(2) Kansas Jayhawks (32-6, 16-2 Big 12) vs. (1) Kentucky Wildcats (37-2, 16-0)
Kentucky leads the all-time series with Kansas, 20-6, yet Kansas has won three of the last four meetings dating back to 2005. Prior to November of this season, the two teams last met in the second round of the 2007 NCAA West Regional in Chicago with Kansas defeating Kentucky 88-76. The two teams had a home-and-home series in 2005 and 2006 with KU winning in Lexington 65-59 on Jan. 9, 2005, and 73-46 the following season (Jan. 7, 2006) in Allen Fieldhouse.
The series dates back to 1950, a 68-39 UK win in Lexington. Kansas’ single-game record of 150 points came against Kentucky in a 150-95 win over Rick Pitino’s Wildcats on Dec. 9, 1989 in Lawrence. This will be only the third meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament. The first was a UK 92-88 overtime win in the 1999 NCAA Midwest Regional in New Orleans and the other was the previously mentioned 2007 meeting in Chicago.
Earlier this season, then-No. 2 Kentucky defeated then-No. 11 Kansas 75-65 in the State Farm Champions
Classic at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15. Kansas led by as much as seven points in the first half, yet
UK fought back and tied the contest 28-28 at intermission. Kentucky opened the second period with a 17-5 run and never looked back. Tyshawn Taylor led Kansas with 22 points, including 15-of-17 from the free throw line. Thomas Robinson had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Jeff Withey had four blocked shots. Dorian Lamb led UK’s five players in double figures with 17 points.
These are the top two winningest programs in NCAA Division I college basketball with Kentucky first at 2,089 wins and Kansas second at 2,070 victories.
These two schools have combined for 29 Final Fours with Kentucky at 15 and Kansas at 14.
Kentucky coach John Calipari was an assistant coach at Kansas from 1982-85. KU head coach Bill Self was a graduate assistant under Larry Brown in 1985-86.
This will be the second meeting between Bill Self and John Calipari this season but the first in NCAA Tournament play since April 7, 2008, when Kansas defeated Memphis 75-68 in overtime in the NCAA National Championship game.
Kansas leads the NCAA in conference men’s basketball titles with 55. Kentucky is second with 51.
TEAM STATISTICS ………UK ………….KU
SCORING ………………………..3028…….. 2808
Points per game………………… 77.6……….. 73.9
Scoring margin…………… +17.0 ……..+12.3
FIELD GOALS-ATT…………… 1073-2192…… 1001-2107
Field goal pct………………. . 4 9 0………. . 47 5
3 POINT FG-ATT……………………. 219-581 ………..217-632
3-point FG pct……………….. . 3 7 7……… . 343
3-pt FG made per game………… 5.6……………… 5.7
FREE THROWS-ATT………………. 663-917 ……587-848
Free throw pct……………………. . 7 2 3………. . 6 9 2
F-Throws made per game…… 17.0 ………15.4
REBOUNDS………………………. 1513 ……….1434
Rebounds per game……………… 38.8………. 37.7
Rebounding margin……………. +6.7 …………. +5.7
ASSISTS…………………………… 519………… 578
Assists per game………………… 13.3…………. 15.2
TURNOVERS……………………. 442…………. 497
Turnovers per game………….. 11.3………….. 13.1
Turnover margin………………… +0.4………….. +0.7
Assist/turnover ratio……………. 1.2……………… 1.2
STEALS…………………………….. 238……………. 279
Steals per game…………………… 6.1 …………….. 7.3
BLOCKS ………………………………333……………… 217
Blocks per game…………………… 8.5………………. 3.3
NCAA final will shape the legacy of Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari
Enjoy Wildcat and future NBA star Anthony Davis while you still can
Kentucky-Kansas: Great for the game
Self sold Jayhawks on winning it all
Calipari recalls the one that got away
Title would make Kentucky’s the best freshmen class ever
To the toughest go the spoils in NCAA title game
That was possibly the worst rendition of the national anthem I have ever heard.
Bounce post entry pass by Kansas – much different than Saturday night when the Jayhawks were allowed to get those lazy lobs.
I do love how Kentucky contests every shot. A credit to Calipari. Not only are good offensively, but he gets them to play hard on the defensive end.
Go wash your fingertips with soap. How you blaspheme. 🙂
Yeah, it is hard to not notice how UK plays on the defensive end.
I am hoping they might have a hidden 4th or 5th different angle of that ankle turning. I was good with the first angle.
Davis has zero points right now. The loudest zero points possible.
Extremely, but did Davis just pick up his second?
When he was out, Robinson wasn’t shy about attacking the basket. I would expect him to get very aggressive if Davis is sitting for the rest of the half.
I had no rooting interest in last night’s game, but I was wide-eyed when UK kept shooting jumpers with 5 minutes to go up by double digits. I know Teague knocked down one, but time and score? I wasn’t going to throw my tv out the window like Rey suggested last week. Instead that got my interest because the Wildcats helped KU get back in that one.