck injury. Top receiver Sterling Shepard, who had been dealing with a nagging groin injury, left after a punt return in the first quarter. Tight end Blake Bell, who was second on the team with four touchdown catches, was out with a strained knee.

The injuries and the weather forced Oklahoma to depend almost entirely on its power running game.

Perine’s first carry resulted in his 15th touchdown rushing, tying Adrian Peterson for Oklahoma’s freshman record.

On his first carry of the second half, Perine bolted for his longest run of the season, a 66-yarder that made it 31-0.

Later in the third quarter, he got loose for a 27-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2 to push the lead to 41-7.

He was ready to come out if the coaches wanted him to, but running backs coach Cale Gundy gave him a shot.

“He (Gundy) overheard other people on the sideline saying I needed this amount of yards, and I went over and told him I really don’t care,” Perine said. “I just want to play the next play, but if you want another guy in there, he can go in there and try to get us some yards.”

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said there was no way the Sooners were going to pull Perine once they became aware that he was closing in on records.

“The guy is just so exceptional in everything that he does,” Stoops said. “We were thinking about resting him, and then someone said he only needs 35 more yards, and you know, that’s just too close not to do it, and there’s too much time left in the game.”

— Associated Press —

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dakari Johnson scored 11 points, Andrew Harrison had 10 and No. 1 Kentucky used a dominant defense to blow out No. 4 Kansas 72-40 in Tuesday night’s Champions Classic.

The Wildcats (3-0) shot just 43.1 percent from the field, but they were so good on defense that it didn’t matter. Kansas (1-1) shot just 19.6 percent from the field and was 15 for 27 at the line in the storied program’s worst offensive performance since a 61-45 loss to Kentucky on Dec. 1, 1998.

Wayne Selden Jr. had nine points for the Jayhawks, and Cliff Alexander finished with eight.

The Wildcats led by as much as 35-17 in the first half. After Kansas closed to 38-28 at the half, Kentucky opened the second half with six straight points and continued extending the lead throughout the second half.

Kentucky has now won its first three games by 40, 19 and 32 points. But Tuesday’s victory was easily the most impressive of the three and helped reinforce the image that last season’s national championship runner-ups could be good enough to go undefeated this season. The last men’s team with a perfect season was Indiana in 1975-76.

The Jayhawks shot just 24.2 percent in the first half. They were nearly twice as bad in the second half, when they made only 3 of 23 shots — 13.0 percent.

And the Wildcats never let up. After extending the lead to 55-36 with 10:28 to go, Kentucky went on a 9-0 run to make it 64-36. Kansas didn’t even crack the 40-point mark until the final minutes.

Kansas had only been held to fewer than 50 points one other time during coach Bill Self’s tenure — a 61-49 loss to Arizona on Nov. 21, 2005.

TIP-INS

Kentucky: The Wildcats now have a 16-game lead over second-place Kansas for the most wins in college basketball. Kentucky has 2,143 all-time wins and has won in three different buildings in downtown Indianapolis — the RCA Dome, Lucas Oil Stadium and Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Kansas: The Jayhawks may argue for a different draw in next year’s classic draw. They lost to Kentucky in this event in 2011 and to the Wildcats in the 2012 national championship game.

UP NEXT

Kentucky hosts Boston University on Friday.

Kansas faces Rider on Monday in the Orlando Classic.

— Associated Press —

Four Kansas men’s basketball players were named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Monday. Junior forward Perry Ellis, sophomore guard Wayne Selden, Jr., and freshmen Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre, Jr., were named to the preseason squad. Selden was also named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 last year.

Kansas and Kentucky were the only two schools with four individuals named to the 2014 50-man list. Alexander and Oubre were two of seven freshmen on the list and the Big 12 Conference led the way with 10 picks.

Ellis and Selden are KU’s returning starters from 2013-14, where the Jayhawks won their unprecedented 10th-straight Big 12 regular-season championship going 25-10 and 14-4 in league play. Ellis posted his seventh career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in KU’s 69-59 season-opening win versus UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 14. The Wichita, Kansas, native is KU’s leading returning scorer at 13.5 points per game in 2013-14, and rebounder at 6.7 boards per contest.

Selden, from Roxbury, Massachusetts, scored 10 points in the season opener and averaged 9.7 points per game his rookie season at KU. He and Ellis were named to the 2014 All-Big 12 squad with Ellis a third-team selection and Selden honorable mention. The duo also earned weekly conference honors during the 2013-14 season.

Alexander and Oubre were each named 2014 McDonald’s All-Americans. A power forward from Chicago who was ranked No. 3 by ESPN100, Alexander was the 2014 Naismith High School National Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball USA. He scored nine points and pulled down four rebounds in his KU debut against UC Santa Barbara. Oubre, from New Orleans, was ranked No. 11 by ESPN100 and both he and Alexander competed for Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic in the spring 2014. Additionally, Oubre was invited to work at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy and the adidas Nation’s camps in the summer of 2014.

Last year, KU’s Selden, Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid were named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50. Wiggins ended being selected to the 10-member Wooden All-American Team.

No. 5/5 Kansas (1-0) will face top-ranked Kentucky (2-0) in the State Farm Champions Classic, Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, at 8 p.m. (Central). The two teams met in the 2011 Champions Classic and later squared off in the 2012 NCAA Championship game in New Orleans.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas senior Jimmay Mundine was named one of eight semi-finalists for the John Mackey Award Monday morning, it was announced by The John Mackey Award. Mundine is the first Kansas player to be named a semi-finalist for the award, which has been in existence since 2000.

A native of Denison, Texas, Mundine recorded a career-best tying seven receptions for a career-high 137 yards and a touchdown, leading the Jayhawks in receptions and receiving yards in their near-upset of fifth-ranked TCU in their last outing. Mundine’s 137-yard receiving performance was the most for a Kansas tight end since 1974.

Mundine is having a strong senior campaign as he leads all Big 12 Conference tight ends and ranks fourth nationally among the position group with his 537 receiving yards on 40 catches. He is averaging 13.4 yards per catch in 2014 and has scored three touchdowns. His 537 receiving yards are the most by a tight end from a ‘Power 5’ conference and his 40 receptions ranks second among tight ends from a ‘Power 5′ conference. Mundine has been critical to Kansas’ offensive improvement as 30 of his 40 receptions have resulted in first downs or touchdowns.

Mundine was named the John Mackey Award Tight End of the Week following his performance against Central Michigan. He has picked up honorable mention John Mackey Award Tight End of the Week honors twice this season, following games at Texas Tech and against Iowa State.

Joining Mundine as a semi-finalist for the John Mackey Award are E.J. Bibbs (SR, Iowa State), Evan Engram (SO, Ole Miss), Ben Koyack (SR, Notre Dame), Nick O’Leary (SR, Florida State), Jean Sifrin (JR, Massachusetts), Clive Walford (SR, Miami) and Maxx Williams (SO, Minnesota).

The eight semi-finalists were determined by confidential balloting of the John Mackey Award
Selection Committee. Given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end, the 2014 John Mackey Award recipient will be announced on December 10, 2014 and presented live on December 11, 2014 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPNU. The 2014 Mackey finalists will be announced on November 24, 2014.

NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.

The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 21 awards boast 678 years of tradition-selection excellence.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — TCU coach Gary Patterson spent most of Saturday watching every bounce, blooper and bizarre play go against his team on a frigid afternoon at Kansas.

In the end, the Horned Frogs (No. 4 CFP, No. 5 AP) did just enough to turn back a spirited upset bid by the Jayhawks and remain in contention for the inaugural College Football Playoff.

“A lot of people would have lost that ballgame,” Patterson said after the 34-30 win. “There wasn’t any style points here other than the fact that we fought back and won the game.”

Aaron Green ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and Cameron Echols-Luper returned a punt 69 yards for another score to pace the comeback from a 27-17 third-quarter deficit. Trevone Boykin added 330 yards passing and a touchdown as TCU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) avoided what would have been a catastrophic blow to its national title hopes.

The Horned Frogs won their fifth straight, even without top running back B.J. Catalon. And with a trip to Texas followed by a home game against lowly Iowa State, they may have the easiest road standing between them and the four-team playoff for the national title.

Still, even after Chris Hackett’s interception with 3:26 left sealed the victory, the underwhelming performance could cost TCU its spot in the playoff committee’s top four.

“We’re not too worried about it,” Boykin said. “It’s not up to us. It’s up to the committee.”

Michael Cummings had 332 yards and two touchdowns passing for the Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6), who were trying for their first regular-season win over a top-5 team since beating Colorado in 1995. Jimmay Mundine had 137 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Nigel King had 128 yards and a score as the Jayhawks nearly gave a sparse crowd of about 10,000 fans a reason to celebrate.

Still, Kansas made another strong statement in support of interim coach Clint Bowen, who has steadied the program after Charlie Weis was fired and become a strong pick for the full-time job.

“We were a play or two away from probably a better day,” Bowen said.

TCU did what most expected on the game’s opening drive, going 67 yards in just over 2 minutes for a touchdown. But after that, nothing went as expected for quite some time.

After holding Kansas, TCU was flagged for roughing the punter. Later in the drive, the Jayhawks attempted a field goal and holder T.J. Millweard dropped the snap, scrambled to his left and threw a pass for a first down instead. Then, a TCU player batted a third-down pass and it was caught by the Jayhawks’ Nick Harwell for another first down.

Finally, Corey Avery capped the bizarre 17-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

“We didn’t get a lot of breaks,” Hackett said with a smile.

Kansas held on fourth-and-1 at its 11 to get the ball back, and the Jayhawks promptly headed 89 yards the other way, with Mundine hauling in a 13-yard touchdown pass to give Kansas the lead.

By that point, the few thousand fans in Memorial Stadium were awaking from stunned silence.

Not everything went perfectly for Kansas. A 22-yard interception return for a TD was wiped away by an illegal substitution penalty, and a 16-yard pass into the red zone for a first down was taken away by a review that showed the ball had skipped off the turf. The Jayhawks wound up punting.

Still, they headed into the locker room with a 13-10 lead.

Kansas pushed the lead to 20-10 with an 82-yard drive to start the second half, and the Horned Frogs answered with a 72-yard drive that Green capped with a short touchdown run.

That set up one of the game’s highlights: Cummings threw a pass to King down the sideline, and the big wide receiver caught the ball after three bobbles and ran 78 yards for the score.

There was still plenty of time, and the Horned Frogs showed plenty of poise.

After a quick drive downfield, Green’s 24-yard touchdown run pulled TCU to 27-24. And after the Horned Frogs’ defense forced a punt, Echols-Luper sliced through the coverage for his big return that gave them their first lead since the game’s opening minutes.

TCU held on through a tense fourth quarter to avoid the upset bid.

“We knew it was going to be tough,” Boykin said. “Everybody is going to be out for us because we’re one of the teams at the top right now.”

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devonte’ Graham came off the bench Friday night to provide fifth-ranked Kansas with a much-needed spark, providing the scuffling Jayhawks with some scoring and toughness.

Maybe a bit too much toughness.

On one play in the first half of their 69-59 victory over UC-Santa Barbara, the freshman guard was whistled for a technical foul after he walloped a defender with an elbow. Graham walked sheepishly back to the bench, where Kansas coach Bill Self proceeded to — ah, instruct him.

“He wasn’t happy,” Graham said with a grin. “He was mad.”

Truth of the matter? There wasn’t much for Self to be happy about Friday night.

Graham finished with 14 points, Perry Ellis had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Frank Mason III finished with 12 points. But the Jayhawks also committed 16 turnovers, struggled with their shooting and didn’t put away the pesky Gauchos until a big second-half run.

The defending Big 12 champions had better solve their ills in a hurry. They have a date with top-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

“We need to develop an identity,” Self said. “We’re going to need to win games muddy.”

Alan Williams led Santa Barbara with 22 points and 13 rebounds, frustrating the Jayhawks with some veteran guile. The Big West’s top returning scorer also had four blocked shots.

“We just didn’t make enough shots,” he said. “We’re a better shooting team than that.”

The Jayhawks won their 42nd straight season opener at Allen Fieldhouse, but it certainly wasn’t easy. A team that lost freshmen sensations Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid to the NBA draft had to rely on a bevy of freshmen, and it showed throughout the first half.

Kansas went 6 minutes without a field goal at one point, turning the ball over four times in a span of six possessions. The Gauchos only had one field goal in a span of nearly 10 minutes, though, and they struggled on the boards on both ends of the floor.

Still, Santa Barbara had forged a 15-14 lead with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the half before Graham went on his scoring binge. The diminutive freshman scored eight of the next 11 points for Kansas, and then added a put back of his own miss before the buzzer for a 31-23 lead.

“Man, he came in and stepped up,” Ellis said. “That’s what we needed from our freshmen.”

The Gauchos, picked to contend for the Big West title, stubbornly refused to go away. They made one more push early in the second half, closing within 44-41 on Zalmico Harmon’s bucket.

Cliff Alexander answered with two foul shots at the other end, and that kicked off a 14-4 surge that helped to put the game away. Alexander had the highlight of the run, a thunderous dunk off a feed from fellow freshman Svi Mykhailiuk that gave the Jayhawks a 54-43 lead.

Santa Barbara never seriously threatened again.

“We played a very good team,” Santa Barbara coach Bob Williams said. “I thought our guys found a way to score and stay in the game, and that’s the best you can say when you don’t shoot the ball very well.”

FOUL TROUBLE

Both teams heard plenty of whistles. Graham and Mason picked up two early on for Kansas, though the Jayhawks managed their foul trouble well in the second half. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara put them in the bonus with 11:32 left in the game. The Gauchos’ John Green fouled out.

TIP-INS

Kansas: Sophomore forward Brannen Greene got his first career start. He was 1 for 3 from the field and finished with three points, two rebounds and one assist.

Santa Barbara: Mitch Brewe spent the night hearing “Airball!” from the Kansas students. The junior forward fired up two of them in the game.

UP NEXT

Kansas takes a big step up in competition for the second straight year when it takes on the Wildcats. Last year, the Jayhawks knocked off Duke in Chicago in their second game.

Santa Barbara visits Florida-Gulf Coast on Monday night. The two will play again in January.

— Associated Press —

The Kansas defense was relentless in the opening half, allowing just seven Emporia State baskets, yet the Jayhawk offense needed time to catch up. The wait was worth it as KU ignited for 63 points in the final 20 minutes en route to an overwhelming 109-56 exhibition win at Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday night.

Despite a 21-point halftime advantage, Kansas came out of the break ready to change the lackluster offensive tempo. Sophomore guard Frank Mason III pulled the trigger on an alley-oop pass to sophomore guard Wayne Selden, Jr., for a dunk just 13 seconds into the half. Moments later, Selden was in on a trap at half court that forced the Hornets into an over-and-back turnover.

Just like that, the tempo was changed.

Freshman forward Cliff Alexander, who scored just four points in the opening frame, unleashed for three second-half dunks to light up the sold-out building. At halftime, five other Jayhawks had more points than the incoming Naismith High School Player of the Year. By night’s end, however, Alexander was the first Jayhawk to double-figures and finished with 12 points.

He wasn’t alone. Kansas was fair in the first half, scoring 46 points on 50 percent shooting, but went berserk in the next 20 minutes – hitting 66 percent from the floor (23-for-35). KU doubled its first-half scoring total in less than 14 minutes, while eight of its 15 players finished the game in double-figures. What resulted was the Jayhawks’ highest-scoring exhibition effort in 10 years (115-70 vs. Emporia State, 11/7/04).

Like Alexander, junior forward Perry Ellis was also slow to score in the first half, tallying only two points. He let loose for 11 points in 11 minutes in the final frame to tie for the team lead with 13 points. Fellow big man, sophomore Landen Lucas, missed just one from the floor (4-for-5) and once from the free throw line (5-for-6) to tie Ellis with a team-high 13 points.

Selden finished behind them with 12 points, all of which came in the second half. Redshirt junior forward Hunter Mickelson chalked up 11 points before becoming KU’s only foul-out victim and sophomore guard Frank Mason III hung up 11 points, as well. Guards Brannen Greene and Devonte’ Graham sparked an impressive 61 points off the bench with their 10 points apiece. Junior forward Jamari Traylor just missed the 10-point mark as his perfect 4-for-4 shooting left him with nine points.

Freshman guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk made his first start, albeit unofficial, marking the only change in the starting lineup from the Jayhawks’ first exhibition. The other changes, however, were more significant. Most notably, was the Jayhawks’ much improved free-throw accuracy as well as their rebound (45-29) and assist (26-6) margins.

By the end of the first half, the pesky Kansas defense held Emporia State to 7-of-26 shooting in the first half and a lowly 29 percent (15-for-51) for the game. Sophomore guard Jay Temaat actually led the floor with his 16 points, but he was the only Hornet in double-figures.

Three offensive rebounds in their first possession provided multiple opportunities for the Hornets to score the first points the night. ESU sophomore forward Terrence Sardin obliged with a put-back layup, while his team kept the Jayhawks off the board for nearly two-and-a-half minutes. In fact, neither team caught much fire early on. In the first 10 attempts on both sides, ESU made just two buckets, KU only four. The Jayhawks righted the ship, making 12 of their next 22 to finish the half at 50 percent shooting, thanks in large part to the input off the bench.

When Greene and Graham checked in and delivered a quick five-point burst, KU saw its first double-digit lead, but it wasn’t a lasting one until Hunter Mickelson found Kelly Oubre, Jr. sprinting toward the basket. The open look resulted in an easy two points for Oubre and a 20-8 lead midway through the first half. Emporia State would never get within single digits again.

Though Kansas built a lead that remained intact, it was slow to grow as more than two minutes passed with the same 20-8 score on the board. Adding to it, 10 minutes still remained in the first half when Emporia State was whistled for its seventh team foul to drag the opening frame out with bonus free throws. Kansas certainly converted – hitting 13-of-14 from the line – but the excitement was lacking.

Right on cue, Alexander slammed a Mickelson pass through the basket. Oubre swatted a shot into the hands of Graham, who laid it in on the other end and suddenly the Jayhawks broke open the game. Waiting it out, Graham let the final seconds tick away before driving the lane for the last bucket of the half and Kansas took a 46-25 lead to the lockerroom.

Head coach Bill Self and company flipped the switch during the break and came back out aggressive and ready to score. Not three minutes into the second half, Kansas shot out to a 30-point lead. The offense finally in gear, Greene knocked down and three, while Selden found Ellis for another lob-to-dunk pass. Meanwhile the Jayhawks were still money from the free throw line when Ellis connected on two more, putting KU up big, 60-28.

Mykhailiuk shot and missed four threes in the first half. Fittingly, he landed his first one of the night during the Jayhawks’ second-half fireworks show. Although it was the only ‘Svi for Three’ of the night, his trey doubled up the score, 84-42.

It was flat-out fun after that, watching eight different Jayhawks shoot their way to double-digits. All 15 Jayhawks saw time in the landslide, including junior guard Evan Manning who’s three-pointer put the finishing touches on KU’s 109-56 win.

UP NEXT
Kansas will open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 14 against UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m.

— KU Sports Information —