Numbers crunch: the Kansas Jayhawks

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

As the Boston University men's basketball team awaits its Friday night game against the University of Kansas, Full Court Press will be doing a series of articles on the game, focusing on the Terriers as well as their opponent.

This will begin today with a quick statistical rundown of the top-seeded Jayhawks.

Leading Scorers
Marcus Morris, F: 17.3 PPG
Markieff Morris, F: 13.6 PPG
Tyrel Reed, G: 10.0 PPG
Tyshawn Taylor, G: 9.1 PPG
Josh Selby, G: 8.7 PPG

NOTE: While the Morris twins may understandably get most of the headlines, this is a balanced scoring attack, with dynamic scoring threats in the frontcourt and backcourt.

Leading Rebounders
Markieff Morris, F: 8.2 RPG
Marcus Morris, F: 7.2 RPG
Thomas Robinson, F: 6.5 RPG
Mario Little, G/F: 3.1 RPG
Tyrel Reed, G: 2.9 RPG

NOTE: Three of Kansas' top rebounders -- the Morrises and Robinson -- have higher rebounding numbers than BU's leading rebounder, junior forward Pat Hazel (5.9 RPG).

Leading Assists
Tyshawn Taylor, G: 4.5 APG
Brady Morningstar, G: 3.3 APG
Josh Selby, G: 2.4 APG
Elijah Johnson, G: 1.8 APG
Tyrel Reed, G: 1.8 APG

NOTE: Taylor is certainly what makes this KU offense go most of the time, but make sure to keep an eye on Morningstar, a do-everything sort of backcourt presence.

Leading Steals
Tyrel Reed, G: 1.5 SPG
Brady Morningstar, G: 1.4 APG
Tyshawn Taylor, G: 1.1 APG

NOTE: It's not too common to see a team with two or three players averaging over a steal a game -- Kansas has four of them (Selby being the fourth). It will become that much more important for freshman guard D.J. Irving to play with that much more poise against this aggressive backcourt if the Terriers hope to have any chance of keeping things close.

Leading Blocks
Markieff Morris, F: 1.2 BPG
Jeff Withey, C: 0.8 BPG
Thomas Robinson, F: 0.7 BPG

NOTE: Withey has averaged those 0.8 BPG in only 6.6 minutes per game this season.

Free Throw Percentage
Tyrel Reed, G: 80.5 percent
Josh Selby, G: 75. 7 percent
Brady Morningstar, G: 74.3 percent

NOTE: As a team, Kansas averages 68.1 percent from the line, a figure that ranks its 205th among Division I teams. BU ranks 55th in the category.

3-Point Field Goal Percentage
Markieff Morris, F: 40.7 percent
Elijah Johnson, G: 40.7 percent
Brady Morningstar, G: 40.2 percent

NOTE: Did not include guard Jordan Juenemann who is technically the team leader, but has only averaged 2.2 minutes per game and gone 4-of-5 from deep for the season. Morris and Johnson both have gone 22-of-54 this season from beyond the arc. At 38.7 percent from 3-point range as a team, Kansas ranks 22nd in Division I.

Coach Bill Self
Career Winning Percentage: 441-150 (74.4 percent)
Winning Percentage at Kansas: 234-45 (83.8 percent)

Career NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage: 25-11 (69.4 percent)
NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage at Kansas: 15-6 (71.4 percent)

NOTE: Whereas Chambers is making his first appearance at the Big Dance, Self is a battle-tested veteran of March (and April). Self is one of the only coaches to have led three different programs -- the University of Tulsa, the University of Illinois and Kansas -- to the Elite Eight. Oh, and Self also has some hardware in the form of a NCAA Championship, which his Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur-led team captured in thrilling overtime fashion in 2008.

Indeed, Friday will be nothing short of an uphill battle for BU, even far beyond the numbers. More coverage on Kansas, as well as BU, will come throughout the week here on Full Court Press.