LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The gentleman dressed in the finely tailored suit, sitting among the teeming throng of Kansas fans inside Allen Fieldhouse, had never seen a real basketball game in person.

He knew enough to cheer when Joel Embiid dunked the ball, and the 7-foot freshman did it plenty of times Tuesday night.

Embiid finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds in a breakout performance, helping the second-ranked Jayhawks to an 86-66 victory over Iona – one made all the sweeter by the center’s father in the stands.

”I don’t think I played good because he was there,” Embiid said. ”I just felt more confident, and Coach always gives me his trust, so I just felt more confident.”

Embiid grew up playing volleyball in Yaounde, Cameroon, and didn’t start playing basketball until he attended a camp run by the Sacramento Kings’ Luc Mbah a Moute, who hails from the same town. Embiid was 16 years old, but his athleticism made him a natural.

He wound up at The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., to pursue his basketball career, and quickly developed into a five-star talent. Kansas coach Bill Self was on him early, recruiting the blossoming Embiid to the school that produced Wilt Chamberlain.

”He’ll look good some days, he won’t look as good some days,” Self said, ”but he’s smart. He gets it. He’s figuring things out all the time. I’m real pleased with his development.”

Embiid had plenty of support in this one.

Perry Ellis scored 21 points, Andrew Wiggins added 13 and Naadir Tharpe had 10 assists for Kansas (3-0), which overcame a sluggish start after a high-profile triumph over Duke last week.

The Gaels (1-2), using a maddening 2-2-1 zone and pouring in 3-pointers, managed to hang within single digits until midway through the second half. That’s when Kansas went on a 19-4 surge fueled by its freshmen to finally put the game away.

”Our kids came out and competed their hearts out and did their best all night,” Iona coach Tim Cluess said. ”It gives us a lot of measuring sticks for the rest of the season.”

A.J. English scored 21 points for Iona, and David Laury added 13 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. Sean Armand added 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers to move within three of matching the school’s career record of 263.

While the Gaels shot the ball well, they had no answer inside for Ellis and Embiid.

The 6-foot-8 Ellis scored on a variety of nifty spin moves and soft floaters in the lane, while Embiid used his massive size advantage to go 7 for 7 from the field.

Much to the delight of his father, Thomas Embiid.

”It was the first time we’ve met him in person,” Self said. ”That’s the first basketball game he’s ever seen. He’ll be here ’til Saturday or Sunday, so it’ll be good to see Joel play again. But it has to be cool, you’ve come over here and your first experience is Allen Fieldhouse.”

After allowing the Blue Devils to shoot better than 50 percent last week in Chicago, Kansas again struggled on defense. The Gaels pumped in six 3-pointers in the first half and shot 45 percent from the field in closing to within 41-36 at the break.

In fact, the Jayhawks might have found themselves behind to the MAAC school if not for the play of Ellis, who was 6 of 8 from the field and scored 13 points in the opening half.

”I feel a lot more confident,” Ellis said, ”just trusting myself now.”

The Gaels kept within striking distance with their perimeter shooting early in the second half, much to the chagrin of Self, who kept burning timeouts. But once the outside shots stopped dropping, the Jayhawks were able to start running – and use their superior athleticism.

Tharpe served as the conductor orchestrating the Kansas offense, delivering crisp passes to set up easy baskets. The sophomore guard threw a pretty alley-oop pass to Wiggins to start the second half, and then tossed up another to Embiid on the next possession.

Kansas finally buried the Gaels with its big run later in the half. Embiid and Ellis did most of the work, but the highlight came when Tharpe threw up another lob – this time to 5-foot-11 freshman Frank Mason, who showed enough hops to slam it down.

By the time Wayne Selden, another of the Jayhawks’ sensational freshmen, scored on a nifty reverse layup with just over 4 minutes to play, the lead had grown to 80-59.

”Of course, watching Kansas for plenty of years, that’s what they do,” English said. ”Their whole team is great. I know they have a lot of freshmen, but I feel like one through however many players they have, the whole team is great.”

— Associated Press —

The Kansas duo of sophomore forward Perry Ellis and freshman guard Andrew Wiggins have been named the Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday.

Ellis earned co-Big 12 Player of the Week honors, along with Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim, after he scored a career-high 24 points in KU’s 94-83 win over No. 4 Duke at the State Farm Champions Classic. The 6-8 Wichita forward finished 9-of-13 (.692) from the floor, including one 3-pointer. Ellis, who was named for the honor for the first time, also converted 5-of-6 (.833) from the charity stripe. He pulled down a team-best nine rebounds to go along with two assists and a career-high three steals. He had a key steal and assist with 1:16 remaining that led to a six-point Jayhawk lead they would not relinquish.

Despite battling foul trouble, Wiggins came up big in the Jayhawks’ victory over Duke and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. In just 25 minutes on the floor, the 6-8 Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, guard scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting (.600). He pulled down a season-best eight rebounds and made 4-of-6 (.667) shots from the free throw line, with one block. Wiggins had two key baskets in the last 1:30 of the contest to extend.

The last time Kansas swept the Big 12 weekly honors was last season when Elijah Johnson (player) and Ben McLemore (newcomer) were named on March 4, 2013. Ellis adds to Kansas’ league high in player of the week winners as he marks the 55th time a Jayhawk has earned the distinction. Wiggins is the 26th KU newcomer to be named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas halfback James Sims received some much deserved recognition following his stellar play in Kansas’ win over West Virginia Saturday. Sims, who had a career-day running the ball, was named Offensive Player of the Week in the Big 12 by Athlon Sports, and he was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the Big 12 Conference.

Sims, a native of Irving, Texas, put on a dominant performance for the Jayhawks in their win over West Virginia. He set a new career-best rushing mark with 211 yards against the Mountaineers. Sims became the first Jayhawk to rush for 200 or more yards in a game since Tony Pierson did so against Texas Tech in 2012, and logged the most rushing yards by a Kansas player since Reggie Duncan ran for 227 yards against Texas Tech during the 2001 season. Sims’ 211 yards was the 15th-best rushing effort in Kansas history and the second most by a Big 12 player in 2013.

Amongst his 211 rushing yards, Sims ran for the longest rush of the season by Jayhawk twice in the second quarter. His first was a 62-yard run and the second was a 68-yard sprint for a touchdown. Sim’s 68-yard rush was the longest of his career, surpassing his previous career long of 64 yards against Texas in 2012.

The senior captain rushed for three touchdowns in guiding the Jayhawks to their first Big 12 win in more than three seasons. The last time a Jayhawk ran in three touchdowns in a single game was Sims in 2010 against Colorado, KU’s last conference victory prior to Saturday’s win over West Virginia. Sims now has 34 career rushing touchdowns and is seven away from tying the Kansas all-time record of 41 rushing touchdowns set by June Henley from 1993-96.

Sims is the second Kansas player to be honored by the Big 12 Conference in its weekly awards as punter Trevor Pardula was honored as Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 23. He is the first Jayhawk to pick up the conference’s offensive honor since Todd Reesing was tabbed for the weekly award on Dec. 1, 2008.

Additionally, Sims was tabbed an honorable mention running back of the week by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA). The CFPA are based on objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.

Sims and his KU teammates will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 when the Jayhawks travel to Iowa State for a 7 p.m., game at Jack Trice Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — James Sims rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns and Kansas snapped a 27-game Big 12 losing streak Saturday with a 31-19 victory over West Virginia.

Thousands of fans stormed onto the field embracing players and coaches and eventually tearing down the south goalpost.

Sims, who recorded a career-high on 22 carries, broke runs of 62 and 68 yards while Kansas (3-7, 1-6 Big 12) ended a Big 12 drought that had lasted more than three years. Winds gusting near 50 MPH kept plastic bags and autumn leaves tumbling across the field as the sparse crowd witnessed Kansas’ first conference victory since a come-from-behind win over Colorado on Nov. 6, 2010.

It was just the second Big 12 win in 40 games for the Jayhawks, who had fired two coaches and plunged back into deep mediocrity after winning the 2008 Orange Bowl.

West Virginia (4-7, 2-6), which wasn’t even a Big 12 member when Kansas notched its previous conference win, took a 7-0 lead on its first possession, a long drive against the wind. But the Mountaineers were unable to generate anything more until two meaningless touchdowns with less than 5 minutes to play.

The Jayhawks, who came into the game 117th in the NCAA in total offense and 116th in scoring, rushed for 315 yards against a Mountaineer unit ranked No. 100 in total defense.

With the Jayhawks trailing 7-3 midway through the second period, Sims broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and fled 62 yards down the sideline to the 10. A minute later, he went over from the 3. Then with 28 seconds left in the first half, the 6-0, 200-pound senior bolted through a big hole and went 68 yards virtually untouched, giving him 14 100-yard rushing days, No 2 on the school’s all-time charts. At 17-7, the Jayhawks had their first halftime lead since the season opener.

When Sims powered his way into the end zone from three yards out to make it 24-7 following a West Virginia turnover in the third period, it was Kansas’ biggest lead over an FBS opponent since mounting a 21-point advantage against Baylor in 2011.

Paul Millard was for 23 for 42 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in his third start for the Mountaineers but also threw two disastrous interceptions.

On a first down from the Kansas 30, he fired the ball right into the arms of Ben Goodman standing near the line of scrimmage. Goodman rambled 54 yards until Millard pushed him out at the 14. After Montell Cozart went around right end for 7 yards, Sims scored his third TD. Then Ben Heeney intercepted Millard’s pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 28 yards to the 1, setting up Brandon Bourbon’s touchdown plunge.

The Mountaineers, who were making their first trip to Lawrence, drove 75 yards with their first possession and scored on Charles Sims’ 12-yard catch-and-run from Millard. Millard threw a 3-yard touchdown to Kevin White with less than 5 minutes to play. With 28 seconds left, Charles Sims scored on a 6-yard run for the Mountaineers.

— Associated Press —

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced that power forward Cliff Alexander from Curie High School in Chicago has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Jayhawks.

“We are so excited about Cliff,” Self said. “Since (assistant coach) Jerrance Howard has been on board, he has done a great job in recruiting both Cliff and his family. Cliff comes from an excellent high school program and has been well coached by Mike Oliver his entire high school career. Mike has been one of the longest tenured coaches in the Chicago area and has produced a several of great prospects like Cliff.”

Ranked No. 3 by ESPN100 and No. 4 by Rivals.com, Alexander averaged 21.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks his junior year for Oliver at Curie High School where he earned all-state first-team honors following the 2012-13 season. Other Chicago Jayhawks who have played for Self while at Kansas include All-American Sherron Collins, Julian Wright, Mario Little and current forward Jamari Traylor.

“Cliff comes here from a long line of great ones from Chicago and has as much potential as anybody in the class,” Self said. “At 6-foot-8, he can play on the block and he can play behind the arc. He can play in between, but the biggest thing he can do is rebound the ball. He’ll remind our fans of a Thomas Robinson going after the ball rebounding.”

Alexander joins wing/forward Kelly Oubre on the fall 2013 signing class. Oubre, who signed his NLI with Kansas on Nov. 13, is ranked as the No. 10 overall player in the class of 2014.

“The combination of Cliff and Kelly Oubre gives us what we feel are two of the top players in our class and is a great momentum boost going forward this season knowing we’ll have some real good players waiting to get here next year,” Self said.

Alexander, who plays for the Mac Irvin Fire AAU program under coach Mike Irvin, chose Kansas over Memphis, Michigan State, Illinois and DePaul. He

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self, who has guided KU to nine-straight Big 12 regular-season championships and two Final Fours, including the 2008 NCAA title, will be honored at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards in Oklahoma City, April 14 as the recipient of the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award.

Self, who is one of four coaches in NCAA?Division I?history to have led three different schools – Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas – to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, will be honored at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The College Basketball Awards are produced annually by Access Sports in conjunction with the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

“When you look at Bill Self’s record on the court and combine that with what he does off the court in the community and with his players, you see the very essence of what the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award stands for,” said David Gillikin, Chairman of the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards. “We are very pleased to be able to recognize Coach Self and his accomplishments with this prestigious award.”

The Tisdale Humanitarian Award honors an individual involved in college basketball who has had a significant positive impact off the court well as on. Previous honorees include legendary ESPN and hall of fame announcer Dick Vitale, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. The award’s namesake, Wayman Tisdale, died in May 2009 after a two-year battle with cancer.

“I was very proud and honored when I was informed I would be receiving the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award,” Self said. “There have been some very influential recipients who have deservedly received the award in the past and I’m not sure I fit in that category. To win an award that has Wayman Tisdale’s name tied to it is certainly humbling. Knowing Wayman and having played on the same AAU team with him, I was always a great fan of his. He personally had as much to do in popularizing the sport in the state of Oklahoma as anybody and it’s quite an honor for me to receive an award with his name on it.”

Prior to 2013-14, in 10 seasons at Kansas Self has a 300-59 record (83.6 percent), averaging 30 wins per season. Overall, Self has coached 20 seasons with a 507-164 record (75.6 percent). He won his 500th career game at Iowa State (108-96 in OT) on Feb. 25, 2013. The fastest KU coach to reach 300 wins at Kansas, Self’s milestone victory occurred during the 2013 NCAA Tournament against former KU coach Roy Williams’ North Carolina team, 70-58. Kansas’ 300 victories under Self are more wins than any other NCAA Division I school in the last 10 years. He was named just the eighth head coach in Kansas basketball history on April 21, 2003.

Bill and Cindy Self established the Assists Foundation in 2006 to help provide young people access to better lives. The mission of Assists is accomplished by identifying areas of need and working with other community-based institutions to provide creative and lasting solutions. The Assists Foundation supports scholarships and helps community organizations improve their facilities and programs so as to teach young people how to live healthy, productive lives. The foundation works to help young people have access to healthy lifestyle programs, facilitated by components of education, assessments, prevention, leadership, and competition. Self is also actively involved in a variety of other charitable efforts, including Coaches vs. Cancer and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Self will share the stage in April with college basketball’s Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year, the National Player of the Year, who will receive the Oscar Robertson Trophy, and the Henry Iba National Coach of the Year Award.

The Devon Energy College Basketball Awards are presented by Devon Energy, a leading independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in Oklahoma City. The event is produced by Access Sports, an Oklahoma City-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to supporting various charitable causes, including funding prosthetic devices for needy individuals through the Wayman L. Tisdale Foundation, funding of youth basketball programs throughout the state of Oklahoma through the Wayman’s Lightning Basketball League, and other worthy charitable causes.

— KU Sports Information —

CHICAGO (AP) — Andrew Wiggins soared toward the hoop as Jabari Parker made one more attempt to stop his fellow freshman star.

No such luck. Wiggins owned the end of Parker’s impressive homecoming.

Wiggins scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, outplaying Parker down the stretch and helping No. 5 Kansas knock off fourth-ranked Duke 94-83 on Tuesday night.

Parker, a former prep star at nearby Simeon High School, had 27 points, nine rebounds and three steals in a spectacular return to his hometown. But it was Wiggins who made the biggest plays in the final minutes of a taut thriller between two storied programs.

Wiggins drained a stepback jumper to give the Jayhawks an 85-81 lead with 1:33 to go, and then had a fast-break dunk while being fouled by a trailing Parker. Wiggins held his arms out and yelled after the big dunk, delighting the raucous crowd at the United Center.

Ellis finished with 24 points and Wayne Selden had 15 for the Jayhawks (2-0), who went 27 for 35 at the foul line, compared to 16 of 28 for the Blue Devils. Wiggins also had 10 rebounds despite battling foul trouble for much of the game.

Kansas scored 17 of the final 23 points after Rasheed Sulaimon made a jumper for Duke that tied it at 77 with 3:50 left.

Amile Jefferson had 17 points for Duke (1-1), which dropped to 7-3 in the all-time series against Kansas. Rodney Hood scored 11 points.

— Associated Press —

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — No. 15 Oklahoma State refused to overlook an inferior opponent.

With three key Big 12 games beginning next week, it might have been human nature to look past lowly Kansas, but the Cowboys rolled 42-6 Saturday.

Clint Chelf completed 19 of 37 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns and Justin Gilbert returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown as Oklahoma State (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) won its fifth straight game.

”It was a good win for our team,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. ”I thought our defense was consistent in our play. Offensively, we were good at times and very sluggish at times. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Next weekend, Oklahoma State plays at Texas, with subsequent games against No. 5 Baylor and No. 12 Oklahoma.

The Cowboys already lost a game they were expected to win this year, a 30-21 defeat at West Virginia back on Sept. 28, and they were determined not to let it happen again.

”Coming off the West Virginia loss, that was a game we were supposed to win,” said receiver Tracy Moore, who caught six passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns on virtually identical fade passes. ”Coach Gundy was telling us all week to stay focused, ignore the record and realize Kansas is better than people give them credit for. We came out ready to play.”

The Cowboys overcame the loss of top receiver Josh Stewart, who injured his leg on a punt return less than three minutes into the game and did not return. Utilizing their depth, OSU had eight different receivers make catches, including sophomore David Glidden, who had a career-high six receptions for 73 yards.

”You’re always trying to get Josh the ball, but you adapt and you overcome,” OSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. ”We’re really proud of our team for responding, because one guy goes down and then the next guy’s got to step up. With a little adversity comes some opportunity.”

Montell Cozart threw for 58 yards while rushing for 55 on 18 carries for Kansas (2-7, 0-6), which lost its sixth in a row. Tony Pierson returned from a three-game absence due to a concussion and gained 87 yards on six rushes.

”Whenever Tony touches the ball and we get him in space, you can see that’s like our passing game,” Kansas coach Charlie Weis said. ”That’s where we get our chunks. He had two long runs – that’s like our form of throwing the ball down the field. And when Cozart started playing more, he kind of bailed us out a number of times in the run game.”

Gilbert put the Cowboys ahead immediately, receiving the opening kickoff in his own end zone and zig-zagging his way through multiple defenders for the touchdown.

”When I first got the ball, I saw a big hole and I knew that’s where I was going from the beginning, so I hit it,” said Gilbert of the Cowboys’ first kickoff return TD of the season. ”We saw on film that they didn’t squeeze those gaps really well and we did a good job of opening those gaps up.”

Weis said: ”Can you pick a worse way to start a game? It was the absolute worst way,” said Kansas coach Charlie Weis. ”It was deflating, but it was just the first play.”

Aided by Kevin Peterson’s interception and 38-yard return, the OSU offense made it 14-0 on Desmond Roland’s 3-yard run with 8:28 left in the first quarter.

Chelf connected with a wide open Roland for the 19-yard TD pass with 9:25 remaining in the first half to make it 21-0.

”We worked that play all week,” said Roland, who gained 44 yards on 16 rushes. ”(Receiver Charlie Moore) did a great job picking up that safety that came under, and I was wide open.”

The Cowboys extended their advantage to 28 points with just 15 seconds left before halftime, when Chelf lofted a fade pass to the left corner of the end zone, where a leaping Tracy Moore held on for a 4-yard touchdown.

”It’s something me and Clint work on after practice,” Moore said of the fade passes. ”It’s kind of hard to simulate it in practice, what you’re going to get in a game, especially with a guy that’s 6-1 like the corner was tonight, but credit Clint, he threw the ball well.”

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse.

His career wasn’t even a minute old and Wiggins was already leaving his mark on Kansas.

While he disappeared at times, the highly touted freshman dazzled at others, finishing with 16 points in leading the fifth-ranked Jayhawks to an 80-63 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Friday night.

”He did some good things,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. ”I think he can be more aggressive, but I think all the guys can be more aggressive.”

Aggressive may not have been such a good thing on this night, though. New rules designed to clamp down on hand-checking resulted in 58 fouls and a slew of free throws.

It also resulted in a herky-jerky affair for both sides.

”I’m telling them not to freak out. That’s what I’m telling them,” Warhawks coach Keith Richard said. ”The players have to adjust and not lose their minds. It’s not going away, and so it’s difficult. It sure is. And there were some bad calls tonight, pitiful, but both ways.”

Andrew White III and Perry Ellis finished 12 points each for the youthful Jayhawks, who won’t have a whole lot of time for all their freshmen to work out the kinks. Kansas, which is replacing all five starters from last season, plays No. 4 Duke on Tuesday night in Chicago.

”It’s going to be a pretty good matchup, two high-profile teams,” White said, ”but we’re not paying too much attention to the hype that’s out there.”

Marvin Williams had 19 points and six rebounds to lead the Warhawks, who sure didn’t look like a team that won just four games last season. They trailed 47-41 early in the second half before the quicker more physical Jayhawks finally went on a 15-5 run to seize control.

Williams fouled out with 8:16 left in the game, and Louisiana-Monroe struggled the rest of the way as Wiggins and Co. made the final score appear much more comfortable.

”Obviously we want to come out and win bigger than we did, and finish the game off stronger, but we’re still fresh,” senior transfer Tarik Black said. ”We’re still learning each other.”

The Jayhawks started three freshmen in Wiggins, Selden and Frank Mason, who got the nod at point guard with junior Naadir Tharpe serving a one-game suspension for playing in an unauthorized summer league game. Black also was in the starting lineup after arriving from Memphis.

That left Perry Ellis as the only holdover from last season in the starting five.

Still, the unknown of all the fresh faces resulted in the same kind of energy inside Allen Fieldhouse that has accompanied just about every other home opener – Kansas has won 42 of them in a row. Students waited in lines hours before the doors opened before rushing to their seats.

All that fervor quickly subsided when it became apparent how far Kansas has to go.

Consecutive dunks by Williams in the first half, the second one after a turnover by Wiggins at the other end, gave the Warhawks a 15-13 lead and forced the Jayhawks to call a timeout.

”I definitely felt like we were in the game,” Williams said.

Making waves of substitutions, Kansas methodically regained the lead, and then pulled away on a jumper by Brannen Greene and a parade of free throws. But it was still just 42-32 at halftime, and Self’s jaw was clenched as he followed his team to the locker room.

He wasn’t any happier early in the second half, when the Warhawks had closed to within 47-41 and Mason was whistled for a foul on a loose ball. Self stomped up the sideline, his face red in fury, and screamed at the officials while the crowd roared their disapproval.

Asked whether he was surprised that he didn’t get called for a technical foul, Self replied: ”I would say that would be an accurate observation. Yeah, probably so.”

His impassioned tirade finally woke the Jayhawks from their slumber.

Black scored moments later to kick off a 15-5 spurt that allowed Kansas to seize control. Wiggins coasted to the rim for two layups during the run, and White knocked down a 3-pointer off a feed from Connor Frankamp, then converted a conventional three-point player.

Louisiana-Monroe got into foul trouble down the stretch – Tylor Ongwae picked up his fifth with 14:40 to go, and Williams picked up his fifth 6 minutes later.

The Jayhawks took advantage of the Warhawks’ lack of depth to put the game away.

”It’s an entire team of young’uns, and it’s going to be frustrating from time to time,” Self said, ”but hopefully it will be very rewarding at the end.”

— Associated Press —

ESPN has announced the State Farm Champions Classic – the neutral site doubleheader series featuring men’s basketball powers Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State – will be renewed for three additional years rotating through the cities of Indianapolis (2014), Chicago (2015) and New York City (2016). Kansas will play Kentucky in 2014, Michigan State in 2015 and Duke in 2016.

“The University of Kansas is excited and proud to be part of the Champions Classic,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “It’s the most talked about premiere early season event that our sport offers and to be involved with Duke, Michigan State and Kentucky on a yearly basis brings nothing but excitement to our sport.”

The inaugural Champions Classic was held at Madison Square Garden in 2011 followed by the Georgia Dome in 2012. In 2011, Kansas and Kentucky’s Champions Classic meeting also became the matchup for the 2012 NCAA National Championship title game in New Orleans. Last season KU fell late to Michigan State in Atlanta.

This season’s Champions Classic pits four top-5 teams in the Associated Press preseason poll – No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. (Central) followed by No. 5 Kansas vs. No. 4 Duke – on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at the United Center in Chicago. The last time such a highly-ranked occurrence happened in the same doubleheader at the same venue was the 2008 Final Four when Kansas defeated North Carolina and Memphis defeated UCLA in San Antonio. Kansas would go on to win the 2008 NCAA National Championship.

ESPN will mark the opening of the college basketball season with the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon providing more than 29 hours of consecutive basketball coverage over Monday, Nov. 11 and Tuesday, Nov. 12. The schedule includes 16 men’s matchups and two women’s games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, ending with the Champions Classic on ESPN.

— KU Sports Information —