Kansas Jayhawks Game Tickets On Sale Now!

Group #1 General Admission Tickets On Sale* Now:
Season Ticket Waitlist: Thursday, October 8 at 9:00 am
Williams Fund Donor Sale (Hall of Fame, Champion, All-American Levels): Friday, October 9
​at 9:00 am
Williams Fund Donor Sale (All Levels): Monday, October 12 at 9:00 am
General Public: Wednesday, October 14 at 9:00 am​

Games included in Group #1

• Pittsburg State – Nov. 4
• Fort Hays State – Nov. 10
• Northern Colorado – Nov. 13
• Loyola – Dec. 1
• Harvard – Dec. 5
• Holy Cross – Dec. 9
• Oregon State – Dec. 12 (at Sprint Center)**

* All available seats in Allen Fieldhouse are General Admission and only available while supplies last. Limit 10 tickets per order.
** All seats at the Sprint Center are Reserved. Call 800-34-HAWKS (42957) to order.

Listen to Perry Ellis with Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg on the @ESPNCBB podcast (18-minute mark): http://t.co/EwqxQwXeG4 #kubball

— Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) October 14, 2015

CBS Top 25 and 1

1. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS • 2014-15 Record: 26-12
The top four scorers -- and every rotation player except J.P. Tokoto -- return from a team that finished 11th in KenPom's final ratings and won five of its last seven games before losing to Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. Assuming Marcus Paige is healthier this year than he was last year, the Tar Heels are as safe a pick as any to hover around the top of the polls all season and make a run at a national title, which would be the third of Roy Williams' Hall of Fame career.

2. KENTUCKY WILDCATS • 2014-15 Record: 38-1
It seems crazy that a team could lose its top seven scorers and still reasonably be ranked second nationally, but here we are. The Wildcats lost four lottery picks but added at least two in Skal Labissiere and Jamal Murray. Combine them with fellow five-star recruit Isaiah Briscoe and a veteran core of Tyler Ulis and Alex Poythress, and what you have is a clear favorite in the SEC and roster good enough to make a fifth Final Four in a span of six seasons -- assuming, of course, that the NCAA eventually clears Labissiere to play.

3. KANSAS JAYHAWKS • 2014-15 Record: 27-9
Kelly Oubre is the only player who finished the season with the Jayhawks who doesn't return for the Big 12 champs, meaning KU is positioned well to win a 12th consecutive league title and maybe take Bill Self to his third Final Four. Perry Ellis is the most likely All-American -- although Frank Mason could ultimately prove to be the Jayhawks' Most Valuable Player. The only question is whether McDonald's All-American Cheick Diallo will be cleared to compete as a freshman. KU is still waiting to find out.

…6. IOWA STATE CYCLONES • 2014-15 Record: 25-9
Fred Hoiberg's departure from Iowa State to the Chicago Bulls puts a question mark over the Cyclones that wouldn't otherwise be there. But it's not like first-year coach Steve Prohm hasn't handled a top-10 team before. He had one at Murray State a few years back, and he managed it well. So there's reason to believe his transition to the Big 12 will go smoothly.

8. OKLAHOMA SOONERS • 2014-15 Record: 24-11
Kansas, as always, is the favorite in the Big 12. But Oklahoma, just like Iowa State, should be a real challenger for the Jayhawks' place atop the league standings. Buddy Hield averaged 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds last season. He'll be a National Player of the Year candidate if the Sooners live up to expectations.
CBS

Got Love for all my coaches and teammates at KU. Guys that weren't afraid to tell the truth or how they felt to each other. #RealTeam

— Rex Walters (@USFBBallCoach) October 14, 2015

1. ANDREW WIGGINS (Timberwolves): I’m really impressed with how he's shooting the ball with greater confidence and range. He looks stronger with increased stamina and is aggressive attacking the basket. He’s playing harder defensively too. It looks like he’s committed to improving his game and that's a huge step in right direction to build off of the momentum of last year’s Rookie of Year campaign.
TSN


In the weeks leading up to Nets training camp, there would be a periodic late-night tweet from Thomas Robinson with a picture of him working out at the team’s New Jersey practice facility.

Though Robinson already is on his sixth team since being taken fifth overall by the Kings in 2012, his work ethic never has been questioned. But Robinson said he was more invested in the workouts this summer than at any point in his NBA career.

“I’m tired of the disrespect,” he said bluntly after Tuesday’s practice. “I’m just trying to get back to where I belong.”

Where Robinson belongs is a legitimate question after the bumpy ride through his first three seasons. He was a top prospect in 2012 — after averaging 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds in his junior year at Kansas — yet has been traded three times and waived once since.

But even after traveling his winding road, Robinson is still just 24, and sounds committed to proving he is worthy of being on an NBA roster for years to come.

His plan to do so sounds similar to the role Reggie Evans played a couple years ago for the Nets — grab every rebound in sight.

“I’m going to play like that regardless,” Robinson said of his Nets preseason debut, which saw him score 12 points and grab 16 rebounds — including nine offensive — against Turkey’s Fenerbahce last week. “The way I play is no different who we play, how we play, who I play with. … My approach is always the same.

“Get everything that comes off the glass. Everything that comes off the glass is mine. Any possible steal that’s near me is mine. Any block that’s possible that’s near me is mine…”
New York Post


Kansas women's basketball was selected to finish 10th in 2015-16 by the Big 12 coaches as released by the conference on Wednesday morning.

Baylor was named the preseason favorite by the league coaches, an honor that the Lady Bears have claimed four-consecutive seasons from 2009-13, tallying eight first-place votes. Texas edged Oklahoma by a point for second place in the preseason poll with a first-place vote and a total of 70 points. The Sooners, who were the top preseason selection a year ago, were picked to finish third with one first-place vote.

With 48 points, Iowa State was voted to finish the Big 12 slate fourth. TCU was next at No. 5, followed by West Virginia, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas.
Brandon Schneider, who has led 14 of his 17 squads to postseason play, including a 2010 National Championship at Emporia State, was named the six head coach in Kansas women's basketball history this past April, and looks to exceed the expectations of his peers.

Kansas returns six letterwinners from last season, while welcoming nine newcomers to Allen Fieldhouse. Among the veterans are 2015 All-Big 12 Freshman Team selection Lauren Aldridge, two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree Caelynn Manning-Allen and two-year starter Jada Brown.

KU inked four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period last November and signatures from Jayde Christopher, Tyler Johnson, Kylee Kopatich and Aisia Robertson led to ESPN's HoopGurlz ranking the 2015 Kansas recruiting class at No. 18. Chelsea Lott, McKenzie Calvert, Sydney Benoit, Jessica Washington and Kelea Dennis round out the list of newcomers to Schneider's first roster at the helm of the KU program.

Schneider has vowed the Jayhawks will play tough and together, and season tickets are now on sale at just $69 for a full season of women's basketball action in Allen Fieldhouse. Family Zone tickets are also available and include two adult and two youth tickets to every home game for only $149.

The 2015-16 season starts with two exhibition games, the first against Pittsburg State on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks host 19 games at home, which include the exhibition games. KU opens the regular season on Nov. 15 against Texas Southern.
KUAD


Whether they're dining out or dining in, Kansas student-athletes have a new tool to help make the best food choices as Kansas Athletics' sports nutrition unit has partnered with MobileSmith to deliver the Jayhawk Fuel app for mobile devices.

Launched for iOS in Apple's Store and for Android via Google Play this week, the app is intended to enhance the training and performance efforts of the Jayhawks by empowering individuals to prepare or choose recommended food options. The initial launch puts the newly-published Jayhawk Fuel High Performance Cookbook, a listing of better and best options at local restaurants, and a handful of helpful resources, at the fingertips of every Kansas student-athlete.

"The Jayhawk Fuel app was created to deliver our student-athletes a more modern educational tool aimed to give them relevant, practical fueling strategies at home and when dining out," Kansas sports nutritionist Aaron Carbuhn said. "MobileSmith has provided us an invaluable digital platform that will not only assist all of our student-athletes, but also help all the tremendous supporters of Kansas Athletics make smarter nutrition choices to better fuel their performance."

In addition to the quickly-accessed prompts for 'Dining In' and 'Dining Out' in the app, Jayhawk Fuel resources include sports nutrition staff bios, a collection of team nutrition guides, a consultation request form for student-athletes, helpful links and a weekly training table menu for Mrs. E's cafeteria on campus. The 'Dining Out' portion of the app uses the device's geo location to determine nearby options in the database of restaurants for further convenience. The app also includes feeds from Jayhawk Fuel on Twitter (@JayhawkFuel) and Facebook.
KUAD


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!” 

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BIG 12/COLLEGE NEWS

ESPN will cover 11 college basketball conference media days in advance of the 2015-16 season highlighted by ESPNU televising five College Basketball Live episodes over the next two weeks.

ESPNU's College Basketball Live episodes will coincide with preseason events from the Big Ten and Pac-12 (Oct. 15 from 4-5 p.m. ET), Big 12 (Oct. 20 from 4-5 p.m. ET), SEC (Oct. 21 from 1-3 p.m.), and American (Oct. 27 from 4-5 p.m.) before concluding with the ACC (Oct. 28 from 1-4 p.m.). In addition to media day content, each episode will preview the upcoming season.
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College Basketball Live will originate from ESPNU's Charlotte, N.C. studios with analysts and reporters on location as the conferences hold their annual tip-off events. Jeff Goodman and Sean Harrington will be in Chicago (Big Ten), Roxy Bernstein and Corey Williams will report from San Francisco (Pac-12), Fran Fraschilla and Miles Simon will travel to Kansas City (Big 12) and Tim Welsh and Brooke Weisbrod will be in Orlando (American). Andy Katz will anchor College Basketball Live in Charlotte and be joined in studio by Dino Gaudio (Big Ten/Pac 12) and Seth Greenberg (Big 12/American).
Link

Texas Tech men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith will receive the John R. Wooden Award’s Legends of Coaching honor in April, organizers announced today.

The award recognizes coaches who exemplify the late UCLA coach’s high standards of coaching success and personal integrity.

Smith has 538 victories in his 24-year head coaching career, including winning the 1998 national championship at Kentucky. He also coached at Minnesota, Tulsa and Georgia.

Smith will receive the award on April 8 at the second annual ESPN College Basketball Awards Show. The announcement of the award was made by Wooden’s daughter Nan at the annual Wooden Award Tipoff Luncheon at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Link

We did it. We ranked EVERY team. It’s @CBSSports’ ultimate college basketball ranking, from 1 to 351—with capsules! http://t.co/2IDKI0d8ge

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 13, 2015

My All-Americans: -Kris Dunn -2nd-best Big 12 team's best player -Some frosh who hasn't done shit yet -Tony Bennett's D -Mid-major white guy

— Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) October 13, 2015

2nd team: -Frosh #2 who hasn’t done shit yet -#BanCharges -Bill Walton & Dave Pasch -5th-year senior who suddenly got good -Kris Dunn, again

— Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) October 13, 2015

3rd team: -Underacheiver who we all feel bad for -Some douche I’ll hate -30-sec shot clock -The Ukrainmaker -Lottery pick on shitty team

— Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) October 13, 2015

4th team: -Fat guy who lost a ton of weight -Transfer we all forgot about -ZEUS “ZEUS” ZEUSZEUSKI -The signs at UL road games -Perry Ellis

— Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) October 13, 2015

SMU's players have mostly refrained from commenting since the announcements.
But the players issued a statement Wednesday exclusively to CBS Sports.
The statement reads as follows:
​
We, the student-athlete members of the SMU Basketball family, wish to express our profound disappointment and vehement disagreement with the sanctions levied upon us as student-athletes, and with the conclusions drawn by the NCAA Committee on Infractions about our men's basketball program and our coach, Larry Brown. We believe the NCAA exercised questionable judgment in punishing innocent people, and we strongly disagree that a dedicated group of blameless, amateur athletes should bear the overwhelming weight of the consequences in this case. We also wish to make known that the NCAA's conclusion that the SMU Men's Basketball program is not compliant with NCAA rules is simply incorrect.

We are dedicated students and athletes, and we believe in rules, honor and fair play. Each and every one of us understands the seriousness of the underlying violation of NCAA rules, and we understand the role of the NCAA in fairly enforcing the rules and adjudicating infractions cases. We also believe in proportionality and due process. As student-athletes directly impacted by these sanctions, we believe the sanctions are disproportionate to the infraction and unfairly punish us for things we had nothing to do with and over which we had no control.

The NCAA has imposed an immediate postseason ban that unfairly punishes our entire team. This punishment is especially unfair to our seniors, who will lose an opportunity of a lifetime despite doing nothing wrong. None of our players, especially our seniors, had any role in this case nor could possibly have known about any rules infraction. And not one member of our team was born when SMU Football was before the NCAA in the 1980s.

The suggestion or conclusion that SMU Basketball does not recognize the importance of NCAA rules and compliance with those rules cannot be farther from the truth. Every single day Coach Brown and our compliance staff remind and educate us about specific rules and the general principles of fair competition, honesty, and decency.

Coach Brown is not only a great basketball coach, he is a life-skills teacher, a constantly available adviser, and a father figure to all of his players. We are a family, and we support Coach Brown completely, and appreciate his unyielding support of us.

We, the student-athletes, had no voice in this case, and believe we were denied our due process. We ask that the NCAA reconsider the sanctions that unfairly target and disproportionately affect the innocent, and allow SMU Men's Basketball to compete for a berth in postseason play. That sanctions disproportionately affecting the student-athlete have been levied in the past is no reason to continue such an unfair practice in this case, or in future cases.

In the meantime, we will assess our options while continuing to work harder each day to make SMU students, faculty and fans proud of us and our basketball program. We are proud to play for them as they make Moody Coliseum the best arena in college basketball.
CBS


ESPN reported last week that the NCAA has not yet cleared Labissiere, then CBS Sports followed up Tuesday with a report that clarified the issue causing a delay: a former Memphis AAU coach told the website that the NCAA has interviewed him related to his assertion that Labissiere's guardian, Gerald Hamilton, inquired about how to make money off a basketball player.

College basketball's governing body asked the AAU coach if Hamilton ever sought his help in producing a "shoe" deal for Labissiere. The 6-foot-11 Labissiere, a former five-star recruit and potential No. 1 NBA draft pick, came to live with Hamilton in 2010 after an earthquake destroyed his native Haiti.

…Asked about his on-court potential, Calipari took a sarcastic tone Wednesday.
"He is going to be good – and he is going to play this year so well," Calipari said. "He's going to make jump hooks and jump shots. Next question."
LCJ


In his wide-ranging talk, Pitino blasted Sports Illustrated – "I don't care what Sports Illustrated says. I haven't read them in years" – for a recent column claiming U of L has nurtured a dangerous culture toward women. He said he was "blindsided" by radio host Terry Meiners in an interview last week, during which Meiners, a friend of Pitino's, asked the coach if he intended to resign.
LCJ


Pitino said Tuesday the Cardinals “will get through this the right way.”

He told a packed room at a tipoff luncheon he understands the motivation behind Katina Powell’s book “Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen,” but questions the need for the alleged activities given the talent his program has produced.

Pitino added, “We will find out the truth, whatever it may be, and those responsible will pay the price.”

…“From our end of the thing, I don’t get the ‘why?’ It doesn’t make sense,” said Pitino, reiterating his adherence to NCAA regulations. “I know as far as I’m concerned, every coach has had rights and wrongs in their life. But every coach that has sat next to me … knew what I was about as far as NCAA rules are concerned.”
Link


Despite Pitino’s efforts to paint McGee as a staff member generally removed from recruiting, the first two items on the university’s list of McGee’s job duties as director of basketball operations were “Coordinating and assisting in on-campus recruiting efforts” and “Assisting coaches with game preparation and recruiting.” The idea that McGee’s responsibilities were largely confined to getting players to class and monitoring their continued eligibility is hard to reconcile with the all-hands-on-deck nature of big-time recruiting. Moreover, where did all the money come from?

…There was a strong sense of resignation in Pitino’s voice when he told Meiners of his desire to understand “why,” as if the damning allegations were no longer in dispute. He sounded like a man prepared for bad news, but not of his own making.
LCJ


Such is a monster the NCAA Tournament has grown to be and such is the objective UNLV must likely realize this season for fifth-year coach Dave Rice to continue leading his alma mater's program.
His is a seat that has passed the warming stage and now floats in hot water.

"If we work hard and grow as a team, everything will work itself out," sophomore Patrick McCaw said. "(Rice) has some pretty special goals for us this year. He's more excited this year and has big plans for us. We can't worry about what happens in the future. We have to take care of today."

It's true the UNLV team that was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West on Tuesday is the best and deepest Rice has offered with the Rebels, one that will play a style at both ends he has desired since replacing Lon Kruger once the latter departed for the Big 12 Conference riches of Oklahoma.
The fifth-year senior Seagears and McCaw joined Rice at the conference media day inside the Renaissance, where Stephen Zimmerman became the fourth straight UNLV player to be voted the league's preseason Freshman of the Year and a majority feeling about the team's season-long prospects went something like this: Prove it.

That's fair. It makes sense. UNLV has averaged over 22 wins under Rice, but has never finished higher than was it has been predicted in the Mountain West.

The Rebels were picked second in his first three years and finished third each time.

They were picked fourth last season and finished seventh, missing the NCAAs for the second straight year.

They can't miss again this season, not if there is any internal hope that the journey will continue under Rice.
Las Vegas Review-Journal


The New Yorker: Why NCAA athletes shouldn’t be paid


Here’s the first of two reports resulting from a lengthy conversation with Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s VP for men’s basketball.

I reached out to Gavitt to discuss the pros and cons of changing the basketball calendar — specifically, moving the basketball season back one month. We tackled another issue of paramount importance for the game: A new governance structure.

Let’s address that here. My report on calendar move will be posted soon // …

Although it received little attention, the NCAA has formed an oversight committee for men’s basketball charged with providing what Gavitt called “centralized management” of the sport.
A committee of this sort was desperately needed, long overdue and is the most significant development in ages for the long-term good of the game.

Both the rules committee and the basketball (aka: selection) committee will report to oversight, which is chaired by UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero and will include coaches, athletic directors, commissioners and two student-athletes. There are 12 voting and four non-voting members. (Members listed below.)

Until now, men’s basketball had a decentralized, sometimes fractious governance structure with the basketball committee, the rules committee and the coaches (via the NABC) all pursuing agendas that served their particular mission and membership.
Mercury News

The NBA’s Next Shooting Revolution Has Already Been Televised « http://t.co/hAEytYV2HJ

— Viking Basketball (@VASJBasketball) October 14, 2015

Big 12 Composite Schedule

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Recruiting

Marques Bolden, a 6-10 senior forward from DeSoto (Texas) High School, who is ranked No. 16 nationally by Rivals.com, tells Jayhawkslant.com his weekend visit to KU “was great. I would say that the visit went much better than I expected going into the visit.”

Bolden has visited KU, Kentucky and Duke. He is pondering returning to Kentucky on Friday and Duke on Saturday for their season-opening hoops celebrations. He will visit Oklahoma on Oct. 23.

Herard update: Schnider Herard, a 6-10 senior center from Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas who is ranked No 34 nationally, visited KU last weekend and has also made trips to Mississippi State, Purdue and Texas Tech. He has canceled an upcoming trip to Cal.

Herard’s mentor, Derrick Shelby, says Herard had “a very good trip,” to KU. Herard will make a final visit to a yet-to-be-determined school before announcing his choice.

“Schnider still has one more official visit that he wants to take. We’re trying to figure out where that’s going to be,” Shelby told Jayhawkslant.com. “The thing about Schnider, being where he’s from (Haiti), he’s never had the opportunity to do this type of stuff, so he definitely wants to see it through. We are not going to visit California, but there will be one more visit.”
LJW


This weekend's Big Blue Madness visit could be the icing on the cake for Fox, the final step toward his commitment to the Cats.

Though Fox has not mapped out an exact timetable for his college decision, Meyer said it could come sooner rather than later.

"It sure wouldn't surprise me if it happened quickly," he said. "If my notions are correct, as long as everything goes well on the visit, you would think it could happen really quickly."

So what would Kentucky be getting if Fox does commit? According to Meyer, a combination of two of the best point guards in the John Calipari era.

"He reminds me of John Wall in a lot of regards," Meyer said. "Better shooter than John at the same stage. He's probably not as explosive at the rim. And it's tough to say he's as fast as John, but he's right there. ... They both have a great feel for the game.

"In Kentucky terms: He's a lot of John Wall, with Brandon Knight-type shooting."

Five-star seniors Harry Giles and Malik Monk will also be in town for official visits to UK this weekend, and five-star center Marques Bolden could return to Lexington for an unofficial visit to Big Blue Madness after taking his official visit last month.

Here's Meyer's Crystal Ball take for each of those recruits:

On Bolden, a 6-10 center from Texas: Meyer is picking Duke but characterized it as a "three-horse race" that also includes UK and Kansas. "That's one of those where a lot of people — including me — have Duke picked, but, speaking for myself, it's a very close race," he said. "And it could go in any of the three directions, including Kentucky. ... Kentucky has made up a lot of ground with a real strong surge in his recruitment. Obviously, don't count out Kentucky."

On Giles, a 6-10 forward from North Carolina: Meyer is picking Duke, and he seemed quite confident with that prediction. "Everything I'm hearing, yeah," he said of Duke. "I think if a team beats Duke, it's Kentucky. But I might say I would be shocked if it's not Duke."

On Monk, a 6-3 guard from Arkansas: Meyer recently switched his pick from Arkansas to UK and said he'd be surprised if it's not one of those two schools. "I think Kentucky is going to sell the possibility of a national championship and NBA development. And the Arkansas program is a little shaky right now with some off-the-court stuff and questions about how good they're going to be. I think Kentucky can pull it off."
Lexington HL


Recruiting Calendar (updated for 2015-16)
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