LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis had 13 points apiece, and No. 5 Kansas beat Fort Hays State 92-75 in an exhibition game Tuesday night.

Jamari Traylor added 11 points for the Jayhawks, who open the regular season Friday against Louisiana-Monroe before playing No. 4 Duke next week.

Dwayne Brunson scored 15 points for the Tigers, a Division II program picked to win its conference. Craig Nicholson added 14.

Kansas broke the game open with a 28-7 run in the middle of the first half. Eight different Jayhawks scored during the run, highlighted by fast-break layups from Frank Mason and Tarik Black.

Highly touted freshman Andrew Wiggins, who had an up-and-down opener last week, had 10 points for the Jayhawks.

— Associated Press —

The preseason accolades keep rolling in for Kansas men’s basketball guard Andrew Wiggins as he was named to the 2013-14 Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) board of directors Tuesday afternoon. The award is to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake.

A freshman of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, Wiggins was one of 15 named to the Oscar Robertson preseason list. On Monday, Nov. 4, Wiggins was named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America Team and he and teammate Wayne Selden, Jr., were named to the 10-man Wayman Tisdale Award Preseason Watch List, which is presented to the national freshman of the year, also selected by the USBWA.

The No. 1 recruit in the class of 2013, Wiggins averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocked shots and 2.5 steals while at Huntington Prep in West Virginia last season. Wiggins was the Gatorade Boys High School Basketball Player of the Year and later the Gatorade Boys Athlete of the Year. He is a consensus preseason All-America selection and the Preseason National Player of the Year by CBSSports.com.

Kansas continues exhibition play when it hosts Fort Hays State Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks open regular-season action when the Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks visit Lawrence on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.

2013-14 OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Pos. Player, School (Ht., Wt., Yr., Hometown)
G Jahii Carson, Arizona State (5-10, 180, So., Mesa, Ariz.)
G Aaron Craft, Ohio State (6-2, 195, Sr., Findlay, Ohio)
F C.J. Fair, Syracuse (6-8, 215, Sr., Baltimore, Md.)
F Aaron Gordon, Arizona (6-9, 225, Fr., San Jose, Calif.)
G Gary Harris, Michigan State (6-4, 210, So., Fishers, Ind.)
G Joe Harris, Virginia (6-6, 225, Sr., Chelan, Wash.)
F Doug McDermott, Creighton (6-8, 225, Sr., Ames, Iowa)
F Mitch McGary, Michigan (6-10, 255, So., Chesterton, Ind.)
G Shabazz Napier, Connecticut (6-1, 180, Sr., Roxbury, Mass.)
F Jabari Parker, Duke (6-8, 235, Fr., Chicago, Ill.)
C Adreian Payne, Michigan State (6-10, 245, Sr., Dayton, Ohio)
F Julius Randle, Kentucky (6-9, 250, Fr., Dallas, Texas)
G Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State (6-4, 220, So., Flower Mound, Texas)
G Russ Smith, Louisville (6-0, 165, Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.)
G Andrew Wiggins, Kansas (6-8, 200, Fr., Vaughan, Ont.)

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins was named to the Associated Press’ 2013-14 Preseason All-America team, released Monday. The AP team is voted on by a 65-member national media panel.

Additionally, Wiggins and teammate Wayne Selden, Jr., have been named to the 10-man Wayman Tisdale Award Preseason Watch List, which is presented to the national freshman of the year by the United States Basketball Writers of America (USBWA), the organization announced Monday.

Wiggins becomes the second freshman to earn Associated Press Preseason All-America honors since the team was first selected for the 1986-87 season. He joins Harrison Barnes of North Carolina in 2010-11 as the only freshmen to earn the preseason accolade.

Joining Wiggins on the AP 2013-14 Preseason All-America team are Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Doug McDermott (Creighton), Russ Smith (Louisville) and Mitch McGary (Michigan). Prior to Wiggins, the most recent Jayhawk to be named to the AP Preseason All-America team was eventual Consensus All-America selection Sherron Collins in 2009-10. Jeff Withey, Thomas Robinson and Marcus Morris were all named AP Preseason All-America honorable mention during their time as a Jayhawk.

The USBWA Wayman Tisdale Award began in 1988-89 and was named in Tisdale’s honor three seasons ago. Joining Selden and Wiggins on the list, which was chosen by the USBWA’s board of directors, are Tyler Ennis (Syracuse), Aaron Gordon (Arizona), Aaron Harrison (Kentucky), Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Kasey Hill (Florida), Jabari Parker (Duke), Julius Randle (Kentucky) and James Young (Kentucky). Last season, Kansas’ Ben McLemore was one of 10 finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award.

The No. 1 recruit in the class of 2013, Wiggins averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocked shots and 2.5 steals while at Huntington Prep in West Virginia last season. The Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, native was the Gatorade Boys High School Basketball Player of the Year and later the Gatorade Boys Athlete of the Year. Wiggins is a consensus preseason All-America selection and the Preseason National Player of the Year by CBSSports.com.

Like Wiggins, Selden was a 2013 McDonald’s All-American who averaged 24.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists last year at the Tilton School in New Hampshire. The Roxbury, Mass., native ended his senior year ranked No. 12 by rivals.com and No. 14 by ESPN100.

Kansas continues exhibition play when it hosts Fort Hays State Tuesday, at 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks open regular-season action when the Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks visit Lawrence on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.

— KU Sports Information —

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Malcolm Brown ran for 119 yards and four touchdowns and defensive tackle Chris Whaley scored his second touchdown of the season as Texas beat Kansas 35-13 Saturday for the Longhorns’ fifth win in a row.

Brown scored twice in the second quarter, and Whaley’s 40-yard fumble return in the third quarter broke open what had been a surprisingly close game. Whaley, who was initially recruited as a running back, also scored on a 31-yard interception return against Oklahoma.

Brown’s touchdown runs covered 2, 3, 1 and 30 yards for Texas (6-2, 5-0), which remains in a tie for first place in the Big 12. Case McCoy passed for 196 yards with two interceptions in Texas’ first home game since Sept. 21. The Longhorns held Kansas to 306 total yards.

Kansas dropped its 26th consecutive game in the Big 12. Jake Heaps passed for 160 yards for the Jayhawks (2-6, 0-5).

Texas lacked the early spark it had in its previous two games in dominant wins over Oklahoma and TCU. McCoy threw his third interception in two games on Texas’ first drive, and the Longhorns were held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time since the season-opener.

Since the first half against Oklahoma back on Oct. 12, McCoy, who took over the starting job for injured David Ash, has five interceptions against two touchdown passes.

But Kansas had the sort of misfires that come with a losing streak. The Jayhawks had three drives inside the Texas 15 that accounted for just six points, and the fumble that set up Texas’ touchdown return came just when the Jayhawks had a chance to seize momentum in the third quarter.

After snagging the early interception, the Jayhawks missed a chance for a surprise lead in the first when Matthew Wyman missed a 31-yard field goal. A penalty for running into the punter also let Texas keep the ball in what would end up as a 92-yard scoring drive when Brown scored his first touchdown 12 plays later.

Brown’s second touchdown put Texas ahead 14-0 before a long pass from Heaps to Rodriguez Coleman set up Ron Doughty’s 21-yard field on the last play of the first half.

Kansas started the third quarter with a drive that stalled at the Texas 10. Doughty cut the Longhorns lead to 14-6 with a 27-yard field goal that bounced in off the right upright.

The Jayhawks had quieted the home crowd until Whaley’s fumble return. Heaps, who had started for BYU against Texas in 2011, was flushed out of the pocket and hit hard by Cedric Reed. The ball bounced once and popped up nearly waist high for Whaley to snag it and run untouched to the end zone.

Brown closed the third with his third touchdown of the day for a 28-6 lead. His fourth came a few minutes later when McCoy stumbled and barely made the handoff before his knee hit the ground.

— Associated Press —

Kansas men’s basketball is preseason ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press (AP), which released its first poll of the 2013-14 season Thursday.

This marks the second-straight year, and the fourth time in the last five seasons, that the Jayhawks have entered the season No. 7 or higher by AP. Last year the Jayhawks were preseason No. 7, No. 1 in 2009-10 and No. 7 in 2010-11.

Historically, this is the eighth time in the 11-year Bill Self era that Kansas enters the season ranked seventh or higher in the Associated Press preseason poll and the No. 5 ranking marks the 16th time since the 1992-93 season that Kansas will enter the season seventh or higher.

Last season, KU entered the year No. 7 nationally in the Associated Press poll and ended at No. 3. The AP’s final poll is released prior to the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks were ranked in the top 10 in all but two AP polls during the 2012-13 season.

Kansas will play six regular-season games against teams ranked in the AP preseason poll: No. 4 Duke, No. 8 Oklahoma State (twice), No. 10 Florida and No. 25 Baylor (twice).

Kansas enters the season No. 6 in the preseason USA Today Coaches’ poll.

Kansas continues its exhibition play when it hosts Fort Hays State Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. The game can be seen on the Jayhawk Television Network or ESPN3 outside the state of Kansas. The Jayhawks’ regular-season opens against Louisiana at Monroe on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.

2013-14 Associated Press Preseason Poll (Oct. 31)
1. Kentucky (27)     21-12     1,546     —
2. Michigan St. (22)     27-9     1,543     9
3. Louisville (14)     35-5     1,501     2
4. Duke (2)     30-6     1,435     6
5. KANSAS     31-6     1,357     3
6. Arizona     27-8     1,311     21
7. Michigan     31-8     1,120     11
8. Oklahoma St.     24-9     1,093     17
8. Syracuse     30-10     1,093     16
10. Florida     29-8     1,048     14
11. Ohio St.     29-8     1,036     7
12. North Carolina     25-11     954     —
13. Memphis     31-5     741     19
14. VCU     27-9     680     —
15. Gonzaga     32-3     538     1
16. Wichita St.     30-9     512     —
17. Marquette     26-9     510     15
18. UConn     20-10     448     —
19. Oregon     28-9     408     25
20. Wisconsin     23-12     338     18
21. Notre Dame     25-10     332     23
22. UCLA     25-10     244     24
23. New Mexico     29-6     213     10
24. Virginia     23-12     189     —
25. Baylor     23-14     180     —

— KU Sports Information —

In exclamation-mark fashion, freshman center Joel Embiid slammed a pass from Andrew Wiggins through the basket for a two-handed dunk in the final minutes of Kansas’ convincing 97-57 win over Pittsburg State in the first exhibition matchup of the 2013-14 season inside historic Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday night.

The unofficial outcome that comes with exhibition play did nothing to tamper with the excitement of seeing KU’s second-ranked recruiting class on the court for the first time. Senior Tarik Black and freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Wayne Selden, Jr., each made the starting lineup, joined by veteran junior guard Naadir Tharpe and sophomore forward Perry Ellis.

Ironically, the loudest play of the night didn’t result in points for the country’s No. 1 recruit – but rather an assist. Wiggins’ dime pass hit Embiid in perfect stride, allowing him to slam the ball through the hoop much to the delight of the 16,300 fans who made it out to the informal season opener.

Although his first touch resulted in a turnover and he hit his first shot at the 9:36 mark in the first half, Wiggins’ night took a sharp turn upward as his 16 points tied Ellis for the team lead. His teammates made sure he wasn’t the center of attention as four different Jayhawks chalked up double figures in the win. The duo was was joined on the leaderboard by sophomore guard Andrew White III (12) and freshman guard Brannen Greene (10), who each came in off the bench.

Black topped the rebounding effort with 11 as Kansas doubled up the visiting Gorillas on the boards, 51-26. Tharpe, meanwhile, had more assists (9) on his own than the opposing total (6). The Jayhawks finished 35-of-65 (53.8 percent) from the floor, while holding the Gorillas to 17-of-54 (31.5 percent) shooting.

For Pittsburg State, junior guard Devon Branch led all scorers with 27 points, while junior forward Alex Williams added 15 points.

Two fouls apiece before the first media timeout sidelined Black and Selden for a chunk of the first half. White was the first off the bench and the country’s best incoming center, Embiid, followed suit to relieve Black. Those fouls kept the Gorillas in it early. While Kansas held Pitt State without a field goal for nearly six minutes to open the game, the Gorillas benefitted from free throws. Two from junior forward Alex Williams saw Pitt State cut what once was a 9-3 lead to a mere two points. An up-and-under layup from Trevor Gregory tied the score, 11-11.

With the newcomers on display, the veteran Jayhawks stepped up. White drove the lane for a layup and Ellis knocked down his third and fourth buckets of the game to try and put distance between the home and visiting teams – but it wasn’t happening. A three from the corner by PSU guard Josiah Gustafson sliced the Jayhawk lead to a single point, 21-20.

Fittingly, Wiggins’ first basket of the night kicked off an 8-0 Jayhawk run, allowing the first sizable lead of the night. Four points from redshirt freshman Landen Lucas and a bucket from Ellis propelled Kansas to a 29-20 advantage in less than two minutes. Greene chimed in with his first of three three-pointers and sent KU to the final media timeout leading, 39-28. Tharpe and White broke loose for 10 combined points and when halftime arrived, Kansas had quickly switched to blowout mode, 50-32.

KU’s mounting offense paused for a defensive stand to start the second half. By the first media timeout, both teams had scored only once, but KU’s defense around the basket started to pick up – led by Black. The senior transfer disrupted multiple shots to open the second frame, recording a block in the process. His offensive rebounding was equally impressive, pulling down back-to-back offensive boards and converting them to layups around the 15-minute mark. His effort helped Kansas clamp down on a 27-2 edge in second-chance points.

With that, the scoring was underway. Black’s put-backs lifted KU’s lead over the 20-point plateau and another three from White saw the Jayhawk advantage surge to 25 with 13 minutes still remaining.

Churning out points with more than a 50-percent accuracy, Kansas was rolling. Greene nailed two-straight three pointers and slash layup by freshman guard Frank Mason pushed the lead past the 30-point mark, 77-46, with eight minutes on the clock.

Wiggins and Ellis teamed up for a 12-2 run headed into the final media timeout and Black’s free throw directly out of the break pushed Kansas close in on the century mark. Embiid’s crowd-roaring slam all but finished up the 97-57 win.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bryce Petty threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns in fewer than three quarters, Lache Seastrunk ran for 109 yards and a score and sixth-ranked Baylor routed Kansas 59-14 on Saturday night for its school-record 11th straight win.

The Bears (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) piled up 500 yards of offense in taking a 38-0 lead by halftime, and then relaxed as coach Art Briles pulled many of his starters in the third quarter.

The nation’s highest-scoring offense still finished with 743 yards, and eight of its nine scoring drives took fewer than 2 minutes. Four different Baylor players had touchdown runs – Petty among them – while Tevin Reese hauled in two of his three TD tosses.

Jake Heaps was held to just 85 yards passing and a touchdown for Kansas (2-5, 0-4), which has now lost 25 consecutive Big 12 games.

— Associated Press —

Kansas punter and kickoff specialist Trevor Pardula was named a nominee for the 2013 Ray Guy Award, which recognizes the nation’s top punter. Pardula, a junior from San Jose, Calif., is one of 85 candidates for the award, which is presented by the Augusta (Ga.) Sports Council.

Through six games, Pardula ranks second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally in punting with an average of 44.8 yards per punt. Pardula has placed nine punts inside the 20 and recorded 14 punts of 50 yards or more, including a career-best 78-yard punt against Louisiana Tech. That punt tied for eighth-longest in school history and helped catapult Pardula to a KU single game record 57.6 yards on five punts in the win.

A 6-foot-5, junior college transfer from De Anza College, Pardula has consistently helped Kansas in the field position battle and punted 10 times in the Jayhawks’ game against TCU. Against the Horned Frogs Pardula averaged 46.2 yards per punt, including five punts of 50 yards or longer.

Pardula also serves as the Jayhawks’ kickoff specialist and has 16 touchbacks, more than the entire total from last season, in 25 attempts.

The Ray Guy Award list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists to be announced on November 8. Following the semi-finalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on November 25. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.

The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on The Home Depot College Football Awards live on Thursday, December 12 at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN. The show, hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will feature live presentation of nine player awards, along with the recipients of Disney’s Spirit Award, The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contributions to College Football Award, and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.

Kansas returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 26, when it plays host to No. 5/6 Baylor. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m., at Memorial Stadium, with a live broadcast on ESPNU.

— KU Sports Information —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops knew that Sterling Shepard could throw the ball. He had no idea that another wide receiver, Lacoltan Bester, may have an even better arm.

The former high school quarterback hit Shepard in stride on a razzle-dazzle, end-around pass late in the first half Saturday, giving No. 18 Oklahoma a lead it would never relinquish in a 34-19 bounce-back win over Big 12 bottom-dweller Kansas.

”Lacoltan just threw a great ball,” Stoops said of the 49-yard touchdown toss. ”I told him giving him the game ball that he needed to give the quarterback some lessons.”

Not that Blake Bell had a lousy afternoon of his own.

Bell threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 53 yards, as the Sooners (6-1, 3-1) emerged from a Red River rout hangover courtesy of Texas to win their ninth straight over the Jayhawks. It was Oklahoma’s 15th straight win the week after playing the Longhorns.

”We did start out slow,” Bell said, ”and I just keep telling the guys on the sideline, ‘Keep coming, keep doing what we do, and stuff will work out for us.”’

James Sims ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas (2-4, 0-3), but he didn’t have much help. Jake Heaps was just 5 of 13 for 16 yards passing, the fewest yards through the air for Kansas since throwing for 15 yards in a loss to Nebraska in 2010.

On a couple occasions, Heaps was benched for freshman Montell Cozart, who had his redshirt taken away by coach Charlie Weis in the first half. Cozart didn’t attempt a pass.

”I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” Heaps said. ”We just couldn’t seem to get it going, whether it was guys hanging onto the ball in certain times, myself putting the ball in the right spots or just not having the opportunity to look down the field. We’ve definitely got to clean it up because we had a lot of positive things going for us offensively.”

The Jayhawks tried to make it interesting in the fourth quarter, when they blocked a punt deep in Oklahoma territory. Sims promptly scored from 6 yards out to pull them within 25-19, but the extra point was blocked and returned by Aaron Colvin to give the Sooners two points.

Oklahoma, which has won 21 straight following a loss, promptly went 75 yards the other direction. Damien Williams finished the drive with a short TD run with 4:19 left to seal the win.

The defeat was the 24th straight in league play for the Jayhawks, who still haven’t beaten a Big 12 foe since knocking off former member Colorado on Nov. 6, 2010.

”You really have one of two ways to go when things don’t go well, especially halfway through the year,” Weis said. ”You’re sitting 2-4, you can say, ‘Ah, the hell with it. We’re 2-4. That’s how it’s going to go.’ Or you can do whatever you can to be part of the answer.”

Early on, it looked as if the Jayhawks might finally have found some answers.

The Sooners still seemed to be smarting from last weekend’s 36-20 loss at the Cotton Bowl when Kansas forced them to punt on their first series. Sims then carried eight times for 63 yards on a drive that ended when Heaps hit Jimmay Mundine from a yard out for a 7-0 lead.

Kansas stuffed Bell and the Oklahoma offense in the early going, and they got the ball back late in the first quarter. This time, Darrian Miller ripped off a 38-yard run, and Kansas took advantage of a pass interference penalty before Sims scampered 11 yards for a 13-0 lead.

That’s when everything started to unravel.

The Sooners got within 13-6 on Bell’s 16-yard touchdown toss to Jaz Reynolds, and then Weis elected to take the redshirt off Cozart. The freshman quarterback went backward 11 yards in his first three plays under center, and the Jayhawks were forced to punt.

Oklahoma came after it and blocked it through the end zone for a safety. The fancy Bester-to-Shepard pass moments later gave Oklahoma a 15-13 lead, and Michael Hunnicutt’s 37-yard field goal extended the advantage just before halftime.

The Sooners threatened to put the game out of reach in the third quarter when Shepard hauled in his second TD pass, this time from Bell. But the Jayhawks kept within striking distance heading into the fourth quarter, when Oklahoma managed to finally put it away.

”Always want more. There’s still a lot of plays to be made out there,” Bell said, ”but I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

— Associated Press —

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Trevone Boykin ran for a touchdown and threw for another as TCU overcame turnovers and Kansas 27-17 Saturday.

The Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) lost three fumbles and Boykin was intercepted twice. Both interceptions and Brandon Carter’s muffed punt led to all of Kansas’ scores.

TCU broke a 10-10 halftime tie on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Boykin hit David Porter with a short pass. As he ran between two defenders, the Jayhawks ran into each other and Porter was free for a 75-yard touchdown.

The Frogs stretched their lead to 24-10 with 53-yard drive to B.J. Catalon’s 2-yard touchdown run with 9:31 remaining in the third quarter.

Barely 2 minutes later, Jake Heaps threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jimmay Mundine following the muffed punt.

The Jayhawks (2-3, 0-2) had taken a 3-0 lead on Matthew Wyman’s 37-yard field goal 5 minutes into the game. Isaiah Johnson had set up the Jayhawks at TCU’s 25 yard line by intercepting Boykin’s pass that bounced off running back Waymon James’ hands.

Boykin then finished a 63-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Horned Frogs a 7-3 lead with 6:50 remaining in the first quarter. He also made a 25-yard gain while guiding TCU over 42 yards to Jaden Oberkrom’s 44-yard field goal and a 10-3 second-quarter lead.

An exchange of turnovers benefited Kansas. The Jayhawks tied the game on JaCorey Shepherd’s 24-yard interception-return touchdown. It came only three plays after the Frogs’ Jason Verrett stopped Kansas’ deepest first-half penetration by picking off Heaps’ pass at the TCU 10.

Heaps had put the Jayhawks deep in TCU territory on a 50-yard completion to Andrew Turzilli, who battled Verrett for the ball in the air.

TCU turned the ball over again on the first play after Shepherd’s touchdown. James fumbled at the end of a 9-yard gain, with Shepherd forcing the fumble and Victor Simmons recovering the ball at the 34. A third-down sack pushed the Jayhawks out of field goal range, so they punted.

Boykin finished the game 14 for 22 for 173 passing yards, and with 12 carries for 71 yards. Porter had the Frogs’ first 100-yard receiving game (4 for 118) since last season’s game against Oklahoma. Catalon ran for a season-high 91 yards in 12 attempts.

TCU’s defense held Kansas to 198 yards for the game.

The final score came on a fourth-quarter drive to Oberkrom’s second field goal, a 37-yarder.

— Associated Press —