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Category: College

Mizzou outlasts A&M in double OT to win SEC Tournament opener

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MUATLANTA (AP) — Missouri had to advance in the Southeastern Conference tournament to have any hope of landing an NCAA bid.

Now, the Tigers will get a chance to really pad their resume.

Jabari Brown scored 26 points, Earnest Ross added 24 and Missouri held off Texas A&M 91-83 in double overtime Thursday in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

Next up: top-ranked Florida in the quarterfinals Friday.

“This is a good chance to showcase what we do,” Ross said. “We want to leave it all on the court.”

The Tigers (22-10) had quite a tussle against Texas A&M. The Aggies (17-15) rallied from nine points down in the second half and forced another extra period when little-used senior Blake McDonald made a steal under the basket and flipped to Alex Caruso for the tying layup with 8 seconds remaining in the first OT.

“We knew they weren’t going to roll over,” Brown said. “We knew we had to play hard for 40 minutes, and actually it took 50.”

Missouri twice failed to get off a shot with chances to win the game in the closing seconds. It didn’t matter. The Tigers finally wore down the Aggies, who had lost at Missouri 57-56 just eight days earlier.

Brown and fellow guard Jordan Clarkson both fouled out, but Johnathan Williams had four points and two of his game-high 15 rebounds in the second OT. Shane Rector, who didn’t play at all through the first 45 minutes, contributed three points and two rebounds.

Caruso led Texas A&M with 28 points, hitting 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Jamal Jones chipped in with 20 points.

Missouri dominated on the inside, outrebounding the Aggies 48-28 and going a staggering 40 of 53 at the foul line. That’s where Brown did much of his damage, drawing fouls and knocking down 14 of 18. Ross connected on 9 of 10 free throws.

Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy was disturbed by the disparity in free throws, noting that his team went 20 of 28.

“They shot 53 free throws,” he said. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s too many free throws.”

After being down much of the game, Texas A&M surged ahead 68-64 with 1:52 remaining in regulation on yet another 3-pointer from Caruso.

But Missouri tied it up with four straight free throws, sandwiched around a missed 3 by Antwan Space.

Both teams squandered chances to win it in regulation. The Aggies’ Kourtney Roberson missed a turnaround jumper with 15 seconds remaining. Missouri grabbed the rebound and called a timeout to set up a potential final play.

Clarkson dribbled up court slowly, then spun into the lane and tried to dump off a pass. Texas A&M broke it up, and the horn sounded as the teams scrambled for the loose ball, leaving the score tied at 68.

As was the case most of the day, Missouri appeared to have things under control in the first overtime, leading 77-73 after Clarkson sank a pair of free throws with 21.5 seconds remaining.

Caruso missed for the Aggies, but Roberson snatched the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws with 11.7 seconds left. McDonald, who had played only 2 minutes in the game to that point, came off the bench and made an immediate impact.

After Missouri inbounded and tried an ill-advised pass under its own basket, McDonald swooped in to make the steal, flipped it to Caruso while falling out of bounds, and watched his teammate drop in the tying shot.

Again, Missouri had a chance to win it. Again, the Tigers failed to get up a shot. Clarkson lost control under the basket and the horn sounded during another scramble.

Missouri started the season 12-1 in non-conference play but struggled once it got into the SEC part of its schedule. The Tigers went 9-9 in the league, a team once ranked in the Top 25 squarely on the NCAA bubble heading into the Georgia Dome. They are still alive, moving on to face the mighty Gators, who beat Missouri 68-58 on Feb. 4.

“We’re the only team in the country that has this opportunity,” Missouri coach Frank Haith said. “We’ve got to look forward to it.”

Texas A&M’s only hope of making the NCAAs was an improbable run to the championship in Atlanta.

It ended after one game and two overtimes.

“We should have closed the game out,” Jones said. “We had the guys. We had the energy. We just fell a little short.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest’s Cooper named First Team All-Central Region

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NWMSUNorthwest Missouri State senior guard DeShaun Cooper was named to the Daktronics Men’s Basketball Central Region First Team on Thursday in a release from the organization. Cooper is now eligible to receive All-America honors in a voting process that begins next week.

Cooper was the 2013-14 MIAA Player of the Year and a first team all conference performer. He led the Bearcats to a share of the regular season title, leading the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game. He is one of just five players in program history to surpass 1,600 career points and is second all-time with 476 career assists.

Northwest will play Winona State at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 15 in Mankato, Minn. There will be a pregame event prior to Saturday’s game at Jake’s Stadium Pizza (330 Stadium Rd., Mankato, MN) starting at 4 p.m. for Bearcat fans making the trip.

Zach Monaghan – MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO (Central Region Player of the Year)
Josh Gibbs – UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Assem Marei – MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO
DeShaun Cooper – NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Craig Nicholson – FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY

— Northwest Sports Information —

Wiggins helps Kansas survive Oklahoma State’s upset bid in OT

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KUKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Andrew Wiggins gathered the ball along the baseline with about a minute left in regulation, turned around and put up the kind of fade-away jumper that will soon make him millions.

When it splashed through the net, his teammates on the Kansas bench leaped to their feet.

Energized by the clutch play of their talented freshman, the No. 10 Jayhawks held on to force overtime, then pulled away for a 77-70 victory over Oklahoma State on Wednesday that earned them a spot in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament.

“My shot was falling the whole game,” said Wiggins, who finished with 30 points. “They cut off the base line, and step-back is one of my main moves, and it just fell through.”

Wayne Selden Jr. added 14 points, and Naadir Tharpe made four foul shots in the extra session to seal the win for the top-seeded Jayhawks. They advanced to face fourth-seeded Iowa State, a 91-85 winner of fifth-seeded Kansas State, on Friday night.

“It was an unbelievable game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Two teams competing hard.”

Phil Forte briefly gave the Cowboys a 70-68 lead with a 3-pointer a minute into overtime, but the Jayhawks (24-8) scored the final nine points, all but two at the foul line.

Le’Bryan Nash scored 19 points to lead the No. 8 seed Cowboys (21-12). Forte added 16 points and Marcus Smart finished with 14, though he missed all three of his shots in overtime.

“It’s always hard to beat Kansas, especially in this building,” Smart said. “They have the fanbase to back them up. It’s kind of hard. They have the energy and momentum from their fans and it kind of takes the opposing team out of it.”

Both teams had chances to earn the win in regulation.

After Wiggins hit his jumper to knot the game 67-all, Cowboys coach Travis Ford decided against going 2-for-1 on possessions, and Smart missed a 3 with 32 seconds left.

The Jayhawks got the rebound and called timeout with 16 seconds left, and set up a play for Wiggins, who missed a tightly guarded 3 with a few ticks left on the lock. Tarik Black gathered in the rebound and stuck it back, but the basket came after time had expired.

Black got extended minutes in place of Joel Embiid, the Jayhawks’ 7-foot freshman center, who has been ruled out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his back. Black finished with seven points and 12 rebounds, including a couple with the game in the balance.

Now, the Jayhawks will try to beat Iowa State for the third time this season.

“Kansas is a team that you’ve already played twice,” Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We know everybody. Everybody knows us.”

The Cowboys, who had to play a matinee after dispatching Texas Tech on Wednesday night, didn’t look as if they were weary in the first half. They actually pulled out to an early lead, silencing a heavily pro-Kansas crowd that had packed inside the Sprint Center.

Kansas responded by taking a 32-23 lead into halftime, and then maintained its advantage early in the second half. But once Black and fellow forward Perry Ellis picked up their fourth fouls, the Cowboys started shredding the Kansas defense by driving the lane.

Smart proved to be the most adept at it, picking up fouls when he wasn’t hammered on the way to the rim. But just about everyone wearing black and orange got into the act, and Oklahoma State methodically trimmed the lead to 55-49 with about 8 minutes to go.

That’s when Ford changed things up by slapping on a full-court press. It produced two quick turnovers and helped Oklahoma State take a 60-59 lead with 4 minutes left.

It was the Cowboys’ first lead since the 12-minute mark in the first half.

The two teams, who each won on their home floor during the regular season, traded blows down the stretch. Selden made a couple free throws for Kansas, Forte answered with two from the foul line for Oklahoma State. Black and Wiggins threw down alley-oop dunks for the Jayhawks, and Murphy hit a pair of free throws and Markel Brown hit a rainbow 3 to give the Cowboys the lead.

It just made sense that such a nip-and-tuck game would be decided in overtime.

“They made some big shots down the stretch,” Ford said. “Wiggins made a big shot in the corner — he played a heck of a game. They’re just a heck of a basketball team, but our guys played hard. We just didn’t have anything left in the tank at the end.”

— Associated Press —

Wildcats fall to No. 16 Iowa State in Big 12 Quarterfinals

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KSUKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg wanted to see an up-and-down game against plodding Kansas State, one where the scoreboard would spin like a slot machine as points piled up.

He certainly didn’t want to see the Wildcats with 85 points by the end of it.

“They do such a good job of slowing you down,” Hoiberg said. “If you would have told me they were going to score 85, I would have told you that we were going to have trouble winning the game.”

He was right in one respect: The Cyclones did have trouble. But behind another big game from Melvin Ejim, the Big 12’s player of the year, and plenty of help from his supporting cast, the No. 16 Cyclones held on for a 91-85 victory in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals.

“They match up really well with us,” said Ejim, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds. “That’s why it’s always so close. They’re a great team and they always play good defense.”

Well, except when they’re facing the Cyclones. Iowa State advanced to Friday night’s Big 12 semifinal against No. 10 Kansas, which beat Oklahoma State 77-70 in overtime.

No. 4 seed Iowa State (24-7) was clinging to an 87-85 lead with just over a minute left when Ejim missed a layup and the No. 5 seed Wildcats (20-12) got the rebound. They raced the other way, but Shane Southwell lost control going toward the rim and Iowa State came away with it.

Long was fouled and made both free throws with 16.2 seconds left. Marcus Foster missed a 3 at the other end, and Long scored a layup in transition to put an exclamation mark on the win.

Dustin Hogue finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Georges Niang added 18 points and Naz Long had 14 points for the Cyclones. DeAndre Kane scored 11 before fouling out.

Foster scored 21 points to lead the Wildcats, who had been holding opponents to 64.9 points, best in the Big 12. Southwell added 19 points, freshman Nigel Johnson had a career-best 17 and big man Thomas Gipson finished with 13 points.

“I guess it was an entertaining game,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “You shoot 54 percent and scored 85 points and you still don’t win, it’s disappointing.”

Iowa State shot poorly in the first half but dominated on the boards, while the Wildcats couldn’t seem to miss, yet coughed the ball up nine times.

The upshot of it all was that the teams played nearly to a standstill, just as they did in their two regular-season games. They each won at home in the regular season.

Iowa State had a chance to take a comfortable lead into the break, but Southwell scored a fourth-chance bucket with 14 seconds left in the half. Hoiberg called timeout to set up a play, but Kane turned the ball over and Foster hit a 3 before the buzzer.

Instead of leading by double-digits, the Cyclones had to settle for a 44-41 advantage.

They remained one step ahead of the Wildcats until the 12-minute mark, when Thomas made two free throws and Omari Lawrence made another to give Kansas state a 60-59 lead. It was the first time that Kansas State had played from ahead since there was 7:30 left in the first half.

By that point, the game resembled a boxing match.

Every time Kansas State scored, the Cyclones answered the jab. Whenever Iowa State would pull ahead, the Wildcats delivered a blow of their own. And more than once, the officiating crew had to peel bodies off the floor while calming down red-faced coaches on both benches.

The fouls started to pile up, too. Foster picked up his fourth foul with 11 minutes left, and Kane took a seat on the Iowa State bench with four fouls and 9:57 to play.

Hoiberg was the first one to tempt fate by putting Kane back in with about 6 minutes left, but he was called for an offensive foul with 3:55 remaining. Kane clearly took exception to it, staring down the official who called it while the teams huddled during the under-4 timeout.

The Cyclones still led 76-74 at that point, but slowly crept out to a lead down the stretch, and then made due without Kane during a tense final push by Kansas State. Long scored for an 85-80 lead and, after Gipson scored for the Wildcats, Niang’s spinning layup made it 87-82.

Foster hit a 3 to give Kansas State a chance, but the Cyclones held on in the final minute.

“They’re a really good team,” Hogue said. “We were just able to make some stops and hit some shots down the stretch.”

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western tennis loses to McPherson College, 5-4

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MWSUThe Missouri Western women’s tennis team played hard but fell 5-4 against the McPherson Bulldogs. The Griffons won three of the six singles matches and one of the doubles matches. The Griffons fell in a tiebreaker at No. 2 singles and won in a tiebreacker at No. 4 and No. 5 singles. The Griffons fall to 0-3 on the season and return to action on Friday, March 14 taking on the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in their first MIAA match of the season. Match time is set for 12:00 pm in St. Joseph, Mo. at the Noyes Tennis Courts.

The Griffons opened up the day picking up one point in doubles competition. The Griffons got an 8-2 victory at No. 3 doubles from Kayla Dysart and Alyssa Dougan as they defeated Kara Wright and Ashley Allmon 8-2.

In singles competition the Griffons played hard but fell at the 1-3 positions. Dysart fell 6-3, 6-4 against Emma Sheehan at No. 1 singles while Meara Smith fell 1-6, 6-0, 10-6 in a tiebreaker at No. 2 singles.

Denise Chiao fell 6-3, 6-0 at No. 3 singles.

The Griffons won in the 4-6 positions with Ceara Boldridge defeating Brittany Gourlay 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 at No. 4 singles.
Lindsay Beger won in thrilling fashion over Claire Crossman at No. 5 singles by scores of 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) and 29-27 before Alyssa Dougan defeated Kara Wright 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6 singles.

Singles competition
1. Sheehan,Emma (MC) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Vorhess,Nichole (MC) def. Smith,Meara (MWSU) 1-6, 6-0, 10-6
3. Vorhess,Brooke (MC) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 6-3, 6-0
4. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) def. Gourlay,Brittany (MC) 6-2, 3-6, 10-4
5. Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) def. Crossman,Claire (MC) 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), 29-27
6. Dougan,Alyssa (MWSU) def. Wright,Kara (MC) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Vorhess,Brooke/Vorhess,Nichole (MC) def. Smith,Meara/Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 8-3
2. Sheehan,Emma/Gourlay,Brittany (MC) def. Chiao,Denise/Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 8-1
3. Dysart,Kayla/Dougan,Alyssa (MWSU) def. Wright,Kara/Allmon,Ashley (MC) 8-2

— MWSU Sports Information —

Griffons defeat Rockhurst for second straight win

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MWSUMissouri Western defeated Rockhurst University 13-7 Tuesday evening at the Spring Sports Complex.

The win is the second in a row for the Griffons, who split with Washburn on Monday.

Missouri Western jumped on the scoreboard early after Rockhurst went scoreless in the top of the first.

After Trevor LaHonta walked, Jeremy Monty singled to center field to move LaHonta to third. Jake Schrader’s single scored LaHonta and oved Monty to third. The Griffons eventually added three more runs to go up 4-0 after one inning.

David Chew added an RBI in the third inning and the Griffons took a 5-0 lead after three. Missouri Western put up three more runs in the fourth inning and took a commanding 7-0 advantage halfway through the game.

But the Hawks came back in the fifth and sixth innings.

Rockhurst added three runs in both innings to come back and cut the lead down to one run. Rockhurst tied the game at seven in the top of the seventh inning when Calin McCourt singled to left fied for an RBI that scored Dalton Thompson.

The 7-7 tie didn’t last long, as the Griffons added two runs in the bottom of the seventh and another four runs in the eighth innings to add insurance.

Degner’s single and Chew’s single started the seventh off with a score after Rockhurst had two errors. In the eighth inning, Degner hit a two-run homer followed by Will Carter’s double to left field after Chew walked. The double scored Chew, and Carter eventually scored after Dylan Koch hit a single to right field.

Monty went 2 of 5 with an RBI. Chew was 2 of 3 with three RBI. Carter also had three RBI. Tyler Tuepker had the win for the Griffons, who are 8-8.

Missouri Western takes a trip to Emporia, Kan. next to play Emporia State on Friday, March 14 for four games against the Hornets.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western softball splits doubleheader with Northwest

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MWSUThe Missouri Western softball team picked up its first MIAA victory of the season getting a split with Northwest Missouri State University. The Griffons snapped a four game losing streak with a 5-0 victory in game one before losing 5-3 in game two. The Griffons now sit at 11-9 on the season and 1-5 in MIAA play.

Game 1
Missouri Western 5
Northwest Missouri State 0

The Griffons got the fourth shutout of the season from senior Jackie Bishop as she improved to 7-3 defeating Northwest Missouri State 5-0 in game one. Bishop had gave up just three hits while striking out three in the outing.

The Griffons got things going in the bottom of the first inning as Bre Fleschner led off with her first home run of the season. The Griffons kept up the pressure as Sydney Washington singled. Tiffany Gillaspy reached on a fielder choice and scored on back-to-back singles by Brooke Schaben and Kat Steponovich. The Griffons took a 2-0 lead after an inning of play.

The score stayed that way until the third when Washington blasted her third homer of the season giving the Griffons the 3-0 lead after three innings. In the fifth Bishop was able to strand two Bearcats while the Griffons plated two. Morgan Rathmann led off the 5th with a double down the right field line and scored on a Fleschner fielder’s choice.

Fleschner later scored on a sacrifice fly by Gillaspy giving the Griffons the 5-0 lead.

Bishop set the Bearcats down in order the rest of the way to snap the Griffons four game losing streak.
The Griffons had seven hits with Washington leading the charge with two.

The Bearcats had just three hits in the first game while Abbie Vitosh got the loss falling to 1-5 on the season. She went 5.1 innings giving up seven hits and five earned runs.

Game 2
Northwest Missouri State 5
Missouri Western 3

In game two the Griffons offense struggled getting out hit 10-4 by the Bearcats. The got on the board first but gave up five in the 5th inning splitting the doubleheader.

The Griffons took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd when Washington singled up the middle scoring Fleschner and Rathmann who both walked.

The score stayed that way until the top of the 5th inning when the Bearcats strung together five hits scoring five runs. The Griffons tried to battle back as Steponovich blasted a homer over centerfield in the 6th but that was all the Griffons would get in the loss.

Janie Smith picked up the loss and now sits at 4-6 overall. She gave up nine hits and five earned runs. Bishop pitched 2.1 innings giving up one hit with two strikeouts.

Sarah Baldwin picked up the victory for the Bearcats as she went all seven innings giving up just four hits with four strikeouts. She improves to 3-3 overall. Four different Bearcats got two hits in the contest.

The Griffons return to action on Friday, March 14 with a doubleheader in Warrensburg, Mo. against the Central Missouri Jennies. Game time set for 4:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri’s Brown, Clarkson earn All-SEC honors

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SECriggertFor the second consecutive season Mizzou Basketball had a pair of players named to the All-Southeastern Conference Team by the league coaches as Jabari Brown earned First Team accolades and Jordan Clarkson was named to the Second Team.

Brown’s selection to the First Team marks the fourth consecutive year a Tiger has won first team all-conference honors. Phil Pressey was named First Team All-SEC last season after leading the league in assists, while Marcus Denmon was a First Team All-Big 12 pick in 2011 and 2012.

Brown was one of the nation’s most efficient players this season, leading the league in scoring, both in 31-regular-season games (19.7) and during the 18-game conference schedule (20.7). Brown ranked among the Top 10 in several league categories during league action, including field goal percentage (4th – .468), free throw percentage (5th – .846), three-point percentage (4th – .414) and three-point makes per game (8th – 2.3), as well as minutes played (3rd – 36.6) and total free throw makes (1st – 115).

The Oakland, Calif., native reached 20 points in 12-of-18 league contests and reached double figures in 17-of-18 league games making him one of the country’s most consistent scorers in conference action. He scored a career high 33 points at home against Kentucky, hitting 10-of-17 shots from the floor and 10-of-12 shots from the free throw line. He also scored 25 points in the home win over Arkansas, hitting the game-winning floater in the final seconds of that 86-85 win at Mizzou Arena. Not to be forgotten was his late-game steal to clinch the home win over Tennessee.

The junior had a stretch of five consecutive games scoring 24+ points in league play this year, the longest run since Derrick Chievous (1987-88). His 17 20-point games this year are the most since Kareem Rush in 2001 and he was the first Tiger to average better than 20 points per game in league play since Rush (20.2) during that 2000-01 campaign.

Brown’s backcourt running mate, Clarkson, earned Second Team honors after leading the SEC in total field goals made (191) in 31 games. Overall, Clarkson ranked seventh in the SEC in scoring (18.1) and together he and Brown formed the top high-major scoring tandem in college hoops this year.

A junior, Clarkson also ranked No. 10 in the SEC in field goal percentage (.453), No. 7 in assists (3.5), No. 4 in free throw percentage (.833), No. 9 in assist/turnover ratio (1.4) and No. 4 in minutes per game (34.7).

Clarkson’s top scoring game came in the home win over Southern Illinois when he poured in 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He also dropped in 28 points against Kentucky and 27 in a home win over Arkansas. He finished the regular season with 14 20-point games, second on the club, and reached double figures in scoring in 30-of-31 contests.

“I am so proud of Jabari and Jordan and applaud the way they have represented Mizzou as student-athletes,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “Their on-court numbers are outstanding and this honor is well-deserved, but I really commend their efforts as leaders and citizens within the Columbia community.”

Mizzou Basketball opens play at the 2014 Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday at Noon CT. The Tiger face the Texas A&M Aggies. The winner will go on to face No. 1 Florida on Friday. All games are played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and the games will be televised on SEC TV.

— MU Sports Information —

Western men shoot 312 on day two to finish 11th in Russellville

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western men’s golf team finished in 11th place at the Dave Falconer Memorial Invite firing a two day total of 623 (311-312). The finished one stroke ahead of Pittsburg State for 12th and five strokes back of Southern Arkansas for 10th. The winner of the event was Henderson State who fired a two day total of 580 (287-293). They were six strokes better than Southwestern Oklahoma State.

Scott Sheldon was the top Griffon finisher firing a 153 (80-73) which put him in a tie for 37th. Derek Hawksin fired a 158 while Evan McCarthy and james O’Brien finished with 159 and 162 respectively. Tyler Gast fired a 162 as well. Individually Dylan Watts finished with a 157 tying him for 59th.

The winner of the event was Michael Hearne of Southern Nazarene University with a 140 (68-72).

The Griffons return to action on Monday, March 17 and Tuesday, March 18 participatinig in the Washburn Invitational at the Topeka Country Club in Topeka, Kan.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas’ Embiid, Wiggins named to All-District VI team

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KUKansas freshmen Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins have been named to the 2013-14 All-District VI team, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) announced Tuesday.

A total of nine all-district teams were announced with 10 student-athletes named to each team as voted on by the USBWA’s 900 members. District VI includes NCAA Division I schools in the states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The 2014 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Embiid broke the KU freshman record for blocked shots with 72 and his 2.6 blocked shots per game are second in the league. Named to the 2014 All-Big 12 Second Team, Embiid leads KU with 8.1 rebounds per game, good for sixth in the Big 12. The Yaoundé, Cameroon, center is shooting 62.6 percent from the field and averaging 11.2 points per game. Additionally, Embiid is a Wayman Tisdale Award finalist for the most outstanding freshman by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and one of 30 listed as a Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Award candidate.

Embiid, who will not play in the upcoming Big 12 Championship and likely not in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament due to a back injury, was a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week – Dec. 2, 2013 and Jan. 20, 2014 – and was named Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week and CBSSports.com National Player of the Week on Jan. 21, 2014 after averaging a double-double with 14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds to go along with 13 blocked shots in KU victories against then-top-10 opponents Iowa State (1/13) and Oklahoma State (1/18). Included was a KU freshman-record eight blocked shots against OSU.

Wiggins scored a Kansas freshman record 41 points at West Virginia in KU’s regular-season finale on March 8. The Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, guard leads Kansas with a 16.8 scoring average, the best among Big 12 freshmen and eighth overall in the conference. Wiggins has made 37 threes this season and is the team leader with 36 steals after his career-high five at WVU, the most by any Jayhawk this season. Wiggins’ 5.9 rebound average is third on the team. A gifted shooter, Wiggins also ranks among the Big 12 leaders in field goal percentage (11th at 45.2) and free throw percentage (10th at 76.5).

The Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Wiggins was a three-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week before landing a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection earlier this month. He was the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week on Jan. 28 and is on most every national player and freshman of the year ballot.

2013-14 USBWA All-DISTRICT VI
(IA, MO, KS, OK, NE, ND, SD)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Doug McDermott, Creighton

COACH OF THE YEAR: Gregg Marshall, Wichita State

ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Cleanthony Early, Wichita State
Melvin Ejim, Iowa State
Joel Embiid, Kansas
DeAndre Kane, Iowa State
Roy Devyn Marble, Iowa
Doug McDermott, Creighton
Terran Petteway, Nebraska
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State
Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

— KU Sports Information —

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