LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas football head coach David Beaty announced Wednesday that he has dismissed offensive coordinator Doug Meacham. Beaty said the coordination of the offense will be a team effort, but that he will have final say regarding in-game play calling. In addition, Beaty will work directly with the quarterbacks.

“I appreciate Doug and all the work he put in during his time at Kansas,” said Beaty. “None of us are satisfied with the progress we are making on the offensive side of the ball. We hope that with this change we are better able to put our players in the best position to be successful.”

— KU Athletics —

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — One messy game didn’t diminish West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen’s confidence in Heisman Trophy hopeful Will Grier.

Grier’s four turnovers overshadowed a four-touchdown performance in No. 9 West Virginia’s 38-22 victory over Kansas on Saturday.

West Virginia (5-0, 3-0 Big 12) has won its first five games for the second time in three seasons.

“We’ll take the sloppy win and go home,” Holgorsen said.

The heavily-favored Mountaineers had no trouble moving the ball, but Grier’s efforts to throw into extra coverage near the goal line cost his team plenty of points.

Grier was intercepted three times in the first half either in the end zone or at the goal line, two of them by cornerback Hasan Defense. All three of Grier’s interceptions occurred when West Virginia had driven inside the Kansas 15-yard line.

“He has the confidence to make any throw and every throw,” Holgorsen said. “That’s why he’s a hell of a quarterback, but those windows become small. I thought their defenders did a better job of attacking the ball than our receivers did.”

Kansas (2-4, 0-3) entered the game leading the Big 12 with eight interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns.

Grier said Kansas did a good job of mixing up its defensive schemes near the goal line. West Virginia saw its streak of 15 straight scores inside the opponents’ 20-yard line snapped.

“We’ve got to be better in the red zone,” Grier said. “I got to be better on not forcing things. It will be fixed going forward.”

Grier also had a third-quarter fumble on a scramble. West Virginia had committed six total turnovers in its previous four games.

Kansas was limited to 286 yards of offense but stayed in the game until late. Peyton Bender hit Jeremiah Booker with a 35-yard pass early in the third quarter and Khalil Herbert, who had a career-high 291 yards rushing against West Virginia last season, followed with a 31-yard TD run to pull the Jayhawks within 21-14.

Grier made good on West Virginia’s only other possession of the quarter, hitting running back Martell Pettaway with a 12-yard scoring toss.

After Kansas turned the ball over on downs in its own territory late in the game, Grier found David Sills with a 17-yard TD strike with 2:20 left for a 38-14 lead. Grier finished 28 of 41 for 332 yards.

Kansas coach David Beaty praised his defense for forcing Grier to attempt mostly short throws.

“I don’t recall them having a big bomb of a catch that they are known for just about every game,” Beaty said.

West Virginia freshman Leddie Brown caught a 15-yard scoring pass from Grier and also had a 1-yard TD run, both in the first quarter. Brown finished with 11 carries for 107 yards.

Kansas freshman Pooka Williams, the Big 12’s leading rusher, was held under 100 yards for the third straight game. He had 12 carries for 65 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas: Goal-line stands on defense kept this one from becoming a rout, but the result was the Jayhawks’ 13th straight Big 12 loss. They haven’t won a league road game in 10 years.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers put together their best second half scoring in Big 12 play this season after the first-half turnover troubles. They went scoreless on offense after halftime in a 42-34 win at Texas Tech and failed to score over the final 22 minutes in a 35-6 win over Kansas State .

POLL IMPLICATIONS

West Virginia, ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2012, should be OK despite the messy showing.

GRIER THE TACKLER

On one of his interceptions, Grier chased down Defense after a 60-yard return. Otherwise Defense would have gone for a touchdown.

MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

West Virginia defensive lineman Reese Donahue proposed to his girlfriend at midfield after the game. She said yes.

UP NEXT

Kansas: Has an open week before playing at Texas Tech on Oct. 20.

West Virginia: Plays at Iowa State next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas freshman running back Pooka Williams Jr., earned Big 12 Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week honors, announced by the league offices on Monday.

Williams, had a strong all-around performance against Oklahoma State, where he totaled 189 all-purpose yards, including a 60-yard rushing touchdown. Williams turned in 97 rushing yards one score on 13 carries. His 60-yard scoring run marked his longest scoring TD of the season. Williams added a season-high 60 receiving yards on a season’s-best six catches against the Cowboys. Additionally, Williams had a season-long 32-yard kickoff return to his credit.

The award marks the second conference weekly honors for the Jayhawks this season as Williams and senior linebacker Joe Dineen Jr., were each honored following KU’s win over Central Michigan. Williams’ Newcomer of the Week is the second for KU since the award’s inception in 2016.

The Jayhawks travel to Morgantown, West Virginia, for a game at WVU on Saturday, October 6. Kick off is slated for 11 a.m. (CT), at Milan Puskar Stadium.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — After last week’s 24-point loss to Texas Tech that knocked them out of the top 25, Oklahoma State came to Kansas on Saturday needing a big win. Almost right away, you could tell that wouldn’t be a difficult goal.

Taylor Cornelius passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns, Justice Hill ran for 189 yards and the Cowboys (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) cruised to a 48-28 win over the Jayhawks (2-3, 0-2 Big 12).

Oklahoma State found the end zone on each of its first three possessions and scored on their first four, setting the tone early.

“I was proud of how our guys started the game,” coach Mike Gundy said. “Sometimes we’ve not played real good up here in the first half. I thought our defense and offense really took the field and motivated themselves and played well early in the game, which was very important.”

Kansas’ defense was simply no match.

“They had a really good gameplan, and they executed it,” coach David Beaty said. “That was the key.”

Cornelius got things going early, throwing to Tylan Wallace on a slant route for the 11-yard touchdown before hitting Landon Wolf for a 42-yard score on a deep ball the next drive.

Cornelius’ first incompletion didn’t come until the third drive, when he overthrew a wide-open Braydon Johnson streaking down the field. Kansas would not learn from that lucky break, though, as Tyron Johnson got open on almost an identical route on the next play on his way to a 64-yard score.

“It was just something we worked on all week, those shot plays,” Cornelius said. “Missed Braydon on the first one, then we were confident enough to come back with a different little scheme the next time. Tyron did a great job getting open. Just made the throw that time.”

Hill was a steady counterweight to the passing game, averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 31 rushes. He scored in the third quarter, running in from 10 yards out after a pair of big passes got the Cowboys in the red zone.

“Our plan going in was to let him carry the load, and it worked out well for us,” Gundy said. “He made the extra guy miss several times. We’re lucky to have a guy special enough to do that.”

Kansas turned to Carter Stanley for his first start under center all year, benching Peyton Bender who had previously started all four games. Stanley responded well, throwing for 247 yards on 24-of-32 passing and three touchdowns.

“I was definitely happy to be out there, no doubt,” Stanley said. “Felt good. But me personally, I know I can — on some simple stuff, some simple stuff that may not seem like a big deal — I know I can be a lot better in certain situations.”

True freshman Pooka Williams shined once again, picking up 97 yards rushing and 60 yards in the passing game. This included a 60-yard ground burst for a score in the Jayhawks’ first drive of the second half, his fourth touchdown on the year.

MISSING MILES

Kansas quarterback Miles Kendrick did not play after sustaining a shoulder injury last week against Baylor. Kendrick had been in a timeshare with the now-replaced Peyton Bender all season, but seemed to be earning a larger role after playing the entire second half in Week 3 before going down.

PENALTY PROBLEMS

Oklahoma State finished with 92 penalty yards to Kansas’ 43. There were multiple instances in which the Jayhawks got significant help from the Cowboys’ mistakes, most noticeably in the passing game.

“Eight penalties for 92 yards, that’s crazy,” Gundy said. “We gave up a plus-40 in the penalty (margin). So way too many penalties, off a couple offensive pass interferences. But we’ve got to improve in that area.”

WOLF’S WELCOMING

Wolf entered the game with just four catches on the year for 41 yards, all coming in Oklahoma State’s first two games against lesser competition. As a two-year walk-on put on scholarship before this season, his role in the offense seemed firmly limited.

But when Jalen McCleskey announced his plans to redshirt and transfer, opportunity arose for Wolf. He wouldn’t let that go to waste, finishing with 116 yards on six catches including the 42-yard score.

“That dude, he stepped up today,” Cornelius said. “He played good. He knows how to get open, he runs good routes. I’m so happy for him.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma State grabs a much-needed first Big 12 win after taking a drubbing last week at the hands of Texas Tech. Big victories like these will help the Cowboys make it back into the Top 25.

Kansas slides to 2/3 and 0-2 in the Big 12. After a promising start to the year, one has to think Beaty’s leash is growing shorter with every loss.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State returns home to face Iowa State on Saturday.

Kansas hits the road Saturday to take on No. 12 West Virginia.

WACO, Texas (AP) — Charlie Brewer made it easy for Baylor to stick primarily with one quarterback in the Big 12 opener.

After Brewer and graduate transfer Jalan McClendon shared snaps extensively the first three games, Brewer threw three touchdowns and played all but the final series for the Bears in a 26-7 victory on Saturday that ended a rare winning streak by Kansas.

“He just scored. … The ball’s moving,” Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. “Keeping us alive with his feet. I thought that was the x-factor early on, was Charlie making some of those plays.”

Brewer completed 19 of 27 passes for 221 yards and added 56 yards rushing for the Bears (3-1, 1-0 Big 12), who have already tripled their victory total from last year when their only win in Rhule’s first season came at Kansas.

Kansas (2-2, 0-1) entered the game with consecutive wins for the first time since a 2-0 start in 2011. A 31-7 victory two weeks ago at Central Michigan ended the second-longest road losing streak in college football history, 46 games since 2009.

But the Jayhawks still haven’t won a Big 12 road game in nearly 10 years. They have lost 41 true Big 12 road games in a row since a 35-33 win at Iowa State on Oct. 4, 2008.

“I didn’t think we were outmatched,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “We had plenty to get it done, and I didn’t think we did a very good job of executing the game plan. We didn’t do a good enough job of teaching it, and as a result we didn’t get it done as a group.”

Baylor had a 23-0 halftime lead after Brewer had TD passes to three different receivers in a four-drive span that also included the first of Connor Martin’s two field goals.

“If your number is called, you need to be ready to go. That’s what coach Rhule preaches, and my number was called for most of the game,” Brewer said.

“Had we gone out there, three drives O-fer, I probably would have put Jalan back in,” Rhule said. “There was a little rhythm (with Brewer).”

McClendon didn’t come in until 3:35 left in the game, and threw a 36-yard pass to Jalen Hurd on his first play.

Asked about the quarterback situation moving forward, Rhule said he has so much confidence in “two special guys” that can play.

Baylor jumped ahead when Chris Platt got behind a cornerback for a 22-yard catch in the back corner of the end zone. Then two freshmen had TD catches in the second quarter — Tyquan Thornton streaked past two defenders to the end zone for a 39-yard catch, and Josh Fleeks got a foot down in the back of the end zone for a 34-yard score over two defenders.

“We stay on them, I know it’s hard for them at first, like why are they getting on me,” Platt said. “But now they understand the reasons why. They went out there and played.”

POOKA’S BIG RUN

The Kansas touchdown late in the third quarter was a 10-yard pass from Peyton Bender to Jeremiah Booker. That was set up by a 72-yard run by Pooka Williams, who after not playing the opener was the first freshman in Kansas history to start his career with consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He finished with 14 carries for 89 yards against Baylor.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas: The Jayhawks defenders couldn’t keep up with Baylor’s speedy receivers, and the team that entered the game with a national-best plus-12 turnover margin didn’t get any takeaways. Just like that, the momentum of a winning streak ended and Kansas plays its next two Big 12 games against Oklahoma State and West Virginia, both top-15 teams with high-scoring and big-play offenses.

Baylor: Rhule and his staff stuck with the hot hand at quarterback after Brewer and McClendon both had solid stretches in the first three games. Even while sharing snaps in the first part of this season, Brewer has started eight consecutive games. He took over as the starter the final four games as a true freshman last year.

UP NEXT

Kansas: Home for the only time in its first four Big 12 games Saturday against No. 15 Oklahoma State.

Baylor: At No. 5 Oklahoma next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Six takeaways, including two pick-6s, and an explosive running game carried Kansas to a 55-14 blowout over Rutgers on Saturday, marking the Jayhawks’ first back-to-back wins over FBS opponents since 2009.

Bryce Torneden and Mike Lee each returned interceptions for touchdowns as the Scarlet Knights threw three picks and surrendered three fumbles. Couple that with the dominant performance on the ground, and you get a performance that surprised even coach David Beaty.

“I didn’t see this coming against these guys because they are a very talent-rich football team and I’ve said so many times how good of a coach Chris Ash is,” Beaty said. ” . It was our day. Sometimes, it becomes your day.”

Turnovers plagued the Scarlet Knights from the start, as Torneden jumped in front of a Sitkowski pass on just Rutgers’ second drive and returned it 39 yards for the game’s first touchdown. Torneden was there again the next time out, recovering a fumble by Jonathan Hilliman that set up a field goal.

Early in the second quarter, Lee picked off a Sitkowski pass on the sideline and scored to open a 24-7 lead, weaving his way laterally across the field 31 yards to the end zone in an effort that looked more reminiscent of a punt-return score.

“When the quarterback threw the ball, I felt like I had to make a play,” Lee said. “And that’s what I did.”

True freshman Pooka Williams was the star on offense, the leader of a group of several backs for Kansas that rushed for 400 yards and scored four times. Finishing with 158 yards — including a 52-yard touchdown run — Williams now has 283 yards and three touchdowns in his first two college games.

“It’s crazy,” teammate Dom Williams said of Pooka. “It’s incredible, especially just how fast he is.”

Both Miles Kendrick and Peyton Bender saw time at quarterback for Kansas, but Kendrick carved out a much larger role then in weeks prior thanks to some strong play. After seeing consistent work in the first half, Kendrick started the third quarter and never saw the bench again.

“It was just a matter of time as to when we were going to use those packages and see if they were creating some success for us,” Beaty said. “And he had a pretty good command of it from what we saw from the sidelines. So it really worked out that way.”

Kendrick was responsible for the Jayhawks’ lone score through the air, a goal-line fade to Jeremiah Booker, who lost his shoe while landing in the corner of the end zone. Kendrick also ran for an 8-yard score in the third.

Special teams was one of few bright spots for Rutgers, as Deonte Roberts blocked a Kansas field goal try in the first quarter and took it 64 yards for the touchdown. The Scarlet Knights blocked another field goal later in the quarter, but didn’t get any points out of it.

Sitkowski finished the game with just 47 yards and three interceptions before being replaced by Gio Rescigno in the third quarter. Raheem Blackshear led Rutgers in rushing with 102 yards, and Hilliman added a score on the ground as well.

QUARTERBACK QUANDARY

Sitkowski’s status for this weekend was in question all week after taking a vicious hit against Ohio State last week, but he started for Rutgers. His lackluster performance soon resulted in the call for Rescigno, though, and the senior captain responded, throwing for 30 more yards than Sitkowski on seven fewer attempts.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND

The Jayhawks finished with six takeaways, putting them at 13 on the year after forcing six last weekend against Central Michigan. They only had nine throughout the entire 2017 season.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I don’t really remember too clearly,” Torneden said of his pick-6. “It’s kind of surreal, honestly. Felt like I was playing Madden or something.”

RING OF HONOR

Former Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing was inducted into the Ring of Honor after the first quarter, his name placed between former teammates Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr.

In his four years in Lawrence, Reesing threw for over 11,000 yards and 90 touchdowns, and led the Jayhawks to wins in both the 2008 Orange Bowl and the 2009 Insight Bowl.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas: Is 2-1 for the first time since 2014. Optimism is running high among the Jayhawk faithful, as the team rolls into Big 12 play with a winning record.

Rutgers: Drops what many thought was a good chance to add a win before facing the throes of the Big 10 schedule. Ash has claimed making a bowl game is his goal in Year 3; games like these need to be won in order to achieve that.

UP NEXT

Kansas: Opens Big 12 play against Baylor on Saturday.

Rutgers: Hosts Buffalo on Saturday, its final nonconference game of the season.

— Associated Press —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas senior linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman running back Pooka Williams Jr. earned conference Newcomer of the Week honors, announced by the league offices on Tuesday.

Dineen Jr. earned the Defensive Player of the Week nod after leading the Kansas defense in a 31-7 road win over Central Michigan on Saturday. Totaling 14 tackles (8 solo), .5 tackles-for-loss and one quarterback hurry, Dineen Jr. also recorded his first-career interception in the third quarter of the game. His 14 stops marked the 17th time in his career the Lawrence, Kansas native notched double-digit tackles and was the second this season after posting 16 total takedowns in the season opener.

Williams Jr. made his Kansas debut against Central Michigan, where he totaled 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while adding eight receiving yards on one catch in the game. His 125 rushing yards came on 14 carries, giving him an average of 8.9 yards per rush. The Marrero, Louisiana product broke off a 20-yard run in the third quarter to score his first-career touchdown, then came back on his very next touch with a 41-yard scamper down the sideline for his second score of the game. His rushing efforts made him the first KU freshman to record 100-plus rushing yards in their career debut since James Sims ran for 101 yards against Georgia Tech in 2010.

The awards mark the first conference weekly honors for the Jayhawks this season and are the first since October 30 of last season when Steven Sims Jr. earned Co-Offensive Player of the Week Honors. Dineen Jr. was the last Jayhawk to earn a Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week nod, doing so last season. With Dineen Jr. and Williams Jr. picking up awards this week, it marks the third-straight season multiple Jayhawks have been recognized with weekly conference honors.

Dineen Jr.’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor marks the 17th for the Kansas football program, while Williams Jr.’s Newcomer of the Week is the first for KU since the award’s inception in 2016.

The Jayhawks return to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on September 15 to host Big Ten foe Rutgers. The game is slated for an 11 a.m. kickoff.

— KU Athletics —

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) — Freshman Pooka Williams rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns as Kansas snapped the second-longest road losing streak in college football history at 46 games, winning 31-7 at Central Michigan on Saturday.

Central Michigan quarterback Tony Poljan was intercepted four times by Kansas (1-1), which won on the road for the first time since Sept. 12, 2009. The Kansas streak was only topped by Idaho State, which lost 48 straight through 2014.

“For our program, for our fans, for our stakeholders, that was really important,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “Our fans deserve it, and they deserve better.”

Williams was held out of the opener last week for the Jayhawks, a 26-23 overtime loss to Football Championship Subdivision Nicholls. Beaty declined to say why and said he found out late Friday night that Williams would be available on Saturday.

Central Michigan had one first down in the first half, compiling 60 yards on 20 snaps. The Chippewas (0-2) did not cross midfield until there was 7:54 remaining in the third quarter and turned the ball over six times.

“I felt like we left a lot out on the field,” Central Michigan coach John Bonamego said. “I still maintain that all of the mistakes we are making right now self-inflicted and if we can continue to improve and correct these mistakes that we will be a very good football team.”

Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender was 17-of-26 passing for 130 yards, connecting with wide receiver Kerr Johnson Jr. for a 31-yard touchdown to open the scoring.

After two Williams scores, Central Michigan cut the lead to 21-7 on a 31-yard reception by Jamil Sabbagh from Poljan in the third quarter.

But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Shakial Taylor of Kansas went up for an interception and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown and a 28-7 lead.

“We’re looking forward to starting a new beginning and starting a little win streak here,” Beaty said. “We think we’ve got a pretty good football team if we continue working and continue limiting the mistakes that we make.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas: With the historic losing streak behind the Jayhawks in their best chance to snap it this season, Beaty’s team can go one week without its coach on the hot seat. Athletic director Jeff Long released a statement after last week’s loss to Nicholls, saying the evaluation of the program was “ongoing.”

Central Michigan: The Chippewas are 0-2 against Power 5 basketball powerhouse schools after losing 35-20 last week at Kentucky. At least the offense moved the chains a few times late for Central Michigan, which was scoreless in the second half last week and in the first half on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Kansas: Hosts Rutgers on Sept. 15 looking for Beaty’s second Power 5 win in his fourth season with the Jayhawks.

Central Michigan: Plays at Northern Illinois on Sept. 15 in the Mid-American Conference opener.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the 13th year in a row Kansas men’s basketball will be featured four times on ESPN Big Monday, according to the 2018-19 Big 12 Conference schedule released by the Conference Wednesday. And for the 27th-consecutive season, dating back to 1992-93, every game on the Kansas men’s basketball schedule will be televised.

Kansas will have 31 of its 33 contests televised on the ESPN family of networks. Those 31 games will also be available via the ESPN app. Among those 31 games are the six games (two exhibition, four early-season) produced by the Jayhawk Television Network. KU fans can now see those six games throughout the state of Kansas and in the Kansas City Metro Area on KMCI (38 The Spot, Kansas City), Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network, and Cox Cable. They will also be available blackout-free, nationwide on ESPN+.

CBS will broadcast two games – Saturday, Feb. 2, against Texas Tech in Allen Fieldhouse and Saturday, March 2, at Oklahoma State.

The Big 12 opener for Kansas will be against Oklahoma on Wednesday, Jan. 2, in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas, 14-time defending Big 12 regular-season champion, will play each conference foe twice in the round-robin format that began in 2011-12.

This season’s ESPN Big Monday appearances will start with a home contest against Texas on Jan. 14. KU is 7-3 against Texas on ESPN Big Monday, including a 4-0 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. KU will then host Iowa State the following Monday, Jan. 21. The Jayhawks are 6-2 versus the Cyclones on Big Monday, including 3-1 at home. Kansas will play TCU on ESPN Big Monday for the first time on Feb. 11 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Jayhawks close out their ESPN Big Monday schedule when they host Sunflower Showdown foe Kansas State on Feb. 25. KU is 6-3 versus K-State on ESPN Big Monday, including 1-0 at home.

Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97, Kansas is 65-18 all-time on ESPN Big Monday (37-1 at home and 28-17 on the road), including 45-12 under head coach Bill Self (26-0 at home and 19-12 on the road). Additionally, KU has won 30-straight Big Monday games in Allen Fieldhouse. KU has won its last 10 ESPN Big Monday contests.

Kansas released its non-conference schedule in June. It features contests against perennial powers Michigan State to open the regular season Nov. 6 in Indianapolis in the Champions Classic, Marquette in the Preseason NIT on Nov. 21 in Brooklyn, and either Tennessee or Louisville in the NIT two nights later. Additionally, the Jayhawks will host Stanford Dec. 1, and defending NCAA champion Villanova Dec. 15, in Allen Fieldhouse. KU will play at Arizona State (Dec. 22) and at Kentucky (Jan. 26) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

KU will officially tip off the 2018-19 season with the 34th annual Late Night in the Phog on Friday, Sept. 28, in Allen Fieldhouse; festivities start at 6:30 p.m.

Preseason top-5 in most outlets, Kansas returns two starters and six letterwinners from last season’s 31-8 team that advanced to KU’s 15th Final Four and won an NCAA-record-breaking 14th-straight regular-season conference title, a streak which started in 2004-05. The 2017-18 Jayhawks also won the Big 12 Tournament and the Hoophall Miami Invitational. KU entered the 2018 NCAA Championship as a No. 1 seed for the third-straight and eighth time in school history.

Senior guard Lagerald Vick (12.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and junior center Udoka Azubuike (13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) are Kansas’ two returning starters from last year’s Final Four team. Azubuike led the nation with a 77.0 field goal percentage in 2017-18. That mark broke the Kansas and Big 12 single-season records, and ranks second all-time in NCAA history.

Other returning regulars include sophomore guard Marcus Garrett (4.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg), sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa (4.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and junior forward Mitch Lightfoot (3.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.4 blocks per game).

Kansas welcomes nine newcomers, three of whom have been in the program for more than a year. Junior forward Dedric Lawson and his brother, sophomore K.J. Lawson, transferred from Memphis following the 2016-17 season, as did sophomore guard Charlie Moore from California. Three other newcomers – guards Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes, and forward David McCormack – had stellar high school careers in 2017-18, culminating in their being named McDonald’s All-Americans. Additionally, Kansas City standout guard Ochai Agbaji will attempt to have an immediate impact his freshman year at KU.

— Mizzou Athletics —