**** OFFICIAL 2012-2013 Kansas Basketball Repository Thread ****

[ArrowheadHawk]

#1 Seed South Region (31-5,14-4,5-0)

Roster

Spoiler!

1 Naadir Tharpe Guard 5-11 170 So.
2 Rio Adams Guard 6-3 190 Fr.
3 Andrew White III Guard 6-6 210 Fr.
4 Justin Wesley Forward 6-9 220 RS Jr.
5 Jeff Withey Center 7-0 235 RS Sr.
10 Evan Manning Guard 6-3 170 Fr.
11 Tyler Self Guard 6-2 165 Fr.
15 Elijah Johnson Guard 6-4 195 Sr.
20 Niko Roberts Guard 5-11 175 Jr.
21 Christian Garrett Guard 6-3 185 So.
23 Ben McLemore Guard 6-5 195 RS Fr.
24 Travis Releford Guard 6-6 210 RS Sr.
31 Jamari Traylor Forward 6-8 220 RS Fr.
32 Zach Peters Forward 6-9 240 Fr.
33 Landen Lucas Forward 6-10 240 Fr.
34 Perry Ellis Forward 6-8 225 Fr.
40 Kevin Young Forward 6-8 190 Sr.

Non-Con Schedule

Spoiler!

Fri, Nov. 9 SE Missouri State at Kansas (W 74-55)
Tue, Nov. 13 Michigan St. at Kansas Atlanta, Ga. (L 64-67)
Thu, Nov. 15 UTC at Kansas (W 69-55)
Mon, Nov. 19 Washington State at Kansas Sprint Center (W 78-41)
Tue, Nov. 20 St. Louis at Kansas Sprint Center (W 73-59)
Mon, Nov. 26 SJSU at Kansas (W 70-57)
Fri, Nov. 30 Oregon State at Kansas (W 84-78)
Sat, Dec. 8 Colorado at Kansas (W 90-54)
Sat, Dec. 15 Belmont at Kansas (W 89-60)
Tue, Dec. 18 Richmond at Kansas (W 87-59)
Sat, Dec. 22 Kansas at Ohio St. (W 74-66)
Sat, Dec. 29 American at Kansas (W 89-57)
Sun, Jan. 6 Temple at Kansas (W 69-62)

Conference Schedule

Spoiler!

Wed, Jan. 9 Iowa State at Kansas (W 97-89 )
Sat, Jan. 12 Kansas at TT (W 60-46)
Mon, Jan. 14 Baylor at Kansas (W 61-44)
Sat, Jan. 19 Kansas at Texas (W 64-59)
Tue, Jan. 22 Kansas at Kansas State (W 59-55)
Sat, Jan. 26 Oklahoma at Kansas (W 67-54)
Mon, Jan. 28 Kansas at West Virginia (W 61-56)
Sat, Feb. 2 Okla. St. at Kansas (L 80-85)
Wed, Feb. 6 Kansas at TCU (L 55-62)
Sat, Feb. 9 Kansas at Oklahoma (L 66-72)
Mon, Feb. 11 Kansas State at Kansas (W 83-62)
Sat, Feb. 16 Texas at Kansas (W 73-47)
Wed, Feb. 20 Kansas at Okla. St. (W 68-67)
Sat, Feb. 23 TCU at Kansas (W 74-48)
Mon, Feb. 25 Kansas at Iowa State (W 108-96)
Sat, March 2 West Virginia at Kansas (W 91-65)
Mon, March 4 TT at Kansas (W 79-42)
Sat, March 9 Kansas at Baylor (L 58-81)

Post Season
Thu, March 14 TT at Kansas (W 91-63)
Fri, March 15 Iowa State at Kansas (W 88-73)
Sat, March 15 Kansas State at Kansas (W 70-54)
Fri, March 22 (16)Western Kentucky vs (1)Kansas (W 64-57)
Sun, March 24 (8)UNC vs (1)Kansas (W 70-58)
Fri, March 29 (4)Michigan at (1)Kansas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX 6:37PM

[Lzen]

Todd Jones>INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL
More ColumnsEmail Todd Jones

Freshman McLemore continues climb in Jayhawks' win over Buckeyes

Ben McLemore paced the Jayhawks with a game-high 22 points against Ohio State.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
9 Kansas

74

7 Ohio State

66

Final

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The basketball trilogy between Kansas and Ohio State has taken on a green-eggs-and-ham type of theme in the past 13 months.
The Jayhawks can beat the Buckeyes in Lawrence, Kan., as they showed in December 2011.

They can beat them in New Orleans in the Final Four, as evident last March.

And the Jayhawks can beat Ohio State in Columbus, as they did Saturday in a showdown of top 10 teams.

Much appeared familiar besides the outcome in the latest meeting. Kansas started four seniors in its 74-66 victory and played the type of stout defense that has been a staple of Bill Self's 10 seasons as the Jayhawks' coach.

However, the new wrinkle to this Kansas team provided fresh evidence yesterday as to why it's not far-fetched to think the No. 9 Jayhawks (10-1) can return to the national championship game for a second consecutive season.

His name is Ben McLemore, and rumblings about the redshirt freshman's smooth game has been building from out on the prairie since he crashed the veteran Kansas lineup in game one.

Already known to basketball junkies, McLemore is now a secret no more to rest of the college hoops world after dropping 22 points on the Buckeyes in Saturday's win to lead the Jayhawks to their ninth consecutive win.
"I've never had anybody like this guy," said Self.

Self had him last season, but the 6-foot-5 guard from St. Louis had to redshirt after being deemed a partial academic qualifier by the NCAA in October. McLemore was allowed to practice during the second semester, but had to sit in the stands during the Final Four as Kansas beat Ohio State 64-62.

McLemore wasn't a spectator yesterday; he was spectacular.
"He makes plays you can't coach," Self said.

While the No. 7 Buckeyes (9-2) clanged shot after shot, McLemore showed a well-rounded offensive game that belied his inexperience. The 6-foot-5 leaper threw down an alley-oop dunk off an inbounds play, aggressively attacked from the wings with strength and quickness and showed a deft three-point touch from the perimeter in making three of six three-pointers.
"Ben can impact the game," Self said. "Ben is a shooter and a scorer. He's fun to coach because you can tinker around and draw up a bunch of plays that you can't for anybody else, and he'll jump up and make a play."
Ohio State coach Thad Matta doesn't have such a bailout luxury. He has an NBA-type scorer in Deshaun Thomas, but beyond that junior wingman, none of the other Buckeyes are a huge scoring threat.

The lack of consistent offense showed in Ohio State's 73-68 loss at Duke on Nov. 28, and Kansas exploited it during a second half Saturday when the Buckeyes shot 25 percent from the field after trailing 37-35 at the break.

Ohio State went 10 minutes between field goals in the second half as its five-game winning streak evaporated. Afterward Matta was reduced to saying he asked Santa to improve his team's jump shooting, although his team's 31-percent shooting for the game is nothing new against Kansas.
In Self's previous nine years at Kansas, the Jayhawks have ranked in the top 10 nationally in defensive field goal percentage eight times. They entered yesterday's game holding opponents to 35.1 percent shooting this season, including 31 percent from three-point range.

Besides Self's usual tough man-to-man defense, anchored by the nation's top shot-blocker in 7-footer Jeff Withey, the Jayhawks also have a moxie-laden group of grinders. Their experience showed yesterday when Ohio State led 31-23 with six minutes left in the first half and a roaring crowd of 19,049 threatened to blow the roof off Value City Arena.
"We have a good group of veterans that has been in tough situations before," Withey said. "We just bounced back. We just had to breathe a little bit."

McLemore had to take a deep breath a year ago when the NCAA declared him ineligible to play in his first season.

"He was sad, but he was alright," Self said. "He was like, 'I'll be OK.' He wanted to prove to everybody that he could do the job academically. That was his focus."

Instead of pouting, McLemore posted a grade-point average just short of 3.0 his first semester, then made the Big 12 honor roll in a second semester with a GPA above 3.0.

"It was a blessing to sit out last year," McLemore said. "I was able to practice in the second semester and learn from the seniors. I was in the gym working on my offense and defense."

Surrounded by four senior starters, McLemore tried to just fit in at the season's start. He took just seven shots, while scoring 14 points, in a 67-64 loss to Michigan State in Atlanta on Nov. 13.

"We want him to drive it, drive it, drive it," Self said.

McLemore has been taking taking that advice to heart of late. Prior to yesterday, he had averaged 19 points in his previous four games. He took 17 shots and made eight against the Buckeyes.

"I'm showing everybody I'm more aggressive," McLemore said.
His aggressiveness was never too wild yesterday, and his shooting touch from the outside continued to impress. McLemore has made 14 of 24 three-pointers in the past five games. And on defense, he held Ohio State's Lenzelle Smith Jr. to six points on three of 13 shooting.

"It was a great experience," McLemore said. "I was kind of nervous in the first half. But once I got up and down the court, all my nerves went away."
Kansas fans already knew they had a precocious freshman in McLemore. He's already scored more than 20 points in a game four times. He's on pace to set the school's freshman average scoring record of 14.6, set by Danny Manning in 1985.

After his performance yesterday, the nation also knows that the Jayhawks have something special in McLemore. Just ask the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are well-versed in all things Kansas.

Todd Jones is a senior reporter for The Columbus Dispatch.






Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...#ixzz2GNHXrIyn

[Mr. Plow]

Ohio State is our new bitch.

[sedated]

I’ve watched that Ohio State game probably 3 or 4 times since it happened, and despite the final score, that was a 15+ point win. I started counting missed lay-ups and other goofy mistakes about the 4 or 5 minute mark, and had KU up 18 with less than 2 minutes left if they hadn’t lost their focus.

[Chief_For_Life58]

Originally Posted by sedated

I’ve watched that Ohio State game probably 3 or 4 times since it happened, and despite the final score, that was a 15+ point win. I started counting missed lay-ups and other goofy mistakes about the 4 or 5 minute mark, and had KU up 18 with less than 2 minutes left if they hadn’t lost their focus.

did u count all the shots osu missed too?

[Bambi]

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

The fast break one fed by Tharpe where he took off from damn near the freethrow line was better. Just goddamned sick.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by O.city

Actually, I don't think they are. I think they're better this year than they were last.

If Dixon wasn't a moron, I'd be confident in sayiing they were a solid FF contender, and they might still be.

[Ceej]

I guess what impresses me the most about McLemore is how he jumps so high without much effort (or so it seems).

That alley oop from the inbounds is amazing because he jumps so high with what appears to be little effort.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by CJizzles

I guess what impresses me the most about McLemore is how he jumps so high without much effort (or so it seems).

That alley oop from the inbounds is amazing because he jumps so high with what appears to be little effort.

Best player in the country. He makes it look so easy.

[Ceej]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Pantalones

Best player in the country. He makes it look so easy.

Speaking of which -- what players are currently in the running for NPOY?

I would assume BMac would be on the list.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by CJizzles

Speaking of which -- what players are currently in the running for NPOY?

I would assume BMac would be on the list.

Hmm, Zeller, McDermott, Canaan, Bmac are a few that come to my mind.

[BWillie]

Ku recruit Joel Embiid moved up to #37 in the new rivals rankings. Hes the lowest ranked of the four recruits for next year. Its good to be king.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Ku recruit Joel Embiid moved up to #37 in the new rivals rankings. Hes the lowest ranked of the four recruits for next year. Its good to be king.

We're mother ****ing legends

[CoMoChief]

It'd be awesome if McLemore would stay for next season.....no way in hell will that happen though if he continues to be this badass.

He has a stroke similar to Kobe Bryant....best looking stroke I've seen in quite some time. He keeps this up he's a lock for a top 5 lottery pick, in which case it'd be ****ing stupid to come back....hope he decides to pull a Rush and come back...but I don't think Rush's ceiling was as high as McLemore's...which is the reason I believe that Rush came back, prob got word that he'd be a low 2nd rd pick or something, who knows.

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

It'd be awesome if McLemore would stay for next season.....no way in hell will that happen though if he continues to be this badass.

He has a stroke similar to Kobe Bryant....best looking stroke I've seen in quite some time. He keeps this up he's a lock for a top 5 lottery pick, in which case it'd be ****ing stupid to come back....hope he decides to pull a Rush and come back...but I don't think Rush's ceiling was as high as McLemore's...which is the reason I believe that Rush came back, prob got word that he'd be a low 2nd rd pick or something, who knows.

Rush came back because he blew out his knee